Long Live The King
Philippians 2:5-11
On January 20th 1936, King George V of England died... he was succeeded by his son who then became King Edward VIII.When King George died the people proclaimed "The king is dead; long live the king!" They chanted this because, though one king had died, another king ascended to the throne to take his place.
Almost 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ stood before Pilot and was condemned to die. He was brutally beaten & scourged. He was stripped of His clothes and they cast lots for His vesture. A Roman soldier in a shameful gambling game won that bloodstained garment that had clothed the King. After this they covered Jesus with a scarlet robe. Someone formed a crown of thorns and they violently shoved it into His brow. They placed a reed in his right hand and mockingly bowed before him saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Then He ascended a hill called Golgotha carrying an old wooden Cross. There they nailed Him to that cross. Long spikes were driven through His precious hands and feet. Above His head was a placard that read " THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS"
A great crowd of people gathered to watch these horrific sights. Those that passed by despised him. They wagged their heads and said "if you are truly the Son of God save yourself, come off of that cross! The chief priests mocked him, The crowd ridiculed Him. The soldiers blasphemed His name. The scribes and elders said "If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God."
As Jesus hung there suffering for the sins of the world...This crowd blasphemously cried "hail, the King of the Jews". Sadly, these people did not know the truth they were speaking. They did not realize that there will come a day when they see Him for Who He Is! They did not know that some time in the future they will humbly bow and worship Him.
The Bible says that "every knee will bow and every tongue will confess". Though they mocked Him then, the day is coming when they will proclaim "LONG LIVE THE KING"!
My friend you may reject Him now. But one day you too will bow and you will confess that JESUS IS LORD!! I would like to consider that fact today and preach on the thought "LONG LIVE THE KING!!"
We know that Jesus is our Savior, He is our Friend, He is our Lord And He is our King. But not only is He our Lord and King... Revelation 19:16 says that He is KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS! This is not some future position that He will eventually attain, this is an honor that He already possesses! In Revelation 1:8 Jesus said to John - "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."
In John 15:13 Jesus called us His friends. What an honor it is to be called the friend of the King. How awesome is it to know that what He did, He did for us! I would like to take some time and examine what the King did for us. Look with me to Philippians 2:5-8 as we consider:
I. The Work Of The King - The true King died on a Hill called Calvary. They placed his body in a borrowed tomb. His enemies proclaimed that He was dead. But 3 days later He rose in victory and today I can boldly say "The King Is Alive...LONG LIVE THE KING!!" As we consider His work we see that:
A. His Work Was Supernatural - - v5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
In the beginning God made man in His image (Genesis 1:26). When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, God made Himself in man’s image! He left the glories of Heaven and took on a robe of flesh. Jesus "made Himself of no reputation", this literally means “to empty”. Jesus voluntarily laid aside some of His divine attributes when He came into this world. He "took upon Him the form of a servant"
For all appearances, Jesus would have passed for a slave. - Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Though He was God, Jesus was born as a man, lived as a man, suffered as a man and died as a man. If Jesus had come as a rich ruler we would not be able to relate to Him. But He came in a manner where He could identify with us. - Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Jesus experienced pain and comfort, He experienced grief and joy, He experienced loneliness and friendship. He experienced peace and turmoil... He laughed and He cried. Our King knows what it is to be tempted. But even though He faced that temptation, He remained sinless! Jesus was God and Jesus was man! That is a supernatural work that we have a hard time comprehending, but it is true nonetheless.
Not only was our King's work supernatural...
B. His Work Was Sacrificial - v8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Though He was God Jesus willingly became obedient unto death. Jesus was not killed! He willingly laid down His life for you, for me and for the sins of the world. The "resurrection and the Life" humbled Himself unto death. Jesus went to the cruel cross of Calvary and died. He endured this death so that we might live! Paul says Jesus "became obedient unto death... even the death of the cross."
Jesus did not just die. He subjected Himself to the most horrific death in the history of the world. This was the plan from the beginning. John the Baptist realized this when he saw Jesus coming forth and he proclaimed "Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world". Jesus Himself proclaimed that this is why He came. (Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.)
There was no way for us to be redeemed apart from the redeemer. Jesus' shed His blood to do what we could not do.
"I never could quite understand"
"why a King would leave His throne"
"To dawn the robe of an earthly man"
"and feel the pain of flesh and bone"
"Then to later trod that lonely path"
"That lead to Calvary"
"But those blood red stains broke all my chains"
"So that I could still go free"
(Hinsons - That I Could Still Go Free Lyrics | MetroLyrics)
Our King gave His life so that we could be freed from the bondage of sin. His work was supernatural, it was sacrificial and we also see that:
C. His Work Was Sufficient - Nothing but the blood of Jesus was sufficient to cleanse us from our sins. When Jesus shed His sinless blood on Calvary God accepted His sacrifice. One of the greatest proofs that God accepted Christ's sacrifice was the resurrection. When those women and those Apostles approached the tomb that day and found that there was nothing left except for the grave clothes, they saw first hand the proof that Christ's work was sufficient. Jesus was raised to assure us that His sacrifice was enough! And Because of the finished work of the King we can be saved from our sins.
All of Christianity hinges on the reality of the Resurrection. Consider what Paul says in - I Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
He is risen! and His work is sufficient! Not only do these verses mention The Work Of The King, we also see:
II. The Worth Of The King - v9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
God has “highly exalted” Jesus. This means to “raise to the utmost of majesty”. Jesus humbled Himself and took on a robe of human flesh. Now we see that God has elevated Him to the place of highest honor. God has given His Son a name that possesses dignity and majesty superior to every creature and any other name.
Gabriel appeared to Mary and said unto her, "Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." (Luke 1:30-33)
This name was handpicked by God Himself. Jesus means, "Jehovah Is Salvation", This name reveals Christ's mission and His accomplishment! This name is a powerful saving name! (Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.)This name is a life changing name!
At The Name Of Jesus...Lives have been altered; Fevered brows have cooled; Blinded eyes have opened; Deaf ears have unstopped; Sin's shackles have fallen away; Night has turned to day; Defeat has been swallowed up in the jaws of victory; Hope has replaced hopelessness; Dead men have come to life; Lost men have been found; Devils have trembled; Sinners have broken; Saints have shouted; Angels have bowed.- (Source: http://www.sermonnotebook.org/new%20testament/Philippians%202_5-11.htm)
The name of Jesus truly is "a name which is above every name". Now that we have seen "The Work of the King" and "The Worth of the King", finally I would like to examine.
III. The Worship Of The King - v10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus truly is worthy of worship, praise, honor and glory! Notice in verse 10:
A. His Worship Is Described - "Every knee should bow... every tongue should confess"
This is the proper response when encountering the name of Jesus. This verse calls on every being in the universe to recognize His position. We should humble ourselves at the name of Jesus.
Many of you have willingly surrendered your lives to Him. You have bowed in humble obedience and acknowledged who He is! You have surrendered all to Christ! But there are some of you who continue to reject Him. I am here to tell you that eventually you will bow! All will bow one day!! Consider:
B. His Worship Is Demanded - v10 at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Paul echoes this in - Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
God is the one Who declares that Jesus is Lord! If you are born again... then Jesus is Lord of your life! He is Lord... He is master... He is ruler... HE IS SUPREME IN AUTHORITY! Because of His position, He deserves all of our time, talents and treasure! Because of His work and worth He deserves our WORSHIP!! Because He is Lord He should have first place in our lives! We should love Him, serve Him, worship Him, praise Him and obey Him. Not just a couple of times a year... not even a few times a week, We should give Him all that He deserves each and every day of our lives!!
Maybe you are here and you have never surrendered to Jesus. Perhaps you do not have a personal relationship with Him. Maybe you have continuously rejected His offer of salvation. You may even profess that you do not believe in Him. My friend, one day you will stand before Him in Judgment. And there is coming a day when you will humbly bow before Him and confess that He is Lord! One day you will proclaim...LONG LIVE THE KING!!
If you wait until then to bow and confess, it will be too late! But I have good news... we are still living in a day of grace. You have the opportunity to bow and confess that He is Lord and receive everlasting life. Humble yourself at His feet, confess your sins before Him, call upon the name of Christ and surrender to the Lord. If you will do this... you will be saved!
Jesus paid it all. He did what we could not do. He was victorious over death Hell and the grave. He is our hope...He is our Rock...He is our defender and He is our salvation. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He will rule and reign throughout eternity.
I am glad to know that I will be with Him! I am thankful for His sacrifice. I am thankful for His offer of salvation. And because of this, I say LONG LIVE THE KING!!
