Spurgeon: When Tragedy Hits, Look to the Exalted Christ

NOTE: This sermon was Spurgeon’s first message following the disaster at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens—in which seven people lost their lives when some miscreants purposely started a panic while Mr. Spurgeon was preaching. The sermon has been truncated and summarized for this blog post. You can read the whole sermon at the BLB.

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“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)

This text has afforded sweet consolation to every heir of heaven. Allow me, very briefly, to give you the consolations of it. To the true Christian there is much comfort in the very fact of Christ’s exaltation. In the second place, there is great comfort in the reason for His exaltation. “Wherefore, also, God hath highly exalted him;” that is because of his previous humiliation. And thirdly, there is no small amount of really divine solace in the thought of the person who has exalted Christ. Wherefore Godalso”—although men despise him and cast him down—”God also hath highly exalted him.”

The exaltation of Christ provides comfort to the Christian.

The true Christian’s heart leapeth for joy, even when cast down by divers sorrows and temptations, at the remembrance that Christ is exalted, for in that he finds enough to cheer his own heart. Note here, beloved, that the Christian has certain features in his character which make the exaltation of Christ a matter of great joy to him.

We remember our relationship with the exalted Christ. Not only is He now exalted on high, but we will enjoy the riches of his glorious inheritance as well! We also remember our union with Christ. See Christ yonder, sitting at his Father’s right hand! Believer! he is the pledge of thy glorification; he is the surety of thine acceptance; and, moreover, he is thy representative. The seat which Christ possesses in heaven he has not only by his own right, as a person of the Deity, but he has it also as the representative of the whole church, for he is their forerunner, and he sits in glory as the representative of every one of them.

Knit to Christ, wedded to him, grown into him, parts and portions of his very self, we throb with the heart of the body; when the head itself is glorified we share in the praise; we felt that his glorification bestows an honour upon us. Ah! beloved, have you ever felt that unity to Christ? Have you ever felt a unity of desire with him? If so, you will find this rich with comfort!

The reason for Christ’s exaltation also provides great comfort for us.

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him.” Why? Because, “he being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and because obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him.”

This of course relates to the manhood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As God, Christ needed no exaltation; he was higher than the highest, “God over all, blessed for ever.” But the symbols of his glory having been for a while obscured, having wrapped his Godhead in mortal flesh, his flesh with his Godhead ascended up on high, and the man-God, Christ Jesus, who had stooped to shame, and sorrow, and degradation, was highly exalted, “far above all principalities and powers,” that he might reign Prince-regent over all worlds, yea, over heaven itself. Let us consider, for a moment, that depth of degradation to which Christ descended; and then, my beloved, it will give you joy to think, that for that very reason his manhood was highly exalted.

He is acquainted with our suffering. He is acquainted of our grief.

He was slandered, abused, persecuted! Do you think that he was by this cast down, by this degraded? No, for this very reason: “God hath highly exalted him.”

Mark the shame and spitting that have come upon the cheek of yonder man of sorrows! See his hair plucked with cruel hands; mark ye how they torture him and how they mock him. Do you think that this is all dishonourable to Christ? It is apparently so; but list to this: “He became obedient,” and therefore “God hath highly exalted him.” He suffered and he reigned; he stopped to conquer, and he conquered for he stooped, and was exalted for he conquered.

Look at him!

Can your imagination picture him? Behold his transcendent glory! The majesty of kings is swallowed up; the pomp of empires dissolves like the white mist of the morning before the sun; the brightness of assembled armies is eclipsed. He in himself is brighter than the sun, more terrible than armies with banners. See him! See him! O! hide your heads, ye monarchs; put away your gaudy pageantry, ye lords of this poor narrow earth! His kingdom knows no bounds; without a limit his vast empire stretches out itself. Above him all is his; beneath him many a step are angels, and they are his; and they cast their crowns before his feet. With them stand his elect and ransomed, and their crowns too are his.

In heaven, in earth, in hell, all knees bend before him, and every tongue confesses that he is God. If not now, yet in the time that is to come this shall be carried out, that ever creature of God’s making shall acknowledge his Son to be “God over all, blessed for ever. Amen.” Oh! my soul anticipates that blessed day, when this whole earth shall bend its knee before its God willingly! I do believe there is a happy era coming, when there shall not be one knee unbent before my Lord and Master.

Who is he that shall blame Him?

Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! He is God—know that, ye inhabitants of the land; and all things, after all, shall serve his will. I like what Luther says in his bold hymn, where he knew and boldly declared, “He everywhere hath sway, and all things serve his might.” Notwithstanding all they do, there is God’s sway, after all.

It shall come to pass that all thou dost shall be frustrated; for God maketh the diviners mad, and saith, “Where is the wisdom of the scribe? Where is the wisdom of the wise?” Surely, “Him hath God exalted, and given him a name which is above every name.”

A name above every name.

And now, lastly, beloved, if it be true, as it is, that Christ is so exalted that he is to have a name above every name, and every knee is to bow to him, will we not bow our knees this morning before his Majesty?

God bless you, my friends, I can say no more but that. God bless you, for Jesus’ sake! Amen.