Listen up, little ones
Listen for the word name.
Reading
Philippians 2:9-11—The Exaltation of Christ
Keys for kids
- Jesus was highly exalted.
- Jesus’s name is the most important name.
- Jesus is Lord over all things and all people.
Questions
- Who is Jesus over now?
- What does it mean that Jesus has the highest name?
- Where is Jesus now?
Notes
(Today’s notes are from a commentary on Philippians by Dennis E. Johnson) Philippians 2:9 marks the dramatic turning point in the hymn, where Christ’s downward plunge is reversed by the Father’s upward pull. Paul seizes on a striking verb that appears nowhere else in the New Testament. The ESV’s “highly exalted” captures his meaning acceptably; but the components of this compound verb—the preposition “above” (hyper) prefixed to the root “exalt” (hypsoō)—may foreshadow the contrast between Christ’s exalted status and all the creatures who are subordinate to him “in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” Such a contrast is explicit when this verb appears in the Greek (Septuagint) translation of Psalm 97:9 [LXX 96:9]: “you are exalted [hyperypsoō] far above [hyper] all gods.” Likewise, here Paul explains the verb “exalted above” [hyperypsoō] by mentioning “the name that is above [hyper] every name,” which God conferred on Jesus. Christ’s ascent from the depths of despicable death has carried his whole person—including the humanity in which he served and suffered—to a point higher than the highest of all his creatures. As the victorious Redeemer of God’s guilty but beloved people, he emerged from the grave the third day, entered heaven forty days later, and soon thereafter celebrated his enthronement by pouring out his Holy Spirit in power on his people. He has carried our humanity, now bursting with new creation life, up from the grave, into the heavens, to take his seat at the Father’s right hand.
Swedish Method questions
Praise
Psalm 110b, 10a
Prayer
- Glorify the great name of Jesus in prayer.
- Give thanks for something from last Lord’s Day’s sermons.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.