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New Hope Fellowship

The Jesus Paradox

The Jesus Paradox

Philippians 2:5-11 has been described as, The Christ Hymn. Here, Paul says, to, “have the same mind as Christ,” meaning, as believers, we’re to consider Jesus’ life, which is humility. Paul clearly feels this is something this community in Philippi have access to, as Christians. The attitude of a believer is to emulate the attitude of Christ. Paul describes how Christ, though God, took the form of a servant, was born human, lived obediently, and died innocently on a cross. His humility led to being exalted or lifted up. In a similar way, believers are to live humbly after the example of Jesus. And in doing so will please God, and result in our eternal benefit individually, but also, for the sake of others.

Locations & Times

New Hope Fellowship

5919 Antire Rd, High Ridge, MO 63049, USA

Sunday 5:00 AM

“The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.”- C.S. Lewis, “Mere Christianity.”
Pride is rooted in comparison
Pride feasts on power
Pride puts us at odds with God
It is the complete anti-God state of mind.
“The more I make my life, my well-being, my enlightenment, and my success primary, the farther I step from reality. Thus the hell-bound do not travel downward; they travel inward, cocooning themselves behind a mass of vanity, personal rights, religiosity, and defensiveness. Obsession with self is the defining mark of a disintegrating soul.”
- Jeff Cook, Seven: The Deadly Sins and The Beatitudes.
“The purpose of the christ hymn is to provide an example for the Philippians to pattern their common life. Christ’s mindset provides the ideal model, and as Christ becomes the narrative paradigm of humility.”
Discipleship: As followers of Jesus, we would become like the One that we say we follow.
Sacrifice
Jesus saw His divinity as something not to be used for His own advantage
Servant
κενόω kenóō, ken-o'-o; to make empty, i.e. (figuratively) to abase or neutralize.
Incarnation: Jesus as God taking on human form in the body of Christ.
Fend of idealism
We must focus on serving
We must forgo our privileges
“We must not think Pride is something God forbids because He is offended at it, or that Humility is something He demands as due to His own dignity—as if God Himself was proud. He is not in the least worried about His dignity. The point is, He wants you to know Him: wants to give you Himself. And He and you are two things of such a kind that if you really get into any kind of touch with Him you will, in fact, be humble—delightedly humble, feeling the infinite relief of having for once got rid of all the silly nonsense about your own dignity which has made you restless and unhappy all your life. He is trying to make you humble in order to make this moment possible. To get even near it, even for a moment, is like a drink of cold water to a man in a desert.” - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity