The Backstory of Christmas - 1
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Christmas is fast approaching
Second message of Advent
In my message today, my prayer is that we will be reminded that:
1. The Christmas story did not begin with the baby born of a virgin, nor with a child lying in a manger.
2. The central theme of Christmas is the Love of God in the Person of Jesus Christ.
3. The Love of God did not begin on the First Christmas.
First part of an advent series - The Backstory of Christmas.
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, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 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.
Philippians 2:5
“Backstory”
There is a backstory to everything.
There is a backstory to your life. You did not become who you are now overnight.
We parents like telling the backstory of our lives to our kids, so that they will learn to appreciate and value what they have. We tell them stories of hardships when we were their age, how we didn’t have cars, how we walked to school, uphill and walked back home - also uphill, barefoot - in the snow
There is a backstory how Guia and I came to America. Our first Christmas in a small worn down apartment in cold New Jersey, with just that one of those old oil radiators barely keeping us warm, Josiah was just days old, we’re were trying to keep him warm, wrapped in swaddling clothes..
We like hearing backstories if we already know the future outcome was something much better or successful.
rags to riches stories. They are inspiring.
We like hearing, rags to riches stories. They are inspiring.
We like “Rags to riches”
Nobody likes a riches to rags story.
Nobody likes a riches to rags story. It brings regret, pity
There is a show on CNBC that showcases celebrities who squandered
There is a show on CNBC that showcases celebrities who squandered millions of dollars.. failure and bad decisiosn and poor life choices.
It brings regret, pity sometimes ridicule.
You know that the backstory of Christmas is a riches to rags story?
It is however unique that it is the only riches to rags story that is awesome and inspiring.
At the center of this backstory is Jesus and the story took place in eternity.
He didn’t lose His riches, He willingly gave it up.
Jesus became poor because of our failures, not His.
I don’t think there are words in the English language that can describe this backstory of Christmas:
“monumental”
“monumental”
“colossal”
“ginormous”
As a preacher, I will run out of the right words to describe the greatness of the love of God and the greatness of what He gave up for you and for me.
The backstory of Christmas is the God Who emptied Himself of His glory so that He can become like one of us and even lower.
This majestic passage of scripture carries what is called the doctrine of the The great “kenosis”
“Kenosis” or emptying.
say it with me..
Phili
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
Philippians The Link between Exhortation and Hymn (2:5)
In interpreting this verse, then, “the choice … is between a command to have the attitude that was in Christ Jesus and a command to have an attitude that belongs to those who are in him.
Either Paul is telling us to imitate the same attitude that is in the Lord Jesus.
or
He is telling us that we are to behave a certain way as a people who belong to Him.
Do you see the difference?
ESV vs. NKJV
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
I subscribe to the first interpretation, let’s have the same mind which was also in Jesus.
The word for mind can also mean “attitude”, “character”, “perspective”.
The best meaning maybe, a mindset. An approach to life that saturates everything we say or do.
Mindset of a servant.
Jesus is the God Who serves.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
Jesus is the God Who left His Glory.
This is one of the clearest statements in scripture that Jesus is God!
Two words here clearly state that:
“Existed” hyparcho - denotes great power and strength.
Jesus existed prior to His conception in Mary’s womb.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
This word hyparcho does not only speak of prior existence but an eternal existence.
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation
Jesus did not just show up in Bethlehem, He was in eternity in the presence of the Father.
Second word is:
“form” morphe
This does not mean shape, it talks about being. What Paul in essence is saying is that Jesus is not like God - He is God!
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Hebrews 1:3
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
…did not count equality with God as something to be grasped.
Jesus is the God Who sacrificed.
Jesus’ sacrifice goes before His lowly birth, it goes before His death on the cross.
It happened in eternity.
The word for grasp has two meanings:
Grasp:
To seize unlawfully
Selfishly cling to a prized possession.
In the case of Jesus it is the second meaning:
Jesus did not cling to what is rightfully His - His equality to the Father - so that He can come into the world, for you and for me.
If we are to put what Jesus did in the right perspective:
Jesus accepted far less than He deserved to give us far more than we deserved.
From the Book: Before Christmas by Bill Crowder
Jesus..
Gave up a throne for a manger and later for a cross.
Gave up His majestic splendor for suffering and shame.
laid aside His rights as the Son and took the role of a servant.
put aside the garments of glory and took upon Himself the flesh of humanity.
(Before Christmas - Bill Crowder)
How can we have the mindset of Christ?
"Kenosis” - Jesus emptied Himself.
Did Jesus empty Himself of being God?
Note that the word for emptying, Kenosis is not lessening, like when you pour water out of the glass, you have less water..
The right meaning of the word “kenosis” is setting aside, He did not become less of a God, but He set aside His glory for you and for me — for an entire sinful world!
This is the backstory of Christmas.
In closing, We need to undergo our own “Kenosis” or emptying.
What do we need to set aside?
I’ll set aside my personal dreams for now and serve God.
That is well and good, but you know Jesus took it further - His act was sacrificial.
“I am setting aside my pursuit of wealth, a bigger house, a nice car”! Sounds nice but it has to be sacrifice, why, you don’t even have those things now!
It has to be sacrificial.
So it is not just set aside our wants. It may mean setting aside even our needs.
Not the basic needs..
If we study the humility of Christ base on what He gave up, we cannot attain to that — we do not have what He had to give up.
What can we give up?
Physical needs food, clothing, shelter, protection, rest, stability.
God loves you and want you to be well provided for.
We have to look at our needs.
Having the mindset of Christ is emptying ourselves of some of our psychological needs
Image of psychological needs here.
Physical needs food, clothing, shelter, protection, rest, stability.
Our human needs cannot be filled by pursuing things as an end in themselves; they are filled to an overflow as a product of our pursuit of Jesus Christ.
Empty ourselves of all this and put on Christ.
We will continue next week.
Bible Commentators believe that this majestic passage of scripture was part of an ancient hymn, a song that the early Christians sang in their worship gatherings.
Second message of Advent
I do not know the melody of this ancient song, but this is also for us to make as a personal declaration.. put it in the first person:
Read together
Philippians 2:5
In my message today, my prayer is that we will be reminded that
1. The Christmas story did not begin with the baby born of a virgin, nor with a child lying in a manger. The love of God began
The central theme of Christmas is the Love of God in the Person of Jesus Christ.
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, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 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.
2. The central theme of Christmas is the Love of God in the Person of Jesus Christ.
3. The Love of God did not begin on the First Christmas.