I love that hymn and I particularly
love the line, Thou my best thought. By day or by night, they've met
the truth. Thou my best thought. Look in
verse 3 of Romans chapter 15, For even Christ pleased not himself. I've entitled this message, Christ
Pleased Not Himself. Now that is just an amazing thought. The one who is God the one who's
the creator of the universe, the one who controls providence,
the one in whose hand you and I are right now, he please not
himself. Now, everybody has a problem with
everybody else's selfishness, don't they? I don't know how many times I've
heard people say, you think of nobody but yourself. I've heard
that regarding me on numerous occasions. And he who has the
power to make sure he is pleased, pleased not himself. He said, my meat and drink is
to do the will of him that sent me. That's my meat and that's
my drink. He wants to please me. You know
what would please me? To be made like Him. That's what
would please me. Really, that's what would please
me. To be conformed to His image. And He pleased not Himself. He
lives to please His Father and to please His people. Now that
is just an amazing concept, isn't it? The glory of our Redeemer.
Christ pleased not himself. Now let's go back up to verse
1. We then that are strong ought
to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. Now we read here of the strong
and the weak. The strong are the ones who understood
Romans chapter 14 verse 1 through 3. Turn back there. Him that
is weak in the faith, receive ye. But not to doubtful disputations,
not to judging his doubtful thoughts. For one believes that he may
eat all things, another who is weak eats herbs. Let not him
that eateth despise him that eateth not, and let not him which
eateth not judge him that eateth. For God hath received him. Now
the strong are the ones who understood of their freedom in Christ. They
didn't have these ridiculous religious scruples that so many
people have. They were strong. Now this was
not necessarily strength of intellect. It could be that the weak brethren
had higher IQs than the strong brethren. This doesn't have anything
to do with intellect. It's being taught of God. It's understanding
the salvation of the Lord. It's understanding that I'm complete
in Christ and I don't need anything else. A strong man, he feels
completely at liberty to eat something that the weak man would
think is wrong. He feels completely at liberty
to drink something that the weak man would think is wrong. He's
strong. He understands who he is in Christ
Jesus. Now, what does Paul say for this
strong one to do? We then that are strong ought,
we owe it to our weak brethren to bear the infirmities of the
weak and not to please ourselves. Now the word ought is we owe
this. We are indebted to do this. This is our responsibility. The
strong are indebted to bear with the infirmities of the silly
religious scruples of the weak, first of all, because God gave
them grace to see the silly stupid scruples. If you see that, You're
indebted to God and his grace that he's given you the grace
to see that. That brother hadn't seen it yet. And how you owe
God's grace that you see what he doesn't see. The only reason
you see it's not because you're more intelligent than him. It's
because God has made this known to you. And you owe it to God
to give thanksgiving. And you owe it to that weak brother,
that brother who has these scruples. You owe it to him to put up with
them. and bear with him rather than getting mad at him and saying,
why should I have to deal with that? I mean, I'm right, he's
wrong. No, you ought to just go ahead and withhold yourself
from doing something that would offend him and not to please
yourself. Look at verse 14 of Romans chapter
14. I know and am persuaded by the
Lord Jesus that there's nothing unclean of itself, but to him
that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him It is unclean. If you think it's sin, to you
it's sin. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now
walkest thou not charitably? Destroy not with thy meat him
for whom Christ died. Let not then your good be evil
spoken of. If your brother thinks it's wrong
to eat that meat sacrificed to idols, don't do it around him.
Don't do it around him. Don't seek to please yourself.
Don't say, well, he's the one that's in the wrong. I'm in the
right. I can eat that if I want. Don't have that attitude. That's
a wrong attitude. Don't seek to please yourself. Now, the quickest way to happiness
is to not please yourself. If you're seeking to be happy,
you can write this down. You're going to be miserable.
You're going to make everybody around you miserable. Don't seek
to be happy. Seek to do what's right, and
you'll find happiness in that. Turn with me for a moment to
Acts chapter 20. You know, when I'm going over
this passage of Scripture, and you know, don't please yourself
and all that, I'm all, I'm tempted to laugh at myself because I've,
I feel like such a hypocrite even saying it, because I spend
so much time seeking to please myself, trying to make sure I'm
the one that's, you know, and I, oh, I'd like to be delivered
from this. Look what Paul says in Acts chapter
20, verse 24. But none of these things move
me, neither count I my life dear unto myself. so that I might
finish my course with joy and the ministry which I've received
of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
How are you going to finish your course with joy? By not counting
your life as dear to yourself. By seeking to be a servant to
the people of God. Now look what he says in verse
2. He said, let every one of us,
every believer, Let every one of us please his neighbor for
his good to edification. You'd be concerned about more
about what they think, then you're right. Please your neighbor to
his good for edification. Verse three, now he goes to the
great example. Four, even Christ pleased not
himself, but as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproach
thee fell on me. Even Christ, the Son of God,
the One for whom are all things, to whom are all things, by whom
are all things, the glorious Son of God, even He pleased not
Himself. That the reason Christ was reproached
was not for his good deeds. It was not for his miracles.
It was not for his healing of people. But what he said about
the character of his father. Now you listen to this statement
real carefully. The natural man hates the God of the Bible. Now this hatred generally is
not seen or understood till they hear the gospel. It's when they
hear the gospel that this hatred that's already there comes out.
Now they don't hate a God they can control, that they feel comfortable
with, that they can call on Him whenever they're in trouble and
He'll help them out. But the God who's the absolute sovereign
of the universe, who's holy, who controls everything and everybody. And I love thinking about this.
I love looking at people and saying, do you know God's controlling
the very thoughts that are going through your mind right now?
He's in control of them, working His purposes of grace or His
purposes of justice and hardening. But He's in control of everything. The thoughts of the heart and
the inclination of the heart is of the Lord, the scripture
says. He is in absolute control. Salvation's in His hand. It's
up to Him as to whether or not you're saved. Do you realize
that? It's up to Him as to whether or not you're saved. He can save
you. He can pass you by. Now that is the God of the Bible. And that's the God men don't
love. And this is the God that our Lord stood for the character
of His Father. Men would not have approached
Him had He not stood for the character of His Father. But
because he did, the reproaches men had for God were placed upon
the Lord Jesus Christ. The reproaches have been reproached
thee, they fell on me. Now, even so, he pleased not
himself. He was willing to let all the
reproaches that go against his father come upon himself. Now, the best commentary on this
passage of Scripture, I'm going to leave this passage of Scripture
now and go to Philippians chapter 2, because that's the best commentary
on what this means that Christ pleased not himself. Would you
turn with me there to Philippians chapter 2. Now Paul gives four ifs at the
first of this chapter. If there be therefore any consolation
in Christ If any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit,
if any bowels and mercies. Now these four ifs should cause
some serious self-reflection with all of us. If there be,
if there be, if there be, if there be any consolation in Christ. Consolation is the alleviation
of physical and mental stress consoled by being in Christ. No matter what you're going through,
being consoled by being in Christ. Now in Christ, there's not two
more important words in the Bible. Amen? In Christ. Now here's the only hope I have,
is that when God comes looking for me, I'm found in His Son. That's what I desire above all
things, to be found in His Son. In Christ refers to union with
the Lord Jesus Christ. If I'm in Him, I'm united to
Him. So that when God sees Todd Nybert, God sees Jesus Christ
the Lord. As God is pleased with Christ,
He's pleased with Todd Nybert. And all of His pleasure is in
Christ. It's not in anything I do, it's
in what His Son does, and I'm in Him. Now that's what this
thing of being in Christ is. Now, do you get any consolation
from that? Does that console you? In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead in the body, and you are complete in Him. You know that comforts me so
much because I feel so incomplete. I feel so lacking in so many
different ways. But the Bible tells me that I
am complete in the Lord Jesus Christ. He was manifested to
take away our sins and in Him is no sin. That means if I'm
in Him, I have no sin. Does that console you? The Lord
said to the disciples in Acts chapter 16 verse 31, they said,
now we believe. Now we believe. Now we're sure.
And he said, do you now believe? He said, you fellows, every one
of you are going to deny that you even know me. But these things
have I spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world, you'll have tribulation.
But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. All
of God's salvation, all of God's blessing, all of God's grace,
all of God's favor is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And what consolation
there is in that. Now there's stress in being a
sinful person. Isn't there? There's stress involved in that.
There's tension. There's wretchedness. But what
consolation we get from these glorious words He hath made us accepted in the
Beloved. And in the Beloved I am accepted. And I find sweet consolation
of simply being found in the Lord Jesus Christ. And next he
says, comfort in His love. If there be any comfort in His
love. Now, I can say this, I find no
comfort in his love if it's the way religion presents it. If he loves everybody the same,
I find no comfort at all in that love because some of those people
he loves can wind up in hell anyway. And I get no comfort
from that. But here's the comfort I get. Jeremiah 31, 3, Behold, I've
loved you with an everlasting love. Does that comfort you? A love that never had a beginning. Behold, I've loved you with an
everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness
have I drawn thee. Listen to this scripture, John
15, 9. The Lord says to his disciples, as the Father hath loved me.
So have I loved you. Now you think of the father's
love to his son. He looks at his son, and he's so beautiful.
He's so glorious. He's so altogether lovely. The
father looks at him, and he can't help but be pleased with his
son. He's so beautiful. He's so perfect.
You know the father, he says, as the father, he says, as the
father's loved me. That's the way I've loved you.
I see you as beautiful and perfect. There's no spot in thee, thou
art all fair, my love. Now that's how Christ sees his
people. Does that comfort you? John 17,
23, Thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me. Oh, what comfort
there is there. However, the father has loved
his son. That's how he loves the believer.
if there be any comfort in his love. 1 John 4, 10, herein is
love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his
Son to be the propitiation for our sins. And then he says in
verse 1, if any fellowship of the Spirit. Now that word of
is very important. He doesn't say fellowship with
the Spirit. I want to have fellowship with
the Spirit, but that's not what he says. He said if there be
any fellowship of the Spirit. Now that word fellowship means
sharing in common. If I'm a believer, I share in
common the Spirit of God. He's got the nature of God. If
He's given me birth from above, if He's given me the new birth,
I have this new nature of God, this holy nature. That's what
this fellowship of the Spirit is. Every believer has this. 2 Peter 1, 4 says we're partakers
of the divine nature. Now, this is one of the most
mysterious things, but let me tell you this. The reason I know
that I'm a sinner, is because I've got this nature that came
from God, fellowship with the Spirit, that identifies that.
I wouldn't know that if I didn't have this spiritual nature, being
born of God, this fellowship of the Spirit. And this is what
every believer has, they have this fellowship of the Spirit. any bowels and mercies, if there
be any bowels and mercies, this is deep seated affections. Now, would to God that everybody
in this room could not even think about whether or not you love
Christ. Just don't even think about it. Don't think about your
love for Christ right now. Don't think about, because you won't
feel good about your love to Christ. You'll think it's not
great enough. I know you will. But think of Jesus Christ. Think
of Him being God the Son, the only begotten of the Father.
Think of Him creating the universe. Think of Him being made flesh. Think of Him keeping God's holy
law. Think of Him dying on the cross
and actually putting away sin. Think of Him being raised from
the dead because God accepted what He did. Think of Him ascending
back to the Father and is seated at the right hand of the Father
even now as the intercessor of His people. Think of how He controls
everybody and everything. He's God. He's all-powerful.
He's all-wise. He's immutable. Oh, He's holy. He's just. He's omnipresent. He's everywhere at once. You love Him, don't you? You love Him. There's deep-seated
affection in your heart for Him. It's deep. You love His people.
You love His people. These vows and mercies, that's
talking about deep-seated affection. John said, By this we know we
pass from death to life, because we love the brethren. There's
been something done in you that makes you have these deep-seated... You stand in awe of God. You
stand in awe of His glory. You stand in fear of Him. You
stand... You've got these deep-seated
affections. If you do, what's He say? Verse 2, Fulfill ye my
joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of
one accord, of one mind, literally thinking the same thing. Now,
being like-minded, if I believe that Christ is all in my salvation,
and you believe that Christ is all in your salvation, you know
what? We're like-minded, aren't we? If I believe, if I really believe
that I'm the chief of sinners, and if you really believe you're
the chief of sinners, you know what? We're like-minded, aren't
we? What kind of place would this
be if everybody in here really believed that they were the chief
of sinners? Oh my. You know, I really believe that
salvation is of the Lord. I believe that. I believe salvation
is by grace. All grace. Do you believe that
salvation is all of grace? Well, we're like-minded, aren't
we? I love Christ giving all the
glory and salvation and none going to man. You love Christ
giving all the glory and salvation and none going to man. We're
like-minded, aren't we? Now, he says, fulfill ye my joy
that ye be like-minded having the same love, love to Christ,
love to one another, being of one accord, of one mind. Verse
three, let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness
of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Better, better. Not just as good, not a little
worse, but better than themselves. If I obey the command of this
scripture, which I have every reason to, I'm going to esteem
everybody in this room as better than me. Better. You see, I know myself. I know
myself. I know myself a whole lot better
than any of you all know me. I know myself. Lynn thinks she
knows me all together, but she doesn't. She doesn't. She'd leave
me if she did. I know myself. And I know myself enough to know
that I can easily look at you and esteem you as better than
me. And every believer can do that. Let each esteem the other as
better than. Better than. Well, they're a
better believer than I am. They love Christ more than I
do. They trust Him more than I do. I can see that. They're
just better. Better. Strife, vainglory. Strife is electioneering, trying
to get votes, campaigning. Vainglory is vainglory. Oh, don't
go that direction. But in lowliness of mind, let
each esteem the other as better than themselves. Verse 4, look
not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things
of others. Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus. Now remember, Christ is the one
that the scripture says, pleased not himself. Let this mind be
in you. Let this mind be in me. which
was also in Christ Jesus. And he goes on to say these things
that this is a this is another one of those passages of scripture.
And I guess I feel like this way about every one of them.
But I feel like an idiot trying to deal with them because they're
so high and they're so glorious and they're so holy. And I think
you talk about this. Come on. You know. But here we
go. Here we go. I'll give it a shot anyway. Verse
six who the Lord Jesus Christ Who being in the form of God. Jesus Christ is God. Jesus Christ is God. He's the substance of God. He's
the essence of God. I want to say this as reverently
and fearfully as I can, but if you took all that the infinite
God is, in His holiness, in His sovereignty, in His power, in
His wisdom, in His immutability, in His infinity, if you took
all that God is and poured it into a form, You know what would
come out? Jesus Christ the Lord. Who, being in the form of God,
he thought it not robbery, he thought it not a thing to be
grasped for, to be equal with God. Now, if any other being
said, I'm equal with God, let me assure you, you're not.
Not in any level. Not in any level. But here is
the one being who thought it not robbery, who thought it not
a thing to be grasped for, to be equal with God. He put it this way, he that hath
seen me hath seen the Father. Equal with God. But what did he do? Who being in the form of God
thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but he made himself
of no reputation. That means he emptied himself. This one who is the brightness
of God's glory and the express image of his person, not only
did he not please himself, he emptied himself. 2 Corinthians
8, verse 9, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. That
though He was rich. Now you think about Him before
the foundation of the world. Rich in communion with His Father.
Rich in righteousness. Rich in holiness. Rich in the
praises of angels. reaching whatever He wanted,
He had the power to create, although He was rich, yet, for your sakes,
He became poor. Now on the cross, I'm glad that the Lord had darkness
cover the earth during those three hours on the cross to let
us know that we're never really going to much understand it.
And I, I'm glad it's that way because like I said, once again,
I feel like I'm like David said, such knowledge is too high for
me. It's wonderful. I can't attain to it. But on
the cross, Christ emptied himself of everything that he was. Now
he never ceased to be God. I realize that. But he emptied
himself of righteousness. He emptied himself of communion
with the Father. He was totally cut off and forsaken. He felt no love from his Father.
He felt no acceptance. He emptied himself of praise.
He emptied himself of everything. You know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ. He made himself of no reputation.
He emptied himself. But you, through his poverty,
might be rich. The condescension of Christ. He who is God became flesh and
came in the form of a servant. Let's go on reading. He made
himself of no reputation, he emptied himself, 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. Now he humbled himself when he
became flesh, but how he humbled himself when he went to the cross. And once again, here's something
I'm just using words and I don't have any idea what they mean
because I don't understand how much he humbled himself because
I don't understand enough of his greatness or his glory to
be able to do that. But he humbled himself and became
obedient to death. Now remember, remember death,
death. What's the one reason for death? There's only one reason. Sin. Sin. When He humbled Himself
and became obedient unto death, it's because He was made to be
sin. He took my sins. He took my sorrows. He made them His very own. He bore the burden to Calvary
and suffered and died alone. Now the cross was the ultimate
act of obedience. He humbled himself and became
obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Now look at verse
9. Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted
him, and given him a name which is above every name, because
he humbled himself. Because He pleased not Himself. Because in obedience to His Father,
He went to the cross. Because of the joy He got of
doing His Father's will. Because of the joy He got of
saving His people from their sins. He who is God did not please
Himself. He went to the cross and He died. He died on Calvary's tree. That's
the great mystery. How the God-man died. But I love
thinking of His death. I love thinking of his death
in this sense. The moment he died, he didn't go through any,
what do you call it, decay at the time? Any corruption? He
didn't go through anything like that. The moment he died, complete
satisfaction was made for everybody he died for. Complete satisfaction. Now, we wouldn't have had that
if he hadn't have done that. You know, if we were just standing
and Adam, what if Adam had not fallen? Most say it's 6,000 years
ago when he walked this earth. What if he had not fallen all
this time? That'd still mean he won't. He's
a mutable creature. You see, we're much more secure,
much more safe than we were in Adam, in Christ, because he died,
complete satisfaction was made. Now look at these verses. And you know, whenever I'm down, Whenever I'm disappointed, whenever
I'm discouraged about myself, about the way things appear,
this is a verse that the Lord has used to cheer me up a whole
lot. Now, let's read it together.
Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a
name which is above every that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow and of things in heaven and things
in the earth and things under the earth and that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the
Father. Now because Christ pleased not
himself Because he stooped to be a man. Because he stooped
to be made sin. He achieved glories that he wouldn't
have achieved had he not done this. Now I love thinking about
this. There isn't anything that pleases
me more than this. To think of Muslims and Jews
and atheists and Hindus and Christians and unbelievers and everybody
in the world, some willingly, some unwillingly, but everybody
to ever live in this whole wide world is going to be made to
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory God the Father. You know what that pleases me?
That makes me flat happy to know that every tongue, every tongue,
I mean things seem so bad so often, but you know that every
tongue is going to be made to confess that He is Lord to the
glory of God the Father. Now, to every believer, what
if your life isn't as you would have it be? What if you have
problems and troubles? Look at the future. I don't care
what happens to me. If this is going to happen, every
tongue is going to confess regarding this one whom my soul loveth,
that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And I just
am so happy about that. It's all going to be good, isn't
it? It's all going to be fine. No matter what, it's all going
to be fine. Because God the Father has made
sure that everybody is going to bow the knee to His Son and
confess that He is Lord. You see, God has one agenda,
the glory of His Son. That's His one agenda. Now get
on the train or get off, but this is God's one agenda, the
glory of His dear Son. And you know, God didn't get
glory through me or you, one way or the other. We're either
going to glorify and magnify His grace, or we're going to
glorify and magnify His justice. I want to be somebody who glorifies
His grace, don't you? I want to be one of those people
who are a trophy of His grace. Look what I've done. Christ pleased not Himself. And because He pleased not Himself,
God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above
every name. that at the name of Jesus, what
a name, every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going
to confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Let's pray. Lord, we're so amazed that your glorious Son thought nothing of pleasing Himself, that His whole life was bound
in pleasing you and saving your people from their sins. And Lord,
how glorious He is in our eyes. Lord, we confess Lord, we confess
that Jesus Christ is all in our salvation. We confess that His
righteousness is our only righteousness. And His precious blood, our only
sin payment. And we confess before men, before
thee, that He is salvation. It's not in Our works are what
we do, but it's utterly in Him. Oh Lord, we confess this before
you by your grace. Lord, we ask that you would give
us the grace to confess Him before men, that they might hear the
gospel of your grace. Lord, cause us to please not
ourselves, but to seek the good of our neighbor to their edification.
Lord, we're so, so very selfish by nature. We ask that you would
deliver us from our selfishness and cause us to seek to not please
ourselves. I bless this message for the
Lord's sake. In his name we pray. Amen.