Well, I'm thankful that God has showed up tonight. I was afraid that he wasn't going to. Pastor told me to come with my gun loaded. I was telling Malene on the way down, I said, you know, The only thing about that is I'm not sure which gun to load. So, we're going to look tonight at Philippians, the last part of Philippians chapter 1 and then Philippians chapter 2. And I don't know tonight if I can communicate to you what God has communicated to me. through these verses, but by the Holy Spirit's help and speaking to your hearts, God will do His work in our hearts tonight. I'm thankful to be here, thankful to be able to be back at home, and we'll be talking some more later about what's going on with us. I'm thankful also for my family being able to be here, for my children, and God's blessing in them, and for my wife. You know, when you're in the position that we're in, you're kind of all alone. Then you get to know one another. You get to know each other and who each other really is. And I'm thankful for that tonight. I'm thankful for my family and what God is working in our hearts. Philippians chapter 1, beginning in verse 29. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now here to be in me, if there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love being of one accord in 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 right to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant. and was made in the likeness of men, and being found in the fashion as a man he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name. are given in a name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every niece bow of the things in heaven and the things in earth and the things under the earth and that every time she confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father. Let's pray. Father as we come to you tonight Lord we thank you for just letting us be here another day Let us have the privilege to enjoy you. Lord, we're thankful for the privilege tonight to be able to speak to these people. Lord, we don't ask for power for ourselves to preach the word of God, but Lord, we just ask for thee. Lord, we ask for the Lord Jesus to come tonight and communicate this message to our hearts. And Lord, we know that what you do, Lord, will be eternal in our hearts. And we just ask, God, that you'll use us for your glory. God, may your name be glorified tonight by your people. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We begin here in Philippians chapter 1, and Paul is ending here in chapter 1, We're beginning here in chapter 2, and he says, first of all, For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only that you believe on his name, but also to suffer for his sake. So first of all tonight, I want us to look for a minute at the trial. At the trial. First of all, we see here in Philippians chapter 1 and verse 29 that there's a Christ in the trial. I'm thankful tonight that when there's a trial in my life and when there's a trial in your life, that right in the middle of the trial, that there's a Christ. That there's a Lord Jesus Christ. And He is there in the midst of the trials. The Hebrew children were there in the fiery furnace. And they saw another one likened to the Son of Man. And they said it was the Lord Jesus Christ that was there with Him. And I want to tell you tonight, Paul was writing here to these Philippians and he was saying, Hey, wait a minute. It's not just giving Him your behalf to believe on His name, but always giving Him your behalf to suffer for His sake. Now we don't like that, and I don't like that, and I don't like to read about that, and I don't like to own up to the reality of it. But brother, I'm here to tell you that if you don't believe on His name, you're going to have to suffer for His sake. I found that out here. in the last year. I guess more in the last year than I've ever found out. But there's a life that you begin to identify with the Lord Jesus Christ, not only in His glory, but in His sufferings. As Paul prayed, that I may know Him in the power of His resurrection, but he didn't stop there. And he said, in the fellowship of His sufferings. What? Being made conformable until His death. When I was told to be made conformable until His death, He said, Oh, that I might attain unto the resurrection. Brother, I'm here to tell you tonight, if you're suffering for Jesus, yeah, I'm here to tell you, you're going to attain unto the resurrection of Christ. There's a better day coming. Oh, if we suffer with Him, shall we not also reign with Him? But he says here, for unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ. So Christ, it is given in his behalf. Now you know we have certain establishments that give honors in the behalf of that establishment. I remember when I was in high school we went to one of those banquets that we go to after the sports season is over and I won the Golden Helmet Award which was supposed to display the spirit of athletics in a person. One that had the spirit of athletics in him. And they gave me that in behalf of the school there. And they gave me that award to recognize these things that were in me. But Paul says here, listen to me now. Paul says here in verse 28 of chapter 1, And in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but as we could translate it here, but to you it's an evident token of your salvation into God. So the Lord Jesus said, Hey, if you're having to suffer for my name's sake, that's just an evidence that you're one of mine. So we see here, The trial. First, we see the Christ in the middle of the trial. But secondly, in verse 30, we see that there's a conflict in the trial. Having the same conflict which you saw in me and now here to be in me. Well, what was Paul's conflict? Notice in verse 23 of chapter 1. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, to be with Christ, which is far better, Amen? There was a conflict there. There was a conflict in the trial. Not only was Christ in the middle of the trial, but there was conflict there. I mean, you know, sometimes we get to the place where we just say, Lord, I'm ready to go. Take me home. You know, I lived with Pastor David there for a while, and things would get kind of hot at the church. And things would begin to go on at the church, and I'd hear him pray. I'd hear him pray, Oh God, deliver us. And he'd get so overwhelmed with the burden of it, that sometimes I'd hear him pray, Lord, even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly. And sometimes we get in the trial, and we get to looking at things, and we get to seeing things wrong, and we begin to, as Paul said here, begin to have a desire for something better. A desire to be with Christ, which is far better. Which is far better, but what's more needful? What's more needful than that? The conflict. What was the conflict? Well, the conflict was to be removed out of this, to be removed away from it, to be removed. But Paul said in verse 25, and having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your father's and joy of faith. So if you're ready to give up tonight, let me exhort you, don't give up, go on! There's somebody out there that needs to be pushed on forward. There's somebody out there that their faith needs to be furthered. And their joy needs to be dug a little deeper in their soul. And Paul said, hey, that's what I'm here for. Oh, it's my desire tonight that that be what I'm here for. That that be what I'm here for tonight. Listen to me now. The trial. We see the trial. But then, beginning in chapter 2 and verse 1, we see the thought. Paul said after saying this, he says, If there be therefore any consolation in Christ. Now Paul's beginning to get our ear. He's beginning to make us listen. He said something about consolation. I mean, after all, we all want to be consoled. Right? Paul said if there be any consolation, he liked to use this term. He said over in chapter 4, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. He says here, if there be any consolation in Christ, and may I say that there is. If there be comfort of love, and may I say that there is. If any fellowship of the Spirit, and may I say, there he is. If any bowels and mercies, and may I say, yea, there he is. So Paul was wanting them to think about some things. He said if there be, first of all, any consolation. Now Lutzer says that consolation is to cheer one up, especially in making up for loss or disappointment. Now these people here at Philippi, they were like a lot of us. In fact, they were like a lot of the New Testament believers and those disciples that walked with Jesus. They were expecting something from God that God had never promised. You see, the disciples, they were expecting the Lord Jesus to come as King. They were expecting him to come and to reign and to put away this wickedness and reign as king on the earth. And then all of a sudden, they have this thing, what we call a triumphal entry. And they expect him to be arrayed in all the riches of this world and all the glory of this world and come riding in on a white horse and they miss him. I mean, he comes riding in on a red donkey. And I'm here to tell you, brother, I'm here to tell you, sister, that the world is looking for, they're looking to be identified with authority, they're looking to be identified with power, that the Lord Jesus said, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. Why? Because I am meek, and lowly, and hot, and I shall give you rest. Now that's who Jesus is. Oh, you gotta be identified with him. in His lowly estate in order to be identified with Him in His royal estate. May I say tonight that we are identified with Him in His royal estate. So we see that there's consolation. But notice here, He said, if any comfort of love. Sometimes, you know, one can come to you and they can say things. They can say all kinds of things that try to make you feel better. And nothing just, I mean, nothing works. But oh, sometimes there'll be one that'll come and they'll put your arm around you and not say anything. And oh, how it ministers. How it ministers to your heart. And I'm telling you tonight that I've learned from experience that the Lord Jesus Oh, when everybody else has said all they know to say. And you're begging God to say something, sometimes He just comes and He just puts His arm around you and you don't have to say anything. Any comfort of love. Oh, love. Love's the best comforter that there is. Love. Notice. the consolation, the comfort, but there needs to be a companionship, if any fellowship of the Spirit. Oh, I tell you, we get right in the middle of the thing, we get right in the middle of the trial, and we begin to feel all alone. We begin to feel by ourselves and alone and deserted and forsaken. And oh, at that time, we need the fellowship of the Spirit of God more than we've ever needed. And Paul says, oh, there's a key to this, man. He said, I'm mentioning all these things, but I've not got to the key of it. He said, if there be any of this, if any bowels and mercies, so there not only needs to be consolation and comfort and companionship, but there needs to be compassion. Oh, there needs to be a heart of compassion. If there's one here tonight that's hurting in their heart, if you're here and you're lost in your sin tonight, and your sin is hurting your heart, I'm telling you, there's one. He's the Lord Jesus, and He's come to have compassion on those that are lost. He's come to seek and to save those that are lost. But oh, Paul says, I can mention all of these things, but in verse 2 he says, Fulfill ye my joy that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord in one mind. Do you realize tonight that your mind has to be in order to receive things from God? Oh, there's been a lot of times when my mind's been out of the way, when my mind's been caught up over here or over there, and God would be saying something to me, and I'd be begging Him to say it, and the whole time He'd be standing there saying it, but I couldn't hear Him because my mind was off over here or off over there. I'm telling you, Paul says tonight to bring your minds. To bring your minds, he says on down here. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And I'm here to tell you tonight, hey, if we'll get a hold of the mind of God, if we'll bring our minds, if we'll bring our thought into the captivity of Christ, we can experience His grace, we can hear what He says, and we can go in His direction. But notice, Paul didn't only have a thought, but he exhorted them about their thinking. He said, fulfill you my joy that you be like minded. First of all, we see that Paul, in their thinking, wanted them to be compatible. He wanted them to be together on things. You know, the only way that you can be like-minded with another brother, or like-minded with another sister, is that you just fellowship together with them. You know, since we've been, since we've moved away, We haven't really found a fellowship where we felt like we could enter in. But I want to tell you, God's given me one that is compatible to me, and that's my wife. And I tell you what, she, me and her, I mean, we began to think alike. And I don't even have to tell her about things, and she's already taken care of them. I don't even have to mention when we go somewhere and we're heading in a certain direction, and I don't even have to mention to her, she just picks up on them. And as a church body, hey, Paul says we need to be like that. We need to be compatible. We all need to be going in the same direction. Hey, if we get everybody headed in the same direction with the mind of God and the mind of Christ, there's no telling what we'll do. But he also says not only be compatible in your thinking, but to be consistent in your thinking. Notice, to be like-minded, having the same love and being of one accord in one mind. Having the same love, in other words, being consistent in the direction that you're going. Working for that goal. and what you're going in. Working together, heading toward that mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Everybody, let's get everybody together and head them in that direction. Do you realize the miracle that God performed in the children of Israel when all of those people were led by one man through the Red Sea experience? Hey, brother, I want to tell you, they had the mind of God. Notice here. Notice their thinking. But notice not only their thinking, but their theology. You know, your theology will affect the way that you act. Your theology, in other words, the teaching about God, The things that you perceive about Him, it will affect the way you act. Notice what Paul says here in verse 3. He says, Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. First of all, we notice about the theology that it's contradicted. I mean, it cuts against the grain. The world says that you do whatever you have to do, you take whatever means, whatever drastic means, you step on whatever you have to step on to get what you want. But the Bible contradicts that. The Bible says, hey, the way up is down. Let me illustrate this for you by one of the Bible characters. Oh, he's gonna preach on Joseph now, no, John the Baptist. John the Baptist, I mean, think about this now. For 400 years, there was no word from God. And all of a sudden, brother, there's a preacher that come on the scene, and his name was John the Baptist, and he had a word from God. Now I tell you what, if it'd been 400 years since I'd heard from God, and there's a man come through town that had something from God, I tell you, I'd be wanting to sit at his feet. And imagine now, 400 years, and all of a sudden, a man comes through, his name's John the Baptist, and I mean, he's got a word from God, and he begins to collect a great following. Oh, but then there's another preacher that comes on the scene. And John's disciples go over and they say, hey, say, wait a minute, John. There's this one named Jesus over here, and he's taking away our disciples. He's baptizing our people. Now, John, being the popular preacher that he was, oh, he could have kept all of his disciples. I mean, after all, he was first. But John, oh John said, oh, the one that I was before was before me. John said, oh, said I must decrease that he may increase. And I'm telling you now, This theology that we have that, you know, we do anything and everything to get our way, hey, that's not what the Bible teaches. John the Baptist was a very example of this. Hey, he told his disciples, he said, the one that's coming after me, I'm not worthy to bend down and to run let's selections on his shoes. John said, I must decrease that he may increase. You know, John the Baptist is the only Baptist preacher that I know of that was willing to turn his flock over to Christ. And I don't, let me take that back. I don't, I didn't mean that. But there's a lot of them that are not willing to turn their people over to Christ. But John, Oh, he wanted to point them to Christ. He wanted to point his people to Christ. He said, oh, he said, I'm not the one. He said, I'm just his servant. I'm not the one. Let me point you to him. And I'm telling you tonight, hey, I'm not the one. He's the one. Christ is the one. Notice, we see the theology was contradicted. It was condescending. Notice here in verse 5. 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 to God, but made himself with no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in the fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death. I want you to see tonight the testator. We've seen their theology, we've seen their thoughts, we've seen Paul's direction on their thinking, but I want us tonight to look at the testator. And just to show you that I didn't make it up, turn to Hebrews chapter 9. In verse 16. For where a testimony is, there must also of necessity be the death of a testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead. Otherwise, it is of no strength at all for the testator living. And I want to tell you tonight that Christ Jesus is our divine testator. Listen to me now. First of all, we see his credentials. He said, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who bring in the form of God. We see his credentials. I mean, Christ. He had all the credentials. He had all the reasons never to come. He thought it not worthy to be equal with God. I mean, after all, he was at home where he was. The Word. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. And the Word was God. Christ Jesus. His credentials. Hey! He's God! But notice. Notice here. Who 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. Notice he's coming. Oh, he was made in the likeness of man. You see, God created man in his own image, and man marred that image. So God took upon himself the form of man to bring man back to God in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice what he says here. Not only do we see his credentials in his coming, but we see his conforming. and being found in fashion as a man. No deceptions here. He took upon himself the form of a servant. He was made in the likeness of man, being found in the fashion. Hey, God's trying to tell us that, hey, the God of glory has incarnated himself. He's come down to man. He's brought himself down that he may bring us back up. Oh God, what a God that we have. Notice here, His crucifixion. And being found in the fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Even the death of the cross. You know that our God stepped down out of heaven, took upon himself the form of a man that he may redeem his people back to God. That he may redeem fallen man back to God. Oh, he stepped out of heaven. Hey, he didn't have to. He wanted to. He didn't have to. He wanted to. It wasn't just in his decree to. No, brother, he wanted to. For God so loved the world, brother, I want to tell you that there's a motion in the heart of our God. He wanted to. I'm telling you, there's a motion in the heart of our God tonight. He wants to save us from our sins. Notice here now. Oh listen, where Paul's taking us from now. Remember what I said, the way up's down. And he'll fix this in the Lord Jesus. Therefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. That it's the name of Jehovah. No. That it's the name of Elohim. No. That it's the name of Jehovah Jireh. No. That it's the name of El Shaddai. No. That it's the very lowly name of Jesus. Oh. Oh, brother, if we could get a hold of it tonight. That at the very lowly name of Jesus. In other words, God has brought salvation down to man. And oh, if you're here tonight, God has brought salvation now. Oh, he's brought it now so that you can be like the woman. And oh, if you could just reach out and touch the hem of his garment, you'd be made whole. Notice what he says here, Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name that is above every name, that is the name of Jesus. I mean, brother, that's his earthly name. That's the name when he stepped out of heaven. This is where we are. He became unidentified with glory to identify himself to dirty his hands with sinners. God, I'm telling you, God does not love sinners. And he's here, always come to seek and to save those that are lost. That at the name of Jesus, notice here now, that at the name of Jesus, Why do you think that God said over in Acts that there's none other being under heaven whereby we must be saved? He's trying to tell you tonight, hey, I've offered salvation to you. I've given you salvation. I've stepped out of heaven. I thought it no robbery to be equal with God, but I humbled myself. I took upon myself the form of a servant so that I could identify with you, sinner, so that I could identify with you, saint, so that I could identify with mankind. then at the name of Jesus. You see, God took that decision out of heaven. And He took it and He worked it for the ascension to heaven. And He said through that name. He said through that word. Oh, God didn't have to do it. He had all the glory He needed before He done it. But, O Adonai, and that at the name of Jesus, at that lowly name of Jesus, all, listen, every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess. Listen here. Let's read it. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow at the things in heaven and the things in earth and the things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father, I want to tell you tonight, he's Lord. He's Lord. Oh, he's Jesus. He's Jesus Christ, our Lord. Notice the triumph here. Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name that's above every name. And I'm here to tell you tonight, friend, hey, he's not He's not a dictator from a foreign land. Oh, he's not a dictator come from another world just to set up rules over us, Lopim. No, brother, he's not a dictator. He's not one from a foreign land that's just come to usurp authority. No, he's one of us. He's one of us. He's not one that's unable to be touched. Oh, but he's able to be touched with the feelings of iron firmness. Listen to me now, and I'll be done. This is something for the children. How many of you here's watched a little movie, a children's movie, The Lion King? Well, there's some here I missed. Well, I was sitting there watching that movie one evening, and man, the Holy Ghost. I mean, it was majestic. And to give you a little insight on the story, those of you who have not watched it, there was a lion, which is a symbol of king and authority of the forest. One that rules over all. One that ruled the creatures. And the movie starts out, and this big king, you know, he's having a son. And the day comes when he has that son, and he has it back here in a cave. And the cave is up on the side of a mountain. And the word gets out that this son has been born. That this son has come. So all of the creatures All of the creatures under God's heaven, they gather down there at the foot of that mountain. And there at the mouth of that cave, out of the end of that cave, is a pinnacle that is just extended right out of the mouth of the cave there. And the king, the lion, he has this friend, and the friend is an orangutan. And the orangutan goes up and and he he takes the cub and he kind of tucks him here in his side and he steps out just as far as he can get over to the corner there of that ledge and all creation there is looking up and he goes and all creation bows and I'm here tonight to tell you that God took his son oh and he stepped out on the edge of heaven, and He took the Lord Jesus. Oh, and through that lowly name, He took Him, and He sighed, and He took Him, and He lifted Him up. And He's given Him a name that's above every name, that at the name of Jesus, all of creation, listen to me now, things in earth and under the earth, and all is holy, are going to confess, are going to bow to the name of Jesus. And you know something? I don't believe. I don't believe. You know, I've been thinking about this, and this may be a little bit of bearded theology, but I've been thinking about this, and I'm thinking that in that day, that they're not all going to come around the throne and the angels are going to take the stick and whip those that are unsaved, whip them down and say, say it! No, brother, when they realize what they've missed out on, when they realize what Jesus done for sinners on the cross of Calvary, brother, they're gonna bow, they're gonna bow to me, and they're gonna confess with their tongue that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father. Hey, I'm here to tell you tonight that he's come to offer salvation to all who would believe on his name. And oh, if the Holy Ghost tonight would just step into our church service and just take the Lord Jesus and just... Oh, our hearts would be blessed. God, let it happen. God, let it happen. I don't know how to close. God, let it happen. Is there anyone here The Lord said, let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Is there anyone here tonight that just wants to say so?