Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Philippians, Chapter 2.
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 at 1 accord of one mind.
Let nothing be done through strife or Vainglory, 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 man.
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
00:05:01
Wherefore God also have 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.
My beloved, as she have always obeyed, not as in My presence only, but now much more in My absence. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both do well and to do of His good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings, that He may be blameless and harmless. The sons of God without rebuke.
In the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.
Holding forth the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ.
That I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. Yay, and abide the offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith. I joy and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also to ye joy and rejoice with me. But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send to Multius shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state. For I have no man like minded who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ.
What ye know the proof of him, that as a son with a father, he observed with me in the gospel. Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly. Yet I suppose it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and companion in labor and fellow soldier.
Of your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants. For he longed after you all, and was full of happiness, because that he had heard that he had been sick, For indeed he was sick, and I unto death. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I sent him therefore the more carefully that when he see him again.
Ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful. Receive him, therefore in the Lord with all gladness.
And whole such a reputation, because for the work of Christ he was now unto death.
Not regarding his life to supply your lack of service toward me.
One has thought in connection with this epistle.
Of the words of Joseph to his brethren.
They had come and he had made himself known to them and he's sending them back.
To his father, and he says to them, see that she fall not out by the way.
Joseph wanted his brethren to walk in harmony, yet he knew their weakness. I believe we could write those words over the heading of this epistle. See that ye fall not out, by the way, for it's indicated, I believe in each chapter of this epistle that the point that that Philippi was not false doctrine.
It wasn't the Galatian era, It wasn't the worldliness of Karen. It wasn't in these gospel teaching as it roll.
But there was lack of harmony among them. And so right from the start, Paul brings that in the show, how they should go on and how important it is for us, in midst of the scenes of confusion we've been singing about, to have this lovely epistle and its principles before us.
Suppose we can say that here we have the Lord Jesus as our pattern.
00:10:06
This is the wilderness book of the New Testament.
And we do find a great deal of delight, brethren, in reading it with the Book of Numbers.
Those Old Testament books read beautifully, of course. It's one glorious, it's one harmonious whole.
So this is the Wilderness book and we believe that this is.
We have here the Lord Jesus as our pattern.
Of course we have him in chapter one as our life.
And in chapter 4, of course, we have the Lord Jesus, as you know, as our strength.
In chapter three there we would have the Lord Jesus mourn as the object of the souls affection.
I think that is usually the teaching of those chapters, friends.
Our life in chapter one, in chapter 2 our Patrick the example, and in chapter 3 the object.
Be thou the object, bright and fair, to fill and satisfy the heart. It is wonderful, brethren, that he satisfied the longing soul. In the Lord Jesus we have the remedy for all our ills.
If there is confusion, if there are problems that appear to be not possible to solve, the Lord Jesus can solve them. And so this is something we have to learn as we grow, go along in the Christian, in the Pilgrim way. We just have to learn, I know I do, to leave matters more with the Lord Jesus and get down with our faces in the dust before God.
About our problems, well then He is our strength. We have no strength of our own. We just feel so weak.
We are.
Poor Jacob's beloved, but isn't it wonderful at the close of the 46th Psalm?
The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. I'm so glad that Abraham was not put in there because I don't know where this person is saved by his grace would have come in, but it's the God of Jacob is our refuge.
We do have the the Lord set before us and his Lordship in the 10th and 11Th verses.
But it's nice to see that the character of this pistol brings Christ before us. Now there is this difference. We do own him as Lord, and the Spirit of God very definitely sets him before us as Lord. And this epistle, especially in connection with the three kingdoms here spoken of.
But the expectation at the beginning presents to us Christ.
And we have here not so much the thought of authority in the first few verses.
But the affections.
The attachment to his person, the following of him. As such, he's Christ.
He's the anointed one, but it's the affections I believe that the Spirit of God would arouse here at the very beginning of this epistle. Because if there are differences, brethren.
With one another in the assembly.
There must be the exercise of the affections 1 to another.
We learned in the 13th chapter of John, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples.
In that you have love one for another. And so we have that. I believe in this epistle at the very start. It's the it's the power of the light, the affections. It's all right to speak of the authority and it has its place here. And we do own him as Lord. But oh, how precious to know him in this way, that place of nearness, to follow the Lord Jesus and to have this blessed example before our hearts.
So that we might walk in love not only with one another, but toward those who are without.
00:15:02
Because I believe the gospel is also in question, nearest or not.
I was thinking about in the end of the first chapter and verse 27.
He says, Let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you, or else be absent.
I'm a hearer of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the fate of the gospel. Earlier in that chapter he had given an example. In his own case. There were those who were preaching the gospel to add to his bonds and affliction, but that didn't change at all. He still had affection for those that did. And he glory that Christ was thus being preached. And so he wanted to see that same unity of spirit connected with the gospel of Christ and these dear Philippians.
And so he says, striving together. They are one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.
It's a joy as if not to submit to the authority of someone whom you know loves you very, very much.
It would be ******* to submit to the authority of someone who had no interest or affection in you. I was at a wedding on Saturday and during the exchanging of the vows, the young lady promised to obey her husband. This proposal was put to her. He didn't wince in the least when she gladly said I will because he had won her affections.
And it was a delight to her to make that promise. So I believe in connecting with the Lordship of Christ in our life. It's ******* unless we know how much He loves us. And to be in the enjoyment of that love makes the recognition of His Lordship a sweet privilege, does it not?
That was a good comment, brother, and also you commented this does not deal with the divinity of Christ, does it? In this chapter here we have the lordship of Christ. I think, brother, that's good to keep that before us. The lordship of Christ and not His divinity. His divinity is not in question here at all.
We also have joy here.
And the apostle finds his joy.
Here he's in prison, but he finds his joy in that that work which he could not do himself when he said a dispensation of the gospel is committed to me. He finds that God provides a way among the Saints to carry on the work that he could not continue when he was in prison.
And so this is what brings such joy to him, the fact that.
Even though he's not able to do what he would like to do and what he felt he should do, the Spirit of God is the one who orders all things so that the work might be carried on to God's glory just the same.
Our divine love is operated in us too. It takes notice of it in others. And I think that's nice and brought out in this first verse. And we see here that he's talking about the kindness they had shown to him. If there be there for any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, no doubt he referred to the kindness that these Saints had shown.
They had thought of him in his bonds they had sent to him, as we find from the last chapter.
And he appreciates this and takes occasion of it to help to clear up the situation in their own assembly. Well, I believe it's nice for us to notice the manifestation of the Spirit of Christ in others, and even perhaps when someone has grieved us, to still seek to see how the Spirit of Christ in them. It may not be displayed as it should be, but any display of an ought to rejoice our hearts.
And I believe this is connected rather than with this second verse.
Just anticipating for a minute fulfill ye my joy that he be like minded having the same love being 1 accord of one mind. Now these Philippians had shown their love to him. They had shown it in a practical way and sending to him, ministering to his necessities. But I think this is very lovely. Naturally, we're selfish people.
00:20:10
And if people are kind to us, we think they're wonderful, but we're not too much concerned with how they treat others. But here, it's lovely to see that when Paul receives his kindness from the Philippians saying, he said, if you want to make my joy complete, I believe that's the force of the expression, fulfilling my joy. If you want to make my joy complete, tell the same love to each one of your rather than as you've shown toward me. Oh, this is something that really speaks to our hearts.
We all say, well, that's a special friend of mine, you really get along together. But isn't it nice that each of us should have the same love to the Saints of God, each one, even ones that may try us to seek to have that love towards them. And I believe that's the force of the expansion here and the exhortation in the 1St 2 verses. And it does speak to our hearts. He found that brother God didn't be in the, in the case of Epaphroditus, that's in verse 18. It's very beautiful.
But I have all and abound. I am full, having received the Aphrodite.
The things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well, pleasing to God. I've always enjoyed Mr. Darby's rendering of the latter portion of that verse. It runs this way.
An odor of a sweet saver. An acceptable sacrifice, agreeable to God.
And the love of our dear brethren, this does explain how we feel when the love of God's dear people is bestowed upon it. And now Paul is feeling the weight of this and odor of a sweet saver.
An acceptable sacrifice, agreeable to God. Joy comes in there. And I think I, I hope I haven't miscounted the number of times it's mentioned. Join, rejoice, I believe 16 times.
And what a position this dear man was in. Yet he could speak of joy and rejoicing 16 times.
Now, it's not easy to talk about that when you're in a dungeon. Indeed it is. And I know something of that, brethren, in that dark land of belief. It's not easy there when you're in a dungeon. But he was a prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We've often thought that it's our joy. But it's his joy, beloved. That is our strength, don't you think? It's not our joy. Our joy comes and goes. It fluctuates according to the circumstances we may be in. But it's his joy. Don't you think, brother Smith, that it was this that won the Philippian jailer? Yeah.
Because they were singing phrases that night. And so Paul and his life was expressing the very truth that we have here.
Which was the beginning of this assembly, wasn't it?
Well, it's his joy, dear brother Monday. It's his joy, isn't it? It's not our joy, brother, It's his joy.
That His joy is our strength. The joy of the Lord is our strength.
I have no greater joy than that my children walk in truth.
How that expresses God's thoughts as He sees his children here below, seeking to please Him and to follow Christ. It gives joy to His heart, as we've been reminded.
We have those two words connected to the second verse, don't we? Joy and love. And they do.
Together.
Because that's what brings joy.
Into being the good of his love.
That's what brings joy to the park. Man is seeking happiness here, but he won't find it.
But he does find in the love of Christ, he finds real joy.
Well, we've been reminded when the epistle, when the assembly at Philippi was started there, and you find Paul in the prison.
00:25:04
Circumstantially, he has absolutely nothing to be happy about. He's unjustly treated, cruelly treated, beaten at.
Prison unjustly, but at midnight he's singing praises. Where does he get his resource? Gets it from above. It's the love of Christ in his heart. And so when the Philippians get an epistle that's full of rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, they can say, well, Paul really showed this when he first came here, didn't he? At midnight he sang praises. And so it's a precious thing, you know, it's the wilderness epistle, as we've been reminded. It's an epistle of joy.
I suppose the Philippian Taylor was probably among those who heard this official read for the first time.
Made quite an impression on him as he read, heard this letter read and recalled the experience that you speak out for. He heard that midnight singing, I have no doubt.
As they listen to it, I think it's not there. If they listen to it, the prisoners listen to it. What's this?
We read in Hebrews 2 of the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope. I may have mentioned this before, but it has impressed me in comparing the experience of Peter and us all both in prison.
One wouldn't say it for a moment disparagingly of Peter's experience, for he had a confidence that I'm sure none of us would.
Expect to be our own, their change between two soldiers undoubtedly awaiting.
Something pretty serious in the mornings. He went sound asleep. Perfect peace and confidence in the midst of such circumstances. So quiet and so peaceful that he could go asleep, and so soundly asleep that the Angel seems to have had a problem in waking him up.
When Paul was in prison, he didn't go to sleep. He prayed and sang praises. Now in the morning, both Peter and Paul were liberated.
But fear without a loan and Paul didn't call without accompanied by the tailor of the born again believer in the Lord Jesus. It would seem perhaps that Peter had the confidence of the hope and could could sleep with that confidence. All had the rejoicing of the hope and the Lord used it undoubtedly to awaken that dealer. So thank God for the confidence in the peace that is ours as we look ahead through all the troubles circumstances.
And no, it's absolute certainty what lies ahead. But is it not our privilege also to experience the joy that ought to be the portion of the believer in the midst of any circumstances thought? Very recently I was privileged to visit in five different convalescent homes and the difference that I saw in those who were visitors there.
Many of the Lord's people, some of them rejoicing, no complaints at all. Everything was just perfect. Everything was fine, and that which was ahead was better still. They were filled with joy. And others, really, truly the Lord.
But that bowed down with the problems, and brethren, I must admit, if I tried to stand by them and say a word of comfort.
I'd have wondered what my own attitude would be in similar circumstances. You'd quote a verse and they say, Oh yes, yes, I've heard that dozens of times. And nothing that could be said seemed to lift them above the trials that surrounded them. And others were so overflowing with joy that your own souls refreshed in visiting them.
I can't help but feel at least I thought it for myself. But it ought to be a present challenge to everyone of us that if we are not, by the grace of God, privileged to go on day by day in our present circumstances, in peace and confidence and joy.
When the circumstances become really difficult, it will, I suppose, become manifest whether our confidence and joy was really in the more.
I have found great comfort, brethren, in Romans 15, where you get the same word of like mind. We have it here in verse five of Romans 15. We read these words. We read there that He is the God of comfort, the God of patience first of all, and then the God of consolation or comfort.
00:30:19
Well, he's our God. That's in verse five if I remember, and in verse 13, He's the God of hope. Oh, what a comfort that has been. Now the God of hope, the apostle could say, fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost.
What a God we have to be. He's our God, brethren. And then in the last chapter, the last verse rather 33rd verse if I remember, went rightly.
He's the God of peace. Oh, he's our God.
In the midst of trials, we can sit down in His presence and say it over and over again and find that at the end you're just praise Him for His goodness to it. The God of patience and comfort, consolation, the God of hope and the God of peace. He's our God below us.
Yes, He is the living God.
Wonderful to just No2 That the Lord Jesus made peace through the blood of His cross.
Or if you could say that today what he desired here, that they would be of the same love. Being of 1 accord and of one mind wasn't particularly associated with doctrines. Now we have the other side brought before us, say, in the Corinthian Epistle, where he was much concerned as to them following leaders and as to the action in the assembly, and so on. There the oneness of mine would be that which is standing for what was of God and for His truth.
But here I think it has more to do with personal differences. We find all through the epistle that there was strife and Vainglory. There was quarreling, not over matters of doctrine, but perhaps who would have the prominence in things that were done. And I believe that this speaks to our hearts. We certainly should stand for the truth of God, and God only can give us that faith and faithfulness to stand for His truth, which we should learn as we contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints.
But in many differences that arise, it's a question of personal things, and we do need to be much before the Lord to put self in its right place and seek to go on together. We all have different dispositions and personalities, and often it takes grace to esteem others better than ourselves. But if we're in the presence of God, He enables us to do this, doesn't He?
I would say. Would you say that vain glory is wanting to be great?
This is a peculiar thing in our makeup, you know, wanting to be great.
Mr. Darby wrote, And I read it as a young man starting out in the work of the Lord over 56 years ago.
He said men call of God in his service.
Moves from a place.
Of strength.
Realizing not his own importance, but his own nothingness.
You know, I read that, brethren, and I thought of that so much, and I thought all the days men called up God for His service go forth from a place of strength, realizing their own nothing.
All that impressed my soul. I remember getting on knees and saying, Lord, geez, I just want to be that. Nothing.
A poor Jacob, a Jacob, that's all we are, brethren, just poor Jacob.
But the Lord of hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge, the God of Jacob.
Yes, we're just poor Jacobs.
But the God of Jacob is a wreckage.
Well, isn't that a wonderful statement that man made?
00:35:04
And we do rejoice. We, we don't want to be strong echoes of anybody, brethren, and just just be a weak voice. That's better.
But I also when he wrote that 64 hymn when it spoke of Jesus, like Jesus, in that place of light and love, supreme.
Once man of sorrows, full of grace, heavens blessed and endless thee. Well, you know that man was walking through those courts of light by faith. Surely he was when he wrote that just to be nothing.
Nothing. Well, it takes grace, I suppose. Is that all right, brethren? The meaning of of this here let nothing be done through vain glory, wanting to be great.
That was the trouble with Peter, perhaps.
In the 22nd of Luke, when the Lord said to him, Satan desired to have you, and he may sift you as wheat.
They were trying, they were striving. Which of them should be chiefest, or the the first of the disciples? Let me read a few verses in Mark.
But Jesus called Mark 10.
42.
But Jesus called them to him and set unto them, You know, that they which are counted to rule over the Gentiles, exercise lordship over there, and they're great ones, exercise authority upon them.
So shall it not be among you?
But whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister or servant.
And whosoever of you will be the chiefest.
Be serving them all, for even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. And so the Lord Jesus not only ministers to these disciples that which they need, but He sets the example before them, which was the powerful thing that finally won them over. So that Peter on the day of Pentecost.
Leaving self entirely, he becomes a vessel of the Holy Spirit in power and where they're not, 3000 souls saved as a result.
You see in John the Baptist is presented in John's gospel of the lovely example, He comes as a voice and he keeps pointing to Christ. He must increase and I must decrease. And when you come to the 10th of John I I know of no better statement about John the Baptist. And we have in the 10th chapter of John's Gospel, the people said John did no miracle, that all things that John speak of this man were true.
John was a true witness of Christ, and when he could have sought and due to his position and Dulles in vain glory, he laid his glory in the dust before 1 whom he owned should have baptized him and not the reverse. So we see a good example there even in that survey that it was his testimony to Christ, not miracles. Nothing had attracted attention, but he was directed attention to the Lord Jesus.
And so here let nothing be done through Stripe or Vainglory.
That word moderation, would you say, brethren, is me, is rather there. Let your moderation be known unto all men.
When we translated that yielding Ness in translating it into the Inca town, into the Spanish, from the Spanish into the Inca rather, is that all right? Let your yieldingness be known to all men. It seemed to fit in and.
Professor Dasser, who labored five years with me in that work of translating, he used to say, Brother Smith, That seems to be a good rendering. Then let your yielding us be known to all men. That's chapter 4, the fifth verse. Yes. Is that all right? It seems as though it seems all right to us. I think so.
It's nice to know that God always has a record straight himself. Sometimes we want to get the credit down here, and I believe that's why the Lord Jesus is brought before us as the example. He wasn't vindicated down here, He was vindicated in resurrection. And the difficulty with us so often is that we wish to be vindicated. We wish to get credit for what we do down here.
00:40:15
We find a little example with Joab Joe. I've got the credit for doing all the great things for David. He was his great general. But when David spoke of his mighty man, he didn't even mention the name of Joab. And he did speak about Joab's armor bearer and called him one of his mighty men. So this must have been sort of difficult for this armor bearer all through his life to see Joy getting all the credit.
But he left it.
And David knew who to count as one of his mighty men. And this is a great task for us all, brethren, Let us be content to go on and labor under the eye of God. Be satisfied with his approval, also recognizing what others do. So that's what Gideon did when some were jealous about what he was doing. His answer was, what was I able to do in comparison of you? And he took notice of what they did.
He laughed what he had done with the Lord. Well, I feel this speaks to each one of our hearts, I'm sure, but I think this is the whole thought here and all of us in the various assemblies come from no how often these things rise up and we want to get the credit down here instead of being satisfied just to leave the Lord to make manifest in his day and also to recognize what is of Christ in one another.
I believe someone asked Mr. Darby how he could esteem others better than himself. He was a mighty servant of God. And I believe that I heard this mentioned about him, that someone in commenting about this third verse pointed out someone who was a source of trial in the Saints and said, Brother Darby, how could you esteem that brother better than yourself?
And his answer was.
I know far more of the false of Dan Darby than I know about the faults of that brother. So in the presence of God he had learned what self was. He could esteem him better than himself. When we have difficulty in esteem others better than ourselves, let us get into the presence of God, and we'll see that He sees much that our brothers don't even see. And if we're conscious, we know is there ourselves that needs to constantly be giant.
And returning to the case of our precious Savior.
Brother, when he was reviled, he reviled not again when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself unto him, the Judge of righteously. And so it goes on, who is all self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead indeed unto sin.
Might live unto righteousness, by whose stripes we begin that precious Savior. What a what an example.
When he was reviled, he didn't revile again.
Isn't it wonderful to take it, brethren? The secret among those the elevens was to sit there and let them give it to you and take it. It was hard.
I remember a case in It's so interesting and I hope to go, God willing, back to the north of that land.
One of my visits there one day a fierce looking gentleman came along, a Spanish American.
With his whiskers turned up like you know how they twist their whiskers up. And he jumped off his beautiful stallion and he took his whip in his hand and he said, what are you doing here?
Perturbing the peace of this place.
You see, they were all mixed up brethren, both, dear soul, with Pentecostalism and Methodism and the different sects and so on.
And he was a strong Methodist. And he said, what are you doing here to pervert the peace of this place? You know, he gave me a drubbing for two hours, and I was thankful that he didn't. That big hefty fellow didn't take that whip to me. And I sat there and took it by the grace of God.
And after those two hours, he stopped and I said, Sir, have you finished? He said, see, yes, see.
00:45:01
Well, I said, would you like to hear what God has to say about all this? And I read him portions of the word of God. He listened. Do you know the following year where that man was? He was at the table of the Lord. And he said to me, he said that word of that little fellow just slew me.
Well, it wasn't me, it was the Word of God. Isn't that interesting? Take it, let us take it. We do not get anywhere by writing, brethren, may we, may we forget that kind of thing. Let us leave it with the Lord.
Someone said to me, have you answered all those letters that you've gotten recently? I said, dear brother, no. What you do with them? I just put them there before the Lord and got on my knees by the grace of God, said Lord Jesus.
Stop these dear ones from writing. And yet may we all get on our faces before God.
About this, well, is that right?
Surely it must be.
Surely it's a secret free lover.
And we have to learn to take it. We thank God for our dear brethren who draw our attention to anything that might be incorrect, either in a demeanor or in our teaching. We thank God for and we take it as from the Lord and praise Him by His grace. Well, it's a great secret, don't you think?
It's a great secret.
This N 1St then would be to notice qualities and others.
Stories told of a brother who got discouraged and wouldn't come to the meetings.
Another brother simply went over and let him know how much the Saints needed him, and he was restored in his soul because this brother noticed certain qualities that he had that were helpful to this this.
Discouraged brother was restored. Well, perhaps we have something like that here.
And not to be thinking of ourselves.
But in the fact that the Lord has prepared each one in the body for a place and to recognize that, and sometimes it might be helpful that we look around and notice qualities in our brethren that would be helpful to the Saints in general, somewhat have said that being glory.
If I remember rightly, leads to envy, leads to envy, and envy, I believe, leads to malice.
And so it goes on, and God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the Saints. It's tremendous how Satan can play on these things, brethren.
Perturb our peace and cause us to become useless.
In God, serve all He can get us. Get our eyes off the Lord to you.
I remember a case where a brother came to me and they're fiery. You know, the Latin brother, they're firing.
And he said to me, Brother Smith, I hate the sight of that fellow.
Like that I said, do you?
Yes, yes I do.
Well, that that made my heart bump, you know, because he was quite, he wasn't an I'll taught brother. He wasn't an Indian. He was a Spanish and educated man hates cider. And I said, dear brother, would you do me a favor? What is it? He said, would you have a look at that dear brother through the eyes of your precious savior? And he did.
That's a happy brother. Today. He's a happy brother. He got a look at his brother through the eyes of his precious savior. Oh, it's a great victory.
My brother Lundeen used the word quality perhaps to be helpful if I just read that fourth verse in the in Mr. Darby's translation where that comes out clearly.
It says steaming the other is more excellent than themselves regarding not each his own qualities.
Those of others also. I think getting this translation helps clarify the thought of the verse.
00:50:17
Now we do have the mind of Christ, but here it's an exhortation, isn't it? Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And we need to stir up these things, do we not? In our minds. We do have the mind of Christ, but if we allow other things to come in, it will hinder this having the mind of Christ and our attitude toward one another and also to the unsaved.
It's blessed to see the order in this chapter. The Spirit of God is bringing before us, besides Paul, 3 examples. He doesn't start with Epaphroditus or with Timothy, but he starts with Christ himself, the true pattern and that which would.
Speak to our hearts and to realize that this one who was who occupied rightfully that high place.
Made himself of no reputation. Then it's all right to bring in nice practical examples, Timothy.
In his act of love for the Saints and the Aphrodites and his love for the Saints too. But it's Christ that comes in first.
To humble our hearts and the directors and to Him in the right direction.
We can make sure about our rights, that the Lord Jesus had the right to the highest place. It was no robbery for him to be equal with God. Very often in difficulties, this is the problem. We say, well, I have certain rights. I think I should stand for them. Well, here was the one who had the right to the highest place. He had every right that it was possible to speak of. He someday going to be the center of the whole new creation scene of glory.
And yet this blessed one who had every right, humbled himself, took the low place, took us. It's been awesome remark those seven steps downward. So this is the perfect example because one of the problems for us in trying to take the low places. Well, don't I have some right? Should I stand up for this or that? Well, here was the one who took this place and who had a rightful place.
As equal with God, and here among men, the servant of all. As our brother read, in speaking to the disciples, he took the lowest place, the place of a servant. He was at their feet, washing their feet. What a beautiful example of humiliation. Didn't give his life a ransom.
Sometimes we're humble and we well deserve to be humble. We we fail, we make mistakes. If we're honest, we acknowledge them. But here was one who was perfect inside. There was perfect pureness in him is no sin. And his whole blessed pathway never spoke a word out of turn, never used the wrong tone, voice. Everything is perfect. And yet he walked through this world the servant of others during his Father's will.
Is there perhaps a danger that our.
Thought of humility is something like this. I really belong up here, but I'm going to take this lower place instead. And we think of this as being true humility. I'm afraid if this is the way we have figured it out, we'll soon find ourselves seriously tested. Because I don't suppose that's real humility in the sight of God at all, if we really recognize where we rightly belong.
We will take and accept the lowest place. Is that not so? I think of Adam, the head of the first creation. He had a place, but he looked up and.
Sought after a place that was not rightfully his, the devil suggested to him he shall be as God's newest knowing good and evil as the destiny was made to ease. In other words, he stopped to exalt himself, even though he had to disobey in order to do this.
And he fell and brought the whole of his austerity with him. But by way of contrast, the Lord Jesus, who, as you remark, was entitled to his place of equality with God. It was his. But he humbled himself, He was obedient.
00:55:07
Out of debt. And I believe that in having this mind, we will recognize the place that is rightfully ours. And never for one moment feel will I really be long here. But I'm taking this lower place because of an attempt to maintain a certain level of humility.
Could we turn to Romans 12 in that connection?
There's a horse there that seems to confirm the thought that we can be in a high place and lower ourselves. I just like to notice this verse in Romans 12 and the 16th, 16th verse.
Be of the same mind one taught another mind. Not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Now the way that reads here, this sounds like the humility our brothers been speaking about. We were in a high position and we're going to go on and we're going to condescend and come down with these lowly ones. But I believe the correct translation is to go along with the lowly, not the condescend. We don't come down from anything.
We're brought up, we're not, we don't come down, the Lord came down. We have brought up and so I believe the new translation of this 16th verse go along with the lowly gives us the real thought in the passage while you're in that chapter. If you'll just notice the third verse also because Romans gives us the subject of righteousness or what is right.
And reading this third verse, perhaps it could be read just a little differently.
In another translation For I say, through the grace given unto me.
To every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought.
To think, but to think so as to be.
Wise according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have the same office, so we being many, are one body in Christ. Now in bringing in the truth of the present calling of the Church, which we do have really behind it in Philippians, we must remember that we're not thinking of just individuals.
We're thinking of ourselves as forming a body and we're to think so as to be wise in this. Everyone has his part. I don't say to my foot, I don't need you.
And because it's it's just as necessary as the hand or the heart of the eye. And if we think in this way, that we're one body in Christ, and we think so as to be wise.
It's not bringing himself in at all. Our brother was Speaking of the Lord a moment ago, and I was just thinking of what we have in Leviticus, that the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I've given it to you on the altar to make an atonement for your soul. Not only did the Lord shed his blood, but He gave his life. Not only did He give His life, but He gave himself. We, we learned in Ephesians.
He laid aside the whole thing.
And now we see him resin and seated on high, as one whom God has raised out from among the dead, as the object of our souls. He gave it all up. He sold everything that He had for us.
And yet how slow we are to give up a little of our pride, you know, these things that take hold of us so strongly that would try to we would try to elevate ourselves, but we're to think so as to be wise now because we're under a new order of things entirely.
Well, in that sense, humility then is not something that we are to strive after, but it is the actual result of bringing in the Lords presence. Because trying to be humble might turn into pride in disguise, putting on a display. I believe that that's why in the.
19th chapter of Numbers where we have the red heifer.
We see the burning of the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hyssop. The cedar. Cedar wood was that great tree in which Israel boasted the Cedars of Lebanon. The scarlet would answer to human glory. But then the hyssop. We might think that's a good thing. That's just such a humble thing, a little bit of hyssop that springs out of the wall. But that was to be burned up too, because there can be that pretended humility which is most distasteful to God.
01:00:13
It's not the result of being in His presence, but something that we put on to be well thought of so that everyone will say, well, that's a very humble brother and we like to have that kind of a reputation. That's part of what was to be burned up. The true humility on our part is to be in the presence of the Lord and in His presence when we learn what we really are. And then it is something that is produced in our souls because we're in His presence.
I read a little illustration of it. There was a young lady who had been studying music. She was doing very well and her teacher was so pleased with her progress that she decided to have some kind of a little gathering and have some come in and see the talent of this girl that was doing so well in music. And so there were some little signs put up inviting people to come. And there was a noted musician who.
Was visiting this particular town and he saw the little invitation to come and.
Hear this this.
Girl playing. So he came in and he came in a little bit early and asked for the privilege of sitting down at the piano and started to play. Well, when he started to play with so much superior to anything that she could do or her teacher either, and that she almost was ashamed to go to the piano after this.
That wasn't trying to be humble. It was the result of being in the presence of one who was far superior to herself. And brethren, we can't be in the presence of the Lord without being humble. And if we're not humble, it's not just trying to put on some kind of a display so our brother will think we're humble. We need to get into His presence. And in His presence we'll see that He's the altogether lovely one. He's the one in whom every beauty shines. And this will make us feel humble.
Honest true thing like it was with jaw in the presence of his friends, he could say would hold his integrity and he could boast about all that he did for other people. But when he got into the presence of the Lord, the humility was sincere and he said, I repent and bore myself and dust and ashes.
Well, I believe this is something for us ancient. I believe that's why the example of the Lord Jesus is brought in in this chapter to set before us the one who took this low place yet was entitled to the highest.
There was a brother visiting a man who was sick, his neighbor who.
For a while refused to hear the gospel at all, but finally he got very sick and the wife asked him to come in to see her husband.
So that.
He finally went in with his Bible.
And he asked him, the man asked, if he would read a little about the Lord. So he did.
The man finally said, well, he said, I can't see where I need the gospel. He said, I've always done that, which is right. I've taken care of my family. I've sent my children to college. I've always ordered my business.
Business, all right? It was a brass executive and a big company.
And he said, I don't see why I need a savior.
So this brother very wisely simply said this.
He said when I go, he said will you do one thing for me?
Will you get into the presence of the Lord and tell Him what you told me?
He said all right.
So the next day he went to see him.
When he entered, he called him by name and he called him brother and he said what happened.
Well, he said when I got into the presence of the Lord, I couldn't tell him what I told you. And now he says I see myself as a vile Sinner.
It wasn't but a few days later that he went home to glory a man who confessed now he was a vile Sinner because he'd been in the presence of the Lord.
Number 88.
I'm grateful.
Holy Night.
I'll be crying.
Yeah.
Everything says my way in your life.
I feel great handling.
That's all.
I have to bring in your own.
Friend.
Who are glory?
01:10:08
All right.