The Worthy Son of God
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The Worthy Son of God
Philippians 2:6
“who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped”
Let’s do a quick pop culture quiz. What’s similar about Neo from The Matrix, Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars, and Po from Kung-Fu Panda? They are all a type of the Hollywood movie trope of being the “Chosen One.” Each of them is a character who is deemed worthy to save others from some threatening evil.
But as cliche, as it is, I believe the reason why this trope is so popular is because of a deep desire in our hearts. We long for a worthy hero to save the day. At one point, we’ve longed for someone who is to defeat whatever is bringing ruin in our lives. I don’t believe that longing is an accident. I believe God put this longing in human hearts because it’s an echo of the greatest story—the Gospel. In Jesus, we have a worthy Savior who rescues us from our greatest enemy and liberates us to live.
Today, we are among many churches around the world celebrating Palm Sunday. This day is a commemoration of the triumphal entry of Jesus, who entered the city of Jerusalem while sitting on a donkey. The people waved palm branches to welcome Jesus, the one they believed was the King and Messiah who would save them from the Roman Empire.
We see this happening in John 12:13-14: “So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written.”
The people were half-correct: Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Scriptures. On the other hand, they didn’t yet recognize what Jesus really was about to accomplish for them. He’d save them from greater oppressors: sin and death. They didn’t recognize that this Jesus was way beyond their ideas and imaginations.
So as we continue our series on Philippians 2:5-11, we are approaching one of the greatest and most beautiful proclamations in the Scriptures of the work of Jesus to save us. He alone was able to accomplish this work. Let’s get into how Jesus was worthy of it all.
1. A Glimpse of His Being
“Who, though he was in the form of God…”
In this verse, Paul—the writer of the book of Philippians—gives us a glimpse of who Jesus actually is. These words are one of the clearest statements regarding the Godhood or deity of Jesus. Paul unveils to his readers the reality that Jesus existed even before He was born.
The deity of Jesus is one of the most foundational teachings and bedrock truths of the Christian faith. The reason why we’re here is that we believe that Jesus is God. In our times, there’s a belief that the church leaders of a much later date conspired and constructed the teaching that Jesus was God in the flesh. They say that it was never originally part of the church’s doctrines. They say that this teaching was manufactured in order to bring more people to the Christian religion.
What’s interesting here is that scholars assert that the passage of Phil. 2:6-11 was a hymn that the early church used to sing. In those days, hymns and songs were used as teaching tools for believers to understand the core truths of the Christian faith. Therefore, it may be that Paul quoted and alluded to this hymn in order to affirm the reality that Jesus was indeed God. This means that the earliest of Christians already believed that Jesus was truly God.
We see the phrase “He was in the form of God.” Now we have a very different understanding of form. We usually think of it to stand for something like the visible appearance of something. But Paul wasn’t saying that Jesus was simply like God. The word “form” in Greek is “morphe”. This word is used to mean essence, nature, and being. Paul was saying that Jesus in essence is God. His whole nature is God’s nature. His whole being is God. Jesus is God.
You know the saying, “Like father, like son.” Whether we like it or not, we inherit qualities and mannerisms from our fathers. Jesus takes this sentiment above and beyond. As the Son of God, Jesus is the same in every way as the Father and yet they are different persons.
This truth is confirmed throughout the New Testament:
- “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” – Titus 2:13
- “I and the Father are one.” – John 10:30
- “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” – Colossians 1:16
Now we might ask, “Why does it matter that Jesus is God?” Let me share what J. Oswald Chambers says: “If Jesus is not God, then there is no Christianity, and we who worship Him are nothing more than idolaters… More serious still, if He is not God, then He is a blasphemer in the fullest sense of the word. If He is not God, He is not even good.”
If Jesus is God, He is worthy of our trust. He will be true to His Word. He is more than strong enough to free us from any sin. He is good enough to forgive us for any wrongs we have done against Him. He is faithful enough to stay with us when we’re faced with trials and pains in life. If He is God, then we can have confidence that He is for us even when everything is against us.
If Jesus is God—because He is God—He is worthy of our worship. This should not just mean that we go to church and sing songs on a Sunday. It calls for a life of worship. A life of worship means a life of confession, repentance, and dependence. We always need to realize our greatest need for Him and His work in our lives. So let’s make this question personal today: What difference does it make if Jesus is God?
2. An Unforeseen Savior
“...did not count equality with God…”
These next words continue to confirm the deity of Jesus. It is not that Jesus was trying to achieve equality with God. This verse confirms he had it and yet he chose not to cling to it. Jesus is not like the demi-gods of Greek mythology. He is not lower than the Father in terms of power and glory. He is equal with Him, and yet Jesus was willing to let it go.
Do you sometimes wonder why God had to go through all the trouble of what He did in order to save us? Why did Jesus have to become a man and suffer the way he did? Why couldn’t he just go guns blazing and show all of the power He has as God? Why couldn’t Jesus just amaze and overwhelm everyone with His glory and magnificence? We might be thinking that it would have been much easier to save people this way.
Surely, when Jesus could have shown off His “Godhood” to everyone. It would be justifiable for Him to do so. And yet, He did not. He subverted everyone’s expectations. Instead of coming with all His power and might, the Son of God chose to empty Himself of His divine attributes and chose the way of humility. In Phil. 2:7, the first part says that Jesus “made himself nothing.” In a more theological term, this is called the “kenosis” and it demonstrates the self-emptying of Christ. Jesus was equal with God because He is God. And yet he emptied Himself. He did not exercise his divinity when He came to earth.
One thing we have to be clear about is that when Jesus came to earth he did not cease to be God. He just voluntarily surrendered the use of His divine attributes to the Father. He gave Himself up to the Father completely. Let’s look at Jesus’ words in John 5:19: “So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” He surrendered the exercise of His deity to the Father. Jesus clearly was fully dependent on the Father.
Now, this is why when we look at the Gospels we see that Jesus still accepted worship from the people. “Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” – John 20:28-29
Jesus showed so much humility and lowliness that He was not the Messiah people were expecting but Jesus was the Savior they needed. Please know we have a Savior who is not far from us. We have a Savior who is gentle, merciful, and good. He was willing to leave Heaven and all its glory in order to be with us. Jesus became what you and I needed most. He did all of this so we can know God’s love for us is to the utmost.
C.S. Lewis wrote, “It cost God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills cost him crucifixion.”
So how does this affect us today? In our world, we have our degrees, accolades, and accomplishments in order to show others our worth and value. We even have hierarchical systems where those on top should not be part of those that are below them. That’s the order we usually live by.
About four years ago, we were on a youth missions trip to Philadelphia. We were assigned to help this low-income neighborhood by cleaning their community living quarters. We were cleaning their walkways, gutters, and even their sewers. A lot of it was just nasty. I’m not going to lie, but at that moment I had this brief thought that this work was beneath me. I’m a pastor and I should not be doing this. That mindset is not of Jesus. God reminded me about humility.
C.S Lewis writes that pride is “the essential vice, the utmost evil.” He asserts that pride “is the complete anti-God state of mind”
There should not be any work beneath me if I would let Jesus move within me. Why? Because when we have Christ in our hearts, He moves us from thinking about our position, our power, our worth, to His love. In that brief moment, Jesus was able to work in my life.
I could think of no greater picture of humility than what Jesus did. He did not consider equality with God as something that would stop Him from loving us. This self-emptying is something He chose to do with His whole heart. How about us? How is humility being shaped in our lives?
Just a quick point, the opposite of humility is pride. Now pride is not just thinking we are higher or better than other people. Pride is also displayed when we think we are lower or worse compared to others. Self-loathing is also a result of a prideful heart. There’s a famous saying, “humility is not thinking less about yourself. It is thinking about yourself less.”
So what will true humility look like? Let me quote C.S. Lewis again.
“He writes in Mere Christianity, “Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him... He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.”
I believe true love makes us humble. Humility shows when we love God with all our hearts, mind, and strength. It also happens when we love others as we love ourselves. When we live like this, we have no time to consider our own power or position. Why? We’ll be so focused on what God wants us to do and on putting others before us. We will simply love like Jesus, our Humble Savior.
3. A Vision of His Sacrifice
“... a thing to be grasped”
In the last part of our message today, we are going to discuss the sacrifice Jesus completed. We realize in this passage that Jesus did not consider being equal with God something to be grasped. This means that Jesus did try to hold on to all that glory, honor, and power He shared with Father. He was more than willing to let go of all just so He could have you and me.
As I meditated on this passage I can’t help but be reminded of Satan’s temptations to Adam and Eve. Satan tells them to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God forbade them to eat this fruit. But what was Satan’s lie? He said in Gen. 3:6, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Satan tried to tell them they can be godlike if they will only disobey God. They will know what is good and evil. In the end, they ate the fruit. It led to Adam and Eve being left to decide what is good and evil for themselves. They turned from God and it led to a severed relationship with God and consequently, to the fall of all of humanity.
That desire to be like God is apparent all over human history. Men and women desperately hold and cling to that desire to be more than what they are. We desire to be our own gods. We try to hold onto power, fame, desires, and possessions thinking these would define us. We look to these things to prove ourselves and to say that we’re in control of our lives. The reality is that however much we try to grasp these things, and yet we’re still found lacking.
Gary Smith was a sportswriter who was interviewing Mohammed Ali. In his prime Ali was known as “the prize fighter who couldn’t be beaten.” However, Ali contracted the debilitating Parkinson’s disease by the tail end of his life. In this interview, Gary asked to see Ali’s trophy room. Ali escorted him to a dark, damp barn beside his house. There, leaning against a wall was a board displaying mementos – photos of the ‘Thrilla in Manila’, pictures of Ali dancing and punching, and hoisting championship belts he had won over his head. But the pictures were smeared with white streaks caused by pigeons that had made their home in the rafters. As the interview was done and he started to leave, Smith heard Ali mumble, ‘I had the whole world, and it wasn’t nothin’... Look at me now’.
Our wealth, power, fame, and accolades will never be enough. I’m not saying these things are bad in and of themselves. However, if we let these things solely define us, if we try to grab hold of these things, then we’ll be just like Adam and Eve. Our desires will lead to our fall.
This is why Jesus was different. Instead of holding onto all things, he let go. He willingly let go to be with you and me. To have us was more important than holding to what He had with the Father.
The question for us now is, what are we holding onto that we think defines our lives? Is there anything that is keeping us from loving God and loving others? The message of Paul to the Philippians in this passage is to have the same mind as Christ. If he was willing to let go of Heaven, are we willing to let go of what we are clinging to on earth today? It is this self-sacrificial love that comes from Christ that makes us whole.
In reality, this is how we become like God. It is when we become like Christ. It is when we are willing to let go of all things that hinder us from loving God fully and loving others completely. It is when we let go of our lives and give them to God that we truly find life. As we end, let's be reminded of Jesus’ words.
“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” – Matthew 16:24-25
-Rev. Jerusalem Ona