Theology Matters

Good morning Church Today's reading in this morning is from Philippians chapter 2 verse 1 to 11

Please stand in front the reading of God's Word So if there is any encouragement in Christ and Comfort from love any participation in the spirit any affection and sympathy

Complete my joy by being of the same mind having the same love being full accord and of one mind

Do not nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves

Let's each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others

Have this in mind among yourself that which is yours in Christ Jesus who taught

He though he was in the form of God did not count

Equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant

Being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross

Therefore God has highly Exalted him and bestowed him The name that is above every name so 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 You may be seated the

Holy Father thank you for your word I pray for today's sermon to relieve his relief is to display

Christ and Show his glory. Thank you for your son who came down to save us

We are wicked. We are faulty. We don't deserve Grace that is given to you, but we acquire it through Christ and thank you for blessings, thank you for faith in the church and Help us to come closer to you and read more of your

Lord and abide to it in your son's name we pray. Amen Our text this morning is

Most of what Ian's just read to you Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 through 11

And verses 6 through 11 Are a great piece of theology a wonderful summary an explanation of the gospel

What is called the great parabola? Where Jesus Christ starts in heaven and comes down in a smooth arc to earth and then returns back.

That's a parabola this wonderful piece of theology Giving us a summary of this work of God in Jesus Christ who come to earth where God became flesh and Died for our sins and was then exalted by the

Father and returned to heaven one of the most succinct then most densely packed pieces of theology that we have anywhere in the

New Testament if not to say the entire Bible a Piece of theology in those six verses

That has led to book upon book to be written that has comforted members of the church for century upon century

That has left us in awe of the wonders and the glories of God That would do such a thing as is there in those verses summarized

Wonderful theology Theology is simply Theo God ology study of the study of God This is great theology and if we break it up into its two main parts verses 6 through 8 is

Christology the study of Christ and verses 9 through 11 then would be theology proper the study of God and what he has done.

Why is it there? Why did Paul in writing this letter to the

Philippians to us this morning really Why did he suddenly throw in these six verses of this wonderful piece of?

theological discussion Was there for a reason and the title of this message was theology matters

Theology matters and matters is a verb not a noun not matters of theology not

I'm going to stand up here and take these verses apart and teach you things that you need to know matters of theology but theology matters

It matters to you. It is a verb It's in here for a reason

I'll tell you the reason now and you're going to hear this over and over again in this message as you've heard it since we began this discussion of unity in the church back in chapter 1 and verse 27

It's to humble you It is to humble me It is to humble the church before God and each other

Paul has been arguing since chapter 1 and verse 27 for unity in the church

And we'll go very quickly through the last couple of messages a very quick summary in a moment He's talking about unity in the church.

He's demanding unity in the church. He's saying you must be as one You must have this same mind

Thinking the same thoughts about Jesus Christ our Savior and now with these six verses of theological beauty

He tells us again about unity but sets forth before you Jesus Christ as the example

Jesus Christ as the paradigm Jesus Christ is the one you must look to You must humble yourself

We need to look at ourselves and find any vestige of pride and if you want to find pride if you say no

I'm a humble person. I've got Gotten rid of all the pride I can get rid of I say to you.

No look at Christ Look at Christ And then see what pride remains residing within The purpose of this theology

Why this theology matters Why these six verses such a wonderful summary of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the redemption we have in him

Wasn't thrown in there just because Paul couldn't think of where to go next and said oh Here's something

I need to toss in here because this would be very poetic for a moment No, it's there for a reason. It's there for a purpose.

It's there to humble us That we might be unified without humility unity is impossible

He has been arguing about this for some time or arguing for this I should say but theology advances what he's been saying back in chapter 1 verses 27 to 30

He calls for unity and he uses military metaphor. He tells us to stand fast the picture of a

Roman shield line Impervious to attack stand fast in defense of the gospel not frightened in anything by your opponents in other words

Not a horse that shies away from the noise of battle and therefore is disqualified to be a war charger

Don't be frightened be Unified like this Roman Legion that conquered the known world be unified.

That's verses 1 27 to 30 and then in chapter 2 verses 1 through 4 just before our passage this morning

Let me remind you what he says So if there is any encouragement in Christ assuming there is since then there is encouragement in Christ Any comfort from love any participation in the

Spirit any affection and sympathy Complete my joy by being of the same mind having the same love

Being of one accord one accord meaning being of one soul together Having one mind in other words thinking this way because of what

Christ has done by being unified together and Then he in those verses says by being humble towards one another

By thinking of others as better and more important than yourselves. And finally we come to this morning's text chapter 2 verses 5 through 11

Chapter 5 or excuse me verse 5 is The introduction to that theological statement that we're going to take apart

Remembering that we're not just going to take apart and give you all the definitions and give you all the theological Abstracts because this matters in our life.

This matters in how we're able to humble ourselves Before the Lord and to each other. Can you humble yourself?

adequately none of us fully can not the way Jesus Christ did but he is always to be your

Standard always to be the one you look to Always to be the one in this great theological statement that we compare ourselves to that you compare yourself to and Then find room for repentance for any remaining pride

That takes away the humility that is absolutely essential Necessary without which we cannot have the unity

That is to characterize the Church of Jesus Christ So let's dig into this let's let's start with the introductory verse verse 5

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus Stop there for just a moment back to the mind back to the way we think not thinking your own way

But thinking with humility thinking with one accord with each other think in the same thoughts about Jesus Christ Together as we are unified in him together

Let this mind be in you have this mind among yourselves Which is yours in Christ Jesus some translations say have this mind in you

Which is also in Christ Jesus and both translations. I would tell you are fair and honest to the original grammar.

I Like what our ESV our English Standard Version says better because it makes it possessive

It says have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus you have this mind

Now someone would object and say well if I had the mind of Christ I would be as Good as Christ.

I would be as holy as Christ. Well, no, that's not at all. What is it? It's being said here What does he mean by this mind of Christ is yours?

You have this mind. I in your hands there is the mind of Christ from Genesis chapter 1 verse 1 to Revelation chapter 21 verse 21 the whole of Scripture is about Jesus Christ The whole of Scripture is what

Jesus Christ used to answer Pharisees to answer the devil during his temptation The mind of Christ in black and white in plain

English before you it says have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus and It is, in your hands, the mind of Christ.

I also believe that there's a spiritual aspect to this. Have this mind among you that is also yours, that is yours in Christ Jesus?

In other words, by the Spirit of God, He is bending us to His will constantly, forming us to be like Jesus Christ.

And so as we begin to look at this great theological statement in the next six verses, verses six through 11, understand that you have the ability by God's mercy and by the power of His Spirit working in you, the power of God which raised

Jesus Christ from the dead, Ephesians 119. He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and He works toward you, the mind of Christ.

Very important that before we dig into this theological statement about Jesus Christ and His exalted position in heaven,

His descent to earth and His return to heaven, before we go into that, understand it is there for a reason.

Theology matters. It is there to humble you. It is there to humble us all so that we could have the unity that would please

God most. And therefore, we must think this way. We must look at this next section of theology, this wonderful, succinct statement that Paul put in there.

And remember, it's there for a reason. It's a mind of Christ that is going to be described to us.

It was described to us in 127 to 30, have the mind of Christ by being unified with rigid discipline like a

Roman legion. It's the mind of Christ in chapter two, verses one through four, where we have the same love, we're in full accord, we're in humility, counting others more significant.

That's the mind of Christ. And now, as if we haven't had enough, which we have not, here then is the mind of Christ once more before us.

This is yours in Christ Jesus. And here's the way you must think. Here is a statement of theology that is meant to crush your pride and bring forth this kind of humility.

So let's look at verse six. Verse six, this is Christ's mind now. Have the mind of Christ, he says you have this.

What was that mind of Christ? Though he was in the form of God, he did not count it robbery to, excuse me, though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.

Let's talk about the form of God. What is the form of God? Well, John MacArthur, here he says, it is the continuance of a previous state.

It stresses the unchangeable essence, the unchangeable essence.

This is Christ's eternal nature. This is who and what Jesus Christ is.

He is in the form of God, he's existing that way. It's an expression of his being, carrying within itself distinctive nature the character of the one to whom it pertains, and that's all

Jesus Christ. He's in the form of God. He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing.

Again, we need to stop for a moment and ask ourselves about this mind of Christ being presented to us.

The form of God, his essential, his eternal nature, he is

God. He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.

We so often grasp after position, grasp after things that make us feel better, feel higher, feel superior.

Well, here's Jesus Christ, this mind of Christ, who existing forever in the form of God, his essential nature as God, not counting that something to be grasped, something to be hung onto.

He's not clawing onto it with his fingernails as if he can't let go of it. And what must we let go of?

What must you let go of? What are you grasping onto that prevents, that reduces your ability to have this humility?

If the apostle's been arguing for unity in the church since chapter one, verse 27, now he tells us how to get it, through humility.

How humility? Why does this theology matter to you? Humility through the mind of Christ.

He did not count equality with God, his essential nature, a thing to be grasped.

Now, what do we mean by equality? It's worth pondering this for just a moment.

It comes from a Greek word where we get isosceles, it's like an isosceles triangle. Isosceles triangle is a triangle where at least two of the lines or the angles are exactly the same.

They're equal, it's an isosceles. Now, if I was to draw an isosceles triangle, let's say

I did one as precisely as I could. Now, let's make all three angles the same so that it's easier to do the math.

Well, I would draw 60 degree angles, wouldn't I? And if I drew one angle that was 60 .00000000000

and add O's for about a year and then put a one at the end of those, it was that many degrees.

But it's that one kabillionth off or whatever it would be, it's no longer exactly 60 degrees.

Likewise, if the other angle then was 59 .999 onto infinity degrees, it's still not 60 degrees.

And that difference would be unacceptable in relation to what the scripture says of God where it says

Jesus did not count his equality with God, not off by a billionth of a point.

He is exactly what God is. And he did not consider that a thing to be grasped onto, a thing to be held onto.

But with lowliness of mind, with submission only to the Father's will, he let go of it.

We think of unity in the church and what prevents it, what holds us back, what holds you back, what keeps you thinking your own independent thoughts.

And I don't mean we all think alike. I don't mean we're all gifted the same way that we do the same thing. We've talked about that in the previous messages.

So I'm talking about thinking the same thoughts of Christ, thinking the way Jesus Christ did concerning his obedience to God the

Father to accomplish his will, to do what he sent him to do. Equality with God, something he didn't grasp, something he didn't hang on to, something if God the

Father said as my eternal son forever sitting at my right side, in order to accomplish this will, you must go there.

What high horse must we vacate? I wonder if we can imagine what it means that the word became flesh, as John says in chapter 1 verse 14 of his gospel.

With this wondrous introduction, this prologue to his gospel, where he looks at the eternal word.

In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. Jesus Christ never was not the word of God.

Jesus Christ never was not the Son of God. Jesus Christ never was not God. And John looks in wonder at that and then says, and the word became flesh.

In Christ, God became man. How can we picture that?

What if I proposed to you that you became a tadpole?

Now here you are, you're human. We're all human. It's the apex of creation.

On the sixth day, God created man. He made Adam from the dust of the earth. And then he said, now it's very good.

How far down would you sink if you were to become a tadpole?

If we think of that distance, it doesn't begin to scratch the surface of what it can mean that in Christ, God came and became man.

Now this is wonderful theology, is it not? That God sent his

Son, that whoever should believe in him should not perish but have eternal life. That God sent his

Son, his eternal Son, God the Son, to become physical like you and me.

I cannot think of an illustration that would even begin to bring this forth to us.

But I can tell you that the reason Paul has this theology in here, the reason this theology matters, is to break our pride more and more, to humble us, to give us this mind of Christ that wouldn't grasp on to what we call equality with God.

What are we equal with? Each other? I would agree. Yes, we're equal with each other.

What else are we equal with? You can't go much further than that. I don't think we can go any further than that.

And yet Jesus Christ, it says, made himself nothing.

Made himself nothing. Have you ever heard the term related to chapter 2 verses 6 through 11 for Philippians called the great kenosis?

Kenosis comes from the Greek word kenao, meaning emptying, the great emptying of Jesus Christ.

He at the Father's side, emptying himself of his divine prerogatives, the free exercise of his omnipotence, his all -consuming power, his independent use of his godhood.

He left behind, he emptied himself of that. Very important we think about this one for a moment.

What does it mean that he made himself nothing? Made himself, in some translations, of no reputation.

It was what we call a reflexive thing that he did. He made himself, did you pick that up?

He actively made himself. Nothing was taken away from him. Nothing was forced upon him in accordance with the

Father's will. He made himself of no reputation. And we know when he walked on earth, we read through all the

Gospels, how men derided him, how they chased after him, how they persecuted him, how they called him a blasphemer.

He made himself of no reputation. He made himself nothing. Now we could say, and I think it would be accurate to say, he made himself nothing compared to what he had been in heaven.

But the important point here, theology matters. The important point here is that he did it, is something that he did for himself.

He did it to him. He didn't vacate anything regarding his person. He didn't stop being what he essentially was.

His form of God did not quit for a while, simply set aside his godhood, because he never stopped being

God, in order to become man. No, nothing was taken from him.

Humanity was added to him. Humanity was added.

Something was added. What did he empty? Divine prerogative, sitting at the

Father's right side, the free use of his godhood, his godliness, if you will.

Nothing taken away, but humanity added too. But let's go on.

And taking the form of a servant. Now form of a servant, we're back to existing in the form of God.

So what is this telling us? You're saying he was forever a servant? No, what it's saying is, as when he came to earth, when he came to us, when he came down from heaven, he was a servant.

And was it not Jesus Christ himself who said, the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.

The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

Here it is for you. One who says, I will not be served. Who is saying,

I didn't come to be served? Jesus Christ, who existing in the form of God.

Existing in the form of God. What does it mean to be existing in the form of God? It means forever existing in the form of God.

Never not being that. And then coming and being in the form of a servant. Coming to serve those whom the

Father sent him to redeem. How did he serve us? He came and lived a perfect life on your behalf.

Never violating the word, the law, the holiness of God with a single breath.

How did he serve you? By living a perfect life on your behalf. How did he serve men?

With his miracles. Did he not touch lepers? The worst disease of the ancient

Near East, perhaps even still today, we've got to be in the top ten of bad diseases to get.

One of the most clear pictures, if you will, of the effect of sin and death from Adam's sin.

Did he not serve us by touching lepers and healing them? By being a friend of prostitutes and sinners?

By showing us the way to the showing the love of God? Did he not serve us by his obedience to God, by going to the cross?

We'll get to that in a few moments. He came in the form of a servant.

He truly was a servant in his humanity. He was truly, in all that he did, servant to man and servant, more importantly, of God.

If you ever look at Isaiah chapter 40, and from 40 at least through verse chapter 53, it's often called the servant song.

In chapter 49, the prophet Isaiah, God says through Isaiah, I should say, behold my servant.

And who is that servant? It is Jesus Christ. He truly was a servant. We are told to serve one another, are we not?

Over and over in the scripture, does not the Apostle Paul and even James and John and Peter tell us to be serving one another, to be submitting to one another?

This is the mind of Christ. This is the humility that you must have, without which we cannot be unified.

We cannot have the unity that the scripture calls us to. What's your example?

God the Son comes down to earth, takes on flesh, and becomes a servant.

He should have been a king. He's the king of all the universe. All things are made by him and for him and through him, and without him nothing that was made was made, says the

Apostle John. I have to ask you, does that not crush some pride within?

Does that not somehow amplify any humility that you and I can find in our spirits?

To know that the Son of God became a servant. He became a servant.

He was born in a likeness of men, another very important theological word, but a word that matters to us.

Entering into the full experience of humanity. Tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Truly tempted as we are. Not just, well I'm God, you know, so these things don't come at me.

Those images that I shouldn't look at, no problem. That covetousness that I should not engage, hey that's easy because after all

I'm God. It's very important that we look at this and say that he came in the likeness of men.

He entered into our full experience. His 40 days of temptation in the wilderness.

You know, we get the temptation, the specific temptations, what Satan actually said to him to tempt him to do things his way instead of God's way.

Right at the end of Matthew 4, for example, my belief is that he was tempted throughout the entire 40 days.

Tempted in all ways as we are because he entered into humanity. He came in our likeness. The temptations were real.

I believe Jesus was impeccable and by impeccable all I mean is it was impossible for him to sin.

He could not have sinned and yet in some way I cannot explain and I've never read an explanation that I can really get my arms around.

Being impeccable, impossible for him to sin and yet the temptation had a real force against him.

And so as tempted in all ways as we are yet without sin. A humbling statement about Jesus Christ.

And here Paul says he came in our likeness. It was all very real. Read the opening to 1st

John where it says him who we have, and I'm going to paraphrase here just very quickly, we've touched him.

We saw him. We felt him. Sometimes we walked with our arms around each other. We knew he was real because he was indeed real.

He entered into our likeness. Born in the likeness of men.

Being found in human form. That's a fashion which communicating to the senses so that we could actually see that he was real.

So that the Apostles could say yes, Jesus Christ was a man who walked amongst us, entered into our full humanity, entered into our whole experience.

And finally, at least finally for this first half of this great hymn of Christ's mind, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

What's the cross mean? The cross is where he died. Paul says so.

He died there as an innocent man. It says 2nd Corinthians 521, for God made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, knew no sin, that's so terribly important, tempted as we are yet without sin, entered into our likeness, entered into our experience, became in all ways as we are.

He truly was man, truly was servant, humbled himself by coming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross where he suffered and died for our sins.

On the cross where God poured out his wrath upon him for your sins. How much more can the

Apostle write in order to destroy our pride?

What more does he need to say but that Jesus Christ becomes man and even death on a cross.

Now think about this for a moment. For God to become man, for the Word to become flesh, for Jesus Christ to vacate heaven to be here, is that not enough?

When I was a boy being raised, you know I was raised Jewish, and every year we'd have Passover, we'd sing this song during Passover called

Dayenu, and it means it would have been enough. If God had only redeemed us and not given us his law, it would have been enough.

If he'd only given us his law and not defeated our enemies, it would have been enough. And it goes on through all the miracles.

If he'd only done this and not the next, it would have been enough. Dayenu. And if God in Christ becomes man, would that not be enough?

We'd have to say yes. And if God in Christ became man, became a servant, is that not enough to humble us?

But wait, read John chapter 13. What kind of a servant did

Jesus become? We talked a few minutes ago about his active obedience to God in his life, his touching of lepers, his forgiving of prostitutes and tax collectors and so forth.

What kind of servant did he become? Theology matters. I'm not just gonna tell you he became lower than a servant, because when

I tell you what comes next, it has to matter to you. It has to mean something in the way you think of yourself, and think of yourself in comparison to Jesus Christ, and how that plays out in your relationship with others in the church.

Unity. Impossible without humility. What sort of servant did he become?

Remember, he's the King of glory. Jesus Christ is.

But he comes not as a king, not as a conqueror. He comes as a man, comes as a servant. And in John chapter 13, what sort of a servant?

He lays aside his cloak, which I understand to mean he's wearing only his loincloth. Today we would say his underwear, if I could say that reverently.

He gets on his knees, and he does what? He does the task that the lowest of the low servants do.

He washes the disciples' feet. Now there's so much meaning to that, we're not going to go into it this morning.

We'll never come back out of John 13. But let me ask you, where's your humility compared to that?

Where's your humility compared to that? I would argue that's the very reason that Paul has this song here, these six verses here.

So we can ask ourselves, what's my humility compared to this? And then to go lower than the servant who is so low that all he's good for is washing filthy feet, which is exactly how it was, he's obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Sinclair Ferguson says something very interesting. I'd never heard this before, and he's quite a scholar, so I just accepted it when he said it.

I give him attribution for this. But it's really interesting. He said, in that day, in Roman society, in their culture, the word cross was an obscenity.

I'm borrowing a lot from Sinclair Ferguson. If you want to Oregon, I'll give you the link, and you can hear it. So I didn't make this up.

He did, and I really like it. But it was an obscenity. And so Ferguson wondered, and I'll wonder out loud with you now, how shocked would you be if I all of a sudden burst out an obscenity in order to illustrate a biblical point?

Well, your mouths would drop. I don't swear, I don't use that kind of language, which might make it all the more shocking.

Well, that's the kind of shock it was to Roman society back then to speak of the cross.

They didn't use the word. It was too obscene. And even when a criminal was sentenced to die by crucifixion, they would say something like, well, you've been condemned, you're guilty, you did this thing, and you are going to die with your arms outstretched and your feet nailed together, or something like that.

But they wouldn't say the word cross. Jesus Christ was obedient even to death on a cross.

An obscene death. A death so awful that for Romans it was illegal for a

Roman citizen to be crucified. It was a taking away of humanity, if you will.

It's the kind of suffering you are so beneath dignity that this is how you will die.

That's the humility of Jesus Christ. Is it just there to make us feel bad?

It's there to humble us. It's there to humble you. Now remember, starting all the way back in chapter 1 verse 27,

Paul is pushing the church towards unity, and unity comes through humility.

And humility comes from thinking different than we think, different than you think. We do not think humbly about things, do we?

We don't like humbling ourselves and lowering ourselves compared to others.

We can do it in word, we can do it the way we act, but Paul doesn't say, act this way.

Paul doesn't say, behave like this. Paul says, what? Think like this, and think

Christ's thoughts after him. Have the mind of Christ, and it is you, the mind of Christ, excuse me, and this is yours.

Christ, who emptied himself, had humanity added to him.

Stop and think for a moment. He's God. He's eternal God. He's Him who's going forth or from of old, as it says in Micah chapter 5 verse 2.

He's God, and he's gonna take into himself something so physical, something so profane, something so ordinary as flesh, as you or me, and the answer is yes.

And why? Why does this matter for you to humble yourself?

Well, that's the first half of the parabola, if you will, Christ's mind, where equality with God is not something to be grasped onto.

He made himself nothing, and added humanity to himself, and came in our likeness, and served us, and humbled himself to become obedient to God and His will, dying on a cross.

That's the first half of the parabola, if you will. That's Christ's mind. That's the humility we need to have.

Matthew Henry says here, if we were lowly -minded, we should be like -minded, and if we were like Christ, we should be lowly -minded.

Paul says in chapter 12 verse 3 of Romans, not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.

He says, live in harmony. Do not be haughty, which is the opposite of humble, but associate with the lowly.

This matters to you. It must matter to you.

The unity of the church depends upon this. The unity of the church matters to Paul, therefore, because he writes under the inspiration of God, the unity of the church matters to God, and it cannot come about without humility, and humility will not come to you without having the mind of Christ, and the mind of Christ will not come to you lest you look at this wonderful theological statement carefully, circumspectfully, prayerfully, and more important, repentantly, asking yourself, where have

I not been this? The example is Christ, and Paul makes no apology for setting

Jesus Christ, God's only Son, as the example, therefore, neither shall I. That's Christ's mind.

Verses 9 through 11, we have God's mind. The whole thing is theology.

The first three verses were Christology, Christ's mind, now theology. What is

God's mind? Verse 9, therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name above every name, so that 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. There, as they say, is a mouthful.

Here is the mind of God regarding his Son. Here is more cause for us to find less and less humility in ourselves, repent of that, and humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God who has exalted

Jesus Christ. Humble yourselves, therefore, says the Apostle Peter, under that mighty hand, and he will exalt you in due time.

Therefore, God has highly exalted him. Therefore, that connects back to humbling himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

That goes up to the fact that he came in the likeness of men. Therefore, God has highly exalted him.

That goes back to the fact that Jesus Christ made himself nothing. Therefore, God has highly exalted him.

God has super exalted him. William Hendrickson points out that this word, highly exalted, is only used this one time in the

Bible. The word exalted is in there, as I just quoted from Peter. Humble yourself, and he will exalt you in due time.

But this word, highly exalted, means super exalted, ultra exalted, beyond all imaginings, has exalted him.

Where is Jesus exalted to? He's seated now at the Father's right side.

God has raised him up from the dead, brought him back, and exalted him because of this humanity that he lived, because of this cross on which he suffered.

Therefore, because of his obedience, God has super exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that the name of Jesus every knee should bow.

What is it to bow? Has your knee bowed to Jesus Christ? This is humility.

Humble yourself before God. Have you bowed to Jesus Christ? Every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

It's a great theological statement, once again, part of this grand theological summary that Paul gives us here, but why is it here?

Again, to humble us, to humble you, knees should bow, every knee should bow in heaven. What is happening in heaven right now?

Well, Jesus Christ at the Father's right side has myriads upon myriads upon myriads of angels calling out to him, holy, holy, holy,

Jesus Christ Almighty. That's fair to put that in there. He is receiving their praises right now.

In heaven, knees are bowed before him and on earth. So long as the

Lord Jesus Christ should delay his return to us, knees on earth are bowing.

Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Is he your Savior? Have you repented of your sin and fallen down before the cross and there sought forgiveness because there he paid your price for your sins before God?

That's knees bowing on earth. Has your knee bowed before him? I tell you that while you are on earth, your knee can bow if you will but confess yourself a sinner, one whose death on a cross by Jesus Christ was your sin was satisfied by his death.

If your knee should bow now, the promise of the Scripture is God will save you.

If you should confess yourself a sinner in Jesus Christ as Lord, repent of your sin and go to him.

If your knee should bow on earth now, as it says here in verse 10 of Philippians 2, the promise of the

Scripture is God will save you. Humble yourself now.

Vacate your pride. Empty yourself of that.

Humble yourself before God. Confess yourself a sinner and know his forgiveness.

Confess that you've done wrong before God, then Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone and Jesus Christ only, the one who only could die on a cross and there he being the only one whose death is efficacious, whose death can do anything for you.

Bow your knee now while on earth because he goes on to say and under the earth and under the earth there's coming to come a day.

We learn in John chapter 5 verse 25 Jesus Christ himself says that he the Son of Man, his voice will call all from under the earth, all who have died before he returns and those knees shall bow.

And should a believer pass into eternity in faith in Jesus Christ, he shall be raised by the

Son of Man coming from under the earth with his knee bowed and know finally the salvation that Jesus Christ won for him and those who before he returns should pass away, should die, should be under the earth when he returns, their knee shall bow as well.

But they shall be resurrected to the resurrection, Jesus says, of condemnation. Every knee is going to bow.

Whether in heaven as they are bowing now, on earth as my knees have bowed before Jesus Christ when he saved me as yours and God willing if you do not know

Lord Jesus Christ today your knee will bow on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess he goes on that Jesus Christ is

Lord to the glory of God the Father. Grand theology, the theology that matters, the tongues confessing and the knees bowing in, all this is from Isaiah chapter 45.

Let me read to you Isaiah 45 22 and 23. Turn to me and be saved all the ends of the earth for I am

God and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, and we can stop for a moment, Hebrews 6 13 says there's no one greater for God to swear by than by himself.

He doesn't swear by anything but by himself and then only in the gravest and most important matters.

By myself I have sworn from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return to me.

Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear allegiance. Who's speaking through the prophet

Isaiah in chapter 45 of his prophecy? God Almighty. Yahweh we call him or Jehovah if you like.

Who does Paul say this is? Who is having these tongues confessing and these knees bowing in heaven on earth under the earth?

It's Jesus Christ our Lord. He is God though existing in the form of God always was

God always will be God never has not been God. Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the

Lord is Lord to the glory of God the Father. This is the name that is above every name.

This is the name that must humble us. This is the name that must destroy our pride.

What is that name? We find that name in chapter 20 in Psalm 24 beginning of verse 7 the end of this psalm verses 7 through 10 really.

It says lift up your heads O gates and be lifted up O ancient doors that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty. The Lord mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads O gates and lift them up O ancient doors that the Lord of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts Jesus Christ God's only begotten

Son. He is the King of glory and his is the name to which every knee shall one day bow and every tongue shall confess that he is

Lord and all that to the glory of God the Father. So I close by asking once again why is this theology here?

Why does it matter? Because it tells us that Christ is eternal God. That's true.

That's not why Paul put it in there. Does it tell us that Christ Jesus died on a cross?

That's true too. Why did he put that in there? To humble us.

To have us think Christ's thoughts after him. To have this mind which is yours in Christ Jesus.

This mind of humility which is the only thing that will lead us to proper unity.

This mind of God that exalted Christ because of his obedience to God the Father in saving sinners like you and me.

This humility that we have before God with our knees now bowed before him and because before him amongst each other and because amongst each other having this humility able to have the unity that would please

God as the Apostle Paul's been arguing since all the way back in chapter 1 and verse 27.

And we read this grand theological statement, this great parabola, this great kenosis, this emptying of Christ as we look at it and understand the theological wonders that it relays to us.

Remember what it's there for. Remember why this theology matters to you. It's to humble you so we might have the unity that will please

God most. Amen. Grace heavenly Father, we thank you for this day, for this time that we've had together, for this word that so crushes the pride that remains within us and gives us all that we need,

Father, to have the mind of Christ and to humble ourselves before your mighty hand and with each other and have the unity that we would then have to please you the most.

I pray, Father, you would help us in this. You would keep our pride at the lowest level, that we would always look to Christ and have his mind towards these things, for we ask in Jesus' name,