Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
"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." Philippians 2:9-11.
HIS HUMILITY
When the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Philippi about the person of Jesus Christ, he was not presenting some
new doctrine. The believers there already knew this truth. As mentioned above, the apostolic church had battled
various Christological heresies.
Paul prefaced our text, Philippians 2:6-11, with the preceding verses.
"Fulfill my joy being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than
himself.... Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Philippians 2:2, 3, 5.
Notice the reference to like-minded, one mind, lowliness of mind, and the mind of Christ. The mind of Christ is
summarized for us in three words in verse 8: He humbled Himself.
God became a man. He humbled Himself! That man took upon Himself the form of a slave. He humbled
Himself! He died on the cross for our sins. He humbled Himself! Let this mind be in you.
REDEMPTION. Because man has sinned, He needs a Redeemer. God has provided a Redeemer, our Lord Jesus
Christ. The God of creation is also the God of redemption. Creation and redemption are the past works of Christ. "In
Him (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through His blood the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His
grace." Ephesians 1:7.
What is the meaning of redemption? In the New Testament the Greek word lutrosis is uniformly
translated redemption with the exception of Hebrews 11:35, where we find deliverance instead. The Greek
verbs lutroo, agorazo, and exagorazo are translated redeem. They have a two-fold meaning: (1) the paying of a price,
and (2) to loose, or set free.
The price of our redemption was the blood of Christ. "We have redemption through His blood." Peter put it this
way: "You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by
tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." 1
Peter 1:18, 19.
Fanny Crosby wrote the following lyrics to a wonderful hymn. "Redeemed---how I love to proclaim it! Redeemed by
the blood of the Lamb! Redeemed by His infinite mercy, His child, and forever I am."
About 2,000 years before her, the apostle John recorded the lyrics of a song that was sung in heaven around the throne
of God. In Revelation 4--
"You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created." Revelation 4:11.
Here Jesus Christ is praised and worshipped as Creator. But there's more--
"You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your
blood....
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and
blessings!" Revelation 5:9, 12.
In Revelation 5 He is worshipped as Redeemer, the Lamb who was slain!
A classic story illustrates something of the past work of Christ as Creator and Redeemer. It's a story of a young boy,
who built a toy, a small sailboat. One day he tied a string to the boat, and put it out on the lake. But the string broke,
and the sailboat drifted away. The boat was lost. Later the boy, while walking past a pawn shop, noticed his boat in
the window. He went inside, and told the salesperson what had happened. He was informed that if he wanted the boat,
he would have to pay for it. So he did! The boy made the boat, and bought it back. Jesus made us, and redeemed
us. We were bought with a price. We are not our own.
INDWELLING "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galatians 2:20.
The indwelling presence of Jesus Christ in the life of the believer is the dynamic in Christian living. Underscore the
words Christ lives in me. This was the testimony of the great apostle Paul.
Dr. David Jeremiah on his Sunday morning telecast asked, "What is the largest Christian denomination in the United
States?" He answered his own question, saying, "The Ignorant Brethren!" See Romans 11:25, 1 Corinthians 10:1, and
1 Thessalonians 4:13. Paul had a question for the ignorant brethren at Corinth. "Do you not know yourselves, that
Christ Jesus is in you?" 2 Corinthians 13:5.
When someone becomes a Christian, he (or she) receives the Lord Jesus. John 1:12 is an especially popular verse
among evangelical preachers. The sentence structure in the Korean Bible is different than in some English
translations. The NKJV says, "But as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of God, to
whose who believe in His name." Koreans read, "But as many as received Him, that is, to those who believe in His
name...." Often the second phrase here is ignored by some preachers. It isn't a matter of
believing and receiving. Believing is receiving. We receive Jesus Christ by faith.
"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him." Colossians 2:6. How did you receive
Christ? By faith. How are you to walk? By faith. You received Him by faith, and you live by faith.
This is also the message of Galatians 2:20. Paul wrote, "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son
of God...." The life of Christ is operative in our lives as we live by faith in Him.
One Old Testament verse, Habakkuk 2:4, is quoted three times in the New Testament. See Romans 1:17, Galatians
3:11, and Hebrews 10:38. "The just shall live by faith." The Christian life is not lived by trying, but by trusting in the
indwelling Christ. The fruits of righteousness are "by Jesus Christ" to the glory and praise of God. Philippians
1:11. He is presently at work in the life of every believer. Paul summed it up, when he wrote, "Christ in you, the hope
of glory." Colossians 1:27. He also testified, "For to me, to live is Christ...." Philippians 1:21.
INTERCEDING
While Christ is indwelling believers on earth, He is also interceding for them in heaven.
"Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns?
It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession
for us." Romans 8:33, 34.
What does it mean to intercede? The word itself simply means to go between or to mediate on behalf of someone
else. Jesus Christ is our High Priest, who intercedes for us. "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those
who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." Hebrews 7:25. He is also our
Advocate, that is, our Defense Attorney in the court of heaven. Pay attention to the following verses.
"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins,
and not for ours only, but also for the whole world." 1 John 2:1, 2.
Get the picture. According to Revelation 12:10 Satan is the accuser of the brethren. In other words, he is the
prosecutor, the one who brings a charge against God's elect. The Christian, who has sinned, is the defendant. Jesus
Christ is the Defense Attorney for the sinning believer. Satan comes before the Judge, and says, "This wretch of a
person has sinned and broken the law. The wages of sin is death, and he deserves to die." But Jesus, our Advocate,
responds, "I died in his place. I was the propitiation, the atoning sacrifice, for his sins. I paid the penalty." Case
dismissed!
THE REIGN OF CHRIST "He (Jesus) will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will
give Him the throne of His father, David, And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there
will be no end." Luke 1:32, 33.
The return of Christ will occur at a point in time; the reign of Christ will be forever. He will reign as King of kings,
and Lord of lords. Consider three truths about His kingdom over which He will rule.
First, His kingdom is an eternal kingdom. "Of His kingdom there will be no end." The prophet Daniel wrote of a
kingdom "which shall never be destroyed...and it shall stand forever." Daniel 2:44. We are all familiar with Isaiah
9:6, 7, which says regarding Christ's kingdom, "And the government will be upon His shoulder.... Of the increase of
His government and peace there will be no end." Those who believe on the Son and have eternal life will live forever
in that kingdom.
Second, His kingdom is a heavenly kingdom. Throughout the Scriptures there are numerous references to "the
kingdom of heaven." For believers "our citizenship is in heaven." Philippians 3:20. Jesus spoke clearly to Pilate,
when He said, "My kingdom is not of this world.... My kingdom is not from here." Pilate asked, "Are you a king
then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king." John 18:36, 37. He will rule forever over a heavenly
kingdom.
Third, His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. It is entered by the new birth, by being born again, by being born from
above. Jesus made this abundantly clear to a religious Jew named Nicodemus. He said, "Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." He added, "Do not marvel that I said
to you, 'You must be born again.'" John 3:3, 5, 7.