The Self Giving Story of Jesus - A Study of Philippians 2:1-16 - Kent Hawbaker

Great to be with you this morning. It's great to have many of my brothers and sisters from back home here in the crowd this morning. And it's really good to see a lot of familiar faces, brothers that I've learned to know in the last just few years, learned to love and appreciate. And yeah, I do feel at home here with you all this morning.

So I want us to think a bit about stories, the power of a story. If I would give you guys a minute to think a little bit, I'm sure you could all come up with a story that had a powerful effect on you, maybe made you laugh, brought you to tears, brought conviction into your life. The stories we tell, they are powerful. They tend to shape us, and they say a lot about us.

A good story is effective because whether or not it's necessarily true, a good story has a way of laying a hand on something that's real or true to in our life.

So it speaks to something true about our life. And we know that the Scriptures are full of stories, full of narratives, all through Scripture. In fact, we can see Scripture as a beautiful unfolding story of God and His people, His nation, God wanting to come and dwell again with His people.

So we're going to look at a story from Scriptures this morning. And it's going to be found in Philippians chapter 2. The story we find here may not jump out as it being a story initially. I do encourage you to turn to Philippians chapter 2 if you're able.

I know if you're balancing a child on your lap, that's very hard. I know that from experience.

And we'll be pulling in some other Scriptures this morning, but we probably can just stay here in this chapter, Philippians chapter 2, because we're going to be looking closely at the first 14 verses.

I want to spend a little time thinking about the context of this passage. So let's remember, of course, Apostle Paul wrote this letter. He was the one that planted the church in Philippi. And he planned, if you remember, he planted it in suffering.

If you remember the situation in prison where they were praising the Lord after being beaten. And so it was in the context of suffering. Paul, when he writes this letter, is suffering. He's in prison. He's in prison for Jesus. He's suffering for Jesus. And he's writing this letter to a community of believers that are also suffering for Jesus.

And Paul, think of him, if we can place ourselves here, that Paul is this older, mature brother. He's planted the church. So he's older, he's mature. He's a spiritual father. So these Philippians are receiving a letter from their spiritual father, someone they love and respect and owe, you could say, their very lives to.

So let's receive that letter. This message is from an older brother.

Okay? And this is to a community of believers. Let's remember that as we study this morning. This is to a community of believers. And the things we're going to be seeing this morning are things worked out in a community of believers.

We have individual responsibilities within that community, but it's worked out within a community.

That's the community here in Chambersburg, the one in Hagerstown.

To get a feel for where we're at, for a little context, Philippians 1, just the chapter previous, verse 27, Paul says this: "Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or I'm absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel." So Paul is spurring these brothers and sisters on. Stand fast. They're suffering. Stand fast. And we're going to see he's calling them to maturity. He's saying, "Let's come further."

So Philippians chapter 2, we're going to read up to verse 14. I encourage you this first time through, let's pay special attention to verses 5 through 11. That's what we're going to zero into first, and then we'll gather up the other verses later. "Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only to his own interest, but also for the interest of others.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance of a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in heaven and those in earth and those under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore, my beloved, as you've always obeyed, not in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do his good pleasure.

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that ye may be blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain nor labored in vain."

So we're going to look closely now at verses 5 through 11, as I had mentioned. And I'm calling this story, these verses, the story of the self-emptying story of Jesus. The story is told here of Jesus in a very compact and powerful way.

It's very interesting. Scholars would say that these verses look like a Christian hymn or a poem.

So it's possible that Paul here is quoting from a poem or a hymn that this community has already that they know, that they've been repeating to one another. This is a story that they've been telling each other, which is very interesting.

And I want us to think about the progression of this story. So we're going to see Jesus, the beginning of the story, Jesus is at the height, equal with God. And then Jesus is going to continue to lower himself. And it helps for me to think of a flight of steps. And at the beginning, Jesus is at the top. He's at the highest of high.

And then he is going to humble himself and lower himself, only to become bursting forth, vindicated to be even higher high. So verse 5, it says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God."

So we begin the story, as I said, with Jesus equal with God, immersed in glory and splendor, beauty, perfection.

John 3:1-3 says, "In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. And without him, nothing was made that was made."

Perfect perfection. And Jesus deserved that place.

But Jesus did not take his equality with God as something to be grasped, something to hold on to, or something to exploit to his own advantage.

He had every right to be there, but he didn't use it to his own advantage.

Verse 7, "But he made himself of no reputation, but taking a form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men."

The word of no reputation, I understand it literally means emptied.

He emptied himself of what was rightfully his and received the form of a slave and was born in the likeness of men. Born in the likeness of men, that's a big step down. Think about our physical problems.

Just it's a mystery. It's hard to understand, but

all of our problems. Just a feeling of when you haven't gotten enough sleep and the alarm goes off and you think you're going to die, you have to get up and get going.

Jesus experienced these kind of weaknesses.

So you would think of maybe if the Son of God would come to earth, he would be a very maybe just a very physically gifted man, rich and beautiful.

Read verse 8. "And being found in appearance as a man," what does it say? "He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of a cross." That is, having a human form or appearance, he humbled himself. He lowered himself again.

So he wasn't the most successful human ever. In some ways, he was, but in many ways, he was. But in world standards, he had a bit of a following, true, but then he was killed. He was obedient to the Father, even to the point of death. And it wasn't just any death. It wasn't a death that we all face, old age, quietly on your deathbed, like maybe we would all hope.

But it says that death on a cross. This was a death so shameful, so disgusting, so abhorrent, it was reserved for slaves who challenged the authority of Rome. This is a quote from the great Roman politician Cicero, maybe about 100 years or so before Jesus. So it's a similar time. Cicero is speaking from the perspective of a Roman citizen.

They were not Rome was not equality was not a virtue to them. But this is from the perspective of a Roman citizen. Cicero says, "Retched is the loss of one's good name in the public courts. Retched too is a monetary fine exacted from one's property, and wretched is exile.

But still, in each calamity, there retains some trace of liberty. Even in death, even if death is set before us, we may die in freedom.

But the executioner, the veiling of the heads, and the very word cross, let them be far removed, not only from the bodies of a Roman citizen, but even from their thoughts, their eyes, and their ears."

It was no small battle in the garden before his death when Jesus said, "Father, if it is your will, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours."

Hebrews 5:7-9, "Who," being Jesus, "in the days of his flesh, when he offered up prayers and supplications with vehement cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death and was heard because and was heard because of his godly fear. Though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered, and having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation for all who obey him."

So there was no lower place for Jesus to place himself there about 2,000 years ago.

So we'll continue in the story. Verse 9, "Therefore, God has highly exalted him, given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in heaven and those on the earth and those under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."

So therefore, or because of all of Jesus' self-giving, life-giving, self-empting, God has greatly exalted him and given him a name which is over every name.

At Jesus' name, every knee will bend. That is, in heaven and earth, those under the earth, there will be no place to hide.

So this is a very exciting story. This is the greatest story ever told.

So how do we, you and I, as lovers and followers of Jesus, tell and retell this story? How do we tell this story?

And I think there's much here that can shape and mold the way that we tell the story with our lips, with our mouths. We should proclaim boldly that Jesus is the self-giving, life-giving Messiah in fulfillment of Scripture. And these claims have been vindicated by God in exalting Jesus.

This entire story culminates in the pronouncement that Jesus is Lord, and it's his lordship that demands a response from us. That is, a bended knee. That is, our surrender and allegiance to the rightful King of heaven and earth.

But today, I want to stay close to this Scripture. I want to look at what was Paul specifically instructing the Philippians in this passage. Why did he quote this story? What was he trying to teach them? What is he trying to teach us? It was to tell this story with our lives, the way we live. Let's jump back to verse 1, chapter 2.

It says, "Therefore, if there's any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy." I understand that Paul here is asking a rhetorical question. He's saying, "Do you find, church, do you find encouragement in Christ? Do you find comfort from his love? Do you find fellowship with his Spirit or participation? Do you participate with his Spirit? Is he alive?

Are your hearts moved with affection and sympathy?" And to those of us who are in Christ, who are in Jesus, we say, "Yes. Yes, these things are true. We do find encouragement. We find comfort from his love and his Spirit. We are participating with his Spirit. His Spirit's changing us."

Yes.

And then Brother Paul says, verse 2, "Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord and of one mind."

So Paul's saying, "Make my joy complete." Remember, he's the spiritual father. He says, "Make my joy complete, brothers and sisters, by bringing your lives into harmony, by fixing your minds on the same thing."

What should our minds be fixed on? Are we all just thinking identically?

He says, "This is how it's done. To let nothing be done through selfish ambition." We're talking about the church. We're talking about the community of believers, the kingdom of God, his new nation. What should it look like?

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves. Let each of you look not only for his own interest, but also for the interest of others." Verse 5, then he says, "Let this mind be in you, in your community, which was also in Christ Jesus."

And then he tells a self-giving story.

He says, "In you." I like maybe among yourselves. Remember, this is to a community of believers.

The church, the body of Christ, is to have the same mind or to be like the self-giving, self-empting Jesus.

So from this passage, specifically, the first way that we tell the story of Jesus is in the way we love our brothers and sisters. Laying aside what is ours, maybe rightfully ours sometimes, giving of ourselves, giving up my preferences.

Verses 3 through 4, very practical. Hardly need to say much. We know what it means. We know what selfish ambition is. We know what it looks like. If you're like me at all, you know what it feels like in your heart.

"Let each esteem others better than themselves." I find that very hard.

So simply, we should be followers of the example of Jesus. I believe probably many of us have been convicted by the words of Jesus that if you would want to be a follower of him, we're to take up the cross and follow his example.

But I don't know that I've always there's more exciting ways I've imagined that going than lowering myself and yielding to a brother or sister.

Romans 15:1-3 says, "We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples or weaknesses of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please himself, as it was written, 'The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.'" So I don't know what specific what surrendering to our brother and sister, loving our brothers and sisters means to you specifically.

And let the Spirit teach you that. So is this story lived out by the church only in an inward sort of way? Like, what about the world? What about the message that Brother Dean spoke? That challenge. I know many of you were challenged to reach your unbelieving neighbors, family, and friends, the world. We pray for the kingdom to come and God's will to be done.

So what about this story to them? Well, let's continue to let's read on the other side of the story. What are the effects of this story

on the world?

We read verses 12 and 13. It says, "Do all things without complaining and disputing."

Why? "That ye may be blameless and harmless, children of God, without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation." Get this. "Among whom you shine as lights in the world."

Among whom you shine as lights in the world.

What that says to me is our light is often dimmed by our grumbling and complaining. But look at our world. I mean, it's a mess. Is it any surprise that this story of Jesus lived out, embodied by a community would give powerful testimony to Jesus and give glory to God? We would stick out, right?

I think we would because it would be so rare, so unusual.

Matthew 5:14 says, "You are the light of the world. A city sat on a hill cannot be hidden."

John 17:20, Jesus said this, "I do not pray," and he's praying to the Father, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their words, that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And the glory which you gave me, I give them that they may be one just as we are one, I in them, you in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me."

So I walk around on the streets back home, and I often wonder, how are we going to reach these folks? And I don't know.

But will it have something to do with how the church loves and cares for one another?

"So let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of a cross.

Therefore, God has highly exalted him, given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

So God bless you all as you tell the story of Jesus with your lives and with your lips.