Consider the Cross, Part 8

If you have your Bible, I would invite you to turn with me to the second chapter of Philippians. The second chapter of Philippians.

If you've been in the church for any length of time at all, then you know about Philippians chapter 2, that great. Ken, that great theological doctrine of self-ren on the part of Christ, that self-emptying of Christ. We're going to talk about that this morning. We want to look at point number one: the setting of his exaltation.

And then we want to look at the source of his exaltation. And then we want to look at the specifics of his exaltation.

And then the scope of his exaltation. The sequel of his exaltation and the summation of his exaltation. Six points. That's where we're going to go today. First of all, The set of his exaltation.

We 'll pick up the narrative in verse number 6 of Philippians chapter 2. Who, although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bonds and being made. The likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, Also, God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess.

That Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. The exaltation through the cross. First of all, the setting of His exaltation.

The setting centers around his humiliation because it would be his humiliation that would lead to his exaltation. Hebrews chapter 12 states it this way. Verse number 2. We are to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross. Despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. We are to look at Jesus Christ.

In his humiliation on the cross, and then look at how Christ was exalted because of the cross. Peter would say it this way, 1 Peter 1, verse number 10. And to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry. Seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicated as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. The prophets of old would look int into the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow, his humiliation, and then his.

Exaltation. And what Paul does in Philippians 2 is describe for us the stages or the specifics of his humiliation as well as the specifics of his exaltation. It says that God Himself, or Jesus Christ Himself, was in the form of God. He existed in the form of God. The word form is morphe, it's a different word than sch. Schem is the appearance. Morphe is the form. Morphe is the essence. Morphe is the nature. Morphe is that which is, get it now, unchangeable. It can never be changed because this is who he is.

Jesus existed. In the form of God. That is, his essential nature is God. Different than the word schema, which is used later. In terms of the appearance, which is changeable. Man's appearance can change, but his morph never changes. Who he is on the inside. And Jesus Christ existed in the form of God. Paul would say over in Colossians chapter 1, verse number 15, that he is, that is, Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God. Hebrews 1, 1 and 2 says that he is the radiance of. His glory, the exact representation of his nature.

That's who Jesus Christ is. And so Paul sets the tone by saying. Jesus Christ exist in the form of God. That is, his essential nature is unchangeable. That is, Jesus Christ is God. And then he says this. Did not reg equality with God a thing to be grasped. That is Jesus, who is God, did not need to grasp equality with God. That is He didn't need to hold on to his honor. He didn't need to hold on to his prestige. He didn't need to hold on to his power. He didn't need to hold on to those things. Why?

Because he was going to do something very sign So significant that God would highly exalt him. Get this. He would do something so significant that God Would be exalted higher than if he never became man. That's the point. That's what you need to understand about the exaltation of God, Christ, who is God. In the flesh. He did not regard equality with God something to be grasped, meaning that he was willing to give it all up, to voluntarily place it aside. And then it says this. But emptied him and he took on the form, the word morphe again, of a bonds.

The nature of Christ is that he is a servant. It's part of who he is. That's why he said, Come unto me, all ye that labor and heavy laden, I will give you rest. Why? Because I am weak. Lowly in hearts. That is the nature of our God. In Matthew 11:2 and 29, He opens up to us the essential. Element of his nature. He is meek. He is lowly at heart. And the text says that he emptied him. The self-ren of Christ. Now you need to understand something. What did He lay aside? What did he empty himself of? Well, we know for one thing that he emptied himself of the glory that he had with the Father.

For in John chapter 17, verse number 5, Christ says these words. When he prays his high priestly prayer, and now glorify thou me together with thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. So we know that part of the self-emptying of Christ was he would lay aside the glory he had. With the Father. We also know that He would lay aside H eternal riches. How do we know that? 2 Corinthians 8, verse number 9, which says, For you know the grace of our Lord, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor.

That you, through his poverty, might become rich. So we know that part of the self-emptying of Christ, the self-ren of Christ, is that he would lay aside his eternal riches. He would lay aside some of the glory he had with the Father before the world began. We also know that he would lay aside his favorable relationship with the Father. How do we know that? 2 Corinthians 5:2. He who knew no sin would become sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He would become sin for us.

So he would have to lay aside that favorable relationship he had with his father in order to become sin for us because our God in heaven is a pure eyes and to behold evil. That's why we also know that part of the self-emptying of Christ was that he would give up his independent authority. That is, he would become a servant. He would learn obedience. Hebrews 5:8 says, he learned obedience to the things that he suffered. So we begin to understand Christ learning something. In his manhood, he would learn obedience.

That's important to understand. So he would give. Away his independent authority because he was all authority, he was all power, but he would lay that aside in order to become man. That's the self-emptying of Christ, the great kenosis doctrine that theologians speak of. It also deals with the fact that he would lay aside some of his divine attributes. For instance, when he was asked about when he would return, he said, No one knows but my father in heaven, not even the Son of Man. So we know that God Himself is omniscient, but He would lay aside His omniscience in order not to know something.

He would decide not to know something. Yet, on the other hand, we know that he saw Nathanael underneath the tree before he ever saw Nathanael physically. John 1:4. And yet we know that Jesus Christ Himself is God and God is omnipres, but in the incarnation, He would localize Himself in the body of a man. All that to say is Jesus Christ, who existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God, that to be grasped, that to hold on to. Because he would willing set aside those things, he would voluntarily put them away in order that he might become man to do something very specific.

And as a result of that, he would be exalted to a higher level than ever before because he now is the God-man, not just God. You follow me? This is going to get really good here in a second.

It's already good, but if you missed it, it's going to get better. Okay? So the text goes on and says this. And being found, excuse me, taking on the form of a bonds and being made in the likeness of men, he became a man. Listen, he never ceased to be God, he was always God. Okay? That's who he is. He exists in the form of God. That's his morph That's his nature. That's who he is. But he became man. He was fully man. Luke 2: He grew in wisdom and stature as a man grows. He was born as a man is born.

Hebrews 2, verses 14, verses 17. Hebrews 4, verse number 15. Speak of the fact that he became a high priest who was tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin. He actually was 100% man, just like you are 100% man. And yet, he was 100% God as well. He was the God-man. And now it says this. This is good. And being found in appearance as a man, this is the schem, not the Morphe. His appearance was. As a man, meaning he takes the focus off him and puts the focus on how people view him. You see, when people saw Jesus, what do they see?

They saw a man. They didn't see God. They didn't see deity, they saw humanity. When Christ was on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew chapter 17, he would unzip his flesh and let. Peter, James, and John see the glory of the Lord. They would see his deity come shining forth in a miraculous kind of way. Remember that? But when people would walk down the street, what would they see? They would see a man. They would see humanity. Their minds were darkened. They were blind. They could not see. Very few of them understood that he was God in the flesh.

And so he would have the appearance of a man. And he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross, Paul says. Not only did he just die, He died the most cursed way a man could ever die, according to Deuteronomy chapter 21, and according to Galatians chapter 3, verse number, I forget which verse that was. Galatians 3. You have to look it up. But the point being is that the text says, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. It's a quotation from Deuteronomy. The bottom line is that he died the most cursed of all deaths a man could ever die.

He was not only obedient unto death, but even the death on the cross. That is the setting of his exaltation. You with me so far? Now comes the source of his exaltation. Therefore, because of this. Therefore, because of the self-ren, therefore, because of the self-emptying, therefore, because he willingly laid aside all these marvelous things to become a man. and be found in the appearance as a man, and to die on the cross. Therefore God, the Father, has highly exalted him. God the Father has super exalted him.

Now think about that. How could God Who is above all, the greatest of all, be highly exalted or lifted up over even that which is highly exalted. How can that happen? You stay with me, and I'll explain that to you. Because what happens here is so remarkable, so unbelievable, so central to your understanding of the cross. And your understanding of living the cross-like life. Listen very carefully. You see, the whole aspect about exaltation. Stems from humiliation. And the context of Philippians chapter 2 is about unity of the church.

And the illustration that Paul uses is the greatest of all illustrations to help you understand the principle that Christ would reiterate throughout his life and through his life as he lived his life, and that was God exalts man. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will exalt you. And through the ministry of Christ, he would reiterate that fact over and over again: that the humble man will be exalted. Those who go around exalted themselves, they will be humbled. But those who humble themselves before the Lord, they will be lifted up.

And Peter would pick up on that. In 1 Peter chapter 5, verse number 8, he would say, Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, and he will lift you up in due time. Peter would say, Humble yourself under God's mighty hand because there's coming a time where He's going to exalt you. There's coming a time where He is going to lift you up. But in the meantime, He's writing to persecuted Christians. He's writing to people, Peter is, to people who are suffering greatly. He says, now submit yourself under the mighty hand of God.

The mighty hand of God is a phrase used throughout the Old Testament. Particularly in the book of Exodus and the book of Deuteronomy, to speak of two things: the deliverance of Israel and the discipline of Israel. What Peter is saying in 1 Peter 5, verse number 8, is that you need to submit. Yourself to the mighty hand of God's destiny in your life, and He will exalt you in d time. Peter exhorts the people of God to submit to the plan of God, to the purposes of God. You see, the problem is. That most of us are unwilling to submit to the purposes and plans of God.

We're kicking, we're screaming, we're bickering, we're bellyach about everything that God wants to bring into our life because we want easy life, we want things to go our way, and God brings discipline into our lives. God brings his mighty hand into our lives to show us what he wants us to do. And so many times we kick and scream against that. So we've seen the set of his exaltation. Number two, the source of his exaltation.

Number three, the specifics. Of his exaltation. I want to give them to you. There are four of them. The specifics of his exaltation. Number one is the resurrection.

Number two is the ascension. Number three is his coronation. And number four is his intercess. Those four elements make up the specific stages of his ex. How do we know that? Well, the Bible says this in Ephesians chapter 1, verse number 20.

That God raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand in heavenly places. That's the resurrection. And that is the coronation. Because of his humiliation at his incarnation, there was the resurrection. And that resurrection led to his coronation. And that is the sum total of his exaltation. Did you follow that? That's exactly what Paul is helping us to understand. And all that led to his intercession. That is, in Hebrews chapter 7, verse number 26, it says that he is holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

Therefore, Hebrews 7:2 says, He always lives to make intercession for us. Listen, do you understand the implications of that? Unless we humble ourselves, we can never enter the kingdom of God. That's what Matthew 18 says, right? Unless you humble yourself like one of these children. you will never enter the kingdom of God. And God not only wants you to be humbled, but he wants to exalt you. And we too will have a resurrection. We too will have an ascension. And we too will even have a coronation.

Did you know that? Revelation 3, verse number 21. He who overcomes. Now, the overcomer is the one that believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, 1 John 5, 3, and 4. And the writer, John. Through the inspiration of Christ, as he overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down on my father, or with my father on his. Throne. There is a coronation for those who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. There is a resurrection of our bodies that's been promised.

There is ascension of that body into glory. And there is a coronation to sit down on the throne with Christ as he sat down on his Father's throne with him. That's remarkable. There will be no intercession or need for intercession because our bodies will be complete and they will be perfect and there will be no need for Christ to intercede on our behalf. ever again. But the point is, how is it that Christ could be highly exalted higher than he already was as God? You ever ask yourself that question?

I had to ask myself that question when I read that. How can that happen? How can that be? Simply this: as the God man. He is able to do something that he was unable to do before the God-man. And that is, he was able. To be a sympathetic high priest, so that he could sympathize with your infirmities, your difficulties. Your hardships. God became man in order that he would be tempted in all points like you are tempted, yet without sin, because he is God. And he would become the greatest of all priests.

Hebrews 4. 15 says, because being tempted at all points like we are, yet without sin, he was able to be able to intercede on our behalf, knowing our weaknesses. Knowing our difficulties. On top of that, on top of that, you must understand that if he never became man, He could have never been your substitute. Never? That's a great God. That's the God we serve. Next, the scope of his exaltation. The scope of his exaltation. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him a name which is above every name.

Paul says. In Philippians chapter 2, that Jesus is given a name. That name is Lord. And that name, every knee. Will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. What Paul is saying is that Jesus is God. That's what he's saying. And the name given to him, which will be fully manifest in Revelation 19, when he comes out of heaven, and that new name will be accentuated with King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Every knee will bow. You will either bow to him willingly today or unwillingly tomorrow, but every tongue will confess and every knee will bow and say, Jesus is Lord.

Without exception. That is the scope, the scope of his exaltation. Then comes, and we must hurry, the sequel of his exaltation, and that simply is this: to the glory of God. The Father. Why? Why all the exaltation? So that the Father is glorified. That's why. You say, wait a minute. Wait a minute. If Jesus is highly exalted as the God-man, B God the Father, it would seem to me like God the Father is putting up higher than Him. No, no, no. The tri -unity of God works in perfect unison. If you glorify the Father, you glorify the Son.

If you glorify the Son, you glorify the Father. How do we know that? John 5, verse number 23 says, The Father has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father who sent him. God the Father, and God the Son. Are one as God the Holy Spirit is one with God the Father and God the Son. That's why in Matthew 17 on the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father said, This is my beloved Son. Listen to him. As if you don't have to listen to God the Father? No. If you listen to Him, you're listening to me because we're one.

And the sequel of the exaltation is all about the glory of God. You see, that's why you humble yourself before God. So He will lift you up in due time. And when He lifts you up in due time, guess who gets the glory? Not you, God does. And that's the important aspect of it. And that leads us to our last point: the summation of His exaltation. The summation is verse 5. Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus. You think all this stuff about the cross is about some deep theology that we will never really practically understand?

No, no, no. The issue of the cross is so practical because it's about having this same kind of attitude. You've got to have the same kind of attitude that Jesus had. You say, Wait a minute, I can't have that attitude. Yes, you can. Yes, you can. How do I know? 2 Peter 1:4 says that I am a partaker of the divine nature of God. And the divine nature of God, as we have seen, is the bondservant. Is a slave that makes me a partaker of slaveship that means That I can humble myself before God and before man.

I can cease to look out for my own interests and look out for the interests of others. Before honor, Proverbs 15 tells us, comes humility. Before honor comes humility. That was the passion that moved him. When that passion moves us, we understand the significance of his humiliation. And the significance of his exaltation through the cross.