David Lambertson
After that, I feel like I should just pronounce the benediction and send us all home how they praise the Lord.
I want to thank you for that beautiful picture of Mount Katahdin. There might be enough inspiration in that to get me up that mountain one more time to review for him.
Is lobbying for the knife-edge for next summer?
And we love you guys and you've loved us so well, so, thank you.
The littlest tree the story for children of the God of all ages by Jamie Sue work time.
Long time ago a king had his Royal Forester plan of forests in the Northeast province of his country. The trees would constantly chatter about the great and Noble purposes that the king must certainly have for them after all they were planted by the Royal Forest or weren't they? There were three trees in the very center of the woods one was a Majestic Oak with bright leaves that would shine in. The sunlight II was a Tall Cedar slim stretch high into the sky, but the last tree was so little it was almost not worth mentioning at all. It was just a plain birch tree and the others would constantly make fun of it not only for its size but also for its small dreams. The Oakwood often ghost just look at me. My trunk is so straight and strong and my wood is in such high quality that I'm positive. The king will choose me to be something special. I could be the proud Mast of a royal sailing vessel and travel around the world or even a carved table for the king's personal use when you've got such wonderful Roots as I do There's No Limit to Your possibilities. Skip the cedar some trees think that they're the living in I have news for you my friend when the king chooses the finest Lumber to furnish the Royal Palace in my would not yours will be used you may be strong that I'm fragrant why I'll I bet I'll be made into something especially for the princess Penelope. She's the Delight of her father's heart. Of course, she'll need a royal wardrobe lined with Cedarwood for all her fine dresses. And my family has quite a royal history. So what could be more fitting for one with my stature? Well, then earache the old said we can be sure we're special but look at that pathetic little birch tree over there. It's too small for anything.
The little birch tree smiled sadly at its companions you both talked as if you planted yourselves here. You really shouldn't boast for the Kings Forester was very kind to choose us for the Royal Forest. I'm just a small birch tree and I have no idea why he chose me, but if I could ever hoped dare to hope to be anything special. I'd like my wood to be used for a new harp for the princess. She loves to play and it gives the king such a joy to hear her sweet song. That's what I'd like to do sing with the princess for the king. Of course, the two other trees thought this idea was very silly compared to their grand plans. They laugh at the poor Bird Street until its leaves droop down and embarrassment the trees would torment sit with their laughter till the little birch tree wanted to pull up its roots and run away. Then one day the sky suddenly grew dark large reinfeld clouds gather threatening layover the forest it began to pour in the winds stab between the trees and hammered at them lightning flash through the sky in a moment both the oak tree in the cedar tree were struck violently and fell crashing to the ground. A small birch tree was Supple enough to Sway With the Wind and it was so short that the lightning didn't come near it. After the Storm was over the old tree in the cedar tree were in splinters good for nothing, but firewood the Forester have them carted away to the village where the peasants could take whatever they wish and what of the little birch tree. It's Hearts Desire was fulfilled when the Royal Carpenter 10-day tenderly and lovingly seasoned wood to become a harp sounding board. The Royal Furniture polisher rub the harp surface until it gleams like sparkling gems. And the royal princess play lovely songs on the harp for her father. The little tree really did get a chance to sing for the king. Although it didn't feel worthy of the honor. Jesus said he who exalts himself shall be humbled.
But he was humble like the birchtree shall be exalted and have a place of honor in the king's home.
Simple little story illustrates one of Jesus favorite messages, he gave this message three times on three separate occasions to three different audiences with three distinct applications. Listen to what he said to the crowds at his disciples about pride in leadership positions.
Matthew chapter 23 verses 1 to 12 that Jesus spoke to the crowds and his disciples saying the scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses there for all that they tell you do and observe but do not do according to their deeds for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on then shoulders but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger but they do all their needs to be noticed by men for they brought in their phylacteries and length of the tassel of their garments. They love the place of honor at Banquets in the chief seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces and being called Rabbi by men, but do not be called Rabbi for one is your teacher and you are all Brothers do not call anyone on Earth. Your father for one is your father. He was in heaven do not be called leaders for one is your leader. That is Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself self shall be humbled and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
Listen to what? He said to the guests at a banquet about seeking social status Luke 14 verses 7 to 11. Hey began, speaking of parable to the invited guests when he noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table saying to them when you are invited by someone to a wedding Feast do not take the place of honor for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him. And he who invited you both will come and say to you give your place to this man. And then in disgrace, you will proceed to occupy the last place but when you are invited go and recline at the last place so that when the one who was invited you comes he may say to you friend move up higher, then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Listen to what? He said to the self-righteous about being right with God Luke 18 9 to 14. And he also told this Parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and dude others with contempt two men went up into the temple to pray one a Pharisee and the other attacks collector the Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself God. I thank you that I am not like other people swindlers. I'm just adulterers or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I pay ties all that I get But the tax collector standing some distance away was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven but was beating his breast saying God be merciful to me The Sinner. I tell you this man went to his house Justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled but he who humbles himself will be exalted.
In God's family and Kingdom the way up is the way down in the way down is the way up humility leads to exaltation Pride leads to humiliation accepting the role of humble service brings God's approval and reward. This was more than just Jesus favorite message. It was the foremost mission of his life and death. Look at our passage for this morning Philippians 2 verses 5 to 11. Have a nice attitude in your cells, which was also in Christ Jesus who although he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God anything to be grasped. But emptied himself taking the form of a bondservant and being made in the likeness of men being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross. For this reason also God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Hear the internal Son of God models his favorite Earthly message personally.
Is Matthew in his gospel record the announcement of Jesus birth to Joseph? He reminds us that Jesus would fulfill Isaiah's prophecy that a virgin's child would be God With Us Matthew Road. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet. The Virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel which means god with us. Charles Wesley captures The Wonder of this incredible transition that God the son made in the second verse of Hark the Herald Angels Sing Christ by highest Heaven adored Christ the Everlasting Lord late and time Behold Him come offspring of the virgin's womb veiled in flesh. The godhead see hail the Incarnate deity pleased as man with man to dwell Jesus our Emmanuel.
The baby boy that Mary Laid in the manger that first Christmas was God the son but come to be with us as one of us. J i Packer reminds us of the Staggering impact. This should have on us. He wrote God became man. The Divine son became a Jew the almighty appeared on Earth as a helpless human baby unable to do more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. And there was no illusion or deception in this the babyhood of the Son of God was a reality. Who wrote the more you think about it? The more staggering it gets nothing and fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the Incarnation. That last line really made me stop and think. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the Incarnation think about all the stories you have ever heard or read. There is nothing like this. God becomes man to rescue us.
Jesus humbled himself and this takes place in four stages or phases or steps first. He was God. So Philippians 2:6 says who although he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God of thing to be grasped. That verse says that he existed in the form of God. The form is the outward expression of one's inner nature. So to exist then in the form of God is to express outwardly the inner nature of deity to visibly display the glory of God to do this. You have to be God. And the phrase equality with God that she was later in this verse also refers to this outward expression of deity. This was the Glorious manner of existence in which the sun visibly displayed his Divine Glory with the father in the spirit before becoming man. In The Garden of Gethsemane Jesus referred to his eternal glory and his relationship with the father he did this when he prayed now father glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was for you loved me before the foundation of the world.
From all eternity the sun existed in this glorious loving relationship with the father and with the Holy Spirit. but but
Step two in his humbling himself. He became man.
Philippians 2:7 in the first part of verse 8 say but emptied himself taking the form of a bond servant and being made in the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man. So here this the spray is being made in the likeness of men indicates that the Lord Jesus really was human being. And that word likeness doesn't exclude or diminish the reality of that nature which he assumed it stresses his similarity with us, but leave some room for differences and the only respect and in which Jesus as a man was different from us was in his sinlessness. Is outward appearance as a man was an expression of his true and complete human nature the Eternal Word really did become Flash and dwell Among Us. The third step is that when he became man, he did not cease to be God for 7, but emptied himself taking the form of a bond servant and being made in the likeness of men. Those first words are very important and can be easily misunderstood. emptied himself Has also been translated made himself nothing. It's been translated made himself of no reputation. It's been translated gave up his Divine privileges. It's been translated 7 side the Privileges of deity, and it's been translated stripped himself of all privilege. It does not mean that he does not mean that he lost something it does. Not mean that something was taken away from him.
In terms of what he had as his divine nature because notices says he emptied himself by not by losing something but by adding something by taking the form of a bond servant and adding the form of a bond servant to what he already was. It didn't take something away from his divine nature, but rather added something to it and the form of a bondservant is why he added That word form form of the bond servant is the same word that was used in verse 6 for the form of God. Hear again. That means the same thing the outward expression of an inner nature the nature of a servant when the Lord Jesus became one of us he appeared to all the world to be simply another human being and a very humble one at that. He appeared that way because he really was truly a servant. But that's not all that. He was when the Lord Jesus became man. He did not cease to be God in anyway, but merely exchanged temporarily this outward expression of deity the form of God for the outward expression of humanity. The form of a servant is simply failed his Divine Glory Under The Humble Garb of humanity. And that helped us baby wrapped in strips of cloth and laid in a Manger. Was it one in the same time The Lord Of Glory. He truly is Emmanuel God With Us.
The fourth step in humbling himself. Was that as the God man? He died on the cross. Being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross.
That corresponds to statements made about Jesus at his birth. The angel said to Joseph you shall call his name Jesus for he will save his people from their sins. An angel said to the shepherds today in the city of David. There's been born for you is savior. Who is Christ the lord?
The path of obedience for Jesus as God son would eventually lead from the manger to the cross and more than any other human being. He was the one born to die. This is reflected in. seldom Sun verse from the Christmas carol What Child Is This That verse says Neil Nails spear shall pierce him through. The cross be born for me for you hail hail the word made flesh the babe the son of Mary. And the incredible humility and obedience that the Son of God exhibit exhibited and becoming man did not end at the manger price humble obedience went all through his life and included his death. And that was not just an ordinary death as Paul describes it here even death on a cross. That further defines that death is the death of a slave or the death of the worst of criminals or the death of one accursed by God for the Old Testament law. Taught cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree
This form of death crucifixion was considered. So terrible that Cicero the Roman philosopher and Statesman said what the very name of the Cross be far removed not only from the body of a Roman citizen, but even from his thoughts his eyes his ears.
And yet far worse than the physical pain of crucifixion was the spiritual Agony that Jesus experienced on the cross. The central truth of the Gospel is that Christ died for our sins? This means that he died in our place and on our behalf. He suffered the penalty of separation from God that we deserved because of our Disobedience. He was forsaken by God that we might be forgiven and restored the friendship with God. Jesus went through hell for us. And all of this is wrapped up in that pregnant phrase in verse 8. He became obedient to the point of death even death on a cross. So the cross to which Jesus is nailed is less than greatest demonstration of God's love and that he is indeed for us. In this is love not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation or the atoning sacrifice for our sins. You can see and in these verses from Philippians that we've been looking at that Jesus modeled how to choose humble service over self promotion. But remember that his favorite message said he who humbles himself will be exalted and that is exactly what God did for Jesus. God exalted him verses 9 through 11 for this reason also God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. This relates to the prophecy that the angel Gabriel made to Mary when explaining that she would become the messiah's mother. He said he will be great and will be called the son of the most high and the Lord. God will give him the Throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end. strictly speaking those words more accurately describe the second Advent of Jesus Christ than the first They anticipate the time when that baby who was laid in the manger. And the Savior who was nailed to the cross will take his rightful Throne on Earth and rule the world with truth and grace and the Corruptions of sin will be replaced by the blessings of his salvation and all the world will rejoice.
Before this reason that begins verse 9 links the description of Jesus humble obedience in verses 6 through 8 with his exaltation here in verses 9 through 11.
Because Christ humbled himself God the Father exalted him. Because Jesus was willing to redeem us he is worthy to rule the world and he will. When will every knee bow to Jesus Christ and every tongue confess that he is Lord not until he returns as king of kings to rain over this world the prophet Isaiah revealed that the ultimate outcome of Christmas would be Jesus ruling the world Isaiah 9 6 and 7 for a child will be born to us a son will be given to us in the government will rest on his shoulders and his name will be called wonderful counselor, Mighty God Eternal Father Prince of Peace will be no end to the increase of his government or peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it into a pole that with Justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The Zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this
Handel's Christmas oratorio the Messiah reaches its Zenith with a Hallelujah Chorus is recognition that the ultimate purpose of Christ's birth was to bring about the time when loud voices and Heaven would be able to say the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Trice and he will reign for ever and ever
We see once again that Jesus path of humble service leads from the manger not only to the Cross but also to the throne.
I woke up in the middle of the night and one evening. I wake up middle of the night while times at my Advanced age. But one night and you know, it's interesting what you thinking of when you wake up in the middle of the night.
Woke up in the middle of the night one evening with one thought pressing in on my mind that thought was Jesus is Lord. It was impressing me as I lay there thinking about this was this is not just something we give mental assent to.
It's not just an article in a statement of faith that we acknowledge. It's not just something we wistfully hope is true. It is reality. It is the Ultimate Reality that brings together all of our thinking about our world Our lives our identity our hopes and our plans Jesus Christ is Lord. He occupies the highest place of honor in the universe. There is no other name with greater importance than the name of Jesus and when he comes to rain all will recognize him as Lord. So what does all this mean to us today now? This path of humble servant hood is at the very heart of the reason why God the son became incarnate. And humble service is also Central to his will for our lives. Listen to how we impress this lesson on two of his closest followers and their mother Matthew chapter 20. Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her son's volume down and making a request of him. He said to her. What do you wish she said to him command that in your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on your right and one on your left.
But Jesus answered you not know what you were asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink? They said to him we are able. I love their confidence. Dead wrong, but they were confident. We're able he said to them my cup you shall drink but to sit on my right and then my left this is not mine to give but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my father. And hearing this the 10 became indignant with the two brothers. Why because they wanted those two positions? But Jesus called them to himself and said, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them and they're great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you but whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave just as the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.
We see here. Also that the point that Jesus loved to make and model with his life and death is humble service for the sake of God and others. The way up is the way down and the way down is the way up. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
I closed with a story of a brother in Christ who exemplifies the unselfish humble servant lifestyle of Jesus. If this is a day of political animosity just scored selfish self-promotion and this story is a refreshing reminder of the way things can be the way we can be if we choose to follow our Lord's example. It been a long day on Capitol Hill for Senator John stennis. He was looking forward to a bit of relaxation when he got home. After parking the car began to walk toward his front door. Then it happened to people came out of the darkness robbed him and shot him twice. News of the shooting of Senator stennis the chairman of the powerful armed service Forces Committee shot Washington in the nation and for nearly seven hours Senator stennis was on the operating table at Walter Reed hospital. Less than two hours later. Another politician was driving home when he heard about the shooting. He turned his car around and drove directly to the hospital. In the hospital, he noticed that the staff was swamped and could not keep up with the incoming calls about the Senators condition spotted an uncontested. Unattended switchboard sat down and voluntarily went to work. He continue taking calls until daylight sometime during that next day you stood up stretched put on his overcoat and just before leaving. He introduced himself quietly to the other operator. Hi, Mark, Hatfield. Happy to help out. Then Senator Mark Hatfield unobtrusively walked out. The Press can hardly handle that story there seems to be no way for a Conservative Republican to give a liberal Democrat a tip of the Hat let alone spend hours doing a menial tasks and be as he said happy to help out. But Mark Hatfield was a brother in Christ. So it is with those who have their Master's servant heart. So it can be with us. In God's kingdom and family the way up will always be the way down the path of humble service.