I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our text for today's message is taken from Philippians chapter 2, verses 5 to 8. In our previous message, we learned that the Apostle Paul was speaking about spiritual unity: that believers ought to be united as one, and, in order for them to be united as one, they ought to put off strife and vain glory and put on lowliness of mind, or humility, and esteem others better than themselves. And Not only must they put off and put on, but they must also look out for the interests of others.
Having said that, we also need an example for us to follow. Notice that Paul did not say, "As a church, if you want to be spiritually united as one, you must follow my example. Look at how I have lived my life”—no he did not do that. Instead, he gave us the ultimate example in the person of Jesus Christ, and he purposefully cited His incarnation, which is the title of our message: "The Ultimate Example."
Beginning with verse 5, Paul says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." He was still speaking on the same theme about spiritual unity, about this oneness. For eternity, Christ was one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, and this oneness was always in His mind. So much so that Jesus prayed in His Priestly Prayer for all the believers, including you and me, in John chapter 17, verse 21: "That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me." That was the mind of our Lord Jesus Christ: that all believers will be one, united to serve and glorify God.
The life of Christ was the ultimate example of self-denial, self-sacrifice, and selfless love. As He came into this world, He lived in humble submission to the Father's will. Dear friends, sometimes the behaviours and the mindsets of people in the church may not be good examples. There may be times when they strive against one another, they are proud, or they only care about themselves and everyone is only serving his or her own self-interest. You may be discouraged and disappointed. Well, do not look to the people; look to the ultimate example, Jesus Christ, and follow His example. That is what we want to learn from this passage; that is what our God wants us to do.
What can we learn from the example of Christ? Firstly, we learn the greatest humility. Verse 6: "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God." The phrase "being in the form of God" speaks of the essence of a person's nature, which is unchangeable before His birth, during His birth, and after His birth. By His nature, Jesus Christ was fully and eternally God. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Jesus Christ existed eternally and will forever continue to exist in the form of God.
By the way, these few verses have caused some confusion in the evangelical world and are sometimes known as the Theory of Kenosis. Kenosis means to empty out or self-empty. There are people who teach that when Jesus came into this world, He emptied Himself and gave up His deity, which means there was a point when He was no longer God. That is a wrong and erroneous doctrine because Jesus Christ is 100 percent God and 100 percent man. To help us understand, let us look at the word "form." It is a very interesting word. There are two words in the original Greek language that have been translated into the English word "form": one is "morphe," and the other is "schema." "Morphe," from which we get the word "morphosis," is the essential form which never changes. "Schema," from which we get the English word "schematic," is the outer form which changes from time to time. For example, the "morphe" of any human being is humanity, and this never changes. But the "schema" is continually changing—from a baby to a child, to a youth, to a middle-aged person, to an old man. His outward schema will continue to change all the time, but he will always have the "morphe" of humanity, that is something that will never change.
Here, the word "form" is "morphe," which means the nature of Jesus Christ is God, and it is something that will never change, for all eternity it will never change. Even when He came into this world, He was still 100 percent God. If we truly understand the reality of Christ's deity, then how He became a man would have the most profound humility. Isn't it true? God, for all eternity, is God, and yet He became a man. The infinite became finite. The sinless one took sin upon Himself, as the Bible tells us. This is the very heart of the Gospel of redemption because God hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin—never knew sin, never committed any sin in his life, so that you and I we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). That is our Lord Jesus Christ. He thought it not robbery to be equal with God. The word "robbery" means to grasp something or cling onto something, like what robbers do when they rob you—they grab your things and will not let go. Jesus Christ did not regard equality with God as something to cling onto. Although He continued to be 100 percent God during His incarnation, He was willing to let go. And what was He willing to let go? The Bible goes on to say, "He made Himself of no reputation." This is where we get the word "keno” where they have this kenosis theory which we have explained a moment ago. “Kenosis” means to empty. But it does not mean that Jesus gave up His deity as 100 percent God in becoming a man. Jesus did not, in any way, forfeit His absolute equality with God. Remember the word "morphe," or His nature, is God, and it is something that will never change.
So what then did Jesus give up? Jesus simply gave up His complete rights, His prerogatives, and His privileges. He who has created everything, he owned everything, gave up the prerogative to exercise His divine rights. Jesus Christ is eternally God. If He had ever stopped being God, He could not have died on the cross. He would have perished on the cross and remained in the grave with no power to conquer sin or death. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, at any time He could have called upon more than twelve legions of angels to come to His defense, yet He did not do that. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights, He could have easily turned the stones into bread to feed Himself, yet He did not do that. But He graciously healed the dumb, deaf, blind, and lame. He graciously multiplied the loaves and fishes for the hungry multitude. For Himself, He was willing to give up those rights, prerogatives, and privileges. Sometimes, when we think of those Christians who gave up their riches in the First World countries and serve as missionaries in Third World countries, we tend to marvel at their great sacrifice. They may have given up the pleasures of life, the comfort of home, or the prospect of a well-paying job. Indeed, it is a noble sacrifice, but compared to the humility of Christ, as one theologian said, it is like a drop in the ocean. To begin with, they were never perfect like Christ; they were never absolute; they were never all-powerful like Him. For all eternity, He is God. Even the Apostle Paul, who himself had suffered persecutions, beatings, shipwrecks, torture, and stoning, never had to go to the extremes like our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was a Roman citizen; therefore, he was exempted from crucifixion.
Dear friends, take a moment and think of someone whom you have known on the face of this Earth. Whom do you think is most humble? It could be a preacher, an elder, a deacon, your mom, your dad, or a mature Christian. But no one can be compared to the humility of Christ. No one can ever come close to the humility of our Lord. He took upon Himself the form of a servant—He willingly took upon himself. He became a servant or a slave. Again, the word "morphe" was used, which refers to the nature of a servant that will never change. What is the nature of a servant that will never change? It is the essential characteristic of humility. That is the nature of a servant that will never change. Humility. Jesus did not merely put on servant's garments, so to speak. He actually became a servant in the fullest sense. On one occasion, when the disciples were fighting and quarrelling about who was the greatest in the kingdom of God, our Lord Jesus taught them what it means to be a servant. He took a basin of water and a towel and washed the disciples' feet. Jesus, who was the Eternal King, and yet He humbled Himself to be a servant and He will forever be known as the Servant King.
Sometimes, in the church, people want to wear titles. They want to be known as pastors, preachers, elders, deacons, or ministry leaders, but their hearts are not willing to serve. They do not have a servant's heart; they do not have humility. When such people enter into the ministry, they put on the outer garment of a leader, but inside, they do not have the willingness. They do not have humility; they do not have servanthood. That is when problems will creep into the church because when people look to these leaders, they will adopt their prideful attitudes. That is where quarrels will start: who can sing better, who can play the piano better, who can prepare the refreshments better, who can serve better, and then the church will be divided. God forbids it.
Many years ago, when the late Reverend Timothy Tow was serving in Life BP Church in Singapore, they sent a young pastor to the United States to further his theological studies at the Bible seminary. After he graduated with his doctorate in theology, he returned to the mother church. One day, Reverend Timothy Tow requested for this young pastor to help drive the church van to fetch the Sunday school children, and his response was this: "God did not send me to the United States to obtain my doctorate so that I can drive the church van to fetch the children." It may not be the exact words, but it was to that extent. Do you think such a person has the willingness and humility to serve? Most certainly not. As believers, we are children of God, and as children of God, we are all His servants. As servants, we must have this essential characteristic, and that is humility. We must serve because we are servants, but we must serve with humility, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, who took upon Him the form of a servant.
He was made in the likeness of men. Jesus was 100 percent man. He did not just have a man's feelings, or emotions, or intellect, or opinions about life. He was perfectly man. He was born of a Jewish family; He was a Jewish baby, and as He grew, the Gospel of Luke chapter 2, verse 52 tells us that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. He became hungry and thirsty. He suffered pain. He felt sadness like other men. At times, He was tired; He was weak and needed to sleep. He was, in all points, tempted just as we are, yet without sin—only one exception: He was without sin.
Dear friends, it is most comforting to know this truth. Jesus Christ, who is eternally God, He is just like you and me. He experienced all that we have experienced. He knows all our problems, struggles, pains, and emotions, and He can provide salvation not only in the life to come but also for this life, that we will be able to overcome temptations and the issues of life. Are you troubled? Are you afflicted? Are you in pain? Call out to Jesus. He understands. He was made in the likeness of men, and He can help you.
Our second point is the greatest love. Verse 8: "And being fashioned as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Here, the word "fashioned" is "schema." Remember, "schema" is the outer form which changes from time to time. In other words, Jesus subjected Himself to the growing process of a man. He grew from a baby to a child to a middle-aged man. But Jesus did not continue to grow to be an old man. Why? Because He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. His life was cut short by God's sovereign will and purpose. There were many ways in which Jesus could have been killed. He could have been beheaded like John the Baptist, stoned to death like Stephen the first Christian martyr, or be suffocated, or hanged. But He was destined not for any kind of death, only one kind, and that is the death of the cross. Crucifixion was the most cruel, most excruciating, most painful, and shameful form of execution ever conceived by the human mind.
Historians tell us that originally it was devised by the ancient Persians and later on perfected by the Romans. It was reserved only for slaves, for the worst kind of criminals, and for the enemies of the nation. It was such a horrendous death that no Roman soldier could be crucified, no matter what kind of wicked crime he had committed. No Roman citizen was allowed to be crucified. But according to God's perfect plan, the crucifixion of Christ must occur in order for you and me to be safe.
In our responsive reading, we read in First Peter chapter 2, verse 24. Maybe you can turn with me to First Peter chapter 2, verse 24. "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."
The word "bare" means to carry this massive weight of sin. It was so heavy that Romans 8:22 tells us the whole creation groaneth and travaileth under it. Take a moment and consider our sins. No matter how hard we try to separate ourselves from our sins, we always return to the sin again and again. And then consider all the sins that we have committed from the day we were born until now. Don't you think it is this massive weight of sin? And then you consider the penalty of sin. Who can remove this massive weight of sin? Only Jesus. Jesus suffered the penalty of sins; He received the wrath of God against sin, and He endured not only the death of the cross but also the painful separation from God the Father. So much so that He cried out, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46).
He took the full punishment of our sins and satisfied Divine Justice, and, therefore, God is able to forgive those who repent and believe. If we have repented and believed, it is all because Christ has made it possible. Nobody could do it vicariously on behalf of anyone. No one could satisfy the justice of a holy God—only Jesus, because He was sinless, He was perfect, He was the Lamb of God.
Our sins condemn us. We have disobeyed God. We have violated His laws. We have rebelled against His authority. We have done many things that are wrong and shameful. We deserve wrath and judgment from God. But Christ bore our sins—this massive weight—in order for you and me to be safe. He bore our sins one time, and it is never to be repeated. Jesus said, "I lay down my life for my sheep; no man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself, and I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again" (John 10:18).
In other words, Jesus willingly laid down His life for us. Notice Peter said that He was hung on the tree rather than on the cross. And we read in Philippians 2:8 that His death was on the cross. Why did Peter use the word "tree" instead of the word "cross"? Actually, Peter used the phrase "on the tree" on several occasions, like Acts 5:30 and Acts 10:39. The Apostle Paul also did likewise in Acts 13:29. The phrase "on the tree" was used to remind us of the verse in Deuteronomy 21:22. Allow me to read for you Deuteronomy 21:22. "And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; for he that is hanged is accursed of God: that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance."
You see, in the Old Testament, when someone had committed a wicked sin, a wicked crime, his body would be hung on the tree. In ancient times, the pagan nations would also hang their criminals on the tree or on the city’s wall, and they would leave the body there for days or even weeks. Why? To extend the shame of that person's crime and also to warn others that if they were to commit the same crime, they would be punished in the same way, so to strike fear into the hearts of the people. But God said to His people, "You shall not do that. You shall not leave the body on the tree, but you must take it down and then bury it," because God said there was already too much shame, so much shame, that was attached to the body that was hung on the tree. That person was accursed of God. In other words, to be hung on the tree was to be accursed of God. So when Christ bore our sins on the cross, on the tree, He became a curse for us, as Galatians 3:13 says: "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree."
For that reason, the Apostle Peter, including Paul himself, would use the phrase "on the tree" to emphasise that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, he became accursed for you and me. Dear friends, our Master, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did that for us on the cross of Calvary. He bore our sins—this massive weight of sins that we cannot carry. It is impossible for us to carry. He became a curse for us. He did it once and never to be repeated. He did it willingly; He was not coerced to do it. He did it out of His love and compassion for us. If Jesus did not come, we would all perish. He must come, and He must go the way of Calvary. He must be our sin-bearer. There is no one else who can bear our sins—only the perfect, sinless Lamb of God.
John Calvin rightly said, "The Son of God became the Son of men so that the sons of men can become the sons of God." That is the reason why today we are able to say we are children of God; we are sons and daughters of God—all because the Son of God became the Son of men.
My friends, take a moment and consider this phrase "obedient unto death." The road to Calvary was not an easy route. The people spat on Him, mocked Him, whipped Him, placed a crown of thorns on His head, divided His garments, and gambled. It was a painful agony at every step of the way. The nails on the cross were not easy to bear. They were driven through the wrists, through the feet, into the wood. Hanging on the cross was not easy to endure; the whole weight of the body would be pressing on those nails, bringing this excruciating pain. And each time our Lord Jesus had to breathe, He had to push Himself upward in order to draw breath into His lungs. There would be this agonizing pain of the nails ripping through the nerves and bones. Every breath was most agonizing. Even after Christ died, the Roman soldier drove a spear right in between His ribs, through into His heart, gushing out water and blood. All this our Lord Jesus suffered for us, and the Bible says He became obedient unto death. Why did He do that? Because He loves us. That is the greatest love.
If you and I have experienced this greatest love manifested on the cross of Calvary, is there anything we are not willing to do for Him? Is there any commandment that we are not willing to obey? Then back to what the Apostle Paul says in verse 5: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." It is imperative, which means it is a command that we must obey. We must let this mind be in us. And what is this mind? That we all be united as one. It is about this spiritual unity that Paul was teaching the Philippians. As a church, as a body of believers, Jesus wants us to follow His example of humility, of love—to be united as one so that we may live and serve and glorify Him forever.
Can you imagine if everyone in the church were to obey this command, having experienced this greatest humility, this greatest love of our Lord Jesus Christ, and then we would try to exemplify His humility and His love in the church? Then there will be no strife, there will be no vain glory, there’ll be no pride, there’ll be no quarrels, no fighting, and division. We will serve with true humility—not a false humility, but true servanthood—following the example of our Lord, who was eternally God, yet He became a man, and then loving one another as Christ has loved us with sacrificial love, agape love. When that happens, then we will be a most wonderful church. This is the lesson we must all learn, and this is the example we must follow—the ultimate example: Jesus Christ, His greatest humility and His greatest love. We pray that we will not just learn but that we will apply it to our lives. Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for this opportunity to consider the greatest humility and the greatest love the world has ever seen and we as believers have ever experienced, and that is the ultimate example we have been called to follow—the example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is not by chance or coincidence that the Apostle Paul would cite the Incarnation of Christ. He purposefully cited the example of Christ when he speaks about spiritual unity. Indeed, it is important for us to consider others better than ourselves. It is important for us to put away strife and vain glory. We must not be proud, and we must always look out for the interests of others so that our church will be united as one.
But we need an example to follow, and who else can we follow but our Lord Jesus Christ? He is 100% God and yet 100% man. He humbled Himself to come into this world, and He became a servant—the perfect humility. And He was made in the likeness of men. He knows everything about us—all our problems, our pains, our struggles, our emotions, our sadness—and He is able to help us. And the Bible also reminds us how much He loves us. He loves us so much that He bore our sins on the cross. That was such a massive weight of sin that only Jesus alone could carry; only Jesus alone could remove this massive weight of sin and the penalty of sins. He became a curse because of us on the tree. We are eternally grateful that Thou hast saved us through our Lord, transported us out of darkness into Thy marvelous light.
And having experienced this love of our Lord Jesus Christ, what must we do? Thou hast taught us that we ought to have this mind of Christ in us. It is a command, and we must obey. So, as we pursue after spiritual unity in our church and even in our families and our fellowship groups, we want to follow the ultimate example—always considering our Lord Jesus, who has exemplified in His life the greatest humility and the greatest love. This is the answer, the solution, and the way to pursue after spiritual unity. We give Thee thanks and we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.