“Every Knee Shall Bow”
Philippians 2:1-11
A day is coming that will be unlike any other day in world history. Philippians 2:10-11, “At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of god the Father.”
In Biblical History today is the beginning of Holy Week. Today we celebrate the Triumphant Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Monday Jesus cleansed the temple. Tuesday Jesus gave teachings and parables on God’s Kingdom. Wednesday Jesus spent a quiet day in Bethany. Thursday was given to preparation for the Passover and the Lord’s Supper in the upper room. At the end of the day Jesus was betrayed and arrested. Friday Jesus stood trail first before the Sanhedrin and then before Pilate in a Roman trail. Jesus was then hung on a cross between two thieves and was crucified. Saturday his body was put in a carved out cave tomb and Sunday Jesus rose from the Dead.
I. Jesus Is More Than a Super Star.
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Phil. 2:5-7
On that first Palm Sunday Jesus was looked upon by many as a superstar, one that would come and set up an earthly reign and bring peace. All four Gospels record the Triumphant Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem Matthew 21:8-9, “A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”
Today many people view Jesus like a Super Star. They see Jesus facing the “devil” and saying like Arnold Swartzenager – “I’ll Be Back!” ( I had a telephone call from Arnold Swartzenager asking me to vote for his candidate.) Or like Clint Eastwood with a face of steel saying, “Make My Day!” Then like Superman Jesus takes the devil and flings him out into space in an orbit around the Sun.
There are those that view Palm Sunday and see Jesus coming into Jerusalem riding on a blazing white stallion and kicking up a cloud of dust as Jesus rode along. He was looking for trouble. The people that he passed on his way were in awe of such a beautiful animal but they were even more awestruck by the man who was riding it. As Jesus passed by, you could hear the people say, "Who was that masked man?"
There were bad guys on the loose and Jesus had a job to do. As he rode into Jerusalem he quickly sized up the situation and formed a plan to capture the ring-leader of the trouble makers. His name was Diablo or Satan. There was a short scuffle and Jesus won handily over Diablo. He hog-tied the devil and threw him in jail.
As a large crowd of people gathered to see what the commotion was all about, Jesus mounted his horse and pulled on the reigns. The stallion stood on its hind legs, neighed loudly, and pawed the air with its front legs. When it stood as tall as it could stand, Jesus leaned forward in the saddle. Holding the reigns with one hand while lifting his white hat in the air with the other, He shouted with a loud voice, As Jesus road off into the sunset, you could hear the William Tell Overture in the background. “Du du du, du du dun dun dunt. Du, du, du, du, du dun dun dun.”
Matthew 4 the Devil tried to make Jesus into a super star. Jesus has fasted and prayed for 40 days and nights in the wilderness. The devil tempted him to turn stones into bread. Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God.” Satan then tempted Jesus jump from a high mountain and float down on angel wings or just jump like a six-million dollar man. If you can do that you will become famous.” Jesus refused and said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Then Satan showed Jesus his vast territory of the kingdoms of this world and all its beauty and splendor. “Fall down and worship me and all these will be yours.” Jesus said, “Away from me, Satan, for it is written: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”
Jesus did not come as a superstar. Phil. 2:6-7, “Jesus, being in the very nature of God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant.”
Jesus became man in human flesh and blood. Jesus humbled himself and during his earthly ministry lived totally as man. Hebrews 4:15 says: “Jesus was tempted in every point like we are, yet without sin.” Jesus came as a servant and a slave. Jesus did not seek popularity. To all he healed he said, “Don’t tell anybody.” Jesus didn’t want people to follow him because of his good works. Jesus wanted people to follow him out of a heart of love and willingly obey his teachings and God’s commandments.
II. Jesus Came to Earth On a Mission of Mercy
“Jesus humbled himself (gave up his place of sovereignty in heaven) and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.” Phil. 2:7-8
Built into the very human nature of man is the passion for upward mobility…from employee to executive, to President to CEO and major stockholder.
Jesus came with a mission of downward mobility. Jesus said he came not to be served but to serve and minister to others. Jesus came in humility. Jesus clothed himself with a human body and lived and died as a human person – totally man yet totally God while on earth limited to the feelings and emotions and pains of a human being.
Jesus came in obedience. Jesus did not come with his own life plan in mind. Jesus came in obedience to God the Father to provide salvation for all human kind.
Jesus came in self-renunciation. Jesus did not come to exalt himself. Jesus probably would not win a beauty contest. Isaiah 53:2-3 says, “… He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hid their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
What did Jesus look like? From Scripture and early Church Fathers writings they wrote that He had a kind and compassionate face, there was an overpowering dignity in his appearance, and He had a strong voice. Tradition has Jesus resembling his mother, with an olive complexion and a look expressive of nobility and wisdom.
A German artist, L. Fahrenkrog believed that Jesus never wore a beard and his hair was closely cut. He notes that pictures of Jesus found in the Roman catacombs picture Jesus without a beard. Jesus was from Nazareth, but he was not a Nazirite, a person that took a vow to not cut their hair. Vollmer in his book, The Modern Students Life of Christ describes Jesus this way after researching early church writings: “Jesus was of medium height, olive complexion, closely cut hair, no beard, bright eyes, Jewish facial lines, gracious expression, perfect health, and dignified appearance.
Jesus won the hearts of people, not by overpowering them with magic or manipulation. Jesus won the hearts of men by showing them love, a life of self-sacrifice and self-renunciation. When people understand the sacrifice Jesus did on the cross their hearts are melted and moved to follow Jesus.
A story in the Denver Post came out in 1958 that illustrates self-less love.
June 7, 1958 the Air National Guard’s jet precision team was performing outside of Dayton, Ohio. Five precision flyers made up the Minute Men team. Colonel Walt Williams was the leader of the Denver-based F-86 Sabre-jet team. The planes made a low pass over the crowd and then went straight up into four directions with colorful smoke leaving a trail that formed a large “flower burst” maneuver.
Colonel Williams turned his Sabre jet hard and dropped the nose of his F-86 to pick up speed for a low-altitude crossover maneuver. Then, glancing back over his shoulder, he froze in terror. Far across the sky to the east, Captain John Ferrier’s plan was rolling out of control. He was in trouble. His plane was healing for the small town of Fairborn, Ohio located close to the air show.
Steering his jet in the direction of the crippled plane Colonel Williams radioed his command, “bail out, bail out now Johnny?”
Each time, Williams was answered only by a blip of smoke. John Ferrier couldn’t reach the mike button on the throttle because both hands were tugging on a control stick locked in full-throw right. But the smoke button was on the stick, so he was answering the only way he could – squeezing it to tell Walt that he thought he could keep his plane under enough control to avoid crashing into the houses of Fairborn.
Suddenly an explosion shook the earth. Captain John T Ferrier’s Sabre jet had hit the ground midway between four houses, a backyard garden. It was the only place he cold have crashed without killing people.
Major Win Coomer, a close friend and Minute Man Team member landed his jet and rushed to the crash scene. A neighbor was standing near the crash site said: “A bunch of us were standing together, watching the show, when the pilot started to roll, he was headed straight for us. For a second, we looked right at each other. Then he pulled up right over us and put it in there.” And in deep humility the man whispered, “this man died for us.”
When we look at the cross of Calvary we have to say, “Jesus died for me.”
Jesus said he came to seek and to save the lost. “Even while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
When we look at the Cross we sing out praise to God for His love.
“Alas and did my Savior bleed? And did my Sov’reign die? Would He devote that sacred head fro sinners such as I!
“See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down; Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown.”
“Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul my all.”
Jesus came as a humble servant on a mission of mercy to take on Himself your sins and mine and provide a way of salvation.
The Gospel message is simple, Jesus was born, He lived, He died, He rose again and He is coming again.
III. Jesus is Coming as King of kings and Lord of lords.
A future day is coming when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”
Philippians 2:9-10, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
When Jesus came over 2000 years ago Jesus came as a humble servant. When Jesus returns in his Second Coming he will come as an Almighty Judge and King of kings and Lord of Lords. When Jesus comes He will usher in the visible Kingdom of God.
Revelation 19:6 foretells the second coming of Christ. A great choir from the throne in heaven sings forth a song proclaiming the coming and triumphant reign of Christ:
“…Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!”
On that great and grand day the entire world will recognize that Jesus Christ is Sovereign and Almighty King of kings and Lord of lords. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God. The confession will be made by two different groups of people.
One group will confess by merely acknowledging Jesus is Lord. They confess with their mouth, admitting and agreeing that Yes Jesus is the Messiah. Yes, Jesus was who He said he was. Jesus is God creator of the universe. Jesus is the Only Way to God. Jesus is Truth and the Life.
Confession will be made more with awe and wonder than from the hearts of the first group. Many will make confession with regret and bitterness. “Why did I doubt?” “I thought about believing.” “Why didn’t I believe?” “Why didn’t I become a follower of Jesus?”
Every kneed shall bow – from every nation in the world, every tongue confess, in every language – a chorus will be heard around the world, “Jesus Christ is Lord.”
The second group will include all the loyal followers of Jesus. For the Christian that Dramatic Day will be a time of worship and adoration. “The Christian will bow and worship and prayer and confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God. The name of Jesus will be spoken with reverence and respect unlike many who speak the name of Jesus as a curse word and as a word to use when angry.
When Jesus Christ returns, “the kingdoms of this world [will] become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15). Satan’s world, built on a foundation of lies and deception, will come crashing down, replaced by the Kingdom of truth and light.
Jesus did not come as a superstar. He came on a mission of mercy. He humbled Himself and was obedient even to death on the cross. Jesus is coming again and will come as King of kings and Lord of lords. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God.
Romans 10:9-10 is the basic confession to becoming a Christian and follower of Jesus: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
Commitment in Prayer:
Through prayer you can invite Jesus to come into your heart and life and because your Lord and Savior. You can pray:
Dear Lord Jesus,
I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. Forgive me of my sins. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior.
In Jesus’ name. Amen
Chorus:
He is Lord, He is Lord! He is risen from the dead and He is Lord! Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
