Sermon Tone Analysis

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.