MESSAGE: The Upside-down Lordship of Jesus (Christ’s Hymn)
Philippians 2:9-11
(June 2024)
We are continuing our series on Philippians – a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote from prison to a church in a place called Philippi. He was in Prison for advancing the gospel but he was not letting prison stop him from doing so. He kept on it… writing letters to encourage… from a pastor’s heart we hear his cry to the people to get serious about following Jesus.
It’s one of the greatest texts in the bible because it gives us this roadmap for doing that.
Recap – 2 weeks ago with Tim
Phil 2 NIV
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded,having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
As a pastor, Paul is calling them to unity and likemindedness, humility, overcoming ourselves and looking after others to share the same love – “make my joy complete” – humbling ourselves – serving others – being known for the very thing the church is meant to be known for
Last week with Derek –
Is the continuation of this passage with the first part of what is called Christ’s hymn – Paul moves away from that challenging type of narrative and rather than setting out how to follow Jesus with humility and service with a set of rules to follow, he points to Jesus as the one to follow, literally, to imitate him.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
ME – I like a linear path…
WE – Many of us like sense of heading in an upward direction to accomplish a goal in various spheres of life – career growing, family strengthening, wealth accumulating, skills improving… linear upward trajectory is preferred.
GOD – This goes against worldly ways and culturally acceptable ways and in stark contrast, living cruciform – opposite to the norm. You might have heard the phrase when we enter the kingdom of God through salvation, we enter the upside down kingdom – we learn what Christ did to live a life that glorified God and it’s our blueprint to do the same. He has shown us that the greatest way to live and serve and give ourselves is to empty ourselves of everything to the point of death on the cross. In other words, the roadmap of greatness is a descending journey. Our responsibility is the deliberate descent…
What does this mean? How do we empty ourselves? How do we live the upside down life to ultimately give glory to God through our lives? Will get to that… after we read the second part of Christ’s hymn, which is today’s message:
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Therefore… God exalted him
Because of the humble servitude, the value he placed upon the lives of others more than even his own, because he didn’t use what he had for his own advantage but for the advantage of others, because of his obedience and sacrifice of his whole life… the pressing, the emptying, the pouring out, he became a conduit for the glory of God.
His job was to descend, to humble himself, to serve, to do God’s will…
God’s job was to exalt…
When men buried the body of Jesus, that was the last thing any human hands did to Him… From that point on it was God who worked, through no effort of humanity did his exaltation/his resurrection take place.
Men had done their worst to their Saviour, but God exalted Him and honoured Him.
Men gave Him names of ridicule and slander, but the Father gave Him a glorious name. Here we see him establish Jesus as Lord. A new name.
He arose from the dead and then returned in victory to heaven, ascending to the Fathers throne.
The work of salvation is much greater and grander than simply the salvation of a lost soul. Our salvation has as its ultimate purpose – the glory of God.
Eph 1:5-6 NIV he[a] predestined us for adoption to sonship[b] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace,which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
This stature: living for others, living for service, must expect sacrifice and service; but in the end, it is going to lead to the glory of God, manifested whilst we’re still on earth or in heaven, the timing is up to God.
1 Peter 5: 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
When we read about the story of Joseph, he suffered and served for 13 years but then God exalted him and made him the second ruler of Egypt for the glory of God.
When we read about David, David was anointed King when he was a youth and experienced years of hardship and suffering but at the right time God exalted him as King of Israel, for the glory of God.
We’ve got to find ourselves in these stories, ultimately the story of jesus, but in these stories we can find help to process what God might be up to in our lives…
#SCREEN-Principles of life in the upside down Kingdom of God
#1 Death vs Life –
In our salvation and walk with God we experience death and it can be confusing but death isn’t final in the kingdom of God – it’s actually the pathway of abundant life
We die to SELF – John 3:3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
We surrender to our lives and ourselves and find ourselves hidden in God and his story for our lives – John 12:25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
We have dreams die John 12:24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies,it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
*What might we need to die to? When you know what that is, can we yield it in to the hands of the Lord?
#2 Master vs Servant –
Matt 20:26-28 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
We find ourselves in all sorts of seasons. The christian walk is not linear, it’s adventurous, up and down and around… If we focus on the destination we want to go, the vain glory we want to achieve… much frustration… if we aim to glorify God in whatever season we’re in, wherever we find ourselves… we’re able to serve…it can be as simple as you see a need and you know you can fill it… do it for the glory of GOd.
*Disappointment tends to highlight that you felt HOPE. Hope deferred can make us sick…There might be an area of disappointment we need healing in… what is it? Can we entrust our disappointment to our Father in Heaven?
#3 Strong vs Weak –
2 Cor 12:8-10 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
We will all face times of feeling worn down from the issues of life but instead of letting then disrupt us and cause us to become weary…we all either fall apart or let God become the strength to our weakness… doing the opposite of what we feel like…
- Forgive instead of planning revenge
- Think, serve, live outward instead of shrinking inward
- Love and prayer instead of hate and gossip
- Steady wisdom instead of hasty foolish decisions
- UnOffended not Unoffended – living above offence
- Worship instead of Worry
- Faith vs Fear
- Humility vs Pride
*Is there an area we need to lean in to His Spirit? What upside down way could we go?
#4 Wide vs Narrow –
Matt 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Sense of direction – me – need map for road – need map for life – we don’t instinctively make the right turns – and they’re not always the way everyone else is going, or the obvious way… the narrow way requires instruction…
NONE of us know instinctively the way to go if our aim is to glorify God because none of us know where Gods taking us, or when, or how, or who with, or who he wants us to connect with along the way. We need our spiritual GPS – that’s how we’re led, that’s how we’re changed, that’s how we’re shaped for our interactions, responses, connections, moments that are all as much as (if not more than) part of our Christian walk than where we’re wanting to get to on our linear trajectories.
Psalm 119:1-4-106 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. 105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. 106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.
*If you are faced with a decision between two things – temptation might be to take the wide road because it feels better, but the narrow road will lead to the greatest opportunity even if it seems insignificant….
#5 First vs Last –
Mark 9:35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
Human nature to want to be first…ambition, success intoxicating but unfortunate Western measures of success in life. Making it means wealthy, well known, popular. The crowns we aspire to on earth are generally praise, power, pleasure and possessions… and if we move towards these things the christian life is awkward, frustrating, confusing because we’re expecting a linear track…
YOU – *Are there any worldy ambitions that need to be surrendered – something in your heart but you know God’s timing isn’t quite right? Lving for your heavenly crowns…
MINISTRY