Category: Knowing Jesus

Philippians 2:11 (NKJV) 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

As we head into the end of this study, let’s take a look at the last verse, verse 11, which begins by stating that “every tongue should confess”.

The term that Paul uses here for the word “confess” is a strong, potent, intense verb, meaning to “agree with”, or “say the same thing”.

In essence, Paul is saying that everyone will ultimately, and without opposition, declare what God the Father has already proclaimed: that Jesus Christ is Lord.

“Lord” refers to having the right to rule and reign. In the New Testament, it indicates preeminence over, or ownership of people and property. This refers directly to the sovereign authority of Jesus.

When people confess the lordship of Jesus, it is “to the glory of God the Father”.

This is to say that everything ultimately brings glory to the Father. This is the entire purpose of the exaltation of Jesus; to bring glory to the Father.

So, we are to worship the Father, and worship Jesus. But worship toward Jesus is second to worshiping the Father. Everything ultimately points to the Father.

Jesus indicated this when He stated that “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), but also stated that “the Father is greater than I” (John 14:28).

Paul was very careful to make it clear that, even though Jesus was divine, there is clearly a distinction between Jesus and the Father. They are one in unity, but two distinct persons.

John 14:9 (NKJV) 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

We hope you’ve enjoyed this breakdown of Philippians 2:5-11. Please feel free to reply to this email if you have any questions or comments.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Philippians 2:10 (NKJV) 10 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…

“At the name of Jesus”.

It’s interesting to note that Paul refers directly to the name given to Him at birth, Jesus.

It is this name that will be eternally exalted, despite Him being given a new name, “Lord”.

It was the “person” of Jesus who obeyed and sacrificed His life for us. It is fitting, therefore, that this name would be the one to be eternally exalted by all.

And it is to this name that “every knee should bow”.

Because of His exaltation, every knee will ultimately bow and worship Him.

This is not limited to those who choose to follow Him. Even those who have chosen to deny Him, mock Him, those who have persecuted Him, and even those who ultimately killed Him will bow before Him, giving glory and honor to His name.

This will consist “of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth”.

Paul was specific to mention three different areas where those who bow before Jesus would come from;

1 – In heaven – The angels in heaven will worship Him.

2 – Of the earth – Those who are on the earth upon His return will bow and worship Him. This will include those who believe and those who don’t. This also likely indicates that all of creation itself will bow before Him. The earth and everything in it was created by Him, and His word plainly states that even creation will worship Him.

3 – Under the earth – Those who have died and have been buried will rise from the grave and bow before Him. There is also the possibility that this indicates that satan and his evil powers will bow to Jesus, even from the abyss.

Although His exaltation is absolute, and His lordship is universal, it will not be universally recognized until He returns.

Revelation 1:7 (NKJV) 7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Philippians 2:9 (NKJV) 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name…

“Therefore God also”.

Anytime we see the word “therefore” used, we need to understand that there is some kind of condition being implied. So, therefore means “because of this”. This means we always need to look to see what that condition is.

Here in verse 9, “therefore” is referring to Christ’s humility, due to His humble life on earth as a human, His complete obedience and the cruel death that He died. It is, though, also used in a way that causes His humble life and humiliating death to be linked to His eventual exaltation by the Father.

The two (humiliation and exaltation) are inseparably linked. Without the one (humiliation), there could not be the other (exaltation).

God has “highly exalted Him”.

Upon His ascension, Jesus traded His lowly life on earth where He lived as a humble servant, in complete obedience to the Father’s will, for a place of elevation at the right hand of the Father.

His time on earth living as a human being allowed Him to now act as the Intercessor for all believers, and the Final High Priest.

He has been given “the Name above every Name”.

He is no longer known simply as Jesus. He is now known as “Lord”, placing Him above all things in heaven and on the earth.

“Lord”, used in the New Testament, is a synonym for the Old testament descriptions of God as a sovereign ruler.

Having the new name, “Lord” establishes Jesus as the King of Kings, ruler of heaven and earth.

Revelation 19:16 (NKJV) 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

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Philippians 2:8 (NKJV) 8 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.

We hope you’re enjoying our breakdown of Philippians 2:5-11 so far!

This is all very eye-opening when it comes to getting a better understanding of who Jesus was while He was here on earth, and what it meant for Him to come in human form.

So, let’s continue.

Jesus was “found in appearance as a man”.

As Paul penned these verses, He chose a Greek word for “appearance” that focused on physical attributes, wanting to soundly establish that Jesus was, in fact, fully human in His outward appearance.

But, at the same time, He also implied that there was much more to Jesus than just what people saw outwardly.

It was this “humanly” outward appearance that caused so many religious leaders to stumble, and scoff at Him, labeling Him a blasphemer, as He openly claimed to be God in the flesh, the Messiah that they had waited on for so long.

Jesus “humbled Himself”.

Not only did Jesus take on human form, lowering Himself to take on the role of a servant, but He further humbled Himself, forfeiting what would be considered normal human rights, subjecting Himself to persecution and suffering at the hands of religious leaders and other unbelievers.

Jesus did this willingly. He was not forced or coerced into any of it. This was evident as he prayed and addressed the Father, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Jesus was “obedient to the point of death”.

Despite never having sinned, Jesus willingly chose to die, so the sins of the world could be laid upon Him.

He died the death of a criminal, following the Father’s plan for His life even to His very last breath.

And the death that He died was a cruel “death on the cross”.

Not only did Jesus die as a criminal, but he died by crucifixion, the most brutal, excruciating and degrading form of death ever developed by any civilization.

Jews despised this form of execution. They viewed it as a curse from God.

The Romans reserved this excruciating form of the death penalty for slaves and foreigners.

Even as Jesus allowed Himself to be led to His death on a cross, He was walking out His purpose here on earth in complete, perfect obedience and humility.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Philippians 2:7 (NKJV) 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

Jesus “made Himself of no reputation”.

It might also be translated as “He emptied Himself”.

Jesus did not, however, empty Himself of His deity. He simply voluntarily set aside His privileges as God, rendering Himself a mere man, walking out His earthly life as a servant to humanity.

He became fully human, yet He did so while remaining without sin; something no other human can ever accomplish.

He took on “the form of a bondservant”.

In choosing to become a human, His purpose was to serve and obey the will of the Father, even to the point of being willing to lay down His life.

Bondservants were considered to be the lowest status on the social ladder in those times. This is the exact opposite of Him being called “Lord”, which is indicative of one who reigns over all.

As he also did in verse 6, Paul chose to use a Greek word for “form”, indicating exact essence. So, He wasn’t just an imitator. He was a true servant.

And He came “in the likeness of men”.

Jesus did not just appear to be a man. He was more than just God in a human body. Being so would not have sufficed or allowed Him to fulfill His purpose here on earth.

The word “likeness” emphasizes identity. In other words, He was a man in every aspect.

He took on all the essential attributes of humanity, even identifying with basic human needs and weaknesses.

He felt hunger, anger, sadness, betrayal, disappointment, joy, happiness, pain, sorrow and temptation.

Unlike all other humans, though, Jesus was sinless.

Hebrews 4:15 (NKJV) 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Philippians 2:6 (NKJV) 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God…

Jesus wasn’t just a man who had God-like characteristics. He was, and always had been, God.

John 1:1 (NKJV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He chose to limit Himself while here on earth, so He could walk among us as a human. So, in Christ, God became man.

If we take the word “form” in the wrong context, it could possibly cause us to think that Jesus wasn’t fully God. But when Paul chose the Greek word for “form”, he chose one of two different possible words.

The word he chose specifically indicates the critical, unchanging, unceasing character of something; its very essence, or what it is in and of itself, not needing anyone or anything else to affirm it, prove it or validate it.

Because Christ was God, He did not consider it robbery to share God’s nature.

The Greek word for “robbery” was translated as such because it was originally part of the phrase “seized by robbery”.

The implication here is that Jesus didn’t feel the need to “seize”, “grasp” or “hold tightly to” His deity, His position, because there was no chance that He could lose it, be disqualified from it or have it taken from Him.

Yet, He was willing to give them up for a season, limiting Himself in such a way that He could become human and walk out the task of the redemption of man through His own death, burial and resurrection.

Colossians 1:15-17 (NKJV) 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!