Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:1-11)
Sitting behind the story of Christmas is a message that confounds the thinking of today, and yet is so profoundly important for the health of our society tomorrow. The King of the universe showed us through His first advent the underlying characteristics of His kingdom that are both eternal and the basis of His everlasting society, that is love and humility.
Dwelling within His Father on the throne of heaven He could have chosen to manifest Himself on earth in so many forms, a warrior king, a giant, in a splendid golden palace atop a mountain for all to see. But He didn’t! Rather He chose to come into our world in the form of the most vulnerable, a baby, in a cattle shed, on the outskirts of an old village, and his bed was not made of ivory, rather the feeding trough for cattle.
He knew His mission, the redemption of people, and the restoration of the family of God, needed these two ingredient, humility and love. Humbled in a cradle, or on a cross, His apparent powerlessness was in fact the very best demonstration of ultimate power. Selfless, defining, but self-willed, in order to show love. This same love propelled Him to lay down His life that we may live, that God may have His children forevermore.
And so Jesus Christ reveals to us the ultimate trademark of being the eternal. It is no wonder His actions were backed by His words, as if to make the message that much more clearer,He spoke offer of this humble, sacrificial, love.
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:11-13)
The early disciples lived and breathed this understanding, It was a refrain repeated often, and well understood, that is ‘we are known to be His followers in how we walk out His love, preferring one another, serving one another, going low that others may be lifted up.’
‘By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.’ (1 John 3:16)
This is then is how Jesus show us the path to eternity, to enter in to Him by love for him (John 3:16, 14:6), and to continue in that journey by loving in the same way. This love is the very essence of God (1 John 4:16), and it calls us to walk the life of humility, even though it’s very source is from the One (Romans 5:5) who made heaven and earth, and is so powerful that it caused the sinless Son of God to sacrifice Himself upon the Cross of Calvary that we may indeed receive it.
So now it is our turn to confound the world, turning it upside down, by revealing pure power through such a love, and so revealing the ways of an eternal kingdom, where its ruler is the King of kings, our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is the rub, often those of the world will not understand, and while initially impressed by such humility and grace, ultimately reject it as powerless, and therefore not to be desired. And yet, it is the very things that redeems them by its author.
Ultimately they will see its power even if they are blinded to it in this present age. For the Second Advent of Christ is not in a feeding trough for cattle, but seated upon a war horse, and leading the eternal armies of God (Matthew 24; Revelations 19), made up of many who also chose this path of love, and now find themselves in the forces that defeat the kingdoms of the earth.
But now, we love, humbling ourselves to the point of death, trusting in His eternal power operating through us.
Kingdom Blog 