Lord Of All
Philippians 2
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
His Mission
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Jesus became a man. The Creator joined his creation. Incredible as it seems, He made us and then became one of us in order to redeem us.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Probably the greatest miracle of all time was when God became a part of his creation.
1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, . . .
He was equal with God - He was God - but he submitted himself to a position of service - he served mankind by sacrificing himself to save us. He didn’t have to do it - he volunteered to do it. He willingly gave himself up for us.
As incredible as it may seem, the Lord of all - the ruler of the universe - instead of commanding - submitted himself to his own laws. He had ordered that the wages of sin would be death. Then, he paid the price for us, instead of us paying it ourselves.
We deserved punishment; He didn’t. But he submitted to his law, and paid the price for us. He didn’t change of abolish the rule - he followed the rule.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Ga 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
Jesus died a criminal’s death. He never sinned, yet he suffered for all sin - for yours and for mine - as if he were guilty. He took our guilt upon himself and suffered for it.
2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Completely innocent himself, sin was imputed on him to the point that he became sin.
A commentary explains it this way:
he was made sin itself by imputation; the sins of all his people were transferred
unto him, laid upon him, and placed to his account;
he did not become sin, or a sinner, through any sinful act of his own, but
through his Father's act of imputation;
he was treated by the justice of God as if he had been not only a sinner, but a mass
of sin;
His Attitude
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Perfect obedience. Jesus was on a mission - not a vacation. It was not a study, not a test, it was a mission. His purpose - He came to die. He knew that coming in. His assignment was to pay the price for sin so man could be reconciled to God. That was it.
It was the Father’s will for Jesus to die for sin. He accepted that mission. He didn’t deserve to die. It wasn’t fair. HE didn’t have to do it. But He obeyed the will of the Father.
In the Garden He prayed -
Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Now remember, He didn’t die for His own sin. He had none.
1 Peter 2
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."
Isaiah 53
4. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Strange as it may seem, this was God’s will, and Jesus obeyed it.
His Exaltation
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Because He obeyed, the Father exalted Him. The way up is always obedience, in God’s Him
Kingdom.
1 Peter 2
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
Hebrews 12
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
In spite of unpleasantness, Jesus endured through obedience. His obedience brought Him authority.
You can never have power or authority with God until you learn to obey God perfectly.
Matthew 28
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Luke 10
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
His Position
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Finally, we must recognize the startling truth - Jesus is Lord of all. He occupied that position as God. He earned it as a man who lived in perfect obedience to the Father - thus living a perfect life.
He is Lord over all that exists. Even those who banded with Lucifer and rebelled must someday admit that He is Lord. There is no denying that ultimate fact - Jesus Christ is Lord.
Have you received Him as Lord? Do you live with Him as Lord?
Will you make Him your Lord? Or will you try to maintain control for yourself?