Philippians Study 2: 2:1-24

Dear Student of the Word,

Happy New Year!  I trust that you had a blessed holiday season and that you are already experiencing the blessing of the Lord in 2011.  This my first study installment for the new year and it comes from my favorite chapter in all the Bible -- Philippians 2.  If you are only going to read one study this year, and I hope that is not the case, read this one.  There is no chapter that has impacted my life more deeply than this one.  There are so many excerpts I can share with you from this week's edition, but let me share with you what I wrote in part two of this seven-part study:

Study Two, Part Two

⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:  ⁶Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  ⁸And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

2:5 – Our attitude should be the same as Jesus.  Notice again how Paul directed all attention to Jesus.  Jesus was the model, the mentor, the goal, the focus and Lord above all. You may want to pray this prayer with me if it applies:

“Jesus, forgive me for when I’ve made things about me and not about You.  Jesus, forgive me when I didn’t direct men’s hearts to you, but rather to me or to some other topic or cause.  Lord, I want to have the same attitude You had and have.”

2:6&7 – Jesus, while being God, did not consider this something that had to be broadcast for all to hear.  He emptied Himself and made Himself nothing.  I can only find two people to whom Jesus directly revealed Himself—the woman at the well in John 4 and the blind man in John 9.  At times, He seemed to go out of His way to confuse the idea of who He was.  Now part of that was to frustrate the self-righteous leaders of the day, but in part it was because He had emptied Himself and made Himself nothing.  Jesus did not have the need to tell everyone who He was because He knew and was secure in that knowledge.  That made Jesus a secure leader.  Lord, make me a secure leader who can serve the people and You because I know who I am and what you want me to do!

Jesus assumed the role of slave and took on human form.  Jesus didn’t appear to be a man; He was a man, like us in every way except sin.  That means that Jesus got hungry, thirsty, and tired.  This makes Jesus the model missionary.  He came to the people to whom He would minister and became thoroughly immersed in who they were.  He learned their culture, customs, and language.  Jesus lived and worked for 30 years in obscurity for three years of ministry.  When Jesus died on the cross, He encountered pain, shame and rejection.  Jesus did not take any shortcuts because He was God.  Jesus was and is a man!  Our flesh is seated at the right hand of the Father today, interceding on our behalf.  Thank you, Jesus! 

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' " From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known (John 1:14-18).

2:8 – As if becoming a man with its human limitations wasn’t enough, Jesus then chose to die the most humiliating death man has ever devised against his fellow man.  The Greek word that described what Jesus did to “make himself nothing” is kenosis, which means emptying.  Jesus emptied Himself and then went to the cross as an end to the first stage of His human existence.  If Jesus humbled himself and took the low position, then that is what He would want you to do as well.  You don’t have to wait for God to humble you, for truly if you wait for that, it may actually be humiliating.  You can humble yourself.  Can you think of ways to humble yourself?  Years ago someone gave me a sheet that contained ten ways to deny self.  I think they would fit here as ways to humble yourself::

1. Not being hurt or insulted when forgotten.
2. Not being angry when misunderstood.
3. Not becoming defensive when someone disregards our advice/opinion.
4. Lovingly and patiently bearing any disorder.
5. Confront insensitivity in others with love and without being judgmental.
6. Being content with food, income, clothing, climate, service and disruptions.
7. Not always referring to yourself in conversation.
8. Loving to be unknown and unrecognized.
9. Rejoicing in others’ prosperity when your needs in that very area are more desperate than theirs.
10. Approaching life with a general focus on the well-being of others.

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volumes of The Faith Files.

Download Philippians Study 2

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OPERATION CHICKEN COOP:  I just posted an update with pictures from Alice in Kenya to show you the progress of Operation Chicken Coop (one picture of the chicks is to the right). The pictures are of some of the newest residents and they are so tiny (no, not the orphans - the chicks!).  So please check out the latest when you have a chance and then please give toward THE BIG GOAL of $10,000 to help me sow some seed when I return to Kenya in March.  You can give through my website or by sending a check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 8882, Pittsburgh, PA  15221-0882.  I know there is someone out there who is supposed to invest in this project.  Maybe it's you?