The Philippian Hymn (Phil. 2: 5-11) Philip Yancey in Vanishing Grace: “…Jesus has a different set of qualifications for his kingdom than does civilization. His stories consistently made the wrong character the hero: the prodigal son not the responsible elder brother, the Good Samaritan not the good rabbi, a scabby beggar not the rich man. Those people most attracted to him included undesirables such as a half-caste woman with a checkered past, a blind beggar, ten exiles with leprosy, a corrupt tax collector, a prostitute, a Roman soldier – all outcasts by the standards of proper Jewish society. Religious professionals, legal scholars, a king, and a governor: these were the ones who arranged Jesus’ death.” One Solitary Life: “Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village, where he worked in a carpenter’s shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a home. He never set foot inside a big city. He never travelled two hundred miles from the place he was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness.” John 1:14a – The Message: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son…” One Solitary Life, continued: “While He was still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends deserted him. He was turned over to his enemies, and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for the only piece of property he had – his coat. When he was dead, he was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave.” John Stott – The Cross of Christ : “Let him be born a Jew. Let the legitimacy of his birth be doubted. Give him a work so difficult that even his family will think him out of his mind when he tries to do it. Let him be betrayed by his closest friends. Let him face false charges, be tried by a prejudiced jury and convicted by a cowardly judge. Let him be tortured. At the last, let him see what it means to be terribly alone. Then let him die. Let him die so that there can be no doubt that he died. Let there be a great host of witnesses to verify it.” Messiah – George Frideric Handel “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood To receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb For ever and ever.” Full sermon notes: https://paulwilkinson.wordpress.com/2… sermon notes: https://paulwilkinson.wordpress.com/2…
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