WHO JESUS WAS AND IS (PART 4)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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 acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What are the benefits associated with humility?

Consider these verses from the scriptures:

The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4 ESV

Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor. Proverbs 15:33

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you. James 4:10 ESV

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you. 1 Peter 5:6 ESV

And from the very mouth of Jesus Himself:

“...those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Matthew 23:12, Luke 14:11

The scriptures make it clear that humility will be honored and rewarded richly by God.

Why go into this when we are learning about who Jesus was and is?

Because as we conclude this series today, we once again see a validation of the word of God and how so many of the promises and assurances culminate in Christ. Look at verses 9 through 11 from Philippians, chapter 2:

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 acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In the three prior messages, we have seen how Jesus displayed perfect humility in the way He lived. He was one with God and yet didn’t consider this equality as an opportunity to gain advantage (v. 7). Rather, He willingly chose to make Himself nothing and assume the “very nature of a servant” (v. 7), hardly something that would be expected from the One who was the Son of the God Most High. Finally, Jesus humbled Himself and became obedient to His Father’s will to the point where He would suffer death by crucifixion on a cross (v. 8).

Let’s apply this to the scriptures we looked at earlier through two questions and answers:

Did Jesus show humility and respect (what fear translates to) toward the Lord?

Yes and therefore He was deserving of “riches and honor and life”.  

Did Jesus humble Himself before His Father God?

Yes and thus He was warranted exaltation.

Indeed, Jesus deserved to be awarded for the way He lived His life, perfectly carrying out the will of His Father to bear the sins of all mankind and pave the way to salvation for anyone who would place their belief and trust in Him. And as we see in our passage for today from Philippians, chapter 2, God delivered.

Jesus humbled Himself and so His Father God “exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name”. God honored His Son’s humility by placing Him in full authority over everything “in heaven and on earth and under the earth”. Jesus said so Himself right before He delivered His Great Commission to His disciples.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” Matthew 28:18

Now sitting at the right hand of God, Jesus reigns and rules over all creation. He is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. Everything in heaven and on earth is subordinate to Him. At the very name of Jesus, “every knee should bow” and “every tongue” confess that Christ is Lord “to the glory of God the Father”.

Jesus humbled Himself, sacrificing His humanity and life for the good of others. Although fully God, He surrendered Himself to suffer and die in the place of all sinners.

But death wasn’t the end for Jesus anymore than it will be for anyone today who chooses to humble themselves and surrender their lives to His will and way. For God exalts the humble and brings them honor and riches and life. He did it for His Son and He wants to do it to every person who places their belief in Jesus as Savior.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com