What does “Advent” mean? And what does Philippians 2:1–8 teach us about how and why Jesus arrived?
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This is Scripture for Students. I’m Steve Whitacre, president of Trinity College and a pastor at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville. Today is December 1, 2024 and this episode of Scripture for Students is called: Advent is a Funny Word.
I want to ask you to open your Bibles to Philippians chapter 2. While you’re turning there, let’s talk about this word, “Advent.” It is a funny word and it is not a word we use much in everyday life. Sometimes, it could refer to the arrival of some new technology. You might hear something like: “Since the advent of the microwave, snacking has become much more convenient.”
But I’m sure you know that we use the term a lot around Christmas. We talk about the advent season. Maybe your mom has an advent wreath. Maybe your family opens an advent calendar. It comes from a Latin word, adventus, which means arrival or coming.
We’re going to look at some verses in Philippians 2 about the arrival of Jesus and that reminds me of a story my Mom liked to tell. When I was a little kid, we lived in a town in South Carolina that was just big enough to have a regional airport, but it was a very small airport. We were waiting for my Dad to return from a trip and his flight was delayed so my Mom asked the gate agent if the flight would be arriving soon. The airport was so small that, instead of consulting her computer, the agent turned around and opened a door behind her that led directly onto the tarmac. She looked up at the sky, this way and that, and then turned around with a shrug and said to my Mom, “I think it’s going be a little bit.”
Arrivals matter to us when the person arriving is important to us. We care about when they will be here and what they will be like when they come. There are a lot of verses in our Bibles that help us think about the Arrival or the Advent of Jesus and I think one of the best ones to start with is Philippians 2:1–8.
I’m going to read Philippians 2:1–8 and I want you to follow along. Let’s take in the Bible with all of our senses. As I read, you’ll hear it with your ears. Look at it with your eyes. You might even follow along with your finger on the page. You could even read it out loud with me if you like.
Philippians 2:1–8
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
May the Lord bless the reading and the hearing and the keeping of his Word.
Did you spot the advent part of these verses? Jesus arrives in verse 7: “being born in the likeness of men…” Ahh, there it is! There’s the Christmas in our passage. After God’s people had waited so long, he was finally here! But these verses tell us much more than just that he came, they tell us about how he arrived and why he arrived.
These verses tell us how Jesus arrived: how he humbled himself. And they tell us why he arrived: to give his life as a servant. And the ultimate demonstration of his humility and his service is his death on the cross.
How he came was humbly. Almost everyone in the world, at at least some point in their lives, wants to be great: a world-class athlete, a world-renown musician, or a world-leading politician. People daydream, they strive and they spend, even if they can’t be the greatest, at least in the hope of being greater. But Jesus did something no one else would do. He went the opposite direction. He already was greatest of all time and then of all eternity: he had equality with God. But he was willing to make himself low in order that he might raise up those he came to save. That’s how he came, in humility.
And that brings us to why he came as a servant: in order to lay down his life for his people. He saved us from our sins and brought with him more gifts than the most excited kid could ever expect on Christmas. Verse 1 describes just a few of these gifts. Look at verse 1! Where do you need encouragement in the midst of difficulty, comfort in the midst of loss, participation in the Spirit in the face of weakness, affection instead of apathy, and sympathy for our lowly condition. Let’s just pick one of these: maybe you are discouraged at the end of the semester. Maybe your schoolwork has been overwhelming, a job has been difficult, or you’re disheartened that you haven’t made more progress with sin. How is there encouragement in Christ at the end of a long semester? At least this much: Jesus paid for your sins because he wants you for himself. And he paid for your sins because he wants to make you like himself. And he will do everything necessary to make that happen.
So as we polish off the Thanksgiving leftovers and start preparing for Christmas, this is a great time to ask: how does the Lord want you to do this, too?
Paul says that the way Christ arrived—with humility and self-sacrifice—is how we are each to live. Look at verse 5, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…”
How does he want you to live a life transformed by the gospel, that is marked, like his was, by humility and sacrifice? What are 3 ways you can resolve to lay down your life and serve others this Advent season? Show your list to your parents and take a first step of humility by asking what they would add. And as you do, you will be more like Jesus.
That’s all for today. If you enjoyed this episode please share it with a friend and follow us on Apple Podcasts.
This content is sponsored by Trinity College of Louisville. We shape young men and young women for Christ and for the church. Learn more at TrinityCollegeLou.com. Until next time, keep growing!