This document summarizes the key points of Philippians 2:1-11. It discusses how humility builds unity and brings joy, and uses Jesus as the prime example of humility by pouring himself out and becoming obedient to death on the cross. Because of Jesus' humility, God highly exalted him and bestowed on him a name above all names, so that all will bow down and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, bringing glory to God the Father.

2. Philippians 2:1-11
Joy in
Humility

3. First Point
Humility builds unity
and brings joy to us
and others.

4. Philippians 2
1 So if there is any
encouragement in Christ, any
comfort from love, any
“fellowship” in the Spirit,
any affection and sympathy,

5. “To make his
rhetorical point, Paul
could have just as
easily said, "If water
is wet, if fire is hot, if
rocks are hard" and
so forth.”
David
Guzik

6. Philippians 2
2 complete my joy by being of
the same mind, having the
same love, being in full accord
and of one mind.

7. “Believers are never
told to become one;
we already are one
and are expected to
act like it.”
Joni
Eareckson
Tada

8. Philippians 2
3 Do nothing from selfish
ambition or conceit, but
in humility count others more
significant than yourselves.

9. Philippians 2
4 Let each of you look not only
to his own interests, but also to
the interests of others.

10. “The Christian
ethical idea of
humility could not
be reached by the
secular mind; it
lacked the spiritual
soil.”
R. C. H.
Lenski

11. Second Point
Jesus humbly poured
Himself out as a
motivating example for
us.

12. Philippians 2
5 Have this mind among
yourselves, which is yours in
Christ Jesus,

13. Philippians 2
6 who, though he was in the
form of God, did not count
equality with God a thing to
be grasped,

14. “in the form of God”
ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ
(en morphe theou)
Refers to “essence” not
“shape”.

15. “A thing to be
grasped”
ἁρπαγμός (harpagmos)
a violent seizure of
property, robbery

16. Philippians 2
7 but emptied himself, by
taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of
men.

17. “He emptied Himself”
ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν
heauton ekenōsen
emptied himself; poured
himself out

18. Challenging Question
If Jesus emptied
himself, what did he
divest himself of?

19. Various suggestions
•His glory
•Certain divine attributes (His
omnipotence, omniscience and
omnipresence)
•The heavenly “privileges” of His
deity.

20. Heretically defined the
kenosis as the…
“total process in which
a pure transcendent
God becomes a
totally immanent
actuality”
Dr. Thomas
J.J. Altizer

21. Philippians 2
7 but poured himself out, by
taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of
men.

22. Philippians 2
8 And being found in human
form, he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to the
point of death, even death on
a cross.

23. Hebrews 5
8 Although he was a son, he
learned obedience through
what he suffered.

24. Third Point
Humility leads to
joyous exaltation.

25. Philippians 2
9 Therefore God has highly
exalted him and bestowed on
him the name that is above
every name,

26. Philippians 2
10 so that at the name of
Jesus every knee should
bow, in heaven and on earth
and under the earth,

27. Philippians 2
11 and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father.

28. Isaiah 45:23
By myself I have sworn; from my
mouth has gone out in
righteousness a word that shall
not return: ‘To me every knee shall
bow, every tongue shall swear
allegiance.