A King Worthy of Praise

Philippians 2:5-11

What comes to mind when I say the word “king”? For me, it’s the fictitious king Arthur of Camelot, and the royal lines of England and France. These people – they have an air of authority and prestige that just dare not go unnoticed. They are at the top. But there’s also one other king that I think about, and he’s not like these other kings. He didn’t seek personal gain or glory. In fact, many times, just the opposite. When people saw him do his deeds and hear his words, and wanted to tell others about him, he actually told them not to. This king – he wasn’t born in a stately palace that resulted in riches and influence. And when people tried to set him up as their ruler, he refused. You know this king. It’s Jesus. And he chose that life of humility to serve us. But God exalted him, and now he reigns in heaven with glory. Our reading for today is a beautiful explanation of just how much Jesus loves us. It tells us that he gave up everything to serve us. But what does that have to do with the rest of Philippians? Just before our text, Paul is addressing a sin, a sin that maybe isn’t even prevalent in Philippi, but Paul knew that it was a sin common to mankind. It’s selfishness. Paul says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others.” So, how does Paul go about addressing this sin? Does he give these people instructions on how to love their neighbors perfectly? Or do you think that he gives a detailed list of how selfishness ruins relationships? He doesn’t do any of these things. No, he says, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” He points to Jesus and says, “Imitate him. Imitate him in your interactions with others.” And Jesus is a great example for us, but he’s so much more than that. Paul goes on to say, “Who, being in very nature, God.” Every Sunday, we confess that Jesus is God. We confess that Jesus is exactly, has the same qualities and characteristics as God the Father. He’s almighty. He knows everything. He’s present everywhere. He is love. This doesn’t surprise us. But the next part should. He did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. Jesus decided that he would not use his divine power and authority for himself, but to serve us. He was selfless. What would you do if you knew everything? Or if you could have the power to do whatever you wanted? Or maybe I should ask it this way. What would you do if you won the lottery? If I were to take a guess, it wouldn’t take very long before your thoughts turned inward. As humans, we’re selfish. From a young age, as babies, in fact, we actually only think about ourselves. Our brains aren’t developed enough to have complex thoughts about others. And this inward focus – it can actually be a good thing as we age. It results in self-care, taking care of our mental health, and setting up work-life balance. But as with everything else, too much of a good thing can turn into a bad thing. It starts with self-care. But then we start thinking more about ourselves and less about others. And eventually, it’s only us all the time to the point that we might even go against God, serving ourselves instead. This active rebellion, this selfishness, draws us away from God and away from our salvation. And the worst part is that it’s just second nature. It’s what our sinful nature does. Our sinful nature does whatever it takes to get what it wants. It’s selfish and manipulative. And even though Jesus had every right to, he didn’t act this way. He acted out of love for others, not out of love for self. Paul says he did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. Jesus could have ruled in heaven, not giving us a second glance. But he didn’t do that. Instead, Paul continues, rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Jesus chose to take on flesh with all of its weaknesses and limitations. He chose to be born in a lowly manger, and he chose to humble himself so that he could serve us. And he did all of this willingly. He wasn’t forced to do it. And he didn’t do it seeking personal glory. No, he did it because he loved us and he wanted to serve us. And he was willing to take it all the way. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Jesus was willing to do whatever it took. He sat in heaven, but he chose to come down to earth, to be betrayed by a friend and treated like a criminal. And he knew that coming down to earth meant facing that. He knew that coming down to earth meant death on a cross. And he still did it. Jesus made himself nothing in order to serve us, to win for us what we couldn’t possibly achieve for ourselves. Forgiveness and eternal life. But death wasn’t the end for Jesus. No, God raised him from the dead and exalted him. And now he reigns in heaven with glory. Paul says it this way. God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. Jesus is currently in the highest place. Yes, he once subjected himself to death, but now he rules over everything. And he directs our lives to benefit us. He watches over us and guards us. And you may not see his hand, but I promise it’s there. And we can approach this king, our king, our God, in prayer. Every time we pray, Jesus hears us. When our life is in danger, we can go to God for help. When we don’t know how to proceed in life, we can go to him for guidance. When we’re struggling with sin, we can ask him to be our strength and shield. We have access to the one who is exalted over everything, and he wants us to come to him. And Jesus, he doesn’t just rule over believers. No, he rules over everyone and everything. So when he comes back to judge the living and the dead, everyone will have to acknowledge him as Lord. Paul says, “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.” But the unbelievers won’t willingly acknowledge Jesus as Lord. They don’t want to acknowledge him as Lord. But as he sits there in front of them, judging them for all of their sins and ultimately the sin of selfishness, serving themselves as their own God, they are forced to acknowledge him as Lord. They have no choice but to obey because Jesus is Lord of the universe. And this acknowledgement, it’s one of fear. But we, too, make this acknowledgement, and when we acknowledge Jesus as Lord, it’s one of joy. We get to say, “Yes, Jesus is Lord, and he came down to earth to save us.” We know that on that last day when Jesus comes again, we will get to enter into the bliss that was given to us in our baptisms. His second coming is a reason to rejoice, because he rules over everything. I think you all know that this past Friday, we celebrated our nation’s 249th anniversary of escaping a king. Now, this king was greedy and oppressive. He ruled in his own self-interest. Ever since then, our nation hasn’t had a king. But we do have a king. He came down to earth and humbled himself to serve us. He came to win for us salvation. And then God exalted him. And now he rules in heaven in glory. And one day, a day we look forward to with joy, we will be exalted and share in his glory. And we will get to see our king and our God face to face and forever praise his name. Amen.