"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name"
When someone calls us a "name" they place a label upon us. Usually in our culture this has a bad implication. However, in this passage God gives a name to the Lord Jesus. God is placing a label upon the Lord Jesus, an exalted label.
and given Him the name
God gave Jesus a unique name; he set him apart from any other name. Jesus is the great Unlike; He is totally unique because he stepped foot out of heaven and came to earth to die and rise again because of our sin.
The word "name" is equivalent to character. Character is beyond reputation. A person might have a good reputation but not have integrity. A name spells out who and what a person is.
Becoming a Christian has to do with Jesus’ name:
“…to those who believe in his name" (John 1:12),
"…because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (3:18).
"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Prayer is to be executed in Jesus’ name, "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:13,14).
God has labeled Jesus and we are identified with his exalted position. This identification is not because of who we are but because of who he is. Our association with Jesus gives us prerogative with God.
which is above every name
God has placed him in rank above everyone and everything else. In God the Father’s estimation, his identity is above all else. Jesus has been given the unique name above all else. His name is set apart from all others. His character is totally unique.
PRINCIPLE: We possess a uniqueness in God’s eyes because of the esteem he holds for His Son.
APPLICATION: We have a unique identity.To not appreciate who we are in Christ is to diminish what Jesus did for us. We have value because of our association with him. The reason we do not recognize the worth of Christ is that we do not appreciate who he is and what he did. God the Father, however, saw the value of what he did and highly exalted him.
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