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Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg
Living The Jesus Life: Part 4
Philippians 2:5-11
Living The Jesus Life
This series is a part of our annual practice of spending time focusing on one book of the Bible. In this case, the study is of Philippians – the letter Paul wrote from a Roman prison to the church at Philippi, the first church Paul started in Eastern Europe (see Acts 16). The people at Philippi were facing the resistance of Rome but remained a vibrant community of faith.
Philippians is a letter that speaks to living life as a disciple of Jesus in 2023. That’s why we’ve entitled the series, ‘Living the Jesus Life’.
Today’s focus is Philippians 2:5-11.
Philippians 2:5-11
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
-Living the Jesus Life was never intended to be only about observation. It is a much bigger a call: a call to act. To participate.
-Living the Jesus Life means participating.
-We are called to have the same mindset as Christ did because it causes us to act.
What does this mindset of Christ look like?
1. He did not cling to his privileges, and his power, and his authority (verse 6)
2. He made himself a servant – made himself nothing (verse 7)
3. He humbled himself (verse 8)
1. Choose sacrifice2. Choose surrender3. Chose humility
You can’t choose your circumstances, but you do get to choose your response (your ‘mindset’ as Paul calls it).
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: To choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way.”-Viktor Frankl
Bottom Line:
Choosing the Jesus mindset leads to living a Jesus life.
Philippians 2:5-11
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.
Verses for further study/reflection:
John 1:14
Hebrews 1:1-2
Galatians 4:4-5
Zechariah 9:9
Hebrews 12:1-3
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