The Exaltation of Christ

[0:00] Let's dive in here. Open up your Bibles to the book of Philippians. We're going to be in chapter 2 today. So I want to start off with a question. The question is this. What is the highest position that a person can achieve in the world today?

[0:17] Think about that. What's the highest position that we have in the world today? Is there like an emperor of the universe? Not really. Okay, I heard saint.

[0:30] I think about things from a worldly perspective. Who's kind of the top dog of anybody? Any thoughts? A president, yeah. President of the country. And usually there's some countries that are more preeminent than others, right?

[0:48] And so typically, what country is that? Usually thought about is our country, right? In fact, I've heard the phrase that the president of the United States is called the leader of the free world.

[1:00] Right? And so there is a leadership kind of role there that is not just for the country, but really for the whole world. And that, I think, rings true.

[1:12] Or you might think, well, it's not really the president. Does he really have that much power? Maybe it's some kind of leaders of industry or business, right? You look at the Forbes list of some of the richest people in the world.

[1:25] You think of people like Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk. And they're leaders of these huge industries, large businesses, and have a lot of power, right?

[1:43] In fact, it's been a little bit, I don't know, can you say fun, interesting, watching some of the vying for power between the president and Elon Musk these days, if anybody else has kind of noticed that.

[1:54] You think about the heads of financial institutions that have a lot of sway over the money systems, right? I think about organizations like BlackRock led by Larry Fink.

[2:07] Or who's the other guy over, I forget the name of the company, Jamie Dimon. I hear his name a lot. And so, but these are positions of power.

[2:19] It's hard to tell which one is maybe more powerful than another one. But as we consider these positions, really all of them are somewhat temporary.

[2:30] If you're president, at least in the United States, you've got a limit, right? Maximum of eight years, and then we move on to the next person. As we look at leaders of industry, sometimes it doesn't take but a few years, and somebody else surpasses the person who used to be the top business leader, and he gets surpassed by someone else as the economy changes, as industries change, as certain technologies become more prominent than others.

[2:58] But today what we're going to look at is how God has exalted Jesus Christ to a position that is the highest in all the universe.

[3:14] Not just over the earth, but over all the earth and all the heavens. And given him a position that won't just last eight years, won't even just last a thousand years, but will last for all of eternity.

[3:28] You know, last week we looked at the humility of Christ, his condescension, how he humbled himself, became a man. The creator of the universe became a servant to his creation, to us.

[3:44] He was sinless, and yet he died as though he was a criminal on a cruel wooden cross. But that's just really half the story, right?

[3:58] It didn't end there with his humility. And so what we're going to look at today is the second half of that story. His subsequent exaltation.

[4:10] And as we look at this, we're going to ask some questions. So keep these questions in your mind. What is exaltation anyway? What's the nature of it?

[4:22] Why was exaltation necessary anyway? I mean, Jesus is God the Son. Why would it be necessary to exalt him? Who exactly exalted him?

[4:34] What does the Bible say? And what is the scope of his exaltation? Over what? Also, how does that exaltation change anything, if at all?

[4:49] And then lastly, what should our response be to this exaltation that we're going to read about this morning? Again, I hope you have your Bibles open to Philippians.

[5:01] Let's read the passage that we're going to review today. Philippians 2, verse 9 through 11. And it says this, 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 of 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.

[5:33] Just a short three verses in there, but packed full of a lot of truth. The first thing to ask, well, what exactly does it mean to be exalted?

[5:46] And it's just a word that means to elevate, to lift up, to bring something high. It's interesting that here, he doesn't just say that God has exalted, but it says that God has highly exalted.

[6:00] And that's just actually kind of a prefix added to the word. Think about like the prefix super. He has been super exalted. It's a way to take that word exalted and put it to the highest degree.

[6:15] Jesus has been exalted to a position that is the most prominent above everything. It's the highest position. There's a similar idea.

[6:26] In fact, there will be two other main passages. Actually, there are more than two that speak to this whole idea. But one in particular here is in Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 19.

[6:38] And it says this, And what is the exceeding greatness? This is Paul talking about the power of God in raising Jesus from the dead.

[6:51] And what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe? According to the working of his mighty power, which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, Jesus was raised from death unto life, and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.

[7:12] So that's his exaltation. He is seated in the heavenly places. And then it says this, And so it's far above every principality, far above every other power that is named on the earth or even in heaven.

[7:44] It's not that Jesus is just a little bit above. The other powers. He is far, far above. It mentions in this passage that he has been given a name that is above every name.

[8:01] And some people have looked at that and thought, Well, I wonder which name that's talking about. Does that mean that it's the name Jesus is the name that's above every name? Or maybe it's because it referenced him as Lord.

[8:13] Maybe his name is Lord, and that's the name that's above every name. Well, there's actually other people in the Bible. Did you know that they were named Jesus? The name Jesus was actually a common name.

[8:26] It was actually the name for Joshua in the Old Testament. And there were lots of people called Lord. Lord is just a word that means somebody who is supreme, a master.

[8:39] And so there were lots of people that were masters and that would be referenced with the title of Lord. But when it says that he has the name that is above every name, that is just a reference to his person, his identity, his authority.

[8:57] You do things in someone's name. It's in the authority that they have. And so his name or his authority will be above the authority of all others.

[9:14] Which leads us to the next question. What is exactly the nature of this exaltation that he's been given? The first thing that I want to look at, we'll look at four different aspects of this exaltation.

[9:30] The first one is that he has been exalted as the source of salvation. The source of salvation.

[9:41] In Acts chapter 4, verse 12, it says this. This is, I believe it's Peter, preaching at Solomon's portico.

[9:54] He is sharing about what Jesus Christ did, his death. And it says this, He says this, There's only one person, one name, one person with the authority to save mankind, to provide salvation, to provide reconciliation to God.

[10:29] And that is the man, Jesus Christ. He has been elevated to a position where that power to save is in his authority. In Colossians chapter 1, verse 17, it says this.

[10:46] And he, speaking of Jesus, is before all things. And in him all things exist. And he is the head of the body, the church, who is in the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may have preeminence.

[11:04] For it pleased the Father that in him all the fullness should dwell. And here it is. And by him to reconcile all things to himself.

[11:17] Whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross. Jesus humbled himself to die for the sins of the world.

[11:30] And so he has been given authority. A place of prominence. A place of rulership. To be the one who everyone must look to.

[11:42] To be the one to reconcile the world to God. To reconcile, as it says here in Colossians, all things to himself. Now that being the case, we'll look at another aspect or another role in his exaltation.

[11:59] And that is as judge over all the world. You know, there's a day coming in which God will judge, the Bible says, the living and the dead.

[12:11] Those who are alive at the time on the earth. Those who have already passed away. There will be a day of judgment in which he will judge all men according to their deeds.

[12:23] All men except for those who have trusted in Jesus Christ. In John chapter 5, verse 22, Jesus says this, For the Father judges no one.

[12:37] Now that seems strange, right? You would think that the Father, God the Father, would be the one to judge the world. Jesus says differently.

[12:48] For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son. That all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.

[13:00] He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Jesus himself will be the one who judges the world.

[13:11] In Acts chapter 10, verse 42, the same thing is said. It says this, And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is he, talking about Jesus, who was ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

[13:31] Jesus has been exalted to a position in which he will be the one responsible to judge the world in righteousness. The other position or role that he has been exalted to is really related to his people, those who trust in him, those who love him, a group that we call the body of Christ or the church.

[13:56] And going back to that same passage in Colossians, Colossians chapter 1, we'll read it again, Colossians 1, 17, And he is before all things, and in him all things consist.

[14:09] And he is the head of the body, the church. He's the head of the body, the church. He is the one who leads, who is at the head, who is at the forefront of this group, the body of Christ.

[14:26] And then finally, the last or the fourth kind of role or aspect of his exaltation is really actually a future one.

[14:37] It's a future role that he will play. And that's as the king of all the earth. He will be, he will come down from the heavens.

[14:50] Because right now the Bible says, right, that he is seated where? At the right hand of the Father in heaven. But there's a day coming, we call it his second coming, in which he will come to the earth.

[15:02] And he will take a seat on a throne in Jerusalem. And he will be the king of all the kings. He will be the Lord of all the lords.

[15:13] And he will rule the entire earth, the Bible says. With a rod of iron. In Hebrews 2, verse 8. In fact, really Hebrews chapter 1 and chapter 2 both speak a lot to this idea of how Jesus humbled himself.

[15:31] And how he was exalted into a place and a position of prominence. And it specifically looks forward to the exaltation that he will have on the earth.

[15:43] But it says this in Hebrews 2, 8. You have put all things in subjection under his feet. So whoever the writer of Hebrews is. In fact, I think this first part is actually a quote from an Old Testament prophet.

[15:58] Talking about the Messiah. That all things will be put under his feet. And the author of Hebrews follows up and says this. For in that he put all in subjection under him.

[16:11] He left nothing that is not put under him. He's making the point. God has decided that everything will be put under him. That he will be exalted above all. But then he says this.

[16:21] But now we do not yet see all things put under him. Now he is at the right hand of the Father. He is exalted in the heavens.

[16:33] He is exalted above all principality and power. Above all things on the earth. In the heavens. Under the earth. But there is still something future to come.

[16:45] In which he will be exalted in a very material way. It says, but now we do not yet see all things put under him.

[16:58] But he will be in that day. He will be king over all the earth. The next question I want to ask is. Why is there a need for the Father to exalt, to lift up the Son.

[17:17] And put him in a position of authority, of prominence. Why would that be necessary? Jesus is God the Son.

[17:30] Among the Trinity. This is taught widely in Christian circles. That there is equality, right?

[17:41] Between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Right? In fact, Jesus himself says that. We will look at that later on. But the Father and the Son, they are equal.

[17:54] And so why would the Father need to exalt the Son? Well, I think this goes back to what we looked at last week.

[18:08] The first half here. Or the first section here in Philippians chapter 2. Because what happened? There was actually something that really happened in reality.

[18:19] In which Jesus humbled himself. He was in a position of exaltation. Exaltation just based on who he was. As the creator of the universe. But he had an idea and a thought.

[18:35] And there was humility in his mind to humble himself. And then he actually did something. To actually really, truly lower himself.

[18:47] And I think this exaltation that we're reading about. Helps to emphasize the reality, the truth. Of his condescension.

[18:59] Of his lowering himself. He very literally was lowered. In fact, back to Hebrews chapter 2. The author of Hebrews says this.

[19:10] This is Hebrews 2.9. But we see Jesus. Who was made a little lower than the angels. He was made a little lower than the angels.

[19:24] Jesus was. For the suffering of death. Crowned with glory and honor. That he, by the grace of God, might taste death. For everyone.

[19:35] And so his position before, his exalted position, was just based on who he was. But now, God the Father has highly exalted him.

[19:49] Based not on just who he was as, or who he is as God the Son. But really as a response to his obedience.

[20:02] In the verse before this section that we're in here. Before Philippians 2.9. In verse 8. If we go back just one verse. It says this.

[20:13] And being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself. And became obedient. To the point of death. Even the death of the cross.

[20:24] And so his obedience to the Father. To lower himself. To experience death for us all. It's because of that. And what is the first word that starts verse 9?

[20:37] Therefore. Therefore. Because of his obedience. To humble himself. To experience death for us all. Therefore God has highly exalted him.

[20:50] And so even though he was exalted before. And he's exalted now again. There is a difference. In the exaltation. The next question to look at is.

[21:05] Well what is the source of this exaltation? So here's a question. Did Jesus. Does it say that Jesus exalted himself?

[21:18] Is that what it says? No. No. Now does Jesus have. The right. To exalt himself?

[21:29] I think so. Without a doubt. Right? He has the right. To exalt himself. And when we look out into the world. Those who are lifted high.

[21:39] Those who are in positions of prominence. How many of them got there. Because somebody else exalted them? Not many. Right? Not many. Most of the people who get to positions of high prominence.

[21:51] Are there because they. Worked for it. They. Ran for office. Or they built up a business. Or whatever it might be. It was because of their.

[22:04] Their own. Pursuit. Of that exaltation. Was Jesus. Exalted. Because the world. Exalted him.

[22:15] Because. All of the people that he created. All of his creation. Looked upon him and said. We want to lift him up. No. That's not what it says. You know.

[22:27] There was actually a time. When Jesus was offered. To be exalted. By someone. Remember that? When Jesus went out into the wilderness. And he was tempted by Satan.

[22:38] And what was one of the temptations? Satan said. Hey. See these kingdoms of the world. I actually have authority over them. I'll give them to you. You can be exalted. Over all the kingdoms of the earth. All you have to do is what?

[22:50] Just bow down and worship me. And he refused to. Because he wasn't pursuing. That exaltation. Not. Not for its own end. Anyway.

[23:03] But here's what the scripture says. In verse nine here. Therefore. God. God. God. God. God. God. God. God.

[23:13] The Father. Now. As we read this. It can be a little bit strange. Right? Because. Isn't Jesus God? So. You know.

[23:24] Sometimes these kinds of. Passages can confuse us. Because it makes it sound like. Jesus isn't God. Jesus is maybe some mighty angel. Creation of God.

[23:36] And God. The eternal God. Has. Has. Elevated him. But. As you study the scriptures.

[23:48] A lot of times. You'll see. When it talks about. A reference to. Jesus. And then his relationship to God the Father. It will just reference. As.

[23:58] God. But actually when we read down to verse 11. It's actually more specific. What does it say there in verse 11? And that every tongue should confess.

[24:09] That Jesus Christ is Lord. To the glory of God. The Father. Right? And so sometimes it makes it explicit. Oh here we're talking about God the Father.

[24:22] And so. Jesus Christ himself. As we've. And we've looked at this in the past. The Bible is just full of passages. That speak to him. Being the eternal one.

[24:33] The creator of the universe. The one who we owe. Our worship. To. And so. The Bible says very clearly. There's only one that you should worship. Right?

[24:44] And that is God. We worship. God the Father. And also. God the Son. God the Father. God the Father. And so. God the Father. And so.

[24:55] It's God the Father. That is exalting him. And then. Looking back at that verse 11. It says this. About that exaltation. That is to the glory.

[25:07] Of God the Father. So when the Son. Is lifted up high. Above every other power. That that gives glory. To the Father. And.

[25:18] That might be hard for us. To understand. In worldly terms. When one person. Is lifted up. A lot of times. That's competition. Right? In the world. Someone gets too much power.

[25:29] Too much authority. That might be competition for us. So you see this. Among kings. If you look. In history past. There's so many stories. Of a king.

[25:41] Actually sometimes. Murdering his own children. Because he's afraid. That they're going to take his power. Away from them. Over and over and over again. You see that.

[25:53] Sometimes murdering his own wife. Because he's afraid. That his power. Will be taken away. But in this case. Right? It says.

[26:04] That the lifting up. The exaltation. Of Jesus Christ. Is to the glory. Of God the Father. God is thrilled. To give this. Power and authority. To his son.

[26:18] The next question is. What is the scope. Or really the extent. Of. This. Exaltation. And as we look in.

[26:29] In verse. In verse 10. It says this. That at the name of Jesus. Every knee should bow. Of those in heaven.

[26:40] Of those on the earth. And of those under the earth. Provides kind of three different. Locations. Or realms. And so Jesus's authority.

[26:52] Is over all of creation. And specifically. Over all. Eternal creatures. Right? But. Um. But. It's beyond.

[27:03] Just. Mankind. Um. He talks about. Three locations. One is. Um. He has the name. That's above every name.

[27:13] Or that every knee. In heaven. Should bow. Every knee. In heaven. And so. Who are those. Who are in heaven? Well. You have the angels.

[27:25] Right? Created beings. Created by God. You have other heavenly hosts. That the Bible describes. That aren't necessarily angels. But they're like. Kind of. We think of them as angelic in nature.

[27:37] They're heavenly hosts. Is a name. Given for them. The Bible also uses terms. Such as. Principalities. And powers. Rulers of darkness.

[27:49] Spiritual hosts. Of wickedness. Those terms are used. In the book of Ephesians. Chapter 3. And. Chapter 6. In fact.

[28:00] Uh. The principalities. And powers. It describes. As they are in. Heavenly. Heavenly places. There are powers. That are in the heavens. Not always good powers. Sometimes evil powers.

[28:11] That are in the heavenly places. Do you remember. The book of Daniel. Daniel's. Praying to the father. And he's. Seeking the Lord.

[28:25] And. Eventually. I can't remember. How long it was. Was it a week. Or a month. I can't remember. Exactly how long it was. But finally. An angel. Comes to him. And the angel says.

[28:36] Hey. I would have been here sooner. I heard your prayers. God sent me. As soon as you started praying. But. I ran into trouble. He said. I ran into. This. Spiritual. Authority.

[28:48] That I had to. Do battle with. Before I could get here. There are real. Spiritual. Authorities. That are in the heavens. That have to be. Dealt with.

[28:59] That have some kind of. Power. He also mentions. On earth. That every knee on earth. Should bow. And that's talking about. Of course. Mankind.

[29:10] The sons of Adam. And the daughters of Eve. But of course. It's. It's not just mankind. That's on the earth. Right. There are actually. Demonic powers. Also. Invisible.

[29:22] Beings. That are on the earth. In fact. Colossians. Going back to Colossians. Colossians 1. 16. Says this. For by him. All things were created. That are in heaven.

[29:32] And that are on the earth. So God created. All things. Through Jesus Christ. And it says this. Visible and invisible. He created. The visible things. The things that we see with our eyes. And the invisible things.

[29:43] Whether thrones. Or dominions. Or principalities. Or powers. All things were created. Through him. And for him. And then the last location.

[29:56] That it talks about. Is those things. That are under. The earth. And I think there are a few things. That that could refer to. One is just the grave. The Bible talks about. People when they die.

[30:09] Going into the heart. Of the earth. And you know. Jesus's authority. Is Jesus's authority. Just over those who are living. No.

[30:22] He has authority. Even over death. Itself. Authority. Over all those. Even those who have. Already. Died. But also.

[30:34] Under the earth. Is the location. It's the place. It's the eternal home. Of. The wicked. Wicked. Now whether that's a metaphor. Or not. Under the earth. Is the actual physical.

[30:44] Location. Where. The wicked will. Spend eternity. I'm not going to. I'm not going to. Put a stake in the ground.

[30:56] On that one way. Or the other. But. That's a. That's a. Location given. For the. Eternal home. Of the wicked. Second. Peter 2. 4 says this.

[31:06] For if God did not spare. The angels who sinned. But cast them down to hell. And delivered them into chains of darkness. To be reserved for judgment. So there are actually. According to this.

[31:17] Verse in Peter. Fallen angels. Now. Down. In hell. Waiting until the day. Of judgment. Remember when Jesus cast.

[31:29] Was casting out some demons. From the. Demoniac. And they begged him. And they said. Please. You can cast us out. But don't send us to. The abyss. The abyss.

[31:41] That's the pit. Before our time. So they knew. That there was coming a time. When they would be cast. In. To the abyss. Out into hell.

[31:56] And then Jesus himself. Mentions that place. He says in Matthew 25. 41. In talking about. The judgment of the Gentiles. After the. Seven year tribulation.

[32:06] He says this. Then. He will also say to those. On the left hand. After he has divided. The sheep from the goats. He'll say to the goats. On the left. Depart from me. You cursed. Into the everlasting fire.

[32:17] Prepared for the devil. And his angels. There is this place. Called hell. Which is. Represented at least. As being in the heart. Of the earth. And it's prepared for.

[32:28] For. A certain group. The devil. And his angels. But will ultimately. Be the place. For all those. Who reject. God.

[32:39] And the Lord Jesus Christ. The next question. Is this. And really. It's. It's this. Why does any of this matter? Why does it matter. About Jesus's exaltation?

[32:52] How does that. How does it change anything? Well. It's a really big deal. Especially. You know. We are. We've had. 2,000 years. Of Christianity. In which.

[33:03] You know. We honor. The son. Jesus Christ. We look to him. He is central. To our faith. But remember. At this time. Jesus is a new character. On the scene. Scene. God. The son.

[33:14] Is this new. Idea. This new concept. And for thousands. Of years. The Jews. Anyway. And maybe some others. Some. Worshippers.

[33:25] Of the God of the Jews. Of the God of Abraham and Isaac. Worshipped the one God. The father of all. The God of Abraham. Isaac. And Jacob. And so at that time.

[33:39] You would worship. God the father. And him alone. And he had. A covenant. For Israel. And you just had to abide.

[33:49] By that covenant. But you worshiped. God. The father. But you know. With this. With this exaltation. Something has changed.

[34:03] Now. Jesus. God the son. He must. Be worshiped. He must. Be honored. And he must be trusted.

[34:15] As well. Jesus. Jesus. Very clearly said. No one. Comes to the father. Except. Through me. Right. I am the way.

[34:26] I am the truth. I am the life. No one comes to the father. Except through me. And so. That. Speaks volumes. To people today.

[34:38] Who may think. Well. I have my own path. To God. God. And it might be. Even the Jewish people. Today. Those who. Have rejected Jesus Christ.

[34:49] And say. Hey. I am following. The Old Testament scriptures. I am following. The God of Abraham. Isaac. And Jacob. Do they have the wrong God? No.

[34:59] They have the right. God. But is worshiping. God the father. Sufficient. Today. You might be sympathetic.

[35:13] And think. Man. You know. These people. They seem to be. Wanting to honor. The Lord. To worship. The father. Yet. Remember this. This is what Moses said.

[35:24] Thousands of years ago. This is in. Deuteronomy. Chapter 18. Verse 15. He says this. The Lord your God. Will raise up for you. He's talking to Israel. A prophet. Like me.

[35:35] From your midst. From your brethren. Him. You shall hear. Moses warned them. And he told them. There is a prophet coming. That will be like me.

[35:46] In many ways. And you must listen to him. You cannot ignore him. According to all you desire. To the Lord your God. And Horeb.

[35:56] In the days of the assembly. Saying. Let me not hear again. The voice of the Lord my God. Nor let me see this great fire. Anymore. Lest I die. They were afraid. Afraid of listening to God the Father.

[36:08] Hearing his voice. Because they were afraid. They might be consumed in death. And the Lord said to me. What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a prophet. Like you.

[36:19] From among the brethren. Here's what God's saying. Okay. I'm not going to talk to them. But I'm going to send someone. To talk to them. And I will put my words in his mouth. And he shall speak to them.

[36:30] All that I command him. And it shall be. That whoever will not hear my words. Which he speaks. In my name. I will require it. Of him.

[36:42] Saying listen. There's a prophet coming. He'll speak for me. But you have to listen to him. You cannot ignore him. Jesus said in Luke 10.16. He who hears you.

[36:54] He's actually sending out his disciples. To preach the gospel of the kingdom. And he's telling them. Hey listen. Some people will listen. And some people won't. But here's how you should think about that.

[37:08] He who hears you. He hears me. If people listen to you. Then they're listening to me. Because I'm the one sending you out. He who rejects you. Rejects me. If they reject your message.

[37:18] They're ultimately rejecting me. And he who rejects me. Rejects him. Who sent me. That's what he's saying. If someone rejects.

[37:30] Jesus Christ. The son of God. You're ultimately rejecting the father. You can't. Worship the father. Or pretend to worship the father. And reject. His son.

[37:42] First John 2.22. Says this. Who is a liar. But he who denies. That Jesus is the Christ. The Messiah. He is antichrist. And denies the father. And the son.

[37:54] Whoever denies the son. Does not have the father. Either. He who acknowledges the son. Has the father. Also. And so.

[38:06] Today. With Jesus Christ revealed. To all the world. His story written in black and white. And millions of copies of this book. All over the world.

[38:16] It is not an option. To ignore. Jesus Christ. And to follow. Your own path. Even if it's a path. That was valid. 2,000 years ago.

[38:28] It's not an option. Anything about Muslims. How can Muslims. Find salvation. Is it through.

[38:40] All of the one God. That they believe in. There's a lot of similarities. You know. They would say. Maybe. It's the same God. That Jews and Christians. Worship. But do they worship.

[38:52] Jesus. The Christ. As the one. Who has preeminence. Above everything. Or what about those people.

[39:03] Who might say. Well. You know. I'm spiritual. I love God. But I'm not religious. I'm not going to be like Christians. And you know. Worship Jesus. And all that. But you know.

[39:13] I believe in God. And I love him. Is that sufficient? No. No. Jesus has the preeminence.

[39:24] Every knee. Must bow. And every tongue. Confess. That he is Lord. We have to recognize. His authority. We have to recognize.

[39:36] His preeminence. You know what the. Amazing thing is. He doesn't ask us. To recognize. His. Preeminence. And his authority. By groveling. Before him.

[39:47] By begging. For mercy. By offering. To do. All these amazing things. In service to him. In fact. All he asks us.

[39:57] And this gets to the next question. What is our response. To his exaltation. What does he ask us to do. What does he require of us. Because of his exaltation. Here's what it says.

[40:10] That every knee should bow. Just humble yourself. Before him. Bowing is just a. Is a mode of worship. We ought to worship.

[40:22] Him. Jesus Christ. That every tongue. Should confess. Confess. And every person. With a tongue in their mouth. Needs to confess. Needs to acknowledge.

[40:34] Needs to accept. His position. Of authority. Over their lives. Confessing what? Confessing. That he.

[40:45] Is. The Lord. He is the master. He is the preeminent one. He is the most important person. In all of the world. In all of the universe. In all of the universe. And so.

[41:01] Our salvation. Finding salvation. Is found in recognizing. His. Authority. Over us.

[41:12] Over all the universe. And ultimately. Over. Our very souls. Right. Our souls. Our souls. And that means.

[41:22] That we have to submit. To his requirement. For salvation. And what is his requirement? It's simply this. Just trust.

[41:34] In his death. Burial. And resurrection. For the forgiveness. Of your sins. And that's it. It's not hard. There's not an obstacle course.

[41:44] That we have to go through. There's not a mountain. That we have to climb. There's not an ocean. That we have to. Cross. All we have to do. Is put our faith.

[41:55] And our trust. In him. We don't have. Other options. He gave us. One of the easiest options. There is. Romans 10.

[42:10] Verse 6. Speaks to. This confession. That we must do. But the righteousness of faith. This is talking about salvation. How we become righteous.

[42:21] How we become saved. The righteousness of faith. Speaks in this way. Do not say in your heart. Who will ascend into heaven. That is to bring Christ down from above. Or who will descend into the abyss. That is to bring Christ up from the dead.

[42:33] But what does it say? The word is near you. It's in your mouth. And in your heart. That is the word of faith. Which we preach. There is a word. A message.

[42:44] That is meant to be believed. And it's right here. It's not something that we have to go after. Climb a mountain for. Cross the abyss.

[42:55] Or go into the depths of the ocean. In order to find. It's right here. And verse 9 says this. That if you confess with your mouth. The Lord Jesus. Just confess him.

[43:05] Hey. He is Lord. He's the one. That has authority over my soul. He's the one that has authority over all of the universe. He's the one who gets to decide. Who is saved.

[43:16] And who is not. If you confess with your mouth. The Lord Jesus. And believe in your heart. That God has raised him from the dead. Trust that he has been raised.

[43:27] For my forgiveness. Then you will be saved. For with the heart. One believes unto righteousness. And with the mouth. Confession. Is made unto salvation.

[43:39] For the scripture says. Whoever believes on him. Will not be put. To shame. I'm going to.

[43:56] End with this. So how does this preeminence. Then affect us. We just talked about. Our salvation. Right. Our. Our need. To turn to him.

[44:08] To. Recognize. His authority. To humble ourselves. Before him. To submit to. His requirement. For salvation. So there's that.

[44:22] But then. How does this affect us. As Christians. You know. We've already trusted in him. So how does his preeminence. How does his exaltation. Impact us.

[44:33] Well you know. There's something that. The Bible says. About us. As believers. Benefits. That we have. Because we are. In Christ. Christ. Ephesians 2.

[44:48] Verse 4. Says this. But God. Who is rich in mercy. Because of his great love. With which he loved us. Even when we were dead. In trespasses. He made us alive.

[45:00] Together with Christ. For by grace. You have been saved. And he raised us up. Together. Because we're in Christ. Christ. We are.

[45:11] Raised. From the dead. In a spiritual sense. With him. Then it says this. And he made us. Sit together. In the heavenly places. In Christ.

[45:22] Jesus. So as believers. Trusting. In him. We have this benefit. That we are. Seated with him. Positionally.

[45:32] In the heavenly places. Are we seated. Below him. It says that we are seated. With him. In the heavenly.

[45:43] Places. That in the ages to come. He might show. The exceeding riches. Of his grace. And his kindness. Toward us. In Christ Jesus.

[45:55] God's not done. Showing his riches. In the ages to come. Way off into the future. He's going to continue. To show. The riches. The benefits.

[46:06] That we have. In Jesus Christ. Also. The Bible says that. There's a day coming. So we have this. Spiritual position.

[46:16] Of being seated. With Christ. In heavenly places. But there's coming. A day. When we. Will be glorified. We will get. New bodies. Exalted bodies.

[46:27] These glorified bodies. That will be. Like his body. The one. That he got. When he was. Raised. From the dead. And finally this.

[46:43] I think. Because of his. Exalted position. We can trust him. We can trust him. Right now. With our lives. And even.

[46:54] Our souls. Unto death. Jesus said this. John 6.39. This is the will of the father who sent me. That all that he has given me. That I should lose nothing.

[47:07] But should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of him who sent me. That everyone who sees the son. And believes in him. May have everlasting life.

[47:18] And I will raise him up at the last day. And then John 10.28. Jesus says this. I give them eternal life. And they shall never perish.

[47:29] Neither shall anyone snatch them. Out of my hand. Jesus is in the position to. Keep that promise. He has the authority.

[47:39] He has the position. He has the power. To keep those promises. That for those of us who are trusting in him. In our life. Or in our death. No one can snatch us.

[47:50] Out of his hand. And he will never. Let us go. In Romans 14. This is our last passage. Romans 14. Verse 8.

[48:01] It says this. For if we live. We live to the Lord. And if we die. We die to the Lord. This is our master.

[48:12] Therefore. Whether we live or die. We are the Lord. So we belong to him. For to this end. Christ died. And rose.

[48:22] And lived again. That he might be the Lord. Of both the dead. And the living. Right now. If you're trusting in him. You are in his hands.

[48:35] We are safe. In his hands. We're secure. And you know what that means? That means that we can rest. We don't have to be afraid. We can live life.

[48:47] In full assurance. Of faith. That he will complete the promise. That he gave to us. Because he has the power. And he has the authority.

[48:58] Seated at the right hand of the father. Above all principality. And power. And every kind of. Might and dominion. That there is. In heaven and earth. He's the one that can.

[49:10] Accomplish. What he said. He would accomplish. In us. Amen. Let's pray. Father. Father.

[49:24] We thank you for what you did. In sending Jesus. We thank you for the humility of Jesus. Our Lord. Our Savior. We're so grateful.

[49:39] For that humility. And like we've talked about last week. We want to emulate. That humility. That's. What we ought to do. Really. Is to.

[49:50] Emulate the humility of Christ. Christ. We want to honor the Lord. Jesus Christ. And. His exaltation. To love him. To honor him. In everything that we do.

[50:04] And see others. Also. Bow the knee. To confess him. In this life. Before that coming day of judgment. That they might also find salvation.

[50:14] In Christ alone. We thank you for all this. In Jesus name. Amen.