Title: At the name of Jesus … death is overcome!
Text: Phil. 2:5-11
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
It was John Riskin who said, "I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean by humility, doubt of his own power, or hesitation in speaking his opinion. But really great men have a ... feeling that the greatness is not in them but through them; that they could not do or be anything else than God made them." Andrew Murray said, "The humble man feels no jealousy or envy. He can bear to hear others praised while he is forgotten because ... he has received the spirit of Jesus, who pleased not Himself, and who sought not His own honor. Therefore, in putting on the Lord Jesus Christ he has put on the heart of compassion, kindness, meekness, longsuffering, and humility."
Today in the Word, August 5, 1993.
Paul begins his epistle to the Philippians:
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
This Palm Sunday we look at a different aspect of the triumphant entry of Jesus. That being His humility and emptying of Himself … becoming a servant … a suffering servant that our Old Testament Reading points to.
The Old Testament reading for today is one of the Servant Songs in Isaiah. It is the third Servant song and a testament to what awaits the Lord just a few days after His triumphant entry.
6I gave my back to those who strike,
and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face
from disgrace and spitting.
The Lord of all creation suffers, in humility, as a man cursed to bear the sins of the world. One who is despised and rejected and on whom the wrath of God is poured out.
It is here that the picture of the scourging, the striking of the Lord Jesus by those who would ultimately lead to His crucifixion. The pulling out of the beard which is a symbol of great disrespect and an insult (2 Sam 10:4-5) as also the slapping of the redeemers face (Mark 14:65).
The servant is faithful and listens to the voice of this loving God.
7He who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
Let us stand up together.
Who is my adversary?
Let him come near to me.
In contrast to the rebellious people the servant listens to and does the will of His heavenly Father. The servant is abused but also sustained by the Sovereign Lord’s help just as Jesus would also be sustained in his passion at the cross. Even this death will not bring disgrace to the servant who gives over his will, in humility to that of the sovereign Lord. The fear of the Lord and obedience to the word of the servant also connect the Father with the Son and salvation to those who fall away into a righteousness of their own making.
At the name of Jesus … even death is overcome!
Ill.
M.R. De Haan used to say, "Humility is something we should constantly pray for, yet never thank God that we have."
The story of a truly humble man is hard to find, yet God delights to honor such selfless people. Booker T. Washington, the renowned black educator, was an outstanding example of this truth. Shortly after he took over the presidency of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he was walking in an exclusive section of town when he was stopped by a wealthy white woman. Not knowing the famous Mr. Washington by sight, she asked if he would like to earn a few dollars by chopping wood for her. Because he had no pressing business at the moment, Professor Washington smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and proceeded to do the humble chore she had requested. When he was finished, he carried the logs into the house and stacked them by the fireplace. A little girl recognized him and later revealed his identity to the lady.
The next morning the embarrassed woman went to see Mr. Washington in his office at the Institute and apologized profusely. "It's perfectly all right, Madam," he replied. "Occasionally I enjoy a little manual labor. Besides, it's always a delight to do something for a friend." She shook his hand warmly and assured him that his meek and gracious attitude had endeared him and his work to her heart. Not long afterward she showed her admiration by persuading some wealthy acquaintances to join her in donating thousands of dollars to the Tuskegee Institute.
Our Daily Bread.
The truth of this story is to never see oneself through the eyes of pride but to see others through the eyes of Jesus … as precious Lambs of God worthy of redeeming.
But sin clouds our eyes at times. We turn away from the one in need. Feel bothered when someone needs help. Avoid a friend, because we know the problem and really have enough problems of our own. Don’t know what to say or how we can help.
Thankfully our Lord by His Spirit points to this Suffering Servant the God /man himself, Jesus Christ.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
This death he suffered … for you …
At the name of Jesus … death is overcome!
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Ill.
Fellow Peace member Ryan Squanda a student at MSU wrote a wonderful article for isportsweb that is distributed by the Detroit Free press online. It was a story about former MSU quarterback Andrew Maxwell, whose carrier at MSU ended a less than stellar carrier in collegiate football. But what was most interesting in this story of Football, frustration and faith was Maxwell’s humble outlook on life, sports and his faith in his Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
“What the next chapter of my life looks like, it might be football. It might not,” Maxwell said. “But I guess something that I’ve been learning about Jesus lately is that He transcends vocations. He transcends jobs. He transcends circumstances.”
“Whether I’m an NFL quarterback, whether I’m a janitor at a church, whether I’m managing a team of business professionals - I can be just as Christian doing those things as I can on the mission field because He transcends all those," Maxwell said.
Nearly everyone that followed Maxwell's career at MSU would agree that it ended awkwardly - and certainly did not come with any sort of a positive storybook ending. But Maxwell would tell those people, like he told a hundred students in Kedzie Hall last week, that the story that really matters - his future and his faith - is just now beginning.
That should be how we all look at faith and what God has called us to do in and through our vocations. To live out our lives as followers of Jesus Christ as humble servants, in this world, and to reach those that we come in contact with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And we know that even through our weak efforts God will use all things for the good, for those who are called according to His purpose, by His Spirit, to reach the lost and strengthen the saved.
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. That is the mission.
Because: Jesus Christ has given us the heart of compassion, kindness, meekness, longsuffering, and humility."
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment