Philippians 2:5-11
Philippians 2:5-11:
“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.”
Jonathan Edwards:
“the purpose for
which God created
the universe”
=
The exaltation and
glory of the Lord
Jesus Christ
Κενόω (kenow) = “emptied”
“Emptying” refers to His
glory, not His deity
- Had His divinity been diminished
through the Kenosis, Christ would
have “regarded His equality with
God a thing to be grasped” (2:6)
John Calvin: "In order to
exhort us to submission by His
example, he shows, that when
as God he might have
displayed to the world the
brightness of His glory, he
gave up His right (of His
glory), and voluntarily
emptied Himself; that he
assumed the form of a
servant, and, contented with
that humble condition,
suffered His divinity to be
concealed under a veil of
flesh.”
Hebrews 10:19-20: "Since
therefore, brethren, we have
confidence to enter the holy
place by the blood of Jesus, by
a new and living way which He
inaugurated for us through
the veil, that is, His flesh"
John 10:33-39: "The Jews answered Him, 'For a good
work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and
because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be
God.' . . . 36[Jesus answered,] 'do you say of Him,
whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world,
'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of
God'? 37If I do not do the works of My Father, do not
believe Me; 38but if I do them, though you do not
believe Me, believe the works (referring to the
Father’s works), that you may know and understand
that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.'
39Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and
He eluded their grasp.”
Mark 4:35-41: "And on that day, when evening had come,
He said to them, 'Let us go over to the other side.' And
leaving the multitude, they took Him along with them, just
as He was, in the boat; and other boats were with Him. And
there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were
breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already
filling up. And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on the
cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, 'Teacher, do
You not care that we are perishing?' And being aroused, He
rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Hush, be still.' And
the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He
said to them, 'Why are you so timid? How is it that you have
no faith?' And they became very much afraid and said to
one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the
sea obey Him?'"
Ephesians 1:4-6: God “ …chose us in
Him before the foundation of the
world, that we would be holy and
blameless before Him. In love He
predestined us to adoption as sons
through Jesus Christ to Himself,
according to the kind intention of
His will, to the praise of the glory of
His grace.”
John 17:1-5: “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, 2 since you have given
him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to
all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal
life, that they know you the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 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.”
Horton: “What would things look like
if Satan really took control of a city?
Over half a century ago, Presbyterian
minister Donald Grey Barnhouse
offered his own scenario in his weekly
sermon that was also broadcast
nationwide on CBS radio. Barnhouse
speculated that if Satan took over
Philadelphia (the city where
Barnhouse pastored), all of the bars
would be closed, pornography
banished, and pristine streets would
be filled with tidy pedestrians who
smiled at each other. There would be
no swearing. The children would say
"Yes, sir" and "No, ma'am," and the
churches would be full every
Sunday...where Christ was not
preached.”
I. The Authority of His Exaltation (vs. 9a)
“Therefore God has highly exalted him…”
- 2:3-4: “in humility value others above
yourselves, not looking to your own interests
but each of you to the interests of the others.”
2:7-8: “by taking the form of a servant, being
born in the likeness of men. And being found in
human form, he humbled himself”
Exodus 14:4, 18: “And I will harden
Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue
them and I will get glory over
Pharaoh and all his host; and the
Egyptians shall know that I am the
Lord . . . And the Egyptians shall
know that I am the Lord, when I
have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his
chariots, and his horsemen.”
Jeremiah 13:11:“I made the
whole house of Israel and
the whole house of Judah
cling to me, declares the
Lord, that they might be for
me a people, a name, a
praise, and a glory.”
st
1
Samuel 12:20, 22: “Do
not be afraid; you have done
all this evil. Yet do not turn
aside from following the
Lord . . . For the Lord will not
forsake his people, for his
great name’s sake.”
Isaiah 42:8: "I am
the LORD; that is my
name! I will not give
my glory to anyone
else”
II. The Title of His Exaltation (vs. 9b)
“and bestowed on
him the name that
is above every
name”
- “Lord” = κύριος (kurios)
- Sometimes can mean simply
“sir” in a polite way
- Sometimes refers to the
master of slaves
Greek translation of the Old
Testament Septuagint (LXX)
->
- κύριος (kurios) (“LORD”) = Hebrew
‫“יְהֹ וָה‬Yahweh”
- “Adonai” ‫“(אֲ ֹדנָי‬Lord”) also
translated as κύριος (kurios)
III. The Response to His Exaltation. (vs. 10-11a)
“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”
Isaiah 45:21-23: “There is no other god
besides me, a righteous God and a
Savior; there is none besides me. “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; from my
mouth has gone out in righteousness a
word that shall not return: ’To me every
knee shall bow, every tongue shall
swear allegiance.’
IV. The Purpose of His Exaltation (vs. 11b)
“to the glory of God the Father.”
John 17:1-5:
“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the
Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him
authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom
you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they
know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you
have sent. 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.”
Spurgeon: “Now is he higher than
the highest. Now every one must
confess his divinity. With shame
and terror, his adversaries shall
bow before him; with delight and
humble adoration, his friends
shall own him Lord of all: “that
every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father.” See how the
greatest glory of Christ is the glory
of the Father. He never desired
any other glory but that. The
highest honour you can ever have,
O child of God, is to bring honour
to your Father who is in heaven.
Do you not think so? I know you
do.”
Philippians 4:13:
“I can do all things
through Christ, who
strengthens me”