I have introduced this phrase to some of my English classes this past week. I would like for us to say it. I’ll say “He is risen,” and you say “He is risen indeed.” Let’s try it.
He is risen
He is risen indeed.
Because that is what we are celebrating today, Jesus is risen from the dead. I don’t think anyone can put it better than what the angel told Mary and Mary Magdalene as they went to the tomb Sunday morning to anoint Jesus’ body.
Matthew 28:5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
Matthew 28:6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Matthew 28:7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ’He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you."
Since I have been a Christian over 30 years I have heard many messages on Easter. Some I remember, some I don’t. But I cannot forget the fact that the tomb is empty. And this week, I read a letter from James Dobson, about how many have tried to disprove the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is not the purpose of this message and I will also tell you that several have set out to disprove the resurrection of Christ only to end up believing in Him. Probably the best example is Josh McDowell. I’ll let him tell his story. But just remember this. If Jesus had not been raised from the dead, there would be no reason for any of us to be here. Paul can explain that better than I can and he takes the whole 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians to do that. So read it for yourself.
We are here today because Jesus has risen from the dead. And your probably guessing I’m going to use one of the gospel accounts or 1 Corinthians 15. Guess again because I’m not going to use any of them. Instead, I’m going to use a passage I gave a message before when we were in Philippians and I often use this passage at Christmas. It is one that best explains the incarnation, humility, exaltation and glorification of Christ, as one of my seminary professors, Dr. Robert Lightner said in his commentary on Philippians. We are going to focus on the exaltation and glorification mostly because today is Easter.
I’ve been also explaining to several of my English classes about the significance of Easter and how we celebrate it. For example, many churches have Easter sunrise services. When Mary and Mary Magdalene approached the tomb of Jesus, it was early Sunday morning. I remember the first time I went to one was in 1979. I was attending Denton Bible Church. We had been meeting in the Optomist Gym for 2 ½ years but had recently purchased some land to build our new facilities. The pastor announced that several people would like a sunrise service so we would have one at 6:00AM Easter Sunday on the new land. I lived in Dallas at the time, and had been out late the night before (on a date), and didn’t really want to go. I didn’t sleep well that night, and I think God made it very clear why I couldn’t sleep; I needed to go to that Sunrise Service. I’m glad I did. We sang some songs, an elder gave a message and we opened up for a time of prayer. We had been studying the book of Revelation (it’s Revelation, not Revelations) and the pastor had been giving messages on the 7 churches. I prayed that we would remember the good points of the churches and be like them, and that we would not do the bad things the churches had done. I prayed that these letters to the 7 churches would be reminders to us just as well. For example, I prayed that like the church at Ephesus, we would remember our first love, and not be like the church at Laodicea and become lukewarm. Some friends invited me to breakfast at their house and we had our regular service. That song you heard, “The Easter Song, was sung by a trio of 3 women. It was a glorious Easter.
I also remember in 1985, just the night before Easter, going to a 2nd Chapter of Acts concert. With it being the night before Easter, you know that they would do that song, and they did. Easter is a time of joy. I bought the cassette you heard, and the next day after church, I went on a picnic with some friends and we played the cassette with that song.
OK, just by way of review, let’s look at Jesus’ incarnation. I won’t spend a lot of time on this because we have already talked about it.
Philippians 2:5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Philippians 2:6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
Philippians 2:7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
Someone wrote that th first 3 verses of this passage point to Christ’s actions. This is what He did.
This passage is a very difficult one theologically. Because there are all kinds of implications involved. Namely, Jesus being God and man. And the most difficult question, is what did He empty Himself of? This translation reads, “made Himself nothing,” but others read, “emptied.”
Philippians 2:7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
I don’t pretend to have all the answers and it is not my intention to get into a heavy lecture on theology. There are theologians who can do it much better than I can, and I will be happy to recommend some books to you if you are interested in that. It was discussed in the classroom, and of course informally within the context of a small group.
What I can tell you, is that Jesus never stopped being God. He was God from the beginning and as my father would say, He always was God. Read John 1:1 if you don’t believe me.
But He voluntarily laid aside all His rights and privileges and became a man to where He suffered the worst kind of death you can imagine; the one that criminals suffer, death by crucifixion.
I like the way Dr John Walvoord puts it when he says, “Christ did not surrender any of His attributes of deity, but he voluntarily restricted their independent use in keeping with His purpose of living among men with their limitations.”
Dr. Charles Ryrie says, “He became a man who was able to die. He left His pre incarnate position and took on a servant humility.
We often focus on the limitations Jesus experienced in His limited estate. For example, He restricted the use of His “omni” attributes. Omni means all. Psalm 139 says God is omnipotent, that is all powerful. He is omnipresent, that is He is everywhere. He is omniscient, that is He knows everything.
Jesus did not always exercise omnipotence, as He could have easily stopped the proceedings against Him at any time. He often walked or travelled on a donkey to get where He needed to be, instead of exercising omnipresence. And while He was omniscient, He knew everything that was going to happen, even the proceedings against Him, He cooperated with them, knowing it was the plan of His Father.
This whole week, I have been focusing on the activities. Remember, last Sunday was Palm Sunday and the multitudes welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. 5 days later He was crucified. I was thinking a lot about the events of Friday. Did you know in my country we call it Good Friday. I don’t know what’s so good about it, when I think of what happened, except to remember that it was good in that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins that day.
We have focused on Jesus’ actions. Now let’s focus on God’s actions. Because remember, Jesus was obedient, all the way to death on the cross.
Philippians 2:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
Philippians 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Philippians 2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
It is a common theme in the Bible, that humbling ourselves often results in our exaltation. I can think of the example in Luke 18:19-15 with the Pharisee and the tax collector.
Luke 18:14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
I think today, we can say the fat lady has sung. I’m jumping ahead, because in John, we are still in Jesus’ trials. But when we get to the resurrection in John, we’ll see the fat lady sing again. Because it didn’t end with Jesus’ death. We know that God raised Him from the dead. If anybody doesn’t know that or believe that, please see me afterward. But it doesn’t stop there. We know that today, Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God the Father.
Ephesians 1:20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
Tell me, what’s in a name? Because names can be powerful. If you go to the National Diet Building to talk to Prime Minister Fukuda, and you use my name, it probably won’t get you anywhere. He probably won’t know who you are talking about. But if you were to come from the National Diet Building on behalf of Prime Minister Fukuda, and tell me you are coming as his representative, that’s another story. Because there’s a lot in a name. When I was in the Navy it was very structured, starting from the Seaman Recruits on the bottom, going up to the Chief of Naval Operations on top; a 4 star admiral. When I was in the Navy it was Admiral Elmo Zumwalt. Every person in the Navy could tell you that. He was the most powerful man in the Navy. And so, turn the clock back to 1972 and tell me that you know Admiral Zumwalt, you might have some pull there. His name was the most powerful name in the Navy.
I remember applying to dental school, and I had heard that if I can get a letter of recommendation from a politically famous person, like a congressman, a senator or other high ranking official, there would be some pull. I even remember my father’s dentist calling the dean of the dental school to see if he could pull any strings to get me in. It didn’t work. As a matter of fact, the dean of students at another dental school told me that letters from someone like the above rarely help, because they often say, “although I don’t know Michael very well, I am sure he would make an outstanding contribution to the dental profession. Therefore I highly recommend him to you for admission.” So names don’t always guarantee something.
But the name of Jesus is the name above all names. As a matter of fact that is as high as you can go. I remember when I was at American Airlines, and if I would not give a customer what they wanted, they would ask for my supervisor. I told one woman that I was the supervisor on duty and that is as high as you can go. She told me, no, she would go higher and she would go all the way to the CEO of the company to get what she wanted.
But the name of Jesus is the name above all names. Because once you get to the God of the universe you can’t go any higher than that. And what is interesting is that while Jesus was submissive to all during His time on earth, all will be submissive to Him. Because there are 2 results of His exaltation and His name in verses 10 and 11.
Every knee should bow. Now in Japan, we often bow when we are face to face with someone. Bowing is a sign of submission. But bowing the knee is something we rarely do. It is a true sign of submission. It is a sign of respect and honor. Because if you were to go before a royal official, you would probably bend at the knee in bowing to them. I try to show respect to everyone here, whether they are older or younger than me. I will respect them. Mr. Fujimaki is head of the English School Committee. He is a good friend and someone I respect as well. But I won’t bow my knee to him. I won’t do it to Pastor Takao either. Why? Am I being disrespectful? No way. It is just that that kind of allegiance is not required. If every someone demands you bow your knee to him, get out. But at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow.
What does Paul mean when he says, “every knee?”
There are 3 groups. In heaven, includes all the heavenly beings, namely the angels.
On the earth includes every living being on the earth.
Under the earth includes all those who are in hades; the unsaved dead.
But the bottom line is that this includes “all men.” I’m going to read for you an email I got from HB London the other day.
I also spend some time thinking about the fact that all men include the billion plus Muslims around the world. All men also includes the billion plus Chinese who for the most part reject the love of Christ. I also think of the emerging country of India and its billion plus population. They represent all men. And there is the controversy related to the Jews and how some Christian leaders give the people of Israel "a pass" because of some special dispensation they have. They represent all men.
I believe all men includes all men. And if you are a woman, gomennasai because that includes you too. But London went on to say that Jesus offer of salvation is also available to all men. And if you are a woman, be glad because it includes you too.
But there is more than just bending the knee. All of us have a tongue. And with our tongues we can say several things. I won’t get into this now, because we will see that in James 3. But there is one thing we will do with our tongue. We will confess Jesus as Lord. Notice that there are 3 names given for Jesus on this: Jesus, Christ and Lord.
Jesus was the name given to Him on earth. Christ comes from the Greek cristo,j which means Messiah, or Annointed One. And He is Lord. We often sing the song He is Lord. It is one of the first songs I learned as a Christian. What it means is that Jesus is the sovereign God. Because everything that John wrote about Him, everything Jesus said about Himself will be true. He is YHWH God. He is the God He claimed to be. Every tongue will one day confess this as they bow their knee before Him. Many of us have loved ones who don’t believe in Jesus. They will one day confess this before Him. Next time when we get back into John, we’ll see the cruel treatment His enemies give Him. One day they will acknowledge Him as Lord.
I remember a girl I used to date. When I first met her parents, they told me they had moved to Irving from Detroit. They were Catholic and they were getting more and more unhappy with the Catholic church. They told me the circumstances that led them to First Baptist Church Dallas, and how the whole family of 5 was baptized by Dr W A Criswell. And I remember at Christmas they would put with white light bulbs on their roof, “Jesus is Lord.”
Can you confess that now? Is Jesus Christ your Lord? Have you accepted His gift of eternal life, that He freely gives? Do you know that your sins are forgiven and you have eternal life? I often hear the objection, “you can’t know if you’re going to heaven.” I differ with that in that you can know. John tells us this in his first epistle.
1 John 5:13 ¶ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
It’s not a matter of “I hope I have eternal life,” or “I think I have eternal life, I’ve been pretty good.” Gomennasai. I know I have eternal life because I believe in Jesus. He paid the penalty for my sins, and I’m trusting in what He did to get me into heaven.
If you can say this, you will bow before Him as your Lord one day face to face. And don’t wait until you are before Him. Honor Him as Lord every day with what you do, and what you say. Because Dr Walvoord wrote that Christ’s incarnation and exaltation should motivate us to living for Jesus. Or as we sing in Jesus way, it should motivate us to “Love Jesus.”
And it doesn’t stop here. Because as Paul concludes this verse, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
As we have been studying the gospel of John, who’s glory did Jesus come to seek? Did He come to seek His own? Or did He come to seek the Father’s glory? Because we should have the same motivation Jesus did in who’s glory we are seeking. Do we seek God’s glory? Or do we seek our own glory?
I heard this over and over again in seminary, that we should be seeking God’s glory and not our own in whatever we do. I recently listened to a message from Dr. Robert Jeffress who is now Senior Pastor of First Baptist Dallas, and he said that serving yourself can be a pitfall in ministry. Are you trying to meet a need or fill a greed? Are you self focused or God focused? Who’s kingdom are you trying to build? You should be trying to build God’s kingdom.
Jesus did everything to His Father’s glory and so should we. Even in the end, He will get the glory. And, oh yes, if you are here and not a believer in Jesus Christ, this applies to you. All men includes all men and that includes you. Because remember, all those under the earth will one bow their knee and confess with their tongue that Jesus is Lord. This group includes all those who have rejected God’s offer of salvation in Jesus Christ. They are in a place of torment, which the Bible refers to as Sheol, where the departed spirits go after death. It is referred to as Sheol in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Sheol is referred to as Hades, the place where the unrighteous will reside. In Luke 16 we have the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Lazarus goes to Hades, the place of torment, while the poor man is at the side of Abraham. Hades is a place of torment because those who are there are separated from God. In Revelation 20, we have the Great White Throne judgment where, all those who’s names are not written in the book of life will stand before Jesus Christ and confess Him as Lord. The passage also tells us the fate of the unbelieving dead.
Revelation 20:14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
Revelation 20:15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Why am I giving an Easter message like this? Because the passage we looked at so clearly states that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. If you are here and alive, you have time to accept His offer of eternal life. Remember Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead proved He is everything He said He was. You might think, I’ll believe in Him later. Gomennasai, now is your opportunity.
2 Corinthians 6:2 For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
You heard me quote from HB London’s email referring to all men. All men will one day bow before Jesus and confess Him as Lord. All women will do this too. All men includes everybody. The sad thing, and I’ll quote from London is this:
I often sit and ponder the reality that all men will not get into heaven, because all men will not respond to the life-changing, eternal life-giving message of the gospel.
As a pastor, there is not much I can do about determining whether you will bow before Jesus and acknowledge Him as your Saviour, or whether you will bow before Him and acknowledge Him as your judge. But what I will do is preach His word and proclaim that He is alive and available to all men who will believe in Him. His resurrection has several benefits for us. Jesus conquered death. That is our greatest fear and enemy. His death also provided the payment for our sins. He paid the penalty, and died in our place. And He defeated Satan. We have a lot of reasons to celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ is risen today.
Jesus’ resurrection also proved He is who He said He is. Did you know that in verses 10,11 Paul is indirectly quoting from the Old Testament?
Isaiah 45:23 By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.
Romans 14:11 It is written: "’As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ’every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’"
And I believe that what God has decreed will come to pass. I was just thinking of all the other religious greats; Confucius, Mohammed, Buddha etc. Can you tell me the difference between them and Jesus?
The difference is that they are still in their tomb. Our Lord is risen. See, what separates Christianity from all other religions is that they worship a dead lord, we worship a risen and living Lord. With that I’m going to conclude with another quote from HB London’s email. They are verses from the Bible. He starts with “Embrace these words.”
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever (all men) believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
"I write these things to you who believe (all men) in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13).
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men (all men) by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us (all men) alive with Christ when we were dead in transgression — it is by grace you (all men) have been saved" (Eph. 2:4).
I hope you too will embrace these words and share them with those whom you love and care for.
Preach the truth — Jesus Christ alive and available to all men.
With that I will say
He is risen
He is risen indeed.
