Sermons

The Story of God: Jesus’ Birth
Philippians 2:5-11

Let’s turn to Philippians 2.  If you need a Bible go ahead and raise your hand and we’ll bring one to you.  Philippians 2 is on page 980 in the Bibles we are passing out.  This morning I’m going to jump ahead in our series on the story of God – and talk about Jesus’ birth.  And one of the most powerful passages on Jesus’ birth is found in Philippians 2.

Here’s some background on Philippians.  In the year 50 AD – maybe 18 years after Jesus had been crucified and rose from the dead, Paul traveled to Philippi, preached the good news of Jesus, and a church was established.  12 years later – around the year 62 AD – Paul wrote this letter to encourage them in the faith.  And here in chapter 2 Paul calls them to be humble like Jesus was – and gives them an astonishing description of Jesus’ humility.

Look at what he says in Philippians 2:5-7 –

5              Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

6              who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7              but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Paul starts off telling us what was true of Jesus before he was born.  So let’s start there: what was Jesus like before He was born?  In v.6 Paul says Jesus was “in the form of God.”  That Greek word “form” means that Jesus had the exact same nature as God; that everything that was true of God the Father, was also true of Jesus. 

Then Paul says the same thing with different words when he says that Jesus had “equality with God.”  Jesus had absolute equality with God; He did not grasp on to that equality in a way that kept him from becoming a man, but he was equal with God.

So everything that was true of God the Father, was true of Jesus, God the Son.  The Father has always been; Jesus has always been.  The Father has infinite power; Jesus has infinite power.  The Father has perfect, infinite knowledge; Jesus has perfect, infinite knowledge.  The Father is sovereign over everything; Jesus is sovereign over everything. 

And contrary to the Da Vinci Code, this isn’t something the early church cooked up.  This is what Jesus Himself taught.  Take a look at John 10:30-33 (page 897).  Jesus is talking and look at what He says in v.30 --

30 I and the Father are one." ³¹ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. ³² Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?" ³³ The Jews answered him, "It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God."

Jesus said He and the Father are one, which the Jews rightly understood to mean that Jesus was God – which is why they wanted to stone Him.

So Jesus is fully God.  Everything that’s true of God the Father, is also true of Jesus the Son.  Now let’s get more specific.  What exactly does that mean?  Let me mention three things. 

First, it means that just as God the Father has always been, Jesus has always been.  Jesus said this himself in John 8:58 when he said “before Abraham was, I am.”  So go back in time as far as your mind can conceive; there never was a time when Jesus was not.  Jesus, along with God the Father and God the Spirit, has always been.

Now at this point some of you might be having a hard time.  You’re thinking: a God who has always existed as three persons?  How is that possible?  I can’t understand that!  But that fact that you can’t explain it doesn’t mean it’s not true.

For example – here’s an artist’s rendition of our Milky Way.  The Milky Way is so big that our massive solar system can’t even be seen.  Now how is the existence of this Milky Way and our solar system and our earth possible?  Science hasn’t been able to explain how this got here.  And yet we know that it did.  We’re living in a reality that science hasn’t been able to explain.

So we know there’s realities that we can’t explain.  That doesn’t prove God’s existence.  But I hope it helps you see that the fact that it blows your mind doesn’t mean it’s not true.  And there’s plenty of reasons to believe it is true.  But that’s a topic for another time.  We can’t explain how Jesus has always been, but He has always been.

Second, Jesus was full of joy in the fellowship of the Trinity.  What were God the Father and God the Son and God the Spirit doing from eternity past?  They weren’t lonely.  They weren’t bored.  We’ve seen over the past weeks that from eternity past God the Father and God the Son and God the Spirit had always been full of perfect joy in beholding their perfections as displayed in each other.  So from eternity past, Jesus had always been – and he had always been full of perfect joy.

Third, Jesus had infinite power and authority.  In Col 1:16 we read that everything was created by Jesus, which means Jesus had infinite power and authority.  Don’t forget what we saw a few weeks ago -- how big this universe is that Jesus created.  Here’s our Milky Way.  Our Milky Way is 100,000 light years wide.  One light year is 6 trillion miles – which is 240 million trips around the earth.  One trip, two trips, three trips – 240 million trips around the earth is 6 trillion miles – 1 light year.  And the Milky Way that Jesus created is 100,000 light years across.  Think of the power involved in creating a 100,000 light years wide Milky Way.

But not only that – scientists tell us that our universe contains at least 50 million galaxies like our Milky Way.  So what kind of power and authority can create 50 million 100,000 light-years-wide galaxies?  Infinite power.  Jesus had infinite power and authority.

So before Jesus was born, He had always been, he was full of joy in the fellowship of the Trinity, and He had infinite power and authority.

So what happened when Jesus was born?  This is mind-blowing.  In v.7 we read that Jesus “made himself nothing.”  That means Jesus took all His God-powers and privileges – and laid them aside.  He never stopped being God; He was always God -- but he laid aside His use of His God-powers and privileges. 

Then Paul says he took “the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” – which means He became a man.  Not just a man – a baby.  He did not just put on a human costume; He fully became a man. 

Let’s get more specific.  My dad likes to use the illustration of a ladder – that when Jesus became a man it was like coming down a ladder – laying something aside at each step.  We’ll picture that with this ladder.

First, Jesus laid aside His position as God to be born as a baby.  This is what Christmas is all about.  The same Jesus who was fully God, whose power created 50 million 100,000 light-years-wide galaxies – he laid aside His position as God to be born as a baby.  Just like this baby here.

Second, Jesus laid aside His majesty to live in humility.  The creator of the universe was born in a stable because there was no room in the inn.  Laid in a manger – a feeding trough for animals.  During His ministry He had nowhere to lay His head.  He was publicly betrayed by one of His disciples – Judas; publicly denied by another of his disciples – Peter.

Third, Jesus laid aside His infinite power to live in weakness.  Jesus had always had infinite power.  He had never known any weakness.  But in becoming a man, he took on human weakness.  So, for example, in John 4 we read that he became tired after walking all morning.  In Mar 8 we read that he once was so tired that he slept on a boat during a storm.  And in Mat 21 we read that Jesus became hungry.  So Jesus lived in weakness.

So Jesus took the glorious existence that He had known from eternity past – and laid that aside so he could become a man.  This is an infinite humbling.  And it’s not easy for us to feel – because we’re human beings – what’s so terrible about that?  But imagine that you became an ant; not just that you put on an ant costume – but that you actually became an ant – with ant limitations and weaknesses.  Can you feel that?

But there’s more.  In v.8 Paul looks beyond Bethlehem --  

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

So fourth, Jesus laid aside His pain-free existence to be beaten, scourged, crucified.  Before Bethlehem Jesus had never known pain.  Ever.  But now he allowed Himself to be arrested.  And when Peter tried to free him, Jesus said that at any time he could call for a legion of angels who would come to deliver him.  So at no time was Jesus a helpless victim; as every moment Jesus was choosing to continue.

So he allowed himself to be arrested.  Then to be beaten.  Then to be scourged.  Then to have a crown of thorns crushed on His head.  And then he’s taken to Golgotha where he’s nailed to the cross.  At any time He could have chosen to be delivered – to tap out, if you will.  But he chose not to.  Which means that every pain was accepted, every blow received, every suffering voluntary.

Fifth, Jesus laid aside His glory for the shame of the Cross.  From eternity past Jesus had been infinitely glorious – and His glory was always celebrated by the Father and the Spirit.  But Jesus laid aside His glory for the shame of the Cross.

Think of the scandal of being arrested.  The shame of being beaten and scourged and mocked with a crown of thorns.  Then feel the utter shame of being held up before a crowd – who could choose between him and a murder – and the crowd all wants to have the murder released and to have you be crucified – and they shout “Crucify, Crucify Him!”  Absolute shame.

And sixth, worst of all, Jesus laid aside His Father’s love to endure the Father’s wrath.  As terrible as was the physical pain, and the shame, that was nothing compared to what it meant to endure the Father’s wrath.  Jesus had always only known the Father’s love.  But now – that changed.  In a way that was heart-breaking for the Father, suddenly what was coming down from the Father was no longer love.  It was wrath.  Punishment.  The wrath and punishment deserved by those Jesus would save, poured out upon Jesus instead of us by the Father.

That’s what Jesus did – in Bethlehem, and the Cross.  You might wonder – why would Jesus do this?  It’s because even though we have turned our backs on God, and deserve infinite punishment -- He feels compassion for us, He has mercy on us, He loves us – and wants to save us.

See, God has shown you that He is real, and good, and merciful, by creating you, giving you life, giving you an amazing body, giving you food and friends and a spouse and children and work and comfort and pleasure.  And best of all – God has offered you the heart-satisfaction of knowing and worshiping Him.

But we’ve all turned our backs on God -- our good, loving Creator!  We’ve refused to thank Him or honor Him or obey Him.  That’s what the Bible calls sin – and our sin deserves infinite punishment from God.

So here’s Jesus – on the ladder.  He looks down on us – we deserve infinite punishment from Him.  That’s what we deserve.  But He has compassion on us; has mercy on us; loves us; wants to save us.

So he starts down the ladder.  He lays aside His position as God; His majesty; His infinite power – and was born as a man.  He lays aside His pain-free existence; His infinite glory; His experience of the Father’s love – and dies on the Cross.

So now, if we will receive Jesus as our Savior, Lord, and Treasure, our hearts will be changed, we’ll be forgiven for all our sins, and we will experience God’s love and provision and presence forever.

So let this sink in: Jesus, our Creator, who was equal to God the Father in everything, lowered himself to become a man, and lowered himself to die on a Cross.  Because He loves you.  In order to save you.

But Paul is not done.  One more question – What does God the Father do for Jesus?  Look at vv.9-11 –

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

God raised Him from the dead.  Highly exalted Him.  Gave him the name above every name.  And at the end of history Jesus Christ will return, and when He does, every knee will bow before Him. 

Many of them will not bow willingly – because in this life they did not bend the knee before Jesus and trust Jesus.  So God will make them bow – and then they will face God’s judgment forever for refusing to bend the knee before such awesome glory.

But others will bend the knee willingly – and will be welcomed into God’s presence on the new heavens and new earth forever. 

And that can be you - if you will own up to Jesus’ awesome glory, and bend the knee to Jesus now, and trust Him now.  If you will do that, then, because of what Jesus did on the Cross, you will be completely forgiven, your heart will be changed, you will know God’s love and care and presence for the rest of your life – and you will want to live to spread Jesus’ glory in your home, your neighborhood, our city, the world.

So – own up to Jesus’ awesome glory.  Bend your knee now.  Trust Him now.  That’s what Christmas is all about.