First Mennonite Church
May 7, 2017
The Emptying Attitude of Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:5-17
Don’t you know the TV show “Super Nanny”? It’s a show about a British nanny who goes around helping parents who are dealing with extreme behavioral problems of their children. One of the common complaints these parents have is that they are embarrassed to go out for dinners or social events with children. Their children’s behavior is cause of embarrassment and anxiety. The advice Super Nanny gives these parents is the same as what other family counselors tell parents, “If you want your children to behave well in public, you must train them to behave well at home.” Children do not change when they go out of the house. With them go their habits, attitudes, and everything they have learned at home, whether good or bad. In fact the principle is generally true for most everyone. There are a few exceptions. Some people do carry double lives. But generally speaking, we are in public who we are at home. The apostle Paul had exactly the same vision for those who claim Christ as Lord and Savior, or in his typical way of saying it, for those who are in Christ. Therefore, before Paul gives his command on how Christians should be in the world, he gives his command on how they should relate to those within the fellowship of the body of Christ. (Next week we will finish with this passage when we see how we should relate to those outside the fellowship of believers.)
Christ Jesus our Model
The first command Paul makes is: Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. Last Sunday I said that a better reading of this verse can be: Let there be among you the same attitude that was in Christ Jesus. This reading avoids the confusion the phrase “be in you” can cause. The pronoun “you” is plural, not singular. “You” in this case is best translated “among yourselves.” Thus, Paul was not speaking about our adopting an individual way of thinking based on our understanding of Jesus Christ. Rather, Paul is asking Christians to have, or to behave, or to display, within the fellowship of believers, the same attitude Jesus had. The Christ-like attitude should begin here among the fellowship. Reflecting the attitude of Jesus starts here at home. So, what attitude did Jesus have? Let us see verses 6 to 8.
6 who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
Although Jesus was in the form of God he did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited. Jesus, both in his pre-existent condition as well as in his incarnate condition, had power to undo every opposition he confronted during his ministry, but he did not. Jesus had full and legitimate authority in the world but he submitted and died in the hands of to the earthly authorities. Jesus had the power to change every heart into a believing heart, but he allowed people to choose to accept or reject him. Jesus never exploited his divine prerogatives to suit his cause or God’s cause. Jesus was God but he did not impose his divinity on others, nor did he boast about his divinity. Jesus never held in contempt the sinners because he was holy. Jesus never considered himself superior to others. He ate with sinners. He washed the feet of his disciples. Therefore, in spite of Jesus sharing the fullness of God’s holiness, wisdom, righteousness and everything God is, he genuinely related even to the lowliest of his people. Jesus emptied himself. He made himself nothing!
What does that mean to us? Who are we as individuals? What makes each of us the person we are? And how do we view others? Let us begin by asking ourselves these questions in the context of the fellowship—that is, the congregation. Have you ever been tempted to rank yourself on the basis of how long you have been a member of this congregation? Have you ever been tempted to claim the right to impose your opinion on the ground of your education, training, size of your giving, or position in the church? These questions are not without basis in the evangelical world. Once, a pastor told me what happened in one of his church planting fields. A new group was forming; some were first-time converts but other had come from other churches. Someone from within the group bought some chairs as the group began to grow. Another bought a fancy pulpit. Another bought musical instruments. They were all happy until the day came for them to select a pastor. None of those who had bought items for the church was elected to be the pastor and then each of them pulled out their respective items and left the church. The fledgling congregation almost disintegrated.
Jesus is the model of what self-emptying means. Self-emptying according to Jesus means refusing to cling onto anything that gives us the advantage over others. I know this is a very difficult thing for men to do. I am sure you have listened to how men talk among themselves. If someone caught an 18-inch fish, there will be another who’d say his was 20 inches big. If one man said he drove 100 miles in one and a half hours, another would say he did it in 75 minutes. Men are hard-wired to not let another beat them at something. But self-emptying means refusing to cling to anything that gives us the advantage over others for our own pride. Self-emptying means considering others as better than ourselves (v.3). Self-emptying means looking for the interest of others first (v.4). Again Paul says, “Who being in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself.”
Jesus did more than only refusing to cling to privileges of his deity. Emptying for Jesus meant going even lower. So Paul continues…
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
Jesus took the form of a slave in his coming, even when being in the form of God. Through this description Paul makes a profound theological statement about the difference between Adam and Jesus. Adam was created in the image of God and was given authority over Creation. Jesus being the form of God took the form of a slave. Adam sought to become like God, while Jesus took human form and became obedient even to death on a cross. Adam was cast away, but Jesus was given a name that is above all names.
Let me go back to Jesus taking the form of a slave. Verse six says that Jesus emptied himself or made himself nothing. Slaves have no rights. Slave serve. Slaves are in the lowest rank of social stratification. Slaves obeyed their masters. So once again, let us remember that Paul is asking Christians to adopt the same attitude of Jesus among themselves. Have you ever said you are a slave of no one? I should admit this has crossed my mind on one or two occasions. Sadly, that was refusing to take the attitude of Jesus within the fellowship. Slaves. Are you willing to serve freely in the fellowship of FMC? When we adopt this attitude, serving others in the fellowship is a joyous experience. When we serve as a result of our being in Christ Jesus, the length of time of our service loses importance. When we adopt the attitude of a slave, our goal is not to please others, even when it does happen, but our goal is to obey our Lord. When we all adopt the attitude of a slave of Christ, there is nothing we cannot do if it honors his name and ministers to the body of believers.
Let us yield our heart, will and entire being to him who gave it all for us. He who was God and is God humbled himself into our likeness. He emptied himself and took the form of a slave in order to serve us. Or as Paul says, “Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich (2Corinthians 8:9). May the Lord be glorified in our lives as we serve one another with the same attitude there was in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen!
Pastor Romero