The Humiliation of Christ B

He came into the world as King of Kings and Lord of lords. Rightful heir to David's throne as well as God in human flesh, but he had no advantages yet no privileges in this world came as a servant. Nobody gave him anything. Nobody entrusted them with any treasure. Nobody gave them a home. Nobody given animals to ride.

Nobody given land so nobody gave him anything pleasant to look at but never bore any fruit, but another pear tree one wasn't as nice produced so much fruit that its branches nearly touched the ground movies point. It's not how attractive we are, but how humble we are, that matters. If we only get down low enough, God will use every one of us to his glory. That's what deal Moody said. Now certainly, no one ever humbled himself more than Christ Jesus himself, taking on the form of a man leaving for a time, privileges that he had from eternity past and leaving for sub- pattern of humility that we should strive for. On today's grace to you. John MacArthur looks closely at our Lord's model of humility as he continues his message titled, the humiliation of Christ and now here's John with the lesson when you open your Bibles for our look at God's precious word to Philippians chapter 2.

Listen to verses five through eight. As I read have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Please notice verse seven but emptied himself, the verb empty cannot always the verb from which we get that classic theological term that your gnosis, which is what theologians have called the self emptying more the incarnation, the doctrine of the can gnosis the self emptying of Christ. I wasn't mean. This of course is been discussed much. First of all, he gave up his heavenly glory. Another way to look at it is that he covered up his glory prevailed in secondly he emptied himself of independent authority.

No, I don't understand how the Trinity operates. I know it operates in perfect harmony and I know that in perfect harmony. There would be no discord and no disagreement and that would be the way it is in the Trinity, but nonetheless, in some way mysterious. To my mind, which I will never understand. He completely submitted himself to the will of the father.

I will never understand that and I don't want you to even think about it too long will you be under the bed say in the Greek alphabet because it does not compute.

But the point is, he laid aside a voluntary exercise of his own will and he learns to be a servant, and he submitted himself and he was obedient. It says in verse eight, he was all obedient. I don't understand that but he was obedient in the garden. He says not my will but thine be done. He learned obedience by the things he suffered. Hebrews 5 says, he said I am I am come to do the father's will. John 530 so we set aside is independent authority. Thirdly, set aside the prerogatives of his deity or he set aside the voluntary use of his attributes. He stated he stop being omniscient know they stop being on my present no. Did he stop being unchangeable God no, I didn't stop being anything he just didn't use those attribute some of said he gave up the prerogatives of his deed.

I know he was omniscient. He knew everything, because he knew it was in the heart of a man John to I know I was. I'm not present because he saw Nathaniel when he wasn't even where Nathaniel was in his human form, he didn't give up any of his deity, but he gave up the free exercise of those attributes and limited himself to the point where Matthew 24, 36, he says no man knows when the Son of Man will come not men and not even the Son of Man. He restricted his omniscience so he gave up the prerogatives of his deity.

Fourthly, I love to think about this. He gave up his personal riches. He gave up his personal riches, though it was wretched for your sakes he became poor.

Second Corinthians 8, nine, that you through his poverty might be made rich.

She became terribly poor in this world terribly poor. He had nothing nothing and then lastly, he gave up a favorable relationship to God. He who knew no sin was made sin for us, he who knew no sin was made sin for us, and as a result, he says my God, my God, why have you forsaken me.

He gave up a favorable relationship to God not listen to me, though he gave up the full expression of his heavenly glory and the full enjoyment of it though. We gave up independent authority and exercise of his own will and learned obedience though we gave up the prerogatives to express all of the majesty of all of his attributes which he could've done. By the way, and though he gave up personal riches for the poverty of this world, and though we gave up a favorable relationship with God when he was made sin.

Listen to me. He never ceased to be God never remain fully God, you remain fully God and any moment in time. He could've blasted his enemies off the face of the earth with the breath of his mouth, but he didn't. He emptied himself, there's a sense in which he emptied himself, not by giving something up alone, but he emptied himself by also taking something on that's right.

But in verse seven he took the form of a bondservant, he gave up something we mentioned what they were and he took on something the form of a servant in a sense his self giving his self emptying is can gnosis was not only by giving up something, but by taking on something the form of a servant knows the word form.

Again, there it is again more the essence. This is not cloak. This is not an outward schema.

He literally took on the essence of a servant by the way. The only other New Testament use of that word. Morpheus in Mark 1612, where Jesus takes on resurrection more faith.

The nature of a resurrected body, but here he really became a due lass, a bondslave and he came to serve God's will and God's purpose and submit to God and therefore submit to the needs of men as well. Goes all the way back to Isaiah 5213 and 14 which identifies the coming Messiah as the servant really the servant became poor became a slave imagine he own everything, but when he came into this world. He was borrowing everything from the unthinkable had to borrow a place to be born and not much of a place at that he had to borrow a place to lay his head. He didn't even have a home. Many nights he slept on the Mount of olives to borrow boats across the sea of Galilee had to borrow boats preach from it, to borrow an animal to ride into the city when he was being triumphantly welcomed as King of Kings and Lord of lords. It will borrow a room for the Passover because he didn't even have a house in Jerusalem, yet, to borrow a tomb to be buried in the only person who had the right to everything wound up with nothing, became a servant became into the world as King of Kings and Lord of lords.

Rightful heir to David's throne as well as God in human flesh, but he had no advantages yet no privileges in this world came as a servant. Nobody gave him anything.

Nobody entrusted him with any treasure. Nobody gave them a home. Nobody given animals to ride. Nobody gave them land the call is on. Nobody gave him anything, serve everyone yet no advantages yet no privileges. This is God. You remember this this is God. This is the God of the universe were talking about who made all things by him were all things made it without him was not anything made that was made, and of him and threw him into him are all things and yet he has nothing then he came down another step. It says in verse seven, and being made in the likeness of men.

Just like men. He was given the essential attributes of humanity. He was home L Martin. He was homogeneous to men, the idea he became man, Lee Shuman really human in stopping that and he didn't take on somebody isn't God in a body is God, man and man is more than a body. All of the essence of humanity body soul, mind truly human.

That's why Luke 252 it says he grew in wisdom and stature was growing as a human. Colossians 1 verse 22, it says, yet he has now reconciled you in his fleshly body. He had a body like your body or fleshly buys on a phantom.

A real body in Galatians 4.

Force it says he was made of a woman, made under the law.

In Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14. Since then the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise also partook of the same the same flesh and blood that we have and I don't want you to be confused by this that when he came into the world, he came in and the flesh that he took on was normal human flesh that felt all the effects of the fall it was not a kind of pre-fall humanity like Adams but a post fall humanity in the sense that it could no sorrow and tears and crying and suffering and pain and thirst and hunger and death, and death can only touch humanity, that is touched by the fall already. So he felt the effects of the fall without ever knowing or experiencing or touching the sin in the fall. Hebrews says he partook the same as the children who take flesh and blood, he was made like his brother and in all things. Hebrews 217 in all things, why they might become a merciful and faithful high priest. How is he going to know what we feel. Lets you spell what we feel, and if he feels it and none fallen humanity won't feel it as it is in their he was human in the sense they experience all the tests and temptation of men.

That's why such a faithful and understanding high priest, yet he never send Hebrews 415, yet without sin never said couldn't sit because God can't sing, became down all the way down the gun in the form of a servant slave and was made in the likeness of men. Verse eight Texas a step further and being found in appearance as a man I just look at the statement and I keep mulling over in my mind. At first you think, wasn't that a repeat of the end of verse seven made in the likeness of men. But it isn't. It says that he was discovered to appear as a man, and now it looks it is humiliation from the viewpoint of the people who saw him. Yes he is God, man, but as people viewed him, they saw him in the appearance of a man in the word here is schema T from schema. The outward form to them was a man. They looked at the outward form and they saw a man in that's right they would see him as a man, but there was so much more that they didn't see and I think that's implied here.

That's part of his humiliation he came all the way down to be the God man, but they never saw the God part. They looked at him and his appearance was a man in the schema of a man was all they saw love it would've been one thing for God to become man that is humbling enough for God to become man and man to think he is only man is indeed a humbling that's humiliating and he did all the works and he said all the words performed all the miracles and they said that this man has a demon and the Jews said, we know this man.

We know his mother and father we know where he is from, and where does he come off saying I came down from heaven where does he get that they just saw him as a man that was so humiliated their minds were darkened by sin. They recognizes humanity.

They missed his deity that in no way why I didn't know who he was, how humbling Gary is God in human/King of Kings, the regal Royal Majestic King of the universe and they don't even know it. And they treated him not only like man but the worst of men. They treated like a criminal well do you say did he fight back know he went down even lower. Verse eight, he humbled himself, he humbled himself under that treatment, he was already humiliated.

It would've been enough for him to just be willing not to clutches rights but then to empty himself of the exercise of those things and then to come all the way down to be a bondservant who was a king and then to be made exactly like human beings to suffer everything they suffer and feel everything they feel except sin and then to be seen only as a man would've been enough, but by then you would've screamed and said I want my rights that's enough. You know I am, you would've blown over a tall building or something or created something fought back know, he humbled himself just went down another level.

Look at him at his trial humiliation is absolutely unbelievable. And the thing that amazes you in this humiliation is that he answers. Never a word. And finally, he admits who he is when he's asked and he says you said other humiliation.

They are mocking him. They are punching him there. Pulling out his beard. They are treating him like six, and he is God and he didn't say a word and they pass him from mock trial phase to phase it doesn't say anything and he accepts me doesn't demand his rights.

Oh my, what a picture of humility that is, he humbled himself, he went even lower. Hello, did he go verse eight says by becoming obedient to the point of death somewhere short of that, you would think he was said stop. That's enough somewhere in the middle of that trial you would've assumed that he would've blasted them with fire from his mouth and consumed the whole rotten bunch, but he doesn't somewhere when he is being mocked and dragged, half naked through the city of Jerusalem with a cross on his back.

You would've thought that he would've stopped and said Hall. That is enough. You are not worth this advert I demand for you to know I am. What he does somewhere on the cross. You would've thought it would've screamed out who he was, but he never says it never.

He was obedient to the point of death all the way down to the mocked and the slime.

The use of the D are places in order that he might bring us up to the color again and says Paul, not just death, but the last statement, even death on a cross.

The word even calls attention to the shocking feature of Christ's ultimate humiliation. This is the bottom of this is the end of the line, not just death, but even death on a cross crucifixion, excruciating, embarrassing, degrading, painful, humiliating, cruel, devised originally by the Persians and perfected by the Romans. It was only fit for a slave in the worst riffraff among the criminals. The Jews hated it because they remember. Deuteronomy 2122. It's accursed. As anyone who hangs on a tree or court said in Galatians 3, they hated it.

They despised it. This is the ultimate in human degradation hanging in the sky, stark naked, as it were, before the watching world with nails driven through your hands and feet mocking object there is.

This is God. This is the God who created the universe. Somewhere along the path down. You'd think you'd say to himself, you know, these people aren't worth redeeming. This is to degrading this is to humiliating.

This is what he did. That's the grace of God.

That's the love of God for sinners and he did it to die for you and die for me, this is an amazing plan.

Is it not this is a plan that no man would have devised. Is it any wonder when the apostle Paul looks at salvation, not from the historical perspective here, but from the doctrinal perspective and for 11 chapters in Romans he shows how God became man and died and rose again to provide salvation and at the end of it all. In Romans 1133's is all how unsearchable are your judgments and your ways past finding out he's literally in all God while plan. Who would've dreamed of this, who have imagined that God would do that. Now if we had planned. It we would send him to a palace and we would've had them born into wealth and a permanent family and we would've had an educator and the finest universities with all the most elite teachers in the finest tutors exposed to the very best of human wisdom and information if we had orchestrated God coming into this world. We would've made sure everybody loved him and revered him and honored him and respected him and we would've made sure he was in all the prominent places, meeting all the prominent people and we would've been sure that there was a public relations campaign to end all to promote great affection for him. We certainly would never let them be born in a stable and we would never have let them be born to a family in poverty. We would never let him spend his time in a carpenter shop in an obscure town in Galilee.

We would never ever have allowed them to live without any earthly goods nor would we have allowed him to go through his life and ministry with a ragtag band of followers like he did. We would've made sure that we had people qualified to be his disciples and the qualifications would've been very stiff. We would've done a different we would never allowed them to be humiliated, we would've imprisoned or executed.

Anybody who spit on him or pulled his beard or mocked into the face or drove nails through his hands. We would've done it very differently and we wouldn't be saved. Is it any wonder that the psalmist says in Psalm 36. Six. Thy judgments are like a great deep this is too much for us. We can understand this.

How unsearchable are his ways on trackable. You can't find the end of them. You can't get to either the source or the goal you don't understand such profound truths. Such deep divine purpose in this God has done for us for us which bumper Lord we say with the apostle Paul. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways for who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became his counselor or who has first given to him that it might be paid back to him again for from him and threw him into a moral thing to him be the glory forever. You're listening to Grace to you featuring John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary, both located in the Los Angeles area. In today's lesson from Philippians chapter 2 looked at the humiliation of Christ John today. You said the God man Jesus Christ humbled himself so completely that most people never saw the God part and I thought about the Mount of Transfiguration where Jesus unveiled his glory completely in your writing took just three of his closest disciples. Most people never saw that. So with that in mind. Is it possible maybe for a new Christian, especially to focus so much on Christ's humanity that they miss the reality the full reality of his deity. So how do you strike the right balance on that was the right balance is clearly in Scripture. If you this is why I'm an expositor of Scripture because when you expositors the word of God. When you go through Matthew and you go through Mark and you go through Luke and you go through John the balances there it sits there in absolute perfection. So you don't want to understate the humanity of Christ, but you certainly don't want to understate the deity of Christ, and it's very foundational you know there are so many people to talk about Jesus, but they're not talking about the Jesus of the Bible and a good way to get started I think is a book that we would love to send you as a free gift. If you've never contacted our ministry. It's called the Jesus answer book.

And again, let me say it's free to anyone who has not contacted us before Jesus is often misrepresented. Miss understood this little book will put you in touch with what the Bible says about it in a in a kind of a question and answer what the Bible says about him and his nature in a question-and-answer format. It asks and answers questions like why should you believe that he was virgin born what we know about his childhood. Why did he treat his opponents as harshly as he did.

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