What Christ did for you!

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

A. Rapport for the time

As we come to the week of Easter the hardest part about coming out of Acts and going into Samuel is the time in between.

B. Reading of the text

C. Review of the text

Christ putting on flesh-the incarnation of Christ. Walking through any of the Gospels we see a savior and King Jesus who puts on flesh of our sake that he may redeem us for his name.

D. Relevance of the text

I. Jesus our Example

Philippians 2:4–8 ESV

Paul is telling the church at Philippi of the marvelous wonder that is Jesus Christ. He walked this earth in great humility and is an example for every follower of Christ.

A. Not count equality with God thing to be grasped

Equality is defined as things that are exactly the same in size, quantity, quality, character, and number. In every way Jesus is equal to God and over and over during his earthly ministry said he was.

John 14:9 ESV

9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

John 10:38 ESV

38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

Somehow after all this time some people have said that Jesus never claimed to be God. Yet over and over in scripture Christ very clearly equates himself with God. Also, Jesus displayed abilities that only God has the power to display such as having power over nature itself. The second part of this phrase uses the word grasped. The Greek word for grasped originally meant “a thing seized by robbery;” It eventually came to me anything clutched, embraced, or prized, and thus is sometimes translated “held onto.”

Christ had all the rights, privileges, and honors of deity-which he was worthy of and could never be disqualified from yet his attitude was not to cling to those things or His position but was willing to give them up for a season for you and I. (MacArthur) This Christmas season is a time to be in awe of the work of that Christ Jesus did for you and me. The question this morning comes in the second part of the verses above. What did he empty himself of exactly for our sake? What part of his deity did Christ not access for a time that he might come and put on human flesh and live among us experiencing life just like you and I yet never knowing sin?

B. Christ Emptied himself

Empty is: 1 1a of Christ, he laid aside equality with or the form of God. 2to make void. 2a deprive of force, render vain, useless, of no effect. 3 to make void. 3b cause a thing to be seen to be empty, hollow.[1]

Theologians for centuries have discussed this topic. So let’s look at a list that is by no means inclusive of everything our savior emptied himself of for you and me.

1. Heavenly Glory

The very first thing Christ left behind we heaven and its entire splendor. Christ was surrounded by the angels of heaven and his Glory was shining all around them at all times. He made the decision to leave behind the fullness of his Glory that he could put on the flesh of mankind. Who would leave behind that kind of Glory except for a savior that loved his people more than we could ever imagine.

2.Independent Authority

Matthew 26:39 ESV

39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

John 5:30 ESV

30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Hebrews 5:8 ESV

8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.

Jesus the one who spoke things into being; the very creator of the heavens and the earth would come to earth to place himself under the full authority of God the Father. In his humanness he would be born just like you and I and would restrict his authority to only what would bring ultimate glory to God the Father. Christ would come to walk in the will of his Father that He might pay for the redemption of our souls.

3. Divine Prerogatives

—He set aside the voluntary display of his divene attributes and submitted Himself to the Spirits direction

Matthew 24:36 ESV

36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

John 1:45–49 ESV

45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

Although Christ is 100% deity he did not access the ability to know certain events. Christ knows when he will return but for his time on earth he emptied himself of this information having access to it but choosing not to access the information. Think of the attributes of God that we talked about last summer and think of how Christ displayed them only from time to time when it would bring Glory to the father here on earth. That is what he does to Nathanael in the verse above. He uses the attribute of God that allows him to be at all places at the same time to show Nathanael that he is the Lord.

4. Eternal Riches

—while on earth Christ was poor and owned very little

2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

In heaven in the fullness of His Glory Christ made everything and owns everything. While here on earth he was a carpenter and for 30 years that was his only occupation. He was not rich in anyway by human standards of money. He owned not much while on earth because he was here to do the will of his father. But think about what he gave up for you and me. Our Lord went from possessing everything to being born in a barn in a small town in the middle of no place special.

5. A favorable relationship with God

—he felt the father’s wrath for human sin while on the cross

Matthew 27:46 ESV

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Christ was in a perfect relationship with God the father both in heaven and while he walked on earth. He always did the will of the Father never failing him in any way. Yet Christ goes to the cross willingly having done no crime and never failing God the Father in any way and the wrath of God is poured out upon him. Christ took this pain of being separated from God that you and I would never have to experience it in our own life. Corinthians says that he became sin that we might become the righteousness of God.

The Lord emptied himself of a lot that he might come and save you and me from the wrath of God. Oh how we need praise his name with word and deed both as individual and as His church.

Philippians 2:4–5 ESV

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

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