If you will turn with me to the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Philippians, chapter 2. I am going to read from verse 1.
If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ,
if any consolation of love,
if any fellowship of the Spirit,
if any tender mercies and compassions,
make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind,
having the same love,
being of one accord, of one mind;
doing nothing through faction or through vainglory,
but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself;
not looking each of you to his own things,
but each of you also to the things of others.
Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, being made in the likeness of men;
and being found in fashion as a man,
He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death,
yea, the death of the cross.Wherefore also God highly exalted Him,
and gave unto Him the name which is above every name;
that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth,
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed,
not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for His good pleasure.
And then in the book of Revelation, chapter 5—one verse, verse 5.
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof.
And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.
And He came, and He taketh it out of the right hand of Him that sat on the throne.
And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase unto God with Thy blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon the earth.
Beloved Lord, we are once again so thankful to You for the way You have led us to these days. And now we come, Lord, to this evening.
We know that You have made full provision for it. We thank You for Your faithfulness, for Your love, and for Your mercy.
Beloved Lord, we need You. We need You for the speaking of Your Word, the translating of Your Word, and the hearing of Your Word.
Do not let this time pass, Lord, without touching our hearts. Somehow reach us, Lord, in the deepest part of our being. Let Your Holy Spirit open the eyes of our hearts and bring us to a new place, Lord, of response to You.
To that end, we stand by faith in that anointing, grace, and power You have made available to us. Let it be upon us all in full power.
And we shall be careful to give You all the praise and all the glory. We ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. Amen.
Well, I do not think there is any need to say that the theme of this conference has been the way to the eternal purpose of God: the cross.
My responsibility has been the cross and the Christ. I have spoken now for two times in these evenings. I imagine you are all aware of that.
Now this evening, I want to take one or two phrases from the Word of God. I want to speak about the phrase, “even the death of the cross.”
It is really hard—Philippians 2, verse 8—“the death of the cross.” Then I want to speak about the phrase in verse 9: “Wherefore also God hath highly exalted Him.”
And then I want to say finally something about, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
The death of the cross. There was no other way that the Lord Jesus could fulfil God’s eternal purpose.
In six hours—only six hours—He accomplished this work. At nine o’clock in the morning, He was nailed to the cross. At three o’clock in the afternoon, He died.
It was the six most significant, most strategic, and most vital hours of time. And not only of time: it is the focal point of eternity. So amazing is the work of our Lord Jesus.
For this He came into the world. For this, at some point, He said to the Father, “Here am I; send Me.” For this reason He was born in Bethlehem. We would say, “Born to die.”
For this reason He was baptized in the River Jordan by John. For this reason, He turned from His transfiguration in glory to make His way to Jerusalem—to die.
For this cause, in the garden, He said, “Not My will, but Thine, be done.”
I think it is an enormous mistake to dwell upon the physical sufferings of the Lord Jesus.
If it was the physical sufferings of the Lord Jesus alone that worked our salvation, many martyrs have died and suffered for far longer. I remember the case of a pastor crucified in China who took three days to die.
What happened in those six hours?
It is amazing to me how reticent the Gospel witnesses are. It is almost as if they do not want to dwell for too long upon the physical suffering of the Lord Jesus.
They just describe the fact: He was nailed to the cross. He cried out. He said finally, “Into Thy hands I commit My spirit.”
It is almost as if they felt that somehow it was not what was seen that worked our salvation, but what was not seen.
It was there in the invisible that Jesus was made sin for us. We will never know—not in all the years of eternity—we will never know how much it cost the Lord Jesus.
We stand on the shore of an ocean of unutterable, incomprehensible agony.
Think of some of the Scriptures. John 1:29:
Behold, the Lamb of God, who beareth away the sin of the world.
Think of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 53, verse 6:
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
The Hebrew is graphic. The Lord caused all the iniquity to encounter Him. In other words, all the iniquity of mankind, from the sin of Cain all the way through history—all sin—in those few hours was gathered, as it were, upon the person of the Lord Jesus.
There is something so beautiful about a lamb. It is a symbol of new life, a symbol of innocence, a symbol of purity, a symbol of a new beginning.
There is something so dark, so horrific, about iniquity. When that iniquity was gathered upon that little Lamb, then He became the serpent lifted up.
There is nothing more different from a little lamb than a snake. I know some people keep snakes as pets. I personally have a horror of them. When I see people with them all round their necks, I wonder what kind of people they are.
There is something so devious, so sinister, about the snake. But here in John 3:14, it says:
Even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up;
that whosoever believeth on Him should have eternal life.
But the Lord Jesus took into Himself the very poison of Satan—the poison that has infected the whole of mankind.
We will never know how much that sin affected the Lord Jesus. All we know is this: He bore it away. He took it into Himself.
Like the scapegoat going into the wilderness, He took our sin as far as the east is from the west. He blotted it out as a thick cloud.
So the Apostle Paul said:
Him who knew no sin He made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Beloved friend, what happened in those six hours?
There is another little cameo in Isaiah 53. It says in verse 10, “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him.” This is my version. But, as our brother Stephen said this morning, actually the Hebrew means, “It pleased the Lord to crush Him.”
The Hebrew means to break into pieces, as when something is trampled underfoot. It pleased the Lord to crush Him.
In those hours, He took into Himself the sin of the world from the beginning to the end. The Lamb became the uplifted serpent, and God crushed Him.
Is it any wonder that He cried out, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” It was that which in the garden had caused Him such distress.
Dear beloved brothers and sisters, we see perhaps the mystery of this most clearly in the darkness that came over the earth.
At twelve noon, darkness came over the whole area. People who do not understand these things say it was an eclipse. But anyone who knows anything about eclipses knows that no eclipse can ever last three hours.
Something happened to the essential energy of the universe, as if a sword went through the heart of God Himself.
As if, as Jesus was made sin, the very essence of the world cried out. All things exist in Him. It was as if somehow the whole universe shouted.
Six hours. The death of the cross.
In Hebrews 2:9, it is written:
But we behold Him who hath been made a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that by the grace of God He should taste death for every man.
If the Lord Jesus had only died in my place alone, it would have been tremendous for me. But when He died, He tasted death for everyone—every man and every woman who has ever lived, or who will ever live.
I say we shall never understand what happened. Nobody has the right to speculate. But this we know: He finished the work that the Father gave Him.
In those six hours, He accomplished eternal salvation—so complete that nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken away.
It is so full a salvation that the most depraved sinner can be saved, that the most hopeless human being can be turned into a child of God, and that those who have no right to inherit anything of God might inherit everything.
Not by all our tears, all our knowledge of the Bible, our churchgoing, or all our church ceremonies can we ever achieve salvation.
We are not saved because our parents were Christians, or our grandparents were Christians, or because we have relatives or friends who are Christians. We are saved only by the finished work of the Lord Jesus at Calvary.
That has to become the living, personal, direct experience of every human being if he or she is to be saved.
He won for us in six hours a place in God’s eternal purpose. God’s eternal purpose is not salvation. God’s salvation is the means by which He puts us back into His eternal purpose.
When the Lord Jesus, in those six hours, accomplished our eternal salvation, He provided for us all the grace and all the power we need to come to the heart of His eternal purpose.
It is so sad that so few Christians understand the death of the cross—how much He loved us.
And then there is this second phrase. Philippians 2:9:
Wherefore also God highly exalted Him,
and gave unto Him the name which is above every name;
that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth,
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
What a wonderful power there is in this one word: wherefore. Wherefore God highly exalted Him.
Why did God exalt Him so highly? Because He did not think of being on an equality with God as a thing to be grasped. But He humbled Himself, came, and became a bondservant. Being found in fashion as a man, He became obedient even to death—the death of the cross.
Now, I was always taught that if the Word of God says something more than once, you should take note of it. Listen to this.
James 4:10:
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall exalt you.
Matthew 23:11–12:
But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled;
and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Luke 14:11:
For every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
And again, Luke 18:14:
For every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
When the Lord Jesus humbled Himself, we have an amazing illustration of this principle: whenever a person humbles himself or herself, the Lord will exalt them.
The Lord Jesus is the supreme example. He does not ask you to do anything that He has not done Himself.
He that will be greatest among you, let him be your servant.
Would that not transform our fellowships and our assemblies? If everyone who wants to be great became a bondservant, would that not be something?
If we gave up our rights to care for one another, just served one another, and committed ourselves to the Lord in one another—if we were to humble ourselves—what exalting there would be by the Lord.
I find it very interesting that you have two pictures in the Bible of a great river. Those of you who know your Bibles will know what I am talking about.
In the prophecy of Ezekiel, chapter 47, Ezekiel saw the temple of the Lord. Out from the altar, on the right side, came a stream of water.
As it flowed, it rose from the ankles to the knees, to the loins, and became waters to swim in. Everywhere that river came in Ezekiel’s vision, it brought life.
It even healed the Dead Sea. There is nothing that lives in the Dead Sea—not a plant, not a fish, not a crab, not a crayfish. Nothing. It is sterile.
But when this river coming out of the altar flows into the Dead Sea, a miracle takes place. There are fishermen, and on either side of the river are trees bearing fruit. It all comes from the altar.
There is another picture at the very end of the Bible, in the last book, in the last chapter. It is the city of God. God and the Lamb are the temple, and out of the throne flows a river.
Wherever this river comes, it brings healing. Its fruit and its leaves are for the healing of the nations.
Now, I will not spend long here. All I want to say is this: the altar has become the throne.
That is always God’s way: first the altar, and then the throne.
The Lord Jesus humbled Himself, becoming a bondservant. Being found in fashion as a man, He was obedient even to death—yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted Him and enthroned Him at His right hand, until every knee shall bow to Him and every tongue confess Him as Lord.
It is a wonderful picture: the altar has become the throne.
What an amazing picture we have in Revelation 5: a little Lamb in the midst of the throne.
The Greek is, “as if freshly slain.” Here is the throne of God, the throne of the universe, and here in the midst of the throne is a little Lamb, as if freshly slain.
Those six hours—the power of that finished work—reach back to the foundation of the world and forward to the ages of ages.
A little Lamb. Lion of the tribe of Judah. A little Lamb, as if freshly slain. That is the foundation for all God’s dealings with mankind, from Adam to the last person who will ever be born.
I do not know whether I am boring you or whether something is coming through. Let me just take you a step further.
Listen to the four and twenty elders and the four living creatures:
Worthy art Thou.
With Thy blood Thou hast purchased from every tongue, ethnic group, and race of people for Thyself.
No one else is as worthy to be King as Jesus. No other king has ever given his life for the salvation of his people.
I often say to my own people, the Jewish people: He is our King—the King of the Jews, the King of Israel. Israel thinks she is a republic; actually, she is a kingdom.
She is the only nation in the world who has a King who died to save, who was buried, and who on the third day rose, then ascended to the right hand of God as Saviour of the world, as Head of the Church, as King of the Jews, King of Israel, King of kings, and Lord of lords.
No other people has such a history. We have a King who died, who rose again, who is at the right hand of God, and who is going to return to Jerusalem.
Family of God, who else is worthy? Worthy to be ruler of the kings of the earth; worthy to be King of kings and Lord of lords. There is no one else—only Jesus.
I find this amazing for myself, anyway, because the way to the fulfilment of God’s eternal purpose is that cross and that work that Jesus did in those six hours.
Do you not find it amazing that Paul, after this tremendous revelation of the Lord Jesus, says, “So then, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”?
You cannot work out your own salvation without the cross. It is impossible.
I will go further. There is a divine veto on any kind of working out of your salvation if it is without the cross.
You can only be saved through His work on the cross. But until your self-life is laid down, you cannot see that salvation worked out in your life.
“For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Where there is an uncrucified self-life, there is no God working in you both to will and to work.
Oh, you say, “This is too severe. We want something more gentle, more loving than this.” Well, listen to the Lord Jesus.
Mark 8:34–35:
And He called unto Him the multitude with His disciples, and said unto them, If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
For whosoever would save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the Gospel’s shall save it.
Beloved brother, beloved sister, listen to me. You cannot follow the Lord and love your self-life. You cannot follow the Lord and not take up your cross. It is impossible.
You cannot live the Christian life and preserve your self-life. If you seek to preserve it, you paralyse the work of the Holy Spirit. You grieve the Holy Spirit. You quench the Holy Spirit. You put the fire out.
That is what happens when our fellowships are filled with people thinking about themselves: “I, I, and I.”
Only when I is crossed out do you have the Body of the Lord Jesus. Then you have the building up of the house of God. Then you have an expression of the Lord Jesus that turns the world upside down.
Every assembly represented in this place should be seeing people saved. God should be adding to the church. What is it? I is the problem.
Jesus preached this Gospel not just to His disciples, but to the whole multitude: “If any man come after Me, let him give up all right to himself, take up the crossbeam, and follow Me.”
“Whosoever would save his life”—his self-life; that is the word in Greek, his soul-life—“shall lose it.”
How many Christians here are losing their soul-life? Thinking of your self-life, seeking to safeguard it, you are losing it—and with it, the whole expression of the Body of Christ.
You cannot follow the Lord Jesus without the cross. You cannot come into the fullness of life, abundant life, without the cross.
If you do not humble yourself, in the end God will humble you. It is one of the most extraordinary things that the Lord always says, “Humble yourself.”
Just like the Lord Jesus, make the decision: “I will do the will of My Father.”
I am sorry that it sounds so hard, so severe—but I do not apologize for it. It is the Gospel as it ought to be preached.
Do you know why? We hear this gospel: “Make a decision for the Lord Jesus,” as if it is a presidential election. You vote for Him, make Him your president, and He will do you good. He will help you. He will do everything for you. He will be your insurance.
This kind of gospel says, “Jesus is there for me. I can do my own thing, and then when I am in a mess, I go back to Him and He cleans it up.”
Your will will always get you into a mess.
Think of the thing the Lord Jesus said to Peter. When the Lord Jesus spoke about His cross, Peter said, “God have mercy on Thee, Lord: this shall never be unto Thee.”
Jesus turned around, looked into his eyes, and said, “Get thee behind Me, Satan.”
If I looked into your eyes and said, “Get behind me, Satan,” you would be very upset. You would say, “That is not the way to say things. We need loving brothers, not someone who looks into our eyes and says, ‘Get behind me, Satan.’”
If only Jesus had said, “Simon, Satan is troubling your mind.” That could have been so gentle. Or, “You are not quite seeing it right, Peter.”
But He looked into his eyes and said to this chief apostle, “Get behind Me, Satan. Thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men.”
His self-life was the ground for satanic working. And so is yours.
That self-life of yours, that you love, that you seek to fulfil, will destroy you. It has a poison within it—the poison of Satan.
It will destroy you. It will destroy your family. It will destroy your fellowship. It will destroy your service for the Lord.
That is why the Lord Jesus said, “If any man come after Me, let him give up all right to himself, take up his crossbeam, and follow Me.”
He that loses his self-life for My sake and the Gospel’s will find it.
Oh, dear child of God, listen. Listen to what the Lord Jesus said to the church at Laodicea:
If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.
It is a beautiful picture: communion, fellowship.
Now listen:
He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with Me in My throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with My Father in His throne.
The way to the throne is to hear what Jesus is saying. You will never come to the throne if you are not prepared to be a bondservant.
Well, we must finish. Let me turn you to one other place.
When the Apostle Paul, by the Spirit of God, wrote the greatest exposition of the Gospel that we have in the sixty-six books of the Bible, this is how he ended it.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, that you go out and evangelize.” No. That would be quite right, but he did not say that.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you be always present at the prayer meeting.” Very important—but he did not say that.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, that you get to know your Bible.” Absolutely essential—but he did not say that.
This is what he said:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.
How should the Gospel, being received by you, end? By the mercies of God expressed toward you, presenting your body a living sacrifice.
If only we could hear. You have an argument with another believer: humble yourself. Ask forgiveness.
You have misrepresented someone: ask the Lord to forgive you. Humble yourself.
Where there is fighting, let it stop. Where there is murmuring, let it cease.
Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being on an equality with God, did not think it a thing to be grasped, but humbled Himself, becoming a bondservant.
Being found in fashion as a man, He became obedient even to death—yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted Him.
This is the way to the fulfilment of God’s eternal purpose in your life. This is the way to the fulfilment of God’s eternal purpose in us as believers, building us up as the Body of Christ—living stones built together.
This is the way that you and I can serve the Lord.
Beloved Lord, we just bow before You. We know none of us are worthy.
In this matter of our self-life, we have to say that nearly all of us are failing. Challenge us tonight.
By Your Holy Spirit, confront us. We cannot follow You unless we give up all right to ourselves. Help us, Lord.
And we know You will take care of the execution. Help us, Lord.
We ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.