I Believe in Jesus Christ – Philippians 2:5-11

The Apostle’s Creed confesses that Jesus is God. Yet in His divinity, Jesus becomes human and stoops to serve. This is to say, the very essence or form of our Lord Jesus is both God and Servant.

Summary of the Apostles’ Creed.

1. The Apostle’s Creed is a summary of the Christian faith that depicts the full story of scripture. The Apostle’s Creed contains one of the most concise summaries of the Christian faith in straightforward scriptural language. It follows the narrative arch of scripture from creation to incarnation, crucifixion to resurrection, and Pentecost to life everlasting.

2. The Apostle’s Creed reminds us that our story and church are rooted in an ancient faith. There is no singular author by which this creed can be traced, rather it is the work of the Western Catholic Church. Though, it seems to have grown out of Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16. Its origin is as a baptismal confession, those that are laying down their life to join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4) confess this as their new reality and guiding story.

3. The Apostle’s Creed is not simply a routine repetition of doctrine but rather our pledge of allegiance to one God– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is not a routine repetition of doctrine. It is a liturgical poem meant to move our heart as a pledge of allegiance to the triune God revealed in the person of Christ.

This is to be a continuation of last week's message. God the father who is the creator of heaven and earth.  Jesus connects heaven and earth that while being fully God, becomes fully man, granting us all, as fully men, access to God.

Context of Philippians 2:5-11

Nicknamed the Messiah Poem and used to be sung in the early church in worship.  

Philippians was written by Paul while in prison to the church in Philippi.   The church of Philippi was the first church that Paul founded in Eastern Europe.  This church sends a member to Paul to provide him a gift to help him while he is imprisoned.  Paul writes the letter expressing gratitude to the church while also encouraging them to change their thinking towards one another because of how important they were to each other.

V. 5-6: Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Two words that mean form

1. Morphe - Something unchanging, or the essence of something

2. Schema - Something that does change, the outward appearance

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. - Colossians 1:15-16

The essence of Jesus is that he is fully God.  He is not a sub-God or Demigod, He is fully God.  Jesus humbled himself with his interactions with God the Father.  He doesn’t tell God the Father what to do.

V. 7: but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Jesus who is fully God, takes the form of a human.  Which is in direct contrast to the creation story.

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,[a] she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. - Genesis 3:2-7

Adam and Eve eat the fruit to become like God.  They attempt to get on the same level as God.  Their motives are only on self.

Jesus, who is fully God, empties himself and becomes fully human and servant.  Jesus' motives were for others.

“Love that goes upward is worship; love that goes outward is affection; love that stoops is grace” – Donald Barnhouse

Jesus’ love stoops as he takes on the form of a servant, he humbles himself.

Two examples of Christ’s humility:

1. Mathew 3:13-15: Christ humbled himself and allowed John the Baptist to baptize him.  We learn that Jesus allows us to participate in ministry.  We can learn from John that Jesus must increase in our life and we must decrease.  We must humble ourselves.

   1. Humility is not being self deprecating

      1. “Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, humility is thinking of yourself less” - C.S. Lewis

   2. “Humility is a tricky thing because once you think you have it you’ve lost it.” -Skip Heitzig

   3. With humility, it is a virtue that we ought to constantly try to obtain while not acknowledging when we do.

2. Luke 13:5-17: Christ humbled himself again by reaching down and beginning to clean the feet of his disciples.

   1. Serving isn’t always clean

      1. Jesus is washing the feet of the men that have been following him during his ministry.  And although their feet were probably extremely dirty, Jesus served them.

   2. Serving isn’t always convenient

      1. Jesus serves Peter who would go on to deny him three times during his most vulnerable hour.  

      2. Jesus serves Judas who would go on to betray Jesus of which would lead to Jesus death on the cross.  He does this without hesitation.

V 8-11: And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus humbles himself all the until death, even death on a cross.  This is evident in two ways:

1. The Garden of Gethsemane: “Not my will but yours be done”

2. While being crucified: “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”

Because of all this, Jesus is exalted by God the father.  Every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father.

Spiritual Practice

1. We must decrease, God must increase.  We serve without condition, even when it is not convenient for us.  Just as Christ served his disciples by washing their feet, we do it without expectations.  We serve simply because our Lord served.

2. Get involved in serving at Midtown.  There are great opportunities to serve both the church and local ministries.  We respect your time and will be flexible.  

3. Jesus is Lord and is exalted by God the Father.  Think about areas in your life in which you can exalt Jesus more.  He should also be exalted by us which is demonstrated on how we treat each other.  To serve Jesus is to serve others.