Likeminded With Christ

Q: What does the Bible say about Christ's consolation?

The Bible teaches that Christ's consolation provides relief and hope, reassuring believers of His sovereignty and care in all circumstances. The consolation of Christ is a multifaceted truth that offers believers comfort in knowing Jesus Christ is Lord and in control of their lives. In Philippians 2, Paul emphasizes that this consolation is available to all believers who have a personal relationship with Christ. It serves as a source of strength and comfort amid trials, reminding us that God’s perfect plan encompasses all our circumstances, as nothing is outside His knowledge and will. The assurance of Christ’s loving embrace provides emotional relief, especially in moments of despair and difficulty. Moreover, the consolation underscores the theological principle of God's sovereignty, which assures believers that even in dire circumstances—be it illness, loneliness, or loss—they remain in the hands of a caring Savior. This allows them to draw strength from the understanding that Christ is actively working for their good. Experience of this consolation is deeply rooted in the knowledge that God’s timing is perfect and His love unfailing.

Q: How do we know the comfort of God's love is real?

The comfort of God's love is evidenced in the assurance and peace that believers experience through the Holy Spirit. The Bible presents the comfort of God's love as a powerful reality in the lives of believers. According to scriptures like Romans 5:5, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, indicating that this aspect of comfort is not merely an abstract idea but a lived experience. In Philippians 2, Paul highlights that this love creates a protective fortress around God's people, satisfying their needs and affirming their worth as they navigate life’s challenges. Believers can trust in the comfort of God’s love as they witness His provision and reassurance in their lives. The unfailing nature of His love is further affirmed in Romans 8:38-39, where Paul asserts that nothing can separate us from the love of God. This assurance influences how believers engage with others, encouraging them to serve and support one another as God has done for them.

Q: Why is fellowship with the Holy Spirit important for Christians?

Fellowship with the Holy Spirit is essential as it enables believers to experience the spiritual gifts and live out the Christian life effectively. Fellowship with the Holy Spirit is a vital aspect of the Christian faith, serving as the divine connection between believers and God. In Philippians 2, Paul speaks of this fellowship as crucial for experiencing the fullness of spiritual gifts and graces bestowed upon God's people. As believers interact with the Holy Spirit, they grow in love, joy, peace, and other attributes that characterize a Christlike lifestyle. This engagement allows Christians to cultivate a deeper spiritual life and bear fruit that reflects their Savior. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit not only empowers but also unites the church, creating a community that thrives on shared experiences of grace. As noted in 1 Corinthians 12:13, all believers are baptized into one body through the Spirit. Therefore, fellowship with the Holy Spirit encourages communal worship, mutual care, and the exercise of spiritual gifts that build up the body of Christ. The Spirit's presence engenders a culture of humility and love, compelling believers to support and uplift one another.

Philippians chapter 2, reading from verse 1. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, 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. Amen.

May the Lord bless to us this little reading from his word. As Christ's people, we ought always to count ourselves privileged, count ourselves happy, when God the Holy Spirit gives us fresh insight and fresh understandings of the character and nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. The more we know about the Lord Jesus, the better for us. It is always good to learn more of the wonderful person of our God and Saviour whom we love. And we should come to the scriptures, we should come to these services with a desire that we might know more of Christ. And I should come to this service with the overriding purpose that I might teach more of Christ.

We should come to the scriptures like the Greeks, of John chapter 12, who came to the feast at Jerusalem. Realizing there was a deeper meaning to their worship, realizing there was more truth to be uncovered, these men came to Philip, one of Jesus' disciples, and they said, sir, we would see Jesus.

And that's what we want. That's what we want today. Let that be our prayer. Let that be our desire. The burden on our heart that we might see Jesus. How blessed it is when the church sees Jesus in all His ways. We see Him come into the world to bring peace with God. We see Him heal the sick, restore the dead. We see Him go to the cross to die in our place, to cleanse us from sin. We see Him rise again from the dead for our justification. And these and so many more things about our Lord. all cause us great joy and happiness. They are a reason for joy and happiness among God's people.

And yet, like all loving relationships, there is always more to learn. Like all, even in this world, even by nature, in all relationships where true love reigns, there is always more levels of learning, more layers of experience. In Christ, there is always new, rich deposits of truth to be discovered and to be received. In this world, we spend our whole life splashing like children in the shallows of Christ's wonder and glory.

But soon in heaven, we will bask, we will luxuriate in the light of his presence. We will joyfully search out the unsearchable riches of Christ our God. Do you know why eternity is never ending? Eternity has to be endless to give us time and opportunity to plumb the depths of our Saviour's infinite love.

A little later in this book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul will speak of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. And we will give that due attention when we come to it in chapter three, verse eight. But let me just allude to it for a moment. The excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. It is the desire of Christ's people that we should see Jesus, know more of Him, learn more of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. And I dare say this passage before us today, these early verses of Philippians chapter two, is such a portion of God's Word that more lends itself to that end than, dare I say, many other portions.

Here we have the precious views of God our Savior granted to us by God the Holy Spirit. We have heard of Christ's acts and his works as they have been factually recorded in the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We have heard of the things that he has done. We have heard the things that he has said. But here Paul turns to Christ's personal dealings with us. This is a different dimension. This isn't just the facts of the case. This isn't just the record of the matter. Here we are speaking about Christ's consolation.

Christ's encouragement, his comfort and his care for us, about his gentleness and his lowliness of character, his humility and his dedication to his people. These qualities of Christ's nature, his character, his person are set before us first as to be experienced in our own soul by our union with Christ and thereafter to be emulated, to be copied, to be exercised in our dealings with one another. That's the purpose of Paul in writing here in Philippians chapter two as he does.

Yes, yes, yes, a hundred times yes. We delight to declare the great things that Christ has done. Yes, a hundred times yes, we shall be honoured to preach the gospel as long as the Lord gives us strength and opportunity to do so. But there is another dimension to our experience of Christ even than these. There is the experience of Christ in our hearts. The experience that gives strength and gives comfort.

Do you recall how the Lord, the Saviour, having crossed the Sea of Galilee came to the land of the Gadarenes and encountered the demoniac who lived amongst the tombs. Having cast out the demons that haunted that man, Christ forbade him from following after him. The desire of the man was to follow the Lord. Christ said, no, that's not what I want you to do.

He told him, rather, go home to your friends and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee and hath had compassion on thee. I think that's lovely. I think that is a beautiful picture right there. Let us by all means tell the world what great things the Lord has done on the cross, in his life, by his works. But let us not forget to tell them too what he has done for me, what he has done in me, and how he has compassion on me. Objective? and subjective. Christ not only saves, he satisfies. He not only cleanses, he comforts and consoles. He not only reconciles us to God, he facilitates fellowship, he enables fellowship with God. He gives us life and he teaches us how to live.

And it was these vital living experiences that the Apostle is here calling upon to motivate and instruct the church, you and me, believers in all the ages since. It is Christ in us, Christ through us, that makes us the people we are. Now, last time when we met together and we were speaking together, we saw how the Apostle Paul had called upon believers to live according to the pattern of Christ in the Gospel. To live practically, outwardly, to live in this world, to live according to the pattern of Christ in the gospel, telling us, only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only standard believers are held to as a rule or measurement of their lives. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that we look to. It is Christ's own example in the gospel that we adhere to. Paul knew that when a sinner is converted, their desire is to love, honour and serve their saviour.

That's what we want to do. And yet, as we go on in our Christian life, we realise that the early enthusiasm, it doesn't last. It gets blocked. It gets hindered. It gets closed out. We discover that it is true what the Lord told his disciples. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. I think we all know something about that. Sure it is, our ambitions fall short because of temptation, because of sin.

And yet, the desire to imitate the Lord Jesus never goes away. It is always present in the soul of a believer. It is always present in the new creation. Who among us today, who among us right now does not desire to be more Christ-like, more like Christ than we now feel ourselves to be?

The apostle knows it isn't easy to live as becomes the gospel. He can testify that from his own experience. He tells us in Romans chapter seven, to will is present with me. To will is present with me. But how to perform that which is good, I find not. Nevertheless, Paul is not deterred by the difficulty of following Christ. He is not deterred thereby from pressing his holy argument.

And in our verses today, the apostle stresses in grand, passionate terms how believers are inspired by the divine grace that they have personally enjoyed in Christ, and how this motivates us to reproduce like virtues in our own walk and conversation as we deal with others inside and outside of the church. It is because Christ is in us that we long to live for him and be like him.

And the apostle, as we have seen, lists several distinct blessings bestowed by the Lord on his people. Now these are indicative. I'm sure that there are many more, and we could find many more, and shall do as we go through this book of Philippians. But in Paul's argument, these are they that he has chosen. He lists several distinct blessings. Now these are covenant blessings. Let me tell you what I mean by that.

They are family blessings. They are blessings to the church, blessings to the people of God. They are spiritual qualities, family likenesses, family traits. As such, they do not belong to the world. They belong to the church. They are yours and mine if we are believers in Christ and born into the family of God.

The men and women of this world know nothing of the consolation of Christ. They know nothing of the comfort of God's love. They know nothing of the fellowship and love of God because these are spiritual gifts experienced and enjoyed in the Spirit. Paul says in Romans 8 verse 9, Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

But we have the Spirit of Christ. We are His. We are His own purchased possession. We are redeemed. We are bought with a price. That price was His own precious blood. Now, our circumstances in the flesh, in these bodies, our personal circumstances in these bodies might be the worst imaginable. One has cancer destroying their vital organs. Another is bereaved and lonely and alone. Another is impoverished, abandoned, another is fearful and anxious and depressed.

The Lord's people will, to some degree or another, know personally, by experience, all the troubles of this flesh. Whether it's in our own bodies, whether it's in our own families, whether it's in our own communities. whether it's in our own nation, everything that is of trouble in this world will touch and affect the Lord's people in our lives.

Think of Job. We need think no further. But we have spiritual grace that the world knows nothing of. Behold, says John, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. And Paul believes in detailing these graces. Paul believes that the renewed souls to whom he is writing in Philippi will be able to recognise and be able to relate to the spiritual blessings because they will have experienced them in a felt personal way. I mentioned yesterday, he prefixes if to each statement, not to suggest that there is any doubt or uncertainty as to whether or not these qualities are in Christ, these qualities are in the divine persons. Paul knows that they are.

He is emphasising the effect of these qualities, the consequences of these qualities, these graces in the lives of God's people. It is because we enjoy these godly experiences personally, it is since we feel the Lord's blessings in our own souls that we are enabled to share these family traits with those around us. We become a reflection of the Lord's qualities and characteristics. We become a likeness of the Lord. So Paul has given us these four qualities, four examples of God's kindness to his elect. and he is using them to recommend the lifestyle that he is about to encourage in the Philippians and thereby in all the Lord's people.

These four are the consolation of Christ, the comfort of the Father's love, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, the bowels, or we might say the deep sympathies and mercies of God. And Paul's argument is simply that those who enjoy the blessings of the triune God in Jesus Christ will manifest and exhibit like qualities in their own lives and they will treat one another accordingly. Let's briefly look at each of these more closely.

The first one Paul writes about is the consolation of Christ. Now, the consolation of Christ could be interpreted in many ways. It's a broad, broad subject, but I'm just going to give one or two little pointers, as it were, really just to show you the extensiveness of that consolation. The consolation of Christ is the relief and the liberty that believers enjoy in knowing Christ, knowing who he is.

Big subject, big subject. But who amongst us, when faced with the hopelessness or frustration of a particular circumstance or event, does not draw consolation in knowing that Jesus Christ is Lord, that Jesus Christ is in control, that our God is sovereign in all things, that nothing is outside of his knowledge and his purpose and his will. Is not this the most consoling truth that we have as believers? to know that Christ has us embraced in his arms, comforted in the palms of his hands, and caring for us even in the midst of our direst troubles. Your cancer, your loneliness, your struggles, is what we are talking about.

Our God's timing is perfect. He is too wise to be mistaken, and he is too good to be unkind to the children that he loves. Has the Lord taken something from us? Has he taken someone from us that we care for, that we love? Does it appear as if we don't know what our life is going to contain, how we can go on? Do things appear dark and bleak? He will fill that space. He will be a husband to us.

This is the consolation of Christ. Paul says that we have the comfort of love. The comfort of love is a fortress built around the Lord's people to protect us, to provide and satisfy for all of our needs. We may be poor in this world, but we are rich in the love of God. Paul says, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. But it doesn't stop there.

If God loved us so much as to give us his only begotten son, to give His only begotten Son for us? How shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. When we possess such love, may we not be bold to serve and love our brethren, our family, our neighbours, as the example has been given to us And what of the fellowship of the Spirit?

Well, this is the supernatural union that conveys the spiritual gifts and graces of God to his people. We are the temple of the Holy Ghost. We are not carnal. We are spiritual people, the temple of the Holy Ghost. He lives in us. and the fruit of the Spirit who dwells in us is love and joy and peace and longsuffering and gentleness and goodness, faith and meekness, temperance. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit, exercising the spiritual gifts by which the Spirit's presence is known in us.

And what of the bowels and mercies? Well, this expresses the deep sympathy that the Lord has for his people. The understanding that we discover when we go to him with our problems. The burden bearing that the Lord has with us in our times of need, and in our pain and in our heart. He knows what we are feeling and he shares it with us.

Who can tell what the Lord Jesus endured on the cross for us? Who knows the depth of his pain, the agony of guilt, the darkness of abandonment? the wrath of condemnation. Therefore it is that we can say with the writer to the Hebrews, we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities. We have a high priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. because he was in all points tempted, he was in all points tried, as we are tried, yet without sin.

This is our Lord. This is the bowels and mercies which he has for us who go to him in our need. These are the spiritual experiences that the world knows nothing of. These are the solid arguments now that the apostle is using to set before us the pattern of our holy nature and the foundation of our Christian walk and service. so that we too learn to rejoice with them that do rejoice and weep with them that weep. How do we know how to do that? Because the Lord rejoices with us in our rejoicings and he weeps with us in our sorrows.

Note again with me, please, the emphasis upon the Lord Jesus, both as the enabler and example in what the apostle is writing here. Christ is the enabler and the example of our Christian life, our Christian living. There is so much written about Christian living. We go to Christ, that's the only thing we need to think about is Christ.

He is the enabler and he is the example for our Christian living. He's the enabler because we live by faith in Jesus Christ. And Christ alone is the strength of our life. He is the one who gives us faith. He gives us the faith of Christ, his own faith. He gives us that faith. We live by that faith. He is the strength of our life. And he is the measure of our conformity to the divine will.

He is God's good and perfect gift. Come down from above to reconcile, to regenerate, and to transform his church, to transform his people. He has converted us from what we were to what we are. He has converted us and joined us to himself. He indwells us by His Spirit.

All that is good and perfect within us comes from Christ. We don't bring anything to this union but our sin. Everything that is holy in us, everything that is righteous in us, everything that is pure in us, everything that is blameless in us comes from Christ. and having him, we have all his gifts and all his graces. He withholds nothing from us. We have his consolation, we have his comfort, we have his love and fellowship, and thereafter, having freely received these blessings, we in turn freely give. Christ is our enabler. And he is our example. Our saviour did nothing through strife or vain glory.

He was always gentle and kind. Meekness and service characterized his dealings with all men. We hear so much today about proud men, powerful men, wealthy men, the moguls of our society who are striving and driving forward their own views of the world and endeavouring to make societies in their own image. That wasn't Christ. Meek, mild, gentle. That's what characterised our Saviour.

He would converse with Pharisees and publicans alike. And so too, Christ's exemplary qualities of lowliness and patience and forbearance and humility become us, become all who confess him. If we follow him, we walk in his footsteps. He has made us like himself. and he has called us to live accordingly.

Pride and self-conceit have no legitimate hold on a believer's heart and mind. How can we be proud when we know what we are by nature and know what we were before Christ saved us from those very things? There's nothing good in us that we have not received And so we have no grounds to boast of ourselves. We were without Christ, having no hope, and without God in this world.

Now, as we saw in chapter one, the Apostle Paul has already spoken about the joy he shares in his fellowship with the saints in Philippi. they caused his heart to rejoice, these believers in Philippi. And now he speaks again of the pleasure that he will draw from further seeing the evidence of grace, the grace of God exhibited in the attitudes and actions of his brothers and sisters in Christ. He is looking from them, he is looking to their actions for the same love, for the same union, for the same fellowship, shed abroad amongst the Lord's people that they have received and experienced from their saviour and head. Like-mindedness with Christ cannot be suppressed in those whom he fills. And the presence of Christ's attributes in the life of the saints fuels Paul's joy. I think that what the apostle is teaching us here is that there is a blessed synergy in the Christ-like living of the church. Christ-likeness in a believer is a source of joy in other believers.

As we live to the glory of Christ, as we live to honour and serve Christ, it makes joy infectious. It makes the graces of the Christian life infectious. Esteeming each other better than ourselves is infectious. Lifting up our brethren means that the whole church reaches higher. And brotherly love becomes the Lord's people. And Christ's spiritual gifts adorn the Lord's people. They're like ornaments in our Christian witness. We have an enabling, we have an example.

Therefore, we ought to embrace our calling and exercise our gifts. That's why they have been placed in our heart, in our soul, in our mind, and the reason why we are strengthened to perform them. Our old nature seeks to prioritise our own needs and to satisfy our own fleshy desires. Our old nature does that, it will always do that, it will always be a cause of strife to us. Our new nature has a better, more honourable goal.

And what we see in Christ, what we learn from the Savior's life and death teaches us lessons of self-abasement, of humility and sacrifice. The apostle is not suggesting that we neglect those things that rightly concern us, that rightly concern our families and our responsibilities as good stewards of God's provision. He is, however, joyfully advocating Christ's honour above all things. Care for his church and that we actively serve the well-being of our brothers and sisters in Christ. May the Lord bless these thoughts to us today and may he enable us to follow the pattern that the Lord has set. Amen.

Likeminded With Christ

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about Christ's consolation?

How do we know the comfort of God's love is real?

Why is fellowship with the Holy Spirit important for Christians?

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About Peter L. Meney

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Likeminded With Christ

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about Christ's consolation?

How do we know the comfort of God's love is real?

Why is fellowship with the Holy Spirit important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Peter L. Meney

Comments

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