"Name Above All Names"

Philippians 2:5–7 ⁵Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

          What is the likeness of man?  We say we were created in the likeness of God, however we do not seem to have all of the same characteristics of God.  We might have many of the same characteristics of the ancient Greek gods.  Actually the Greek gods had more of mans characteristics then Jesus had.  But Jesus came to us in the likeness of man being born as a true man and as a true God.  It was for our sake that Jesus came in our likeness.

           He looked like a man, He walked like a man, and He talked like a man, but He spoke like our God, and held Himself accountable like our God.  He was perfect like our God, He healed like our God, He even forgave like our God.  Yet Jesus Christ came to us in the frailest of ways.  Jesus came to us humbled as a baby, one that should have been easy for Herod and Satan to have destroyed in His infancy.  But, He was also our God...

          Adam and Eve were formed in the likeness of God given free will to choose to obey God or to disobey God.  If Adam and Eve had continued to obey God they would have still retained their free will.  Well that didn't work!  Unlike Adam and Eve before the fall we can no longer choose to not sin and do everything perfect!  But there was one who did come along, in the likeness of man, and He has free will.  And the choices this man made were greater than we might have dared to imagine.

Zechariah 9:9      ⁹Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

          A man came today who looked nothing more than any other man.  This man came riding on a beast of burden, a donkey of no great stature, yet people lined the streets to pay Him homage.  This man wore no extravagant clothing or robes there was no crown upon His head or fancy jewels upon His wrists.  He was dressed like any pauper who walk the streets.  This man was as plain as you or me.  He was riding on a donkey in the likeness of a man.  Though He looked just like all of us He was the Name Above All Names!

Philippians 2:8–11 ⁸And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

          Jesus Christ was God, but in His choosing went to the cross as a frail man to suffer in the likeness of man.  But this suffering was not just in the likeness it was real as was the humility and as was His death that He chose for you and me.  He is the Name above all names because He is the Christ who came to save us because we cannot save ourselves.

          Praise to God the one who humbled Himself to give mercy and suffered our pain for our sins.  Alleluia to our Christ who died for our sins and gave us grace which leads us to everlasting life.  And Alleluias and Praises to Our Lord and Savior who gives us eternal relationship and life with Him.  Amen.