The Humility Of Jesus

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Philippians chapter 2, as we continue on in our series here of Paul's letter to the Philippian church.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

This passage, as you know, is one of the most helpful and most concise explanations of the identity of Jesus

and the salvation that he has provided to us through his death on the cross.

Paul says,

And remember, there's a parenthetical here.

If there is consolation in Christ, and there is.

If any comfort of love, and there is.

So on and so forth.

He says,

Because of that, fulfill my joy that you be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord and of one mind.

Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind.

Let each esteem others better than themselves.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God,

thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation,

took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death,

even the death of the cross.

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.

Now, Paul's first and primary intention in writing these verses in this particular set of doctrinal statements

wasn't so much to just give a description and really a miniature doctrinal treatise of the person of Christ.

His first intention, as we see in verse 5, was really to give an example to the Philippian believers

of how they were to humbly submit to one another and be unified together as believers.

That's what we talked about last week in the first four verses.

It was all about loving one another, submitting to one another, being unified as a church family.

And we get to verse 5.

Paul isn't just completely changing the subject all of a sudden.

And what he's doing is saying, since this is what it takes for you to live a gospel-worthy life,

to be unified together and to love one another,

you should pattern this after what we see in the person of Christ.

And so he's connecting Jesus' life to the example of how we're to live out our lives as believers,

specifically within the local church.

Now, obviously, the supreme example of this humility in verses 3 and 4,

and this unity that Paul is referring to,

obviously, the supreme example of that is Jesus Christ.

And this text becomes one of the classical,

Christological passages of all the Bible.

Some people even have suggested that this was a hymn that was sung by the early church,

that it was so impactful and concise in the way that Paul presented these truths of Christ

that the early church on through the centuries began to sing these words

as a song, as a time of worship in their services.

But there is a balance that we have to take as we look at this passage,

just like there's a balance that we have to take when we look at any passage.

Now, my tendency is to dig so far into the doctrinal element of a various passage

that I leave off sometimes the practical applications of that passage.

That's my personal tendency.

Others have the opposite tendency.

They want so much to be impacted by the practical application

that they never actually spend any time diving into the doctrinal instruction

that supports that practice.

So we could spend all of our time today just jumping into the person of Christ

for knowledge's sake as far as developing and increasing our knowledge of who he is.

But if we miss out on what Paul's intention in writing this is,

then we've missed out on the whole purpose.

If we study the Bible only to gain knowledge,

and we never apply that knowledge to practical living,

then what's the purpose of the knowledge?

It's wasted.

But if we come to the scriptures only looking for the top 10 things to make us a better father,

or the five ways to be a better parent,

or whatever it is,

if we're only looking for the practical,

then we miss out on the whole reason that our life has to be different anyways.

So we have to come to this passage with a balance.

We have to come with every passage with that particular balance.

And that's what I'm going to try to do today.

Balance out the doctrine of who Jesus is

with the practical intention of why Paul cares to write about it here.

And that is because our lives are supposed to mimic his.

As we live our life within the church,

we're to be unified together because we exhibit the same humility that Christ has exhibited.

And then at the same time,

we certainly want to grow in our knowledge of Christ as well.

Now, the truths of these verses between 6 and 11

are really centered on the identity of Jesus and who he is.

And we'll deal with four facets of Christ's identity.

Three of them today in verses 6 through 8,

and the last one in verses 9 through 11,

we will deal with next Sunday.

So let's jump right into it before I take too much time, okay?

First thing we see here, verse number 6,

Jesus' identity.

Jesus is the sovereign God.

Jesus is the sovereign God.

Look with me again at verse number 6.

Paul says, or let's start at 5,

let this mind be in you, this humble mind, this unifying mind,

which was also in Christ Jesus,

who, being in the form of God,

thought it not robbery to be equal with God.

In verse number 6, we see Paul presenting the truth

that Jesus is divine.

He has the very nature and essence of God.

He is deity himself.

The humility of Jesus, as we study and apply this passage,

is only meaningful to us as we come to understand his true identity.

If we are to accept his life as the supreme example of humility,

then we must first acknowledge the fact of his deity,

that he is God.

And think about it.

If Jesus were merely a man,

why would we characterize his life as particularly humble?

It would actually be incorrect to do that.

Why in the world would we think that a seemingly insignificant person

born to an insignificant family,

in an insignificant place,

with a relatively insignificant career,

and a following of people that are mostly insignificant people,

why in the world would we think that that life is particularly humble?

If anything, we would look at the life of Jesus

and we would say he's actually probably exalted a little higher

than what most people born into that dynamic

with that particular story of life would be.

I mean, at least for a portion of his life,

he had a following of people that wanted to be around him,

people that wanted to see him,

and people that wanted to listen to him.

But if Jesus was only a man,

if that's all that he was,

why would we regard him as particularly humble?

The fact of Jesus' deity is what makes him infinitely spectacular.

It's what makes him infinitely significant.

The fact that Jesus first and foremost is God

is what actually makes him the supreme example of humility

in which we should pattern our own life.

The greatest satanic attack against Christianity

is the plethora of religions and philosophies

that try to rob Jesus of his divine nature.

The denial of his deity renders his life utterly purposeless.

If he's not God,

then why do we care to study what the Bible says about him?

The Bible then actually becomes useless.

If Jesus is not God,

then the Bible is a lie,

and we're wasting our time giving it any credibility at all.

The truth is we must stand firm as believers

on the truth of Jesus' identity

and defend it against the doctrinal errors

that have even begun to infiltrate the evangelical church in America.

John gives us the same instruction in his first epistle

in 1 John chapter 4.

1 John 4 · chapter mention

He says,

Beloved, believe not every spirit.

By spirit, he means teacher

or person that is proclaiming truth in some way

or at least claiming to proclaim truth.

Believe not every spirit,

but try those spirits,

whether they are of God.

because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

And then he says,

here's how you know the spirit of God.

Every person that confesses

that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.

Not just that Jesus is man,

but that Jesus has come to be man,

that he is the divine

that has taken on human flesh is of God.

And every spirit that confesses

not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh

is not God.

And this is that spirit of Antichrist.

Where have you ever heard that it should come?

And even now already is in the world.

And we must be committed to understand

the doctrine of the Bibles

so that we can defend this truth

because our faith rests on this truth.

If we waver in this way

or we begin to accommodate friends and family

and other philosophies

and even maybe perhaps go along with other philosophies

that would rob Jesus of his divine nature

then we actually unsettle our entire faith

and make it pointless.

I wanna encourage us to be like the Bereans

in Acts chapter 17.

Acts 17 · chapter mention

Paul and Silas were effectively run out of Thessalonica

and they go to Berea

and they find the synagogue of the Jews.

In Acts chapter 17,

Acts 17 · chapter mention

it says that these Bereans were more noble

than those in Thessalonica

and that they received the word

with all readiness of mind

and here's what they did.

They searched the scriptures daily

whether those things were so.

Therefore, many of them believed.

Church, we have a responsibility to do this.

Our responsibility as believers

goes much further

than just our weekly gathering for worship.

There's a whole dynamic of life within church

and we're gonna get around to teaching a lot of that

but even beyond that,

we have a responsibility as Christians,

as believers,

to study out the scriptures

to see if these things are so

in order that we know the scripture

and stand firm on sound doctrine

and can preach the truth

even when those around us are polluted with error.

What does this passage actually say about his deity?

Two phrases actually.

The first one is this,

being in the form of God.

Look at verse six.

Jesus who being in the form of God.

This word form means

or is a reference

to the very essence of a person's nature.

It's their continuous state or condition.

When Paul says that Jesus existed in the form of God,

he meant that the very essence

of who Jesus was is completely God.

He possesses the nature of deity

to the fullest extent.

In other words,

if you want to see God,

look at Jesus.

If you want to know God,

study Jesus.

If you want to hear from God,

listen to the words of Jesus.

He is God.

The scriptures affirm this over and over again.

John chapter one,

in the beginning was the word

and the word was with God

as Kyle just read it a minute ago.

And then it says,

and the word,

another name for Jesus,

was God.

The same person was in the beginning with God

long before his birth in Bethlehem.

All things were made by him,

that is creation.

And without him was not anything made

that was made.

Clearly,

John is attesting to the fact

that Jesus was not merely a man,

that he existed long before his birth

in Bethlehem,

that Jesus is in fact God and creator.

The writer of Hebrews

at the very beginning of his book

in chapter one says that

God has spoken to us

by his son,

Jesus,

whom he appointed heir of all things,

through whom also he created the world.

that it was Jesus who was active in creation.

He says,

he is the radiance of the glory of God

and the exact imprint of God's nature.

He upholds the universe by the word of his power.

And after making purification for our sins,

dying on the cross,

he ascended back into heaven

where he sat down at the right hand

of the majesty on high,

where he sat back down

at the right hand

of the majesty on high.

The scriptures clearly affirm over and over,

Jesus was not just a man.

He is God himself.

Jesus explicitly made this claim.

In John chapter 17,

John 17 · chapter mention

he prayed to his father and said,

glorify me in your presence

with the glory that I had with you

before the world existed.

In John chapter 10,

John 10 · chapter mention

Jesus said,

my sheep hear my voice

and I know them

and they follow me.

And then he says,

and I give them eternal life.

No man has power

to give another human being eternal life.

That power rests solely in God's power.

And here in John chapter 10,

John 10 · chapter mention

Jesus is saying,

in his divinity claim,

I am that God

and I am the one

that gives believers eternal life.

And he goes on and he says,

they shall never perish,

neither shall any man

pluck them out of my hand.

My father which gave them me

is greater than all

and no man is able

to pluck them out of his hand.

And then he says,

I and my father are one.

The same person

by his own claim.

And then here's what happened

in John chapter 10,

John 10 · chapter mention

very next verse.

Then the Jews took up stones

to stone him.

They hated him,

not because of his messianic claim.

The Jews then

and even the Jews today

don't mind that Jesus claimed

to be a Messiah.

They will tell you,

we've had lots of Messiahs

through the year.

We've had lots of saviors

through the year

in one way or another.

Their problem with Jesus

is his divinity claim.

They didn't start

to pick up the rocks

until Jesus said,

I and the father are one.

I give eternal life.

I forgive sins.

It wasn't his messianic claim.

It was the fact

that he said

that he was God.

And it's the same reason

that people hate him now.

It's not because

he was a great teacher.

It's not because

of some prophetic element

that they think that he had.

It's because he claimed

to be God.

And if Jesus is God,

then as man,

we are accountable to him

and we are accountable

to his teaching.

But it's for this very reason

that we cannot come casually

to the person of Jesus.

It is improper

to come to Jesus

and say that Jesus

was just a good teacher

or that he was a moral man

or that he was a prophet

in some way.

Jesus himself

made a claim

of being deity.

Either he's a liar

and a fanatic

or he truly is God.

There's no in between.

And we must all

make that decision

of whether we're going

to trust him

as God and Savior

or whether,

like the Jews would say,

he is an imposter.

And a liar

and a perverter

of the faith.

That's the first mention

in verse six

that he's in the form of God.

The second one

is a little bit different.

Thought it not robbery

to be equal with God,

it says.

This is Paul's statement

and introduction

to Paul's description

of Jesus' humility.

But his humility

doesn't matter

if we don't understand

his divinity.

Now, Paul says,

in that divinity,

Christ willingly

humbled himself

and set aside

the benefits

of that divine nature

in order that he might

provide salvation

for us.

That's the humility

of Christ.

The phrasing

is a little bit odd.

If you've got

one of those

scripture journals,

it probably says

something to the effect

of he did not

count equality

with God

as something

to be grasped.

That robbery,

that grasped,

is a reference

to holding tightly

to something.

It's clinging

to something.

And Paul's point

is that

though Jesus

is God,

he did not consider

the glory

that comes along

with being God,

his place

on the throne

in heaven,

amidst the praises

of the angels

and the Old Testament

saints that were

already there

and all the benefits

of the riches

and the wealth

and all of those things.

He didn't cling

to that stuff

desperately

in an unwillingness

to help us,

but rather

in his humility

as God,

though he deserved

all of those things,

in his humility,

he set those things

to the side,

not his deity,

but the glory

of being divine.

He set that

to the side

and he condescended

to man

in order

to provide

salvation

for us.

And Paul says

this is the humility

that we're to show

with one another.

In fact,

it's exactly

what Paul says

in verse number

three,

or excuse me,

four.

He says,

look,

not every man

on his own things,

but every man

also on the things

of others.

When Paul says

at the end

of chapter one

that we are

to live a life

that is worthy

of the gospel

and the way

that we're going

to live that life

is by endurance

and persecution

and then in living

unified together,

he says the only way

that that's going

to happen

is when you

humble yourself

and stop looking

at your own things,

be willing

to set aside

the glory

of whatever it is

that you have been

blessed with

in your life

in order

to serve others

because that's

exactly what

Jesus did.

He did not cling

to the things

that were pleasant.

He did not cling

to the things

that were the blessings

and did not cling

to the glory

of his deity.

He set it aside

in order to serve

others and we need

not cling to the things

that God has blessed

us with and cling

to the power

that maybe we want

to enjoy

in a group dynamic

or cling to one thing

or another.

We ought to be willing

to set aside

whatever glory

we have

in order to serve

one another

and it's only

in that humility

that as a church

we will be able

to be unified

and live a life

that is worthy

of the gospel.

So we see

in verse 6 then

that Jesus

is the sovereign God.

Secondly,

in verse 7

we see that Jesus

is the humble servant.

He is the humble servant.

Look with me

at verse 7.

But he made himself

of no reputation

and took upon him

the form of a servant

and was made

in the likeness

of men.

In verse 6

we see the deity

of Jesus.

In verse 7

we see the humanity

of Jesus.

And it's here

where we can begin

to see more clearly

the example

of his humility.

It says that

he took upon him

the form of a servant.

Now you'll notice

that Paul uses

the same word

for Jesus' deity

in verse 6

as he does

for his humanity

in verse 7.

It's that same word

form.

And here's what he means

in doing that.

That Jesus

in verse 6

in his very essence

and his nature

is God.

Jesus in verse 7

in his very essence

and in his very nature

is man.

It's rigid

and inflexible

in his being

and we get this

mysteriously

glorious truth

of the identity

of Jesus

and that is

that in his very nature

he is simultaneously

God and man

to the fullest extent.

The God of heaven

in verse 6

condescended

in humility

in verse 7

to become a man

like you and me

with the purpose

of providing

redemption

and salvation

and forgiveness

for our sins.

the phrase

made himself

of no reputation

it means

to make empty

and in your scripture

journals

it will actually say

that he emptied himself

but what did he

empty himself of?

Not his deity.

That's who he is

by his very nature.

That can't be changed.

He emptied himself

as we mentioned

of his glory.

But think about that.

MacArthur said

in light of the profound reality

of Jesus'

full

and uncompromised deity

!

His incarnation

the fact that he became a man

was the most profound

possible

humiliation.

For him to change

in any way

or to any degree

required dissent.

It gets no higher

than being God.

For him to change

in any way

required dissent

humiliation

humbleness.

And Jesus

took that

to the extreme

in becoming a man

and subjecting himself

the holy God

to pain.

He subjected himself

to poverty

to grief

to being a sinless being

in the midst

of a sinful

and perverse culture.

He subjected himself

to that

the holy God

in his humility.

humility.

And it was this example

of Christ

that led Paul

to encourage

the Philippians

in verse 3

when he said

that they ought not

do anything

with selfish ambition

or conceit

but in humility

count others

as more significant

than themselves.

Ashlyn and I

have had this conversation

a lot this week

haven't we Ashlyn?

We're trying to get

in the habit

of throughout the week

as we're studying

the Bible on Sundays

trying to make application

to that study

throughout the week

in various forms

and Ashlyn and I

are a lot alike

we both have a tendency

to be a little bit selfish

right?

And so we've been

calling each other out

on that throughout the week.

Remember what Paul said

to the Philippians

that we're to consider

others as more significant

than ourselves.

Paul's not saying

that you've got to think

poorly about yourself

he's just saying

don't think about yourself.

Let others

have this significance.

In biblical days

there was a cultural dynamic

that Jesus confronted

in the Pharisees

where whenever they would

go to a big dinner

there were particular seats

at the feast

that were meant

for the most prominent

people in the room.

And the Pharisees

had this habit

of when they would get

to the feast

they would immediately

take their seat

at the most prominent place

at the table

believing themselves

to be significant

and letting everyone else

fall into their own place

as less significant

than them.

And Jesus says

rather than do that

you ought to sit

at the worst seat

at the table

and if somebody's

going to exalt you

let them do it

don't exalt yourself.

Paul explains that

even further here

and he says

look

he says

consider everybody else

as more significant

don't look on your own things

look on the things of others

and that's exactly

what Jesus did.

The God of glory

put us first

in condescending to us

but there are

some profound examples

of Jesus living this out

even in his life

and ministry

and there's one of them

that I want to point out

to you before we move on.

In fact

I want you to turn

in your Bibles

over to Matthew chapter 20.

Matthew 20 · chapter mention

Would you do that quickly?

Matthew chapter 20.

Matthew 20 · chapter mention

This passage tells us

about a prideful initiative

between a couple

of Jesus' disciples

was James and John

the sons of Zebedee

the sons of thunder.

What they wanted

was for the Lord

to give them

a place of authority

and a position

in his kingdom.

When Jesus' kingdom

would finally be set up

they wanted to be

one on Jesus' right side

and one on Jesus' left side.

They wanted the most prominent place

among all the disciples.

disciples

and so

they did like

most really brave

and courageous

and bold men

would do.

They recruited their mother

to go and talk to Jesus

on their behalf

and their mother

went to Jesus

and said listen

we've been thinking

about this

and you know Jesus

I love you

and if you love me

I'd love for you

to put my sons

one on one side

and one on the other side

in your kingdom.

And the other disciples

obviously didn't like

that very much

and there became

a contention

between the disciples

in this moment

that lasted for days

a contention

where they were just

fighting over

who was more important

and who was going to be

more significant

in Christ's kingdom.

Here's how Jesus responded

in Matthew 20.

Look at verse 24.

When the ten heard it

they were moved

with indignation

against the two brothers

but Jesus called them

unto him

and here's what he said

you know that

the princes

of the Gentiles

exercise dominion

over them

and they are

great exercise

authority

upon them

but it shall not be

so among you

Jesus said

but whosoever

will be great

among you

let him be

your minister

and whosoever

will be chief

among you

let him be

your servant

and then he says this

that he's the example

of it.

Verse 28

even as the son

of man

came not

not to be ministered

to

but to minister

and to give his life

a ransom

for many.

Jesus says

listen you ought to

treat one another

like I've treated you.

I am the son of God

I'm the savior

and I didn't come

to this earth

for you to serve me

I came to serve you

and the way

that I'm going to do that

is by giving my life

for you.

Well I want you

to flip over

to John chapter 13

John 13 · chapter mention

just a few pages

to the right

John chapter 13

John 13 · chapter mention

you would think

after that instruction

that

it was abundantly clear

how they needed

to change

and

when we think

highly of ourselves

we assume

that we would have

known better

than the disciples

and we probably

would have taken

that lesson well

and continued on

in humility

and serving one another

but that's not

what happened.

Just a few days later

in John chapter 13

John 13 · chapter mention

we see that

Jesus had to

demonstrate this

further for his disciples.

This is the last supper

he's about to go

to the cross

and in the Passover

he has sent

Peter and John

ahead

to prepare

the Passover feast

that they're going

to observe.

Part of that

meant that they

should have prepared

a method

and a way

for washing

each other's feet

but they failed

to do that.

So they go

around the table

and they're having

their dinner

and here's what

John says

happened in John

John 13 · chapter mention

chapter 13

look at verse 4

Jesus rose up

from supper

he laid aside

his outer garments

and taking a towel

tied it around

his waist

then he poured

water into a basin

and began to wash

the disciples feet

and to wipe them

with the towel

that he had

wrapped around him.

It's a monumental

demonstration

restoration of humility

on the part

of Jesus.

The washing

of feet

was a necessary

custom of the day

because of the sandals

that they wore

their feet would get

incredibly dirty

and it was customary

of a host

when hosting guests

to make provisions

!

for their guests

to have their feet

washed.

It was a sign

of respect

and it was a sign

of honor

and if a host

were not to do that

it was actually

a sign of unfriendliness

or even contempt

for the person

that has come over

to their home

in that particular moment.

It was an incredibly

lowly task.

It was reserved

for the lowest

of society.

In fact

there were even

some Jewish writings

that you can even see

still today

called the Midrash

that stated

not even a Hebrew

slave

could be commanded

to wash

someone else's feet.

It was just

degrading.

It was degrading.

It would be degrading

for us now.

It was certainly

degrading for them then.

So you can imagine

perhaps a silent tension

as the men

became aware

of the fact

that the one

who was seated

at the prominent

place at the table

the one

who by their

own confession

was not

just a man

but was the very

son of God

that had come

to establish

his kingdom

on this earth.

They had just

made that confession.

Remember Jesus

had asked Peter

who do you say

that I am

and he said

you're the son

of God

and I'm going

to follow you.

Imagine how they

felt as they sat

around that table

that night

all of them

bickering

about who's

going to be

greatest in the

kingdom

and then all of a

sudden they look

up and Jesus

has gotten up

the one that is

the greatest

in the kingdom

and he's gotten

up from the table

and he's taken

his jacket off

and he's taken

the slave's towel

and he's wrapped

it around his waist

and he's put some

water in a bowl

and now he's going

around one by one

to these men

and he's getting

down on his hands

and his knees

the God of heaven

is on his hands

and his knees

and he's washing

their nasty

stinking feet

and they're silent

except for one of them

you can read about

that on your own

but he goes by

one by one

and he gets down

and he cleans

their nasty feet

and then when he's

done with it

he puts the towel

away

and he puts

the bowl away

and he puts

his jacket back

on

and he goes

right back

to the place

of prominence

at the table

it's an exact

picture of what

he's done

in coming to

this earth

and condescending

to us

he left

his place

of prominence

to condescend

to man

to accomplish

a specific

task

providing redemption

and once the

task was completed

as we'll study

next week

he ascended

back into heaven

and went right

back to his

seat of prominence

when Jesus

left the seat

of prominence

at the table

that night

he wasn't

leaving off

the fact

that he was

the most

important person

there

that didn't

change

what he did

was in his

humility

he got up

from his

place

and he served

the people

that did not

deserve to be

served

and Paul says

this is exactly

how we're to

serve one another

Jesus said

this is exactly

how we're to

serve one another

if you're still

in John 13

look with me

down at verse

number 12

when he had

washed the feet

and put on his

outer garment

he resumed his

place

and then he

said

do you

understand

what I have

done

to you

you call me

teacher

and Lord

and you're

right

for that's

who I am

if I

then

your

Lord

and

teacher

have

washed

your

feet

you

ought

also

to

wash

one

another's

feet

and he

says

for I

have

given you

an example

that you

also

should do

just as

I have

done

to you

truly

truly

I say

to you

a servant

is not

greater

than his

master

nor

is a

messenger

greater

than the

one

who

sent

him

if

you

know

these

things

blessed

are

you

if

you

do

them

so in

verse 6

we see

the

sovereign

God

that's

who

Jesus

is

in

verse 7

we see

that

sovereign

God

condescending

to man

in humility

and becoming

the humble

servant

and even

in his

life

and ministry

demonstrating

that in

a way

that we

should

follow

and then

thirdly

and finally

in verse

8

we see

that Jesus

is the

sufficient

savior

he's

the

sufficient

savior

look with

me at

verse

number

8

Philippians

2

being

found

in

fashion

as

a

man

he

humbled

himself

and

became

obedient

unto

death

even

the

death

of

the

cross

this

is

the

extent

of

Christ

humility

how

far

was he

willing

to go

to

demonstrate

this

all

the way

to

death

he

humbled

himself

and

became

obedient

unto

death

he

didn't

become

obedient

to

death

death

was

not

his

lord

he

became

obedient

to

the

father

and

in

his

obedience

to

the

father

he

was

obedient

to

him

unto

death

on

our

behalf

what's

amazing

here

is that

it

was

all

his

initiative

no

one

humbled

Jesus

he

humbled

himself

no

one

forced

him

to

condescend

and

die

he

chose

to

do

it

himself

and

it

wasn't

just

any

death

he

didn't

die

a

king's

death

he

didn't

die

a

ritualistic

death

he

didn't

die

with

honor

he

died

a

criminal's

death

a

cruel

death

he

died

our

death

and

this

is

what

makes

him

our

savior

1

1 John 3 · chapter mention

John

chapter

3

and

verse

16

says

hereby

we

perceive

we

the

love

of

God

because

he

laid

down

his

life

for

us

he

laid

down

his

life

for

us

this

wasn't

just

death

this

was

our

death

he

took

our

place

he

made

a

substitution

for

us

that

was

the

extent

of

his

humility

in

2

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

Corinthians

chapter

5

we

read

that

in

his

deity

he

was

made

to

be

sin

who

knew

no

sin

sin

is

the

antithesis

of

his

being

and

he

took

on

our

sin

in

order

to

pay

the

price

for

us

he

never

committed

it

and

he

didn't

deserve

that

death

but

he

took

it

in

our

place

and

it's

here

that

all

of

that

time

in

verses

6

and 7

becomes

important

to

our

doctrine

of

the

gospel

because

acknowledging

Jesus'

true

identity

as being

God

and man

is

absolutely

necessary

for him

to be

our

savior

his

sacrifice

is only

sufficient

for our

sin

because

of his

true

identity

his

deity

made it

possible

for him

to live

a sinless

life

that would

provide

sufficient

payment

for sin

but his

humanity

made it

possible

for him

to actually

die

the

death

that

was

necessary

to

satisfy

God's

wrath

because

of

his

identity

in

his

humble

condescension

he

was

made

sufficient

for

our

salvation

1 John

1 John 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4

explains this

to us

it says

in this

was

manifested

or shown

or demonstrated

the love

of God

to us

because

God

sent

his

only

begotten

son

into

the

world

not

his

only

created

son

his

only

begotten

son

that

we

might

live

through

him

and

here

in

his

love

not

that

we

loved

God

but

that

he

loved

us

and

sent

his

son

to be

the

propitiation

for our

sins

that word

propitiation

is

vastly

important

to our

theology

it

means

to

satisfy

or to

appease

fully

the

means

for

God's

wrath

to be

satisfied

because

of

our

sin

is

only

our

death

that's

why

Romans

says

that

the

payment

for

sin

is

death

the

way

that

God's

wrath

is

appeased

on

us

is

through

the

death

that's

as a

result

of

our

sin

Jesus

in

this

propitiation

!

fully

satisfied

God's

wrath

on our

behalf

because

of his

sinless

life

we

can

be

saved

God

God

is

the

God

who

is

responsible

to

appease

the

wrath

of

the

offended

deity

but

in

reality

man

is

incapable

of

satisfying

God's

justice

apart

from

Christ

except

by

spending

eternity

in

hell

Jesus

was

not

just

the

Savior

he's

the

sufficient

Savior

he's

the

one

that

brings

satisfaction

to

the

wrath

of

God

and

this

humility

that

he

has

demonstrated

in

his

death

on

the

cross

in

providing

salvation

is

the

same

humility

that

Paul

says

we're

to

show

to

one

another

even

so

far

as

to

give

our

lives

for

one

another

for

the

sake

of

the

gospel

what

a

Savior

what

a

Savior

thank

you for

listening

to this

sermon

made

available

by

Lakeside

Bible

Church

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