Philippians 2:9; Jesus Super-Exalted ~ 20231119 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
11/19 Philippians 2:9; Jesus Super-Exalted; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20231119_philippians-2_9.mp3
Philippians 2:1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Self-Humbling; Other Exalting
We have looked at the self-emptying, self-humbling of Christ. Throughout verses 5-8 the primary subject is Christ Jesus, who he is, what he did. Not clinging to his own equality with God, he emptied himself by taking the form of a slave. He humbled himself by his obedience even to death even death on the cross. Jesus emptied himself; Jesus humbled himself. But in verse 9-11 the subject changes. No longer is Jesus the one doing the action; now it is the Father. And no longer is the action reflexive; what one does in respect to himself. Now it is God acting on behalf of another. In the first part, Christ is the subject of his own actions; in the second he is the object of his Father’s actions.
Super-Exalted
Jesus humbled himself; God super-exalted Jesus. This ‘super’ or ‘above’ prefix was used back in verse 3, where we are told in humility to consider others as superior to ourselves; to hold them above ourselves;. Here Jesus having humbled himself, God super-exalted Jesus, or elevated him above; this is a unique compound word that points to the highest possible exaltation.
This unique word was used in the Greek translation of Psalm 97:9
Psalm 97:1 The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! 2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. 3 Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around. 4 His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. 5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory. 7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods! 8 Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O LORD. 9 For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted [LXX: ὑπερυψώθης] far above all gods.
YHWH is sovereign, YHWH is most high, YWHW is super-exalted far above all gods. And God has super-exalted Jesus.
Connection of Humility and Exaltation
This verse starts with a ‘therefore’; it is actually a double conjunction [διὸ καὶ] that can be translated ‘this is why’. What is the connection between Jesus’ self emptying, self humbling and the Father exalting him? ‘This is why’ connects Christ’s self-humbling as the reason why his Father lifted him so high above.
Jesus himself taught that ‘everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted’.
Luke 14:7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (cf. 18:14)
Jesus warned against the Pharisees
Matthew 23:6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
The true path to greatness is in humility serving others. Both James and Peter concur;
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
Jesus was the perfect example of patient self-humbling, waiting for the proper time.
Reciprocal Glory (John)
Jesus said
John 8:50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.
John 8:54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
Jesus was not pursuing his own glory; he pursued the glory of his Father. And the Father was pursuing the glory of his only Son Jesus.
In anticipation of the cross,
John 12:23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
Jesus was seeking not his own glory but the glory of his Father. He understood his own glory would be the glory of a grain of wheat, one who was willing to lose his life in order to find it.
John 13:31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.
The glory is reciprocal; Jesus pursuing the glory of the Father, and God pursuing the glory of the Son. Jesus prayed:
John 17:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, ... 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Jesus humbled himself by becoming man, by becoming obedient even to death, even death on a cross. So the Father super-exalted Jesus.
Perfect Man, Made Perfect Through Suffering (Psalm 8)
The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 8, which begins and ends by celebrating the majesty of the name of YHWH, who set his glory above the heavens. Psalm 8 marvels at God creating mankind in his own image, appointing man to reflect his glory, to have dominion over all creation. Hebrews sees Jesus as the perfect fulfillment of what man was meant to be.
Hebrews 2:5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? 7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.
Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, his death for others. Jesus made perfect or complete through suffering. Jesus being fully God was eternally perfect; but Jesus the mediator, Jesus the redeemer, in his role of bringing many sons to glory, had to humble himself to suffer death on a cross in order to become the perfect mediator, the perfect redeemer. He became obedient even to death to become the perfect man who perfectly obeyed the Father.
The Suffering Servant Exalted (Isaiah 53)
In Isaiah 52-53, the Suffering Servant will be high and lifted up, exalted, precisely because of his suffering.
God sets out to redeem his people from slavery, and to vindicate the honor of his name; ‘continually, all the day, my name is despised
Isaiah 52:6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.” 7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” 8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion. 9 Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
YHWH has bared his arm to put on display his salvation and vindicate his holy name.
Isaiah 52:13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.
The servant of YHWH will be high and lifted up, exalted. But how?
Isaiah 52:14 As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind— 15 so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.
Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
The arm of YHWH was revealed, but how? Not in strength, but in weakness, in humility, in humanity, but humanity that was marred, disfigured.
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief;
This servant of YHWH came to do not his own will but the will of him who sent him. And that will was suffering as a substitute, submitting himself to griefs and sorrows, he became as a lamb led to the slaughter.
Isaiah 53:10 ...when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Therefore. God is satisfied with the anguish of his soul. Because he poured out his soul to death, therefore YHWH will divide him a portion, a spoil, a reward. In humility is his wisdom, and he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.
Isaiah began his book saying
Isaiah 2:11 The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. ...17 And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
YHWH alone will be exalted in that day.
Philippians 2:5 ...Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
***
2023.11.19 Sermon Notes
Philippians 2:9; Jesus Super-Exalted
Jesus humbled himself; the Father exalted Jesus
Philippians 2:5-8; Philippians 2:9-11
Super-exalted
Philippians 2:3; hold others above yourselves
Psalm 97:9; YHWH super-exalted above all gods
‘This is why’ Self-humbling the reason for exaltation
Romans 14:22; 2 Corinthians 1:20
‘everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and he who humbles himself will be exalted’
Luke 14:7-11; 18:9-14; Matthew 23:6-12;
James 4:1; 1 Peter 5:6
Reciprocal glory;
Jesus seeks to glorify the Father;
The Father seeks the glory of his only Son
John 8:50, 54; 12:23-28; 13:31-32; 17:1-5
Jesus the man made perfect through suffering
Psalm 8; Hebrews 2:5-10
Jesus the suffering Servant highly exalted
Isaiah 52:13; 53:10-12; Isaiah 2:11, 17
***
Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org