The Melody Of God’s Love For You

If I can just make one personal comment.

It's, you know, speaking in front of other adults is very intimidating.

And even before ministering God's word, just watching you declare he is holy, holy, holy.

Joining your voices to those of the angels.

There's no better preparation.

There's no better way to steal my own fears.

And invite you to do just that, even through the sermon, Lord willing.

Our sermon text today is one of the most glorious passages of the entire Bible.

It's Philippians chapter 2, verses 5 through 11.

Philippians 2:5–11

I'll read this for us today.

Believing it's God's inspired, inerrant, infallible, clear, authoritative, and trustworthy word.

It's the word of God for the people of God.

Philippians 2, starting at verse 5.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant,

and coming in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself,

and became obedient to the point of death.

Even the death of the cross.

Therefore, God also has highly exalted him,

and given him the name, which is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow,

of those in heaven, and of those on earth,

and of those under the earth,

and that every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

The word of God.

Thanks be to God.

You may be seated.

You may be seated.

Lord, we ask, like beggars lifting our empty hands up to you,

that you will once again give us the gift of faith.

You pour out faith into your people,

so that we can grab a hold of you,

and truly have you,

and know you.

We thank you, Lord, for how you are not silent,

but how you do speak through your word,

by the ministry of your Holy Spirit.

Lord, there may be some here who are blind,

and don't have this gift of faith.

We join our prayers to those of Christ,

and we ask that your Holy Spirit will blow like the wind,

give new birth,

open our eyes to behold Christ.

And Lord, we ask,

nothing else except that you,

God, by the power of the Holy Spirit,

will set Christ forth before your people today,

that we can see him with eyes of faith,

and enjoy him together,

we ask.

Amen.

Music activates more parts of the brain

than any other function.

Babies have an innate sense of rhythm,

and respond to music,

even before they can talk.

Music can help people with brain injuries,

regain movement and speech.

Well, we know that heaven is filled with music.

Music is another gift from God.

God has hardwired his creation,

his image bearers,

to respond in these powerful ways to music.

The Bible is full of songs.

Philippians 2, 5 through 11,

it has hymn-like musical features.

Scholars have studied it,

diagrammed it,

and understood that it's

exalted, lyrical,

quasi-credal language,

makes it undeniable.

The rhythm of this passage,

combined with poetic tension,

they observe.

It includes repetition,

and Hebraic-sounding parallelism.

Let's look at an example here.

Look at verse 7.

He emptied himself.

In verse 8,

there's the parallelism.

He humbled himself.

So it's saying the same idea,

but adding more to it.

Verse 7 says,

born in human likeness,

then he adds to that,

appeared in human shape.

Adding on to that,

clarifying the meaning.

Our best guess is that this passage

was sung with a melody

among the early congregations,

or at least used as a musical chant,

a way of getting this truth

about God in Christ

into the people of God.

Like we use our public profession

of our faith,

or these creeds

that we read together in one voice,

and it just becomes incorporated

as part of our worship.

That's most likely

what we have in front of us

as our sermon text today.

So because that's what

this passage brings us,

beloved congregation

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

my invitation to you,

to all of us today,

is to enjoy it.

Enjoy the melody

of God's abounding love

for you in this passage.

A powerful musical piece

has many movements to it.

It carries us along

on a journey.

So I see in this sermon text

seven movements,

but they all have

this returning melody

of the abounding love

of God in Christ.

Movement number one.

The melody of God's

abounding love,

it culminates

as it began

with His glory.

The melody of God's

abounding love

culminates

as it began

with His glory.

I had to look this up.

What is it called

when a classical piece of music

starts with a melody

and then ends

with that same melody?

And according to the internet,

it's called rondo form

or circular form.

A famous example

Fuhr Elisa

by Beethoven

goes

da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

and that same melody

is going to be that hook.

It keeps bringing it

and that's exactly

that same peaceful melody

at the beginning

is the last thing

you're left hearing

at the end.

So let me try to show you

this truth

in these two verses.

Verse 6

and then verse 11.

Verse 6 reads,

He

who being in the form of God

did not consider it robbery

to be equal

with God.

This is how it was

in the beginning.

God the Son

was in the form of God.

That word

is best understood

in English as

sharing God's

defining characteristics.

The Son of God

was equal with God.

Sharing God's

defining characteristics

as co-equal

with the Father

and glory.

And this is how

it shall be forever.

Look at verse 11.

The culmination

of Christ's

completed work

in verse 11

is the glory

of God the Father.

The word glory

can have two meanings

in the New Testament.

It can refer to

God's essential glory.

The essential glory

of who God is.

His intrinsic worth.

How do we perceive

the essential glory

of God?

It's only through

the ministry

of the Holy Spirit

by faith.

This is what we declare

in Psalm 8,

for example.

O Lord,

our Lord,

how excellent

is your name

in all the earth

who have set

your glory

above the heavens.

It's not something

we can visibly see,

but by faith

we know

you are excellent.

Your name

is glorious.

It's your essential

glory.

That word in Greek

is doxa.

Doxa,

you can know

where that sounds familiar

like we sing

a doxology.

We sing

of God's

essential glory.

His defining

characteristics.

We praise Him

for that.

The second type

or second meaning

of the term glory

is the visible

glory of God.

How God

manifests Himself

to our senses

that we can see

and possibly hear

or smell

with our physical senses.

We can perceive

the visible glory

of God's goodness,

beauty,

and majesty.

God creates

in this earth

in time and space

a manifestation

of His glory.

And He does this

in the Bible.

In the Old Testament,

the Hebrew word

for this visible glory

was Shekinah.

The Shekinah glory

of God.

That's what fills

the temple.

That's what the people

see and tremble

before.

When Isaiah gets

this vision of God

and He falls down

on His face,

God had manifested

in a visible way

His glory

to Isaiah.

Moses had encountered

this.

Remember when Moses

came down from the mountain,

his face was still glowing

because he had been

in the physical presence

of God's Shekinah

visible,

manifested glory.

glory.

Well, our passage

in verse 6

and verse 11

says,

the holy God,

the Son,

He shares

both

of these types

of glory

with God the Father.

In heaven,

before creation,

at least before the earth,

there's God the Father,

the Son,

and the Holy Spirit.

One essence,

one divine being

in three persons.

Jesus Christ,

before man,

is made in the image

of God.

He shares God's

essential glory

and He shares

God's visible glory.

And after the angels

are created,

all the angels,

even before Lucifer

is cast down

like we read

in Isaiah 14,

all of the spiritual beings

behold the visible glory

of God the Son

with the Father

and the Spirit.

and they sing

His praise.

We get an example

of another song

that's sung in heaven

in Revelation 7, 12.

Amen.

Blessing

and glory

and wisdom.

Can you even imagine

what this would sound like

coming from angels

to God?

Thanksgiving

and honor

and power

and might

be to our God

forever

and ever.

Amen.

That's how it was

in the beginning.

God the Son

receiving all the glory

because of His essence

because He shares

that visible glory

with God the Father

and God the Spirit.

Well,

in this moving passage

we read how

our Lord Jesus Christ

did not regard

being equal with God

as something to be used

for His own advantage

but instead

He set it aside.

He laid that visible glory

aside.

Never gave up

His essential glory

being truly God

truly divine

but the visible glory

He took off

and He put it aside

and He did this

for the sake

of the souls

that He came to save.

He set aside

His visible glory

for you

and for me.

Why did God do this?

It's because God

is love.

That's what He tells us

in 1 John 4

1 John 4:16

verse 16 says,

Church,

you need to know

and believe

that God

loves you.

You want proof?

Look to Christ.

Enjoy the melody

of God's love for you.

The melody of God's love

abounding for you

it culminates

just as it began

with His glory.

The second movement

hear the ancient refrain

of how God's love

abounds for you

from eternity past.

It's not an attitude

that God had to change

and take on.

He doesn't change.

This has been His disposition

toward you all along.

In verse 6

once again

He says

He did not consider it

robbery

to be equal

with God.

Well that term

can be translated

as robbery

and what it's getting at

is to greedily

grasp at something.

Why did Christ

not consider it

robbery

or something

He had to greedily

grasp at

to be equal with God?

It's because

He already had that.

It's not something

He had to take

for Himself.

He already possessed it.

And it's not something

He had to continue

greedily holding on to

because no one

can take that glory

that co-equality

with God

away from Christ.

He had it all along.

Moises Silva commented

that the divine

pre-existent

God the Son

did not regard

the advantage

of His deity

as grounds

to avoid

the incarnation.

On the contrary

He was willing

always willing

all along

to regard Himself

as nothing

by taking on

human form.

See,

Christ was always

willing

from eternity

past

to set aside

all of His rights

and privileges

to make Himself

low

by adding

onto His divine

nature

man's flesh

for you

and for me.

In our parallelism

we see

two phrases.

He says

being equal

with God

this means

Christ

is truly

God

always has been

always will be

truly God

and taking

the form

of a slave

in human likeness

truly man

truly God

truly man

Christ

was always

God's Son

there are two verbs

in the passage

in Isaiah 9

born

and given

Isaiah 9

6 says

for to us

a child

is born

to us

a son

is given

Jesus

did not have

to be

born

to be

God's Son

James Montgomery

Boyce commented

as God's Son

Christ was

given

not born

the divine

nature of Christ

had no beginning

but to us

He was born

His human

nature

does date

back to the

incarnation

in Bethlehem

brought into

this earth

through Mary

Boyce continues

he said

the incarnation

was not

an end

in itself

why did Christ

take on a flesh

he said

God became

like us

in order that

we would

become like

Him

He has a mission

and Christ

is the one

through whom

this mission

will be

accomplished

it's through

the work

of Christ

that we hear

this ancient

refrain

from eternity

past

God has

always

loved you

in Christ

it's the only

way it's possible

is if it's

through the person

and the love

of God

shown to us

in Jesus

so that you

and I can

know and believe

that God

loves us

he loves us

because

God

is love

we can hear

once again

this ancient

melody

this refrain

of God's

abounding

love for us

from eternity

past

I think

to appreciate

the movement

of Christ

from His

glory

to the lowest

depths

we need to

see the

contrast

the contrast

comes from

the greedy

self-promotion

of Lucifer

or Satan

in music

it's called

dissonance

where there are

notes that are

not harmonious

they don't

go together

it feels

off

it's not

pleasant

and to

appreciate

the beautiful

melody

of Christ's

movement

to come

and be

our Savior

we have

to first

hear that

dissonance

of Satan

what does

this have

to do

with our

sermon

text

look at

verse 5

verse 5

is the

exhortation

to the

church

let the

mind of

Christ

be in

you

what's

the opposite

of the

mind of

Christ

or what's

our default

mind

before we

can have

the mind

of Christ

under the

curse of

Adam

and the

sin

our default

state

is to have

the mind

of Satan

unless you

are in

Christ

that's how

you will

always think

that's the

bent of

our flesh

even after

we're saved

and justified

in this

world

and in

this body

our bent

is to have

the mind

of Satan

so feel

the dissonance

this is

pagan

thinking

Ralph read

it for us

in Isaiah

14

Lucifer

has said

in his

heart

I will

ascend

into

heaven

I will

be

exalted

on my

throne

above

the

stars

of

God

I will

also

sit

on the

mount

of

the

congregation

I will

ascend

above

the

heights

of

the

clouds

I will

be

like

the

most

high

yet

you

shall

be

brought

down

to

Sheol

to

the

lowest

depths

of

the

pit

oh

how

you

are

fallen

from

heaven

oh

Lucifer

son

of

the

morning

how

you

are

cut

down

to

the

ground

you

who

weakened

the

nations

do you

see how

Satan

follows the

exact opposite

pattern

of our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

Satan

is proud

grasping

for glory

for himself

God

is love

abandoning

the glory

that is

rightfully

his

1st

John

3

8

says

that

the

devil

has

sinned

from

the

beginning

and

for

this

purpose

the

son

of

God

was

manifested

that

he

might

destroy

the

works

of

the

devil

do

you

feel

the

dissonance

of

Satan's

greedy

self

promotion

he

calls

the

church

to

have

the

mind

of

Christ

in

you

the

only

way

that

can

happen

is

we

put

our

eyes

and

our

mind

on

Christ

and

let

Christ

fill

our

mind

once

again

well

the

fourth

movement

in

this

passage

is

in

verses

7

and

8

I

invite

you

to

fall

with

each

drop

an

octave

so

to

speak

as

Christ

reversed

the

work

of

Satan

this

is

what

he

came

to

do

verse

7

says

that

our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

made

himself

of

no

reputation

taking

the

form

of

a

bond

servant

coming

in

the

likeness

of

man

and

being

found

in

appearance

as

a

man

what

this

means

is

that

anyone

who

would

have

looked

at

Jesus

Christ

in

the

flesh

would

have

said

that's

a

regular

man

that's

what

it

means

he

was

a

lowly

man

he

was

a

slave

what

does

a

slave

do

you

obey

your

master

and

who

is

Christ

master

on

earth

on

his

mission

to

save

it

was

his

father

he

came

to

obey

God

that's

why

he

humbled

himself

and

became

obedient

not

to

death

death

is

not

the

master

of

God

but

he

became

obedient

unto

death

or to

the

point

of

death

out of

obedience

to

his

father

father

you

notice

how

on

this

downward

movement

Jesus

is

the

subject

he

is

the

one

doing

these

things

he

is

the

actor

all

of

the

verbs

are

connected

to

Christ's

action

he

emptied

himself

he

humbled

himself

he

became

obedient

to the

point

of

death

and

he

did

all

of

this

to

the

glory

of

God

the

father

that's

why

God

the

son

made

himself

a

nobody

to

bring

glory

to

God

no

one

forced

him

no

creature

that

the

creator

made

could

humble

God

he

had

to

do

it

himself

no

angel

in

heaven

no

man

on

earth

no

demon

in

hell

could

make

Jesus

low

but

he

is

the

one

who

emptied

himself

that

phrase

is a

graphic

expression

of

the

completeness

of

his

self

renunciation

if

Satan

was a

self

promoter

Christ

was

self

renunciating

putting

aside

everything

he

could

have

held

on

to

and

he

became

obedient

to

the

point

of

death

Hebrews

5

8

explains

that

although

he

was

God's

son

he

learned

obedience

through

what

he

suffered

Romans

5

19

also

clarifies

by

this

one

God

man's

obedience

Jesus

Christ

the

many

are

made

righteous

so

Satan

was

pushing

himself

up

and

Christ

pushed

himself

low

Satan

lacked

any

essential

glory

in

himself

but

Christ

shared

God's

essence

and

holy

glory

from

the

very

beginning

Satan

coveted

God's

manifested

glory

Satan

wanted

to have

that

visible

glory

that

belonged

to

God

and

Christ

on

the

other

hand

possessed

it

but

chose

to

lay

it

down

to

bring

even

more

glory

to

God

Satan

exalted

himself

and

Christ

humbled

himself

Satan

was

then made

low

by

God

and

Christ

was

exalted

by

God

Satan

will

bathe

in

a

lake

of

fire

torment

and

agony

for

all

eternity

that's

what his

self

promotion

got him

but

for

all

eternity

Christ

will

bathe

with

joy

in

God's

manifested

visible

glory

and he

will

receive

all

the

worship

due

his

name

Satan

wants

you

to

worship

him

that's

what

he

tempted

Jesus

with

that's

what

he

wanted

to

get

in

tempting

Christ

and

either

Satan

or

Christ

must

be

your

Lord

and

mine

there's

no

middle

ground

if we

had been

left on

our own

we are

hopeless

under the

bondage

of

Satan

but

our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

made

himself

lower

and

lower

and

lower

to

reverse

the

work

of

the

devil

verse

eight

ends

and if

you

diagram

these

verses

which

means

you

you

take

every

group

of

words

every

clause

and you

organize

them

you see

three

three

three

and

then

the

second

half

of

this

movement

has

another

set

of

three

three

three

but

in

the

middle

is

this

awkward

group

of

words

that

break

up

the

rhythm

they

don't

fit

this

poetic

pattern

there's

been

a lot

of

PhDs

in

theology

written

about

this

exact

passage

with

that

question

in

mind

I

was

most

helped

by

the

observation

that

the

rhythm

sets

a

cadence

as

you

read

this

what

do

you

do

with

those

last

words

at

the

end

of

verse

eight

the

cadence

gets

broken

up

so

my

encouragement

to

us

is

let's

slow

down

and

let's

soak

up

the

love

of

God

abounding

for

you

in

Christ's

death

on

a

cross

see

verse

eight

ends

with

those

words

added

on

not

just

any

death

but

even

the

death

of

the

cross

the

cross

is

the

crown

of

Christ's

humiliation

the

cross

is

a

picture

of

the

high

cost

for

Christ

to

accomplish

his

mission

Hebrews

2

9

says

so

you

who

believe

may

live

by

God's

grace

God

the

son

who

became

man

and

tasted

death

he

tasted

death

on

a

cross

what

is

the

cross

to

you

it's

likely

that

the

cross

was

one

of

the

biggest

stumbling

blocks

for

Paul

it's

foolishness

to

the

Greeks

and

to

the

Hebrews

you

know

a

man

who

dies

on

a

cross

is

cursed

so

surely

everyone

following

Christ

this

man

who

died

on

a

cross

have

to

be

wrong

and

this

is

the

cross

became

the

meeting

point

for

Paul

and

his

creator

to

show you

Paul

you're

right

someone

must

be

cursed

for

your

sin

and

it

will

be

God

himself

taking

the

curse

that

you

deserve

if

a

man

like

Paul

can

encounter

his

creator

at

the

cross

because

of

God

himself

making

himself

so

low

such

a

slave

to

save

him

then

of

course

someone

like

you

and

me

can

meet

God

at

the

cross

as

well

Jesus

endured

the

cross

for

the

joy

set

before

him

it's

the

melody

of

his

abounding

love

this

is

why

he

went

to

the

cross

and

died

when

he

was

spat

on

this

is

why

he

turned

his

face

again

to

those

who

spat

on

him

because

of

the

abounding

love

of

God

when

his

back

was

unjustly

beaten

and

scourged

and

opened

up

and

bloody

this

is

why

he

turned

his

back

once

again

to

take

more

whipping

that

he

did

not

deserve

because

I

deserve

it

and

you

deserve

it

it's

because

of

the

abounding

love

of

God

for

the

joy

the

melody

of

his

gospel

that

will

bring

him

even

more

glory

that's

why

he

hung

on

the

cross

just

like

he

made

himself

low

he

is

the

one

who

gave

up

his

spirit

and

died

and

his

blood

is

dripping

as

a

picture

of

the

washing

that

you

and

I

need

so

we

can

be

in

the

presence

of

the

holy

holy

holy

God

there's

no

other

way