Incarnation of Christ

Philippians 2:1–11 ESV

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 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.

When we study the Incarnation, we find that it is God's plan for the world. In Matthew's gospel, we see that God desires to redeem humanity from the power of sin. So he sent Jesus, born of a virgin, to be the solution for our separation from God. Jesus brings us close to God through the cross. And in John's gospel, we discover that Jesus is fully God (Divine) and fully human. The Incarnation is the culminating expression of God's love. He became our sinless representative and appropriate substitute for our sinful state. And Christ makes us spiritually alive and causes us to become children of God. Therefore, we are called to believe and entrust our lives to God through Jesus Christ so that we may receive God's salvation solution.

Today we will look at Paul's explanation and application of the Incarnation. What does it mean for the Church to believe the Incarnation and let it guide us in our community?

What We Have in Christ

This section of scripture begins with a conditional statement. However, we should not read this as if these things are not present or to be expected. Paul is pointing us to remember what we have received through faith in Jesus Christ.

A Real Relationship with God

Do you recall how young children often find comfort and have conversations with their toys? It is cute and entertaining. It is sufficient for the imaginative mind of a child. Ultimately, it lacks the qualities of a real relationship. Only another human can give a personal and meaningful relationship.

The ability to have a meaningful relationship is part of the Imago Dei, the image of God that we have as humans. People, not animals or things, carry the image of God. At its core, this concept has the emphasis that we have the unique ability to have a relationship with God like no other created thing. And humans are the primary focus of God's salvation history. God has created us with the potential for intimate interaction with our Creator. And it is made possible through Jesus Christ.

Let's quickly look at the relational aspects that are given to us through God's grace.

Encouragement - the act of earnestly supporting or encouraging. Those who have come to Christ have moved in a new direction and need encouragement to keep going. We were once headed in the wrong direction, but Christ has put us on the right path. So we find encouragement in God's amazing grace. We are loved so much that God does not want to leave us in our sin. He saves us and promises to be Our Emmanuel (God with Us). In this letter, the only hope Paul can give is the encouragement that comes from the power and presence of Jesus Christ.

Comfort - the comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment. Like the encouragement in Christ, Paul expresses a comfort that originates in the love of God. The world will let us down. Things will fall apart and cause us sorrow and depression. But, for those in Christ, we recognize that we await a glory beyond this life. So our hope is in the love and comfort that God gives through the Holy Spirit. This comfort surpasses all understanding because it is from God and not the world.

Participation - fellowship and participation. Paul points to the unique position of the believer being in fellowship with God. The opposite of fellowship is to be at war or to be separated from God. In Christ, we have fellowship, and the Holy Spirit makes us able to cry "Abba Father". The rebellious heart is brought to repentance and forgiveness. And just like the father of the Prodigal Son parable, God rejoices over the son who repents. He was once dead but is now alive. And the father invites the forgiven child to eat at the table and participate in the family life. The prodigal is made a son that can once again call God "Father".

Affection and sympathy- affection; inward parts. - emotional warmth. This term validates the expression and feelings of emotions. God expresses His warmth of emotion toward us with compassion. In Christ, God has given us the most affectionate opportunity to experience his love. We can experience the emotional stability and response of resting in God's unfailing love and strength.

Motivated toward Unity

When we consider all these, we ought to feel privileged in Christ. Behold what manner of love God has given to us !!!! It ought to cause us to rejoice greatly in God's grace and mercy. Paul continues to admonish us to consider how this is our motivation for spiritual living and unity. As a pastor and spiritual leader for the Church at Philippi, he wants them to consider the obedience of unity. If they do so, it would be a blessed joyous privilege for Paul.

Paul's words focus on the "sameness" of unity. We must not assume that Paul is somehow trying to make us all exact clones that lack any individual distinction. Rather, he encourages us toward a unity that focuses on the essentials of Christian unity. What unites us is not our differences but rather our common experience of being taken from death and darkness into the light and life of Christ. We are all sinners. And all sinners need the cross. Through the blood of Christ in the New Covenant, we become new, no longer the old person. Our primary identity is now in Christ alone. My heritage, ethnicity, gender, location, age, abilities all become secondary to my identity in Christ. This is how we begin to move to unity by recognizing our common need for the Savior. When we focus on Christ, our differences become less important to Christ's truth and power.

Unity is built with action

So we have the foundation for unity in Christ. We share the common experience of needing a savior. But how do we build upon that? How do we stay focused on unity? Illustration of Linus and Lucy

We may fail at unity because we do not take the example of the Incarnation to heart. Christ came to save us through the Incarnation but also leave for us the pattern for unity and church community.

The Enemies of Fellowship

Selfish Ambition - I want to get ahead of others so that they may focus on me.

Conceit - I am more important than others, and they should focus on me.

The Humility of the Incarnation

Equality is one of the beloved virtues of our society. But in the context of the Incarnation, this includes not only status but substance. Imagine if we somehow could analyze God under a microscope or some sort of genetic detecting device. Suppose we were to discover what God "is made of". Whatever we would discover would be uniquely God's substance. The scriptures direct our thinking to conclude that Jesus was made of the same substance. This explanation does not fully clarify the challenge of believing that Jesus is Divine, but it helps us think correctly about Jesus and God. Jesus is fully God but takes on human flesh to serve and obey the will of the Father.

The Humble Incarnation

In studying the Incarnation, we conclude that Jesus, who existed before time but took on human flesh at a specific time in history. He did this for our sake to give himself as the sacrifice for sin upon the cross. Consider the humble aspect of becoming human. Christ, the Creator, the Eternal God, took on human flesh, not as an adult, but as a helpless baby.

Response of Obedience

In the Trinity, God (One being revealed in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), we see perfect union and diversity and perfect community. We see how this operates within the Trinity. Jesus humbled himself and became obedient unto death upon the cross.

Jesus lived an obedient life. He submitted to the will and desires of the Father. In the garden, before going to the cross, he declared, "not my will but yours."

Our faith in Christ is never without obedience

Our first act of obedience is to believe in Jesus Christ. Without this act of obedience, all other acts of obedience fail to acknowledge God's saving grace through faith in Jesus Christ. You can try to be good, but you will never be righteous until God saves you and makes you new.

Faith and Works

Faith and works have always been a part of the covenant response. The New Covenant requires us to respond to God's grace in faith. Our works of obedience continue as part of our new life in Christ. Faith precedes works, but faith is not without works.

Our continual act of obedience is to humbly cooperate with the Holy Spirit in walking day by day in obedience to God.

Paul reminds us to be obedient in the area of our thinking and actions. For the sake of unity, we act obediently to God by living humbly toward other believers.

Unity amidst disagreements

Having the same mind, love, and being in full accord does not assume that we will have the same opinion concerning particular things. In the early Church, one of the challenges centered on food. Some held the opinion that it was fine to eat meat offered to idols, while others thought it quite an issue. At that time, it was not uncommon for the meat sold in the markets to have at one time been dedicated to a deity of Rome. Some held that based it was not a sin. Others felt that eating this meat was just like participating in idol worship. Imagine the challenge to bring these two sides to have the same mind. Paul brings together both opinions to have the same mind by stating this: Idols are nothing (inanimate objects), and food does not bring us closer to God. And so it seems that the meat-eating side wins, but notice what Paul encourages. He tells those that have the conscience that it is wrong; they should not do it. AND he encourages the one who has no problem to consider the "weakness" of the other side and voluntarily limit their liberty in Christ concerning the issue. For the sake of unity, some humble themselves to preserve unity. This is the same approach toward unity that Paul describes in the letter to the Philippian Church.

How might this help us when we have conversations with other believers when we consider the latest opinions about pandemic solutions, responses, vaccines, etc?

Let me encourage you toward the following:

Have a meaningful dialogue with more facts and fewer emotions

Show empathy in another person's view and possibly look for valid points of agreement.

Lovingly disagree if you don't see "eye to eye" and keep yourself from "rubbing it in".

Remember that some things are temporary, and others are eternal. Your relationship with Christ and fellow believers is eternal.

Unity in the midst of a complicated world

The early Church had its share of difficulties. They had external threats against them because of the refusal to follow the ways of the world for their day. They felt the challenges of declaring that Jesus is the Way, Truth, and the Life, when other voices offered other paths.

The world was not united with them. The only unity they were to find was in Christ and His community. But when they came together, they soon discovered that we are all sinners saved by grace. We are at various moments of faith, obedience, and knowledge. We must counteract disunity by remembering our Savior's example through the Incarnation. When we chose to live as Christ in obedient thought and humble action, we will discover how God is glorified, and we enjoy the privilege to be a part of the family of God.

United in hearts but physically distant

A gathering will look different. Not what I can't, but how can I?

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God's Exalting follows true Humility - let's stay humble and connected to God and each other. God will lift us up in his time.