The Name Above All Names

Philippians 2:5–11 NIV

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

https://skitguys.com/videos/every-knee

Introduction: We are in March Madness - What gets celebrated as success - The ends or the means?

9 - The world’s view of successful life.

Basketball, I would not trash talk. - Two examples in High School guy trying to trash talk me, I kept silent. He was like at the end, "So your not going to talk, that's how it's going to be?" At the end he shook my hand with respect.

Intramurals - Refs were making some bad calls for both teams, both teams were getting upset at the refs, I told my team, don't argue with the refs no matter how bad the calls got, just focus on playing good basketball. The other team lost their focus as they argued every call, our team won because we kept our focus. My RA saw me talk to my team and praised my good sportsmanship. I said, honestly it had nothing to do with sportsmanship, it was a strategy to win. I knew the team that focused on the refs would lose.

N. T. Wright describes the Roman background the citizens of Philippi would have had in mind as they read this poem. As good Roman citizens, they would revere men like Alexander the Great and the emperor Augustus. These men ruled the world, and some people considered them divine. Wright observes, “The power of military might and the immense organizational skills required to hold the empire together made this, for them, the natural conclusion. Other rulers did their best to copy this model. This was what heroic leadership looked like in that world. Only when we grasp this do we see just how deeply subversive, how utterly counter-cultural, was Paul’s gospel message concerning Jesus of Nazareth, whose resurrection had declared him to be Israel’s Messiah and the world’s true Lord. He was the reality, and Alexander and Augustus were the caricature” N. T. Wright,

Examples of the world's view of success....

- Norm McDonald's bit on his biggest concern being Germany chosing its oponent as "The World."

- The story of how Julius Ceasar came into power.

- Pax Romana - by means of military control.

Do you think that this is the view as it relates to the conflicts around the world - Ukraine, Russia, Israel/Palestine.

- Missionary Tribe that saw Judas as the hero in the story.

As a result....

10 - The world’s view of God’s way of life.

World's view of God's way of life - Questions: If God is all powerful and all loving, why does he allow so much suffering in the world?

Either he is too weak to do anything about it - Notice how the argument goes, What Jesus did on the cross is weakness according to our world. - Strength and power is exhibited by taking things by Force, violently, forcefully.

Or he is not loving - by allowing it to happen - Jesus takes up the suffering.

Alladin quote - "Phenomenal Cosmic Power! Itty Bitty living space."

However, this poem shows God’s way.

11 - The Resurrection Life Vindicates a Humble Life.

Wright says that the poem Paul sets in the middle of Philippians provides “the deep groundwork for the challenge to self-sacrificing unity within the church. People still debate whether Paul wrote the poem himself, or was quoting an even earlier Christian writer. What is quite clear is that here we have a very, very early statement of Christian faith in who Jesus was and what he accomplished” (Wright,).

But the first thing we learn from it is Jesus is very nature God.

Commenting on verse 6, Peter O’Brien writes, “The phrase ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ [en morphē Theou] is best interpreted against the background of the glory of God, that shining light in which, according to the OT and intertestamental literature, God was pictured. …. The expression does not refer simply to external appearance but pictures the preexistent Christ as clothed in the garments of divine majesty and splendour. He was in the form of God, sharing God’s glory. ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ thus corresponds with Jn. 17:5 (‘the glory I had with you before the world began’) and reminds one of Heb. 1:3 (‘the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being’)” (Peter Thomas O’Brien).

In this passage we see the All Powerfulness of God - Raising Jesus from the Dead.

- But this does not come by Force.

“Thus, Christ did not consider “equality with God” to consist of “grasping” or being “selfish”; rather he rejected this popular view of kingly power by “pouring himself out” for the sake of others. Equality with God means not “grasping,” but “giving away” - Gordon Fee

- So again like we have said so many times, if we want to know what God is like, what the Father is like - we look to Jesus who humbled himself and took the form of a servant.

Movement 1 - Jesus is very nature God.

Movement 2 - He unselfishly pours himself out by coming in the form of a human slave who was obedient in dying on a cross.

Movement 3 - Therefore God graciously vindicates him - resurrection, ascension. His way is the way of God’s kind of King, and so he is given the name above all names - Jesus synonomous with Yahweh.

Who - Unseen realm, living humans, and those who are dead.

If doing things God’s way is not by force like the world then how is it?

12 - Living a humble life.

The Word Morphe is in this passage 2x. - First that Jesus being the very nature God. and Second by taking the Form of a servant/slave.

“Paul exhorted the Philippians to proper attitudes in 2:1–4. In 2:5 he repeated that exhortation. The repetition emphasizes its importance. Even more, however, it introduces the model of humility and servanthood: the Lord himself. Philippians 2:6–11 recalls the attitude and actions of Christ as he left the glories of his preexistent, eternal state to assume humanity and die vicariously. The Philippians were to imitate him because, in so doing, the problems of disunity would be solved” (Richard R. Melick).

Living in a manner worthy the Gospel means making the Gospel Story our way of life.

• Not grasping to our rights,

• Taking the role of a slave

• Sacrificial Living

• Trusting God will Honor and Bless, vindicate us. - This is what the resurrection does.

Does this mean that we should die on a cross like Jesus. Are we supposed to re-enact Jesus’ story?....No....

It means we taking on the attitudes the logic of the story and live that out.

• Paul remember has decided that Death is Gain, continuing to live is the sacrifice, continuing to live is the Christ-Like attitude in his situation.

This seems like a chore.

• Experience Leadershift non-reasons.

• God needs help.

• We need to pay God back.

• Not Jesus’ Attitude - His sacrificial love flows from His love of the Father.

• Jesus’ Glorification & Our Blessing.

• Experience Leadershift Blessings:

• Friendship with God

• His Life-Shaping Influence

• Meaning and Purpose

• Personal Esteem

• True Fellowship

• The Joy Of God - Paul wants his joy complete.

• So this does not mean our circumstances will always be happy, nor does it mean we should forgo healthy boundaries, but Paul is saying, when our attitude is the same as his descent, then we will participate in Christ’s ascent in the form of blessing.

Application Point: In what ways are you trying to “Take things by force? or proveyour “goodness?” How can you turn it around and ask, “How is God calling me to serve?”