A Matter of Life through Death

“The saying is trustworthy, for: ‘If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him’” (2Tim 2:11).

How many times have you heard something is a matter of life and death? It happens in the movies when someone in grave danger pleads urgently for help. Somebody must come to the rescue because a life hangs in the balance. It’s simply life or death. It’s one or the other. It’s what engineers call a binary choice. Black or white. Up or down. On or off.

But what if it’s NOT an “either/or?” What if death was actually the way to life? That’s exactly Paul’s point here in his second letter to Timothy. “The saying is trustworthy, for: ‘If we have died with Him, we shall also with with Him” (v11). Here’s something you can take to the bank. Something you can always count on. Dying with Jesus ensures real life with Jesus.

It’s a matter of life through death. 

Paul should know. Certain death is a cold, cruel reality for the apostle as he writes to his buddy Tim. He’s locked up in the Mamertine Prison, Rome’s Death Row, and his time is rapidly running out (2Tim 1:16; 2:9; 4:6-7). Paul hopes his protege can get there before it’s too late (2Tim 4:9, 21). In the meantime, he crams everything he can in a short letter to give Tim instructions on carrying on the spread of the Good News once his life on earth is over (2Tim 2:1-4:5).

Paul wants Timothy to know he can bet the farm on what he’s about to read. “The saying is trustworthy” (v11). You can translate the original language here as “faithful the word.” It’s one of his go-to phrases in his letters to both young gun pastors, Tim and Titus (1Tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; Titus 3:8). Just so we’re clear, everything the Holy Spirit inspires every single word the apostle writes. He’s not trying to say the rest of his letters are shady and questionable. He IS pointing out that what you’re about to read is a big deal. It would be in all CAPS and bold if he could. Does he have your total attention? Sweet.

Notice how the next couple of verses appear different from the rest of Paul’s letter in your Bible. 

“If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him;

if we endure, we will also reign with Him;

if we deny Him, He will also deny us;

if we are faithless, He remains faithful” (2Tim 2:11-14).

Kinda looks like a poem, doesn’t it? That’s because Scholars believe there’s a pretty good chance these are lyrics from a first century praise song. It’s not the first time the apostle dips into song lyrics to make a point (Phil 2:1-11). This principle is so trustworthy that somebody has written a song about it!

What a powerful reminder about the importance of music when it comes to communicating God’s truth. For those of us involved in either composing worship songs or the planning of worship services, it’s top-shelf important to ensure the lyrics we use are in line with Scripture. At the same time, we should pay VERY close attention to the words we sing when we gather together. Do you believe what’s coming out of your mouth? Are you learning more about who Jesus is and what He’s done for you? For centuries, songwriters have been some of the most important teachers of our faith.

“If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure with Him, we will also reign with Him” (2Tim 2:11-12). These first two lines of the tune are a pair of paradoxes. (Wait, does that make four doxes? But I digress.) God’s Word is loaded with these statements that seem to contradict each other. In reality, they’re NOT really contradictions. They just appear to be mutually exclusive at first glance. Digging a little deeper, we see the beauty of eternal truth. The reason for the apparent contradiction is the stark difference between how our fallen world works and God’s original design for His universe. 

Jesus came to set things straight again. He came give us Gospel optics so we could see life as it was intended. It seems that He came to turn the world’s economy upside down. In actuality, Christ came to turn it rightside up. That’s because our sin has totally trashed paradise. So when we read words like Paul’s here in verses 11 and 12, they seem wacky. Death is the way to life? Patient submission is the way to sovereignty? What the WHAT?!? God is using the apostle give us the glasses of grace in order to see things His way.

Let’s drill down on the first line of the lyrics. “If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him” (v11). Just in case you’re wondering about just who “Him” is, we’re talking about Jesus. The secret decoder for “Him” is back just one verse where Paul writes about “salvation that is in Christ Jesus” (2Tim 2:10). Just another reminder that the Son of God is THE Hero of the Bible. From the opening pages of the Old Testament to the last words of the New. So it’s no surprise that “Him” is Jesus.

You might be surprised at the source of the first line of lyrics here in verse 11. Apparently the songwriter is passing along words originally written by…wait for it…the Apostle Paul! Check out what he wrote a few years back to the church in Rome: “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him” (Rom 6:8). 

Doug Bookman among others thinks the apostle wrote Romans around 56 AD and 2 Timothy in 66 or 67 AD. Over those ten years, was some first century worship leader in Rome so moved by what Paul wrote that he put it in a praise song for his church? While we can’t be sure of that, there’s no question these two verses share the same truth, nearly word for word.

But just what in the world is Paul saying when he writes, “If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him” (v11)? Don’t miss the fact that both ends of the idea connect us with Christ. The first phrase “died with Him” is actually just one compound Greek verb (Gr. συναποθνησκω). It literally means “together (συν-) separated (-απο-) in death (-θνησκω).” You only see it a grand total of three times in the NT.

Remember how Peter puffed out his chest the night before Jesus died? He wouldn’t leave the Lord hanging, even if it meant he would die too. “If I must die with you (Gr. συναποθνησκω), I will not deny you” (Mk 14:31). Yeah, that didn’t go so well, did it? Just a few hours later, a question from a middle school girl would crumble the one Christ called Rocky (Mk 14:66-68). History tells us the former fisherman would eventually die like His Savior, crucified upside down.

The other time we see it is when Paul tells believers in Corinth that his relationship with them is so tight that it would they would go so far as “to die together (Gr. συναποθνησκω) and to live together” (2Cor 7:3). The Corinthians may have been a hot mess but the apostle refused to turn his back on them.

Paul begins, “If we have died with Him” (v11). Wait. IF we died with Jesus? I don’t know about you, but they haven’t held my funeral yet. Don’t let the past tense of the verb throw us for a loop. Relax. We’re not walking around like Patrick Swayze in “Ghost,” hoping Whoopy Goldberg can help us warn our loved ones. You see, the grammar of Paul’s Greek tips us off that we actually died with Christ in the past on that bloody Friday outside Jerusalem. When we place our trust in our Lord, we died when He died. 

It’s a matter of life through death. 

The apostle makes the point that Jesus wasn’t alone at Golgotha that bloody Friday outside Jerusalem. Yeah, there certainly were a couple of crooks on crosses too. But that’s not all. Calvary was actually incredibly crowded that day. Everyone who ever places their faith in Christ was there too. That’s what Paul tells the folks in Galatia. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal 2:20). 

It’s a matter of life through death. 

Since we died with our crucified Savior, “we will also live with Him” (v11). We’re connected with Christ one more time, this time Paul’s talking about life. Not just existence. Not just survival. This is buckle-your-seat-belt-and-hang-on life with Jesus. The former Pharisee drops another compound word (Gr. συζαω) that means to live with, share life, or enjoy life. You can literally translate this “together (συ-) enjoying life (-ζαω).”

This is exactly the lavish life Jesus says He came to bring (Jn 10:10). He and Paul are describing life overflowing with God’s goodness. Following Christ isn’t just splashing around in the kiddie pool. It’s going down a breathtaking waterslide into the deep end! King David thanks God for His amazing grace this way. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Ps 23:5-6). An all-you-can-eat banquet. Oil running down your head. Cup overflowing. The good life is the God life. 

It’s a matter of life through death.

Let’s take a New York minute to review what real life with Jesus is NOT. This is NOT the so-called prosperity gospel. This is the phony belief that God wants you to have a multi-million dollar mansion, a couple of Beamers, and a private jet. According to its proponents, all you have to do is believe. This turns Almighty God into a divine vending machine spitting out blessings at your request. It places our focus on His gifts instead of the Ultimate Giver.

Real life with Jesus is better than that. WAY better than that! Life together with Christ is NOT about you. It’s a “me third” lifestyle. In other words, “God first, others second, me third.” If we’re living with the Lord, why would we expect it to be any different from His original mission. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Mt 20:28). Dying with Christ also means dying to self. Getting my eyes off the goofball in the mirror unlocks the abundant life with Jesus.

It’s a matter of life through death. 

There’s one more benefit of sharing death and life with Christ. It demonstrates to the world exactly Who should get the credit. According to Paul, we’re “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. for we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2Cor 4:10-11).

This death-with-Jesus-means-life-with-Jesus is a bunch of whacko crazy talk without the Gospel. He lived the perfect life of obedience to every one of His Dad’s commands and laws. I never came close. He died the death for my sin and disobedience that I should have died. He rose to a spectacular new life that I don’t deserve. I trust in what He has done for me that I could never do for myself. 

Trusting in Jesus’ substitutionary death means “we have died with Him” (v11). Trusting in His resurrection means “we will also live with Him” (v11). According to Paul, Christ takes our garbage and gives us His goodness (2Cor 5:21). Martin Luther liked to call this the Great Exchange. My garbage for God’s goodness is the most lopsided deal in the history of the universe. It’s what makes His grace so amazing!

It’s a matter of life through death. 

Music and the Messiah Mega Mystery

“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1Tim 3:16).

There’s just something about music that touches your soul. Dare I say “magic?” Hear a great hook and you’re humming it in your head all day. Ever try to remove a Taylor Swift ear worm? Catchy lyrics will burn into your brain for a lifetime. I’m occasionally tormented by Steve Miller’s square-peg-in-a-round-hole rhyme “Abracadabra, I wanna reach out a grab ya.” 

God knows the power of music. For heaven’s sake, it was His idea! There’s even an entire book of the Bible called the Psalms that’s basically a boxed set of the greatest worship hits of all time. So it’s no surprise there are songs and music all throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Did you realize Adam sang when he got his first look at Eve (Gen 2:23)? I’m pretty sure that’s biblical support for why chicks dig musicians. While we don’t know the melodies, we can read the words. The lyrics are chockfull of great truth. 

Here in his letter to Timothy, Paul quotes the lyrics of a first century worship song. You have to wonder if it was originally recorded by St. Christopher of Tomlin. “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by the angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (v16). It’s musical take on the Messiah Mega Mystery.

The apostle writes his spiritual son while he’s on the road in Macedonia. Paul has appointed Tim as the lead pastor of the Ephesian megachurch. A team of false teachers have distracted folks from the Gospel. It’s Tim’s job to clean up their mess (1Tim 1:3-7) and find a new lead team (1Tim 3:1-13). The man from Tarsus may be suggesting that the pastor make sure a particular tune be put back in the worship set list. The words a loaded with the truth about Jesus.

Before he gets to the lyrics, Paul makes the point that everyone can agree that the idea of Christ as Messiah is a Mega Mystery! “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness” (v16). The word “confess” (Gr. homologoumenos) literally means “to all say the same words” about something. It’s one thing we can all agree on. There’s no question is hard to figure out.

Just how big is this? It’s “great” (v16). Paul uses the word mega. It probably won’t take a PhD in biblical languages to figure out what that means. Huge. Mammoth. Extraordinary. Overwhelming. Whatever we’re agreeing on, it’s gonna be Mega!

At this point, the apostle drops one of his all-time favorite terms. He throws it around a LOT! He uses is 20 times if you’re scoring at home (Rom 11:25; 16:25; 1Cor 2:7; 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:1; Eph 1:9; 3:3-4; 3:9; 5:32; 6:19; Col 1:26-27; 2:2; 4:2; 2Th 2:7; 1Tim 3:9; 1Tim 3:16). But “mystery” doesn’t quite mean the same thing for us as it did back in the first century. Musterion actually describes something hidden for a long time that’s now disclosed. Think mystery revealed!

Nineteen out of 20 times that Paul uses the word “mystery” (Gr. musterion), he’s not talking about a what but a Who. God’s Mega Mystery is the identity of the Messiah. When the apostle drops the the term, it almost always involves some aspect of God’s rescue mission and sending His Son to do it. He writes to the multisite church in Colossae that Jesus is “the mystery (Gr. musterion) hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints” (Col 1:26). The ultimate “knowledge of God’s mystery (Gr. musterion), which is Christ” (Col 2:2). The apostle made it his life’s mission “boldly to proclaim the mystery (Gr. musterion) of the Gospel” (Eph 6:19). The central point of “this mystery (Gr. musterion), which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27).

Even after God reveals the Mega Mystery of Messiah Jesus, it’s still hard to wrap your head around! I think we can all agree on that! Paul then quotes six lines of lyrics from a song in his letter. Six simple lines soaked in truth of who our Savior is and what He has done for us. We’ll run through them quickly but will only scratch the surface on some unfathomably deep theology.

“He was manifested in the flesh” (v16). This opening line lets us know “He” is Jesus. The verb translated “manifested” (Gr. phanero’o) means to make known, reveal, cause to be seen, or show. We’re talking about the incarnation. Christ became human by adding humanity to His divinity (Phil 2:6-8). It’s what we celebrate at Christmas. Rocky the Apostle says Christ existed “before the foundation of the world but was made manifest (Gr. phanero’o) in the last times for the sake of you” (1Pet 1:20). Paul tells the Colossians that the clearly visible Jesus “is the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15). John the Apostle writes, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14). In other words, God revealed the Messiah Mega Mystery when Jesus came to earth.

The second line tells us Christ was “vindicated by the Spirit” (v16). The Holy Spirit made a surprise appearance at Jesus’ baptism proving exactly who He is (Mt 3:16-17; Mk 1:10-11; Lk 3:21-22). That’s exactly the moment the weird, bug-eating prophet John the Baptizer found out his own cousin was actually the sinless Son of God (Jn 1:32-34). The Holy Spirit declared Jesus to be the Son of God at His resurrection (Rom 1:4). The Spirit acts like one of those blue checkmarks you see on the Twitter accounts of celebrities and newsmakers. They’re verified. The Third Person of the Trinity verifies that this Carpenter/Rabbi from the boondocks is the long-promised Messiah.

Jesus was also “seen by angels” (v16). God’s angel army exploded in the night sky over Bethlehem the night Jesus made His grand entrance (Lk 2:13-14). Wow! Talk about walkup music!! A pair of God’s angelic messengers were there to tell the women that Christ’s tomb was unexpectedly unoccupied (Lk 24:4-6). Peter tells us that the angels are so blown away at what Jesus is doing to rescue us that they can’t take their eyes off of the action (1Pet 1:12). If the Gospel is broadcast in heaven, it’s must-see TV for the angels!

The next line Paul quotes says Christ is “proclaimed among the nations” (v16). “Nations” here does NOT mean a sovereign political state like the U.S. or Russia. The Greek word ethnos describes racial groups. Think of the largest social and cultural unit which you can divide the people of the world. It’s where we get the term “ethnicity.” And that’s probably a great way to understand it. In the Greco-Roman world, this term meant non-Jews. The Good News of Jesus is taken to every demographic subset and people group on the planet.

Paul knew all about that personally with his tours of the Mediterranean Rim telling everyone he met that Jesus is Messiah for not just the Jewish people but every race and culture. And why not? The resurrected Christ personally handpicked the former Pharisee for the job (Acts 9:15; Gal 2:7). Don’t make the mistake of thinking this was just Paul’s gig and nothing for us to worry about. Before He headed back home to heaven, Jesus told all of us to “make disciples of all nations (Gr. ethnos)” (Mt 28:19-20). And unless you’re Jewish, Paul is talking YOUR inclusion into God’s kingdom right here. 

The song goes on to sing about how Jesus is “believed on in the world” (v16). To believe in Jesus is not just admitting He is an historical figure and not just some Middle Eastern myth. We don’t so much believe in Jesus. He’s not Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. We believe ON Jesus. Think putting all our trust upon Him. We trust in the fact that He lived the perfect life that we couldn’t pull off. We trust in His death on the cross that should have been ours. We trust in His resurrection life that we don’t deserve. 

We trust in what He’s done that we could never dream of doing for ourselves. He takes our sin and hands us His perfection (2Cor 5:21). The incredible opportunity to place our trust in our sinless Savior came through His Father’s great love for us. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).

The last line of the lyrics land with the Lord’s launch. Christ was “taken up in glory” (v16). As if His resurrection wasn’t stunning enough, Jesus lifted off and headed home to heaven in front of a huge crowd in the suburbs of Jerusalem (Lk 24:50-51; Acts 1:2, 9). While He’s there, our Savior preps the place for our arrival (Jn 14:3). Jesus is also interceding on our behalf with His Dad (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25). And while it’s not included in this particular song, Christ is coming back for one final incredible encore. He’s far from finished.

We’ve only cracked the door on the “mystery of godliness” (v16) in these six lines of lyrics. While God pulled the curtain back on who He is by sending His sinless Son to save us, there’s only so much we can wrap our heads around on this side of eternity. That’s why they call it the Messiah Mega Mystery. And they wrote a song all about it!

Living Out Loud

“and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11)

Ever heard that often quoted line from St. Francis of Assisi? You probably know the one I’m talking about. “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words when necessary.” There’s only one itty bitty problem with that little ditty. Frankie didn’t say it. It’s not in any of his writings. Nowhere. His first biographer quotes the monk as actually saying just the opposite. Words and actions go hand in hand. That’s the point Paul is trying to get across as he sings the closing line of lyrics to the worship song we read in Philippians 2:6-11. We not only live a life of obedience and worship of Jesus but look for opportunities to tell everybody who will listen that He is our Leader. We say it out loud. We live out loud.

From behind bars in Rome, the apostle writes a letter of incredible encouragement to his friends back in Philippi. Over the past couple of years, he’s had to send notes to put out theological fires in churches in Ephesus and Colossae. But this epistle is different. VERY different. Paul is so overwhelmed with the joy of Jesus while he’s in the joint that he’s got to share it with the amazing followers of we call the Philippians. A few years back, the man from Tarsus and his travel team rolled into the Macedonian port city with the message of Jesus. God used Paul to open the heart of a fashionista named Lydia, save a young woman from demon-possession and slavery, and convert a brutal prison warden and his entire family. You can read all about it in Dr. Luke’s sequel (Acts 16:12-40). 

Here in chapter 2 of his letter, the apostle can’t contain himself and bursts out into song. We’re not sure if Paul wrote it or if he was simply quoting one of the hot worship tunes of the time. But the structure is in the form of lyrics or poetry. Folks like Chris Tomlin and David Crowder compose some fantastic praise music, but this golden oldie is a classic. This little number is all about Jesus, who He is and what He’s done for us. Christ is 100% God and then added 100% humanity in order to serve and save us (Phil 2:6-7). He left His palatial home in heaven to live as one of us and then die in our place on the cross (Phil 2:8). Because of Jesus’ mind-blowing humility His heavenly Dad escorted His Son to the place of honor and gave Him a name greater than any other (Phil 2:9). The result of our Lord’s new name is the worship and submission of every person who has ever lived (Phil 2:10). We’ll not only humble ourselves before Him but tell everyone that the resurrected Rabbi from Nazareth is the ultimate authority in the universe (v11). All that leads us back to making His Father famous.

After painting a picture of how “every knee should bow” before our Savior, Paul writes, “every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (v11). The apostle is singing about the Who behind the why. Just about every Bible translator uses the word “confess.” This is from the Greek verb exomologeo, a word that describes the words proceed an inevitable action. It’s to openly and joyfully acknowledge, agree, profess, or affirm a fact to be the reason you’re about to do something. This particular song reminds me of one we sing at our church, “This Is Amazing Grace” by Phil Wickham. It goes a little something like this. “This is amazing grace, this is unfailing love. That You would take my place, that You would bear my cross. You would lay down Your life, that I could be set free. Oh, Jesus, I sing for all that You’ve done for me!” We can’t help but sing and shout about our Savior. We confess to everyone who will listen who He is and what He’s done. We say it out loud as we live out loud.

If you think this phrase “every tongue confess” looks familiar, there’s a reason. It’s sprinkled throughout the Bible. God announced to Isaiah, “To Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance” (Is 45:23). When you combine that with Paul’s words in Philippians, it connects the biblical dots between the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth and the long-awaited Messiah of the Jews! In other words, Jesus isn’t just an awesome Teacher but the One God has promised would come to our rescue since our first parents listened to the lies of a satanic snake (Gen 3:15). The apostle sings about the Hero of the entire Bible! He sings about the Hero of the Big Story! All of the great movie heroes have a theme song. One day we’ll ALL sing Jesus’ song.

That tune is the a big part of the soundtrack of the New Testament as well. We’ll belt out that “Jesus Christ is Lord” (v11). It’s our acknowledgement that He is the rightful Ruler and unquestioned Boss of the Universe. When it’s all said and done, we will announce that Jesus is God and the sovereign authority of the whole shooting match. Some of you might have some doubts and are hedging your bets on this idea. Meet Thomas. You may remember him by his nickname Doubting Thomas. He had missed the meet-up with the resurrected Jesus and wasn’t buying what his buddies were selling about a resurrected Jesus. When Christ appears to His posse in the  bonus room, Tommy’s doubts disappear just as quickly. “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 21:28). He confesses with his tongue just exactly who Jesus is. Tommy and the rest of the apostle live the rest of their lives saying it out loud. They live the rest of their lives living out loud.

Telling others that Christ is in charge of your life is a sure sign that He’s come to your rescue. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom 10:9). Chances are if my mouth is confessing Christ and my heart is trusting in what He’s done for me, I’ll be living out loud for Him. Let’s be clear about what Paul is NOT saying about being a tongue confessor. Chances are he’s not telling you to buy a bullhorn, wear a “Jesus is Lord” sandwich board, and go for a walk at the mall. But he IS saying we can’t be shy about Who we worship. You don’t have to force anyone to believe in the One who came to your rescue. On the other hand, our love for and trust in Jesus should be a regular part of our conversation. Paul’s buddy Peter says as followers of Jesus we’re “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1Pet 3:15). Be ready. But NOT to pound your next victim into the kingdom with a 20 pound King Jimmy Bible. Be ready to share the Good News of Jesus (don’t miss this!) gently and respectfully. Put down the bullhorn. Take off the sandwich board. Simply say it out loud and live out loud.

But the worship of Jesus is NOT the last word of this worship song. This is all about “the glory of God the Father” (v11). All the Son has done shines the spotlight of praise back on the Father. As charter members of the Holy Trinity, there’s a incredible relationship there that’s hard to wrap our human minds around. During His time on our planet, Jesus continually made the supernatural connection between Him and His Dad. “All may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (Jn 5:23). There’s this crazy ricochet of glory that happens between the Father and Son. “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him at once” (Jn 13:31-32). Yeah, it makes my head hurt when I try to figure it out. The bottom line is when we make the Father famous, we make the Son famous. And vice versa. So the glory doesn’t just pile up in front of Christ. I know what some of you are thinking right now. There’s all this talk about the Trinity but why are you talking about the Holy Spirit. Every Member of the Big Three is fully involved in the glory ricochet. Check out what Paul wrote to the Corinthians. “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1Cor 12:3). The Spirit is the One behind every confession that Jesus is Lord. This confession is “to the glory of God the Father” (v11). 

So what do we do with the truth found here in the last line of Paul’s first century worship song? Don’t be afraid to tell others that “Jesus is Lord” (v11). He’s the One who’s truly in charge of my life. He’s the ultimate authority. Put it this way, you’re one of His direct reports. Not begrudgingly. Not unwillingly. It’s an act of love and gratitude for all He’s done for you. We say it out loud. We live out loud.

Servin' on Empty

“but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7)

Jackson Browne sings about “Runnin’ on Empty.” The lyrics his hit tune describe how his gas gauge is on “E.” In the song, he’s lived his entire life with his foot on the floor and he now realizes it’s been a total waste of time. In Philippians chapter 2, Paul drops the lyrics of what many believe to be a first century hit song. It’s also about running on fumes. But this tank belongs to Jesus. This track tells of how our Savior emptied Himself to serve us. It tells of how our Lord emptied Himself by serving us. Jesus is the ultimate example of servin’ on empty.

The year is AD 61. Paul is serving time in Caesar’s SuperMax in Rome. Four years ago, his enemies falsely accused him of stirring up trouble in Jerusalem (Acts 21:27-36). After sitting behind bars in Judea, the apostle appealed his case to Caesar (Acts 25:11-12). His voyage to Rome makes recent cruise line disasters look like a wimpy (Acts 27:1-28:14). While he waits for his hearing, Paul writes a series of letters to various churches, places like Colossae, Ephesus, and Philippi. The letter to his Philippian friends in the only note he wrote where the apostle is not trying to put out a fire. This epistle drips with joy. He mentions some form of his joy 16 different times in the note. Think about that for moment. He’s doing hard time because of telling others about Jesus. Yet, he’s got joy in the joint!

Here in chapter 2, Paul is so stoked about what the God is doing through the Gospel that he busts out in song. A lot of really smart folks believe Philippians 2:6-11 is a first century worship tune. It’s structure has all characteristics of lyrics or poetry. Could this have been on of the ditties Paul and Silas belted out the night they were locked up in Philippi (Acts 16:25)? Makes you wonder. The first line of describes how Jesus is 100% God (Phil 2:6). He had all the rights and privileges of divinity. But this is where things get interesting. I don’t know about you, but I would have put a hammer lock on any document calling me a deity. As they say on the golf course, grip it and rip it, baby! Hmm, Jay Almighty has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Thankfully, God the Father was smart enough to avoid that particular theological pothole. Instead, Christ is God. But His divinity was something the God the Son held loosely. 

You see, Jesus dropped His Godness because He was God on a mission from God. Jake and Elwood Blues have nothing on our Savior. As part of releasing His divinity, Christ “emptied Himself” (v7). Paul uses the Greek verb keno’o. It means to divest, give up, lay aside, drain, make void, or remove the contents. It paints a picture of taking away the power of significance of something or in this case Someone. The Second Person of the Trinity voluntarily strips away His prerogatives, His status, and His position.

Preachers, scholars, bishops, monks, and ministers have been scratching their noggins for centuries over just what Jesus emptied. The best answer seems to be His constant access to His divine attributes. To go on the ultimate rescue mission, Christ divested Himself of regular and ready use of things such as His all-powerful nature, His ability to be everywhere at once, and His glory. The Son of God only had access to such attributes when His Dad felt it was appropriate. In other words, God voluntarily accepted the limitations of humanity. So Jesus emptied Himself. Can I be frank? That’s just the opposite of what I do most of the time. Most of the time, I’m completely full of myself. He emptied Himself of His real and deserved glory. I fill myself with false glory. My Savior can only fill and use me when I empty the tank of my ego and pride. 

Jesus emptied Himself because He had a very specific mission on His supernatural agenda. He laid all of that aside “by taking the form of a servant” (v7). Paul first says that the Son of God “was in the form (Gr. morphe) of God” (Phil 2:6). To make His divine dumpster dive into our sin, took “the form (Gr. morphe) of a servant” (v7). We see this idea of God as our Servant as part of the Big Story of the Bible. God uses the prophet Isaiah to predict the coming of a Suffering Servant who’s on the way. “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold, My chosen, in whom My soul delights” (Is 42:1). Isaiah 52 and 53 paint one of the most beautiful and accurate portraits of Jesus you’ll ever see. “Out of the anguish His soul He shall see and be satisfied; by His knowledge shall the righteous One, My Servant, make many to accounted righteous, and He shall bear their iniquities” (Is 53:11). And that was more than 600 years before Joe and Mary turned a feed trough into a bassinet! Jesus emptied Himself to serve us.

All throughout the life of Christ, He demonstrates that the King of Kings has come as the Servant of Servants. Jesus told His crew, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28). In one of the most amazing scenes you’ll ever see in Scripture, our Savior washes the filthy feet of His disciples the night before His murder (Jn 13:3-20). Don’t miss the fact that Jesus actually scrubs the feet of the infamous Judas Iscariot knowing the dude will sell him out in just a few hours. God doesn’t serve those who deserve it. He serves the criminals, rebels, and enemies. In the words of Tullian Tchividjian, God serves and saves bad people because bad people are all He has to work with. In case you’re wondering, that includes you and me.  

The fact of Jesus’ service to us has a couple of important implications. First of all, it does NOT mean He’s some sort of genie in a bottle that we call on to fulfill our wishes. He’s NOT a supernatural vending machine who responds whenever we insert the proper payment. He’s NOT a heavenly butler who answers to our beck and call. He’s God. We’re not. Don’t let His sacrificial service out of His love for you and me confuse us. Got it? Good. Second, the Servant of Servants motivates us to do for others because of all He’s done for us. We’re served to be servants to those around us. We’re blessed to be a blessing. We don’t serve do He will save us, we serve because He has saved us. It’s an act of gratitude and thanks to Jesus. Now get off your blessed assurance and start serving others!  

Jesus empties Himself as part of “being born in the likeness of men” (v7). Christ served us by becoming one of us. Don’t make the mistake of seeing our Savior like Superman pretending to be human. The Rabbi/Carpenter isn’t a first century Clark Kent with powers and abilities far above those of mortal men. According to Robertson, His humanity is as real as His diety. He’s 100% God and 100% Man. How does that work? I don’t have a clue. Jesus’ best bud John writes, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14). Christ is so human that He bleeds when Roman executioners drive nails through His hands. He’s so human that He dies when they pierce His heart with a spear. He empties Himself of life as an act of love for you and me.

The Son of God is “born in the likeness of men” (v7) to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. There’s absolutely no way we could ever fulfill God’s law and meet the requirement of perfect obedience in order to be saved. Jesus does what we can’t. “By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us” (Rom 8:3-4). Martin Luther liked to call it the Great Exchange. Paul writes about it 2Corinthians 5:21. Jesus gives us His complete perfection and obedience. He takes our total rebellion and disobedience. That’s what happens when we place our trust in Him. We trust in that He lived the perfect life that we completely failed to live. He died the death for our rebellion that we should have died. He rose to a glorious new life that we don’t deserve. By being “born in the likeness of men” (v7), Jesus totally pours out everything He has to do for us what we could never dream of doing for ourselves. 

Now I love me some Jackson Browne. I crank it up when “Runnin’ on Empty” comes on. But that’s nothing compared to how Christ drained His tank on our behalf. Our Savior emptied Himself to serve us. Our Lord emptied Himself by serving us. Jesus is the ultimate example of servin’ on empty.