10 24 07 Higher Than Any Other Name

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name……”
(Philippians 2:9)

God not only exalted Jesus because of His humble obedience to His will and subsequent death on the cross, but He highly exalted Him……hyper-exalted……a word only used for the name of Jesus Christ. He wasn’t simply exalted (upsao), but highly (huper) exalted (hyper-exalted). Many times in the Bible the word “upsao” is used to express one being lifted up or exalted (James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:6), but here in Philippians it is used for Jesus as God exalts the Son so that at the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth (even under the earth) and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord!

So now that we know Jesus for ourselves and we know all He does for us as individuals and as a Body, what do we do with His name? Do we hyper-exalt Him in the words we speak, in the things we do, and in the places we go? Do we take on the mind-set of Christ and therefore represent Him well in our world? Or do we drag His name and reputation through the mud with our words, thoughts, and actions?

Do others see our work and desire to know the God we know; to glorify Him and praise Him, to join us in hyper-exalting His name? Do we hold His name HIGHER THAN ANY OTHER NAME? Jesus is no ordinary person and what He did for all mankind can never be matched at any time in His-story. One day everyone will bow to His sovereignty and acknowledge His Lordship. As believers, we need to be doing this minute by minute.

If our Savior humbled Himself to be obedient to the Father’s will, why do you and I continue to fight His will for us? I don’t know about you, but I find myself on the throne way too much! Better than any plans I can make; greater than any applause I receive on earth, HIGHER THAN ANY OTHER NAME I know……Jesus is my Lord and Savior……my God and Father!