Our Reward is Coming
Philippians 2:5-18 Last week, we got a full-on attitude check. Not an “at least my attitude is OK” kind of attitude check, but the kind where we ask, “Is my attitude the same as Jesus’ attitude?” I fully believe that Jesus had every opportunity and ability to quit. At any time, Jesus could have called the whole thing off. But instead, Jesus chose to serve humanity, going so far as to offer himself as a sacrifice on the cross. And so God gave Jesus his reward – he exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. Jesus’ obedience even to death on a cross reveals Jesus’ equality with God. There is a reason Paul says all of this, and I’ve often been guilty of taking what commentaries call the “Christ Hymn” out of Paul’s context and using it solely to look at Jesus and his actions and his character, but Paul has a specific reason for saying all this. One of the reasons Paul is writing to the Philippian Church is to encourage them in thei...