OUTLINE:
The Lord’s Humility
How much “richer” can you get than to have everything, including perfect love, in Heaven??! And then, to leave Heaven, putting aside Your deity, to willingly go to the Cross??! Php 2, 2Co 8:9
2 Co 8:9 MSG
You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us — in one stroke he became poor and we became rich.
Php 2:7-8
but emptied [Greek active voice – He was the agency in the verb] himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled [Greek active voice] himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
True Love Sacrifices
At the Cross, Jesus had every way out, if He wanted it. But He wanted US more than His own comfort; more than His own life, even! Mt 20:28, Lk 4:29-30, Heb 12:2, 1Jn 3:16
True Strength in Weakness
When Jesus chose to become weak, He was revealing His preeminent power. (ala Jn 10:17-18)
Pr 16:32
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
True Grace
True grace implies giving up of oneself (aka diminishing/ceding some advantage to another) for the sake of another, purely for that reason alone (with no backend benefit/expectation/ROI).
Grace isn’t grace if it’s given with strings attached.
Pure Grace!
How great is His grace when we consider our weakness, our inability, to live in pure grace??
True Grace
Grace isn’t about you. Grace is fundamentally about others. While God may decide to bless you for being gracious, that is in no way, your motivation. It can’t be. If it were, then it’s not really grace and the “blessing” you think you received isn’t from God (e.g., the “attaboys”).
Ro 11:6
But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
True Grace Motivates!
Doing good works comes from the motivation of gratitude and love, not from guilt or striving to earn our way. (2 VERY different perspectives, agreed??!)
Christ willingly ceded superiority temporarily to accomplish a specific goal.
The Champion Motif
The Bible speaks abundantly about our Lord’s dramatic victory that He accomplishes/accomplished on our behalf! Is 41:9-12, 49:24-26, 1Co 15:54-58, Col 2:15, Heb 2:15
Know Your Destiny
The writer of Hebrews draws his audience of believers into fellowship with their destiny, as co-victors with the Champion who overcame death, itself, and therefore any real opposition we might face in life from our enemies.