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  MESSAGES ON PHILIPPIANS
  by Walter L. Wilson
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Walter L. Wilson's expository messages on the Epistle to the Philippians,
emphasizing four aspects of Christian unity: fellowship in the Gospel, unity in
grace, purpose, and meditation on Christ.

  Chapters: 9

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS
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    1. 01-Chapter One The Purpose of the Book
    2. 02-Chapter Two Unity in Christ
    3. 03-Chapter Three Fellowship in Christ
    4. 04-Chapter Four Rejoicing in Christ
    5. 05-Chapter Five The Humility of Christ
    6. 06-Chapter Six Christ Exalted
    7. 07-Chapter Seven Expectations from Christ
    8. 08-Chapter Eight Paul's Personal Testimony
    9. 09-Chapter Nine Christ Our Example

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  CHAPTER 1: 01-CHAPTER ONE THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK
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CHAPTER ONE THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is permeated with joy and happiness, gladness
and sweetness, song and service. Its message gives wings to the feet of God’s
people, lifts their burdens and enables them to rejoice in song and to serve the
Lord with gladness.

Paul was a prisoner when he wrote this lovely epistle and he wrote it to a
church that began in prison. It began in an earthquake; so Paul writes much
about peace. It began in stocks, stripes and bonds; so Paul makes mention of
rejoicing in the Lord.

There is no note of sadness in this precious letter, although it was written by
a prisoner in a prison.

Many excellent things have been written in prison. Sir Walter Raleigh wrote his
History of the World while in prison. Cervantes wrote Don Quixote from his
prison cell. Marco Polo wrote his Travels while incarcerated. Bunyan wrote his
celebrated Pilgrim’s Progress from his dungeon. Oscar Wilde wrote the famous
Ballad of Reading Gaol from a cell. John wrote the book of Revelation from the
barren, rocky confines on the Island of Patmos. How indebted we are to jails and
prisons for bringing out the sweetest things that are in human life!

Paul’s purpose in writing the Philippians was that they might know Christ and
rejoice in Him, want Him, be like Him, rest in Him, serve Him, suffer with Him
and wait for Him. Paul wrote much about happiness, rejoicing, joy and gladness
because he knew that:

- The happy Christian would not be a quarrelsome Christian; - The glad Christian
would not be a critical Christian; - The rejoicing Christian would not be a
fussy Christian, but instead would be a fruit-bearing Christian.

There were two women at Philippi who were at "outs" with each other. Paul wisely
and beautifully seeks to tune up their hearts with his beautiful message about
rejoicing before he recommends that they quit their quarrel and become
reconciled so that they may again sing together in the joyful service of the
King.

Paul was a master at soothing souls and healing the hurt of God’s people.

In the case of Philemon and Onesimus you will note how beautifully and wisely he
plays upon the feelings of Philemon, how he arouses a feeling of fellowship and
love, and then presents his petition for Onesimus. So it is in Philippi. He
assures these two quarreling sisters of his love for them, of his desire for
their fellowship and his need of their ministry. In three beautiful chapters, he
opens up his own heart and then very graciously requests that they lay aside
their private complaints and join in with him and with the other saints at
Philippi in the great work of winning souls and blessing saints.

Paul knew that those who present a common front against the enemy and stand firm
with one heart and one soul will not easily fall out with one another. Paul knew
that those who have the mind of Christ do not exhibit the mind of Satan. How
sweetly Paul presents his unanswerable argument in order to cause God’s saints
to love one another and to serve together as with one shoulder (Zephaniah 3:9,
margin). In this happy message Paul speaks very graciously of those who labored
with him in the blessed service of the King. He speaks of Timothy, Clement and
Epaphroditus. He feels also the need of Euodias and Syntyche in this same happy
service. He misses their co-operation. He desires their fellowship, and so he
pleads with them to lay aside their personal troubles and join with God’s saints
in the battle for God.

Let us seek to emulate his example in our own dealings with God’s people.

Each one has some fault or failure. Who does not? None are all that we would
like them to be, but neither are we ourselves. Let us therefore use grace and
patience, wisdom and kindness as we seek to heal the hurt of the daughter of my
people. Let us not widen the breach and deepen the wound. Oil and wine heal much
more effectively than a sword and salt.

~ end of chapter 1 ~

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  CHAPTER 2: 02-CHAPTER TWO UNITY IN CHRIST
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CHAPTER TWO

UNITY IN CHRIST

Unity is exceedingly essential both in worship and in service.

- Unity in the home is necessary for blessing and prosperity. - Unity in
business matters cannot be overlooked without disaster. - Unity in the Church is
an absolute requirement for God’s blessing and spiritual growth.

The Church must be united as the body is united in all its members, as the watch
is united in all its parts, as the tree is united in its branches, twigs, roots
and trunk. Paul writes a great deal about unity because he knew that no one
individual could carry on the work of God successfully by himself. In Php 1:5
Paul speaks of unity in service. It was fellowship in the Gospel that stirred
his heart. It was not merely fellowship in church service as we know it today.
It was not fellowship in church work, church suppers, interchurch athletics,
building programs, or clean-up campaigns. He loved these people because they
were united with him in the blessed business of winning souls. They prayed and
preached, he prayed and preached, and together they rejoiced in the power of the
Gospel of Christ. In Php 1:7 we read that he rejoiced with them because of their
sweet union brought about by the grace of God. They exercised the graces of
Christ among themselves. They forgave one another; they were patient with one
another. They were faithful and true to Paul while he was away from them. Their
lives were filled with grace and this knit them together in heavenly bonds. In
Php 1:14 we learn that Paul’s sufferings were used of the Lord to unite the
saints of Philippi in service. When Christians are busy serving, there is no
time for grumbling. When Christians are pulling together, there is little
opportunity for kicking, biting, or holding back. Paul in his lonely prison cell
rejoiced that his children in the faith had not fallen by the wayside but were
striving to preach Christ and to make known the unsearchable riches of the Lord
of Glory. In Php 1:27 Paul compares the believers at Philippi to those who play
in games. His experience in the Roman games reveals itself clearly in this
passage. The basketball “five,” the baseball “nine,” the football “eleven” work
together.

Each player seeks to fit in perfectly with the actions of the others. Each one
in his position seeks to reach the goal and thwart the enemy. The players do not
stop to criticize one another or complain or find fault. If they did, it would
mean defeat in the game. If they did, the umpire would dismiss them from the
game and put someone in line who would work in co-operation with the other
members of the team. Each player must supplement the other. If the first one
misses the ball or fumbles it, the second player and even the third must go
running to make up for the error and to put out the opponent. The team must
operate like clockwork. There must be unity.

Paul knew also that in the great game of life, in the battle between Satan and
the Lord, between darkness and light, between evil and good, the team standing
for God and for righteousness must work together in perfect coordination and
devoted fellowship. Nothing short of this will do.

Some things may be omitted from the Church but there must be unity or else there
will be defeat and failure. Paul knew it; therefore he impressed it strongly
upon his loved ones in order that they might stand fast, striving together for
the faith of the gospel. Their spirits must be in accord; their minds must be in
agreement; their plans and programs must be coordinated. When this is true,
success will come though there may not be a great deal of knowledge; blessing
will come although the believers may be more or less young in the faith and
somewhat ignorant of the Word. When unity is present, Satan is thwarted, God’s
people are strengthened and the work of the Lord will prosper. In chapter 2 Paul
expresses his desire for unity in humility. Throughout the chapter there is a
call to humbleness of mind. In Php 2:1 the Lord’s people are told to be humble
enough to let the consolation of Christ mend their broken hearts and His love
bring solace for their sadness. They are to be willing to walk in the fellowship
of the Spirit, not in arrogancy and pride. In Php 2:2 the Philippian believers
are exhorted to be willing to think with one another, to be likeminded, willing
to be guided somewhat by the thoughts of other believers. No believer should
elevate himself above others as knowing more than they do. Each one is to have
love for the other. In Php 2:3 Paul warns them about pride, egotism,
self-sufficiency and self-elevation. Pride and love do not go together. Pride
does not make things go smoothly; rather it makes them go very hard. Lowliness
of mind is most essential to successful ministry. No church can prosper if the
leaders are proud, exalt themselves and extol their own virtues. The remedy for
this pride is found in Php 2:4. The Lord’s people are to observe the needs of
others rather than to satisfy their own selfish desires. They are to fit in with
the lives of others, the hearts of others, the minds of others; and this applies
to every man, not just a few. Pride will not be present where hearts are filled
with love for others. Humility will reign where there is love for others. We
must be willing to be a doormat in the palace of the King.

Let us be linked together with all of God’s people in humbleness as Christ
became the Head of the Church through humility. He took the low place, the
humble place, the place of weakness.

He did not grasp after the throne and its power but was willing to be born in a
stable and to die on a cross. Humility leads to exaltation. Humility precedes
promotion. It hurt Paul’s heart because there was not as much humility as there
should have been, for he expresses his feelings in Php 2:21, all seek their own.

Paul expresses his appreciation of Epaphroditus because of his humility. He
tells us in Php 2:25 of the sweet service rendered by this humble man who was
such a great man. Although he was a brother in Christ to Paul, although he was
his partner and fellow soldier, he humbled himself to be a body servant to Paul.
His humility is recorded. The record of his deep desire to serve others occupies
a place in the Word of God. In chapter 3 Paul speaks of unity of purpose.
Beginning at Php 3:2, he declares that there should be purpose of heart to live
a life of separation from false leaders and teachers, and evil workers. Such
people are not to be permitted to teach or minister among God’s people.

There must be purpose of heart also to lay aside the things that would naturally
appeal to our sense of comfort and ease, or even to our spiritual pride. We must
strive to become more like Christ and take advantage of each and every means of
grace.

Paul expressed his purpose and desire in no uncertain language. In Php 3:15 he
links his purpose with theirs and with ours. He desired that all believers be
united in mind and heart. He says, “LET US . . . be perfect . . . and whereto WE
have already attained, LET US walk . . . LET US mind.” He did not keep his
purpose of heart for himself alone. He joined with others so that all together
might seek to grow in grace and become more and more like Christ. We, today,
need also to help one another along this blessed path. In chapter 4 the apostle
states that there is unity in meditation. At the beginning of the chapter he
urges the believers to meditate on the Lord Jesus Himself. He urges these two
quarreling sisters to think about the Lord and not about the failures of each
other. He wanted his fellow laborers to rejoice in the loveliness of their Lord,
His greatness, His power and His sufficiency. In Php 4:6 he exhorts them not to
meditate upon the sorrows and problems of life, but to join their hearts
together in prayer and thanksgiving for answered prayer. Paul knew they would
have perfect peace when they meditated on Christ’s perfect power. In Php 4:8
Paul directs their meditation to the things that are true, honest, just, pure,
lovely, of good report, virtuous and full of praise. If the heart meditates on
such things, then the very presence and fellowship of the God of peace will be
our happy portion. In Php 4:11 Paul reveals that his meditation on the Person
and the work of Christ was quite sufficient to keep him from meditating upon and
grieving over the sorrows of his life. The unity which we have been considering
cannot be obtained or enjoyed unless the Spirit of God conforms us in some
measure to the image of Christ. We are to be like Christ in our manner of
living, as Paul states in Php 1:21.

When we live as He lived, we are in happy union and communion with others of
God’s people. Paul said, “For me to live is Christ,” and again he said, “Christ
liveth in me.” Christ’s lovely, living presence will make us act toward others
as He did, and this will mean sweet unity in the family of God everywhere. In
Php 2:5, we are told to be like Christ in our manner of thinking. The apostle
tells us, “Let this mind be in you.” Again he says, “Think on these things.” We
read in Proverbs, “As he thinketh . . . so is he.” The mind controlled by the
Holy Spirit will think in accordance with God’s will.

Only as the Spirit controls our thoughts will godly unity be maintained with
other believers. This is brought about, as we read in Romans 12:2, by “the
renewing of your mind.” The Spirit does it. When He does not do it, we are
thinking thoughts about our brethren, but which, however, are not wholesome and
conducive to the unity which the Spirit desires. When He controls the thoughts,
then the lips are affected and each expression is controlled. Godly unity is
brought about by godly thinking. In Php 3:7 we are exhorted to be like Christ in
our decisions. Paul decided that nothing was worthwhile except the glory of
Christ. He knew that Christ could not be glorified in dissension and strife;
therefore he exhorts us to be of the same mind, to care for each other’s
welfare, and to think more of others than we do of ourselves. When we choose
that path, we have decided on a path to godly unity which will prevail wherever
we go. You remember that Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the pleasures of Egypt. He made his decision.

Esau made a decision that was calculated to bring a terrible division between
himself and Jacob. Demas by his decision brought a division between himself and
Paul. We must decide according to the will and mind of God, and when we do so,
then we shall find a happy communion and unity with other believers. In Php 4:13
we are exhorted to be like Christ in our manner of performance. When Paul said
that he could do all things through Christ, he meant that he could endure long,
he could live sweetly with those who opposed him, he could bear patiently the
insults heaped upon him. Thus Paul brought much blessing to the people of God
and sent his benediction to all the people of God.

You will notice that when he expressed his love to them and gave his benediction
of grace, mercy, and peace it was ever to all the saints. He omitted none; he
included everyone. By thus showing his love and devotion to every believer he
was able to live in sweet union and communion with them. He reveals to us also
that we, too, may maintain a godly unity and thus bring honor to our blessed
Lord.

~ end of chapter 2 ~

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  CHAPTER 3: 03-CHAPTER THREE FELLOWSHIP IN CHRIST
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CHAPTER THREE FELLOWSHIP IN CHRIST

Fellowship is a uniting of hearts, minds, hopes and aims. Without fellowship we
may go through a form; we may be orthodox in manner and in faith; but it will be
a dry, dead, cold orthodoxy disturbed by frowns, scorns, tumults and tempests.
Fellowship is the oil that makes all the fitted parts operate smoothly. Paul
seemed to like the word “fellowship” for he used it very often in this little
epistle. He realized the necessity of fellowship in Christ if God’s dear people
are to, have sweet communion together. Let us consider what it means to the
heart and life of the child of God. In Php 1:5 Paul speaks of the fellowship in
the gospel. This fellowship filled Paul’s heart with joy. It helped him to be a
happy preacher. It helped him to be a better preacher. It enabled him to preach
with power as he told of the peerless Son of God and of His priceless, precious
blood.

Every time he thought of these dear saints he thought of their fellowship - how
they stood for the truth he stood for and told him so, how they encouraged him
with their prayers and supported him with their money as well as by their words
of encouragement. They helped to make it easy for Paul to endure the sufferings
and the sorrows that came so frequently into his life. Their fellowship in the
Gospel filled him with confidence concerning their spiritual condition. He knew
that backsliders do not show such fellowship. He knew that worldly or quarreling
Christians do not spend much time encouraging the preaching of the Gospel. Their
fellowship proved to him that they were going on for God, growing in grace and
continuing in faith (Php 1:6-7).

Every heart loves fellowship. Paul was no exception, even though he was a famous
and noted preacher. Great men have human hearts just as lesser men. Great men
desire the sweet fellowship that may be given by the most obscure Christian. No
one is independent or self-sufficient. Especially is this true of those who walk
with God. The cheering word from another saint, the comforting suggestions, the
helpful advice, the gracious handshake, the lovely smile - all help the servant
of God on his way over the rough places and enable him to run the race with no
weights about his neck. In Php 2:1 we read of the fellowship of the Spirit. Our
Lord has gone back to glory and has sent another lovely, wonderful, precious
Person to live in us, the Holy Spirit of God.

Paul speaks again of this fellowship in the benediction verse (2 Corinthians
13:14). He desires that the Corinthian saints shall be blessed by this communion
of the Holy Spirit or, in other words, His fellowship. This fellowship has a
wonderful effect upon the soul of the saint, as Paul well knew.

Paul had the unusual privilege of conversing with the Lord Jesus after He went
to heaven. Stephen did also, and so did John as a prisoner. What an honor these
three men had! The Saviour was in glory at the right hand of the Father. The
heavens opened in order that they might see. But for the rest of their lives and
for ours, we walk along the way with this precious other Person of the Trinity,
rejoicing in His fellowship, loving His communion, and with our hearts filled
with glorious visions of our blessed Lord as He unfolds to us His marvelous
graces and beauties. What a fellowship this is!

God has given us a double fellowship. When Paul began to write to the
Corinthians he said, as we read in 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God is faithful, by whom
ye were called unto the FELLOWSHIP of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” When he
wrote to the Corinthians in the Second Epistle, he said “. . . And the communion
of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.” Thus we have a double blessing.

What a privilege and joy it is to walk with this lovely Person, the Holy Spirit,
who has come here to dwell with us and in us.

- He leads us to worship. - He fills our hearts with holy thoughts. - He makes
us of one mind with other believers in adoring the living Christ. He removes
strife and vainglory. - He enables us to have a lowly mind so that we recognize
the gifts and graces in our fellow Christians.

The worst of God’s people have some of the best of God’s graces. No saint of God
is all bad or all wrong. The Spirit of God enables us to look at our brother
through the Shekinah glory; then we can get along with each other without
difficulty. The fellowship of the Spirit enables the mind of Christ to dwell in
us.

- He was the Lord of Glory, yet He thirsted. - He commanded angels and
archangels, yet He lay helpless in the manger. - He communed with the cherubim
and the seraphim from His place on the eternal throne, yet He communed with an
alien woman on the well curb. - He could ride upon the clouds, yet He chose to
ride upon an ass. - He could call the dead out of their graves, yet He permitted
men to place Him in a grave.

“Let this mind be in you.”

Only the Spirit of God can put it there. We never can bring it about, but we can
permit ourselves to be led, taught and filled by this lovely One who has come to
serve the Father and the Son here.

Surely if Christ with all His power, place, position, and authority was willing
to be submerged under the tide of human ignominy, shame, suffering and death,
we, too, can afford to be a door-mat if that is the will of our blessed Lord.
The Holy Spirit brings that about in the heart and mind of the one who walks and
talks with Him. This is confirmed in Php 2:13, where we read that it is God
which worketh in you to bring this about. The results are found in Php 2:14. If
the Spirit of God fills the heart and mind, then there will be no murmuring and
disputing. Where these unhappy things are present, worship ceases.

- We may continue to go through the form of worship, but certainly the heart
will not be in it. - We may say the words, but they will not be inspired. - We
may frame beautiful sentences, but they will only be the golden casket that
contains the corpse of a cold, stiff performance. In Php 3:10 Paul speaks of the
fellowship of his sufferings. Paul opens the inner recesses of his heart and
soul to tell us of the spring, the fountain, the source of His marvelous life of
devotion to God.

Paul wanted to be like Christ, not only in his life, but in his suffering as
well.

- He was willing to take his place by the side of the Lord Jesus and receive the
same treatment that He received. - He was willing to stand with Christ at
Calvary and let them nail him to a cross also.

In fact, he seemed to count it his highest joy to be conformed even to the death
of the One he loved so well and with whom he had such precious fellowship. He
said, “For me to live is Christ.”

He wanted to lose his own identity. He desired to be entirely wrapped up in his
lovely Lord, even if it meant death.

- He wanted to be with Christ as they crowned Him with thorns, and have the
thorns on his own brow. - He wanted to be with Christ as they lashed His back,
and receive the lashes on his own back. - He wanted to be with the Saviour as
they bound His hands and feet, and have them bind his own hands and feet with
cruel Roman chains.

He was so much in love with Christ Jesus his Lord that he wished to be
identified with Him in every movement, every punishment, every detail of
suffering.

He wanted to be like Jesus.

We sometimes sing, “I would be like Jesus,” but:

- We are not thinking of His rejection, the sneers and jeers that were hurled at
Him -. We are not thinking of His experience with no place to lay His head, the
long night hours on the mountainside, the false accusations brought against Him.
- We are not thinking of His arrest and of the treatment He received from the
traitor Judas, and from His best friend, Peter.

When we sing, “I would be like Jesus” we are not thinking of the mob that mocked
Him, spit upon Him, struck Him in the side, tore the hair from His face, and
then nailed Him to Calvary; but Paul was. He wanted to have the same attitude
toward life and death that Jesus had. He wanted to have the same attitude toward
suffering and sorrow and loss that Jesus had.

Paul wanted to experience everything that Jesus experienced in regard to His
friends, His enemies, Satan and God the Father. Paul wanted to feel toward
sinners as the Saviour felt when He cried out, “Father, forgive them; for they
know not what they do,” or when in the midst of anguish He said, “Today shalt
thou be with me in paradise.”

Fellowship means union and communion. Fellowship is a deep, sweet attachment.
Fellowship means a giving and taking of a loving heart. Paul wanted to know the
fullness, the depth, the breadth and the length and height of the sufferings of
his adorable Lord. In chapter 4 Paul brings before us the sweet fellowship of
trust in the living, loving God. He very wisely and graciously avoids a direct
scolding of the two quarrelsome women mentioned in Php 4:2. But he tells us
through the chapter how blessed it is to trust in our Lord individually and
collectively, which will make it impossible for such a quarrel to continue.

Notice in Php 4:4 that he calls upon us to rejoice, and repeats it. One will not
rejoice in the Lord if he is doubting Him. Only when there is perfect trust do
we have fellowship with one another and fellowship with God. If a shadow comes
so that the trust is removed, then the quarrel begins. In Php 4:5 he admonishes
us not to ride a hobby, because that is not trust, nor to command God’s people,
for neither is that trust. God did not send us to enforce His Word but only to
preach it. He did not send us to stress one subject and try to make everybody
else believe as we believe. If our trust is in the Word of God, the Son of God
and the Spirit of God, then we will be sweetly moderate and graciously kind to
all men. We will realize that our blessed Lord is standing near, watching,
listening and waiting to take the task out of our hands and handle it Himself.

It is only when we trust that we are careful for nothing. Worry and trust do not
go together. They are antagonistic. They are opposed. When we trust we do not
worry, and when we worry we do not trust. How sweet it is to tell the story of
our problems to the living Lord, then trust Him to take care of them. If this
problem happens to be a church problem, then God’s dear people will have sweet
fellowship together as they leave the solution with the God of heaven. If,
however, some seek to enforce it themselves, there is discord instead of
concord. In Php 4:8 we are exhorted to trust our fellow Christians. We are to
think upon the beautiful traits in their lives and not be obsessed with their
faults. We are to be possessed with their virtues, not their vices. We should
not misjudge them nor gossip about them. We should trust them and trust our
Father, the Shepherd of the sheep, and the Teacher of the Word, all three to
deal blessedly with each Christian heart.

We should trust in regard to temporal things, as Paul tells us in Php 4:11-13.
Leave the finances with God. Trust Him to move the hearts of His people to do
for us and provide for us because we are His children. Like Paul, trust Him to
supply the needs of others, as we read in Php 4:19. Such trust will spread to
others, as it did on the ship when Paul proclaimed, “Sirs, be of good cheer: for
I believe God.”

Those who live lives of sweet, simple trust are a blessing to the Church. They
are peacemakers. They enrich the hearts of the people. They are dependable. They
help both sides. They love to lift the burdens and dry the tears. What a sweet
fellowship is produced when we trust our Lord to take care of His people and
trust rather than suspect one another.

Philippians is a book of fellowship. Let us seek grace from heaven to enrich our
fellowship so that we shall have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness but shall have a great abundance of fellowship with the fruits of
righteousness, the children of light and that precious One who is the Light of
the world.

~ end of chapter 3 ~

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  CHAPTER 4: 04-CHAPTER FOUR REJOICING IN CHRIST
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CHAPTER FOUR REJOICING IN CHRIST

Philippians is indeed a book of rejoicing. That is one of the miracles of the
book. How could Paul rejoice when he was shut out from preaching, shut away from
those he loved, confined by a chain and hindered from the comforts of life?
There is only one answer: Paul was IN THE LORD.

Twelve times in this short letter Paul speaks of rejoicing, and he speaks of JOY
six times, so that the book is a bouquet of sweetness from the heart of one who
is being crushed beneath the Roman yoke.

He had learned the blessed secret of living IN THE LORD. He was surrounded by
the Lord and therefore was not interested in prison bars.

- The Lord’s presence filled him with fragrance and sweetness so that he was not
affected by the foul odors of the prison. - He fed upon the living Bread and
drank the living Water; therefore he was not crushed by the sight of prison
walls and stone floors. - He heard the voice of his Master and was not confused
by the voices of the prisoners. - He lived and walked and rejoiced IN THE LORD
JESUS.

No matter in what circumstance he found himself, he found something over which
to rejoice. He had many things to make him sad but more things to make him glad.
In chapter 1, we see that Paul rejoiced in fellowship. He was joyful in prayer,
(Php 1:4). He could rejoice as he prayed because of the sweet knowledge of the
fellowship of the saints at Philippi in his service and in his sufferings. The
happy heart always prays best and preaches best. Paul was thankful, and this
thankful spirit made his heart happy. He encouraged the believers’ hearts by
telling them about it.

Some Christians make us sad when we think of them and of their actions. Some
make it difficult for us to be happy in the Lord. Their looks, actions, failure
to cooperate and opposition to progress tend to make the heart heavy and the
spirit weary. These Philippian saints, however, had the opposite effect upon
Paul. He thought of them with gladness. He prayed for them with joy, and he
rejoiced in the memory of their fellowship. In Php 1:18 we find one of the
secrets of Paul’s happy heart. Christ was being preached and he loved Christ.
Christ was being exalted and Paul had given his life for the exaltation of
Christ. The people were hearing what Christ could do and that filled Paul’s
heart with ecstasy, for he knew what Christ could do.

Paul was not occupied with the vessel that held the living water but only with
the administering of that life-giving stream. He did not care whether the spoon
that dished up the honey was made of brass, bone, or gold. He was glad that the
people were getting the honey of the Gospel, and so he rejoiced. God grant that
each of us may have this great undimmed vision of the power of Christ, the
blessed miracle-working power of the Gospel, and may get our eyes off the
instrument so that we, too, may rejoice that Christ is preached. In Php 1:25, we
find that Paul was interested in seeing that the Philippian saints were happy
Christians. He was confident that his Lord would permit him to remain for a
while so that their joy would be full. Some ministers make us miserable; some
make us doubtful; some make us resentful; but Paul’s ministry would make them
joyful. He would add to their faith and help lift the load from the heart, and
bring the song of worship and the oil of gladness instead of the spirit of
heaviness. Paul’s ministry would make the flowers grow where the weeds of
discontent had flourished. His ministry would give them to see the power of the
Lord Jesus over their besetting circumstances. In Php 1:26 Paul assured the
believers at Philippi that his ministry would give them more abundant joy in
Jesus Christ. He would not be satisfied with a halfway measure, just a wee
little bit of joy, just a smile once in a while. He would have the wells of
salvation cleaned out, the flow of sweet living water increased, until a river
would flow from their hearts. God grant that all of us who preach may have more
joy in our ministry and bring more gladness to those who listen.

He knew that there would be adversaries (Php 1:28) and suffering (Php 1:29) and
conflict (Php 1:30), but in the midst of all of this he would so minister to
them that they would have abundant joy in their souls and a supply of gladness
in their hearts.

Chapter 2 reveals that Paul rejoiced in the unity of God’s people. He starts in
Php 2:2 by telling them that if they wish to make him as happy as he wants to
be, they should be of one mind and one heart in the things of the Lord. That
always brings joy to the servant of God.

It is exceedingly depressing to minister when the congregation is pulling in
opposite directions and when the members are at “outs” with one another,
faultfinding and critical. How can one lead a flock or a herd when they are
fighting and fussing among themselves? It hurt Paul’s heart that Euodias and
Syntyche were antagonistic. Of course, each one of them had friends and the
friends had taken sides, so that there was serious trouble, and Paul’s heart was
feeling the hurt of it. He needed their fellowship. He wanted their assistance.
He desired their co-operation, and he wrote the whole book in order that he
might get it. I suppose we might say that God turned that liability, the
liability of their quarrel, into an asset for us.

We might not have had this book of Philippians if they had not quarreled. Let us
learn from this that none of us is a quarrel unto himself. When we are
quarreling with another we are hurting many. A little root of bitterness may
defile a large company. We should bring joy to the heart of those who are our
guides and shepherds, and not make their path hard and difficult. In Php 2:16
Paul indicates that his joy was affected by the growth of this Church of God. If
they united in holding forth the Word of Life, then he would rejoice in the
coming day of judgment. If he could see this group of believers gathered around
the Saviour in the glory after having lived a life of sweet unity and godly
service, that would bring joy to his heart as the shepherd of the flock. If they
did not run well together, nor work with each other, it would hinder and affect
his joy most adversely. He would rejoice if he saw them ministering to saint and
sinner with the precious life-giving Word. If, however, they failed to do so and
ceased running the race in order to bicker and fuss with one another, his heart
would be heavy and his spirit sad. In Php 2:17 he speaks of a different kind of
joy. In this instance, Paul would have these Philippians with him to the
uttermost limit in growing in grace, in learning the Word and in ministering to
others.

He does not care if they pour him out as a drink offering; he does not care if
they use all his service and ministry to the very limit. He would willingly die
for them or live for them if by any sacrifice he might make they would be
brought nearer to God and become more useful in the service of the King. What a
great heart Paul had! He had no thought of his own comfort but only of their
happiness. In Php 2:28 he reveals that his joy is still concerned with them. He
would send Epaphroditus to them so they could hear from his labors, how he was
getting on, and how the Lord had graciously restored Epaphroditus to health
again. He would willingly do without the presence and fellowship of Epaphroditus
if by sending him to Philippi their hearts would be made glad. What a
self-denying preacher, what a self-effacing shepherd was this master mind Paul!
In chapter 3 we see that Paul rejoiced in humility. In Php 3:1 he calls them to
forget their surroundings, persecutions, oppositions and local quarrels and be a
singing, happy group IN CHRIST.

In Php 3:3 he reminds them again that their rejoicing must be in the Lord and
not in their circumstances. They are not to depend upon men, for if they do,
their hearts will be disappointed and they will have tears instead of joy. If
they will take the low place so that their feelings will not be hurt and if they
will look not at the things which are seen but at that blessed, lovely Lord who
is unseen, then they will keep singing and serving with happy hearts and joyful
lips.

Those who are proud and self-sufficient, independent and egotistical, stiff and
hard are not usually fruitful in the service of our lovely, lowly Lord. Christ
is on the throne highly exalted, but the exaltation followed the humility. If
the mind of Christ is in us, the heart of Christ will be in us. Then we will
abide in Him in sweet humility and rejoice in Him rather than complain about our
circumstances, our associations, or our friends. In chapter 4 we see that Paul
rejoiced in attainment. They were his joy. With what feelings of exultation a
mother watches her famous son receive the Congressional Medal of Honor! With
what gladness does the teacher see her pupil win the silver cup! So Paul felt,
as he looked forward to the day of Christ when these lovely saints whom he had
taught, comforted, trained and ministered unto would receive their reward and
the approval of their Lord.

Having said all of these lovely things, he now turns to these two Christian
girls and asks them to join with him in the deep desire for the happiness of all
the saints at Philippi. They knew in themselves that they were not happy. There
could not be joy in their hearts while they were quarreling. Paul knew also that
possibly their difficulties were of such a character that they could not find a
happy solution. Therefore, they should lay aside this particular quarrel, wrap
themselves up in Christ, have the mind of Christ and love each other as
believers.

He cannot drop this subject of joy; so immediately after pleading with them he
says, and no doubt for their benefit, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I
say, Rejoice” (Php 4:4).

Paul was wise. He knew that if he could get these two girls to sing about the
loveliness of their Lord, they would soon forget their difficulties. He
emphasizes the rejoicing by repeating it the second time, and then in order to
further help these women he tells them to be full of care about nothing (Php
4:6).

If their prayers and supplications were filled with thankfulness, then peace
would fill their hearts, God’s own peace, and if their minds were occupied with
those eight beautiful graces found in verse 8, they would be rejoicing
Christians instead of faultfinding Christians.

Again Paul’s joy is expressed because he had attained to the place of
contentment, whether he had much or little (Php 4:11).

This is a wonderful attainment. Not many reach this place. Paul could rejoice
and their gifts had added to his joy when he was in this far-off prison. So Paul
closes this lovely story with the joy of attainment in contentment. How blessed
it would be if all of us could have this same sweet experience and sing in the
storm and rejoice in the rain!

~ end of chapter 4 ~

***


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  CHAPTER 5: 05-CHAPTER FIVE THE HUMILITY OF CHRIST
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CHAPTER FIVE THE HUMILITY OF CHRIST The Apostle Paul was so drawn to Christ and
so much in love with Him that his great ambition, as expressed in the third
chapter, was to be like Christ in his life and in his death. This deep feeling
of his heart is brought out in every chapter in this book. He calls to the
believers to imitate him in this blessed anticipation and expectation. He had a
deep desire to see the saints at Philippi respond to the call of the Spirit to
become more and more like the Saviour.

- He calls them to be like Christ in every aspect of life, in every circumstance
and in every condition. - He calls them to be united in Christ as the Father and
the Son are united, as the members of the body are united, as the family is
united. - He calls them to walk in sweet fellowship with Christ as the disciples
did, as the angels do, as the Father and the Son are in fellowship with each
other. - He calls upon them to rejoice in Christ, to fill the home with Him, to
love His very presence just because of who He is, to rejoice because they belong
to Christ and He belongs to them.

These calls to the saints are echoed and re-echoed from his blessed pen
throughout the four chapters of the book.

Perhaps the climax is found in Php 2:5-7. What an unusual mind our blessed Lord
had in that He made himself of no reputation. This was a miracle. No one else in
all the world could do it.

- Michelangelo painted beautifully and was an unusually skillful sculptor. He
made his reputation with no effort on his part, for his gift could not be
hidden. - Mendelssohn was a master musician. His skill became widely known and
he was greatly honored. - Burbank was a plant wizard. His reputation spread far
and wide because of his wonderful work in developing plants, vegetables and
fruits. - Edison became known throughout the world for his wonderful discoveries
in the field of electricity. Wherever he went his reputation preceded him. -
Napoleon was a wonderful warrior. Many volumes have been written about his
person and work. - Dr. James Young Simpson became famous for his introduction of
chloroform to the medical profession in England. - General Goethals built the
Panama Canal and has a place in history for that mighty achieve-ment.

All of these men were men of reputation.

Christ Jesus, however, paints the beautiful sunset with colored tints and
multicolored rays. The clouds are lined with silver and the winter sky becomes a
halo of glory, yet no one speaks of Jesus as the painter who so marvelously
mixes and mingles His colors.

Christ Jesus gave the song to the canary and to the lark. He makes the wind to
sing through the trees; gives a beautiful singing voice to many men and women,
has made the strings to vibrate in such ratio as will cause them to blend in
beautiful harmony, yet He has no reputation as a musician.

Christ made the blushing peach, the beautiful apple with its delightful tints,
the juicy orange, the nutritious potato and all other fruits and vegetables, but
no one speaks of Him as a plant wizard.

Christ made the lights to hang in the heavens and made all the forms of light
that there are, yet He has no such reputation as Edison among the scientists.

Christ has directed the wars of the ages, making it possible for a small army of
His people to defeat a huge army of His enemies, yet no one ever speaks of Him
in glowing tones as a mighty strategist or a marvelous warrior.

Christ gives sweet sleep as the shadows fall. The birds tuck their heads beneath
their wings and sleep throughout the night; the animals lie down to rest; human
bodies relax in restful slumber, but He has no reputation as a sleep-giver as
Dr. Simpson has.

Christ made the Royal Gorge and the Grand Canyon which fill men’s eyes with
admiration and their lips with praise as they gaze upon His marvelous work, yet
He has no reputation as an engineer such as General Goethals has.

Dr. Zeiss designed wonderful lenses and became world famous, but Jesus made the
most perfect lens of all, the eye of the eagle and the eye of man. It contracts
and expands with the light with no conscious adjustment on our part. It
accommodates for far distance or near-by objects and needs no regulation by the
human hand. In all of this, the Saviour gets no glory whatever, for he made
himself of no reputation. The surgeon replaces a bit of bone or performs a
grafting operation on the skin. He becomes well and favorably known for his
ability to handle the human body. Christ Jesus made the human body, designed it,
fastened it, gave it life, sustains it and makes it work, yet we listen in vain
for any word of praise to Him. He made himself of no reputation.

Christ, the mighty Monarch of the eternal ages, made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant that He might save man. This is an
astounding fact and a truth not seen elsewhere in human experience.

The One who created man and made all the marvelous tendons, muscles, joints,
sinews and every part of the foot is seen sitting on the floor washing the
soiled feet of twelve men. The One who made the gold, the silver, nickel,
aluminum, platinum, magnesium, iron and copper is seen one day asking for a
penny.

- It is as though the King of England should lay aside his royal robes, put on a
pair of overalls, and be found sweeping the streets in the slums of London. - It
is as though the Commander-in-Chief of the Army should lay aside his uniform and
be found in an old ragged suit, carrying a box over his shoulder, and stopping
to shine the shoes of people sitting in the park. - It is as though the
Commodore of the Fleet should lay aside his position on the bridge and be found
stoking coal deep down in the hold of the vessel. - It is as though the Chairman
of the Board of Directors of a great banking institution should be found in
workman’s clothes, polishing the brass on the front door of the bank.

None of these illustrations adequately express the great condescension of our
wonderful Lord.

- He who communed with angels stopped in His journey to converse with a poor
woman at the well. - He who rode upon a storm and for whom the clouds became the
dust of His feet rode upon an ass into Jerusalem. - This One who commanded the
host of heaven took the little children in His arms to bless them. - This One
who was the Author of life became the subject of death. - This One who dwelt in
light unapproachable and was surrounded with the glory of heaven endured the
shame of the Cross and the darkness of Calvary at midday for he took upon him
the form of a servant. This great and lovely Christ became the center of Paul’s
vision so that his life was given in order that Christ might be preached and
that Christ might be lived and that Christ might be honored. Paul rejoiced if
Christ was preached. No other one could save the soul. No other one was worth
preaching about. No one else could give life. Paul knew this. He reveled in it.
He wanted others to know it, and when even his enemies preached Christ, his soul
was glad for His desires were accomplished.

Paul rejoiced if Christ was lived. He wanted all the world to see the beauty of
the life of Christ. He wanted everyone to know the virtues that were in Christ
as they were manifested in human lives. Not only could he say, “For me to live
is Christ,” but he wanted all the saints at Philippi to say it, too. He wanted
the life of Christ to be multiplied and magnified. No other life is worth
living. No other life is worth imitating. No other life is so attractive.

Paul rejoiced if Christ was known. His desire was to know Christ above all else
and to make Him known above all else. This knowledge would last for eternity.

- This knowledge believed would fill the soul with gladness and the life with
holiness. - This knowledge accepted would transform those who found it.

He knew that every problem could be solved in Christ Jesus if only they knew
Him. Paul realized the great and boundless blessings that followed the knowledge
of God in Christ Jesus. This knowledge was so wonderful and so valuable that
Paul rejected everything else. He refused all else in order that he might know
him, and the power of his resurrection.

Paul rejoiced if Christ was honored. He wanted to see his Lord made Lord of all.
He wanted the Lord to be the chief among ten thousand, greater than anyone else
and more attractive than everyone else. Christ must have no competition in
Paul’s plan. He must be wholly supreme. All lives must be conformed to His life.
All hearts must yield the throne to His beneficent reign.

Paul would have Christ look wonderful to every seeking soul. Christ must be
magnified by Paul and in Paul and through Paul. Then Paul would rejoice. His
desires were fulfilled, his heart hunger was satisfied. Prison bars became
palace walls when Christ filled his vision. Prison fare became heavenly manna
when Paul saw the Saviour he exalted and blessed and honored.

Thus we see that the book of Philippians expresses Paul’s feelings about the One
he had met on the Damascus road and all of this blessed revelation of Paul’s
heart was probably given in order to win the hearts of Euodias and Syntyche.

- If they could only partake of his vision, they would no longer see the faults
in each other. - If they could only be filled with these same desires, no longer
would selfishness rule and criticism reign. - If only their hopes and ambitions
could be centered in Christ as his were, then these two Christian girls would
spend their time in magnifying the Lord, glorifying Christ, spreading His
precious Gospel, and thus the quarrel would cease.

What a blessed remedy this is for everything that is wrong in human hearts and
lives! God grant that each of us shall be partakers of these same graces,
desires and ambitions.

~ end of chapter 5 ~

***


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  CHAPTER 6: 06-CHAPTER SIX CHRIST EXALTED
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CHAPTER SIX

CHRIST EXALTED

Paul was in love with Christ. Ever since that blinding flash of light on the
Damascus road, Paul could see no one else but the Lord Jesus, His glorious
Person and His wonderful work.

Paul, like David, set the Lord always before his face (Psalms 16:8). Because of
this, the Lord set Paul always before His face (Psalms 41:12). Paul loved the
Lord who permitted him to be put in prison. Christ had so won Paul’s heart that
he loved Him for everything He did. He never found fault, though the stripes
were on his back and the chains were on his wrists. In each chapter in
Philippians, Paul exalts the Lord Jesus in glowing terms.

Surely as we read this book we shall want to sing, “What a wonderful Saviour is
Jesus my Lord.”

- After the first chapter we will sing, “Jesus saves.” - After the second
chapter we will sing, “But I know whom I have believed.” - After the third we
will sing, “Following Jesus ever day by day,” - At the end of the fourth, we
shall burst out with that coronation anthem, “All Hail the Power of Jesus’
Name.” In chapter 1 Christ is preached. Notice in Php 1:15 that there are
various kinds of preachers, but each one is preaching the same lovely Lord. As
long as the people hear about Christ, Paul is happy. He knows what Christ will
do. He knows that Christ will save. He knows His saving power and the cleansing
blood. He has experienced the presence of the Lord and knows His beauty and
loveliness. As long as the right medicine is given, Paul is not concerned with
the kind of spoon that feeds it nor the hand that holds it. It is the medicine
that will do the work and the medicine that every human heart needs is the love
story of this lovely Lord. Paul could discern the spirit that was behind the
message. It is always so. The audience knows whether the speaker feels his
message or is merely giving a lecture on some interesting subject. A lecturer
under a chautauqua tent was giving a marvelous description of France. He told of
the beautiful scenery, the great enterprises, the culture of the people, the
military might, the educational advantages.

When he finished he asked if anyone in the audience would like to ask a question
on the subject. An elderly woman rose near the back of the tent and said,
“Please, sir, tell us how you felt when you sailed away from your beloved
France, saw the hills fade in the distance, and realized that perhaps you would
never see those shores again.” The speaker appeared confused. He hesitated. The
woman remained on her feet, waiting for the reply. After a few embarrassing
moments, the man said, “I am sorry, lady, but I never was in France.”

She replied, “I suspected that was the case, for you talked as one giving a
lecture and not as one who had had the experience.” So it was with Paul. He
could sense the spiritual temper. Let us remember as we preach that those who
listen know whether the message is coming from our lips or from our heart.

Paul rejoiced when he heard his Lord well spoken of under adverse conditions.
How beautifully he expresses his feelings in Php 1:18. His heart was set on the
preaching of Christ. He wanted to do it himself. He wanted others to do it. He
knew that Christ was God’s answer for every human heartbreak and every problem
of man. Not only did he want Christ talked about but he wanted Christ to live
again in him in such a way that his body would be like a magnifying glass to
make Christ look more wonderful, more blessed, more precious, more marvelous and
more sufficient. He wanted Christ to be magnified by every possible means in
him. There are many things to hinder in this path, but there are many things to
augment and facilitate also. It seems to be entirely a matter of the heart,
doesn’t it?

When the heart is bent, set and firmly fixed on magnifying Christ, the center of
the soul’s affection, then the beautiful life of Christ is manifested in our
moral bodies as the Holy Spirit enables. In chapter 2 Christ is revealed. What a
description Paul gives of this lovely Lord! He tells us of the mind of Christ,
the place Christ occupies, the feelings Christ had toward God the Father, the
decisions He made about His reputation, the attitude He took toward men in all
their wickedness and sin, the humbleness of Himself and the obedience to that
worst of all enemies, the death on the Cross.

Those who know Christ best love Him best. Those who enter deepest into the
humiliation of our precious Lord rejoice the most in His exaltation. Paul
realized that those who know Christ best will follow Him the closest. He knew
that if we were occupied with the loveliness of Christ, we would have little use
for the apparent needs of ourselves.

- To see Christ in His humility is most effective in humbling ourselves. - To
see Christ highly exalted makes us desire to kneel at His feet in utter devotion
and consecration.

So Paul sought to reveal Christ in word and in deed.

Paul answers some very important questions in verses Php 2:6-8.

Did Christ live before He was born of Mary? Yes, He had a pre-natal, glorious
throne life.

Was Christ God during that time? Yes, He was in the very form of God, exercised
all the prerogatives of God, and had in Himself all the attributes of God.

But Christ had such a wonderful spirit of humility and such a deep love for man
that He was willing to leave the throne for a while and come down and mingle
with us in all of our sorrow, shame and suffering. He knew that the journey
would be filled with every heartache and sorrow and that the Cross was the end
of the road. He knew that men would spit in His face and prove their utter
wickedness by their treatment of the loveliest Person that ever walked the
earth. Even though He knew all this, He did not grasp after the throne, nor
covet staying up there as the God of Power. He preferred to come and be the
Prince of Peace.

How Christ humbled Himself or emptied Himself we do not know. He still
manifested His eternal Godhead both in His preaching and in His miracles. No man
ever spake as He spake. No man performed as He performed, although in the Old
Testament Elijah and Elisha both raised the dead. Elisha caused the iron to
swim; Elisha fed a large multitude with a small portion of food. Still, none of
these claimed to do it of himself. Nor did anyone continue to do so except in
the single instance. Christ gave them the power to do it. Christ was doing it
through them. Christ could do it continually, anywhere, anytime and of His own
sovereign will.

How, then, did He humble Himself? His glory was manifested on the Mount of
Transfiguration when from His raiment and from His precious body there issued
those brilliant rays of white light above the brightness of the sun, the
greatest light God created, and above the whiteness that the fuller could
produce, the best of man’s creation.

- He spoke and the multitude fell backward. - He spoke and the storm ceased. -
He spoke and the tree withered.

His Godhead was manifested constantly in the animal kingdom, the vegetable
kingdom, the mineral kingdom and the celestial kingdom.

He did lay aside His glorious power. He did become a weak little baby. He did
eat and drink as other men do and was tempted in all points like as we, yet
completely without any sign or response of sin. This is the Christ that we know.
This is the One we trust, love, follow and obey. He is God’s eternal Son.

Now we turn aside for a little while from the exaltation of our blessed Lord and
note that He is our pattern. We are to be like Him. He is to fill us, manage us
and distinguish us from others.

Paul had much to boast of in his own religion. He gives a list of eight virtues
which would be considered as assets by his fellow men.

He was circumcised, an Israelite, a Benjamite, a Hebrew, a zealous Pharisee,
blameless before the law of God and persecuting that which he considered to be
opposed to God. The world would call him an ideal Christian, but he did not know
Christ. He did not believe in Christ. He was opposed to Christ. He did not want
to have Christ preached or trusted.

Then one day he met Christ. What a chance took place! He had heard about Christ,
but now he heard Christ Himself. Christ had revealed Himself to Paul and Paul
was never the same again. From that time on, He was the pattern of Paul’s life.
Paul wanted to be like Christ in His life, in His death, in His preaching, in
His sufferings. Christ was his sample, his example, his pattern, his goal, his
objective.

All these other assets were reckoned liabilities. He counted them loss, dung,
refuse, garbage, trash and ashes. Nothing now was worthwhile except to be like
Christ. He wanted his thoughts brought into subjection to Christ. He even wanted
to be crucified like Christ and to die as He died. Paul was fascinated,
attracted and entranced by that marvelous Man of Galilee, the Christ of the
Cross, the Lord on His throne in glory. He had seen the face of Jesus and cared
for nought beside.

- He wanted to know Christ intimately. - He wanted to know the power of the
resurrected Christ in his own life. - He wanted to enter fully into the secret,
sacred thoughts of Christ in regard to His suffering for sinners and His
becoming a Substitute for wicked men. - Paul wanted to be poured into the very
mold of Christ. - He wanted to be soft and responsive to receive the very
imprint of the Lord Jesus Christ in the mint of God.

Everywhere Paul went, he wanted people to see Christ Jesus. He said, “Not I, but
Christ.”

- “Not I” in business or law. - “Not I” in pleasure or in the home. - “Not I” in
religion or social service.

He hid himself in Christ Jesus. Paul “put on” Christ so that the life of Jesus
was manifested in his body.

He told the Philippian saints that they could have this same attitude if they
wanted it. In Php 2:15 he gives them the formula. Paul realized that everyone
would not want Christ to be his pattern. Some would have their minds on the
great men of earth and would want to be like them.

He knew that we are affected by those who are greater than we. Paul exposed
himself to Christ so that in his thoughts, affections and purposes he was a
follower of the Lamb. The Lord grant that we, too, may have such a holy desire.
In chapter 4 Christ is supreme. In Php 4:13 Paul feels himself almost omnipotent
in and through Christ Jesus. With Christ dwelling in him, he can accomplish
anything, is afraid of nothing.

- In Christ he has learned how to be abased as Christ was and to be exalted as
He was. - In Christ he has learned to be full of care about nothing whatever.

Did he float about in the sea after the shipwreck? Then he sang the praise of
the Lord who “plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm.” Was he
smitten with thirty-nine stripes? Then he sang about his Lord who carried the
burden of sin from the shoulders of the wicked world on His own blessed back.
Was he beaten by the mob? He was in perfect peace as he sought to tell his
tormenters about the precious Saviour who saves.

He knew how to pray to a God who knew how to answer. If the answer was “no,”
Paul rejoiced. He had absolute confidence in the wisdom and knowledge of God. He
did not question God’s decision or resent God’s answer. He had met the Prince of
Peace. He knew the God of Peace and the lovely King of Peace was with him
wherever he went.

He urges the Philippian saints to rejoice continually in this mighty Lord of
their lives. Because Christ is supreme, His people may always rejoice in Him.
Because Christ is the Sovereign, we will never be disappointed, discouraged, nor
cast down. Christ rules the raging sea. Christ controls the elements. Christ is
Lord of lords so that no lord can mistreat us unless our Lord permits.

Every need may be met, as we read in Php 4:19, because Christ is so rich. He
gives liberally to enrich us, but His abundant giving does not impoverish Him in
the least. He gives and gives and the supply is exhaustless. The assets are
always sufficient. No wonder Paul had peace. We shall have peace, too, if we
learn to rest in the sufficiency of the Almighty Lord Jesus Christ.

~ end of chapter 6 ~

***


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  CHAPTER 7: 07-CHAPTER SEVEN EXPECTATIONS FROM CHRIST
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CHAPTER SEVEN EXPECTATION FROM CHRIST The Psalmist said, “My expectation is from
him” (Psalms 62:5). It is a tonic for the heart to be always in an attitude and
a spirit of expectancy. Some of God’s people never expect God to do anything.
Some also never expect God’s people to do anything. Paul was not in this class.
He was full of expectancy and hope. He believed that God’s people would grow in
grace and would show a fruitful life because of his ministry.

Paul did not expect to find midgets and runts among the saints of God. He gave
them the sincere milk of the word. They drank it in and so they grew and fruit
abounded. We shall, in this message, consider some of the things that he
expected from these Philippian saints. In chapter 1 we see that he expected more
love from their hearts, more progress in their lives, more prayer in their
devotions, and more cooperation in their ministries.

Php 1:9 reveals that he expected their love to grow, increase and abound. He
expected it to be a sensible and intelligent love based on knowledge and
discernment. The Lord wants us to love fervently, truly and constantly, but it
is to be a love for right things, a pure love which will have the approval of
the Lord.

If we love God’s people, we do not criticize them nor berate them. We seek to
help them, encourage them and build them up in the most holy faith.

If we love our Bibles, we do not neglect them, nor read them carelessly, nor
indifferently. We listen to the voice of God through the sacred page and seek
grace from heaven to put it into practice.

If we love the Church, we do not find fault with it, but rather seek a remedy
for that which seems to be wrong. We seek to be a helper instead of a boss. We
work for it, not against it. In referring to the activities of the Church, we
say “we,” not “they.” When we love the Church we seek to be identified with all
of its interests and all of its projects. Love heals the wounds; love bridges
the gap; love quiets the turmoil.

No wonder Paul expected their love to increase, for he knew they desired all
these blessings. In Php 1:10 we see that Paul expected them to be discerning
Christians so that they would know what was of God and what was not; what came
from heaven and what did not; what message was inspired by the Spirit and what
was not.

He wanted them to be true in their testimony, and not be hypocrites. He wanted
their whole Christian life to be sincere, just, true, wholehearted and upright
in every respect. He expected that the ministry of the Word which he had given
them, plus the ministry of others, plus their own study, plus their helpful
counsel to one another, would produce this desired result.

Php 1:19 shows that he expected them to pray efficient and effectual prayers. He
knew they were praying people and that they prayed for him. He knew he would
have many deliverances and be saved many heartbreaks and heartaches because they
prayed. He knew that because they prayed the Spirit would work. What a
confidence! What a reputation they had with this great man of God!

Php 1:27 tells us that he expected more cooperation. He knew that if they loved
one another and prayed for one another, they would work together blessedly and
successfully. He expected this to be the case. He was not disappointed. They
were good givers, both of themselves and of their substance, to the work of the
Lord.

Chapter 2 reveals that he expected to see more unity among them, more
unselfishness, more worship, more effort.

Php 2:2 indicates that Paul expected unity of thought and love. In Php 2:4, we
see that he expected unselfishness. Perhaps some were looking on their own
things. We know that Euodias and Syntyche wanted their own way. Perhaps those
who sided with these two were also selfish and wanted their own way.

Those who enlist in the army or the navy expect to abide by rules and
regulations. There is no thought of sulking if one cannot have his own way. So
it should be in the things of God. There must be unselfishness if we would see
success crown the efforts and our Lord’s smile resting upon His people.

Php 2:10 tells us that Paul was looking forward to that day when every knee
shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. What a scene that
will be and what a hope it is!

- The atheist will bow the knee to the Man whom he despised. - The modernist
will find that Jesus Christ is Lord and is God. - The agnostic will see that it
was fatal to him not to know the Son of God. - The worldling will bow both knees
to the Man whom he condemned to die. - Pilate, too, will confess that the Man
whom he rejected is the Man whom God exalted. - The indifferent and the careless
will bow and confess.

What a blessing it will be in that day, and Paul expected to see it. In Php 2:12
we see that Paul expected more effort to be put forth by the saints of God. He
wanted them to work well for the Lord, whether he was there or not, whether
there were special meetings or regular meetings. He wanted them to study the
Word, teach the Word and win souls just as much in his absence as in his
presence. He expected them to follow the inner urge of the Holy Spirit and spend
and be spent for the honor and glory of the Lord Jesus. He looked forward to a
good report concerning their efforts. In Php 2:16 we find that he expected more
preaching and perhaps better preaching. They were to hold forth the word of
life. All of them were to do it; each of them was to do it. They were to do it
constantly, wisely and helpfully. They were not to hold forth theology as such.
They were not to paint only pictures of heavenly things. They were to hold out
for the hungry hearts of the people the precious Word of God; fresh, not stale;
soft, not hard; in abundance, not scantily; freely, not grudgingly.

He expected them to find troubled hearts and then to use the Word of Life in the
way in which those hearts needed it. What a blessed expectation on the part of
this great leader of God’s people! In chapter 3 we find that Paul expected grace
and growth. Php 3:2 reveals that he desired more carefulness on their part. He
wanted them to discern wisely and to know when things savored of God and when
they did not.

Php 3:9 indicates Paul’s desire for more holiness in his own life. He wanted to
be where he belonged - hidden in Christ. He wanted God’s people to know that as
far as he was concerned, Christ alone was the Sovereign of his soul.

He seemed to be afraid lest people should think that he was good and right and
wonderful apart from Christ. He did not want them to think more of him than they
should. He did not want to be one thing in public and another in private. He
expected to be more like Christ and to be more godly and more devoted to his
absent Lord. In Php 3:10 we see that Paul expected more knowledge. He knew much
but he wanted to know more. He understood a great deal but he wanted to grasp
something more. He was not satisfied merely to be saved from hell. He wanted to
go on to much greater things, until he felt that he knew this lovely One with
whom he was to live forever. He wanted to have the consciousness of the
indwelling Christ in his soul constantly.

Php 3:14 states that his ambition and expectation was to press forward and gain
the prize. More ambition was necessary for growth in grace. He had to press
forward for there were many hindrances. He had to lay aside the weights and
avoid those who would hinder him. He kept his eye on the prize for he wanted it.

He knew there was something better ahead and he determined to obtain it. A godly
ambition is essential. The Lord grant more of it. In chapter 4 we see that Paul
expected more yieldedness. He mentions it specifically in Php 4:5, for the word
“moderation” sometimes is translated “yieldedness.” Euodias and Syntyche
evidently were not yielding to each other. They were pulling apart instead of
together. They were hindering the church instead of helping it. They were the
brakes on the buggy to keep it from going.

If each one would yield a little, both would lose something, but they would gain
each other and much more. The grace of yielding is one we should covet
earnestly. It is one of the “best graces.”

“Yielding pacifieth great offences” (Ecclesiastes 10:4). The cotton bale stops
the cannon ball much more effectively than a stone wall. It is surely not
necessary that we have our own way all the time. Why should we? Perhaps the
other way is better. Paul expected that the saints would yield to one another.
He expected great things from them because they had a great Saviour to save
them, a great Holy Spirit to teach them, and a great man of God to shepherd
them.

Php 4:4 indicates that Paul expected more happiness. Not many of God’s people
are happy. Once in a while you find a singing Christian who sings the whole day
long. Once in a while you meet one who is radiant, but not often. Even orthodox
Christians are not usually found singing the Doxology. They believe the truth,
stand for the truth, defend the truth, but they are not very happy while doing
it. Paul expected more happiness. He knew it was necessary because the rough
road would be more easily traveled if there was a song on the journey. He
expected them to learn the sweet secret of being constantly happy in the Lord.
In Php 4:6 we see that Paul expected the believers to have more rest in their
lives. Care prevents rest. Lack of prayer hinders rest. Carrying burdens
certainly produces no rest. If, however, they would cast every care at Jesus’
feet, take their care baggage to the check room and check it so they would not
need to carry it, then they would have rest.

Paul knew the secret of this. He had had much trouble and many burdens. He had
experienced deep grief, but he had learned to rest in the Lord and leave his
burden there. He could be content in poverty, distress, or suffering. He
expected them to learn this secret more and more. In Php 4:19 we see that Paul
expected the believers to have more confidence in the living God - confidence in
His provision and care, confidence in His teachings. Paul had great expectations
for these Philippian saints, for he was a real shepherd of the sheep and desired
their rich blessing.

Let us expect great things from God and from God’s people.

~ end of chapter 7 ~

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  CHAPTER 8: 08-CHAPTER EIGHT PAUL'S PERSONAL TESTIMONY
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CHAPTER EIGHT PAUL’S PERSONAL TESTIMONY

We shall now consider the book of Philippians as a book of personal testimony on
the part of the saintly Apostle Paul. As you read through the book, you will
scarcely be conscious of the fact that Paul is talking about himself, though he
uses the pronouns “I,” “me” and “mine” 113 times in this short book. He boasts
of himself in every chapter, yet we do not resent it in the least. His is a
godly boasting, a holy boldness, a glory that brings glory, for it leaves Christ
Jesus supreme and the Apostle Paul His bondservant.

Paul’s personal boasting was of three kinds: he boasted of his relationship to
God, his relationship to man and his own personal condition and position. In Php
1:3-4 and Php 1:8-9 he speaks of this thankfulness for his prayer life. He
boasts of his memory and of the things that he prayed for as touching their
interests.

Evidently Paul knew how to pray. He did not have a long preamble, a great
prologue, or a marvelous introduction to his prayers. Neither did he instruct
God on the meaning of His Word nor how He should do His work. Paul’s prayers
were to the point. He spoke to his Lord intelligently. He prayed confidently and
tersely. He did not beat about the bush nor spar with God for an opening. He
states specifically that he was praying on their behalf. We love this kind of
praying. It thrills us and inspires us and urges us to pray more. It teaches us
how to pray and makes us enjoy praying. Thank God for such an example! In Php
1:13-14 he boasts of his attitude toward his unhappy situation. He tells us of
his patience in suffering, his godly contentment under very trying circumstances
and of his fine example as a prisoner. He reminds the Philippians that others
have been inspired and stirred by his example so that they have been ready to
preach, to teach and to suffer. In Php 1:18 he boasts of his fair-minded
attitude toward other preachers. He was sorry that some preachers had wrong
motives, but he did not rebuke them nor fall out with them nor scold them. He
boasts of his happy spirit toward his enemies. He was a fair servant of God, not
jealous of the ministry, or the position of other preachers. In Php 1:21 he
boasts of his devotion and consecration. There is no uncertain note in his
claim.

- He does not say that he is trying to live for Christ. - He does not say that
he wishes he could do it better. - He does not say that he hopes God is pleased
with what he is doing.

He was “straight out from the shoulder.” His whole life was wrapped up in Christ
and he boasted of it. He did not hide it nor misrepresent it. He did not wait
for someone to say it about him. What a boasting! No one denied it. Everyone
knew it was so. His life confirmed his testimony. This man was God’s man and he
boasted of the fact. In chapter 2 Paul boasts quite confidently of his
sacrificial effort, which is mentioned in Php 2:16-17. He expected the saints at
Philippi to give him a happy culmination. He boasted that he had not been
beating the air nor fighting a visionary battle. He had run the race
successfully. He had finished the course with the laurel wreath in his hand. He
expected to have some golden grain, some sheaves, some precious jewels to lay at
the feet of his lovely Lord when he met Him face to face.

He boasts of his humility. If these lovely Christians should pour him out as a
drink offering before God, his heart would rejoice. He was perfectly willing to
be spilled on the ground if Christ would be exalted and the saints would be
enriched. He gave himself for them. He was willing to part with the company of
Epaphroditus for them, as he indicates in Php 2:28. Paul sacrificed his comfort,
his wishes, his desires and most everything else that would be gain to him in
order that he might bring such a blessing to them as would make them be what he
wanted them to be. In chapter 3 he again boasts of his humility. In 1
Corinthians 15:9 he speaks of himself as the least of the apostles. One would
think that this was humility enough, because the apostles were great men, and,
in the judgment of many, Paul was the greatest of them all. He, however, took
quite the opposite view. He was one born out of due time. He came into the
apostleship after Judas fell out. Christ did not choose him to be one of the
Twelve and it may be that he felt it keenly. Probably he did. Nevertheless, he
took the place of the least of the apostles, but the Holy Spirit gave him a
wonderful ministry above all the others.

Paul then steps down a bit and considers himself less than the least of all
saints (Ephesians 3:8). There were many saints of every kind and character at
the time Paul wrote this, yet he felt in himself that he was less than any of
them. That is a great step down from his previous confession. He was an apostle
and he exercised the powers of an apostle, yet among God’s people, and without
regard to his apostleship, he takes the place belonging to the least of all the
Christians. Surely this reveals his heart of humility and lowliness. As though
that were not sufficient, he considers himself the chief of sinners (1 Timothy
1:15). He felt that he was the chief of sinners because he had persecuted God’s
people. He had hated Christ. He had killed the saints. He had rejected the
Gospel. He had refused God’s mercy. He had sought to uphold the old law after
God had set it aside. He had a humble heart. He repented fully of his religious
zeal and accepted the Saviour whom he had formerly despised.

All of that which he had formerly counted as an asset he now esteems a liability
and he boasts of that fact. In Php 3:9-10 he boasts of his consecration. There
is nothing ambiguous about his story of consecration. He tells about it gladly.
He writes about it for the world to read. He has laid aside all sorts of
religious forms, services and ceremonies in order that he may give his life, his
heart, his efforts and his energies to promoting the Gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. His boasting is good. We love it, we delight in it. We thank God for
such a man. He was not backward at all when it came to confessing Christ.
Boldness, forwardness and enthusiasm mark his confession.

We find in Php 3:13 that he boasts of his inefficiency. He is not proud of it,
but he certainly is trying to recover from it and find a remedy for it. He says
distinctly that he has not attained to that which he would like to reach. He has
come short of that which he would like to be. He does not want the saints at
Philippi to think that he has reached so high a place as he hopes to obtain. He
assures them that he is willing to forget the past with all of its victories,
honors and successes. He boasts of his energy, his vision, his ambition to get
above where he is and to be better than he is. In Php 3:17 he boasts of his
leadership and example. He wants them to be like him. None of us would do this.
None of us would say to this great company, “I wish you were just like me. I
urge all of you to follow my example.” We feel our inefficiencies and, of
course, we have many of them, but the apostle had very few.

It takes a brave man to say what Paul said. Paul knew that he was living as he
should, loving as he should, preaching as he should, learning the Scriptures as
he should, and living up to his opportunities and privileges in the sight of
God. Therefore, he had a right to say, “Be ye followers [or imitators] together
of me.”

Paul said this more than once. Certainly one who can say “For me to live is
Christ” or Christ liveth in me has a perfect right to say “Follow me.” Paul
boasts of his godly example and his position as God’s servant. In chapter 4 his
boasting is of a different nature. In Php 4:9 he boasts of his purity. He had
told them of the eight blessed meditations in Php 4:8, and now he boasts of the
fact that he himself does that very thing. He boasts of his purity, goodness,
godliness and righteousness and hopes that the other saints of God will follow
his example and will be like him. In Php 4:11-12 he boasts of his contentment
and position in regard to finances. Sometimes he had plenty of money for all his
needs; many times he did not. Under either condition he acted as a godly man
should act and was contented. When he had plenty it was not squandered; when he
had nothing he did not fuss about it nor raise a complaint. He had learned to be
a contented man and he boasts of it.

He boasts of his sufficiency in Php 4:13 and Php 4:18. “I can do all things” is
certainly a marvelous statement of faith and indicates the unlimited power that
was at his disposal because he kept his hand in the hand of God. He was not
afraid of any test.

The fear of man was unknown to him. He felt able to undertake missionary
journeys, establish churches among the heathen, face the most difficult
conditions and go forward when the Red Sea and the wilderness were in front and
behind. He boasts that he can do anything. He boasts of the gifts that were sent
to him and then of the sufficiency of his soul because of their lovingkindness.
In Php 4:19 he boasts of his faith and trust. He knows God and he knows what God
will do. He tells us that he does. He is not ashamed to say so, for he knows it
will be accomplished. What a boasting! He boasts in faith and trust. He is not
guessing at it. He is not merely hoping it may be so. He very graciously and
wonderfully gave all the credit to his Lord and boasted that he knew the God of
his life. I trust that we have many things in our lives of which to boast - the
things which God mentions to us and does for us.

~ end of chapter 8 ~

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  CHAPTER 9: 09-CHAPTER NINE CHRIST OUR EXAMPLE
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CHAPTER NINE CHRIST OUR EXAMPLE In our final message we shall consider the
thought that Paul presents Christ as our example in the book of Philippians. In
chapter 1 Paul declares that Christ is to be preached. We are to preach up
Christ and preach down sin. Christ is the remedy for sin; therefore Christ is to
be preached. Christ perfectly meets the needs of sinners; nothing else and no
one else is needed.

Whether it be the black man of Africa, the Eskimo, the yellow man, the redskin,
the island natives, or the leaders of our educational institutions, Christ alone
can meet the need, and no one else. In Php 1:20 we see that Christ is to be
exalted. He only is worthy. Christ has no competitor. He is the only perfect Man
who lived a perfect life; therefore He is to be exalted. God will exalt no
other.

Verse 21 tells us that Christ is to be lived. He is to live in us. The living
Christ is to have His own way in our hearts. It is His life lived out in others
that influences the unsaved. It is not an imitation of Christ. It is the real
life of Christ in the soul that we are to enjoy and manifest to others. In Php
1:26 we learn that Christ is to be enjoyed. Many believe in Him who do not enjoy
Him. Many preach about Him but do not enjoy Him. It is one thing to believe the
truth about Christ; it is quite another to rejoice in His lovely Person.

As we have mentioned before, most of God’s people are not happy Christians. They
carry burdens and grieve over unrequited love. There is trouble in the church;
their plans have been thwarted; their hopes have been blasted; and they do not
enjoy the Lord. Paul wants us to enjoy Him and to believe in Him (Php 1:29).

What a joy it is to have perfect confidence in one, loving that one, confiding
and trusting in that one, being happy and comfortable under the guidance and
care of that one.

This is our privilege in Christ. But it is also our privilege to suffer with
Christ, as we learn from Php 1:29. Some suffer because of their own
peculiarities; others suffer because of their religious idiosyncrasies; some
suffer because they are busybodies and want to make everybody believe as they do
and do as they want them to do. We may suffer for Christ by our loyalty to Him,
devotion to Him, zeal for Him and our knowledge of Him. He makes the battle
smooth and sweet when the suffering is really for Him. So Paul could sing in the
prison and John could worship on the Island of Patmos and Peter could sleep in
jail. In chapter 2 we learn that we are to enjoy the comfort, consolation and
solace of Christ. How sweetly He comforts His own! He dries the tears as He did
for Mary and Martha. He holds us close to His heart as He did the saintly John.
He holds us in His arms as He did those lovely little children. He speaks magic
words as He did to the woman of Syro-Phoenicia. It is His comfort, care and
consolation that is our own precious portion for the daily Christian life.

We are to let His mind be in us. We are to think His thoughts after Him. My
meditation of him shall be sweet (Psalms 104:34).

The mind of Christ in us will make us humble, easy to live with, easy to work
with. If His mind dwells in us, we will not be proud, independent, nor
self-sufficient. We will feel the need of His presence, the ministry of the
Spirit and the fellowship of God’s people. We will let Him arrange our work and
service as He desires.

Php 2:11 tells us that we are to confess Him. We are to confess His Lordship and
His glory. He is the Master of the sea, the earth, the sky. We are to confess
that He is God’s Saviour and ours. We confess His beauty, His power, His
majesty, His might. He is the Maker of heaven and earth. He controls the
elements. He continues to uphold all things by the word of his power. We should
love to confess Him before men and tell about Him and His rich blessings for our
soul. In Php 2:21 we are exhorted to seek for and promote His glory. We present
Him first and foremost. He has no second place. He is the Chief, and we are glad
to be His soldiers and bondservants. We are to seek the things that will bring
glory to Him, and not to ourselves. We should desire His honor, and not honor
for ourselves. We are to promote His interests, not our own. He is the One to
whom attention is called. In Php 2:30 we are told that He is to be served. We
love to serve Him; we love to work for Him; we love to plan for Him; we think of
Him constantly as we preach or teach or give away tracts or hold personal
conversations. The work of Christ charms us, allures us, draws us, and holds us.
We rejoice in the honor of being His workmen and His servants. In Php 3:8-9 it
is quite evident that we are to be like Christ. The righteousness we receive is
through Christ. The faith we have is in Christ. The acceptance we enjoy is
because of Christ - “accepted in the beloved.” Eventually we shall be conformed
to His image. We cannot be competitors of Christ. We are to be His without
reservation and without mortgage. Christ is to own us completely, fully and
absolutely.

His image is to be impressed upon us. His likeness is to be imprinted upon us.
We are to be called by His Name and are to call upon His Name and upon no other.
We are to be like Christ in every respect.

Php 3:12 indicates that we are to understand Christ and understand why He has
called us. We are not to follow in ignorance nor darkness. The Lord does not
want us to be ignorant nor to walk in the shadows. He wants us to understand and
to know His will. He wants us to grasp in some measure the reason He has called
us to be His own and what He expects of us after He has called us. What
wonderful opportunities there are; what privileges, what open doors! The Lord
enable us to enter them.

Php 3:20 expresses the fact that we wait for Christ. We look for His return. We
watch for the marks of His appearing. Columbus discovered the West Indies long
before he sighted land. Land birds flew through the rigging, lit on the spars,
settled on the deck, and he knew that land was near. So our Lord is sending the
birds, the tender leaves, the sprouts to remind us that the day is not far
distant when the Prince of Peace will come to a warring world and bring peace.

We close our discussion of this precious book of Philippians by observing in
chapter 4 that we are to be true to Christ. We are not to be vacillating, blown
about by the winds of doctrine, nor washed away by the flood tide of public
opinion. We are to be rooted and grounded in the truth and our faith is to be
fixed firmly on this wonderful Rock of Ages, Christ Jesus our Lord.

Php 4:4 tells us that we are to rejoice in Him. We have already observed this,
but Paul speaks of it often. In chapter 3:1 he mentions it. In I Thessalonians
he mentions it. In fact, because of its supreme importance he will not let the
subject rest. Joy in the Lord is an absolute requirement for a happy,
profitable, useful life.

There is an imitation joy which does not come from the heart. There are
exclamations of joy which are not inspired. When the preaching is over, the
countenance is sad and the heart is heavy. This is not the real joy of the Lord.

The person who is happy in Christ will be found happy bending over the washtub,
or sitting at the piano, or clerking in the grocery store, or pounding the
typewriter, or selling merchandise. Wherever he is, his heart will be glad, his
countenance will be radiant and his lips will be filled with praise. That is
what Paul desired for his children by faith in Christ Jesus.

Php 4:7 indicates that we are to enjoy the peace of God and be kept by Christ
both in our heart, the seat of our feelings, and in our mind, the abode of our
thoughts. It is essential that we have peace both in heart and mind. Sometimes
the heart grows heavy, and sometimes the mind is confused. We need the keeping
power of our blessed Lord in order that we may think straight and feel happy.

Let us close our meditation by noting in Php 4:13 that we are to work with God
and for His glory. We are not to be lazy Christians nor indifferent. We are not
to shirk our duty nor ignore our privileges.

We are to let our blessed Lord have all of our time and talents. He can make the
weakest Christian carry out an important mission. He can engrave His image on
any kind of stone and make that one to do His wonderful will.

Let us serve our Lord with gladness, with reverence and with godly fear. Let us
seek to become better servants, to improve our knowledge of God and of His Word,
to become more efficient in the Scriptures and in diagnosing the need of many
hearts. Let us not be content merely to drift along and enjoy only a few of the
blessings of God. Let us strive to be workmen that are not ashamed.

It may be clearly seen from a careful study of the entire Word and of this
lovely book of Philippians that Christ Jesus is the center of all of God’s plans
and arrangements.

It is His Name that is called upon us and we are to be His bride. He is the One
who is King of kings and we are His lawful and loyal subjects. He is the One
whom we imitate in our walk and talk and thought.

Our songs of praise are concerning Him and His wonderful work at Calvary.

- We depend upon Him as the limb of the tree depends upon the trunk of the tree.
- We feed upon Him as the wee baby lives by the mother’s breast. - We grow up in
Him to a full stature because His life is to be manifest in our mortal body.

He is the subject of our Gospel. He is the gathering center of His Church. It is
His power that is given to us for judgment and for blessing. It is His Name that
causes angels and men to fall in adoration and demons to flee. It is the risen,
glorified Man Jesus, made both Lord and Christ, to whom all authority has been
given in heaven and earth. He is the One who accompanies us through the valley
of the shadow. Our life is hid with Him in God. He has gone to prepare a place
for us and it is with Him that we shall walk in white.

Surely He is our example and pattern. Surely He is the goal, the aim and the
object of the life of every believer.

~ end of book ~

***


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Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/wilson-walter-l-messages-on-philippians/
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