Gospel Light

Introduction

Well, good morning! If you have a copy of God’s Word, go ahead and open it up with me to Philippians chapter 2…We’re gonna be continuing our sermon series this morning, “Bridge Builders,” walking through Paul’s letter to the church of Philippi. Listen, we’ve been walking through this letter verse by verse, chapter by chapter…we’ve been in it for 10 weeks so far and we’ll probably have another two months or so before we’ll get to the end. There’s just so much here that Paul gave his reader and I think it’s super relevant for us today, especially for us here at First Baptist Church. And if you remember, our theme we’ve really been pulling out is the idea of unity. Paul’s been charging his Philippian readers to unity. And not just any kind of unity but unity around Jesus and the gospel. He’s charged them to make everything about those two things. That’s been his whole purpose so far…Everything that’s happened to him…it’s been for what according to Paul? To advance the gospel, right? His imprisonment…His wrongdoing…His circumstances…He rejoices because it all serves to advance the kingdom of God. And he charges them to have the same mindset…to make everything about the gospel of Christ.

If you remember, Paul exhorts them at the end of chapter one, to live lives “worthy of the gospel,” right? And then in chapter two, live lives in line with that of Jesus’s…and then of course last week…he says, “work out your own salvation.” He says, “Do it with fear and trembling. Do it by remembering the God that works in you and through you.” He’s constantly giving them the same imperative but when we really sit back and think about everything Paul’s been talking about there’s one question that comes to my mind, “How do we live as faithful believers…how do we live this life worthy of the gospel....how do we work out our own salvation, in a non-Christian world? How can we be faithful Christians in a non-Christian world…or even now, in a post-Christian world?” How do we do that? It’s easier said than done, right? Even when we think back to that spiritual workout plan from last week…how do we maintain that? How do we ensure we keep our motivation?

Listen, I think our passage this morning really gives us the answer to that question. Now of course…it gives us more exhortations…more imperatives…but it continues with a focus on how we’re to live in a world in which we live. It’s a focus, really, on mission, a focus on the lifestyle we’re to live as believers, even when we’re living in a world that’s essentially nothing like us.

And so, if you’re there with me this morning, let’s stand together as we read our text. Paul says this in verse 14, “14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”

Thank you, you can be seated…Listen, as we come our passage, I think there’s five things we can really take away from Paul’s command here....five things that are crucial realities for us trying to live Christian lives today.

And so with that, let’s check these out together.

1.) Remember your Identity

First of all, look back at verse 15…Paul calls them what? He says, “children of God.” Of course, it comes with some more exhortations …he’s giving them some more imperatives…He says, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing,” right? But listen, he gives them those commands as children of God. And guys, everything he tells them to do, it flows from that basic reality…that’s just who they were. They’re children of God.

And guys, that’s the first point this morning. The first crucial reality for us trying to live Christian lives in a messed up world today is to remember our identity. We have to remember who we are. Listen, when we read this phrase that Paul wrote here, we have to remember that not everyone is a child of God. You understand what I’m saying? Yes....all people were created in the image of God…and yes all people are in a sense an offspring of God as Acts 17 says…but listen, when we see this language, when we see that idea of being a child of God, children of God, sons and daughters of God, the family of God...guys, that language, it’s reserved for believers. It’s a phrase used to describe those that belong to the family of God…those that have become His children through faith in Jesus Christ.

Listen, in the Gospel of John he writes that “to all who did receive him (being Jesus), who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Guys, we have to remember the way in which someone enters into the family God. It’s by receiving Jesus Christ…its by believing in His name…the name that’s above every name. It’s by turning from yourself…repenting and turning to the only One that can deliver you and forgive you.

And the very nature we have as His children, it bornes witness to us in our own hearts…through the Holy Spirit....through His indwelling. You know I think about what Jesus said to His disciples before He ascended to the Father in Acts…He said, “I must go because it’s better for you…the One who comes after Me is even greater, right? I can’t wrap my mind around this…these disciples, they walked with God…they learned from God…they talked with God…they went fishing with God, right? He fixed breakfast for them. I mean how much greater could it have really been? How much better can you get than Jesus in the flesh? But yet, Jesus says, “I must go.” Why? Because instead of just walking and talking and fishing with God…God now, as His child, He now dwells in me. I mean do you understand that? The God of all creation calls me His and dwells in me.

And guys, to be called a child of God, it means that we’re loved by God. That’s the emphasis John makes in 1 John 3 when he writes, “See what kind of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are.” He says, “The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

And so, the first element of being a child of God is to remember you’re loved. He bought you with His blood. He displayed the most incredible picture of love…by giving His only Son…He did that for you…He did that for me…because ultimately you’re loved by God.

But listen, John also says, “Everyone who thus hopes in him (who hopes in Jesus) purifies himself, even as he is pure.” Meaning, as a child of God, we have to remember that our hope in being His is that we will be like Christ. We’ll be like Him when we see Him as He is. And that hope, it causes us to be different. It’s a reminder that we’re different.

And listen, you might be sitting there thinking, “You got all that from that little phrase? ‘Children of God.” Yea! Do you understand what it means to be a child of God? Paul writes that here as a reminder to them. Remember who you are…remember how you got that title. Remember that you belong to a new family. Remember that you have a new Father. Remember that God, the Creator of everything, the name above every name, remember that He calls you His. Guys this is important. And listen, going back to some of the things Paul’s already discussed so far…the way we behave doesn’t determine who we are, but who we are determines how we behave. That’s Paul’s point here. We can’t work out our own salvation…we can’t live lives worthy of the gospel…we can’t adopt the same mindset of Christ…without remembering who we are…because it’s that reality that gives us the power to be who we are in this world.

How many of y’all have seen the movie Lion King? Listen, there’s a point in that movie where Simba’s struggling with his decision to take up his rightful place as king and he sees his dad and his dad says, “Remember.....Remember who you are.” And if you remember, what happened? That realization, it drove him to begin behaving like a king. Remembering his identity caused him to take charge of his responsibilities.

Guys, the same’s true for us today. When we remember who we are, it leads us to a certain lifestyle…which is exactly why Paul says, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” Don’t be like this world! And guys, too often, we find ourselves in disputes and we complain and we grumble…we don’t like the direction of the pastor or we don’t like what someone in the church did or said…and we starting fighting among one another. And guys, Paul says, “Don’t do that. Don’t do that because it doesn’t fit who you are as children of God. Don’t do that because it doesn’t show this world who you are. It’s tarnishes your witness.” Remember who your identity.

Remembering our identity, it reminds us that we’re blameless…we’re innocent…without blemish, as Paul writes here. It means we’re above reproach or without reproach. That’s what it means to be blameless. Meaning, morally we understand what it means to walk with God in this world. The word “innocent,” it has to do with our internal purity. It’s more about the heart and our convictions. It means we’re pure and sincere. And “without blemish,” it’s a phase used to talk about sacrificial lambs that were gonna be offered to God. They had to be without defect. No broken legs, or blind eyes, no spots on them…they were without defect, without blemish. That’s the idea here. It describes who we are in relation to God. We’re presented to Him as being without blemish.

And guys, when we put those words together, it describes who we are as His children. It describes holiness. It describes what God wants us to be, what we’re called to be. And guys, all of that flows out of who we are. It flows out of our identity.

And so, we remember who we are…we remember our identity, that’s first.

2.) Remember your Homeland

Second, we have to remember our homeland. Look at how Paul writes this phase. He says, “14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.”

Listen, remember, he’s writing to the Philippians here…and that’s how he describes their context. And that phrase, it actually comes from the Old Testament. In fact, it comes from that story of the first generation of Israelites. In Deuteronomy 32:5, because of their unfaithfulness, because of their idolatry, this is what the text says, “They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children, because they are blemished. They are a crooked and twisted generation.”

Listen, this is what Paul’s saying, “Don’t be like them. Don’t be like those original Israelites who were crooked and twisted. No, be without spot, be blameless, be innocent in the midst of this crooked and twisted generation.”

Guys, that word “twisted,” it literally means to be perverse. It carries the idea of deviation from that which is good…that which is moral and right. That’s how Paul’s describing their context in Philippi. And listen, it’s really no different for us today. In fact, it’s probably worse. And we have to remember, this place, this crooked and twisted place, it’s not our home. We don’t belong here and because we don’t belong here we should stand out. We should look different. We should look like aliens in this place.

That’s why Paul continues, “among whom you shine as lights in the world.” You’re to be a light in this crooked and twisted generation because of who you are and where you belong. Guys, we inhabit a world that’s dark and sinful, it’s twisted and perverse…it doesn’t value what God values. Guys, we live in a world that calls good evil and evil good, light darkness and darkness light…when you live in a world like that and try to hold onto the values of Christianity, when you try to live in the way of Jesus, it’s either going to distort your very nature because you can’t live in this world and claim to be His child...or it’s going to cause persecution and conflict because you can’t live as a Christian in this place faithfully and please the world. Guys, we have to remember our context…to be a friend with the world is to be at enmity with God. And so, we have to remember who we are and we have to remember where we belong.

3.) Remember your Calling

Which leads us into our third point, remember your calling. If we’re children of God and this place isn’t where we belong, then it really makes us ask a question, right? Why are we still here? Well Paul says, “among whom you shine as lights in the world.” Meaning, we’re here for a purpose. At the moment of salvation, at the moment our name changes and we become His, we’re given a mission…a calling. And guys, listen, you have to understand this…if you ain’t dead, God ain’t done. I heard a pastor this week say, “We have to stop using our age as an excuse to do nothing.” If you’re His and if you’re still alive, then you have a calling and that calling is universal among us as believers. You understand what I’m saying?

And so, what’s that calling? It’s to shine as lights. If the world’s dark and sinful…if it’s crooked and twisted…what’s it need? It needs light, right? It needs a people to light it up and expose the truth. Our calling’s to advance the kingdom of God by…look at what Paul says, “holding fast to the word of life.” Meaning, we become lights in this temporal place by doing what? By standing firm on the truths of God’s Word...You see how this ties into last week? How are you gonna remember your calling and be what you’re called to be when you don’t crack open your Bible? How you gonna do this when you don’t know what it says? That’s how it ties to last week, we have to continually “workout our own salvation,” right? And we do that by standing or holding fast to the word of life.

Chrysostom said this, “What is the word of life? It means having the seed of life, that is, the beginning of life, possessing life itself.”

That phrase “holding fast,” it can mean holding onto, having a firm grip on…it can mean holding forth, holding out…extending this word to others…And listen, Paul’s talking about the gospel here. We hold fast and we extend the gospel out to others because it’s the word that gives life…That’s why he calls it that here. It points to life. It’s the Word that points to Jesus Christ, who is the life. When we hold fast to this gospel and when we extend it out, we’re fulfilling our mission…our calling.

When I read this passage, I can’t help but think about what Jesus said, right? “You are the light of the world. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Your actions in this world, they have the ability to point people to Christ and to bring glory to His great name. In fact, that’s what we’re called to do! That’s why Jesus made you His. it wasn’t for you to sit on a padded pew every Sunday waiting for Him to come back. We have a charge to go! That’s why Jesus told his disciples what? “Go, therefore and make disciples!” And guys, we do that by becoming luminaries that radiate the word of life into a sinfully dark universe. And listen, this has been God’s plan since the creation of man…this has been His plan since He chose to work through Israel…they were called to shine as lights to the Gentiles. And these Philippians, as God’s new covenant people, they inherited this vocation…this responsibility.

And listen, it’s not just our responsibility…our calling’s our privilege as well. That word “light,” it doesn’t mean we’re the source of light…it literally mean’s we’re luminaries. Jesus is the light, right? And we’re called to be bearers of that light…That light, it’s His life in us. When Jesus came to us, He came as “the light of men,” but now that He’s left this world, He’s given us the privilege of being the bearers of His “light.”

Church, when we’re struggling....when this world gets hard…when things get tough…we have to remember our calling. We have to remember why it’s hard…because we’re His and because we don’t belong here…and just like these Philippians, as His children, we’ve inherited this vocation…it’s our calling.

4.) Remember your Training

Number four…we have to remember our training. We have to remember those that discipled us. Look back at verse 16, Paul said, “holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”

Listen, everyone of us, as children of God, has had someone that’s discipled us…or someone that’s been called to pour into us, to train us. This is why it’s so crucial for believers to get connected to a local church because every flock has been appointed a man called to shepherd that body....a man that’s been called to teach and disciple those in that body. Guys, to be a pastor…it comes with a great responsibility. I, as your head elder here at First Baptist Church, I will stand before Jesus one day and be held accountable with how I handled your souls. And that’s the blessing and the burden I have to carry. And listen, the weight my family has to carry because of that responsibility…I can’t describe it to you.

But listen, I love Paul’s heart here. It shows us the heart of the pastor. We have to remember the context here....Paul planted this church, he labored for it…He did the evangelistic work in Philippi…He taught them and discipled them…and now that he’s unable to come to them, he’s concerned for them. He loves this church! We’ve seen that already. If you remember, in chapter one, he said, “I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” And when we get to chapter four, Paul says, “brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown...” And listen, his joy’s complete…according to Paul…when they’re faithful to Jesus. That’s what he’s pushing them towards.

He wants them to be faithful to Jesus, to shine as lights in this world, all so that he won’t be disappointed…so that his work, the work he’s been called to, his running, his laboring…all so that its not in vain. He’s anticipating that day he’ll stand before the judgement seat of Christ and answer for these people he’s responsible for and he wants to see fruit in their lives…he wants to see fruit in the lives of the people he’s labored for. He says, “Be faithful,”…so that his work wouldn’t be in vain.

And listen, if all you read is this one verse…it’d almost sound like Paul’s being selfish here. Almost as if he wants glory for himself....which guys, this is why context is so important. I can take any one verse in Scripture and make it out to be anything I want it to be. You know how many daily devotionals and books take verses out of context? You know how many preachers take verses out of context because they don’t apply them to the actual letter or book they were a part of? Guys, if you take anything away from this morning...context! You understand what I’m saying? Context is everything…and that’s certainly the case here. Some of your translations actually use the word ‘glory’ here. They say, “holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory...” That word ‘glory’ or ‘rejoice,’ it’s not what you think it means. Paul wasn’t seeking glory for himself…that would make him a hypocrite and contradict the rest of his letter. Remember what he said earlier…to live is what? It’s Christ, right? Paul’s life was Christ and he knew everything he did and everything he was called to, Christ did through him and it was all meant for Jesus’s glory.

The best thing believers can do for their pastors…its to faithfully live out the truths of God’s Word....it’s to faithfully show fruit of the things he taught and preached....all so that he can say, just like Paul, “I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” Listen, every biblically grounded pastor desires that the reward of his efforts be full, that the people under his care…that they’d love and obey the Lord without grumbling or complaining....that with their lives they’d live all with the purpose of demonstrating the gospel to be true and believable. And guys, we desire that…because our calling to you…it was meant to bring glory to Christ.

That’s why Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5, “12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” And in Hebrews 13, “17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

And guys, that’s not just for your pastor…it’s not just for me. An important element of our motivation to do what Paul’s charging us to do here, it should be because we wanna be faithful to whoever it was that discipled us. Think about that person who led you to Jesus. Maybe it was mom, dad. Maybe it was a coach or a teacher that had the greatest influence in your life. Maybe it was a Sunday teacher…or maybe IT was a pastor. Listen, I don’t know…but think about that person that shared the gospel with you…that told you you needed Jesus…that person that began to explain the Bible to you....that person that led you to faith in Christ. Guys, we have to remember our training…we’re faithful so that their work won’t be in vain.

I know that’s true in my life…I wanna be faithful…and one of the reasons for that…its because I don’t wanna disappoint those that’s invested in me. Listen, we see pastors falling left and right in today’s culture. We see em’ burning out…we see em’ falling into temptations. And guys, that scares me. It scares me to think about what I’m capable of doing....and listen, don’t think for a second you’re not capable of falling. If you think that, then guys, you’re gonna be next. We’re all capable. But listen, it scares me. I think about what would happen to my wife…my kids…my church. I think about what it would do to those that discipled me if I fell....those that’s invested in me. I think about the men that ordained me to ministry. I don’t wanna disappoint them. I want their labor, I want their efforts to be fruitful.

Guys, can I appeal to for a second? Don’t disappoint the people who led you to Christ, the people who invested in you, the people who taught you, the people who were called to be faithful to you. That’s my greatest burden as a pastor...to see people who once seemed faithful to Jesus, but wandered away. It’s my greatest burden. Which also reminds us, just because we call on Jesus doesn’t mean we’re His…we have to repent and believe. Guys, this is serious…and so, for sake of those who love you and have invested in you, be faithful. Remember your training.

5.) Remember your Destiny

And then number five…we have to remember our destiny. Look back at verse 16…Paul said that phrase again, “the day of Christ,” right?

Listen, we’ve talked about this over and over again because Paul wrote it over and over again. First in chapter one, Paul said, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” And then we saw this same motivation in the section talking about to “live is Christ and to die is gain.” We saw this idea in the first sections of chapter two. Paul was constantly looking forward....He was constantly looking to that day when Jesus Christ returns in glory, when we stand before the judgement seat of Christ, when we have to give an account of our lives as Christians to the Lord; that day when we could hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Don’t you wanna hear those words? You have to remember your destiny! You have to stop getting caught up in the here and now…you have to stop getting side tracked by the problems you face in this temporal world…you have to keep your focus on where it is you’re going.

Guys, it’s these motivations that help us to carry out Paul’s imperatives here…It helps us to live a life worthy of the gospel.

Closing

Listen, would you do me a favor? Where you’re at, would you just close your eyes?

I want you to think about the day you’re gonna stand before the throne of Christ. Guys, if you’ve been saved by the power of the gospel…what’s Jesus gonna say about your Christian life? What things is He gonna bring up? Have you fulfilled the calling He’s given us? Is your life a light?

And guys, listen, if you’re not a Christian, that conversations gonna be so much different. You see, our sin, it puts us in a situation where we all deserve punishment…we all deserve the wrath of God…because we’ve all sinned against God. And at the day of judgement for the Christian, we might have to answer for our sins, but because of our faith in Jesus…He’s pardoned us. He already paid the penalty of my sin…He took on the punishment…Guys, for someone that doesn’t believe…for someone that hasn’t repented and turned to Jesus, that punishment still has to be paid. And so, at the day of judgement, without Jesus, you will pay for the penalty of your sins against Him. And if that’s you…listen to me…you need repent…you need to ask for forgiveness…and you need to place your trust and faith in the only One that can grant you freedom....You need to turn to Jesus....And listen, you don’t need to do anything special…you just need to ask Him to forgive you....and believe. You can do that right where you’re at…He knows your heart. Talk to Him right now…just you and Him. Ask Him to come into your life…ask Him to fill you with His Spirit...If that’s you, you do that as you pray right where you’re at.

Church, we’re not doing what Paul’s charged us to do....The evidence of that’s all around us. Our kids…the next generation, they’ve never been more confused then they are right now. They have no idea who we claim to be because we’ve not shown them. They have no idea that we don’t belong here because we’ve made everything about their success in school, or sports, or whatever…we’ve placed the emphasis on those things and not things that actually bring glory to Christ. And listen, you can get mad, I’m not picking on you…the evidence, its in your attendance…it’s in the reasons you’re not here on Sunday mornings…guys, don’t think for a second your kids don’t soak that stuff up…they see what’s important to you....and they’re not seeing you as a child of God and that you don’t belong here…they’re not seeing you live out your calling to shine as lights…they’re not seeing you fall back on your own discipleship or training…and they’re certainly not seeing you place your focus on the future coming of Christ…because everything we care about, its of this world. And then we sit back and we wonder why this generation and our kids are in the mess they’re in. Guys, it’s not their fault…they’ve only followed our lead…It’s your fault. It’s our fault as a church. We’re not showing them who we are…or where we belong…we’re not demonstrating our calling or our training…and we’re not focusing on our destiny.

And listen, I know most of you won’t do this....but now more than ever, you need to demonstrate that to your kids. You need to pull them aside right now and you need to take them to the altar and you need to pray with them and ask them to forgive you for failing them…and then you need to ask God to give you whatever it is you need to fulfill this in your life....because it’s important…and guys it’s crucial.

And so, as I pray…how are you gonna respond? And listen, maybe you’re older, your kids aren’t here…maybe you’re younger and you don’t have kids or you’re not married…we all have a responsibility in this. And Paul’s charging us as children of God, because we’re all here to reach down and pull people out of this darkness by demonstrating that there’s hope…and guys, that hope, it has a name…Jesus. And you’ve been called to show that to the word.

[Prayer]