The Incarnation of Jesus | Philippians 2:1-16 ????
Pastor Scott Vander Ploeg

Incarnation: (if you have trouble with its meaning, PS said you can try to remember “chili con carne,” or chili with meat????): the doctrine that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. God’s “meatiness” meant He took on flesh and became fully human.

It’s a foundational and important teaching in Christianity; Jesus was both fully God and fully human.✝️ This teaching of Jesus is like one big love letter to us (Happy Valentine’s Day❤️‍????)

Here’s a breakdown of this passage:

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, ifany common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

4 “if” statements, then 1 “then” statement

Being truly in line with Jesus’ mindset means something different about us flows out of what’s been worked IN us. ????

Verses 3-5 emphasize that our mindset should flow out of Jesus, despite what our previous mindset might have been. And now we’re supposed to bring that renewed mindset into our relationships with each other too.????‍♀️

Verses 6-8 show us what Jesus’ mindset was – someone who acted in humility, valuing others above Himself. We must also act in this manner. Moreover, our obedience flows out of His obedience.

God has taken this mindset as the ultimate example for humanity. ????????We’re called to work out what He’s worked in.

✍????Paul, the author, considers the dark and depraved world. If we come to know the mindset of Christ, we’d become blameless and pure and shine like stars in a dark sky.????

How will we change? What will that look like? (Bearing in mind that Jesus was fully God, fully human and fully servant.)

1. We’ll be more optimistic. ????Life has a way of beating us down, but when we think about how wonderful our Savior is and that we’re more than conquerors, we know the end of the story.

2. Come to Jesus more extremely. Is there any reason we didn’t get out of bed jumping on our beds in excitement, ready to worship Him? No one ever had a tepid reaction to Jesus.

3. God is love, which becomes the foundation of the Trinity — that there was one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Christians alone are able to say what 1 John 4 says, which is that God IS love.

Other gods created to get something. Christianity says that God created to GIVE something. He created us to share the overflow of His love and for love.????????

4. The value of the spiritual and physical. What are human beings that the God of the universe should take on our “meatiness”?

Christians care about people’s souls and human rights. God has dignified our humanity by becoming human himself.

5. Wonderful counselor. Jesus went through every malady we could go through. There’s no one better to turn to than Jesus in our troubles. ????‍♀️????????‍♂️

6. He was a servant. While humans keep insisting we’re number one, Jesus was actually number one and put others before Himself.????

7. Jesus was qualified to be an acceptable sacrifice. While no human could bear the weight of another’s sins to be an acceptable sacrifice, Jesus’ divinity made Him capable of taking on the whole world’s sins. ????

Gospel tie-in????: “The doctrine of the incarnation is a big love letter, calling out to every person, “come to me.” He’s ready to embrace you…He’s ready to take it on to make you more than a conqueror, to fill your life with love and embrace you forever.

Why not come to Him today?”