Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from Phil. 2. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Which do you prefer hearing about, the glory of Jesus on that first Palm Sunday, OR the wretched and sorrowful description of the events of Good Friday from the Gospel Lesson, the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ?
- The same question might be asked about the Person and the prerogatives of Jesus. What do you prefer to think about Jesus, the times when He is in complete control of all things, doing miracles, defeating the Scribes and Pharisees in debate, slipping out of their grasp, OR the description of His humble and compliant acquiescence to the brutality of the Sanhedrin and Pilate, and His brutal crucifixion?
- Jesus is a hero, especially our hero, a hero to those who have faith and trust in Him and who are aware of the great blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation that have come to us through His self-sacrifice. But we want heroes who succeed, who gain the victory, who defy all odds and overcome their enemies. The crucifixion of Jesus weighs upon us like a heavy defeat.
- Even in Jesus’ resurrection we would like the story to conclude with Him humbling and destroying all of His enemies and bringing all things under His power – a coercive power of strength and might. Instead, He appears only to His disciples for a short period of time and then ascends into heaven, leaving us here behind. Which ending would you prefer?
- And in your own life, which experiences do you prefer to remember – the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat? What dynamics do you prefer, the things you can manipulate and control or the things that you have to tolerate and submit to? Do you enjoy glory and praise more, or humility, service, and submission?
- And all of this goes to our relationship with God as well – for He calls all people to submission to Him, and He even calls all of His dear children to “have the mind of Christ” and to accept in our lives in this world the dynamics that He has set for human history, including the life, purpose, history, and destiny of His church, and to thrive in godliness in these circumstances.
- We see in our text that Christ was “EXALTED THROUGH SUFFERING,” and we are called to the same glory – but this grates against what we like, the story line that we prefer. This is the challenge that Paul presents to us in our text, a challenge that none of us can ignore or set aside if we are to be children of God.
- Yes, we too are to be “EXALTED THROUGH SUFFERING,” and so the apostle calls us to:
I. Set Our Minds First To Truly Understanding How Christ Was Exalted Through Suffering
Text: “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the Name that is above every name.”
Statement: Yes, He was humbled – He humbled Himself. Yes, it involved a humbling to the point of death, an ignominious and abhorrent death on a cross. But it brought glorious eternal life and salvation to all people. You remember what Jesus taught: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” [John 12:23,24] So He died, and He has borne much fruit – you and I are saved forever from sin, guilt, death, and hell!
Application: And now there is glory for Jesus – glory above all people and above all of creation! It is true – it is a glory that is not yet fully seen, not yet fully publicized, not yet fully vindicated and imposed, but that day is coming! And this is what we are called to as well – to have this mind of Christ and to follow Him. And this means that:
II. We Set Our Minds To Humbly Submit To God’s Plans For Us [Rather Than To Self-Determine, Rather Than To Seek What Is Glorious And Pleasurable For Us]
Text: “Let this mind be in you which is yours in Christ Jesus.”
Statement: This, frankly, is utterly counter-intuitive to every one of us. Of course the unbelieving are self-determining and committed to avoiding as much pain and suffering as possible and garnering as much pleasure, power, prerogative, and enjoyment as possible! This is what comes naturally to human beings – and we also think that this is how it should be. But this is not the way of Christ, and it is not the path to which we are called in following Jesus. We are to submit, to humbly submit, to God’s plans, to His way.
Application: This is not to say that we will have no pleasant experiences in life! Jesus laughed, He ate and drank with people, He enjoyed sunshine and seasons, and the beauty of His own creation. And so do we. But this was not His priority, nor was it His principle pursuit. Nor did He reject His humble submission to God’s plan and purpose for Him when this meant the loss of pleasure and enjoyment and when it meant suffering. And when called to follow Jesus, He makes clear that it must also be this way for His dear disciples, His children of faith. We too have a higher purpose and calling, and that is to be “EXALTED THROUGH SUFFERING.” And so:
III. We Pour Out Our Lives By Keeping Faith, And By Serving God And Others In Love, Even If This Means Suffering
John 15:12,13 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
Statement: This does not appear “glorious” to us, or even preferable. Rather, when we think of losing our life – all that we have – for the sake of someone else, it strikes us as a waste! This is the influence of our sinful nature – which takes no account of love, and cannot properly value love. We can value God’s love for us – and perhaps we even think we deserve it; yet we struggle to value having that same love for others. But this is precisely the submission and humility to which we are called – that we should have the mind of Christ.
Application: So the question comes to us as to whether we will hold on to what we prefer, and self-determine our own course in life, OR whether we will see God’s love for us and humble ourselves to place our whole being in God’s hands, allowing Him to dictate our purpose, place, and plan for life. The one plan yields one set of pleasures – the temporary pleasures of this world; the other insures that we will be “EXALTED THROUGH SUFFERING.” For it is certain that:
IV. As God Has Exalted Christ Through His Suffering, So Also He Exalts All Who Are In Christ, All Who Have The Mind Of Christ – In His Own Time And His Own Manner
Eph. 2:6 “God has raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
Rom. 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us.”
Statement: It is a sad thing, an aspect of our weakness of faith and love, that we cannot see the exaltation that God has already placed upon His dear people of faith. This is to a large degree the result of our preoccupation with worldly values and commitment to pursuing our own prerogatives and pleasures. We see and value and praise those who have successfully accumulated these things for themselves – and so we cannot see how pitiful it is if a man should gain the whole world and yet forfeit his soul; and we cannot see the glory and exaltation of God’s dear children of faith. And so long as we cannot see how God’s people are “EXALTED THROUGH SUFFERING” we will have little desire or inclination to “have the mind of Christ” in us or to follow Him. But then we risk forfeiture of that incomparable glory that is to be revealed in us!
Application: So again the choices come to us as to what our life is going to be about, whether we are going to pursue our own agenda – pleasures, power, prerogative, and pride – OR whether we will have the mind of Christ and humbly submit to God and Christ. We should also compare the reward for the two paths, and consider whether temporal pleasures for a few years of life in this world is a better investment than the eternal glory that God has promised to all of His dear children.
Conclusion: I can understand the draw of Palm Sunday, and I too desire for Christ to come again as the conquering hero. With you I eagerly await the day of His coming again in great power and glory – when all will see just how He has been “EXALTED THROUGH SUFFERING.” There will be no more irreverent and sacrilegious drivel then!
But if we desire this, then let us consider His will for us, that we follow Him, and have His mind, that we also humble ourselves and submit to God’s good and gracious will for us – which will also involve some suffering for the sake of Christ and His kingdom! Let us make His will our priority, and also lay down our lives in love for one another, loving all people just as He has loved us. Then there will be no question that we too will be “EXALTED THROUGH SUFFERING.”
It is counter-intuitive, absurd and ridiculous to our sinful nature, but completely in line with the wisdom and love of God! May God grant such great blessedness to each of us! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.