Jesus' Signal

Scripture: Philippians 2:9-11

For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Insights: The bulk of the content in verses nine through eleven deals with God’s exaltation of Jesus, but that is not where I am going to spend our time today.  Our focus will be on the last phrase of verse eleven “to the glory of God the Father.”  This phrase wraps up the fourfold example of Jesus and the way He lived His life.  Paul admonished us back in verse five to have the same attitude of Christ Jesus.  So far, we have seen Jesus is selfless.  Jesus serves others.  Jesus sacrifices greatly.  Today, we see Jesus points others to God the Father and declares His glory.  Everything Jesus did was in order for God to be praised.  In John seventeen Jesus said, “Father the hour has come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee.”  Jesus’ example, Beloved, is the way we are supposed to live our lives.  If we are also selfless, serving others and sacrificing greatly, then God is going to be glorified in our lives.  And there is a benefit we receive as well for bring glory to the Father.  The benefit is what Paul alluded to back in verse two when he wrote, “make my joy complete.”  When we live life with the intent to bring glory to God, we will experience overflowing joy.  The process begins with selflessness.  In other words, we have to be willing to humble ourselves and repent of our sinful ways.  We are given a promise, however, in 1 John 1:9.  It states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  God the Father desires for us to live a life like His Son.  It is for this reason He is faithful and just to forgive us.  He knows only a heart in a proper love relationship with Him is going to be able to serve and sacrifice, which ultimately brings Him glory.  Beloved, point people to the Father and give Him the glory and praise He rightly deserves.  The joy you will experience is beyond compare.

Questions:

1. Are you purposefully directing praise to the Father?
2. Do you need to repent and start the fourfold process of Jesus in order to declare God’s glory?

Prayer: Father, so often I steal Your glory.  Forgive me of such an odious offense.  May this day be a day in which I begin to purposefully point people to You and Your glory.  Amen.