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Now, here's today's message from Pastor Skip Heitzig. The Greek culture. Part of the culture of this time period 2,000 years ago, the Greco-Roman culture. The Greeks did not see lowliness As a good thing, but a bad thing. When they spoke of somebody being lowly-minded, they would usually speak of a slave or somebody they conquered in a war.
They would conquer an army and they would make them lowly. In mind. They would get a slave and that slave was lowly minded. The very Quality that the Greeks despise the Bible exonerates. lowliness of mind, Humility The Greeks saw it as a bad thing.
The Bible sees it as a Good thing. In fact, the Bible says God resists The proud. but gives grace to the humble.
Now just think about that verse. God resists the proud. Pride will make you God's enemy. He'll resist you. Humility will make you God's friend.
God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
So In lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Yeah. If I have a relationship with you and I'm always thinking about what you should do for me and how I'm right and how you ought to serve my interests. We're going to have conflict.
If at the same time you're doing that toward me, we're going to have real conflict. But if in your presence I'm thinking, how can I minister to you? How could I serve you? How could I build you up? How could I encourage you?
And you do the same with me. We're off to a great start. That's a match made in heaven.
Somebody once said there's two ways that you can enter a room. You can walk into a room full of people and sort of have the attitude: here I am. Or you can walk into a room with this attitude. Ah, there you are. How did Paul enter the room?
Well Chapter 1, verse 1. Paul and Timothy's servants of Jesus Christ. I'm his slave. Therefore I am your servant. Ah, there you are.
Instead of, look at me, this is who I am.
So let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Now he just spoke about don't get puffed up, don't go against each other, don't be conceited, etc. Be lowly-minded.
Now he's going to give the supreme example of lowliness of mind, and it's none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, this becomes a little theological. Because I want you to understand some of these things, but When Paul is writing this, it's purely practical. But the language is important, but it's all practical. This is how Jesus lived. He's our example.
That's how we ought to live. Let this mind. Be in you. which was also in Christ Jesus, that lowly mind. Who?
Being in the form of God, notice that phrase, the form of God. did not consider it robbery. to be equal with God, but he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of men. Jesus Christ was in The form of God. What does that mean?
It means he is God, that is his essential nature. There are two different words in the Greek New Testament language. For form. One is the word Morphé. The other is the word schema.
Morphae form means Essential nature. Essence. That's the word that is used here. Jesus had the essential nature and essence of God. If Paul didn't believe that Jesus was God in human flesh, he might have used a different word.
That is the word schema, which means outward form only.
So We are human beings. Our morphe, our essence, is that we are humanity. From the time you are born to the time you die, you never cease to be human. By the way, that also includes what gender you are from birth to death. But that's a whole nother issue.
You are human. Your morphine never changes. Your schema. continually changes. First, you're a zygote.
You say, really? I'm gonna I'll see you outside after church about that. Then you were an embryo. Then you were a fetus. Then you were a newborn.
Then you were a toddler. Then you were a adolescent, then you were a teenager, then you were an adult. Then you become an older adult. I'm in that last category. I have changed, but my morph has remained the same.
I am essentially human, but my schema, my outward form, has changed. Jesus Christ. As to his very essence in nature, his morphe is God. He never ceases to be God. He always was.
That's his essential nature. Who, being in the form of God, did not consider robbery to be equal with God. That is, he didn't have to grasp it, he had it. But Here's another great theological point. He made himself of no reputation.
I'll keep going, then I'll come back to it. taking the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of men.
Now this is one of the great Theological truths of the New Testament concerning the character and nature of Christ. How many of you have heard of the term The kenosis. The kenosis, raise your hand.
Okay, the kenosis comes from the word here. He emptied himself. Ekenosen. Ekenosen. Ekenosen or the kenosis means to pour out.
To pour out. The idea is to empty. I told you about another word a few minutes ago, kenedoxia, right? Vainglory. Kenos means empty.
The kenosis is the emptying.
So Jesus emptied himself. He poured himself out. He made himself, as he says here, the translation, made himself of no reputation.
Now, here's the question: here's the theological debate: What did Jesus empty himself of?
Now, some will say, well, he emptied himself of deity. No, he did not. It's not that he was God and then he became not God and now he is God. He was always God. His morphic can never change, right?
That's his essence.
So he emptied himself out. He divested himself of what? Number one. Of the prerogatives of deity, not of deity, but of the prerogatives of deity. You say, like, what?
What prerogatives did he have as deity? Glory is one of them. He was In heaven. hearing the praise of the angels, in intimate fellowship with the Father, but in obedience to the Father who sent his Son into the world, he emptied himself of that prerogative and came to the earth.
Now he is among disciples. and Pharisees and Sadducees and antagonists and Romans and haters. Not the praise of the angels that he had in heaven. That's why in John 17, Jesus said, Restore to me the glory that I had with you before the world was. the prerogatives of deity.
He emptied himself of that. Second thing that he emptied himself of was His independent Authority. or the independent use of authority. That is, he came to the earth. As a servant of the Father.
He would say, not my will, but your will be done. I came, he said in another place, not to do my own will, but to do the will of my Father who sent me.
So he voluntarily emptied himself of the prerogatives of deity, though he was still God in human flesh at that time, emptied himself of independent authority, being submitted to the will of the Father all the way to the cross until the ascension.
Okay. That's called the kenosis. The empty.
Now let's apply that. That's theological. Let's get practical. Paul says That's your attitude should be like Jesus. Let this mind be in you.
Don't be... high-minded, conceited, selfish. But in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Example, ultimate example, Jesus, God, who emptied himself of the prerogatives of deity, emptied himself of independent authority, submitted to the Father. Willing to suffer.
Willing to pay the ultimate price. in submission to the will of the Father. Think like that. Live like that, have that kind of an attitude. That's how this is applied.
And being found in appearances of man, he humbled himself, became obedient to the point of death. Even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, Of those in heaven, And of those on earth. And of those under the earth, and that every tongue Should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory.
of God the Father. One day, every single human being Christian? Muslim Buddhist Atheist? Agnostic. will confess that Jesus Christ is a Lord.
Because he will come back and the world will recognize him. They will mourn over their unbelief, mourn over him. But his name will be king of kings and lord of lords. Everybody will be forced to confess that. Everybody will one day understand that.
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Learning your Bible matters. I'm committed to teaching God's Word and I want you to understand the depth of Scripture for yourself. That's why I want to invite you to join me in a 90-day through the entire Bible reading challenge using the UVersion Bible app. We call it Jesus People Grow.
So, for 90 days, we're going to read together God's Word. We're going to learn it, receive it. and we're going to let it shape us so that we can also be faithful in sharing good teaching with others.
So join me. Let's learn our Bibles and grow in the Word of God.
Now, here's more from Pastor Skip.
Some of us have made a decision. to make that confession now and not wait for then. When every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, some knees and some tongues have bowed and confessed now. It's called salvation. We've received Christ as our Lord and Savior.
It is voluntary, it is not enforced. We love him as our Lord. We love him as our Savior. And I would suggest if Jesus Christ is not yet your Lord and Savior. that you also bow the knee now and make the confession now.
So that you will have the joy of your Lord for eternity. You say, no, I'm not ready to do that.
Okay, one day you will. And that day will be too late. This is the age of grace. There's coming an age where it will not be the age of grace. Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
But There's something I want you to look at. It says, God is highly exalted him. Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus ascended to the right hand of God the Father. Jesus is back in glory with his Father.
But God has given him the name which is above every name.
Now, what's interesting about that verse, he didn't give him a name. But the name It's a definite article. It is some exalted name or title that God the Father has given to Jesus. What is that name?
Well, some in reading this would say, well, it is. His name, Jesus.
Okay. Perhaps.
However, The name Jesus was a very common Jewish name. Not just in the New Testament, back in the Old Testament. Joshua. Jesus and Joshua, same name. Yeshua.
In Hebrew. Joshua In the Greek language, Jesus, or the English, Transliteration of it.
So we would say, well, it's Jesus. The angel said, you'll call his name Jesus, Yeshua, Joshua, which means God saves, for God will save his people from their sins. But I want you to keep reading because it could be that the name that the Father is going to give or gives to Jesus. Is mentioned in verse 11 that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ, here it is. Is Lord.
Lord. to the glory of God the Father. I think what Paul is saying is the Father in heaven gives The sun The title Lord The Lord gives Jesus the title Lord. You remember Psalm 110? This is how it begins.
The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool. Very important text, because Jesus in Matthew 22 brings this up. He said to the rel religious leaders one day, What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he? And they said, the son of David.
And so Jesus said, well. Then why did David in the Spirit call him Lord? And he quotes Psalm 110, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies a footstool. If he's his son, how can he be his Lord? There's a good answer to that.
They just didn't have that when Jesus brought it up. But I think what he's talking about here is the king of kings and lord of lords, the name designated by God the Father is his. Own title. Lord, Lord of all Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is. Lord, that's the name to the glory of God the Father.
Therefore, My beloved As you have always obeyed, not in my presence only, but now much more. In my absence, Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. I cannot tell you how many people that verse has bothered and stumbled. People come up to me worried. What do I do?
It says I have to work out my own salvation. It sounds like it's a self-help salvation. That you are saved by doing good works. You got to work it out. If you don't work it out, you won't be saved.
That's why context is always important. Any text? Separated from its context. becomes a pretext. Here's the context.
It says, Work out your own salvation, but keep reading. For it is God who works. in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure.
So, verse 12 is not Paul saying, God helps those who help themselves work out your own salvation. You won't be saved unless you earn it. But Be honest. Most people believe you get saved by doing good works.
Well, you know, I've done a few good works in my time, pastor, and I've gone to church, and I've done some nice things for poor people. And therefore, when I die, I think I've done enough good works to kind of push me over the edge into heaven. That is how most people on earth who believe in a heaven think that's how you get to heaven. By the way, that's exactly how Martin Luther thought you get to heaven. At first.
And I bring this up because Last Thursday, I happened to go down to Wittenberg, Wittenberg, Germany. to the very church that Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses on the door. in Latin that sparked the great Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk. In Erfurt, Germany.
But he He was a troubled soul. He struggled. He struggled with being good enough. To go to heaven. Honestly.
In fact, there's an old German word that summarizes this called Anfektungung. And it was this existential dread of. I've got to do certain things in order to get to heaven, and I feel like I've not done enough. Today we would call it probably depression, but he was living under this cloud. And so he would go to confession, and he would go to confession.
Every single day, as an Augustinian monk, he went to confession.
Sometimes it is recorded up to Six Hours A day. Here's why. Martin Luther thought I have to confess my sins. If I don't confess my sins, my sins won't be forgiven. But I can't confess my sins unless I remember my sins.
So he would do everything he could to jog his memory, to remember every single thing he had done wrong, because if my sin is not. Confessed, my sin is not forgiven, but if my sin is not remembered, my sin cannot be confessed.
So he would just struggle with confessing every bad thought. And The priest that he confessed to was Johann von Staupitz. who got tired of Martin Luther confessing that long. It's like, dude. Really?
Every day? Why every day? Because I get my sins forgiven today, but tomorrow is a new day. I start sinning again.
So eventually von Staupitz said to young Martin Luther, look. You're coming to me every day confessing your sins. Go out and commit some real sins. Murder, adultery, something that can be forgiven, but all these little piccadillos is ridiculous. And that is because he was weighed down with his sin and thought he had to do good works to get to heaven because of what he was taught in the Catholic Church.
Yeah. Eventually, Staupitz said to Luther, you know, There's a job opening in Wittenberg. At the university there. To teach the Bible. You ought to go there and teach the Bible.
So Martin Luther went to Wittenberg, started teaching the Bible, started teaching the book of Psalms, read Psalm 22, and something grabbed his heart. Psalm 22, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And he thought, even Jesus. Suffered from this deep Remorse of being separated from the Father. Why?
It must be because He bore our sin, and that was the separation.
So theologically, He was getting that right. But why is it that I feel so burdened?
So he started reading and teaching the book of Romans. And he made it through chapter one, got up to verse sixteen and seventeen. Talks about the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God is revealed from heaven from faith to faith, as it is written. The just shall live by faith.
When he read that, he thought, And these are his words. I don't love God. I hate him. He is so perfectly righteous. He has such a high standard.
I can never attain to it. That's my problem. I'm confessing my sins to get right with him. I have to do certain things to be right with him. God is perfect in his righteousness.
Absolute righteousness. But he kept reading that verse over and over again and he thought But it says after that the just shall live by faith.
So what's the connection? And it dawned on him as he studied that verse. The term the righteousness of God wasn't just God's own attribute of righteousness that he had within himself, but it is the righteousness he gives. freely Imputes is the word we would say freely to anyone who will believe in him. Believe that what Jesus did on the cross was enough.
Because it says, the just shall live by faith.
Now he realized this: it doesn't matter how high God's standard of righteousness is. Yes, I can never attain to it. I don't have to. It's a free gift. He gives me the righteousness of Christ.
That is, he treated Jesus like you and I deserve to be treated, so that he could treat you and I like Jesus. deserves to be treated. And he sat. He thought, that's the gospel. Set him free.
He said, When I discovered that, it's as if I walked through the gates of paradise. And he was set free. We're so glad you joined us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before you go, here's a reminder. When you give $30 or more this month, we'll send you biblical wisdom for everyday living as our thanks.
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