Unity Worthy of the Gospel

Merry Christmas to all of you here as well as all of you joining us from elsewhere.

Please turn with me to Philippians chapter 1 verse 27.

Philippians 1:27

This is now entering into the main body of the letter to the Philippians.

And let me pray and ask God's help.

Heavenly Father, we want to be Christians worthy of the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.

We want to be characterized by His humility, His selfless sacrifice.

Because only then can we be united for the sake of the gospel.

Only then can we bring glory to your name.

Amen.

So please God, speak to us now.

May your powerful word have its effect on us this evening.

To make us more like your Son.

In His precious name we pray.

Amen.

Philippians chapter 1 verse 27 to chapter 2 verse 18.

Philippians 1:27

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent,

I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

and not frightened in anything by your opponents.

This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him, but also suffer for His sake,

engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

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.

Therefore, my beloved,

as you have always obeyed,

so now, not only as in my presence,

but much more in my absence,

work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

For it is God who works in you,

both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Do all things without grumbling or disputing,

that you may be blameless and innocent,

children of God without blemish,

in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation,

among whom you shine as lights in the world,

holding fast to the word of life,

so that in the day of Christ I may be proud

that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

Even if I am to be poured out

as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith,

I am glad and rejoice with you all.

Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

In his memoir, The Heavenly Man,

Brother Yun,

recalls a time when the burgeoning house church movement in China

had two main groups marked by doctrinal disagreements

as well as some rivalry and faction.

At that time, Zhang Rongliang and Zhu Yongzi,

the leaders of the two groups,

decided to get together in an attempt to hash things out.

And when Zhu Yongzi was praying in preparation for the meeting,

Brother Fan said to him,

Brother Zhu, I believe the Lord has given me a word for you,

but I am not sure you can accept it.

He continued,

I feel that when Zhang Rongliang and his leaders arrive,

you should immediately get on your knees

and wash their feet one by one.

Brother Zhu,

who was the leader of millions of Christians throughout China,

responded,

I accept this as a word from the Lord.

I'll certainly wash their feet.

Unfortunately, however,

the atmosphere,

I'm quoting from the book here,

the atmosphere deteriorated

until it became like a business meeting

with everyone talking at once about different subjects.

Many old wounds resurfaced

and it became apparent

the two groups were as far apart

as they'd ever been.

It looked as if Brother Zhu

had missed his chance to wash their feet.

Suddenly, Zhang slept to his knee

and announced,

All this talk is a waste of time.

Let's pray and then we'll leave.

Brother Fan pushed Brother Zhu in the back

and instructed him,

Quick, get some water

and do what the Lord told you to do.

Zhang was praying,

Zhang was praying with his eyes closed

when Zhu knelt down in front of him

and started gently to take his shoes and socks off.

And Zhang opened his eyes and was amazed.

He couldn't believe

that the great Zhu Yongzi,

the leader of the largest house church movement in China,

would ever kneel down and wash his feet.

Zhang cried out

and wrapped his arm around Brother Zhu

in a warm embrace

and that led to a reconciliation

and an unprecedented partnership

in the movement.

All because one brother obeyed the Holy Spirit's prompting

to wash his brother's feet.

And the gospel advanced in China,

continued to advance.

Humility fostered by unity

and unity enabled by,

unity enabling people to persevere

for the sake of the gospel.

That's what this passage is all about.

Humility fostering unity

and unity enabling us to persevere together.

In the preceding passage,

Paul spoke of how we should live

with single-minded devotion

for the events of the gospel,

but he realizes that there are a couple obstacles

that stand in the way

of the Philippian church.

One is external persecution,

which he mentions in verses 28 to 30 of chapter 1.

And then second is internal divisions,

characterized by selfish ambition and conceit,

grumbling and disputing.

And so knowing that Paul deals with those issues head on

in this passage

and exhorts the Philippians

and us, by extension,

to live in a manner worthy of the gospel

by adopting the mind of Christ

who humbled himself unto death.

Following the flow of Paul's argument,

I will unpack it in three main points.

First, unity for the gospel of Christ,

humility with the mind of Christ,

and then perseverance until the day of Christ.

First, unity for the gospel of Christ.

Paul implores the Philippian believers in verse 27,

only let your manner of life

be worthy of the gospel of Christ.

He's emphatic.

Only, whatever else you might forget to do,

do this.

Only let your manner of life

be worthy of the gospel of Christ.

That's literally,

only live as citizens

worthy of the gospel of Christ.

The language of citizenry

and civic responsibility

would not have been lost on the Philippians

since they were citizens of Philippi,

which was a proud Roman colony.

Luke describes Philippi in Acts 16, 12 this way,

as a leading city of the district of Macedonia

and a Roman colony.

Colonial status was the highest privilege

that any Roman province could hope to attain.

Residents of a Roman colony

were granted freedom

as well as exemption from direct taxation.

But Paul is not here referring

to their Roman citizenship.

He's calling them to a higher allegiance

because Christians are citizens

of the colony of heaven.

Paul says this explicitly later

in Philippians chapter 3, verse 20,

Philippians 3:20

where he says,

But our citizenship is in heaven,

and from it we await a Savior,

the Lord Jesus Christ.

As we see in verses 29 to 30,

the Philippian believers were facing persecution,

engaged in the same conflict

that Paul was engaged in.

They saw this,

and it's recounted in Acts chapter 16,

Acts 16 · chapter mention

where Paul was accused

of advocating customs

that are not lawful for Romans

to accept their practice.

And consequently,

Paul was torn naked,

beaten with rods,

and thrown into prison

with their feet fastened in the stocks.

And now they see

that Paul is still engaged

in that same conflict

as a prisoner of the Roman Empire.

And the Philippians' believers

were experiencing

that same opposition,

persecution,

which was likely a point

of embarrassment for them

as citizens of Philippi,

citizens of the Roman Empire.

Because they might say,

we're Romans after all.

Should we have to go through

these embarrassments,

these shame?

But Paul reminds them,

no, you're much more

than a Roman citizen.

Don't you forget

where your ultimate allegiance lies.

You are citizens of heaven,

and your Lord is not Caesar,

but Christ.

So only live

as citizens worthy

of the gospel of Christ.

Christ.

So whatever citizenship

or identity

or privilege

you might be proud of,

remember this,

that more importantly,

you are a Christian.

Before you're an American

or a Briton,

before you're Chinese

or Korean,

before you're a Harvard grad

or an MIT grad,

before you're a doctor

of philosophy,

before you're black

or white,

before all else,

you are a citizen

of heaven,

a servant

of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But what does living

as citizens worthy

of the gospel

of Jesus entail?

It entails unity

in the gospel

and for the gospel.

Paul explains

in verses 27 and 28,

so that whether I come

and see you

or am absent,

I may hear of you

that you are standing

firm in one spirit

with one mind

striving side by side

for the faith

of the gospel

and not frightened

in anything

by your opponents.

The phrase

in one spirit

should be rendered

in the one spirit,

meaning the Holy Spirit.

That's the way

the New International Version

translates it

and that's the way

Paul uses that exact expression

everywhere else

he uses it.

Ephesians 2.18

and 1 Corinthians 12.13.

So he's referring

to the third person

of the Trinity here.

And the phrase

one mind

is literally

one soul.

It's the same word

that's used later

in chapter 2,

verse 2,

translated being in full accord,

being united in soul.

So then,

standing firm

in one spirit

with one soul,

that's paralleled

by chapter 2,

verses 1 to 2.

If there is any

participation

in the spirit,

complete my joy

by being united

in soul,

being in full accord.

So then,

only those

who participate

together

in the one spirit

can work together

in one spirit.

Striving side by side

for the faith

of the gospel

is enabled

by our unity

in the spirit of God.

So then,

the unity

that Paul is

enjoining here

for us

is not a denominational

or organizational unity.

unity,

it's a spiritual unity

established by

the Holy Spirit.

In summary,

then,

a life worthy

of the gospel

of Christ

is a life

that promotes

the gospel,

a life that

adorns the gospel,

a life that

strives for the gospel.

The phrase

striving side by side

is the language

of athletic competition

or conflict.

It refers to

contending together

for the faith

of the gospel.

And as in any contest,

there are opponents.

So Paul tells them

not to be frightened

in anything

by your opponents.

Those who live

to advance

the gospel

of Jesus

will always

be opposed.

But we must

not be intimidated.

We need to stick

together

and fight together.

And this teaches us

that the unity

of the church

that Paul is

commanding here

is not just

a nice accessory.

It's not a bonus.

Rather,

it's something

that is essential

to the advance

of the gospel.

if we do not

stand firm

in the one spirit

with one mind,

we will fall apart

in many directions

with many different minds

in the service

of many spirits.

And Paul says

to the Philippians

in verse 28

that their unified,

steadfast witness

to Jesus

is a clear sign

to them,

to their opponents,

of their destruction,

but of their salvation.

because it will reveal

their hope

in the day

of Jesus Christ

and the judgment

that awaits

those who oppose Christ.

And here's why

a suffering witness

on behalf of Jesus

is a sign

for our,

a sign of our salvation.

Paul says

in verses 29 to 30,

for it has been

granted to you

that for the sake

of Christ

you should not only

believe in him

but also suffer

for his sake,

engaged in the same

conflict that you saw

I had

and now hear

that I still have.

I quoted chapter 3

verses 10 to 11

last week,

but Paul believes

that sharing

in Christ's suffering

is part and parcel

of discipleship.

It is a necessary aspect

of our union

with Christ.

Therefore,

only those

who share

in Christ's sufferings

can hope to share

in his resurrection

from the dead.

In this way,

the Philippians

suffering for Christ's sake

is a sign to them

of their ultimate vindication

and salvation.

This is why

in Acts chapter 5

Acts 5 · chapter mention

when the apostles

are arrested

and beaten

for the name,

for preaching the name

of Jesus Christ,

it says that they rejoiced

that they were counted

worthy

to suffer dishonor

for the name

of Christ.

They're not happy

that they're getting

beat up

in and of itself.

They rejoiced

rather in what

their suffering meant,

that they were identified

with Christ,

that they were sharing

in Christ's suffering,

which meant

that they will also

share in his victory,

in his vindication.

And that's why

he says,

it was granted

to you.

It's kind of a,

it's a funny way

to put that,

right?

It means to give

graciously.

God has given

graciously to you

to suffer.

It's a gift

from God

because it tests

our suffering

for the sake

of Christ,

tests our faith,

confirms the genuineness

of our faith,

increases our confidence

in our salvation

that awaits us.

That's what it means

to live in a manner

worthy of the gospel,

adopting the mind

of the suffering Messiah.

But of course,

the Christian life

is not only about suffering

and Paul writes

in 2 Corinthians 1-5,

for as we share

abundantly in Christ's

sufferings,

so through Christ

we share abundantly

in comfort too.

Along this line,

Paul continues

his exhortation

for unity

in chapter 2

verses 1-2

and reminds us

of the comfort

that we have in Jesus.

It says,

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.

We find a close parallel

to verse 1

in 2 Corinthians 13-14

which we use

as our benediction,

that the grace

of the Lord Jesus Christ

and the love of God

and the fellowship

of the Holy Spirit

be with you all.

This is the only other place

in the whole Bible

where the phrase

fellowship

or participation

of the Spirit occurs.

They're the two same words.

So then any encouragement

in Christ

and any comfort

from God's love,

the Father's love,

and any participation

in the Spirit,

this is intentionally

Trinitarian.

It's speaking of

our communion with God

which is the subjective

experience

of our union with God,

the objective reality.

If you have any encouragement

from Christ,

our good shepherd,

our redeemer,

if you have any comfort

from the love of God,

our heavenly Father,

if you have any participation

in the Spirit

who indwells us

and intercedes for us

with groanings

too deep for words,

and then to these three conditions,

Paul adds a fourth item,

any affection and sympathy.

This is the only item

on the list

that doesn't have

a modifying phrase

like in Christ,

from love,

or in the Spirit.

So likely here

he's transitioning

to something

that they have

amongst each other,

relationship among believers,

affection and sympathy

that they had

for one another

and for Paul.

So Paul's saying this,

if you have experienced

even a tiny bit

of the blessings

and comforts

of being a Christian,

then do this

above all things.

Be complete my joy

by being of the same mind,

having the same love,

being in full accord

and of one mind.

Once again,

the exhortation

is toward unity

of the faith

for the sake

of the gospel.

Having the same mind

or having one mind

doesn't mean

that they have to have

the same exact opinions

on everything,

but it means

that they should have

the same mindset

or disposition.

Similarly,

they are to have

the same love,

extending the love

that they have received

from God the Father

to one another.

But this kind of

gospel unity

is made possible

only by humility.

So Paul says

in verses 3 to 4,

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.

Notice how categorical

this command is.

Do nothing

from selfish ambition

or conceit.

The word conceit

literally means

empty glory,

vain glory.

It describes

those who think

of themselves

more highly

than they ought to think.

Those who have

no glory

and yet act

like they do.

We should not say

or do anything

out of such

selfish ambition

or empty glory.

Instead,

it says we should

in humility

count others

more significant

than ourselves.

What does that

look like?

Paul explains

in verse 4,

let each of you

look not only

to his own interests,

but also to the

interests of others.

This is essentially

Paul's version

of the second

greatest commandment.

Love your neighbor

as yourself.

Paul's not telling us

to compare ourselves

unfavorably

with other people.

rather he's telling

us to forget

ourselves

in the service

of other people.

He's telling us

to lose ourselves

for the gain

of other people.

Think about it

this way.

The fact that

there are more

important people

in this world

doesn't ever stop

us from thinking

of ourselves

first and foremost,

does it?

The fact that

there are more

knowledgeable people

in the world

doesn't stop us

ever from giving

the greatest weight

to our own opinions,

does it?

The fact that

there are busier

people in the world

doesn't make us

ever stop us

from valuing

our time over theirs,

does it?

The fact that

there are more

needy people

in the world

doesn't ever stop us

from thinking

first of our needs,

does it?

That's because

selfishness is in

our sinful human nature.

But Paul is telling

us that as people

who have been

united with Christ,

we should go beyond

our sinful human nature

and count others

more significant

than ourselves.

Consider others'

interests before

our interests.

What we naturally

do for ourselves,

we do this even

when we are less

significant than others.

We consider our

interests before theirs.

He's saying,

do that for others.

It doesn't matter

whether you think

you're wiser than them

or not,

more significant

than them or not.

Consider their

interests before yours.

Let each of you

look to the interests

of others.

Look,

here is where we get,

it's a Greek word

from which we get

the English word

scope,

to be on the lookout

for something.

Pay careful attention

to something.

We are to be

on the lookout

for others' interests.

Pay careful attention

to their interests

instead of thinking

only of my time,

my life,

my reputation,

my money,

my future,

my health,

my family.

Some people make

much of the fact

that Paul doesn't

say in verse 4,

don't look

for your own interests,

but look only

to the interests

of others.

But says,

look not only

to your own interests,

but also to the interests

of others.

Ah, you see,

they say,

Paul's telling us

about telling us

that we need

to look out

for our own interests,

too.

Just not only

for our own interests.

But to emphasize that

is to miss

the whole point

of this passage.

Paul's not commanding us

to look out

for our interests.

Rather,

he's assuming

that we will look out

for our interests

and telling us

to subordinate

our interests

to the interests

of others.

The concept

of enlightened

self-interest

is a category

of modern psychology,

not of scripture.

This is the scripture's

antidote

to selfish ambition.

This is the scripture's

cure to empty glory.

The grumbling

and disputing

mentioned later

in chapter 2,

verse 14.

Humility fosters unity

and unity enables

the church

to persevere together

for the faith

of the gospel.

This serves

as a transition

to the next section

where Paul speaks

of humility

and how we ought

to live

with the mind

of Christ.

These verses,

verses 5 to 11,

is the crux,

the center

of this entire section.

It's the meat

of the passage,

really of the entire book.

It's sandwiched

between two exhortations

toward unity

in the faith,

but these exhortations

are controlled

by the example

of Christ

at the center.

Many people think

that verses 6 to 11

are lyrics

of an early Christian hymn

because of their poetic nature,

which is possible

but not certain.

Regardless,

these verses

beautifully encapsulate

the magnificent truths

about Jesus

and his humiliation

and his subsequent

glorification.

It begins this way,

have this mind

among yourselves,

which is yours

in Christ Jesus.

This mindset

that he's been speaking of,

of putting others first,

this mindset of humility,

that's what Paul's

commanding here.

And he tells us

that this mindset

is yours

in Christ Jesus.

By virtue of our,

your union with Christ,

by virtue of our union

with Christ,

we are empowered

to live out

this kind of humility

that Christ exemplified

for us.

Verses 6 to 7 continue,

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 man.

There's several things

about these verses

that can easily

be misunderstood

and have been misunderstood

in the past.

First,

the word form

in English

usually means

the external shape

or appearance

of something.

For example,

the form of that phone

is beautiful,

but inside

it's made of cheap parts.

So sometimes people

mistakenly think

that Jesus was only

in the form of God,

the outward appearance

of God,

but wasn't actually

God in his essence.

But the word form

used here,

it's the Greek word

morphe,

from which we get

the English words

like morphology

or metamorphosis.

It refers to

the essential mode

in which something exists.

It refers to

the nature

or character

of a thing,

the essential nature

of a person.

There's a different

Greek word,

schema,

that's used

to refer to

the external appearance,

merely the formal

appearance of things.

And that's used

later in verse 8

to describe

Jesus' outward

human appearance.

So it's a little

confusing that

the ESB,

translated the two

different Greek words,

morphe and schema,

with the same

English word,

form.

But the New American

Standard Bible

helpfully translates

morphe as form

and schema

as appearance

to make the

distinction clear.

NIV does the same

thing.

The New International

Version translates

morphe as nature

and schema

as appearance.

Christ,

being in very nature

God,

did not consider

equality with God

a thing to be grasped,

but rather he made

himself nothing

by taking the very

nature of a servant

being made in

human likeness

and being found

in appearance

as a man.

He humbled himself

by becoming

obedient to death.

So what Paul is

saying is this,

Christ Jesus

was already

God in his

eternal preexistence.

And while

he was divine,

he did not

count equality

with God

a thing to be

grasped.

He did not

consider equality

with God

something to be

used to his

own advantage.

That's the way

the NIV puts it.

The word

translated,

a thing to be

grasped,

refers to a

seizure of

property,

or laying

claim to

something,

or gripping,

or grasping,

or holding

on to something.

It's the

characteristic

of all pagan

gods created

in the likeness

of man,

in the image

of man.

They are

avaricious,

acquisitive,

exploitative,

and self-serving,

always saying

get, get,

get more

from its

worshippers.

But Christ

was not like

this.

He was not

looking only

to his own

interests.

He did not

seek to

exploit his

status as

God to

his own

advantage.

He didn't

clasp

tightly to

the privileges

of deity

that he was

entitled to.

No,

instead,

he emptied

himself.

He says

in verse

7.

But what

does that

mean?

It doesn't

mean that

Jesus emptied

himself of

his deity,

his divine

attributes.

Colossians 2,

9 says of

Jesus,

for in him

the whole

fullness of

deity dwells

bodily.

He never

ceased to be

God,

but without

ceasing to

be God,

Jesus became

a man.

The rest

of verse

7 tells us

that this is

exactly what

this emptying

was about.

Christ

Jesus

emptied

himself

by

taking

the

form

of

a

servant,

being

born

in the

likeness

of

men.

Jesus

didn't

abandon

his

divinity

in order

to take

on

humanity.

He

emptied

himself,

poured

himself

out on

behalf

of

others

by

taking

up

a

human

nature

in

addition

to

his

divine

nature.

And

this

is

the

shocking

message

of

Christmas.

Christmas

season

is

dedicated

to

remembering

that

the

eternal

son

of

God

was

born

as

a

human

being.

As

you

know,

I

currently

have

the

privilege

of

being

a

father

to

an

infant.

And

as

I

was

reflecting

on

this

truth,

I

was

holding

my

third

daughter

in

my

arms

and

was

just

filled

with

wonder,

just

imagining

this,

thinking

about

this,

that

the

eternal

word

which

was

with

God

in

the

beginning

and

which

was

God

was

born

as

a

crying,

babbling

baby.

That

the

omnipresent

God,

God

who

occupies

all

space,

was

born

as a

baby

that

has

to

be

carried

from

place

to

place.

That

the

mighty

God

was

born

as

a

baby,

a

frail

and

delicate

baby.

That

the

eternal

timeless

God

to

whom

a

thousand

years

is like

one

day

enter

the

timeline

of

human

history.

That

the

God

by

whom

all

things

were

created

himself

became

a

creature.

that

the

master,

the

lord

of

lords,

the

king

of

kings,

the

prince

of

peace,

heir

of

all

things

that

belongs

to

God

the

father,

took

the

form

of

a

servant.

Being

born

in the

likeness

of

man,

he

became

a

slave.

Without

rights

and

privileges,

completely

disposed

to the

will

of

his

father,

the

son

of

man

came

not

to

be

served,

but

to

serve

and

give

to

give

his

life

as

a

ransom

for

many.

Jesus

set

aside

his

scepter

and

picked

up

a

towel

with

which

he

washed

his

disciples'

feet.

Jesus

prayed

in

John

John 17:5

chapter

17

verse

5,

and

now

father,

glorify

me

in

your

own

presence

with

the

glory

that

I

had

with

you

before

the

world

existed.

Though

Jesus

was

the

glorious

son

of

God,

in

a

real

way,

by

taking

on

human

flesh,

Jesus

divested

himself

of

that

glory.

His

divine

glory

was

veiled.

Unlike

the

conceited

people

that

Paul

mentioned

earlier

who

boast

of

glory

that

they

do

not

have,

empty

glory,

Jesus

empties

himself

of

the

glory

that

he

does

have.

And

when

he

walked

the

earth

in

his

flesh,

Jesus

didn't

have

a

halo

around

his

head.

He

didn't

levitate

off

the

floor.

He

didn't

speak

with

the

amplified,

booming,

thunderous

voice.

No,

he

was a

baby,

and then

a

boy,

and then

a

man.

He

grew

in

wisdom

and

stature

like

other

children.

He

got

hungry

and

thirsty

and

he

had

to

eat

and

drink.

His

feet

got

dirty

from

walking

on

the

dusty

roads

and

they

had

to

be

washed.

nobody

rolled out

the red

carpet

for him.

I

guess they

kind of

did

on Palm

Sunday

a little

bit.

Jesus

was

humiliated.

It's

humiliating

for God

to take

on human

flesh.

He

should

have

had

the

whole

of

humanity

at

his

beck

and

call,

but

instead

he

was

despised

and

rejected

by

men.

Jesus

emptied

himself

by

taking

the

form

of

a

servant

and

he

endured

this

humiliation

to

save

us.

In

Genesis

1

26

God

said

let us

make

man

in

our

image

after

our

likeness

the

God

who

created

us

after

his

likeness

was

born

in

our

likeness.

Why?

Because

in

Genesis

Genesis 3:5

chapter

3

verse

5

Adam

believed

Satan's

lie

that

when

he

eats

the

forbidden

fruit

from

the

tree

of

knowledge

of

good

and

evil

that

he

will

be

like

God.

Man

sought

to

usurp

God's

place.

That's

what sin

is

in its

essence.

But

God

took

our

place

to

save

us.

That's

what

grace

is

in

its

essence.

Adam

grasped

for

what

was

not

rightfully

his

and

Jesus

did

not

grasp

for

what

was

rightfully

his.

Jesus

came

as

the

new

man

in

order

to

succeed

where

Adam

had

failed.

So

the

Son

of

God

took

on

the

humiliation

of

becoming

the

Son

of

Man

to

bring

about

the

new

creation.

But

his

humiliation

doesn't

stop

there.

We

talked

about

the

humiliation

that

Jesus

endured

as

God

but

now

he

endures

further

humiliation

as

man.

It says

in

verse 8

he

being

he

humbled

himself

by

becoming

obedient

to

the

point

of

death

even

death

on

a

cross.

Because

we've

lived with

the idea

of Jesus

being

crucified

for

two

millennia

now

we have

in

some

ways

become

too

familiar

and

comfortable

with

the

idea.

we

wear

crosses

on

our

necks

and

put

them

up

on

our

walls

but

that

would

have

been

morbid

and

totally

unthinkable

in the

ancient

world.

Jews

had

been

taught

in

Deuteronomy

21-23

that a

man

who is

killed

by being

hung

on a

tree

is

cursed

by

God.

Similarly

for the

Greeks

and

Romans

crucifixion

was a

form of

cruel

and

unusual

punishment.

It

was a

form of

torture

and

execution

wrapped

up

in

one

package.

The

Romans

had

plenty

of

other

more

efficient

means

of