Philippians 2:8 - What Jesus Did For Us - Part II

I. Our Lord Was Found In Appearance As A Man

- in the verse we studied last week, we just mentioned the last
phrase in the verse which says, "He was made in the likeness of
men."
- we didn't spend much time on that phrase because:
1) we had a lot of other important things to study from the verse
2) we knew the phrase was repeated in verse 8

- this is obviously a very important idea since Paul, in essence,
says it twice---so we would be sure to carefully consider what it
was like for our Savior to BE FOUND in appearance as a man.

- the thrust of this first part of the verse has to do with how the
crowds responded to the fact that Jesus Christ came as a man.

A. In some ways, the crowd was right.

- William Hendricksen, in writing on this verse, points out that:
"In their estimation, He was a human being, just like them in
ever so many respects."

- in some senses, they were right---the Lord Jesus Christ was
fully man.

1) He was born - they were born.

2) He had parents - they had parents.

3) He grew up - they grew up.

4) He had brothers and sisters, they had brothers and sisters.

5) He learned a trade - they learned a trade.

6) He experienced hunger, thirst, need to sleep - so did they.

7) He rejoiced - they rejoiced.

8) He wept - they wept.

9) He was going to die - they were going to die.

- so when the verse talks about Jesus "Being found in appearance as a
man," in some ways they were right to conclude that he was a man.

- the problem was, of course, that they were unwilling to believe, even
in the face of undeniable evidence, that he was in fact the God-Man.

B. In some ways, the crowds were terribly wrong.

1. They didn't recognize Him as a sinless man.

- though Jesus Christ never sinned (Heb. 4:15), He was often
accused of sin.
- Matt. 12:24 - people said that Jesus was acting in the
power of Satan!

- that’s part of what it meant for Jesus to be "Found in
fashion as a man."
- other people assumed that because they sinned (as
men), that he must sin too.

2. They didn't recognize His deity.

- In John 1, one of the clearest statements of the deity of
Christ, John solemnly reports:
"He came unto His own, and His own received Him not"

(thank the Lord for 1:12!)

- Just like we studied last week from Isa. 53:3 - "He is
despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief, and we hid as it were our faces
from Him, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not."

- now this part of the verse brings us to a very important point in this
study -- Paul is asking us to think about what it was like for Jesus
Christ --- to be willing to relinquish His rights and privileges of
heaven....to come to earth....

- AND THEN TO BE WRONGLY ACCUSED AND TO A LARGE DEGREE,
UNRECOGNIZED AND UNAPPRECIATED.

- that’s a whole different step in the development of Paul's discussion.

- its one thing to sacrifice -- its something entirely different (and
entirely worse) to sacrifice---and then turn around and be
wrongly accused.
- to sacrifice, and go unrecognized
- to sacrifice, and be unappreciated

- I'd like to ask you to think how you respond when you're in those
shoes, even in relatively minor ways.

- INPUT - Ways we might find ourselves in that spot?

- INPUT - Wrong ways we might respond to being in that spot?

- a good question to ask ourselves this morning is -- "If the first part
of verse 8 was true of us right now, how might the second part of the
verse read?"

- thank the Lord that the second part of the verse tells us that:

II. Our Lord Humbled Himself

- J.H. Jowett said, "ministry that costs nothing, accomplishes
nothing."

- a good parallel passage to this is I Peter 2:23 - TURN AND READ

- This is an amazing (and convicting) truth about our Savior.
- when he was found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself.

- please note also the use of the word "Himself."

- we saw that last week in verse 7.

- the same emphatic word is used again in verse 8.
- this is something Jesus chose to do Himself.
- it wasn't a last ditch effort because He was backed in a corner
by the Pharisees.
- it wasn't done with hesitancy or complaint or resistance or
coercion.

- Jesus Christ voluntarily humbled Himself.

- INPUT - What question could we be asking ourselves about now? (What
examples could we give about how we humbled ourselves?)

(could develop - Do we have the attitude - "This isn't about ME,
it's about God's plan"?)

(by the way, there are some significant implications of this to the self-
love, self-esteem theory. Pastor Goode will be speaking on that as
part of our "Contemporary Topics" series on Sept. 17 and 24.)

III. Our Lord Became Obedient Unto Death, Even Death by Crucifixion

- its important to note that as Paul moves us through this
discussion, an important point on the journey is the matter of
obedience.

1) Jesus did not grasp onto His rights/privileges of deity
2) Jesus emptied Himself
3) Jesus took the form of a servant
4) Jesus humbled Himself
5) Jesus was obedient.

- INPUT - What kinds of things does our world say about obedience? How
is this topic often viewed in our society?

- Warren Wiersbe tells off a missionary at a festival in Brazil going
from booth to booth when he saw a sign that said, "Cheap Crosses."

- How many Americans are looking for just that -- a cheap cross.
- a cross that doesn't cost much.

- Jesus Christ was willing to pay the price of obedience.

A. Our Lord placed a high premium on obedience

- Living for God has everything to do with the matter of who is
going to be "Lord."

- like the hymn - "King of my life, I crown thee now, thine
shall the glory be; lest I forget thy thorn crowned brow, lead
me to Calvary."

- Rom. 10:9-10

- Phil. 2:11

Point: Living for God has everything to do with the matter of
who is going to be "Lord."

INPUT - ways a Christian shows that Jesus Christ is their Lord?
(ways they don't?)

- Our Lord placed a high premium on obedience ...

B. Even if it required death

- for many of us, our concept of death is rather shallow
- we think of death as just "going to sleep and
not waking up" -- or the Hollywood version of death

- or maybe the type of situation where death is rather sudden
and somewhat painless (in the sense of being a painful process
-- it's over rather quickly)

- our Lord went through the most cruel death of all
1. Painful death

cf. Isa. 53:1-5

- it has been well said that the person who was crucified
"died a thousand deaths."

- it was painful on two accounts:

a) physical pain

- the crucifixion was a common mode of punishment among
heathen nations in early times.

- The modes of capital punishment according to the
Mosaic law were, by the sword (Ex 21:1) strangling,
fire (Le 20:1) and stoning (De 21:1)

- crucifixion was regarded as the most horrible form of
death, and to a Jew it would acquire greater horror
from the curse in (De 21:23 "cursed is everyone that
hangs on a tree)

- while this punishment began with scourging--in the
case of our Lord, his scourging was before the
sentence was passed upon him, and was ordered by
Pilate probably to getting pity and putting a stop to
any further punishment (Lu 23:22 John 19:1)

(briefly describe the scourging process -- aggressive
Roman soldiers, proficient at it, the whip etc)

Point: Most men died of this -- but to Jesus, His
suffering has only just begun

- then, Christ had to carry his own cross to the
place of execution outside the city where everyone was
able to watch

- Before nailing the person to the cross, a medicated
cup of vinegar mixed with gall and myrrh was given,
to deaden the pain of the sufferer.

** Our Lord refused this cup, that his senses might
be clear (Mt 27:34)

- The sponge full of vinegar, sour wine, was the common
drink of the Roman soldiers, he tasted to quench the
agonies of his thirst (John 19:29)

- The "breaking of the legs" of the malefactors was
intended to hasten death, and put them out of misery
- but Jesus had said, "No man takes my life from me, I
freely lay it down."

Point: His death was voluntary -- by choice!
- but that's not the worst of it..

b) spiritual pain

- he literally suffered our hell and bore the penalty of
our sin on Himself

cf. 2 Cor. "For he (God the Father) has made him (Jesus)
to be sin for us ..."

- can you imagine the spiritual pressure by Satan
- that's what the writer of Hebrews meant when he said
that "he was tempted in all points like as we are, yet
without sin"

** Jesus was tempted to the fullest extent, to the
greatest amount of pressure a person could endure,
and did not give in

(we never even get to that point because we usually
cave in to the temptation with the act or thought)

Point: Jesus wasn't just willing to die (like a martyr who
had no choice) -- He chose to die this way

"even the death of the cross" (ultimate humility and
supreme act of obedience)

2. Shameful death

- by carrying His own cross, and being expelled from the
city, He was dying the death of a slave

- and indeed, He was the "servant of all"

- Cicero "Let the very name of the cross be far removed not
only from the body of a Roman criticized, but even from his
thoughts, his eyes, his ears"

- being a Roman, Paul, even if he received the death
sentence, would in all likelihood would not have to die
such a shameful death

- most likely, you and I won't have to either

3. Accursed

"He that is hanged on a tree is accursed of God" Deut. 21:23

- if that was true of a dead body, how much more with
reference to a living person -- especially one who done no
wrong, nor deceit found in his mouth

cf. Gal. 3:13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of
the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written,
Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree."
- Herdrickson said about this, "While he was hangin on that
cross...

a) from BELOW Satan and all his host assailed Him
b) from ROUND ABOUT men heaped scorn upon Him
c) from ABOVE God dropped upon him the blanket of
darkness (symbol of the curse)
d) and from WITHIN there arose the bitter cry, "My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

Input: What impact should this have on us when we face
situations where we may have to endure a degree of
"rejection" or "embarrassment"?

- we ought to be embarrassed that we are even
embarrassed

- hanging almost naked on the cross, beaten, suffering,
enduring tremendous agony of the spiritual pressure
and rejection by His nation, disciple, and heavenly
Father, He remained obedient (doing His Father's will)

Q: Is there a "limit" in your mind to what you will
endure for the sake of obedience to Jesus Christ?

Conclusion:

- Our attitude ought to be:

1) Surely, if Christ humbled himself to this extent, I should be
willing to humble myself in my own small way.

2) surely if He became obedient to the extent of death -- even the
death of the cross -- I should be growing in obedience to His will

3) and I should strive more and more to achieve in our church the
spirit my Master -- a spirit of oneness, lowliness, obedience, and
servanthood

- because that is what is pleasing to God