Today we’re going to be looking at Philippians 2:1-11:
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 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 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.
The short version of this passage is: be like Jesus, or as ‘In His Steps‘ taught us: What Would Jesus Do? I used to wear out those bracelets as I was growing up! They were the trendy thing to wear! Little did I know the actual implications of what I was wearing! See the point for all of us is to be a clone, or a copy of Christ. We are commanded to represent him to the world. And what that means for us is (similarly to Christ, although not in the same way) to die! I love the way Deitrich Bonhoeffer says it in his book ‘Life Together’: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” This is a daily death, as Jesus says we are to DAILY take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23).
Yet we don’t do that perfectly, do we? I find myself right now increasingly agitated, increasingly worried about what the future looks like, increasingly anxious about what I can’t control! But God knows all of those feelings. God has experienced all of these feelings when He sent His Son to the cross. He experienced all these feelings and more. His closest friends betrayed Him. They couldn’t even stay away one night to pray with him! His world that He created crucified Him on the cross. The tree that is held together in Him bore his body and dripped His blood. But because of that obedience and humility, God has now exalted Him. And everything will one day bay bow down to that name! That’s what we’re celebrating this week! We no longer see Jesus in his humble form, nor do we clearly see Him in His exalted form, but we long for that day! And until then we remain faithful!
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Pastor Mike's Musings 