He Humbled Himself - Part Two

In my last blog post titled 'He Humbled Himself - Part One' we considered the 7 downward steps the Lord Jesus Christ took culminating in His death for you and me. In this blog post we will look at the 7 upward steps that resulted from him humbling Himself on our behalf.

Philippians 2:9-11, "(9) Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, (11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Step 1: "...God...has highly exalted Him..." This is not now a man on a Roman cross, or a body in a tomb - this is a risen, glorified Man whom God has exalted to the highest possible place. Hebrews 1:3, [The Son] " who being the brightness of (His) glory and the express image of His [God's]person, and upholding all things by the word of His [the Son's] power, when He [the Son] had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."

 Step 2: "...and given Him [Christ] the name which is above every name..." Note that it is God who has given Him [Christ] the name ranked higher than any other man, woman or created being. If you live in the USA the highest ranked name is the President of the United States of America. If you live in Great Britain the highest ranked name is Queen Elizabeth II. How much more then does the name of Jesus Christ rank above all the Heads of all the kingdoms of this world?

Step 3: "...that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow..." How many people in the world today have not the slightest regard or respect for the name of God's Son? Sometime soon all that will change! Every person regardless of ethnicity, race, religion or creed will bow the knee to Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

I am reminded of an incident in the life of Joseph the son of Jacob in Genesis 41:42, 43, "(42) Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. (43) And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, 'Bow the knee!' So he set him over all the land of Egypt." Every person in Egypt had to bow the knee to Joseph, whether they liked it or not.

 Step 4: "...of those in heaven..." We are now beginning to see the scope of Christ's authority and power. Every created being in heaven will bow the knee to Jesus Christ.

 Step 5: "...and of those on earth..." Every man, woman and child on Planet Earth will bow the knee to Jesus Christ.

 Step 6: "...and of those under the earth..." This is every created being in the subterranean, infernal place we know as Hell. They will bow the knee to Jesus Christ.

  Step 7: "...and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." All created beings, angels, evil spirits and human beings will not only bow the knee to Jesus Christ, but will also confess that He is Lord - to God the Father's glory. Revelation 19:16 reveals Jesus Christ as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

 In Luke 24:25, 26 we have the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. "(25) Then He said to them, 'O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! (26) Ought not the Christ to have suffered those things [at Calvary] and to enter into His glory?' "

 He is in the Glory and He is sitting on the Throne of the Universe. How does this affect you? How do you stand in this matter?

 

Jon Peasey

Biblical Perspectives blog www.jon-peasey.blogspot.com

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

 [All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

 [If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]

 

 

 

He humbled Himself - Part One

Philippians 2:5-8, "(5) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, (6) who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, (7) but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. (8) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to (the point of) death, even the death of the cross." To the spiritual mind this portion of the Holy Scriptures holds a special significance. Here we learn the 7 steps of condescension that the Lord Jesus took in order to redeem us from the bondage of sin and death; and to save our sinful souls.

 Step 1: The Lord Jesus Christ as God the Son "...did not consider it robbery to be equal with God..." because He is God and part of the Godhead.

 Step 2: He "...made Himself of no reputation..." In order to meet sinful human beings' needs of salvation He voluntarily veiled His glory and entered our world as a man. He left the throne of God and "...was made a little lower than the angels..." (Hebrews 2:9).

 Step 3: "...taking the form of a bondservant..." Christ became indissolubly bound to God as God's bondservant. He came to do God the Father's will as a perfect, sinless man. No man was His Master; God Himself was Christ's Master.

 Step 4:"...coming in the likeness of men." He was born of a virgin and grew up in Nazareth in Galilee. He had to partake of flesh and blood in order to redeem our souls. Yet He was sinless; Adam's sinful nature did not pass to Him because no man had any part in His conception in Mary's womb. Luke 1:35, "And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God."

 Step 5: "And being found in appearance as a man..." Even secular history records details of the man named Jesus of Nazareth. However, He was not just any man for He was also the Son of David, the Messiah, the King of the Jews and the Son of God. He was truly God and truly man. Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor in Jerusalem, after he had scourged Jesus Christ brought Him out to the people and said, "Behold the Man!" (John 19:5).

 Step 6: "...He humbled himself..." It is good to point out here that Jesus the Christ was always in control of the situation. Nobody could do anything to Him unless He allowed it. John 18:4-6, "(4) Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, 'Whom are you seeking?' (5) They answered Him, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus said to them, 'I am (He).' And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. (6)Now when He said to them, 'I am (He),' they drew back and fell to the ground."

 So He voluntarily humbled himself and allowed himself to be taken; and then later allowed Himself to be crucified on a Roman cross, for your sins and my sins. The cross was a type of death reserved for criminals. It was a shameful, cruel death.

 Step 7: "...and became obedient to (the point of) death, even the death of the cross." He was submissive to God the Father's will for himself. Hebrews 2:9, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death..." He came to die! He came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins to God. However, I must emphasise this point very strongly. No man took His life from Him! He voluntarily gave it up at Calvary. He yielded up, or dismissed, His own human spirit. John 19:30, "So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished!' And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit." Yes, He "...became obedient to death...even the death of the cross."

 The 7 steps the Lord Jesus Christ took down to the cross at Calvary were for your benefit and mine. Let us never forget that downward path. Let's revisit Hebrews 2:9, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone." He went into death - but death could not hold Him! He arose from among the dead on the third day and forty days later ascended into heaven. That's where He is now crowned with glory and honour!

 Next blog post we will continue in Philippians chapter 2.

 

Jon Peasey

Biblical Perspectives blog www.jon-peasey.blogspot.com

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

 [All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

 [If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]