Descending into Greatness

“Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name” (Phillippians 2:9).

I always hated Opposite Day. It’s a ridiculous (and completely made-up) holiday where everything you say and do is the reverse of what you think it should be. Oh, it’s not on anybody’s calendar. Hallmark doesn’t waste their time coming up with sappy or snarky cards for it. No, Opposite Day usually rears it’s nonsensical head when one of your goofy friends in middle school announced it out of nowhere. Suddenly everything gets flipped on it’s head. Yes is no. Up is down. Pretty is ugly. It made my head hurt. I guess it’s one of the many reasons I’m glad middle school is in my rearview mirror.

But what if everyday was Opposite Day? What if we lived on a planet where everything we did was backwards? What if down is really up? The more I read the Bible, the more it sure seems our world is actually running opposite of the way God designed it to work. Here in Philippians 2, Paul writes about how the Heavenly Father actually lifts up His Son because He went down. “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name” (v9). He lifts Him up precisely BECAUSE He dropped down. Apparently in God’s original plan, they way up is actually down. Bill Hybels coined the phrase “descending into greatness.” Jesus leads the way for us as we descend into greatness.

One cool way to think about Philippians 2:6-11 is as a mini-biography of the Second Person of the Trinity. The apostle pulls back the curtain heaven and gives us a sneak peek at Christ before He left paradise for the third rock from the sun. “He was in the form of God” (Phil 2:6). But here’s the goofy thing. From this point, Christ continually descends. Long before He hit the road for Israel, the Son of God didn’t exactly have a chokehold on His own divinity. He “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (Phil 2:6). Jesus “emptied Himself,” added 100% humanity to His 100% divinity and dove headfirst into the hot mess of our sin and rebellion. He descends. In Philippians 2:7-8, we read a super condensed version of His life as the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth. Jesus does what we could never do. He descends to live a life of perfect obedience to His Dad. He descends further to take our place on the cross for our sin. He ultimately descends into the grave as a dead man. 

It’s at this point everything reverses. Instead of the downward trend, the Son walks out of the graveyard when His Dad raises Him to life. If that’s not crazy enough, the resurrected Jesus actually ascends back home to heaven riding a cumulonimbus cloud (I honestly have no idea what kind of cloud it really was, I’ve just always wanted to type the word “cumulonimbus”). Things continue to rise faster than internet start up. “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name” (v9). Jesus’ humiliation (Phil 2:5-8) results in His exaltation (Phil 2:9-11). In God’s economy, down is up. Our Savior leads the way to descend into greatness. 

Paul tells his friends back in Philippi how “God has highly exalted” His Son (v9). What we see as two words in the ESV (“highly exalted”) is actually one word in the original language (Gr. huperupso’o). It’s a compound Greek term that literally means to “hyper lift.” Forget cranking up the hyperdrive and traveling faster than light in the Millennium Falcon with Han Solo and Chewie. That’s playground stuff compared to God the Father giving His Son the hyper lift! That part sounds pretty sweet, doesn’t it? You may be down with the whole greatness deal, but not so hot on hitting the down button of humility. Could it be that Jesus did all that humble stuff so we don’t have to? I mean, my best life now certainly can’t include something as messy as humility, can it? I hate to break it to you, homey. Christ did all that humble to show EXACTLY what we should do. If we’re to follow Jesus, we’re to follow Him as He descends into greatness.

Just in case you think I’ve lost my ever-loving mind, check out just a handful of passages from both the Old and New Testaments on God’s view of humility. Do you want God’s attention? “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My word” (Is 66:2). Jesus tells His posse, “For he who is least among you all is the one who is great” (Lk 9:48). Not once but twice, Christ makes the point, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 14:11; 18:14). Apparently His boys weren’t quick on the uptake about this idea so He had to repeat Himself. And both Jesus’ kid brother and the leader of His apostles drop a quote from Proverbs 3:34. “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6; 1Pet 5:5). Just in case you haven’t been paying attention, anyone who goes up against God loses. Every. Single. Time. Jesus calls us to follow Him and to descend into greatness.

Meanwhile back in heaven, we read how Father God “bestowed on Him the name that is above every other name” (v9). So just what name is Paul talking about? God already told Joe and Mary to name their oldest boy Jesus some 30 years ago. That can’t be it. It’s not Christ. That name means “Anointed One” and is equivalent to the promised Messiah we read all about in the OT. Let’s be clear about one thing. Jesus’ last name isn’t Christ. He’s not the Son of Joe and Mary Christ. Christ is His title. Are you tracking with me? 

So just what name is His heavenly Dad handing the resurrected and ascended Jesus? I think Paul solves the mystery for us down in verse 11. “Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil 2:11). There’s a boatload of stuff going on when the Father gives the Son the name “Lord.” The Greek word kurios means master, ruler, and the one in charge. Christ returns to His Father’s side and takes the reigns of Creation. He’s the Boss. But “Lord” is also the word the translators used in an ancient Greek version of the OT called the Septuagint. As an act of reverence, they couldn’t bring themselves to actually write out God’s personal name Yahweh. Instead they substituted Lord. Ever wonder why you see “LORD” in all caps in your Bible? That’s where it all started. I think there’s a very good chance the Father calls His Son “Yahweh” once He’s back home in heaven. 

So what do we do with all this? First of all, we can be confident of Jesus’ current location. He’s with His Father. Second, He’s not just boosted up a couple of inches. He’s hyper lifted! Third, we can be sure that He’s now fully in control of everything that’s going on in the universe. Fourth, Christ has led the way for us as His followers as we are to descend into greatness. In God's economy, down is up.

Oh, the Humanity!

“And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).

“Oh, the humanity!” Herbert Morrison shouted these words into his radio microphone as the Hindenburg crashed and burned on May 6, 1937. He struggled to find the words to describe the disaster which killed 37 people in Elmhurst, NY. From his prison cell in Rome, Paul uses his pent to paint a picture of the earthly life and death of Jesus of Nazareth. The Rabbi/Carpenter from Galilee sure looked like every other person. Yet there was something VERY different about Him. He was incredibly humble. He was obedient to His Father. And He paid the price for that obedience with the most humiliating form of execution the world has ever known. Oh, the humanity!

The Apostle Paul is writing to his friends in Philippi. Despite being behind bars, you can’t wipe the smile off his face. He’s stoked about what God is doing in and through the goofy little church he planted back in Macedonia. He has incredible joy in the joint! In the middle of his excitement, Paul breaks out into song. Yeah, you read that right. A song. A boatload of really smart folks believe Philippians 2:6-11 are the lyrics to a popular worship song in the early church. It’s a modern day preacher quoting a line from “The Stand” in his message. Since Hillsong United wasn’t even a gleam in anyone’s eye, the apostle drops these lyrics to make his point. 

In the previous verses, Paul pulls back the curtains of heaven and gives us a picture of what folks call the preincarnate Christ (Phil 2:6-7). We learn that the Second Person of the Trinity has been around forever. The Son of God is seriously old school. Before anyone on earth ever laid eyes on Him, He was in heaven, just as much God as His Dad and the Spirit. But there was a crisis in God’s Creation. We rebelled. We broke His perfection. Something had to be done. Somebody had to come to the rescue. That Someone is our Savior Jesus. He dropped all the rights and privileges of being Almighty God and came to serve and save us. That’s what happened in eternity before Christ jumped into the river of time in a place called Palestine.

Here Paul uses one line of lyrics to sum up Jesus’ earthly life. “And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (v8). One sentence to sum up a sinless, selfless life of sacrifice. If you squint really hard, you can see teenage girl named Mary and her husband Joe the Carpenter giving birth to their first Child in a cave behind the Motel 6. He would grow up to be known as Jesus. Humble. Obedient to His heavenly Dad. But eventually crucified as criminal. If you’re looking for a thumbnail summary of Christ’s life on earth, you’ve found it here in verse 8. Oh, the humanity!

The first thing we see about the Son of God is He was “found in human form” (v8). Paul uses a Greek word (Gr. schema) that means outward appearance. The ESV translators have already talked about Jesus in the “form of God” (Phil 2:8) and “taking the form of a servant” (Phil 2:7). But this is a different term that describes what can be known about a person by just looking at them. At first glance, you’d think Joe’s Son is just like every other young Jewish man in Israel at the time. Can we stuff a sock in the picture of Jesus as with blonde hair and blue eyes in the middle of a brown world? There’s absolutely no basis to believe He looked any different than any other Jewish guy at the time. He was “found in human form” (v8). That would be Middle Eastern form. Jewish form. Oh, the humanity!

Jesus may have looked like every other man but He was so much more. “He humbled Himself” (v8). The original language (Gr. tapeino’o) describes how the Second Person of the Trinity readily and willingly got low. Nobody forced Him. Nobody tricked Him. He didn’t draw the short straw. He WANTED the assignment to come to our rescue. Paul’s point is that the One who is 100% God has done something miraculous. He’s now become 100% Man at the same time. The math makes my head hurt. The truth makes my heart soft. Picture the one and only Son of God leaving the heavenly palace and making a swan dive into the dumpster fire of our sin and rebellion here on Earth. It’s almost impossible to wrap our minds around what He left to where He went. Christ willingly left a perfect paradise to walk with us here in our broken world. To save us, He became one of us. “He humbled Himself” (v8). Oh, the humanity!

Jesus added humanity to His divinity in order to live for you and me. The apostle talks about how our Savior was “obedient” (v8). The Greek word here is hupekoos, which means to listen for and respond to a command when called. Picture a butler waiting for the knock at the door. The Son is happily obedient to His Father. As a result, He lives the life of obedience and sinless perfection that you and I couldn’t. Jesus is turning around all the crap that started in Eden when Adam bought the lie of a satanic snake. “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one Man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Rom 5:19). But His obedience didn’t stop there. Jesus was “obedient to the point of death” (v8). He died the death for our sin that we should have died. In the hours before His own murder, the Lord pleaded with His Dad. “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Mt 26:39). If there’s no other way, He’s ready and willing. There was one and only one way. And that road ran right to Skull Hill. Oh, the humanity!

Jesus added humanity to His divinity in order to die for you and me. The radical Rabbi/Carpenter died the most humiliating death our planet has ever seen, “death on a cross” (v8). The Romans didn’t invent crucifixion but they certainly perfected it. It was horribly painful. It’s where we get our word “excruciating.” It was hours if not days of torture. Bloody. Suffocating. If that’s not bad enough, it was meant to embarrass and shame the victim. Romans saved this form of execution for the worst of the worst. Rebels. Revolutionaries. Terrorists. It was a very public deterrent to anyone who got the bright idea of trying to overthrow the empire. One look at the dead Messiah from Galilee would certainly send a chill up the spine. 

But the Bible doesn’t stop after Philippians 2:8. Sunday’s coming. Something crazy is about to happen. Somebody is about to come walking out of the graveyard. Oh, the humanity!

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.

Let It Go

“who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (Philippians 2:6)

A couple of thousand years before Elsa sang “Let It Go,” Paul wrote about how Jesus loosened His divine grip on what it means to be God and came to our rescue. From his prison cell in Rome, the apostle makes it absolutely clear to his friends back in Philippi that the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth is 100% God. But he goes on to write how Christ dropped it like it was hot in submission to His heavenly Dad in order to serve you and me. Was Jesus God? You betcha. But He let it go.

Paul is in the middle of one of the most beautiful and powerful passages in the entire Bible. He’s encouraging the followers of Jesus to step back and think of all that our Savior has done for us. There’s no doubt about our “encouragement in Christ…comfort from love…participation in the Spirit…affection and sympathy” (Phil 2:1). Remember all He’s done for us. Remember all He’s doing for us. Got it? Got it! Since all of that is a stone cold, lead pipe lock, we must get over ourselves (Phil 2:2). Nothing would make the apostle happier. Stop selfishly fighting to be number one and work your tail off for those around you. We can do this because God has pulled off a miraculous mind swap between Jesus and us (Phil 2:3). And a sure sign that we now possess Christ’s purpose and attitude is when we release our kung fu grip on our so-called rights. Let it go.

But let’s back up just a bit. Before Jesus empties His hands of His very godliness, Paul leaves no wiggle room about who He is and what He is. “He was in the form of God” (v6). The ESV translators gives us “form” when the apostle uses the Greek term  morphe. This word only appears three times in the entire New Testament. It can certainly mean shape, figure, and external appearance. That’s exactly what Mark describes when those boys ran into the risen Jesus on their long walk back to Emmaus. “He appeared in another form (Gr. morphe) to two of them as they were walking in the country” (Mk 16:12). But a better understanding of morphe deals with character or the intrinsic nature of something or someone. That’s the idea behind uses number two and three that we find here in Philippians 2:6-7. This is a picture of Christ BEFORE He left His heavenly paradise to dive into the big steaming pile of sin we made of His creation. According to Robertson, “In His reincarnate state Christ possessed the attributes of God and so appeared to those in heaven who saw Him. Here is a clear statement by Paul of the deity of Christ.” 

“He was in the form of God” (v6). It’s a powerful reminder that from square one the big story of Scripture is that Jesus is God. The Second Member of the Trinity didn’t just magically appear for the first time in a Bethlehem feed trough. He’s been around a long time. I mean a REALLY long time. Like forever. Jesus’ best buddy John pulls back the curtain of heaven for a glimpse of the eternal Christ whom he calls by the nickname the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” (Jn 1:1-2). Christ was there before the beginning. He was right there with His Dad. He was and is God. If there was a mic for John to drop back in the first century, I’m sure he would have. 

Just in case you think John had an inflated opinion of his best Friend’s eternal divinity, there’s plenty of other evidence to support the idea. Jesus Himself said, “Before Abraham was, I am” (Jn 8:58). Horrible grammar. AWESOME theology! If you want a jaw dropping description of Jesus as God, check out Paul’s description over in Colossians. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation…For in Him the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Col 1:15, 19). If we want to know what God looks like, just take a gander at Jesus. The Father was stoked to make sure every bit of what it means to be God is in His Son. And in one of his notes to the Corinthian church, Paul simply and bluntly states “Christ, who is the image of God” (2Cor 4:4). Jesus had a firm grasp on His Godness.

If that’s not enough proof for you, check out why Christ’s enemies put a contract on Him.  “This is why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” (Jn 5:18). They were certainly mad that Jesus was breaking their rules about what you could or could not do on Saturday. But they ordered their hit on Him because He saw Himself as God. “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’” (Jn 10:33). Jewish leaders didn’t want Jesus out of the way because He was such an awesome teacher. It wasn’t because He ran miraculous MASH units and healed hundreds. They got their undies in a bundle because this uneducated Preacher from the boondocks had the audacity to claim He was God Eternal in the flesh. 

But something amazing happened back at the heavenly palace. The Son of God “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (v6). Just because He was and is God, Jesus didn’t put His divinity in a death grip. The phrase “a thing to be grasped” is actually one Greek word, harpagmos. It paints a picture of that which is held onto by force. Something seized and held. An object of held and gripped tightly. An item forcefully taken and retained. Think of a football player covering the ball with two hands as the defense tries to rip it from him. While coaches are all about ball security, Jesus didn’t give a hot hoot about God security. He held it loosely. Christ was in willing submission to His Dad. “The Father is greater than I” (Jn 14:28). That’s just one of many statements Jesus made describing His willingness to do whatever His Father asked Him to do. And if that means loosening His holy hold on His divine attributes, so be it. He let it go.

Paul’s point here is that once God executes our mind swap with His Son, we need to let it go as well. If Jesus is God and didn’t put the death grip on His divinity, what right do we have to hang onto our place or privilege? Who are we to play God and demand our way? Whenever I get cocky and think I’m God’s gift, I need to slow my roll and take a look at how the One who truly was God’s Gift saw Himself. He let it go. And I should to. Stop trying to weasel my way to places of influence. Quit leveraging relationships to work the system to my advantage. Stand down from using people to get what I want. Since He was God, Jesus had every right to do anything and everything He wanted. Instead, He let it go. If it’s good enough for Elsa, it’s good enough for me.

The Supernatural Mind Swap

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

I love those crazy mind-swapping movies. You know the ones I’m talking about. The plots usually involve some sort of experiment gone wrong, a lightning strike, or a freaky device that involves putting colanders on your noggin. Minds are exchanged. One person acts like the other. The story usually wraps up with the two characters getting their minds back in their own bodies. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul says that God has been in the mind-swapping business long before Hollywood. “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (v5). Once Jesus comes to our rescue, we each have access to His thoughts and His way of thinking. No lab mistakes. No lightning bolts. No nutty contraptions. God does it when He makes us new and gives us His Spirit. And the great thing is that we don’t have to take our old minds back!

Paul writes to the folks in the church God used him to plant in the Roman colony of Philippi. It’s easy to forget that this is a REAL letter to REAL people in a REAL place. He rolled into town during his second tour to spread the Good News of Jesus. His traveling partner Dr. Luke wrote all about the amazing days the apostle and his posse spent in Philippi over in Acts 16:12-40. I certainly wouldn’t have chosen the founding members of this church but God did. A fashionista named Lydia. A demon-possessed young woman liberated from human trafficking. A hard around the edges prison warden. Talk about a motley crew! But these are the people Jesus used to build His first congregation on European soil. 

You might think that this bunch of believers was doomed to fail from the get go. Instead it’s the only church Paul planted that wasn’t jacked up with all sorts of issues. Let’s take a quick review. Corinth was a hot mess. The churches in Galatia got hoodwinked by spiritual snake oil salesmen moments after the apostle left the region. The Ephesians were on the verge of being infected with heresy. Somebody duped the Thessalonians into believing Jesus had already made His second coming. The apostle never set foot in Colossae but a man who heard him preach the Gospel did. False teachers derailed the Colossians by fooling them into thinking it was up to every follower of Jesus to keep themselves saved. But the Philippian disciples are different. They are proof of what happens when God gives us the mind of Jesus. If He can do it Philippi, He can do it our church too.

So what does it look like to be mind-swapped with Jesus? How would somebody know He’s taken control of me? Some of the those clues are in the following verses (Phil 2:6-11). We can see others in the biographies we call the Gospels. The short list includes humility, forgiveness, and a passion for search and rescue. It doesn’t take long to see the contrast with the attitudes the world promotes. We’re continually told to aggressively grab everything we can get our hands on. It’s survival of the fittest. It’s up and to the right. Money. Power. Self. So when God suddenly pulls off one of patented supernatural mind-swaps with a follower of Jesus, it really sticks out like a sore thumb.

The overriding characteristic of having the mind of Christ is humility. As a matter of fact, the translators of the Amplified Bible make this loud and clear (“Amplified…loud and clear”…see what I did there?). “Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility” (v5 AMP). A humble attitude. A submissive purpose. A modest mind. Our Savior invited His followers to learn from His selfless example. “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29). Stop fighting for your own way. Relax. Christ doesn’t call for a revolution against the government but a revolution of the mind. In a note to his friends in Rome, Paul gives us an example of that Jesus’ mind. “For Christ did not please Himself” (Rom 15:3). Who could blame Jesus for looking out for Number One? For heaven’s sake, He IS Number One! Instead the King of Kings becomes the Servant of Servants (Jn  13:12-17). As a result, He made friends in low places a couple of thousand years before Garth Brooks (Lk 5:29-32). I need to get over myself. And that starts with humility of Jesus.

The second tip of God mind-swapping His Son with one of His followers is an attitude of forgiveness. Rewind to that gruesome scene at site of Roman executions outside of Jerusalem. At a crucial moment during His crucifixion, Jesus pleads with His heavenly Dad, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). He doesn’t ask for some of that patented Old Testament wrath and judgment. He doesn’t call in angelic backup. He asks for forgiveness. That’s exactly the example we’re to follow as we follow Jesus. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph 4:32). Before I think I’m entitled to pay back somebody for what they’ve done to me, I need to slow my roll. Slow it WAY down. My Savior forgave me despite the fact I was a rebel terrorist against God’s kingdom (Rom 5:8-11). So when someone hurts me, what ground do I have to fight back? Once the mind of Jesus is in us, we have the power to forgive. 

Another sure sign of the divine mind swap is a passion for search and rescue. Specifically, the search and rescue of those far from God. At a huge shindig at Zaccheus’ mansion in Jericho, Jesus announced, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save” (Lk 19:10). Later He says that if just one sheep in His flock of runs off, He won’t rest until He knows is safely back home (Lk 15:3-7). We need to remember the mind-bending sacrifice Christ made to bail us out of our self-made mess. He left the life of luxury in Paradise and swan dive into the dumpster of our sin. It’s the ultimate search and rescue mission the universe has ever seen. A sure sign of having the mind of Jesus is a similar broken heart for those who don’t know Him. Craig Groeschel says he’s willing to do anything short of sin to tell others about His Savior. Am I willing to take those kinds of risks and let God use me to seek and save? 

Paul tells us that Jesus’ attitude and purpose are available to you and me as part of God’s work in our lives. A big part of being born again is being mind-swapped with our Savior. Martin Luther liked to call it the Great Exchange. “For our sake He (God) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God” (2Cor 5:21). We don’t just get His mind but every single bit of His sinless perfection and obedience. We hand Him the steaming pile that is our life of sin and rebellion. He lived the perfect life that I failed to live. He died the death for my sin that I should have died. He rose to a glorious new life that I don’t deserve. God doesn’t just mind-swap me with His Son, He life-swaps me with Him! 

Get over Yourself

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

I’m a not-so-proud member of the “Me Generation.” As a Baby Boomer, we brought you the self-centered conversation stopper, “But enough about me…what do YOU think about me?” According to Joel Stein of Time, there’s a new narcissistic kid in town. He calls Millennials the “ME ME ME GENERATION.” Don’t miss the all caps. They’re screaming for your attention. Stein calls them narcissistic, overconfident, entitled, and lazy. If you’re wondering what they’re up to, just log into Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and they’ll be more than happy to share it with you. These folks invented the selfie. Is there anything more self-centered and self-absorbed?

But before you get too cocky comparing yourself to Millennials (ironic isn’t it, that we’re proud that we’re not so proud?), narcissism isn’t limited to any one age group or demo. In the words of Elspeth Reeve, “Every Every Every Generation has been the Me Me Me Generation.” Sorry, Millennials. Looks like you’re no longer number one. A few centuries before someone snapped the first selfie, Paul tells his friends back in Philippi that every last one of us needs to get our eyes out of the mirror. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (v3-4). Yes, I’m talking to you. And me. It’s time to climb down off our high horse. The very first words Rick Warren writes in “The Purpose Driven Life” are “It’s not about you.” In other words, the purpose of life is NOT YOU! He’s just summing up the same sentiment of the apostle. 

Get over yourself. 

Here in chapter two of his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul talks about the impact of Jesus on our lives. Once the Lord gets ahold of us, “encouragement in Christ…comfort from love…participation in the Spirit…affection and sympathy” (Phil 2:1) are a guaranteed part of our rescue. As a result, we become a team. And as the old saying goes, there’s no “I” in team. As part of Team Jesus, we should have the “same mind…same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Phil 2:2). Nobody goes rogue. It’s all about giving God the glory and making our teammates better. Big TEAM. Little me. Huge GOD. Tiny me.

Before giving us instructions on what to do, Paul gives us a couple of land mines to avoid. Land mine number one: “Do nothing from selfish ambition” (v3). The man from Tarsus drops one Greek word (Gr. eritheia) that carries a truckload of ego. It means self-promotion, self-seeking, and a resent toward others based on jealousy. Aristotle used the word to describe dirty politics. Can you imagine a candidate campaigning for office by using unethical tactics? Yes, I am kidding. Stop working every angle to put yourself at the front of the line. Remember what Jesus told His posse. In His Dad’s kingdom, first is last and last is first (Mt 19:30; 20:26-27). 

Get over yourself.

Paul points out the second land mine as “conceit” (Gr. kenodozia). Steer clear of  groundless boasting, vain pride, or cheap talk. This word literally means “empty glory.” We’re talking about cockiness without basis. In Texas they call this “all hat and no cattle.” Don’t be a blowhard. Stop puffing yourself up! It’s not about you! There’s only One who deserves the applause. There’s only One who’s the star of the show. Here’s a tip…it’s NOT YOU! Jesus is the only One worthy of glory. Everything else is just flapping gums. 

Get over yourself.

Once we’ve gingerly maneuvered our way past the IEDs of self, Hurt Locker style, the apostle instructs us to keep on keeping on “in humility” (v3). For most of my life, I had a jacked up view being humble. I thought I was supposed to continually put myself down. But C.S. Lewis knocked it out of the park when he said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself less.” It’s a “Me Third” attitude. God first. Others second. Me third. Or in the words of Paul, “in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (v3). Instead of looking out for number one, I must put myself in third place. I give God the glory by serving and sacrificing for others just as Jesus did. I serve because I’ve been served. I bless because I’ve been blessed. It’s thinking of myself less.

Get over yourself.

Before we get the idea that the apostle is talking about buying your salvation by giving it all away, Paul tells us to pump our brakes. “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (v4). Don’t miss the word “only.” It’s okay to look out for what we need but NOT at the expense of everyone else. Don’t buy the lie of poverty theology. But on the other hand, don’t fall for prosperity theology either. Look out for others. When we look up to Jesus, we look out for those around us. 

Let’s face it, we’re all members of the ME ME ME GENERATION. The Millennials don’t have a lock on the title. We’re all sinful. We’re all selfish. We all need a Savior. Once Jesus comes to my rescue, I realize it’s not about me. A big part of my salvation is being saved from myself. It’s not about me. It’s not about you. 

Get over yourself.

Captain Obvious

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Philippians 2:1-2).

Captain America has his Vibranium shield. Captain Crunch is a legend because of crunchberries. But my new favorite is Captain Obvious. He’s awesome. This dude possesses the not-so-superpower of recognizing and stating facts that are crystal clear to everyone who can fog a mirror. From his prison cell in Rome, Paul demonstrates that he may we'll have similar abilities. He tells his friends back in Philippi that if four facts about our faith are true then there’s really only one thing we must to do. And it becomes crystal clear that the apostle isn’t using any sort of prophetic mumbo jumbo. He states these conspicuous truths as a way of reminding us who Jesus is and what He’s done for us. Since all Christ has accomplished is undeniable, our response is without question. Just call the apostle Captain Obvious.

Most Bible translations make it seem that there’s some doubt about these four proposals. The very big difference is how we understand a very little word. “If.” Paul kicks off chapter 2 by writing “So if there is any…” (v1 emphasis added). This is the itty bitty Greek term ei. Can we translate it to mean an uncertain outcome? You betcha. But it also can mean since, surely, and because. It can be used to a express a fact regarded as true. Instead of “if” try inserting “since it is true that…” Take each one of the following four proposals and know that they are actually stone cold, lead pipe locks. Surely, what the apostle says here is totally legit. And don’t call me Shirley.

So let’s take a closer look at Paul’s proposals. Call them the Fantastic Four (hey, we’ve got a superhero thing going, so why stop now?). First up, he wants to know if anybody out there has “any encouragement in Christ” (v1). The apostle drops a word (Gr. paraklesis) that paints a picture of somebody walking alongside and helping a buddy when times are tough. Once we place our trust in Jesus, He promises to never leave us hanging. Never to leave us alone. Always have our back. We may hike through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, but we never have to do it solo. Jesus walks with us. Through downsizing. Through divorce. Through chemo. He’s there with us, encouraging us every step of the way. Here’s the deal, the Son of God came a LONG way to be by our side. He left the comforts of the heavenly palace to execute the most awesome rescue mission the universe has ever seen. So is “there any encouragement in Christ” (v1)? Well, duh!!

Second, the apostle proposes there is “any comfort from love” (v1). “Comfort” is the Greek word paramuthion, which also means an incentive, persuasion, stimulation, arousal, or even calming. So just how does God’s love persuade us? First of all, Jesus tells Nick at night about His Heavenly Dad’s incredible demonstration of love for those made in His image. “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). And just what did we do to deserve such an incredible gift? “But God shows His love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). In other words, we did absolutely nothing to earn His love. Instead of earning God’s love, we were terrorists against His kingdom. Jesus came anyway as an act of divine grace. Tullian Tchividjian refers to grace as God’s descending, one way love. We REALLY deserve death. Instead He puts us under the waterfall of His grace. Doesn’t His love persuade you to do something? Doesn’t His love stimulate you? Persuade you? So is there “any comfort in from love” (v1). You’re kidding, right? Of course there is!

Paul’s third proposal: is there “any participation in the Spirit” (v1)? He’s talking about how the Third Person of the Trinity makes us teammates in the Gospel. As followers of Jesus, we become partners who cooperate together. Sure there are other groups, clubs, and organizations that participate as teams. But there’s one HUGE difference between these gangs and Christ’s crew. His Holy Spirit. Jesus gives each believer gifts through the power of the Spirit. We’re to use those spiritual gifts to build up, challenge, and encourage each other (1Cor 12:4-11). There’s no flying solo in the Spirit. No Lone Rangers for Jesus. We only get the full blessing of God’s Spirit when we hook up and team up with other followers. So is there “any participation in the Spirit” (v1)? You betcha!

The fourth and final proposition from Paul is actually a dynamic duo. As a follower of Jesus, do we experience “any affection or sympathy” (v1)? Let’s be clear, when the apostle writes “affection,” he’s not talking about a warm, fuzzy feeling full of rainbows and teddy bears. This is the Greek word (Gr. splagchnon) for guts, bowels, or intestines.  Has what Jesus has done for you hit you on a gut level? Is there a visceral reaction to His substitutionary life, death, and resurrection on your behalf? Paul pairs this gut level “affection” with “sympathy” (v1). Here’s another intestinal term (Gr. oiktirmos) that describes a connection with others on such a deep level that makes their suffering your suffering. That’s exactly how Jesus reacted when He got a firsthand glimpse of the sick and disenfranchised. “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36). Does your heart break when you see people’s pain? After trusting in Christ, did your heart suddenly become super sensitive to others? So once Jesus gets ahold of us, do we have “any affection or sympathy” (v1)? No question!

There’s absolutely no doubt about this Fantastic Four of faith in Christ. So now that Paul has proved he’s the first century version of Captain Obvious, what do we do with these? So glad you asked. The apostle writes, “Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (v2). If you’re wondering how you could put a smile on the face of the man from Tarsus in his prison cell, stuff a sock in your arguing and start getting along. Nothing would make Paul happier than hearing that his friends in the Philippian church are living in harmony. The night before His murder, Jesus asked His Father for that kind of oneness among His followers. He prayed that we would have the same sort of supernaturally intimate relationship He had with His Dad (Jn 17:11).

Can we take an honest look in the mirror for just a moment? As God’s people, we aren’t exactly known for our teamwork and harmony. Same mind? Same love? One accord? Instead of sharing the unconditional love of Jesus with our friends and neighbors, we’re too busy arguing over silly stuff like music styles, wardrobe, and drinking alcohol. It’s as if Paul saw it coming almost 2,000 years ago! Let’s stop getting our undies in a bundle about the differences in how we worship and celebrate our agreement and union in what we believe. According to the apostle, that’s “being of the same mind, having the same, love, being in full accord and of one mind” (v2). Sometimes we need to be reminded of what is right in front of our face. Just call Paul "Captain Obvious."