James Richards

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Sunday Morning Service

Jeremy Richards

Copalis Community Church

26 January 2025

Bible References

• Philippians 2:9-11

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Therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and those on earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. So with this scripture, I'm just going to ask if you would. If you would pray with me, such a powerful and motivating testimony of Jesus Christ and our understanding of this truth directs our lives. And so we just ask that the significance of it would have come across in a way that would change our heart. So let's pray, Father, we do just come humbly before youe, Lord.

Just asking because of youf great goodness, because of the desire to show and magnify the life of Jesus Christ, Lord, that yout would open up our ears to not just hear, but also to understand our eyes, to see and perceive, Lord, the truths about Jesus nature. Or that we'd recognize it and by recognizing our lives would be changed in Jesus name. Amen. Okay, so we've been talking about this nature that Jesus possesses in a comparison so that we could understand whether or not or how much we should serve other people. There is a nature in all of us that is conceited.

Right? It thinks of ourself more highly than we ought to. Right? We esteem ourselves in an opinion that is not correct. Right.

I remember as a young person, and I'm not saying I'm any way free from this, but I was of the opinion that I had never lost an argument. Right? As a immature freshman or sophomore in high school, that's a very conceited thought. I had a keychain that said I'm not arrogant, I'm just better than you are. Right?

That's a very conceited idea. Right? We are afflicted with a conceited nature that thinks more of ourselves than is actually true. Right? We swim in a mud puddle and we think we're the top people that exist.

Very humbling if we really take in perspective who we actually are. There is a conceited part of our nature that prevents us from serving or following Christ in the nature that he intends. There is a part of us that is full of selfish ambition that desires to exalt our kingdom above that is around us to lift up our name. Well, Jesus comes as an example of a lifestyle and whose goal in this example is to change the way we view people, hopefully with the end goal of serving other people. As this conceited nature gives way to.

To the nature of Jesus Christ. As this selfish ambition to exalt our kingdom is replaced by the desire to exalt the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Jesus came as an example to put away with that old selfish thing. It says in verse six, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. He was God in the flesh, exalted.

He picked up and used all the tools of the Godhead, even though he was exalted by nature. God in human flesh. He humbled himself so far in a desire to serve other people. He became of no reputation, taking on the form of a baby, a baby born in an obscure part of a poor world. He humbled himself and put on the clothes of a servant so he could serve all types of people, not afraid to touch lepers or prostitutes, sinners or any kind of person.

He put on the clothes of a servant and he came in the likeness of man. He not only did, he went even further. And he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death in his desire to serve humankind. He went so far as his physical body being abused, and then even more taking on their sin upon himself, even so far as being put to death on the cross. And we see that this is how far he went to serve people.

The distance you and I have to go to serve people is not that far. But keeping him in perspective enables us to willingly put aside conceited thoughts and selfish ambition and serve people. But as a result of this work of obedience that Jesus did on the cross, that God is going to respond to that in some way. And the idea is that if God responded to Jesus taking that humbling step in serving people, that those who walk with Jesus, he will also treat the same way. So let's go and verse nine it says in verse nine, therefore God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name.

If we go to Hebrews, it says a few things about the Son. It says, let all the angels of God worship him. It says to the Son, your throne is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness. More than your companions. We see that God the Father is lifting up the name of Jesus. He is exalting it. There's a few reasons he exalts it.

One of the reasons that a name is exalted, to give a demonstration of what the father approves of. I believe the king in the book of Esther was Ahasuerus or Arterxes, I can't remember. Xerxes. Xerxes, okay. And if you remember Xerxes, there was a couple things that happened during his reign.

One that his wife didn't please him and that he put off his wife as an example to all other wives that they should respect their husband. He wanted to enforce a certain rule in his kingdom, to know what his viewpoint was, to encourage a certain thing. But also during that reign, in that story, Mordecai had done something to help secure his kingdom by turning in individuals who wanted to assassinate the king. This finally came about and the king asked Haman what should be done to the king. Who, whom or the person whom the king delights to honor.

And Haman thought selfishly, conceitedly, with selfish ambition. Oh, who would the king want to honor more than me? So he said, take and put him on my horse, put my robe on him and draw him through the street, saying, this is what is to be done with the individual whom the king delights to honor. And the goal in this was to give by example the kind of nature that God delights in. He wants to show humankinds what kind of thing or what kind of lifestyle he takes pleasure in.

The king in taking Mordecai and putting him on the horse was to display publicly to all the kingdom. This is the kind of individual whom I approve of. God here is exalting the name the individual, Jesus Christ, exalting him to show what kind of nature God approves of. It's a very serious thing. We attempt to please people, right?

Part of our goal with our selfish ambition is to please people in some way. But God is here showing by exalting Jesus Christ, he is trying to show the kind of lifestyle that he approves of. That does a couple things. One, it enables us to see what kind of life we should live. A life which takes our own life and uses it to secure the benefits of other people.

That that is the kind of thing God approve of. But it also gives us an idea of who God is. By demonstrating the things he approves of, we also see what kind of character he has, who he is as a person. We live in a time where individuals are saying crazy things about God, things that I can't understand, accusing him of things that they don't understand, putting in his character things that he does not possess. If we look at the character of God, the thing that he exalts in and wants to lift up more than anything is an individual who sacrifices himself on the behalf of other people.

That is the very nature. If we could draw a picture of God and explain his character, who he is as a person, we would draw the life of Jesus Christ. If we wanted to condense who God is even further, we would only picture Jesus on the Christ on the cross, loaded with the sin of mankind, with the wrath of God on his shoulders, crying out in exhaustion and pain. That would be a condensed picture of God's nature. And God is exalting the name of Jesus to point out who he is and how he wants us to live.

As an example to us, it says in verse nine, therefore God has highly exalted him. Highly. We're going to look at just how high Jesus is exalted. But the way in which God is going to exalt Jesus Christ is by giving him a name. A name.

We see Jesus is described with many names, many names. There's a bit of probably, there always has been, but a debate over how you say Jesus name or how many letters it has. But his name is really more than just how you say it, right? His name is wrapped up in his identity, his character. We see that in Revelation, Jesus has a name that no one else knows, that he shares his name with individuals out of one of the churches, that he gives other people names, that written on his thigh is the name King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that he is a named individual.

But God has given Jesus Christ a name. It's interesting. God is a naming God. He is a creating God, but he is also a naming God. He called first of all, he called his creation of mankind man.

And man, following in God's image, became a naming individual. No other part of creation gives names but man names people. We see that Adam's first responsibility was to name all the animals. He's not just throwing out gobbledygook. The name is a description or a part of what those animals were.

And we see that in giving names, in God's giving individuals names, it helps individuals to fulfill the purposes that God has for their life. We look at Abraham. He became Abraham as a part of fulfillment, fulfilling the purposes that God has for him. With Sarah and so many other people, God is naming people. He has given Jesus the highest name.

It's interesting as the curse has settled on humanity, it hasn't changed the fact that people are namers. They call people names. They help them fulfill the destiny that is in their heart for them by naming them. If we walk In God's image, we call people names to help them fulfill their destiny, to exalt them and help them achieve those plans which God has for them. But if we choose to walk in darkness, that naming ability, which is unique to God and his creation, is used to name people.

And we call them things and we drag them down, we curse them and abuse them. We harm them physically, emotionally, and spiritually by giving them a name. In the last couple of years, I think you probably aware that the stickers on the back of people's cars have become amazingly virulent and abusive, cursing and damaging to people. I'm not saying everywhere, but there is a part in human nature that names people abusively. And individuals after having been named are not exalted.

They are cursed and drugged through muck and mire. Unfortunately, sometimes we also do that with people. We might even love calling them names. But we see that God's desire here and who he is as a person is to exalt him and give Him a name that is above every name. We're going to look at that name just a little bit.

It says in verse 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the earth in revelations.

Let me see if I can.

After the Lamb had taken the scroll, the elders cry out and they sang a new song, saying, you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood. Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation have made us kings and priests to our God and we shall reign on the earth. And again in verse 12, it says, worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wisdom and riches and strength and honor and blessing, and every creature which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them. I heard saying, blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever. Because God has highly exalted the name of Jesus and given him authority over everything, that all people are accountable to Him.

We just saw in Gaza a return of power to Hamas, right? In some ways, at least for some period of time. But Hamas has taken the opportunity to do things right. Who you side with in a war has consequences when a winner is decreed. Individuals who collaborated with Israel in Gaza now feel their head a little bit lighter, right?

There's a danger who you collaborate with, because the one who actually rules will come back into power, if we remember that vineyard, right? And he leased that vineyard to growers. But he said to them, I want to get some fruit from my vineyard. But they refused him the harvest, right? And last of all, he sent to them people, you know, give me part of the harvest.

But they refused. But then one day, the owner of the vineyard's going to come back. And he said, what will you do to those individuals who fought against you, killed your servants, and even murdered your son? There is a real danger who you are allied with, who you are in allegiance to. In Philippians, we see, along with other Scriptures, that Jesus Christ is given dominion over everything.

In verse 10, it says that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, that all individuals will be accountable to the authority that Jesus Christ have. Jesus says of himself, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. He is claiming to be and demonstrating here because of what God has done to his name, that he is the supreme authority. It says in Revelations that on his coming that they will hide themselves in rocks and dens and thickets because the one they hated has now demonstrated absolutely that he reigns on heaven and earth.

That those individuals who would not confess his name would not render to him the fruit of the vineyard that he is coming back with a vengeance. It said that they would gnaw their tongues in pain, but they would not repent. There is, it says, no name given in heaven and earth by which men must be saved, that if we confess with our mouth the name of Jesus, that we will be saved. Jesus is Lord of an ark, and he is rescuing individuals who call out to him in Jesus name. It says that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth.

We see that all angels are under the authority of Jesus, that they're not worthy of any form of worship. In Revelation it says, do not worship me. I'm a servant like you. I'm a servant of you. Worship God, but Jesus is worthy of worship on earth.

That there is no name except the name of Jesus. And even those under the earth, even those principalities who have rebelled against God, will still confess Jesus is lord. In verse 11, it says that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. To close this, I want to first of all exalt Jesus Christ because of that work which he did, that we are to look at him. How far would an individual go, God in flesh go to rescue you and I, that as a result of that work which he did, God has highly exalted him, lifted him high and given him a name.

And you and I are confronted. Will we confess the name of Jesus Christ? It's very one thing to be called a Christian, to be a good person, to do nice things, but it's entirely different to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This is saying and in Revelation it's saying that one day every tongue is going to confess, whether we come frightened from the caves or dens that we're hiding in, whether we fight it till the last minute. That the authority of Jesus Christ will be prevalent in every sphere that has been created by God, that the name of Jesus and my question is at seeing the beneficial and sacrificial, the omnipotent power of the work that Jesus did on our behalf, what would prevent you from calling Jesus Lord?

Why would we fight against an authority that God has set up and exalted over every name given to us and shown to us through his resurrection? Why would we not call Him Lord today? The Bible says that today is the day of salvation. Why would we resist an authority that has been exalted by God when He he saves all those who call upon Him? I'm going to close with one more just.

I'm going to read 10 and 11. And my hope for us all is to earnestly consider whether our life is lived on the principles of selfish ambition and conceit, which is essentially our lordship, or whether it is lived for the Lord who actually is Lord. Your life, no matter how fantastic you are, is really nothing. It's pretty small. But Jesus authority has been given to him by the Father and is based on a real and enduring work.

One of us is Lord. Either Jesus is Lord, who is Lord, or you and I are usurping his authority by claiming our minuscule authority as our own. And my encouragement to us is to call on the name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. We're going to keep working through Philippians, but the goal in Philippians is as Christians to demonstrate the lifestyle of Jesus Christ in self sacrificing ways serving other people.

And I'm looking forward to that, to be encouraged by it and I hope you are also. So let's pray.