Philippians 2:6-11
~16 min read
TRANSCRIPT
Christmas is the most celebrated holiday in the world. It is celebrated in almost every country, whether they understand the meaning of Christmas or not. No one knows for sure when Jesus was born, but the early Christians set aside the 25th of December as the day to remember the birth of the Saviour of the world. It is the day to remember the reality that God became a man.
Sadly, today, instead of keeping Christ as the center of Christmas, the world is desperately trying to remove Christ out of Christmas. So you have Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and worldly celebrations. When the world thinks of Christmas, they do not think of the Saviour of the world. They think of Santa Claus, they think of Christmas trees, they think of all those worldly celebrations.
So, we want to return to the true meaning of Christmas. We want to learn, what is Christmas. Dear friends, what is Christmas to you? You may have celebrated many Christmases, perhaps 30, 40, 50, but what is Christmas to you?
I. The Greatest Humility
Our text is taken from Philippians 2:6-11. Our first point is the greatest humility. Let us begin with verse 6, "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God." In the preceding verse, the Bible says, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." So, Paul was speaking about Jesus Christ. This verse was a reference to Jesus.
The phrase "being in the form of God" speaks of His essence, His nature, which is unchangeable before His birth, during His birth, after His birth. Jesus Christ is fully and eternally God. He's the Alpha and the Omega, He's the beginning and the end. Jesus will exist forever and ever in the form of God.
There are some people who teach that when Jesus came into this world, when He was born in the manger, when He became a man, He gave up His deity. It means there was a point when He was no longer God; He was only a man. This is known as the kenosis theory. ‘Keno’ means empty, and ‘kenosis’ means to empty out or to self-empty. That is a wrong and heretical teaching because Jesus Christ is 100% God and 100% man.
To help us understand, we have to look at the word ‘form’. In English, we only have one word for ‘form’. In the original Greek language, there are two words that can be translated into the English word for ‘form’. One is ‘morphé’, and another is ‘schema’. ‘Morphé’, from where we get the English word for ‘morphosis’, is the essential form which never changes. ‘Schema’, from where we get the word ‘schematic’, is the outward form which changes from time to time.
For example, the morphé of any human being is humanity. You are a human being; your nature is humanity, and that is something that will never change. But man's schema is continually changing from a baby to a youth, to a middle-aged man, and then to an old man. It changes from time to time.
Here in verse 6, the word ‘form’ is ‘morphé’, which means the essential nature of Jesus Christ is God. And this is something which will never change. For all eternity, it will never change; He will forever and ever be God. Even in becoming a man, He was still 100% God.
If we truly understand the reality of Christ's deity, then how He became a man will have such a profound meaning. It will be the most profound humility. Consider this: the infinite became finite; the almighty God became a man; the sinless one took sin upon Himself for you and me. This is the very heart of the Gospel.
Jesus thought it not robbery to be equal with God. The word robbery means to grab something or to grasp something. In other words, Jesus did not consider His equality with God as something to cling onto. Although He was 100% equal with God the Father and God the Son, He was willing to let go. What was He willing to let go? Jesus made Himself of no reputation. Now, this is the word ‘Kino’, which I just explained a moment ago. It means empty. It does not mean Jesus gave up His deity. In becoming a man, Jesus did not in any way forfeit His deity. He's 100% God; remember, His ‘morphé’, His nature, never changed.
So, what did Jesus empty Himself? He gave up His rights; He gave up His prerogatives; He gave up His privileges. He, who was the creator and owned everything in this world, yet He gave up the prerogatives to exercise His divine rights. Jesus Christ is eternally God. If He ever stopped being God, He could not have died on the cross for the sins of the world. He would have perished; His body would remain in the grave with no power over sin and death.
When Jesus was nailed to the cross, at any time, He could have called upon legions and legions of angels to come to His rescue. Yet He did not do that. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, He could have easily turned the stones into bread. Yet He never did that. Remember how He graciously healed the blind, dumb, deaf, and lame? Remember how He graciously turned or multiplied the loaves and fishes to feed the hungry multitude? Yet for himself, He did not exercise those rights, prerogatives, and privileges.
Whenever we think of Christians who gave up their enormous wealth, living in First World countries, to serve as missionaries in third world countries, we will say, ‘What a great sacrifice’, right? They gave up their privileges; they gave up the pleasures of life; they gave up the comfort of home; they gave up their businesses and investments. Indeed, it is a noble sacrifice. But if compared to the humility of Christ, it is not even a drop in the ocean. To begin with, they were never perfect; they were never absolutes, and they were never all-powerful like Him.
Even the Apostle Paul, who suffered much, he encountered persecutions, beatings, torture, stoning, yet he never had to go to the extremes like our Lord Jesus. Paul was a Roman citizen. As a Roman citizen, he was exempted from the crucifixion.
Dear friend, take a moment and think of someone you know on the face of this Earth whom you think is the most humble person. That person cannot be compared with the humility of Christ. It is not even a drop in the ocean; no one can ever be compared to the humility of Jesus Christ.
He took upon Him the form of a servant; He willingly took upon Himself the form of a servant or a slave. And here, the word ‘morphé’ was used, which refers to the nature of a servant. The nature of a servant is humility; it is an essential characteristic that will not change. Servants are humble, or supposed to be humble; it is expected of them. It is the essential characteristic of servants.
Jesus did not just put on the garment of a servant; He was a servant in the fullest sense. When His disciples were fighting among themselves as to who is the greatest, our Lord Jesus taught them the lesson of servant hood. He took a basin of water and a towel, and then He washed the disciples' feet. He was the eternal God, yet he Humbled himself to be a servant.
Jesus will forever be known as the servant King. Often times people will say they are serving God, especially in the church. What they mean is that they are servants of God. But are they really servants of God? Many do not have a willing heart; many are not willing to be servants. They just want to put on the outer garments of a leader. They want to wear titles, to be known as ministers, preachers, elders, deacons, fellowship leaders. But with no humility, no willingness, no servanthood. That is where problems creep into the church; they fight with one another as to who is the best, like the disciples of Jesus Christ. Who is the most powerful, who is a better preacher, who can sing better, who can play the piano better, who can serve better, and then the church is divided. How sad.
Many years ago, when I was studying in the Far Eastern Bible College in Singapore, my principal, the late Reverend Timothy Toh, who was also the pastor of Life BP Church at that time, he sent a young pastor to the United States to further his theological studies. Upon his graduation, the young pastor had his doctorate in theology, and he came back to the mother church in Singapore.
One day, Reverend Timothy Toh requested this young pastor to drive the church van to fetch the children to the Sunday School. And he said to Reverend Toh, "Do you think God will send me to the United States to get my doctor in theology so that I can fetch the children to the Sunday School?" He may not have said the exact words as I've said, but something to that extent.
Do you think such a person has the heart, the willingness, the servanthood to serve God? Most certainly not. Dear friend, as believers, we are all children of God. We are all servants of God. And as servants, we must have this essential characteristic, which will not change, and that is humility. And who can we learn from than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who took upon Him the form of a servant? He was made in the likeness of men.
Jesus was 100% man. He did not just have a man's feelings, a man's emotions, or intellect or some understanding or opinions about life. He was perfectly man, 100% man. He was born a Jewish baby, and as he grew, the Gospel of Luke 2:52 says “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” At times He was thirsty and hungry; He suffered pain, felt sadness, cried like other men. He became tired and weak and needed sleep. He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. With only one exception, He was sinless.
Dear friend, isn't it comforting to know this truth that our Lord Jesus became a man? He was just like us; He experienced all that we have experienced. He knows our problems, our struggles, our worries and anxieties, our afflictions, our troubles, and He can provide salvation not only in the life to come but also in this life so that we can overcome the temptations and issues of life.
This morning, are you troubled? Are you anxious? Are you afflicted? Are you in pain? Come to Jesus, tell him your problems; He understands. He was made in the likeness of men, and He will help you. Do you believe Him?
II. The Greatest Love
Our second point is the greatest love. Look at verse 8, "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death of the Cross." Here, the word ‘fashion’ is ‘schema’. Remember, ‘schema’ is the outward form which changes from time to time. In other words, Jesus subjected Himself to the growing process of a man. From a baby, He became a youth, and then He became a young man. But He did not continue to grow to be an old man. Why? Because He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death of the Cross.
There were many ways in which our Lord Jesus could have been killed. He could have been beheaded like John the Baptist; He could have been stoned to death like Stephen, the first Christian martyr; He could have been suffocated and hanged. But He was destined not just to die any kind of death but the death of the Cross.
Crucifixion was the most cruel, most excruciating, most painful, and shameful execution ever conceived by the human mind. It was originally devised by the ancient Persians and later on perfected by the Romans. It was reserved for slaves, for the worst criminals, for those enemies who were against the state. It was such a horrendous death that no Roman citizen could be crucified. All Roman citizens were exempted, no matter how wicked his crime might be, he would not be crucified.
But according to God's perfect plan of salvation, the crucifixion of Christ must occur in order for you and me to be saved. 1 Peter 2:24 says, "Who his own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." The word ‘bear’ means to carry this massive weight of sin.
Take a moment and consider our sins, whether it be the sin of addiction, sin of adultery, sin of fornication, sin of pornography, sin of lying, cheating, stealing, jealousy, pride, envy, anger, and so forth. We struggle with those sins, and we return to those sins again and again. And then think of all the accumulation of sins that we have committed from the day we were born until now. Is it not a massive weight of sin? Who can carry this massive weight of sin and remove it from us? Only Jesus.
Our sins condemned us; we have disobeyed God, we have violated His laws, we have rebelled against His authority, we have done many wicked things, shameful things. We deserve to be punished; we deserve to face His wrath and judgment. But Christ bore our sins on the cross. Dear friends, our Lord Jesus Christ, He did that for us—the massive weight of sin that you and I cannot carry, He became a curse for us, and He did it once, never to be repeated. He was not coerced into it; He did it willingly out of His love and compassion for us.
If Jesus did not come, we would all be finished. He must come and He must go the way of Calvary. There's no one else who can bear our sins, only the one who is 100% God, 100% man. That is why John Calvin rightly said, "The Son of God became the Son of men, so that the sons of men might become the sons of God."
Take a moment and consider the phrase "obedient unto death." The road to Calvary was not an easy road. People spat at Him, mocked at Him, screamed at Him, whipped Him, stripped Him naked. Each step was a painful agony. The nails on the cross were not easy to bear. Those nails were driven through the wrist and into the feet so that the person would be nailed to the cross. Hanging on the cross was not easy to endure; the weight of the full body would be on those nails. And each time Jesus had to breathe, He had to push Himself up to draw breath into the lungs, and those nerves between the bones would be torn apart each time He pushed Himself up. Air could be inhaled, but it would be almost impossible to exhale out. It was excruciating.
Even after Jesus had died, a Roman soldier took a spear, pierced it in between His ribs straight through into the heart, where blood and water gushed out. All this our Lord Jesus did for you and me, and the Bible says it in five words: "He became obedient unto death." Why did He do that? Because of His love. Is that not the greatest love?
III. The Greatest Name
Let us move on to our third and final point, the greatest name. Allow me to read verses 9 to 11: "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Our Lord Jesus did not remain in the grave. On the third day, He rose again from the dead. His resurrection, His ascension, He was exalted and seated at the right hand of God, interceding for us even at this moment, watching over every one of us, at this moment.
He was exalted. ‘At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in Heaven’, this would be referring to all those holy angels and the souls of the believers of all ages. “And things in earth”, this would include all the believers and unbelievers living on the face of this earth when Jesus returns. “And things under the earth”, this will be a reference to the fallen angels and those unbelievers who have died, now awaiting the final judgment and eternal punishment. In other words, whether as a believer, you bow before Jesus Christ as your Saviour or as an unbeliever, you bow before Him as your judge; you will have to bow and confess with your tongues, “Jesus Christ is Lord”.
What is so special about the name ‘Lord’? Why is it above all other names? The Greek word for Lord is ‘kurios.’ It was a word used in the Roman Empire to acknowledge that Caesar is divine. In those days, there was this test phrase to check the loyalty of the people. The emperor wanted to know who were loyal to him, who were not, and the catchphrase is, “Caesar is Lord.” Anyone who refused to say, “Caesar is Lord,” would be arrested and executed. But the faithful Christians in those days refused to say, "Caesar is Lord," because the Christians believed that only Jesus Christ is Lord, not Caesar, not anyone else. Only Jesus is God. In other words, “Jesus Christ is Lord” simply means “He is God”.
It is not good enough to say, "Jesus Christ is the Lord," or worse still, "Jesus Christ is a Lord." We must say, "Jesus Christ is my Lord, my God." That was the way Mary Magdalene addressed Jesus when she saw Him in the garden tomb on Easter morning. At first, she could not find His body; she was devastated. When Jesus appeared to her, she cried out, "My Lord." That was the way Thomas confessed who Jesus was to him. Initially, he doubted the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When Jesus appeared to him, he cried out, "My Lord, my God." In both cases, the words were personal, "My Lord."
It is not good enough to simply acknowledge mentally that Jesus Christ is God. He must be my Lord. The only way we can do that is we must receive Him as our personal Lord and Saviour. Have you received Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour? Do you believe that He's the only one who can save you? He's 100% God, 100% man, the one who carried this massive weight of sin on behalf of you. He died, He was buried, but He rose again from the dead. If you have believed in him, is Jesus your only God? Is Jesus your only Lord? Is He your only King?
He must be our only God, only Lord, and only King. Not our money, not our houses, not our children, not our accomplishments, etc. He is not only King over our lives but over everything we have, everything we are. Jesus is our Lord, our God, our King. If Jesus is not your Lord and Saviour, the day will come at the final judgment, at the great white throne judgment; you will still have to bow before Him.
For the Bible says, "Every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." But it will be too late. When that day comes and you scream out, "Now I believe Jesus Christ is Lord. Now I will bow before Him. Jesus Christ is Lord." It'll be too late; you will bow before Him as your judge, not as your Saviour. And He will judge every one of your sins, and you will be sent to the eternal lake of fire. A million upon a million years, you will still be tormenting in the eternal lake of fire.
Come and believe in Jesus; repent of your sins before it is too late. Today is the day of salvation because tomorrow may never come. This is not a scare tactic; it is a reality; tomorrow may never come. Dear friend, the word “Christmas” is made up of two words, Christ and Mass. Christ means the Messiah, the anointed one, the one who will save us, referring to Jesus. The word Mass is a Latin word used to refer to the special service to remember the body and sacrifice, the blood of our Lord. So, Christians would gather together on this special occasion to remember how Jesus came into this world; ultimately, He went to the cross, He suffered, He was crucified, He died, and He shed His precious blood to save us from our sins.
Sadly, the world will always try to remove Christ out of Christmas. So, they would do this short form, “Xmas”. I think you are familiar with it. While they try to remove Christ out of Christmas, but they can never do that. Do you know why? Because the first letter of the Greek word for Christ is X. It is still about Christ. Christmas is a time for us to remember the birth of the Saviour of the world. The babe that was born in a manger was no ordinary baby; He was the almighty God. God became a man. Christmas is a time we remember the greatest humility, the greatest love, and the greatest name. If you have forgotten whatever I've said, remember these three things. It is about the greatest humility, the greatest love, and the greatest name. A blessed Christmas to all of you. Let us pray.
Father in Heaven, indeed, thou hast reminded us through this portion of scriptures. Indeed, this is the true meaning of Christmas whereby we see the greatest humility the world has ever seen where God became a man. And where we see the greatest love as well, how our Lord Jesus, went the way of Calvary, His crucifixion, His life, His death, His burial, His resurrection tells us of this great love, the greatest love. And our Lord Jesus also has the greatest name because every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
We praise and thank Thee that today we bow our knees before Thee, and we are able to say, "Jesus Christ is my Lord" because of Thy grace and mercy. So, He is our Saviour. For those who refuse to bow their knees before Jesus, refuse to believe in Him, and have rejected him throughout all these years of celebrating Christmases, may the Holy Spirit convict their hearts that today is the day of salvation, that they will bow their knees to Him, that they will call upon Him, "Jesus Christ is my Lord," and He will be their Saviour too; otherwise, He will be their judge, God forbids. Teach us, remind us always for as humans we always forget. This is the true meaning of Christmas. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
BOOK OF PHILIPPIANSThe Church at PhilippiThe Church at PhilippiPhilippians 1:1-2
The Joy of A Spirit-Filled Life (Part 1)The Joy of A Spirit-Filled Life (Part 1)Philippians 1:3-5
Elements of True JoyElements of True JoyPhilippians 1:3-6
The Joy of a Spirit-filled Life (Part 2)The Joy of a Spirit-filled Life (Part 2)Philippians 1:6
What are the Things Most Important to Us?What are the Things Most Important to Us?Philippians 1:7-8
Growing in GodlinessGrowing in GodlinessPhilippians 1:9-11
Message 5: Praying for the ChurchMessage 5: Praying for the ChurchPhilippians 1:9-11
Growing in GodlinessGrowing in GodlinessPhilippians 1:9-11
Are All Things Really Working For Good?Are All Things Really Working For Good?Philippians 1:12-14
In Times of AdversityIn Times of AdversityPhilippians 1:12-18
Trouble in the ChurchTrouble in the ChurchPhilippians 1:15-18
For to Me to Live is Christ, to Die is GainFor to Me to Live is Christ, to Die is GainPhilippians 1:19-26
To Live is ChristTo Live is ChristPhilippians 1:19-26
Living Worthy of the GospelLiving Worthy of the GospelPhilippians 1:27-30
Live your life worthy of the GospelLive your life worthy of the GospelPhilippians 1:27-30
The Motivation for Spiritual Unity (Part 1)The Motivation for Spiritual Unity (Part 1)Philippians 2:1-2
Let's Have FellowshipLet's Have FellowshipPhilippians 2:1-4
Essential Principles of Spiritual Unity (Part 2)Essential Principles of Spiritual Unity (Part 2)Philippians 2:3-4
The Ultimate ExampleThe Ultimate ExamplePhilippians 2:5-8
The Ultimate ExampleThe Ultimate ExamplePhilippians 2:5-11
What Is Christmas?What Is Christmas?Philippians 2:6-11
The Greatest NameThe Greatest NamePhilippians 2:9-11
Living a Sanctified LifeLiving a Sanctified LifePhilippians 2:12-13
Work Out Your Own SalvationWork Out Your Own SalvationPhilippians 2:12-18
Moving Forward Not BackwardMoving Forward Not BackwardPhilippians 2:13-14
Stop Murmuring and ComplainingStop Murmuring and ComplainingPhilippians 2:14-16
The Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: PaulThe Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: PaulPhilippians 2:17-18
The Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: TimothyThe Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: TimothyPhilippians 2:19-24
The Importance of Spiritual DiscernmentThe Importance of Spiritual DiscernmentPhilippians 3:1-2
True Believers Worship God in Spirit and in TruthTrue Believers Worship God in Spirit and in TruthPhilippians 3:3, John 4:4-30
Nothing to Boast OfNothing to Boast OfPhilippians 3:3-6
What Is Gain To Me Is LossWhat Is Gain To Me Is LossPhilippians 3:7-9
The Power of Christ's ResurrectionThe Power of Christ's ResurrectionPhilippians 3:10-11
What are Your Spiritual Goals?What are Your Spiritual Goals?Philippians 3:10-11
Pressing Toward The MarkPressing Toward The MarkPhilippians 3:12-14
Pressing Toward the MarkPressing Toward the MarkPhilippians 3:13-14
Morning Devotion 2: God’s High Calling for YouMorning Devotion 2: God’s High Calling for YouPhilippians 3:13-14
How to Know the Will of GodHow to Know the Will of GodPhilippians 3:15
Who Are You Following?Who Are You Following?Philippians 3:16-19
Heavenly Or Earthly MindedHeavenly Or Earthly MindedPhilippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57
How Do You Stand Fast?How Do You Stand Fast?Philippians 4:1
How to Maintain Christian UnityHow to Maintain Christian UnityPhilippians 4:2-3
Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 1]Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 1]Philippians 4:4-7
The Cure for AnxietyThe Cure for AnxietyPhilippians 4:6-7
Message 6: Praying for the TroubledMessage 6: Praying for the TroubledPhilippians 4:6-7
Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 2]Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 2]Philippians 4:8-9
Learning To Be Content [Part 1]Learning To Be Content [Part 1]Philippians 4:10-12
How To Be An Overcoming ChristianHow To Be An Overcoming ChristianPhilippians 4:13
Learning To Be Content [Part 2]Learning To Be Content [Part 2]Philippians 4:13-19
