Facing Your Opponents

YWOP - Stand Your Ground  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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Introduction

Paul is in prison while he writes this letter
Paul is in the region called Philippi - an industrious, lucrative and free state in the Roman empire.
It’s great to be a citizen of Philippi - but Paul teaches that it’s even greater to be a citizen of heaven
For the majority of this chapter Paul talks about the graitude their “participation in the gospel”
He feels the suffering in His ministry that he undergoes, is for the benefit of the brethren he reaches out to
Whether he lives or dies he remains committed to Christ

Our Text

The prevailing statement is Php 1:27Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;”

“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ,. . .”

This is the MAIN statement!
To live in a way that is consistent with waht the gospel teaches
The word refers to a scale where the object on one side needed to match up to the weights on the other side
To live according to the gospel I need to KNOW the gospel

Live like where you live is the gospel

“conduct” is to live in consistency with where your citizenship is

The remaining texts answer the question, HOW DO I DO THAT?

Firstly

“I hear you are standing firm in one spirit” (vs.27)
Staying put, remainig steadfast
There are lot of things trying to move you but, one way I “conduct myself in a manner worthy of the gospel” is - TO STAND FIRM

Secondly

“. . with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel”
strive together emphasis: TOGETHER
This means preacher and members
This means men and women
This means old and young
This means Gen X, Boomers, Mil., Gen Z, Gen Alpha
This means WE ALL fight together, not AGAINST each other

Stop fighting the wrong fight, and fight the right fight

Thirdly (the actual lesson)

Php 1:28 “in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.”
As we do this, we do it with a particular posture,

“not being alarmed by your opponents”

The word “alarmed” means to be scared, to be shy, to be intimidated
“not be alarmed” - is not spoken in the sense of a command but rather, that there is no need to

Your opponents

Someone that has “set themselves against you”
People that do not like you for whatever reason
For Paul, it was because he preached the gospel
Paul was in prison because some in society did not like what Paul was saying

APPL.

Some folks won’t like - and for any reason they want. Sometimes you don’t have to much for some to set themselves against you
You do or you don’t they set themselves
You are doing well
You are developing too fast
You are growing to good
You husband, your wife, your children are doing well
The church is prospering
People will set themselves against for reasons that should not be reasons

Paul just had to preach and they set themselves against him

You just try to change, do well, get involved, start shoing up more, start studying more. . .and watch some “set themselves against you”

So paul encourages them, “do not be alarmed/fearful

Let’s be real

Satnding in the gospel is scary because of the responses that it sometimes gets scary - REJECTION is scary, PRESSURE is scary, being isolated because of your belief is scary

Paul gives a reason to not be fearful

God is doing something

This opposition is a sign that God will destroy them and save you

There are things that need to leave when God shows up

e.g. Sometimes I’m in a position where someone can do something for me so it relieves the pressure of doing it
i.e. “don’t worry about it, I have you covered”
WHY?

Because they’re destined for destruction, their destruction means your deliverance

Destruction - means that they will come to nothing, it will be a wasted effort.

God will cast them down and lift you up

God has a great track-record doing this

Samson - cut of his hair, took out his eyes, made a slave, displayed him as a trophy, God is one that really brought the house down
David - didn’t believe he was king material, Saul tried to kill him, the enemies tried to kill, but God put him on the throne
Paul - 2 Cor 4:8-9 “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;”
JESUS - Look at what the enemies did to Him - Acts 2:23-24 “this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”
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