Philippians (Lesson 18)

I'm Brother James, and I greet you once again in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, and I welcome you one more time to the Preaching of the Cross Radio Broadcast.

It is an exciting thing to me to have a copy of God's Holy Word, the Bible, in my language.

I hope that I am able to convey to you the joy that is mine, the excitement that is mine of considering any part of the Word of God, just reading it, talking about it, thinking on it is a thrill to my heart, and I hope it is to yours as well.

And I I am always careful, or I try to be careful, about making it sound as though some part of God's Word is more important than some other part of God's Word, because that would not be correct, it would not be accurate.

But you you have to agree with me that as we enter into Philippians chapter number two and consider together these first eleven verses, we are treading upon what certainly seems to be one of the mountain peaks of all the Bible.

Now it's quite possible that when we get to heaven and God by his wonderful grace expands our understanding, that we will come to see and come to realize that every verse in the Bible was a mountain peak verse.

That's very, very possible.

But for now, for now, while we live in time and while we make our way through this life with our limited understanding, would you not agree that these verses we are about to read from Philippians the second chapter are so filled with meaning and so filled with not only doctrinal but practical application to our lives that it is just a joy to look upon them, to read them and to consider them together.

We are going to read the whole of this passage, and then as is our custom we will go back and just dig as deep into it as our understanding and the leading of the Holy Spirit will permit and see what we can find.

But listen to these words.

Philippians chapter two, starting at verse number one.

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, 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 and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Wherefore, God also highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

In these words we have more than a doctrinal truth regarding the incredible downward journey taken by Jesus as he made his way from the throne room of heaven to this lowly planet earth, and then to the cruel, horrible death that he died upon the cross, and then back up from the grave, triumphant and victorious, returning to the right hand of the Father highly exalted above all.

Those doctrinal truths will marvelously occupy our attention, but they are set forth not for their own sake, but to teach us how saved men and women are expected by God to live in their relationships one to another.

Did you notice that the discussion of Jesus suffering and eventual triumph are set forth as the illustration and example to us as to how we are to live so that we might know the full measure of joy that is available to men and women who seek to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now that's an incredible thing.

When you realize that Philippians two is teaching that the death of the Lord Jesus Christ was in fact the means whereby our souls were saved, was in fact the means whereby our sins were paid for, but was far more than that, as it stands as the supreme and everlasting example of how one is to live in a love relationship toward others.

Now watch it carefully.

In verse number one, the context here is how we might most fully benefit from our salvation.

Verse number two, how we might produce the maximum amount of joy in the life of others.

Verses three, four, and five, or three and four in particular, what condition of mind, what frame of mind, what thought process leads one into this depth of Christian experience?

And then verses five through eleven, the illustration of the Lord Jesus Christ, who of course lived a life of total self denial, so that every moment of his life he is living for the glory of his Father and the benefit of others.

So let's take a look as we start in here in verse number one.

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, he is not saying if because the matter is in doubt, he is setting forth an argument.

If there be, since there be, on the following basis there is consolation in Christ.

Now remember, we're coming out of chapter one where people are suffering because they live in mortal bodies in a troubled world.

We're coming out of chapter one where people are suffering because saved people are oft mistreated by lost people and sadly by other saved people.

And so what is it that would console us?

What is it that would make us feel better, continue to be joyful during such trials and troubles?

All right, if there be therefore any consolation in Christ, and there is, if any comfort of love, love produces comfort.

When a child falls and bangs his little knee, mother's love provides the comfort.

It may not take the pain away, but it is a comfort to the heart of the suffering one to know that mother loves that little boy.

It may not take away the pain of losing a loved one, the pain of a severed relationship, the pain of a tormented body.

When one suffers for the Lord Jesus Christ and finds his love surrounding such an one.

But it is indeed a comfort to know that I am loved of God.

He has never left me, he will not forsake me, his everlasting arms are underneath me, his goodness and mercy are following me.

That comforts us in all our trouble.

Jesus said, I will not leave you comfortless.

I will come unto you, and he has in the person of the comforter the Holy Spirit.

And so we are able as those indwelt by this Holy Spirit, as those who are channels of His mercy and vessels through whom He lives and moves and operates, we may provide loving comfort to our brothers and sisters in Christ as they deal with the struggles of this life.

Next phrase, if any fellowship of the Spirit, capital S.

Now look at this.

You, if you are saved, you have the Holy Spirit.

As a saved man, I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

That's what the Bible says.

I believe it, I rejoice it.

However, the Holy Spirit, contrary to some modern false teaching, did not come to live within you so he could help you figure out how to manipulate people or the world's system and make yourself financially wealthy.

The Holy Spirit did not come so you could use him to make a name for yourself.

You see, the Holy Spirit came to live within you so that he through you could love others, comfort others, minister to others, and bless others.

When I choose, when you choose to live for self, that grieves the Holy Spirit.

In Philippians we are told to love one another in word and deed, lest by failing to do so we bring grief, cause grief to the Holy Spirit.

So how could I, how could you enjoy fellowship with the indwelling Holy Spirit?

How could we have a relationship with God the Spirit?

It would be by allowing him to use our hands, our feet, our lips, our lives to minister God's comforting love to others.

That's the objective.

So the Bible says, in bowels and mercies.

That is, from my inner man, the bowl, you see, the cavity in which the heart resides and so forth.

How can I from my inner man minister God's mercy to others and thereby make it possible for the fullest enjoyment of the indwelling Holy Spirit?

Well, here's how by following from my heart the example set by the Lord Jesus when he left heaven's glory and came to this earth to lay down his life for others.

When such activity characterizes my life, when such activity characterizes your life, then we may know full Christian joy.

When we come short of this high and holy calling, we do not harm God.

We do not harm others, we don't make ourselves the the enemy of other Christians.

We just miss out, and thereby others miss out, and thereby God misses out on ministry that could have been, would have been, should have been a rich blessing to someone else, the opportunity just slips on by.

Because in the moment when we could have been a channel of mercy, we were instead self-centered, self-occupied, and let the chance slip us by.

Okay, so watch this.

The Bible says in verse number two, fulfilled ye my joy.

What have we said?

This book of Philippians is all about joy.

And we see in this book the objective, the possibility, the desire of God's heart is that we know fullness of joy.

That's what he wants.

He wants us to enjoy our life.

So, what's necessary for that?

Verse 2, that ye be like minded.

Like-minded.

Now look, we saw last time, last time, if you were with us, if you were with us last time, to be like-minded doesn't mean we all are we're just a bunch of robots.

Nobody has independent thought, nobody has their own emotions, their own uh feelings and so forth.

No, it means that my mind is made up.

I'm going to live under God's control for your benefit.

And if your mind is made up, you are going to live under God's control for my benefit.

Where all of us are alike in that thought process, in that mindset, the Bible says, then we may have no experience full joy.

That's God's desire, that's God's will for each and every one of us.

Like minded, look, having the same love.

You know why a marriage fails?

A woman loves a man and that man also loves that man.

A man loves a woman and that woman also loves that woman.

Look, where two parties or even one party is self-absorbed and self-centered, the love that could and should flow between them is stopped, it's quenched, it's prevented, it's hindered.

However, however, if that man loves the other party with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind, and that woman loves the other party with all her heart, soul, strength, and mind, this same love, God's love directed toward the other makes that relationship wonderful.

You see that?

If Christians go to church loving the other person, not themselves, desiring the blessing and well being of the other person, not themselves, if everyone enters with that same mind and same heart, oh what a great day it's going to be in the church house.

What a wonderful time of fellowship it's going to be around the person of the Lord Jesus.

You see, it's it's the curse of this modern generation that people have been taught to be so self occupied, so self-centered, so self loving, that churches and ministers have now begun to bow down to this altar of pagan blasphemous humanism and shape their church and their preaching and their fellowship so that everybody is self gratified and self satisfied and self rewarded.

And then people wonder why they don't have any real lasting permanent joy.

Ah, my friend, the Bible says being of one accord, and they were.

In that upper room in Acts chapter number two, nobody wanted personal recognition, nobody wanted personal attention, nobody wanted an exalted place or position.

All they wanted to do was obey.

We God together.

And as they abode in that upper room, waited in that upper room in one accord.

Down came the Holy Spirit, filled them all, out they went to proclaim the good news of the gospel, and thousands of souls were saved.

Why?

Because they were of one mind in one accord for the sole purpose of obeying God and bringing honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I guarantee you that was a day full, absolutely full of joy.

You'd have to agree.

So the Bible says, well, in fact, the Bible says that this in Romans, let me give you a cross-reference here, Romans chapter 15, verse 5.

Romans 15:5

Now, the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded, one toward another according to Christ Jesus, that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Wherefore, receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God, in my imperfect, oft failing, shortcoming condition, God moment by moment, day by day fellowships with me, gives His all for my benefit and well being.

That's the mind that each of us needs to possess so that all of us may know the full measure of enjoyment that is intended to be ours in this Christian life.

Do you see that?

Do you understand that?

The Lord didn't do what he did for himself.

He did what he did for you.

And as he lived for you, the end result was he was blessed by his Father.

What's the Lord want from us?

He wants us to follow that example.

Let nothing, the Bible says, be done through strife, competition, or vainglory, exalting of self, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves.

You see, it's not others plural, so you say how many or which group or what type or which denomination.

No, no, it's other that is every single individual you encounter throughout the course of your Christian life.

Allow them in your estimation to be the most important party.

And when that mind abides in us, when that condition of heart governs our actions, we will be living as Jesus lived.

We will be the blessing to others that Jesus is, and we will as a consequence know the joy we wanted and thought we could find by living for ourselves, and we'll be surprised, we'll be amazed to find that that joy was actually to be found in living for others, not for self.

That, my friend, is Christianity.

That, my friend, is what it means to be a Christ one, a follower in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I wish we could just go on and on and on, and we can, but not today on this radio station.

We we've only got so much time.

But we hope you've enjoyed today's program.

If if you'd like a copy of this Bible lesson, or the entire series of lessons on the book of Philippians, it is available.

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