WEBVTT 00:00:01.899 --> 00:00:04.259 on the verses that we read earlier this morning. 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:10.119 Our theme today is the challenge of the manger. 00:00:10.859 --> 00:00:13.699 To understand the challenge of the manger, we 00:00:13.699 --> 00:00:19.179 must actually look beyond it and see that which 00:00:19.179 --> 00:00:24.879 casts its shadow over the stable scene, the cross. 00:00:26.600 --> 00:00:31.449 The essence of Christmas truth is revealed in 00:00:31.449 --> 00:00:36.289 this significant Christological passage, which 00:00:36.289 --> 00:00:40.210 was possibly an early hymn, which was incorporated 00:00:40.210 --> 00:00:43.409 into the Scripture by the Holy Spirit as Paul 00:00:43.409 --> 00:00:48.310 wrote the letter. I want you to notice with me 00:00:48.310 --> 00:00:52.109 what it says regarding Christ Jesus in verses 00:00:52.109 --> 00:00:58.009 5 through 8. There are four statements that I 00:00:58.009 --> 00:01:02.920 want to make. based upon this text, statements 00:01:02.920 --> 00:01:07.340 that will help us understand our Lord. The first 00:01:07.340 --> 00:01:11.079 statement is this, He existed in the form of 00:01:11.079 --> 00:01:16.060 God. Or perhaps better put, existing in the form 00:01:16.060 --> 00:01:19.420 of God, because that verb exist is actually in 00:01:19.420 --> 00:01:22.900 the present tense. You say, what difference does 00:01:22.900 --> 00:01:25.980 that make? Well, it means that it's a continuous 00:01:25.980 --> 00:01:32.140 verb. The idea is that it expresses continuance 00:01:32.140 --> 00:01:39.439 of a prior state. In other words, he was always 00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:45.659 existing in the form of God. The word form is 00:01:45.659 --> 00:01:50.180 the word morphe, and that's important to note 00:01:50.180 --> 00:01:53.879 because it is a word that means an outward display 00:01:53.879 --> 00:02:00.519 of the inward reality of something. So what the 00:02:00.519 --> 00:02:03.859 Apostle Paul is saying in this brief first sentence 00:02:03.859 --> 00:02:11.699 is that Jesus Christ is essential deity. His 00:02:11.699 --> 00:02:19.219 very nature was always that of God Himself. He 00:02:19.219 --> 00:02:22.860 is telling us that Bethlehem was not His beginning. 00:02:24.740 --> 00:02:29.340 It was His incarnation. but not his beginning. 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:37.840 He says, existing as God. That's how he begins 00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:41.340 the paragraph. In other words, Jesus Christ had 00:02:41.340 --> 00:02:50.539 always been God, fully. He was eternally preexistent, 00:02:50.539 --> 00:02:55.539 as how theologians put it, eternally preexistent 00:02:55.539 --> 00:03:01.189 as God the Son. The second statement is this. 00:03:01.669 --> 00:03:06.069 Jesus Christ did not regard or consider equality 00:03:06.069 --> 00:03:11.469 with God a thing to be grasped, that is, as a 00:03:11.469 --> 00:03:16.430 treasure to be held onto at all costs. He did 00:03:16.430 --> 00:03:19.629 not consider equality with God as something to 00:03:19.629 --> 00:03:24.490 be selfishly clung to. He knew that equality 00:03:24.490 --> 00:03:28.900 with the Father as the eternal Son... brought 00:03:28.900 --> 00:03:32.979 certain intrinsic rights. For example, the exercise 00:03:32.979 --> 00:03:37.159 of his own will, the independence of his actions. 00:03:38.020 --> 00:03:42.500 But he did not selfishly cling to his rightful 00:03:42.500 --> 00:03:47.360 prerogatives as God. That's the second thing 00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:50.139 it says about him. That brings us to a third 00:03:50.139 --> 00:03:56.639 statement. He emptied himself. He emptied himself. 00:03:57.639 --> 00:04:00.780 What does that mean? Does that mean that he ceased 00:04:00.780 --> 00:04:03.900 to be God at that point? That he gave up being 00:04:03.900 --> 00:04:08.960 God? No, not at all. When it says that he emptied 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:14.139 himself, it means that he divested himself completely 00:04:14.139 --> 00:04:19.819 of his self -interest. Not that he divested himself 00:04:19.819 --> 00:04:24.060 of his substance as God, but that he gave up 00:04:24.060 --> 00:04:28.660 his self -interest. He laid aside the display 00:04:28.660 --> 00:04:36.319 of his glory as God. M .R. Vincent says, The 00:04:36.319 --> 00:04:40.879 word is a graphic expression of the completeness 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:45.939 of his self -renunciation and his refusal to 00:04:45.939 --> 00:04:51.680 use what he had to his own advantage. Now that's 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:56.279 important to grasp. Jesus Christ, when he emptied 00:04:56.279 --> 00:05:02.459 himself, renunciated and refused to use for his 00:05:02.459 --> 00:05:08.300 own advantage all of his glories as God, his 00:05:08.300 --> 00:05:12.680 prerogatives as deity. Now this act of emptying 00:05:12.680 --> 00:05:15.459 involved a couple of things, as it says here 00:05:15.459 --> 00:05:20.500 in our text. It involved taking the form of a 00:05:20.500 --> 00:05:25.959 bondservant. Notice again the word form. Remember 00:05:25.959 --> 00:05:28.360 before we said that it was an outward display 00:05:28.360 --> 00:05:33.459 of an inward reality. So when Jesus Christ took 00:05:33.459 --> 00:05:37.500 the form of a bondservant, it means that he actually 00:05:37.500 --> 00:05:41.579 was a servant inwardly, essentially, and lived 00:05:41.579 --> 00:05:46.579 that out. His essential nature was that of a 00:05:46.579 --> 00:05:50.480 servant. He himself said, I come not... to be 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:54.560 served but to serve and to give my life as a 00:05:54.560 --> 00:05:59.600 ransom for many. And his emptying also involved 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:06.160 being made in the likeness of men. The word likeness 00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:09.199 is an interesting one because it suggests similarity, 00:06:09.560 --> 00:06:15.720 similarity but difference at the same time. In 00:06:15.720 --> 00:06:20.060 other words, He was entirely, genuinely human, 00:06:20.220 --> 00:06:26.319 and yet he was distinguished from all humans 00:06:26.319 --> 00:06:31.399 who ever lived. As he appeared to men, he was 00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:36.019 completely human. In the pictures that sometimes 00:06:36.019 --> 00:06:41.939 are drawn or shown of Christ, we see a halo around 00:06:41.939 --> 00:06:44.980 his head. Let me assure you that the people who 00:06:44.980 --> 00:06:50.620 saw him 2 ,000 years ago saw no halo. When they 00:06:50.620 --> 00:06:52.819 looked at him, he looked fully human. He was 00:06:52.819 --> 00:06:55.939 fully human. But at the same time, there was 00:06:55.939 --> 00:07:01.079 a gulf of distinction between him and the ordinary 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:07.639 person because he was sinlessly human. And so 00:07:07.639 --> 00:07:10.680 Jesus Christ says, Paul here, in quoting this 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:16.430 hymn, was fully human and yet fully God at the 00:07:16.430 --> 00:07:21.529 same time. That brings us then to a fourth statement 00:07:21.529 --> 00:07:28.230 that says that he humbled himself. Being found 00:07:28.230 --> 00:07:34.670 in appearance as a man, he humbled himself, becoming 00:07:34.670 --> 00:07:39.009 obedient to the point of death, even death on 00:07:39.009 --> 00:07:44.680 a cross. His self -humbling was to the extent 00:07:44.680 --> 00:07:50.079 of death, and not merely death, but the most 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:54.660 shameful, painful, ignominious death that was 00:07:54.660 --> 00:08:01.120 possible in that day, death by crucifixion. And 00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:03.680 so what the Apostle Paul says about Jesus Christ 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:08.420 in this brief paragraph is astounding. He says 00:08:08.420 --> 00:08:13.920 that he was eternally preexistent as God. But 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:17.339 he did not regard his prerogatives as God, something 00:08:17.339 --> 00:08:20.779 to be selfishly used just for his advantage. 00:08:22.980 --> 00:08:27.040 But he emptied himself, divested himself completely 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:32.980 of his self -interest, actually taking on the 00:08:32.980 --> 00:08:36.519 form of a slave, a servant, as he was made in 00:08:36.519 --> 00:08:42.879 the likeness, And He humbled Himself. Being found 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:47.200 as a man, He humbled Himself even to the point 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:54.019 of death by the cross. My fellow Christian, the 00:08:54.019 --> 00:08:56.639 challenge of the manger is seen in that paragraph. 00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:03.279 The challenge of the manger is the attitude. 00:09:05.289 --> 00:09:09.549 which is graphically disclosed to us at the manger. 00:09:11.250 --> 00:09:15.149 It is the mindset which motivated God the Son 00:09:15.149 --> 00:09:21.409 to unite Himself with humanity and then to experience 00:09:21.409 --> 00:09:27.350 shameful death on the cross. The challenge of 00:09:27.350 --> 00:09:34.580 the manger is the attitude of humility. And the 00:09:34.580 --> 00:09:38.500 apostle says to us in verse 5, have this attitude 00:09:38.500 --> 00:09:44.720 in yourselves. That, my friend, is a challenge. 00:09:47.399 --> 00:09:52.419 Have this attitude in you, which Jesus Christ 00:09:52.419 --> 00:09:57.500 demonstrated, the attitude of humility. Now, 00:09:57.519 --> 00:10:01.200 what is humility? Does that mean being a doormat? 00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:05.019 No. Stephen Brown, who is a pastor of a Presbyterian 00:10:05.019 --> 00:10:07.679 church in Florida, has written a helpful book 00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:12.000 entitled, Goodbye to Doormat Christianity. He 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:13.720 has some excellent things to say in that book. 00:10:15.059 --> 00:10:18.500 Humility is not making oneself a doormat. Jesus 00:10:18.500 --> 00:10:23.320 Christ was no one's doormat. But humility is 00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:30.519 an attitude. It is lowliness of mind. It is that 00:10:30.519 --> 00:10:36.399 mindset that puts others before oneself. That's 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:40.840 clear from what he says in verse 3. He says, 00:10:40.899 --> 00:10:43.820 let each of you regard one another as more important 00:10:43.820 --> 00:10:49.659 than himself. I'd like to think of this challenge 00:10:49.659 --> 00:10:54.519 this morning in three respects. First, I want 00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:56.159 you to think with me of the challenge of the 00:10:56.159 --> 00:11:03.360 manger as it relates. to salvation. I believe 00:11:03.360 --> 00:11:07.659 that I can say without fear of contradiction 00:11:07.659 --> 00:11:12.960 that human pride is the greatest obstacle to 00:11:12.960 --> 00:11:18.600 the salvation of a soul. Human pride is the greatest 00:11:18.600 --> 00:11:22.360 barrier that stands in the way of a person coming 00:11:22.360 --> 00:11:29.210 to Jesus Christ for salvation. Statements like 00:11:29.210 --> 00:11:33.789 these. No one can tell me I'm a sinner. Well, 00:11:33.830 --> 00:11:35.649 I'm better than most people. I'm better than 00:11:35.649 --> 00:11:39.549 most Christians that I know. Well, I'm sincere 00:11:39.549 --> 00:11:43.470 about what I believe, and I've tried hard, and 00:11:43.470 --> 00:11:46.389 I've done good for others. I've lived by the 00:11:46.389 --> 00:11:49.809 golden rule. Well, sure. Sure, I've made my mistakes, 00:11:49.990 --> 00:11:53.470 but who hasn't? A sinner? No, I'm no sinner. 00:11:56.409 --> 00:12:00.129 That refusal. To admit personal guilt before 00:12:00.129 --> 00:12:07.389 God and essential unworthiness is a roadblock 00:12:07.389 --> 00:12:12.370 to many. It is a lock on the door to salvation 00:12:12.370 --> 00:12:18.129 which they refuse to open. People do not like 00:12:18.129 --> 00:12:22.929 to think of themselves as helpless, as those 00:12:22.929 --> 00:12:26.870 who are in need of a Savior. But we all are. 00:12:28.779 --> 00:12:31.080 It has been pointed out that the middle of the 00:12:31.080 --> 00:12:38.620 word pride is the letter I. P -R -I -D -E. Likewise, 00:12:38.679 --> 00:12:45.419 the center of sin is I. S -I -N. That is the 00:12:45.419 --> 00:12:51.179 essence of sin. Self -centeredness. The proud, 00:12:51.399 --> 00:12:56.679 egotistical, self -sufficient, independent I. 00:12:59.309 --> 00:13:05.610 which will not bow to Jesus Christ. Hell is today 00:13:05.610 --> 00:13:09.350 populated with people who are sincerely convinced 00:13:09.350 --> 00:13:12.990 that they were good enough to make it to heaven 00:13:12.990 --> 00:13:17.149 on their own, and they would not repent and acknowledge 00:13:17.149 --> 00:13:20.909 their personal sinfulness. I was reading this 00:13:20.909 --> 00:13:23.789 last week in the book of Psalms, and a couple 00:13:23.789 --> 00:13:26.169 of verses just leaped off the page at me. Look 00:13:26.169 --> 00:13:36.950 back at Psalm 36. And verses 1 and 2, I think 00:13:36.950 --> 00:13:39.389 this encapsulates what I'm trying to say so well. 00:13:42.769 --> 00:13:47.509 David sees sin or transgression as speaking here. 00:13:49.529 --> 00:13:54.490 And he says transgression speaks to the ungodly 00:13:54.490 --> 00:13:58.309 within his heart. So here you have the unregenerate, 00:13:58.309 --> 00:14:01.460 unsafe person. And something is whispering in 00:14:01.460 --> 00:14:04.659 his ear and that something is his own sin, his 00:14:04.659 --> 00:14:10.820 own transgression. There is no fear of God before 00:14:10.820 --> 00:14:14.679 his eyes. That is, there is no respect of God. 00:14:15.860 --> 00:14:19.159 No reverence for God. Why is that? Because the 00:14:19.159 --> 00:14:22.980 sinner is worshiping himself. And there's no 00:14:22.980 --> 00:14:25.620 room to worship himself and God at the same time. 00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:34.559 For it, what? His sin, it flatters him in his 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:39.000 own eyes concerning the discovery of his iniquity 00:14:39.000 --> 00:14:43.460 and the hatred of it. What is David saying? He 00:14:43.460 --> 00:14:45.940 is saying that sin and transgression within the 00:14:45.940 --> 00:14:49.519 heart whispers to a person, you don't need God 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:56.120 while you're good enough the way you are. You 00:14:56.120 --> 00:14:59.559 don't need forgiveness. God is going to overlook 00:14:59.559 --> 00:15:01.960 those bad things that you do in light of all 00:15:01.960 --> 00:15:05.259 the many good things that you do. You see, it 00:15:05.259 --> 00:15:10.500 flatters Him in His own eyes. It causes Him to 00:15:10.500 --> 00:15:12.500 think that there will be no discovery of His 00:15:12.500 --> 00:15:16.299 iniquity, that He need not hate it. Indeed, He 00:15:16.299 --> 00:15:20.399 can embrace it. Transgression within His heart 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:25.320 says there is no judgment. By people who have... 00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:28.840 and then come back to life report that it makes 00:15:28.840 --> 00:15:31.299 no difference what they believed. They were warmly 00:15:31.299 --> 00:15:37.419 received by this light that was there. There's 00:15:37.419 --> 00:15:39.879 no accountability for sin. Your skin is never 00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:42.700 going to be discovered and exposed and judged. 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:46.799 That's what transgression says. And the result 00:15:46.799 --> 00:15:50.259 of it is that the man is led to hell because 00:15:50.259 --> 00:15:55.850 he believes it. He believes it. Jesus told a 00:15:55.850 --> 00:16:02.870 story recorded in Luke, the 12th chapter. It 00:16:02.870 --> 00:16:05.789 is a story related to agriculture. It's about 00:16:05.789 --> 00:16:16.029 a farmer. It begins in verse 13 of the 12th chapter 00:16:16.029 --> 00:16:18.149 of Luke where someone in the crowd said to Jesus, 00:16:18.250 --> 00:16:21.009 Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family 00:16:21.009 --> 00:16:24.259 inheritance with me. But he said to him, Man, 00:16:24.340 --> 00:16:27.220 who appointed me a judge or an arbitrator over 00:16:27.220 --> 00:16:32.080 you? And he said to them, Beware and be on guard 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:34.799 against every form of greed, for not even when 00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:38.940 one has an abundance does his life consist of 00:16:38.940 --> 00:16:43.659 his possessions. And he told them a parable, 00:16:43.659 --> 00:16:46.000 saying, The land of a certain rich man was very 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:48.980 productive. And he began reasoning to himself, 00:16:49.200 --> 00:16:53.279 saying, What shall I do? since I have no place 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:56.860 to store my crops. And he said, This is what 00:16:56.860 --> 00:17:00.000 I will do. I will tear down my barns and build 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:03.620 larger ones, and there I will store all my grain 00:17:03.620 --> 00:17:07.799 and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:10.240 you have many goods laid up for many years to 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:12.640 come. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 00:17:13.619 --> 00:17:19.279 But God said to him, You fool. You fool. This 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:22.759 very night your soul is required of you, and 00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:26.420 now who will own what you have prepared? Then 00:17:26.420 --> 00:17:29.519 says Jesus, so is the man who lays up treasure 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:35.579 for himself and is not rich toward God. You notice 00:17:35.579 --> 00:17:39.380 all the first person pronouns in the man's statement? 00:17:39.880 --> 00:17:47.059 I, me, my. That's the essence of sin. That's 00:17:47.059 --> 00:17:50.480 the I in the middle of pride. That's the I in 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:55.140 the middle of sin. Here it took the outward form 00:17:55.140 --> 00:18:00.259 of greed and covetousness. This is the kind of 00:18:00.259 --> 00:18:06.099 man that would be awarded a prize in Successful 00:18:06.099 --> 00:18:10.759 Farming magazine because of his aggressiveness, 00:18:10.819 --> 00:18:16.019 his innovation, his success. God calls him a 00:18:16.019 --> 00:18:21.599 fool. Why? Because he is a man who lived for 00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:27.440 himself. He was on the throne of his own life. 00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:33.440 He worshipped himself and he died. And his soul 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:40.259 was required of him. Here we have a man who is 00:18:40.259 --> 00:18:44.700 guilty of complete self -absorption. self -satisfaction, 00:18:44.740 --> 00:18:52.380 self -admiration, and self -deceit. It is similar 00:18:52.380 --> 00:18:55.900 to a whole church that is spoken about in Revelation 00:18:55.900 --> 00:19:00.099 chapter 3, isn't it? The church at Laodicea, 00:19:00.099 --> 00:19:05.319 which said that it was rich and clothed, had 00:19:05.319 --> 00:19:09.960 need of nothing. Praise God, it said everything 00:19:09.960 --> 00:19:19.119 is fine. God came to that church knocking on 00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:22.559 the door to get in. There wasn't room for him 00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:25.400 in the church, let alone the inn in Bethlehem. 00:19:28.220 --> 00:19:31.200 And he commanded that church to repent of its 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:35.160 self -centeredness and for those believers to 00:19:35.160 --> 00:19:39.859 turn away from their self -worship and to recognize 00:19:39.859 --> 00:19:47.369 their need of repentance. See their nakedness, 00:19:47.569 --> 00:19:53.230 their blindness, and receive from Him, the Lord, 00:19:53.289 --> 00:19:57.410 what it needed. Here is my point. It is this, 00:19:57.410 --> 00:20:00.369 that before a person can be saved, he must see 00:20:00.369 --> 00:20:05.130 and acknowledge his need. He must be brought 00:20:05.130 --> 00:20:08.710 to lowliness of mind about himself and his sin. 00:20:11.809 --> 00:20:17.470 He must be humble and repent. And that, my friend, 00:20:17.569 --> 00:20:20.049 is the challenge of the manger as it relates 00:20:20.049 --> 00:20:22.630 to salvation. But it's not the only challenge 00:20:22.630 --> 00:20:25.529 of the manger. I'd like you to think with me 00:20:25.529 --> 00:20:31.230 as it relates to service. Humility is a critical 00:20:31.230 --> 00:20:35.150 characteristic for anyone desiring to be used 00:20:35.150 --> 00:20:42.869 of God. You notice that Jesus Christ emptied 00:20:42.869 --> 00:20:46.829 himself. He humbled himself. Wherefore, God has 00:20:46.829 --> 00:20:52.289 also highly exalted him. Before God ever exalts 00:20:52.289 --> 00:20:56.289 a man or a woman in service, there first has 00:20:56.289 --> 00:21:02.130 to be a self -humbling. And when that humbling 00:21:02.130 --> 00:21:08.069 process has exacted what it needed to, then God 00:21:08.069 --> 00:21:11.109 in His own time and His own way will exalt His 00:21:11.109 --> 00:21:16.250 servant. But the challenge of the manger as it 00:21:16.250 --> 00:21:19.130 relates to service is that we, too, like Christ, 00:21:19.329 --> 00:21:23.990 must humble ourselves and not see ourselves as 00:21:23.990 --> 00:21:30.250 greatly worthy, greatly gifted, but see ourselves 00:21:30.250 --> 00:21:35.490 as unworthy servants at best. And when we have 00:21:35.490 --> 00:21:38.470 that hard attitude, God can do something with 00:21:38.470 --> 00:21:45.789 us. Peter expresses this so... candidly, undoubtedly 00:21:45.789 --> 00:21:50.150 reflecting upon some of his own experience, when 00:21:50.150 --> 00:21:55.450 he writes, All of you clothe yourselves with 00:21:55.450 --> 00:22:00.890 humility toward one another. For God is opposed 00:22:00.890 --> 00:22:03.829 to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 00:22:05.029 --> 00:22:09.990 Humble yourselves. Humble yourselves. Notice 00:22:09.990 --> 00:22:13.700 that. He does not say, pray that God will humble 00:22:13.700 --> 00:22:19.460 you. Now, can God humble us? Yes, quite effectively. 00:22:21.619 --> 00:22:23.900 But how much better that we humble ourselves. 00:22:24.019 --> 00:22:27.200 He says, humble yourselves, therefore, under 00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:31.640 the mighty hand of God. The mighty hand of God, 00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:34.319 yes. That hand of God that will be over you to 00:22:34.319 --> 00:22:37.559 protect you. That hand of God that will be over 00:22:37.559 --> 00:22:39.920 you to provide for you as you humble yourself. 00:22:40.809 --> 00:22:43.769 That hand of God that will provide security for 00:22:43.769 --> 00:22:48.089 you as you lay aside your self -security. Under 00:22:48.089 --> 00:22:51.789 the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you 00:22:51.789 --> 00:22:55.170 at the proper time, casting all your anxieties 00:22:55.170 --> 00:23:02.410 upon Him because He cares for you. The implications 00:23:02.410 --> 00:23:06.569 of this are carried out for us in Philippians 00:23:06.569 --> 00:23:10.259 chapter 2. As the Apostle Paul not only points 00:23:10.259 --> 00:23:15.720 to the Lord Jesus Christ, but he points to three 00:23:15.720 --> 00:23:20.200 other examples as well to illustrate this fact 00:23:20.200 --> 00:23:25.960 that service must be done with humility. And 00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:29.640 when we serve with a humble mind, a humble spirit, 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:38.609 that is a sacrifice that pleases God. He points 00:23:38.609 --> 00:23:41.869 to himself, first of all, as a prisoner of Jesus 00:23:41.869 --> 00:23:47.250 Christ. For example, in verse 17 he says, But 00:23:47.250 --> 00:23:51.130 I, even if I am being poured out as a drink offering 00:23:51.130 --> 00:23:54.809 upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, 00:23:54.930 --> 00:23:58.309 I rejoice and share my joy with you all. Did 00:23:58.309 --> 00:24:02.049 Paul care that his very life was being poured 00:24:02.049 --> 00:24:06.109 out while he was in prison? That's where he was 00:24:06.109 --> 00:24:10.079 as he wrote these words. No, because with a humble 00:24:10.079 --> 00:24:16.539 mind, he was willing to be confined. He accepted 00:24:16.539 --> 00:24:20.740 that confinement as the will of God for him and 00:24:20.740 --> 00:24:26.119 saw himself really as a sacrifice and as an offering 00:24:26.119 --> 00:24:28.460 being poured out, a drink offering, an offering 00:24:28.460 --> 00:24:30.980 of wine being poured out on the altar before 00:24:30.980 --> 00:24:35.180 God. Has God brought you to some point of confinement 00:24:35.180 --> 00:24:43.640 in your life? Or in your employment? Do you feel 00:24:43.640 --> 00:24:48.359 him dead in your family situation? Do you feel 00:24:48.359 --> 00:24:53.720 chains upon you? My Christian brother or sister, 00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:56.720 as you serve Jesus Christ, will you stop clenching 00:24:56.720 --> 00:25:01.000 your fists at the chains and open them and receive 00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:04.400 the grace of God in that prison where you are? 00:25:07.880 --> 00:25:12.099 The challenge of the manger is humility in our 00:25:12.099 --> 00:25:15.619 service for Jesus Christ. Not thinking that we 00:25:15.619 --> 00:25:17.779 ought to be promoted, we ought to be exalted, 00:25:17.779 --> 00:25:19.599 we ought to be doing this, we ought to be up 00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:22.519 there, but saying, God, however, wherever, whenever, 00:25:22.779 --> 00:25:28.220 I'm your servant. And when God sees that in us, 00:25:28.400 --> 00:25:31.980 I mean, when He sees it really in us, then He 00:25:31.980 --> 00:25:36.430 knows He can entrust responsibility to us. We 00:25:36.430 --> 00:25:41.329 see again an example in Timothy. Timothy who 00:25:41.329 --> 00:25:44.049 was, as he says in verse 20, concerned for your 00:25:44.049 --> 00:25:48.089 welfare, as he writes to the Philippians. He 00:25:48.089 --> 00:25:51.650 says, I have no one else of kindred spirit like 00:25:51.650 --> 00:25:55.589 Timothy. He says in verse 21, for they, that's 00:25:55.589 --> 00:25:57.950 everyone else, they all seek after their own 00:25:57.950 --> 00:26:03.480 interests, not those of Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ 00:26:03.480 --> 00:26:06.279 laid aside his self -interest. So did Timothy. 00:26:07.559 --> 00:26:10.160 And so must you and I if we expect to be used 00:26:10.160 --> 00:26:15.299 of God, desire to be used of God. Timothy was 00:26:15.299 --> 00:26:18.480 a faithful worker, a hard worker. But it's not 00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:20.500 enough just to be a worker. We have to work with 00:26:20.500 --> 00:26:25.940 the right attitude as we serve the Lord. And 00:26:25.940 --> 00:26:28.460 then he points to Epaphroditus, the man who was 00:26:28.460 --> 00:26:31.799 the messenger. bringing a gift to Paul from the 00:26:31.799 --> 00:26:33.819 Philippians. And now he was going to return with 00:26:33.819 --> 00:26:36.460 this letter. He's mentioned in verses 25 and 00:26:36.460 --> 00:26:40.819 following. Here's a man who did not have a great, 00:26:40.900 --> 00:26:48.079 well -known position in the early church, but 00:26:48.079 --> 00:26:50.740 he's named in Scripture, isn't he? What he was, 00:26:50.759 --> 00:26:53.779 basically, was a runner. He was a messenger. 00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:59.220 He was a telegraph for that day. He would get 00:26:59.220 --> 00:27:01.099 the message and go to wherever it needed to be 00:27:01.099 --> 00:27:06.559 delivered. But he made a commitment. He said, 00:27:06.599 --> 00:27:08.380 this is what God wants me to do. I'm going to 00:27:08.380 --> 00:27:11.960 do it. And he did it. And Paul points out that 00:27:11.960 --> 00:27:14.720 he came close to death for the work of Christ, 00:27:14.920 --> 00:27:19.140 verse 30, risking his life to complete what was 00:27:19.140 --> 00:27:22.220 deficient in your service to me. Here is a man 00:27:22.220 --> 00:27:24.880 who did not care what he was called, who wanted 00:27:24.880 --> 00:27:28.470 no great upfront position. But what he said he 00:27:28.470 --> 00:27:31.410 would do, he did, even though it nearly cost 00:27:31.410 --> 00:27:37.569 him his life. He kept his commitment. He was 00:27:37.569 --> 00:27:40.509 willing to risk it all as a nobody, quote, unquote, 00:27:40.789 --> 00:27:43.569 to serve Jesus Christ. Why? Because he had a 00:27:43.569 --> 00:27:48.950 humble mind. Hey, folks, the challenge of the 00:27:48.950 --> 00:27:53.049 manger is that you and I would serve Jesus Christ 00:27:53.049 --> 00:27:57.039 with the same spirit of humility. And finally, 00:27:57.059 --> 00:28:00.720 the challenge of the manger needs to be looked 00:28:00.720 --> 00:28:04.099 at as it relates to fellowship. Because really 00:28:04.099 --> 00:28:06.859 that is the application that Paul is making in 00:28:06.859 --> 00:28:10.440 chapter 2 of Philippians. In the fellowship of 00:28:10.440 --> 00:28:16.859 God's people, pride divides. Humility unites. 00:28:18.380 --> 00:28:21.839 Wherever you see a Bible study, a Sunday school 00:28:21.839 --> 00:28:25.880 class, a church, or two Christians who are battling 00:28:25.880 --> 00:28:30.059 it out, if you look deep enough, you're going 00:28:30.059 --> 00:28:36.119 to find the letter I in there somewhere. There's 00:28:36.119 --> 00:28:38.880 nothing that more quickly divides the fellowship 00:28:38.880 --> 00:28:44.339 of God's people than pride. And the apostle says 00:28:44.339 --> 00:28:48.740 that we are to bring humility of mind into the 00:28:48.740 --> 00:28:53.869 fellowship, and thus there should be unity. As 00:28:53.869 --> 00:28:57.130 he tells us in verses 3 and 4, the humble child 00:28:57.130 --> 00:29:00.750 of God, number one, is not motivated by selfishness 00:29:00.750 --> 00:29:06.309 or conceit. Selfishness and conceit are two things 00:29:06.309 --> 00:29:11.430 that he hates, he lays aside. The child of God 00:29:11.430 --> 00:29:14.569 who is humble is not motivated by either selfishness, 00:29:14.650 --> 00:29:20.210 what he can get, or conceit, what others will 00:29:20.210 --> 00:29:25.529 think of him. Secondly, he regards others as 00:29:25.529 --> 00:29:31.029 more important. He looks at that person next 00:29:31.029 --> 00:29:34.509 to him in the Bible study. He looks at that other 00:29:34.509 --> 00:29:37.750 person in the church, that other believer, and 00:29:37.750 --> 00:29:41.230 he says, that person is before me. That person 00:29:41.230 --> 00:29:44.490 is more important than I am. That has all kinds 00:29:44.490 --> 00:29:50.410 of practical benefits to it. And then thirdly, 00:29:50.470 --> 00:29:54.240 the humble believer. looks out for others' interests 00:29:54.240 --> 00:29:57.319 as well as his own. It's not that he ignores 00:29:57.319 --> 00:30:00.240 what he has to do, his own interests, his own 00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:02.500 responsibilities. He can't do that, of course. 00:30:03.960 --> 00:30:07.440 But in addition to his own interests, he looks 00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:11.740 out for the interests of others. Are you doing 00:30:11.740 --> 00:30:18.640 that in your small church? What about your flock 00:30:18.640 --> 00:30:23.069 group? or the discipleship group or that Bible 00:30:23.069 --> 00:30:25.509 study you meet with? Are you really looking out 00:30:25.509 --> 00:30:29.250 for the interests of others? Folks, we live in 00:30:29.250 --> 00:30:31.549 a day when everybody's consumed with his own 00:30:31.549 --> 00:30:37.210 activities because we have so many of them. And 00:30:37.210 --> 00:30:39.150 that is the whole pressure, the whole direction, 00:30:39.210 --> 00:30:44.410 the whole flow of our society. But the challenge 00:30:44.410 --> 00:30:46.450 of the manger is that we look out for the other 00:30:46.450 --> 00:30:54.829 person. I read about a gal in a dormitory who 00:30:54.829 --> 00:30:57.869 had a little sign up on the wall. And what it 00:30:57.869 --> 00:31:04.509 said was, I am content to be third. That's great. 00:31:05.609 --> 00:31:12.049 Jesus, others, then me. I am content to be third. 00:31:12.529 --> 00:31:20.519 Are you? William Booth was invited to speak at 00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:24.480 a large convocation. Of course, he was the founder 00:31:24.480 --> 00:31:31.079 of the Salvation Army. However, something came 00:31:31.079 --> 00:31:33.740 up and William Booth was unable to attend that 00:31:33.740 --> 00:31:36.880 meeting. And so he cabled his message to them. 00:31:37.599 --> 00:31:43.000 Can you imagine that today? Cabling a whole sermon 00:31:43.000 --> 00:31:46.420 and having it read for you? That's what he decided 00:31:46.420 --> 00:31:52.630 to do. But his whole sermon boiled down to one 00:31:52.630 --> 00:31:58.109 word. The cable from William Booth to that great 00:31:58.109 --> 00:32:04.990 convocation simply said, Others. That's all. 00:32:05.970 --> 00:32:12.230 Others. The fellowship of God's people, which 00:32:12.230 --> 00:32:16.569 is composed of those with a humble mindset that 00:32:16.569 --> 00:32:21.359 says, Others. will be a fellowship that is united 00:32:21.359 --> 00:32:26.680 in joyful unity. Uniformity can be achieved by 00:32:26.680 --> 00:32:31.539 external pressure, but unity can only be achieved 00:32:31.539 --> 00:32:35.579 through internal power. That's the power of humility. 00:32:37.059 --> 00:32:39.660 The challenge of the manger comes to each of 00:32:39.660 --> 00:32:43.500 us as you and I ponder the Son of God willing 00:32:43.500 --> 00:32:47.980 to exchange His glory as God for the limitations, 00:32:49.029 --> 00:32:54.049 inherently human. It has to challenge us to consider 00:32:54.049 --> 00:32:59.950 how we too need to exhibit humility in our relationship 00:32:59.950 --> 00:33:04.309 to God, in our relationship to others. We must 00:33:04.309 --> 00:33:08.450 eschew our tendency to self -worship, self -exaltation, 00:33:08.569 --> 00:33:13.890 self -determination, self -fulfillment, the demand 00:33:13.890 --> 00:33:18.740 for our own rights. And like Jesus Christ, Renounce 00:33:18.740 --> 00:33:23.339 those things and put them aside for the sake 00:33:23.339 --> 00:33:26.599 of serving Jesus Christ, walking with Jesus Christ, 00:33:26.880 --> 00:33:33.700 and meeting the needs of others. Let's pray. 00:33:42.400 --> 00:33:44.579 I don't know how the challenge of the manger 00:33:44.579 --> 00:33:48.599 may come to you. and how the Spirit of God may 00:33:48.599 --> 00:33:54.059 apply that in your work relationships, in your 00:33:54.059 --> 00:34:01.859 home, in the church, in fellowship with God's 00:34:01.859 --> 00:34:07.440 people somewhere, in Bible study perhaps, a friendship, 00:34:07.599 --> 00:34:14.179 maybe a dorm room, roommate. Would you right 00:34:14.179 --> 00:34:17.199 now, where you are, respond? to the challenge 00:34:17.199 --> 00:34:21.880 of the manger, and in essence say, Lord Jesus, 00:34:22.079 --> 00:34:29.599 if you, the eternal God, could humble yourself 00:34:29.599 --> 00:34:36.340 and do what you did, surely I can humble myself 00:34:36.340 --> 00:34:48.150 and do what I need to do. It may be that you 00:34:48.150 --> 00:34:51.949 need to apologize or ask someone's forgiveness 00:34:51.949 --> 00:35:02.250 or take some action tangibly, materially. I don't 00:35:02.250 --> 00:35:05.070 know what it may be, but oh may God help all 00:35:05.070 --> 00:35:08.989 of us today to go away from the manger different 00:35:08.989 --> 00:35:20.010 than when we came. Let's stand together. And 00:35:20.010 --> 00:35:28.610 our Heavenly Father, I pray that you will work 00:35:28.610 --> 00:35:35.750 in us by grace, by the power of the Holy Spirit, 00:35:35.849 --> 00:35:43.090 that we may be the children of God in the midst 00:35:43.090 --> 00:35:49.679 of a world that is living only for self. May 00:35:49.679 --> 00:35:53.539 we be so different that people will know that 00:35:53.539 --> 00:35:59.000 we must follow Jesus Christ, who was completely 00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:02.860 human and yet distinguished from our humanity 00:36:02.860 --> 00:36:08.599 by His sinlessness. And so we turn and we repent 00:36:08.599 --> 00:36:13.800 of our sinfulness, our selfishness, our pride. 00:36:16.170 --> 00:36:18.590 And we humble ourselves. And as we depart from 00:36:18.590 --> 00:36:22.750 here, we purpose in our hearts, you enabling 00:36:22.750 --> 00:36:28.150 us that we might walk humbly with our God. In 00:36:28.150 --> 00:36:30.110 Jesus' name, amen.