Choose Your ‘Tude
(Philippians 2:5-11)

Life is about making choices.  We are faced with them everyday from the mundane to the complicated.  We are called upon by God to choose.  We are asked to choose between our flesh and the Spirit of God which dwells inside us.  In other words, God’s way or our way!  Jesus made a choice to given up His life (His flesh) and sacrifice Himself for the sake of all men.   Jesus was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor (2 Corinthians 8:9). It all comes down to attitude. Which attitude am I going to adopt?

Jesus’ or mine!!!

1.  Jesus has the attitude we want to copy! (vs. 5)

“Your attitude should be the same as...Christ”. 

The word “attitude” means: to exercise the mind, to be mentally disposed in a certain direction, to interest oneself in.  Jesus was interested in God’s business. Jesus is our example in every respect! (I Peter 2:21)

2.  Jesus demonstrated this attitude!

He showed us how to live as servants.

How?

    A.  He sacrificed His safety! (vs. 6)

Jesus was by nature in the very form of God.

“being” is from the Greek verb huparchein. 

It describes that which a man is in his very essence and which cannot be changed. So Paul begins by saying that Jesus is in every way God. The Greek word for “form” is morphe.  Morphe is the essential form that never alters. For instance, the morphe of any human being is humanity and this never changes, but his outward appearance is continually changing.  A baby, a child, a boy, a man, an old man.

However Jesus’ outward appearance might change,

Jesus remains, in essence, divine. 

He gave up the safety of His divine nature! The word used for “grasped”, a thing to be snatched at, is harpagmos. Jesus did not snatch at equality; He did not clutch at equality with God, but laid it willingly down for the sake of men. He literally left His comfort zone!

     B.  He became nothing! (vs. 7a)

The Greek word is kenoun that means to empty.

It can be used when removing things from a container, or when pouring something out, until there is nothing left. Jesus gave up His glorified existence willingly in order to become a man. He took on the limitations of time and space to become human. (Isaiah 53:2-3)

     C.  He became a servant! (vs. 7b)

He took the very form of a slave. (Matthew 20:28)

     D.  He became human! (vs. 7c)

He became one of us, to show us what it means to be human.  Jesus was the perfect human, walking with God, the second Adam, doing what the first one did not do!  Being a human is not a curse, being a sinful human is!  Jesus came to deliver us from that curse!

(Hebrews 2:14)  We do not have to live under the curse!!!!  We have victory in Jesus!!!

     E.  He was humble! (vs. 8a)

Jesus is humility!! (Matthew 11:29)

We are called to walk in humility! 

(Matthew 18:4 & Ephesians 4:2)  What is humility?  There are lots of definitions. I think humility is not demanding your rights even and especially when your are right! Humility is thinking more highly of others then you do yourself!  Jesus illustrates this point in (Luke 14:7-11).  Humility is honoring others and God above yourself!

     F.  He was obedient! (vs. 8b)

Jesus was extremely obedient!!  He did not do the least but the most.  He held nothing back from God or us.  He was fanatically obedient! 

Jesus was a slave to righteousness completely devoted to the will of God (John 4:34). We are called to be the same (Romans 6:14-18).

3.  Jesus’ attitude was rewarded! (vss. 9-11)

     A.  God exalted Jesus! (vs. 9a)

          (Isaiah 53:8-11)

     B.  God gave Jesus a new name! (vs. 9b)

           (Hebrews 1:3-4)

     C.  God gave Jesus authority! (vs. 10)

           (Matthew 28:18-20)

     D.  God gave Jesus honor! (vs. 11)

          (Hebrews 2:9)

These same rewards are for all those who are willing to give up all rights to themselves and surrender completely to God:

Exaltation – (Matthew 23:12)

New Name – (Revelation 3:12)

Authority – (Luke 10:19)

Honor – (John 12:25-26)

Jesus had the perfect attitude of humility, obedience and sacrifice.  He stands as our one and only example of how we are to treat one another and serve God.  What attitude are you going to choose???