"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9-11).

One of the reasons I love the Christ poem that we have been looking at in Philippians 2:6-11 over the past couple of days is the way that it draws together ideas from across Scripture to demonstrate the significance of who Christ is and what he has done.

One such example is the allusion that many Bible scholars find in the verses for today to an Old Testament text, Isaiah 45:23-24, where the prophet delivers these words from God: “By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.’ All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame.” This passage in Isaiah comes from the middle part of the book, which is a dramatic announcement, while the Israelites are in exile in Babylon, that the time of exile has ended, that God has a plan to release them from foreign domination and return them to their land.

In Philippians 2, the verses we’ve read for today, the same claim is made with implications for the church–in Philippi and around the Roman empire–that the oppressive power which rules them will be subdued. God the Father has, by the obedient death of the Son, brought about the redemption of his people. He has exalted the Son to the “highest place” giving him the “name that is above every name” and all will bow before him and confess that he is Lord, “to the glory of God the Father.”

Just as God promised in Isaiah 45, despite the fact that the people were still in exile, that the time of exile had ended and God had acted redemptively on their behalf, in Christ, God has acted redemptively again on behalf of his people. In spite of the fact that the Philippian church still experienced the daily realities of suffering under a foreign empire, just as the Israelites had in Babylon, the work that was accomplished in Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection, meant that the empire of Rome was already defeated. Their fate was sealed; their power would give way to the one whose name is above every name.

But it wasn’t just Rome; every other power across time and space would give way. Every knee would bow and every tongue confess Christ’s lordship. The church, whether in Philippi or among us today, is called to live as those who believe that the Son has been exalted, that he already rules over all things, in spite of any evidence to the contrary. For those of us who do not live under oppressive powers, we can easily lose sight of the significance of this. But for our siblings in Christ around the world who suffer for their testimony that Christ rules, this changes everything. So perhaps the question for us today is this: What difference does Christ’s lordship make for you and your community here and now?

So as you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is 2 Kings 2:1-15. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

1. Elijah takes Elisha on a journey. What do these places represent for Israel?
2. Idolatry is difficult to sort out in our own hearts. It is most often about trust. Who do you trust?
3. If we trust in God, we learn to obey him. But obedience can be costly. Has it cost you?
4. In our story, God provided for Elisha to carry on Elijah’s ministry. Will you trust God to provide for you so you can serve him?
5. Where is God now?

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:7-8)

This hymn doesn’t say that Jesus humbled himself for us. It just says that he humbled himself. If his humbling was before or for anyone: it was for God the Father, the only other person mentioned. Jesus responded to the Father by giving up everything and making himself nothing.

There are a few downward steps that Jesus takes. He lets go of his divine right to use his divine status and power. This is the very opposite move to that of Adam and Eve who grasped the status and power Jesus relinquished (“You’ll be like God!” the serpent said).

Letting go of his rights to exercise the role, status, and power of God, Jesus turns in humility and makes himself nothing—a servant—a human—and eventually a crucified, humiliated, dead human.

He is born into this world a human. The face of God visible to all in the form of new, fragile, helpless human life. Jesus lives and teaches, suffering among a suffering people. Having borne their burdens and having compassion on their needs, Jesus submits himself to death on a cross. He could have called a legion of angels to spare him from this fate; he could have crushed the Romans; he could have come down from the cross. But he didn’t do that. He did not use the divine power and status that was his to use. He gave it up. He became nothing and humbled himself to death—became obedient even to this death on a cross.

This resonates with deep biblical themes. In Deuteronomy, the first and second commandment, together with the Shema, say the same thing: submit yourself firstly, lovingly, and exclusively to God. Or in the Psalms where the action of the psalmists is to submit themselves and their situation fully to God—seeking no recourse of their own. It is God who will have to vindicate their cause. God, whose justice, power, and praise will be shown and known. Jesus does the same.

What does it look like for us to follow Jesus in this way of the cross in our relationships? What might it mean to make ourselves nothing, to humble ourselves, to make ourselves servants? That is, to let go of all our ability to control a situation, all our roles and titles, all our resources and assets, all our relational capital in friends, family, and networks of acquaintances?

This is not the sort of humility that denies having abilities, skills, relationships, or power. This humility looks with a clear eye at the rights, skills, relationships, and privileges we have and resolutely chooses not to use them for our own self—perhaps even choosing to give them up altogether.

This humility chooses not to seek another term; chooses not to step in and unduly influence an important decision; chooses not to purchase the expected property or possessions that social or economic peers have; chooses not to exact retribution; chooses to forgive.

We face variations on any of these examples from childhood on. Perhaps they sound less radical than we might expect. Yes, there are times that the call is to give up everything one has. More often we are called to give these things up slowly across a lifetime in the smaller, daily decisions of life. How might you take one step in this humble direction today? But why would you? Because, like Jesus, you trust God with your life.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

[Christ] “Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:6-7).

Today, I’m going to begin by painting a picture for you. If you visited Philippi, as Paul did, in the late 40s AD, you would have seen a brand-new forum, a monumental square surrounded by various public buildings sheltering the civic life of the colony, a temple for the imperial cult, a marketplace, and more. You would also have seen a very long inscription (nearly 20 metres), made of huge bronze letters, engraved on the floor of the square to commemorate the paving of the new forum by a man who had been a priest of the deified Emperor Augustus. In the northeastern corner of the forum, an honorary monument supporting statues of the emperor Claudius and his relatives was erected. Then, a huge (5 metre long) dedication to the imperial family was carved on a wall at the centre of the city.

Why am I sharing all of these details of ancient Roman architecture with you? Because it’s important for us to understand the magnitude of what Paul is saying about who Christ is and what he has done in our verses for today. See, wherever you went in the city of Philippi, it was impossible not to be reminded, by buildings, statues, and inscriptions, who was in charge and who should be worshipped. The answer was obvious to any occupant of Philippi: it was the Roman emperor, known by a Latin title translating to “son of God.” Emperor Augustus had used this title to solidify his power and position within the Roman state. His near-equality with the gods had certainly been used to his own advantage.

But then, here comes Paul with quite a different story about who the Son of God is and what he does: “Christ, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

Pastor Michael talked yesterday about what it means to have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. In the context of the Roman city of Philippi, it was to have the complete opposite mindset of most everyone you encountered around you. You would have walked past towering structures which would have been a daily temptation to interpret the Christ poem we read for today as utter foolishness. What kind of Son of God would choose to become like a servant–or perhaps, to translate the Greek even more accurately, a slave?

This is the kind of God we serve. One who is fully divine and who chose to be made in human likeness. It was not a decision to stop being divine, however, it was a decision to reveal to us what it really meant to be divine. And while we don’t have towers of emperors around Hamilton city hall today, this message of radical self-emptying is not much less controversial in our context. We still often carry with us, and have modeled for us by world leaders, definitions of divinity, of power, of authority and influence, that are much nearer the definitions Paul is critiquing than those he is demonstrating as being Christ’s own.

So the invitation for us today is to interrogate our own surroundings, as we’ve done Philippi, and the messages they have for us about what and who is worthy of worship and power. Then, we will be able to hold them up against the example Paul gives, of one who is, in very nature, God, and yet made himself nothing for us.

So as you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus… (Philippians 2:5)

Yesterday, Kyra said, “The kind of like-mindedness that Paul advocates for is the kind that comes, not from uniformity, but from the willingness to give priority to the needs of others and sacrifice one's own.” And as she said, ‘that’s awfully hard to do.” But how do we do it? Paul answers that question in our text, “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus”.

Jesus lays down for us the two greatest commandments: Love the Lord Your God with all you’ve got and love your neighbour as yourself. Jesus defines the love he’s talking about through his own action: dying for us on the cross. As he offers his life, he gives all his heart, soul, mind, and strength in an act of love for the Father and for us.

This is the crux of the Christian faith. Jesus crucified is the entire story. It tells us what Jesus has done for us. It tells us what to preach. It also tells us and shows us how to live. Keep Jesus and his cross at the centre—as that thing that defines all else—and everything else will find its way. In fact, if we do this: others will see the life of Christ in us as we live it, bringing glory and praise to God!

Paul also puts Jesus and his cross at the centre of the life of the church. He invites us to have this very same mindset as Jesus in our relationships with one another. That is, to have the mindset of Christ and him crucified. As Paul will go on to tell, and as we will cover in the days to come, to have the mindset of Christ means having an attitude and practice of humble, loving submission before God that allows us to give everything else up to be a loving servant to others.

This command is at the very heart of the gospel. It resonates with Jesus’ own commands to love one another and to take up our cross and follow him. By these things, the world will know we are his disciples.

It’s not easy though. There are times when I’m right and the other person is wrong; times when I want what someone else has; times when I’m paralyzed by what someone else thinks of me; times when I’ve been hurt by someone or when I want to hurt someone for what they have said or done. These are the sort of small, sometimes even petty things, that undercut loving relationships in the church and that can breed mistrust, fear, discord, malice, slander, and the sort of fights that lead to division. It is in these very situations that we are to have the mindset of Jesus Christ.

What are we to do when we come to these moments finding our motivations are less than wholesome or holy? Take on the mindset of Jesus and his cross. We are called to humbly die to ourselves. It often looks like a prayer. “Dear God, forgive me for my anger towards so-and-so. Help me to love them instead, even though I don’t want to.” Asking forgiveness is a humbling action. It’s a dying to ourselves. But in that action, we take on the mindset of Christ that frees us to live and to love.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:1-4).

Yesterday, Pastor Michael talked about living as those who have died and risen with Christ, those whose witness to Christ is without fear. In today’s verses, we have a practical example of what such fearless living looks like: unity, like-mindedness, humility, and self-sacrifice.

In the context of Philippi, these virtues required a sort of fearlessness. Philippi was a highly stratified and diverse city, as were many that Paul visited in his ministry. The ruling class was Latin in language, culturally Italian, and politically Roman. However, on the margins, including the outskirts of the city and in the lower classes, many were Macedonian or Thracian (which are culturally and linguistically Greek) or immigrants coming from places like Egypt, Asia Minor, and Judea. There were as many as 35 different local deities worshipped in the city, alongside the Roman emperor worship. In a context of such diversity, to seek unity, like-mindedness, humility, and self-sacrifice required the courage that we discussed yesterday. It involved dying to self.

Such division and diversity, although in a different cultural context, likely feels familiar to many of us as well. We too live in a context where divisions along political, ideological, and ethical lines are common. In such a context, unflinching conviction is often perceived as the most effective way to advance any cause.

However, Paul seems to suggest something more nuanced in this passage. Initially, it does seem that Paul expects the whole community to think the same way. He begins by saying that the Philippian church will make his joy complete by being like-minded, and one in spirit and mind. However, he quickly follows this with commands about humility, valuing others above oneself, and looking to the interests of others. If these are his next commands, then perhaps like-mindedness is a bit more complicated than his first statement would suggest. The need for humility and sacrifice for the sake of others’ interests implies that this community is not, in fact, like-minded in the sense that they all agree. The kind of like-mindedness that Paul advocates for is the kind that comes, not from uniformity, but from the willingness to give priority to the needs of others and sacrifice one's own.

This, I think, is rather good news for the western church in a context of deep division. We actually are not all expected to think the exact same way on every subject. What is expected of us is finding a way to live together, with humility, in spite of that.

This seems awfully easy to say and awfully hard to do, you might say. And you’d be right. But we have to remember that Paul isn’t viewing diversity of thought through rose-coloured glasses. He doesn’t think it’s going to be easy. He is working with a church in a deeply divided context. It’s simply that for him, the fact that the church has, as he begins, been united with Christ, comforted by his love, and given a common sharing in the Spirit, was actually meant to make enough of a difference that other differences could be viewed only in that context. And that, complex though it is, is something for us to strive for too.

So as you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have (Philippians 1:27-30).

As we heard on Friday, Paul expects “to remain and continue” ministering with the church. Now he says something quite different. Now it’s qualified: “whatever happens.”

This is deeper than his travel plans. He does not want the faith of the Philippians to be dependent upon him, but upon Christ. He wants society and even their persecutors to see Christ in the way they suffer and in the way that they contend for the faith of the gospel—as athletes working together side-by-side on one team. When neighbours look at Christians, our witness should not be to Paul (or our own leaders), but to Christ.

This will be the witness, the sign to these others that they might be destroyed. Now, the church is to not preach this destruction, nor enact it by being cruel or retaliatory toward persecutors. Rather, by enduring our suffering in the same humble way of Christ, we bear to witness that we have something in God through Christ. We have something greater than any threat of suffering or death can extinguish.

Some baptismal traditions have a beautiful way of symbolizing this. There's a stone baptistry in Philippi where those being baptized walk down steps into the waters of a running river. They take off their old clothes as they descend into the water—a sign of dying to themselves and their old way of life in the death of Christ. Then, having been baptized, they walk up the other side out of the water. On their ascent, they are given a new white robe signifying the new life of Christ to which they had just been united.

Why the Christians could stand and face martyrdom willingly, even with joy, remained a mystery to Caesar and his subjects. But the thing is, you just can't scare dead people. These Christians were already dead in the death of Christ. They had nothing to fear. All that was on display within them was the life of Christ: joy, peace, patience, and persevering love—all the fruit of the Spirit.

We too are baptized saints: baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To those around us—whether we are suffering or living in relative peace and joy—do they see this clear witness to Christ within us? Do they see that we are a people who live without fear? Do they see that we contend together as one for the faith of the gospel? Do they see that we live in the fruit of the Spirit and the life of Christ no matter what we face? This is Paul's prayer and invitation to us.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is 1 Kings 19:1-18

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca