The Fashion of God - the Nature of Jesus Christ [Sermon]

Liberty, Missouri, USA

March 2013

Philippians 2:5-11

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

A. He emptied himself – the Kenosis (self-emptying) of Christ

Philippians 2:6–7

6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Isaiah 14:14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

Genesis 3:5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

v. 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Romans 8:3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh

B. He humbled himself – the Humility of Christ

8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

John 10:18 “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again…

Rom 6.23 The wages of sin is death. Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—

His life was perfectly holy. He never looked with lust; he never uttered a hasty, unkind, untrue or frivolous word; and he never entertained an impure thought. He was never accused by conscience, never inflamed by wrongful passion, never out of step with the will of God. … He never had to apologize for anything he did or retract a single word he said. … He lived on earth approximately 12000 days and every one of them was a marvel of holiness. From the summit of the mount of transfiguration he could have stepped straight into glory. … John Phillips, Exploring Romans

Luke 22:37 "For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, 'AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS'

1 Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,

C. He was exalted – The exaltation of Christ.

9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.

1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.

I used to think that God’s gifts were on shelves one above the other; and that the taller we grew in Christian character, the easier we could reach them. I now find that God’s gifts are on shelves one beneath the other. It is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower; that we have to go down, always down, to get His best gifts. F. B. Meyer

He wants you to know Him: wants to give you Himself. And he and you are two things of such a kind that if you really get into any kind of touch with him you will in fact be humble – delightedly humble, feeling the infinite relief of having for once got rid of all the silly nonsense about your own dignity which has made you restless and unhappy all your life. He is trying to make you humble in order to make this moment possible: trying to take off a lot of silly, ugly fancy-dress in which we have all got ourselves up and are strutting about like the little idiots we are. CS Lewis, Mere Christianity.

Should God be merciful to us and grant us even a small measure of revelation so that we can see ourselves as we are seen by him, we shall immediately be smitten to the ground. We need not try to be humble. Those who live in the light cannot be proud. It is only while dwelling in darkness that we can be proud. Outside of god’s light, men can be arrogant and haughty; but under the revelation of the light they can only prostrate themselves before Him. Watchman Nee, the Release of the Spirit.

John 17:5 Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.– the fashion of God.

Hebrews 1:4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they

Romans 14:9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Acts 2:21 ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’

Acts 16:31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.

Acts 2:32–36 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. …Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

‎‎‎Revelation 1:7 BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him… Everyone will see him

Revelation 5:13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

Ephesians 1:20-22 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church.

Revelation 1:12–18

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.

The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.

His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.

In his right hand he held seven stars, and …His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

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