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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.