"The Perfect Savior"

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God lowered Himself by becoming in the flesh Jesus to die a shameful death. (Hearers will know that God is Jesus and He died for them.)

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INTRODUCTION

If you have your bibles turn to Philippians 2, that is where we are going to be this evening.
Paul wrote his letter to thank the Philippians for their gift and to strengthen the believers in their faith.
I pray that tonight this message the Lord has laid upon my heart strengthens your faith.

ILLUSTRATION

In August 1999, the new King of Jordan Abdullah II disguised himself as a taxi driver and went around town in Amman asking unsuspecting citizens how they felt about changes in Jordan.
Since that time, he has taken on other disguises. In 2001, the thirty-nine year old monarch took the character of an ordinary old Arab man, complete with a fake white beard and wearing the traditional Arabic white dress. In disguise, the king walked around two government buildings without his security detail and he wasn’t recognized. While waiting in the long line, he met many people and heard a lot about peoples’ thoughts.
Still another time, he passed himself off as a television reporter trying to cover a story at a duty-free shop.
According to reporter Costa Tadros, “I think that being in disguise and going around as a normal civilian to listen to their problems and know more about their needs is a good thing. I think it would make a great movie.”
The King’s idea behind all of this was to better understand and serve His people
HOW GREAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IF GOD HAD TOOK TIME TO UNDERSTAND HIS PEOPLE?

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.

PRAY!

I. The God-Jesus

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

Paul wanted the believers in Philippi to keep what he was about to say in mind
We are to use these next few verse to uplift each other
To keep it in our mind anytime our faith is tested

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Though He was in the “form” of God
The word “form” here in Greek is “Morphe” and means “the form which never altars”
It describes the INNER essence of a thing
The other word is “Schema” and that has to do with an OUTWARD change
The idea here is that God Himself came down as Jesus
He never changed the fact that He was and is God
Jesus is God and God is Jesus
They are two in the same
THE PERFECT SAVIOR
GOD-JESUS
John 1:1

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

In the Beginning was the Word
The Word was in the Beginning
The Word was with God
WITH God
The Word WAS God
So the Word and God are two in the same
John 1:14

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.

The Word WAS God and the Word BECAME flesh
The Flesh was Jesus Christ
God IS Jesus and Jesus IS God
We see in the Greek in verse 6 that the “FORM” NEVER altered the inner essence when God became flesh
Jesus always was and is God
Lets go a little deeper
The “morphe” of ANY human being is humanity
This NEVER changes because a person is ALWAYS a person or human being
The “schema,” or outward form is ALWAYS changing
A person can go from a baby, child, boy or girl, a teenager, adult, to an elderly person
They still have the “morphe” of humanity, but their “schema” or outward form changes
Roses and tulips have the “morphe” of flowers, but their “schema” or outward appearance is different
v.6

did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

The word “grasped” in Greek means “to rob or robbery”
What this is saying is:
Jesus did not need to grab or snatch at equality with God because He ALREADY had divinity to begin with
He ALREADY was God
Divinity already belonged to Him
He did not clutch at equality with God as if he needed to hug it jealously to Himself
There was NOTHING to be jealous about for He WAS God
THE PERFECT SAVIOR
GOD-JESUS

II. Jesus The Servant

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

He emptied Himself
What does that mean?
How does someone “empty” themselves?
What did He empty Himself from?
Let’s just look at Jesus’ life and see what He emptied Himself of
God emptied Himself of His divine glory
Many Jewish people had a problem that a plain normal man was known as the “Son of God” let alone “God Himself”
Even Jesus own brothers didn’t believe in Him
John 7:1-12 we get a picture of those who did not believe and those whom did
John 7:5

5 For not even his brothers believed in him.

Think of what God left behind in heaven in order to come to earth
He had people deny Him in the flesh and they saw Him face to face
The Sadducees and Pharisees who knew the law of God and knew the scriptures denied Jesus
Men saw brief glimpses of His glory
His message of love, hope and forgiveness
They saw His glory in all of His miracles He performed
Yet even still people denied Him
THE PERFECT SAVIOR
JESUS THE SERVANT
GOD EMPTIED HIMSELF OF ETERNAL RICHES
Think about the riches, blessings, adoration, and worship of Heaven He gave up in order to come to earth
Not JUST come to earth but to be despised and rejected of men
Jesus SERVED others with His time on this earth
Matthew 20:28

28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

2 Corinthians 8:9

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

ILLUSTRATION

There is an old saying:
“Jesus was born in a BORROWED stable. He was laid in a BORROWED manger. He used His pulpit a BORROWED boat. He fed THOUSANDS with a BORROWED lunch. He slept in a BORROWED bed. He rode as King on a BORROWED beast. He observed the Last Supper in a BORROWED room. He was mocked as King in a BORROWED robe. He was buried in a BORROWED tomb.
Think of the DIVINE glory that Jesus gave up WILLINGLY in order to become a man
He poured out His love, time, BLOOD, and life for us
Jesus GAVE IT ALL
He emptied Himself of His divine rights for us WITHOUT surrendering His divine abilities
He WAS and ALWAYS will be God

by taking the form of a servant

The word “form” is still “morphe” and Jesus was a servant it NEVER changed He was a servant to the point of death
He gave up the highest glory imaginable to come down and wash feet
To, in the eyes of the Jew “work” on the Sabbath
The Greek word for servant is “Doulos” and it means bond servant
A bond servant is someone who WILLINGLY worked for a “master”
That is what Jesus did

being born in the likeness of men.

He was LIKE man
He looked like man
Talked like man
But He was not ABSOLUTELY like other men
He was the God-man
Remember the story of the King who disguised Himself?
He did it because he wanted to hear his people out
This is what God did, the people were caught up with the law, they wouldn’t even help their own mothers on the Sabbath if they were sick
They had a mindset of Jews were the only good people and nobody else mattered
God LOWERED Himself to hear mans sorrows, to be with man, hand in hand
God knew the sin had become too much of a problem and without question He died on the cross, suffered by simply serving man
THE PERFECT SAVIOR
JESUS THE SERVANT

III. Jesus The Savior

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

“Being found in human form”
Do not be confused with the word “form” here
This “form” is actually the Greek word “Schema” and it means OUTWARD change, or change from time to time”
Meaning He aged, LIKE MAN
Jesus’ death was not a “normal” death
The death on the cross was for criminals and slaves
A death that was humiliating
God lowered Himself to the status of a servant
THE PERFECT SAVIOR
JESUS THE SAVIOR
Isaiah 45:21-22

21  Declare and present your case;

let them take counsel together!

Who told this long ago?

Who declared it of old?

Was it not I, the LORD?

And there is no other god besides me,

a righteous God and a Savior;

there is none besides me.

22  “Turn to me and be saved,

all the ends of the earth!

For I am God, and there is no other.

God came into the flesh as Jesus
The ONLY way to be saved is through Jesus Christ
He is the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Jesus (John 14:6)
You can’t get to Heaven on your own accord
You can’t get their through Mohammed
You can’t get their through Buddah
You can’t get their through praying to trees
The ONLY way to be saved is to TURN away from sin and to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

“Highly exalted” comes from two Greek words, the first means “over” and the second means “to lift or raise up”
The word literally means “to raise up over or super exalt”
Jesus’ exaltation involved a couple things
He was RAISED from the dead
He ASCENDED into Heaven
The name of Jesus is ABOVE every name
His name has the power to heal
His name has the power to change
His name has the power to humble
His name has the power to save
His name is the ONLY name that is EVERLASTING and has EVERLASTING effect upon a persons life

INVITATION

To a person who is a Christian
That name is a precious ointment
That name brings the forgiveness of sin to be preached
That name we go to the Father to pray
To a person who is lost
That name may mean nothing
That precious name of Jesus though may be pulling at your heart
Even 2000 years after His death it is STILL saving people
And Jesus’ name will STILL save people UNTIL He returns on that white horse
We ALL have a choice
There is a Perfect Savior
God who came into the flesh and took upon the sins of the world
He emptied Himself of all the Glory in Heaven
Angels praising Him and calling out His name emptied Himself
To become poor
To take a death meant for the guilty
He took our death
The God of the Universe
The King of Kings
The Prince of Peace
We are told in v. 10 and 11

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.

The fact is EVERY tongue in heaven and ON earth and UNDER the earth WILL confess that Jesus is Lord
That means even the Demons
That means even the Lost
Judgment day is not the day you want to confess Jesus as Lord
Today is the day to Salvation
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