Christ The Lord
Text: Philippians 2:5-11
Opening: If you lived on one particular part of the Florida coast during the last twenty-five or so years, you might well have witnessed this scene. The sun is setting like a gigantic orange ball. It’s a cool evening on a vacant, isolated stretch of beach. Water is lapping at the shore. A gentle breeze caresses your face. You notice an old man with curved shoulders, bushy eyebrows and bony features hobbling down the beach carrying a bucket. He carries the bucket to a pier that stretches out into the water. He stands there for awhile, looking into the air, when suddenly the seagulls begin to gather. They come from out of nowhere, seemingly just appearing in the sky. The man takes from out of the bucket handfuls of shrimp and tosses them onto the pier. The seagulls land all around and begin to eat the shrimp. Long after the shrimp are gone, the birds linger with their friend. Why does this scene play itself out week after week? Who is this man and why does he care about seagulls? The man, Eddie Rickenbacher, was the father of the nuclear navy and a WWII pilot. His plane, THE FLYING FORTRESS, went down in the ocean in 1942. He and his crew managed to climb aboard two rafts, but held out only slim hope of survival. They fought thirst, the sun and sharks for thirty days. Their rations last only eight. Rickenbacher, a devout Christian, wrote in his memoirs that even on the rafts the men would have a daily devotional and prayer time. One day following a time of worship, Eddie leaned back against the side of the raft, pulled his hat down and tried to sleep. Suddenly he felt something on his head and knew without looking that it was a seagull. But what would a seagull be doing hundreds of miles out to sea? The pilot knew that the seagull was their chance for survival. His friends on the other rafts who had noticed the seagull thought the same thing. No one moved. Quickly Rickenbacher grabbed the bird, and with thanksgiving to God, they ate the flesh together and used the other parts for fish bait. It saved their lives. He never forgot the visitor who came from a foreign place, the sacrificial guest. When he returned home, every week until he was not longer able, the retired pilot would make the walk to the pier with a bucket of shrimp to say thank you, thank you, thank you. Today, we remember the sacrifice of Christ and celebrate the joy of knowing that we have life in Him by saying praise you, praise you, praise you.
In His humility, Christ Jesus the Son of God, became a servant, made in the image of man for one purpose only…to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. That Friday must have been a very dreary and dismal day for His followers. Too afraid to publicly identify with Jesus, they fled and the left Him to die alone with the care of His body in the charge of some women. They anointed Him with spices and placed His body in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, who was himself a disciple. Nobody wanted anyone tampering with the body of Christ…not His followers (They wrapped His body in a clothe, placed it in a tomb and laid a 3000 pound stone in front of it.), not the Jews (They asked Pilate to send a Roman guard to secure the tomb lest Christ followers might steal the body and proclaim His resurrection) and certainly not the Romans (The last thing they needed was anyone walking around attempting to draw allegiance away from the emperor). But on the third day, some women discovered what we all now know…the tomb was empty, the power of God had been displayed in the resurrection and the cross gave way to a crown.
I. The Incarnation expresses the lowliness of Christ. See Phil. 2:5-9.
II. The Crucifixion expresses the love of Christ. See John 3:16; Romans. 5:8.
III. The Resurrection expresses the life of Christ. See 1 Corinthians 15:12ff.
IV. The Exaltation expresses the Lordship of Christ.
A. Christ has been exalted to the highest place. This marks the beginning of His reign as Lord of the universe. Though His exaltation eventually led Christ to the right hand of the Father (See Acts 5:31), the location of His exaltation should not be thought of in terms of a place, but in terms of position. Jesus was placed above all and given dominion over all. See Daniel 7:13,14.
1. When was Christ exalted? Following His death, burial and resurrection. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” He made this statement during the forty days that He walked the earth following His resurrection prior to His ascension. He had already been exalted to the role of king, although the full expression of His exaltation will take place at His return.
2. Why was Christ exalted? The word ‘therefore’ is the key to understanding this. Because He humbled Himself in becoming a man, and offering Himself as a sacrifice for our sin. His humiliation climaxed with a most shameful death…on a cross, in obedience to the Father. See Matthew 23:12.
3. How was Christ exalted? It’s interesting that Paul presents a contrast between Christ’s humiliation and His exaltation. Jesus humbled himself, but it was the Father that exalted Him. This was precisely the request that Christ made in John 17:1-5.
Illus: Jesus was exalted to the highest place after His resurrection…Lord of all. Try as one might, no one will ever reduce Him to the status of a mere man. Two unbelievers sat talking one day at a railroad station about Christ. One of them said, “I think an interesting romance could be written about Him.” The other responded, “Yeah, and you’re just the guy to do it. Set people straight about who He really was – a man among men.” The suggestion was taken and the romance was written. The man who made the suggestion was a gentleman named Colonel Ingersoll. The other a writer named General Lew Wallace. The book was named “Ben Hur.” In the process of writing it, Mr. Wallace found great difficulty in reducing Christ’s life to that of a mere man. As he studied His life and character, General Wallace became convinced that Jesus was much more than a man among men; until finally, like the centurion under the cross, he was compelled to cry out, “Surely this is the Son of God.”
B. Christ has been exalted by being given the name above all names. The name referred to is not “Jesus”, but “Lord”. See Isaiah 45:22-25. In this passage, it is the title “Lord” that is associated with the one to whom everyone will be in subjection.
1. Because Christ is Lord, every knee will bow to Him. The NIV translates it ‘should’ suggesting that the bowing of every knee is the intended result. A better translation would be to say ‘shall or will’ because the bending of our knees is the actual result. Every created being will bow in subjection to Christ at His 2nd coming.
a. All those in heaven. Angels who perform works of service for God including those who announced His birth, resurrection and return.
b. All those on earth. All of mankind, including those still in rebellion to God.
c. All those under the earth. Could refer to those who have died without Christ as well as demonic beings who despise God.
2. Because Christ is Lord, every tongue will confess Him. The word means to ‘acknowledge or agree fully’ that He is Lord, the Hebrew equivalent of “Yahweh,” the name given to God. He has the right to rule as the exalted One of God. Some will do this gladly from the heart, others will confess against their wills because they cannot resist. In our confessions, God will be glorified. The Lordship of Christ will always lead to the glory of God. See Romans 15:7-13.
Appeal to everyone to bow their knees and confess with their tongues today that Christ is Lord.
Closing: Rev. E. P. Scott, a missionary to India tells of a time when he was trying to reach a savage tribe in the Indian subcontinent. Ignoring the pleadings of his friends, he set off in dangerous territory. Several days later he met a large party of warriors who surrounded him and pointed their spears dangerously close to his heart. Expecting to die at any moment, Rev. Scott took out his violin, breathed a prayer, closed his eyes and began to sing, “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” When he reached the words, “Let every kindred, every tribe on this terrestrial ball, to whom all majesty ascribe and crown Him Lord of all,” he opened his eyes. There stood the warriors, some with tears in their eyes, every spear lowered. Rev. Scott spent the next two years sharing the love of Christ with that tribe.
