If you'll turn back to that scripture
Brother Casey read for us there, Philippians chapter 2. The title of this message is
obedient unto death. And we're going to concentrate
our thinking here this morning on that phrase found in verse
8. Christ humbled Himself and became obedient unto death. Now,
let me just say something about that phrase right here, because
that phrase is all of salvation. I mean, Christ became obedient
unto death. He put away the sin of His people.
He brought in everlasting righteousness. He glorified His Father. He saved
us from our sins. It's all of salvation contained
in that. That's the Gospel right there. If you know the Gospel,
you can see it in that one phrase right there. In this context,
Paul is encouraging believers in their conversation in this
world, in their walk. Kind of like Brother Jim encouraged
us from Romans 13 there this morning. How we conduct ourselves
as believers in this world. He's encouraging believers in
their fellowship and in their unity in the body of Christ. He said in those first verses
there, I'm just going to summarize a few thoughts from those first
five verses, be like-minded, be of one accord, of one mind. esteeming the gifts of others
better than your own. Those gifts that God has given
men, you esteem them better than those that He's given you. And
I want us to start our reading here in Philippians 2 and verse
5, right here. This is where our lesson will
be concentrated. He said, let this mind be in
you. So, be like-minded with Christ,
He says. Which was also in Christ Jesus,
who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be
equal with God. Now why could Christ think it
not robbery for him to claim to be equal with God? Because
he was God. He is God. He was from the beginning. The word was made flesh and dwelt
among us, but he was there in the beginning with God. He made
himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men. What condescension! The Son of Glory came to this
earth and tabernacled among men to complete work, to obey the
command of His Father. And it says in verse 8, And being
found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. The greatest humility,
it says here, He humbled Himself. The greatest humility this world
has ever known or ever will know is Christ, the Son of God, submitting
Himself to the Father for the purpose of salvation. You can't
get any more humble than this, is what I'm saying. He left His
heavenly home. He became incarnate. He walked
under the law that He Himself made. and he died for the sins
of others. Peter summarized that humility
in a statement in his first epistle. And Peter is also encouraging
believers in their walk here in these words, especially when
they're being treated wrongly for Christ's sake. But listen
to 1 Peter 2 and verse 21. He said, even here unto were
you called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an
example that you should follow in his steps. Christ who did
no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, who when he was
reviled, reviled not again. When he suffered, he threatened
not. Here's the verse that summarizes Christ's humility. But committed
himself, Christ committed himself to him that judges righteously. Now, in today's message, we're
going to examine Christ's humility. In other words, His obedience
unto death. And we're going to examine it
under three points. I took a page out of Brother Winston's category
here. He likes to summarize things
under three P's or three D's. Well, I chose three R's here.
We're going to examine this under three R's, the reality of Christ's
obedience unto death. the reason, and then the results
of his obedience unto death. Consider first the reality of
Christ's obedience unto death. The law has one demand. It has one precept. It demands
obedience. That's it. The law requires obedience,
and the law rewards obedience. Listen to Romans 10 and verse
5. For Moses describes the righteousness which is of the law that the
man which doeth those things shall live in them. And you can
find that statement in the Old Testament in several other places.
The man that doeth those things shall live by them. In other
words, the one who keeps the law perfectly and continually,
he will continue to live based on his obedience to the law.
The law rewards obedience. But the law never says just do
the best you can. It never rewards partial obedience. Its demand is perfect, continual
obedience. And it won't settle for anything
less. In fact, it curses any lack of obedience. It curses
any disobedience. Galatians 3.10 says, For as many
as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is
written, Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things which
are written in the book of the law, to do them. You have to
do them. If the law is going to reward
you, you have to do what the law says. Now only one has obeyed
the law as it demands perfectly. Only one was continually obedient
to the law's demand. Only one earned the right to
live by his obedience. Only one. That one, of course,
is Christ Jesus the Lord. He humbled himself and became
obedient to the law as it was prophesied of him in Isaiah 42. The Lord is well pleased for
his righteousness sake. He will magnify the law and make
it honorable. Christ's obedience, his perfect
continual obedience is what magnified the law. And His obedience alone
upheld. It honored the law in that strict
standard that it sets. Perfect, continual obedience.
And Christ didn't just become obedient. He didn't just satisfy
the precept of the law. He also satisfied its penalty.
He surrendered His obedient life unto death. He became obedient
unto death. We're talking here about the
reality of Christ's obedience unto death. In all of history, in all the
universe, this statement, he humbled himself and became obedient
unto death, can be said of one only, one person ever, whoever
has or ever will obey the law unto death. That's it. And that
one, of course, is Christ. Christ's death was not the result
of sin. Christ had done nothing in Himself
to deserve death. He had done nothing in Himself
that could cause Him to die. The Scripture says of Him, He
was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. Christ
did no sin and knew no sin, and that Scripture we already read
from Peter said He did no sin, neither was guile found in His
mouth. Christ offered Himself without
spot to God. He died the just for the unjust. He did not die as a result of
sin. Rather, Christ's death was an
act of His obedience. It was an act of His obedience
to His Father. Listen to John 14 and verse 30.
Now this is just before they came to arrest Christ. He says,
Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the prince of this
world cometh and hath nothing in me, but that the world may
know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment,
even so I do. Arise, let us go thence. As the Father gave me commandment,
He said, let us go. And when He says, let us go hence,
He's talking about His going to the cross. He's talking about
finishing the work His Father gave Him to do. Even as the Father
gave Him commandment. Listen to John 10 and verse 17. He says, Therefore doth my Father
love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have
power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This
commandment have I received of my Father." Death could not overtake
Christ. It couldn't overtake Him. Now,
death will overtake you and me. Our death, our physical death,
will be the result of saying, you can see it, You can see it
in me for sure, but you can see it in yourself too. I mean, there's
that aging process. It's going to overtake us sooner
or later. Our bodies will die, the ultimate result of sin. But you see, Christ's death was
not like yours and mine. Death did not, indeed it could
not overtake Christ without His full approval. He said, this
commandment I have of the Father, I lay it down. that I might take
it again. He had that commandment of his
father. He had to surrender himself to death. He had to give himself
to the power of death. He had to obey his father's will
in order to die. Foolish men speak ignorantly
about Christ's death. They say things like, if I'd
been there, I'd have stopped it. Foolish men. You would have
stopped Christ from complying with His Father's will. You would
have stopped Christ from obeying the commandment of His Father.
You would have stopped Christ from putting away sin and establishing
the one righteousness by which God is just to justify sinners.
You would have thwarted the very purpose for which Christ became
incarnate. Those who say such things about
Christ's death, they don't see his death as necessary, as voluntary,
as an act of his obedience. Even those chosen by God in Christ
and certain for final glory speak ignorantly of Christ's death.
until they're taught. Remember what Peter said when
Christ explained to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem
and suffer at the hands of men and be killed and arise the third
day, Matthew 16 verse 22. Then Peter took Christ aside
after he said that and began to rebuke him saying, Be it far
from thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee. But Christ answered,
Get thee behind me, Satan. Thou art an offence unto me,
for Thou savest not the things that be of God, but those that
be of men." Now later on, when Peter was taught aright about
Christ's death, he changed his tune. Yes, he knew Christ had
to go to that cross, and he knew he did it as an act, voluntary
act of his obedience. I too spoke foolishly and ignorantly
of Christ's death when I taught sinners that although Christ
died for you, although He laid down His life for you, although
His blood was shed for you, you're going to end up under the eternal
wrath of God unless you do your part. See, that was ignorance
of Christ's death. At that time, I was ignorantly
teaching that it was a sinner's part and not the death of Christ
alone that ultimately made the difference between heaven and
hell. And we've all done that, and we do that until God teaches
us otherwise. Men have imagined that they had
power over Christ. They've imagined that they have
had some power to continue his life or to end it. Listen to
John 19 and verse 10. Then said Pilate unto Christ,
Christ, Pilate asked Christ a question here and Christ just sat in silence. And then said Pilate unto him,
speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have
power to crucify thee and I have power to release thee? But listen
to Christ's answer in verse 11. Jesus answered, Thou couldest
have no power at all against me, except it were given thee
from above. Therefore, he that delivered
me unto thee hath the greater sin. When they came to arrest
Christ, Peter, Zealous Peter again drew his sword and defended
him. But Christ told Peter in John
18, put up thy sword into thy sheath, the cup which my Father
has given me. Shall I not drink it? Shall I
not go to that cross? Shall I not satisfy law and justice?
Shall I not put away the sin of my people and bring in that
righteousness? Christ is telling Peter that he must and he would
go to the death that his father had prepared for him, the death
that his father commanded of him. Death did not overtake Christ. Death did not come as a result
of anything found in him. Rather, he surrendered himself
unto death. His death was the final. It was
the finishing. It was the accomplishing act
of his obedience. He humbled himself and became
obedient unto death. That is the reality of Christ's
obedience unto death. All right, let's go to this next
R. The reason for Christ's obedience. Actually, we'll see three reasons
here, but they're not going to be lengthy. They'll be short. Why did Christ die? Why did he
need to die? If Christ's death was not the
result of sin, how could this person die? How could he end
up in death? This man did no sin. He knew
no sin. This man obeyed every precept
of God's law perfectly and continually. How could he end up in death?
How could Christ die? Now fallen men, unregenerate
men, have many answers to that question. They say things like
Christ died to provide fallen men and women a way of salvation. They say he died to provide the
possibility of salvation for those who will do their part.
But scripturally, there's only one answer to the question, how
could Christ end up under death? Christ died under the penalty
of sin. He died under the punishment
of sin. You see, He died because the
sins of His people were charged or accounted, imputed to Him.
He died under what the scriptures call the second death. He died
because the people He had been given to save were facing the
curse of the law. That curse is the eternal wrath
of God, eternal death. That's what His people were facing.
That's why He died. That's why He could end up in
death. If you look back in our text at Philippians 2 and verse
8, it says, And being found in fashion as a man, Christ humbled
Himself and became obedient unto death. And that's what I want
you to look at, that last phrase, even the death of the cross.
Now that phrase means that Christ died a painful and shameful death. The cross death was one of the
most humiliating and excruciatingly painful deaths that's ever, the
form that's ever been created by men. But I think this is referring
more than just to the method of Christ's death. I think it's
speaking of the kind of death Christ died. He died the death
of the cross. He died the death of the accursed,
you see. Listen to Galatians 3 and verse
13. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law being made a curse for us. For it is written,
Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. Christ suffered what
the justice of God demands of every soul that sins. The soul
that sins, it shall surely die. He became incarnate in order
to suffer the eternal death that his people deserved. He became
obedient unto the death that his people deserved. And he died
the death his people would most certainly be facing if he had
not died in their place as their substitute, as their surety. His people are the accursed,
and He died the death that we deserve. Christ's death, His
obedience unto death was necessary. He had to become incarnate. He
had to die. His death was necessary because
His Father is just. He died, first of all, the first
reason He died, because His people were under the curse of a broken
law and were facing the eternal wrath of God. The second reason
He had to die is because His Father is just. God must do what's
right. That's what it means to be just.
His standard of judgment is strict and inflexible. Christ died because
sin demands death. He died because his father's
law is strict. It demands perfect continual
obedience. It demands the kind of obedience
that Christ rendered to that law in his earthly walk. And
it curses all who fall short of that standard. Galatians 3.10,
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse,
for it is written, Cursed is everyone who continues not in
all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. God's law is strict. It's demanding. And Christ died
because God's justice is inflexible. It must, justice must, and it
will see the punishment of every soul that sins. God will by no
means clear the guilty. In other words, God will not
pardon or forgive any sin that has not been punished with the
eternal death that soul deserves and God's justice demands. Christ
died because of imputed sin. He didn't die as a private person,
but as a representative. Listen to Romans 5.19. For as
by one man, that man is Adam's disobedience, many were made
sinners. We were made sinners based on Adam's sin charged to
us. So by the obedience of one, that one is Christ, shall many
be made righteous based on Christ's righteousness and purity. Christ
died as a representative. Christ's death was necessary
because the sinners he were given were facing not only the physical
death, which would be the result of their sin, but also the second
death, the eternal death, which is the death that punishes sin.
He had to die because his people are sinners. Christ had to die
because his Father is just. He had to offer himself without
spot. He had to die the just for the
unjust. He had to lay down His life for
the sheep. And He had to die because the
sins of His people were imputed unto Him. And to suffer the punishment
those sinners deserved in God's justice to man. Lastly, the third
reason Christ had to die is because His obedience unto death is the
only thing that would fulfill the law of God and satisfy the
justice of God. His death is the only thing that
would make an end of sin. His death is the only thing that
could establish the righteousness of God. His death is the only
thing that could make it right for God to declare those sinners
Christ was given righteous in His sight forever. The three
reasons Christ became obedient unto death. Because His people
are sinners. Because God is just. His law
is strict and inflexible. His justice demanding. And because
Christ's obedience unto death is the only remedy there is for
sin. There's no other remedy. Men
have come up with things that they think will remedy their
problem with God. But there's only one thing that
will remedy it. And that's Christ's obedience
unto death. We've looked at the reality and we've looked at the
reasons for Christ's obedience unto death. Now the last thing
we'll consider, the results of Christ's obedience unto death.
Now let's think about results here in general for just a moment.
When you and I are working, when we got a work, a project going
on, we're working for the results. The means that get us to those
results, they might not always be pleasant. In fact, the means
that get us to those results are usually trying and difficult. But we're not working for the
means, you see. We're working for the results.
We're working for the payoff. We endure the means. to get to
the payoff. Now, let me give you a perfect
example. This is my own life. Yesterday, I came home from work
after a long night at work, and I was going to do a few things
around the house. A simple project, I thought. Take me about an hour,
maybe. I was going to change the little
thing in my water heater because we weren't getting enough hot
water. Well, lo and behold, when I put the wrench on the L on
top of the water heater, what do you think happened? The nipple
broke off in the water heater. So now what am I going to do?
This water heater is 38 years old. I was already going to change
it sometime later on. But yesterday I had to change
it because I needed hot water. Now I went through and I had
to call Timothy over to help me get the water heater down,
get another one up in the attic. And we went through some painful
and trying circumstances there for a while. But we weren't working
for those circumstances. We were working for that result,
hot water in the house. Christ was also working for the
payoff. He was working for results, and
His death was not without results. His death was not without accomplishment. In other words, there are some
things that are true because of Christ's death that would
not be, could not be true without His death. Christ's death had
results, and His eyes were always on the results. They weren't
on the means, they were on the results. Listen to Hebrews chapter
12, verses 1 and 2. This is right after Paul, the
writer here, tells us about that hall of fame of faith. This is
chapter 12. Wherefore, seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
lay aside every weight in the sin which doth so easily beset
us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. How do we run with patience the
race that's set before us? Verse 2, looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God. Christ did what
he did for the joy that was set before him. He endured the suffering
and humiliation and shame of the cross because of the results
that his death would accomplish. Now that was a three-fold joy.
We've studied this before, and it's three certain results of
Christ's death. First of all, His own exaltation. Second, His Father's glory. And
third, the full and complete salvation of His people. Look
back in our text at Philippians 2 and verse 9, and we'll look
at this first result. Christ's exaltation. It says,
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a
name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, things in heaven and things in earth, and things
under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The first
result of Christ's obedience unto death is his own exaltation.
See that word wherefore there? It means because of what was
just stated. In other words, because Christ
humbled himself. Because he became obedient unto
death. For this reason, God highly exalted
him. Christ is the preeminent one
in salvation. He alone became obedient unto
death. He alone satisfied the law and
justice of God. He alone put away the sin of
his people. and made a just satisfaction to justice. He alone established
the righteousness by which God is just to justify the ungodly.
Because Christ glorified His Father in salvation, because
He saved His people from their sins, because He provided the
righteousness needed, God gave Christ a name which is above
every name. What is that name? Listen to
Jeremiah 23 and verses 5 and 6. He said, Behold, the days come,
saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch,
and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and
justice in the earth. That's a foretelling of the coming
of Christ. Verse 6, In his days Judah shall
be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is his name
whereby he shall be called the Lord our righteousness. The first
result of Christ's obedience unto death is his own exaltation. He has that name that's above
every name. You see, those who know Christ
know him as the one who's provided the righteousness we need but
could by no means produce or obtain in any way except by the
mercy and grace of God through Christ. So the first result of
Christ's obedience unto death is his own exaltation. The next
result is His Father's glory, that is, His redemptive glory.
If you look back in our text here, it says, every knee will
bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to
the glory of the Father. Because Christ died, God is just
to justify ungodly sinners like you and me. Because Christ died,
God is doing right to declare every sinner He died for eternally,
unchangeably righteous in His sight. In fact, God would not
be doing right. He would be unjust to do anything
else. Now I want you to listen to what
I'm saying right here, carefully. God would be unjust to charge
those sinners Christ died for with sin. He would be unjust
to punish those sinners for their sin. Without Christ's obedience
unto death, God would only be just to declare all without exception. worthy of His eternal death and
send us all to the eternal misery we deserve. Without Christ's
obedience unto death, God would only be just to send every son
and daughter of Adam to that final end, eternal misery. But because Christ became obedient
unto death, God is just to justify every sinner He died for. Christ's
death resulted in His Father's redemptive glory. That's the second reason or result
of Christ's death. And then the last, Christ's exaltation,
His Father's glory, and then the last result of Christ's obedience
unto death is the full and complete salvation of His people. Listen
to one verse from 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 9. It says, For God
hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our
Lord Jesus Christ. See, God has a people, and they're
not going to face the eternal wrath of God. He's not determined
that for them. He didn't appoint us to wrath.
He appointed us to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ
delivered His people from the wrath we deserve. He delivered
His people from the wrath we would be facing apart from His
death. And He obtained the salvation that we could never deserve or
obtain based even on the best of our hands. Where was the nation
Israel when God sent the death angel to take the firstborn of
every household in Egypt? You remember that story? They
were in Egypt and God told Moses, He said, I'm going to send the
death angel on this land right here. He said, but you take that
lamb that He had already told them to put up. You take the
blood of that lamb and you put it on the doorpost and on the
lintel of your household. Where was Israel? Where was the
nation? Where was this people of God?
They were there. They were in Egypt. Why didn't
the death angel take their firstborn? It took the firstborn in every
household in Egypt except those of Israel. They didn't suffer
like the Egyptians because they were under the blood of the Passover
lamb. That blood is nothing less than
a picture of Christ bearing God's wrath in the place of His chosen
people. Where were Noah and his family
when God poured out His wrath on the unbelieving world of his
day? They were there. They were safe in that ark. That
ark, again, it's a picture of God pouring out His wrath, but
the people of God being safe because they're in Christ. That
ark is Christ. Not only will God never charge
his people with sin, not only are they not guilty, not facing
any possibility of punishment or wrath from God, not only is
that true, but they are also forever unchangeably righteous
in God's sight. God will not charge them with
sin. Indeed, He cannot charge them
with sin. He will not punish them for their
sin. He cannot punish them for their
sins. Their sins were punished, their
sins and them. were punished in Christ to the
full measure of God's wrath. And there's no possibility His
wrath or punishment can ever fall on the people of God. He's
charged to them the righteousness that Christ worked out by His
obedience unto death. And they are forever eternally
righteous in His sight. In time, the shepherd of these
same sinners will seek them out and bring them into the fold.
Listen to John 10, 16. Christ said, and other sheep
I have which are not of this Jewish fold. He's talking about
Gentiles, as they'll later be called. Them also I must bring,
and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and
one shepherd. For Christ to leave one sinner
His Father died for in the wilderness, that is, lost out there in false
religion. For Him to do that would be for
Him and His Father to be totally dishonored. He said, I must bring
them, and He will bring them. And they will come to Him. This
familiar verse that we quote so often, John 6, 37, "...all
that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out." It's the coming of these
sinners to Christ that identifies and distinguishes them from the
rest of the world in their generations. In other words, the people of
God are known. What makes us known? The Savior
we come to makes us known. We're known by the Savior we
trust for all of salvation. Now our religious families and
friends trust a so-called Savior who made a way, who made salvation
a possibility if you just do your part. But see, we don't
do that. We did. But we don't now. We've been delivered from that
so-called Savior. We trust the one identified in
the Gospel, the one I'm setting before you right now. We take
His name. Now, we already looked at Christ's
name in Jeremiah 23, but I'm going to take you back to Jeremiah
33 in verse 16. It says, "...in those days shall
Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely. And this
is the name whereby she shall be called, the Lord our righteousness. You see, he already said he gave
Christ the name the Lord our righteousness. This is talking
about the church, the bride of Christ. The bride takes on the
name of the husband. So that's how we're known, the
Lord our righteousness. Taking His name is not just taking
that title either. It's resting, it's trusting in
Christ and His finished work alone. You see, the people of
God march under His orders. We have marching orders. They're
His orders. Listen to Jeremiah 51 and verse 10. The Lord hath
brought forth our righteousness. That's Christ's righteousness.
It's accounted to us, but it's our righteousness. Come and let
us declare in Zion, in the church, the work of the Lord our God.
Our marching orders are to declare Christ's person and his finished
work to the world in our generation. And not only do they march under
the orders of Christ, the confidence of these sinners is in Christ's
righteousness imputed alone. You're already there in Philippians
chapter 2. Just flip over there to Philippians 3 and look at
verse 7. Now this is Paul already having said what things in that
whole list of things that he used to have confidence in. He
said, what things were gained to me, those I counted lost for
Christ. Well, that's what he says here in verse 7. Those I
counted lost for Christ in verse 8, Yea, doubtless, and I count
all things but lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do
count them but none, that I may win Christ, and be found in him. not having mine own righteousness
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith or
faithfulness of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. The
confidence of God's people is in the imputed righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ and not in any so-called righteousness
we might think we worked out. All right, let me summarize a
few things and I'll be done. There is but one hope for the
fallen sons and daughters of Adam. One hope. for you and me. That hope is that God has determined
to show me mercy for Christ's sake. That hope is that God has
appointed Christ my substitute and surety. It's the hope that
God has charged my sins to Christ and that He's charged to me the
righteousness Christ worked out by His obedience unto death.
It's the hope that He counts me for ever righteousness, unchangeably
so, eternally, based on Christ's righteousness in Bute alone.
The entire salvation of God is found, as I said in the beginning,
in Christ humbling Himself and becoming obedient unto death.
It's in Christ committing Himself to Him that judges righteously. My closing encouragement to you
is the same as Paul gave us here in verse 5. Let this mind be
in you. Commit your salvation, your whole
salvation to Him that judges righteously. Commit your whole
salvation to the doing and dying of Christ and Christ alone.