Philippians 2:9-11

⁹ For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the
name which is above every name,¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,¹¹ and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

As Andrew and I stood around observing the Muslim worshipers at Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Andrew remarked, “it is incredible how willing these people are to bow before Satan”. What a tragic truth this is. And not only for Muslims, but for the vast majority of people on earth. It is not only easy, but it is also natural for the sinful flesh to bow to its spiritual father. Through the Gospel every creature has access to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and yet, in spite of this, the hearts of men remain at enmity with the King through their love of wickedness. They seek the usurper because it is at the usurpers alter that the sinful flesh is insatiably indulged. Satan is not concerned with which idol a man worships, just so long as it is an idol. False religion, no religion, and the love of sin of any kind is the alter at which men love to bow. They are willing slaves to the enemy, bowing in reverence to the one who seeks to destroy their souls. And yet, there is coming a time in which every knee will bow to the true King, Jesus Christ. But even upon their judgement, the wicked souls of men will not willingly and reverently bow to Jesus. They will only bow because they will be presented with an undeniable truth and be left with no other option. Jesus is King! Just as Satan will fight the King until the day of his eternal damnation, so will those who deny Jesus in this life. This tragedy was so palpable as we wandered the corridors and grand sanctuary of Hagia Sophia. And as I gazed up near the exit there remained a mural of Jesus that had not been covered up after the Muslim occupation. Just a few feet away hundreds were bowing to Satan, while a reminder of the true King was in the next corridor. Thousands walking by and missing Jesus! Dear Christian, may we continue to hold fast to our profession, and remain humble as we bow our lives before our Savior. May we not be like the spiritually blind who miss Jesus’ call in our lives. It is easy, even for us, at times to place other things upon the throne of our lives. May we be ever so careful to never place a sinful idol in Jesus’ rightful place. Sin will always be a terrible and cruel master, and Satan will always be tempting us to give in. My prayer this week is that all of us examine our lives and if there is anything that has been placed in Jesus’ seat, let us today give back what rightfully belongs to Jesus. He is King of Kings, and He is a gentle, merciful and gracious master. May our lives be lived in subjection to His commands and may we never be stubborn in our proclamation that “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father”.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor John