WEBVTT 00:00:00.599 --> 00:00:03.540 It's great to see you. Thanks for having me. 00:00:03.580 --> 00:00:15.160 Let's pray and ask the Lord to help us. Our Father 00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:17.500 in heaven, we pray that through your word, by 00:00:17.500 --> 00:00:21.019 your spirit, you would help us now to see the 00:00:21.019 --> 00:00:27.179 Lord Jesus more clearly. To love him more dearly. 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:33.560 and to follow him more nearly. Help us, we pray, 00:00:33.659 --> 00:00:40.460 for Jesus' sake. Amen. What is the secret of 00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:46.259 unity? Take an ordinary local church, take the 00:00:46.259 --> 00:00:48.780 church that you belong to, take the church that 00:00:48.780 --> 00:00:53.130 I... I belong to and serve an ordinary church 00:00:53.130 --> 00:00:55.829 made up of all sorts of different people, different 00:00:55.829 --> 00:00:59.170 ages, stages, different backgrounds and cultures, 00:00:59.329 --> 00:01:04.890 different outlooks and interests. Be so easy, 00:01:04.950 --> 00:01:08.189 wouldn't it, for those differences to get in 00:01:08.189 --> 00:01:11.590 the way. So easy in a church like that, different 00:01:11.590 --> 00:01:16.109 people for their relationships to break down. 00:01:17.870 --> 00:01:20.250 And what if an ordinary local church like that, 00:01:20.269 --> 00:01:23.010 with all its differences, what if a church like 00:01:23.010 --> 00:01:28.290 that comes under pressure too from outside? What 00:01:28.290 --> 00:01:32.909 if people take issue with what's being preached? 00:01:32.950 --> 00:01:35.469 What if stories start to appear about it online? 00:01:36.689 --> 00:01:42.489 How intolerant, how unloving the church is. What 00:01:42.489 --> 00:01:45.840 if... The members, what if you and me, we start 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:47.980 to face opposition from our family, from our 00:01:47.980 --> 00:01:53.840 friends, our acquaintances? What then? How does 00:01:53.840 --> 00:01:55.819 an ordinary local church like that, with all 00:01:55.819 --> 00:01:59.180 its differences, with all that pressure, how 00:01:59.180 --> 00:02:02.340 does it stand firm? How does it strive together 00:02:02.340 --> 00:02:07.540 for the faith of the gospel? What is the secret 00:02:07.540 --> 00:02:14.159 of unity? That is the issue for us here in Philippians 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:17.800 chapter 2. Paul says the secret of unity is to 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:21.300 share the same mindset, the same attitude, a 00:02:21.300 --> 00:02:27.060 mindset of humble, selfless love. Just listen 00:02:27.060 --> 00:02:30.460 to what Paul says. Chapter 2 verse 1, he says, 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:32.939 Therefore, if you have any encouragement from 00:02:32.939 --> 00:02:35.879 being united with Christ, if any comfort from 00:02:35.879 --> 00:02:38.259 his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, 00:02:38.360 --> 00:02:42.050 if any tenderness and compassion, Then make my 00:02:42.050 --> 00:02:48.210 joy complete by being like -minded, having the 00:02:48.210 --> 00:02:50.889 same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 00:02:51.289 --> 00:02:54.830 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. 00:02:54.830 --> 00:02:58.310 Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, 00:02:58.810 --> 00:03:02.930 not looking to your own interests, but each of 00:03:02.930 --> 00:03:07.189 you to the interests of others. And Paul then 00:03:07.189 --> 00:03:11.870 gives us the ultimate example. of that mindset. 00:03:12.050 --> 00:03:15.310 Verse 5, in your relationships with one another, 00:03:15.530 --> 00:03:22.849 have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. And in 00:03:22.849 --> 00:03:26.689 the verses that follow, he paints the most stunning 00:03:26.689 --> 00:03:33.370 portrait of the mindset of Christ Jesus. And 00:03:33.370 --> 00:03:36.889 the point is really simple. Paul says, look at 00:03:36.889 --> 00:03:43.240 Jesus. And adopt the same mindset. That's the 00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:48.699 secret of unity. Look at Jesus. And adopt the 00:03:48.699 --> 00:03:54.060 same mindset. This section is at the very heart 00:03:54.060 --> 00:03:57.759 of the letter. But not just the letter. In many 00:03:57.759 --> 00:04:00.520 ways, the very heart of the New Testament too. 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:03.319 One Christian writer puts it like this. He says, 00:04:03.379 --> 00:04:07.879 this is one of the most beautiful and rich descriptions 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:12.680 of the person and work of Christ in the New Testament. 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:16.620 Let's have a look at that beautiful, that rich 00:04:16.620 --> 00:04:19.860 description. There are two lessons for us. Let 00:04:19.860 --> 00:04:21.459 me show you what they are. Here's the first one. 00:04:22.600 --> 00:04:27.959 Look at Jesus and see how low he humbled himself. 00:04:28.740 --> 00:04:33.680 Look at Jesus. See how low he humbled himself. 00:04:34.279 --> 00:04:39.800 This is verses 6 to 8. The story of these verses 00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:43.160 is the story of a journey. It's the story of 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:47.220 a journey from the very heights of heaven to 00:04:47.220 --> 00:04:51.759 the very depths of death on a cross. It is a 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:54.879 shocking journey, an extraordinary journey. It's 00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:59.639 full of wonder and mystery. Listen again to Paul. 00:05:00.779 --> 00:05:03.959 Verse 5, in your relationships with one another, 00:05:04.139 --> 00:05:08.740 have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who being 00:05:08.740 --> 00:05:13.240 in very nature God, did not consider equality 00:05:13.240 --> 00:05:17.000 with God something to be used to his own advantage. 00:05:18.180 --> 00:05:21.860 Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the 00:05:21.860 --> 00:05:25.639 very nature of a servant, being made in human 00:05:25.639 --> 00:05:34.439 likeness. is the eternal Son of God, equal with 00:05:34.439 --> 00:05:38.040 the Father in every way, equal in honor, equal 00:05:38.040 --> 00:05:42.459 in glory, equal in power, fully and truly God. 00:05:42.560 --> 00:05:46.660 In the memorable words of the Nicene Creed, God 00:05:46.660 --> 00:05:50.759 of God, light of light, very God of very God, 00:05:50.839 --> 00:05:56.680 begotten, not made, being of one substance with 00:05:56.680 --> 00:06:01.129 the Father, fully. equally truly God. And yet 00:06:01.129 --> 00:06:06.889 Paul says he didn't exploit his status or his 00:06:06.889 --> 00:06:09.490 position. He didn't use it to his own advantage 00:06:09.490 --> 00:06:13.529 the way that I so often do, the way that I try 00:06:13.529 --> 00:06:16.689 to use my status, my position to improve my lot, 00:06:16.750 --> 00:06:19.750 or at least to get out of something that I think 00:06:19.750 --> 00:06:25.550 might be beneath me. He never did that. Look 00:06:25.550 --> 00:06:32.100 at verse 7. Rather, he made himself nothing by 00:06:32.100 --> 00:06:34.779 taking the very nature of a servant, being made 00:06:34.779 --> 00:06:39.279 in human likeness. You will know that Paul literally 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:45.040 says he emptied himself. He emptied himself. 00:06:47.540 --> 00:06:49.920 And yet you will also know how easy it is to 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:55.459 get the wrong end of the stick with that. I love 00:06:55.459 --> 00:06:58.800 Charles Wesley's hymn, And Can It Be? I love 00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:04.180 the way it captures the wonder and the awe of 00:07:04.180 --> 00:07:06.879 being a Christian. I love the way, have you noticed 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:10.480 that first verse? The way that every line finishes 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:13.360 with a question mark. As though you just can't 00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:15.360 quite get your head around what the Lord Jesus 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:20.459 has done for you. And can it be that I should 00:07:20.459 --> 00:07:23.689 gain an interest in the Savior's blood? Died 00:07:23.689 --> 00:07:28.670 he for me who caused his pain, for me who him 00:07:28.670 --> 00:07:30.870 to death pursued. Could that really be true? 00:07:32.970 --> 00:07:37.730 I love verse 1. Verse 3 always makes me really 00:07:37.730 --> 00:07:41.870 uneasy. He left his father's throne above so 00:07:41.870 --> 00:07:46.350 free, so infinite in his grace, emptied himself 00:07:46.350 --> 00:07:52.689 of all but love. I don't know what he meant by 00:07:52.689 --> 00:07:54.209 that. I don't know what was going through his 00:07:54.209 --> 00:07:56.290 mind when he penned those words. But it sounds 00:07:56.290 --> 00:08:01.490 like he is saying, in that journey down, Christ 00:08:01.490 --> 00:08:06.509 gave up some or all of his godness. We know that's 00:08:06.509 --> 00:08:09.810 not right, don't we? That the point is not that 00:08:09.810 --> 00:08:13.550 he gives something up. The point, Paul says, 00:08:13.730 --> 00:08:17.370 is he took something on. Look at the next line. 00:08:17.490 --> 00:08:24.589 He took on the very nature of a servant. And 00:08:24.589 --> 00:08:27.329 you will know too that that word servant is the 00:08:27.329 --> 00:08:32.889 word slave. In other words, can you get your 00:08:32.889 --> 00:08:36.330 mind around this? That the one who is truly, 00:08:36.470 --> 00:08:39.570 fully, equally God with the Father, willingly 00:08:39.570 --> 00:08:51.179 became a slave. No rights. No status. No privilege. 00:08:53.580 --> 00:09:00.860 Isn't that remarkable? But notice something. 00:09:01.940 --> 00:09:09.080 He doesn't do that despite being God. He does 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:14.019 that precisely because he is God. In other words, 00:09:14.039 --> 00:09:17.100 he empties himself. He makes himself nothing. 00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:19.720 He takes on the very nature of a servant because 00:09:19.720 --> 00:09:25.259 that is what he's really like. That is his, if 00:09:25.259 --> 00:09:27.500 I can use these words, that is his heart. In 00:09:27.500 --> 00:09:32.639 the words of the song, this is our God, the servant 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:38.919 king. Let me ask you a question which I heard 00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:40.720 somewhere else but found really helpful. It's 00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:45.750 kind of stuck in my head. When Jesus grew up, 00:09:45.929 --> 00:09:49.149 it is not in any way surprising, is it, that 00:09:49.149 --> 00:09:52.090 he went around doing the most extraordinary things, 00:09:52.250 --> 00:09:56.049 things that only God himself can do. He was, 00:09:56.090 --> 00:10:00.549 after all, fully and truly God. But when you 00:10:00.549 --> 00:10:06.490 look at his earthly life, what do you think is 00:10:06.490 --> 00:10:12.009 the most God -like thing he did? Walk on water? 00:10:12.669 --> 00:10:18.169 It's pretty impressive. Heal the sick. Raise 00:10:18.169 --> 00:10:22.750 the dead. Calm the storm. Feed the hungry. What 00:10:22.750 --> 00:10:31.629 is the most God -like thing he did? Paul says 00:10:31.629 --> 00:10:36.590 that the most God -like thing he did was to make 00:10:36.590 --> 00:10:45.169 himself nothing. To empty himself. Why? Because 00:10:45.169 --> 00:10:49.809 that is who he is. That this is our God, the 00:10:49.809 --> 00:10:55.409 servant king. Isn't that remarkable? That the 00:10:55.409 --> 00:10:57.889 God of the Bible is a God who lacks nothing. 00:10:58.049 --> 00:11:02.610 He needs nothing. He is gloriously and wonderfully 00:11:02.610 --> 00:11:05.289 perfect in every way. And therefore, the God 00:11:05.289 --> 00:11:10.320 of the Bible, he is not a God who takes. He's 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:14.480 a God who gives and who gives and who gives again. 00:11:14.539 --> 00:11:18.080 He's a God who made himself nothing and humbled 00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:22.559 himself and poured himself out. As the creed 00:11:22.559 --> 00:11:27.620 says, for us and for our salvation, for me and 00:11:27.620 --> 00:11:34.460 for you. And Paul says, look at him, look at 00:11:34.460 --> 00:11:42.490 him and adopt the same mindset. Literally, Paul 00:11:42.490 --> 00:11:44.529 says something like this. He says, have the mindset 00:11:44.529 --> 00:11:47.370 which you have in Christ. Christian, he says, 00:11:47.409 --> 00:11:50.710 you are united with him. You are united with 00:11:50.710 --> 00:11:53.549 the one who made himself nothing for you. He 00:11:53.549 --> 00:11:56.909 has taken hold of you and you now belong to him. 00:11:57.649 --> 00:12:00.710 And if that is true, which it is, and if that 00:12:00.710 --> 00:12:05.149 is his mindset, then how on earth can you and 00:12:05.149 --> 00:12:11.220 I possibly act out of selfish ambition? Or vain 00:12:11.220 --> 00:12:18.220 conceit. Look at Jesus. And adopt. The same mindset. 00:12:21.940 --> 00:12:25.480 But there's more. At the first Christmas. He 00:12:25.480 --> 00:12:28.379 came down from heaven. In the words of the apostle 00:12:28.379 --> 00:12:34.019 John. The word became flesh. He became a real 00:12:34.019 --> 00:12:38.570 human being. Without in any way ceasing. To be 00:12:38.570 --> 00:12:43.990 fully and truly God. How did Gregory of Nazianzus 00:12:43.990 --> 00:12:49.549 put it? He remained what he was and took up what 00:12:49.549 --> 00:12:57.370 he was not. But he wasn't done there. At the 00:12:57.370 --> 00:13:00.129 first Good Friday, he comes down further still 00:13:00.129 --> 00:13:08.330 to the lowest point imaginable. Verse 8. And 00:13:08.330 --> 00:13:10.269 being found in appearance as a man, he humbled 00:13:10.269 --> 00:13:13.610 himself by becoming obedient to death, even death 00:13:13.610 --> 00:13:23.190 on a cross. You and I, I think we tend to put 00:13:23.190 --> 00:13:28.629 limits. We tend to put limits on how far we're 00:13:28.629 --> 00:13:34.690 willing to go for the sake of others. How far 00:13:34.690 --> 00:13:39.500 down we will stoop. We go so far, but then we 00:13:39.500 --> 00:13:42.799 draw a line and we won't go any further. If it 00:13:42.799 --> 00:13:44.980 gets too hard, if it's too costly, if it just 00:13:44.980 --> 00:13:48.740 feels like too much, then that's it, we're done. 00:13:52.039 --> 00:14:01.620 Look at Jesus. He never drew a line. The cross 00:14:01.620 --> 00:14:04.720 shows the lengths that the Son is willing to 00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:09.000 go to in loving obedience. To the Father, there 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:12.860 is no line there. Nothing is beneath him. Nothing 00:14:12.860 --> 00:14:19.279 is too much for him. Not even, Paul says, death 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:30.000 on a cross. The cross has been described as the 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:33.240 cruelest, the most shameful and painful death 00:14:33.240 --> 00:14:39.690 ever devised. As you know, victims were usually 00:14:39.690 --> 00:14:41.769 stripped of their clothes. They were typically 00:14:41.769 --> 00:14:43.909 nailed to the cross through their ankles and 00:14:43.909 --> 00:14:45.929 their wrists. They would die from suffocation 00:14:45.929 --> 00:14:48.669 when they could no longer lift themselves up 00:14:48.669 --> 00:14:53.549 to breathe. And yet Jesus' suffering on the cross 00:14:53.549 --> 00:14:58.889 is utterly unique, unlike the suffering of any 00:14:58.889 --> 00:15:03.700 other. Because as he hangs on the cross, not 00:15:03.700 --> 00:15:06.139 only does he endure that horrendous physical 00:15:06.139 --> 00:15:09.679 pain, but worse, far worse than all of that, 00:15:09.740 --> 00:15:14.059 he absorbs the awful, terrible, dreadful wrath 00:15:14.059 --> 00:15:16.840 of God that you and I deserve for the way that 00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:23.360 we have treated him. It's very appropriate that 00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:27.720 as we began earlier, we had those words of Isaiah 00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:31.460 53. Because that surely is what is in the background 00:15:31.460 --> 00:15:35.100 as Paul paints this portrait of the Lord Jesus 00:15:35.100 --> 00:15:42.980 here. Isaiah speaks of a servant. A servant who 00:15:42.980 --> 00:15:50.120 stoops down and down and down. A servant who 00:15:50.120 --> 00:15:56.440 is pierced for our transgressions. A servant 00:15:56.440 --> 00:16:01.830 who is crushed for our iniquities. And the punishment 00:16:01.830 --> 00:16:09.330 that brought us peace was laid on him. And by 00:16:09.330 --> 00:16:14.950 his wounds we are healed. And Paul says, look 00:16:14.950 --> 00:16:22.029 at Jesus. Nothing was beneath him. Even the lowest 00:16:22.029 --> 00:16:29.840 position was not too low for him. Someone has 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:32.259 put it like this. He was not too proud to wear 00:16:32.259 --> 00:16:39.860 our skin or bear our sin. And Paul says, look 00:16:39.860 --> 00:16:45.039 at him. Look at Jesus. See how low he humbled 00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:57.179 himself. And adopt the same mindset. But what 00:16:57.179 --> 00:16:58.899 does that mean, do you think, for you and me? 00:17:01.179 --> 00:17:03.720 It certainly means being willing to give up our 00:17:03.720 --> 00:17:06.940 position, our rights, our privilege for the sake 00:17:06.940 --> 00:17:10.599 of others. Of course it does. It means being 00:17:10.599 --> 00:17:13.339 willing to pour out everything we have, our home, 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:17.220 our stuff, our money, our time, our effort, our 00:17:17.220 --> 00:17:22.460 energy in humble, selfless love for others. It 00:17:22.460 --> 00:17:28.440 means being willing to lose out. to suffer, to 00:17:28.440 --> 00:17:34.779 bear shame and die so that others can gain and 00:17:34.779 --> 00:17:42.779 flourish and live. But what does it really mean? 00:17:46.539 --> 00:17:50.500 The cricketer and missionary C .T. Studd famously 00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:53.740 said, I'm sure you know these words. If Jesus 00:17:53.740 --> 00:18:02.039 Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice 00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:07.900 can be too great for me to make for him. The 00:18:07.900 --> 00:18:11.440 problem is all too often we, I, grumble and complain 00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:18.490 about even the smallest sacrifice. Let me give 00:18:18.490 --> 00:18:21.369 you an example. Try this on for size. How do 00:18:21.369 --> 00:18:27.470 you respond when people interrupt you? You have 00:18:27.470 --> 00:18:28.950 your day planned out. You know what you want 00:18:28.950 --> 00:18:32.109 to do. You know what you need to get done. And 00:18:32.109 --> 00:18:33.609 then you get a knock on the door or you get a 00:18:33.609 --> 00:18:37.369 phone call or a message. And someone needs your 00:18:37.369 --> 00:18:44.029 help. In his book, Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer 00:18:44.029 --> 00:18:49.500 talks about the ministry of... helpfulness. He 00:18:49.500 --> 00:18:52.759 describes it like this. He says, this means initially 00:18:52.759 --> 00:18:58.700 simple assistance in trifling external matters. 00:18:59.859 --> 00:19:02.299 There is a multitude of these whenever people 00:19:02.299 --> 00:19:06.240 live together. That's true, isn't it? There are 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:09.099 always demands on your time and not all of them 00:19:09.099 --> 00:19:12.420 feel very important, let's be honest. How do 00:19:12.420 --> 00:19:14.880 you respond when someone interrupts you when 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:17.559 they want your help and it feels like something 00:19:17.559 --> 00:19:21.660 really small and really unimportant? What do 00:19:21.660 --> 00:19:27.460 you do? He goes on, nobody is too good for the 00:19:27.460 --> 00:19:31.440 meanest service. One who worries about the loss 00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:36.900 of time that such petty outward acts of helpfulness 00:19:36.900 --> 00:19:40.700 entail. is usually taking the importance of his 00:19:40.700 --> 00:19:46.200 own career too solemnly. We must be ready to 00:19:46.200 --> 00:19:49.299 allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God 00:19:49.299 --> 00:19:53.099 will be constantly crossing our paths and cancelling 00:19:53.099 --> 00:19:57.839 our plans by sending us people with claims and 00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:03.700 petitions. And then he presses it home like this. 00:20:04.779 --> 00:20:09.150 It is a strange fact. That Christians and even 00:20:09.150 --> 00:20:13.690 ministers frequently consider their work so important 00:20:13.690 --> 00:20:18.369 and urgent that they will allow nothing to disturb 00:20:18.369 --> 00:20:21.210 them. They think they are doing God's service 00:20:21.210 --> 00:20:25.029 in this, but actually they're disdaining God's 00:20:25.029 --> 00:20:32.089 crooked yet straight path. I'm sure that raises 00:20:32.089 --> 00:20:34.769 questions for you, it does for me. You may want 00:20:34.769 --> 00:20:39.809 to discuss those later. But is he not right in 00:20:39.809 --> 00:20:45.529 what he says? It is so easy for the Christian 00:20:45.529 --> 00:20:49.789 worker to think that their work is too important 00:20:49.789 --> 00:20:59.630 to be disturbed. Paul says, look at Jesus and 00:20:59.630 --> 00:21:04.829 adopt the same mindset. Can you and I really 00:21:04.829 --> 00:21:10.720 look at him? And then grumble and complain when 00:21:10.720 --> 00:21:18.380 somebody asks for our help. Even in small, trifling 00:21:18.380 --> 00:21:26.400 little things. Firstly, look at Jesus and see 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:29.579 how low he humbled himself. Secondly, we'll be 00:21:29.579 --> 00:21:33.440 briefer, look at Jesus. And see how high God 00:21:33.440 --> 00:21:36.759 exalted him. Look at Jesus. See how high God 00:21:36.759 --> 00:21:41.420 exalted him. This is verses 9 to 11. If verses 00:21:41.420 --> 00:21:44.460 6 to 8 are about the example of God the Son, 00:21:44.519 --> 00:21:47.839 then verses 9 to 11 are about the response of 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:55.700 God the Father. Have a look. Therefore God exalted 00:21:55.700 --> 00:21:58.859 him to the highest place and gave him the name 00:21:58.859 --> 00:22:02.430 that is above every name. that at the name of 00:22:02.430 --> 00:22:06.910 Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on 00:22:06.910 --> 00:22:09.789 earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge 00:22:09.789 --> 00:22:14.269 that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God 00:22:14.269 --> 00:22:19.230 the Father. Because the Son humbled himself to 00:22:19.230 --> 00:22:22.650 the very lowest place, it was fitting and right 00:22:22.650 --> 00:22:25.630 for the Father to exalt him then to the very 00:22:25.630 --> 00:22:29.619 highest place. After dying on the cross, the 00:22:29.619 --> 00:22:32.539 Father raised him from the dead and exalted him 00:22:32.539 --> 00:22:35.680 to his right hand in heaven. He gave him the 00:22:35.680 --> 00:22:38.839 name that is above every name. Take it that that's 00:22:38.839 --> 00:22:43.359 the name of Lord. And one day this same Lord 00:22:43.359 --> 00:22:47.660 Jesus will come again to judge the living and 00:22:47.660 --> 00:22:53.380 the dead, to judge me, to judge you. And on that 00:22:53.380 --> 00:22:57.869 day, everyone who has ever lived We'll bow before 00:22:57.869 --> 00:23:02.369 him. And we will acknowledge that the one who 00:23:02.369 --> 00:23:06.910 poured himself out in humble, selfless love is 00:23:06.910 --> 00:23:12.250 Lord and God. And some of us will do that willingly 00:23:12.250 --> 00:23:16.349 and gladly. We will sing, this is the God that 00:23:16.349 --> 00:23:23.609 we love. And others will do this in great shame 00:23:23.609 --> 00:23:29.910 and fear. Because this is the God they reject. 00:23:33.269 --> 00:23:38.349 And Paul says, look at Jesus and see how high 00:23:38.349 --> 00:23:44.630 God exalted him. How does that help us to live 00:23:44.630 --> 00:23:49.450 lives of humble, selfless love? I think it helps 00:23:49.450 --> 00:23:52.250 in two ways. Let me finish with these. Here's 00:23:52.250 --> 00:23:57.049 the first. Serving others. Serving others often 00:23:57.049 --> 00:24:02.329 feels like wading through treacle. It can feel 00:24:02.329 --> 00:24:06.089 more like a burden than a joy. And if we're not 00:24:06.089 --> 00:24:12.230 careful, we end up feeling resentful. But here's 00:24:12.230 --> 00:24:16.369 the thing, as we serve others in humble, selfless 00:24:16.369 --> 00:24:21.349 love, we can be absolutely sure that God loves 00:24:21.349 --> 00:24:26.710 and rewards. That attitude. God sees it. He loves 00:24:26.710 --> 00:24:29.950 it. He will reward it. Do you remember what the 00:24:29.950 --> 00:24:31.890 Lord Jesus said? He said, for those who exalt 00:24:31.890 --> 00:24:35.529 themselves, what will happen? They will be humbled. 00:24:36.670 --> 00:24:41.789 Everyone who humbles themselves will be exalted. 00:24:42.670 --> 00:24:46.069 The point is, those who lower themselves, who 00:24:46.069 --> 00:24:49.910 go down and down and down to serve others in 00:24:49.910 --> 00:24:53.630 this way, they never lose out in the end. Because 00:24:53.630 --> 00:24:56.609 God sees and he loves and he will reward that 00:24:56.609 --> 00:25:01.670 attitude. One day, one day God will say to us 00:25:01.670 --> 00:25:06.450 those wonderful words, well done, good and faithful 00:25:06.450 --> 00:25:11.769 servant. And when he does, it will dawn on us 00:25:11.769 --> 00:25:16.329 that every act of humble, selfless love, it really 00:25:16.329 --> 00:25:23.890 was worth it. Paul says, look at Jesus. And see 00:25:23.890 --> 00:25:32.009 how high God exalted him. But all of this, it 00:25:32.009 --> 00:25:35.670 helps in another way too. Because the Christian, 00:25:35.769 --> 00:25:38.509 we belong to Jesus. He's taken hold of us. We 00:25:38.509 --> 00:25:43.410 are united with him. Which means that we go the 00:25:43.410 --> 00:25:49.730 same way that he went. Our lives will reflect 00:25:49.730 --> 00:25:54.890 this pattern. That the Christian life is a life 00:25:54.890 --> 00:25:57.950 of stooping down and being lifted up. It is a 00:25:57.950 --> 00:26:01.309 life of suffering and glory. It is a life of 00:26:01.309 --> 00:26:05.250 loss and gain. It is a life of death and life. 00:26:05.670 --> 00:26:09.130 And that is true in terms of its overall shape. 00:26:09.190 --> 00:26:12.269 We live a life of suffering now and glory to 00:26:12.269 --> 00:26:15.329 come. But it's not just the overall shape I think 00:26:15.329 --> 00:26:18.890 that Paul is talking about here. That pattern. 00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:24.240 will be seen and lived out and reenacted in countless 00:26:24.240 --> 00:26:28.059 smaller ways throughout the course of our lives. 00:26:29.640 --> 00:26:31.940 And that shouldn't surprise us, I don't think. 00:26:33.579 --> 00:26:37.960 Tis the way the master went, should not the servant 00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:45.119 tread it still. The thing is, so often, even 00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:51.420 in ministry, suffering, And loss and death take 00:26:51.420 --> 00:26:55.059 us by surprise. That they shouldn't do. That 00:26:55.059 --> 00:27:00.660 the Bible is replete with those warnings. But 00:27:00.660 --> 00:27:04.940 so often they do. And when we experience them, 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:09.880 we think that something is wrong. But it's not. 00:27:11.240 --> 00:27:15.509 In our happiest moments. We must remember that 00:27:15.509 --> 00:27:18.450 suffering and loss and death, they are normal 00:27:18.450 --> 00:27:21.869 in Christian life and ministry. And therefore, 00:27:22.069 --> 00:27:27.869 I think we hold lightly to the good things that 00:27:27.869 --> 00:27:32.170 God gives us. We mustn't ever think that God's 00:27:32.170 --> 00:27:36.950 good gifts are things to cling onto and to be 00:27:36.950 --> 00:27:43.490 used for our own advantage. And yet in times 00:27:43.490 --> 00:27:49.930 of suffering, loss and death, we must also remember 00:27:49.930 --> 00:27:53.890 that this is not the end of the story. It never 00:27:53.890 --> 00:28:01.809 was. And it never will be. Glory and gain and 00:28:01.809 --> 00:28:09.450 life are coming. So look at Jesus and take heart. 00:28:09.809 --> 00:28:15.430 And in those moments, Of death and loss and suffering. 00:28:16.630 --> 00:28:26.710 Don't despair. What's the secret of unity? Paul 00:28:26.710 --> 00:28:32.069 says it is a mindset of humble, selfless love. 00:28:32.309 --> 00:28:38.009 Look at Jesus and adopt the same mindset. See 00:28:38.009 --> 00:28:43.990 how low he humbled himself. See how high the 00:28:43.990 --> 00:29:03.789 Father exalted him. Let's pray. Our Father in 00:29:03.789 --> 00:29:08.529 heaven, we thank you so much for this stunning 00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:17.660 portrait of the Lord Jesus father we we are astounded 00:29:17.660 --> 00:29:22.259 that he should be willing to go to stoop to such 00:29:22.259 --> 00:29:28.740 depths for us and for our salvation how humbling 00:29:28.740 --> 00:29:33.880 to think that the one who was in very nature 00:29:33.880 --> 00:29:38.500 God should be willing to make himself nothing 00:29:38.500 --> 00:29:48.680 and pour himself out for us. Father, we pray. 00:29:50.259 --> 00:29:52.839 We pray that you would help us to look at him, 00:29:52.980 --> 00:29:55.740 to see how low he humbled himself, to see how 00:29:55.740 --> 00:30:01.140 high you exalted him, and then to adopt the same 00:30:01.140 --> 00:30:08.480 mindset. Help us, Father, please. Not to put 00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:12.880 our own interests first, but the interests of 00:30:12.880 --> 00:30:16.819 others. For Jesus' sake we pray.