Philippians 2:9-13To: Philippians Main MenuTo: Grace Notes Home Page Philippians 2:9"Therefore God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name"Verses 2:5-8 set forth the descent of the Lord Jesus. Verses 2:9-11 present his ascent. This is not his ascension but his ascent in the minds of both God and man. Jesus went from the highest point imaginable, the "form of God" (the essence of God) to the lowest place conceivable, the "death of the cross." "Therefore"Every time we see a "therefore" we should look to see what it is there for! Because of the humiliation of Christ in incarnation and cross, God will exalt him. Jesus did not stay on the cross. He is in glory; he escaped the tomb. Most of the founders of religion are dead and buried but not the Lord Jesus. He is alive today. If you want to start a religion today all you have to do is die, be buried and rise again! Obviously the Lord Jesus is the unique Savior of the universe. He took the round trip from heaven to earth and back again. "God also has highly exalted him"To exalt him is one thing, to "highly" exalt him is another. The Lord Jesus towers with towering superiority over anyone else. He is the great Unlike, the single Son of God. He is the quintessence of exaltation. Jesus is the center of worship in God's mind: "Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:31). Worship must have content. To worship out of an emotional vacuum does not honor the Lord. He is to be worshiped for something. Jesus went from the heights of heaven to the depths of death for us. Much of today's music is without substance. The lyrics lack content. On the other hand, some music today focuses our attention on the Lord in ways the old hymns wanted. In any case, true worship involves worshipping the Lord for something. PRINCIPLE: Worship requires content. APPLICATION: Jesus is the basis of true worship. The way we can measure whether we are truly worshipping is to take note of the content of our worship. Music that does not focus on some content such as the incarnation, death, ascension, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus is merely emotional vacuum. When someone calls us a "name" they place a label upon us. Usually in our culture this has a bad implication. However, in this passage God gives a name to the Lord Jesus. God is placing a label upon the Lord Jesus, an exalted label. "and given him the name"God gave Jesus a unique name; he set him apart from any other name. Jesus is the great Unlike; he is totally unique because he stepped foot out of heaven and came to earth to die and rise again because of our sin. The word "name" is equivalent to character. Character is beyond reputation. A person might have a good reputation but not have integrity. A name spells out who and what a person is. Becoming a Christian has to do with Jesus' name, "...to those who believe in his name" (John 1:12), "...because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (3:18). "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Prayer is to be executed in Jesus' name, "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:13,14). God has labeled Jesus and we are identified with his exalted position. This identification is not because of who we are but because of who he is. Our association with Jesus gives us prerogative with God. "which is above every name"God has placed him in rank above everyone and everything else. In God the Father's estimation, his identity is above all else. Jesus has been given the unique name above all else. His name is set apart from all others. His character is totally unique. PRINCIPLE: We possess a uniqueness in God's eyes because of the esteem he holds for his Son. We have a unique identity. APPLICATION: To not appreciate who we are in Christ is to diminish what Jesus did for us. We have value because of our association with him. The reason we do not recognize the worth of Christ is that we do not appreciate who he is and what he did. God the Father, however, saw the value of what he did and highly exalted him. Philippians 2:10"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth"Since Christ has been exalted the nature of worship has been changed. All worship focuses on Jesus Christ. "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow"Not "at" but "in" the name of Jesus. This is not mere genuflection. This is reverent worship. Jesus is the object of our worship. Note the word "every" in "every knee should bow." This is universal subjugation, not universal salvation. The Bible teaches that one day every individual will face the Lord Jesus. When that happens every knee will bow in acknowledgement of his Lordship. They will acknowledge him as King Jesus. They will concede to his right of sovereignty. The word "that" introduces a purpose clause. Christ is glorified for a purpose--that all creatures might worship him, both angelic and human. "Of those in heaven" means angels and people who have gone to heaven. "Those on earth" refers to human beings who are alive in time. "Those under the earth" probably refers to fallen angels. PRINCIPLE: Jesus has the right of absolute sovereignty over our lives. APPLICATION: In view of the fact that we will one day concede to his sovereignty why not begin now? If you are not a Christian there be a day where you will see his sovereignty and rights in clear light. If you are a Christian with a rebellion in your heart, why not submit that area of your life to him now? Philippians 2:11"And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father."For the third time in three verses the word "every" occurs: "every name," "every knee," and now "every tongue." The issue in Jesus' glorification is not his Saviorhood but his Lordship. Jesus has the rights to my life; he is my Master. "and that every tongue should confess""Confess" means to acknowledge a debt owed. The word "confess" here is intense and it means to "confess out." This is an out and out consent, to consent fully. God wants us to acknowledge openly, that is, publicly that Jesus is Lord. All of creation at one point will give an out and out acknowledgement of the right of Jesus to be Lord. This worship will be with the tongue. We need to verbalize our praise and worship. The tongue expresses our heart and thoughts of the Lord Jesus. "that Jesus Christ is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father."When we acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus we glorify the Father. We contribute to the glory of God when we confess Jesus as our Lord. We should consult our Lord whether we should do something. "I don't know whether I should do this or not, I will check with the Lord." Most of us check with our husband or wife about the course of our lives. Should be do less with the Sovereign Lord of the universe? PRINCIPLE: When we acknowledge the Lordship of Christ we glorify God. APPLICATION: There is no one as worthy as the Lord of glory. He merits everything we have before God; the best is none too good for him. If we commit ourselves to the Lordship of Christ, it will save us untold grief. It will bring blessing to our lives. But most of all it will bring delight to the heart of God. It will glorify God the Father because he decreed the plan to send Jesus to save us from past, present and future sin. God did the doing so God gets the glory. Philippians 2:12"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling"The Philippian church was one of the best churches in the New Testament but they were not without their problems. They had an ongoing personality conflict. Two women were holding an ongoing feud. People began to support one or the other; the church began to polarize into two groups. As a result the whole church was taking sides. The church found itself in a very vexatious situation. "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed"The "therefore" connects these verses with verses 8-11. This word acts like a hinge which connects the Philippians to Christ. Christ gave himself in humility, even the humility of a criminal's death. The whole point of the illustration of Christ is to show the Philippians true humility. The "therefore" draws an inference from the example of Christ. They are to keep their motivation for their relationships with Christ in view. "My beloved" indicates that Paul is using sensitive language. This expression also reminded them of their love for the apostle. Paul is not angry; he is grieved. It broke his heart to think that a church he founded was about ready to split. They were not sharing Christ, they were not sending out missionaries. They were more concerned with who was right. Their only concern was to determine who was right, Euodias or Syntyche. "Which side are you on?" The church reduced to taking pot shots at one another. "As you have always obeyed" means that in the past they were obedient to Paul's authority when he challenged them to change. "not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence"Paul could not come to Philippi; he was in jail. Paul no doubt wished he could come and sit down with Euodias and Syntyche and work out their differences with them. He hopes that they will respond to his authority now that he is absent. That is, that they will obey God's Word, the book of Philippians. PRINCIPLE: In tense relationships God's Word needs to be applied to one's life independently of people. APPLICATION: Are you contributing to a schism in a local church? Is having your own way more important than the progress of the gospel? Are you willing to let the Word of God so grip you as to not allow your relationships to deteriorate? The Bible presents three kinds of salvation: the initial salvation from the penalty of sin, progressive salvation from the power of sin and ultimate salvation from the presence of sin. Here we have the second of the three, salvation of a church from sin in its midst. This is the salvation of the church's ministry due to division. "work out your own salvation"Paul is saying here, "I cannot get out of jail at this time so you must work out the salvation of the church from this church split." "Salvation" here is the corporate salvation of the church at Philippi. This is salvation from division, pride and selfishness. "Work out" has the idea of bringing to completion, to a conclusion. Paul is saying, "don't stop half way when it comes to divisions in the church. Clean it up." Everyone was displaying their sin capacity: "I think that Euodias is right." "Well, I think Syntyche is right!" The church took the lid off the garbage can. It was an ugly scene. They were not winning people to Christ; they were operating a religious debating society to determine who was right. Notice that nothing is said of working for your salvation. There is not one line in the Bible to support that. "with fear and trembling"This phrase means "don't attack the problem heavy handed." If they use the heavy hand approach it will split the church. A general practitioner cannot perform brain surgery. Care must be taken when people hold strong differences of opinion. This is just the opposite of what was happening in Philippi. Approach the resolution of this problem "with fear and trembling" for fear of bungling the job. People are sensitive and can be hurt very easily. A situation like this requires kid gloves. Many people wear their feelings on their sleeve. They have both real and imaginary hurts. Everyone likes to be appreciated and noticed. They want to feel they are an asset. PRINCIPLE: It takes maturity and skill to handle deep divisions among people. APPLICATION: Most divisions are attitudinal. It was said of the Lord, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but so serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). That is a major attitude! But, alas, that is not the attitude of most of us. We want people to cater to us. We want them to be nice to us. But we do not want to go out of our way to minister to them. The attitude of our Savior was to give in a self sacrificing way. Philippians 2:13"For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure."It is one thing for the leaders at Philippi to try to resolve the church split even with a sensitive approach (v.12). However, it is another thing to trust God to work it out. This is the subject of verse 13. The only way this could be realized was through God who would enable them to do it (v. 13). Both divine enablement and human responsibility are involved in getting God's work done. "for it is God who works in you"Believers are partners with God, laboring together with Him. The verb "works" (v. 13) means "energizes" or "provides enablement." God makes his own both willing and desirous to do his work. This has to do with confidence in God's work in God's church. If we submit to God's will, he will work in his own inimitable way. The word "works" is always used supernaturally and of effective action in the Bible. God's work will not be frustrated. God will effect the result. God is working according to a blue print, according to specifications. He will carry out his plan. Either he will work in us or he will work on us. Either way he will accomplish his purpose. God has taken an oath that every Christian will ultimately be just like the Lord Jesus no matter what it costs him. We have all seen the sign on the highway "MEN AT WORK." We can put a sign over the Christian: "GOD AT WORK." "Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (1:6). PRINCIPLE: God will enable us to resolve conflict. Once we are born again that triggers a process that will last until we go to glory (glorified). APPLICATION: God will ultimately resolve broken relationships. In the meantime he may have to chisel, sand, steel wool and polish us. God constantly polishes us until we have a humble attitude like the Lord Jesus. He works until we are not nearly as selfish as we were. We begin to recognize that we are hurt because we have too much pride for the size of us. The first part of this verse emphases God's work. This is God's providential work in our lives. "both to will and to do for his good pleasure"God is providentially working in us for his pleasure. Note how another verse emphasis the same point: "Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen" (Heb. 13:20,21). "Both to will and to do": God wills it; God does it. God is omniscient, therefore, he can will exactly; God is omnipotent, therefore, he can do anything that is consistent with his nature. He can perfect his plan in us. God has a plan for our lives: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). We often miss a major point in Romans 8:28-30 because we focus so much on predestination. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." All things are not good but they work together for good to serve God's designs. There are no pure second causes (human volition). All human volition is concurred by God. Therefore, God is in control of everything that happens to us. God is working according to a blueprint. The project is to make us conform to the image of Jesus Christ: "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren" (8:29). The "for" indicates that verses 29-30 are the ground for verse 28. God has predestinated that every saved person will be just like the Lord Jesus. It is incidental to God how many years we live. It is negligible in the light of eternity. But God has taken an oath that we will be just like the Lord Jesus no matter the cost. And we do not have a thing to say about it! This is the doctrine of glorification. Once we are born again that triggers a process that will not conclude until we are glorified. PRINCIPLE: God is working on us providentially so that ultimately we will be glorified. APPLICATION: If we decide to rebel against God's providential work in our lives and say "I am not going to submit to the Lordship of Jesus" then we need to be broken like a bronco. God will either break my physical or my spirit. He will bring us to the point where we submit to his will. God is working according to a blueprint with all its specifications. With some of us the work is going rather slowly. Therefore, he has to send his "providential agencies." If we do not respond to God's Word then he sends providential situations in our lives to get our attention. It may be a tragic accident, a terrible mistake, a calamity or catastrophe. These are no accidents. Everything is by divine design in the life of the child of God. God's timing is exquisite. He does not wait for us to approve of his methods either. ---------- Copyright © 1995, Dr. Grant Richison. All rights reserved. There is no charge for Grace Notes Materials. You can help further this work by your prayer and by sending a contribution to: Grace Notes 1705 Aggie Lane Austin, Texas 78757 wdoud@bga.com Grace Notes Web site: http://www.realtime.net/~wdoud/ Anonymous FTP site: ftp://ftp.bga.com/vendors/wdoud/ Grace Notes is a ministry of Village Missions International. |
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