Philippians 129, for unto you
it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on
him, but also to suffer for his sake. Having the same conflict
which you saw in me and now hear to be in me, if there be therefore
any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship
of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy
that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord
and of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife
or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other
better than themselves. Look not every man on his own
things, but every man also on the things of others. Let's ask the Lord to teach us
again. Unto you it is given in the behalf
of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for
his sake. Of course, Paul's talking about
the afflictions that he suffered in the earlier verses of chapter
one, and how that they endured suffering also and will. He's also talking about here
the conduct of believers. You'll remember in verse, just
look at verse 27. Only let your conduct be as it
becometh the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you
or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs that you stand
fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the
faith of the gospel. That's what we just talked about
in our Bible lesson. We have, there's one purpose
here. There's one need. And so we have one purpose. Striving
together for the faith of the gospel. What do we know now in verse
29 here? What is it we know about the
faith of the gospel? And how then should our striving
together for that be informed, be influenced. We
know this, that for us to believe on the Savior, verse 29, is a
gift. You see that? It's a gift. It's given to you to believe
on Christ. It's the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. And what Paul's saying here is
act like it. Act like that. Don't boast. Don't boast. And when there's no boasting,
when there's no pride, there's unity. And so he speaks about
that too. According to the strength of
faith that the Lord gives us, and as he increases our faith,
we're able, like the disciples in Acts 541, to rejoice if we're
counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of our Redeemer.
To believe on him, that's a gift, and to suffer for him. We count
that in honor, we count that, we're thankful that he's counted
us worthy to suffer for him, to be associated with him in
that way. Look at verse 30, having the
same conflict which you saw in me and now here to be in me.
You've witnessed the fact, you know how, that I've suffered
for the, sake of the gospel, and you hear where I'm at now
in that regard. The same conflict, though, he
said, you have the same conflict. You're in the same fight I'm
in. We're in the same battle. We're
in the same, we're all soldiers of the Lord. He that woreth and
tangleth not himself in the affairs of this life, that he may choose,
that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. The contempt that organized religion,
free will, Antichrist religion has for us is a badge of honor. As he said also, Paul said, it's
an evident token of God's wrath upon them,
and it's evidence of his mercy toward us. When we're afflicted
for his sake and in his name, it means we've stood by God's
grace for the truth. For the truth. The Apostle Paul
suffered for one reason, because he preached Christ. That was
it. If he'd have quit preaching Christ,
he'd have been fine. If he never would have started
preaching Christ, he'd still be well-respected, exalted, have
great authority. And he said, you're in the same
fight, same cause, the faith of Christ, the faith of the gospel. He preached the election of God's
grace. He preached the sovereign Son
of God. And he preached the effectual,
successful redemption. Blood that obtained redemption
for God's people. The blood of God's Son. Now conduct
becoming the gospel means opposition. It means contempt. If your conduct becomes the gospel,
as we read there in verse 27, and I've seen quite a bit here,
It's gonna garner disdain. At least in our generation, it
doesn't mean physical threat for now, but it means what our
Lord said it would. They're gonna hate you because
they hate me. In this world, you shall have
tribulation, but be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. Conduct becoming the gospel is
to be of good cheer. whatever may oppose, that's becoming
the gospel. When Paul and Silas sang in the
prison, fully expecting to be killed, like so many were, for
preaching the gospel, that's conduct becoming. And that comes from a heart that
the Lord has given faith that He gives, joy that is the fruit
of His Spirit. Even when our own sin brings
us down, and it does, doesn't it? If you think about, you start
looking at yourself and start looking at within, it'll bring
you down to despair if you keep looking at yourself for any sign. But even there in that darkness,
there's a light that shines. Consider with me, look at John
16 with me, if you would. I want us to notice the wording
here. And I want you to remember how
often we see this. Philip began at the same scripture
and preached unto him one word. Look at John 16, 33. This is
the scripture I just quoted with its context here. John 16, 33, these things I have
spoken unto you that in me, you might have peace. In the world,
you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. That's what
we're talking about here. Trouble, tribulation, affliction,
conduct becoming the gospel is gonna bring it. You're gonna
have it, he said. but you can be happy nonetheless. Why? Next word. Ah. Is it coincidence that that happens
so often in the scripture? Something counterintuitive is
said. When you're hurting and down and afflicted and troubled
and beaten down, rejoice. Why? One word. I have overcome the world. Not you can do it, not, you know,
just. Fear not, it is I, he said to
the disciples when they were afraid on the water. Fear not,
it's I. Lord, give us grace to act like
people loved that much. Verse one of chapter two, if
there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of
love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
we talk about that word bowels, that's not something we talk
about much, we think of your guts, you know, when you, I don't
know about that, but that was the word that they used that
was an even deeper seat of emotion and passion than the heart. But,
These ifs, if there be any, if there be any, those aren't there
to cast doubt on the matter. That's a manner of speaking that
argues that since there is consolation in Christ, in other words, if
there be this, then there should be that. And when you speak that
way, with that kind of rhetoric, you're talking about something
that's established. You're talking about something,
if this is true, and it's something that's true, then this needs
to happen. That's what you're trying to convey with that kind
of language. So he's saying, if there be any
consolation, and there is, of course, then fulfill you my joy, that
you be one, that you be united. So, how united ought we to be? Since there is consolation in
Christ, it's the comfort of love, fellowship of the Spirit. That's
our bond, it's the Spirit of Christ in us. If these things are true, and
they are, then conduct becoming that is these things that follow
this thought, as well as what he's already written, consolation
in Christ. That word consolation there means
a calling near, and it means persuasive conciliatory
discourse, persuasive, kind, and agreeable discourse. Does Christ do that for you?
Do you have communion with him? We're not talking about the weird
stuff that religion talks about. He appears in a vision, you know,
and he, you know, you see a shape in the clouds and, oh, you know,
the Lord's with me. No, we don't need that, do we? Does Christ commune with you,
though, really? God said that at the mercy seat,
he'd commune with you. That's Christ. Do you come to Him? Does He persuade
you? Persuasive conciliatory discourse. Does the Lord Jesus persuade
you of His power when you're weak? Does He persuade you of His love
when you're down and you see your own worthlessness and unloveliness? Does He persuade you of His love
for you? Are you convinced by Christ that
his righteousness is good enough for you to stand before God? That his precious blood is worth
enough to redeem your soul? That's what this is, the Lord
draws us near, doesn't he? He draws us near and he has discourse
with us through his word, through the gospel. Or what about comfort of love?
Do you take comfort in the fact that the son of God has loved
you with an everlasting love? If that won't do it now, what's
going to do it? What's going to comfort you? That you got
a lot of money in the bank? Will that do it? Does he convince you and persuade
you that he so loved that he gave his only begotten son for
you. If you'd have been the only sinner
in this world that he loved, he would have given himself for
you. Are you convinced? Does he commune
with you? Do you take comfort in the fact
that he runs a universe for you? He runs it for you. All things
are yours that he works out everything in this world so that it caters
to your good. Is that comforting? That's the
love of Christ that we can't be separated from. Is it true
that the more that you learn of his sovereign love, the more
rest you have? Is that the truth? Are you comforted
by the fact that his love is the end kind? It's not just well wishes. It's
not just he wants the best for you. Loving someone and hoping
the best for them is one thing. That's not Christ's love. Loving
someone and doing something about it, that's the love of God in
Christ. Herein is love, not that we love
God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation. for our sins, he laid help upon
one that is mighty. Galatians 2.20, I'm crucified
with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. Is there comfort of love in Christ
Jesus, the sovereign? Ephesians 525, husbands love
your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself
for his church. If any fellowship of the spirit,
has the Lord knit our hearts together? Has he not for decades
now? And can we act like that? Is
there one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one hope of our calling?
Are we objectively one as the body of Christ? It's not a feeling. It's not a feeling. He said,
you're my body. He's the head and we're the body. Are we not more drawn together
than a band of brothers are drawn together by fighting a war? and
facing a common enemy. Is there any greater cause that
we could be joined in than the glory of our Savior and His cause
in this world? If any bowels and mercies, innermost
tenderness and compassion in Christ for us, us for Christ and us for one
another. Is there any of that? Then fulfill you my joy. Is our being Christ's people
evidenced in the fact that we love one another? Or is that
just a theory? Is the love of Christ in our
hearts the kind that withstands the storms of testing that reveal
the true nature of our love? Is not this the whole law that
we love God and love one another as ourselves? Has the Lord shed
abroad that love in our hearts, or are we just faking it? Is it unfamed love? Verse two, fulfill you my joy. Do that, let your conduct that
becomes the gospel, that conduct, That's what makes my heart sing. That you'd be like-minded, having
the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. That's what a church
is. Just be the church of God. Paul's
joy was integral to those things he just wrote about, being a
living reality for those that he loved. That Christ is all
of that to you. That's the joy of any pastor,
for that to be a living reality in those that he loved. God promised
to give pastors after his own heart. And we've said this so
many times. What do we know about God's heart? He loves his sheep. Salmon, do you love me? Feed
my sheep. God has given pastors that love
Him and love His sheep. And so this unity, this love,
this compassion, seeing the people of the church finding all of
their comfort in Christ and being persuaded by Him, and not their
own understanding or the influence of the world, but persuaded by
Him, comforted by Him, consoled by Him, finding all their hope
in Him. That's a true pastor's joy. To hear of a break in that unity. To hear of a falling out of discord
among brethren. It's a dagger to the heart, isn't
it? Do you experience that? It's a dagger. This thing that God calls his
church and the experience of it, it's a turbulent ride. But it's the most wonderful thing
in this world. God loved his church and gave
himself for it. The blood of God was shed for
the church, the scripture says. Do we love the church? Are we
like him at all in that regard? His flock, his little sheep,
his little flock, his little children? Christ's body, our
true brothers and sisters. Who is my mother and my brother?
Who is my family? It's those that sit at the Lord's
feet and hear his word. If that's his family, then who's
my family? You ever wonder about that? And just be honest with
ourselves. We had somebody visiting one
time. I hate to give illustrations,
and you don't have to wonder who it is. It could be anybody. But they were here with their
family during a conference, and we were about to sit down and
eat together, which is one of my favorite things in the world
to do, to sit down with the people of God and enjoy not only the
food that He's blessed us with the folks willing to prepare
it, and it's just a blessing. The whole thing's a blessing,
and then we have conversation that often is glorifying to Him. Anyway, somebody came up to me,
and there was a whole family, and they said, well, we're not
gonna stay because we wanna spend some time with our family. That says a lot, doesn't it? That says a lot. And I'm sorry
about that. We want to spend some time with
our family. I do too. By God's grace, I do too. Look
at verse three and think about this as we read verse three.
The Lord knows us, doesn't he? Doesn't he know us? Let nothing
be done through strife or vain glory. Then he put his finger
right on it but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other
better than themselves. He hits the nail straight on
here. That's the exact exhortation that we need when it comes to
unity now, when it comes to oneness in Christ as his family. When
the Lord said to us, be sober, be vigilant, Be wise as serpents
and harmless as dove. This is a big part of that. Don't
let anything, don't do anything through strife or vainglory.
Don't let your pride have anything to do with it. Don't let your
self-righteousness have anything to do with it. Don't let any
contention arise. He knows us. You know, we've wanted to be
God since the garden. And that hasn't changed. And there can only be one. So
when all of us wanna be God, that's a problem, isn't it? Not
only between us and God, but between one another. See, if
I'm God, you can't be God. You gotta be less than me. Your
things have to be less important than my things. Can have a problem with you,
but you can't have a problem with me because I'm God But for the grace of God Will
strut around in the very worship and try to be God In his very house of worship
That Pharisee that looked down on the public and thanked God
that I'm not like that rich. That Pharisee's heart beats in
every one of us. Is it just a coincidence that
lowliness is exhorted here along with unity? That they go together? that you gotta come down if there's
gonna be unity and oneness with the people of God, listen to
Proverbs 13, 10 again. Only by pride cometh contention. Only. Only. If you have a problem with somebody,
you need to come down. And it doesn't matter if you're
right or wrong. Doesn't matter. And listen to what's said in
opposition to that. Only by pride cometh contention, but with the
well-advised is wisdom. Remember counsel? Counsel this morning in our Bible
study? With the well-advised, with those
who take their advice from God, there's wisdom. And it's interesting
now that wisdom precludes pride. In order for us to be proud and
contentious, we've gotta be ignorant of the truth of God. Because
once God teaches us, your boasting days are over, as far as our
flesh still rises up. But you know what I mean. We know that ignorance of God's
truth is willful ignorance. We know better than to be puffed
up, don't we? Believers know better. We're
well advised by the gospel. And yet pride so often rises
up in our old hearts. And let's consider this extraordinary
exhortation in the scriptures, let each esteem other better
than themselves. Is that even possible? You think
that's even possible in this flesh to do that? I've wondered
about that. And can I really think more of
somebody else than I do of myself? I don't think we're completely
strangers to that concept. The Lord uses earthly things
in relationships, doesn't need to teach us his truth. And I believe he's given us one
earthly example of that when it comes to your children. Would
you not rather suffer than see them suffer? Would you not suffer
want to make sure they have what they need? And that's just natural
love. But think about that. We're not
like that with everybody. But who is my family? Who do
I love? There is love like that that's
so far above that spiritual love. We have an example of that in
our children. It's the closest natural example,
I think, that might give us some insight into the experience of
the spiritual. And consider this next verse
as defining of verse three. We're talking about esteeming
others. Look at verse four. Look not every man on his own
things, but every man also on the things of others. He's talking about love that
puts me in the back seat. My needs, my feelings, my concerns,
my welfare, my desires take a back seat to those of somebody else. Who wouldn't suffer need in order
to make sure their children didn't suffer need? That's a unique
love in this world, but so is the love of Christ's brothers
and sisters for one another. There's no love like that. It's
supernatural love. It supersedes all natural love. And don't miss the word look. Look. Not every man on his own
things. That's our nature, isn't it?
That's our nature. We don't give a hoot about anybody
else by nature. It's all I, me, mine. The word look there means to
look at, observe, contemplate, fix one's eyes upon, direct one's
attention to. Every day we look to our own
things. Our attention is always on our matters, our concerns,
our benefits, our desires. To have this grace from God described
in our text, there is a conscious fixing of our attention upon
our family members in Christ and considering, giving consideration
to how we can be a blessing to them. That don't come naturally to
the heart of a sinner. How often do we think of these
words, if you've done this unto the least of one of these, my
brethren, you've done it unto me. Do you realize what a wonderful
privilege that is? What a wonderful thing that is. To actually have opportunity
to do something for the Lord. We're not doing anything for
Him and that He needs anything, but when we do something for
one of His children, just like if you do something for one of
my children, you've done something for me. When that woman of Canaan came
to the Lord, she said, Lord, have mercy on me, my daughter. as a problem. What a wonderful truth that is. How in the world would we ever
do something for the Lord? He's told us how. What can we
do for Him? Just a drink of water or visiting
someone, having concern for somebody else instead of ourselves for
a change. I'm gonna say something crazy,
but think with me here. Some of you helped buy the Lord
Jesus Christ a new truck. That's crazy, isn't it? You might
think that's ridiculous. Maybe it's even blasphemous to
think of the Lord needing a truck. Well, was it ridiculous for him
to say, I was in prison and you visited me? Is that blasphemy? The point
is whatever the need that is meant for one of his own, he
takes that personally. What a blessing that is. If I could help the son of God
in this world, he doesn't need our help, we know that. But if the Lord said, I need
a little money, and you had thousands of dollars
in the bank, would you give the Lord Jesus Christ some money? If he needed some encouragement,
he doesn't need that, he's the one that gives encouragement.
And when one of his sheep needs some, he said, that's me, that's
me. You've done it unto me. He doesn't need anything, but
his people do. His people do. When Saul of Tarsus was persecuting
believers, the Lord Jesus said unto him, why are you persecuting
me? May the Lord give us that kind
of love for him and for one another. Let's pray.