He Came For Us

Well good morning. That was a clip from an interview from almost 50 years ago with Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones, a Welsh preacher who was one of the most powerful expositors of God’s Word from the last century...and I’ll refer back to him and that interview a little later...but as for now...welcome. I’m glad you’re here. If you have a Bible go ahead and turn to the book of Philippians. Philippians chapter 2 is where we’re starting this morning.

While you’re turning there, let me say if we haven’t met, my name is Chase. I serve as the lead pastor here at The Corners. And I’m glad you’re here. Let’s give a shout out to any of our first time guests this morning! Welcome, we’re glad you’re here. And for our Elementary Corners Kids in big church with us this summer. Welcome. I’m glad you’re here.

This week I had the privilege of being a speaker out at Camp Carl which is one of the ministries that our church supports.

- I share that because your generosity not only allows us to rent this space and meet here, but helps the work at Camp Carl continue.

This morning I want to read the first eleven verses of Philippians chapter 2, although we’re really going to focus on verses 5-11.

But let me just tell you about the setting for this letter real quick. The letter was written to the church in Philippi...and it was written about 30 years or so after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and it was written while the Apostle Paul and his protégé, Timothy,...and just like several of the other letters Paul writes, he’s writing while he’s in prison.

I want to read from chapter 2, and I’m gonna read from the New Living Translation, although when I’m talking about it in just a minute, I’ll speak primarily from the English Standard Version, but I want you to hear how this reads in the NLT.

- IF you’re able and willing, stand for the reading of God’s Word.

1Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6 Though he was God,[a] he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges[b]; he took the humble position of a slave[c] and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,[d] 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Pray

Well most of us in this room are at least in varying stages at least somewhat familiar with classical music. We have in our church family a few professional classical musicians like Josiah and Kristin Vandyke. Most of us at least took music class in elementary school and learned of names like Bach and Beethoven. And for others, maybe the extent of our classical music proficiency comes from watching Tom and Jerry episodes. But regardless, those of you who enjoy listening to classical symphonies, you may know that most symphonies are written in four movements.

A movement in this context is kind of like a chapter in a book. Each movement has its own mood, speed, and feel, but in the greater picture that is the full symphony, all four movements come together to tell one larger musical story.

Traditionally, a symphony’s four movements kind of follow a pattern: The first movement is usually fast and dramatic—like an opening scene that grabs your attention.

The second movement slows down, offering something beautiful and reflective. The third movement picks up again with a dance-like feeling—sometimes gentle, sometimes playful. The fourth movement races to the finish, usually full of energy and triumph, kind of like the grand finale to the fire work shows we all saw or heard this weekend.

However, sometimes, a composer decides four movements just aren’t enough to tell the full story. One of the most famous example of this is Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, also known as the “Pastoral” Symphony. Instead of four movements, Beethoven wrote five. He wanted to paint a bigger, richer picture—one expert in this genre said Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 is a journey through the countryside that includes scenes like a peaceful brook, a lively village dance, and even a thunderstorm that’s passing and gives way to joy and gratitude.

And so, Beethoven added an extra “movement” because the story he wanted to tell needed more space. He broke the usual mold so his listeners could experience the full depth of what he imagined.

Today, I want to talk simply about the life and the work of Jesus. And like Beethoven’s symphony, the story of Jesus isn’t neatly contained in four movements. It’s a grand, sweeping narrative that spans all of eternity, dives into history, returns back into the space that’s outside of time and space, and it’s a story that we’re still living in today. It’s a story so profound it demands five movements to capture it all.

So today, I want to share with you what I’m calling “The Five Movements of the Life of Christ”:

They are, first his ETERNAL MAJESTY, second his PERFECT HUMILITY, third a DIVINE TRAGEDY

Fourth, his TRIUMPHANT VICTORY, and lastly his GLORIOUS SOVEREIGNTY.

Like Beethoven’s five-movement symphony, each of these movements reveals something important and crucial to the overall narrative, and if you remove any of it, it’s not telling the full picture.

Alright, so that’s our outline....lets walk through this symphony of Grace together, using Philippians 2 as our primary guide, but also...this document we’ve been exploring called The Nicene Creed.

As a church, we’ve been working our way through this document – because while scripture alone is our authority, like Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones said in the video at the beginning...as Christians, we should be humble and realize there’s a lot we can learn from documents that were written hundreds or in this case even 1700 years ago, because the same God we serve was the same God they were serving.

And so real quick review...exactly 1700 years ago this year....there was this dude named Arius...and he started telling people that Jesus didn’t always exist...that he was created by God...and other Christian leaders were like no...that’s not what the Bible teaches. And so they got together in what’s now modern day Turkey and they condemned his belief as Heresy called Arianism. And at this meeting that was called The Nicean Council, this document...called the Nicean Creed was written.

Now...i don’t expect you to be able to read this...this is just to show the whole thing on one slide...because The Nicene Creed is divided into four sections. It talks about God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirt, and then it talks about the church and eternity.

And like I’ve said in past weeks, when you look at the layout of the Creed, it becomes obvious that the section that the most time is spent on is the section on Jesus. Is that because Jesus is more important than the Father or the Spirit? No. But because that’s what this particular Creed was written to address.

And so, last week we looked at the beginning of this section on Jesus...and what it means that he was begotten...but not made. That he is of the same being or the same substance as the Father...and we said we’ll never be able to understand it. (pause) But as we move into the second part of this second section, the Creed goes on to talk about the lifeof Christ.

So we’ve got the incomprehensible nature of Christ...and then the life and work of Christ.

And so while we move through these five movements, I want us to realize we’re getting these truths from the Bible, not just the Creed...but the Creed really lays this out in five movements as well, so as we move through them I’m gonna show what the Creed says about it as well...sound good.

Okay, here we go...Movement #1 ... The Eternal Majesty of Christ. And The Creed says “...For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven...”

So, if you’re Bible’s still open to Philippians 2, look with me at verse 5&6 again.

Paul says, “5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped...”

Okay, so just like the passage we looked at last week in Colossians, we have to unpack this one a little bit...because, just like Colossians chapter 1, if we don’t understand what’s being said, it can seem like Paul is saying Jesus was similar to God...right? Like someone can say Jesus just looked like – or he was kind of like God.

But check this out...we have to go under the linguistical hood for just a seconds, okay so stick with me.

In Greek, there are two words that can be translated as Form in this context. Okay, the first one is morphe. Everybody say MORPHE.

Okay, we talk about things morphing....or metaphorphasis...it comes from this word here...but the word morphe in Greek – it’s talking about the unchanging nature of something that doesn’t change. Does that make sense?

So as an example...elementary students what’s a caterpillar turn into? A butterfly, right? It’s still the same creature whether it’s a caterpillar, in a cacoon, or flying with wings. What it really is doesn’t change.

But there’s another word in Greek for form and it’s schema. Everybody say schema. That’s talking about the outward appearance. And that can change. So with the caterpillar example... First, it’s a wiggly caterpillar. Then it’s a cocoon or a chrysalis. Then it’s a butterfly with wings. The outside...the schema...changes, but it’s morphe...it’s true form... is the same living thing.

To use ourselves as example...we have a morphe....it’s that which never changes whether we’re 2, 20, or 120. It’s what makes us us. But our schema...our outward appearance does change.

Back to the verse. When Paul says, Jesus had the form of God the word he uses is morphe. And so...it’s as if he’s saying “he [had the essential, unchanging nature of God]”. In other words...he’s saying he was God! That’s why the NLT just says “although he was God.”

I know we’ve been hitting this fact over and over, and again this is really the focal point of the Creed, but we have to understand this. I can’t say this enough...and if I sound like a broken record, than maybe I’m almost saying it enough. As Christians we don’t believe that Jesus was just a good guy. We don’t believe that God just gave him some special wisdom or that he had some radical ideas about justice and peace and love. No....as Christians...what’s core to our belief as Christians is the belief that Jesus was and is and has always been fully God!

But look at the next part. Paul tells us that even though Jesus was God...he had the unchanging character of God...Even though he was God, He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped! Okay, what in the world does that mean?

Well lets go under the hood again...just partially this time. I won’t give you the Greek word....actually I will... the word translated as something to be grasped...its the Greek word HAR-POD-ZO...kind of sounds like harpoon. And it means a violent seizure of property or a robbery.

Okay so follow me...what Paul is saying...is that Jesus...being God...his unchanging nature was that of God....he didn’t just change into God or from being God....he was God. And because he was God... his being equal with God was not something he could get in an act of robbery!

You remember the story of Lucifer...the fallen angel? Why’d he fall? He wanted to be God. But he wasn’t God. Jesus was fully God...and so therefore he didn’t need to grasp or seize diety...because he was fully God!

So that’s the first movement in this Symphony of Grace...The Son of God for all eternity past...in perfect harmony with the Father and the Spirit was fully God!

But look at movement #2. We move from the scene of Eternal Majesty, to Perfect Humility. The Creed says “...by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man...”

Okay...listen...before we go on...all of the rest of things we’re gonna talk about are taught in church from the time we’re in Sunday school. So if you’re new to church I’m so glad you’re here. And if this is new...then great. In fact you might be in an even better position to grasp the significance of the rest of what we’re talking about...because the hard truth is that the longer we’re in church, the more we can approach these truths we’re about to talk about with casualness. (pause) Like...if we’re not careful...we can lose the awe and wonder...and...worship filled mindsets that should accompany what we’re gonna talk about.

Okay...so in these next four movements especially...let these resonate with you, deeply. Like if you find yourself thinking, okay I get it move on...then you don’t get it. Because if we’re in Christ, then these truths will still be blowing our minds 100 billion years in the future.

Look at verse 7. We just talked about how Jesus is God...he didn’t have to rob God of diety...he had full divinity and equal status as God...but what did he do....verse 7. But [he] emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Okay...we have to understand this phrase he emptied himself. Because again, people will take this verse in isolation and say...see okay I’ll give you that Jesus was God....but he emptied himself...he laid down his divinity. Is that what this is saying? No.

Again...we can’t form theological positions from just one verse...and when you take Jesus’ own words about himself, we know he was making claims to be God...just go back to last week’s message. And we also know he didn’t empty himself of all of his divine attributes right, he clearly did things only God could do. He walked on water...he calmed the storm...he did miracles...all of that...so what does this mean, he emptied himself? Emptied himself of what?

Well this is why I read from the NLT at the start because I think it’s helpful...it says, “he gave up his divine privileges.”

One commentator says this...when it says Jesus emptied himself, it is not an emptying Himself of deity. Nor was it an exchange of deity for humanity. Jesus never ceased to be God during any part of His earthly ministry. He did set aside His heavenly glory. – catch this – He voluntarily refrained from using His divinity to make His way easier.

So what this means...is that Jesus...when he became human...when God became human like that sentence should blow our mind...God became man... in doing so, he subjected himself to the difficulties of being human and consequently emptied himself not of his deity but of his divine privileges.

So catch this....does God ever get hungry or tired? No. Did Jesus. Yes. God experienced all of the natural aspects of humanity. If I can go here without being irreverent at all...I think this is important...Does God ever have to use the bathroom? No. That’s why it’s so funny when Elijah in 1 Kings 18 is having the showdown with the prophet...Remember that...okay turn there real quick, this is hilarious....1 Kings 18

- Context

24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” 26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.

Jump down to verse 36....after Elijah instructs the people how to build an alter to Yahweh

36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”

Where was I going with this...oh...using the bathroom...does God have to use the bathroom? No. Did Jesus? Yeah. (pause) And the reason I’m dwelling on this isn’t to be funny, but because often people in an attempt to not diminish the divinity of Jesus will almost feel like it’s heretical or impious to focus on the humanity of Jesus.

- Mideval art and the halos...Christmas songs...

- The cattle are lowing the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus...no crying he makes.

No THIS is the full picture...he who created the stars, and the galaxies, and spoke them into existence...became one of us...gave up all of his divine privileges or rights as you will and subjected himself to the difficulties of this world.

Brothers and sisters does this lead you to worship? (pause) I love how writer and theologian Gavin Ourtlund says it:

This is not just a miracle; this is the miracle of miracles. This is to other miracles as miracles are to the non-miraculous.

This is the miracle of miracles! Jesus Christ literally split history! And Time itself whether we us BC and AD or BCE and CE...every time we write the date and the year we’re testifying to this event! Theologians call this Christ’s condensation...that in this unparalled act of perfect humility God himself condescended from heaven....and became man, leading to Movement number 3....the Divine Tragedy! The creed says: “...For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered, died, and was buried...”

Now real quick...I’ve often wondered why does Pilate get included in the Creed. Like other than Mary, he’s the only non-Divine person mentioned...and he’s not exacly the good guy in the story. Well, I think it is important because I think in including Pilate, the writers of the Creed are reminding us that the crucifixion and death of Jesus isn’t just a mere philosophical exercise...but that this is an historical event. That there was a Roman leader named Pontius Pilate who allowed Jesus to be executed. (PAUSE) Which again leads us to marvel at his humility.

Look at how Paul puts it in Philippians 2: And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Again...if you’ve heard this a million times...let number one million and one shock you just as much! And we know what comes next...but forget about it for a second. Don’t rush to Easter without recognizing how shocking Friday is!

Movement 1 – The Son is God and has always been God. Movement 2...God comes down and becomes one of us....Movement 3....God....the creator God...allowed himself to be killed! Thats what it says...he became obedient...to the point of death! Not perceived death...not what’s called the Swoon Theory which is that he just kind of passed out and then like ha gotcha.

No he died...one of the worst deaths imaginable...crucifixion...not just painful. (understatement – the word excruciating...comes from it) but humiliating!

And here’s what makes it so scandalous...I deserved to be on that cross! You deserved to be on that cross (Pause) if you’ve ever sinned – which is all of us in this room...no matter how small we think it is....no matter how much we think – ah at least I’m not as bad as him or her...the bible tells us that the wages of sin...the penalty of sin is death...and listen, brothers and sisters...oh like this would sink in like we’ve never heard it before...the only person who ever lived that didn’t deserve to die at all, died in the most gruesome way imaginable so that we could be spared what we actually deserve. That’s the Divine Tragedy!!

And it would remain a tragedy...if it wasn’t for movement #4! Thank God for movement number 4...the Triumphant Victory! The Creed says: “...On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is (not was...he is) seated at the right hand of the Father...”

This means that Jesus didn’t stay dead...but that he rose up out of the grave...defeating sin...defeating death...and now he’s in heaven. (pause) You ever think about, like...what is Jesus doing now? He’s seated at the right hand of the Father! And I think it’s important to note that at no point does the bible tell us he gave up his humanity to return to heaven.

So that means Jesus is still fully God and fully man...just now he’s in heaven. He was always been God...he became man...and he’s still fully God and fully man. (pause) I don’t want to dwell here, but I think this important. I love this quote by the 20th century Scottish Theologian Thomas F. Torrance, he says: “As in the incarnation we have to think of God the Son becoming man without ceasing to be God, so in his ascension we have to think of Christ as ascending above all space and time without ceasing to be man or without any diminishment to his physical, historical existence.”

Okay, so that’s incredible, but look at what Paul keys in on in this fourth movement in Philippians 2. (pause) he says, Therefore...so in light of Jesus’ obedience even unto death...God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name!

What is the name that’s above every name...see at first we might think it’s Jesus. That’s his name right? Well there were a lot of people named Jesus...or Yeshua...in that day. And a lot of people have had that name sense. (pause) And on top of that, Jesus had many titles while on earth, right? Let me just list some of them...he’s called Jesus...he’s called Christ...He’s called Emmanuel. He’s called the Son of God...and one of his favorite titles for himself was the Son of Man. John calls him the Lamb of God in John 1. He’s called the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, The Word, The Redeemer, The Good Shepherded, The Light of the World, The Bread of Life, The Way the Truth and the Life, The Alpha and the Omega, The Great High Priest, The Rock, The Cornerstone, and I could go on.

So if he’s got all those names...than what is the name that’s above every name? Well, the answer is in the next two verses and with this will begin to land the plane. (pause) Philippians 2:10-11....Jesus has been exalted, he’s seated at the right hand of the father...and now check this out... 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Last time we’ll go under the hood. This word, Lord, it’s the Greek word Kurios. And in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, Kurios is the word used to translated the Hebrew name of God, Yahweh.

So in using the word Kurios here to refer to Jesus, this is tying Jesus and identifying him as the covenant God – Yahweh. (pause) And even more, it’s saying that every knee...every one in heaven, on earth, and under the earth – that’s talking about hell. Everyone will declare their allegiance to Jesus...as Lord...as Yahweh.

This is incredible! But here’s the thing....has that already happened? Is every single person on earth – right now – declaring their allegiance to God? No. (pause) Which means there’s one final movement that has not happened yet in this Symphony of Grace! This symphony that spans from eternity past to eternity future, we’re still living in it as we await one final movement...and here it is...Movement #5. GLORIOUS SOVEREIGNTY. I went back and forth – even this morning on whether I wanted to say glorious sovereignty or realized sovereignty...because I don’t want it to seem like Jesus is not yet gloriously sovereign...because he is...and he always has been...but I decided to go with glorious here, because. The Creed states – talking about Jesus“...He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.”

So...while he is sovereign now we’re awaiting the day when his sovereignty is on display for everyone to see in a glorious fashion amen?

So where do we go from here? The five movements of Christ’s life...he always was reigning in eternal majesty....he emptied himself in perfect humility...he died the death we deserved in a Divine Tragedy....but that tragedy turned to triumphant victory as he rose and ascended to the right hand of the father where he is now...and we’re awaiting his return in glorious sovereignty...so what can we take away from all of this.

Well, this brings me back to Beethoven’s 6th. Remember I said, instead of four movements, like most Beethoven in his Symphony No. 6 wrote five. And whole thing is like a journey through the countryside that includes scenes like a peaceful brook, a lively village dance, and even a thunderstorm and that thunderstorm ultimately gives way to joy and gratitude.

Well, if you listen to the whole thing straight through it’s like 45 minutes...and the thunderstorm portion of the symphony happens in the transition between movement 4 and movement 5.

Church, listen...we...right now...we are living in between movement 4 and movement 5. We’ll look at this closer in a couple weeks when we look at the section on the church, but we’re living in the in-between Jesus’ ascension into heaven and his return. And I don’t have to convince you of this at all, but when we look out at the brokenness of the world...it feels a lot like we’re living in a thunderstorm.

We feel the very real crashes of death that surround us, and the peals of pain, and the thunderous echos of relational turmoil and hardship. And so the question that we have to ask – after looking at the five movements of Jesus...the question that we have to ask for this to turn from just and intellectual or philosophical exercise to actually transforming our lives...is how do we live now in between movement 4 and 5?

That’s what I want to leave you with this morning. Having looked at the five movements in this Symphony of Grace, I want to give you 4 ways we must live in-between movement 4 and 5.

1. We must accept Christ’s mercy. (repeat)

We said, He’s coming back. And he’s coming back as a judge. Like this is why we can’t just say Jesus was a guy who lived a long time ago and that’s that...no we believe he’s actually, physically returning...and when he comes back he’s coming as a judge! And I already said every single one of us deserves to be up on the cross like he was, right? But – listen, here’s the good news...as long as you hear the sound of my voice, there’s time to accept his offer of mercy!

Jesus didn’t just come to model a perfect life...he came to offer us salvation! He came for us!! That’s the underlying theme of this amazing symphony...its because of the life and work of Jesus...we...you and I can also be exalted with Christ and rule and reign with him forever, and it’s not about us following a list of rules, it’s about us recognizing that he is LORD!

See..everyone’s going to recognize it eventually! In heaven, on the earth and under the earth. But only those who willingly surrender their lives to him during this life...will do so with glad joyful hearts. Everyone else will do so with fear and dread.

And so if you have not made a decision to follow Jesus, this is your invitation to accept Christ’s mercy!

And for those of us who have...here’s the second way we live in the in-between.

2. We must model Christ’s humility. (repeat)

Can I just say this is way easier said than done. Like...did you hear the description of Jesus we just spent the last 35 minutes going over...he gave up his divine privileges! He went from the seat of eternal majesty, to a stable in a manger. He was despised, spit on, rejected, and killed.

Yet, how many of us Christians find ourselves getting offended over the smallest inconveniences in our life. (pause) Let me make it personal....does your life...does my life reflect Christ’s humility or our own pride when things don’t go our way?

And I’m not even talking about like major Christian persecution...I’m talking about when the line at the grocery store is too long....or when your food order is brought out wrong. (pause) Or when you need to buy something for your car and it cost three times as much as you thought it would. Maybe I’m preaching to myself, but what I find far too often in my own life is that my response to insult whether real or perceived is a focus on self.

But what did Paul say to set up this whole passage about Christ? He said in verse 5 of Phillipians 2 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus...and then he goes on to talk about what Christ did!

Do you see what I’m trying to say? This whole section...this whole symphony...is to get us to be like Jesus...and what did Jesus exemplify? Perfect humility!

Let me just ask...what would the marriages in our church look like if we were all characterized by humility? What would the friendships look like? If we weren’t seeking selfish gain at all...just pure selfLESSness? What would the serving both in the church – in kid’s ministry – and tear down teams, some of the harder teams...but also the serving outside of the church and in the community...what would it look like if our primary mindset was not what any of us think we deserve, but...if we were trying to model true humility, like Christ?

Again, I know we probably don’t remember what Martin Lloyd Jones said in the bumper, but this is what he was getting at why I wanted to show that clip...he’s talking almost 60 years ago, and he was asked what the greatest need in the church is, and he said to return to the New Testament gospel...to not get caught up in politics...and all that....but the straightforward gospel!

See some of us would rather come to church and talk about politics...and our political rights and how to get or keep political power on whichever side of the political spectrum...and how we can live comfortably...i think that’s the exact opposite of the Jesus described in Philippians 2. Though he was in the form of God...and didn’t have to steal divinity...he emptied himself?

And so, Christian, I ask...and I ask this to myself first...but to you Corners Chapel...individually and collectively...are we characterized my modeling that kind of humility?

1. We must accept Christ’s mercy. 2. We must model Christ’s humility.

3. We must rest in Christ’s sovereignty.

I mentioned at the start of this message that our family spent the week at Camp Carl. I didn’t know that at the end of this tremendous week for us, a different Christian Camp would find itself in the midst of tragedy and National Headlines. I’m talking of course about the Camp in Texas...where the death toll continues to rise. Parents who dropped off their children, now find themselves planning funerals.

What is that enables us to navigate the storms that surround us in between movement 4 and 5? It’s resting in the fact that we believe in and trust wholly in the sovereignty of Jesus! That we serve a God who knows the pain of loss...that experienced the pain of loss – you ever think about how Jesus cried when Lazarus died? Like he’s God! He knew he could raise him...and he knew he would be raised in the new heavens and new earth....but he still wept? Why?

Because he – being fully God AND fully man...felt the pain of death..the very real pain of death...when Paul says in 1 Corithinas 15 O death where is your sting, he’s not saying we don’t experiences loss in a real painful way...he’s saying the eternal sting is gone because of the fact that Jesus is coming back to make all things new.

But in the in-between we feel the pain....we feel the loss. So what do we do...whether that pain and loss is near to us, or if it’s through tragic headlines that cause us to cry WHY GOD!?? What do we do?

We rest in the fact that God the Father has raised Jesus to the most prestigious position in the entire universe...to his right hand...and he’s seated...which means he’s in complete and total control. And while we don’t understand why things happen the way they do, we trust in his sovereignty and the fact that he’s coming back to right ever wrong, Amen.

Which leads to our final point –

So here’s what I want to do....as our music team comes back up to lead us in a final time of worship through song, and then we’ll take communion and close our service, I want to ask you a question. Who is Jesus to you?

- We’re going to sing that he’s the King, and I want to ask you not to stand until you’ve answered this question.

o Maybe you need to pray with someone.

§ Me, Valmir, prayer table in the back

- So, we’ve been standing and reading the Creed, we’re going to read it while seated...