You can turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Philippians as we continue to work our way through Paul's letter to the church at Philippi. We're in Philippians chapter two, specifically verses one to four. But I wanna read beginning in chapter one, verse 27, through chapter two, verse four. So beginning in Philippians 1.27, only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs. that you may stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now here is in me. Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your written word. We thank you that the Holy Spirit gave it for our instruction, for our admonition, for our encouragement. We pray that you would give us hearts to receive the exhortation from the apostle here. We know that these things are necessary for faithfulness and church life, and we pray that your Holy Spirit would guide us in the instruction, guide us in applying these things in our own lives, that we may practice self-denial, that we may be others-minded, that we may be those who love in a manner that is consistent with that written word. Forgive us now for all of our sins and all of our unrighteousness, and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, just by way of reminder how we got to where we're at or what we've seen thus far. In chapter one, verses one to two, we see a brief introduction by the apostle to the church in Philippi. The gratitude of the apostle is expressed in verses three to eight. He is thankful to God for the church in Philippi. Remember Paul presently as he writes the book of Philippians is in a prison. His first Roman imprisonment, the book of Acts makes that clear in Acts chapter 28, the years AD 60 to 62. Paul writes Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon while he is in that first imprisonment. So moving from gratitude, he then expresses his prayer for the people of God in Philippi. He does that in verses 9 to 11. What does Paul pray for, for the people of God in Philippi? That's what you have in verses 9 to 11. And then he emphasizes the priority of the gospel. He says in verse 12, I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happen to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. A word of encouragement to the church in Philippi. Paul's in prison. They knew he was in prison. They had sent Epaphroditus there to minister unto him. So perhaps they would have been a bit concerned about his current status. He says to them, I want you to know that what's happening to me in terms of prison has actually worked out for the advancement of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then he moves in verses 19 to 26 to highlight his future prospect. He knows or he has a strong conviction that he's going to get out of this first Roman imprisonment, but it could be the case that he dies. When you get to 2 Timothy, he knows that he's going to die. He knows that that was it for him, but here in Philippi, He's somewhat assured that he's going to get out, but he's also got this perhaps idea that he could die. So he mentions his future prospect. And then he gets to some specific exhortation for the church in Philippi. And I think people have read the book of Philippians and assumed there was a lot of dissension and a lot of disunity and a lot of disharmony. I don't take that particular position. They, like any church, needed the same sorts of exhortations. There does seem to be a hint, at least with Aeodia and Syntyche, according to chapter 4, verse 2, that they were having some issues, but I'm not sure that the entirety of the church was riddled with issues and problems. Rather, these are exhortations for the well-being and the persistence, or perseverance rather, of the church of the Lord Jesus. So he gives that overarching exhortation in verse 27, let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. And then he mentions the specific external issues that they will have to face. If you read the Old Testament, you'll notice that Old Covenant Israel always had to fight two particular issues. They always had the external threat. They had the Philistines, they had the Jebusites, they had the Hivites, and the Hittites, and the Moabites, and the Amorites. So there was always those external threats. And in the internal threat, they had themselves. They had remaining corruption. They had a tendency to wander and to leave the God they profess to love. They had internal strife. So Paul does that essentially here. So the overarching concern, let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. And then the immediate emphasis in that section is on externals. Notice in verse 28, not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now here is in me." And so still continuing under that general theme of conduct worthy of the gospel, he directs his attention to the church specific, to their internal affairs and how they are to conduct themselves one with another. And that's precisely the emphasis in verses one to four. And the emphasis is on unity. And oftentimes we compare this passage, and I will tonight, to Ephesians chapter four, where the apostle tells them to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. We don't usually read Ephesus or Ephesians as having, you know, being riddled with problems and issues. I'm not sure why we do that here in Philippi, but nevertheless, that emphasis is the same. So I think Paul does two things in this section. First, there is a commendation of unity. He speaks well of it. and why it is crucial in verses one and two. And then he speaks to the cultivation of unity in verses three and four. He gives a prohibition and then he gives an exhortation. So he wants the church of Christ in their internal affairs to be unified. He wants them to have the same mind. He doesn't want them to be uniform. He doesn't want them to be without any differences whatsoever, but emphasis on the main things. They ought to be agreed on the triune God, They ought to be agreed on justification by faith alone. They ought to be agreed and have one mind when it comes to maintaining that particular emphasis in the context of the church. So notice then the commendation of unity in verses 1 to 2. And Paul does three things here. First, the basis of his appeal in verse 1. Second, the reason for his appeal in verse 2a. and then third, the nature of his appeal in verse 2b. But note the basis. I made the connection between verses 1 to 4 to verse 27 in chapter 1. So the general exhortation, they're still being told to let their conduct be worthy of the gospel. This will be observed as to how you deal with people outside of the church, but here in verses 1 to 4, it will be observed as to how you deal with people within the context of the church. So we might say this is the corporate dimension of this gospel conduct, of this worthiness. And so the corporate dimension is crucial for Paul. He knows that peace and unity in the context of the church is crucial for the mission of the church. If we're at odds with each other, if we don't love each other, if we are faking our relationships with one another, we're not gonna advance the cause of Christ in this present evil age. We'll always be at strife, we'll always be at odds, we'll always be at war, one with another. And that's no way to advance the cause of Jesus. Unity is absolutely imperative. Notice then, he says, therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy. Now, Paul assumes that these things are present. So we might translate it this way, since there is consolation in Christ, since there is comfort of love, since there is fellowship of the Spirit, since there is affection and mercy. In other words, these are the certainties brought to them by God's grace through salvation in Jesus Christ and communicated to them by the Holy Spirit. So these things are present. These things are operative, and so Paul wants them to be cultivated, he wants them to be developed, he wants them to be advanced, he wants them to be improved upon, as the Puritans would say. So he mentions this consolation in Christ, and the idea being is that believers each have faith in Christ. Notice again in verse 29 of chapter 1, for to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, Paul will explain in detail, chapter 3, verses 1 to 11, that justification is by God's grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, and that alone. It's not according to our works, it's not according to our merit, it's not according to our law-keeping, but it's justification by faith. So those things are present when sinners by grace believe the gospel. And so Paul understands that that justifying faith unites us together and it produces that consolation in Christ Jesus. He then mentions the comfort of love. Since there is comfort of love, again, he's not arguing that these things need to be present right now because I don't see them. He understands and assumes that they are present, but he wants them matured. He wants them grown. He wants them improved upon. So he speaks of the comfort of love. And I think that's the emphasis in verses 1 to 4. It's love, unity, love, unity, love, unity. That's what he wants from the church in Philippi and all the churches that he ministers onto. And then he mentions the fellowship of the Spirit. And if we read sort of behind the scenes, in light of 2 Corinthians 13, 14, We see a Trinitarian reference here. We have this consolation or comfort in Christ. We have this comfort of love, which we can conclude comes from God the Father. And then we have this emphasis on the fellowship of the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 13, 14, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. So for the Apostle Paul, the triune God is everything. for the Apostle Paul when he comes to exhort the church in Philippi, he's assuming, he presupposes the Trinitarian God. And it's in that context he highlights their specific need for the type of unity that he describes here. And then he mentions affection and mercy. The certainties are assumed, the sense aspect is assumed based on their salvation through Jesus Christ by God's grace. Then that brings us to the reason for his appeal. Notice in verse 2a, he says, fulfill my joy. Now, I would suspect that Paul assumes that everything that we do is for the glory of God. But it is intriguing. He does not say for the glory of God. He says, fulfill my joy. Now, the apostle Paul has already expressed the joy that he has. He's in a prison cell, according to Philippians 1, 12 and following. He's in a prison cell and he's rejoicing at the advance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He has this future prospect. He knows that he could die. He says, it's better for me if I do die. It's great to depart and be with Christ, he says in 123. So he has this joy bound up in his heart. And here specifically, he says that the function and the unity and the love of the church in Philippi gives him joy. If you turn back for a moment to 2 Corinthians 11, you see something of the apostle's heart when it comes to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 11. We see the joy of his pastor's heart as he knows that the churches are functioning well together. In 2 Corinthians 11, he's giving a contrast or a comparative with reference to these false apostles that had invaded the church in Corinth. And he wants to boast, as it were, about himself. Not in the way that you might suspect. In fact, in chapter 11 at verse 22, he basically highlights what he had suffered, how he had been afflicted, how he had had travail and issues and hardships. But notice specifically what he says in 11.28. He says, besides the other things, and the other things there are nakedness and fastings and a night in the sea and threats from his own countrymen, all kinds of difficult issues. He got beat with rods. He had been treated like a common criminal. But in verse 28, he says, besides the other things, what comes upon me daily, my deep concern for all the churches. So the apostle Paul was animated by love for Christ, obviously a desire for the glory of God most high, but also for his own joy. He wants the church in Philippi to function as the church in Philippi has functioned, to continue to do so, to improve, to mature, to advance the cause of Jesus Christ on the earth, so that Paul can be joyful in that. And I don't think that's selfishness. I think it expresses something about his connection to the churches that he is responsible to. He loves them. He prays for them. He's concerned for them. He cares for them. He wants them to be faithful. He wants them to be persevering. He wants them to go forward in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Spirit, and in that the Apostle rejoices. His joy in the prison cell in Rome is that the Philippian church functions the way the Philippian church had been functioning, and with more emphasis on the love, the unity, the love and the unity that he is endorsing among them. So the joy of the apostle is the reason for his appeal. And then notice the nature of his appeal in verse 2b. He says, Believers, according to 1 Corinthians 2.16, have the mind of Christ. We have the mind of Christ. As I mentioned earlier, this does not mean uniformity. It does not mean we all say the exact same thing every single time we talk. It doesn't mean that. There can be legitimate diversity among the people of God in those things that are not absolutely crucial for our salvation. For instance, we're going to have differences on eschatology. That's okay. You're okay here, unless you're a dispensationalist. Just kidding. Just kidding. That was just a kidding. Dispensationalists are Christians. Bless their hearts. But they're not going to be happy with sermons like this morning on the law of God and the normative use of it in the Christian life. Uniformity is not what the apostle is addressing. but consistency, a mindset that is revolved around those truths most surely believed among us. The believers are to express unity in the faith and in the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. So note again, he says, fulfill my joy by being like-minded. And I don't think this is a stretch. I don't think this is a bad thing for the Apostle Paul to want in the church. We have one master. We have one book. We ought to have the same mind when it comes to those things that we need to believe for salvation. If we all have differences of opinion on who God is, on how we're saved by God, if there's differences of opinion that land some in heresy, there's no point in us trying to emphasize unity. Love rejoices in truth. And it's that truth that binds us together, and it's that truth that Paul is exhorting we are to be like-minded in. He goes on to say, having the same love. We love the Master, the Master loves us, and we love one another. When he says having the same love, I think there's a vertical aspect. The Shema in Deuteronomy 6, when Jesus is asked, what is the greatest commandment? Matthew 22, he answers, with the Shema, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. That's the love that is to unite the people of God. We love God, but as well, love for one another. Love for one another. And that love for one another, Jesus answers, the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. That love for one another is an evidence of our regeneration. You can turn to 1 John 3.14. 1 John 3.14. having the same love for God and for one another. 1 John 3, 14, we know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. John says it's easy to quantify, it's easy to see, it's objective. We're not left to guess and wonder, are we really saved? Well, what do you think of the people of Christ? What do you think of Christ, first and foremost? Well, He's altogether lovely. He's chief among 10,000. I believe in Him for salvation. Well, praise God. It's a good thing. What do you think of Christ's people? Well, I love them. I don't love them as I ought. I don't love them as I hope to one day, but I do love them. That wasn't indicative of us prior to conversion. Did you love the Christian church? I didn't. I didn't think much about the Christian church when I wasn't a believer. And if I did, it certainly wasn't swelled with love. Oh, I just love those people. I didn't. We know that we've passed from death to life. Why? Because we love the brethren. There's something now lovely about that person. It's that bond we share in our Lord Jesus Christ. So the evidence of our regeneration. As well, love is the fulfillment of the law. Turn to Romans chapter 13. Romans chapter 13, when Paul discourses amongst the church as to how they are to love, again, it's not nebulous, it's not subjective, it's not feely oriented or emotionally driven. It is objectively seen in the law of God. Notice in Romans 13a, owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet. And if there is any other commandment, they're all summed up in this saying, namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Now I realize it doesn't sound romantic, It doesn't sound emotionally charged. It doesn't sound perhaps like we think it ought to sound. I love you and I can demonstrate that to you because I'm not killing you. I love you and I can demonstrate that to you because I'm not stealing from you. I love you and I can demonstrate that to you because I'm not laying with your wife. Paul sets forth Christian love in the context of obedience to God's law. Again, not for our salvation or justification, but as I mentioned before this morning, we're justified by God's grace through faith in Jesus. Once we're saved, Jesus gives us his Spirit, sends us to the law as a pattern for our sanctification. So while it may not sound romantic, while it may not sound emotionally charged, objectively, if you love your brethren, you're going to treat them the way that God's law says to treat them. So the having the same love is for God and it is for one another. As well, we see this in ministry to the brethren, to those brethren in distress, back to 1 John 3. Sorry to bounce back and forth, but, That's how the Bible's laid out. 1 John chapter 3, specifically at verses 16 to 18. By this we know love. So he's been mentioning love. He said we know we've passed from death to life because we love brethren. And then in verse 16, by this we know love because he laid down his life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods and sees his brother in need and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him. So when Paul is emphasizing to the church in Philippi that they are to have the same love, it's this kind of stuff that he means. It's this kind of emphasis. And I think there is that pinnacle of godliness. You see it in Colossians 3, verse 14, but above all these things put on love. 1 Peter 4, 8, and above all things have fervent love for one another. And then I love the way Peter ends that, for love will cover a multitude of sins. That's a beautiful way to explain what biblical love looks like. I've often thought that as believers we have two ways, three ways to deal with sin. If I know that my brother has sinned against me in the spirit of Matthew 18, I go to him and I rebuke him. Right? We should do that. If I know that my brother has a problem with me because I've sinned against him or I've offended him according to the Sermon on the Mount, I'm supposed to go first, be reconciled with him, and then lay my gift at the altar. But I fear at times we're afraid to do those things. It's not always easy to say to a brother, you know what? You've been in sin. You've hurt me. I don't know why that's so tough. I mean, husbands and wives do it pretty well and effectively one with another. But when it comes to the brethren, I don't want to make them feel bad. Then let love cover a multitude of sins. That's always an option too. But the love covering a multitude of sins isn't just to cover your cowardice. You really actually have to let love cover those sins. You can't just want to avoid an unhappy circumstance and then avoid that person for the rest of your life. So when Peter comes to deal in 1 Peter 4, 8, above all things, have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins. And then Paul goes on at the end of verse 2 to say, after having the same love, he says, being of one accord of one mind. united in spirit, one-mindedness, one thinking. You can turn back to Proverbs chapter 6 to see something here that I think is important. Proverbs chapter 6. When we talk about unity and that sort of an expression of it in the context of the church, it's always good for us to get in our minds what God thinks of disunity. what God thinks of the outlier, what God thinks of the one who's not pursuing unity and love with the brethren. Notice in Proverbs 6, 16, these six things Yahweh hates, yea, seven are an abomination to him. A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift and running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and then notice the end in verse 19, and one who sows discord among brethren. Imagine after a sermon like this morning, we all would resonate with God hates hands that shed innocent blood. A man that would commit abortion, a doctor that would commit abortion, parents that would engage in that, or a civil state that would advance euthanasia. That's an abomination of the Lord, but so is one who sows discord among brethren. See, this isn't just some ethereal, theoretical thing for the Apostle Paul. Paul was all too aware of what happened in churches when disunity was allowed to flourish. Look at the epistle in 1 Corinthians. Look at the differences of opinion and the lack of having the same love and the lack of having the same mind that happened in that church in Corinth. So the apostle understood this all too well. So he exhorts the saints in Philippi as he exhorts the saints in Ephesus. Turn to Ephesians chapter four, Ephesians chapter four. Verse one, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. So when we get to a Philippians 2, 1 to 4, we shouldn't be surprised. The apostle emphasizes this in the letters that he writes to churches. He knows all too well the propensity for the people of God to become disunified. He knows all too well the propensity of the people of God to succumb to worldly pressure, to succumb to remaining corruption, and instead of pursuing unity and love and unity and love, they rather pursue their own things and thus, bring breach and distress and harm upon the very church of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now remember, Paul is an apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus prays in the high priestly prayer in John 17 at verse 11 and then in verses 20 to 23 that the church would be unified, that the people of God would be of one mind. that the people of God would have the same love, that the people of God would think the same things relative to Christian doctrine and relative to moving the ball down the field in terms of advancing the kingdom of Christ on this earth. So that's Paul's commendation of unity. Let's look then at the cultivation in verses 3 and 4. As I mentioned, he gives a prohibition and then he gives an exhortation. Note the prohibition in verse 3a. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. Now, just as an obvious observation, Those things are absolutely contrary to unity. Those things are absolutely contrary to love. They're absolutely contrary to the things that He has just pressed upon us in verse 2b, being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. So in verse 3, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit necessarily follows. That's a prohibition we would expect. In other words, if you are engaged in selfish ambition, if you are filled with self, if conceit is what typifies you or characterizes you, rather, then there is not going to be unity, love, unity, and love. It's just not going to happen. You're going to think that everybody in the church owes you. You're gonna think that you're the center of the universe. In fact, I read a quote from a man, I don't think he was a believer. He made the observation that when they eventually do find the center of the universe, it's gonna be a lot of people surprised that they're not there. I think that's pretty accurate, knowing biblically what man is. We are filled with selfish ambition. We are filled with conceit. And those are killers when it comes to unity in the church. So this selfish ambition is contrary to what they already possess, according to verse one. This selfish ambition is contrary to what the apostle Paul exhorts them to in verse two. As well, this selfish ambition is satanic, it is not Christian, and it will destroy churches. It will. And this is why passages like these need to be preached, they need to be taught, they need to be received. Because if we want the church to function, if we want a church here for our children and our children's children, and I maintain we all do, then this is the roadmap, brethren, It is love. It is unity. It is to destroy selfish ambition and conceit. Conceit means a vain or exaggerated self-evaluation. A vain or exaggerated self-evaluation. Turn to Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter 12. I think Paul spells it out a little bit more in terms of detail. Romans 12.3. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly." These are necessary imperatives. I can't think I'm the only one in here with remaining pride. I mean, maybe I am, maybe this is a bit of therapy. I don't know what we're doing here, but at least in the church in Rome, the apostle felt the need to address it this way. He says, through the grace given to me to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. And then drop down to verse 16, be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. That's not going to advance the cause of Jesus. If our blessed Savior was, you know, lowly and humble in terms of his earthly ministry, and his church is filled with proud, arrogant, conceited wretches, it's absolutely contrary to the methodology of our blessed Savior. Notice as well in the book of Galatians, Galatians chapter 5. Galatians chapter 5. specifically at verse 26. Well, let's just back up, verse 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Which I take to mean there is a law against those fruits of the flesh that he mentions earlier. Another argument for the normative use of the law. But against these things, the fruits of the Spirit, there's no law. You can abound in self-control. You can abound in joy. You can abound in love. You can abound in patience. You just go right ahead. There's no governor on that engine. You just let it roar. But then notice what he goes on to say, verse 24, and those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. That's the emphasis. Notice in James chapter 3. James chapter 3. I mentioned earlier that this expression of ambition and conceit is actually devilish. It's satanic. It is much more owing to the father of lies and murder than it is to the one who is the way, the truth, and the life. Notice in James 3. Specifically at verse 13, who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly. It's sensual, it's demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. Notice that language, willing to yield. Go back to Philippians chapter 2. That's where Paul is going to go. So he prohibits selfish ambition. He prohibits conceit. And then he advances or then he exhorts with specific emphasis how to counterdict that reality or that tendency. He says, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. So the prohibitions in verse 3a are corrected here. How do we overcome selfish ambition and conceit? Well, you look at others and you esteem them better than yourself. Pretty simple, right? Well, I got to pray about it. I got to think through it. I got to fit. No, just look at others as better than yourself. We like to overcomplicate things, don't we? Well, I've got to guard against selfish ambition and conceit. So I'm sure A.W. Pink has a book on that. I should read it. Yeah, read it. But in the meantime, look at others as better than yourself. Usually there's simple answers to Bible questions, usually. I had a couple of humdingers right before the service tonight that weren't that simple, but for the most part, with reference to Christian ethics, it's usually repent and think and do the way God says to think and do. So the emphasis here, how do we destroy, how do we kill selfish ambition and conceit? Well, in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Now that word simply means humility, modesty. Lowliness is a good translation. You've got it all over the New Testament. We saw it in Ephesians chapter four. One of the ingredients for a worthy walk in order to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace is what? It's lowliness. Not selfish ambition and conceit. You don't endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace with selfish ambition and conceit. No, rather you do it with lowliness and you do it with gentleness. Jesus says, blessed are. the poor in spirit. Blessed are the lowly. Blessed are the non-selfish, ambition people. And blessed are those who are not filled with their own conceit. As well, there is an obvious contrast here with reference to the world. We can see that application certainly in our own generation, but in Paul's generation. For the Roman citizen, lowliness and gentleness and humility, those weren't the virtues that were espoused in Roman society. It was rather ambition. It was rather thinking very highly of yourself. So for the Apostle Paul to write these things to the church in Philippi, who's in the Roman Empire, he is going counter-cultural in terms of Christian ethics. It's not counter-cultural in terms of the Bible as a whole, but in terms of his particular situation. The practical demonstration. And that's the rest of chapter 2. He points us to the glory of Christ in verses 5 to 11. I mean, what he says there of Christ, if you just pulled that out, it would be a Christology lesson all on its own. But it's very much connected to verses 1 to 4. In fact, look at verse 5, let this mind be in you. What mind? Well, the one that I just commended to you in verses one to four, and the one that is demonstrated to us in the life, death, and resurrection of our blessed Savior. So he points to Jesus as an example. It's not always the case. In fact, the amount of times that Jesus is looked at as an example, they're there in the New Testament. The overwhelming emphasis is on Jesus as a sacrifice, blood atonement. the one who brought salvation to his people. But here he is an example of the sorts of things that Paul commends. He goes on to mention Timothy. Timothy exemplifies the same mindset or the same attitude. Notice in verse 21, for all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. Don't forget verses 1 to 4 when you get to the section dealing with Timothy. He's commending Timothy to be sure. He's commending Timothy to the church in Philippi, but he's also commending the virtues exemplified by Timothy that he wants present in the church in Philippi. And then there's Epaphroditus. Epaphroditus ends the chapter, the one that was sent by the church in Philippi to the prison in Rome so that Paul could get some food and some temporal assistance. Well, Epaphroditus was a godly man. Notice the emphasis there. Verse 26, since he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. I'm sorry, brethren, when I'm sick, my first mindset isn't, man, this is really gonna bum out the brethren. Maybe down the road, but yeah, I know me. I'm crying for crackers and ginger ale, you know? But not Epaphroditus, he's sick. But his concern is, is that the church in Philippi who dispatched me to Rome, they're gonna be, they're gonna be vexed. So when he mentions Timothy and Epaphroditus, he's commending them. He loves them. They're fellow soldiers. They help him advance the cause of Jesus Christ. But he's also commending the virtues. He's commending the graces. He's commending the sorts of things he's exhorted in verses one to four that have been exemplified by Jesus, by Timothy, and by Epaphroditus. So it is contra the world. So that is what Paul is doing. So he says, to pursue humility, but in lowliness of mind. And I've often thought about this, and I probably have said it before, the pursuit of humility. Don't tell people that's what you're doing, because then you're no longer pursuing humility. What are you doing on Thursday? Oh, I'm pursuing humility. Okay. It's like the book, Humility and How I've Mastered It. Probably not the most humble guy that wrote the book. I'm just going to throw that out there. The pursuit of humility is more of a indirect, more passive, I would suggest. It's the killing of pride. It's the destruction of selfish ambition. It's the destruction of conceit. How do you pursue humility? Yeah, you could read pink on it. You could read good commentary on the fruits of the spirit. All that's beneficial. It's profitable. It's helpful. I certainly commend that to you. But the way to deal with your selfish ambition and conceit is to kill it. to replace it, to destroy it. So the pursuit of humility isn't something that we parade to others. For the month of January, I'm really just going after humility. Okay, let me know how that works out for you. Tell me how good you've done at the end of the month. So pursuing humility, that's what he means when he says, but in lowliness of mind. So that's the humility, but then notice the self-denial. Let each esteem others better than himself. Let each esteem others better than himself. I remember a book, I think it was Walter Chantry, and it's called The Shadow of the Cross, and the subtitle is Studies in Self-Denial. Just a little banner paperback from many years ago. Studies in Self-Denial. He talks about self-denial in the home, husbands and wives. One of the things I usually encourage people that are gonna get married, don't go into marriage looking for what you get. You've already got the wrong attitude. Well, I picked this one because he or she is able to give me everything I want. No, you should go into marriage as to how I can give, how I can serve, how I can bless, how I can provide, how I can fulfill my responsibilities toward her or him. And Chantry makes the point that if we actually practice self-denial in our homes, if we actually practice self-denial in our churches, what would that look like? It would look amazing, wouldn't it? And that's what Paul is commending here. You've got to have a lowly mind, you've got to be humble, and that comes by killing your selfish ambition and conceit. But then he goes on to say, let each esteem others better than himself. Now, that doesn't eradicate the the emphasis of the fifth commandment on superiors and inferiors. He's not suggesting that. He's not saying that at all. That's not his point. What he is saying, however, is the mindset for the individual believer is to be one of self-denial. It is to put others first. It is to esteem others as better, better than ourselves. And again, brethren, that doesn't come naturally. That's not something you just get the moment you believe the gospel. These are lifelong things. These are, you know, putting to death the deeds of the body. These are the cutting off the hands and gouging out the eyes. This is the emphasis in New Testament epistles on exhortation, on functioning in the context of the Christian church. So the mindset of humility is followed by the practice of self-denial. The esteem of others is contrasted, obviously, with the selfish ambition and the conceit of verse 3a. And the esteem of others is necessary. for the overall unity of the church. And again, we see that there in Ephesians 4, 1 to 3 spelled out in vivid detail. So the practice of self-denial, let each esteem others better than himself, and then notice the place of others' mindedness. I think that's what characterizes Epaphroditus. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. That's obviously what characterized the Lord Jesus according to his humanity. I mean, he goes to the lengths he goes to, why? To save us from our sin. So this humility, this mindset of humility is followed up by self-denial and then others-mindedness. Now when he says, verse four, let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others, he assumes the self-love thing. We do love ourselves, right? I mean, we don't ingest poison. We don't stand on train tracks when the train's about to go. There is a legitimate self-love. Love your neighbor as yourself, not with selfish ambition and conceit, seeing yourself as the center of the universe. But there is a self-preservation which is connected to some degree to self-love. He's not eradicating that. Notice the text doesn't even allow that. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, None of you, none of us, me, are going to be so altruistic and so virtue-oriented that everybody always ever comes before us. But what he says is absolutely crucial. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Others' love is commended here. 1 Corinthians 10, 24, in a context a specific context in terms of Christian liberty, causing brethren to stumble. He says, let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well-being. First Corinthians 10, 31 to 33. Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved." Again, that larger context, Paul is very clear. If your eating of meat is going to offend a brother for whom Jesus died, then don't eat meat. Now, brethren, I take that as don't eat meat around him. I mean, if he's in Alaska and you're in Chilliwack, enjoy a steak. But if he's at your house and it's going to offend him, then Paul's attitude is esteem him better. Be more concerned about his comfort, his stability. You might think, well, you know, he's immature. He should be able to eat a steak. Yeah, probably true. But he doesn't need a Bible lesson on that right now. He needs you not to eat the steak or whatever the issue is. So the apostle is willing to forego legitimate liberty issues for the sake of brethren. to encourage unity. And then, of course, 1 Corinthians 13, the great love chapter. I mentioned Leviticus 19 is the great love chapter in the Old Testament. 1 Corinthians 13 is the great love chapter in the New Testament. Paul tells us in verse 5, love does not behave rudely. Love does not seek its own. It is not provoked and it thinks no evil. It does not seek its own. So for the apostle, For unity, for love, for churchmanship to function properly, these are the ingredients. These are the things necessary. There's already a deposit. There's already the senseness of having gotten these things by God's grace through faith in Jesus. But you need to improve upon them. You need to cultivate them. You need to put them into practice. You need to pursue humility by killing selfish ambition and conceit. You need to be a practicer of self-denial, and you need to be one who's others-minded. It's not always all about us, right? Do you ever get that? You come home from work and all you want to do is just tell your wife everything about you. Maybe she has something interesting from the day that she could relate to. Really? Yes. It can't just be all about us. It really can't. Maybe I wish at some level it could be, but it just can't. Nobody wants that. That is, I mean, imagine being at a party and everyone you talk to, it's always only about you. Man, you're gonna be the life of that party. Everybody's gonna run from you. They're gonna go outside if it's minus 30, like it was in Dryden this morning, with wind and snow. because nobody wants that. Sorry, I don't mean to have to administer a tough pill. I know you're important, I'm important, we're all important, but other people are too. Other people have needs. Other people like to speak once in a while as well. There was another book I read on the tongue, the taming of the tongue. It's like at times we're just waiting for that person to take a breath so we can jump in. They're in the middle of a sentence, and we're already cocked and ready and loaded to go. And they're just bringing in air to continue their story, but we've got to inject ourselves. Well, that reminds me of me, and my thing, and my this. Nobody wants that, brethren. Again, I don't mean to hurt anybody's feelings. It's going to be not a happy time after church tonight. So that's Paul's point. Cultivate these things. So in conclusion, the worthy conduct of the believer is seen relative to the externals of the church. That's the emphasis in 128 to 30. You need to be faithful with the Christian graces to let your conduct be worthy of the gospel so that you function in this present evil age in a way that is pleasing to your Lord. But that, as well, needs to be capitalized upon in the church. You need to conduct yourself with that unity, with that love, with that others-mindedness, with that self-denial. As well, the corporate conduct of believers, humility, Humility, that is like one of those chief things. I think it was Swinnick or one of those brothers, Gurnall perhaps, you know, pride loves to run up the tree, not to see Jesus the way Zacchaeus did, but so that everybody could see him. That's not good. And we see it all over the New Testament. As well, the necessity of self-denial. Self-denial. Not, you know, live on a pole out in the wilderness. That's not what Paul is calling us to. He's not calling us to monkery. He's not calling us to hair shirts and, you know, make sure you put ashes in your soup lest it taste good. That's not the point. It's not asceticism. but it's rather seeing others as better than yourself. And as well, the necessity of others-mindedness. If you're only in church for what you can get, you've got the wrong mindset. I've mentioned before the key fob that my mother had on her car keys. I'll never forget it. She was a big fan of John F. Kennedy. And John F. Kennedy famously said, ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country. Cheesy, yeah, you know, bad, probably politics, I mean, Democrat, whatever. But it's a good sentiment. Don't go into marriage, first and foremost, for what I can get, or church life, for what I can get. How can I serve? How can I give? What can I do to encourage? How can I esteem others as better than myself? And I think, brethren, that has a great remedial effect upon the soul of the man. It's like Psalm 103, you know, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits. And then he lists the various benefits that he's received from God so that he can bless the Lord. And then he ends the psalm by calling on the entirety of the created order to join with him in praising the Lord. What does that do? It gets your eyes off your issues. It gets your eyes off your problems. It gets your eyes off your afflictions and hardships. David was a man with affliction. David was a man with hardship. David was a man with a not-so-simple life. But as he's blessing the Lord, as he's consumed with calling on creation to praise God, he finds himself in that good company. And the remedial effect is he's not focusing upon himself. When you look at others better than yourself, when you esteem others, when you pursue lowliness and humility, when you are full of a desire to deny oneself, brethren, that has a great effect upon the soul. I would say the opposite is to the detriment of the soul. When you're only consumed with you, When all that ever occupies your thoughts are you, man, I know what that's like. That's not a happy place to be. So listen to Paul, the apostle, and let us, by the grace of God, cultivate the things that he enjoins here. And I think it demands dependence upon the Holy Spirit. We're not gonna do this in our own strength. We're not gonna do this according to our own virtue. We're not gonna do this because we, you know, we're just a bit better than others. Now, we're going to do it because the Holy Spirit dwells in us. We're going to do it because the Spirit of Truth resides in us, because Jesus has not left us as orphans, but has provided to us another Comforter. We stand in need of the Spirit of God to function in the Church of God in a way that pleases God, and that by virtue of His grace to us, through faith in the gospel of our salvation. We've believed, we are saved, and now we are called to be sanctified in the context of family, in the context of church, and of course as individuals. And Paul has some specific marching orders for the churches, and it's unity, it's love, it's unity, and it's love. Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, thank you for your word and thank you for its clarity and for its instruction to us. And I pray that you would give us hearts to receive these things and help us to pursue that lowliness, help us to pursue that self-denial and to esteem others as better than ourselves. And we pray that you would help us as a church to be an encouragement one to another. And may Christ be glorified here. May Christ be preached here. May Christ be believed on here by sinners for the glory of God and the salvation of sinners. We ask that you would go with us and we pray for your blessing and for your keeping of us as we go into this week. And we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. We'll close with a brief time of meditation.