Joy in Serving: Improving your Serve
Philippians
2:5-8
Introduction: As usual,
I knew where I would start today’s message, but I was a little unsure until
around Tuesday afternoon where we would end! We’ll start right where we left
off two weeks ago, and especially because we are celebrating communion today,
we’ll limit ourselves to 2:5-8, where we’ll see the Perfect Model of
Servanthood: The Lord Jesus Christ. This is one of the key texts in the New
Testament on the person and work of Christ, and it’s implications for how we
should therefore live. I’ve called the sermon today, “Improving your serve,” but
I am not talking about tennis! One writer suggests, “The incarnation calls
believers to follow Jesus’ incomparable example of self-denial, self-giving,
self-sacrifice, and selfless love as He lived out the Incarnation in obedient
submission to His Father’s will.” In Jn 13:15, after washing the disciples’
feet, Jesus said “…you also should do just as I have done for you…” How
is your serve? And we’re not talking tennis!
Isaiah spoke of a Suffering
Servant, one who would be bruised for our iniquities, who would have our sins
laid on Him. Paul here alludes to that imagery of One who would be a Righteous
Sufferer, a Suffering Servant. He has exhorted the Philippians to find joy in
serving, and now he’ll hold up Jesus as an example of true humility: this is what
humble service should look like, this is One who thought not only of his own
interests, but also of the interests of others. Remember the…
Context: Paul has
just told his readers that serving with humility and joy is a key to unity in
the church. Read 2:3,4 again…
3 Do nothing from rivalry or
conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to
his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Counting
others as more important than yourself, looking out not only for your
interests, but also for the interests of others. That takes humility, not
thinking too highly of ourselves, seeing the truth about ourselves. That is
what Christian love looks like, really wanting the best for others. That
is the attitude, the way of thinking, that Paul will encourage in our context
today. He has already talked about some of the blessings that are ours in
Christ in 2:1, “If [since!] there is… encouragement in Christ…
comfort from love… participation in the Spirit… affection and sympathy…” Since,
in Christ, we have such blessings, we should, in v.2, “…be of the same
mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind…”
Remember, Paul is not saying we have no diversity of opinion or perspective. He
is not espousing “uniformity,” or being “cookie cutter Christians,” but he is
saying the grace and love we have experienced in the Gospel, by grace through
faith in Christ, will transform our thinking, and motivate us to love one
another, and to be patient and forgiving toward one another. The passage today
will explain how that is possible. In short, we start to think more like Jesus,
we start to see the world through His eyes, from His perspective.
The Maine*
Idea: As we
recognize who Jesus is, and reflect on what He did for us, our attitude will be
changed, we’ll find joy in serving Him by serving others.
I. We
need to have our attitude shaped by the mind of Christ: I am following the ESV translation
today, which comes closest to my reading of the text. “…have this attitude in yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus…”
(5). This is Gospel-shaped thinking! Jesus does not simply command us to serve,
he showed us the way. He came as the “suffering servant,” the perfect example
of what it means to serve, to put others first. We are to think, “…even as
the Son of Man [who] came not to be served but to serve, and to give his
life as a ransom for many…" (Mt 20:28).
But what is Paul saying here? Because we
are in Christ, united with our Lord and Savior, we should allow the mind of
Christ to shape our attitudes and our actions. Paul is calling the Philippians,
and us, to first of all to think like Jesus. Right thinking will lead to right
living. Attitude determines outcome. “Let
this attitude be in you, which is yours in Christ…” Since we are in
Christ, we have experienced and trusted in the revelation we have of the mind
of Christ. We’ve experienced grace, God’s merciful intervention in our
lives. How then can our attitude not be changed? Because of the “…encouragement
in Christ… comfort from love… participation in the Spirit… affection and
sympathy” we have experienced, we are compelled to extend grace to
people around us. We think more like Jesus! And that is the Maine*
Idea: As we recognize who Jesus is, and reflect on what He did for us, our
attitude will be changed, we’ll find joy in serving Him by serving
others. First, we have our attitude shaped by the mind of Christ. Secondly…
II. We need to recognize the truth about the person
of Christ: “…who although he existed in the form
of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped…” (6). The self-humiliation of Christ
is magnified when we contemplate the reality of who He is. He is God, the ETERNAL SON. The express image of the Godhead, the One who
was present in creation and who holds all things together by his power. Jesus Christ
was not simply a prophet and teacher who lived in Palestine 2000 years ago – He
isn’t an angel, created by God to do His will. He is Eternal God, who always
lived in perfect union with the Father and the Spirit. All things were made by
Him and for Him. This is the miracle of Christmas: the Perfect, Holy, Son of
God, left his exalted position and entered this fallen world, the Creator
entered the creation. This passage clearly states that Truth.
Do you recall the shocking way John began his gospel? In an
allusion to the opening verse of the Hebrew Scriptures he said, “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In
case you weren’t sure who or what he was referring to, he then says in 1:14, “And
the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of
the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.” So, is this a
reference to some pre-existent being who was less than God? And in case the clear
language of v.1 is missed, it says in v.3 “All things were made through him,
and without him was not anything made that was made.” All things that were
made were made through Him. He was not created. He is Eternal. Paul, in Colossians
1:15-17, says,
15 He is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn of all creation. 16
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things
were created through him and for him. 17
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And then in Colossians 2:9, he says “For in him the
whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” All the fulness of the Godhead in
bodily form. God incarnate. Emmanuel, “God with us.” The hymn writer said it
well, “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate deity!”
As we
recognize who Jesus is, and reflect on what He did for us, our attitude will be
changed, God became man to save us! Find joy in serving Him by serving others.
First, we have our attitude shaped by the mind of Christ. Secondly, we need to recognize the truth about the
person of Christ, and then thirdly…
III. We
must understand the nature of the incarnation of Christ: “…but emptied Himself, by taking
the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in
human form…” (7).
“…emptied himself…” Commentators and pastors disagree about what
it meant for Jesus to “empty himself.” Some suggest that He set aside for a
time the attributes of deity. I am convinced that it cannot mean that he in
any way divested himself of his divine attributes - God is immutable, He
does not change, He exists eternally in His triunity, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. Don’t miss this: Jesus is God. He didn’t stop being God when he came
to this earth. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In
contrast to the self-glory denounced in v.3, Jesus veiled his divine glory by
taking on himself a human nature. The hymn writer said it well: “Veiled in
flesh the Godhead see; hail the incarnate deity! Pleased as man with men to
dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel…” This is explained by the following phrases:
“[by] taking the form of a
servant and being made in the likeness of men…” Of the various English translations, the ESV makes
this point most clear. Rather than laying aside something intrinsic to his
divine nature which does not change, I think the ESV translators got it right
in making it clear that the participle here should be read instrumentally: He
emptied himself, he made himself of no reputation, “…by taking
the form of a servant…” The
humiliation of Christ was the act of eternal God taking on a human nature. This
idea is one of those concepts that underscores our limited understanding, and
reveals the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God. Theologians call this joining
of two natures in one “person,” the “hypostatic
union”, the union of two natures, divine and human, in one person, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Fully God and fully man, he reveals the Father to us. Jesus
told Philip, “I and the Father are one… he who has seen me has seen the
Father…” John Calvin comments,
“Christ,
indeed, could not divest himself of Godhead; but he kept it concealed for a
time, that it might not be seen, under the weakness of the flesh. Hence he laid
aside his glory in the view of men, not by lessening it, but by
concealing it.”
The Word, God the Son, became flesh, and lived for a while
among us. The incarnation is an idea that we celebrate at Christmas, but it is
really at the heart of the Gospel message. By the sin of one man all were
made sinners, but the obedience of One, all who would receive it are made righteous.
What did the angel say to the shepherds? Unto you is born this day a
Savior, Christ the Lord. The great theologian J.I. Packer recently went to
be with the Savior. He made this reference to our passage in Philippian in his
famous book, Knowing God,
"We
talk glibly of the Christmas spirit, rarely meaning more by this than
sentimental jollity on a family basis… It ought to mean the reproducing in
human lives of the temper of Him who for our sakes became poor, … the spirit of
those who, like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of
making themselves poor—spending and being spent—to enrich their fellowmen,
giving time, trouble, care, and concern to do good to others—and not just
their own friends—in whatever way there seems need."
First, we have our attitude shaped by the mind of Christ.
Secondly, we need to recognize the
truth about the person of Christ; thirdly, we must understand the nature
of the incarnation of Christ; and finally…
IV. We must respond to the love shown in the Cross of Christ: “…And being found in human form
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on
a cross…” (8).
“Being found in appearance as a man, he
humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death…” Not only did
he take on a human nature and enter this sinful world, but he came to fulfill
the Father’s plan, his humiliation would include dying for sinners. The wages of sin is death… (Rom 6:23).
Death is the result of sin. By one man sin entered into the world and
death through sin. So death spread to all men because all have sinned (Rom
5:12). Jesus was without sin, the only
human since Adam born without sin, and who never sinned. He didn’t have to die. Yet he willingly
came to die, to give his life. It’s how He showed His love: Greater
love has no one than this, that He lay down His life for His friends… He
knew what he would endure on our behalf, but he thought of us.
Obedient to the
point of death, “…even death on the cross…” The repetition
of the word “death” is deliberately dramatic and emphatic. Not only death, but the most humiliating,
torturous, horrible form of death imaginable in the Roman world of the first-century.
It wasn’t only a punishment, it was a statement to the people, an affirmation
of Roman power, and a deterrent to any who would resist Roman authority. Submit
to Caesar or else! But Jesus, the true Sovereign, willingly went to the Cross,
to carry out the plan conceived in the Godhead in eternity past, before the
foundation of the world. Ironically, the charge was nailed to His cross: The
King of the Jews! The King was also the Lamb! He did it for you and for me! As the song says, “…my sin, not in part
but the whole, Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord,
praise the Lord, O my soul!”
What is God saying to
me in this passage? Jesus
modeled for us what it means to serve. Paul is saying that if we have the same
attitude, unity in the church will follow. If we follow Jesus’ example of
servanthood we’ll experience the unity that God intends for the church. Today
we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Table, an excellent opportunity to reflect on the
coming of the Son of God as the Suffering-Servant, as the Paschal Lamb, who
would give his life to give us life to redeem all who would believe. In the
upper room Jesus told his disciples, after the King stooped down to wash their
feet, as I have done for you, so should you do to one another.
What would God have me
to do in response to this passage? How is your serve? Does it need improving? If Jesus is our model, I think we all have to
admit we can do better. I read the story of a scene in London, shortly after the
end of World War 2. Europe was in shambles, picking up the pieces. One of the saddest consequences of war then
and now is the children who were orphaned.
Early one
chilly morning an American soldier was making his way back to his barracks in
London. As he turned a corner, he saw a
little boy, dressed in rags with his nose pressed against the window of a
bakery. Inside, the chef was working on a batch of pastries. The soldier
stopped, and walked over to where the boy was standing looking in the
window. As the hot pastries came out of
the oven the boy was pressed against the glass. The soldier’s heart went out to
the boy next to him. “Would you like one of those?” the soldier asked. The answer came quickly, “Oh yeah, … I
would!” The American bought a dozen and came out and gave the whole bag to the
boy. He turned to walk back to his jeep
and felt a tug on his coat. The boy
looked at his face and asked, “Mister… are you God?”
It may be, that when we serve others, when no one is looking
and we expect nothing in return, that we reflect Jesus most clearly. Have this
attitude in yourself, which was also in Christ Jesus…
As we prepare
our hearts for the Lord’s Table, let’s look back, remembering what Jesus did
for us, that which we couldn’t do for ourselves. He paid the price so that
we could be reconciled to God. He died a criminal’s death so that we could
become, by grace through faith, children of the king. Let’s remember, and
let’s take a moment as well to examine ourselves. Are we walking worthy of the
calling with which we have been called? Let’s determine to follow the Master, let’s
yield to the Spirit that the fruit of the Spirit might testify to the world,
“This one belongs to Jesus!” We are here on assignment, our lives a testimony
to the grace of God. AMEN.
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