Let's begin at the beginning
of this chapter and see if we can get some light and understanding
on those two verses, but we have to start with verse 1. And Paul
says to this church at Philippi, if there be therefore any consolation
in Christ, if there's any comfort and consolation in Christ, and
there he is, certainly there is, without question. We have a genuine reason to hope
and to rest on the merits of Christ, on the personal work
of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's able to do all that he promised. So there he is. Paul says, if
there be any comfort in Christ, and there is, we can all testify
to that fact. There is rest and peace and comfort
in Him. In fact, that's the only place
there is any true comfort and rest. If any comfort of love,
is there any comfort of love? There certainly is. There's comfort
in the love of the Father for us. He said, I've loved you with
an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness
have I drawn you. There's comfort in the Father's
love There's comfort in the Son, the beloved Son of God who loved
us. He loved us and gave himself
for us. Herein is love. God loved us
and Christ loved us and died for us. And the scripture says
the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts for the Holy Spirit.
There's comfort in the love of the Spirit of God. There's comfort
in our love for one another. John said, we know we've passed
from death unto life because we love one another. By this shall all other men know
you are my disciples if you love one another. So we can testify
to the fact there's comfort in his love and in the love he has
given to us. And then he says, if any fellowship
of the Spirit There He is. The Spirit of God dwells in us
and causes us to dwell in Christ, and we have fellowship with Him.
We're baptized into one body by the Spirit of God. And John
said, I'll just read this. You won't have to turn over there.
In 1 John, chapter 1, he said, And our fellowship is with the
Father. Truly, our fellowship is with
the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And these things
we write unto you, that you may have fellowship with us." Oh,
there he is. There's the fellowship of the
Spirit. And listen to the next statement. You see any bowels
of mercy? The word bowels in the Scripture,
and Dale read a passage, the study tonight that mentioned
this particular thing, it's the innermost being, the innermost
being. If there's any real depth in
our, it's not just a mouth thing, it's not just a head full of
doctrine, but he's talking about if there's any real depth to
our faith, do we in our innermost being believe God and love God
and rest and hope in Christ. Is there any bowels, innermost
being, heart experience, sincere commitment to one husband and
one king and one lord and one master? Is there? Oh, certainly
there is. Certainly there is. The root
of the matter, Job said, is in me. The root is in me. That's
the reason the fruit is on the vine, because the root is in
Christ. All right, he says, this grace
being in you, verse 2, then fulfill ye my joy. Fulfill ye my joy. What is Paul's joy? Well, I will have you turn to
2 John. Paul is saying the same thing
that John says over here in 2 John. He talks about his joy. This is John's joy too. What
joy it is when those who heard us preach the gospel and believe
that gospel walk in such a way that that gospel is honored and
exalted and magnified. In 2 John, verse 3 and 4, John
says, Grace be with you, mercy and peace from God the Father,
and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth
and love. I rejoice greatly that I found
of thy children walking walking in the Spirit, walking in truth,
walking in love, walking in faith, as we have received the commandment
from the Father. And that's what Paul is saying
to this church in verse 2. If these things be true, verse
1, if these comfort in Christ, fellowship in the Spirit, sincere
vows in mercy, then fulfill ye my joy." Oh, what joy when disciples
and believers walk in truth and love and obedience. And what
sorrow and disappointment when they don't. What disappointment
when they do not walk in such a way as to glorify the Father. And he gives them four things.
Four things the brethren can do to make the Apostle rejoice.
Look at these four things in verses 2, 3, 4, and 5. He says in verse 2, Fulfill ye
my joy, that you be like-minded. That you be like-minded. Since
you're one body in Christ, we are one body in Christ. We have
one Father. one Lord, one master, one faith,
one goal, then why should we be otherwise minded than like-minded? You have standing before you
here tonight, I have sitting before me people who are one
body. This body is in harmony and that
your body is in harmony, in agreement. Then why shouldn't the Lord's
body be in harmony? It should be. It should be, is
Christ divided, Paul said? Can Christ be divided? Oh, he said, here are the three
things, that you be like-minded in love, of the same love, like-minded
in one accord, in agreement, in fellowship, and like-minded
in one mind. One mind. All right, verse three, here's
the second thing that makes him joyful and happy. Let nothing
be done through strife and vainglory. Strife, what is strife? It's
quarreling and contention. This is not the spirit of Christ.
Quarreling and contention and strife is not the spirit of Christ. It's not the spirit of God, whether
it's in the church or the home. You know, I watch, sometimes
turn on the television and have these situation comedies, they
call them, I believe they're people, there's a mother and
a father and children and aunts and uncles. They have these television
programs about homes, you know, about families. And they just quarrel and fuss
and argue and disagree and have strife. Is that the norm? It's not for the gospel. It's
not for the Spirit of God. He said, let nothing be done
through strife and quarreling and contention and strife, whether
it's in the church or the home. Believers are not to live like
that. And the other thing is vainglory.
What is vainglory? It's seeking my way. vain glory
is seeking my glory, my way, my will, my glory, not considering
the desire of others or the will of God. Don't let things be done
that way, either by argument, quarreling, or seeking to have
our own way and will. He said it's better, look, let
each esteem the other. In lowliness of mind, in humility,
in humility, let each esteem the other, not just as good as
we are, better than we are, better than we are. That's the
way to keep down strife and pride and vainglory, is esteem the
others better. And I'll tell you, there's a
good If we really know ourselves, we don't know the hearts of others,
but we do know our hearts, so really, as far as we know, they
are better than we are. And look at the next one. He
says, verse four, here's the third thing that makes me happy.
He said, fulfill my joy. Look not every man on his own
things, his own welfare, his own concern. Now listen to me
a minute. But every man be concerned on
the things of others, other believers. Now, first of all, we've got
to be concerned about our own things in this area. First of
all, I'm concerned about my own interest in Christ. I have to
be concerned about that. Let a man examine himself. Give
diligence to make your calling and election sure. That's my
concern, and that's my business, and I've got to look on that
subject. I've got to be concerned. But
secondly, I've got to be concerned about my own household, my own
family, my own children, people for whom I am responsible. Their
spiritual well-being and welfare is my concern as the father in
the home. Thirdly, I've got to be concerned
for the provisions of that home. It's my responsibility to have
food on the table, by God's grace. But it's my responsibility to
direct the affairs of that home. And Paul said over here in, let
me read it to you, 1 Timothy 5, verse 8, he said, listen,
if a man provides not for his own, And especially for those
of his own house, he's denied the faith. He's worse than an
infidel. So Paul's not saying here in
verse 4 for us to be busybodies in the affairs of others. We're
to look on our own affairs. But he's saying this. We're to
be concerned about the well-being of the church family because
that's my family too. I'm concerned about my home and
my family, my children, my loved ones, but also I'm concerned
about the family of God. In Galatians 6, turn over there
and let's read this scripture. Galatians chapter 6, verse 10. It says here, as you there have
therefore opportunity, as you have an opportunity, Let us do
good unto all men, but especially unto them who are the household
of faith." That's my house, the household of faith. We need to
be concerned about the well-being, the spiritual well-being of our
brothers and sisters in Christ. Be sure that their physical needs
are met, their spiritual needs are met, all of these other needs
are met, and we need to be concerned about that. on your own things
totally and exclusively, but look on the things of others.
And then verse 5, and here is the fourth thing that he says
brings him joy. Let this mind, let this mind
be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. He is our example in all
things. Let this mind be in you which
was in Christ. He's our example in all things.
All that I'm commanded to do and expected to do and to be
finds its reason in Him and its example in Him. He's my example
and He's my reason. He said you love one another
as I loved you. You forgive one another as I've
forgiven you. Let the mind of humility and
meekness and grace and sacrifice be in me, which was in my Lord
Jesus Christ. And then he tells us what that
mind was. Listen. Let this mind of humility
and grace be in you, which was also in Christ. Who? Being in
the form of God. Infinite greatness, majesty,
wisdom. power, the form of God, who being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, and yet made himself, made himself of no reputation, took
upon him the form, being in the form of God, he took upon him
the form of a serpent, washing the feet of his and was made in the likeness
of men, made of a woman, made under the law, circumcised the
eighth day, tempted, tested, tried in all points as we have,
walked this earth, and being found in fashion as a man, he
humbled himself, come down, he came down and became obedient
unto death, Not just death. Lots of us want to die with dignity. I hear people talk about that.
I believe I'd like that too. Let them die with dignity. Disconnect the wires and let
them die with dignity. He didn't. He died strip naked before the
gays and the mocking, jeering of a multitude. His body so brutalized
and beaten, his visage so marred he didn't appear to be a human
being. He became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross. Cursed is everyone that hangs
on a tree. Even God turned his back on him.
That's humility. Let this mind, when we get to
thinking about how smart we are and how important
we are and how irreplaceable we are and how much above everybody else
we are, let this mind be in you which was in your Lord, who really
was irreplaceable, who really is. wisdom, the wisdom of God,
the greatness of God, yet he humbled himself and became obedient
unto death, your death and my death, shame. Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. God's
exalted him above all exaltation. Turn to 1 Peter 5, and he'll exalt you and me if
we can let this mind be in us which was in Christ. In 1 Peter
5, verse 5, he says, Likewise ye younger, submit yourselves
to the elder. Yea, all of you, be subject one
to another. Be clothed with humility. Come
down. God resists the proud. He gives
grace to the humble. So humble yourselves, therefore,
under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due
time. Don't you do it. You can't do it. You can make
a mess out of it, but He can do it. Back to my text, Philippians
2, 9, Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, giving him a name
above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow in heaven, in earth, and under the earth, and every tongue
confess that he's Lord. He is Lord to the glory of God
the Father. Now verse 12, wherefore? Staying
with the text. We're talking about humility,
we're talking about grace, we're talking about love, we're talking
about living out grace within. We're talking about walking in
the Spirit, talking about subjection to the will of God, to the Word
of God. Wherefore, my beloved, loved
of God, loved of Christ, in love with Christ, my beloved is mine
and I'm his. Wherefore, my beloved, as you
have always obeyed, not me, You obey Christ. We don't obey men just because they're
men. We obey God. We obey those who
speak for God because it's the Word of God. His Word and His
will, as you have always obeyed. Not as in my presence only. We're
not eye servants or men pleasers. We don't just obey because somebody's
standing over us with a rod or looking at us with a telescope
or microscope. But now much more in my absence,
what we do, we do as unto the Lord, not because a man standing
there. Wherefore, my beloved, as you
have always obeyed his voice, his word, not as in my presence
only as an eye servant and a man pleaser, but now much more in
my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
for it's God who works in you Both to will and to do his good
pleasure. What's he saying? Work out what
God's worked within. But what has God worked within?
Faith. God gave us faith. God gave us
faith to believe on Christ. He gave us faith in so great
salvation. He gave us faith in this gospel. We'll walk by faith and not by
sight. What did God work within? He
worked grace within us. Well, work out grace. Be gracious. Be gracious. What did God work
within us? He shed abroad His love in us.
Did He work love in us and shed abroad love in us? Then love
one another. Let flow out that which flowed
within. That's what you read a few moments
ago. Listen to John 7. Turn there
to John 7 a minute. In John chapter 7, verse 37,
the last line in verse 37, Christ stood and cried saying, If any
man thirst, let him come to me and drink, drink, eat my flesh
and drink my blood. Verse 38, John said, He that
believeth on me, as the scripture says, and out of his belly shall
flow rivers of living water. He's not the Dead Sea, where
everything comes in, nothing goes out. That's the Dead Sea. Nothing
lives in that mess. But what God has worked within,
we work out. We live out. God has shed abroad
His love, and we love one another. God gave us life, then we live. God gave us life, then we let
our light shine. God gave us all that we have,
where is boasting? God gave us his word and understanding
of his grace and mercy and gospel. Then we study to show ourselves
approved unto God, workmen that need it not to be ashamed. rightly
dividing the word of truth. That's what these verses are
teaching. Wherefore, my beloved, as you
have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much
more in my absence, work out your own, the salvation God's
given you, the redemption, the grace, the love, the faith, the
mercy. Work out. What's this fear and
trembling? Well, I'll tell you what it is. It's the same thing that the
apostle says over here in 1 Peter. I believe it's 1 Peter. Let's
see if I can find it. 1 Peter chapter 3. Now listen. 1 Peter 3, verse 15, but sanctify
the Lord God in your hearts, 1 Peter 3, verse 15, and be ready
always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason
of the hope that's in you. But do it with meekness. That's what he's saying, and
do it with meekness and fear, do it with humility. That faith and love and grace
and life and gospel that he has revealed to us and worked within
us, work it out, live it out, and live it before men with a
kindness, and a humility, and a meekness, and a fear and trembling. So many religionists, I watch
some of these television preachers and people, and they're smart
alecks. They come on strong, they come
on like they've got all the answers, and they're God's private secretary,
you know, to straighten everybody out, and that's not our calling. When that demoniac, when the
Lord Jesus cast the demons out of him, and he wanted to follow
the Lord, and the Lord said, no, you go home. Don't you go with me, you go
home. And you tell them at home what great things God's done
for you. Don't straighten them all out. Don't make yourself obnoxious.
Don't pretend to have all the answers. Don't try to be a pope
or a bishop. Don't try to straighten everybody
out. Just walk humbly before God and walk humbly before men
and do it with a meekness and a fear and a trembling and be
gracious. That's what he's saying there.
Do it with fear and trembling. We don't have anything original
except sin, original sin. All the rest of it is God-given
if it's fit to have. Isn't that right? So we don't
have anything to boast of except the cross. And it's God that
works in you. And He works in you both to will
and to do of His good pleasure. He even gives us the desire to
do His will. He gives us the will, the will.
Everything we have is a gift of God. And do it, do all these
things, verse 14, without murmuring, without murmuring against God
or disputing with men. That's right. Do these things
without murmuring, complaining against God's good prophet. We're
where we are because Paul said, I'm a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
You're sitting down in jail. He's in prison. He's in jail. And it wasn't a pleasant place
to be, but he said, I'm here because God put me here. Nero
didn't put me here. Herod didn't put me here. God
did. I'm a prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ. So let's do what
we do without murmuring against God and without disputing with
people. That's the two. And that's working out what's
worked within. And if we can't do that, maybe
something hasn't been worked within. You can't work out what hasn't
been worked in. But if it's been worked in, work
it out. Now, what's this next verse?
I'm going to close. That you may be blameless and
harmless. Well, now, our works don't make
us blameless. His work does. His work does. So I'm going to have you write
something in here because I know this is what Paul is saying.
That you may be before men blameless. That's right. That's what James
is saying, Jim. He said your faith, your works
justify your faith. Not before God, before men. You see, Christ, that word blameless
is used in Colossians by the cross by His body, by His sacrifice,
He made us holy and without blame before God. So these things here
are to be done that we may be blameless before men. What our attitude and our works
and our conduct and conversation before the people of the world
and before other believers ought not bring reproach on our gospel.
That's what it means to be blameless before men. And if we can put
in practice these things that he talks about here and is written
about, then they might find fault with your gospel, but not with
you. You may be blameless and harmless. What's harmless mean?
Doing no injury to any man's person or property. not behaving in an offensive
manner, but as the... Write this in here. Listen, that
you may before men be blameless and harmless as the sons of God,
because your Lord was that way. He didn't bring injury on the
persons and property of people. He wasn't a cruel person, a harsh
person. who afflicted people, and that
we're supposed to be like him, harmless as doves, sincere, blameless
before men, do our best by our conversation and conduct and
attitude and spirit not to bring reproach on this gospel. It's suffered enough reproach. in this day, because we're living in the midst,
listen, of a crooked and perverse nation. They're looking for a
reason to hate God. Don't you give them one. They're
looking for a reason not to believe what we preach. Don't be the
fellow that gives them a reason. Among whom you shine. There's
lights in the world. God puts the light on a candlestick. He doesn't hide it. You may be
examples. This generation needs some examples.
Our young people need some examples. Most religionists are not giving
them good examples. And verse 16 says in all of this,
hold forth the word of life. Preach the gospel. Hold forth
the word. That's Christ, the incarnate
word and the written word. People are not going to be saved
by watching us and listening to us. They've got to hear the
word. They've got to hear the gospel. They've got to hear the
gospel. That's the reason he said in
all of this, hold forth the word of Christ, that I may rejoice
in the day of Christ that I haven't run in vain, neither labored
in vain. All right, now may God bless
that to our profit and well-being and His glory. Let's sing number
118. When I surveyed the wondrous
cross on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I
count but loss, and poor contempt on all my pride. This verse talks
about what we've been talking about.