Preparing for the Lord's Day
Saved Through Humility
When I was growing up the worst team in the NBA was the Dallas Mavericks. Anyone who followed basketball in the early 90’s will remember the legendary horribleness of this team. During the 1992-1993 season they only won 13% of their games, suffered a nineteen-game losing streak and averaged 15 points less than their opponents. The team was performing so terribly that they fired their head coach midway through the season and at the end of season fired his replacement. NBA historian Kyle Wright declared in 2007 that the 1992–93 Mavericks must rank as the worst team in the history of the NBA.
By contrast in the 1992-93 NBA season, Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to their third consecutive championship, completing the first three-peat in NBA history. He was also the league's leading scorer, averaging 32.6 points per game and winning his seventh consecutive scoring title, tying Wilt Chamberlain's record. He achieved the record of scoring 40 or more points in four consecutive games during the NBA Finals. Jordan was the best and the Mavericks were the worst.
Imagine what would have happened if Jordan would have joined the Mavericks at the beginning of that season. Could he have taken the Mavs to the playoffs? Could the best player take the worst team to an NBA championship?
In our passage for this coming Sunday, we will look at Philippians 2:8. Here we see that the Lord Jesus Christ was willing to leave aside the glory of heaven to be joined to the human race. He humbled himself by becoming a part of our team. Yet unlike the Mavs, who at least won a few games, our team’s winning percentage was 0% (Romans 3:23). And unlike Jordan, Jesus’ record was 100% (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus was willing to become one with us to win for us the salvation that we could not win on our own. And what we will see in our passage is that through this humble act of becoming one with his people, Jesus defeated all our enemies and won salvation on our behalf. To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and meditate upon Philippians 2:1-11, Deuteronomy 21:23, Isaiah 53:4-10, 1 Corinthians 1:23, Galatians 3:13; 4:4-5 and the Westminster Confession of Faith 8.
As we gather to worship our loving Father this Lord’s Day, we will join our hearts in song, singing the Hymn of Praise “Tell Out, My Soul, the Greatness of the Lord,” the Acclamation of Praise “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us,” and the Hymn of Response “All Glory Be to Christ.” Let us come to worship this Sunday prepared to hear God’s Word, to receive it in faith, to love and treasure it in our hearts, and to practice it in our lives so that we may continue to glorify and enjoy Him!
Sermon Information
Text: Philippians 2:8
Title: Save Through Humility
Outline:
- Christ Saves His People Through the Humility of Becoming Man
- Christ Saves His People Through the Humility of Obedience
- Christ Saves His People Through the Humility of Death
- Christ Saves His People Through the Humility of Death on a Cross