Welcome to Buoy, a Life in Deeper Water podcast.

Episode 37. God Exalted Jesus to the Highest Place (humility takes us there)

(click here to listen now)

Hello human.

Spoiler alert: I am proud of what Jesus did for me. That’s how this episode ends.

This is Part 2 of 2 episodes on humility. Last episode (36) was about the face of humility, how Jesus embodied it in His earthly life, and how we seek for it.

Philippians 2:5-8

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,

    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7 rather, he made himself nothing

    by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,

    being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

    he humbled himself

    by becoming obedient to death—

        even death on a cross!

Jesus delivers us from desires that replace what He has already become for us.

Jesus delivers us from fears that He has already suffered for us.

Jesus grants us the grace that He has already delivered to us.

And this episode (37) how God exalts the humble.

The Highest Place, the Name Above All Names

God does the glorifying.

He is the source and it started with how He raised His Son from the dead and gave Him a new name. The Gospel is about humiliation and exaltation of God’s Son.

Philippians 2:9 – 11

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

    and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father.

 

Verse 9 says God exalted him to the highest place. What is that place? The Greek word for “highest place” means “exceeding height.” Sounds like it goes “up” forever.

Strong’s definitions include:

• to exalt to the highest rank and power, raise to supreme majesty
• to extol most highly
• to be exalted beyond measure

Maybe the best way to define this highest place is in God giving His Son “the name that is above every name.” The Greek word for Lord here is kurios (koo’-ree-os), meaning “absolute ruler.”

I try not to compare scriptures through superlatives, so I will just say this passage speaks straight into the deepest part of my heart. It defines with such a divine fullness how I feel about Jesus.

Hebrews 1: 3-4

3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

 

Jesus is Lord. Much superior to the angels.

Peter tells us to “clothe ourselves in humility”… if you have ever had a favorite sweater, blanket, jacket, socks, a scarf, winter hat, anything that wraps itself around you, filling every familiar crevice, embracing you with the smell of nostalgia… making you feel protected from the elements, comforted from the blowing rain, soothing you, restoring you, connecting you to that which is most important to you in your earthly life, then you know what Peter wants you to do.

Give that, spiritually… to one another.

1 Peter  5:5

5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

“God opposes the proud

    but shows favor to the humble.”

 

How God Exalts Us

Before we look at how God exalts us, I want to note that God “resists” the proud. He “opposes” the proud. Both strike a reverent chord in my heart. I do not want God to resist me, to keep me at arm’s length, to use His spiritual muscles to stop me from being close to Him… and worse, that He opposes me, moving toward me, taking the offense against my pride.

We know how that turns out. A big slice of humble pie for me. All because I took my eyes of His glory and set my sights on a little DIY exaltation.

But, if we come to Him, and humble ourselves in His presence, here is what He does.

He honors us.

Proverbs 15:33

33 The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 29:23

23 A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.

Proverbs 18:12

12 Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.

He gives us wisdom.

Proverbs 11:2

2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

He lifts us up at the right time.

1 Peter 5:6

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

 

Humbling ourselves is done by God, under His mighty hand. He calls the shots.

Matthew 23:12

12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

He guides and teaches us.

Psalm 25:9

9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

He gives us wealth, honor, and life.

Proverbs 22:4

4 Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.

So, quite simply, when I come to Him in humility I watch for, am restored by, inspired within from how God lifts me up with His wisdom, His timing (aka my patience), His guidance and teaching, His spiritual wealth, and my spiritual life in Him that bridges the gap between mortality and eternity.

So What is Humility and How Do We Receive it From God?

So, what is humility and how do we receive it from God? Humility is not born out of human initiative, but a God-given response in us—to God himself, His glory, His purpose for each of us. 

That is why God tells us to humble ourselves before Him.

God initiated everything. The world. Man. Woman. Men. Women. Sending His Son to die for us. Resurrecting His Son to redeem us. He humbles us, he asks us to humble ourselves to Him, through the framework of struggling—to turn away from our selfish nature in trials and tribulations that make us want to save ourselves, to elevate ourselves above the circumstance.

Seeking humility is responding to His nature, His glory, and His purpose for my life. Your life. God is sovereign.

Consider this.

We come before the Lord in humility…

when we read His Word.

when we obey His Word.

when we pray.

when we fast.

God is glorified when we honor His son.

Recently I ran across 12 ways to humble yourself before God by Billy Graham. I include the link in show notes at kathrynbise.com. I won’t go through them here, but each is grounded in God’s Word, giving spiritual clarity to how we respond to our Maker, how we humble ourselves in the presence of His glory. We respond to Him in humility.  I now have it in my “forever” file, only because it is grounded in scriptures.

So, a quick sidebar on living in a world fueled by vanity:  Don’t give enduring weight to those who raise you up, take the encouragement for that moment because God works through the people around you, but His assurances are to fuel you to keep going, keep witnessing His presence in your life. Do not fall into the self-pride of what you have accomplished. It’s not about you.

I think pride festers in a static state of mind.

Standing still in your own glory, your own past accomplishments.

Getting that self-proclaimed title and branding it.

It robs you of God in your next moment.

Being too self-aware about self-image.

Instead of being made in the image of God.

Pride self-consumes our desires and engages our fears in its blaze. So, when I am about to act, ask myself: am I motivated by “self”, am I directing my efforts toward a better way for me, or am I humbling myself to act on, represent His glory, and proclaim His name, the highest of names?

How powerful is our Savior’s grace? Worth repeating from part 1 of humility, that the grace of Jesus will fill our hearts with a sovereign desire to give all that we want for ourselves, to others.

We follow the road of humiliation and exaltation, as He did.

It is through the grace of Jesus that we respond in humility. And when that happens, we respond to God’s humbling hand in our lives—shaping us, guiding and teaching us, and we respond in humility.

Jesus tells us where we should always start to be humble: Take the lowest place at life’s table.

Jesus came from the status of eternal deity, but lowered himself.

He is the only one who rightfully deserved to be where He was, yet humbled himself.

I came from the status of mortal, human existence, so I will lower myself.

I deserve nothing. I will humble myself.

Humility comes from the blood of Jesus.

It started at the cross when Jesus gives all the glory to God, the Father.

Suffering is the framework within which God works; he shapes our humility through trials and circumstances. Being humbled is a good thing.

Paul is direct with the Romans about humility:

Romans 12:3

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

 

God’s divine persuasion in my life, my faith, the “measure of it” that He gives me, takes root in how God humbles me in my life circumstances. Only God can do it. Because He is my Creator. When He gives me trials, when the world and people challenge me, when I seek to create my own domain, my own responses, and fill the well of self-pride, I can stop and think of myself “with sober judgement”, and respond by claiming His glory, His presence, His power, and that His Son is Lord of my life.

Claim Jesus, not me.

Because I am eternally proud of what Jesus did for me.