INTRODUCTION:
There is a summer tradition at our church called the Vineyard Family Reunion. For one weekend we shamelessly throw a big party. Out of that tradition emerged something we’ve done over the past few years called the “Not So Amazing Race”. It’s this city-wide scavenger hunt that has 20+ teams doing crazy stuff all over Grove City. One summer, my wife joined up with 3 other high school students from our H.S. ministry to form a team for this race. Week after week as they got closer to competing in the race they got really psyched up! They went out and bought white T-Shirts and decorated them with their team name. They were constantly talking about how they were going to win first place because they were the BEST team ever! They were really talking the talk! They thought they were smarter, faster, and stronger than any other team.
So finally the day of the race came and they were convinced they were going to win. So the race began, they do the scavenger hunt activities, and they finally cross the finish line. To their surprise, they were not first place, or second place, or even third place. They came in DEAD LAST. They were shocked and probably a little bit humbled.
I heard about the results of the race when I got home and I tried to sound upset and disappointed and being a supportive husband. But, in the back of my mind I was wondering, “Was this, in a sense a kind of DIVINE VINDICATION?” Was God enforcing the principle we see in the Bible that says “Those who are first will be last.” Or “the greatest will be the least.” Or “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled.” This is actually the principle we are looking at today as we continue our series of “The Worthy Life”. Those who exalt themselves, will be humbled. Those who humble themselves, will be exalted.
RE-CONTEXTUALIZE:
Before we jump into today’s passage, I want to briefly give you an overview of The Worthy Life series so you can see the continuity of Paul’s thought. First, we saw that we are to live a life that is worthy of the gospel. Second, the church must have unity to advance the gospel. Third, humility is necessary in order to have unity. Fourth, Jesus Christ is our supreme role model of humility. Lastly, today, those who humble themselves will be exalted.
PASSAGE:
Turn in your Bibles to Philippians 2:9-11. I’ll read it to you.
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
THEREFORE:
Right of the bat, Paul uses the word “Therefore”. So if we see the word “Therefore” we need to find out what it’s “There for”. In verse immediately before this passage, we see Jesus humbling himself in obedience to the Father. This obedience led to his death, and not just any kind of death, the most humiliating kind of death. To the Jew, if you were executed on a cross you were bearing the curse of God. Death on the cross was the most shameful form of execution. If we were to illustrate this death with a modern day equivalent, it would be like having someone on death row only--- to be executed by the electric chair. It’s a horrify death reserved for the most sinful criminals. In the New Testament, nobody wore a fashionable gold cross around their neck because that would be like wearing an electric chair around ours.
So Jesus was killed in the most shameful way imaginable. Let’s say that was the end of the story. We turn to the last page and Jesus is dead. If that were true, we could all go home right now and order a pizza. Seriously, what would be the point in meeting together? Why would we pray to someone who is dead? Why would we be crazy enough to bear the name of a criminal? BUT, the story didn’t end that way! In fact, there is a strange turn of events.
DIVINE REVERSAL:
In verse 9, the subject of the story changes from Jesus to his Father. Jesus now takes the passive role and the Father takes the leading role. Point 1 in your outlines says, “God, the Father, initiates a ‘Divine Reversal’.” The Father sees the scandal involving his son and initiates a two-fold plan to reverse every false accusation against Jesus. The Father essentially overturns the world’s verdict.
Firstly, God elevates Jesus from the very lowest place to the very highest place. The world’s death sentence against Christ was reversed by God when he raised his son up from the grave. And, the honor bestowed upon Jesus was God’s outright rejection of the world’s judgment and shame. The world vilified Christ so the Father vindicated Christ.
Secondly, God gives Jesus the highest name. So what was this name? When we look throughout scriptures we see dozens of names ascribed to Jesus. Christ, Son of Man, Son of God, and Immanuel (just to name a few). So which name is above every name? Verses 10 and 11 reveal a bit more about this name. It is a name that will cause all knees to bow and will cause all tongues to confess that Jesus Christ is LORD! The name above every name is LORD. In the Greek language and culture, the word lord has special significance. The Caesar of the Roman Empire was called lord Caesar. Not because he had lots of political power, but because they believed he was divine. What’s also interesting about the word Lord is that it’s used within a passage that is adapted from Isaiah 45. Isaiah 45 is about the sovereignty and power of God. When Paul used this passage from Isaiah 45, along with the Greek word Lord, he was doing nothing less than ascribing full deity to Jesus. In contrast, the world slandered Jesus’ name and dug it into the ground. The Father rendered their slander null and void by bestowing his own name upon Jesus.
The Divine Reversal is truly an awesome act of the Father.
THE IMPLICATIONS:
From this passage we can find three implications.
1. Our obedience will be rewarded.
Our future reward from God is directly related to what we do in this age. Colossians 3:23-24 reads, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.”
2. Our sufferings will be vindicated.
We live in a world that has so much chaos and wrongdoing and injustice. We naturally and rightfully get upset when we’re wronged. When we see something that is dreadfully wrong we cry out to God saying, “How does THAT glorify you? Where is your justice? When will you make it right?”
This passage from Philippians 2 makes it abundantly clear that God has not overlooked our pain. God stooped down from heaven to become a man and then suffered more than any other human being. He shared in all of our sufferings and he deeply desires to make things right. In fact, he has appointed a time to deal with all of the wrong and to bring vindication and justice.
3. Bow down willingly or bow down grudgingly.
This passage makes it clear that there is coming a day when every knee will bow. If we bow down willingly in this age, we will experience everlasting life in the age to come. Those who do not humble themselves in this age will be forcefully brought under the authority of Jesus Christ and eternally separated in hell. This applies to all intelligible beings whether they are angels, demons, or humans. ALL knees will bow and ALL tongues will confess that JESUS IS LORD! 1 Corinthians 15 says that Christ will bring all enemies under his feet and that the last enemy to be destroyed is DEATH itself. There will be no more enemies and no more death when Jesus consummates his Kingdom.
ALTAR CALL:
1. Death of Loved One
Some of you experienced a recent death of a loved one. You’re still experiencing the pain of that loss, and some of you might even be angry with God.
2. Obedience
Some of you are struggling with obedience. Pride has gotten in the way of your relationships and God has been convicting you to humble yourself in those relationships.
3. Salvation
Some of you have not begun a relationship with Jesus yet and you’re feeling this strange stirring in your chest. God is working on your right now and we want you to come forward for prayer.
