Phil 2:9-11
INTRO: Although Pauls reference to Jesus in our immediate context is for the purpose of explaining true humility, he seems unable to refer to Christ without words of adoration for the Lord. This is the same Christ whom he had persecuted ... the same Jesus whose cause he had sought to destroy. He had passed from almost bitter hatred to total love and devotion. He wanted the world to know about Jesus ... Jesus his Lord. In the verses before us we have seen the preincarnate state of Jesus and His humanity. Now we are privileged to see His exaltation. We see Jesus ... From Servant to Incomparable King.
I. JESUS: HIGHLY EXALTED (2:9a)
A. Exaltation: natural result of servanthood
1. Lk 14:11 if self aggrandizement is the motive of our service, it will not be approved of/by God
2. but God does/will exalt the humble servant
B. Jesus exaltation, however, was highly significant
1. Acts 2:30-33 it is the enthronement of Christ
2. it is so necessary that we know and understand that Jesus is the ruling King over His kingdom, the church
3. this reign, this kingdom was Gods intention from the beginning as Peter points out by his appeal to O.T. prophecy (Acts 2:34,35)
4. Rev 19:16 Jesus is truly King of kings
II. JESUS: THE NAME BY WHICH SALVATION COMES (2:9b)
A. The incomparable Jesus above every name
1. no one else come close to Christ
2. it is not just the mere name Jesus was not a new name in history (a form of Joshua)
3. yet, it is significance which is brought to that name by Christs crucifixion (Jno 12:32) and the power of God demonstrated in the resurrection (Rom 1:3-5)
B. Salvation, then, through this Jesus Acts 4:10-12
1. true, Romans and Jews had slain Jesus ... the Savior
2. they had, it seems, rejected this stone as unfit for use, as being unsuited to their notions and needs
3. but if you reject this Jesus, there is no salvation!
III. JESUS: WORTHY OF WORSHIP (2:10)
A. Implied, at least, is a quotation from Isa 45:23
1. in that place it is God (v.22) who is worshiped
2. thus, again, Paul confirms to us the Deity of Christ
B. And note Rev 5:11-14 with 22:9
1. plainly, Jesus - worthy of worship - is, then, God (Deity)
2. He has the right to be worshiped and to expect our praise, adoration, servitude and love
IV. JESUS: LORD (2:11)
A. Lord - a fairly common term in Christs time
1. term of slave to his master - ownership, dominance
2. term of citizen for emperor - respect, subjection
3. term for deities - gods to be served
B. Jesus Christ is Lord
1. there is more than a statement of fact in this
2. if He is indeed Lord, His lordship must be apparent in our lives ... with the confession there must be a profession in living
3. 1 Jno 2:6 confession and profession!
V. THE RESULT OF OUR CONFESSION: GLORY TO GOD
A. Jesus earthly walk and work glorified God - Jno 17:4
1. His entire life pointed mankind to the Father
2. Jno 14:7-9 seeing Jesus, one has seen the Father!
3. how was God glorified? in Jesus willing, loving obedience to the Father - note the last part of Jno 17:4
B. Our having Jesus as Lord of our lives glorifies God
1. manner of our lives is the result of His lordship
2. we are truly Gods children ... conforming to His will and way (Eph 5:1)
3. we simply live to give God glory and praise by our lives
CLOSE: May I suggest that the confession Jesus Is Lord must mean something ... everything ... to your life. To utter those words with our mouths without honoring Him with our lives makes a mockery of His Servanthood and Kingship!
Cecil A. Hutson
March 19, 2000
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)