Unshaken – the Right Perspective Sermon Notes
Posted March 14, 2011 by Jeremy Gwaltney in Pastors' BlogUNSHAKABLE – THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE
Philippians 2
Jeremy Gwaltney
March 13, 2011
I. INTRODUCTION
a. Disneyland
b. Attitude changes your experience
c. Today:
• Look at our Passage
• Look at Jesus’ Attitude in Suffering
• Look at God’s Response to Jesus’ Attitude
d. Prayer
II. WHERE PAUL IS GOING
a. Paul is working to tell the Philippians how their lives and attitudes must be changed in the Gospel.
b. Section begins in Philippians 1:27-30 where Paul says…
29For 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, 30engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. – Philippians 1:29-30
c. Sections reaches its key point in Philippians 2:14-15 where Paul says…
14Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15that 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, — Philippians 2:14-15
d. The sections has a beginning premise and ending conclusion.
e. Beginning premise – what can your conflict experience look like (Phil 2:1-3):
• Peaceful
• Loving
• Affectionate
• Joyful
• Lacking rivalry
• Lacking hatred
• Full of the Holy Spirit
• Encouraging
• Unified
• Giving of Significance
f. Ending conclusion – this is what it looks like to shine as lights in conflict (i.e. to be unshakable) (Phil 2:12-18):
• Obedient
• No grumbling
• No questioning
• Blameless of guilt
• A dependence and richness in the Word of God
• Fulfillment
• Rewarding
g. To me, this looks impossible.
• Me in trial…
h. What in the link?
• Philippians 2:4-11 – where Paul discusses the attitude of Christ that can change our experience of conflict and trial.
i. What does this attitude look like?
III. FOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF JESUS’ ATTITUDE IN TRIAL
a. Read Philippians 2:1-11
4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have this mind among yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:4-11
b. #1 – Jesus Was Motivated by His Father’s Interests or Happiness:
4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have this mind among yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus… to the glory of God the Father – Philippians 2:4-5, 11b
• The rest of the passage, Philippians 2:5-11 is a demonstration of how to do Philippians 2:4
• “This” in verse 5 refers to Phil. 2:4
• Paul is going to demonstrate that Jesus’ motivation for enduring hardship was the interests of God the Father.
• How does Jesus increase glory and happiness of a happy God?
1. More worshippers!
• Here’s a shocker for you: We are going to find out that the Father and Son’s end motivation was to increase there own happiness.
1. “not only for your interests…”
• How did they do this?
c. #2 – Jesus Willingly Made Himself Nothing (Denied His Rights) in Suffering:
6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. – Philippians 2:5-7
• “Form of God”
1. Same in essence, distinct in person
• “A thing to be grasped”
1. As God he had all the rights, privileges and riches of heaven.
2. But he chose not to use that as his right or advantage in order to get out of what had to be done for the salvation of humanity.
3. What did he do?
• “He made himself nothing, taking on the form of a servant”
1. “servant” = slave
d. #3 – Jesus Willingly Humbled Himself to the Point of a Criminal’s Death
8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. – Philippians 2:8
• Hendricksen points out the severity of Jesus’ humiliation:
1. Obedience: The burden of the Law, instead of the favor of the Law
a. Hendricksen: While still in heaven no burden of guilt rested upon him. But at his incarnation he took this burden upon himself and began to carry is away. – p. 107
2. Poverty: The poverty of a carpenter’s son, instead of the riches of heaven
a. Hendricksen: So poor was he that he was constantly borrowing: a place of birth (and what a place!), a house to sleep in, a boat to preach from, an animal to ride on, a room to institute the Lord’s Super, and finally a tomb to be buried in. Moreover, he took upon himself a debt, a very heavy debt. His debt, voluntarily assumed, was the heaviest that was incurred by anyone. On so deeply in debt is surely poor! – p. 108
3. A Criminal’s Death: The suffering and shame of the death on the cross, instead of the pain-free existences of a heavenly reality
a. Crucifixion was for the worst of the worst – especially rebellious slaves.
b. The complete rejection of fellowship with the Father, instead of the face-to-face intimacy he had eternally enjoyed.
e. #4 – Jesus Allowed the Results of His Suffering to be Determined by God the Father:
8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God… — Philippians 2:8-9a
• Notice that upon mentioning the death of Christ, Paul does not go into what happens next from Jesus’ perspective.
• Rather, he says “Therefore, God…”
• The force is that Jesus entered trial, suffered and died and then left the results of his obedience and faithfulness in trial up to God the Father.
IV. GOD’S RESPONSE TO JESUS’ ATTITUDE IN SUFFERING
a. #1 – God Vindicates Jesus’ Trial:
9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name… — Philippians 2:9
• God vindicates Jesus!
• Its interesting, Jesus in this passage does two actions:
1. He makes himself nothing
2. He humbles himself
• The Father also does two actions:
1. He highly exalts
2. He bestows a name
• The force of the text is that God is rewarding Jesus in exact proportion to the measure of His trial.
• There is NO action that Jesus did in enduring the Cross that God the Father does not vindicate him for!
b. #2 – God the Father and Jesus both Increased there Glory (their interests) by Exalting the Other (the other’s Interests):
10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:10-11
• What was the purpose of God exalting Jesus?
1. Every knee bow, every tongue confess = Jesus is glorified
• What was the purpose of Jesus humbling himself?
1. The glory of God the Father.
• Notice how this works:
1. The Goal (chief motivation) of Jesus was his Father’s interests (to glorify God the Father). The result, Jesus is glorified (his happiness increases).
2. The Goal (chief motivation) of God the Father was Jesus’ interest (be exalted and given a name). The result, God the Father is glorified (his happiness is increased).
• Therefore, God the Father and God the Son are fulfilling Philippians 2:4
• The ultimate increase in their glory (happiness/interest) is found in increasing the glory (or happiness/interests) of the other.
• Notice also, who is shining as lights? God and the Son! (Phil. 2:15)
• This is where the Unshakable Perspective Comes In – it Adopts the Attitude of Christ.
V. THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE
a. The Unshakable Perspective (the Attitude of Christ): God will vindicate me because God is seeking His highest glory. Therefore, my job is to posture myself in such a way that allows God to achieve maximum glory.
b. The Power: The trial ceases to become about you, and becomes about the glory of God!
c. When we focus on the glory of God, we increase our happiness, we experience the power of the Holy Spirit, and we shine as lights because God will vindicate us.
d. The attitude motivates us to do what Jesus did:
• To focus on the interests of God
• To empty ourselves of our perceived rights
• To take the humble road
• To trust God with the outcome.
VI. APPLICATION
a. Sickness or Disease
• Is healing your right, or are you seeking God’s glory through both healing and endurance?
b. Conflict with another Christian
• Have you examined the conflict with the unshakable perspective?
• Are you willing to humble yourself for the sake of peace?
• This is what Paul commands Euodia and Syntyche
• “agree” is the same word for “attitude” in Phil. 2:5
c. Relationships – Wife, Husband
• Do you serve your spouse by actually placing their interests ahead of your with no strings attached?
• Paul will later compare the same actions of Jesus in Phil. 2:4-11 as Jesus serving his bride, the church.
• Husbands do we do this?
• Happy wife = happy husband!
d. Example of Dad
VII. GRACE AND RED BAG
a. What Paul commands here is an impossible thing, that is why he begins the passage with “participation in the Spirit” (2:1) and ends it with Phil. 2:13
13for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. – Philippians 2:13
b. Gordon Fee – “We are not called upon simply to “imitate God” by what we do, but to have the very mind, the mind of Christ, developed in us…”
c. That’s an impossible task unless the Grace of God is at work in us.
d. Let’s ask for God to work in us to will and do his good pleasure amidst the trial of life.
e. Red Bag:
• There might be someone here who wants to experience the peace, joy, love, affection and fulfillment Jesus offers us in trial, but you aren’t sure that you even know who Jesus really is or if you have a relationship with him.
• You can’t have this peace, joy, love, affection, and fulfillment unless you know the one who gives us the unshakable attitude to experience these things.
• RED BAG
f. Pray
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