2:1-11 Be Captivated by Jesus: These Verses are a Song

• This passage contains the most amazing song about who Jesus is and what he has done.
• Read it and be captivated by his love, and let his mind and heart be in you!

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• Series on Philippians

Recap from last two times

• The most remarkable thing about Philippians is how Paul opens up his heart and his emotions

• Paul tells us that his affection towards them is actually Jesus’
• He is reflecting the heart of Jesus – a mirror of Christ
• We can read these as the words of Jesus to us.
• Then last time we saw a very intimate side of Paul.
  • In order to help the Philippians deal with their own anxiety, Paul opened up about a couple of areas in his life where there was huge potential for anxiety
  • And he took them through his own thought processes
  • Which was to get his overall goal straight
  • And then remind himself that whatever turned out, whether this or whether that, it would all be good.
  • e.g. whether he died or whether he lived

Intro

• Now we come to today’s passage, which is 2:1–11

• In none of Paul’s letters do we really know exactly the problems in the churches to whom he was writing.
  • We have to try to work backwards from his letters.
• The best we can work out here is that there were some inter-personal issues going on.
  • e.g. near the end there’s a reference to a couple of of women who are not in unity
• How Paul approaches this is interesting:
  • Not by focusing on bad behaviour (if he did we’d know more about the problem)
  • But by focusing on Jesus, to fill our vision with our true goal
• Here he does this with a song about Jesus
  • All the commentaries on the original Greek agree that the way the Greek is written, it is a song.
  • We have no idea if Paul wrote it—he may well have heard it on his journeys
  • We also have no idea of the way it was sung
• But one thing we do know, from extremely reliable historical evidence is that such songs were sung:

• Would you like to know what they were singing?
  • Look no further…

Philippians 2:6–18

• I’m going to take the song first
  • then go back to the verses at the beginning
    • Then ask how it applies to us.
• I want us to read this with a sense of wonder and awe

6. form/reality (morphe —shape (but Greek: “true shape, reality”)
   (he is using this word because he will contrast it with the next verse
   • grasped (his rights like a child “mine”)
   • Note the shape—beautiful, in the Greek every word counts
     • maybe it was sung going down and up
7. poured out (kenosis error “emptied himself of being God”)
   • poured out his rights
   • a new form (and reality)
8. He is doing this actively. Later the Father lifts him up
   • humbles himself —an active choice
      
   • even death on a cross
     • At this point I’m filled with wonder and awe
     • The cross was considered such a displicable death that a Roman citizen could never suffer it
     • It was the ultimate shame, both for Jew and Gentile
     • There could not be a lower place
     • It had to be done outside of the city, because it was a curse!
       • Jesus bore that curse for us.
     • And he did this for us, because that’s how low we are, and he came down to get us
   • I was so impacted by this—My Jesus did this for me! He doesn’t have to!
     • Do you recognize how much you need him this morning?
9. The descending scale is now building up again
   • “hyper” (literally a new word Paul had made)
   • “the name” ? not told it yet
     (ancient times: Name is the true essence of who you are)
10. Translated “belonging to” because not told it yet
    • Every knee bow? Even Satan & his angels, and who have not trusted in Jesus
      • They are bowing because of his power, not out of love
    • “under the earth”
      • Greek metaphor—Supernatural beings, humans, the dead
      • Even then, in history, the Greeks had worked out that the earth was not flat
      • But they still used this picture language for the dead
      • Every being that has ever existed!
11. Finally we have the name: Lord
    • Same as the Hebrew Yahweh—Kurios: The highest possible name
    • He’s clearly God, along with God the Father but distinct (and the Spirit)

• Let’s take a moment to take this in
• This song is the Gospel!
  If you bow the knee to him—you are the Lord of my life
  Accept his gift of forgiveness on the cross
• Here is a song based on these verses:

• Now let’s go to how Paul applies it to them

Philippians 2:1–5

See verses 1–5 in the text above

1. if expression ==since
   • Four things we receive from God—all very much to do with our deep feelings and emotions
   • Encouragement (coming alongside and speaking words to build us up)
     • We are not alone, but he is walking with us
   • Comfort—his incredible burning love for us, that he would do what he did! wow!
     • Does that affect you? it does me!
   • Fellowship created by the Spirit koinonia —experience of oneness from each other, but through the Spirit
   • Deep affection (literally gut, belly, intestines) —emotions are felt physically
2. Complete my joy
   • we are in this together. We.
   • “mind and heart” phronos —not just thinking but feeling—everything inside us
   • one-souled (put together two words)
3. Setting up for the song
   • We are not to ignore our own interests
   • but about importance of others
   • what a challenge!
5. mind and heart links this together
   • This is such a powerful motivation!
   • Especially with the words of love that are reflected through Paul:
   • 1:8. For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

• Is this even possible?
  • We will come to 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
  • Yes, because it actually can be!

New Life

• Growing in dead concrete
  • The life of God in us
  • This is how we can do it—be Jesus himself is living in us through the Spirit

5. May this mind & heart be in you that was in Christ Jesus – is literally true!
   • not “try hard to live like this”
   • I can do this Jesus, by your life in me!

• We adore you Lord—we worship you!