Our Elder Brother

Good afternoon brethren. Welcome to Sabbath services. It’s wonderful to see you all. And as we see the weather changing again. Started to warm up, but it’s going to get colder. And as I like it, it’s going to be winter again for a little while. Well, we all have, or we may, I did, I had an older brother. I’m sure some of us have siblings, some of us don’t. My wife is an only child. Some of us may have been an older brother or an older sister, but in my particular case, I had an older brother. And that older brother at times, he was interesting to be around, interesting to spend time with but I appreciated him.

He is four years my senior and oftentimes is more when we were younger when I was four, he was eight. When the age difference made a big thing, he looked like he was the stronger brother. When he was twelve and I was eight, he looked like he was the cooler brother, the smarter brother, the one that had it all together, especially through the teenage years. Always looked up to him. Always wanted to be more like him or wanted to do what he was able to do. When he turned 16, was able to drive the car. I wanted to drive the car. I wanted to do what he was doing. I looked up to him.

At times, it got a little hard. My brother, being stronger said this over and over again. Where we grew up, it was a hilly area, and we would go biking. Back then we’d bike around in our BMX bikes, if any of you remember what a BMX bike is. We explored the town with those. Spent many Sunday afternoons biking, but I would always be asking, almost yelling from the bottom of the hill, “Wait for me at the top of the hill,” because my brother was stronger. My brother was older. I always had to play a little catch-up, work a little harder to get to where he was. But he was an example.

He was an older brother, and like all of us, all of our siblings, whether we’re an older brother ourselves or an older sister, or had older sisters, our siblings are not perfect, but they are our siblings and they provide an example for us. And some of us are without. Some of us may have been only children that didn’t have the experience of siblings older or younger than us. My brethren today, I want to talk about an elder brother that all of us have.

You may quickly be thinking about Jesus Christ. Yes, he is our older brother, and he has provided an example for all of us, an example that any physical sibling could not give us. And he is there as sometimes our older siblings are there to have our back, to help us to succeed. Our elder brother Jesus Christ is there as well. So, let’s look at this rule that Jesus Christ has as our elder brother and let’s learn what it means for us. How it can be applied in our lives and how we can look to him as our elder brother.

To start, let’s go to Matthew twenty-eight and verse ten. The scripture may not be the first one we would often turn to when talking about Christ as our older brother. But Matthew twenty-eight and verse ten. And reason why I turn here is did a little research and found that in the gospels and in this timeline, this is the very first time that Christ uses the words, my brethren, specifically referencing the disciples. Let’s read it. “Then said Jesus unto them, be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.”

Earlier in the gospels, Christ will use friends, servants, disciples, followers but this is the very first example...oh, it’s a key point. It’s after Christ’s resurrection. So, when he truly was the firstborn, we’ll read about that in a moment, but here after his resurrection, Christ calls the disciples my brethren. Now, the Greek word there is, you can also say my brothers, my brothers. It is just interesting if you look at it. The context of the gospels and where this is. Near the end, the very end of Matthew’s gospel Christ uses, Jesus uses for the very first time, my brethren.

Well, let’s go to another scripture to learn more about Christ as our elder brother. Let’s go to Romans eight and verse twenty-nine. Just to set it up a little more, a little clearer that Christ is our elder brother. Romans eight and verse twenty-nine. “And for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” The word is used here again. One thing I want to look at a little closer, I mentioned that the Greek word can also mean my brother, but it means someone with the same parent.

And you and I all know whose Christ’s father is, and by our baptism we receive an unction of the Holy Spirit. We receive, we’re begotten of our father, and we have the same parent, the same father, the same God as our father. When we read this scripture, at the end of it, that he may be the firstborn among many brethren, among many brothers, among many siblings those that all have the same parent. He is, in a sense, our elder brother. The first one that was born, and we’re all to follow him, and we’re all to follow him as we have the same parent, God the Father.

Let’s go to Colossians one and verse eighteen. A few more scriptures to show this. Colossians one and verse eighteen. And he said, “and he is...” Just break it into the context, but we’ll read actually a few of the other scriptures here in this chapter. “And he said, and he is the head of the body, the church who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have preeminence.” The firstborn from the dead. The first one to be resurrected and become a son of God, to fully become a son of God. That’s Christ.

You, of course, have preeminence to be the first one to lead all the others that are to follow. I want to jump up to verse fifteen and read a little further just to get context of who Christ is, who our elder brother is. Let’s read in verse fifteen. Let’s begin here, “Who is the image of the invisible God” So, Christ is the image of the invisible God. We know we are all made in God’s image. “The firstborn of every creature.” Again, the firstborn of all the sons of God. “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.”

So, Christ created everything. Our elder brother created all the things. Verse seventeen, “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” And we read verse eighteen a moment ago, but by him all things consist of. Our elder brother, before he became our elder brother, he created everything. Everything that we see, the chair we sit in, the hall we meet for Sabbath services, our bodies, the air we breathe, the earth we live on, the stars we see in the heavens. Christ made that all, created that all. Of course, through God’s direction, God’s instruction, and by God’s will, but He created it all, and by it, all of it is there, consists, continues, because of Christ, because of that God being.

That is our elder brother. Keep that in mind, that everything around us consist by him. As we learn more about him being our elder brother, we continue this message. Let’s go to Hebrews two and verse eleven. There’s a few more scriptures about Christ being our elder brother. Hebrews two and verse eleven. “For both he that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one: For which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,” to call them brothers, to call them siblings.

That’s you and I. Christ is not ashamed to call us brothers. We’ll read a few more scriptures in Hebrews. Christ knows everything about us. He knows all that we do, all that we have done. He knows our weaknesses. He knows those things we don’t want to talk about, maybe don’t want to think about. Things that we stumble on. And Christ, our elder brother, he still calls us brethren. He still calls us his brothers, his siblings. He’s not ashamed. No matter all that he knows about us, all that we learn and grow as human beings, as we walk in God’s way, and we learn and we change, all that he knows about us, and he’s not ashamed to call us brothers.

What an elder brother that is. What an example. Let’s just read for context here. Verse nine, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels.” So, he was the God being that made everything, and then he was made a little lower than the angels. “For the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Ultimately his purpose, the sacrifice of Christ. We can ultimately have eternal life. “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferance.”

And again, in verse eleven, He knows us and all that he went through and all that we go through. “He is not ashamed to call us brethren.” Call us his brothers. Let’s go to verse seventeen and eighteen, the end of this chapter just to see what he is. Oftentimes, siblings will have each other’s back. An older brother will look out for his younger siblings and help them, protect them, maybe go to battle for them. What does Christ do for us? “Wherefore…” brethren, verse seventeen of Hebrews two, “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, like unto his brothers, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” So, we can be reconciled ultimately to the Father.

That is what our elder brother has done. For in that, he himself has suffered, being tempted, when he was on earth, when he was a human, little lower than the angels like the rest of us are today, he being tempted, he is able to succour, an old English word, them that are tempted. He is able to help, aid, and relieve those that are tempted. His little brothers, his little sisters, his little siblings, you and I, that is our elder brother. He’s able to help, aid, and relieve. Let’s just say we just saw he is our faithful high priest. Just go over to a page in my Bible to Hebrews four, fifteen, just to see it again, drive the point home of what he does for us as our elder brother.

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” Christ endured all that we’ve endured. Christ walked on this earth as we walk, “…but we’re on all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” That is our elder brother. He is our high priest; he is there that helps us reconcile towards God. He is there having our back, in a sense, helping us, encouraging us, wanting us to get to the same end, the same goal that he has.

As we come to an end of looking at Christ as our elder brother, the scripture’s about it, let’s go to Galatians four and verse six. Here we are in Galatians and verse six of chapter four, “And because you are sons,” talking about us, “God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” So, by the spirit of Christ in us we cry, Abba, Father, we cry to our Father. Verse seven, “Wherefore you are no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then a heir of God through Christ.”

So, we are no more a servant as we are begotten by baptism. We’re given a little bit of God’s holy Spirit. We’re begotten by our Father, the same parent, and we are now a son. And if a son, then an heir through Jesus Christ, ultimately to become a son of God and ultimately by what Christ has done for us. Take a minute and pause there for a moment. This is a key to where we are today, to the church we’re in, to the truth that we have. Yes, not the point of the message, but God as a family. And we’re talking about Christ as our elder brother. We’re seeing here that we are the sons of God. Take a moment to savor that truth.

We understand that God is a family, that God is expanding his family, that we have the opportunity to be sons of God, to be brothers of Christ. Nowhere else can you find that. That’s a precious truth that is so rare in the world today, and we know it. And it ties into Christ being our elder brother. Do not forget, we should never forget the importance that God is a family. That Christ is the firstborn among many brethren. He is our elder brother, and we have the opportunity to be his younger brother, to be part of the God family.

Now, we’ve just seen that Christ is our elder brother. Oftentimes when you have an older sibling in your life, you want to copy him, you want to follow in his steps. Let’s see God’s instruction to us. Let’s go to John two in verse six about Christ, about our elder brother. Let’s go to first John two in verse six. In first John two in verse six we read, “And he that says he abides in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” This is referencing Christ. If you say you abide in him, if you abide in Christ, you ought himself, you should walk as Christ walked. Keep his commandments. We are to keep Christ’s commandments to walk as he walked.

Let’s go first Peter two and verse twenty-one, first Peter two in verse twenty-one. Another instruction is what we are to do with the example that our elder brother has given us. First Peter two in verse twenty-one. “For even hereunto were you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow his steps.” That we should walk in his steps, that we can see his steps laid out in front of us if there are markings in the sand, and we’re going to try and get our feet to walk in them.

Wintertime reminds me of what we used to do as kiddos. We used to play a game of tracking each other in the snow. My dad had a garden center and we had some ground that we could waste our time with or spend our time, play and we tracked each other in the snow. We try to follow each other’s steps. I tried to hide my steps in my older brother’s steps so he couldn’t find me.

It’s kind of a side point but here in the scripture that we just read; we are to follow Christ’s steps. We know that Christ was sinless, and he kept the law and we are to keep the law but what can we learn about our elder brother? What are examples that are there in the Bible and the gospels that we can learn a little bit more about who he was, what he did, and what examples that He has that we should follow? What are steps that He lay out before us that we should try to put our feet in the same spot?

Yes, of course, we want to keep the Ten Commandments. We want to live a sinless life and that is the example that Christ gave us, an example that we want to follow but there are other examples that Christ showed by how he lived his life that we can also follow. That we should take note of. Let’s go to Mark six and verse three. Beginning of the account, Mark six and verse three, earlier on and the gospels here and it’s Christ story. The story here, but Mark six and verse three. Let’s read. “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.”

I want to focus on the beginning of this verse. “Is not this,” speaking of Christ, “the carpenter, the son of Mary.” Christ was a carpenter. It’s interesting you can read by the related verse that Joseph was also a carpenter. They refer to Christ as the son of the carpenter. We know Christ came to earth to do the Father’s will. It’s interesting that Christ, as a child, as a young man also did his physical father’s will. He did. He became a carpenter like his father was. Interesting parallel.

Let’s take a look at this for a moment. Christ was a carpenter, as I mentioned, the son of one, he had a trade, he had a skill. He mastered a trade. He mastered the ability to work with wood to build. Build homes, build furniture, build barns. He was productive. As a young man, back then they didn’t have all the tools and the equipment we have today. He would be carrying the lumber, cutting the wood, finishing the wood, lumbering the trees all by hand. He would be powerful, strong, in a sense, athletic but he was a doer, but here, Christ a carpenter. Here, in this day and age, sometimes we look down on those that are in the trades. The trades...those are trades. They’re working with their hands.

Christ worked with his hands and more importantly, how we can apply this to us in each and every one of us, no matter where we are on our walk in God’s way, whether we’ve been in it for decades or we are just recently baptized. Christ took the time to learn a trade and a skill and have a profession. Through his teenage years, through his early twenties, he was waiting for a time when God would tell him, would lead him, would inspire him to start what is the most important ministry that has ever been done on earth and Christ knew that was coming. Christ knew that that day would start at some point, that that ministry would begin. And here’s an example that our God gave us, that a son of God gave us, that our elder brother gave us. He spent his teenage years; he spent his twenty-somethings. He spent the time that he had until God called him to do what he came to earth to do, to gain a skill, to gain a profession. He made use of the time that he had.

You could very easily, humanly, say, why didn’t Christ just go to the beach and wait? Why didn’t he just go for a hike and wait for God to inspire him to start his ministry? Why didn’t he just go fishing? Just have a good time because his work was coming later. It’s an example to all of us, no matter where we are on our walk, in God’s way. Christ became a professional. Christ became a carpenter while he waited for God to start his ministry, to inspire him to start his ministry.

What are you and I doing with every day and time that we have? Are we following our elder brother’s example? Are we considering our elder brother’s example? Are we doing as he did? It’s a question. And I know many of us are. Many of us also, I’ll speak personally, need to be reminded. Look at what our elder brother did. While he waited to do what the most important ministry that has ever been done on earth, he was busy. He made use of the time that he had. Let’s go to the next example. Let’s go to Matthew five and verse forty-one.

We’ll go through a few examples this afternoon. As many as time will allow, but truly I just want to take a different look than just keeping the commandments. What did Christ do while he was on earth? Here in Matthew five and verse forty-one, a common scripture, we’ve all heard it, I’m sure, in some form or another, if we haven’t read it. And it is, yes, during the Sermon on the Mount. But we know of Christ, in our previous example, was a doer, and we know for sure that Christ was not one of those preachers as they are in the world that tells you to do something, but it’s not one that has ever done it.

Let’s look at the scripture here in Matthew five verse forty-one in that light. That Christ, if he told us to do something, probably meant that he did it. Let’s look at the context here. Verse forty-one in Matthew five, “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with them two.” So, what does that mean? Let’s put ourselves in Christ’s sandals. Let’s put ourselves in Christ’s steps. He was a carpenter, as we talked about, so he was often probably carrying stuff down a road, working, going from one site to another, going from one job to another. He was traveling.

Where did he live at the time? We know where he lived. He lived in Galilee but what was happening around him? It was a land under occupation. The Romans were occupying Palestine, the promised land at the time. Soldiers were out and about. Where this scripture comes from is a Roman soldier could ask you, compel you, demand for you to carry his kit, whatever it was, a mile. That was by law. You had to do it. If you did not do it, you would be in rebellion against the occupier.

Now, look at the attitude that Christ shows us. If Christ is a doer, it’s a rhetorical question, Christ is a doer, did a soldier actually approach the creator of all things, as we read in the previous scripture? Approach Christ as he was a common man, a carpenter, probably strong, muscular, and asked him to carry his kit. And what did Christ do? He went an extra mile. If he’d told us to do it, you can assume that Christ actually walked that extra mile. While all the Jews around him, all his fellow mates would see that the occupying soldier compelled him to go one and Christ went two. What do we do in situations like this? What have we done when we’re compelled to do certain things?

Look at the example of Christ and keep in your mind that more than likely Christ did that more than once, that an occupying soldier would’ve compelled him to do something that would’ve been rather embarrassing to his friends, in a sense, and the example that he gave by going an extra mile. The essence of command to us, and further on he talks about if someone asked to borrow something from you to give it to him, don’t turn him away.

Christ being a carpenter, Christ having profession, having income, he probably had a certain set of means. He was able to give away the cloak and get another and continue. Just the example that Christ gave us. There would be many other examples in the Sermon of the Mount that you could look at and wonder, Christ did that and what was that like for him to do it? What was that like for a soldier to just pick a common man and that common man happened to be the son of God, and he went an extra mile.

Let’s go to another example in John eleven and verse thirty-two. Because you want to look at what Christ did, the other examples that he gave to us. John eleven and verse thirty-two. Here, we break into the context, it’s about Lazareth. Here in verse thirty-two. “Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Christ, if you would’ve been here, Lazareth would not have died. In verse thirty-three, “And when Jesus therefore saw her weeping and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.”

And here, “And he said, where have you laid him? and they said unto him, Lord, come and see. So come and see the body. Come and see where he is.” And verse thirty-five, “And Jesus wept.” And then in verse thirty-six, “Said the Jews, behold how he loved him.” We see Mary comes to Christ, tells him that a dear close friend has died. Christ is moved with compassion, moved with emotion, sees the weeping and crying around him and Christ is moved so much that he cries, weeps along with them and everyone around can see how much and say, “Wow, look, Christ loved this man.”

Christ was able, at the right time, put his heart on his sleeve to show his emotions, to care alongside Mary and the others who had just lost Lazareth. You think you just oppose. Christ is all-powerful. Christ here is able and will later resurrect Lazareth. Christ knew that he will resurrect Lazareth. Christ knew the ability that he had, but Christ was also moved by the moment and cared and showed emotion. He actually, in some ways, knew that Lazareth was going to be raised. So why would Christ actually cry? Why would Christ actually show emotion?

Shortly little later, He raises Lazareth. He brings him back to life, but Christ at the right time, at the right moment was able to be open-hearted, was able to open up freely with his friends, his family, with the disciples, and care along with them, and weep along with them. That’s our elder brother. He knows he can help us, he knows he can fix things for us, but he cares for his brothers.

How does he feel, if he cried, if he wept because Lazareth died? When we’re hurt, when we stumble and we fall, how does our elder brother feel? Does he know that he will help us, he will bless us, he will heal us as we make amends, or we continue on? But when we’re hurt, when we stumble, when we fall, when one of us is lost in this life, how does Christ feel? Christ is full of emotion and shows his emotion. Brethren, at the appropriate times, do we see Christ’s example here and follow in his steps and able to do what he does and to think of him as our elder brother that he will more than likely do the same when we fall? When we stumble, he will hurt alongside us. He will weep alongside us. Ultimately, as with Lazareth, he will help us too.

Another example of what Christ shows us. Let’s go to John two and verse thirteen. Look at another example of Christ. We just saw that he was able to shed a tear, to weep as a man. Oftentimes, us men in this age, we aren’t to weep, we are to be strong. We’re not to show that tear, show that emotion, but Christ did and rightfully, we should also follow that example. But here is a different show of emotion. Let’s go.

We’re in John two and verse thirteen. “And the Jews’ Passover was at hand,” reading into the context, “and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of cords, he drove them out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changer’s money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, take these things hence; make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise.”

So, Christ went into the temple and in the temple, he saw people changing money in his father’s house, selling goods in his father’s house. Making trite the importance of God’s temple. And Christ chased them out of the temple. Would you be able to do that? Yes. Not in a situation where we may have zeal without knowledge and rush into things, but at the right time. Maybe it’s in our lives, maybe it’s a personal matter, maybe it’s within our family or in a situation on a job where things need to be changed or corrected or adjusted or grounds need to be held or even just in our personal lives.

Christ was able to set things straight. Christ was able to be righteous and... As the righteous should be, bold as a lion. Show emotion and chase these men out of the temple. Chase these money changers out of the temple. Could you do that? The opposite in a sense of being open-hearted and crying at the loss, Lazarus death, to now being full of righteous anger and setting things straight in the appropriate time and manner. That’s the example that Christ showed us. Are we able to do that in our lives when necessary? Of course, when necessary, with great thought and prayer and counsel. Are we able to do that? Are we able to see what Christ did and appropriately do that? Show emotion to set things straight, show some righteous anger at the right time.

So often in society, we’re not supposed to... I mentioned it, we’re not supposed to cry or shed a tears men, not supposed to get overly excited at times either. What did our elder brother do? When it needs to be done, it is done. It’s a step that we can follow at the appropriate time, of course. Let’s go to Matthew nine for the next one. Matthew nine and verse nine. Somewhat opposing examples.

I was in Matthew, and then I went to another gospel, so let’s go back to Matthew now. Matthew nine, nine. “And as Jesus passed from hence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and said unto him, follow me. And he arose, and followed him.” So, Christ saw a tax collector, and said to the tax collector, “Come and follow me. Come and be my disciple. Come and be...not at this point; but come and be my future brother. Come and be a part of my family.” A tax collector.

Let’s read the next verse, verse ten. “And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.” Just the example that Christ gives here, yes, it got the Pharisees a little excited. Why is he hanging out with these, what we would say in this day and age, the losers, the left behinds, what, unfortunately, someone had called at one point, the deplorables. And that can be on either side of the spectrum, either side.

The ones that are not popular, the ones that aren’t the cool kids at school, or the cool kids at work, or the cool kids in the neighborhood. And I mean by the cool kids in the neighborhood, that can be adults or children. Christ wasn’t hanging around with those. Who did he go to dinner with and in what way did he go to dinner with? It was the publicans and the sinners. Interesting with this example, it doesn’t describe what the sinners’ sin was. It doesn’t describe that. It just says he was eating dinner, breaking bread with those that are sinners.

What I want to focus on is he wasn’t choosing, well, this one is worse than the other one, or this one that doesn’t know God is worse than the other one that doesn’t know God. When sometimes we can say, and look at those around us, at our jobs or at the grocery store, wherever we come in contact with, they don’t know God’s way of life. I’m maybe a little better than them, that can cross their mind, that crossed my mind more than once, especially when I was a child. Look what I got to know. Look what God’s going to do. God’s going to bring his kingdom on earth, that I get to be a part of it. And all these people at school are keeping Christmas.

You’ve heard my stories, it is what I called Christmas as a child in kindergarten. We looked down on them, but they don’t know their God. They don’t know the truth. They don’t know God’s way of life. And here Christ took the opportunity to have dinner with them. Not saying to eat out with those in the world, but he took time to have dinner with them in his role to teach them to spend time with them. He wasn’t a respecter of persons. He asked a tax collector to be his disciple. One that was looked down upon in society at the time, and he hung out with the publicans and the sinners.

An example for us that we can apply depending on, you know, in our congregations around the world, at fee sites and elsewhere. Who do we talk to? Who do we go to dinner with? Who do we invite to dinner with? Do we make sure that we invite everyone and anyone? That we’re not picky or choosy, but we all consider all of us as Christ is our elder brother and he’s not ashamed to call us his brothers. Every one of us in this room here, every one of us around the room, we’re also brothers. We’re also brethren. We’re also siblings. There should be no respecter of persons. As we read here, Christ was no respecter of persons.

Well, there are many other examples throughout the gospels of what Christ did, of the steps that he set out before us, that we can learn from, that we can apply in our lives, that we can follow his example, and we can be a younger brother following our older brother. What was Christ’s ultimate example? Let’s go to Philippians two and verse five. Philippians two and verse five.

We only saw a few examples in the gospels of what Christ did when he was on earth. There are many more that we could turn to and go to. Well, that’s a great Bible study for all of us to go home with and do and see those steps that Christ led before us, but let’s go to Philippians two and verse five and see the ultimate example that Christ gave us. In verse five, “Let this mind be in you, who was also in Christ Jesus: who, be in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man.” Verse five, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ.”

Christ, your elder brother, so let’s the mind of Christ... Let the example of our elder brother be in us. Let’s follow his example here. Verse eight, “And being found in the fashion as man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross. Wherefore God also has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name.” Now, God exalted him. He humbled himself. He took on the form of a servant. He was the God being who created everything, who has... Everything that’s around us consists, exists because of him. He humbled himself to the point of death so we could all have eternal life and was exalted. That’s the ultimate example that Christ gave us.

Let’s go to John six and verse thirty-eight. Few scriptures here you have to go through. John six and verse thirty-eight, “Before I came down from heaven, not to do my own will...” This is what I want to focus on as we conclude. “I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me.” The Father sent Christ to Earth. Christ came not to do his own will. The example that Christ came to leave with us is not doing His own will. As a God being, he very well could have, but to do the will of the Father that sent him.

Let’s go to Matthew twenty and verse twenty-eight. And here we read, “Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” So, he came not to be ministered unto, not to be served unto, but to serve. To serve all of mankind, to humble himself to the point to give his life, to empty his will completely and be fully in tune with God’s will. To give his life as ransom for many, so we could all have eternal life. So, we could all be brothers, brethren, siblings of Christ. Brethren, what do we need to do? Let’s go to Matthew twelve and verse fifty.

As Christ, a God being, humbled himself as a physical human being, ultimately giving up his entire will and doing only God’s will, only the Father’s will to give up his life so we could have eternal life. He came to serve all of mankind. Well, what are we going to do? We’ve seen that Christ is our elder brother. We see that He calls us his brethren, his brothers. Let’s read Matthew twelve and verse fifty. “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father, which is in heaven, the same is my brother, my sister, and my brother.”

What we must do to become Christ’s younger siblings, to become Christ’s younger brothers and sisters in him, we are to follow his example, all of his examples. And the most important example that he left us is, we are to do the Father’s will.