Philippians 2:5-11    Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being 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 men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  
	This is the day that is celebrated throughout Christianity commemorating the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the grave. He had humbled Himself, as indicated in our passage, unto death on the cross. In that gracious action, God reached into the very soul of mankind and provided the only avenue of removing the death of sin through the life of Christ. In spite of this wondrous miracle of love, many people, throughout the world today, are looking for a way to improve themselves through their own efforts, and they are missing the reality of what God has already accomplished more than 2000 years ago. This morning, let us spend a few moments in consideration of the only manner in which anyone can find true renewal of the life that was always intended for mankind.
	There is a spiritual aspect concerning humanity that cannot be quenched apart from Christ Jesus. Mankind is continually seeking a way to get back into the paradise that we call the Garden of Eden. Mankind is searching for that paradise in any feasible or unfeasible manner, as long as mankind is the center of attention. That is the corruption of sin that removed man from the paradise of fellowship with God. While sin reigned in the heart of man, there could be no interaction of fellowship, one with the Other. Yes, there were symbolic representations of appeasing God for the sake of His remnant on this earth. There were the elements of the law, the 10 Commandments, which served to delineate what man could and could not do. And, at every point of the law, mankind chose to fight and to deliberately seek after selfish goals and ideas, rather than after that which would be wholly pleasing unto God. The greatest deceit of mankind is the one in his or her heart which fashions gods of the things of this earth to appease the heartache, the yearning for the fellowship with God that was lost in the desire after self-elevation. When one considers the every motive of mankind, at the core of humanity, apart from Christ, one will recognize the elevation of self over all else. Sometimes that elevation is masked in acts which others deem to be selfless, yet which bring honor and adoration to the one performing the tasks. Sometimes the self is blatantly promoted above all others. Desires, cravings, passions, lusts, all center in the facade of what will satisfy the human condition, apart from Christ.  However, in terms of the futility of human endeavor, there is absolutely nothing, nothing at all that will serve to circumvent the Lord Jesus Christ. It matters not how one tries to explain away the element of God holding everyone accountable to the standard of the acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ; the eternally undeniable fact remains that there is no other way into the relationship with God that He desires.
	We have the Lord’s own words to refute any who would search so recklessly for some other avenue into the grace of God, as recorded in John 14:6-7 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. The Lord makes it very clear that there is no other way into the heart of the Father but by Him. It is only in Christ that we can see the Father. The reverse is also true. It is only in Christ, that the Father sees us. We are covered in the righteousness of what Our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross, those centuries ago. There has been no diminishing of the perfect accomplishment of God’s will that was done by Christ, through the effective work of the Holy Spirit. The life that is ours, in Him, is just as vibrant, if not more so, in these days, as it was on that morning when He was seen by the ones who loved Him on this earth. They believed in what they saw in those weeks and months after the resurrection. We believe in the One we know in our hearts, because of the life that now courses through our beings. We are alive unto God, through Him.   Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 
This is the fulfillment of that which brings glory to the Father through the work of the Son. As Christ so perfectly pleased the Father in His wondrous work on this earth, so are we a part of that in Him. We are living expressions of the grace of God in action. As Christ is manifested in our lives, unto the lost of this world order, so will God receive all the glory due unto His mighty name. We, in fellowship with Christ and with each other, through the effective ministry of the Holy Spirit, and in complete obedience to the Living Word of God, are the realization of the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross. 
That is in nowise to state that we are anyone in ourselves. Rather, we are the living recipients of the complete plan and purpose of God through and in Jesus Christ. The lives that we live in Christ are the validation of just how far-reaching and singular the work of God was in Christ Jesus. To Him belong all the honor and glory and adoration of the ages of ages to come. Apart from Him, nothing will be able to save humanity, no matter how well-intentioned that effort might be. The only way to the heart of God is the simplest way, the acceptance of the gift of His Love, His Only Begotten Son. Jesus Christ gave up everything in order to redeem us, the lost souls of humanity, unto the throne of God’s Grace. That is the course of our celebration this day, the remembrance of the so great Love of God to usward, through the giving of His only begotten Son, that we would receive everlasting life in the heart of God.