The Humble Exaltation of Christ: A Christmas Reflection

Devotional

Day 1: The Eternal Nature of Christ

Before His incarnation, Jesus existed in the form of God, possessing all divine attributes. This truth affirms His deity and eternal nature, reminding us that the Christmas story begins long before Bethlehem. Jesus' pre-existence highlights His omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence, underscoring that He is not a created being but the Creator Himself. This understanding deepens our appreciation of the incarnation, as it was not the beginning of Jesus' existence but a continuation of His divine mission to redeem humanity.
[06:25]

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1:1-3, ESV)

Reflection: How does recognizing Jesus' eternal nature change your perspective on His role in your life today?

Day 2: The Humility of Christ

Jesus' incarnation was an act of profound humility. He did not cling to His divine privileges but took on human form, becoming a servant. This act of humility is not about subtraction but addition; He added humanity to His deity. By becoming a servant, Jesus demonstrated the ultimate example of selflessness and humility, teaching us the value of these virtues in our own lives. His willingness to humble Himself for our sake calls us to live lives marked by humility and service to others.
[09:27]

"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." (Philippians 2:5-7, ESV)

Reflection: In what specific ways can you practice humility and selflessness in your interactions with others today?

Day 3: The Full Humanity of Christ

Jesus was fully human, with a body, mind, and emotions. This is crucial for our salvation, as only a truly human Savior could represent us and atone for our sins. His humanity allowed Him to experience the full range of human emotions and challenges, making Him a compassionate and understanding advocate for us. By living a life marked by perfect obedience, Jesus fulfilled what the first Adam could not, providing a model for us to follow in our own lives.
[14:59]

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15, ESV)

Reflection: How does knowing that Jesus fully understands your struggles impact your relationship with Him today?

Day 4: The Obedience of Christ

Jesus' life was marked by perfect obedience, culminating in His sacrificial death on the cross. This obedience was not just in His death but throughout His entire life, fulfilling what the first Adam could not. His obedience is a model for us, calling us to live lives of submission to God's will. By following Jesus' example, we can learn to trust and obey God in all circumstances, knowing that His plans for us are good and perfect.
[17:32]

"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, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you struggle to obey God, and how can you take a step towards obedience today?

Day 5: The Exaltation of Christ

After His resurrection, Jesus was exalted and given the name above every name. This exaltation assures us of His current reign and future return, inviting us to worship Him as Lord. The name bestowed upon Him, Yahweh, signifies His divine authority and lordship, and every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This truth calls us to live in anticipation of His return, aligning our lives with His purposes and proclaiming His lordship to the world.
[18:41]

"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11, ESV)

Reflection: How can you actively acknowledge and proclaim Jesus' lordship in your daily life today?

Sermon Summary

In Philippians 2:5-11, we find a profound exploration of the nature and work of Jesus Christ. This passage, likely an early Christian hymn, encapsulates the essence of who Jesus is and what He has accomplished. It begins by emphasizing the pre-existence of Christ, affirming that before His incarnation, Jesus existed in the form of God. This underscores His divine nature, omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence. Jesus, being fully God, did not cling to His divine privileges but chose to humble Himself by taking on human form. This act of humility is not about subtraction but addition; He added humanity to His deity, becoming a servant.

The incarnation is central to the Christmas story, highlighting Jesus' birth in Bethlehem and His conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. This miraculous event signifies that Jesus was both fully God and fully man, possessing a human body, mind, and emotions. His life was marked by perfect obedience, culminating in His sacrificial death on the cross. This obedience was not just in His death but throughout His entire life, fulfilling what the first Adam could not.

The passage then transitions to the exaltation of Christ. After His death and resurrection, God exalted Jesus, bestowing upon Him the name above every name. This name, Yahweh, signifies His divine authority and lordship. Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. This exaltation assures us of His current reign and His future return in glory.

As we reflect on this passage during the Christmas season, we are reminded that the story of Jesus is not just about His birth but also about His life, death, resurrection, and exaltation. It calls us to recognize Him as Lord and Savior, inviting us to know Him personally and to live in the light of His redemptive work.

Key Takeaways

1. existence of Christ:** Before His incarnation, Jesus existed in the form of God, possessing all divine attributes. This affirms His deity and eternal nature, reminding us that the Christmas story begins long before Bethlehem. [06:25]
2. The Humility of Christ: Jesus' incarnation was an act of profound humility. He did not cling to His divine privileges but took on human form, becoming a servant. This teaches us the value of humility and selflessness in our own lives.

3. The Full Humanity of Christ: Jesus was fully human, with a body, mind, and emotions. This is crucial for our salvation, as only a truly human Savior could represent us and atone for our sins.

4. The Obedience of Christ: Jesus' life was marked by perfect obedience, culminating in His sacrificial death. This obedience is a model for us, calling us to live lives of submission to God's will.

5. The Exaltation of Christ: After His resurrection, Jesus was exalted and given the name above every name. This assures us of His current reign and future return, inviting us to worship Him as Lord.

** [06:25]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:12] - Introduction and Greetings
[00:32] - Reading from Philippians
[01:09] - Call to Humility
[01:42] - The Nature of Christ
[02:30] - The Early Church's Need for Doctrine
[03:40] - The Catechetical Hymn
[05:15] - The Incarnation and Christmas
[06:25] - The Pre-existence of Christ
[09:27] - The Humility of Christ
[14:59] - The Full Humanity of Christ
[17:32] - The Obedience of Christ
[18:41] - The Exaltation of Christ
[20:53] - The Significance of Christmas
[22:16] - Invitation to Know Christ
[23:32] - Closing Prayer

Sermon Clips

"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" [00:16:14]

"therefore God is highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father" [00:20:24]

"and we think that these verses 5 through 11 of Philippians chapter 2 is A catecholical Hymn that early Christians meeting in houses would have recited and learned and sung perhaps in early worship Services it's it's very telling that if that is the case and Scholars suddenly believe that it is the case that both the one here in Philippians chapter 2 and the one in Colossians chapter one are all about Christ his person and his work" [00:03:37]

"he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant he was in the form of God and he remains in the form of God but in addition to that he took the form of a servant and was found in fashion as a man he was truly God" [00:11:15]

"he was a perfect little baby absolutely perfect when they laid him in the manger with a human body and human affections and the human mind and a human psychology that he would need to to grow he would need to learn to read the Hebrew text of the Old Testament he would he would need to learn to speak growing into teenage years and early manhood and into full maturity by the power of the Holy Spirit to become our savior" [00:14:56]

"and you notice what the text says by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross he humbled himself I think the ESV has got the translation right that he was obedient right up until his death that his death wasn't the only obedience yes he was obedient in becoming the substitute the sin Bearer our savior" [00:15:38]

"his whole life was an act of obedience some of you know that I ministered alongside Sinclair Ferguson as his Lackey and assistant for a couple of years 10 11 years ago and on his final week before he doodled off to Scotland we were having lunch together and we were walking up to the church and I said to him tell me a moment in your life when you were completely taken over by a doctrine that shaped and and and molded your entire perspective and he said it was very easy he said I was reading John Murray I think he was 12 or 13." [00:16:16]

"and he obeyed right up to the point of death when men took him and slew him and killed him crucified him for us for you and me that our sins might be atoned for that the wrath of God that is the just penalty for our sins might be propitiated by his obedience on the cross" [00:18:00]

"therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in Heaven and Earth and under the Earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord that's the name after the Babylonian exile that generation of Believers that came back from Jerusalem and some of them didn't come back they forgot how to read the Hebrew text they were speaking Aramaic and and the culture was being hellenized so Greek was becoming more and more the language of the people" [00:18:37]

"God has highly exalted him and he's given him a name and it's Yahweh he's given him a name that is greater than any other name under heaven or Earth Jesus is in heaven sitting on the throne exalted and glorified and he's coming again in power and Glory the one born in the manger in Bethlehem the one crucified at Calvary they're sitting enthroned holding the universe as he always has in the very Palms of his hands" [00:20:23]

"the little baby born in the manger laid in the manger is now exalted as a grown man the God man the one we worship the one we bow the knee to and call Lord he fulfills us he enables us to know who we are and why we are here and maybe another Christmas is coming and you've come by invitation but do you know him do you pray to him do you learn from him in his word" [00:21:46]

"so this Christmas if you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ knock the door will be opened to you seek and you shall find ask and it will be given to you I came to know this Jesus in 1971 I was a lost college student I didn't know who I was I didn't know why I was here but I found Jesus the Christmas Jesus the Jesus who is both man and God at the same time and he saved me he rescued me and he can save and rescue you too if you call upon him" [00:22:16]

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