The Exaltation of Christ

Last week we started looking at Philippians 2:5-11 and my plan was for us to look at all of those verses but we only made it to verse 8. If you remember, in these verses Paul highlights the humility of Christ in the first 4 verses and then in verses 9-11 we see what the reward was for Christ’s humility and sacrifice. We talked about how no one suffered like Christ has suffered. No one has ever shown greater humility than our Lord Jesus. No one has ever been brought so low from so high but what we are going to see tonight is that no one has ever been or ever will be exalted higher. We’re going to use the word exaltation a lot tonight so what is meant by that? It means to elevate, to magnify, and in regards to Christ, it is to recognize the preeminence of Him. There’s nothing else to gain and nothing else to get, Christ we know to be enough. Let’s pray and then we will dive into Philippians 2:9.

Christ’s Exaltation

Paul writes in 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.

Christ’s humiliation leads to His exaltation. Notice what happens the moment that Christ is resurrected. He steps out of the grave and Mary worships Him, the disciples worship Him, Thomas worships Him, 500 believers see Him and worship Him, He ascends to Heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father and the angels and saints worship Him. From the moment that resurrected life entered into Him, Christ has been exalted. The whole universe proclaims in Revelation 5:13

Revelation 5:13 ESV

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

All of creation will recognize the supremacy of Christ. This doesn’t mean that every single person in the world will be saved eventually. Universalism is by no means found in Scripture and no one that is in Hell will ever receive a second chance at salvation. What it does mean is that nothing in all creation will be unaware of who Jesus Christ is. No one will fail to see Him as the supreme Lord and King over all. He is our Master, our Supreme One, our Leader, Our Savior, Our ruler and king. Remember what I’ve said before, we do not make Jesus Lord and Savior. He is Lord and Savior of the world whether the world wants Him to be or not. I want to spend a couple minutes talking about what Christ’s exaltation to the right hand of God means for us. Christ’s exaltation is a source of tremendous comfort in our lifes. I’ll share four examples but there are definitely more.

Christ’s exaltation shows that He has perfectly atoned for our sins and satisfies the Father

The sweetest words to come from Christ as He hung upon the cross was this: “It is finished.” There’s no extra steps, there’s no level of worthiness that I need to reach, what greater work could be done? Christ’s resurrection from the dead, His ascension, and His sitting down at the right hand of God the Father shows that His sacrifice has been accepted. If Christ is serving as our mediator, that must mean that He is worthy to mediate on our behalf. The wrath of God towards your sin and my sin is perfectly satisfied. As we stand before the throne of God on judgement day, we will see our exalted Savior and we will see His nail pierced hands and we will say, those hands were pierced for me and because He is exalted, I will be too. “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.” The Father will look upon the accomplishments and righteousness of His Son and on our file in the file cabinet of Heaven we would see the words in the boldest letters possible: “Justified, atoned for, and made righteous by Christ Alone.” Christ’s exaltation is the evidence of His perfect satisfaction.

Christ does not forget His people after His exaltation

Jesus exaltation does not mean that He forgets about His people. There are plenty of people that go from rags to riches that forget about the people that were there for them while they were at the bottom. The author of Hebrews writes in Hebrews 2:10-15

Hebrews 2:10–15 ESV

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.” Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

Notice that we are more than just servants of Christ, Christ Himself calls us His brothers. John Calvin wrote, “This title has the force of His carrying us up with Him into heaven. Whenever we hear ourselves called brothers by Christ, let us remember that He has clothed us with this quality so that we may obtain along with the name of brother eternal life and every heavenly blessing.” The humility of Christ continues after His exaltation! The glorified Christ is not ashamed to call me, an imperfect, sinful human being, this creature of the dirt, His brother. To think that someone so low could attain something so high is astounding. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:7-8

Ephesians 4:7–8 (ESV)

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,

and he gave gifts to men.”

Christ doesn’t just remember His people, He gives them gifts beyond imagination. The prisoners are led from the jail house to the house of God.

Where He is, we shall be also

Thirdly, Christ’s exaltation is a reminder that where He is, we shall be also. William Taylor said, “Christ was crucified; and a believer is “crucified with Christ:” (Gal. 2:20:) Christ died; and a believer is “dead with Christ.” (Rom. 6:8.) Christ rose from the dead; and believers are “risen with Christ:” (Col. 3:1:) Christ is ascended up to heaven; and believers “sit together with Christ in heavenly places.” (Eph. 2:6.) Christ will come to judge the world; and “the saints,” as assessors to Christ, “shall judge the world.” (1 Cor. 6:2.) Christ is “set down in his Father’s throne;” and believers “shall sit with Christ in his throne.” (Rev. 3:21.)” Jesus says in John 17:24

John 17:24 (ESV)

Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Will the Father deny the request of His Son? God will not reject His Son’s request. Those for whom Christ prays for will be given to Him. Jesus tells His followers in John 14:3

John 14:3 ESV

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Our hearts do not have to be troubled because we know where and to whom we are going.

Our King Reigns Forever

We serve a King that will reign forever. Will Christ ever cease to be exalted? Will His accomplishments ever not be enough? Will anything greater for the salvation of sinners ever need to be done or be possible? Absolutely not. Our Lord reigns forever. Revelation 11:15 says,

Revelation 11:15 (ESV)

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

We know how all this ends and we know who it is that will be enthroned. We know not only where we as Christians are going; we know WHO we are going to. We’re going to see the King that reigns forevermore. As we look to who Jesus is and what He has done, we are given a challenge for our own lives. What does Christ’s humility mean for you and me?

Christ’s Humility and Me

It’s important for us to recognize that if we are Christians, we are to submit in every way to our Savior. No servant is ever above his master. There are some tremendous lessons that we need to be reminded of as we look at Christ’s humility.

We can always be more humble

None of us this side of heaven will ever be able to say that we have perfected any aspect of our Christianity. None of us have arrived at perfection. Later in Philippians 3:12, Paul will say, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” This is the Apostle Paul saying this, the greatest missionary to ever walk the earth, the man who would write about 30% of the entire New Testament. If Paul isn’t perfect, what shot do you and I have? So, we can always be more humble. We can always find new ways to submit, there is always going to be an additional length that we should be able to go.

We have a perfect example before us

Lesson #2 is that we have a perfect example before us in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is sometimes easy for us to forget the humanity of Christ. Jesus was fully man just as you and I are and He was humility perfected. He was walking humility. Christ showed more humility than any person past, present, or future. He was fully man and yet He came not to be served but to serve. He came partially as an example to us so that we would know how to live.

Humility now leads to rewards later

With Christ as the perfect example to us, lesson #3 reminds us that humility now leads to rewards later. Our humility on earth is not a guarantee of physical prosperity on earth. But just as the full extent of Christ’s reward came once He ascended to Heaven, the full extent of our reward will also be realized as we stand before His throne. If you think back to the first beatitude in Matthew 5:3, Christ promises that there is a great reward for the humble.

Matthew 5:3 ESV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Our reward will not just be some earthly treasures that are here today and gone tomorrow, those that have been humbled before God and practice that humility will receive the very Kingdom of God! Spurgeon said, “The ambitious worldling grasps after a kingdom, but he does not possess one. The humble in heart are content, and in that contentment they are made to reign.” James says in James 4:10

James 4:10 ESV

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

It doesn’t say that God might exalt the humble, it says He will exalt the humble! For God to commit to something means that the very gates of hell will not be able to stop it. Of course we need to remember that this verse in James is only applicable to Christians. You can act very humbly towards others and not be a Christian. It may not be the norm for prideful and sinful human beings to live humbly but it certainly can happen. The exaltation is only for those that have been made righteous through our risen and righteous Savior.

Humility does not equal weakness but highlights something that is desperately needed today

Lesson #4 is that humility does not mean that we are weak but highlights something that is truly needed today. The world does not need more boasting. The world doesn’t need more haughty and prideful individuals putting themselves up on a pedestal so that people may flounder before them. The world needs men and women with humble hearts, with servant hearts, with a heart that reflects that of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you truly want to make a difference in the world today, take on humility.

We can be like Jesus because He became like us

The final lesson, almost an echo of the second, is that we can be like Jesus because we have seen Him become like us. The Son of Man lived humbly and the sons of man are able to live humbly. When our eyes are set upon Christ, humility will always be possible. J.I. Packer said, “We are not fit for a place in God's family; the idea of his loving and exalting us sinners as he loves and has exalted the Lord Jesus sounds ludicrous and wild -- yet that, and nothing less than that, is what our adoption means.”

While there are certainly more points that we could refer to, we will stop it here. I want to challenge you with this: what does humility look like to you? Does it look like someone with a positive attitude who is sometimes kind to others or does it look like the Son of God, putting on flesh and dying a criminals death on the cross? How do we become humble? Hebrews 12:1-2

Hebrews 12:1–2 (ESV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

We endure shame now, we submit now, we love others now because we know He who did it perfectly and we know that we will one day see Him as He is and our reward will be great. Submit now, carry the cross now, knowing that with the cross comes reward. Let’s pray.