The Death of Christ
Opening Song:
The Wonderful Cross (vs 1 & chorus)
Call to Worship:
Pastor Kevin McGuire
Isaiah 53
Historical Reading:
Pastor Michale Champoux
Apostles Creed
Song:
Nothing but the blood
Confession & Pardon:
Pastor Zachary McGuire
Doxology
Song:
See the destined day arise
Sermon: The Death of Christ
Pastor Andrew Loginow
Philippians 2.5-8
The Death of Christ
You may be seated. Please turn with me to Philippians chapter two, beginning with verse five. The Holy Spirit says:
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (ESV).
This is the word of the Lord.
Let’s pray. Heavenly father we ask that you open our ears, and soften our hearts as we read your holy word. Your word is what brings us life. Your word is from the beginning, and your word is forever. Teach us your truth. Sanctify us in your truth. Your word is truth. We pray you bathe us in the gospel, overwhelm us with Christ. We ask these things by the power of the Holy Spirit, and in Jesus’ name, amen.
“All children, except one, grow up.” You may be familiar with this line. You may have read it yourself, or possibly, heard someone read it to you. This is the opening line in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Possibly, you are more familiar with Disney’s 1953 animated retelling of Barrie’s tale. In either case, whether you read the book, or have seen the film, or if you are a parent of small children over the past ten years and have seen Jake and the Neverland Pirates, you are aware of the villainous pirate, Captain Hook.
There is one important piece of Captain Hook’s characterization from the book is not strongly highlighted in the cartoon movie. Captain James Hook is preoccupied with “good form.” No matter how much he distanced himself from his school days the tradition still clung to him, and none more than that of good form. Barrie writes, “Good form! However much he may have degenerated, he still knew that this is all that really matters.” Good form is all that really matters.
Paul tells us the same thing in our text. Good form is all that really matters. Though it is not our form that matters, but the form of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look with me at Philippians chapter two, verse five. “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” That is the rendering from the ESV. The NRSV says, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” Paul is giving an exhortation here for us to have the same mind, or attitude that Christ possesses. And how does Paul explain the attitude found in Christ? By way of Christ’s forms.
We see in verse six that Jesus was in the form of God. Jesus is Deity. Pastor Bob explained this very clearly to us in his sermon on the pre-existence of Christ. His being, or exact essence is God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1, ESV).” Pastor Bob walked us through Christ’s eternal position of God, and his unique role in the trinity. We believe that there are three persons in one God; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is eternally God. “[H]e was in the form of God.”
Let us not get confused with the word “form.” This is not like Hanna-Barbera’s The Wonder Twins; “shape of an ice ladder, form of a mouse.” What Paul means by form is the essential nature. Christ’s essential nature is God. It is who he is. It is his identity. Jesus is God.
Though Jesus is God, Paul tells us that he “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (ESV).” Here is an instance where those of you, like me, who cannot read the original Greek may find reading multiple English translations a helpful tool. Why? Because words like “grasped” can have multiple meanings in English. I might say, “I grasped that concept,” meaning I understood the concept. Or I could say, “I grasped the pen,” meaning I held it in my hand. The NRSV say’s that Jesus “did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited.” I think “exploited” fits better, because Jesus could mentally conceive his deity, and he fully possessed his deity. Yet, what Jesus does not do is exploit his eternal position. And how does he avoid exploiting his form? By emptying himself.
There are some who have used this verse to argue that Jesus gave up his godhood, and they focus on the phrase “he emptied himself.” As if he poured himself out and cast-off his deity, and therefore, as a man, Jesus was no longer God. This is known theologically as Kenosis Theory. Louis Berkhof has a helpful explanation of the theory in his Systematic Theology:
“This theory evidently resulted from a double motive, namely, the desire (1) to maintain the reality and integrity of the manhood of Christ; and (2) to throw into strong relief the exceeding greatness of Christ’s humiliation in that He, being rich, for our sakes became poor… while retaining His immanent or moral attributes of absolute power or freedom, holiness, truth and love, divested Himself temporarily of His relative attributes of omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience, but after the resurrection resumed these attributes.”
Brothers and sisters, we know this to be heresy. Jesus did not say in John chapter eight “’Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was’ I am kind of. I am missing a few necessary attributes, but don’t worry I’ll get them back.” No, he said, “before Abraham was, I am.” We at Christ Community Church should immediately be thinking of Exodus since we are moving through it together as a body. And this is exactly the line that Jesus wants you to draw. Jesus is harkening back to Abraham for one, the father of their faith, but also to Moses at the burning bush where God names himself, “I Am who I Am. Jesus is saying, do you want to know who I am? I am the I Am. I called Abraham out of his idolatry; I sent Moses to stand before Pharoah. And you may be sitting there thinking, “wow, this sounds okay, but you may be reading into this a bit much.” The Jews in the temple sure did not think that, because the very next thing they do is pick up stones to throw at him. Jesus is telling us that he is creator-God. Jesus never once laid down his attributes.
Further, we know this by having scripture interpreter scripture to help us understand. We use palpable truth to explain more difficult truth. Think of John chapter one, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” A more literal translation would be tabernacled among us. Joseph Ryan writes, “The Old Testament tabernacle is where God moved in and lived with his people. This tabernacle had no meaning apart from Jesus Christ. Its whole purpose in the wilderness was to point people forward to the true Tabernacle who was to come, the Son of God (God Tabernacled among Us, crossway.org).” Jesus cannot “tabernacle” among us unless he maintains his deity.
So how does Jesus empty himself? Not by emptying himself of the attributes of his deity. No, but by actually taking on the form of a servant. So not only is Jesus in the form of God, his essential nature, but has now added to his essential nature the form of servitude. He has taken on the form of a servant. Jesus says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45, ESV).”
This servant form is realized by Christ taking upon human form; “…being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form (Philippians 2:7b-8a, ESV).” In these two verses Paul tells us that Jesus experiences two major events of humanity; we are born and we die. “Being born in the likeness of men… obedient to the point of death (Philippians 2:7b-8).”
“Obedient to the point of death.” Can you feel the weight of this? Remember back in verse five Paul was telling us to have this same mind among ourselves. Jesus was obedient to the point of death. Penal substitutionary atonement is discussed often at Christ Community Church, because it is an essential component of the gospel. So that we could be made right before God, Christ took on our penalty, God’s eternal and just wrath, as our substitute. This was part of God’s redemptive plan, and standing in line with reformed tradition, we believe this is what the Bible teaches. And since we who believe have experienced the reality of Christus Victor (Christ overpowering evil through his atoning work) we can now experience Christus Exemplar. John Piper puts it quite eloquently:
“Imitation is not salvation. But salvation brings imitation. Christ is not given to us first as model, but as Savior. In the experience of the believer, first comes the pardon of Christ, then the pattern of Christ. In the experience of Christ himself, they happen together: The same suffering that pardons our sins provides our pattern of love (Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die).”
For those of us who are in Jesus we need to be dying to our sins daily. In Matthew sixteen, verse twenty-four Jesus tells us to deny ourselves and pick up our cross and follow him. We who are redeemed by the victory of Christ must follow the example of Christ.
And Jesus was “obedient to the point of death.” He allows himself to be slaughtered. Jesus laid down his own life. Jesus says, “…I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father (John 10:17-18, ESV).” This is his humility.
The creator of all is killed at the hand of his handiwork, and Jesus obeys his Father. This is often referred to as Christ’s passive obedience. Last week Pastor Mike explained this eloquently in his sermon on the life of Christ narrowing in particularly on the baptism of Jesus. Jesus’ baptism is an example of his active obedience. Christ’s active and passive obedience are distinguished by different aspects of his work; “fulfilling the precepts of his law” is the active obedience of Jesus. We had the blessing of hearing Pastor Mike preach about this in his sermon in regards to Jesus’ baptism. “Christ’s work in paying the penalty for sin” is what is known as Christ’s passive obedience. If you would like to learn more on that particular subject the Gospel Coalition has a helpful article written by Justin Taylor titled, What Is the Difference between the “Active” and the “Passive” Obedience of Christ?. Here in Philippians, we see illustrated Christ’s passive obedience. How can we better understand the passive obedience of Jesus? Think of Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth (ESV).” Brothers and sisters, how often are we so ready to justify ourselves when we are wrongly accused? Moreso, how ready are we to shift the blame when we are rightly accused? Like Adam in the garden, we are too quick to love ourself, and too slow to love God and to love people. “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me the fruit of the tree (Genesis 3 12, ESV, emphasis added).” Jesus was silent! There are none righteous, except one. Jesus was innocent of all sin. He had no blemish of thought, word, and deed, and yet he humbled himself, and died.
Not only did he humble himself to the point of death, but “even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8b, ESV).” Does not that phrase ooze with disgrace. Even death on a cross. It is not bad enough that Jesus died unjustly, creator-God slain by the wicked. No, he was killed by crucifixion, the most dishonorable death.
Being 2,000 years removed it can be difficult for us to understand the weight of what Paul is saying here, but for the Philippians this is a current reality. Paul’s letter to the Philippians is dated approximately AD 62. Crucifixion was not abolished by Rome until the 4th century by Constantine. Crucifixion was the punishment of criminals, pirates, slaves, or anyone else considered to no have human rights. The king of the universe killed like a pirate…
And what does this mean for us? Because Jesus humbled himself to the point of death, for those of us who are trusting in his work we can have the same mind among ourselves. There is exclusivity to Paul’s message. We can only have Christ’s mind if we are already in Christ. So, what does it mean to be in Christ? How do we have faith? Through knowledge, assent, and trust.
We must hear the gospel. We must know that man is fallen in sin. We are totally unable to stand before God. Our righteousness is as filthy rags. The only way we could be made right was for Jesus to be born of the Virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and to live a righteous life. Therefore, being the perfect sacrifice, without blemish, could take on God’s wrath, and die our death, in our place. He then rose three days later as the firstborn of new creation, and will return to judge the living and the dead. We must possess knowledge of the gospel.
But knowledge is not enough we must assent that this is true. We cannot be stuck at knowing what the Bible says, but to also believe that it actually happened. Yet, that is not even enough to be saved. We must trust this message.
We must stake our existence on the truth of the gospel. We must trust in the gospel to have the power to save us from the wrath of God to the wealth of God.
If you are not trusting in Jesus, I implore you to give your life to him. Hear the gospel message, repent, and believe.
For those of us who are trusting in Jesus, we who have already placed our faith in the saving work of Christ, be encouraged! Paul is giving us what we need. This is the gospel! Christ is the eternal God from the beginning. Christ put on human flesh, and lived a truly human life, but without sin. C.S. Lewis says that Jesus actually lived more as a human than any other human, because he lived as humanity was originally created; without sin. Christ then died, as is the fate of every Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve, except he was covered in sin that was not his own, and executed though innocent.
“Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior! (Hallelujah! What a Savior!, Phillip P. Bliss)”
Captain Hook hated Peter Pan. Other than the fact that Peter relieved him of his hand, which was soon eaten by a crocodile that since has not stopped following him attempting any opportunity to eat the captain, he more so hated Peter because Peter had good form. Peter, like many children, did not care about form, and it is indeed bad form to care about one’s form. But Peter exhibited fairness, and Peter’s fairness is not deliberate, but intuitive, and Hook considers this good form.
Captain Hook would hate Jesus. Jesus, the perfect form, the form of God emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant, and being found in human form becomes obedient to the point of death on a cross. Jesus gave up the perfect form to die like a criminal. Captain Hook would loathe Jesus. But Captain Hook would be very wrong.
I may even say it may be bad form to execute judgement before the story ends. Three days after our creator gave his life, Jesus walks out of the tomb to take on a new form. A final form. The form of the first-born of new creation.
Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, bless us and keep us. Help us to rely on your provision and trust you word. You have preserved your word and your people, and you will continue to preserve Christ’s church until he returns. We have feasted on your word; we have devoured your truth. Help us to become more like Christ though your sanctifying truth. As we come to the table and remember the death of Christ, and taste the bread and the wine, elements as real as the body of Jesus that was broken, and the blood of Jesus that was poured out for his people, refresh us with the hope that we have sealed by the Holy Spirit. The hope that those who have life in Christ will only experience the first death, and experience life-eternal following Jesus in the form of new creation. We pray these things by the power of the Holy Spirit, and in Jesus’ name, amen.
Please stand and come to the table.