March 10, 2025 -- Philippians 2:8-11 -- Fall in worship

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.
Philippians 2:8-11 ESV
 
Credit where credit is due. The inspiration for the following illustration came from listening to a Tim Keller podcast.
 
You’ve seen it, right? People who meet their hero, say a great hockey player, and they lose their ability to speak coherently. Sometimes there is a half bow, or a nod of the head because of the raw talent endlessly honed into great ability. Such ability is appropriately humbling to us. In the presence of such perfection, we realize our limits our imperfections and our unwillingness to do what it takes to achieve greatness. Infinitely more, Jesus is greater. More glorious. More perfect. More honed in His perfections. And in awestruck wonder believers and non-believers will bow before the Greatest One. His excellences, His flawlessness-in-human-form causes us, inferior, sinful, having many imperfections people to fall down in appropriate adoration.
 
Look at the extent of His exaltation. Every knee in heaven will bow. The angels that from the moment of creation have worshipped will now bend their knees. Their great power pales before His Almighty power. Angels that longed to look into such things as to why Jesus would take on flesh, who did not understand salvation because it is only humans who needing Jesus’ salvation can understand it. So angels will bow in astonishment at the completed wonder of salvation. All the people on earth. All who have ever lived. All the people who were dead and buried and raised will instantaneously fall in adoration of Jesus.
 
Angels and demons, God-haters and Jesus worshipers, great and small, all will bow before Jesus. His greatness will be so openly revealed that none can withstand His superlative excellencies, and they will before such limitless purity feel themselves to be lost in wonder which leads them to bow. This is what you, dear believers must contemplate. This is your King. This is Him Who is all-excellent. If you lose everything you ever owned, ever had, and all your reputation, but you have Jesus, you are rich beyond measure.
 
Father in heaven just and true are all Your ways! Great is Your unstoppable love presented to us in Jesus Christ. Blessed Savior, teach me to meditate on You as the radiant ambassador of the Father’s great love. You are the  most-excellent one Who would not allow anything to hinder Your work of reconciling wretchedly sinful humans to God through Your precious blood. What cost. What depths of obedience. What a Savior You are! Spirit of God, it is tempting to look away. Greatness makes us want to turn, immediately seeking something less difficult to contemplate than our abject neediness and the superlative worthiness of Christ. But we pray You, hold us in the grip of grace and love until our stubborn hearts break, enthralled by such incomprehensible excellencies and our lives gush with wonder, praise, and love for Jesus, and this to the glory and praise of God the Father. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/ohxSXsVgV-A?si=s5YSt0bHbJ66bsRc What Wondrous Love is This
 

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