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.
ISAIAH 53:1-3 (p. 511)
The message God wanted revealed? He grew up tender, He was raised like a root in rock hard dirt. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him. NOTHING in His appearance that we should desire Him.
No physical beauty. Nothing in His appearance that would draw us to Him.
[SHOW JESUS PICTURE]
[I have this picture in my office. It’s amazing and I love it. It’s the copy of a Korean article who took the words of John’s gospel and with different shadings of the words – made a picture of Jesus. “The Word became flesh.” What I don’t like is Jesus looks like Brad Pitt. I don’t know what Jesus looked like but we all are tempted to make Him handsome, so He’s more attractive.
Jesus was attractive. But, not to those who loved appearances. His attraction came from the heart. God’s heart as He lifted ups “condemned women in the dirt.” As He loved short tax collectors and changed their priorities. As He touched lepers, raised widow’s sons and shared His heart, life and ministry with fishermen, tax collectors, zealots and skeptics.
How did Jesus describe Himself? He did it in only one place, Matthew 11:29. “I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.”
“His own” expected a Conquering Hero, like David over the Philistines. Maybe who looked like Saul. Head and shoulders taller than everyone else.
What they got was a “courageous physician that walked into a disease infected world with a cure for the disease.”
He came from Heaven to Earth,
II. BECAUSE THE WORLD WAS DYING
Sin only has 1 conclusion. It’s not a pretty conclusion, or a happy ending. Listen, it doesn’t matter if you’re an Israelite or a gentile.
ROMANS 3:9-20 (p. 783)
A few verses later it says “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (v. 24) Romans 6:23 says “The wages of sin are death.”
Sin has 1 conclusion...Death.
Whether you were born under the old covenant or whether you were born after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah, you will die because of sin. All creation is dying because of sin. The world is dying. Romans 8 says “creation is held in bondage to decay.”
Like a physical body is destroyed by cancer, like my dad’s. The world is destroyed by the decay of sin.
So, there was only 1 answer. 1 remedy for this decay.
II. GOD BECAME A MAN WHO PAID THE PENALTY OF DEATH
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:17)
On Sept. 13, 1983 I learned more about God’s love than the first 23 years of my life and the last 30. I had a son. Kari and I named him Richard Allen Burdette II (Ricky). He was 7 lbs and 6 oz and 19 inches long. And from the moment on my heart fell at God’s feet in new found appreciation. His son. I don’t love anyone enough to give my sons (or my daughters, or my grandchildren).
[SHOW PICTURE OF RICKY]
No one took Jesus’ life. He had the power to stop it at any moment, 10,000 angels, the army of God, No contest between them and a few Roman Centurians.
He wasn’t murdered. It had to happen. Jesus gave His life. God gave His son. The perfect Abraham, the perfect Isaac, the perfect sacrifice, not on Mt. Moriah, but the Lamb of God takes away the sins of all mankind on Mount Calvary!
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)
Listen:
JOHN 10:17-18 (p. 748)
What should absolutely amaze us is He didn’t just die for His friends, He died for everyone. Every hateful, evil, spitting, crucifying person on earth. He didn’t just die for Peter, Andrew, James and John. He died for Hitler, Ted Bundy and Charles Manson.
You say what???? No he didn’t!!!! and God’s word says:
ROMANS 5:6-8 (p. 785)
Jesus didn’t just pay the penalty for some sin, or most sin. Jesus paid the penalty for ALL sin. For those who live fairly moral lives and the most horrendous sinners of all time, including me and the Apostle Paul who said he was the “worst” ever.
Here’s what matters. When God calls you, knocks on your heart’s door, and His Holy Spirit shows you your sin, and also the amazing love and grace of a Savior, what do you do? Or what have you done with that?
Do you surrender, give up control, bow before the King who died for His people and then conquered the greatest enemy, death, by rising again?
Do you live a life acknowledging this truth, Jesus is worthy of everything I have. I bow before Him, I confess His Lordship over my life, my family, my all. Gratitude for my salvation pours out of my soul as I give glory to God, here, now, on earth.
Because one day, Jesus is going to return, the Father will say, “It’s time” and Jesus will break through the Eastern sky, and His name will be written on His thigh “King of Kings, Lord of Lords.”
And every knee will bow, EVERY KNEE. Some in worship, some in fear, every spiritual creation, on earth, in Heaven and under the earth will speak the truth, CHRIST IS LORD. This all encompassing powerful reality will come from every tongue, because faith has become reality. Truth has been revealed to those who believed Satan’s lies, and each person will determine if those words are spoken in fear of judgment or thanksgiving for salvation, with what they’ve done with Jesus in their lives.
God provided the perfect blood transfusion for us to live!
From Daily Encounter comes this story by a Chaplain Robinson:
“In 1949, my father had just returned from the war. On every highway you could see soldiers in uniform hitchhiking home to their families. The thrill of the reunion with his family was soon overshadowed by my grandmother’s illness. There was a problem with her kidneys. The doctors told my father that she needed a blood transfusion immediately or she would not live through the night.
Grandmother’s blood type was AB negative, a very rare type. In those days there were no blood banks like there are today. No one in the family had that type blood and the hospital had not been able to find anyone with that rare type. The Doctor gave our family little hope. My Dad decided to head home for a while to change clothes and then return for the inevitable good-byes.
As my father was driving home he passed a soldier in uniform hitchhiking. Deep in grief, my father was not going to stop. But something compelled him to pull over. The soldier climbed in but my father never spoke. He just continued driving down the road towards home. The soldier could tell my father was upset as a tear ran down his cheek.
The soldier asked about the tear. My father began telling the stranger that his mother was going to die because the hospital couldn’t find anyone who could donate AB negative blood. My father explained that he was just heading home to change clothes. That is when he noticed the soldier’s open hand holding dog tags that read AB negative. The soldier told my father to turn the car around and head back to the hospital.
My grandmother lived until 1996, 47 more years. To this day my family doesn’t know the name of that soldier. My father wonders if that stranger really was a soldier or if he was an angel in uniform.”
Jesus’ blood was the only remedy for our disease. We were dying, all of us, until God provided the perfect transfusion, atonement in JESUS, a name above all names
