A Name Above All Names Series

Philippians 2:9-11 (p. 819) November 17, 2013

Introduction:

Therefore God Exalted...

Wow. That “God” sandwich is pretty stunning. On one side, therefore, and on the other side, “exalted”. What’s it mean?

Because Jesus was obedient to His Father even to the point of death, God placed Him on the highest level.

From birth to the cross, obedience. From the cross and resurrection on, exaltation.

Think about that, the result of Jesus’ obedience to the Father’s plan, exaltation.

It’s what the author to the Hebrew had in mind when he said “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

In simple words, make Jesus the example you follow, Jesus the Pioneer, Jesus the perfector, of faith.

A pioneer is someone who blazes a trail, someone who leaves their home, and the things they’re comfortable with and heads out for new frontiers.

I. HE CAME FROM HEAVEN TO EARTH

When God called Abram (who would become Abraham) to leave his homeland, the Ur of Chaldeans, God said, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the Land I will show you.” (Gen. 12:1)

Abram went. He set out for the Land of Canaan.

We’ve been looking at the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 each Sunday evening. Abraham, the Father of the faithful is just included there not for Isaac’s sacrifice, but for this reason.

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”(Heb.11:5)

Jesus did something similar, except He knew exactly where He was going, and why He was going there. Earth would not be a homecoming or the promised land. God only had 1 son and He was a missionary.

Jesus left heaven for a reason and one reason only, “to seek and save that which is lost.” (Lk. 19:10) This is the mission statement for God’s son.

For that to happen “He made himself nothing, took the nature of a servant, became a man, He humbled himself, obeyed God perfectly, even when that obedience meant dying on a cross.”

It’s vital we remember Jesus is the Word of God, the Word that spoke all created things into existence, the Word that John says “was with God, and was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made.” (John 1:2,3)

He left heaven, a place beyond joy, beauty and perfection, a place where He was the life and light.

And the Word became flesh how?

Through a miraculous Spirit induced birth in a virgin named Mary, with a carpenter husband named Joseph.

God, the creator of something out of nothing, came, Immanuel God with us, as a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in an animal trough, dependent upon others for everything. Humble just doesn’t do it justice huh?

John 1:10 says, “He was in the world and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not recognize Him.”

[I remember Doug Fraley, my youth minister at Southland when I was about 8 or 9, telling us about a friend who had been in Vietnam. When he returned home he called his mom and dad. They were ecstatic, but he said, “Mom and Dad, I’ve brought a friend with me. He’s lost a leg and an arm in an explosion in Vietnam. Can he come stay with us a while?” and there was silence. And then both parents said, son that would be really hard for us. We just wouldn’t be able to take care of your friend, and their son said, “That’s OK, never mind. Love you Mom and Dad.

The next day they received a call from the police. Their son had taken his own life. He was easy to identify because he was missing an arm and a leg]

When Jesus came from heaven to earth He looked nothing like the Savior many were expecting. His own were the “covenant people, The Israelites,” But Saviors don’t come from Nazareth. Saviors don’t come as blue collar carpenters’ sons. Saviors don’t eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners. Our Messiah should look more like King David than a vagabond preacher! That’s not the son we were expecting to come home!

They should have known, could have if they’d really studied and knew the scripture. Listen.