Our sermon text for today is out of the book of Philippians, chapter 2, verses 5 through 11. Philippians 2, starting in verse 5. 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, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and being found in the human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. To the glory of God the Father. In his 2000 bestseller, The Case for Faith, Lee Strobel, retells an interview he once held with Charles Templeton. Templeton was an evangelist and a dear friend of Billy Graham. They worked together in crusades earlier in life, and Graham thought the world of Templeton. At a point in his walk, Templeton became troubled by the question that is proposed by the problem of evil. Why do bad things happen to good people? This question became so haunting for Templeton that it led him away from the faith. In later years, he had become an atheist, perhaps an agnostic at best. The interview in the book is filled with Templeton's character and strong personality You can see his disagreeable, opinionated self throughout the interview. At the climax of the interview, Strobel asks Templeton, but what do you make of Jesus? Templeton's demeanor changes, and he gives one of the most remarkable and most sad answers I've ever read in my life. Here's what he said. He was the greatest human being who ever lived. He was a moral genius. His ethical sense was unique. He was the intrinsically wisest person that I've ever encountered in my life or in my readings. His commitment was total and led to his own death, much to the detriment of the world. In my view, he is the most important human being who has ever existed. And if I may put it this way, he said, his voice beginning to crack, I miss him. Strobo then writes that Templeton's eyes filled with tears and he could say no more. What do you make of Jesus? What an incredible question. What a powerful question. It's a question that can't be ignored. What do you make of Jesus? I mean, Jesus is the best thing that Christianity has to offer. In my own musings about my own personal faith, as I have at times struggled, I have returned to the person and work of Christ again and again. He is the answer to why Christianity is worth it. He is the only channel through which we can live our lives according to our greatest purpose, which is the glory of God. This is our fourth and final sermon on the five solas of the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was a movement that began in 1517 in Western Europe, under the leadership of men like Luther and Calvin and Zwingli. Longstanding traditions of the Roman Catholic Church were challenged. The Catholic Church taught faith, yet not apart from works. grace and sacraments, scripture and tradition, Christ and Mary, God and man. But the reformers believed it necessary to separate that which is true from that which is dross. So with their lives, with their blood and sacrifice, they were willing to say that grace alone, faith alone, scripture alone, Christ alone, and the grace and the glory of God alone are the pillars upon which we build our lives. The word sola in Latin means alone. And these five statements have become the five pillars of the Protestant Reformation, which has brought us to where we are today. Today, we'll consider the last two solas, Together, solus Christus, Christ alone, in soli Deo gloria, to the glory of God alone. If the Reformers sought to return the Church to Christ as its center, Paul sought the same for the Philippians. The letter to the Philippians is one of Paul's letters. He wrote this letter to a church, that he planted earlier on in his ministry, a church that was faithful, yet found itself in the midst of a deeply patriotic Roman culture. The church was struggling to remember that Jesus is at the center of our lives. So Paul had to remind them that their citizenship He's not of Rome, but of heaven. He reminds them that true life is experienced in Christ. Dying in Christ and being raised with Him again. For Paul to live is Christ and to die is gain. He reminds women like Euodia and Sintike in chapter 4 to remove themselves from the center and instead to agree in the Lord. He reminds them of men like Timothy and Epaphroditus who truly cared for them more than they care for themselves and were willing to risk their own lives. for the benefit of others. At the center of this letter, there is a poem. One of the most beautiful poems in the history of literature. This poem is about the supremacy of Christ. Paul says, remember the example of Christ and model your lives after it. This poem is our text for today. The letter to the Philippians is important when we consider the mistakes and heresies that the Protestant Reformation sought to address. When Christ is not at the center of our lives and of our faith, we will constantly put ourselves in his place. The book of Philippians is a good reminder that by nature we do not pursue the worship of God. We do not pursue the worship of the Father through Christ the Son. The book of Philippians reminds us that unless our minds are being renewed constantly in the likeness of the mind of Christ, the object of our worship will not be Christ, but ourselves. Christ alone is the mediator between us and the Father, and our hope for a restored relationship with God. So as we turn to our text for today, we'll be reminded of two contrasting aspects of Jesus' life, His humility and His exaltation. That's how the text breaks down. And this will be our outline for today, that the way of glory, is the way of humility. So, consider first Jesus' humility. Jesus' humility. The context for our text for today really begins in verse 1 of chapter 2. Paul says, So, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, Any affliction and sympathy, here is Paul's driving request, desire, or command. Complete my joy. That's what guides this entire passage. Complete my joy. How? By being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord, and of the same mind. Notice the word, mind, happening here. Twice. So this deeply theological passage that we're about to consider is really primarily a pastoral passage. Paul is longing to see unity among the Philippians. It is lacking. They're struggling to be together. So nothing adds more joy to a pastor. than to see the church plainly united in Christ. But how should this unity play out in the congregation? Did you hear that word twice in verse 2? By being of the same mind. Complete my joy by being of the same mind. That's what Paul wants the Philippians to understand. That's what Paul wants Central Baptist Church to understand. Complete my joy by being of the same mind. Lack of unity in the church really comes about because minds are not in tune with each other. We exalt preferences, we exalt secondary issues, we major in minors, but Paul says, make my joy complete. by being of the same mind. Okay, but how? We're all so different. We all come from different backgrounds. We have different ways of thinking. I mean, I have a hard time agreeing with the four members of my family on what we're going to have for dinner most days. How are we A church of over 100 members. How are we going to cultivate the same mind? Is that even possible? And the answer is yes, absolutely. It is possible for churches to cultivate unity by being of the same mind. And Paul actually tells us how. Look down verse 5. He uses the word again, have this mind. It's the third time we see the word in the passage. Have this mind among yourselves. Which mind? Which is yours in Christ Jesus. You see, the solution for divided minds is finding commonality in minds in Christ Jesus. You know, I've taught music for a long time. And one of the things when you teach music, especially for kids, that you have to do and you have to do well is tuning instruments, especially string instruments, because you have at least four strings that you need to get tuned. Sometimes I would teach elementary school orchestra, and in the first five minutes I needed to tune everybody's instruments. So I would start the first one, I would tune that instrument to my instruments, and then I would go on, tuning one instrument to another. At the end of it, My perception of what being in tune was, my perception of what being in tune actually is, was skewed. Why? Because every instrument was slightly different. So how are instruments supposed to be tuned to a standard? There is a standard by which we tune all the instruments, and that is not relative. Once we go from one instrument to another, that standard changes slightly. There is a standard, the first instrument that we use to tune. Likewise, there is a standard for the mind that unites us, and that is the mind of Christ. When we stray from the mind of Christ and we go tuning our minds to our neighbor's mind, we will find ourselves at a place where we stray from the unity of the mind of Christ. The goal of every believer is not to discern the mind of our neighbors, but to discern the mind of Christ. And as we all do that, we'll find ourselves in unity. How can people who think differently, have different preferences, have different backgrounds, be of the same mind? They have to reject their minds, and accept a mind that is not their own, the mind of Christ. The point that Paul seeks to drive home here is that the mind of Christ is humble. And we need to have humility as Christ is humble. Humility is this incredible demand that God places on you and on me. Humility is the kind of thing that when we think we have it, we definitely don't have it. And when we think we don't have it, we're actually right, we don't. The Bible says that it is the humble, the meek, who inherit the earth. So how do we obey God by being humble? How do we inherit the earth by being humble? If I just said, none of us are. Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 11, 29. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am gentle and lowly. That's humble. That's what it means to be humble. And you will find rest for your souls. Humility is not native to our hearts. But we can learn humility as we look to Christ. Jesus Himself recognizes that humility is not something we can produce in our fallen, broken nature. But it is something we can learn. We can learn. from Christ. The humility of a Christian takes place outside of the Christian. The humility of a Christian takes place in Christ. In this passage, verse 6 and following, flesh out what it means to be humble. So if you've ever wondered what it means to be humble, this passage is going to help us see that. I had a friend that would jokingly say when it comes to humility, I'm writing my first book, Humility and How I Achieved It. Well, I don't think he's qualified to write that book. And he was joking, so he understood that he wasn't qualified either. So humility is not achieved within us, by us. Humility is achieved outside of us through Christ. And as we find ourselves united with Christ by faith, His humility becomes ours. Okay? It is not native. It's alien humility. Paul seeks to look to Jesus, his life, and put in front of us the most perfect example of humility. So how is Jesus humble? How does Jesus demonstrate or model humility so that we may follow him? Well, first, we see that Christ lays down his rights. Christ lays down his rights. Now, there's a little bit of theological technicality here in this passage that we're going to have to work through. I'm going to try not to get stuck in the minutiae. But there are a few things that we're going to have to think about. I mean, that's part of learning, isn't it? If we're going to learn from Jesus, we're going to have to think. But I'm going to try not to get sidetracked. So we see in verse 6, okay, halfway through verse 6, Remember, have this mind which is yours in Christ. So every who that we see in the passage refers to Christ. Who, Jesus, did not count equality with God something to be grasped. At first sight, this verse could seem like it's saying that there is a distinction between Jesus and God. In reality, it's saying the opposite. Not grasping equality with God means that Jesus had divine rights. but instead of holding on to his divine rights, he lets go of them. I don't know if you've ever seen the show Undercover Boss. That's the idea here. There is a boss who really wants to see how his business is working, so he goes undercover as someone who's being trained for work. He's still the boss, His nature has not changed, but He's taken on humility, and He's taken on a different role where He goes from having authority over someone to being under someone's authority. So this is what it means that Jesus didn't count equality with God something to be grasped. The rights that were rightly His, He forwent them. You know, I have rights. as a citizen of this country. You have rights as a citizen of this country. You and I have rights as members of this church. You and I have rights as being part of the family that we belong to. Rights are wonderful. They're put in place to enable us to function well as a society, as a church, as a family, And rights are put in place, you know, they're endowed to us by our Creator to cause us to flourish as human beings. But sometimes, not always, but sometimes rights, our rights, get in the way of our humility. Sometimes God calls us to forgo our rights in order to accomplish something greater. Something more powerful. Rights can be very good, but sometimes rights can be self-serving. Jesus could have said, I have the right to preserve my life. Jesus could have said, I have the right not to take on flesh, not to humble myself, and he would have been right. And yet we would have been condemned. Forgoing His rights meant we get the benefits of Christ. The humility of Christ is demonstrated in the fact that He forwent His rights, His divine rights. There were His from eternity past. Why? So that you and I could experience His goodness. Secondly, we see that Christ lays down His glory, lays down His rights, but He also lays down His glory. Look back at the first half of verse 6. Though He was in the form of God, He didn't count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but He emptied Himself by taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Did you hear the word form repeated here? Repetition in the Bible is often important. It's repeated in verses 6 and 7. What is form referring to here? Form is referring to His nature. Though He was in the nature of God, He took on the nature of a servant. The form of God means His divine nature. But He didn't hold on to the glory of that nature. Instead, He emptied Himself. But not of His nature. Did you notice that the emptying that takes place here is an emptying not by getting rid of something that is already his, but by taking on something that is not his. It is an emptying by addition. He took upon himself another nature. He took on the nature of a servant. What does that mean? That means the nature of a man. Men are servants. Men were created to serve God. But Jesus demonstrates humility by setting aside His glory. And as God, He serves men. One of the clearest marks of humility is a servant-oriented, predisposition. Jesus says, the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus sets an example for us so that we would not look for the place of glory or the place of recognition. True service very often takes place quietly. Very often, the most faithful servants are not recognized. Christ-like servanthood serves without expecting glory. It serves for the good of others and for the glory of God. What else does Christ lay down? Christ lays down His own will. Look down at verse 8. and being found in the human form, he humbled himself." Okay, this is really important because it's at the heart of what Paul is calling us to model here, humility. How is Jesus' humility being modeled here? Paul says next, Jesus models humility by becoming obedient. Wait a minute. We're talking about Jesus here. We're talking about God himself in the flesh. And yet he becomes obedience? What does obedience mean? Obedience means you bow your will to the will of another. Jesus who created all things, and for whom all things were created, who has authority over all things, who tells the stars to go and they obey, who commands the wind to blow, and who commands the ocean, the birds, the moon, and the sun, and they obey Him. Even the angels are at His service at all times. Yet this Jesus becomes obedient. Obedience goes so much against our Western mentality, doesn't it? Much of the greatness of the West has been built on individualism, defying odds, defying leadership. And there are great things to be celebrated when someone goes and accomplishes that which everyone else thoughts impossible. But we're limited. We're not infinite. Yet Jesus, being God, becomes obedient. And how obedient does He become? How far does His obedience go? The text tells us to the point of death. Even to the point of humiliation. Death on a cross. Just for a second, stop and recognize that none of us in this room have fully followed the example of Christ. None of us have obeyed to the point of death. Maybe the Lord will call us to do that one day. Maybe He won't. But the standards that Paul sets in place for obedience here are very high. He wants us to be just like Christ, to have the same mind of Christ. And so He wants us to do not our will, but the will of God. That's what He's saying. And how far does He want us to go with that? Even to the point that we might need to yield our own lives. Can we obey that far? Can we obey to that point? To a certain degree, yes. But our obedience will be sprinkled with disobedience. So, like Christ, we must obey God to the point of death. But unlike Christ, we'll never be able to do this perfectly. Paul, you're actually asking us to do something that is impossible. I can't accomplish it. I can't be like Christ. I can't have the same mind as Christ. And Paul would say exactly. There's a sense in which we're all being called to strive towards Christ-likeness, but there is also a sense in which we all, as we strive, we need to come to realize that only Christ is truly Christ. There's a call to humility and obedience in this text that should drive us either to despair or to faith. There's a sense in which we need to look at this text and say, I must be like Christ. But at the same time, we need to say, I can't be like Christ. He's our model. He's our example. And we should live like Him. Yes, there is a good aspect of the Christian life, but that's not all. Ultimately, only Jesus is Christ. This is why He came. This is why He took on humanity. This is why He lived among us. This is why He died. Because God's standard for humility is not that we are more humble than our neighbor. but that we are humble like Christ. It's a standard that is set in place for us to pursue, a standard that is set in place, though we'll certainly fail to achieve it. And when we get there, to our limits, we realize that Jesus is not just our model for humility, but He's the substitute for our pride. Jesus died because we are not humble. He died for the terrible sin of pride that is alive and well in our hearts still today. And although we will never be humble like Christ, it is enough to recognize our sin of pride and rest in Jesus' sacrifice. The most humble recognizes the depth of his pride and confesses it to Jesus. This is the mysterious power of the gospel, where the proud is made humble by recognizing his pride. The gospel has this incredible power of lifting blindness so that we can see ourselves for who we truly are. And who are we? We're the proud. We're the sinfully proud. But the gospel doesn't leave us there. It leads us to also see Jesus for who He truly is. And who is Jesus? The humble, the righteous, humble Son of God. Yet, in the mystery of God's design, humiliation, humility is never the end. for those in Christ. Humiliation and humility actually becomes the path that leads us to glory. So consider my second point, Jesus' exaltation, glorification. The hinge point in our passage for today is the word, therefore, in verse nine. It really brings humility and exaltation together. Meaning, Jesus was humble, therefore he is exalted. That's, if we could summarize the passage in one sentence, this would be it. Jesus was humble, therefore he is exalted. I think one of the clearest aspects of this passage is that true humility leads to exaltation. The way down is the way up. Valleys lead to mountains. Struggles lead to blessings. In this, friends, the powerful message of Christianity, that there is redemption at the end of ruin. There are promises after pain, there is hope for the hurts, and there is salvation for the suffering. We live in a world that constantly humbles us, doesn't it? Work humbles us. Marriage humbles us. Parenting humbles us. Age humbles us. We live in a world that is constantly reminding us of our weakness. And in many ways, even humiliates us. But in Christ, there is an experience or the experience of redemption that infuses purpose in life. Here's what I'm trying to say. Do you feel humbled? Do you feel sometimes even humiliated, neglected, set aside, forgotten, forsaken? That's a common experience. We're all to different degrees experiencing this. Apart from Christ, that's our end. That's the end of the journey. But when we learn humility from Christ, That's not the end. Just as Christ was humbled and exalted, we too will experience the exaltation with Him, the vindication of our names, the vindication of our lives. Not because we were perfectly like Christ, but because we have been united with Christ in His death and will be united with Christ in His resurrection as well. In Christ, there's an experience of redemption in this life. So, how is this experience of redemption, renewal, exaltation demonstrated? How is this demonstrated in the life of Christ? In verse 9, we read that, "...God bestowed upon him the name that is above every name." There's something that Paul, that Jesus conquers through His humbling through the cross that was granted to Him by the Father. Paul calls it a name. Another way of thinking of this name is, he receives an office, a title. What is this name? Look down in verse 11. Jesus Christ is Lord. That's the name. That's what it means. The name that Jesus receives that is above every name is Lord. Now, it could be puzzling to think of Jesus, who is God, who created all things, who has exercised authority over all creation from the very beginning as receiving the name Lord. It seems like Paul is saying that this is a new event. But Jesus is God. He has been Lord from the beginning, hasn't he? So how should we think about this? What Paul is saying here is that God is vindicating Jesus as victorious in His human nature. Jesus accomplished the task that He had come to accomplish as a man. Think of it this way. What Paul is referring to here is Jesus' coronation, a human coronation. The king has conquered the office, and God in heaven recognizes that. " So what is the result of Jesus receiving this name? Look at verse 10, "...so that," it's a purpose, right? Purpose statement, "...so that, at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth, and under the earth." Knees bowing is a demonstration of honor to a king. What the Father in heaven declares to be true of the Son must be recognized. And did you notice that? That it's not just in heaven and on earth. There's a reference to under the earth as well. That means elect angels and fallen angels. Elect men and reprobate men. Paul says that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord for the glory of God the Father. So what does this mean? This means if you're here today and you are singing, praying, receiving the Word with faith, you're doing it right. You are declaring the Lordship of Christ. If you're a Christian, you have nothing to fear about King Jesus. You're doing great. Here's what it means. If you believe that Jesus is Lord, you are humble enough. That's what it means. I mean, think about yourself. Do you think of yourself as humble? Or do you think of yourself as proud? I think most of us would say that in different ways we struggle with pride, don't we? And yet here you are declaring Jesus as Lord. You know what that means? That means you're humble enough to say you're not Lord. That means you're humble enough to recognize that there is a God in heaven who is Lord over you, and you are willing to subordinate your life to Him. So, brothers and sisters, pursue humility in this life, but also be aware that you've already received all the humility that you need. You are humble because you recognize Christ for who He is. You do not replace the throne of Christ with yourself. So take joy. But we need to recognize that this recognition of the Lordship of Christ is not just for those who do it willingly. It is a universal mandate. In heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. Jesus didn't come to give men an option. You can go this way or that way. Christianity is not another one of many true religions. No, Jesus is exclusive. He is the way. There's no other way apart from Him. There is salvation under no other name. So, this understanding or this declaration with our lips of the Lordship of Christ is a universal mandate. We all must declare Him Lord. Jesus came to reign and all will eventually honor Him, willingly or unwillingly. Joyfully or begrudgingly. Psalm 2 8. Ask of me and I'll make the nations your heritage. In the ends of the earth your possession. Psalm 1 10 verse 1. The Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand and I will make your enemies your footstool. Revelation 11 15. Then the seventh angel blew the trumpet. And there were loud voices in heaven saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. And He shall reign forever and ever." This is good news for us who are trusting in Christ. This is good news for us who thirst and hunger for justice. Jesus will reign. And we will be vindicated. Friend, if you are not trusting in Christ, today you have the opportunity to bow your knees and confess with your lips, willingly, that Jesus is the Lord of your life. The Bible says today is a favorable time. Today is a time of salvation. Do not linger or leave for tomorrow the decision to follow Christ. Finally, we consider that Jesus Christ is the only mediator of the glory of God the Father. Did you catch that last clause in our passage? Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. This means that even in His exaltation, Jesus uses His Lordship to bring glory to the Father. This means that even in His exaltation, Jesus is humble. And this is what Paul wants the Philippians to see, that they were concerned with their own glory, preferences, and appetites. But Jesus teaches us differently. Jesus models for us the paradigm of humility, which is the glory of God. How different would our families, our churches, and our society be if the first question in our minds, In every situation was, how can God be glorified in this? Wouldn't we handle suffering differently? Suffering, pain, and disappointment would suddenly become an opportunity for us to glorify God and to see His glory shine forth. This is why Jesus endured the cross for the glory of God. Wouldn't our homes be different if husbands pursued the glory of God rather than comfort, and wives would long for Christ rather than control, and children lived for the glory of God rather than immediate pleasures? Wouldn't we handle conflict differently? Rather than defending our cause and position, we could lead with a question. Let's understand how we can glorify God here. Wouldn't church life be different and leadership be different if our goals were to lay down our preferences and opinions and to exalt the glory of God? Brothers and sisters, make my joy complete. Prefer one another. Put on the mind of Christ. Seek the glory of God the Father. And watch the Lord work wonders in our midst. Watch the Lord move us from humility to exaltation, not so we may build a great name for ourselves, but so that the world may know that there is hope for the humble when we find Christ to be the Lord of all. So, what do you make of Christ? Let's pray. Father, thank You because we have such a great example in Christ. Lord, we all so need humility. We need to live for the right purpose. We so often live for ourselves, Lord, but we need to live for Your glory. Help us. Help us know that in Christ, our pride can be changed, transformed into humility. Help us know that in Christ, we can experience humbleness that leads to exaltation. Bless our church with a common sense of the mind of Christ. Help our homes. Father, help each one of us find in Christ the example to follow, the substitute for our sin, and our way to exalt You and be exalted in You. We pray in the name of Jesus, amen.