We're gonna be in the book of Philippians again if you'd like to turn there with us. Philippians chapter two. I'm going to do a small series in Philippians chapter two on the first five verses because as I was studying, There's so many points that he makes in that little bit of passage. You could break it down to have three different points in each message. You'd have two or three messages.

What the Lord did is we're going to break it down even farther and look at one word at a time. And the hope is by the time we get done doing that, that we'll be able to clearly see what Paul's expressing to these people at Philippians and to us and be able to rejoice in it.

As Paul is continuing his admonition, his encouragement, his prayer, he says a very simple word that has a lot of meaning to it, and it's the word if, if. He says, if this be in you. He says it multiple times, but most would make a checklist as soon as they hear that. They would think, okay, let me examine myself and see if it is indeed in me. Let me look and see if I see that action happening in my life, or let me see if I have, if I'm doing the things that Paul's saying right here. Paul's not saying examine yourself. Paul said, if it be in you, then this will be the outcome. This is the reason why, if it's in you.

This is, and that's where religion confuses it, is it's not the physical attributes or the physical, it's not what we exhibit physically, that is our salvation or is our hope for salvation. It is what the Lord's done inwardly, spiritually speaking. He's not saying, have you displayed this? Can you see this? He's saying, if there be, if there, if it is, if there is a, on the inward man, if the Lord has changed your heart, and calls you to believe his gospel, then this."

That's what he's saying. That's what he's saying. Well, how do I know? Well, that's pretty simple. How do I know if the Lord's changed my heart? How do I know if I truly believe this gospel, well, who are you looking to? That's a simple answer. Who am I looking to?

Because if I'm looking to self, or you're looking to self, then no, I haven't truly believed. But if the Lord has made us look to Him alone, then He's given us a new heart, He's given us repentance, He's given us faith. That's why we never examine what we do as any part or evidence of our salvation. We look to Christ who is our salvation. Do we see that? Let's read this together. I just want to read the one verse.

Philippians 2.1. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love, if any fellowship in the spirit, if any bowels and mercies. I suppose we should probably read a little bit farther. Fulfill you my joy, that you be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. He's saying if you have this, then you're going to be in one accord with one mind. That's what he's saying.

I've titled this message, What Is My Consolation? So what we're going to do is we're going to look first, if there be any consolation, then we're going to look, if there be any comfort of love, we're going to look at each of these week to week. The first one is consolation. What is my consolation? Do we know what that word means?

It means peace. What is my peace? Not my peace with man. What is my peace with almighty God? Peace with man will come and go, but peace with God is forever because he's the one that wrought peace. He's the Prince of Peace. Where is my peace? Is it in myself? Is it in my works? Is it in my words? Is it in me at all? Where's my peace? Where's my peace? What gives me peace?

Whenever you lay your head, and I lay my head on my pillow at nighttime, knowing that I may take my last breath whenever I'm sleeping, because we're not guaranteed tomorrow. Scripture's clear on that. Marvel not what shall be on the morrow, for what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time to vanisheth away. So what is my peace? I didn't do bad deeds that day. I went to church multiple times that day. I didn't do this, didn't do that. Started doing this. Turned over a new leaf, rededicated my life.

Where is my peace? Because if my peace is in myself, I don't have real peace. It's the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. It's not the peace of man. Man can't give this kind of peace. This is an everlasting peace. It's the peace found in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. That's where the peace of the Lord's people is. That's where our consolation is. He's saying, is your peace in Christ alone?

Are you and I looking to anything that we have done or have not done or that we have stopped doing? I used to do this. You ever heard anybody say that before? I don't do that anymore. Still a dead dog sinner, didn't change anything. Yeah, but I'm not as bad as so-and-so. Still a dead dog sinner doesn't change anything. We can't change something because we change our morals. Our heart's still corrupt. It's deceitful and desperately wicked. We know that to be true. So I can't look at myself and find peace. If I do, I'm deceiving myself. My deceitful heart is deceiving myself.

I've heard people tell me before that they really can see the Lord's work in their life because they're getting better and they're getting better and they're getting better. And I said, well, what's the what is the reasoning you think you're getting better? They said, well, one of these days I'll be holy enough and the Lord will call me home. And I thought, man, that is that is a terrible thought. Paul said, oh, wretched man, that I am not that I was. Paul didn't look to himself. He looked to Christ. He said in me, that is to say in my flesh.

Well, it's no good thing. All our works, all our righteousness is filthy rags. The scripture is so clear on this, isn't it? If it's in something I did or said or didn't do or say anymore, I'm disqualified from having peace. I'm disqualified. We have no peace if I'm looking to self. And only you and I can answer this for ourself.

This is a personal question. Salvation is very personal. It's between you and God. It's between you and God. We're born sinners. Therefore we sin continually because that's what we are. Scripture's so clear, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. To be spiritually minded is life and peace, but to be carnal minded is death, so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. I love the rest of that, because it says, but you are not in the flesh, but you are in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of Christ dwelleth in you. That's why you're in the spirit, you're no longer in the flesh.

You're not looking to self, you're looking to Christ. Most look to self-service. Most religions look to self-service. Today, I don't have to remind you, is Easter. And there is people that will not grace the doorway of a church except one or two times a year, and this is one of them. The other one's Mother's Day and sometimes Christmas.

That's just the facts of it. I'm not picking on anybody. It's just true. It's just facts. It's their choice, their decision. But what they think they're doing is doing God a favor. And that's scary. That's just iniquity. They're looking to what they're doing as their righteousness.

Lord, don't ever leave me to myself where I think I've done something that's going to merit me anything with you. Don't let me think because I have success or I have prosperity or I have health that I have your favor. No, it's the favors found in Christ alone. The Lord didn't come to set up a physical kingdom. He came to set up an earthly, not an earthly kingdom or physical kingdom, but a heavenly and spiritual kingdom. He said, my kingdom is not of this world.

That's why the Jews rejected him. They saw the miracles, but still rejected him. Steve just read where the Lord spoke to him. And it says, and they couldn't see him. Jesus Christ is talking to them after the resurrection. They don't have a clue who he is. Not a clue until he reveals himself.

It is a spiritual matter that we're talking about right now. We can't be looking at the external. We can't look at our law keeping. The law wasn't given in order for you and I to find righteousness by what we do. The law was given to show us what we are.

We're sinners in need of a savior. That word sinner has been thrown around so much that we forget how bad that word really is. A sinner is an abomination in the sight of God. We're disgusting creatures. That's what it means. We need a savior. We need a substitute. We need a surety. We need a peace with God that we cannot create or get outside of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The law cannot redeem, brethren. And you have people that are trying to live the law, whether moral, ceremonial, or civil. It's not going to work. It's not gonna work. But I got good news for what the law could not do and that it was weak to the flesh. God sent forth his son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh. That's the good news. He kept the law perfectly because he wrought the peace that I cannot create or get on my own. He did that. He made peace with God on the cross of Calvary for his people by himself for his people. The law cannot redeem.

I'm reminded of the book of Ruth. In Boaz, Ruth desired to be redeemed by the near kinsman. Her husband had passed away, and it was by the law that stated The nearer kinsman was to Mary and for her to have children based upon the deceased. That was just the law that the Lord gave. So she went to who she thought was the nearer kinsman, Boaz. And without going into a lot of detail, she asked him to redeem her. And he says, I can't, for there is a kinsman nearer than I. So he had to go and talk to the nearer kinsman. And what did the nearer kinsman say?

He said, she has a field. Naomi has a field that you can buy. He says, oh, I'll buy the field. That's not a problem. He said, well, in the day you buy the field, you also have to buy, you have to redeem Ruth. And he said, I can't do that. I can't, it'll mar mine inheritance.

The law can't redeem because if the law could redeem, if you and I could keep the law and it would redeem us, Christ was unnecessary. Do we see that? If I can be saved by what I do or do not do, If I can earn favor with God because of what I do or I don't do, if I can merit anything or constrain God in any way because of what I do or don't do, Christ was unnecessary. It's that simple. The law says I can't redeem you. I can't redeem you. Boaz said, I'll redeem you. I'll redeem you.

I'll buy the field and the redeemed Ruth all at the same time. That's what he did. He didn't just buy his people. He bought the world, didn't he? Everything. He said, all earth is mine and the fullness thereof. He bought it all with his precious blood.

The law can only reveal the truth. I'm a condemned, dying sinner. I heard somebody tell me recently, I'm no longer a sinner. Why are you still dying then? That was my answer. I said, I'm not a sinner anymore. I'm a saint now. Well, why are you still dying then? We're condemned to die because of sin, death by sin. That's the strength of the law is sin. Brethren, it's not in the law to redeem us. We're sinners and we're going to remain sinners. And no matter what we do, it's all we can do is sin. I can't have peace in this, this flesh, this dying corpse. You know what I'm talking about?

You feel like you've got a corpse strapped to your back. You ever heard the saying a monkey on your back? Well, we have a corpse on our back. You carry it around everywhere you go. It's true, isn't it? Every time that you would do something positive, it becomes a negative because you're the one doing it. Scripture is so clear. Anything that we touch, we defile. That verse I was going to say is, the sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. That's how it quotes. By the law is the revelation of sin, nothing more. It reveals we cannot please God.

So with that being said, what is my consolation? What is my peace? Is it my morals? Is it my standards? Is it my works of righteousness? Or is it Christ alone? Is it Christ alone? What is my consolation? Secondly, is my consolation my choice? Because some people I used to be one of them. I don't say that in a self-righteous way. I'm just confessing to you that I was one that believed I made a good choice, that I let God save me, that I gave Jesus my heart. I believed it too. That's the sad and scariest part. That's how deceitful our heart is. I would have died for it. That's how much I believed it.

And then you're so embarrassed whenever the Lord turns the light switch on and Bible rewrites itself and you see everything brand new. And you thought, I'm a man, I'm undone. I'm the man of unclean lips. Woe is me. Have mercy on me, the sinner. I didn't know.

But my choice, I made it. I was proud of that choice. And there's so many people, especially on religious holidays, that'll do the same thing. They'll make a choice. And they think that they've constrained God to do something for them. Man, we never think we can constrain God to do anything for us based upon our choice.

Our choice is limited because it's bound to our nature. What is it limited to? Sin. That's what our choices are limited to. Everything that we do is bound to our nature. We wouldn't choose God if we wanted to, or we couldn't if we wanted to, because it's bound to our nature. We wouldn't want to, but flesh is enmity against God. It can't be in my choice. It can't be in my choice.

Maybe it's a prayer I prayed. Maybe it's a ceremony I went through. You know, people get baptized all the time for the wrong reasons. But what does baptism mean? What does it represent? That you're identifying with Christ, death, burial, and resurrection as all your wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. That's your only hope is the blood alone. That's what you're saying in baptism.

People will do it to believe that they actually washed their sins away. People will do it to actually believe that they are now saved because of that choice. Do I have peace at night because of my choice? That's the question. If any of these things that I've stated is our hope or our peace, then I'm disqualified from having peace. Scripture is clear, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, according to his mercy, he saved us. For by grace are you saved through faith in that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. I got saved. That's boasting. That's boasting. I made a choice. That's boasting. That's a work then. It's not of works, is it?

If I have the power to choose salvation, then what did Christ accomplish? What does his blood accomplish if he died for everybody? What did his death accomplish? If he shed his blood for everybody, what did his blood have to do with salvation? If he loves everybody, what does his love have to do with salvation? If there's people in hell that he loves, He's powerless then, isn't He?

I am God, that makes me God. It's not my choice, it's His choice, isn't it? It's not my decision, it's His decision. That's where our peace comes from, because we know if we made a choice, we'd make the wrong one. Isn't that true? We know that's true. If I can let God do something, I'm in control of everything. He's higher than the heavens. He's omnipotent. He's unchangeable. He's alpha and omega. He's the beginning and the end, the first and the last. He's God, sovereign, reigning. He reigneth ever. Scripture says the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. The inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing.

And yet I think I can let God do something. he doeth whatsoever he will. Here in our text, Paul is saying, is my hope in my choice that I choose to be saved? Although I am bound to a sinful nature that always chooses self, is that my hope? Is what I choose? You know what? The only time that you'll find where God gave man a spiritual choice is in the Garden of Eden. That's the only place you're going to find it.

And you know what they did? They messed it up. They messed it up. I don't know how long it took them. I've wondered that. Scripture's not clear. But I know if it was you or I there, it'd have been the same day, first day of being there. Because you know why? It was pleasant to the eye. It was to make one wise. It was going to taste good. So she's like, I'm going to eat that. And she did. And she gave it to her husband, he ate it.

And you know the rest of the story after that, they made coverings out of fig leaves. And fig leaves are, I've showed them to you before, they're the shape of a man's hand. It's just a picture of works, a picture of keeping the law. It's a picture of making a choice. It's everything that we're talking about right now. It's what a picture, it's a picture of. And Lord came and I told him, he said, who told you that you were naked? And he said, have you taken the fruit that I told you not to eat? And Adam said, the woman that you gave me, that's the problem. Didn't even own it.

We wouldn't choose God. They didn't choose God. And that's our father, Adam. We're his descendants. We'd do the exact same thing, wouldn't we? The Lord's holy. And by nature, we want the glory, not give it to him. We want to pass on the blame. The Lord says, I want to quit the guilty. I want to quit the guilty.

There's no choice that you can make, no covenant that you can make with death. that's going to pass. He said, if this is your peace, the covenant that you've made, I'm going to disannul your covenant. You have no peace. So if my hope is in my covenant, my choice or my will, I'm disqualified.

Whether I'm looking to self or looking to self choice, both are carnally minded. Turn over to Romans chapter eight. Look at verse 5, For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither can indeed be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God, but ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you. to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

What does the word consolation mean? Peace. Is my consolation in his spirit indwelling me or my choice to allow him to do something? That's the question. The last question I have for us is, what is my consolation? I'll go ahead and turn back to Philippians 2. is my consolation, my consolation in God's salvation alone, in Christ alone.

Not my works that I describe, not my law keeping, not my morals, but his, his perfect life. He lived a perfect life, fulfilled the law's demands perfectly under the Father. We just read that the flesh is not subject to law, neither need can be. But because who he was, he lived under the law perfectly in our room instead.

Is that my consolation? Yes, that is my consolation. His works, his finished work. Not in my choice either, it's in his choice. His choice to elect a people before time ever began. A choice to redeem some chosen people. That choice gives me comfort. That choice gives me hope.

He's not a respecter of person, he didn't spare his own son, he's not gonna spare anyone else from his wrath. That being said, he's not a respecter of person and who he chose. He did all by grace, all for his glory. He didn't look at one and say, you're better than that one or look at another one and say, you're better than that one.

No, we're all dust, creatures of dust, vile creatures of dust. There's nothing in us that was beautiful that he saw based upon us. But because he saw us in Christ, he said, you're mine. I've chosen you. You're mine. You're beautiful. He sees his people in Christ. Is that your consolation? That's my consolation. That's my peace. That's my peace. Before time, God chose to save a people, predestinate those people.

Do you know we can't predestinate anything? I thought about that. We can predetermine to try, but that has probability and statistics in it, doesn't it? Well, there's a 35% chance that you'll succeed. We have people, you ever, some of you men, you do construction, you're a mechanic, all you men's done something like this. You've set a deadline, I'm gonna have it done at this particular time on this particular day. That's when the deadline is.

I don't know one time that's ever worked out for me exactly right. My wife told me before, if I tell her, she said, how long is it gonna take on that project you're doing? I said, it shouldn't take about an hour. She said, okay, I know to double that.

So why is that? Because you don't know what's going to happen. But he's God. He knows what's going to happen. And because he's the one that purposed it, he predestinated his people to be conformed to the image of his son. It's done. That's my consolation. There's my peace. There's where I can lay my head on my pillow. That's where I can stand firm. We talked about that the first hour, standing firm.

That's where we stand firm, brethren, in this God of the universe. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in heaven and all that's in earth is thine. Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above. Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all, and in thy hand is power and might, and in thy hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all. He chose to elect. Our Lord chose to elect. He chose to redeem. And in time, he chooses to regenerate. And thank God he don't leave us to ourself after that. He keeps us. He chose to keep.

It's my consolation, the finished work of Christ alone, that he chose to die in my place. He chose to bear my sin and your sin in his body on the tree. Is that my consolation, that he put them away by the sacrifice of himself, by his blood, that was shed on that cross, that the father was pleased with the son. When he saw the travail of his soul, he said, I'm satisfied. I'm satisfied. He's not satisfied with you and I and herself, but he was satisfied with his son. Is that your peace? Is that your consolation? That's my consolation.

He fulfilled the law, put away the sin of his chosen people by his sacrifice, by the shedding of his blood. By his death we've been made the righteousness of God in him and by his resurrection we have affirmation that we have been thoroughly and completely justified freely by his grace. Justified.

Not just if I had never sinned, never sinning one time in the eyes of God and the Lord that we're speaking of, the one true God that we're speaking of, the way he sees things, that's really how it is. He cannot lie. He cannot lie. He said, your sin and their iniquity, I will remember no more. How is that possible? That the omnipotent, omnipresent Lord and God of all, does not remember our sin and our iniquity anymore. That sounds kind of like an oxymoron, doesn't it? It doesn't make any sense. You know how? Because he put them away. They're gone. They're gone. They never happened. The Lord took them and nailed them to his cross. They're gone. Cast them as far as east is from the west. Cast them into the sea, the depths of the sea, the scripture says. That's the sea of forgetfulness, isn't it? Never to be remembered again.

Is my peace, my consolation in the sacrifice, in my sacrifice or choice or his? Is my peace, my consolation in my choosing him or him choosing me? That's what it comes down to. Is my peace and my consolation that I constrained him to resurrect me? That doesn't even make sense. To regenerate me? That doesn't make sense. No, it's he chose to regenerate me by grace alone, by grace alone.

At the appointed time, everyone he elected, everyone he died for by his spirit, that same power that resurrected Christ from the dead, resurrects this dead sinner, gives us brand new life, causes us to be born again. Is that your consolation? It is mine. What is my peace? This is what it comes down to, brother. What is my peace when I lay my head on my pillow at night?

What I do or what God has done. What I do. Or what I have done. Or what God has done. Because if my consolations and what I do, I have no peace. Not with God. Not with God. I have no peace, but if my peace is in what he has done. Freely by his grace. I have peace that surpasses all understanding. It's the peace that the Lord gives to his people. Knowing that the law does not speak anything ill towards the child of God anymore because there is no sin to point out. When the mirror of the law looks upon an elected sinner God saved by grace, it can't find a flaw on them because they are in Christ.

It's not my works, it's his works. It's not my sacrifice, it's his sacrifice. It's not my choice, it's his choice. There's our consolation, there's our hope, there's our peace. There is no in-between, brethren. This is what Paul is saying. If you have this consolation, you have this peace in Christ, look to Him. Look at verse 5. Look to Him. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

What does that mean? Trust Him. Who did He trust? He trusted the Father. He trusted the Father, would honor his word in resurrecting his son, and he did. He did. Let this mind be in you that was in Christ. Look to him as your consolation, not self. Look to God's salvation. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for a consolation for peace. Cause it to be realized in each of us. Blessed to our understanding in Christ's name, amen. Let's turn to number two.