Philippians 1:27-30 Making Your Life Count

Intro: Hacking Life

There is a big push from those in their 20’s and 30’s to offer life hacks where you can accomplish everything you want

You can lose weight, get fit, start a business, or have a wonderful family all by implementing these hacks

Life Hack is another term for shortcut

So they offer these systems that go something like this

Get up at 5:30 in the morning

Practice 15-30 minutes of meditation/ gratitude

Get outside or workout at a gym, lifting weights 3X’s a week

Eat 200 grams of Protein & drink a gallon of water

Block out distractions like social media, even though you’re reading this on social media

Spend quality time w/ wife & kids

Work 2-3 hrs a night on your side gig?

Go to bed at a consistent time and get 7-8 hours of sleep

Let me speak for everyone over 50

We go to be dreaming of 7-8 hours of sleep but when our bladder has other plans we end up getting 5.5 and saying not bad

All for what?

They will say that you can have the freedom to travel

In reality its To show others you living the life everyone wants

Paul wasn’t above giving motivational talks to his readers

This next section of scripture we see repeated in several of his epistles

Make your life count or Live a life worthy of the Gospel

Read Philippians 1:27-30

Transition:

The Christian life is not a playground; it is a battleground.

We are sons in the family, enjoying the fellowship of the Gospel

we are servants sharing in the furtherance of the Gospel

but we are also soldiers defending the faith of the Gospel.

And the believer with the single mind can have the joy of the Holy Spirit even in the midst of battle.

But there is an enemy who is out to steal the treasure from God’s people.

Paul had met the enemy in Philippi, and he was now facing him in Rome.

If Satan can only rob believers of their Christian faith, the doctrines that are distinctively theirs, then he can cripple and defeat the ministry of the Gospel.

Paul was concerned how his people would fare when they stood before Jesus

So many things were trying to detach them from the mission of advancing the Gospel

There were false teachers, persecution from the Romans and Jews, and infighting

It would be easy for them to get discouraged and just give up

Paul tells the Philippians to make their lives count

Focus on doing the things that matter and ignore the trivial distractions

We can run into the same problems

At the end of our days, is our life gonna count for advancing the Gospel?

Will you have lived a life worthy of the Gospel?

Will you have strived for unity in the church?

Were you bold in the face of fear?

Were you engaged in the kingdom work in spite of the Conflict

Paul shows us this morning that these are the things that make your life count

Live Worthy of the Gospel vs. 27a

We can make our life count by living a life worthy of the Gospel

The old English word conversation, of course, means walk and not talk.

“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ” (nasb).

The most important weapon against the enemy is not a stirring sermon or a powerful book; it is the consistent life of believers.

The verb Paul uses is related to our word politics. He is saying, “Behave the way citizens are supposed to behave.”

Paul is suggesting that we Christians are the citizens of heaven, and while we are on earth we ought to behave like heaven’s citizens

“Am I conducting myself in a manner worthy of the Gospel?” is a good question for us to ask ourselves regularly.

We should “walk worthy of the calling” that we have in Christ, which means walking “worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing”

1 Thessalonians 2:12 ESV

we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

To live “worthy of God” makes God the focal point, the one who determines what is appropriate and what is not. It means to live in a manner consistent with the commands and character of God.

D. Michael Martin

“The Gospel” is the Good News that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again

The message of the Gospel is the Good News that sinners can become the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, God’s Son

The greatest weapon against the devil is a godly life.

And a local church that practices the truth, that “behaves what it believes,” is going to defeat the enemy. This is the first essential for victory in this battle.

Strive for Unity vs. 27b

We make our life count when we strive for unity

Paul now changes the illustration from politics to athletics.

The word translated “striving together” gives us our English word “athletics.”

Paul pictures the church as a team, and he reminds them that it is teamwork that wins victories.

Keep in mind that there was division in the church at Philippi.

For one thing, two women were not getting along with each other (Phil. 4:2).

Apparently the members of the fellowship were taking sides, as is often the case, and the resulting division was hindering the work of the church.

The enemy is always happy to see internal divisions in a local ministry.

“Divide and conquer!” is his motto, and too often he has his way.

It is only as believers stand together that they can overcome the wicked one.

We need to strive for unity

This isn’t a “Can’t we all get along” type of unity

This is unity with purpose behind it

The unity Paul talks about here is brought by the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 4:1–3 ESV

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

True unity in the church is brought about by the Holy Spirit

Many aspects of Unity

Stand firm in one spirit

Single mindedness

Philippians 2:2 ESV

complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Striving side by side

All for the faith of the Gospel

 Unity and diversity must work together or one will destroy the other. Unity without diversity is uniformity, but diversity without unity is anarchy.

Warren Wiersbe

Bold in the Face of Fear vs. 28

We can live a life that counts when we are bold in the face of fear

The response of the apostles to persecution is prayer, not for relief or deliverance from persecution but for boldness and power to continue to proclaim the word even in the midst of such adversity.

Ben Witherington III

Boldness in the face of fear is a sign of your salvation

Engaged in the Conflict vs. 29-30

We can live a life that counts when we are engaged in the Conflict

Guess what? You’ve been granted a special privilege

The presence of conflict is a privilege; we suffer “for His sake.”

As a follower of Jesus you will suffer for the sake of Christ

It’s rarely because of anything you’ve done

Darkness hates light, Evil hates righteousness

People will tell you not to take it personally, but most attacks are personal

The world is becoming more ungodly

Everything is being done in opposition to Christian faith

Most popular attacks today: When you hear white supremacy or Christian nationalism they are meaning Christian values

If you associate with these values, whether you are white or not, you are tagged with these

Christian Nationalism

Strawman/ Boogeyman

Liberals are linking it to Maga

Some Christians championing it

They argue that if the government was full of Christians and the laws were based on Scripture eventually that would spread and eventually the whole world would be ready for the return of Christ

There is one other area where suffering will happen

Sadly, many of the attacks will come from inside the church

There are people who want the perception of being in a right relationship with Jesus, but are still in an love affair with their sin

If you get too close or they feel threatened that they will be exposed they will lash out

Be like Peter & John when they were flogged by the Sanhedrin

Acts 5:41 ESV

Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

There are two things you can do when conflicts arise

You can try to outrun it

Or you can lean into it and engage it

We need to contend for the faith and understand that conflict will come

Jude 3 ESV

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

When the Rebel forces attack the death star in Star Wars, they anticipated the imperial forces would send out their star fighters

They didn’t run, but took them on and pushed forward with their mission

1 Timothy 6:12 ESV

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

You want to feel like your life really counts and is making a difference?

Live a life worthy of the Gospel and engage in the conflict

Closing:

God created us to be with Him.

Our sins separate us from God 

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds. 

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again.

Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life.

Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.