Stay Salty, Shine Brightly, Don't Embarrass the Family

Introduction

The title of our sermon this morning has been borrowed from my family’s current motto. Over time I have found it helpful to encourage one another as we leave the home or send our girls of to school. We always say, “I love you”, but with that In the past it has been:

Make good choices

Bless someone today

Currently we have adopted a phrase that comes from author Natalie Runion,

“Stay salty, shine brightly, and don’t embarrass the family”… when i saw this on instagram I immediately loved it.

As I read through Philippians and coming upon this portion of scripture, I couldn’t help but think of our family’s axiom. Let’s read the apostle Paul’s

If you have your Bibles or on your devices, would you turn with me to Philippians 1:27-30

If you are able/willing, would you stand with me as I read God’s word this morning. Thank you. Let us pray.

Please be seated.

You’ll remember up until this point in Paul’s letter, he’s sharing about his great love for this church and the present state where he finds himself… in prison.

Thoughts: In three subsections between 12-30… there is a difficult/painful dilemma that Paul faces.

1. His imprisonment… chains (mentioned 3x)

2. Character maligning

3. His suffering and the suffering of the church

Last week, pastor Josh took us through vss. 19-26. He shared with us no matter what lies ahead of us, even if it be death, we only have to look forward to gaining all things. Nothing before us can take away from who we are when our identities are found wrapped up in Jesus Christ.

You are going to find that Pastor Josh’s message last week and this one today will do a dance and intertwine with one another. There are different facets of this same gem that we’ll see today.

Paul has just said, whether I end up martyred for the testimony of Jesus Christ or I manage to return to you, the faithful saints in Philippi, Paul urges them to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects the worthiness of the gospel. Their conduct serves as a testimony to the truth of the gospel, their lives exemplify the power of the gospel, and their relationships demonstrate how the gospel brings genuine life. And suffering is a tool of God not a punishment for the follower of Jesus. It is through suffering we know that we will be delivered.

Citizens of Heaven (v. 27a)

Conducting ourselves in a manner worthy (ἀξίως)

This is a tricky word. One might take away (without the whole context of scripture) that one can earn their affection and favor from God. That God has favorites. That if you do x, y, and z that you’ll be loved more.

I’ve seen a clip of a preacher recently sharing about how much faith he has and that God has supplied him with the biggest house in the state of Lousianna, how many rolex watches, the money, the stuff, blah blah blah.

Can I remind us that the apostle Paul (EMPHASIZE), the apostle Paul is writing this from a jail cell with nothing but the clothes on his back and the food and provisions friends bring him. If there ever was favoritism in God’s eyes… who do you think would have it?

What does this word, worthy mean… for Paul tells us to walk “worthy of the gospel of Christ”?

Citizenry comes with rights and responsibilities.

Citizenship comes with rights and responsibilities

To be a US citizen (show graphic) there are benefits… voting, bringing family to the US, citizenship for children born abroad, privileges of a US passport, work for government, elected official.

Responsibilities… give up prior allegiances to foreign nations/sovereignties, swear allegiance to the US, support and defend the constitution and the laws of the US, serve the country when required, serve on juries, vote.

City of God is a book written in the 4th and 5th century by Augustine of Hippo… an early church father. While primarily written as an argument against allegations that Christianity was the cause of the fall of the Roman empire, Augustine speaks to in book 2 of the City of God and the Earthy kingdoms.

That as followers of Jesus we have to live in this world but also will fully realize the Kingdom of God.

We can be good and faithful US citizens in so much as we keep our faithfulness to Jesus and His ethic. We have rights and responsibilities as US citizens, but we have Kingdom of God rights and responsibilities (and ethics) that we are to keep as primary.

Understanding we can’t earn salvation, but by grace, through faith (allegiance) in Jesus we are saved from our sin and are therefore eternally hidden in Christ, how should we walk in a worthy manner of the Gospel?

Through our fidelity, our faithfulness to Christ in our citizenry here in the US… we are to stay salty.

The basic facts about salt according to the Salt Association based out of the UK:

For thousands of years...

1. Salt has been used to preserve food such as meat and dairy products. Even with the development of refrigeration, salt remains an important aid to food hygiene.

2. Its role as a seasoning is also well known

3. In processed meats, salt acts as a binder, controls the colour and improves the tenderness.

4. In bread, it strengthens gluten in the dough, providing uniform grain, texture and strength, allowing the dough to expand without tearing.

5. It develops rind hardness and even consistency in cheese.

Salt preserves, seasons, binds, improves tenderness, strengthens, growth without ruining, and it brings consistency. May this be said of us who follow Jesus as our Lord.

Stay salty my friends.

Conduct (vs.27b)

One Spirit- There is one Spirit (the Holy Spirit) that dwells in all those that are Christ’s.

Helpful to remember the role of the Spirit: John 16:8–12 “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.”

But for those that are of the heavenly kingdom, those whose citizenship is in heaven, the author of Hebrews talks about those who’s faith was in God,

Hebrews 11:13–16 “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”

Here he’s talking about Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah… the pastor of Hebrews will continue on with Joseph, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, so many…

While we can read about their flaws, failings, and shortcomings, what the Bible says about them is that they believed God and they were awaiting the promises of God to come to fulfilment.

One purpose- We too are waiting for God to fulfill His promises. Where He will rule with strength, justice, holiness, love, righteousness.

Fighting together for the faith- We fight together for faithfulness to Jesus.

“All believers share in the same Holy Spirit, but believers do not have the same opinions. Unity implies diversity or difference.”

Cohick, L. H. (2013). Philippians (T. Longman III & S. McKnight, Eds.; p. 72). Zondervan.

You might be saying, Peter, that’s great but what does that mean? What does that look like?

- It looks like serving in Children’s ministry teaching our children about the faithfulness of God

It looks like serving in our youth group as leaders helping kids navigate the things of this world and sitting with them as reflections of Christ conveying to them through presence the truth and reality of God’s nearness in all circumstances.

It looks like greeting people at the door on Sunday mornings, making cookies/coffee for after church, letting people know that they are welcomed, loved, and we are grateful to share the same space.

It looks like using our money, tithe, resources, talents, time, and treasure for things of God and His body.

It looks like cooking hamburgers and hotdogs for local college kids who are away from home letting them know that there are people who care about their success and flourishing.

It looks like opening your home and being with others through the highs and lows that come with life.

It looks like creating community events to walk and intersect with lives who need hope, who need love, who need wisdom, who need compassion, who need Jesus!!!!!

It looks like loving your enemy. It looks like loving your neighbor. It looks like seeking the peace and the prosperity of the city, for when it finds it’s shalom, it’s peace/prosperity, we find ours. It looks like this and more.

Let your light shine, friends.

Struggle is being alive (vv.28-30)

Paul says, our conduct is a sign that they will perish… Paul would argue that the fact they are opposing you is out of fear and powerlessness.

Our conduct is a sign that we will have victory. Our consistency in our conduct is a sign that we will have victory.

This was a conviction of many in the early church as they were being killed for their faith. This is true of many throughout the world who are still killed for their allegiance and faith in Jesus.

If there is but a recantation of their allegiance to Jesus they are spared death. But it is their allegiance to Jesus that assures them true life!

Pastor Josh said last week, “… if Job teaches us anything, its that God doesn’t always give us the answers that we want ... But he invites us into relationship to trust him. This trust isn’t based on somehow making sense of the suffering. It is based on the reality that God is working in the midst of that suffering to teach us about himself. He doesn’t cause the suffering… the suffering is evil. We can still be frustrated over the suffering. We can weep and we can lament. But God enters into that suffering with us, and teaches us about his love and grace for us in the midst of it. We can still take joy, knowing that through it, the Lord is revealing to us what it meant that Christ has suffered so that we can find life. As we suffer, so we also see and understand the life that Christ offers to us if we are willing to have eyes to see and ears to hear.”

Paul’s life is being put up as a testimony to this (whether I live or die)

“Lest we imagine that faith in Christ is merely intellectual acceptance of cold facts, Paul conjoins faith and suffering in his picture of the Christian life. For Paul, suffering only makes sense and is bearable because of the immeasurably rich faith—​our belief in the sure, faithful work of Christ—​that is the gift God gives to every believer. Paul reassures the Philippians that suffering is redemptive inasmuch as it testifies to Christ’s work on the cross. Suffering is an expected aspect of the end of the current age dominated by sin and oppression. But suffering does not have the final word; God will gain the victory, as evidenced already in Christ’s resurrection, which is the gospel that the Philippians confess.”

Cohick, L. H. (2013). Philippians (T. Longman III & S. McKnight, Eds.; p. 75). Zondervan.

Suffering can be divided into two categories: suffering caused by actions and suffering that strikes the innocent. Examples of the latter include famine, floods, disease, and accidents. Jerry Sittser, who lost his wife, mother, and daughter in a car accident caused by a drunk driver, explores the inevitability of grief and the deep pain of catastrophic loss in his book A Grace Disguised. While he acknowledges the ongoing struggle with such loss and incurable disease, he also offers a way forward.

Sittser emphasizes the importance of not comparing one's suffering to others and making choices in the face of darkness. He learned to embrace his experience of loss and allow himself to be transformed by his suffering. Sittser also discovered that pain cannot be suppressed or ignored, as it reveals our mortality. Confronting our mortality helps us prioritize what truly matters, leading to a simpler life. Many people who endure sudden and severe loss often undergo profound personal changes. Suffering can awaken us to the present moment.

Sittser compares catastrophic loss to undergoing an amputation. He reflects on his perceived failures as a parent and in his career but finds joy in realizing the limitations of his own life and the abundant provisions of God. He encourages readers to maintain hope and expect new joys that do not replace the loss but offer different sources of happiness.

Encouragement, we are in this struggle together. Walking in a worthy manner is best done in community. Paul wants the Philippians to be of one mind, having a single purpose. This does not mean that they all think the same way on specific points of doctrine, but it does require that they hold a singular passion for the advancement of the gospel. For this to work, Christians must trust each other and be trustworthy; they must think charitably toward other believers and be faithful and grace-filled. And over all this, they must put on love.

Cohick, L. H. (2013). Philippians (T. Longman III & S. McKnight, Eds.; p. 80). Zondervan.

Don’t embarrass the family is a euphemism for don’t be selfish and look out for yourself. It is an admonishment to walk in community, be about the family values, and succeed together as the family.

Conclusion

The invitation is walk humbly with Jesus, walk with the church (His body), and as we do it stay salty, let our light shine, and don’t embarrass the family. To lean on one another, to encourage one another, to champion one another, and look forward to the coming day of the Lord together.