Introduction –
Christ is risen! He is risen
indeed! It is a glorious truth to
proclaim and celebrate. Those who are
cold in heart often still come and celebrate Easter. On the other hand, the truly devout come with
honest praise and joy. But even that
response falls short of all that God has for us in the death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Death and
Resurrection are themes that are to be applied very personally. They are themes that must begin in the heart
for sure, but if they have truly rooted themselves in new hearts, they will
bear the fruit of death and resurrection in the life of the believer and
through the community of Christ’s body.
Christ, our Resurrected Savior
– A horrible lie about the Christian faith is regularly purported, and done in
so-called Christian churches. The idea
is that it is not important to believe in the miracle of the resurrection. They teach that we can follow the example of
Jesus’ humility and love towards others, while denying the resurrection as an
historical fact. But the basis of the
commands of vv1-4 is vv8-11. If there is
no resurrection, there is no Jesus to follow.
You Cannot Have
it Both Ways (1 Cor 15:12-19) – If there is no resurrection,
there is no forgiveness for sins. If
there is no resurrection, there is nothing but empty faith and empty
preaching. The most inspirational
messages are nothing more than emotional fluff.
Instead, let us eat and drink (and do whatever we want to do) for tomorrow
we die (1 Cor 15:32). It is one of the
most destructive lies in the church today – to proclaim that there is no
incarnation, no atonement, no resurrection, no eternal judgment, and then to
dress up like an upstanding Christian and citizen and talk about treating
others well. “But now Christ is
risen from the dead.” (1 Cor 15:33).
Christ, our Resurrected Example
– With the historical resurrection firmly before us, Paul does command us to
see Christ’s humiliation as an example to follow (v5). “This mind” is referring back
to verse 3 – a “lowliness of mind.”
Consider what Christ did, and likewise, what we are instructed to do.
Changing “Forms”
– This word is being used with regard to Christ’s visible reputation. Externally, He changed forms, from a position
of exaltation before the Father, to one of a lowly servant – a human. Verses 6-8 are not denying Christ’s full
divinity (at all times), nor are they denying a real taking on of human flesh. They are emphasizing that, while He had every
right to shine forth as the glorious, majestic King of all creation, that is,
as God Himself, He humbled Himself and became a man.
What Are We To
Imitate? – Christ’s humility consisted in lowering
Himself from the highest pinnacle of glory to a point of the lowest place of
disgrace. Our humility consists in
refraining from exalting ourselves through our own false self-estimation. Our flesh remains bent towards “selfish
ambition and vain conceit” (v3). The
unity commanded in verse 2 cannot occur without the humility of verse 3, and
that humility cannot occur unless we are studying and imitating Christ. But we need more than imitation. We need death and resurrection.
Christ, our Resurrected Power
(Phil 2:12-13) – The question then comes.
Either I cannot humble myself in such a way, or I do not want to. If I don’t want to, what will change me? If I can’t, what will empower me? I am commanded to work out my salvation with
fear and trembling (v12), but Christianity is not a religion of
works-righteousness. We must connect
that command with the promise of verse 13.
The power of the resurrected Christ in me is what gives a man a new
heart (born from on high) and the same power will work out that salvation in a
change of desires and abilities (our sanctification). Faith is the instrument that connects that
power, not law.
Death and
Resurrection (Gal 2:17-21) – There is no exaltation without
humiliation. There is no empowerment
without utter defeat. There is no
forgiveness without blood. There is no
resurrection without crucifixion. Our
union with Christ in His death and resurrection is a one-time event bringing
eternal life, and an ongoing lifestyle, purging our old flesh and bringing
forth holiness. You must have faith in
an eternal, sovereign, and untamed God while He has His way with you. But what has He promised us in our
death? Resurrection from the dead and
glory with Christ, who was given the name above all names.
Christ, our Resurrected Lord
(Phil 2:9-11) – God has highly exalted Christ and every knee shall bow. Yours and theirs.
Your Knee
– Humbled servants are a different kind of husband, wife,
friend, parent, child. Humbled servants
love, forgive, and serve in a different kind of way. Humbled servants worship and pray and seek
Christ in a different kind of way.
Humbled congregations have a different view of the body around them and
of the world around them. Humbled
servants know whom their master is when a false-master (sin) beckons them to
come. And humbled servants will follow
their Lord and Savior in all His exalted glory all the way to death and all the
way to the final resurrection.
Their Knee
– Too often, these kinds of messages cause you to think about someone else’s
knee. It is true that their knee must
bow as well. Some of you need to understand
that your influence upon others will come as they see you imitating Christ in
the power of Christ. Some of you need to
quit putting up smoke screens, demanding of the Lord, “what about him?”
Every Knee
– You have heard the name of Jesus, the name of the exalted, ruling, King of
kings. He is risen indeed. At the right hand of God the Father, He now
calls all men to repent and believe on Him.
His kingdom is everlasting and it extends from heaven, to earth, to
everything under the earth. It extends
to your heart as well. You must
hear. You must obey. You must believe. You must follow. Death to your sins and Life in Jesus Christ
is yours. Hear clearly His Word – Every
knee will bow.