1If therefore there is any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion, 2make my joy full by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; 3doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; 4each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.
5Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross. 9Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, 11and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
14Do all things without complaining and arguing, 15that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world, 16holding up the word of life, that I may have something to boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run in vain nor labor in vain. 17Yes, and if I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18In the same way, you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
19But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered up when I know how you are doing. 20For I have no one else like-minded, who will truly care about you. 21For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ. 22But you know that he has proved himself. As a child serves a father, so he served with me in furtherance of the Good News. 23Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it will go with me. 24But I trust in the Lord that I myself also will come shortly.
25But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, and your apostle and servant of my need, 26since he longed for you all, and was very troubled because you had heard that he was sick. 27For indeed he was sick nearly to death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow on sorrow. 28I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that when you see him again, you may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful. 29Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy, and hold such people in honor, 30because for the work of Christ he came near to death, risking his life to supply that which was lacking in your service toward me.
There's Just Something About That Name
Philippians 2 Part Three
Jesus: There’s Just Something About that Name
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In 1970, a young couple in Alexandria, Indiana, wrote one of the most beautiful songs in Christendom. While in their early 30s at the time, Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote the song “There’s Just Something About That Name”. That song lifts up the name of Jesus. Paul is telling the church in Philippi that someday, all of the world will know that the name of Jesus is above all other names. For some reason, the early translators of the Bible into English changed the names of the disciples, the books of the Bible, and of Jesus Himself. Much was lost in the translation. In the original languages, those names and words had specific meanings. The name “Jesus” is a poor translation of the Hebrew name “Yeshua.”
Yeshua means “salvation.” And, it is not just any salvation; it is “God’s Salvation.” Biblical scholar N.T. Wright explains: “Jesus’ name is not just a label; it is a declaration of his mission and purpose—to bring salvation.” (Wright, N.T. “Jesus and the Victory of God”) I don’t think we necessarily need to use the Hebrew name Yeshua. Regardless of whether we use the Greek, Hebrew, or English version of the name, we’re talking about the same person. The version of a person's or thing's name doesn’t change who or what it is. However, I think there is real power in the name of Jesus. I’ve heard many accounts of people who have been confronted with evil, and they’ve used nothing but the name of Jesus as their defense. It is reported that demons and other operatives of the fallen realm flee at the name of Jesus.
Sometimes it is good to meditate on the name of Jesus. I enjoy mowing some of the acreage around my farm with my zero-turn lawn mower. It often makes me feel extremely close to God. My neighbor across the road is suffering from a ravaging form of cancer. As I go in and out of my driveway these days, he comes to my mind in prayer. Yesterday, as I mowed, I kept praying for him with nothing other than the words, “Jesus, have mercy. Christ have mercy.” There is indeed power in the name of Jesus. Paul adds that someday every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. This means that a day is coming when Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot, Boko Haram (Muslim militants), and every other despot will be dragged before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Justice will be served. They will bow before Him. They will receive their sentencing. They will be held to account for the misery they have brought upon the earth in general, and on God’s people in particular. That day is coming. They will have no response other than “Jesus have mercy. Christ have mercy,” but there will be no mercy. That time will have passed. Reader, today, lift up the name of Jesus. Speak it on the job. Declare it in the marketplace. There is power in His name. “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus… there’s just something about that name. Master, Savior, Jesus…. Like the fragrance after the rain. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all heaven and earth proclaim, ‘Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there’s something about that name’” (Bill & Gloria Gaither, 1970).