The Name Above all Names

From humiliation to exaltation. The first part of this “Christ Hymn” ended in verse 9 with the lowest point a man can face - a shameful, wrongful, execution.

The second part begins with the highest possible height conceivable - that to be exalted by God above all else, above all others, with a name above all names.

Down to human existence, down to rejection scorn, down to public humiliation and exaltation. This met, of course, with the resounding “up” of God’s exaltation.

This scripture emphasizes the Father’s own view of the Son, and teaches us again the framework in which we view the work that took place through Jesus Christ.

Views influenced by others

by celebrities, even though they don’t necessarily merit listening to

loved ones - sometimes do, sometimes don’t.

As a child - view influenced by my Dad in positive ways, a strong inner sense of sureness.

The kind of tools I buy

The way I do certain tasks

How much more, then, should we be informed and swayed and assured by God the Father’s own view of the Son? Of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection work?

One day, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord above all, with the Name above all names. May we joyfully confess and serve Him now!

1. The “Already” Exaltation - vs. 9

God the Father has exalted His Son highly.

a. What is Exaltation?

In the word, “exalted” simple means to raise to the highest height.

Doubled, here, by the added word “highly”

To be shown “over” or “above.”

Just like the “down, down, down” of incarnation, rejection, humiliation by execution, there is the “up, up, up” in Christ’s exaltation

Resurrection

Ac 2:24, Romans 8:11 - God raised him from the dead

Ascension

Luke 24:50–52 ESV

And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

Enthronement

Acts 2:33 ESV

Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.

Acts 7:55 ESV

But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

Hebrews 10:12 ESV

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

b. What’s in a name?

The text goes on to tell us that God gave Him the name that is above all names.

This, of course, matches the “highest high” of exaltation.

Of course, we could spend a great deal of time looking at all the names that Jesus has

Immanuel

Prince of Peace

Almighty

The Door

The Good Shepherd

The Light of the World

The Bread of Life

The Rock

The Alpha Omega/Beginning End

When we look ahead in the text, I believe we see that the name that is specifically in mind here is this one in particular

“Lord”

That is what every tongue will confess one day, that Jesus is Lord.

Which is more than a title. Though used in lower degrees for human dignitaries, there is a uniqueness in the way that the Bible attributes this name to Jesus Himself.

Exodus 3:13–14 ESV

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”

Exodus 3:15 ESV

God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

“The LORD” = YahWeh, which sounds like, in Hebrew, I AM

This name for God, which we almost always translate and read as Lord, was so sacred to God’s people that they would not even pronounce it.

they would say, “Hashem” or “The Name.”

Even seen in 1 Samuel, and Ruth

Paul would have no doubt been well aware of this, and even used to that practice. So when he writes that God ascribes to Jesus “The Name,” he might have had that very “name” in mind.

Couple with that passages in John, where Jesus refers to Himself in a very unique way

John 6:35, 8:12, 10:7, 10:11, 11:25, 14:6, 15:1.

All the “I am” statements

I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, I am the door of the sheep, I am the good shepherd, I am the resurrection and the Life, I am the true vine

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I am - ego Eimi, emphatic. Almost doubled, “I, I am”

The same way that the old Testament reads in Exodus 3, when translated into Greek the way God gives his name.

All of this is no coincidence.

Jesus, Lord, I am, The Name.

Does this mean that Jesus only became God after his death and resurrection? Does it mean he had to earn this title?

no, as we have seen, Jesus is God the Son from eternity - there at creation, there from before the foundation of the world.

But what it does mean is that God is putting this on display in a way that is unmistakable.

That there can be no doubt about it, no questioning the intention, no wondering anymore. Everyone with eyes to see and ears to hear will know that Jesus is Lord, He is God, He is the Name.

This is a place where history and theology meet and are inseparable. When we say “Jesus is God,” we are not just theorizing based on abstract reason and following a chain of ideas. We say so because God said so, not just by saying it, but by showing it.

Resurrection

Ascension

Enthronement

So how does this play and work into the bigger context, where Paul is encouraging us to humility and attitudes of service?

One, if Jesus, the Son of God, is willing do do this, then it is not beneath us.

Two, if Jesus teaches us to do this (which he did), then it is not just a suggestion from a respectable person, it is the word of God with all Authority.

Three, if we don’t recognize this authority now, we one day will. It will be an inescapable fact of eternity.

2. The “Not Yet” Exaltation - vs. 10-11

So the “Already” is the testimony of God the Father of who the Son is. That is now - nothing will be added, nothing changed. Jesus is God, the I Am, the Lord.

So what is yet to come?

The text describes an all-encompassing, no exceptions, unignorable realization of all beings that this is true, that Jesus is Lord.

You can ask “when,” because clearly not all believe or see this now. In fact, it is not just “unbelieved” but dismissed as foolishness by so many.

The “when” must be future. This passage doesn’t go to detail in describing that, but the idea is here - that there is a day coming when all ignorance and arrogance will be put to an end in terms of knowing who Jesus is.

We will look at this future exaltation, this future “confession” really, in three ways.

a. The “what”

bowing, confessing.

Bowing

Many will bow in adoration, finally seeing in fulness the one whom their soul loved.

Many will bow begrudgingly and even with a fist shaking. Though their minds are dead set against Him now, no human will or thought will be able to ignore this awesome Lord.

Confessing - to say the same thing

Again, so many with joy on their lips will say like they do now, but with more vivid assurance than ever before, that Jesus is Lord and God.

And many will have to admit, that despite their best efforts to ignore or deride the idea of this Savior, they were wrong.

The confession of the truth that is in the name itself

Jesus - The Lord Saves

Christ/Messiah - the promised one

is Lord - He is the Savior Himself.

b. The “who”

Every Knee, Every tongue.

in heaven

on earth

under the earth

A poetic way of speaking of all beings, all people, from every place and every time. Those already in heaven, those who are in judgment, those supernatural beings who adore him now, and those who are minions of the Evil One.

It makes sense that those who now see Him as Savior and Lord will joyfully bow and confess that forever.

But the fact that everyone, even the enemies, will do that, is to fulfill prophecy.

Psalm 110:1 ESV

The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

This is David speaking, and it could be interpreted in light of the temporal kingdom of Israel. But the Author of Hebrews picks it up explicitly in reference to Jesus.

Hebrews 1:13 ESV

And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?

What do we make of this? That Jesus will be fully and finally recognized by his enemies and all who reject him now?

We take it to heart now, being assured that our Jesus is King! That He is not just champion in his resurrection, but that he will always be that champion.

We take it to heart now, when we see the ways that culture derides and mocks.

We take it to heart now, when we are so aware of suffering and sadness because of sin and evil all over the world.

We take it to heart now, when in our own personal lives there are deficiencies and failures.

We take this to heart in the face of all these things, knowing that our Savior will not be defeated, he will reign forever, He will have ultimate justice, our forgiveness will never end because His reign will never end.

Which brings us to the why

c. The “why”

The why is how the text ends, “to the glory of God the Father.”

This has in itself and “already” and a “not yet.”

God already has all glory, it is not that we can “add” to his value or increase the weight of it.

But glory can be “ascribed.”

In the same way that Jesus was already and always God and Lord, but God “gave” him that name in the sight of us, for our learning and salvation,

in the same way, God already has all glory, but his glory can be more greatly displayed and seen by people.

To Glorify God is the purpose of our existence!

Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Gary loved to quote the first answer of the Shorter Catechism, What is the chief end of man?

To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

We are made to see and rejoice in the glory of God, but we are also made to give and display the glory of God.

It was the purpose that Jesus Came for.

John 12:27–28 ESV

“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. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

We are chosen for His Glory

Ephesians 1:4–6 ESV

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

We are to live now, in obedience to Christ, for God’s Glory

Matthew 5:16 ESV

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

This takes us, again, back to the greater context. When we are called to serve and humble ourselves as Christ did, this passage doesn’t teach that we should do that because then we too might become exalted above all others! Rather, we do it because He has done it for us, and it points to him as all things will one day point and say, “He is Lord! He is worthy!”

We should be righteously jealous for others to see and know God’s glory, for others to see and know Christ as who He is now! That is, Lord and God, Savior and Friend, King and Redeemer.

- O that the world might taste and see the riches of His grace! - The arms of love that compass me would all the world embrace. - Thee I shall constantly proclaim, tho' earth and hell oppose; - bold to confess Thy glorious Name before a world of foes.