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- Turn with me if you will to Philippians chapter 2 it is always a
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- Blessing to gather around the Lord's table, and we'll take a few minutes here to reflect on one aspect of the table
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- This afternoon before we partake of it Philippians chapter 2 Before we get into the kenosis passage how many of you know what kenosis is?
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- All right Theologically trained Church, we'll look at this a little more closely, but The thought that came to my mind this this particular
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- Sunday You know the July 4th weekend and all was the freedom that Christ has brought on our behalf
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- When you think of Independence Day and freedom What historical event do you remember the colonies being freed from the
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- British? And if you think of Bible you look at the Old Testament What freedom do you think the nation of Israel was looking for?
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- freedom from captivity and in fact just before Jesus was born the people of Israel were looking and yearning for a freedom for the national freedom of Israel they were under the
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- Romans hard Master to be under and they were looking for their
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- Messiah to redeem them from Romans In fact the Messiah did come and he did bring a redemption.
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- That was far greater than anything they had imagined in fact the redemption that Christ had brought was greater even than what
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- Moses had accomplished in Israel's history in bringing them out of Israel and The Bible does say that one day there will be a freedom in the land of a kind That the people were expecting
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- But today we are going to look at what freedom Christ brought all of God's people to Israel and to the
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- Gentiles In fact today we are going to see an aspect of Jesus Christ as we get to the table
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- Which is almost paradoxical to the world. We are going to see Christ Submission to the
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- Father. We're going to see Christ obedience to God that brings this freedom to you and me today
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- When you look at Philippians chapter 2 Let me read verses 5 through 8 and that's our primary text as we look at the work of Christ on the cross this afternoon
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- Paul is here saying to the Philippians have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus Who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped
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- But made himself nothing Taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and Being found in human form.
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- He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross
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- When you see the verse 6 though, he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped
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- Jesus Christ is God he has as God he has the freedom to do exactly what he wants and Here you're gonna see
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- Jesus Christ obedient Jesus Christ Humbling to follow the will of the father.
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- He is now going to obey God's will when we think of freedom We always think of you know under strain doing whatever we want to do and we have
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- Jesus whom we are asked to imitate Obeying God the Father Now in in fact,
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- I want to use this what pastor Mike preached this morning we read the transfiguration
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- What was the transfiguration about? It was the glory of God that was in the incarnate
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- Christ that was made visible to the people Peter James and John, but when you look at this passage, he made himself nothing in verse 9
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- He took the form of a servant and he was born in the likeness of men and that is basically the kenosis passage where you say
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- God Almighty eternal infinite becoming man And that was his humiliation.
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- In fact becoming the form of a servant in fact emptying himself by taking the form of Humble man as a servant when we think of God's glory we read in John 1 14.
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- The glory was evident even in his humanity but for a moment we have the the accretions almost taken away as we see the deity of Christ just come through and this is how he is going to be when he comes back the second time
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- But the focus I want to bring back again is to Jesus obedience God Infinite becoming as a human being and the
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- Bible calls that making himself. Nothing taking the form of a servant and Coming in the likeness of men.
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- There are two events in church That we celebrate one is the Christmas and the other is the
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- Easter Christmas Jesus becoming man and very often we forget what it means for God to become man
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- He didn't have to but he obeyed he submitted and he became like us
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- Now you may be thinking All right, Jesus He who was God became man on our behalf and in his relationship with the father
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- We see a beautiful obedience and that was going to bring something for us now
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- Let's look at the horizontal aspect of Christ becoming man I'm gonna go to you don't have to turn here.
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- This is in Hebrews 2 14 this explains The purpose of God in man in Christ becoming man and what that accomplished for us in In Philippians 2 6 we saw that Jesus becomes man in obedience to the father and in Hebrews 2 14
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- It explains what it accomplished for us and why this was done It says in Hebrews 2 14
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- Therefore the children share in flesh and blood He himself likewise partook of the same things he too became flesh and blood that through death he may destroy the one who has the power of death that is the devil and Deliver all who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery
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- Here was Jesus Christ. He was made as a human being on our Behalf like the children you and I children of God flesh and blood he shared what we had
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- He partook of the same things that through death the death that Christ Obeyed to go through as the will of the father.
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- He died in order to destroy the power of Power of death the one who had the power of death, which is the devil and he delivered all of us if you think about The body that Christ took this body was similar
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- Assess he became like one of us in order to destroy the power of death Now if you think about this body for a minute, you would think
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- God could have done different things. Why did he give us a body? Why did Jesus take a body in order to redeem us from sin in Hebrews 10 4?
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- It says it is impossible for the blood of goats and bulls to take away sin What is it referring to it is talking to the
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- Old Testament sacrifice for sin God had provided a means to cover the sin and the penalty of our sin and In Hebrews, it says, you know, everything that was done in the
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- Old Testament was pointing to a perfect sacrifice that was to come and Jesus here is that sacrifice and he takes that body upon himself to Pay for our sins.
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- In fact Hebrews 10 5 continues to say when Christ came into the world. He said Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired
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- But a body have you prepared for me in burnt offerings and sin offerings?
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- You have no pleasure here We have Christ Jesus The paschal lamb the perfect lamb being born as a human being on our behalf
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- That he may accomplish everything that the sacrifices in the Old Testament Pointed to and dying that one perfect sufficient death so that we would have our sins
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- Forgiven and in fact in the Hebrews 2 passage we saw It wasn't just our sins forgiven
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- What is the penalty of sin? death and Because of our sin the wages of our sin we are going to meet death one day and Christ by dying on that cross
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- Took that punishment of our sin. He faced the wrath of God on our behalf and he frees us provides us that Freedom that all people were looking for but this is in the ultimate sense
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- This is a freedom from slavery to sin and freedom from the fear of death
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- Which we would have to face outside of Christ as we look at the body of Christ what
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- Christ took on himself and the blood of Christ Many of you know as part of the sacrifice we had blood that had to be spilled
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- By spilling of blood you see life Innocent life paid on behalf of the guilty one
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- Hebrews 9 22 says under the law almost everything is purified with blood and without the shedding of blood
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- There is no forgiveness of sins And this was the law that had been made in God's plan that life there must be death to cover for sin and Christ by dying and spilling his blood on our behalf has provided us that atonement
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- But if this atonement this freedom is a far superior to anything that the Israelites had experienced in fact in Hebrews 9 924 just continuing it says
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- Christ has entered Not into holy places made with hands like the tabernacle or the temple which are copies of the true things but into heaven itself
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- Now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf So you see
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- Jesus Christ takes the body He becomes nothing. He becomes a servant
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- He comes in the likeness of men and he is that perfect sacrifice and he gives us his life
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- In order that we may enter the presence of God So today when we gather around the table
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- We are called to celebrate This great occasion what
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- Christ has occasion for us. You have a great freedom in Christ that we can celebrate
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- What kind of independence do we have we have independence from the power of sin and from the fear of death
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- Before you believed in Christ Part sin had a stranglehold on you whether you liked it or not
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- You were bound under it. But when Christ the perfect sacrifice died on our behalf and he gave us his
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- Righteousness, we are no longer slaves to sin. We are free from the power of sin able to please
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- God in all of our life And no longer do we have death as a as a terror to watch and wait for but we look forward to the day
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- When we will enter into God's own presence in heaven But if the story doesn't end there it is not just a story of independence from sin and death
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- But it is a glorious story of dependence on God himself God redeems us from being slaves to sin and he makes us slaves of righteousness you've heard the story of how the slaves in the ancient times if they wanted to be a slave for right for life, they would just go to the
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- Doorpost and have an all pierce through the doorpost saying, you know this master
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- I love him so much that not just for seven years, but all my life I want to serve him and that is what we are when
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- Christ shows us Christ makes us his children We have now a desire to obey him and not just a desire
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- But we have an ability to love God and to live the life that pleases God So we are no longer slaves to sin, but we are slaves to righteousness and All this was accomplished by Christ's perfect obedience and his submission
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- To God the Father it is a mystery. That is beautiful. It is a
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- Sacrifice that we did not deserve and it is something that with a grateful heart.
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- We should always celebrate Christ God Who was in the form of God? Became nothing taking the form of a servant born in the likeness of men humbled himself
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- Became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross So as we gather around the table, you want to think about the communion?
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- That we have with God the Father that Christ has accomplished through his death you want to think of the communion that we have with one another as children of God and The one unity that we celebrate in what
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- Christ has accomplished on our behalf Let us pray. We thank you
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- God for what you have for ordained and Accomplished in the life of your son
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- Jesus Christ We did not deserve it and yet you in your love for us
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- Have provided this magnificent way into your own presence We are here.
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- Oh father to celebrate that joyous communion that we have with you and with one another
