Palm Sunday, The Sixth Sunday in Lent, 2020
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
The Name Above All Names
Prayers and Announcements
- Treatment and recovery - Rush Limbaugh, Kermit Way, Christina Jackson. Recovery - John Hicks.
- In the last stage of cancer and heart disease - Tom Fulcher, Diane Popp's brother-in-law.
- Diagnosis and treatment - Randy Anderson, Andrea's father.
- Someone's brother has health issues.
- Pray for our country as the major trials begin.
- Maundy Thursday Holy Communion, 7 PM Central Daylight
- Good Friday Vespers, 7 PM
- Easter Sunday Holy Communion
KJV Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
KJV Matthew 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
Palm Sunday
Almighty and everlasting God, who hast caused Thy beloved Son to take our nature upon Himself, that He might give all mankind the example of humility and suffer death upon the cross for our sins: Mercifully grant us a believing knowledge of this, and that, following the example of His patience, we may be made partakers of the benefits of His sacred passion and death, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Background for Today's Sermon, Philippians 2
The "mind of Christ" has been used as a convenient escape hatch to evade the meaning of the Scriptures and replace that revelation with the philosophy of man.
I used to wonder why that phrase came up so often in journals and was used in such vague terms. Later, from reading a lot of books based on The Quest for the Historical Jesus, I realized that the various authors were denying most of what the New Testament teaches. That began at Halle University, home of the Easter Absolution (without faith) of the entire world.
Here is the basic (deceptive) rubric - the only way we can understand Jesus is by seeing Him as an ordinary human, but very special, who made a big impact on His followers. That is what they called "the mind of Christ." He did not claim to be the Messiah or God, but His disciples thought so and made Him to be that, with extra help from the Apostle Paul.
Of course, that rubric is completely wrong and doubly deceptive, because that one phrase from Paul is used to deny what Paul taught once he was converted by the risen Christ and trained by the Lord.
That is why our era could easily be called The Age of Unbelief. Many experience a majestic glory in denying God in every possible way - and the jokers - or journalists - demand it. The President has no right to mention the Scriptures or God. It makes them feel...uncomfortable.
The clergy have caught onto this, trained by their rationalistic professors. A modern PhD in theology does not allow for the revelation of God in the Scriptures. Everyone is taught to talk around this, in various subtle ways. We must have "the mind of Christ" but that phrase is emptied of its meaning if the divinity of Christ, His atoning death, and resurrection are omitted.
Holy Week is the time in which the Scriptures are read to remind us of all Christ endured to establish and renew our faith in Him.
The Name Above All Names
KJV Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Today we are taught to base the truth on emotions, which is like basing our happiness on the ever-changing weather. This is a passage where Paul implored the Christians to think rather than emote, and to think the way Jesus did and still does.
The preceding verse should alert us to the meaning of this famous passage - do not be mindful of your own things, but have the mind of Christ. Everything He did, He did for us.
It is endlessly amusing to hear apostates and atheists jabber about passages of the Bible offending them. They are actively confessing their blindness to the truth. They willingly accept the meekness of Christ but they miss the irony. We are not divine but still our nature is to be arrogant, aggressive, and dominant. Paul is speaking of the Son of God, whose attitude was meekness, in spite of His unlimited power.
Jesus displayed His power by walking on water, stilling the storm, multiplying the food, changing water into wine, and raising the dead. That was no longer debatable when He raised Lazarus from the dead and so many from the region and Jerusalem were at his funeral and saw his dead body. No one held a debate, to wit, "Lazarus was dead for days and Jesus commanded him back to life, through the power of the Word. True or false." They voted "true" by hailing Him as Messiah on one hand and by arresting Him on the other hand.
With all of this power known and revealed, Paul urged his followers to acknowledge this and still have the same meek attitude as Christ.
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Jesus, the Word of God in the flesh (incarnate), never lost His divine nature: He was and is always equal in majesty. The spectacle which should terrify all rulers is that He chose not to express this divine glory and chose instead to play the role of a humble servant.
We should have the same mind ourselves, and decide not to impress with power and authority but to serve with humility. If we truly trust in Christ, we already have heaven and earth, and His gracious will is a protective barrier around us, turning troubles into blessings and helping us see the spiritual treasures of the Gospel.
Through faith we are united with Him as our Brother, so our blessings increase as we share His attitudes, His mind.
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the Messiah, but He knew the price He would pay in fulfilling His role. It had been recorded in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22. On the one hand, Lazarus was there as proof of the divinity of Christ, and yet that proof caused the leaders to plot His arrest, torture, and death.
John 12:9 Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; 11 Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.
The response to Jesus was one of fear and also a malignant hope. If they could catch Him the right way, they could quench His power and be victorious. For this to work, Jesus had to empty the signs of His divinity though the Two Natures in Him were never separated and remain today, the union of human and divine in One Person, Christ Jesus.
Emptied Himself, kenosis, made Himself of no reputation
This is where the rationalists say, "Aha. Jesus only had a human nature, because He emptied himself." The star of the Social Gospel Movement, Walter Rauschenbusch, a liberal Baptist, treated this as Jesus being "transparent," in that people could see God through Him. He died, according to Rauschenbusch, to show His solidarity with the poor. Rauschenbusch and his disciples began the social justice warrior work (absent faith) that is decimating the mainline denominations today - including the LCMS-WELS-ELS. Ashamed of the Gospel, they teach how virtuous they are today by embracing the fads of today. So Kenosis is a Biblical term, but one much abused by unbelieving activists.
Luther:
6. “Form of God,” then, means the assumption of a divine attitude and bearing, or the manifestation of divinity in port and presence; and this not privately, but before others, who witness such form and bearing. To speak in the clearest possible manner: Divine bearing and attitude are in evidence when one manifests in word and deed that which pertains peculiarly to God and suggests divinity. Accordingly, “the form of a servant” implies the assumption of the attitude and bearing of a servant in relation to others. It might be better to render “Morphe dulu, μορφην δουλου” by “the bearing of a servant,” that means, manners of such character that whoever sees the person must take him for a servant. This should make it clear that the passage in question does not refer to the manifestation of divinity or servility as such, but to the characteristics and the expression of the same. For, as previously stated, the essence is concealed, but its manifestation is public. The essence implies a condition, while its expression implies action.
7. As regards these forms, or manifestations, a threefold aspect is suggested by the words of Paul. The essence may exist without the manifestation; there may be a manifestation without the corresponding essence; and finally, we may find the essence together with its proper manifestation. For instance, when God conceals himself and gives no indication of his presence, there is divinity, albeit not manifest. This is the case when he is grieved and withdraws his grace. On the other hand, when he discloses his grace, there is both the essence and its manifestation. But the third aspect is inconceivable for God, namely, a manifestation of divinity without the essence. This is rather a trick of the devil and his servants, who usurp the place of God and act as God, though they are anything but divine. An illustration of this we find in Ezekiel 28:2, where the king of Tyre is recorded as representing his heart, which was certainly decidedly human, as that of a god.
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
In the beginning of His public ministry, John the Baptist said, "This man is the Messiah and exalted Jesus as the Christ." By continuing to teach the Word of God, John earned for himself an execution,
The high priest's security team went out to arrest Jesus at night, with their swords as weapons. Jesus did not resist. He knew what was coming and prayed to God to take that cup from Him, "but not My will but Yours." He continued to play the role of an ordinary man and was treated as worse than that, a blasphemer to the Jews and a traitor to the Romans.
But when He identified Himself as the I AM from the Burning Bush, Exodus 3, the soldiers fell down.
John 18:4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? 5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I AM. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. 6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I AM, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
5 απεκριθησαν αυτω ιησουν τον ναζωραιον λεγει αυτοις ο ιησους εγω ειμι ειστηκει δε και ιουδας ο παραδιδους αυτον μετ αυτων 6 ως ουν ειπεν αυτοις οτι εγω ειμι απηλθον εις τα οπισω και επεσον χαμαι
Jesus was arrested as an ordinary man, but when He confessed His divine Name, the soldiers fell backwards to the ground. Jesus is our example of ultimate faith in the Father
and confessing that truth. He did not hide His divinity before Pilate (My Kingdom is not of this world) or the priests (I could call upon legions of angels), but He maintained His form as a servant.
Mark 14:62 - "Are you the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus - "
I AM."
In John, the religious leaders added their charge, He considers Himself the Son of God. John 19:7.
To be the Messiah, Jesus had to be crucified, according to the prophets. He had to endure all the mockery, humiliation, and scorn, the fear-filled retreat of the disciples.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
For this reason, Jesus is the most exalted Name in the Bible. His Name is used the most in prayer and worship, also in cursing. We could say, He is not exalted for being the Son of God, as such, but for setting aside all divine favors and protections willingly, to suffer for our sake and to lead the way to eternal life.
If we invoke His Name, for problems large and small, He will give us His protection, help, and comfort. The more we call upon that Name, the more we will see how powerful it is.
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This is the great paradox of human history. Those who have glorified and used their might to impose their will - they are largely forgotten. But Jesus allowed Himself to be taken to the executioner, to be like a sheep, mute, and yet serving as the Good Shepherd. He is the most famous in history, praised and honored for setting aside His divine glory to be the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53.
The Name of Jesus conveys both His divine glory and His self-sacrifice. They are united and cannot be separated. We cannot speak honestly about His human nature and ignore His divine nature. We cannot speak of His divine nature and ignore the suffering, humiliation, and death He accepted on our behalf.
The power of His Name is so great that even the demons must bow before Him. As James says, the demons believe, but their hides bristle. Their response is not love but fear, like the chihuahua who always takes a fighting position when near a stranger who could fling him away with a foot. I had two toy poodles "attack" me - escaped from their yard, yipping and making threatening moves toward me. I raised my walking stick above my head and said, "Go back, go back. Go back to Mordor where you belong!" They went limp and walked away sullenly.
Luther:
23. As Christ was cast to the lowest depths and subjected to all devils, in obeying God and serving us, so has God exalted him Lord over all angels and creatures, and over death and hell. Christ now has completely divested himself of the servant form — laid it aside. Henceforth he exists in the divine form, glorified, proclaimed, confessed, honored and recognized as God.
While it is not wholly apparent to us that “all things are put in subjection” to Christ, as Paul says (1 Corinthians 15:27), the trouble is merely with our perception of the fact. It is true that Christ is thus exalted in person and seated on high in the fullness of power and might, executing everywhere his will; though few believe the order of events is for the sake of Christ.
Freely the events order themselves, and the Lord sits enthroned free from all restrictions. But our eyes are as yet blinded. We do not perceive him there nor recognize that all things obey his will. The last day, however, will reveal it. Then we shall comprehend present mysteries; how Christ laid aside his divine form, was made man, and so on; how he also laid aside the form of a servant and resumed the divine likeness; how as God he appeared in glory; and how he is now Lord of life and death, and the King of Glory.
