Jesus, the LORD

There is a debate toward the end of every year. It’s between three groups of people. One group believes that Christmas music can be played before Thanksgiving. Another group says that Christmas music should only be played after Thanksgiving. And I imagine there might be another group that believes Christmas music is meant for the month of December only.

We “Joy to the World, the Lord is come”

There is also, however, a fourth group—the group to which I belong—which believes that all the other groups have too much free time if they can debate such things.

There is, though, no debate about what Christmas music is. We think of songs like Silent Night, Away in a Manger, Mary Did You Know? (I think she knows by now, and is tired of being asked about it.)

“Joy to the World, the Lord is come”

But as we being tonight, think of that Christmas song, Joy to the World. Think of how it begins..

“Joy to the World, the Lord is come”

“Joy to the world, the LORD is come.”

What do you think of when you sing those words, “…the LORD is come”?

Way back in God had called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. Moses asked, “Whom shall I say sent me?” In God gave His personal Name to Moses—I AM WHO I AM or YAHWEH. That is God’s sacred Name, so sacred in fact that many believed that it shouldn’t even be spoken aloud or spelled out in the text of the Bible. Some translations use “YAHWEH” but most honor the sacredness of God’s Name by translating it as “LORD.”

Now, think about Joy to the World.

“Joy to the world, the LORD is come.”

That Christmas song is telling us that in Jesus, YAHWEH has come.

That’s why some believe that LORD is the very best Name for Jesus.

I think one of the very best passages in Scripture declaring Jesus as LORD is ...

Philippians 2:6–11 ESV

who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 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, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5–11 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 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, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:6-11

This passage calls the church to humility, love, and service as we consider Jesus, YAHWEH, who humbled Himself by taking on human flesh and dying on the cross to save us.

This passage examines the humanity of Jesus and the sacrifice of Jesus, but tonight we want to focus on the exaltation of Jesus as LORD.

Look again at Philippians 2:9-11...

Philippians 2:9–11 ESV

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 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, to the glory of God the Father.

[TS] Let’s notice three TRUTHS concerning Jesus as LORD from these verses...

Major Ideas

Three PHRASES we’ll notice this morning...

Truth #1: The Name of the LORD Jesus is above every name ().

Philippians 2:9 ESV

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

[Exp] You’ve probably heard someone refer to someone’s name being “dragged through the mud.” We know that means that someone was bad things about someone else. Now, if that someone finds, they aren’t going to be too happy. They aren’t going to like having their name dragged through the mud.

You’ve probably heard someone say that like, “Ol’ Mr. So-and-So was dragging Ol’ Mrs. So-and-So’s name through the mud.” We know that means that Ol’ Mr. So-and-So was saying bad things about his wife. Now, if Ol’ Mrs. So-and-So finds out, she isn’t going to be too happy. She isn’t going to like the idea of her name being dragged through the mud. But why? It’s just her name. Ol’ Mr. So-and-So just drug her name through the mud, not her. Why then would she be so upset? It’s because she would understand (if she actually existed) what we all understand - the name represents the person and to some degree is the person. We understand this. That’s why we get concerned about someone ruining our good names or dragging our names through the mud. We know that our names represent who we are - to some degree they are who we are. That was especially true with Jesus because his name means Yahweh saves. It was in Jesus Christ that Yahweh took on flesh as one of us, walked among us, died for us, and ascended to the Father’s right hand.Because of the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, he is exalted. And because he is exalted, his name is exalted. Paul tells us that not only here in , but also in , where he writes in verses 20-21...

But why? It’s just a name. Why would someone be so upset about having their name dragged through the mud?

It’s because we all understand that the name represents the person and, to some degree, is the person.

We understand this; that’s why we get concerned about someone “ruining our good names” or “dragging our names through the mud.” We know that our names represent who we are - to some degree they are who we are.

That was especially true with Jesus because his name means YAHWEH saves. It was in Jesus Christ that YAHWEH took on flesh as one of us, walked among us, died for us, and rose for us.

Because of the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, he is exalted. He is LORD! And because he is exalted as LORD, his Name is exalted.

Paul tells us that not only here in , but also in , where he is talking about the immeasurable greatness of Jesus’ power, His great might that God the Father...

Ephesians 1:20–21 ESV

that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Ephesians 2:20–21 ESV

built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

ESVthat he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Jesus’ Name is not only exalted now. It is exalted forever!

None other Name is or ever will be so exalted as the Name of Jesus our LORD!

When we’ve been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun, we will still be exalting the name of Jesus!

[Illus] I went to a party once where this one guy was debating people about the tallest mountain. He went around asking, “What is the tallest mountain?” Most of us said Mt. Everest, to which he gleefully responded, “No. The tallest mountain is Olympus Mons on Mars!”

ESVThen they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

Acts 5:41 ESV

Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

It’s the exaltation of his Name that transforms our suffering into joy. The exaltation of His Name gives us joy when we are given the honor of suffering for His Name. The name of Jesus is the name we must call on to be saved. As says...

None other is so exalted as Jesus and no other name is as exalted as his. It’s the exaltation of his name that transforms our suffering into moments of joy. gives us joy when we are given the honor of suffering for it.The name of Jesus is the name we must call on to be saved. As says...

In our minds, we all punched him until he agreed it was Mt. Everest.

ESVAnd there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

But if you go online and search for “tallest mountain,” Mt. Everest will be the first name to come up. But there are even other mountains on earth that some say are taller than Everest; mountains like Mauna Kea in Hawaii and Chimborazo in Ecuador.

If you’re hear today and you’ve not given your life over to Jesus, you can do that right now by just calling on his name. says...

ESVFor “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

My point is that if you’re searching for the tallest mountain, there’s going to be some debate about it. But there is no debate about which Name is most high exalted! It is the Name of the LORD Jesus is exalted above every Name!

Maybe your like that tax-collector that stood before God in broken prayer. He didn’t know what to say other than, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.”If you’re willing to admit and turn away from your sin, believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross and rose from the grave for your salvation, and confess Jesus as the Lord of your life, then you can call on the name of Jesus for salvation!Maybe your’s will be a short broken prayer like that tax-collector. Maybe your’s will be, “Lord Jesus, be merciful to me, a sinner.”He is exalted and he promises to save you if genuinely call on his name.

[TS] {see below}

Truth #2: Every knee will bow at the Name of the LORD Jesus ().

Philippians 2:10 ESV

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

The phrases “every knee” and “every tongue” come from , but to get the bigger picture of what Paul is saying about Jesus, we need to look at , which says...

[Exp] The phrases “every knee” and “every tongue” come from , but to get the bigger picture of what Paul is saying about Jesus, we need to look at . There God says...

Isaiah 45:22–25 ESV

“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.’ “Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him. In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory.”

ESV“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.’ “Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him. In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory.”

By using the language of this passage to describe Jesus in , Paul is making a bold claim. The call to salvation that extends to the ends of the earth in is issued in the Name of our LORD Jesus Christ!

All who have trusted Jesus as and LORD are justified or made righteous in the eyes of God!

We know this because we looked at last Sunday, which says…

ESVBut you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Two, the offspring of Israel, which is all who have trusted Jesus as Messiah, are justified or made righteous in Jesus Christ! Listen to ...

ESVFor by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:

But even if we haven’t trusted the LORD Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear allegiance to Him. This is Paul’s point in when he talks about every knew bowing and every tongue confessing.

Philippians 2:10–11 ESV

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, to the glory of God the Father.

Now, this is exactly what Paul says in ...

ESVso 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, to the glory of God the Father.

There is a difference between glad bowing and sad bowing, just as there is a difference between glad confessing and sad confessing.

In , God promised that every knee would bow to him and every tongue swear allegiance to him.

Some will do so gladly, recognizing that righteousness and strength are only found in the LORD Jesus, ().

Others, however, will do so sadly. They may be “incensed against him” as talks about (), but they will not still be incensed when they are made to bow before Him and made to confess Him as LORD.

No, His loftiness, His magnificence, the overwhelming certainty of his power—His exalted place will leave no doubt that they are subdued. In light of Jesus’ magnificient power, all they will do is bow in shame.

[Illus] In conflicts between nations there are two main tools which might be used to bring about peace: diplomacy and force.

Diplomacy is the skill of negotiating with another party so as to leave no ill will.

Force is strength or power exerted on an object or person. As a verb it means to compel, constrain, or oblige another to do something.

When Jesus came as a baby born in a manger; When He lived perfectly as we should have; When He died sacrificially on the cross in our place and rose triumphantly from the grave, He tried diplomacy.

But at His second coming, there will be no diplomacy from Jesus—only force. Those who refuse the salvation He offers will be forced, compelled, constrained, and obliged to bow the knee to Jesus.

Either by diplomacy or by force, Jesus will conquer for He is LORD!

[App] Every single person will be conquered by Jesus Christ. I have been conquered by Jesus and you either have been or you will be conquered by Jesus. How so, you ask?

Well, I was conquered by the love of Jesus! The love he demonstrated by dying on the cross for my sins overwhelmed the sinful pride I carried in my heart! I repented of my sins and trusted Jesus! And because His love has conquered me, I gladly bow my knee to Him! I gladly confess Him as my LORD! Many of you have that same testimony.

But there is another group. We followers of Jesus have been conquered by his love, but there are those who will only be conquered by his wrath. They reject the love Jesus demonstrated for them on the cross! They cling to their self-righteous, sinful pride! They treasure their sins, and because they will only be conquered by wrath, they will sadly bow the knee to Jesus and sadly confess him as LORD!

If you’ve not allowed the love of Jesus to conquer you so that you gladly trust him as LORD and Savior, then this is you.

On the day when Christ comes to judge, you will not be incensed. You will not be angry. You will not yell at Jesus or tell him off or angrily let him know how unfair you think all His judging is. No, you will come bow before him and confess him as LORD with great sadness—sad because you didn’t respond to His kind offer of peace when you had the chance.

In that moment, you will know to the core of your being, that he is good and you are bad - that he is holy and you are sinful - that he is gracious and you’ve only ever been rebellious.

In sadness, you’ll wish that you had repented of your sins.

In sadness, you’ll wish that you had allowed the love of Jesus to conquer you!

In sadness, you’ll wish that you had gladly bowed the knee!

But you’ll sadly be there before Him only rising as you make your entrance into the eternal torment of hell.

Now, please understand that we followers of Jesus know the same things about ourselves.

We know that Jesus is good and we are bad!

We know that he is holy and we are sinful!

We know that he is gracious and we are rebellious!

The only difference is that we have decided to accept Jesus’ offer of peace with God. We have decided to repent of sin and call on the name of the LORD Jesus for salvation - and that difference makes all the difference!

If you call on the name of the LORD Jesus for salvation, you will be saved!

But if you don’t, you stand condemned and you will be condemned .

ESV“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

[TS] The Name of the LORD Jesus is the above every name. Every knee will bow at the Name of the Lord Jesus. And finally...

You see, God is infinitely holy and to sin against him is an infinite crime and the price for it is death. Now, death as the price for sin is not just physical death this side of eternity, but much more significantly it is spiritual death separated from the goodness of God in hell for all eternity. A helpful way to think about death as the price for sin is to think of it as infinite wrath. So then, God is infinitely holy and we’ve sinned against him which because of his infinite holiness is an infinite crime, the price for that infinite crime is infinite wrath.That’s a pretty hopeless situation until Jesus enters the scene.You see, Jesus was God in the flesh. Because he was God, he could satisfy the demands of God’s infinite wrath on the cross. Because he was in the flesh just as we are in the flesh, he could satisfy the demands of God’s infinite wrath in our place.In a few hours of agony on the cross, Jesus once and for all time satisfied the infinite wrath of God for all who will gladly bow the knee to him and gladly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!Is yours a glad bowing? Is yours a glad confession?I hope so. For if they are not, only sadness awaits.

Truth #3: Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is LORD ().

Philippians 2:11 ESV

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

[Exp] The tongue is a very powerful instrument. In , it is compared to a small rudder on a large ship. Though the ship is large, its direction is determined by that small rudder. It’s the same with the tongue. What we say about Jesus with our tongues determines our direction - i.e., it determines whether we go up to heaven or down to hell. says it like this...

The tongue is a very powerful instrument. In , it is compared to a small rudder on a large ship. Though the ship is large, its direction is determined by that small rudder. It’s the same with the tongue. What we say about Jesus with our tongues determines our direction - i.e., it determines whether we go up to heaven or down to hell. says it like this...

Romans 10:9 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

ESVbecause, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

The tongue that confesses Jesus as LORD and believes in the heart that God raised him from the dead will be saved!

Now, Paul is careful in to mention the heart because there is such a thing as an empty confession.

An empty confession is one where air vibrates the vocal chords and the tongue, teeth, and lips formulate the right sounds but there is no heart the sound.

Empty confessors are those who say “Jesus is Lord,” but don’t really believe that He is LORD.

Jesus said “out of the abundance of the heart (the) mouth speaks,” (). So, you may say, “Jesus is LORD!” with your mouth, but do you believe it in your heart?

Do you believe that Jesus is YAHWEH in the flesh? Do you believe that He is LORD, the Sovereign over everything and everyone? The most highly exalted One?

...

ESVFor to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

[Illus] I don’t know if you’ve notice this, but it seems that some reporters don’t want to deal with the reality that Donald J. Trump is President of the United States. Some reporters will refer to him as “President Trump,” which I expect because he is the President. Other reporters or news anchors will refer to him as “Mr. Trump,” which I find odd. I don’t remember anyone referring to President Bush as Mr. Bush or President Obama and Mr. Obama.

In other words, because Jesus died, rose, and has now ascended to the place of power and authority at the Father’s right hand, he is Lord of all! That’s what it means that the name of Jesus is above every name! That’s what it means that every kneed will bow and every tongue will confess! That’s what it means that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him! He is Lord of all!

I could be reading into things but it seems that some of them believe that, so long as they don’t say it, it won’t be true.

But reality is reality, Donald Trump is President Trump whether we like it or not. We can try to relegate him to “Mr.” but he is still “President.”

[App] I have said and sometimes I may still slip up and say, “You need to make Jesus the LORD of your life.” If that’s the case, you can check that one off your to-do list because—reality is reality, Jesus is LORD of your life whether you like it or not. We can try to relegate Him to some position more tolerable to us, but He is still LORD.

Not everyone who will confess Jesus Christ as LORD on the day of judgment will do so because they want to. Believers will do so because they want to, but the unbelievers will do so because they will have to.

The believers in Christ Jesus will do so because they want to, but the unbelievers will do so because they will have to.

They will be left with no other choice. No other option will be available to them. The reality of Jesus’ lordship will be so overwhelming when He returns that - not only will believers rejoice in Jesus as LORD—but unbelievers will be forced to admit that He is LORD as well.

They will be left with no other choice. No other option will be available to them. The reality of Jesus’s lordship will be so overwhelming when he returns that - not only will believers rejoice in Jesus as Lord - but unbelievers will be forced to admit it as well. Now, again, if you wait until that day to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, it’ll be one day too late. The frailty of human life requires that you make sure that you are saved from God’s wrath through faith in Jesus today - before you leave here today! You never know when you’re going to go, but you know one day you will! You had better get right with the Lord!The imminency (or soon-ness) of Jesus’s return requires that you make sure your saved before you leave here today! You never know when he’s coming back, but you know one day he will! You better get right with the Lord!Repent of your sin and call on the name of Jesus for salvation. Come today and gladly bow and confess.

If you wait until His second coming to confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD, it’ll be too late. Reality is reality, He the LORD.

Confess Him as LORD now—this Christmas season—as we ponder the wonder of His first coming!

Confess Him as LORD to the glory of God the Father!

Confess Him as LORD and gladly bow the knee to Him!

[TS] {see below}

The frailty of human life requires that you make sure that you are saved from God’s wrath through faith in Jesus today - before you leave here today! You never know when you’re going to go, but you know one day you will! You had better get right with the Lord!The imminency (or soon-ness) of Jesus’s return requires that you make sure your saved before you leave here today! You never know when he’s coming back, but you know one day he will! You better get right with the Lord!Repent of your sin and call on the name of Jesus for salvation. Come today and gladly bow and confess.

Conclusion

{prayer}

Psalm 110:1 ESV

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

John 20:28 ESV

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

1 Corinthians 16:22 ESV

If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!

Isaiah 8:13 ESV

But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

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