The Humbled and Exalted Christ: Part 2

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Jesus Gives Living Water: Part 3

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Well, the central message from the Bible actually is, from the
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Word of God, is summed up in one who is the only
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Savior and only Lord, Jesus Christ, the person of Christ, His personhood,
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His work. There's a wonderful poem I wrote down for you that was written and printed in the very first Bible printed in Scotland back in the year 1576.
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That's before the King James translation, isn't it? 1576. It goes like this.
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Here is the spring where waters flow to quench our heat of sin.
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Here is the tree where truth doeth grow to lead our lives therein. Here is the judge that stints the strife when men's devices fail.
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Here is the bread that feeds the life that death cannot assail.
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The tidings of salvation, dear, comes to our ears from hence. The fortress of our faith is here and shield of our defense.
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Then be not like the swine that hath a pearl at his desire and takes more pleasure from the trough and wallowing in the mire.
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But with a single eye, read not, but first desire God's grace to understand thereby.
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Pray still in faith with this respect to bear good fruit therein, that knowledge may bring this effect to mortify your sin.
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Then happy you shall be in all your life what so to you befalls.
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Yes, double happy you shall be when God by death you cause. Praise God.
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It's an animus, I don't know who wrote that, but it sure looks like they knew the gospel, didn't they?
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Now to, that poem no doubt expresses absolute confidence in the person of God, doesn't it?
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A confidence that is only in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ in Him alone.
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His one and only Son. Now for the past several Lord's Days we have been looking into the
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Word of God. And we've been going through a series from the Epistle of Philippians chapter 2.
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We've been there before. So please turn with me in your Bible to Philippians chapter 2.
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The Epistle of Joy as it's called, as Paul wrote this in a dungeon cell. It's a beautiful and glorious portrait of Jesus Christ in which we have been looking at.
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And in this letter we've written by the Apostle Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
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One of the great portraits of Jesus Christ in Scripture is given here. Now first of all
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I want to read the text of Scripture to you. And again, this is the
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Word of the living God, the inspired Word of God. Written down by the hand of the Apostle Paul.
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But every word that is from God so that it is the truth. And only the truth that God has desired to be communicated to each and every one of us.
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In this wonderful second chapter we read the name Christ Jesus at the end of verse 5.
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Beginning with verse 5 in chapter 2. Wonderful text, isn't it?
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I'll read verse 5. Now let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. And then he says in verse 6.
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Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and the coming in the likeness of men.
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And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
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Therefore God also has highly exalted him, and given him the name which is above every name.
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And that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and those under the earth.
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And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
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Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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What a glorious text this is. From the word of the living
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God. And that is one of the great portraits of Jesus Christ in Scripture.
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Please bow with me. Briefly just for a moment of prayer as we continue to worship our
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Lord and as we look into His word. Our Father and our great
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God. Lord we thank you for your holy word. We thank you for this
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Bible. It's been through fire, it's been through water, it's been baptized in blood.
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Now Lord we would ask you to take this awesome word that we've read from the written pages of the
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Bible by your blessed Holy Spirit. Burn it within our hearts Lord.
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For your word is living, it's active, it's sharper than any two edged sword. It's alive and it reads our hearts.
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It causes a verdict Lord for us to examine ourselves. It changes our lives, it transforms us from the inside out.
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Lord we're not here just for information and more knowledge. Lord we desire transformation.
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Lord we thank you for your word that it also gives eternal life through Jesus Christ. Lord we'd ask you that your word would sanctify us holy.
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That may not a single one of us leave here today the same way we came. Lord I would ask, give us more of yourself.
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We need you every hour. We need you every hour. We need you desperately in the day in which we live
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Lord. For you Jesus Christ is the only hope that we have.
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It's the only hope that this world has. Father we just bless this time together.
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In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Now my introduction to today's message.
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I would like to give you a vivid picture. It comes from a book called
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Miracles. Miracles. It was written by the late C .S. Lewis.
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And in this particular chapter in the Bible entitled The Grand Miracle. It's a chapter on the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
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And in this wonderful chapter he draws some very very rich analogies. For us by which we can view.
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In the minds eye. By faith. The glorious incarnation of Jesus Christ.
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You probably would not get a clearer more vivid picture. Outside of the word of God.
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Than what C .S. Lewis has written here. About what Jesus actually came to do.
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And what he did. Let me read to you. In an extended portion.
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And I promise you it will be worth your while to hear this. Of what he says. Because it's so rich in what
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Jesus Christ has did. In coming to this earth. In the incarnation. Lewis says this quote.
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In the Christian story God descends to reascent. He comes down.
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Down. From the heights of absolute being. Into time and space. Down into humanity.
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Down further still. Down. Down to the very roots. And sea bud of the nature that he created.
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But goes down to come up again. And bring the ruined world up with him.
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One has the picture of a strong man. Stooping lower and lower.
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To get himself underneath some great complicated burden. He must stoop in order to lift.
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He must also disappear under the load. Before he incredibly straightens his back.
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And marches off with the whole mass swaying on his shoulders. Or one may think of a diver.
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First. Reducing himself to nakedness. Then glazing into the mid air.
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And then going down with a splash. And vanish rushing down through the green and warm water.
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Into black and cold water. Down. Through the increasing pressure.
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Into the death like region of ooze and slime and old decay.
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Then up again. Up again. Back to the cold and light.
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And his lungs almost bursting. Till suddenly he breaks surface again. Holding in his hand the dripping precious thing that he came.
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That he went down to recover. He and it are both colored now. That they have come up into the light.
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Down below where it lay colorless in the dark. He lost the color too. In this descent and reassent everyone will recognize a familiar pattern.
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A thing written all over the world. It is the pattern of all vegetable life he says.
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It must belittle itself into something hard, small, death like. It must fall into the ground.
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Then the new life reassents. It is the pattern of all animal life generation two.
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There is a pattern of descent. From the full and perfect organisms into the spermatozoon and the ovum.
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And into the dark womb. A life at first of inferior kind of species which is being reproduced.
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And then slow ascent into the perfect embryo. To the living conscience baby.
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And finally to the adult. So it is in our mortal and emotional life. The first innocent and spontaneous desires have to submit to total denial.
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But from that there is also a reassent to fully form character. In which the strength of the original material all operates but a new way.
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Now listen to what he says here. Death and rebirth go down. Death and rebirth go down.
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To go up. It is a key principle. It is a key principle. And through this bottleneck there is belittlement.
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And the high road nearby always lies. Now that is a lengthy quote but notice what he is speaking about here.
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It is that pattern. And the pattern is given in Philippians 2.
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In order to be exalted one must be brought low. That is the lesson.
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And this is exactly what Jesus Christ did. It is profound. This is a profound analogy.
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And within words of C .S. Lewis and how he approaches the incarnation. Which is the central miracle of Christianity.
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It is the most wonderful of all things that God has ever did I believe. And this great miracle is no doubt the grand thing.
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Of the verses of Scripture which is before us in our text this morning. So this text is about descent.
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It is about the descent that God made in the person of Jesus Christ.
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The second person of the Trinity. The second member of the
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Triune God. Now it is all about the descent of God the
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Son Jesus Christ. And it is a mission. He came to rescue.
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He is like a great diver isn't he?
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He goes after his possession. And he gets each and every one of all that would come to him.
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He loses none the Bible says. As Lewis so wonderfully described quote again.
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He says no seed ever fell so far from a tree. Into so dark a cold a soil as the
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Son of God did. And how true that is. Now I like for us to see this from Philippians chapter 2.
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It is a very straight forward word. And the Apostle Paul by the Spirit of God speaks to us.
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About this descent that the Son of God made. Look at verse 5 with me.
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Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus. Who although he existed in the form of God.
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We looked at that last week. It is such a profound statement. He Jesus Christ existed in the form of God.
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The first and great question is. Who is Jesus Christ? We must bring this to every single person.
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Who is Jesus Christ? Peter said thou art the Christ. The Son of the
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Living God. What a revelation. That is the confession of the church. And we hold to that confession.
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Now to say that he existed is to touch his essential nature. We looked at that. And I like to back up and touch on that just a little bit.
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And pull us right into where we are heading in this path. It describes part of a man.
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And says one writer. Which in spite of all the chances and the changes of life. And all the circumstances remains the same.
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He is unchangeable. Paul the Apostle saying that he Jesus Christ existed in the essential unchangeable nature.
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The form of God. The morphe of God. So when asked the question. Who is Jesus Christ? The first thing that you have to be confronted with.
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Is the statement of scripture. That he is in his essential being.
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He is unchanging in his nature. He is in the form of God.
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He is the morphe of God. It is incredibly deep here.
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Because Jesus is the only person in this entire universe. That is essentially
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God. And he is one person but has two natures.
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Deity and manhood. He is the God man. That is intermingled in one.
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He is not half God or half man. He is one person with two natures.
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That is a mystery folks. And I am telling you we can stop right there and worship. And how great it is.
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Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh.
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Paul says. Now Jesus Christ never has been and never will be any other than God.
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Let us keep this in mind. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 8. What does he say?
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Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
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Isn't that a wonderful verse? Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
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That is what Paul is actually saying. He is in the form of God. He never changes. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3 says this.
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Who being in the brightness of his glory. Speaking about Jesus Christ. And the express image of his person.
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Upholding all things by the word of his power. When he had by himself purged or cleansed our sins.
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Sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. You mean to tell me pastor that Jesus Christ is not a created being?
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Absolutely he is not a created being. He always was. And always will be. But what does it mean that he came into the manger that he was born?
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Was that just another baby? No it wasn't. It was not just another baby. Actually the mystery of the incarnation is this.
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And the greatness of it is that that baby was an infant. But that baby was also the infinite one.
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And that is why we celebrate Christmas. That Jesus Christ when he was born.
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And took upon himself flesh. This holy thing that the virgin
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Mary had in her womb. Was none other than her creator.
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Was her savior. Was God. The almighty God. Can you imagine the way she must have felt?
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That looking when she had him. And gave birth to him. That this is the creator.
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You see so Jesus Christ the son of God is the radiance of God's glory.
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That is why Jesus said to Philip. He said if you have seen me you have seen the father.
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You have seen me you have seen the father. In other words you have seen deity. He is the express image of the father.
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And all that he came to reveal is God. Now he is the exact representation of his nature.
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He is the exact representation of the nature of God. Colossians 1 .15
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says he is the image of the invisible God. He is the image of the invisible
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God. So when we are asked the question who is Jesus Christ. The first answer is he is permanently.
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He is existing as God. He is none other than God.
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God himself. But people get mixed up on this. Because he is the second person of the trinity.
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There is one God. And scripture says that. But always remember and as you well know. What a mystery this is as well.
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One God in three persons. One God in three persons. John 1 .1 -5 says it like this.
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In the beginning was the word. The word was with God. And the word was
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God. Verse 2. He was in the beginning with God.
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Notice those words. He speaking of Jesus Christ was with God. And what he is speaking of with God the father.
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Then it says all things were made through him. And without him nothing was made that was made.
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And him was life. And the life was the light of man. And the light shines in the darkness. And the darkness did not comprehend it.
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In other words the darkness did not overpower it. So Jesus Christ is none other than God.
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Who being in the form of God. And secondly look at verse 6. From this glorious presentation of the deity of Jesus Christ.
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The apostle begins to track the incarnation. First he establishes that he is
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God. And who he is. As the scripture so clearly says in many places.
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And now he begins even though he is God. Although he is God in true nature.
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In essence he secondly says that he did not regard equality with God. A thing to be grasped.
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And he did not regard equality. In other words to cling to.
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Being in the form of God. He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.
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The scripture says. Did not regard it robbery to be equal with God.
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To put it as simple as I can. Because Christ is God. He did not look on sharing
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God's nature as a robbery. A thing to grasp to.
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To cling to. What does that mean? In other words he did not desire to have a thing to seize it.
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To clutch it like a robber clutches the things in which he robs.
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He did not cling to those prerogatives. Those privileges. As God almighty.
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Now I want you to think of this. This is awesome. We are talking about the almighty creator of the universe.
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Just not a good prophet. Just not another person. Just not a good man. But God almighty who gave up all his riches and privileges.
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And the glory that he was sharing with the father. And dove down deep.
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Would you please. To come down deep into the darkness of the earth.
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To bring up a ruined humanity and sinners. To save us.
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That is why he came. He did not look at it as a thing to be seized.
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As though he might lose it. Jesus is the very being of God. In every sense equal with God.
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Because he is God. He refuses to cling to the equality. He refuses to cling to the privileges and the rights.
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That go along with that equality. He refuses to grasp to it and clutch it.
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So really we can say this. The incarnation literally begins with the unselfishness of God.
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The unselfishness of God. The unselfishness of Christ. It begins with Jesus being willing to let go of the glory.
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That he had with the father. Before the world began. Because this was a covenant.
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That the father and the son had. Before time started rolling.
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Now folks you start thinking about this. And start meditating on this. It goes way beyond what we can even ask or think of.
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Because we are creature beings. And our creature beings has limitations.
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Right. But we are looking at the almighty God. That left the privileges and glories of heaven.
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And he comes to this earth. To save sinners. That's the mission.
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Jesus willingly let go of all the glories of heaven. And keep in mind.
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I said this last week. It was only for a season. He let it go and he descended to the earth.
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As to rescue the lost sinners. Now let's go to verse 7. But made of himself of no reputation.
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Look at that. He made himself of no reputation. Taking the form of a bond slave.
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Coming in the likeness of men. Excuse me. Again the phrase can be translated.
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He emptied himself. This is the great kenosis. Christ did this by taking on the form of a slave.
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Or bond servant. A bond slave I would say in the original. A mere man.
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He did this by not emptying himself of any part of his essence as God.
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His deity. He did not empty himself of that. Because you think of it.
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If he emptied himself of deity. When he came he would cease to be God. He didn't do that.
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Actually instead he gave up his privileges as God. He took upon himself the existence as a man.
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He learned. As the scripture says. He learned obedience as a man. Full of the
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Holy Spirit. Through sufferings. He suffered. He slept.
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He ate. He was hungry. He was grieved.
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He was fully man. And if anyone says anything else from that.
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They are absolutely wrong. He was fully man. But he was fully God. The incarnation is the kenosis.
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The self emptying of Christ. It is a very graphic term isn't it. He empties himself. He empties himself of the privileges and the prerogatives that he has.
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And the rights. By the divine nature. The act of. One theologian puts it this way.
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Self renunciation. I think that is a very good term. Self renunciation. God renunciated himself.
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He humbles himself. It is an act of self renunciation. A refusal to cling to the rights.
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And to grasp it. To take a hold of it. And he lets it go. And that is what he does.
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Now. He did not. Empty himself of his deity again. That is so important.
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Because a lot of people. And even some false prophets. And teachers would even say.
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That he emptied himself of deity. But again. He would have ceased to exist.
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Because he would have ceased to be God. You see. His nature.
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Is absolutely unchanging. He is. And always has been. And always will be God. Never changes.
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Isn't that glorious. Think about that for a while. Well. You got chapter and verse for that pastor.
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Absolutely. Revelation chapter 1. Chapter 1 verse 8. Jesus himself says to the apostle
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John. On Nile of Patmos. He says this. I am. Right there. He is the
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I am. Many times we see the I am statements. Through the gospel of John. But here in Revelation.
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Jesus says to John the apostle. I am the alpha and the omega. That is the beginning and the end.
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That is the Greek word. The alpha and the omega. The beginning and the end. And notice what he says.
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Says the Lord. Who is. And who was. And who is to come. The almighty.
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Jesus says that. Pastor John MacArthur says this.
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Quote. Concerning Christ as deity. Even hanging on the cross. In the midst of suffering.
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Even in the moments. That he was under the judgment of God. His father. Even when he was.
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Under the. Bearing the weight of sin. And the wrath of God. Against that sin. He did not for a millisecond.
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Cease to be almighty God himself. Hanging on that cross. The issue is not that he divested himself of deity.
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But that he did not demand his rights. As deity. He set aside his prerogatives.
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His privileges. His rights. End quote. I love the old wonderful hymn.
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Written by Isaac Watson. It is one of my favorite hymns. And you have different versions of this.
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They've actually taken out the word worm. Maybe it's just too offensive to them. That they don't like to be called a worm.
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But I. Brother Keith and myself. We talk about this quite often. Don't we? We are worms.
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We are dirt. As he said this morning. Isaac Watson said it like this. Alas did my savior bleed.
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And did my sovereign die. Would he devote that sacred head. For such a worm as I. Was it for sins.
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That I had done. That he groaned upon the tree. Amazing pity. Grace unknown.
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And love beyond degree. Well might the sun darkness hide. And shut his glories in.
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When Christ the mighty maker died. For man the creatures sin. The last stanza goes.
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But drops of grief can never repay. The debt of love I owe. Here Lord I give myself to thee.
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That's all. I can do. Amen. That's all we can do.
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And as the apostle Paul says. In Romans 11 .33. Through 36.
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And we use this as a benediction quite often. Oh the depth of the richest. Both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.
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How unsearchable are his judgments. His ways past finding out.
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Who has known the mind of the Lord. And who has become his counselor. Or who has first given to him.
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And it shall be repaid to him. For of him and through him and to him. Are all things to whom be the glory forever.
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And ever. Well back to the Philippians. Look at verse 7. In Philippians 2.
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Then the scripture says. But made himself of no reputation. Taking the form of a bond slave. And coming in the likeness of men.
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Even though Jesus Christ came to seek and save. That which was lost. And in doing that. He became as a bond slave.
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A servant. To serve the will of God. The purpose of God. That was all of his life.
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He came to do the will of God. God's will. God's desire. He says I always do those things that please
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God. My father. I must be about my father's business. He said many times.
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He came to do the will of God. The bond. The will of God. To submit to the father. And in Luke 22 .27
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he said this. I am among you as one who serves.
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And he said in Matthew 20. In Mark 10. The son of man has not come to be served.
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But to serve and to give his life. A ransom for many. Isn't that a wonderful verse. And his service was rendered toward God.
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First and foremost to God. And to God's glory. You know so many times we think. Well he came for my salvation.
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Well absolutely he did. But first and foremost. He dies and does everything when he died and he lived.
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And everything that he did. It was to the glory of God the father. It was for the father. He was always seeking to please his father.
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And he did please his father. And his service was rendered toward God.
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And he became the bond slave of God. He came to serve. Can you think of that for a moment. That when
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Jesus stooped down. To wash the disciples feet. Before he went to the cross. Here was the creator of the ends of the earth.
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The one that made them. Stoops down. He continues to stoop.
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And continues to humble himself. And he washes feet. Washes feet.
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A slave. You know you think of this. A slave is one in the context. It's a term that refers.
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The lowest status of social ladder. The lowest status. Hebrews 10 verse 5 says this.
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And listen to this very closely. Therefore when he came. Speaking of Jesus.
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When he came into the world he said. Sacrifice and offering you did not desire. But a body.
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You have prepared for me. Isn't that beautiful. A body. He came in flesh.
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He came in flesh. He made himself of no reputation. He emptied himself.
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He didn't empty himself of his deity. But he emptied himself of his position. Or equality with God. And to veil the glory.
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In a body of human flesh. John 1 verse 14 says. And the word became flesh.
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The word became flesh. And dwelt among us and we beheld his glory. The apostle says. And the glory as of the only begotten of the father.
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Full of grace and full of truth. So while Christ as God. Was uncreated.
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And the external. And the eternal. I'm sorry. The word became flesh.
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This emphasizes Christ taking on humanity. This is the great mystery of mysteries.
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Beloved. That he took flesh. It's profoundly staggering really. If you think of it. It's mysterious.
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But it leads us to worship. How can any of us even try. To begin to figure this out.
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And I like what Dr. Tozer says. He says make room for mystery. If you have a God that you got figured out.
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You don't have the God of the scriptures. It's profoundly staggering.
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Because it's a mystery. And it should be mysterious. That the infinite became finite.
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That the eternal was conformed to time. That the invisible. Became visible.
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He reduced himself to the natural. The word became flesh.
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The incarnation. The word the Logos. Christ did not cease to be God. But became
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God in human flesh. In other words. He pitched his tent. He tabernacled among us.
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He came. He came. The bible says he came unto his own.
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And his own received him not. Matthew 1 .23 says. Behold the virgin shall be with child.
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And bear a son and they shall call his name. Emmanuel. Emmanuel which is translated.
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God with us. Those three words. Is the hope of mankind. It's the hope.
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The only hope that you and I have. That God is with us. And God is with us.
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And he came to. To live here among us. He lived and he died. He rose again.
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And he lives forever more. That's our hope. That's the gospel. Well let's go to verse 8.
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And being found in the appearances of man. He humbled himself and became obedient. He became obedient to the point of death.
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Even the death of a cross. Have you noticed.
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The descent. Even when he is first born. He has humbled himself.
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He's already humbled. He's already descended. When he was born in the manger.
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God was made flesh. He goes even further.
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He humbles himself. Coming all the way from glory. He gives up his rights.
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He gives up his privileges. His prerogatives. And he didn't regard equality with God. A thing to be grasped.
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But he didn't clutch to it. And then he goes down even further. He empties himself down.
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Down, down, down. Even like C .S. Lewis said. To become a bond slave.
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With no reputation. Down even further. He became a man taking flesh. Down even further.
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All that could be seen was humanity. And down when he comes to the point of death. And now he goes to the death of a cross.
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A cross. This is staggering. This is profound.
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The most shocking. The most humiliating. The most horrible thing.
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In Roman times. Was the crucifixion. I believe it was adopted by the Syrians. If you study it.
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The Syrians adopted crucifixion. In those days. The crucifixion was the most painful way to die.
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It was the most shameful. The most cruel. The most humiliating. And the most humble form of death. That it was even imaginable to man.
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It was so inhumane. Crucifixion. Of a
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Roman cross. You don't hear much about it today. Because a lot of preachers. Dare not preach about it.
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Because they are afraid they are going to lose their congregation. Well so be it. It needs to be preached. Because this is the message.
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This is what Jesus did. He died on a cross. And by the way.
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If ministers of the gospel. And if you and I are not preaching the cross. To people. We are not preaching the gospel.
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It may be foolishness to men. But to us. It is the power of God unto salvation.
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A person that was nailed by the hands. To feet. To a wooden cross. Which was actually dropped into a socket.
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By a heavy beam. It was a beam ripping and tearing the flesh. Suspended for hours.
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And it was a slow death of suffocation. It was made.
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Specifically for the riffraff. And the Roman citizens. The non -Roman citizens. I am sorry. MacArthur once again says this.
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No dignified person would ever be put on a cross. Only the rankest of criminals. The lowest of the low.
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The worst of the worst. To put somebody on a cross he says was unthinkable. The Jews on occasion did not.
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Did put a body on a cross. But only after it was dead. If the body was.
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The body of a blasphemer. Because Deuteronomy says. Curse is he that is hanged on a tree.
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But they. But speaking of the Jews. Would never crucify a living person. They just did not go along with it.
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Too horrific because. It was ultimate in human degradation. But Jesus Christ.
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Came all the way down to that. All the way down to that.
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End quote. Well we see it. This was his purpose.
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This was his mission. It was the cross. You know you don't have to turn there.
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But Isaiah 53 is. A very vivid picture. Of the suffering servant.
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Of Jesus Christ. Dying on. The cross. Let me read a little bit.
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From that wonderful chapter. Who has believed I report. To whom has the arm of the
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Lord been revealed. For he shall grow up. Before him as a tender plant. And as a root.
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Out of a dry ground. He has no form of comeliness. And when we see him. There is no beauty that we should desire him.
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He is despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrows acquainted with grief. And we hid.
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Listen to that. We hid as it were our faces from him. How many people are hiding from God today.
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As he was despised. And we did not esteem him. Surely he has borne our griefs.
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He has carried our sorrows. And yet we esteemed him stricken. Smitten by God and afflicted.
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But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him.
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And with his stripes we are healed. Verse 6 All We Some No all
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Listen to that. All we like sheep have gone astray.
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We have turned everyone to his own way. And the
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Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
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He was oppressed and he was afflicted. Yet he opened not his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter.
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And as a sheep before it shears his silence. So he opened not his mouth. He was taken from the prison from the judgment.
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And who will declare his generation? For he was cut off from the land of the living.
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For the transgressions of my people he was stricken. And they made his grave with the wicked and with the rich at his death.
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Prophecy after prophecy here. Listen to this. Because he had no violence nor there was any deceit in his mouth.
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And yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grieve.
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When you make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed.
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He shall prolong his days. And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied.
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And by his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify many.
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For he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him with a portion with the great.
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He shall divide the spoiled with the strong. Because he poured out his soul into death. He was numbered with the transgressors.
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And he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. There you have Isaiah 53.
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A vivid picture of the suffering servant. Literally thousands of years before Christ even came and was made flesh.
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How accurate is the word of God? MacArthur said that that chapter is a torture chamber to the
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Jewish people. How rightly so. Well you have Christ's crucifixion.
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And this is what he came. This was what was literally shadowing over the manger.
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This was his purpose. This was his passion. This is what he so willingly did.
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And I don't know about you. This is so convicting to my own soul knowing he so willingly went all the way to a death of horrible crucifixion for you and me.
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To bear our sin as I just read from Isaiah 53. Of all that he took upon himself your sin, my sin and he took the payment.
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Our place, your place, my place. The sin, the punishment, the wages that he paid that we so rightly deserve.
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He did not deserve. He willingly took it. All the way.
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How glorious is that? How glorious is that? 1st Corinthians chapter 1 speaks a little more about the cross.
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Don't you love 1st Corinthians chapter 1? Turn with me there if you don't mind.
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I'd like for you to see this. 1st Corinthians chapter 1. Listen to the apostle
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Paul as he speaks about the cross. Glorious, glorious cross.
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The power of God. The wisdom of God. Verse 18. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.
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Now I want to stop right there. Think about this. The world in which we live, when you tell them about the only way of salvation is by a man named
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Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life and the only hope that you have. And he's a Messiah that died on a cross.
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They look at you crazy. Because the natural man does not see that.
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They see somehow there has to be some kind of good in them. Something religious within them to make it to heaven.
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Something for them to do. But the Bible says there's nothing we can do. None is good.
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No not one. No one is righteous. No one can earn their way to heaven. So God earned
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He actually, Jesus Christ earned our salvation. The foolishness.
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It's foolishness. The cross, the preaching, the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.
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But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
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You want God's power? It's in the message of the cross. Isn't that glorious?
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It's in the power of the cross. It's the cross of Christ. For it is written he says, and notice he quotes an
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Old Testament prophecy, I would destroy the wisdom of the wise. He would bring down the pride. People that's got it all figured out.
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Everybody thought they had figured it out. Nobody had God figured it out. I would destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
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Notice the questions he asks. For where is the wise? Where is the scribe?
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Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
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For since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God. And it pleased
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God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign and Greeks seek after wisdom.
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But we preach Christ crucified. To the Jews a stumbling block and to the
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Greeks foolishness but to those who are called both Jews and Greeks Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.
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Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
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The preaching of the cross is the only way to salvation today. This is what we must tell people.
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This is the only hope. The living hope is through the cross of Jesus Christ that Christ died as the
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Lamb of God. Does it mean that Jesus is just is his death like another martyrs death?
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No. Was his death another person, another man that died? No. This was the
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God man that specifically came and without sin, taking your sin and my sin as the
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Lamb of God, taking it on the altar of the cross and God pours out his wrath, not only the physical pain, but all those three hours of darkness takes the wrath of almighty
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God. Folks, this is holy ground.
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This is where our salvation comes from. This is how we are saved through Christ as the substitute.
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The Lamb of God. Because verse 30 says, but of him you are in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
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Verse 31, that is it is written, he who glories, let him glory in the Lord. Well, the preaching of the cross.
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And by the way, back to Philippians. I'm going to try to wrap this up very quickly as I can.
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I got a little bit more to say. But this is incredibly important. Well, he goes all the way to the death of the cross, from glory to the cradle, the manger, born in the feeding trough of a manger, to a cruel cross.
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The story does it in there, aren't you glad? He died, he was buried, but look at verse 9, therefore
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God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. A name which is above every name.
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The question is really this. God has highly exalted Christ, right? But what did
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God do to exalt him? What did God actually did? Now, I want you to think of this.
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What did God do three days after he was crucified? The answer is the resurrection, right?
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And he ascended on high. The resurrection and his ascension. I love this because, if you think of it, these verses speak of what
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God has done. The first part of it, what Jesus has done. Now, what God has done.
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The resurrection of Jesus is the resurrection. Now, if you go back to 1
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Corinthians 15, without a resurrection, if Jesus Christ has not risen from the dead, everything that we're doing right now, beloved, and hearing me preach in our faith, it would be all vain if Jesus has not been risen again from the dead.
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Paul says this. Verse 12 of chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians. Now, if Christ has preached that he has been raised from the dead, how do some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
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But if there's no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not risen. And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
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Yes, we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ whom he did not raise up.
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And up, in fact, the dead do not rise. So, listen to what he's saying. For if the dead do not rise, then
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Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile.
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You are still in your sins. Then also, those who have fallen asleep, that means those who died in Christ have perished.
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You see how critical the resurrection is? If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are all men most pitiful.
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And what he's saying is, if there's no resurrection from the dead, if Jesus has not risen from the dead, then we have no hope.
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We have no faith. Everything we do in the preaching, everything is in vain. And actually, if Jesus Christ is not alive right now, we will all just might as well go to a cave and die and perish for there's no hope.
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You see this? It all comes to this. Jesus Christ, Him, born of the virgin birth,
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His perfect life, His perfect righteousness, His death on the cross, His burial,
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His resurrection, His ascension. And by the way, if, oh, this is most important, if He's risen from the dead, that means there's a judgment.
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You see that? There will be a judgment. And then Paul says in verse 20, But now
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Christ is risen from the dead, has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, and by man also came the resurrection of the dead.
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For as in Adam all died, even so in Christ all shall be made alive, each one in his own order,
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Christ the firstfruits. That means His resurrection. Afterward, those who are Christ at His coming. Speaks of His coming.
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Then He comes to the end, the consummation of all things. Paul, listen to what he says. When He delivers the kingdom of God, the
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Father, to the Father, and when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power, for He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet, and the last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
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For He has put all things under His feet, but when He says all things are put under Him, it is evident that He who put all things under Him is accepted.
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Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
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You see that? All because of the resurrection. God raised
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Him up from the dead. It was actually God the
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Father affirming the fidelity of the holy sacrifice that Jesus made.
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When Jesus says it is finished, it was the Father's amen to what
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He did when He rose Him from the dead. Now if we've seen in Philippians chapter 2 from verse 6 to verse 8, the
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Lord Jesus Himself humbled Himself from the cradle to the cross, even to the death of a cross, compared in our days, beloved, that would be like someone going to the gallows, the electric chair, or a gas chamber reserved only for murderers and criminals.
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He did this all for you and me. How great of love is this? The Lamb of God that was slain before the foundation of the world.
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Verse 9, the change takes place again from verse 6 to verse 8, we see what
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Jesus has done. He humbled Himself. He died on the cross to redeem sinners.
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He paid the ransom price of sin's payment that requires a very high cost, and that cost was the blood of Jesus Christ.
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He paid it all. The payment was His precious blood.
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He took that all the way to the cross in great love, all the way from the manger to the cross.
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Now we see what God has done. He's exalted Him. He exalted Him in the resurrection. He exalted
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Him in the resurrection, and here's my conclusion and application. What does this have to do with me?
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What is the lesson that God has for you and me in this? What is God teaching us?
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What is God teaching us in a very practical way in this text in Philippians? And I kind of gave a hint of this at the beginning.
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I actually gave it away, didn't I? It's a paradox, isn't it?
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Beloved, don't lose sight of this. What God is saying to you and me is the way up is down.
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The way up is down. What do you mean, pastor? If you're here today, and you do not know
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Jesus Christ, He invites you to come to Him and repent. But before you repent, there's something you have to do.
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You've got to humble yourself. That's the point where people do not want to do. They have too much pride.
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In other words, they say, I don't need Christ. I have my good works. I have me. Oh, I know
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I know God here. Why should I be a fanatic? That's what they think.
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The Bible still commands men everywhere to repent, and in order to repent, we must humble ourselves, and to humble ourselves, we must see that we're sinners.
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Go with me to Luke chapter 14. Very quickly.
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I'd like to give you this wonderful parable that Jesus gives about taking the lowly place.
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So He told a parable to those who were invited when He noticed how they chose the best places, saying to them, when you're invited by anyone to a wedding feast, and do not sit down in the best place, at least one more honorable than you be invited by him, and he who invited you and him come and say to you, give place to this man.
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And then you begin to shame and to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down to the lowest place so that when he who invited you comes, he may say to you, friend, go up higher, and then you will have the glory and the presence of those who sit at the table with you.
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And then He says in verse 11, and whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
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And there you have it. And then He also said to him who invited him, when you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, at least they also invite you back and you be repaid.
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No. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the lame, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you.
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You see that? This is something that Jesus sets before them in a parable for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just, your rewards in heaven.
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And this is what He's talking about. He's had historic treasures in heaven. But it takes humility, folks.
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We are to serve. We're to serve. Listen to some of these scriptures.
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And this goes along with the lesson. Job 22 -29. Job says this. When they cast you down and say, exaltation will come.
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And then He will save the humble person. Psalm 18 -27. For you will save the humble people, but will bring down haughty looks.
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Proverbs 29 -23. A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor.
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Matthew 23 -11 -12. Jesus once again says, but he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
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And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. One more important passage of Scripture while you're right there in Luke.
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Turn over just a few verses, chapters, I'm sorry, to Luke 18. This is very, very critical parable.
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Parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. What a lesson here. Also in verse 9, also
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He spoke this parable to some who trusted, listen to what He says, who trusted in themselves that they were righteous.
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And despised others. Sounds like people of our day, doesn't it? But He's speaking to the
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Pharisees and the religious crowd of that day, and He speaks a parable to them, and listen to what He says.
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He has two men, He has two men pictured here, went up, notice, went up to the temple to pray.
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One a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector. The Pharisees stood, notice the posture.
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He stood, he prayed, thus with himself, with himself, he's a phony, and what does he say?
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God, I thank you that I'm not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.
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You can almost sense the smugness, the self -righteousness in his tone. And listen to this, and I fast twice a week.
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Oh, he fasts. It's not the kind of fast that God's pleased with. I give tithes of all that I possess.
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Oh, he gives all the tithes that he possesses. God's not impressed. What impresses
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God? Look at verse 13. And the tax collector, and listen how his posture is.
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He stands afar off. He's afar off, would not even so much raise his eyes to heaven.
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He would not even raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
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I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other.
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And Jesus said this, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
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You see here the tax collector's humility before God, his posture, his behavior, and here is a man who invades to face his reality of his sin, and he does something about it.
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He humbles himself with true heartfelt repentance. He cries out to God this simple prayer,
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God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Isn't that what
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David said when he prayed in Psalm 51? He prays, and he cries out to God, and how does he pray in Psalm 51?
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It's a prayer of repentance, and I would suggest that everyone would just study this wonderful chapter in depth.
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Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your loving kindness, according to the multitude of your tender mercies.
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Blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin, for I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
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And notice what he says, against you and you only have
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I sinned and done this evil in your sight, that you may be found just when you speak and blameless when you judge.
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Notice that? Against God and God alone we've sinned.
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Acknowledge in our sin, humble in ourselves. James 4, 6, but he gives more grace, therefore he says
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God resists the proud but gives grace, that means favor. God's unmerited favor, he can't earn it, but he gives it to the humble.
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Humility is everything, folks. As a matter of fact, it's right up there with the fear of God.
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The humble fears God. The humble. We humble ourselves.
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We come before the stroke of God in saying that we have sinned against God and we deserve hell and we don't deserve heaven.
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That's the language of a repentant sinner. We should not exalt ourselves but be servants to others that God may exalt us in due time and by the way, that due time will be in heaven,
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I can assure you of that. God himself will exalt you if you humble yourself before his mighty hand.
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God the Father exalted Jesus by raising him from the dead, opening the heavens to receive him back in his ascension on his right hand of authority.
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God was so completely satisfied with the redemptive work that Jesus Christ made that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is
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Lord to the glory of God the Father. Now keep in mind that does not mean that all will be saved on that day.
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This means that even in hell and heaven and on earth and all realms everyone will be bowing the knee to the
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Lord Jesus Christ and saying he is Lord to God's glory. Those who do not willingly bow the knee and surrender to Jesus now will one day be compelled to do so at the judgment.
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Those who will not be reconciled in the day of grace, which is today while we have breath will be subjugated on the day of his judgment.
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Let me say this in closing. The matchless grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord journeyed from the glory from glory to Bethlehem to Gethsemane to Calvary God in return will honor him in a universal homage and universal acknowledgement to his majestic Lordship because Christ is exalted and God the
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Father has put his approval on him. And those who have denied his claims will one day admit that they have played the fool.
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They have greatly erred that Jesus Christ is indeed to the glory of God the
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Father. But the thing about it is on that day it will be too late. You see the importance of this.
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Souls are in the balance. So my friend if you do not know the Lord Jesus, today is the day of salvation.
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Repent and believe the Gospel. And if you do know the Lord Jesus, just take joy in your heart that your sins are covered and just been washed away by the precious blood of the
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Lamb. And in the cross of Jesus as Spurgeon says, there is a cure for every spiritual disease and there is food for every spiritual virtue in the
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Savior. We never go to him too often. Amen.
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Let's pray. Oh Father, Oh God, Lord of Heaven and Lord of Earth, Lord we thank you for your word.
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We thank you for your presence in our midst. We thank you for Emmanuel God with us.
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We thank you for your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for your word that goes forth and it does not return void.
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Gracious, gracious is your words. Oh taste and see that the Lord is good.
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Help us each and every one of us to taste it. The opportunity to do so even now.
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To confess you as Lord and Savior. The only Savior to the ends of the
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Earth and that you are Lord of Lords and King of Kings. And Lord we are so thankful that you deliver from judgment, from condemnation.
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You forgive and mercy and even give eternal life to those who call on you and repent and believe the gospel.
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We have that assurance. And it changes our lives forever. Lord we worship you, we glorify you and this will we do for all eternity.
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Dear Lord I pray if someone is here that has not bowed their knee and heart to you and willingly confessed
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Jesus as Lord and believed in their heart that you have raised them from the dead.
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Lord I pray that today will be the day of salvation for them. I pray oh
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God that they will humble themselves before your mighty hand. That we would all do the same.
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Lord be gracious to every heart and you are gracious. And thank you
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Father that you would produce in us conviction of sin, confidence in Jesus Christ that leads to faith and your death, burial and resurrection.
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So that no one here in necessity will be forced to bow under the divine wrath of the judgment to come.
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Oh God help us while it is the day of grace to submit to the
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Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ. We praise you, we thank you for your goodness and mercy.