During the season of Advent, the church pauses to wait with purpose, remembering Christ’s first coming while longing for His return. Advent reminds us that the story of Jesus did not begin in Bethlehem. The baby born in the manger already existed from eternity past. Jesus did not simply begin His life at Christmas, He came.

Jesus already existed and chose to step into the world He created.

Philippians 2:5–11 gives us one of the most breathtaking descriptions of this truth. Some scholars believe this passage was an early Christian hymn, sung by the first believers to remind one another of Christ’s humility and unmatched love. Rather than viewing the Christmas story from a stable in Bethlehem, this passage allows us to see it from heaven’s perspective, from eternity looking down as God becomes man.

These passages present Jesus as fully God and fully man, the eternal Son, Creator, and ultimate revelation of God.

• John 1:1–18
• Philippians 2:5–11
• Colossians 1:15–20
• Hebrews 1:1–4

In Philippians 2:5–11, Paul traces the journey of Christ in three movements:

1. Christ’s Descent: The Humility of His Coming 
2. Christ’s Obedience: The Purpose of His Coming 
3. Christ’s Exaltation: Glory After the Cross

Paul begins with a command before he explains Christ’s actions: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” Before describing what Jesus did, Paul tells us how Jesus thought.

Christ’s coming to earth was not accidental. It was not a backup plan. It was deliberate humility. Jesus chose this path from the very beginning.

Philippians 2:5-7
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.

Paul tells us that Jesus existed “in the form of God.” This means that before His birth, Jesus fully shared in the divine nature. He was not created, nor did He become God later. He was eternally God, equal with the Father in glory, power, and majesty.

Yet Paul says that Jesus “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” He did not cling tightly to His rights or privileges. Instead, He willingly released them. This is where the wonder of Advent begins. “Jesus did not cling to his position. He chose humility. He chose to come as a baby.”

Paul goes on to say that Christ “emptied himself by taking the form of a servant.” This does not mean that Jesus stopped being God. Jesus never ceased to be God. Rather, He laid aside His divine privileges and accepted the limitations of human life.

Jesus did not come as a king in a palace. He came as a baby in a manger. He did not arrive surrounded by wealth and power, but in poverty and obscurity.

An example from a movie. A princess, who had spent her entire life in the safety and comfort of a castle, disguises herself as a servant and goes to live among her people. She gives up her bed, her protection, and her privilege. As she lives among them, she sees their brokenness and wickedness, and her heart begins to hurt for them. Though lighthearted, this helps us picture what it means to step down from privilege to serve.

So what exactly did Christ give up?

• He gave up His exalted heavenly status
• He gave up the visible display of His glory
• He gave up freedom from human limitations

When Jesus came to earth, He experienced hunger, thirst, fatigue, and physical weakness. He also gave up immunity from pain and suffering. He felt sorrow and grief.

“The one who is seated at the right hand of the Father takes the form of a baby.” The One who commanded armies of angels became dependent on two human parents, imperfect parents, to feed Him, protect Him, shelter Him, and help Him grow.
The One we pray to gave all of that up and became dependent on others for the first years of His life.

Toddlers often want to do everything themselves, only to become frustrated and finally ask for help. Jesus, however, never lacked the ability to do anything. Yet He chose dependence. He chose humility.

The humility of Christ’s coming reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways. The world values strength, status, and recognition, but God chose weakness, lowliness, and service.
Advent invites us to marvel at this humility and examine our own hearts. “If the Son of God was willing to humble himself for our sake, then humility must live in the lives of those who follow him.”

Paul’s call is clear: “Let this mind be in you.” We may not give up a heavenly throne, but we humble ourselves by recognizing that we are sinners in need of a Savior and that Jesus is that Savior.

Paul takes us even deeper into Christ’s humility by focusing on His obedience.
Jesus, “being found in human form,” humbled Himself “by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.”

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

The incarnation alone is astonishing, but it was only the beginning. Jesus did not come merely to live among us. He came to die for us.
His entire life was marked by obedience to the Father. From His baptism to His final breath, He consistently chose submission over self-preservation.

The cross represents the lowest point of Christ’s descent. Crucifixion was physically brutal, socially humiliating, and spiritually significant. It was reserved for the worst criminals, yet Jesus willingly accepted it.
He did not resist.
He did not turn away.
Though He had the power to command an army of angels and avoid the cross entirely.
He chose obedience.

Instead of exercising those rights, he submitted to the Father and willingly went to a cross for our sake.
This is where Advent and the cross meet. The child born in Bethlehem was born with a purpose, to redeem sinners through His sacrifice.
The manger points us forward to the cross.

From the moment Mary gave birth, Jesus was moving toward this moment of obedience.
Christ came down humbly, lived as a servant, and served everyone. Brenden pointed to Jesus feeding both Jews and Gentiles—5,000 and 4,000—showing that His service was for all people. He washed His disciples’ feet. He gave His life.

The most humiliating act of His service was the cross.

Paul does not end with Christ’s humility. He shows us how the Father responded.

Philippians 2:9-11
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Because Christ humbled Himself and obeyed fully, God highly exalted Him.

In the Greek, this phrase carries extra emphasis—“exalted with all exaltation.” The Father raised the Son from the dead, seated Him at His right hand, and gave Him supreme honor.
The One who was humiliated is now glorified. The One who was rejected is now honored.

Paul tells us that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. No one is excluded.
The humble child of Bethlehem will be recognized by all as the sovereign King.

This is where Advent points us forward. We remember Christ’s first coming, but we also anticipate His return. The Jesus who came quietly will come again in power and glory.
For believers, this is great hope.
Humility leads to glory.
Obedience leads to exaltation.
Suffering is never the final word.

Philippians 2:5–11 gives us the full gospel story in three movements:

• The humility of Christ’s coming
• The obedience of His sacrifice
• The glory of His exaltation

First, we are called to humble ourselves.
Paul begins with, “Let this mind be in you.”
We humble ourselves by recognizing that we are sinners.

Romans 3:23 reminds us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Sin separates us from God, and we cannot fix that separation on our own.
We humble ourselves by acknowledging our need for a Savior and recognizing that Jesus is that Savior.

Second, we are called to exalt Christ.
God exalted Jesus, giving Him the name above every name.
 We join God in that exaltation through worship, praise, and obedience.

This holiday season is the perfect time.
It’s a perfect time to tell somebody about Jesus.

Many people recognize Jesus as Savior but struggle to recognize Him as Lord.
Exalt with all exaltation!
Exalting Christ means placing Him first, above everything else.

The first way we exalt Christ is by recognizing Him as Lord and Savior.
For those who have never done that, the first step is acknowledging sin and the inability to save ourselves.

If getting to heaven was 99.99% God and 0.1% us, it would be just enough to send us right to hell. Salvation is entirely dependent on Jesus.

If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus died on the cross and rose again, you will be saved.

This article is based on a sermon delivered by Brenden Meinhardt and has been adapted for written format.