Our human tendency is to minimize the sacrifice of another person. When a person's sacrifice occurs outside my personal experience, I am likely to minimize it. Consider: a person makes an enormous sacrifice. However, his (or her) sacrifice was made in an area completely foreign to my experience. Nothing in my life makes it possible for me to relate to his (or her) sacrifice. Because I cannot relate to his (or her) sacrifice, I tend to regard the sacrifice as simple, easily made, or more appearance than substance. My experiences do not equip me to understand. I cannot comprehend or appreciate the magnitude of his (or her) sacrifice.
The objective of this lesson is to increase our awareness of the sacrifices Jesus made. Most Christians do not relate to many of the sacrifices that Jesus made.
Suggestion: either share a specific example of an incident when someone's sacrifice was minimized or ask the class to share incidents when people minimized a sacrifice.
Jesus' sacrifices are under-appreciated by Christians. To a degree, we can relate to the sacrifices Jesus made in his betrayal, trials, and painful death. We do not relate to the sacrifices Jesus experienced in becoming a human.
Suggestion: ask the class to discuss how well the typical Christian relates to the sacrifices Jesus made. Then briefly channel the discussion in the direction of why we have difficulty in relating to many of Jesus' sacrifices. Perhaps have the class to list the sacrifices that we find it difficult to relate to.
Context of Philippians 2:5-8:
The congregation at Philippi struggled with relationship problems. Their struggle is an understandable problem. Among the first converts were Lydia and the jailor (see Acts 16:11-40). Though Lydia was from Thyatira, she maintained and staffed a home in Philippi. She sold an expensive fabric. The cloth she sold was affordable only to the rich and to royalty. Lydia lived and moved among the elite and the wealthy.
In contrast, the jailor imprisoned and guarded people committed to his charge. He associated with people who were (a) vile or (b) rejected. The nature of a jailor's responsibility typically made a jailor uncaring and hard.
The every day worlds of these two Christians shared little in common. It is likely that only conversion to Jesus could create a context for the two to associate.
Suggestion: stress the fact that conversion to Jesus brings together people who would not likely associate willingly in any other context. That fact is the basis of an enormous challenge for Christians. Most people do not wish or choose to form close associations with people who are different. Many refuse to accept the challenge or the responsibility to form relationships with people who are different.
The evidences of relationship struggles in that congregation include these:
The purpose of establishing as fact that these Christians experienced real struggle in relating to, serving, and respecting each other: to verify the significance of Paul's use of Jesus' example. Paul challenged them to make one of life's more difficult adjustments. It is impossible to serve people we do not respect. It is difficult to learn to respect people that in the past we did not respect. Paul declared that they could and would make this difficult transition if they allowed Jesus to be their example. Understanding what Jesus sacrificed to be their servant would motivate them to serve each other.
On what basis did Paul appeal to them to (a) create an attitude of mutual respect, (b) develop the willingness to serve each other, (c) maintain mutual love for each other, (d) be united in spirit, and (e) focus on their common purpose (2;2)? He challenged them all, as individuals, to follow Jesus' example.
Only those who learn to appreciate the magnitude of what Jesus sacrificed in order to serve will accept the challenge to serve others.
Paul's instruction: "develop the attitude of Jesus Christ." Jesus did each of these things. Discuss each of them.
Jesus did not surrender to God's will and plan grudgingly or under protest. He did not come to earth kicking and screaming. He did not say, "I will do this, but You owe me big!" The same love that existed in God's desire to save existed in Jesus' desire to be Savior. In that love, he readily, willingly forfeited everything he was and experienced in heaven to come to this world. His love for us in our worthlessness and unworthiness made that loss a worthwhile sacrifice. He did not make this sacrifice because of our value, but because of his goodness.
It probably is impossible for any human to comprehend the full meaning or the significance of the fact that he "emptied himself." We often justify our failure to have the attitudes or heart of Jesus by declaring, "But he was the Son of God, divine, and we are not." What we often mean is that he was not really human. God gave him extraordinary power, but that power did not destroy his humanity. The gospels make it quite clear that Jesus was totally dependent on God. A key point in the gospel of John is this: Jesus was a real human, not a pretend-to-be human.
Suggestion: use one or two illustrations from Lesson One that underscore the fact that Jesus came to be a servant, an humble and lowly servant.
To hang [as from a cross] disgraced an Israelite. See Deuteronomy 21:22,23; Galatians 3:13. Execution by crucifixion was the highest expression of contempt and disgrace a person could experience. It was regarded to be such a disgraceful act that Roman citizens were not to be executed by crucifixion.
Christians are motivated to develop the attitudes that willingly assumed the humble, selfless existence of a servant when:
Observation: People will not assume the commitments or make the complete redirection of life as is necessary unless they accept Jesus as their hero, role model, and Lord.
Only when we see Jesus as a servant will we learn to be servants. Only when we see Jesus as a servant will we choose to use our lives to serve.
State your three greatest expectations about your life in heaven. These would be the three things that you most desire in that existence. When you get to heaven, when you live in these continuing experiences, for what would you willingly abandon them?
Suggestion: be prepared to share at least three of your expectations. By sharing yours you encourage others to share.
Jesus loved us enough to abandon the total existence and experiences of heaven willingly. He had everything we want and left it all for our benefit. Before he became our Lord, he lived as a human to provide us the example of how to live human life.
Suggestion: ask, "Can we become the servants God wants us to be if we refuse to allow Jesus to be our example? Explain your answer."
Only by being a servant could Jesus accomplish God's will. Only by being a servant can we accomplish God's will. Because Jesus was a willing servant, God could achieve His purposes through him. When we are willing servants, God can achieve His purposes through us.
Even before he was born, Jesus totally surrendered himself. He surrendered to serve.
In what way does the fact that Jesus was a servant illustrate the importance God attaches to serving?
Link to Student Guide Quarter 1, Lesson 7