Philippians 2:5-8

Introduction

In Philippians 2:2–4 (“Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others”), Paul exhorted the church in grace to be a united assembly. The unity of likemindedness crossed several barriers, which included “having the same love, being of one accord, (and) of one mind.” To achieve this exhortation Paul gave the church instructions on having the right attitude in grace regarding self-importance. The proper disposition to be desired for likemindedness within the church is to be humble minded, build others up because they are more important than you, and look to solve the needs of others.

This is a hefty and dangerous charge. Here is why: if everyone is obedient to Paul’s exhortation and attitude in grace, then all the needs will be met; however, if one person focuses on self before others, or is absorbed with their way and not the church’s way then people’s needs will not be met. Once a person’s needs are not being met by the church, it can create an destructive avalanche of inverting the acronym of “JOY” to yourself first, others second, and Jesus last. Therefore, compliance to Paul’s exhortation and attitude in grace takes faith and confidence in God that He will be your rewarder as you put Him first, and others second, even if your needs are not being met by the church.

Paul follows up the exhortation in grace and attitude of grace with an example through grace. Who did Paul choose to be the banner we should look to as our example? He could have chosen several people: himself (The Apostles to the Gentiles - Romans 11:13 “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office”), Peter (The Apostles to the Jews - Galatians 2:8 “For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles”), John (The disciple whom Jesus loved - John 13:23 “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved”), Moses (arguably the greatest leader the world has ever had), Luke (A faithful servant to the end - 2 Timothy 4:11 “Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry”), Abraham (The friend of God - James 2:23 “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God”) or David (Whose heart was after God - Acts 13:22 “And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will”).

The person that Paul chose to be the most perfect example of “likemindedness” and humbleness was Jesus. He should be the one that we follow on this subject. Now, we need to put some context to this. Paul says in numerous places to be followers of him. For example, he exhorted the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 4:16 “Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.” The writer of Hebrews charged his audience in Hebrews 6:12 “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” In both of these cases, the idea is to follow people as they follow God. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” However, in Philippians 2:5 Paul says: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” It was not have my mind, as my mind pursues Christ, but let Christ’s mind be in you.

The reasons he did not want them to follow him on the important matters of unity and humility were twofold: first, this was more than about following. Paul wanted them to have the mind of Christ and not his mind. Even though Paul had been saved by grace and accomplished much to the glory of God, he still had the old man way of thinking. In Romans 7 Paul mentions that sin dwells in him in v.17 and 20. Therefore, he concludes in Romans 7:21–23 “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” He did not want people to have his mind because sin was present in his mind. Why would you want your banner to be a second rate person like Paul who was deeply flawed in the areas of unity and humility when you can have Jesus?

The second reason Paul did not want them to follow him regarding unity and humility was Jesus is the greatest example. We can be examples of persevering in faith, which allows younger Christians to see our love for him (Matthew 28:19-20); however, Jesus is the example when it comes to unity and humility. There has never been a human who has done more for the cause of unity and humility than Jesus. You would never compare Queechy Lake to Lake Superior. Lake Superior is incomparable to Queechy Lake. Likewise, Paul’s exercise of unity and humility is Queechy Lake compared to Jesus’ exercise of unity and humility as Lake Superior.

It is not an accident that that great endeavor of being likeminded does not start with actions but the attitude of mind and heart. Therefore, we have to be careful what we feed our minds and hearts. I am using the mind and heart as two interconnected parts. John Piper preached: “Ten times in 1 Corinthians, Paul says, “Do you not know?” (1 Corinthians 3:16; 5:6; 6:2, 3, 9, 15, 16, 19; 9:13, 24) — with the implication, “If you knew rightly, then you’d think differently, feel differently, act differently about what you’re about to do.” And in 1 Thessalonians 4:5, Paul says to not give yourself over to “the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God,” implying that a right knowledge of God would have a subduing effect upon the passions of our heart.”

With the interconnected reality that exists between the mind and heart, I want to highlight what Thomas A. Tarrants wrote to emphasize the importance of being careful what we put into our hearts and minds: “The desires of one’s heart will determine the direction of one’s life and ultimately one’s eternal destiny. This simple but profound truth is obvious, yet it is often neglected. For many of us, daily life is busy, pressured, distracted, and bombarded with what seems like an unending stream of alluring enticements designed to capture our attention and shape our desires. It is a battleground that can easily hijack our spiritual lives.”

As it relates to church unity, Paul says to put the mind of Christ in you. There are monuments that we can admire from a distance. In New York City, you can take the Staten Island Ferry and admire the Statue of Liberty from a distance. Paul does not want the Philippian Church to admire Christ from a distance, but wants them to enjoy an intimate admiration of Christ as our example.

This morning, I want us to see three reasons why we must have Jesus’ mind as it relates to unity and humility.

Love

Philippians 2:6 “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:”

The “who” in v.6 is Jesus Christ. The scene of v.6 takes place in heaven before creation. If we are to understand the power of v.6 then we need to define some words. First, we need to examine the word “being.” As a verb it is stronger in meaning than “to be.” The word speaks of “from the beginning.” The idea is that before v.7, Jesus’ being was exclusively “in the form of God.” Even though “being” does not prove Jesus’ eternal existence, it does highlight the existence He had before His incarnation; which is Paul’s point in using the word.

The next word we need to understand better is “form.” We understand “form” to be a shape or size, but the Greek word for “form” has little to do with shape and size and more to do with nature and essence. Barclay wrote regarding the significance “form” within the context of v.6. Form “describes that which a man is in his very essence and which cannot be changed. It describes that part of a man which, in any circumstances, remains the same.” Before the incarnation of Jesus, His nature and essence was divine. Even after the incarnation, when He became a man, Jesus did not stop being God. Philippians 2:6-7 are two importnat verses in explaining that during the earthly ministry of Jesus, He was completely God and completely man. From the perspective of not knowing what follows v.6, the truth to grab a hold of is that Jesus is God.

The last word we need to know is “robbery.” Vincent word studies articulates three possible meanings for “robbery:” “A robbing, the act…The thing robbed, a piece of plunder…A prize, a thing to be grasped.” Paul had the third meaning in mind. Jesus, who has always been God, did not view His equality with the Father and Spirit as the thing to grasp for. The highly prized possession for Jesus was not to be equal with God. Vincent Word Studies argues: Jesus “did not regard His divine equality as a prize which was to be grasped at and retained at all hazards, but, on the contrary, laid aside the form of God, and took upon Himself the nature of man.”

Not only does this verse sets the stage for His incarnation and crucifixion, but it opens a window in heaven that allows us to see the mind of Jesus before creation. Why was there a creation? Paul wrote in Colossians 1:16: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” Creation happened by and for Jesus. This is supported by Proverbs 16:4: “The Lord hath made all things for himself: Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.” Although it is true that God created the universe for Himself, this answer just scratches the surface as to why God created. By digging deeper, we know that God created for His glory: Isaiah 43:7 “Even every one that is called by my name: For I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”

Now, we are getting closer to the source as to why God created. So far, we know that God created for Himself and for His glory. Is there an even deeper reason why God created? Yes, there is. In 1 John 4:8, we read that “…God is love.” Wayne Grudem commented on this truth by writing: “God’s love means that God eternally gives of himself to others.” Before creation, He eternally gave of Himself to the Trinity. In other words, God the Father loved the God the Son, and God the Son loved God the Father prior to “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” . Jesus confirmed this in John 17:24 “Father…thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” The Trinitarian God had an overflowing love for each member of the Trinity. They had an unbreakable bond of active and participating love for one another. Wayne Grudem wrote: “This eternal love between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit makes heaven a world of love and joy because each person of the Trinity seeks to bring joy and happiness to the other two.”

God created the universe because of an overflowing divine love that He desired to share with others. God did not create so that He could be served or even worshipped in and of itself. Paul declared in Acts 17:24–25 “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.” Love was the motive of creation that has as its climax the Gospel story. 1 John 4:10: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Romans 5:8: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Tie these two verses with what Jesus says in John 15:9 (“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love”), and John 17:22–23 (“And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me”), and it becomes clear why God created: The ultimate reason God created was to bless others with the divine love shared between the Trinity.

What was in the mind of Christ in eternity before time? His passion to love the Trinity and people that would be created in time. So, why did not Jesus view the exclusive nature and essence of God as the prize? He knew to love others would require Him to identify with humanity so that He could remove the curse through His death on the cross (Galatians 3:13 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree”) to those whom He will redeem. The significance of v.6 is the reason Jesus came was not because He had to. He did not draw the short straw between the Father and Spirit; neither was He ordered to come by the Father. No! Jesus came because He did not think it was robbery to be equal with God.

How does this help us with unity and humility as an assembly? Do not think your personhood or position or authority is the thing you should prize. The thing that should be prized is selflessly loving others. Even if loving others requires us to take a step down from our lofty position, love others. In Jesus’ incarnation, He was made lower then the angels (Hebrews 2:7: “Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands”) so that God could extend divine love to us.

He emptied Himself

Philippians 2:7 “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”

Seeing that Jesus did not embrace being in the nature of God as the end all to His existence, He opened the door to being “made in the likeness of men.” V. 6 took place before time, and v.7 took place in time. V.7 is the incarnation of Christ and the Christmas story that read about in Matthew 1-2, and Luke 1-2. There are three key phrases in v.7 that we need to examine.

The first phrase is “But made Himself of no reputation.” “Made Himself of no reputation” means that Jesus Christ Himself became empty when He was planted in the womb of Mary. To glean Paul’s point, we have to back up to the word “but,” which speaks of a contrast between being full in God and empty in man. How is this contrast best understood? This means, we are asking the question: What was different about Jesus after He became man that He enjoyed before being “made in the likeness of man?” We know based upon v.6, that the difference was not that Jesus became less God. If Jesus could become less God after being made a man then He cannot be God. The essence and nature of God has never changed. The prophet Malachi wrote in Malachi 3:6 “For I am the Lord, I change not; Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Jesus becoming man was a changing of His divine nature but an addition of human nature.

The 18th century English pastor John Gill, gives us insight into the question. He wrote: “not of that fulness of grace which was laid up in him from everlasting, for with this he appeared when he was made flesh, and dwelt among men; nor of the perfections of his divine nature, which were not in the least diminished by his assumption of human nature, for all the fulness of the Godhead dwelt in him bodily; though he took that which he had not before, he lost nothing of what he had; the glory of his divine nature was covered, and out of sight.” He did not lose His grace, His divine nature, or His perfections. In fact, He did not lose anything. However, becoming man meant His humanity covered up His glory so that He could become “a servant.”

This leads me to the second phrase. Jesus “took upon Him the form of a servant.” The word for “form” is the same in v.7 as it is in v.6. This means that Jesus took in the nature of a slave but without sin. The word for “servant” means a “bond slave.” Jesus willfully became a bond slave. In effect, Jesus Christ clothed His royal diadem in His humanity so that He could become a slave. In His humanity, Jesus was a Servant of servants.

The third a final phrase is how that Jesus “was made into the likeness of man.” The verb choice that Paul used means that Jesus was not a man but became man. He added human nature to His divine nature. Seeing this follows Him being a slave, indicates that He was a slave to humanity. He was a slave to humanity. Jesus said in Matthew 20:28 “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Jesus came to wait on the needs of others, with the foremost need being canceling the divine curse brought about by sin. In order to do this, He needed to identify with humanity by becoming a man.

In v.7, Jesus was willing to clothe His glory so that He could become a slave and identify as a man. Today’s American society is so bent on rights. We want what is ours! Pursuing our rights could become detrimental to a local church’s unity and could be the result of our pride. Jesus gave up His rights so that He can serve us. I am not saying that Jesus compromised His holiness or His divinity or His power to become man. But, what I am saying is Jesus could have called down a twelve legions of angels to destroy the lives of those who wanted Him dead, and He chose not to (Matthew 26:53, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?”). Similar, I am not saying that we should compromise truth about who were are as Christians, but to intentionally, restrict what we can do for the greater good of the church.

He humbled himself

Philippians 2:8 “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Jesus first coming, He cam as a suffering lamb and not as a sovereign Lord. He did not come to rule and to reign, but to intentionally, humble himself, so that He could die on the cross for other people’s sin. Jesus’ earthly life was tethered to humbleness and obedience “unto death.” His humbleness manifested itself everyday of His life. We do not have much information when Jesus was a child. In fact, there is just one story of Jesus during His teen years. The story highlighted how He was subject unto His parents (Luke 2:51: “And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart”), even though He was their creator. It is interesting to note that Jesus was not humbled by the words or actions of others, like us. No! He humbled Himself by becoming a man. He deliberately and premeditatedly humbled Himself so that he can be the Savior and be the conduit of God’s love to a lost and dying world.

“Guzik on He humbled Himself...

 · He was humble in that he took the form of a man, and not a more glorious creature like an angel.

· He was humble in that He was born into an obscure, oppressed place.

· He was humble in that He was born into poverty, among a despised people.

· He was humble in that He was born as a child instead of appearing as a man.

· He was humble in submitting to the obedience of a child in a household.

· He was humble in learning and practicing a trade - and a humble trade of a builder.

· He was humble in the long wait until He launched out into public ministry.

· He was humble in the companions and disciples He chose.

· He was humble in the audience He appealed to and the way He taught.

· He was humble in the temptations He allowed and endured.

· He was humble in the weakness, hunger, thirst, and tiredness He endured.

· He was humble in His total obedience to His Heavenly Father.

· He was humble in His submission to the Holy Spirit.

· He was humble in choosing and submitting to the death of the cross.

· He was humble in the agony of His death.

· He was humble in the shame, mocking, and public humiliation of His death.

· He was humble in enduring the spiritual agony of His sacrifice on the cross.”

Jesus did not come so that we can celebrate a beautiful Christmas season of sharing with family. Although, I love the sharing with family during the Christmas season. The Christmas season exists so that Jesus could die a brutal and devastating death. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:15: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” No sinner could be saved without Jesus Christ dying on the cross. Jesus became our curse when He humg on the cursed tree: Galatians 3:13: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” John wrote in 1 John 1:7 that “…the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” The writer of Hebrews wrote in Hebrews 9:14 that the blood Christ shed on the cross “…purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

We have often beautified Jesus on the cross. The beaten Jesus received before the cross and the cross were a brutal way to die. Isaiah prophesied of Jesus’ appearance on the cross several hundred years before Calvary. Isaiah 52:14 “As many were astonied at thee; His visage was so marred more than any man, And his form more than the sons of men:”

Greg Morse wrote: “Blood streamed down his face. Massive thorns stuck to the head of their Maker. Groans of agony came from the mouth of him who spoke the world into being. The soldiers beat him. They flogged him. They tortured him.

“As he inched through the streets of Jerusalem, his cross pressing into his lacerated back, many shuddered at him. The face of God, which Moses could not look at and live, could no longer even be recognized as human (Isaiah 52:14). Women hid their children from the bloody mass of flesh before them. Men taunted him. Soldiers clubbed him. Angels shrieked in horror.”

His death on the cross was a shameful event: Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” John Piper wrote regarding the shame that Jesus despised on the cross: “Shame was stripping away every earthly support that Jesus had: his friends gave way in shaming abandonment; his reputation gave way in shaming mockery; his decency gave way in shaming nakedness; his comfort gave way in shaming torture. His glorious dignity gave way to the utterly undignified, degrading reflexes of grunting and groaning and screeching.” The Psalmist prophesied people’s reaction to Jesus on the cross in Psalm 22:7–8: “All they that see me laugh me to scorn: They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: Let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.”

We need to have a humbled mind to achieve the goal of unity. Paul had the mind of Christ when he wrote 1 Corinthians 9:19–22 “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

Robertson wrote regarding Jesus’ death on the cross: “The bottom rung in the ladder from the Throne of God. Jesus came all the way down to the most despised death of all, a condemned criminal on the accursed cross.” Have the courage to be on the lowest rung of the ladder for the sake of unity within the church and for the glory of God.

Conclusion

A. W. Tozar wrote: “The secret of successful Christians has been that they had a sweet madness for Jesus about them.” I pray that we will have “a sweet madness for Jesus” so that we will want to have His mind influencing our mind.