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; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
— Philippians 2:9-11

Merry Christmas! I pray that this will be one of the most wonderful Christmases you have ever known in your entire life! And as you celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ, don’t forget to make sure your heart is ready for the second coming of Jesus Christ. In fact, I urge you to use today as a special reminder to tell everyone that Jesus is coming again soon!

Because Jesus came to earth the first time and became obedient unto death on the Cross, the Bible joyfully declares: “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; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

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bookmark2My friend, the first time Jesus came to this world, He came as a little baby boy that was born in Bethlehem. But the next time Jesus comes — and it could be at any time — He will come as the Lord of lords and the King of kings! According to the Bible, at that moment “…every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.”

Notice it says that “every knee should bow.” The word “bow” is the Greek word kampto, and it means to bow low. The same word is found in Romans 11:4, Romans 14:11, and Ephesians 3:14, where the apostle Paul uses it to picture a person who bends his knee in acknowledgement of God’s authority. It is an action that expresses honor, respect, humiliation, and worship.

According to Philippians 2:10, a day is coming when those in Heaven, earth, and hell will bow their knees in honor, respect, humility, and worship of Jesus Christ! It is not a question of if people will bow their knees to Jesus; it is only a question of when and how they will do it. Will they freely do it while still living on this earth? Or will they do it from the vantage point of hell? Everyone will bow — including those who have already died and gone to Heaven; those who are still alive when Jesus comes; and even those who have died and are eternally separated from God. All will bow their knees in acknowledgement of Jesus Christ’s Lordship!

And the bending of mankind’s knees in acknowledgement of Jesus’ Lordship will be no quiet affair, for Philippians 2:11 goes on to tell us, “…every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The word “confess” is the Greek word exomologeo, which is a compound of the words ek and homologia. The word ek means out, and the word homologia refers to a confession. When taken as one word, it means to audibly, vocally, and publicly declare a fact. It also means to speak it out, to yell it loudly, or to declare it out. This means Heaven, earth, and hell will resonate and resound with the voices of all who have ever lived as they thunderously shout out and acknowledge: “JESUS IS LORD!”

Just as every knee shall bow, it is also a fact that every person will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! If a person confesses Jesus to be his Lord right now in this life, it guarantees him a place in Heaven. If a person refuses to make that confession now, he will still do it later — only then it will be too late for him to gain a place in Heaven.

How tragic that people die without confessing Jesus as Lord, for a day is coming when even in death, they will be required to make this confession! If they confess Jesus as their Lord now, they reap the benefits of salvation and all the promises of God. If they do it later, it will be an acknowledgement that they were wrong and that Jesus was right; however, it will not change their eternal status.

This Christmas as you celebrate with family and friends, take a few minutes to remind everyone that Jesus is coming again, just as surely as He came the first time. And if anyone has never confessed Jesus as the Lord of his life, offer to take that person into a quiet room. After bowing your knees with him, lead him in a confession of Jesus’ Lordship that brings him into the family of God. Can you think of anything more important that could happen on Christmas Day?

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My Prayer for Today

Lord, I ask You to help me to be bold today when I see my family and friends. If I see people who I know are not saved, please give me the boldness I need to speak up and ask them to pray with me to make Jesus the Lord of their lives. I don’t want this day to end without taking advantage of any opportunity that arises to present Jesus to someone who needs You and to lead that person in a prayer of salvation. Holy Spirit, I look to You for the wisdom and the boldness I need to be Your instrument in someone else’s life on this special day.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

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My Confession for Today

I confess that I am filled with the Holy Spirit. Right now He is giving me the boldness I need to tell my family and friends about Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross for them. There is no better gift I could give to anyone today than the message of the Gospel, so I am choosing to give an eternal gift in addition to all the other gifts that will be exchanged. The Holy Spirit is helping me recognize opportunities to witness and to pray with people who need to confess Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

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Questions to Answer

1. What family members and friends will you see today who are unsaved?

2. Have you thought about how you could talk to them privately to see if they would like to give their hearts to Jesus on this Christmas Day?

3. Before you go to Christmas festivities today, why don’t you take a few minutes to pray for any unsaved people you will be seeing today, asking the Lord to open a door for you to speak to them about Jesus?