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"Empty Yourself Like Christ" Philippians 2:1-17
by Clancy Nixon
September 25, 2005
Church of the Holy Spirit
Ashburn, Virginia
King David was surrounded by men who loved him. David must have led and
cared for his men very well for them to love him so much. At the end of the book of
Second Samuel, after his life story is told, some postscripts about David's mighty men
intrigue us. The story starts on page 321 of your pew Bibles. David is in hiding and on
the run, as jealous King Saul pursues him to kill him, and the Philistines seek revenge for
the battles they have lost to David. 400 men, many of them gentiles and all of them on
the outs with Saul, have gathered around him. All Israel was at war with the Philistines,
and David had escaped to the cave at Adullam. David was thirsty in this desert region.
He expressed his desire out loud for a drink of water from his hometown of Bethlehem.
Three of the mighty men of valor overheard their general, and resolved to get him a
drink. Problem was, the Philistines had a garrison at Bethlehem. To fulfill their leader's
wish, they would have to go behind enemy lines and risk their own death. Their love for
David was so great, that even an idle wish such as this was seen as an opportunity for
service.
They could have got water from a closer source, but three of the mighty men of
valor, named Josheb-Basshebeth, Eleazar and Shammah, risked their heads to get David a
drink from Bethlehem. So they set out on this mission, breaking through enemy lines and
probably killing some Philistines along the way, and they succeed in bringing David a
single cup of water from his hometown. Can you picture the three of them there, blood
on their swords, weary from battle, perhaps wounded, presenting this gift to their chief?
David is overcome by this gift. You would think his highest duty is to drink this
water in front of the men, purchased at such a cost. Instead, David refuses to drink it, and
instead pours it out on the ground. David prays aloud to God, "Far be it from me, O Lord,
to drink this is this not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?" The gift
to David became a gift to the Lord. David made the water a drink offering to God. He
was not pouring it out to waste it, not to "dis" his mighty men, but as an offering to God.
The drink offering is a prescribed offering in Leviticus and Numbers, not as an offering
for sin, but as a peace offering. It's praying for peace in a sacrificial way. Even today,
when we have extra consecrated wine from communion, we don't flush it down the drain,
but we pour it out on the ground as a peace offering to God.
Please turn to Philippians 2, found on page 1162 of your pew Bible. In Philippians
2:17, Paul says he even if he is being poured out like a drink offering, I rejoice with you.
If we are to have the mind of Christ, it will be our joy to be poured out like a drink
offering. The offering of the three mighty men of valor was not so much the water; their
real offering was the risk and battle that the water entailed. The water was a symbol for
their valor. David poured it out to God, as a symbol that he was not worthy to receive
that precious gift.
The Apostle Paul tells us to have the same mind as Christ verse 5 the NIV
calls it the same attitude as Christ. Isn't it an awesome privilege to know that our minds
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are being transformed to be like Christ's? Amen? Verse 13 says "it is God who is at
work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure." So we are to
do our part in being transformed by the renewing of our minds we obey Paul's
command to, verse 5, to let the same mind be in you as that of Christ. God does his part,
because it is God who enables us both to will and to act for him.
When we are of the same mind as Christ, we will have unity with one another. In
verses 2-4, Paul is exhorting the church in Philippi to be united, not selfish. Notice that
we don't get unity by being of the same mind as one another. That is the result of unity,
not the method. Paul does not say to take a vote and see what is fashionable today, and
come to consensus of fashion. No, the way we get unity is by each one humbly taking
the attitude of Christ, and thinking Christ's thoughts. We don't look to each other for final
guidance on how to think; we look to the Word made flesh, and to his word written in the
Scriptures. When we look at others, verse 3, we are to consider them as better than
ourselves. Oh, Paul, now you are gettin' to messin'. OK, we rationalize, some people
are better than I, but I am better than some others. I'm not the absolute bottom. Paul
says, insofar as you compare, consider others better than you. How can we do that? Look
at verse 2: Be like minded, and have the same love. Stop there. The two keys are truth
and love. Speak the truth in love. That is how we come to one mind. That is how we
humble ourselves.
What is the truth? The truth is the word of God. The Word of God is our standard.
Another word for standard is flag. We hold the standard high, so all can see it, and
follow. That is how we become the army of God, mighty men and women of valor by
following the standard of the word of God. When our minds are fixed on Christ, when we
have the same attitude as Christ, then our actions follow. We do what we believe.
In verse 6, Paul begins to quote a hymn of the church from that day. This is so
awesome; I just love the word of God! Let's read this together:
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a
cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is
above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on
earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father. Philip. 2:5-11
Here is the gospel in a nutshell. Notice that this hymn moves from the incarnation
to redemption, from sacrifice to glory, and its purpose is worship. It starts with Christ
emptying himself in the incarnation. We often think about Christ's sacrificial death; but
we don't as often think about Christ's sacrificial birth. It was a sacrifice for Christ to
leave the prerogatives of Heaven and to come be born. His human life is one drink
offering after another. Paul says he emptied himself. Christ voluntarily forsook the
worship of the angels; he forsook his divine attributes of omniscience, omnipresence, and
omnipotence; he forsook his absolute freedom and became limited as a human person.
Charles Wesley wrote, "God contracted to a span: incomprehensibly made man." The
incarnation is the greatest miracle of all. Once you accept that Jesus was God, then all his
other miracles follow. How can the infinite God become one of us? Like Wesley, I don't
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know how. I just praise him, bend my knee with the multitudes and confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord. Amen?
This week I went to hear Henry Blackaby speak to a small group of pastors.
Blackaby wrote Experiencing God, which has sold 6 million copies, and has been
translated into 60 languages. Blackaby quoted Romans 8:28, which says we are to be
conformed to the likeness of his son. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are to have the
mind of Christ. The best way to get the mind of Christ is through the washing of his
Word. Be in the Word morning, noon and night. Getting a Christian worldview is an
excellent starting point. The difficulty is, we may think like Christ, but we can still fail to
act like Christ. Blackaby reminds us that the great commission is not finished in us
unless and until we obey everything that Christ has commanded us.
That is the point of today's gospel parable about the two sons. One son politely
consented at first, but disobeyed later. Like many of us, he probably did not intend to
disobey. Most likely, he did not count the cost; or, he got distracted and forgot or
neglected to keep his promise to labor in the fields. The other son initially and rudely
refused his father, but he later repented and obeyed. Everyone agrees that this son is the
one who did his father's will. Parents, take note: God prefers rude obedience to polite
disobedience. Teenagers, take note: God prefers both politeness and obedience. If we
have the attitude of Christ, we look to the interests of others, and so fulfill the law of
love.
God gives us the power to do that when he gave us the Holy Spirit. Jesus limited
himself and empties himself when he became mean. Most likely, He had no power to
perform miracles until after he was anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism. His power
came by the Holy Spirit and that same power is available to you and me, those who
have been baptized in his spirit. That means we really can live as he lived. You and I can
preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, and make disciples. When you realize
that, you'll cast of the shackles of doubt and being to live as Jesus meant for you to live.
Then those around you will actually begin to see Jesus in you.
Today we say goodbye to a mighty man of valor, Jim Craft. Jim has taken an
assignment with the State Department to travel to Afghanistan for about one year to
oversee the design and construction of a telecom infrastructure for that war-torn country.
Jim has been a mighty man of valor for the Lord in many ways among us. To name just a
few, he has done door to door evangelism, and helped me to plan the launch of a
traditional service. His entire life is a drink offering to the Lord, and this latest venture is
another example of that. Jim, please greet us briefly with a word of encouragement.
Kelly Rodriguez is a mighty woman of valor who is moving with her husband,
Luis and children to South Carolina. Kelly has also served in many ways among us. Just
these last few weeks, she has been pouring out her life as a drink offering for the FEMA
workers at Mt. Weather, even while she packs her family to move. She not only
delivered the notes of encouragement and cookies to them the first week, but now three
weeks in a row she has continued to deliver food and encouragement to them. She is a
persistent witness to God's faithfulness. Luis has also served in watching the children for
years while the Lovettsville home group has met in their home. Kelly, will you say a
word of encouragement in parting to us?
God is faithful. Like the mighty men and women of valor, pour your life out as a
drink offering. Like Christ, empty yourself to serve others. As you do, God will give you
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strength, and others will see Christ in you. Remember the words of Philippians 2:13
for it is GOD who works in you to will and to act according to his great purpose. Amen.
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