The Name that Tops All the Lists

Philippians 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth...

Is your name ever at the top of someone's list? Well, if it's an alphabetical list, and your name is Zankowitz, you can kiss that one goodbye. What about an invitation list? To Buckingham Palace or The White House? Ever been at the top of all names there? Academic list? Promotion list? Influential people list? "People" magazine's best dressed list? How about their annual Most Beautiful People list? Most popular? Greatest athletes of all time list? Richest? Poorest? Most qualified? Smartest? Has your name ever made any of David Letterman's top ten lists?

Well, you and I may never have memorable names, names that are household words, like Cheerios or Pledge or Bush or Clinton or Osama what's his name. But, there's one name that rises to the top like cream ... the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus, which means "The Lord saves." Christ or Messiah in Hebrew, which means the Anointed One.

And while there are those who love and revere His name today, you and I both know there are also millions of people who say that name like a cuss word. Ever wondered why? Why not Dave or Bill, Sue, Fred, Glenda, Mohammed, Gandhi or Buddha? Why is it that the name of Jesus Christ come so easily to lips when people are angry, shocked, surprised or scared? Why is it so easy to disrespect that name?

Because just as there was a specific time for Christ's earthly ministry to begin and end, there's a specific time -- yet to come -- when Jesus will rule and reign in all men's hearts. Until the time comes when "His enemies have all been put under His feet," He's pitted against the evil one, the hater of our souls -- Satan -- who's been trying to lift up his own name and destroy the name of Jesus since God promised to send a Savior for mankind.

God has said that Jesus is the Name above all names, that there's ultimate power in that name and that one day, at that name, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord.

Those are all the things Satan craves for himself. Created as a being of light and beauty, and one who was stationed closest to the throne of God, Satan began to lust after God's power, glory, honor, position and majesty. After Satan hatched a subversive plot to exalt himself above God and found himself ejected from heaven -- he was certainly no match for his Creator -- he came against God through the delight of His creation, man. He deceived man into mistrusting God and rebelling against Him as well, and through man's rebellion, gained control over him as part of the consequences of sin.

But God loved man so much that He set out to redeem His creation and set us free by sending His Son, Jesus, to conquer sin and death by living a sinless life and dying a terrible death in our place. Jesus did so. And now, through Him, each person has the opportunity to be free from Satan's control and the control of a sin nature and to enter into fellowship with God once again. Jesus is the Name, because He's the Man!

Satan fights this plan every way he can, mostly by casting aspersions on the name of Jesus and by causing people to doubt God and His love for them. He rejoices when someone dies having rejected Jesus and God's plan of salvation. He's kept control over those people, and they're now separated from God for eternity. It's a continual battle to keep people from choosing truth, life and Jesus.

But, no matter how hard he's tried to stamp out the name of Jesus ... no matter how hard he's tried to discredit Jesus and get people to curse the Name ... no matter how hard he's tried to keep people from hearing the truth about that Name, learning who He is, why He came to earth and trusting in Him, he's never succeeded. The Name of Jesus continues to draw people to God, saving them from eternal damnation.

And there'll come a time -- Jesus' time -- when the fight will end and everyone, including Satan and all principalities and powers, as well as the living and the dead, will bow the knee and confess His Name as the Name above all names.

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