The Elbert County tribune., 1916-02-11
INTERNATIONAL.
SUNlMSCIlOOL
LESSON
tBy e. o. SELLERS. Acting Director OF
sunday School Course. Moody Bible
Copyright. 1915. Western Newspaper Union }
LESSON FOR FEBRUARY 10
HUMBLED AND EXALTED.

he became poor. that ye through his pow
srty might become rich.-II Cor. $50.
The key word OF the first chapter OF
Philippians is confidence" tsee Wv,
s. IA, 25). Paul has confidence In the
church at Philippi on account of their
spiritual condition wv. /, p, which re-
suited in fellowship wv. 3-s) and fruit.
tulness wv. 9-13). This confidence in
spires boldness and is source of joy
and blessing. Paul's creed is also set
forth in chapter 1:5-11. This con.
hdence is in the face of the conflict
ana suffering which was before them
(see l:27-30).
| I. Be of the Same Mind, w. IA. The
key word of this chapter is the word
comfort wv. /, 19). The first sec.
tion might be entitled THE Comfort OF
Love" tvy. 1-1S) and the second sec.
ton The Comfort of knowledge" wv.
l9-SO). If there was to be opposition
from without certainly the Christians
ought to stand together. Paul is urg.
ing them to unity in order that IT
might comfort and console him. He
had always rejoiced in this church
q:4D. but he desires them to I'LL full
his joy by being OF the same mind
( having the same love, being of one ac
cord, OF one mind" Pauls comfort OF
love In the disciples he anticipated
would be due to their state of mind
which depended upon (a) unity (vv
| L2); (b) humility ". 81; (c) that
they might mind the things of 9th
ers" ". ~. Nothing would so comfort
and console. or SO gladden. the heart
Of Paul as such unity. 1t was even
so with the heart of our Lord (see
John 17:2D. The words be of the
same mind" do not refer merely to
unity OF opinion, but rather to a unity
of purpose and affection, literally be
ing souled together"
| II. Let This Mind Which
Was Also in Christ Jesus, w. So. The
second comfort of love was due. not to
unity of mind. but to the standing
which Paul and this church had in
/ Christ. due to his tChrist's) standing
in God. The words of this passage
are among the. most wonderful to be
found anywhere in the Bible. They
contain a statement of the most pro
found truth and mystery that we have
Regarding the person Of our Lord Jesus
! Christ. No plummet has sounded their
depth, nor rod scaled their height
nor tape measured their breadth. His
eternal deity-and on the other hand
his amazing self-humiliation-ye
these facts and truths are brought be
fore us to enforce the homeliest duties
of every day life. Equal to God John
10:30 yet he gave up his divine glory
and incarnated himself in the his
| torical Jesus, was anointed OF God
died on a Roman cross, buried in Jo'
| seph's tomb, yet rose again and is
| alive today as much as when he walked
DER Galilee's hills. The mind thai
was In Jesus was a purpose to choose
the lowest depth of humiliation rather
tnan full equality with God. either
choice OF which he might have made;
| but he chose the former-creations
most sublime illustration of self-sacri
| fice-and this is the mind we should
have The word robbery" implies a
| thing to be seized hold OF. Instead OF
seizing hold of equality with God,
Jesus let go and seized hold of the
death on the cross, and thus made
himself OF no reputation, literally emp
| tied himself The context shows OF
what he emptied himself: ta) his
divine FORM (b) his divine glory. This
latter is shown by his birth in a stable
and his death upon a cross, thereby
being under the curse OF God tGal.
3:13). But this was an act OF obedi
ence to God ". 81. The father bade
him to do 1t. The sacrifice of Christ
had its original source in the will OF
God his love towards US (John 3:16,
Rom. 5:s). There are three thoughts
in this passage: (a) the incarnation;
| tb) the passion; tc) the exaltation
Keep this in mind and remember
Pauls circumstances in prison when
he wrote this letter.
| ~. God Also Hath Exalted Him, w.
Gil. The result of this comfort OF
love, due to a state of mind on the
part OF the disciples and their having
the mind OF Christ. was first the ex
altation of Christ ". 81, and the giving
unto him of the" name, not "a" name
that is above all other names; and
secondly, worship on the part OF all OF
Gods creation, every knee bowed In
submission; and third, confession ".
IL. Jesus. who humbled himself to
the lowest place. God has exalted to
the highest place. Humiliation of self
Is the patti to exaltation by God.
The name Jesus" is above every
name, because Jesus has been exalted
above every man.
The worship mentioned here Is not
merely that we worship through him,
though that is true John 14:8.
the phrase every knee shall bow
is clear expression of the oneness OF