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I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
We conclude our study of the Second Article of the Creed today by looking at the “States” of Christ, known as “humiliation” and “exaltation”.
Humiliation
Two weeks ago we learned of the “two natures” of Jesus- He is both “God” and “Man” Today’s topic is closely related to this.
The word “humiliation” when speaking about our Lord may have a different meaning than you think.
When we say that we are “humiliated” it has a negative connotation.
We often think that it means that we have been shamed, or embarrassed or the like.
Indeed, this did happen to our Lord as He faced the Cross meant for you and me, but this is not what the “State of Humiliation” is all about.
We get a hint of what humiliation is from our text, when it tells us that Jesus “emptied” Himself, by taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, he humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
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When we speak of Jesus’ humiliation
Jesus is both God and Man.
As we learned, you cannot separate these two.
Jesus could have lived His entire life as God and, as we learned, that would have done nothing for us.
He lives His life as a man and totally fulfills the will of the Father, thus giving us His righteousness and saving us.
How does this happen?
Today we learn the answer.
Humiliation means that even though Jesus is fully God and fully man, He voluntarily chooses to set aside His powers of God, and to live life as a man.
By doing so, He saves us.
Jesus is not a God who is above it all.
He’s not like a politician, reigning from an office, who cares little for those for whom he or she has responsibility.
Rather, His reign and rule will become all about us.
And it can because He became one of us.
God on the Ground.
God in the Flesh.
God with us in the most intimate way.
And so He allows Himself to “feel your pain”.
Literally.
Everything that you go through, He went through.
The joy of victory.
The agony of defeat.
Anger.
Questioning.
Temptation.
Grief.
Loss.
Rejection.
Betrayal.
A world in ruins.
Not knowing where His next meal would come from, or where He would lay His head for the night.
Knowing that what was being done against Him wouldn’t turn out good for Him.
And over it all, He knew that His Cross was looming.
He lived a life of struggle as you do.
And He knew it would all end in His murder.
Talk about no earthly hope!
We divide the Second article of the Creed into two sections.
The first part is His State of Humiliation.
It includes all of these statements:
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the Virgin Mary
Born of the Holy Spirit
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
Was crucified, died and was buried.
The ultimate form of His humiliation was the last part of this: His death and burial.
The ultimate form of His humiliation was the last part of this: His death and burial.
When we celebrate Christmas, we learned that it is not Jesus’ birthday that is important, but His incarnation, God becoming Man.
There is one more thing that we need to add to this thought.
Jesus was born to die.
Even as a Baby in the Manger He had a mission that He Himself willingly came to do.
And that was to die for you.
To be mocked, scourged, beaten, crowned with thorns, and die for you.
That’s what that little baby in the manger brings by being born.
Not what the world wants to hear.
And not what our sinful nature wants to hear, either.
The sad fact is, so are you.
That’s the death sentence of sin written on your eternal death warrant.
It also has hell as your destination written upon it.
Do not pass go, do not get $200.
Except we don’t admit it.
We live as if we will live forever here on earth.
We do everything we can to avoid death, even talking about it.
Why do you think so many people have not made a will?
Because they don’t want to face their deaths.
Jesus is born to die.
But it is that “Suffering under Pontius Pilate, crucifixion, and burial” that changes your death warrant, that cancels it and its claims on you out.
For in Jesus’ state of humiliation He trades places with you.
Your death warrant is nailed to Jesus’ cross.
On the Cross, Jesus suffers hell for you, so in Him, you’ve already been released from that everlasting sentence.
It is this into which you are Baptized.
Exaltation
Exaltation is the State in which Jesus fully exercises His powers of God as a Man and as God.
Exaltation is where His glory shines through.
He gave little glimpses of His exaltation when He was a man.
Every once in a while He shows that He is God: In His miracles.
In His teaching with the authority of God.
In His Transfiguration.
But our Creed shows us that He now totally lives in the state of exaltation, in power and glory at God’s Right Hand, and He does so for us.
The remaining parts of the Creed speak of Jesus’ state of Exultation:
He descended into Hell
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into Heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
These things all declare Jesus to be God.
When Jesus descends into hell it is not to suffer.
Don’t confuse this with the hell He suffers on your Cross— that is still part of His humiliation.
The descent into hell is recorded for us by Peter:
When Jesus descends into hell it is to announce his victory, not to suffer.
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