This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, September 8, 1991.
About this sermon
Christ’s own revelation and existence saturate Philippians 2:5-11. Believers receive it by faith, and logic and reason serve that faith without replacing it. The real glory of the Christian life lies in the next world.
Sermon transcript
Once more, we are reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. We are reading from the first chapter, verses 27 and following, into the second chapter, the 11th verse. This is Philippians chapter 1, verse 27. Hear the word of God. Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel, and in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now here to be in me. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord of one mind.
Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Pray with me now. Our Father, we know that by your Word we are given life, and Lord, we ask that you would strengthen us in this conviction. We are praying, Lord, that we might have occasion to turn to your Word regularly, in fact, daily, and to feast upon what you have provided us there. We ask also, Father, that we would not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, that you would give us a heart that is intent upon coming together for the sake of being blessed by you as a people. And, Lord, here we ask that there might be apparent to us the glories of the kingdom above. For surely we shall not be in glory alone, but we shall be there with all the rest of your people, and even with this congregation. We ask, Lord, that even now the very patterns and attitudes and dispositions of heaven may be expressed by us as we give our attention to your holy word. For Jesus’ sake, amen.
I’m so glad that the folks from Washington are here today. I know that some of the people from Grace are waiting for the time when I will move on from this text, but now our guests have come and I have to start all over again. My family down here to my left groaned if you didn’t hear that. And of course, the question may well be, how much time is too much time to spend on a text like this?
This wonderful passage from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, the second chapter, a text that we know well and we are quite familiar with. We have been spending our time with this text trying to press out of it all we can get. We have looked at the context of the passage, endeavoring to profit from what we see there, as Paul brings his case to these Philippians who are struggling a bit, having trouble because persecution has arisen.
We have looked at the form of the text, We have noticed its poetic structure, how it moves so nicely, so evenly. It has such a remarkable balance to it. We’re drawn to it for no other reason than the wonderful poetic cadence that it evidences. But then there are those marvelous declarations, those wonderful statements, those beautiful and powerful statements of who Christ is, His relationship to us, and His coming glory.
We have spent some time on the subtleties in the text, trying to draw out some of the hidden matter that is here for our benefit. And we are rejoicing in the power of this passage, as we are benefited immeasurably by contemplation upon meditation upon our Savior. Well, I am now moving on to wrap things up, believe it or not, and my message this morning is intended to be one more sweep through the text so that we might appreciate its scope, its depth, and its unique character. That these might be impressed upon us Indulgently. First of all, with regard to this passage, and I have in mind specifically verses 5 through 11 of that second chapter.
First of all, then, this passage confronts us with the reality of the revelation that is found in Christ Jesus. And by that root, then, the revelatory character of our faith in its essence. This passage confronts us with the reality of the revelation, underscore the word revelation, found in Jesus Christ.
This passage is full of information about the Son of God made available to us only through revelation. Now, that may be a statement that is so plain in itself that you’re asking yourself, why in the world would you bore me with that insight? Well, I want you to think about it and not pass by the power of what is here presented. This passage is full of information about the Son of God, available only through revelation. What do I mean by revelation?
I mean something that’s coming to us from without. I don’t mean some religious imagining. some religious speculation. I’m not here speaking about philosophy, a philosophy that is generated from within man, that comes from within the world. When I speak of revelation, then I am speaking of something that comes from without, intrudes into our lives, into the plane of our existence, into this creation from God, who is Himself, outside of this world.
The information that we are given then about the Son of God is that He existed even before He was known in the flesh. How is that by nature to be known? How does that arise from the considerations that occur to us from within ourselves? How does a description of Christ’s pre-incarnate state occur to us?
We can’t even imagine it. It must come by way of revelation. It comes from without. It comes from God. There is the revelation of the Son’s essence. We are told in verse 6 that he existed in the form of God. Is that apparent? As we look at this man who is described in the pages of the Gospel, is that apparent to us? He’s a man, a very important man, a very powerful man, a very magnetic personality to be sure, but is it apparent to us that this one has pre-existence and that this one, in his essence, is God? We are told that he is equal to God in that verse as well.
Do these things arise from the nature of the case, from out of creation, from the potentialities that we see within him, or the considerations that we would make of him as those arise from within ourselves? No, it is by way of revelation. And note what else is told about him in these verses. Verse 7, “…by a free decision on his own part, He comes into this world, he empties himself, he takes upon himself the form of a bond slave, and he is made in the likeness of man.
That one who is preexistent now comes in the form of human flesh. Is this obvious to us? Except by revelation. We do not know these things. Then there’s the matter of Christ’s exaltation, verses 9 through 11. God has highly exalted him, we are told. How do we know this but by revelation? Except it be revealed to us. Except God tell us that he himself is exalting this one Christ Jesus. A name is bestowed upon him above every name. How is that apparent?
And what about the intention of God, as it is described for us in verses 10 and 11? The intention of God is that this One, known to us as Christ Jesus, should have a name that is equal to His own. He has given this One the title and the name Lord. The sweep of these verses 10 and 11 is rather remarkable. It’s familiar to you enough It is familiar enough to you, the name of Jesus is that name at which every knee should bow, verse 11, and every tongue confess that he is in fact Lord.
Now these words that Paul uses at this point are not his own. He steals them. He steals them from the Old Testament. He steals them from Isaiah chapter 45. Verse 23. You want to check that passage out? Find out who Isaiah is speaking of in that text? Paul now takes those statements from Isaiah, applied to Jehovah, and he applies them now to Jesus Christ. This one, then, in the estimation of Paul, is more. Paul here is giving us more than just his assessment of Jesus Christ. He is telling us what the intention of God is.
The intention is that this one, and this one only, is exalted to have this position, this exclusive position. It was in light then of the revelation concerning the pre-existence of the Son of God and His glory, the glory into which He is entered, that you make assessments about the uniqueness of His life and ministrate.”
Why is His death different from anybody else’s death? Doesn’t everybody die? Well, maybe in that He is Raised from the dead, he is like some of those Old Testament saints that were spared. Maybe he’s like Enoch, who was translated. Maybe he’s like Elijah, who was carried away in a chariot of fire. But no, this one is utterly unique in his life, in his ministry, in his death.
And it is only by revelation by that which comes from without, that such value is placed upon this one. So, first of all, the passage confronts us with the reality of the revelation from God found in Jesus Christ and in Him alone. And without that revelation, accompanying this One, this Jesus, He ends up being nothing more than just another man. The next thing that I want you to note from this passage is this fact.
It confronts us with the necessity and the priority of our faith. Will we, in ourselves, find out Christ? Will we, with our own native abilities, discover the Lord of Glory? Will we, by the power of our reason and our logic, come to the conclusions that are here presented in the gospel. This passage then confronts us with the necessity and the priority of our faith. In this passage we are called to believe in an absolute sense the things we cannot see.
Did you exist prior to creation? Were you there in the councils of eternity when the Father and the Son were speaking to one another about the plan of redemption? Were you present when the Son was making decisions that He would humble Himself and become a servant and enter this world in flesh?
How else are these things going to be grasped by you than by the way that the Scriptures prescribe? You must grasp them by faith. You cannot see them, you were not there. You are faced with the revelation, and now the question is, do you believe it? Are you in heaven presently to observe the glory that has been bestowed upon the Son? Do you presently see it with your own physical eyes?
Is it not by faith, then, that you grasp these things and receive them and rest upon them? It is by faith that you assign, then, significance to and grasp in the cross the significance that is there to be grasped. It is by faith that you grab hold of the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice. Is He truly the Son of God? Is He without sin? Is He a sacrifice for sinners? Do you believe this? Is His death able to atone? Can it actually save? Do you believe this?
So you see, the passage confronts us with the necessity of our faith. It is only by faith that we then grab hold of the revelation. You cannot see it, you are not there. You are not in the mind of God, even to assign value. Yet you are receiving these things through the revelation that God has given of Himself in Christ. And in receiving them, you are resting upon them, you are trusting in them, because you have concluded that they are true. This is a work of God in you, by His Spirit.
We’re also said that this passage confronts us with the priority of our faith. Because in this passage we are challenged with respect with respect to the way in which we might approach God at the very outside. Is it a primacy of faith that leads us then into that right relationship with God, or is it by means of our logical ability, our reasonable facility?
Now, by suggesting to you the priority of faith, I do not want to suggest to you that the gospel is absurd. Some have said that. And because it is absurd, we should believe it. Nor am I suggesting that there isn’t an inner logic to the gospel that makes sense to us who believe it and embrace it. That is true.
Even as we go through this passage, verses 5 through 11, we see that there is an inner logic that appeals to us, we who believe and have embraced it. But I think that you would admit But honestly speaking, a quick run through this passage confronts you with a number of puzzles before which logic and reason must recede, because logic and reason do not reign. They are not a law that stands above God and determines for God and man what must be true. Logic and reason are tools that are now employed in the service of faith for we who believe.
So here you are. You want to run through the passage in terms of its logical categories? You’re introduced to this person who is Christ Jesus. You’re told he’s in the form of God. What? Equal with God. This is a man, equal with God. What sense does that mean? What sense does that make? Equal with God, he becomes man, though still God. You make sense of it.
Though God, he becomes obedient. How can God become obedient? Is he not obedient in himself? And though he is God, he dies. How can God die? And then, not only that, he is exalted. As if he needed exaltation, he is exalted by God and given the name of God. He already was God. How is he now receiving the name of God and he’s promised a universal dominion? Didn’t he always have a universal dominion? And all of this, to the glory of God the Father, as if there’s another part of God here that we need to consider as well. Another person, God the Father, God the Son. Well, I think you get the point. You apply your logical categories to it, you’re befuddled. You’re bewildered. You’re faced with mystery.
And in light of it, the faith which is called for in this text receives and rests in the sufficient revelation that is given us by our God in Christ. The just do not live by the absolute dictates of logic and reason. The just live by faith. Faith is what pleases God. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. We are justified by faith, not by our reason, our intellect, or our logical facility. Thirdly, this passage confronts us with the substance of our Christian life.
There is some patience that is necessary at this point. Because you see, often this passage, verses 5 through 11 of Philippians 2, is taught as if Paul’s point, as if Paul’s point were that the Christian life follows a pattern which we observe here in Christ as Christ passes from humiliation to exaltation. And thus, the intent of the apostle is to call us to patient endurance. Now, that’s a legitimate concern and interest that you find expressed elsewhere by the apostle. Too often, this specific text is taught as if Paul’s point were that the Christian life follows the pattern seen in Christ as Christ passes from humiliation to exaltation, and we are guaranteed the same. We shall pass from humiliation to exaltation. But in actual fact, Paul’s point is this.
Christ, as he is observed in this text, moves from privilege to humiliation to exaltation. To get the first of it, he moves from privilege. He existed in the form of God, he was equal with God, and then he takes upon himself the form of a servant, and then comes exaltation. So the issue at stake is not simply from humiliation to exaltation, but rather from privilege to humiliation to exaltation.
And the humiliation involved here is the act of self-surrender and sacrifice for the sake of others. Now, why should that be important to the Apostle Paul? Because he wants those in Philippi who own the name of Christ to exhibit precisely that kind of spirit in their relationships one with another.
Are they not privileged? Are they not the sons of God? Do they not belong to the house of God and have all the advantages and blessings of that relationship that is sealed unto them in Christ Jesus? Yes, they are the privileged. Will they insist upon their privileges? Will they insist upon their place and position? No, Paul says they must not. Why? Because Christ did not.
And as Christ emptied himself of his position and his privileges, not insisting upon them, so must you. Now, what does that become in the Christian’s life? It becomes the reality of the cross lived daily for Christ’s sake. Will you not deny yourself, take up Christ’s cross daily and follow Him? And what will that mean? It will mean self-surrender, self-sacrifice for the sake of your brothers and sisters in Christ. That is the cross coming to expression in you.
And there’s one other thing, very importantly, that this passage confronts us with, and that is the true nature of our hope. Is the glory to which Christ ascends spoken of in this text a glory that he gains and enjoys in this world. I really can’t say anything more important to you than that at this time. And the reason for that is because there are so many who are saying to the saints of God, the glory to which we aspire is something that we can have now, and we can enjoy to the full in this world.
So grab it all. God not only wants you to be happy, He wants you to be rich. God doesn’t only want you to be well off spiritually so that your soul is healthy. He wants you free from all concerns, health-wise. And you have a right to that now. The point is that as long as Christ is in the flesh, He is present in the form of a servant, and it is not until He is raised and He ascends into glory that the glory comes. And as it has been with Christ, so it is with you. Your life presently in the flesh is patterned after His. As long as you’re here in the flesh, you will be servants, learning obedience, giving yourself over to God, even unto the extent of death itself, until He is pleased to take you to Himself. So don’t be confused about your present situation, present suffering that you may be enduring, the grief and the heartache that is presently yours. That is your lot. But the glory is coming, and it is guaranteed, as surely as Christ has been raised from the dead and presently reigns.
Let us pray. Our Father, we ask you that familiar texts like we have before us today would not slip past us without us giving them the kind of attention that they deserve. We pray, Our Father, that we might profit much from what we find here in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. May we rejoice in the revelation that you have given wonderfully. May we thank you even for the faith that you have worked in our hearts. May you be praised for how the very pattern of Christ’s life is coming to expression in us. We too call to be servants. And may we rejoice before you because As we are conformed to Christ’s image in service, so we shall also be conformed to His image in His glorious reign. For Christ’s sake, we pray, looking for His coming. Amen.
The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.