Easter Morning Glory
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Introduction
Introduction
To celebrate Easter this morning we will be reading from . Now you may ask why I’m not reading from one of the gospel accounts of the resurrection in order to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. I’m reading from this passage for three reasons: One gives us one of the most beautiful accounts in the bible about not only the death and resurrection of Jesus, but his incarnation as well. By carefully studying this passage, we can learn not only about the nature of Jesus, and the purpose of his death and resurrection. Two, Paul connects the resurrection to the ongoing mission of the church. three: Dal was sick this past week leaving me to do whatever the heck I wanted.
Illustration: Have you ever worked really hard, expecting a wonderful reward for your hard work? The meanest teacher I have ever had was my sixth grade science teacher. She graded very hard, she didn’t teach well, and she mocked me in front of the class many times and made me cry. to make matters even worse, Midway through the school year i had a C in her class. And I do not get c’s. But she offered a glimmer of hope. Anyone who came after school to work in the school garden would get extra credit. I decided that i would come every day until the end of the year in order to get enough extra credit to get an a in the class. toiled in the school gardens, it was hot, I was dirty and sweaty and i hated it. but i worked hard in the hope that one day in the end, i would have an a in my class. At the end of the school year my teacher called me into her office and said: “Trevin, you know i was never going to give you more than ten points on your grade, but here is a gift for your hard work. and as a gesture of respect and dare I say even friendship, she gave me to celebrate the upcoming summer, a pack of water balloons. and i said in my heart, “that’s it? I worked my butt off for ten points and a pack of water balloons?? People of God our Lord gives far better gifts than water balloons.
When we do good works for each other and for the people around us, what are we working for? Are we working so that people will think well of us, and praise us and say what nice people we are? Or are we working out of faith for the glory that God gives which lasts forever? Are you working for an A in your science class? or are you working to receive a handful of water balloons? Too often in our daily lives
We work for the rewards of man, instead of the glory of God
We work for the rewards of man, instead of the glory of God
It seems like the church in phil is one of Paul’s favorite churches. in acts 16 this church was planted while paul was visiting for a very short time, and he was quickly kicked out of town and often called the epistle of joy, but just as often as paul talks about joy he is talking about suffering. Phil is not about how to be happy empty Christians but how to have joy even when we are suffering terrible persecution and sorrow. the passage we are reading this morning is the climax of this entire book where Paul teaches how we ought to live in light of who Christ is and the historical fact of his death and resurrection.
It seems like the church in phil is one of Paul’s favorite churches. in acts 16 this church was planted while paul was visiting for a very short time, and he was quickly kicked out of town and often called the epistle of joy, but just as often as paul talks about joy he is talking about suffering. Phil is not about how to be happy empty Christians but how to have joy even when we are suffering terrible persecution and sorrow. the passage we are reading this morning is the climax of this entire book where Paul teaches how we ought to live in light of who Christ is and what he has done for us.
We will see what says in response to this, but first let’s talk a little about the context of the passage. The church in Philippi was one of Paul’s favorite churches. Paul planted this church in , but he was quickly forced to leave town. But Paul stayed in touch with this little church. Eventually while Paul was in prison, he wrote this letter to encourage the church and to thank them for their generous support of his ministry. It is often called the epistle of joy because of how often Paul talks about joy, but just as often he talks about suffering. Philippians is not about how to be Christians who pretend they are happy all the time, but how to have joy even when we are suffering terrible persecution and sorrow. the passage we are reading this morning is the climax of this entire book where Paul teaches how we can experience joy in suffering because of who Jesus Christ is and because of the historical fact of his death and resurrection.
read the passage
read the passage
pray
Have you ever asked yourself the question, Why would Jesus, the Son of God who lived in perfect bliss and harmony with the Father come to earth, live a life of perfect submission to the Father and to others, teach us, heal us, and voluntarily die on the cross for us? We see in the gospel accounts that when Jesus was on trial, he did not allow his disciples to fight for him and when he was on trial he did speak a word to defend himself.
Sometimes we get sentimental about it. I know a song that says that I know that even if i was the only one that would be saved, Christ would have still died for me. I don’t think this is the case. Jesus Christ did not come to die and save one sinner alone, even though he does love each of us with an overwhelming love. He came and died in the full hope and expectation that the Father would vindicate him before the whole world by raising him from the dead so that people from every nation would believe in him, and be saved and worship him as Lord! Christ was raised from the dead on easter morning 2000 years ago and ascended into heaven earning the salvation of all of his people who come to him by faith. You who believe in Jesus are forgiven of every evil thing you have ever done, given the hope of the resurrection, are able to call God your father, and worship Jesus Christ this morning only because of the hard work, self-sacrifice, blood, sweat and tears of Jesus. your salvation is a reward given by the father to the Son
the point of the passage is that God promised Christ a reward for his work on the cross, God gives much better gifts than my 6th grade science teacher. and do you know what the reward that the Father gave for the sacrifice of Christ? Turn to your neighbor, turn to your family, look at all the nations. we are the reward. Christ was raised from the dead on easter morning 2000 years ago and ascended into heaven earning the salvation of all of his people who come to him by faith. You worship Jesus Christ this morning only because of the hard work, self-sacrifice, through blood, sweat and tears. your salvation is a reward given by the father to the Son
the point of the passage is that God promised Christ a reward for his work on the cross, God gives much better gifts than my 6th grade science teacher. and do you know what the reward that the Father gave for the sacrifice of Christ? Turn to your neighbor, turn to your family, look at all the nations. we are the reward. Christ was raised from the dead on easter morning 2000 years ago and ascended into heaven earning the salvation of all of his people who come to him by faith. You worship Jesus Christ this morning only because of the hard work, self-sacrifice, through blood, sweat and tears. your salvation is a reward given by the father to the Son
Sometimes we get sentimental about it. I know a song that says that I know that even if i was the only one that would be saved, Christ would have still died for me. I don’t think this is the case. Jesus Christ did not come to die and save one sinner alone, even though he does love each of us with an overwhelming love. He came and died in the full hope and expectation that the Father would vindicate him, and raise him from the dead and that people from every nation would believe in him, and be saved and worship Jesus Christ as Lord! God gives much better gifts than my 6th grade science teacher. Christ was raised from the dead on easter morning 2000 years ago and ascended into heaven earning the salvation of all of his people who come to him by faith. You who believe in Jesus are forgiven, given the hope of the resurrection, are able to call God your father, and worship Jesus Christ this morning only because of the hard work, self-sacrifice, blood, sweat and tears of Jesus. your salvation is a reward given by the father to the Son
Because Christ died and rose again to save us, we must work out our own Salvation.
Because Christ died and rose again to save us, we must work out our own Salvation.
What are you living for? What are you working for? Will what you are living for give meaning to your life? Will anything that you do last beyond the grave? I know for me, I’ve recently started doing fitness. I’m feeling stronger and more healthy than I ever have in my life! And yet, no matter how hard i work, in twenty years I will be weaker than I am right now at the beginning of my training, and not too long after that, i’ll be dead! And the compliments on how good i look then will be for the mortician and not for me. So it would be foolish to make my entire life about working out! How can I invest in something that will last? We find the answers in our passage this morning, Paul teaches us two things in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus:
Christ suffered for the glory that God gives, and we are his reward
Christ suffered for the glory that God gives, and we are his reward
Christ Suffered for the glory that God gives, and we are his reward.
Christ Suffered for the glory that God gives, and we are his reward.
Work for the glory that God gives, and wait for his reward
Work for the glory that God gives, and wait for his reward
Work for the glory that God gives, and wait for his reward
Work for the glory that God gives, and wait for his reward
Main Point 1
What is the point of the Cross? Some people teach that Christ was only modeling what self sacrificial love looks like. Christ loved people so much that he was willing to die for them. This is true, Christ did love his people so much that he would die to save them, and the bible often uses this as a model for the self sacrificial love that Christians ought to show one another (this passage does that). But that is not the whole story of the cross, nor is it the whole story for how christians ought to love as well. Christ was willing to die because he trusted that God would raise him from the dead and he would ascend to heaven in glory and save all of his people.
And Paul tells us in verse 5 to have that kind of mind among ourselves which is ours in Christ Jesus. Paul tells the Philippian church to think in this way, which is only possible because we are united with Christ in his thinking and empowered by the Holy Spirit to trust the promises of God as surely as Christ does.
What does the head of the church look like? Christ, the eternal, transcendent Son of God, who did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, emptied Himself and took the form of a Servant. He was born an infant. The one who sits on the throne of God submitted to His parent’s discipline, even when they didn’t know what was best for Him. He became a common laborer. The one through whom God made all things patiently listened to the angry customer who demanded a full refund for his table, even though the Lord’s Anointed had made it entirely according to what the customer wanted. At the beginning of his ministry, satan tempted Jesus to receive all the glory of the nations and avoid the suffering he would endure, but Christ refused and trusted the father to glorify him through suffering. He taught us, He healed us, He pitied us, and He had compassion on us when we were like sheep who had gone astray. and he even washed the feet of his disciples the night before he was betrayed!
What did Jesus’ faith look like? Christ, the eternal, transcendent Son of God, who did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, emptied Himself and took the form of a Servant. He was born an infant. The one who sits on the throne of God submitted to His parent’s discipline, even when they didn’t know what was best for Him. He became a common laborer. The one through whom God made all things patiently listened to the angry customer who demanded a full refund for his table, even though the Lord’s Anointed had made it entirely according to what the customer wanted. At the beginning of his ministry, satan tempted Jesus to receive all the glory of the nations and avoid the suffering he would endure, but Christ refused and trusted the father to glorify him through suffering. He taught us, He healed us, He pitied us, and He had compassion on us when we were like sheep who had gone astray. and he even washed the feet of his disciples the night before he was betrayed!
read John 13:1-5
read John 13:1-5
And his humility didn’t stop even there. He submitted Himself to the judgment of the Sanhedrin. He allowed godless men to condemn Him, though He deserves all praise and honor and glory. He hung naked on the cross and He died a painful, lonely shameful death. and he bids us come and join him because whoever would save his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life for the sake of Jesus shall find it.
He submitted Himself to the judgment of the Jewish religious leaders. He allowed godless men to condemn Him, though He deserved all praise and honor and glory. He hung naked on the cross and He died a painful, lonely shameful death. and he bids us come and join him because whoever would save his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life for the sake of Jesus shall find it.
Because that is not the end of his story, We are reminded of this on easter morning, because God saw the faith and sacrifice of jesus and was pleased to raise him from the dead. and as a reward for his suffering, the Father has given the glory of all the nations to Christ and forgives all of those who believe in Jesus and purifies them and to allows them to share in the reward of Christ! This does not mean that everyone will be saved, this promise is not for the whole world, but only for those who confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead. For all who believe we have a sure promise that no matter what, even if we die we will be resurrected, and we will live together forever with Jesus! The Father has promised this to the Son, and he keeps his promises. so the only proper response is worship of Jesus Christ, and to call all of the nations to take part in this worship because the Father has declared him worthy! For you who don’t believe, this morning you can believe and be a part of this great story!
Because Christ followed his father even to death trusting in the hope of resurrection and glorification, we his church have been empowered by the Spirit to have the same faith. You will share in Christ’s reward! So what are you waiting for? what more could you desire than this reward?
Work for the glory that God gives, and wait for his reward
Work for the glory that God gives, and wait for his reward
In response to such glorious doctrine, Paul teaches us not only to worship the lamb who was slain for his people but in verses 12-13 he says
In response to such glorious doctrine, Paul teaches us not only to worship the lamb who was slain for his people but in verses 12-13 he says
read 2:12-13
What on earth can Paul mean by “work out our salvation?” Does it mean that we have to work hard to earn our way into heaven? The bible is very clear in many places and I want you to remember this for the rest of the sermon: we do not earn our salvation! Christ earned it, and there is nothing left for us to earn!
I think the reason this passage is so difficult for some is that we limit our salvation to the forgiveness of our sins. This is huge, and true! But it is not the only way that Jesus saves us. We are saved by having our sins all of our sins forgiven once and for all, we are saved by being adopted into the family of God, which is the church, we are saved by God changing our hearts so that more and more we don’t want to do evil things and we want to do good things, and we will be saved when we die and God raises us from the dead and we are glorified like Jesus. This was started by the father and finished by the son applied to us by the spirit. We receive it by faith alone and we do not earn it.
when paul tells us to work out our salvation, he is saying that we must live like we have been saved when we believed, are being saved as God changes our hearts, and we hope to be saved when we rise again in glory. this change is a work of God on our hearts to both want to and work for God’s plan, which is to create a church from all the nations who would faithfully love each other and love Christ as a gift for the most beloved and obedient son.
What does this salvation look like? verses 1-4 gives us the answer. It looks like thinking the same way about suffering as Paul does in , it looks like praying for and experiencing the love of Christ, it looks like participating in the spirit by pursuing the things God loves and rejecting the things he hates. it looks like loving those who are weak and in need like Paul was when he wrote the letter, and it looks like loving each other and being unified in God’s mission to save every nation. When we live like this we are living like we really believe in the salvation Christ has earned for us and the father has given us.
love for each other, and being in one mind or unified in their thinking.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit: Sometimes we hear this and think, o i got this, my car isn’t too flashy, my watch isn’t too shiny, and i’m not lording my wealth over anyone. But we miss what Paul is saying if we are only concerned with others not considering us uppity. In the way you spend your time, In your jobs, in the apartments you rent, in the schools you choose for your children, or in the universities you pursue, have you ever considered if that is best, not only for you and your family, but for this church? is it putting you in a position to love your brothers and sisters well? What are you working for? Because you were not saved alone and if you are not working with your own hands and organizing your lives so that you may have something to share with anyone who is in need, you aren’t working for the kingdom of God, you are working from selfish ambition and conceit!
this salvation does not look like selfish ambition or conceit. Sometimes we hear this and think, “I’m OK! my car isn’t too flashy, my watch isn’t too shiny, and i’m not lording my wealth over anyone.” But we miss what Paul is saying if we are only concerned with others not considering us pretentious. Here is the test: In the way you spend your time, In your jobs, in the apartments you rent, in the schools you choose for your children, or in the universities you pursue, have you ever considered if that is best, not only for you and your family, but for this church? is it putting you in a position to love your brothers and sisters well? What are you working for? Because you were not saved alone and if you are not working with your own hands and organizing your lives so that you may have something to share with anyone who is in need, you aren’t working for the kingdom of God, you are working from selfish ambition and conceit! But our salvation is so secure that even when we, God doesn’t condemn his people, but invites them to repent of their sin and believe.
instead of living from selfish ambition, we are invited to live in humility like Jesus did and consider others more important than ourselves, looking not only to our own interests but also to the interest of others. Can Paul really mean living your entire life like everyone else around you is more important than you? you would kill yourself living like that! To that i say, yes that would kill you, but Christ never commands us to take up our self care and follow him, but to take up the cross and follow him. To make it even stronger, Paul is commanding this in a church that is experiencing suffering. even those who are being persecuted, are called to love each other self-sacrificially. Jesus did not commend the widow for being wise with her money, but for giving her last two stotinki out of faith. What are we holding back from the Lord and each other out of selfish ambition or conceit?
paul commands us to love each other self-sacrificially even in the midst of hard times. do you know how he can do this? Because the promises of Jesus found in are true. let’s read them
Read
are true. let’s read them
Jesus promises those who are suffering that they will be blessed, and he promises that whatever we can give up for the sake of the gospel Christ will give back so much more. for those who are weak, and those who are suffering, and those who have lost everything, who couldn’t even keep themselves alive, whom the world calls cursed, these Christ calls blessed because if God can glorify that naked man hanging beaten and bloody on the cross, he can glorify even you if you trust him. God hears your tears, God knows your suffering, and we trust that one day he will make all things right. We can experience suffering and deprivation in hope, because we believe in the God who lifts up the lowly and the humble and whatever tears you are weeping right now, you know that one day Christ himself will wipe that tear away in the resurrection because he is making all things new. and in the midst of our suffering we can love each other with a self sacrificing love because we have encouragement in Christ, comfort from love, participation in the spirit, and affection and sympathy for those who suffer alongside us. This only works when the whole church loves each other like this. but that’s the church that Christ died to create.
But even if we receive no reward in this life and no one sees what kind of sacrifice we make for others, God sees and he knows and he loves you. By his grace and mercy he will reward you for it, not because you’ve earned his reward, but because Christ earned it for you. So trust him and wait for his reward, not the reward from man. But he doesn’t stop with just blessings on the poor, but curses on the rich. What is your hope in this life? Is it that you will have money? Or power? Or comfort? Or better opportunities for yourself? Or your children? Because those that the world calls blessed, Jesus calls cursed. Do you know why? Because the only reward they can expect for their hard work is the rewards that they can grab for themselves. And that reward will last only until the grave. So people of God, are you working by faith in the Lord, the creator of heaven and earth, that he will bless you even if the world curses you? Or are you working for the blessing of the world, that the Lord scoffs at. Work for a treasure that will last!
Conclusion
This is the glory of God the Father, that he used what was called weak and shameful by the world to glorify himself and his anointed and save all of his people. Christ followed the Father with perfect humility in full expectation of a reward for himself and for his church that he would rise again from the dead that easter morning, and ascend into heaven in glory, and receive the worship of all the nations and that includes us! he followed the father so that his people would receive salvation and the father keeps his promises and he is sure to reward his son. do you know how high a cost he paid for your salvation?
This is the glory of God the Father, that he used what was called weak and shameful by the world and he glorified himself and his annoited through it. But Christ followed the Father in full expectation of a reward for himself and for his church. he followed the father in order through his humility he would recieve the worship of all the nations and that includes us! he followed the father so that his people would recieve salvation and the father keeps his promises and he is sure to reward his son. did you know that your salvation is a reward, it is a reward earned by the son from the father. do you not know how high a cost he paid for it? your salvation is not your own, therefore do not take your salvation lightly. seek to live out this salvation in this church through loving each other, even when you are weak. and Christ does not only deserve our worship, but the worship of all the nations! do you wonder why Ruthie and I are missionaries, going to spread the gospel to the Bulgarian people? Because Christ deserves their worship and we can’t but go and call them to it.
Because Christ died and rose again to save us, we must work out our own Salvation.
your salvation is not your own, therefore do not take your salvation lightly. seek to live out this salvation in this church through loving each other, even when you are weak. Meaning in life does not come from pursuing comfort, from pursuing security, from being powerful. those feel empty because they do not last. Seek the glory that God gives this morning! believe in the risen Lord Jesus!
your salvation is not your own, therefore do not take your salvation lightly. seek to live out this salvation in this church through loving each other, even when you are weak. and Christ does not only deserve our worship, but the worship of all the nations! do you wonder why Ruthie and I are missionaries, going to spread the gospel to the Bulgarian people? Because Christ deserves their worship and we can’t but go and call them to it.