Christ Through The Bible- Philippians

Text: 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.

Paul visited Philippi on his second missionary journey.

On that visit, he led to Christ, several people who formed the church there. Some of these were Lydia and her family, the Philippian jailer and his family, and the girl possessed by a demon (Acts 16:14-34).

The city of Philippi was a Roman colony. It was a miniature Rome. It mimicked Rome in every way. It was strategically located on an important trade route between Europe and Asia. It was to the church at Philippi that Paul was writing this letter from his jail in Rome.

There were two reasons Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians it was a thank you note from a missionary to a supporting church.  The second reason was due to a conflict between two women. He mentioned them by name in 4:1-2.   Unlike other epistles, there was no extended doctrine to discuss, no error to refute, no wrong to correct.

Looking at our text, every knee should bow, and every tongue confess.  Where did Paul it this idea?  It is lifted directly from the prophet Isaiah: By myself, I have sworn: from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: To me, every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance- every tongue shall confess to God Isa, 45:23

What God was speaking through the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Every knee will one day bow before me, says God.  Every tongue will confess to Him.  None of us will be standing in line looking at those rejected the LORD and say, “I told you this would happen.”  Because we will be on our faces before Almighty God.  Yet, in this life, some stiff knees refuse to bow before God now.

We live in a day where man has put “self: in place of God.  Truth is no longer what God has said, but what we want to believe.  There is no such thing as absolute truth, its truth as I see it, or what is right for me.  Right and wrong are no longer defined by what God has said, but what is right for me.  Here is the attitude of many today summed up in a poem written by William Ernest Henley in 1875

Out of the night that covers me,

      Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

      For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

      I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeoning's of chance

      My head is bloody but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

      Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

      Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

      How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate,

      I am the captain of my soul.

People quote the last part of this poem, I am master of my fate, I am captain of my soul, thinking that is virtuous, but it is no more than blasphemy.  You are not the captain of your soul.  It is either God or Satan who is your captain.  This is the spirit of the day we live in.  Too proud to bend the stiff knees of self to God.  But every knee will one day bow.

Those who have rebelled against God all their life will one day bow before Him.  That includes those in heaven and on earth and under the earth.  In heaven refers to the angels, “under the earth” refers to the dark world of evil spirits.  There are those evil spirits that have remained the enemy of God from the time they were cast out of heaven.  They will one day bow as defeated rebels, what we can gather from this passage is there will be some people on earth just like them.  The stiff knees of pride will be the downfall of many people. 

God inspired the prophet Isaiah to write about­­­ these people: “to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him Ish. 45:24. Have you noticed that the world is increasingly angry with Jesus Christ?  The most hated religion in the world today is Christianity.  Why? Because it bears the name of Jesus Christ.  These are the people who go through life angry with God.  They have set themselves against God and are driven by a strong passion of hate of God and His Son Jesus Christ.  There is coming a time when these same people will be ashamed of how they acted.  They had no place for the LORD in their lives, and they see no place for Him in their world.  They will find themselves swept away from the presence of LORD to a place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matt. 24:50

To be angry with God through life only to bow before Him as a defeated rebel cast into a place of punishment with all those who have rebelled against God will be a sad day.

Those who are indifferent to God that will one day realize they must bow before a God they ignored all their life.  They know what they should do but don’t.

Webster defines indifference as Want or lack of interest or concern. Apathy. Without significance. Spiritual indifference or spiritual apathy is the detrimental spiritual quality of knowing what to do, or what is necessary, but being unwilling to take the required steps in that direction. There are several incidences of this kind of indifference in scripture, but none is quite as blatant as these few verses in 2 Kings 20. Hezekiah has entertained the political leaders of Babylon, and in the process has openly, and with pride of heart, shown them all that he possesses, and what he has accomplished. After they have gone, he is confronted by the prophet Isaiah with a scalding rebuke by the Lord for his pride and arrogance.

2 Ki 20:19 “The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?”

It is his reply to this criticism and prophetic warning that shows his indifference and apathy to it all.  2 Kings 20:19  “The word of the LORD you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?”

What audacity. The Babylonia’s are going to come back to take the Kingdom of Israel into captivity, your own sons will be made eunuchs, and all you have to say is, “It won’t happen during my lifetime—I’ll enjoy peace and security as long as I live.” The patterns of spiritual indifference and apathy that creeps into our lives may not seem as bad as this example of Hezekiah, but they can become just as costly if left unchecked. 

We are rapidly approaching a time in history when you had better be more concerned about what your children and grandchildren are going to face in the next few years and not get caught in the attitude it will not happen in my lifetime.

The judgment of God is coming sooner than most realize.  I cannot impress upon you how important it is to make sure your family is ready for what is coming.  If you don’t care for your own spiritual condition, then think about your children and grandchildren.

Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess.  Do it before you are forced to bow and confess.  Make sure that your salvation is secured before the Day of Judgment.