The Epistle of Joy -
Philippians chapter 2
October 28, 2015
7:00 p.m.
Philippians 2: 1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love,
if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
2
Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory;
but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Notice in verse 5 - Paul ends that verse by mentioning Christ Jesus….
Then Christ Jesus becomes the theme of the next few verses.
So Paul writes. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6
Who, Christ Jesus being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7
But Jesus made himself of no reputation, and Jesus took upon him the form of a servant,
and Jesus was made in the likeness of men:
8
And being found in fashion as a man, he Christ Jesus humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross.
9
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and
things under the earth;
11
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father… “
If we just squeeze these verses together, it’s pretty clear that Paul is talking about one who is
God, that’s how he starts, and is Lord, and that’s how he ends
Let’s break that down a little bit and see the component parts.
This paragraph… really stands in unapproachable majesty…
Philippians chapter 2 is one of the pure jewels in the New Testament… !
It’s beauties… its depths… are beyond human comprehension…
and yet to understand it … to some degree ‘ is possible by the aid of the Holy Spirit.
Friend… What this section of scripture explains to us is…
the condescension of the Son of God to come to earth, to die..
and then to return in glory.
So..... This is ‘ the theology of Christmas ‘…!
Here Paul tells us what happened from the divine side of the story.
Here Paul gives us… five steps
by which we can walk through this tremendous portion of Scripture.
Five steps as God enters the world... five steps as Jesus comes to Bethlehem.
I. First … He abandoned a sovereign position..
Go back to verse 6 … Here Paul identifies His person… His nature…
And His attributes in eternity … before He came.
Paul says in verse 6 that … Christ Jesus being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God…
He existed in the form of God …
thus He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or seized.
( Remember… he’s talking about Christ Jesus, who is identified at the end of verse 5…. )
And this amazing statement captures – Where Jesus Came From ..
Christ Jesus being in the form of God,
Look at the word “ being ” for a moment - The word is Gr. Hoop – Are – Kow … it means …
Something that is unchangeably true about Him… that He possesses the nature of God.
By using that word Paul is saying
That’s His being… that is who Jesus is.
The word refers to His unchangeable…. unalterable essence.. ! His nature is that of God !!
It describes… the part of a person that can’t be changed !!
Because it is essential to His very existence… and it always remains the same.
Paul writes… Christ Jesus being in the form of God,
The Bible says … that He is God … and that is Unchangeable … and Unalterable.
That’s why… in the first chapter of Matthew …
when Joseph Learns that Mary is Going to have A Baby …
we read.. in verse 20… “.. behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto Joseph in a dream,
saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS :
for he shall save his people from their sins.
22
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23
Behold, a virgin shall be with child,
and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel … which being interpreted is
God with us…. “
So… The Angel specifically says…
His name was to be E -manu -el – ( which in Hebrew means … “ God with us... ”
El being the name ( or the word ) - for God.
Impossible to miss !!
He is… God with us.
He was God.. ! He is God… ! and … He will always be God…. !
“.. In the beginning.. ” writes John, “.. was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God.”
That is unalterable, that is unchangeable.
That Is The Dividing Line… between Christianity …. And All The CULTS !!
That’s why Jesus was able to say… in John 8:58…. “.. Before Abraham was … I am.”
Friend… Jesus is saying… Before Abraham ever existed… I was in existence !!!
** Over In Colossians chapter 1.. ( a similar testimony is given ) - in verse 15.. Paul says
“… He is the image of the invisible God… ”
The Bible Says… Jesus Christ is a direct representation…
Jesus Christ is a direct reflection of the invisible and eternal God.
This is where you – Have – To - Start …. with the person of Jesus Christ….
This is where you - Have – To - Start …… To Understand the True meaning of Christmas !!
But … That’s JUST the word - “… being ! “ - look… at the rest of the verse !!
It says, “... Being in the form of God,” and that adds A WHOLE another component….. !
** The form of God … The Greek word Gr. morphe and it refers again to - the characteristics
or the attributes of someone.
Our English really doesn’t capture this word very well. The word “form” doesn’t work very well.
The English word “ form ” – means something on the outside… something that can change…
However .... That’s not what this word means… This word refers to attributes ON THE INSIDE…
attributes that belong to someone….
Gr. morphe is translated in the New Testament “ conformed ” or even “ transformed.”
** You’ll find it … Over In 2 Corinthians 3:18, where Paul says…
“… We are being Gr. morphe transformed into the image of Christ.”
1.) He doesn’t mean that we are physically… made to look like Him…on THE OUTSIDE…
2.) Paul means we are being Changed Internally !! being conformed into what He is.
That’s the idea of Gr. morphe.
Paul even says, “… I want to gain Christ. Then he adds I want to be conformed to His death.”
Literally, “… I want to become like Him !!
I want to be like Him in terms of His characteristics… His attributes… ( not I want to Look – Like Him .. Outwardly )
So .. Paul begins… with the fact that .. .
1.) Jesus Christ … is Eternal God….
He possesses all the attributes… all the characteristics that belong to God.
He is no less than God in the fullest sense.
** And we remember – That was THE REASON the Jews condemned Him … in John 5:18
because He was making Himself equal with God.. !
John 5:18 says “… Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him,
because he not only had broken the sabbath,
but He said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.. “
So.... There was no mistake about that … because that’s precisely what He was doing… !!
And … They…. KNEW … IT !!
Now back to verse 6… the next phrase says… “6 Who, being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God… “
That’s a very interesting statement … the verb… can mean … to seize something…
to take hold of it and pull it away. ..
Or it can mean… to hang on to something… to cling to something… to clutch something.
So You can look at it both ways….
There was in heaven a being by the name of Lucifer...
1.) Lucifer was the worship leader of heaven…
2.) He was the anointed cherub… he was the highest of angels.. !
But that was not enough to satisfy him.
According to Isaiah chapter 14... Lucifer said,
“I will be like the Most High. I will be like the Most High.”
What did he want ?
He wanted equality with God.
He wanted equality with God so Lucifer believed THAT was something to be seized.
It was something to be snatched and he tried to snatch it unsuccessfully, didn’t he?
Lucifer Tried to seize it … and he was instantly cast out of heaven …
and Lucifer turned into the devil and Satan.
** This says… Jesus didn’t need to do that…. !
For Jesus… equality with God - was not something … He needed to snatch..
It was not something… He needed to seize.
( from someone to whom it legitimately belonged.. )
- because it was already His by nature…
Secondly, you also can interpret it another way…
You could say… that having equality with God was not something He clung to. …
John… uses a Greek phrase proston theon… that means face-to-face.
It means absolute equality…
What's The Point ?… Jesus possessed equality with God…. but He was willing to let go of it….
So… Verse 6 says…. on the one hand…. it wasn’t something He had to snatch –
( because it didn’t belong to Him…. )
And … on the other hand… it did belong to Him …
but it was not something that He clutched with a death grip…. !! He was willing to give it up… !
So willing that verse 7 says, “7 But HE made himself of no reputation …. The word means…
He emptied Himself...He emptied Himself.”
That becomes a powerful statement…. !!
The Greek verb… Gr. κενόω ... to make empty..... to pour out until it’s all gone....
Just exactly of what did He empty Himself?
Well the New Testament lays it out for us…
For example, John 17:4 He said,
“... Father, give Me back the glory I had with You before the world began.”
He emptied Himself of His divine glory. ( while in this world His glory was veiled. )
According to Isaiah 53, there was no beauty in Him that men would desire Him.
He was despised, He was rejected.
And we know that As the New Testament unfolds
He was hated. He was treated with scorn. He was shamed. He was spit on. He was beaten.
He gave up His honor, gave up His riches.
Second Corinthians 8:9 says He was rich, but for our sakes He became poor.
It doesn’t mean He was ' earthly poor '… ( It dosen’t mean… He Was A BUM… )
It means He gave up… all the treasures of heaven… !
** Right here… We LOSE – IT !!
( Because… We Cannot…. Understand….
Because… You and I … Have Yet…. To See HEAVEN….
So… All – I – Can – Tell – You… IS… Once we do See… Heaven…..
Once… we finally REALIZE…. What Jesus Left….
When… He came down… and lived in a humble village…
and ate with the rest of the people… and walked the dusty
streets and lived …. Without ALL the incomprehensible…. limitless heavenly treasures…
We Will Fall – at – His – Feet…. In Gratitude !!
Prayer Requests
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