WEBVTT 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:06.660 Hey all, Pastor John here. Thanks for tuning 00:00:06.660 --> 00:00:09.759 in to the weekly sermon podcast. We pray this 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:12.519 message encourages you, strengthens your faith, 00:00:12.660 --> 00:00:15.080 and helps you to take your next step with Jesus. 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:18.239 If this content blesses you and you'd like to 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:20.339 be a part of helping us continue to bring the 00:00:20.339 --> 00:00:22.739 gospel to life, we'd love for you to consider 00:00:22.739 --> 00:00:25.739 supporting the ministry of Village. Your generosity 00:00:25.739 --> 00:00:28.339 makes it possible for us to keep creating and 00:00:28.339 --> 00:00:31.510 sharing resources like this podcast. You can 00:00:31.510 --> 00:00:35.250 give safely and easily by visiting sacvillage 00:00:35.250 --> 00:00:39.109 .org slash give or by heading to our website 00:00:39.109 --> 00:00:43.130 at sacvillage .org. Thanks again for listening. 00:00:43.409 --> 00:00:53.969 Now let's dive into this week's message. Well, 00:00:54.049 --> 00:00:57.990 this year for Advent, we're asking this question, 00:00:58.109 --> 00:01:02.460 how does the Apostle Paul, How does Paul tell 00:01:02.460 --> 00:01:05.299 the Christmas story? We decided on kind of a 00:01:05.299 --> 00:01:07.439 unique way of approaching the Advent instead 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:10.859 of just doing our normal hope and love and peace 00:01:10.859 --> 00:01:13.680 to say, what are some of the ways that Paul describes 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:17.299 this in the New Testament and tells this Christmas 00:01:17.299 --> 00:01:20.739 story? And last week in Galatians 4, we saw that 00:01:20.739 --> 00:01:23.079 Advent, we kind of saw it from a 30 ,000 foot 00:01:23.079 --> 00:01:26.359 above view. And we saw from that vantage point 00:01:26.359 --> 00:01:29.359 of God's eternal plan that when the time came 00:01:29.359 --> 00:01:34.000 to completion, God sent his son. And it was not 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:39.420 early, it was not late, but right on time. Stepping 00:01:39.420 --> 00:01:44.560 into real history, stepping into real humanity, 00:01:44.819 --> 00:01:51.700 real brokenness to bring real redemption. And 00:01:51.700 --> 00:01:54.659 this week, Paul takes us even deeper in Philippians 00:01:54.659 --> 00:01:56.480 chapter two, which is where we'll be. So if you 00:01:56.480 --> 00:01:58.719 want to begin to turn over there in your Bibles, 00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:01.799 Philippians chapter two, he invites us to see 00:02:01.799 --> 00:02:05.480 not just the timing of Christ's coming, but the 00:02:05.480 --> 00:02:09.740 mind of Christ behind his coming. And so we're 00:02:09.740 --> 00:02:12.240 going to read Philippians chapter two, beginning 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:15.780 in verse five. And I'll also remind you that 00:02:15.780 --> 00:02:17.780 through the church center app, which you can 00:02:17.780 --> 00:02:21.039 access via that That's a QR code on the back 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:23.939 of the chairs. You can take notes for sermons 00:02:23.939 --> 00:02:26.580 right there and they'll save them and keep you 00:02:26.580 --> 00:02:29.900 organized there with your note taking. Philippians 00:02:29.900 --> 00:02:34.800 chapter two, verse five through 11. Adopt the 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:38.039 same attitude as that of Christ Jesus who existing 00:02:38.039 --> 00:02:41.099 in the form of God did not consider equality 00:02:41.099 --> 00:02:45.180 with God as something to be exploited. Instead, 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:48.340 he emptied himself by assuming the form of a 00:02:48.340 --> 00:02:51.020 servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. 00:02:51.319 --> 00:02:54.979 And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself 00:02:54.979 --> 00:02:58.900 by becoming obedient to the point of death, even 00:02:58.900 --> 00:03:04.460 to death on a cross. For this reason, God highly 00:03:04.460 --> 00:03:07.659 exalted him and gave him the name that is above 00:03:07.659 --> 00:03:10.520 every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:13.520 knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:15.879 the earth, and every tongue will confess that 00:03:15.879 --> 00:03:22.409 Jesus is Lord. to the glory of God the Father. 00:03:23.430 --> 00:03:29.090 This is God's word. I have three points this 00:03:29.090 --> 00:03:32.330 morning that we'll cover that'll help you keep 00:03:32.330 --> 00:03:35.409 track of where we're at in the sermon. Point 00:03:35.409 --> 00:03:38.949 number one is the call that frames the text. 00:03:40.310 --> 00:03:45.060 First is the call that frames the text. Before 00:03:45.060 --> 00:03:47.879 Paul ever tells us what Jesus did and before 00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:50.719 he speaks of the incarnation or before he unveils 00:03:50.719 --> 00:03:52.900 the cosmic hymn, I don't know if you guys noticed 00:03:52.900 --> 00:03:55.060 that in your Bibles, but if you were reading 00:03:55.060 --> 00:03:57.379 from your Bible, you probably saw that Philippians 00:03:57.379 --> 00:03:59.740 2 has right there in the middle this sort of 00:03:59.740 --> 00:04:03.539 stylistic formatting in your Bible that makes 00:04:03.539 --> 00:04:05.960 it look like it's a poem. They move it to the 00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:07.879 middle, they have it in italics, whatever your 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:11.919 Bible does. That's because most likely this passage 00:04:11.919 --> 00:04:15.439 we read was actually a hymn sung in the church. 00:04:15.580 --> 00:04:17.779 Now, some speculate, did Paul write it himself 00:04:17.779 --> 00:04:20.360 and was it sung among the churches? Or did someone 00:04:20.360 --> 00:04:22.300 else write it and Paul was borrowing it, it was 00:04:22.300 --> 00:04:25.120 well -known? Or maybe it was merely a spoken 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:28.720 word poem. But either way, it was a part of the 00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:31.420 early church's worship, this thing that we just 00:04:31.420 --> 00:04:34.920 read in Philippians chapter two. But before he 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:38.300 gets to that cosmic hymn of Christ's descent 00:04:38.300 --> 00:04:41.579 and exaltation, he stops and talks about us, 00:04:41.699 --> 00:04:46.819 the church. And that's because this passage we're 00:04:46.819 --> 00:04:49.240 going to look at is not just theological, but 00:04:49.240 --> 00:04:54.600 it's also a mindset to adopt. It's something 00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:58.139 that is supposed to change our way of life, change 00:04:58.139 --> 00:05:02.779 our mind, change our way. And before we get to 00:05:02.779 --> 00:05:05.300 verse five, there's four verses before in Philippians 00:05:05.300 --> 00:05:07.240 chapter two. And I just want you to listen to 00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:10.180 how Paul begins that section. He begins with 00:05:10.180 --> 00:05:12.839 this. If there is any encouragement in Christ, 00:05:13.100 --> 00:05:17.800 if any consolation of love, if any fellowship 00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:21.300 with the spirit, if any affection and mercy make 00:05:21.300 --> 00:05:25.660 my joy complete by thinking the same way, having 00:05:25.660 --> 00:05:30.139 the same love united in spirit. intent on one 00:05:30.139 --> 00:05:34.839 purpose. You notice what Paul is doing there. 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:37.459 He's reminding them and he's reminding us of 00:05:37.459 --> 00:05:42.439 what we already possess in Christ. Encouragement, 00:05:42.560 --> 00:05:47.120 love, spirit -filled unity and mercy. And he's 00:05:47.120 --> 00:05:49.839 saying, because Christ has given you all of this, 00:05:49.899 --> 00:05:52.699 now let this shape how you treat each other. 00:05:55.740 --> 00:05:59.680 But then Paul names the enemy, of that unity. 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:03.660 And the enemy of that unity, he says, do nothing 00:06:03.660 --> 00:06:09.500 out of selfish ambition or conceit. And that 00:06:09.500 --> 00:06:16.259 word conceit literally means empty glory. In 00:06:16.259 --> 00:06:18.300 fact, some old translations used to say vain 00:06:18.300 --> 00:06:24.779 conceit or vain glory. Do nothing out of selfish 00:06:24.779 --> 00:06:28.680 ambition or Vain conceit or empty glory. And 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:32.279 that is that hollow sense or desire to be important 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:38.519 or enough. That craving to be noticed. It's something 00:06:38.519 --> 00:06:42.720 that we all have experienced. And Tim Keller, 00:06:42.860 --> 00:06:45.560 Pastor Tim Keller used to say that inside of 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:50.300 everyone in this room. Everyone here is walking 00:06:50.300 --> 00:06:55.160 around with an inner vacuum. This deep gnawing 00:06:55.160 --> 00:06:57.889 sense. that we're not enough, that we're not 00:06:57.889 --> 00:07:01.189 impressive, that we're not secure. And so we 00:07:01.189 --> 00:07:04.269 chase things. We chase them to try to fill that 00:07:04.269 --> 00:07:09.410 emptiness in us. And that's what Paul is diagnosing 00:07:09.410 --> 00:07:13.569 here. He's diagnosing a glory hunger that we 00:07:13.569 --> 00:07:18.129 all have, a gravitational pull toward self -centeredness. 00:07:19.949 --> 00:07:22.990 And Paul says that right there, that glory hunger, 00:07:23.290 --> 00:07:26.089 that self -centeredness, that is the greatest 00:07:26.089 --> 00:07:31.149 threat to unity, joy, love, and the mission of 00:07:31.149 --> 00:07:37.550 Christ through his church. But what Paul says 00:07:37.550 --> 00:07:41.970 next in those opening verses, listen to this, 00:07:42.029 --> 00:07:45.470 he says, but in humility, So do nothing out of 00:07:45.470 --> 00:07:48.009 selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility 00:07:48.009 --> 00:07:50.970 consider others as more important than yourself. 00:07:52.870 --> 00:07:55.569 Everyone should look not to his own interests, 00:07:55.709 --> 00:08:00.829 but rather to the interests of others. And I've 00:08:00.829 --> 00:08:02.990 been around long enough. I've been around in 00:08:02.990 --> 00:08:06.149 the church to know that that sounds almost impossible. 00:08:07.089 --> 00:08:11.569 Doesn't it? Because humility doesn't come naturally 00:08:11.569 --> 00:08:15.430 to us. Humility is not something you can just 00:08:15.430 --> 00:08:20.009 decide to have, is it? C .S. Lewis in his book, 00:08:20.029 --> 00:08:24.069 Mere Christianity, it's been oft quoted, but 00:08:24.069 --> 00:08:27.389 he has this kind of famous line here or the group 00:08:27.389 --> 00:08:30.490 words where he describes the humble man. And 00:08:30.490 --> 00:08:34.090 he says this, he says, do not imagine that if 00:08:34.090 --> 00:08:36.929 you meet a really humble man, he will be what 00:08:36.929 --> 00:08:40.730 most people call humble nowadays. He will not 00:08:40.730 --> 00:08:43.860 be a sort. who is always telling you that, of 00:08:43.860 --> 00:08:47.559 course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think 00:08:47.559 --> 00:08:50.519 about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent 00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:53.720 chap who took a real interest in what you said 00:08:53.720 --> 00:09:00.879 to him. If you do dislike him, it will be because 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:04.419 you feel a little envious of anyone who seems 00:09:04.419 --> 00:09:08.759 to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking 00:09:08.759 --> 00:09:11.600 about humility. In fact, he will not be thinking 00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:16.840 about himself at all. And Lewis is making this 00:09:16.840 --> 00:09:19.460 important point. You don't defeat self -centeredness 00:09:19.460 --> 00:09:22.860 by constantly measuring how humble you are becoming. 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:29.100 That will only make you more what? Self -focused, 00:09:29.259 --> 00:09:34.019 right? In the screw tape letters. I don't have 00:09:34.019 --> 00:09:36.379 time to kind of explain how that works, but the 00:09:36.379 --> 00:09:38.320 way C .S. Lewis writes in the screw tape letters 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:40.960 is ultimately a warning. And he warns that the 00:09:40.960 --> 00:09:44.259 moment someone becomes aware of their humility 00:09:44.259 --> 00:09:50.259 and becomes self -satisfied in it, they lose 00:09:50.259 --> 00:09:55.860 it. Because now they're proud of being humble. 00:09:59.580 --> 00:10:03.149 And that's because humility is actually self 00:10:03.149 --> 00:10:10.929 -forgetfulness, not self -congratulation. How 00:10:10.929 --> 00:10:14.070 is it formed? Well, if it is self -forgetfulness, 00:10:14.149 --> 00:10:18.409 then it is formed by being captivated by something 00:10:18.409 --> 00:10:22.750 else greater, more beautiful, more glorious than 00:10:22.750 --> 00:10:26.549 yourself. That's how humility is formed in us. 00:10:27.389 --> 00:10:30.309 Some of you may resonate with this illustration 00:10:30.309 --> 00:10:35.090 or example. But I remember me and my wife were 00:10:35.090 --> 00:10:40.409 driving home from Montana. And when we were driving 00:10:40.409 --> 00:10:42.210 to Montana, a lot of the drive was in the dark. 00:10:42.230 --> 00:10:43.889 But on the way back, we got to see some of the 00:10:43.889 --> 00:10:46.649 scenery that was lit now. And as we were coming 00:10:46.649 --> 00:10:49.529 through Idaho, we hit this kind of bridge area 00:10:49.529 --> 00:10:51.669 and we're driving over this bridge and we look 00:10:51.669 --> 00:10:56.250 down and we see this massive canyon. It's the 00:10:56.250 --> 00:10:59.340 Snake River, I believe it was. the Snake River. 00:10:59.460 --> 00:11:02.240 And there's this massive canyon. I don't know 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:05.139 how far apart it is, but even down in the canyon 00:11:05.139 --> 00:11:07.539 next to the river were all these houses. And 00:11:07.539 --> 00:11:10.279 we were up above it, driving over top of it. 00:11:10.419 --> 00:11:12.399 And I'll tell you, I was driving and I just had 00:11:12.399 --> 00:11:14.980 a moment, like knocked my breath out. It was 00:11:14.980 --> 00:11:18.440 so beautiful. The perfect time of the day, lighting, 00:11:18.519 --> 00:11:21.139 everything was perfect. And you just got this 00:11:21.139 --> 00:11:27.549 crazy sense of glory. And I forgot that I was 00:11:27.549 --> 00:11:30.710 driving. You know, in that moment, you're like, 00:11:30.870 --> 00:11:35.250 oh, it was a joke that's often told, at least 00:11:35.250 --> 00:11:38.850 among people that I know. Or in a moment like 00:11:38.850 --> 00:11:41.049 that, you might even say something like, man, 00:11:41.090 --> 00:11:43.710 I was so captivated by it. Like, I just wanted 00:11:43.710 --> 00:11:46.330 to be enveloped by it. Like, I just wanted to 00:11:46.330 --> 00:11:48.289 drive off the cliff and fall down into it and 00:11:48.289 --> 00:11:53.190 just be wrapped up in that glory. Because for 00:11:53.190 --> 00:11:58.990 that moment, For that moment, I forgot myself. 00:12:00.509 --> 00:12:05.750 For that moment, I forgot the empty pursuit, 00:12:06.110 --> 00:12:12.070 the empty glory I was trying to fill with all 00:12:12.070 --> 00:12:14.429 kinds of other empty things. And for a moment, 00:12:14.490 --> 00:12:19.370 I was filled. Now it passed. It couldn't hold. 00:12:20.279 --> 00:12:23.100 It was a glory that made me forget myself, but 00:12:23.100 --> 00:12:28.320 it wasn't a glory that lasted. But if humility 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:30.940 is through self -forgiveness, then there's a 00:12:30.940 --> 00:12:33.580 sort of glory that makes you forget yourself. 00:12:34.409 --> 00:12:37.610 that makes your, you know this, maybe in a moment, 00:12:37.669 --> 00:12:40.889 maybe some of you are more wrapped up in beautiful 00:12:40.889 --> 00:12:44.190 music and you've experienced a beautiful musical, 00:12:44.450 --> 00:12:47.750 me and my wife were in Italy and we went to like 00:12:47.750 --> 00:12:49.789 a symphonic orchestra and I remember being in 00:12:49.789 --> 00:12:53.470 this beautiful place and the grandeur of it and 00:12:53.470 --> 00:12:55.309 just closing your eyes as you're listening to 00:12:55.309 --> 00:12:58.230 the music in this perfectly tuned hall, no microphones 00:12:58.230 --> 00:12:59.769 because they didn't need it, it was perfectly 00:12:59.769 --> 00:13:02.960 tuned for that music. And you just lose yourself 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:07.360 for a moment. Or maybe it's art for you. But 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:09.399 whatever it is, it's the glory and the beauty. 00:13:11.460 --> 00:13:13.799 Something greater than yourself. Something outside 00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:19.059 of yourself that makes you forget yourself. This 00:13:19.059 --> 00:13:24.360 is why Paul doesn't say, work really hard on 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:29.220 being humble. Work really hard on being humble 00:13:29.220 --> 00:13:33.639 because that's not possible. Humility is not 00:13:33.639 --> 00:13:36.919 something that you can aim at, look at, and work 00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:41.000 on. Instead, what Paul says is he says, adopt 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:45.340 the same attitude, the same mind as that of Christ 00:13:45.340 --> 00:13:50.700 Jesus. Meaning humility doesn't begin with the 00:13:50.700 --> 00:13:53.220 human will. It begins with beholding Christ. 00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:56.500 It begins by fixing your eyes on the one who 00:13:56.500 --> 00:14:01.940 had real glory and willingly laid it down. And 00:14:01.940 --> 00:14:03.600 when you see that, when you see that the eternal 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:07.500 son descending in love, refusing to cling to 00:14:07.500 --> 00:14:10.620 his rights, taking the form of a servant, emptying 00:14:10.620 --> 00:14:13.159 himself for your salvation, something begins 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:17.850 to shift inside of you. The glory you were trying 00:14:17.850 --> 00:14:20.649 to grasp at, the empty glory, the validation 00:14:20.649 --> 00:14:23.169 you were trying to manufacture, the insecurity 00:14:23.169 --> 00:14:25.929 that you were trying to manage, it gets replaced 00:14:25.929 --> 00:14:28.450 by the only thing that is strong enough to quiet 00:14:28.450 --> 00:14:34.929 it. The glory of the love and self -giving humility 00:14:34.929 --> 00:14:39.710 of Jesus. And suddenly the people around you, 00:14:39.789 --> 00:14:43.409 they're not competition. They're not competitors. 00:14:43.450 --> 00:14:45.830 They're not threats. They're not obstacles to 00:14:45.830 --> 00:14:49.549 your sense of importance anymore. They become 00:14:49.549 --> 00:14:51.970 people that you can serve, people that you can 00:14:51.970 --> 00:14:54.570 honor, people you can genuinely put ahead of 00:14:54.570 --> 00:14:57.210 yourself because you're no longer scrambling 00:14:57.210 --> 00:15:03.129 to fill the emptiness inside. Christ begins to 00:15:03.129 --> 00:15:05.470 fill it. He begins to heal it. And he begins 00:15:05.470 --> 00:15:10.389 to reshape you from the inside out. And so before 00:15:10.389 --> 00:15:13.629 Paul tells us what Jesus did, he starts by telling 00:15:13.629 --> 00:15:18.649 us only Jesus' self -emptying can free you and 00:15:18.649 --> 00:15:22.710 I from the pursuit of empty glory. And we can 00:15:22.710 --> 00:15:24.950 get into, like, where does that empty glory come 00:15:24.950 --> 00:15:26.669 from? Why are we in that state? And I think that's 00:15:26.669 --> 00:15:28.809 important, see, because we were all created. 00:15:29.769 --> 00:15:32.769 Humanity was created by God. The glory of God 00:15:32.769 --> 00:15:37.179 was humanity. the crown of his creation, we were 00:15:37.179 --> 00:15:39.580 and we exchanged that glory for something else. 00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:45.659 We exchanged the glory of God's creation for 00:15:45.659 --> 00:15:49.659 our own self -centeredness, for our own self 00:15:49.659 --> 00:15:54.659 -will and salvation. And bummer, it turned out 00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:57.740 we couldn't save ourselves. It turned out we 00:15:57.740 --> 00:16:02.299 couldn't fill the God -sized hole that we had 00:16:02.299 --> 00:16:06.200 created in our hearts. And all we found was emptiness. 00:16:08.019 --> 00:16:11.679 And so the heart of this passage is this cosmic 00:16:11.679 --> 00:16:16.080 hymn of Advent, this Philippians 2, 5 through 00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:21.480 11, where Paul begins with one of those statements 00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:23.899 that just really stands out and people have discussed 00:16:23.899 --> 00:16:28.500 a whole lot in theology, but who existed in the 00:16:28.500 --> 00:16:32.799 form of God? but did not consider equality with 00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:34.940 God something to be grasped. And so let's look 00:16:34.940 --> 00:16:36.320 at that. If you're taking notes, number two, 00:16:36.419 --> 00:16:41.840 the descent of the son, he emptied himself. When 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:44.860 Paul begins the hymn in verse six. he starts 00:16:44.860 --> 00:16:47.799 at the highest point imaginable, who existed 00:16:47.799 --> 00:16:49.960 in the form of God. He's talking about Jesus. 00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:52.759 Jesus who existed in the form of God. Well, what 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:55.220 does that mean? What that means is before Bethlehem, 00:16:55.220 --> 00:16:57.860 before Mary, before the manger, before the world 00:16:57.860 --> 00:17:01.259 was spoken into being, Jesus existed in the form 00:17:01.259 --> 00:17:06.700 of God. And this word form in the Greek, it means 00:17:06.700 --> 00:17:10.329 the true essential nature of something. And so 00:17:10.329 --> 00:17:12.930 Paul is not saying that Jesus was similar to 00:17:12.930 --> 00:17:15.670 God or that Jesus was close to God or that Jesus 00:17:15.670 --> 00:17:18.410 was created by God. He's saying that Jesus possessed 00:17:18.410 --> 00:17:24.049 the full undiluted reality of God's being. He 00:17:24.049 --> 00:17:27.109 eternally shared the divine nature. He was not 00:17:27.109 --> 00:17:30.109 climbing up to become God as some religions or 00:17:30.109 --> 00:17:34.730 false religions would say. He already was God. 00:17:35.990 --> 00:17:39.430 And yet, Paul says he did not consider equality 00:17:39.430 --> 00:17:45.930 with God as something to be exploited. Jesus 00:17:45.930 --> 00:17:50.029 had every right to use his divine status for 00:17:50.029 --> 00:17:56.569 his own advantage, but he didn't. He never once 00:17:56.569 --> 00:18:00.150 leveraged his deity to avoid hardship or evade 00:18:00.150 --> 00:18:03.829 suffering. He refused to cling to his privilege. 00:18:03.890 --> 00:18:06.960 He refused to grasp. what he had every right 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:11.359 to hold on to. And at the heart of Advent is 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:14.220 that before Christ ever descended physically, 00:18:14.420 --> 00:18:21.619 he descended willingly. You see, he emptied himself. 00:18:22.339 --> 00:18:26.640 This phrase that has launched a thousand theological 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:30.759 debates in books written. But I think it's quite 00:18:30.759 --> 00:18:33.400 simple when you let Paul interpret it with his 00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:35.220 own words right there in Philippians chapter 00:18:35.220 --> 00:18:40.200 two. Instead, he emptied himself. Well, what 00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:42.339 does this mean? What did Jesus empty himself 00:18:42.339 --> 00:18:47.440 of? And let's start with some misunderstandings. 00:18:48.940 --> 00:18:53.119 What he emptied himself does not mean is that 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:55.660 it does not mean that Jesus stopped being God 00:18:55.660 --> 00:19:00.789 in his incarnation. It doesn't mean that he shed 00:19:00.789 --> 00:19:04.769 his divine nature. It doesn't mean he gave up 00:19:04.769 --> 00:19:07.130 his divine attributes. It doesn't mean that he 00:19:07.130 --> 00:19:13.369 became half God, half man. The Trinity, the triune 00:19:13.369 --> 00:19:17.869 God, didn't unravel for 33 years as Jesus walked 00:19:17.869 --> 00:19:22.490 on this earth. If Jesus ceased to be God, even 00:19:22.490 --> 00:19:25.430 for a moment, the universe would have collapsed. 00:19:26.700 --> 00:19:29.799 Because Jesus holds all things together, even 00:19:29.799 --> 00:19:35.779 as he lay in a manger. And so Paul cannot be 00:19:35.779 --> 00:19:38.700 saying that Jesus emptied himself of his godness. 00:19:38.759 --> 00:19:41.099 In fact, the early church fathers all pretty 00:19:41.099 --> 00:19:43.480 much said the same thing, that even at Bethlehem, 00:19:43.500 --> 00:19:47.160 he remained what he was and he became what he 00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:51.740 was not. He remained what he was and became what 00:19:51.740 --> 00:19:54.220 he was not. He remained fully God and became 00:19:54.220 --> 00:20:00.079 fully human. He didn't subtract deity, he added 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:07.220 humanity. And what he emptied himself does mean 00:20:07.220 --> 00:20:11.319 though, I think Paul tells us in those next two 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:16.779 lines. He emptied himself by taking the form 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:20.619 of a servant being born in the likeness of humanity. 00:20:23.299 --> 00:20:27.109 How did he empty himself? Jesus emptied himself 00:20:27.109 --> 00:20:32.730 by addition, not subtraction. Jesus emptied himself 00:20:32.730 --> 00:20:36.930 by taking on, by stepping down. He emptied himself 00:20:36.930 --> 00:20:39.930 not by losing something, but by pouring himself 00:20:39.930 --> 00:20:45.190 out into something. He did not lay aside his 00:20:45.190 --> 00:20:48.750 divine attributes. He laid aside his divine advantages. 00:20:52.970 --> 00:20:55.450 Chose not to exercise certain rights. He chose 00:20:55.450 --> 00:20:58.710 not to grasp the glory that was truly his. He 00:20:58.710 --> 00:21:01.670 chose limitation and weakness and dependence, 00:21:01.769 --> 00:21:04.690 not because he had to, but because love demanded 00:21:04.690 --> 00:21:10.369 it. The son did not empty himself of his deity. 00:21:10.769 --> 00:21:16.950 He emptied himself into humanity. He clothed. 00:21:17.630 --> 00:21:20.650 and weakness. He wrapped eternity in time. He 00:21:20.650 --> 00:21:24.309 placed infinity inside the boundaries of a mother's 00:21:24.309 --> 00:21:28.650 womb. And then Paul says he took the form of 00:21:28.650 --> 00:21:33.509 a servant. Not the form of a celebrity or a YouTube 00:21:33.509 --> 00:21:38.049 influencer or some ruler or cultural powerhouse. 00:21:38.109 --> 00:21:40.990 He took the form of a servant. The one who commanded 00:21:40.990 --> 00:21:43.569 angels becoming the one who washed the disciples' 00:21:43.789 --> 00:21:48.019 feet. The one who spoke galaxies into existence 00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:53.859 learned how to speak Aramaic. The one who owns 00:21:53.859 --> 00:21:56.900 the cattle on a thousand hills became the child 00:21:56.900 --> 00:22:04.420 of a poor family. This is what Christ did in 00:22:04.420 --> 00:22:06.819 the incarnation and it was not an accident. It 00:22:06.819 --> 00:22:11.500 was not a tragedy. It was a choice, a self -giving, 00:22:11.579 --> 00:22:18.000 self -emptying descent. motivated by love. But 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:20.359 you know, Paul keeps moving forward. The descent 00:22:20.359 --> 00:22:23.799 continues. He says that he humbled himself by 00:22:23.799 --> 00:22:26.759 becoming obedient to the point of death. Even 00:22:26.759 --> 00:22:29.819 in his humanity, Jesus could have lived a life 00:22:29.819 --> 00:22:34.259 insulated from pain. He could have chosen a path 00:22:34.259 --> 00:22:37.119 of influence or success or acclaim. He could 00:22:37.119 --> 00:22:39.900 have stepped out of every single moment of suffering 00:22:39.900 --> 00:22:45.549 that he had to endure. But the one who descended 00:22:45.549 --> 00:22:51.769 into a manger continued to descend. He embraced 00:22:51.769 --> 00:22:54.269 the human experience, the aches and the tears 00:22:54.269 --> 00:22:59.289 and the temptations and the loneliness. He humbled 00:22:59.289 --> 00:23:02.769 himself in life and then he humbled himself even 00:23:02.769 --> 00:23:08.609 further, even death on a cross. And not just 00:23:08.609 --> 00:23:13.450 any death. Not an old age death. Not a death 00:23:13.450 --> 00:23:19.950 with dignity. Not a heroic death. But the lowest, 00:23:19.970 --> 00:23:24.730 most shameful form of execution the Roman world 00:23:24.730 --> 00:23:29.789 had. We think of crucifixion as execution, but 00:23:29.789 --> 00:23:33.210 it was actually far more than that. Crucifixion 00:23:33.210 --> 00:23:38.250 was intended to be degrading. Crucifixion was 00:23:38.250 --> 00:23:42.130 specifically designed to strip a person of all 00:23:42.130 --> 00:23:48.849 honor, physically, socially, spiritually. And 00:23:48.849 --> 00:23:51.049 Paul's point, well, the son didn't just come 00:23:51.049 --> 00:23:53.950 to earth. He came all the way down to the cross, 00:23:54.049 --> 00:23:58.190 the infinite descent of God from glory to manger, 00:23:58.269 --> 00:24:01.269 from manger to servant, from servant to suffering, 00:24:01.450 --> 00:24:04.309 from suffering to crucifixion. And it was all 00:24:04.309 --> 00:24:10.859 voluntary. Chosen, willed and motivated by love. 00:24:12.079 --> 00:24:15.720 And this is at the center of the advent, the 00:24:15.720 --> 00:24:18.700 coming of Christ, the humility of Christ displayed 00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:23.019 in his willingness to descend for us. But it's 00:24:23.019 --> 00:24:25.380 also at the center of Christian discipleship. 00:24:25.400 --> 00:24:29.160 The only way that Christ can shape humility in 00:24:29.160 --> 00:24:35.779 us, our humility, is if we see his. Empty glory. 00:24:37.220 --> 00:24:39.599 dies when you stand before the one who emptied 00:24:39.599 --> 00:24:45.200 himself for you. Our pride shrivels next to his 00:24:45.200 --> 00:24:50.240 descent. Our self -importance dissolves in the 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:53.299 presence of the self -giving son of God. Why 00:24:53.299 --> 00:24:57.019 does this matter for you? You see, if Jesus had 00:24:57.019 --> 00:24:59.140 held on to his glory, you would still be under 00:24:59.140 --> 00:25:04.079 your guilt. If Jesus refused to descend, you 00:25:04.079 --> 00:25:09.319 would never be able to ascend. If Jesus did not 00:25:09.319 --> 00:25:11.619 empty himself, your emptiness would remain forever. 00:25:14.099 --> 00:25:17.799 And this is why the Advent matters, because the 00:25:17.799 --> 00:25:21.500 sun became small so that you could be made whole. 00:25:22.779 --> 00:25:25.720 The sun became low so that you could be lifted 00:25:25.720 --> 00:25:28.740 up. The sun emptied himself so he could fill 00:25:28.740 --> 00:25:36.099 you with grace. Last point, number three, the 00:25:36.099 --> 00:25:42.859 ascent of the sun. God highly exalts. So verse 00:25:42.859 --> 00:25:47.440 6 through 8 takes us down. Verse 9 through 11 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:52.140 flips it and begins to take us up. Paul shifts 00:25:52.140 --> 00:25:54.960 the direction of this hymn with these words, 00:25:55.039 --> 00:26:01.440 for this reason. Because he descended, because 00:26:01.440 --> 00:26:04.779 he chose humility, because he didn't grasp, because 00:26:04.779 --> 00:26:09.359 he didn't hold on to what was duly his. but instead 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:13.220 in humility chose the descent for this reason. 00:26:15.539 --> 00:26:20.720 God highly exalted him. Everything that Jesus 00:26:20.720 --> 00:26:24.059 laid down, the father now lifts up. Every honor 00:26:24.059 --> 00:26:26.460 he refused to grasp for himself, the father now 00:26:26.460 --> 00:26:29.859 gives freely. Every right he set aside, the father 00:26:29.859 --> 00:26:35.049 restores beyond measure. Paul says that God highly 00:26:35.049 --> 00:26:38.390 exalted him. The Greek intensifies it right here. 00:26:38.490 --> 00:26:41.390 It really means like super exalted, like lifted 00:26:41.390 --> 00:26:46.509 to the highest place imaginable. So if the descent 00:26:46.509 --> 00:26:49.849 was Christ's work, the response of the father 00:26:49.849 --> 00:26:55.130 is exaltation. Exaltation. If the crucifixion 00:26:55.130 --> 00:26:57.269 was Christ's obedience, the resurrection and 00:26:57.269 --> 00:26:59.769 enthronement are the father's vindication of 00:26:59.769 --> 00:27:06.130 Christ's work. The stamp of approval. And Paul 00:27:06.130 --> 00:27:10.650 says, not only did he highly exalt him, but he 00:27:10.650 --> 00:27:16.670 gave him the name that is above every name. And 00:27:16.670 --> 00:27:18.730 growing up in church, I had heard this scripture 00:27:18.730 --> 00:27:20.869 a lot, and I just made a couple assumptions about 00:27:20.869 --> 00:27:24.410 what that meant. But it's really interesting 00:27:24.410 --> 00:27:27.410 what the text is telling us here, what Paul is 00:27:27.410 --> 00:27:32.109 saying. Because the name is not Jesus. The name 00:27:32.109 --> 00:27:33.890 that he received is not Jesus because he already 00:27:33.890 --> 00:27:38.130 had that name. The name that he received is not 00:27:38.130 --> 00:27:41.789 Christ because that was his title and that was 00:27:41.789 --> 00:27:46.750 his mission. The name that the Father gives to 00:27:46.750 --> 00:27:53.470 him in this high exaltation is the name, the 00:27:53.470 --> 00:28:03.569 Old Testament covenant name, Yahweh, Lord. The 00:28:03.569 --> 00:28:08.089 very name of God. The name that belongs solely 00:28:08.089 --> 00:28:12.069 to God, Yahweh, is now publicly, universally, 00:28:12.289 --> 00:28:17.950 and eternally attached to Jesus. Why? Because 00:28:17.950 --> 00:28:21.349 the humiliation of Christ didn't reveal weakness. 00:28:21.450 --> 00:28:23.609 It actually revealed this deepest truth about 00:28:23.609 --> 00:28:30.009 God. His glory is his humility. His power is 00:28:30.009 --> 00:28:33.779 expressed. Most glorious. in self -giving love. 00:28:34.079 --> 00:28:37.420 This is why Jesus was lifted up. This is why 00:28:37.420 --> 00:28:39.700 he was exalted. This is why he was given the 00:28:39.700 --> 00:28:43.059 name universally. And then Paul even presses 00:28:43.059 --> 00:28:45.380 the point further. He says, so that at the name 00:28:45.380 --> 00:28:47.660 of Jesus, every knee will bow in heaven and on 00:28:47.660 --> 00:28:49.799 earth and under the earth, and every tongue will 00:28:49.799 --> 00:28:59.359 confess that Jesus is Lord, Yahweh, God. This 00:28:59.359 --> 00:29:03.599 is total. cosmic recognition every knee in heaven 00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:06.059 angels bowing every knee on earth believers and 00:29:06.059 --> 00:29:09.079 unbelievers alike every knee under the earth 00:29:09.079 --> 00:29:11.960 every dark power every spiritual enemy every 00:29:11.960 --> 00:29:15.440 force of evil every creature that exists will 00:29:15.440 --> 00:29:18.160 one day acknowledge the supremacy of Jesus Christ 00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:25.740 amen the one who descended to the manger will 00:29:25.740 --> 00:29:30.539 be confessed as king The one who hung on a cross 00:29:30.539 --> 00:29:34.740 will be worshipped on a throne. And the one who 00:29:34.740 --> 00:29:39.299 was mocked and spat upon will be honored by every 00:29:39.299 --> 00:29:44.339 voice. And you know what? It's not forced submission 00:29:44.339 --> 00:29:50.539 either. It's not forced submission. What we will 00:29:50.539 --> 00:29:55.000 find is that it is universal clarity. Everyone 00:29:55.000 --> 00:30:00.740 will see him as he truly is. And the humility 00:30:00.740 --> 00:30:03.819 of Christ did not diminish his glory one bit. 00:30:05.099 --> 00:30:10.019 It actually revealed it. The cross did not hide 00:30:10.019 --> 00:30:14.200 his majesty. It displayed it for all eternity. 00:30:16.119 --> 00:30:18.480 I think sometimes, I'll speak to just the men 00:30:18.480 --> 00:30:20.819 in the room, I think sometimes us men can think 00:30:20.819 --> 00:30:25.359 humility is a bad word. Humility is something 00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:29.509 to be avoided, especially Our concept of humility. 00:30:30.450 --> 00:30:33.250 No, I'm supposed to be tough. I'm supposed to 00:30:33.250 --> 00:30:35.410 be right all the time. Because I am right all 00:30:35.410 --> 00:30:36.910 the time. But I'm supposed to be right all the 00:30:36.910 --> 00:30:41.490 time, right? I'm supposed to be strong and manly. 00:30:44.569 --> 00:30:47.589 And I think there is no, let's just say this. 00:30:47.849 --> 00:30:52.269 Others have said it before. There is no truer 00:30:52.269 --> 00:30:58.809 man than Jesus Christ. And if it was good for 00:30:58.809 --> 00:31:07.089 him, it good for you. Amen? The one who went 00:31:07.089 --> 00:31:11.029 the lowest is now on the highest throne. The 00:31:11.029 --> 00:31:15.569 one who served all is now Lord of all. The one 00:31:15.569 --> 00:31:18.509 who emptied himself is now filled with glory. 00:31:19.750 --> 00:31:22.029 And this is how Paul kind of wraps it all up 00:31:22.029 --> 00:31:26.549 with this one phrase, to the glory of God the 00:31:26.549 --> 00:31:30.680 Father. He is exalted to the name above every 00:31:30.680 --> 00:31:33.640 name. At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow 00:31:33.640 --> 00:31:35.779 in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And 00:31:35.779 --> 00:31:39.039 every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the 00:31:39.039 --> 00:31:43.980 glory of the Father. Even in this exaltation, 00:31:44.079 --> 00:31:49.299 there's humility. Do you see that? The Father 00:31:49.299 --> 00:31:52.900 exalts the Son. The Son's exaltation glorifies 00:31:52.900 --> 00:31:55.720 the Father. The humility of Christ reveals the 00:31:55.720 --> 00:31:59.660 heart of God. The obedience of Christ reveals 00:31:59.660 --> 00:32:02.619 the love of the Father and the enthronement of 00:32:02.619 --> 00:32:05.819 Christ reveals the very purposes of God. And 00:32:05.819 --> 00:32:08.319 this is the beauty of the Trinity on display. 00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:12.420 The Father glorifies the Son. The Son glorifies 00:32:12.420 --> 00:32:15.480 the Father. The Spirit glorifies both and opens 00:32:15.480 --> 00:32:19.119 our eyes to participate in it. He overflows with 00:32:19.119 --> 00:32:21.259 love into our hearts so that we can be drawn 00:32:21.259 --> 00:32:24.559 in to this divine dance of love and humility. 00:32:28.839 --> 00:32:31.380 So when we celebrate the advent, we're not just 00:32:31.380 --> 00:32:37.140 celebrating a birth, but we're entering into 00:32:37.140 --> 00:32:42.279 the whole arc of Christ's mission. His descent, 00:32:42.559 --> 00:32:45.460 his obedience, his death, his resurrection, his 00:32:45.460 --> 00:32:52.579 exaltation, and his lordship. The baby in the 00:32:52.579 --> 00:32:58.480 manger is the Lord on the throne. And because 00:32:58.480 --> 00:33:01.240 he is exalted, every promise he made is sure, 00:33:01.380 --> 00:33:05.140 every enemy that he faced is defeated, and every 00:33:05.140 --> 00:33:08.900 sin he carries is forgiven, and every knee will 00:33:08.900 --> 00:33:13.640 bow to him one day. The humble Christ is now 00:33:13.640 --> 00:33:15.700 the reigning Christ. The cross -bearing Christ 00:33:15.700 --> 00:33:18.859 is the crown -wearing Christ. The servant Christ 00:33:18.859 --> 00:33:23.519 is the sovereign Christ. And Paul reminds us, 00:33:23.720 --> 00:33:29.119 let this mind Let this attitude, let Christ's 00:33:29.119 --> 00:33:38.900 mind be yours. Not try harder to be humble. Not 00:33:38.900 --> 00:33:45.359 by suppressing pride by sheer willpower, but 00:33:45.359 --> 00:33:48.599 by being so captivated by the self -giving love 00:33:48.599 --> 00:33:51.900 of Christ that humility begins to grow in you 00:33:51.900 --> 00:33:56.440 in the same way that it flows from him. And so 00:33:56.440 --> 00:34:00.819 we're going to conclude with just a few words 00:34:00.819 --> 00:34:04.799 on what it looks like. Adopt the same attitude 00:34:04.799 --> 00:34:08.800 as that of Christ Jesus. Christ's humility is 00:34:08.800 --> 00:34:10.340 not just something to admire, it's something 00:34:10.340 --> 00:34:13.039 the Spirit actually intends to form in each one 00:34:13.039 --> 00:34:17.639 of you. And you know what stands in the way? 00:34:19.059 --> 00:34:25.179 Our pursuit of empty glory. You can't defeat 00:34:25.800 --> 00:34:29.619 empty glory by trying harder. You can't try to 00:34:29.619 --> 00:34:33.920 be humble. Trying to be humble only keeps you 00:34:33.920 --> 00:34:37.780 focused on yourself. The truly humble person 00:34:37.780 --> 00:34:42.219 isn't thinking about himself at all. Humility 00:34:42.219 --> 00:34:46.559 isn't gained by looking inward, but by looking 00:34:46.559 --> 00:34:52.070 at something or someone who is greater. Tim Keller 00:34:52.070 --> 00:34:54.230 used to say, the gospel gives you an identity 00:34:54.230 --> 00:35:00.309 that is not achieved, but received. And your 00:35:00.309 --> 00:35:03.789 glory hunger is satisfied only by beholding Christ. 00:35:05.550 --> 00:35:09.349 Your glory hunger is only satisfied by beholding 00:35:09.349 --> 00:35:12.230 the one with real glory who refused to cling 00:35:12.230 --> 00:35:14.630 to it, who emptied himself for your salvation 00:35:14.630 --> 00:35:18.349 and is now exalted as Lord. And when you see 00:35:18.349 --> 00:35:21.449 him, something begins to loosen in your heart. 00:35:23.309 --> 00:35:27.309 The need to be noticed begins to fade. The fear 00:35:27.309 --> 00:35:30.530 of being overlooked begins to dissolve. Christ's 00:35:30.530 --> 00:35:33.610 descent begins to dismantle our self -protection 00:35:33.610 --> 00:35:37.989 and frees us to serve. Remember where this all 00:35:37.989 --> 00:35:41.809 started in Philippians. In humility, consider 00:35:41.809 --> 00:35:45.170 others more important. Look to the interests 00:35:45.170 --> 00:35:51.590 of others. It's impossible. It's impossible. 00:35:53.570 --> 00:35:58.750 Friends, it's impossible unless Christ first 00:35:58.750 --> 00:36:04.989 fills the emptiness in you. When the one who 00:36:04.989 --> 00:36:08.389 had real glory gave it up for you, you no longer 00:36:08.389 --> 00:36:11.269 need to grasp for empty glory from those around 00:36:11.269 --> 00:36:18.960 you. You can forgive without winning. You can 00:36:18.960 --> 00:36:24.460 listen without being the center. You can take 00:36:24.460 --> 00:36:28.440 the lowest place because Jesus took it first. 00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:35.260 This is the shape of the gospel, friends. This 00:36:35.260 --> 00:36:39.639 is the shape of the gospel. Humility before exaltation. 00:36:40.840 --> 00:36:44.559 The shape of the gospel. Humility before exaltation. 00:36:44.639 --> 00:36:50.320 The cross before the crown. Always. You think 00:36:50.320 --> 00:36:57.840 you're better than your master? No. But his example 00:36:57.840 --> 00:37:00.099 is far more glorious than our experience in life, 00:37:00.179 --> 00:37:04.139 isn't it? And it has the power to reshape us 00:37:04.139 --> 00:37:09.260 and form in us his humility. So I hope you hear 00:37:09.260 --> 00:37:13.320 that the assignment today is not to go try to 00:37:13.320 --> 00:37:22.789 be more humble. Simply to behold Christ. What 00:37:22.789 --> 00:37:27.010 does behold mean? It's kind of like those moments 00:37:27.010 --> 00:37:29.090 where you do see something that is beautiful 00:37:29.090 --> 00:37:33.150 and glorious, right? Oftentimes we would go, 00:37:33.250 --> 00:37:36.349 my family would go often to the beach and you 00:37:36.349 --> 00:37:38.949 would stand out with those crashing waves on 00:37:38.949 --> 00:37:42.570 the beach and the sound would become kind of 00:37:42.570 --> 00:37:46.320 soothing. and life and the work week and everything 00:37:46.320 --> 00:37:48.300 else would start to fade away. And pretty soon 00:37:48.300 --> 00:37:52.199 you were just there and you didn't want to leave, 00:37:52.400 --> 00:37:56.039 but it took some time of beholding. It took some 00:37:56.039 --> 00:37:58.599 time of immersion, right? When I was driving 00:37:58.599 --> 00:38:00.420 back from Idaho, I was looking at the Valley 00:38:00.420 --> 00:38:02.659 for all of five seconds and I had a little mini 00:38:02.659 --> 00:38:05.239 vacation, but I had to get back to driving, right? 00:38:07.179 --> 00:38:09.739 But even in that five seconds, I beheld for a 00:38:09.739 --> 00:38:12.719 moment, the beauty and glory of it. And I was, 00:38:13.440 --> 00:38:19.380 Out of myself. We need to string together. A 00:38:19.380 --> 00:38:21.320 whole lot of beholding Christ and remembering 00:38:21.320 --> 00:38:25.679 him. Being reminded of him and his work. Looking 00:38:25.679 --> 00:38:33.260 to him and remembering. His descent. Remember 00:38:33.260 --> 00:38:35.380 that it's not just what Christ did. But it's 00:38:35.380 --> 00:38:38.219 also what Christ is shaping in us. By his self 00:38:38.219 --> 00:38:41.539 -giving humility. He's doing it in us. And we 00:38:41.539 --> 00:38:42.139 should let him.