hour, Lord willing, we're going to be in Ephesians chapter 4 again. Ephesians chapter 4. This morning I hope to speak on a topic that is simple but it's amazing. It's an amazing topic. I don't think I've ever spoken on it before. If I have, it would be brief. I've never brought a message, an entire message on it.

But I It's how Christ humbled himself to save his people. It's how Christ, in obedience and honoring the Father, humbled himself to death, even the death of the cross. If you think about the condescension from the highest heaven all the way down to the lowest hell that our Lord had to come to, what he had to do in order for us to be saved, we stand in awe of it. We stand in awe of it. If all the glorious truths of God's gospel, none are greater than the condescension of our God and Savior, they're all wonderful, all the glorious truths, but there's none greater than His condescension. Truly, we can't really fathom it because we've never been, this is all we know, so there's no way for us to understand.

But seeing his isness through the eyes of faith, you see him high, you see him as seated, you see him as the sovereign king of kings and Lord of lords, and he became a man. Robed in the likeness of sinful flesh, the scripture says, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem them that were under the law. That condescension from the highest to the lowest is, well, we just have to stand in awe of it.

Before we leave today, I pray the Lord lets us see the beauty of our Savior. May we be caused to worship and rest in him.

Let's read our text. I have three verses I want to read. Ephesians four, verse eight through 10. Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all heavens. that he might feel or fulfill all things."

I've titled this message, He Humbled Himself. He humbled himself.

A couple of questions I would ask us this morning is, have you ever been insulted and got angry? Don't know about it. There shouldn't be anybody in here that says no. I mean, that's an easy one, right? Have you ever been in a situation where you thought you deserved better? Most of us do. Most of us do. Often, yes. Why? Because our flesh has pride in it. Our flesh is prideful. We're born entitled creatures. Even though we have stinking, rotting flesh from birth, we can't see it. We can't smell it. We can't see our sin and what we are until God illuminates, until God enlightens, until God reveals. And once he does that, we see ourself the sinner and we need a savior at that point. That's called repentance and faith.

This is not just a sin of what we do. It's a sin of what we are. And we're so accustomed to it. And it's sad because people don't know how bad they really are until, and truly brethren, We are taught of the Lord to loathe ourself, but we don't know how bad we really are. We know not compared to God, not as God sees it. We understand words. We understand, yes, I am the chief sinner. I deserve hell, but we're still in the flesh. So it's hard to know anything other than this sin that we are.

In thinking about condescension, I was processing how, what would I compare the Lord's condescension to, and there's nothing I can compare it to, absolutely nothing. But if you were a king, this is a very weak example, and we don't compare, we're just simply saying, if you were a king, would you become a beggar to save the one you loved? If you were a king, would you become a beggar to save the one that you loved? What's the greatest example of humility you can think of? The president becoming a garbage man? An emperor, maybe an emperor becoming a slave? How about God becoming a worm? That's what he said in Psalm chapter 22. I'm a worm and no man. That was prophetic of Christ on the cross.

What about God becoming a man, becoming a worm? That's condescension, isn't it? That is a dissent. He went to the lowest hell for his people. Went to the lowest hell for his people. He humbled himself to death, even the death of the cross.

You know what's interesting is we're called worms as well. By definition, that's a maggot. That's what it is. That's not a good worm. Some worms are good. You can fish with them. Not mankind. There's none good, no not one. And yet he calls us, his people, his elect, the apple of his eye. Calls us his beloved. His beloved. You're loved of God. Isn't that? It's hard to believe, isn't it? But he, that's what he said. I've loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee, have I drew thee.

Oh, the condescension of our great God and Savior. Paul describes it a little bit in Philippians, turn over there with me, Philippians chapter two. Should be the next book over. Verse five says, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made of himself, made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant. Can you imagine God, the creator? I will remind us John chapter one said that the word was the Lord Jesus Christ. It's very clear. And all things were made by him. And without him, there was not anything made that was made.

Can you imagine the creator of everything? becoming a servant, took upon himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, and being found fashion as a man, he humbled himself. He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him, given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, things in the earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." God was pleased to be born a creature of dust, a creature of dust to save His chosen people. Can you imagine creating dust and then becoming that dust to save that dust? That's what the Lord did. Scripture tells us clearly that from dust thou art, and from dust thou shalt return. The Lord, we can't fathom that. We see it clearly, we believe it, it's our only hope for salvation, but the amazingness of it, if the Lord would let us just enter into it, you wanna,

Preachers, I know they talk about moral living and they'll get up and say, oh, we need to be more humble. We need to be more humble. We need to do this. We need to do that. Only thing that the Lord's people need to hear to be motivated to be humble is to hear that he humbled himself unto the death of the cross. That motivates me to be more humble. Because I see him, he humbled himself for me. He even humbled himself for you. He had to become like us in order to save us because of our choice to become what we are. You say, well, I didn't choose. Well, our covenant head, Adam, our father, Adam, because of his choice, because we were in his loins, God has us all charged with the same sin. We're all guilty before God, we fail. But he had to become what we are to redeem us, and that's exactly what he did. That's exactly what he did.

Go back to Ephesians chapter four. Verse 10, he that descended is the same also that ascended up, far above all things, all heavens, and that he might feel all things. The question I have for us this morning is why? Why did Christ descend? Well, we know the answer, but we're gonna elaborate about it this morning, if Lord be our help.

Galatians 4.3.4 says, even so we, when we were children, we were born in bondage under the elements of the world, But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the law. He came, he descended because we were in bondage. We were a slave to our own sin. We were a slave to our own self. We were in bondage, hard bondage, and we couldn't get out of it. We were guilty and deserved the fullness of God's wrath. And the only way that you and I could be set free from the bonds of sin and death is if the Lord Jesus Christ took those sin, those bonds unto himself and put them all away on the cross of Calvary. It's the only way. This is why he descended.

Some contradict this by saying he came to make a way of salvation. He came to make a way of salvation. And all you have to do is fill in the blank. But I would remind you whenever Thomas came to the Lord that he said, Lord, We know not the way. Let me just read it to you. John chapter 14, Thomas said to him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest. How can we know the way? Jesus said, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. No man come to the father, but by me. So he didn't come to make a way of salvation. He came because he is. Salvation. That's a big difference, isn't it? He didn't come to make a way of salvation. He came because he is the salvation of the Lord, the way, the Lord Jesus Christ. The only way a sinner can be made the righteousness of God.

Others think he came to make an offer of salvation. Turn with me, if you would, to Hebrews chapter nine. Hebrews chapter 9. I should have warned you, we're going to turn a few times this morning. I normally don't turn that much, but today we're going to turn a couple of places.

Hebrews chapter 9, look at verse 11 through 14. But Christ being come and high priests of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say not of this building, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, He entered in once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and goats and ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctify to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself up, offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Who did he offer himself to? Who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God. That's who he offered him. That's who he offered himself to. Offered himself without spot or without fault unto God.

The Lord didn't come to make an offer to men. He has not one time nor will he ever make an offer to man. He's God. He's God. You might as well just mark it down. He's not going to come to you and give you option. He's not going to come to you and ask you for permission. He's not going to come to you and get your input. He's God. He's not going to come get mine either. I'm no different. We're all the same.

He's God. He inhabits eternity. He inhabits eternity. And yet he chose to descend in order to save his people from their sin. He chose to offer himself up unto the Father

And was the father pleased with his sacrifice? We have record. Rob just read that. We didn't actually talk, but Rob just read it. The resurrection of Christ. That's what Paul was talking about, what Rob read. That resurrection, that's the evidence that God said, your people justified. My people justified. I approve. I'm satisfied. And he resurrected him.

Look at Hebrews chapter one. It answers the question also. God was satisfied or not, since you're already in Hebrews, just go to one verse, look at verse three. Who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, this is Christ, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sin, he sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high. Why would God tell Christ, sit thou here at my right hand until I make thine enemies at thy footstool, if he wasn't satisfied with what Christ accomplished? That's sufficient evidence for us to be able to rest knowing that it's finished. It's finished. He now ever liveth to make intercession for us.

Can't pick and choose on which part of the Bible we like and which part we don't. And we read it all. Scripture validates scripture. It's not my opinion. Christ is seated. He's successful as the savior of his people. He's the successful redeemer of his elect. He can't fail. He's God. He's God.

Christ descended for one reason, because He's the perfect sacrifice, perfect sacrifice, the only one that can take away sin. His blood being the purchase price was the only substance that has ever been or that ever will be that can put away sin. All Old Testament sacrifices, lamb after lamb, turtle dove after turtle dove, all those different sacrifices, could not remit sin, could not remit sin. So why did they do it? The Lord was allowing them to worship him. He was pointing them to the sacrifice, the Lord Jesus Christ. And through the eyes of faith, they were looking to the cross, to the Messiah when he came. That's what David was talking about when he saw the Lord's day afar off. They would worship looking to the cross with the same faith we're given.

Christ came for one purpose. Hebrews chapter 10 verse seven tells us what that purpose was. Then said I, lo, I come in the volume of the book it is written to me to do thy will, O God. That was the reason he came. And what is the father's will? Well, Peter talks about it a little bit. Second Peter, he said, God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. A lot of people take that verse and say, well, that word any includes everybody. No, it doesn't. You have to read who's been written to go back at the very beginning of the first chapter. And it says to the beloved of God, the ones that God loves, God doesn't love everybody. The ones that God loves, the one that Christ died for, those are the ones where God says, I'm not willing for any of them to perish. Because if it's taken out of context like that and we say, okay, that encompasses everybody. If he's not willing that any should perish and he is God, then everybody's going to be saved. I mean, that's the only possible explanation. But because there are already people in hell, we know that that's not true.

God's will is sovereign. If he wills it, God's not willing that any should perish, then none would perish. He's God. Men have an idea of God that's totally off, totally wrong, and only when he comes and shows us the truth will we believe him as he is, because we'll see him as he is by faith. He descended as God, the same one I'm talking about right now. He descended all the way down to the lowest hell to redeem his people, to redeem his people.

Verse 10 of that same chapter, 10 Hebrews, it says, by the witch will, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. We're sanctified by the body of Christ once and for all. He descended into the will of the Father and successfully redeemed the elect of God. He descended to the lowest, I wanna slow down and make sure we get this. This is glorious, if the Lord let us enter into this. He descended to the lowest hell, so that in him we would ascend with him.

What does it say? Go back to our, go back to our text. Let's see what it says. It tells us this, this. Go back to our text. Hebrews, I'm sorry, Ephesians chapter four. He descended to the lowest hell. Look what it says here in verse 10. He that ascended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens. He descended to the lowest hell that in him we might ascend far above all heavens. Think about that. He went to the lowest place so that he would bring us to the highest place because he was already at the highest place and we were at the lowest place. He traded places with us. We see that.

And because you are in Christ Jesus, you are now seated at the right hand of God in him. And he ever liveth make an intercession for you. If you're his people. He humbled himself. and faithful obedience so that God would exalt him. He had to descend in order for us to be saved. If he never did descend, if he didn't condescend down and become a man, we'd never be saved.

If God would have given us one law, do you think we could have kept it? Well, that happened once. It was actually called the Garden of Eden, wasn't it? One law, one rule. Don't eat of this fruit. The rest of the trees of the garden you can eat. Don't eat this fruit. The day that you eat thereof, you will surely die. That is so simple. And yet because of our pride and because of our flesh and what we are, you know what we would have done? We would have grabbed it and ate it. We would have grabbed it and ate it. Nobody's going to tell me what to do. I can be my own God.

What does a serpent do to beguile Eve? Lord knows that you will not surely die, but you'll be like God. They have it plural, but the translators, it's the same word as God. They just chose to put an S on it. You'll be as God. Eve thought, that sounds pretty nice, I think I'll do that, and that's you and me? That was our father Adam, we're no different. We would do the exact same thing. How long did Adam and Eve wait before they did that? I don't think it was very long. I don't think it was very long. Because I know me, and you know you. If we're the Lords, you know you and I know me, and I know my sin, I know my heart. Like we heard the first time, we gotta be kept by Him. We gotta be kept by Him.

Lord, I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same day, just a little while after the Lord said it. I don't know, the scripture's not clear on it, so I'm not gonna write that in stone or anything, but you get what I'm saying. You get what I'm saying.

He humbled himself in faithful obedience so that God would exalt him and that God would get all the glory. Didn't come for his own glory, he came for the glory of God. And with that same glory, The Father glorified him with, he's glorified his people in him. Isn't that glorious?

Now glorify me, Father, and he says that the same glory that thou hast given to me, I may give unto them, John chapter 17. The glory of God, that's what he accomplished when he condescended. He had to descend in order for us to be saved, otherwise we'd be lost.

You heard me talk about this a little bit first hour, but let's turn there this time, John chapter three, Nicodemus. I understand the context here. Nicodemus is a very, he's a ruler of the Jews. That means he would have been very educated. They were very big on education. So he would have known the law. Well, he's a Pharisee. So that, yeah, he's definitely, he's a highly qualified religious, highly qualified. He knows a lot about the law and things thereof.

It says here, John chapter three, verse six through 15. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I say unto thee, you must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whether it goeth. So is everyone that is born of the spirit.

Nicodemus answered and said unto him, how can these things be? How can these things be? If we were to hear simply the truth, With these ears, we would say, how can these things be? But he just told us that which is flesh is flesh and that which is spirit is spirit.

Here's the Lord's answer, look at verse 10. He answered him and said unto him, art thou a master of Israel and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we do know and testify that we have seen and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you believe not, how shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things.

And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the son of man, which is in heaven. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Why did the Lord come? Because verse 13, no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that come down from heaven, even the son of man which is in heaven. You and I could not ascend to heaven. So therefore we couldn't please God. Do we see that?

The Lord by himself entered the holiest of holies, the throne room of God, by his own blood. We just heard that, we just read that a little bit ago in Hebrews. He came in with his own blood. I love the thought brethren that our Lord was in the flesh, a hundred percent man, a hundred percent God. After he was resurrected, he's in the flesh walking around, but he ascended as a man. Think about that. He ascended as a man. So now we have a man representing before the throne of God, the perfect man, the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him being our covenant head, we are in Him. This is what was accomplished in His condescension, in His dissension. When He humbled Himself, He did that to be exalted for the glory of God and for the salvation of His people. That's what He accomplished.

You know why Nicodemus couldn't understand this? He come to the knowledge of it later. We find him later on helping with the body of the Lord, but because the Lord told us plainly, no man comes to the Father, but by me. Oh, so you're saying I just need to cry out to Jesus, then come to Him, and then I can go to the Father. No, it's by His will, by His determinate counsel, by His purpose. No man come to the Father but by the Lord Jesus Christ's choice. It's His doing, it's His purpose, it's His will, and we couldn't get to God if we wanted to.

Proverbs 30 verse four says, who hath ascended up into heaven or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in His garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if thou canst tell? Well, there's only one that fits that description, the Lord Jesus Christ.

But not you and I, we couldn't ascend if we wanted to. Even if we could, we would be destroyed immediately because of the sin that we are. Not our Lord, He ascended back up into glory, having obtained eternal redemption for the elect of God. Having accomplished that which God had purposed, when it was purposed for him to descend, he accomplished everything. It's either that Christ descended to the lowest hell to exalt us and calls us to ascend in heaven above the highest heavens, or we will descend to the lowest hell forever. It's that simple. That's the alternative. If he didn't die for me, and he didn't die for you, We will descend to the lowest hell for all eternity.

But thanks be to God, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will have mercy. I will. I love that. That gives me hope that he will have mercy. He did just this for his elect. David saw his day a long time. before by faith bestowed, listen to what David said in Psalm 68, thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive, thou have received gifts of men, yea for the rebellious, for the rebellious also. Well that's us, isn't it? For the rebellious also that the Lord might dwell among them. He ascended on high and led captivity captive. We were captive, and this is the same as you see in our text, it's the same, we've read, A similar verse there, it's the same thing. He's quoting from Psalm 68.

Because he humbled himself, because he became obedient to death, even the death of the cross, Christ the Father hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. To the glory of God the Father.

Now hear the glorious news of the gospel, brethren. First Corinthians 12.27. Now ye are the body of Christ. Ye are the body of Christ and members in particular. We are one with him. Him being crucified, we were crucified. Him being resurrected, we were resurrected. Somebody said, I don't understand that. Faith don't understand. Faith just believes. People want to argue over things, different doctrine, whatnot. It doesn't matter. Paul said, I've determined to know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. I don't understand a lot of the things we believe. And really, I think it's fair to say we don't understand any of it, really. The flesh can't, it's not fleshly, it's spiritual. But faith believes God. Faith believes God. So if God said it, we say, amen, truth, Lord. That's just what the Lord gives us by grace.

Ye are the body of Christ and members in particular. What does that mean? Well, if we're the body and he's the head, the covenant head, when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive. That's you and I. Remember we were in bondage? We established that earlier on, we were in bondage. That's why he became a man. That's why he descended to the lowest hell in order to save us. When did he descend to the lowest hell? On the cross of Calvary. When God poured out his eternal wrath and justice upon his son that was due you and due me. was due us. God was satisfied with his sacrifice. God doesn't see me any longer. But he sees the righteousness of Christ. God doesn't see you any longer. He sees the righteousness of Christ. This is what the humility of Jesus Christ accomplished. This is what his humility did. He humbled himself to death, even the death of the cross.

Listen to this. God doesn't see us anymore. How do you know? Because it says this in 2 Corinthians 5, 17, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature, a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things have become new. All things are going to become new later on. No, they already have. You're born from above, born of his spirit, given a new heart that believes God. It's impossible to believe God until he gives you faith to do so. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new, and all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation.

Captive to our sin, the Lord descended upon this earth to put that sin away. He reconciled us back to the Father by becoming a man. He obeyed the will of the Father on our behalf. He humbled himself that we, his people, might be exalted in him, in him. So now whenever the Lord looks upon us, he sees the blood of Christ. He sees the righteousness of Christ. He sees all the good that Christ is, not any of the bad that we are. None, it's been taken away. He's now seated as our surety. our prophet, our priest, and our king.

Now let's go back to our text in closing. Look at verse four. There is one body and one spirit as you are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and the Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. There's Psalm 68 right there. How is it that David saw that before Christ ever came? It was the revelation of Christ. That's what he does by faith. He saw it, didn't he? Because of the gift of Christ, it's in the verse right above it. Verse nine, now that he ascended, what is it? But that he also descended first to the lower parts of the earth. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might feel all things. Because he descended, we have a place in him in glory. You know, he told the disciples, I go to prepare a place for you. That place is in him. There was a song. Well, it's, I can't remember the name of it, but it goes something like this. I've got a mansion just over the hilltop. And that's what the whole song about. Because the Lord said in my father's house are many mansions. We used to sing that and I got a mansion. I just want a place in him. I just want a place in him. That's the desire of the believer, isn't it?

I got to be found in him. I got to, I can't be humble like he was. Not in myself. It's not possible. But he was humble on my behalf. That's my hope, that my substitute fulfilled and accomplished and met every requirement of God in order for me, in order for you to be saved. That's our hope. That's our hope.

People talk about heaven being streets of gold, walls of jasper, gates of pearl. When you get there, can you imagine taking the most valuable thing that's on the earth? Gold's pretty much one of the most valuable things upon the earth. You just bring a box of gold to present it if you could. You'd be looked at and said, why'd you bring pavement? You know, that's how, you know, the whole point to it was, is you're not going to notice the city because he's there. Nothing compares to him. Nothing. God has highly exalted him. Nothing compares to him. He's the light of the city. There's no night there. Because of him, darkness has to flee. There's no sin there. Sin has been put away. There's no death, no sickness. Why? Because he's the great physician. He's the great physician.

He descended, brethren. He left his throne in glory to become a man to save a wretch like you and I. I cannot enter into that as much as I want to, but oh, the condensation, the descent of our Lord. Thank God he humbled himself, because we would have never been able to humble ourself.

Let's pray. Father, we ask that you would take these words and bless it for our good and for your glory. In Christ's name, amen. We'll ask the parents