Mind: battlefield for the throne

Tonight we're going to read from the epistle to the Philippians, if you will please, Philippians and chapter 1. Whenever we turn to the scriptures to study or to read a book, we know that any book that we read, even if you're reading subjects relative to your work, one of the first things that we do in our approach is we want to know why was it written. What is the reason for this book being written for us? And when we turn to the Philippian epistle, it's good to ask that question. Why is the epistle to the Philippians written? It is a very interesting study to realize that every book in the New Testament reveals a reason for it being written.

That's a good study. Whenever you're studying, don't study blind. Find the reason for the book because that gives to us the background and the authority for the emphasis that he is going to make.

So the remedy for the reason is going to be given in the book. Now when you read Philippians, you will find at least three different reasons. That's in the mind of the Apostle Paul as he takes his pen to write this book inspired by the Spirit of God.

One of them is a gift that he had received from Philippi and they were very faithful to him. Many times they had sent gifts to him to support him in his work. You'll find that so clearly when you come to chapter 4. The second reason that he writes is that there are two sisters that have a problem and the problem between these two sisters has affected another man in the assembly and he's not taken part like he used to.

And you'll find that in the latter part of the epistle as well. And the third reason that he's writing is he knows the result. When a problem arise amongst God's people, there's always results and the result was the assembly had lost its joy.

So he's writing 17 times. He's going to mention it. Your joy.

Are you rejoicing? Your joy. So those are the three reasons. Now the remedy, very interestingly, is quite readily recognized when you read the little epistle, read it right through, and that is he's going to deal with a refocusing of their mind.

In other words, dear saints, our minds are the control room of our behavior and our character. What God wants us to see and what he's going to mention in every chapter, he's going to mention their mind. And if I were to put a title on my thoughts tonight as we try to look at the refocusing of the mind of believers, I would just say it this way very simply, the mind is a battlefield for the throne.

Your mind, my mind, it's the battlefield for the throne. That is for the government of my life. So in each chapter, we're going to find he's going to emphasize a point of focus.

I want you to refocus. Just remember your actions are because of your thoughts. So refocus your thinking and the actions that follow, of course, will be that which would remedy the three different problems or two different problems plus as well the praise that he gives them for their kindness.

So we're going to read, if you will please, commencing at verse 9. I think perhaps we should read a little earlier in the chapter just to emphasize, and you will see the emphasis of the two things that I mentioned, and the third one will be a bit later. Verse 3, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all, making requests with joy for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. That's the coming of the Lord, of course.

Verse 9, and this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, that ye may approve things that are excellent. Now you can see right here in these verses, the only way that this can be done is to have right thoughts. You've got to get right knowledge, and adopt it, and believe it, and meditate therein, and allow these thoughts to be the governor, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Verse 18, What then, notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and I therein do rejoice, and yes, and will rejoice. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Another rendering of that word gain, I really like very much. That verse would read, For me, to me to live is Christ, and to die is more of Christ. Notice just further down now for the connection and the statement concerning their mind in verse 27.

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel and in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation and that of God. Chapter two. In chapter one, I want you to notice a mind that's focused on a goal, and that goal is verse 20, Christ magnified in my body.

And you can see from our reading that that is going to regulate the necessity for being together with one mind and one spirit and the renewal of their joy as he mentions. Now in chapter two, we're going to notice the focusing of the mind on a name. Verse one.

If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, and the if there is really not so much the if of question, it's the if of certainty, seeing there is consolation in Christ, and seeing there is comfort of his love, and seeing there is the fellowship of the spirit, and bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy that ye be like-minded, having the same love as his, being of one accord, as he is, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other more worthy to be served than themselves. It's not the idea of inferiority and superiority, others better.

It's more worthy to be served than self. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others, and let this mind be in you. Now notice what I have mentioned, that the focus of the mind in this passage is on a name.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow on things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. A mind focused on a name.

Chapter three, and we're going to notice the apostle focusing our mind on a prize. Chapter three, please, and we will commence our reading at verse 10. That I may know him, the Lord Jesus, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended. I haven't gotten a hold of it yet, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.

In other words, don't be a has-been, be a will-be. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, that is mature, be thus minded, and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Now in chapter four, please, and we will notice our mind focused on values. Verse four, Rejoice in the Lord always.

And again, I say rejoice. See, it's one thing to have joy. It's another thing to have joy to be expressed.

Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men the Lord is at hand. Be careful or over-anxious, that is, for nothing.

But in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.

And those things which ye have learned and received and heard and seen in me do, and the God of peace shall be with you. May the Lord very graciously impress his word upon our minds as a battlefield. That is why as a young believer you have struggles.

You think of spiritual things and immediately there's a struggle. I know I was young once myself, and I still have struggles. The struggle is with who's on the throne.

Just as we were trying to notice a little last evening, a man born and crucified is going to show to us that there's a different driver behind the wheel. So in this passage, what we're looking at now is the focusing of the mind, that battlefield settling down. There has to be a victory gained.

And that's what this epistle is going to deal with. In our life, young believers wrestle and there's a battle. They wrestle with themselves.

And that's a wrong focus. Wrong focus. We wrestle with the flesh, with its appetites.

And that's a wrong focus, because you'll never change him. He will never be converted, the rascal, never, never. Don't wrestle with him.

We have to refocus our thinking. And that's what the apostle by the Spirit of God is going to help us to do in these four chapters. Now, let me just pause and say, having noted with you the reasons for this epistle, and particularly the two of them, the problems between two sisters, which affected another brother, which is not taking part like he should have been, and he had a gift to preach, but he wasn't doing it anymore.

And their lack of joy. They're just coming and going and maybe looking at each other and maybe not. Things like that happen.

There needs to be a refocusing of the mind. And you can see, as I can, that the one mind idea is each individual refocusing their own thinking. And that produces what we read in chapter four, rejoicing and striving together.

So the two problems are fixed by the refocusing of our mind. So chapter one, we want to notice a mind focused on a goal. In chapter two, as we've mentioned, we have a mind focused on a name received from God.

In chapter three, it is a mind focused on a prize. And I think it's so interesting that the spirit of God uses the word prize, and that's the right word that's there. It's a prize.

Now, that doesn't mean if you're a good boy, you get a prize. And if you don't, you get a licking. That isn't what it means.

The prize is that's an attainment. It counts that attainment a prize. And it's marvelous.

When we look at the passage, what that prize is, we'll come to it in chapter three. And in chapter four, we have a mind focused on values. So could I just say, I'm speaking in a very particular way for those of you who are young, young in the faith and young in life, because you're entering into the struggles of life.

Your parents have gone that way, and they've settled down a little more. And grandparents, you'd almost think they didn't have any struggles, but they do. They do.

Of course they do. They'll tell you that. They know that.

But you are entering into that arena of struggling. And it's in your mind. You have to learn and see how simple it is to win the battle.

Oh, you say it is simple. Yes, it is. It all depends what you think about.

That's what's going to determine the battle. So let's look at chapter one. A mind focused on a goal.

The goal is in verse 20. Christ shall be magnified in my body. I'm going to take up the idea of being magnified.

We use magnifying glasses. I remember using magnifying glasses as a boy and getting the sun to burn leaves. We had different means of doing so.

So I'm going to notice with you the idea of a magnifying glass and a microscope and binoculars. They're all used for the same thing, and that is very simply, whatever may be the object, you're going to magnify it. Now here, God wants me to have in pattern of my thinking, make Christ look great.

Magnify in my body. Make Christ look great. Now we can see very readily, dearly beloved, in our world today and even in our own experience, the only way anyone is going to see the Lord Jesus is through his people.

My hands, my tongue, my attitude. Christ magnified in my body. Let's take the binoculars.

We're looking at birds perhaps. And you see that little beautiful bird, but it requires the binoculars to really see its detail. You're going to bring it up close so that you can see the beautiful detail of the colors.

Dear brethren and dear sisters, God wants me to focus my thinking on this. Get to see the beauties of the person of Christ in his excellencies, his compassion. And when I think on that, I can see that that's going to make me compassionate.

Look at again, even as we think of his holiness. Holiness is a very beautiful thing. You know, holiness to the flesh, you know, that that's a restriction.

Holiness is beautiful, beloved. It makes you trustworthy just like the Lord Jesus. See, and that's what God wants us to show to the world.

So my mind now is just to settle in to to study, to see, to discover in the scriptures his excellences. And as I see them, my mind is thinking of them with this goal. Magnify that in my body.

Now, you don't have to struggle to do that. Neither do I, beloved. Because as I think of it, if I'm struggling, you know what's happening? It's a battle of thoughts.

Who's going to look greatest? Will they think I'm a wonderful Christian? If I just be kind, you know, they're really going to think I'm great. Not a humbug. They can see right through it.

Everybody knows it's a false front. You see, the mind isn't focused right. You're focusing your mind on yourself being seen instead of Christ being seen.

My mind is to focus on him, that he will be conveyed to the world. And so as we look in chapter one and think of Christ being magnified in my body, can I note with you not only the binoculars which brings him closer so I can see the detail, but let us think of the microscope. The microscope is going to discover for us things that you cannot see with the naked eye.

In other words, beloved, these are unnatural things. The grace of God is not natural. It's spiritual.

And only as my mind is subject to that which I am seeing in the person of Christ, only to that degree will I be able to display that particular grace and that character of humility or holiness or righteousness or compassion. So focus your mind. Let that be your exercise, not upon what you're going to look like.

But upon him, Christ, magnified in my body. Not only do we see the microscope and see the detail that take a drop of water as we all know we did it in school and we saw the little worms in the thing and wonder why we ever drank it, but there they are in every drop. They're not worms, but there's something in there.

Anyway, they move around whatever it may be. But now we're going to take a look at the Lord Jesus from the viewpoint of the telescope. There is that which is heavenly.

There is that which is related to the unearthly. And dear brethren and sisters, that's what provokes worship within me. My mind is focused on that which is the heavenly about the Lord Jesus.

Let me give you an illustration of that. It may make it a little clearer than I believe I'm making it. In the epistle to the Hebrews, you never read of the resurrection.

Now that's interesting. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is never mentioned. But four times it talks about his ascension to the right hand of God.

So what is the focus? What is he trying to get us occupied with? Christ in heaven. That's what's going to sustain the Hebrews when they're being persecuted for their confession of faith. Christ in the heavens.

And dear brethren, that's what God wants us to see by the telescope. We're looking at the heavenlies. And as he mentions in chapter one, do you recall our reading in chapter one? He says three things about the heavenlies.

He speaks about Christ being in the heavens. And then he speaks about Christ coming out of the heavens. The day of Christ.

That's his coming for us. So he wants us to be occupied with the Lord Jesus in the glory. And that focus should be the goal of your life.

Now, let me leave that with you and just try. I'm trying to be a help to younger ones. I hope to help just readjust their thinking a little because sometimes we get discouraged.

We think I'm not getting anywhere. I'm fighting this battle and I'm getting nowhere. Well, here's the reason.

Refocus your thinking. You may be thinking, you know, I can't do that. No, you can't.

Admit it. You can't do it and you never will be capable of doing it. It's an impossibility.

You have to let him do it. That's what the mind is focusing on. He, the Lord Jesus Christ, our glorious Lord.

He is the one that is going to be seen magnified. Not you making yourself like him. Not me trying to imitate him.

Don't imitate the Lord Jesus. Focus the mind on that goal, Christ magnified in my body. Now, this is how he's going to amplify it.

He's going to say for me to live is Christ. So there's the first thing that he gets to see how Christ is magnified in his body. The reason I'm alive is for Christ.

You know, brother, that's the reason you're alive tonight. Not for yourself. For Christ.

You too, my dear sister. It could have taken you immediately to heaven. No, he left you in this world of which you were once apart to show them what Christ looks like.

How beautiful. What an honor. What a trust.

God humble our spirits to realize for me to live is Christ. That's why I'm alive. And he says to guarantee that to you, if I died, I'm going to get more of Christ.

Marvelous. See, that's the whole thing. It's Christ.

Christ. Christ. Not me.

Forget yourself. It's him. Focus the mind on the goal.

Now in our second reading in chapter two, focusing the mind on a name. Let me ask you, when you think of Moses, what comes to your mind? You say the Ten Commandments. Yes, that's right.

Building of the tabernacle. That's his name. He's called the lawgiver.

That's his name. Think of Joseph. What do you think of? Ah, you think of Joseph sold by his brothers, raised to the position of glory in Egypt.

That's what comes to our mind. We think of Joseph. Think of Daniel.

What do you think of? Lions with their mouth shut. When your name's mentioned, what do people think? That's the test. Now, what do you want people to think? Well, chapter one told us to magnify Christ in my body.

Now, in this chapter, he's going to show us the process. Focusing the mind on a name. Now, notice the person of our Lord Jesus.

He's the prime example that's seen in this passage in chapter two. But the first four verses of the chapter, he's telling them, seeing that you have all these supplies. Notice what he mentions them as we emphasize it.

Seeing that you do have the consolation that's in Christ, the comfort of his love, the fellowship of his spirit, the bowels and the mercies. You have those things. There's the inventory for you to focus on a name.

What name? Well, he tells us, first of all. He says, don't do anything through strife or vain glory. Why not? Because you're trying to make your own name look good.

No, he says, don't do that. Then he adds to that, again, brethren, for our sake, but in lowliness of mind, esteem the other worthy of service more than yourself. Instead of saying, well, you know, they're not doing, they're not giving it to me.

I'm not going back. It's all there is to it. Not taking those to me.

What about making sure that they keep coming back? That's what he's saying. See, the other's worthy of more service than himself. Now, so what name are we going to seek? Well, first of all, let's notice the Lord Jesus as the example and the name that's given to him.

It's so beautiful, isn't it? Let's look at the picture. The eternal son. He takes humanity.

It's mentioned in here as he steps down and steps down, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, made himself no reputation. Focus on that. Why did he take the place of not seeking a name? Because he wanted his father to give him a name.

He wasn't seeking a name while here. He knew that would lie before him in the future. So, dear brethren, with us, it is the same.

Don't seek the name now. There's a judgment seat of Christ coming. That's when the names are going to be given up.

Now you're gaining the reputation of a name. But there is a day coming when our heavenly father is going to give you a name. We read that about the church in Philadelphia.

You remember? We'll give them a new name. A name that no one ever knows. We don't know what that name is yet.

The Lord Jesus told it about the stewards that had the five and two talents. He says, well done, good and faithful servant. That's the name.

And that was his forever. A good, trustworthy servant. I covet that name.

Don't you? The Lord Jesus had before him a name that was for eternity. And that's what's in this passage. Let me note with you how we go about by looking at that example, how we can see the Lord Jesus reaching for that name.

Notice verse five. He thought. His thoughts.

That's where it began. He thought. Just ponder it, brethren.

The son of God thought things out. He thought. Do you think? Do I think? What was he thinking about? The primary thinking of the Lord Jesus was the will of God must be done.

To be obedient. What's it going to take for me to be fully and absolute in obedience? The next word tells us. He made himself of no reputation.

Now he's not seeking that name now, is he? He made himself of no reputation. Not trying to say I'm the teacher here, you know. I'm the big one.

You people come to me for the answers. No. Made himself of no reputation.

Next we notice he took. Something was offered to him. And he took.

What was it? To be a servant. He took to himself. And then he mentions again that he, the fashion of his life.

Just a common man. That was his fashion. He could have.

Demanded the robes of of monarchy. He could have demanded the scepter in his hands for all the nations and driven Rome out of Israel. No.

No. Just in fashion as a man. And he became obedient.

Under the cross step. And God gave him a name. May the Lord help us to focus our mind brethren.

On the name that the father will give us when we get home to heaven. Focus on that. Now add that to chapter one.

I'm going to let you do that on your own home one. In chapter one we have a goal. Christ magnified in my body.

Chapter two we have focusing on a name to be received from God. Oh God help us to cover that. It's the result.

Of whether I'm like the son in chapter one. That's what it will be. Focusing on magnifying Christ.

Is going to produce the name. Just like we read by his example. Notice chapter three.

A mind focused on a prize. I like the word that the apostle by the spirit of God uses in this passage. He says Christ apprehended me.

You know that means to be to to be arrested. He was arrested by a policeman. Not for speeding.

Not for being bad. But he was arrested. In salvation.

The Lord Jesus put his hand on his shoulders and says you're mine. You know that happened to you too. Happened to me.

Mind you I didn't know it. I didn't understand that. But here it is.

Paul says I got a hold of it and he says you know what? I'd like to get a hold of the reason that he apprehended me. Why did he save me? Oh, I'd like to get a hold of that he says. And so in this chapter.

He says that's the prize that I'm going after. I want to know why. The Lord Jesus laid hold of me.

And that's the prize that I'm going to strive for. He says I'm going after it. Just like the man in the race.

Every muscle in his body is concentrated on one thing and that's pressing that tape. That's his prize. And dearly beloved.

There's a prize in your life and there's a prize in mine to be gained. Focus your mind on it. That's what he wants you to see.

This is not an option. This is a prize that was set there the day you were saved. You're apprehended.

He says now. I want to apprehend the very reason for which I was apprehended of Christ Jesus. And this is how he expresses it.

Do you notice when we read in verse 10? Oh that I may know him. Isn't that nice? Oh that I may know him. I know that every one of our hearts here tonight breathes those words out before God.

Oh God, I'd like to know him better. Just to know him. Then he unfolds how he's going to get to know him.

What the experience is. Notice how he mentions that in verse Chapter 3 in verse 10. Again, the power of his resurrection.

Ah, you see that's the energy of the new life, isn't it? His resurrection life. To know the energy of that life. He said that's how I'm going to get to know him.

And he mentions the fellowship of his sufferings. That's association with him. And his rejection by the world.

Don't circumvent it. Don't deny it. He says I want to get to know him.

And this is how I'm going to get to know him. I'll know how he felt. As I too receive what he received.

The sufferings. Being made conformable unto his death. Now the idea of conformable there is the idea the reason for his death.

I want to know the reason in my life that he realized for his death. What was the reason for it? Was it not the fact that he was righteous and the world hated him? He spoke the word of God and the world didn't want it. He lived in holiness and the world rebuked it.

He said that's what I would like to know even up to his death. Brethren, that's a high high standard. But he says if I want to get to know him, that's the prize.

I'm going after that prize to get to know him intimately. And these three steps he says are going to have to be realized in my life. The energy of that new life and the fellowship association with him in his sufferings being made conformable for the reason unto his death if by any means I might attain unto the out resurrection of the dead.

The dear man is laying his life on the line and saying if it means that I have to be a martyr and know what it is to be resurrected as the Lord Jesus, I want it. Just so I can get to know him. That's a prize.

Is that a prize in your view tonight? Dear young believer, dear older saint, would you count that a prize? He says I'm going to labor for it. I'm going to stretch for it. See him running? Every muscle in his body.

He's not turning his head to see who's following. He has his eye on that tape. I want to get to know him.

That's the prize. Focus your mind. On getting to know him.

Not just about him, but to know him. Now I turn to the last passage in chapter four. We have a mind focused on values.

You can see that the apostle in this epistle as he's focusing the mind of these dear believers, he's leading up to a crescendo. He's coming up to this word that he uses in chapter four. Rejoice brethren.

Rejoice. Now your flesh and my flesh and I use the word flesh that is the old edemic nature, which is related to these bodies still. It does not see any joy in getting to know Christ.

Because it's costly to the flesh. It means you're going to have to deny its appetites. You're going to have to deny its claims for prominence.

We're going to have to put the Lord Jesus first in everything and the flesh does not want that. Yes, you're working at your job. You have children being raised in your home.

You have pressures that are upon your mind and heart and hands and home and family. And yet this is what God wants our mind to be focused on and it works in every one of those circumstances. The men at work will know there's something that they can't describe about you and the women at work.

The neighbors will recognize that there's a touch of something that they can't define, but they certainly admire it in you with your children. What is it? That your mind has been focused on that goal to magnify Christ. That name that's for another world, not this one.

That prize that I want to get to know Him. It comes out, brethren, sisters, you can't help it. And this is how it ends up.

Rejoice. There is a deep-seated joy that we received in salvation. Nothing can take away the joy, but there's a lot of things that can hold down the rejoicing.

And that's what he's going to deal with in the last chapter. Rejoice, he says. And again, I say rejoice.

Think on these things. The mind is focused on these things. Verse six, learn to pray thoughtfully.

Think when you're praying, dear brother. Think. Now, dear younger brother and dear younger sister, do you take time to pray all by yourself? Now, some of you are young couples here, and you may find that a little hard to say.

Do you take time, let me say, dear hubby and wife, when you're going to bed to pray together on your knees? You ever do that? And when you're praying, don't rattle it off. Think. Think on these things.

So, you know what the product of that is? You're giving something to God. You're not just rubbing beads. Think when you're praying.

That's verse six. He's saying that so clearly to us. To learn to pray thoughtfully.

Notice how he distinguishes it. I'm not going to comment upon it, but just get you to look at it. Don't be over anxious.

In prayer, be thankful. Supplication, your requests known, be made known unto God. And the result of it is found in verse seven.

You rest in peace, because it is praying is an act of faith. In verse seven, think on this, says the apostle. Learn to be sensitive to God and the Holy Spirit.

Notice how he mentions that. Keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. What? The peace of God which passeth or is better than our understanding.

That's a good umpire. When you have a question arises, and you don't know how to handle it, let the peace of God be the umpire. Does it disturb when something seems to say, you know, that's not right? Then don't do it.

Let the peace of God umpire. It's better than our understanding. Think on that, he says.

You focus your mind on that value of letting the peace of God be the umpire in your choices. In verse eight, learn to discipline our thinking. Think on what's true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, virtue, praise.

And what are we going to do about the other things? Reject them. Brethren, the world wants us to think of unholy things. The world plasters things in front of us that are not even true.

Think on the things and the result of it, as he mentions it here in verse nine, think on these things, those things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Do and the God of peace shall be with you. Not the peace of God.

The God of peace shall be with you. Oh, how we should covet that within our spirits. And that can be our experience.

It was with Joseph three times. What do we read? The Lord was with him. What do we read about Daniel? The Lord was with him.

What is it, brethren? The God of peace is with you. That's the goal. Or rather, that is the value that God would have us focus our mind on.

Now, I hope with all that I have tried to touch upon a little tonight that I have not lost you. Let us remember again. Let me take the three things that are in this book and just put them before us in our own context.

Your service for the Lord. They were giving to God, just like you are. Could that ever be harmed or dulled or become just the normal routine? We all know that happens, don't we? Sometimes we even question whether we should give that or not.

We need a refocusing of our thinking. And when my mind begins to think on that goal, I want the Lord Jesus to be magnified in my body. It then becomes a gift of love.

And that's what it was with the Philippians. What about things that come between individuals? Personality conflicts. Just things.

Dearly beloved, as I set my mind on these four things, the goal, I want the Lord Jesus to be seen. What did he do? He rebuked the brethren when they had a little problem between them, which is going to be the greater one. Wrong focus, Peter.

Wrong focus, John. And the Lord Jesus corrected it. How did he correct it? The very same way as he does in this epistle.

He says, Peter, John, those that are the greatest in the kingdom are the servants. The servants, the ones that are steaming the others, more worthy to be served than themselves. You're not going to make it, Peter, by trying to make a big name for yourself now.

No, focus on a name to be received for eternity. And focus on that prize. Why am I saved? Don't try to make yourself look saved.

Focus on the prize to get to know him in association with the Lord Jesus. And the result is likeness to him and the prize enjoyed. And finally, the focusing on values.

And a world without values for you young couples with your little children. You know, can I just say this very kindly to you? Whatever you do in your teaching of your dear children, the things of God, make the Lord Jesus sweet. Otherwise, when they come to meet you, they'll think they have to go to jail.

This is not jail, brother. The Lord Jesus must become to them, in their thinking, that he means everything to you. That makes him sweet, because you enjoy it.

So, teach your children the beauties of the Lord Jesus. Tell them of his miracles, showing their compassion and love and greatness. And the reason we're going to meet him is because he is there.

That's why we like you to sit still. That's why we want you to behave, because he is there. That's why we go.

That's why we want you to be there. So the Lord graciously just touched that on their side. I'm an old grandpa by now, so you can understand and take it graciously from me.

But I hope, dear saints, that these two meetings we've had together, the Lord will very graciously bless every believer. And you, dear younger ones, you're our future. We're putting into your hands the tools we trust, and we hope they're clear enough for you to get a hold of them.

Take a hold of them. And God will use you and be with you. And what greater honor and joy could you have for this life? Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we most graciously, gratefully thank thee for thy grace towards us. We marvel that thou dost trust us, blessed God. Thou hast not trusted these things to angels, but to us, in our frailty, in our sinfulness.

We do gratefully acknowledge the wondrous presence of the person of the Spirit of God within us, and the person of the Lord Jesus, in the greatness of his presence within our very breasts, O, that we may honor him, and that he may indeed be magnified in these bodies. We give our thanks to thee for thy grace, and pray thy rich blessing upon this assembly. Help them, Lord, as they seek to reach out with the gospel.

As they're occupied with thy dear son, they'll do it gladly, and we know that thy presence with them will be the power and the energy that will do the fruitfulness so necessary in its work. So we look to thee for these blessings, and give thanks for the privilege of being together at this time in the Lord Jesus' precious name. Amen.

We will sing, please, if you will, in closing number 416. And thank you again, dear saints, for your patience and for your kindness in being here each of these two nights. May the mind of Christ my Savior live in me from day to day, by his love and power, controlling all I do and say.

May the word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour, so that all may see I triumph only through his power. And so on, 416. I triumph.

May the peace of saints, of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea. Him exalting, self-embracing, this is me.