The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Truly Believing that Jesus Christ is Lord of All and Spreading that Word to All and Sundry!

Philippians 2:9.        Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

It’s Sunday once again friends! And some of us wonder how it comes around so often and so quickly…just like Monday. (smile) But that’s because we know we ought to get ourselves out to church to celebrate the Lord’s Day in fellowship with other believers; giving thanks and praise, while receiving a renewal of faith and confidence to face the turbulent outside world this coming work week. And this week we have a very interesting and popular hymn as our song of praise and worship. It’s aptly titled “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.”  

It’s so popular that it’s sung by many Christian denominations. The hymn is often called the “National Anthem of Christendom.” The lyrics were written by Edward Perronet (1721-1792) a prominent British Pastor at one time affiliated with the Wesley’s of the Methodist persuasion, but afterwards became a pastor of a dissenting congregation. And I like how this commentary describes the song. ‘This hymn is a declaration of praise, but it’s also much more than that. The words both declare the majesty of Christ and task us with making that majesty known to all. Like many hymns describing the glory of God and the hope that one day all people will see that glory.’

So, having some idea of what the song is about, let’s raise our voices in sweet sacrifices of praise, in a soulful, mid-tempo version, letting all and sundry know in heartfelt sincerity, to whom we ascribe majesty. ‘All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall; Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race, Ye ransomed of the fall, Ye ransomed of the fall, Hail him who saves you by his grace, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. 

Sinners whose LOVE can ne’er forget The wormwood and the gall, The wormwood and the gall, Go, spread your trophies at His feet And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. Let ev’ry kindred, ev’ry tribe, On this terrestrial ball, On this terrestrial ball, To him all majesty ascribe, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all. O that with yonder sacred throng We at his feet may fall; We at His feet may fall; We’ll join the everlasting song, And crown him, crown him, crown him, And crown him Lord of all.’ And we’ll certainly do that when the time comes! 

Now, many of us know the song refers to Bruh Paul’s letter to the Philippians, where he writes: ‘’Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus (that’s harmonious living). Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of his privileges): 

And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of (those) things in heaven, and (those) things in earth, and (those) things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:5-11) 

Ah friends, what powerful and revealing scripture! Jesus, having possessed the very nature of God, gave up His heavenly privileges, or, as the scholars say, ‘decided not to continue enjoying His heavenly existence, although He could have lawfully kept it. But instead, He assumed the position of a servant and appeared in the likeness of men. Consequently, being judged by His fashion (outward appearance) He was recognized by many people as a mere man. But he was much more than that – he was still the Son of God, who continued to possess the divine nature.’ 

Yes my brethren, although Jesus became a man in appearance, He was still all He had ever been, just not using those divine privileges here on earth. But then the scholars pose a very interesting question: ‘Why did Jesus willingly give up His divine existence with all its benefits and advantages? Because He had within Himself the attitude of verses 2c-4: He regarded sinners as more important than Himself (vs. 3), and was just as concerned with their needs as with His own affairs (vs. 4). So the Philippians were to cultivate within themselves this same attitude and express it to one another.’

Now that goes for us believers today also. We ought to stop being selfish and thinking only of ourselves but include our fellow man in our concerns. And it’s because of those sacrifices that the Father exalted Jesus so highly, gave Him the honour of His name being higher than every other name, and the assurance that one day every knee will bow to Him as Lord.

And the scholars give three purposes for Jesus’ exaltation. ‘(1) That every being in the universe might someday submit to Him. (2) That in addition to future universal submission (vs. 10), there might also someday be a universal confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. On earth Jesus is recognized by many to be no more than a man (vs. 8), yet in the future all will acknowledge Him as Lord, that is God. The ultimate purpose for Jesus’ glorification is (3) to the glory of God the Father (vs.11), for His honour.’ That’s why the song says: ‘we’ll fall at his feet…join the everlasting song, and crown Him Lord of all.’ 

But here’s another interesting situation, posed by the commentary above. They say: ‘We long for this day, and declare our hope in its arrival in the text of this hymn. But are we willing to declare that hope to those who have not heard it? The phrase, “Easier said than done” comes to mind here. After we have sung these words of victory and longing, what do we do? Do we act on those words and turn our expectancy into realities? Or do we wait for someone else to do it for us? The fourth stanza of this great hymn declares, “We’ll join the everlasting song….” Everlasting means that we are a part of that song right now – are we willing to lift our voices together to sing more than a hymn, and truly crown our God Lord of all?’

Now that’s a most poignant question? Are we ready to do more than sing the words of the hymn, but also spread the word, and truly crown Jesus Lord of all? Let’s go home pondering that question this Sunday morning, hoping we’ll reach a positive conclusion! Much LOVE!

…Jesus’ sacrifices, compassion, selflessness and obedience…caused the Father to exalt Him to the highest level… 

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Having the Same Mindset as Jesus, if They Desire to Live and Work for Him!

Philippians 2:5.         Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

And if you are not one of the smart, blessed or lucky ones who have the day off, (smile) then you would have gone out to work in the bad weather this Monday morning, a few days before New Year’s Eve. Let’s hope you were careful on the roads, for most likely they were very treacherous, what with the combination of rain, snow, freezing rain and sleet we’ve had this weekend. 

Now, although Christmas Day has passed, the season isn’t over, so please keep the peace, LOVE and joy going, wherever you may be, for we desperately need to turn things around in our old world for this new year. Jesus is depending on us to do the jobs we signed up for when we became His disciples. It’s like He said: “If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) That means getting out there every day with a good attitude, even though life might not be the greatest, and showing the world a true reflection of Jesus. 

Obviously it’s not easy, but it’s what is expected of us as true and sincere believers. None of us like the idea of sacrificing anything, but do you think Jesus liked the idea of sacrificing Himself on that rugged cross? No way! But the Father asked it of Him, for our benefit, and since He LOVED the Father and wanted to be obedient to Him, He valiantly put His life on the line for us. 

And Bruh Paul puts it very plainly in his letter to the Philippians. ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of all his privileges): And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:5-8) 

Yuh see that my fellow believers, Jesus gave up everything He had to come to earth to die in our place. So, please don’t tell me that we can’t suffer and sacrifice a little on His behalf. And that’s exactly why our world is in such an evil and ungodly mess; we Christians have gotten too comfortable and fearful and thus are not willing to go to bat for Jesus as much as is necessary, but we keep crying out to Him for help when troubles befall us and bold facedly expect Him to help us. 

But don’t forget that it takes two to tango, and two hands to wash each other, so if we need Jesus’ help, we must do what He desires. Remember His words: ‘If you LOVE me, you will keep my commandments.’ (John 15:15) So all the empty talk we spout about Jesus is just that; talk without any worthwhile action. And please note that Jesus does not expect us to kill ourselves on His behalf, but just to do an honest day’s work, like we would do for our earthly employers. 

But then, that brings up the interesting question of how many of us in today’s greedy and selfish society, do an honest day’s work? Hn! Definitely not the majority, since the general trend is to do as little as possible, or as little as we can get away with. But that is not the way Jesus wants His believers to behave. 

Bruh Paul also made that quite clear when he said in his letter to the Colossians: ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. For he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: And there is no respect of persons.’ (Colo. 3:23-25) 

Yes friends, when we live for Christ, we are expected do things diligently and excellently, as though we are doing it for Him, for in the end we will receive the reward for our good attitude from Him. And likewise, if we do wrong, we will also receive the tough consequences for our disobedience, for God is impartial. Now, to help us handle all that is coming and will come against us, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in these turbulent times. 

Altogether:  ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. 

Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now it’s up to us to do what our prayer says; turn from our evil ways, so that God can prosper us. And that in turn means going to God for help in all sincerity and truth…if we truly desire divine aid. Much LOVE!

…it’s high time Christians action what we so lustily sing…Stand up…Stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey… 

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien