A Song of Divine Harmony

A Song of Divine Harmony
Philippians 2:5-11
February 24th, 2008
Way of Grace Church

I. Divine Dissonance?

Some things just do not go together. Like oil and water. Or fire and ice. According to my wife, black and Navy blue don't go together.

In music, two notes that are played simultaneously, but don't go together are said to be discordant or dissonant. Anyone who's ever had a son or daughter, or brother or sister who's just learning to play an instrument knows all too well what dissonance sounds like.

Just a little over a hundred years after Jesus walked the earth, a Christian leader named Marcion was talking quite a bit about dissonance; about two things that in his mind didn't go together. But for Marcion, it wasn't about music, or food, or clothes. It was about the very nature of God.

You see Marcion couldn't reconcile the God of the OT with the God of the NT. For him, the OT God of Israel, was too stern and cruel to be identified with the loving, gracious God of Jesus Christ. And so in the end, Marcion resolved this tension by teaching that there were, in fact, two gods.

Two gods? If that sounds off to you, you're not alone. The Christians in Marcion's day rejected his conclusions and labeled them as false teaching.

But what if I were to tell you this morning, that many modern churches and modern Christians are becoming like Marcion in some sense? No, they're not explicitly teaching that there are two different gods in the Bible, but there does seem to be a sound of dissonance where the Bible itself plays in harmony.

What do I mean? Well, let me explain.

If asked to describe their God, many churches today would paint for you a picture that resembles how most of the world imagines Jesus. Loving, gentle, meek and mild. These churches often emphasize God's love and the joy of the Spirit. Their times together are ‘celebrations'; they talk about intimacy with God; about being real with one another (being "authentic").. "People", they might claim, "don't want to feel guilty, they just need to feel accepted".

And yet, there are other churches, who if asked to describe their God, would paint for you a picture that resembles how most of the world probably imagines the God of the Old Testament. They speak a lot about God's holiness, about his wrath, about his kingship and of His laws. These churches often shun what they perceive to be the ‘touchy-feely' spirit of the age. For them, God is conceived of as exalted, inscrutable, and a consuming fire standing ready to break forth in judgment against this wicked age.

Now in all fairness, these depictions probably represent the extreme ends of the spectrum. But many churches, and individual Christians for that matter, may find themselves closer to one end of that spectrum than they think. While not stating, or maybe even thinking it explicitly, many of us in practice have said "These two depictions of God just don't go together." And so we've chosen sides.

Consequently, and to our shame, there exists in many modern churches, in the Christian faith today, the sound of dissonance.

But could it be that the problem is not with the music, but with the listeners? Could the Bible tell us something about its tune that might bring harmony where there is now only discord?

I invite you this morning to turn with me to Philippians 2:5-11. [page 980]

II. The Passage: The Song: The Christ Hymn (2:5-11)

Listen as the Apostle Paul tells his readers something about the character of God, starting in v. 5:

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here is, arguably, one of the most powerful passages in the New Testament, or in the whole Bible for that matter. And in keeping with the musical terminology we've already introduced, this passage contains the song that we want to listen to this morning.

Now in all probability, this is most likely an actual song. Most scholars today agree that, because of its poetic, rhythmic nature in the original Greek, Paul has chosen to teach the people here using a song they probably sang.

And as you can see, this is a song about Jesus Christ. And if you look at v. 6, the very first line of this song reveals why this passage is so relevant to our study this morning.

Jesus, the man who most of humanity has chalked up as simply a wise teacher is, according to Paul, by His very nature, God. Who though he was in the form of God. Could anything be more amazing than that: God became a man.

And so we have here a song, preserved in inspired Scripture, and used authoritatively by the Apostle Paul, that beautifully describes the character of God.

A. Will the Real God Please Stand Up

But which God? Is it the loving and lowly God? Of course it is! Look at vs. 7 and 8:

but [he] made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Could there be any better description of how much God loves us? That Jesus, who was in very nature God, did not cling to that position and privilege, but as verse 4 reminds us, he put our interests ahead of his own and emptied himself ; he descended from the glories of heaven to be born as one of us. As Paul said in II Corinthians 8:9-

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

This is a song about the shame of a servant. It is about One who would go amongst the rejected and despised, amongst the unclean and impure. How was he a servant? In many ways. This Jesus even performed the task assigned only to the lowest of all household slaves: he washed his disciples' feet. God washing feet?

But it doesn't stop there, look at the building progression of these verses. Not only did he give up the splendors of eternity and His right to be served by humanity, but in what even Gandhi of all people described as a perfect act, He served us by giving up his own life; and in such a horrible way...even death on a cross!

These verses undoubtedly describe a God who loves us with a sacrificial love that cannot be fathomed; a God who wanted to be among us, to be with us; a God who wants to touch our lives. A friend of even the poorest heart.

But wait. The song continues. And in verses 9-11, we find a different perspective.

What is described here is not one who has been shamed, but one who has been exalted. Even though the resurrection of Jesus is not mentioned here specifically, it seems to be assumed, since Jesus is no longer portrayed as a suffering servant, but as a reigning King.

And not just any king, but the King of Kings, whose name is above every name. And we see His power demonstrated so clearly here, don't we, as every human being who has ever lived, every son or daughter of Adam, every man and woman in our rebellious race, will bow down before His throne and confess His lordship.

And let's be clear about this, some will obviously bow graciously, but for others, it will be done begrudgingly. Some will confess the supremacy of Christ as an outpouring of their faith and devotion. Others will be compelled to make that confession simply because they are mortal creatures and the truth about Jesus will be too evident.

On that day, for the first time since the curse in the Garden, the cancer of our rebellion against God will be eradicated as Jesus Christ asserts His full authority as the Sovereign king and righteous Judge.

But...but...is this the same Jesus we saw in the first half our song? This has to be King described in Psalm 2, the Messiah who rules the nations with an iron scepter; but can this be the meek and mild Jesus who washed the feet of His disciples. Who went silently to the cross for them?

B. The Divine Harmony

I suggested at the outset of our time together this morning that there is the sound of dissonance in evangelicalism today.

There are those who seem to emphasize a God of tenderness, care, and acceptance. A God who would call us friends. But on the other hand there are others who seem to emphasize a God of power, judgment, and holiness. A God who would call us to account.

But what should be obvious to us this morning is that the song we have in front of us, this song about the character of God as displayed through Jesus, is not a song containing dissonance. No, this is a song of divine harmony.

There are not two Jesuses being described here. There is only one. There are not two gods being described here. There is only one.

One God who is both Savior and Sovereign. One God who is both meek and majestic. A healing God, but also a holy God. A God whose attributes, whatever they are, co-exist in perfect harmony.

The God who destroyed the firstborn of Egypt, also said "Let the children come to me..." The God who forgave His executioners, also struck down Ananias and Sapphira for their deceit and greed. The God who required ritual purity from His priests, also touched the lepers and let a sinful woman wash his feet with her hair. The God who sits enthroned between the Cherubim, also sat at a wedding in Cana; and even made water into wine for the guests. Is this your God?

If there is any dissonance here, it's coming from within us, not God.

III. How We Hear Affects How We Sing

But why does this matter? So what if some people like to emphasize certain things about God, and other people emphasize different things. If what they're saying is true, does it really matter?

Well I think it matters because of this truth: If our view of the God we live for is unbalanced, that life we live for Him will also be unbalanced..

Very simply, when we neglect certain truths about God, we end up drawing the wrong conclusions from those truths we hold onto. How you live your life, especially when no one is looking, how you live from the heart is the best indication of what you really believe about God.

For example, do our caricatures of holiness lead to a God who in our minds cannot be bothered with our everyday hurts and concerns? Do our caricatures of majesty paint the picture of a God who is more concerned with the quality of our offerings than with the quality of our hearts? Do our caricatures lead us to imagine God as a cosmic killjoy or divine schoolmaster?

Or maybe our caricatures of love make our God out to be a being that we can treat just like a best buddy. Maybe our caricatures of mercy lead us to believe that God is tolerant of anything and everything we do. Maybe our caricatures of humility are making us less likely to speak the truth in love when necessary.

You see, our view of God affects the way we live our lives. How do I know this? Well, Paul says so right here in Philippians 2.

Listen to the opening verses of this chapter:

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

And if we would continue on to our main passage, Paul writes: 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who...

Do you see how Paul's encouragements in verses 1-4 lead us right into the song of verses 6-11? Why is that important? Because the reality of Jesus Christ's self-giving, other-focused love was supposed to inspire the readers to be self-giving and other-focused.

If you downplay the lowliness and compassion of Jesus and only emphasize his kingship and exalted nature, I guarantee that when it comes to other people, you will be more concerned about their need for correction rather than their need for love; when it comes to those in error, you will be more inclined toward holy separation instead of humble service. Purity and precision of doctrine will always trump sacrifice and servanthood.

If our view of the God we live for is unbalanced, that life we live for Him will also be unbalanced.

Our view of God affects the way we live our lives.

Consider with me another example of this. This time, right after our main passage, in chapter 2, verses 12, 13:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Notice the word ‘therefore' in verse 12. It connects us right back to our song in verses 6-11, specifically the ideas expressed in the final part of that song. Again, why is this important? Because if you look at the final part of that song, and consider how that connects to verses 12 and 13, you will realize that the reality of Jesus Christ's exalted position as Lord of all things should inspire us to obedience and godly fear.

Paul is saying, "because Jesus is exalted, because he over and above all things, and because one day you will have to fall before Him and give an account, obey and revere Him now!"

...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling...

If you downplay the lordship of Jesus, the fact that he is holy and exalted, and only emphasize His meekness and mercy, then I guarantee that you will be more inclined to rationalize your sin, rather than reject it. Obedience will somehow become something extra rather than something that is expected. When we minimize the phrase, "Jesus is Lord", and only emphasize the phrase "God is love", our satisfaction will always be more important than our submission.

We must hear this song of divine harmony in all its richness as it flows from the pages of Scripture because the nature of the God we worship, should be reflected in the nature of the lives we live.

IV. Finding Balance

Balance. How can we achieve balance in our lives? We are so tempted to live in the extremes, aren't we? We either smother our spouse in co-dependency or ignore our spouse with indifference. We either correct someone harshly or keep our mouths shut. We either imagine that God is so high that he is indifferent to our everyday lives or that He is so low he really isn't in a position to tell us what we need to do.

Balance. The only way that we can live in the balance we've been talking about, the only way we can sing in harmony, is by recognizing the imbalance of the cross

Listen to how Paul explains it in another of his letters:

...In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (II Corinthians 5:19-21)

Do you hear balance in that? Our sin, our self-grasping, God-neglecting nature was dealt with...but not by us. By Jesus, who was innocent. Instead, we have received the opposite of what we deserve: a right standing with God; those who believe have become His righteousness.

That actually sounds a little imbalanced to me. But the balance is that the mercy of God and the justice of God have both been heard, in sweet harmony.

You see, there is balance in the gospel, that Good News about Jesus.

The gospel not only affects our afterlife, but also our life right now. It is not simply about a free gift; it's also about what will cost you everything. It calls us to both turn and trust. To be both convicted and comforted. It is just as much about the justice of God, as it is about the love of God.

Do you believe?

If our view of the God we live for is unbalanced, that life we live for Him will also be unbalanced..

May God give us the ears to hear the harmony of Jesus Christ and the grace to live in that harmony and help others hear His song.

Let's pray.