THE HUMILITY OF HEAVEN
Introduction:
I am convinced one of the reasons we see so much division in our nation is because we have rejected the will of God, revealed in the Word of God, to define what is morally right and wrong. We can’t come to unity in thought on morals without God’s divine will and standard and the consequences trickle down immediately. This lack of a divine moral standard means we do not know true humility and service to one another. We do not know of compassion and putting others before self. Instead, we are living in a society that celebrates pride, power, and self-promotion. This is the mind of self. This is not the attitude or way of God’s kingdom or His people. Paul shows us in Philippians 2 that true unity, love, and service come from the humility of heaven. Jesus, though fully God, didn’t cling to His rights or demand His glory. He stepped down, took on the form of a servant, and humbled Himself, even to death on a cross. Let this question prepare us for this sermon…do you have the mind of self, or the mind of Christ?
Summary:
Paul addresses the unity, love, and service of the church by pointing to the example of Christ, but also the life Christ gives to the body, the church. Paul appeals to their identity and conduct as citizens of the Kingdom of God, and in particular, the character of its King, Jesus. Paul presents us with three spiritual realities of our salvation and identity in Christ, followed by three behaviors, or the fruit of those realities, that are lived out. Paul then elaborates further by calling the church to live amongst one another with humble, servant hearts, just as Jesus did. Paul appeals to the humility of Jesus, who surrendered his divine privileges and position as King in heaven, appeared in human form, took on the nature of a servant, and obeyed God even to the point of death on a cross.
Teach:
V. 1-2
Paul calls to mind three spiritual realities of why we can get along and live like Jesus: We are children who belong to Christ. We have the love of Christ. We have the same spirit in Christ… All living like Christ flows from belonging to Christ.
Paul gives three results or fruit that come from being in Christ as if to say, “you have these spiritual realities from belonging to Christ, therefore live them out: unity in thought, unity in love, and unity in work. The mind of Christ, the love of Christ, the work of Christ.
V. 3-4
Don’t live selfishly. Be humble and think of ways to serve others.
Verse 3b in the NIV translation is important. “Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”
Paul is not saying to think little of yourself or neglect yourself. Paul is saying to value others. This means you won’t live to serve your selfish ambitions, but you see and value those around you in such a way that you look out for the interests of others, too.
Do not be self-serving but selflessly think of others.
V. 5-11
Paul immediately utilizes the life and specifically the attitude of Christ as an illustration of verses 1-4.
These verses break down into three focuses: The preexistence of Christ (v. 6), the incarnation of Christ (v. 7-8), and the exaltation of Christ (v.9-11). In all cases, Jesus Christ is Lord, and in all parts of His existence, He brings glory to God.
V. 6 Jesus Christ is God the Son, "though he was God," and therefore equal with the Father before, during, and after Jesus' time on earth (see John 1:1; 8:58; 17:24; 20:28; Col 1:15, 17; see Mark 1:11; John 20:28). Jesus was, is, and always will be God. That Christ "did not think of equality with God as something to cling to" means he willingly let go of his privileges and glory in heaven in order to live on earth as a man and eventually give his life that we might be saved. -FireBible, p. 1933
Though possessing full deity (John 1:14; Col. 2:9), Christ did not consider His equality with God (Phil. 2:6) as something to be grasped or held onto. In other words, Christ did not hesitate to set aside His self-willed use of deity when He became a man. As God, He had all the rights of deity, and yet during His incarnate state, He surrendered His right to manifest Himself visibly as the God of all splendor and glory. Lightner, R. P. (1985). Philippians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 654). Victor Books.
V. 7 How does Jesus empty Himself but maintain His deity?
Part of the answer lies in the following phrase (v. 7b): Jesus emptied himself by assuming the nature of a servant…Jesus, the second member of the Trinity, does not lay aside his deity. God cannot divorce himself from his very nature. Rather, Jesus' emptying must be seen in the fact that he, as God, poured himself into the mold of a servant…This is further implied by Paul's use of the word "taking the very nature of a servant" (NIV). This summarizes the twofold nature of the Incarnation: Christ was at once fully God, yet fully human. -FullLifeBibleCommentary, p. 1103
V. 7 continued: the idea of slave or servant here would have been seen as the ultimate form of humiliation in the eyes of Paul's hearers. The Romans were known for enslaving even their own, especially to pay a debt. This word would drive home the point that slaves or servants had no rights or privileges, and this is the life Jesus chose to help us.
V. 9-11
The hymn brings the future into view by describing the culmination of history, when all persons will acknowledge Jesus’ lordship. No evidence states that such acknowledgment will bring salvation, however. That must be cared for in the present, before Jesus conquers his enemies. The church bears witness to Jesus’ lordship by confessing to the world “Jesus Christ is Lord” and offering salvation to those who accept that confession and make it the central part of their lives (Rom 10:9–10). Paul recognized, therefore, that some people will voluntarily accept the reality that Jesus is Lord and participate in his reign of glory. Others will deny that lordship and, in the end, be conquered by the Lord himself. For them, it will be too late to participate in the glory, and they will be destined to the punishment appropriate for those who resist the Lord. Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, p. 108). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
God exalted Jesus. This is God's act of vindication for the Savior. God glorifies the humble.
Application
Be mindful of Christ
Keep your identity in Christ in mind
If we belong to Christ, then we have the mind of Christ; then we should have the hearts, hands, and feet of Christ. Our identity in Christ determines our thinking and convictions, which ultimately produce our way of life. This wasn’t something that had to be forced, just nurtured. This is why Paul begins with identity and then moves outward.
Jesus is our source of life. He is where we get our beliefs and way of thinking. He is where we get our love and compassion. He is where we get our purpose and passion for work. Jesus is our form, where we are poured into to conform to Him, together.
Imitate the humility of Christ
Have you noticed, as you read the four gospels, that it is Jesus who serves others, not others who serve Jesus? Jesus even washed the disciples' feet
“Jesus was in fact God, but he did not view that status as something that he had to cling to at all costs. Equality with God was not something to be grasped in a greedy manner and used for his own gain. Rather, Jesus poured himself out for others.” FLBC, p. 1103
The dramatic distance Jesus traveled from the “form of God” to “the death of the cross” dramatically reveals the servant mind that each believer was to have…No one in the church could repeat what Christ did. They did not start where he started, they could not suffer the way he suffered, and they could not be exalted to the position he occupied. That is not the point. The mind of Christ is the point of application. - Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, p. 99). Broadman & Holman Publishers
“Think this in you which Christ thought in him.”- Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, p. 100). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
We live in unity, love one another, serve our family, our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and our community better when we keep Christ in mind and think as Christ did.
Be mindful of your own heart
Unfortunately, due to our fallen nature, there is always the temptation and ability to be selfish if we don’t check it with Jesus. The spiritual discipline of the mind would say we must be mindful and practice spiritual awareness. Paul’s challenge to think not only of your interest but the interest of others helps us fight the flesh and walk in step with the Spirit, becoming more like Christ.
Be mindful of how you view yourself. Pride elevates you above others, but insecurity can be just as self-centered when you’re constantly comparing or devaluing yourself. The answer isn’t to think more or less of yourself; the answer is to think more of Jesus. As you focus on Jesus, you quickly learn His value and what He values. You learn that He came to earth for the whole world, not just you. Jesus didn’t live for himself but lived to serve God and save everyone who would believe. When we check our hearts and minds with Christ, we renew the mind and keep things in proper order. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord (not you or the person you are comparing yourself to). Value Jesus above all others, and your view of self and others falls into its proper place.
Jesus crushes entitlement.
Jesus, being equally God, chose not to cling to his rights. Jesus put aside his rights (not His deity) and did not call upon them. Beware of appealing to entitlement.
Matthew 20:20-28 Jesus doesn’t give them a pathway to be great, so their egos will be fed. No, he’s saying greatness is not what you think. In the kingdom of God, what is considered greatness is to serve and give your life for the sake of others. And we don’t serve to be great, we serve because we belong to Christ and have the Spirit of Christ.
If you believe you are entitled to things, this will be your attitude and posture towards God. If you think you deserve or have earned grace from Jesus, you are far gone in your pride. If you feel you don’t deserve the sacrificial love of Jesus but are grateful, you are in the right frame of mind.
“Lucifer was not satisfied to be a creature; he wanted to be the Creator. Jesus was the Creator, yet He willingly became man. Christ’s humility is a rebuke to Satan’s pride.” -Warren Weirsbe, Be Joyful, p. 61
Be mindful of others
If there’s conflict within our fellowship, it’s often a sign that something is off in our fellowship with Jesus. Sometimes that tension comes simply because someone is new in the faith and still learning, and for that, we show patience and grace. However, when those of us who have been following Christ and claim to have His Spirit within us struggle to walk in unity in our beliefs, our attitudes, our love, and our shared purpose as a church, it’s a warning that our connection to the source, Jesus Himself, has weakened.
When our motives become self-serving, when we seek recognition instead of service, or when our ambitions overshadow the good of the body, we’ve lost sight of Christ and of one another. These are signs of broken fellowship with Jesus, evidence that we’re no longer drawing from His heart or imitating our King, our Lord, Jesus Christ.
There can be no joy in the life of a Christian who puts himself above others. -Warren Weirsbe, Be Joyful, p. 58
Thinking as Christ thinks is to look for ways to put the needs of others above our own. We look for opportunities to care and serve others. This is Jesus, and the opportunities to apply are never-ending.
The Gospel
Jesus lived, served, and gave His life for us to be forgiven and know the way to eternal life, but we sentenced him to a criminal's death. Christ, who never sinned, took the penalty for our sin, so we could be made right with God. In our world, this would be considered an injustice, to let someone die who did not deserve to die. But this was God’s way to pay the price for all of our sin, combined. Jesus submitted and obeyed this plan, His Father’s will. Let us receive him for salvation, but let us also learn to live with this same attitude for the sake of our unity and for the lost.
Jesus took his rightful place after God made him victorious over the lowest place. Jesus has been lifted to the highest place, and all glory will be given to him in every place. The most important place is in our hearts.
Discussion
What is one thing from the message that resonated with you?
How does your personal fellowship with Christ affect your fellowship with others?
What’s the difference between thinking less of yourself and thinking of yourself less?
Paul says, “in humility value others above yourselves.” What are some real-life ways we can live this out in our families, workplaces, or church?
How can we balance caring for others’ interests without completely neglecting healthy self-care or boundaries?
What additional notes did you make during the sermon?
What can we pray for regarding the sermon? Do you have any prayer needs?
The most important decision you will ever make!
If you’re ready to trust in Jesus for salvation and eternal life, we encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and when you’re ready, say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, Amen!
We would love to know if you decided to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Let us know here.
Pray Together
We hope you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!