Passage: Philippians 2:1-2

The Big Idea

The church is one living body, made up of everyone who is “in Christ,” and its health is supplied by Jesus, the Head. Paul names five gifts of grace every believer has received: consolation in Christ, comfort of love, fellowship of the Spirit, affection and mercy. When we all think rightly about these gifts, experience them, live for them and feed on them, we become like-minded and one in heart. Our unity comes from grace, nothing else. And grace is simply Jesus: His eternal love, His appearances to His people, His suffering, resurrection, ascension, intercession and coming return.

One Body

Last time we learned how to think about suffering: when we think rightly about it, we won’t be paralyzed by fear.

Now think about the church. It’s one big, living, breathing body, the largest being in the world, though invisible. It’s made up of everyone who is in Christ: all who have believed His promises and the work He did on the cross. The health of this body is supplied by Jesus, the Head.

Five Gifts of Grace (2:1-2)

Paul writes: if there is any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, any fellowship of the Spirit, any affection and mercy, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

Some Bible teachers associate the number five with grace. Whether or not you see that pattern, here are five things God has given us by grace:

Consolation in Christ
Comfort of love
Fellowship of the Spirit
Affection
Mercy

Paul’s “ifs” are rhetorical questions. Of course there is consolation in Christ! These five gifts are real, and Paul says his joy would be complete if believers would think together about them:

Like-minded: all thinking the same way about these five gifts. Every Christian needs to think rightly about grace.
The same love: all experiencing the love these five things describe. Every Christian needs to taste and see that they’re real, to have grace.
One in spirit: all agreeing that these gifts are the reason and purpose for our lives. Every Christian needs to see that it’s only grace.
One mind: unified as one body under one Head. Every Christian needs to live on grace, feed on grace.

All of this shows that our unity comes from grace. Nothing else. We’re all connected through grace.

Grace is God’s loving, faithful action toward people: what He gives us. Let’s look at these five descriptions of His grace.

The Comforter and the Comfort

We live in the time when God has given us His Holy Spirit.

Jesus called Him the Comforter, the Helper (John 14:16).
The Spirit also convicts and teaches, but a central part of His work is to make us know and feel the comfort, joy and wholeness that are ours in Christ.

Spurgeon put it beautifully: “As the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, Christ is the comfort. The Holy Spirit consoles, but Christ is the consolation.” The Spirit is the Physician, and Christ is the medicine.

So the Holy Spirit goes to all God’s people and gives them Jesus, to console, comfort and heal them. When we think about Jesus, reading the Bible, singing, or sharing fellowship with each other, the Spirit applies the work of Jesus to our souls. That’s what it means to walk in the Spirit.

So let’s walk in the Spirit through the pages of Scripture and see how Jesus Himself is our grace.

Before the World Began

Remember the garden of Eden, where we fell, where sin and sorrow entered the world, where sickness, toil and pain were born. It hurts to think about. What if Adam had never sinned? We wouldn’t get sick. Our loved ones wouldn’t die. Sickness and death cause so much grief.

Where is Jesus in all this?

The answer comes when we think of Jesus in eternity, before He made the world.

Father, Son and Spirit planned our salvation before anything else (Ephesians 1:4; Revelation 13:8).
He agreed to free us before we were slaves, and to heal us before we were sick.
Jesus knew the price He would pay, and He gladly committed to the cross before the foundation of the world.
He anticipated your needs and gave His life to meet them.

Jesus considered your sin and failure and responded with love and sacrifice. How can that not bring consolation?

He Comes to Us

Maybe you’re sad that you can’t see Jesus right now. “I wish I could see You, touch You, know You now!”

Jesus longs to be with you more than you can imagine. He has always desired to walk with people. You’re no different. You’re His beloved.

Many believe the appearances of “the Angel of the LORD” in the Old Testament were Jesus Himself, before His birth in Bethlehem. Look how He met people where they were:

He came to Abraham as a traveler, because Abraham was a traveler (Genesis 18).
He met Jacob by the river as a wrestler, because Jacob was a wrestler (Genesis 32).
He appeared to Moses in a burning bush that wasn’t consumed. Moses felt burned out, and God showed him what He could make of him (Exodus 3).
He came to Joshua as the Commander of the LORD’s army, because Joshua was the commander of Israel’s army (Joshua 5).
When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the furnace, a fourth figure walked in the fire with them. Their ropes burned off, and they walked free in His presence (Daniel 3).

In all of these, He shows us He truly identifies with us and loves us. Though sin had brought separation, He goes above and beyond again and again to break it down. He comes to us and fights for us at every turn!

Isn’t your heart comforted? He isn’t against you. He’s for you!

The LORD says He holds our right hand and tells us not to fear, because He will help us, even when we feel as small as a worm (Isaiah 41:13-14). He says: don’t fear, I have redeemed you; I’ve called you by name; you’re Mine. When you pass through the waters, I’ll be with you. The rivers won’t sweep you away, and the fire won’t burn you. You’re precious in My sight, and I love you (Isaiah 43:1-5).

As Jesus walked with the saints of old, He’s willing and able to walk with you, right where you are. He doesn’t despise you. He comes to you!

He Became One of Us

Then Jesus came down from heaven, where He had lived for all eternity, and became a man. He added humanity to His divinity.

He shared our experience in every way, so He can comfort us in every way (Hebrews 4:15).

Where we’re weak, He was weaker.
Where we’re tempted, He was tempted more.
Where we’re hated, He was hated more.
Where we’re poor, He was poorer.

He lived in complete dependence on His Father: praying when weak, trusting when tempted, loving always.

He Suffered for Us

And then He suffered. Oh, how He suffered. Whatever you’ve suffered is only a taste of the cup He drank to the bottom.

If there’s any place where Jesus becomes everything you need, it’s here, where He suffered more than anyone, plunged into the deepest ocean of pain so He could become our joy and life.

The night before He was crucified, He prayed in Gethsemane. He bowed in anguish before His Father’s will. He loved us and wanted to save us, but the Father had always been His closest companion and strength. How could He face being forsaken? The agony was so great that His sweat became like great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). It was as if His body couldn’t wait to begin giving His blood for you.

That’s the power of His passionate love for you!

Look at Him again. His simple robe was stripped off. He was arrested, tried and rejected. He was scourged, every stripe another line in the love letter He was writing to you.

Look again. He was led out to be crucified. Nails were driven through His hands and feet. A crown of thorns pierced His head. His bones were pulled out of joint. His face was beaten beyond recognition (Isaiah 52:14).

And all He did was love. Love and forgive. Some mocked. Some wept. Why? Why would He suffer so much, more than anyone?

What could comfort you more than the stripes on His back? By His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

If this Jesus doesn’t bring consolation, comfort, fellowship, affection and mercy, then there’s no life in us at all.

But He does! He gives it! So why would we look to anyone or anything else?

If the crucified Jesus doesn’t bring you what you need, you don’t yet know what you need.

He is the ransom price, paid in full. His blood takes away all sin. It’s the only sacrifice God accepts. It does bring hope! It does work!

Spurgeon said that we only need to sit more at the cross to be less troubled by our doubts, fears and woes: “We have but to see his sorrows, and lose our sorrows; we have to see his wounds, and heal our own.”

An old hymn prays:

Lord, Thy death and passion give
Strength and comfort in my need;
Every hour while here I live,
On Thy love my soul shall feed.

He Rose and Reigns

But there’s more! Jesus is more than even a sacrificial death.

He was laid in the tomb, and three days later He burst out alive, no longer stripped and shamed, but clothed in the glory of God.

Our tears dry as we see His complete victory over sin and death! We never need to fear death or the power of sin again. We’re free and alive because He rose.

We don’t need to be anxious the night before we die, because our thoughts can rest on Jesus. Death is a door into God’s glory. The day of a believer’s death becomes a day of victory and joy, because Jesus is alive. If you need that comfort, look at His wounds. They’re healed, and He’s alive.

Now look at Jesus ascended. He sat down at the Father’s right hand and was given the name above every name (Philippians 2:9). He’s worshiped and loved forever by all His people.

Whenever you fear or doubt, remember: you ascended with Him. His resurrection life has been given to you.

You were raised with Him.
You’re seated with Him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).
You share in His victory.

God gives you Jesus’ victory. That’s what grace is: the victory of Jesus given to you. And it looks like these five gifts. These five things are just Jesus. They’re His grace.

He Prays for Us

Look at Jesus again, serving now as our High Priest.

He carries us on His heart.
He hears our prayers and brings them to the Father.
Every prayer, no matter how feeble, is heard. He takes it, joins it with His own perfect intercession, and brings it to the Father.
He’s serving you right now: praying for you, interceding for you, working for your good (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25).
When you long to be used by God, Jesus takes that desire as His own and asks the Father to supply the Spirit to make it happen.

He’s Coming Back

And look at Jesus once more: He’s about to return.

The trumpet will soon sound. We’ll rise to meet Him in the air, be changed in a moment and be with Him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:52). He’ll reign as King over this world. He’ll put down every evil and make every wrong right. He’ll bind the devil and remove the curse.

Look to Jesus and be changed. Look to Him and be saved.

What Else Would We Think About?

Now that we’ve looked at Jesus, come to Him and believed in Him, read the text again: if there is any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, any fellowship of the Spirit, any affection and mercy, be like-minded, have the same love, be one in spirit and purpose.

What else are we going to think about?

Jesus.
Jesus only.
Jesus all day.
Jesus all night.

Are you looking to Jesus with the eyes of faith?

It isn’t complicated. But it will undo you. It isn’t difficult, but it will cost you everything, because there’s no room left for other loves when you let Jesus give you His grace.

But if you look to Him and believe what you see, you have been set free. You have been healed. You’ve been given grace, just like every other believer.

We’re in this together, united in a way the world can’t understand.

Grace Takeaway

Our unity as believers doesn’t come from agreeing on everything, liking the same things or performing at the same level. It comes from grace: the consolation, comfort, fellowship, affection and mercy that are ours in Jesus. He planned our rescue before the world began, came near to His people again and again, suffered for us, rose, reigns, prays for us and is coming back. When we all fix our minds on Him, we become one. Look to Jesus today, and drink deeply of His grace.

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How Thinking About Grace Brings Unity