Philippians Sermon Week 4 - Look to Christ

Welcome/Intro

Do you ever wonder why you can’t change things in your life?

Hard to get of old patterns

Particularly during times of stress

tend to default to old patterns.

This can be a despairing thought

There is Hope of progress — there is only one path where true change happens

through the human heart.

Thomas Cranmer, English Reformer, The great Archbishop of Canterbury, believed this:

“what the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies”

This means:

The mind doesn’t direct the will.

The mind is actually captive to what the will wants,

and the will itself, in turn, is captive to what the heart wants.

Example: Switch — true change goes through the emotions

This means the target is the Heart

The only hope for lasting change has to go through the heart.

I have experienced this

I went through 26 years of my life trying to change my affections.

But only Jesus could do that.

When I came to Christ, 12 years ago, I felt everything change at the deepest level.

That’s what I want for you. It’s why I’m testifying to Jesus.

Today we are going to look at what does that process of change look like.

Continuing in Philippians Series

We’ll look at one of the most beautiful and theologically significant sections in all of the bible.

Many Scholars believe this was an early hymn of the Christian Faith.

We’ll be in Phil 2:1-11, go ahead and go there.

Happy Mothers Day

Let me pray.

Pray

Give us new affections. Pray for Mother.

The Impossibility of Humility

Philippians 2:1–4 CSB

1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

This a nice verse isn’t it?

But don’t you know it’s impossible!

“do NOTHING out of selfish ambition” — who can achieve that?

“But in humility — count others as more important” — good luck actually living that out

“look out for others interests? not just your own?” — that will be the day.

Does anybody actually live that way?

I mean to this extent? — Do NOTHING?

Maybe we could manage seldom? or maybe even sometimes?

But “do everything in humility”?

This section sounds really nice

But practically is this actually possible?

Paul seems to think so, why else would he write it?

The key to understanding these verses is in the verses that immediately precede it and follow it.

It will take all of who you are

But Jesus gave all of who he was

Let’s unpack that.

Your Whole Self

Paul’s exhortation is to live a life of humility

In order to do that he says we have to have UNITY

The Call to Total Unity

How can we be unified?

Phil 2:2 “by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.”

He calls us to four aspects:

“think the same way” — this is having a unity of mind

“have the same love” — unity of the heart, of affections

“united in spirit” — this is unity of the soul/spirit

“intent on one purpose” — this is unity of the will or volition

Basically Paul is saying have complete UNITY amongst yourselves and covers the four main aspects of human beings:

Heart, will, mind, and spirit

Ok, so to live in humility and to consider others means to have a complete unity with one another.

But how do we get that?

That doesn’t sound any more achievable?

This is then where we look to where Paul both starts and Finishes today.

The Source of Unity: The Heart

Look how he starts out

Philippians 2:1 CSB

1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,

He uses 5 very important words.

encouragement, consolation, fellowship, affection and mercy

Intensely emotional, passionate words.

Tied to the affections.

All are tied to our “being in Christ”’

“in Christ” — meaning that our life in Christ — our union with him.

“any encouragement in Christ”

This has the sense of helping / strengthening / enabling / empowering

Does this strengthen us? encourage us? that is give us courage?

This is in the mind/will categories

“any consolation of love”

This word means comfort, persuasion even the idea of incentive

whose love? Christ’s love for you.

Does the love of Christ compel you? (2 Cor 5:14-15)

again the mind/will categories.

“any fellowship (koinonia) with the Spirit”

Is the Spirit of Jesus living inside of us?

Are we partaking of Him? Are we sharing in Him?

This is the soul/spirit category?

“any affection and mercy” towards one another — based on Christ

These words signify the deep seat of affections we have

Deep longings and desires

This is the heart.

What is Paul saying?

He is calling for a life of Humility and service to others.

He says TOTALLY UNITY of the collective heart, will, mind, and spirit

The only way to get there is through Christ

The Key is our being “in Christ”

Look at where he goes next.

Look to Christ

We need to look at Christ

Philippians 2:5 CSB

5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,

But not just look at Christ with our eyes, but with our hearts.

Ephesians 1:18–19 CSB

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.

Our affections are the deep seat of who we are

Our hearts must be captured by Christ, must be controlled by Christ.

Unless we get to the heart there will be no true change.

It’s like trying to turn a car without the steering wheel.

it just won’t happen.

The heart is the steering wheel to our lives.

And Jesus is the destination.

We must look to Christ.

Philippians 2:6–11 CSB

6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here we have the Great Example of Christ

Christ who was high, but was brought low

That he might serve others.

Christ is our example.

He is the image of what we are supposed to be

He is the image that we are being conformed to be like (Rom 8:29)

But to just look to Christ as an example robs us of the power to be like him.

This text isn’t just showing us how Jesus lived

It is preaching the gospel to us.

And only the Gospel has the power to change hearts, to get to the affections.

The Key is Christ

our being in Christ and Christ being in us.

I like the ESV Translation here:

Philippians 2:5 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

Jesus is not just our example, he is that, but he is also the one who enables us through his spirit.

not just the pattern, but the power

not just the illustration but the inspiration

doesn’t just show us the path, he makes it possible the path.

What do we see about Jesus in this passage?

The Hymn of Christ Jesus

Who is Christ?

What does this hymn tell us of Christ?

1. Jesus is the Eternal God

Philippians 2:6 CSB

6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited.

Jesus existing in the form (morphe) of God

John 1:1 CSB

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He has equality of God but chose not to exploit this

that is not to leverage it

In the garden at his arrest

Matthew 26:53 CSB

53 Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will provide me here and now with more than twelve legions of angels?

Paul, and the early church clearly see Jesus as God.

2. Jesus came to serve

Phil 2:7a “Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant”

Rather than utilizing his divine power which was rightly his

this he laid aside

He emptied him of it “figuratively” — he didn’t become less divine

he assumed the form “morphe” of a servant.

The God who created all things entered into creation to serve all things.

Mark 10:45 CSB

45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

3. Jesus was fully human and fully God

Phil 2:7b “taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man”

This eternal God entered into finiteness

The creator entered into creation — The Incarnation

Jesus didn’t take away from his deity rather he added his humanity to it.

4. Jesus humbled himself

Phil 2:8 “And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself”

This word “humble” means to be brought low

The Highest of the High was brought low

But he did so because he Chose to.

5. Jesus died on a cross in obedience

Phil 2:8 “by becoming obedient”

How did he humble himself?

by becoming humane

by becoming obedient

obedient to whom?

God the Father

To live the life we should have lived

A life of humility and joy and service to others.

Phil 2:8 “to the point of death— even to death on a cross.”

to the point of death

Why to the point of death?

Why the Cross?

Now we begin to approach the heart?

The why reaches the heart.

The question is Why?

Why gets to the Heart!

We can marvel that God would become human and walk amongst us.

But what transformed us is the WHY

Why did God become a man in Jesus?

Why did Jesus not leverage his divinity?

Why did Jesus take the form of a servant?

Why did Jesus have to be obedient?

Why did Jesus have to die?

Why on a cross?

LISTEN TO ME

GOD LOVES YOU.

God created you, everyone of us.

He created us for himself

that we might delight in him because he delights in us.

But we ruined that, all of us we went astray (the bible says)

we ran away

in every way to this very day

But God...

Jesus became a man, truly human, though he was God

Jesue became obedient in our place, everywhere we have failed, Jesus succeded

Jesus became a servant, because that’s what we were made to be

to serve and love one another and to serve God.

So that which was to be highly exalted, lowered himself to make a way

where there was no way

Jesus had to die because that was the price for our sin

for our delight in ourselves

for our inconsideration of others

for our self righteousness, self-centeredness, self-glorification

We cling to our ‘innocence’ when we are guilty, but Christ accepted our guilt thought he was innocent.

Billy Graham — i’m going to ask for mercy not justice

Why the Cross?

He had to die on the cross, because that’s what the weight of sin required.

The higest of the High had to become the Lowest of the Low

He had to go all teh way down, to the very deaths of shame and human depravity.

Crucifixion was the most shameful of deaths.

It was horrific, despicable and agonizing meant to bring about maximum humiliation

It was done in public not in obscurity

would be i your Walmart parking lot or along the 408 corridor

It was created by the Persians but perfected by the Romans.

Romans Citizens were exempt from crucifixion

It was reserved for the lowest of society

It was so altogether horrendous that we had to invent a word for it

“excruciating” literally means “from the cross”

Why would the author of life submit to this form of death?

GOD LOVES YOU.

You don’t realize it, but you are in incredible danger

GOD LOVES YOU AND IS CALLING YOU HOME.

It’s why you feel lost.

It’s why nothing ever quite satisfies

It’s why there is always something more or something else

some other promise.

Our souls are most satisfied when God is most glorified

GOD LOVES YOU.

We need mercy, and Jesus offers it

We have to humble ourselves as Jesus did

and repent of our sin and turn back to God.

Story of The King

This is the Story of the King

Who had mighty armies, who was the most powerful in the land.

He was incorruptible, he was invincible, he was completely loving.

But his son ran off and joined the enemy to overthrow the King in his selfish ambition and pride.

He signed a contract with the enemy and the only way to fulfill it was death.

But as the King read over the contract, being a just and honorable man knew it could not be broken

There was only one option.

Though the contract required death, it did not specify whose death.

So the King laid down his arms and went before the enemy and was cut down

so that his beloved son could be free and could return home.

This is you and me.

In sin we signed a contract with the enemy of God.

And only death could fulfill it.

But the enemy didn’t realize that the King had the power even over death.

And as he was raised back to life it signaled the beginning of the end for the enemies of the King.

And one day in the future, the King would obliterate all his enemies and bring eternal peace to the land.

The Exalted Christ

You see Jesus is the King and because he laid down his life, God highly exalted him.

Philippians 2:9–11 CSB

9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

And Jesus will come again and defeat all the enemies of God.

Jesus now has been given the Name above every name.

So that, one day, every knee will bow

EVERY

in heaven — every angel, every saint in heaven

heavenly real - every demon, and principality and power, and satan himself.

on earth — every human being alive

and under the earth — every human being who has ever lived and died

Every tongue WILL CONFESS

that the LORD is JESUS CHRIST (greek)

Friends,

hear this.

Every knee will bow — whether willingly or unwillingly

Every tongue will confess — to the Lordship of JESUS CHRIST, the Eternal King

The only question is will you do it in this life? of your own accord?

Or will you do it in the next when you see the truth in fullness!

Closes to heaven, closest to hell

Application

It is only when we see the magnitude of what Christ has done for us.

The great lengths that He has gone to, to bring us home

That our hearts can be captures

and that true change can come.

Because “what the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies”

What do you love?

Perhaps… “who do you love?”

Jesus is the only answer, Jesus is the only hope.

If you have not believed in the gospel message,

do it now

Now is the time.

Friends, if you are not growing in humility and service to others.

Look to Christ with you heart

Be transformed.

Let’s Pray