"Resurrection Hope" (Ephesians 1:15-23)

"Resurrection Hope" (Ephesians 1:15-23)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchEaster Sunday AM, April 4, 2021
Ephesians 1:15-23, NIV
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
A Glorious Hope (vv. 18-19a)18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
A Hope Guaranteed by the Power of God (vv. 19b-20)That power is the same as the mighty strength20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
A Hope Assured by the Authority of Christ (vv. 20b-23)and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
A Hope that Fulfills God's Glorious Plan for the Ages (v. 22b-23)and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Main Idea: As Christians, we have a glorious resurrection hope, that is guaranteed by the power of God and the authority of Jesus Christ. The glorious hope that awaits us is the fulfillment of God's eternal plan for the ages.

"Resurrection and Reunion" (Easter 2020)

“Resurrection and Reunion”Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchEaster Sunday AM, April 12, 2020
We are designed to be in fellowship and close relationship with one another and with God.
All human beings are designed to be in close relationship with other human beings.
The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (Gen. 2:18 NIV)
A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. (Prov. 17:17 NLT)
Human beings are designed to be in close relationship with their Creator God.
Sin has alienated us from one another and from God.
The penalty for sin, death, completely separates us from one another and from God.
Resurrection results in reunion.
The Bible actually speaks of two kinds of resurrection:
Resurrection from spiritual death reconciles us to God and begins to restore our broken relationships with one another.
24 "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. (Jn. 5:24­–26 NIV)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Pet. 1:3 NIV)
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Eph. 2:13 NIV)
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- (Col. 1:21-22 NIV)
Resurrection from physical death reunites us with the whole family of God and with the full presence of God—Father, Son, and Spirit.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Cor. 15:20 NIV)
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Col. 1:18 NIV)
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Rom. 8:29-30 NIV)
13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thess. 4:13-17 NIV)
Main Idea: The resurrection of Jesus Christ restores our fellowship with one another and with God and one day will reunite us with one another and with our God.

“The Sign of Lazarus” (John 11:1–45)

“The Sign of Lazarus” (John 11:1–45)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchEaster Sunday, April 21, 2019
John 11:1–45 (NIV)
11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”
11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
 
1. Lazarus did not deserve the suffering he endured.
1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. (John 9:1–3 NIV)
2. Lazarus endured an intensified suffering in accomplishing the purposes of God.
3. Lazarus died and was prepared for burial and was put in a cave tomb with a stone in front.
4. Lazarus was buried for several days in demonstration that he had assuredly succumbed to death.
5. Lazarus’ death and burial were temporary.
6. Lazarus came to life again and came out of his burial clothes.
7. Lazarus’s resurrection glorified God.
8. Lazarus’s resurrection was a sign that resulted in many people putting their faith in Jesus.
9. Lazarus’s death and resurrection happened toward the end of Jesus’ public ministry, providing a foretaste of the greater resurrection of Christ to come.
10. Lazarus’s death was the most climactic sign in demonstration of the identity and authority of Jesus Christ before his own resurrection from the grave.
11. A miraculous sign is not enough to melt the hardened heart of unbelief. A miracle of regeneration of the heart by the Spirit of God is required to bring about faith.
12. Unlike Lazarus’s resurrection, Jesus was raised never to die again. Jesus was the firstfruits of a new kind of resurrection from death.
Main Idea: The raising of Lazarus is a sign pointing to the greater resurrection of Christ. The resurrection of Christ is the greatest attestation of the authenticity and authority of the person of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. The only proper response is to believe in Him.

“The Sign of the Temple” (John 2:12–23)

“The Sign of the Temple” (John 2:12–23)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, April 14, 2019
John 2:12–23 (NIV)        12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.        13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”         18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”        19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”        20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
1. The Authority of Jesus is Displayed.2. The Authority of Jesus is Questioned.3. The Authenticity of Jesus’ Authority is Predicted.
* By means of a Typological Sign, comparing Jesus to the Temple:
i. The Temple was the central focus of the worship and life of the Israelite people.ii. The Temple was the means by which God’s presence dwelt with his people.iii. The Temple was the place where sacrificial blood was offered by the High Priest for atonement so that God might dwell with his people.
4. The Authority of Jesus is Confirmed.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt. 28:18-20 NIV)
32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."' 36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." (Acts 2:32-36 NIV)

“The Sign of Jonah” (Matthew 12:38–42)

“The Sign of Jonah” (Matthew 12:38–42)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, April 7, 2019
Matthew 12:38–42 (NIV)
        38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
       39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.
1. Like Jonah, Jesus was a prophet of God, proclaiming the message of God.
2. Like Jonah, Jesus was called as a prophet during a time of great Israelite unbelief.
a. The Israelite leadership in Jonah’s day was characterized by wickedness, idolatry, and unbelief.
23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel became king in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. 24 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit. (2 Kings 14:23-24 NIV)
b. The Israelite leadership in Jesus’ day was caught up in its own self-righteousness and was deluded into thinking it had no need of repentance. But Jesus called them wicked and spiritual adulterers. Spiritual adultery was typically associated with idolatry, the same spiritual adultery that Israel was guilty of in Jonah’s day.
c. The unbelief of the religious leadership in Jesus’ day is demonstrated by their selfish demand for a miraculous sign from Jesus.
3. Like Jonah, Jesus saw minimal response to his message among the Israelites, but an overwhelmingly positive response to his message among the Gentiles.
4. Like Jonah, Jesus was zealous for the salvation of the Israelites.
a. But Jonah had a misguided, short-sighted view of the best way to ensure the salvation of the Israelites. He thought the best way to secure the safety and salvation of the Israelites was the destruction of Israel’s Gentile enemies. Jonah was even willing to sacrifice himself, be thrown into the ocean and drown, rather than see the repentance of the Gentiles. So, he was willing to sacrifice himself for the well-being of his own people, but it was misguided, short-sighted, and contrary to the will of God.
b. Jesus, on the other hand, had a proper, far-sighted view of the best way to ensure the salvation of the Israelites. He would lay down his life for his people, but not in any effort to circumvent the will of God, but rather in harmony with the will of God. Jonah’s death desired the destruction of the Gentiles, but Jesus’ death desired the salvation of the Gentiles. In his far-sighted view of the plan of God, Jesus knew that salvation for the Jews did not come by hostility to the Gentiles; rather, salvation for the Jews would ironically come through the conversion of the Gentiles (Romans 11).
5. Like Jonah, Jesus was miraculously rescued from death after 3 days.
a. J. Jeremias: “both the old and the new sign of Jonah consist in the authorisation of the divine messenger by deliverance from death.”
b. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the greatest authentication of his message and the greatest vindication of his mission and work. It also became the center of the Christian proclamation of the gospel.
6. Both Jonah and Jesus preached a message of repentance, which is also the proper obedient response to their God-sent proclamation.
7. In many ways, Jonah was a type of Jesus, and Jesus was like Jonah. But Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, and so was so much more than Jonah was or could ever be.

"On the Emmaus Road" (Luke 24:13-35)

“On the Emmaus Road” (Luke 24:13–35)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchEaster Sunday AM, April 1, 2018
Luke 24:13–35 (NIV)
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
1. It’s Over…
a. Going home…b. We were hoping…c. It’s now the third day…d. They did not see Jesus…
2. It’s Not Over; It Is Finished!
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30, NIV)
After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3, NIV)
a. The Scriptures have been Fulfilled.
25 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24:25–27, NIV)
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12, NIV)
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (Romans 1:16, NIV)
b. God’s Plan has been Accomplished.c. God’s Purpose has been Realized.
Main Idea: We come to know the risen Christ through the Holy Scriptures and through the eye-opening grace of God.

“The Firstborn from the Dead”

“The Firstborn from the Dead”
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Easter Sunday AM, April 16, 2017
 
22 But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen-- 23 that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles."  (Acts 26:22–23, NIV)
 
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. (1 Co. 15:20–23, NIV)
 
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.  (Colossians 1:15–20, NIV)
 
4 Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father-- to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.  7 "Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on earth "will mourn because of him." So shall it be! Amen.  (Rev. 1:4–7, NIV)
 
What does it mean for Christ to be “the first to rise from the dead,” “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep,” or the “firstborn from the dead”?
 
     1.  What It Does Not Mean
 a.  It does not mean that Jesus was a created being who had a beginning.
 b.  It does not mean that Jesus is the firstborn of a family in a strictly literal, physical sense.
 c.  It does not mean that Jesus will be the only one to rise from the dead. There have been and there will be many more who will rise from the dead.
 d.  It does not mean that Jesus was the first in history to have died and then be resurrected from death. There were others brought back to life from death before Jesus’ resurrection.
          i.   Elijah resurrected the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17–24).
      ii.  Elisha resurrected the son of the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:18–37).
     iii.  A dead man comes back to life when he touches Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:20–21).
     vi.  Jesus resurrected the son of the widow at Nain (Luke 7:13–15).
      v.  Jesus raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead (Matthew 9:25).
     vi.  Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43–44).
     vii. Many saints were resurrected at the death of Jesus (Matthew 27:52–53).
 
    2.  What It Does Mean
 a.  Though Jesus was not the first in history to rise from the dead, he is the first to rise from the dead in the manner that he did. When Jesus rose from the dead, he rose with a resurrected, glorified body that will never die again.
 b.  Jesus is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep in that he is the first of many who will follow him in rising from death into a resurrected, glorified, immortal existence.
 c.  Jesus is the firstborn from the dead in that he is the one who receives the honor and preeminence in the family of God.
 
     3.  What Is the Significance?
 
a.  We have a loving, suffering Savior who gave himself for us to rescue us from our bondage to sin and its penalty of death.
 b.  We have a glorious, risen Sovereign who has conquered death and reigns as King over the whole world.
 c.  We have a holy, righteous Judge who is coming again to judge the world—vindicating his people and condemning the wicked.
 d.  We have a joyful, future Hope when all of Christ’s people will be raised at the last day to enter and enjoy immortal, eternal life.

"Christ Is Risen and Exalted"

"Christ Is Risen and Exalted"
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Easter Sunday AM, March 27, 2016
Philippians 2:5–11 (NIV)

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 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!

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.