Download Redesigned In Christ Phil. 2:1-11 St. John`s

Redesigned In Christ
St. John’s – East Moline
Phil. 2:1-11
04/01/12
One of the most memorable automobiles from my childhood was my father's old 1956 T-Bird. I still remember him
pulling into the drive with that beat-up old car. My mother could not understand why he would buy such an wreck, but
my father saw something in that car. He had a love for it that my mom could never understand. The original design of
the 1956 Thunderbird made it a classic, but the years of hardship and alterations to that design to suit the individual
tastes of previous owners had left my dad's version a little rough, even unrecognizable. Still, my dad loved that car, so
he began to redesign it according to its creator’s original intent. Eventually it was restored to its original beauty.
Our epistle lesson for today speaks of our need to be "Redesigned In Christ", according to the gracious working of our
loving God.
I. The Design Flawed.
Like that poor T-Bird that had been so altered by the whims of previous owners that it no longer resembled the classic
it was created to be, we have each redesigned ourselves through sin in such a way that we are not the creatures God
intended us to be. God created us to live with Him at the center of our lives; serving Him, honoring Him, glorifying Him
with every thought, word and deed. In short we were created to be filled with God. Can you believe how far from that
intended design we have strayed? We are no longer full of God, but full of ourselves.
You probably have heard it said, "He sure is full of himself." We all know those kind of people. They are the ones
who never stop talking about themselves. People who within ten minutes will tell you every award they have won, and
how the world cannot get along without them. They are self-promoters, whose universe centers around themselves.
Sadly, their egos will prevent them from ever experiencing solid, meaningful relationships with the Lord and others.
They are too full of themselves to make room for anyone else. They have altered God's wonderful design and trashed
the Lord’s classic creation.
It reminds me of the story of a woman who had her boss over for dinner. Repeatedly the arrogant boss said, "You
know, I am a self-made man." Finally, the woman's 6 year old son couldn't handle it any longer and asked, "Mommy, if
he's a self-made man, why did he make himself that way?"
The way we have made ourselves, the flawed design of being full of self, is a destructive force in our relationship with
God and with one another. St. Paul warns us against such "rivalry, [selfish ambition]" and "conceit". And still it
happens to all of us. We get our minds so set on our own needs and desires that the Lord's will, His church, and the
people we are called to serve in His name suffer neglect. We don't see things God's way, but our way. We brace
ourselves against God and others, assert our control, and expect everyone to fall in line with us. In the process we
completely ignore the interests of others and of God.
Of all the remodeling flaws which sin has brought into our lives "being full of oneself" may be the most damaging.
People who are full of themselves see themselves everywhere as a pane of glass in a window becomes a mirror to see
themselves instead of an instrument to look through at others. Ultimately, such people have no room for the needs of
others, for God’s Word, or even for the love of Christ and fellowship of the Holy Spirit, because they are self-made and
full of themselves.
Adam and Eve were full of themselves when they first sinned. They were not filled with thoughts of God, His love for
them, His glory and honor. All they were thinking about was self, what they might become if they rebelled against God
and ate of the tree. And still today, even though Jesus tells us that if any of us wants to follow him we must deny self
and pick up our cross, we are all still a bit full of ourselves. Tell me, how can you look out for others when you are so
inwardly focused on yourself? How can you find room in your heart for Christ when you are so filled with self-love?
How can you worship rightly here when all you can think about are your interests out there? It is obvious, we need to
be restored to the classic creatures God intended us to be. We need to be redesigned in Christ. We are here today
because our Heavenly Father, who loves us, has already begun this restorative work in us through the Holy Spirit.
II. The Solution
St. Paul tells us that God's solution is to change our minds and attitudes and to redesign us to more like God’s Son,
Jesus Christ. The first thing that must happen is for God to rid us of the sinful self which fills us and replace that with
Christ.
This is how it works. Christ comes to us in the baptismal waters poured over us in the name of the Father, Son and
Holy Spirit, to begin His new creation in us. He comes to us in the Word as it is spoken, read and sung to bring
forgiveness and hope. He comes to us in His body and blood in the heavenly meal we share at this altar and fills us with
grace and mercy. In these gifts he reveals himself as the Savior who lived for us - perfectly, flawlessly - in complete
fulfillment of all righteousness. He is the promised Redeemer who poured out his life for us, emptying himself for you
and me. He offered Himself as the Holy Sacrifice for sin and died for us as He unselfishly took our punishment upon
himself.
When by the Spirit we begin to realize how much Christ loves us, we also see how small our self-filled life is in
comparison to the expanse of his boundless love. The more Christ comes to us and fills us through His Word and
Sacrament, the less room there is for our selfish selves as his Spirit redesigns our minds to be like His. We begin to think
more highly of Christ than of ourselves we think and speak more of his words and thoughts and less of our own as we
experience the things of which St. Paul speaks in the verses preceding our epistle such as "the encouragement of being
united with Christ, comfort from His love, fellowship with His Spirit, along with tenderness and compassion."
We call this redesigning work of the Gospel "sanctification". It means that we are being made less like ourself and
more like Christ. It's kind of like two people who fall in love and spend a lifetime together. More and more they begin
to think alike, sound alike, and even finish each other's sentences. They know what the other will order for dinner and
what the other will need in any circumstance. This is what Paul means when He says, "Have this mind among
yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus."
This redesigning work of God is not something that just happens. You can't work your way into a Christ like mindset.
It can only come when you spend time with the Lord in His Word, when you consider the blessings of your baptismal life,
and when you receive Christ in Holy Communion. He speaks, you listen and then your respond. More and more, you
lose yourself to him and are transformed into the likeness of Christ. Eventually you begin to see, not yourself and your
interests, but Christ and His interests everywhere. His great gifts poured into you can empty you of self, and again fill
you with the thought, will and love of God. The image of God in you begins its restoration, and you take on the
characteristics of His original design which was clearly portrayed in Christ who humbled himself for us.
III. The Redesigned Creature.
Being redesigned in Christ we receive a new mind that is set on service, humility, obedience and sacrifice in the way
of Jesus. St. Paul says: "have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the
form of God...humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross!"
Jesus said of himself, "the son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many".
This same mindset is what we need to be worked in us. As our epistle says, Christ made "himself nothing, taking on the
form of a servant" for us. Imagine that, the very Son of God emptied himself and became our servant. He humbled
himself to suffer at the hands of evil men, to bring them salvation. He was obedient even to the point of death. And on
the cross God in Christ offered His life for ours. Emptied of ourselves and filled again by the Word of God with Christ, we
are being redesigned in this image. God is working in us to restore us so that we no longer function out of selfish
ambition or conceit, but humble ourselves in service to others. In Christ we are able to look upon others and consider
them more important than ourselves. We are Spirit led to put their interests ahead of our own. When the Lord is
restored to His proper place at the center of our lives, we are able to empty ourselves and serve in humble obedience to
God's gracious will. Like Christ we can sacrifice our lives, losing them little by little in God’s service. When this happens
we are exalted with Christ, because of the transformation God has worked in us.
The Gospel of Jesus and His love sounds so simple, but it alone has the power to change lives, change congregations
and change the world. Christ and His Word changes everything. That's why we love it, proclaim it, support it and
believe it. Through the Gospel God has redesigned us in Christ to be exalted with Him in the heavenly realms. Amen.