Be Like Christ

Pre-Intro

For the coming weeks we will be looking at, primarily, Philippians 2. This series I’ve entitled “Be Like Christ” looks at Paul’s exhortation for the church to look to Christ as their example in behavior, conduct, and ministry, namely, coming from a place of humility.

Read the Text

Philippians 1:21-30

Pray

Our Lord and our God, we thank you for this place to which you have gathered us to worship you as brothers and sisters in Christ. To hear your word proclaimed. And to sing your praises. Please guide me and guard me that I may faithfully and rightly preach your precious Word to your people that they may be edified and you glorified. Please work past my weakness and help all to discern and understand your sacred Scripture. We ask these things in Jesus' name, amen.

Introduction

Written to the Church at Philippi. Founded by Paul on his second missionary journey around 51 AD. We have this account in Acts 16 where Paul received a vision of a Macedonian man asking for him to come over and help them. Paul went immediately.

It was a major city of both Greece and Rome being strategically placed and a source of natural resources, especially gold.

A tiny Jewish population, possibly due to the expulsion of Jews from Rome and the similarities in policy between the two cities.

But the church flourished among the Jews and especially the Gentiles there.

By all accounts this was a faithful congregation. This epistle hints at only some minor problem that they were dealing with and other than that heaps praise upon the church.

One commentator states that the church at Philippi was the one church that gave the most love and support to Paul and the least problem.

50 years later when Ignatius was escorted to Rome for his martyrdom, stopped in Philippi and was ministered to by the church. It was a faithful and joyful church.

It is no wonder this epistle is often called the Epistle of Joy as Paul shares his joy with his spiritual children who also rejoice in the gospel.

Coming to the texts we will be looking at over the coming weeks, we want to keep in mind this encouraging tone that Paul sets for us.

Paul states that he prays with joy in every prayer he offers on their behalf.

He shares his joy that his imprisonment has resulted in the spread of the gospel even into the elite Roman guards.

He then launches into his joy in being Christ and how it is the best thing that has ever happened to him. “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” Whether he is dead or alive it’s a win-win for Paul.

But in this section he is telling us that in life we are to imitate Christ, to live as Christ would, and to minister as Christ ministered.

Paul would rather be with Christ but he knows it is his purpose to live for the time being and while he does so he is to live a Christ-like life.

It is from here that Paul launches into the following text

Conduct 1:27

Paul begins with our conduct as Christians. This is the core, the thesis, of this entire epistle. Note this word conduct. This word refers to our way of life. How we live. The program which we follow as we live out our lives.

But it also is understood as a characteristic of how one lives as a citizen, or how one fulfills one’s corporate or civil duties. The root of this word also comes out in 3:20 where Paul says, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Citizenship was a big deal to Romans particularly Romans and other Gentiles living in Philippi which was a Roman colony with major benefits because of that.

So, where Paul usually spoke of how one walks when referring to the manner of one’s life, here he uses a unique word that has overtones of citizenship which resonates with those he is writing to.

Paul is pointing out specifically how we live as Christians and as citizens of heaven. And as such he says that this conduct must be worthy. It is not supposed to just sail along in a mundane meaningless manner.

We are Christians indwelt by the Spirit of God. We cannot possibly live a life that is unworthy or without a point or purpose. Paul says in Eph. 4:1 that we should walk worthy of the calling with which we have been called.

To drive this home, this word for conduct yourselves is in the imperative mood. This is a command.

Our lives should reflect the change that has been wrought in us by His Spirit. It is to be worthy. Worthy of what?

“The gospel of Christ.” The saving gospel of the coming Kingdom of God. The gospel message that Christ has come to save His people from their sins. It is the gospel that is the power of God for salvation. It is the gospel that gives us all direction for our lives and is the gold standard for how we live, and the way we live should proclaim the gospel. D. A. Carson says, “Conduct worthy of the gospel is above all conduct that promotes the gospel.”

Paul is basically saying that if you are a Christian and you’re breathing, act like it. You have been saved by grace, through faith, and now live up to it.

He is not saying that this earns merit in any way. We are not piling righteousness onto a scale by conducting ourselves worthy of the gospel. But we are expected and commanded to do so. The life of a Christian is meant to conform to the commands and expectations laid out in Scripture.

We do this because this gospel is from and belongs to Christ. He is the One who has saved us from death and destruction and is therefore worthy of all love and obedience from His people.

Paul goes on to say that he hopes that this behavior and conduct is exhibited in the church so that he hears about it whether he gets to see them again or if it is by way of correspondence.

We can sympathize with this with those of us who are parents or teachers. We want to know that even if our watchful eye is not present those under us are still acting the way they are supposed to.

Paul hopes that this worthy conduct has led to unity within the church. He wants them to stand firm. It gives a sense of action and strength. The Greek verb here means to be resolute, standing fast.

Paul uses it elsewhere with the same instruction of vigilance. In 1 Cor. 16:13 he says, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

It is also a military term for standing in the face of an enemy. Paul again knows his audience. Philippi was a settling place for numerous retired Roman soldiers who would hear this word and understand their marching orders.

It is in the present tense meaning this is to be the constant state of the believer, to be standing firm.

And we are to be standing firm in one spirit. There is disagreement among scholars about exactly what is meant here by the word “spirit.” Some will say it refers to the Holy Spirit and His indwelling within and strengthening of believers. Others say it refers to the attitude of the church and that it should be one.

Given the context of this passage and Paul’s focus on individual conduct, I side with the latter. Paul is targeting the attitudes and actions of believers. We see the early church after Pentecost acting with the same drive and focus, with the same motivation of being devoted to the teaching of the Apostles and the caring of one another.

Paul is saying that believers are to be united in their motivation and focus as they stand firm. And this unity extends to their mind as well as they strive for the faith.

The word here for mind, ψυχή, in the original language has been translated as soul elsewhere and can refer to a person’s inner life, their life-principle, and who they are as a person. Some translations render this “as one man”.

It can be difficult, however, to determine how Paul is using it here. It is used elsewhere in Scripture in conjunction with both the material and immaterial.

In Acts 20 when Eutychus falls out of the window and Paul revives him the Apostle says his life, ψυχή, is in him. But then Jesus makes a connection between ψυχή and food in Matt. 6:25. But again, given the immediate context, it is likely that Paul is making something of repetition and that there should not be too much of a distinction between spirit and mind here.

We are to be united in motivation and focus as we stand firm and as we strive for the true faith of the gospel. This faith is the true faith, once-for-all delivered to the faith, that is found in the pages of sacred Scripture. And this word for strive can also mean struggle. This enlightens what Paul moves into next in v. 28.

Conflict 1:28

Paul now states that as you conduct yourselves as citizens of heaven in a manner worthy of the gospel do so while being [quote v. 28].

Paul instructs the Philippians to not be alarmed. This word for alarmed is a participle and it is in the passive voice. So we could look at this verse as saying, “Do not let yourselves be in a state of fear or terror on account of those acting in opposition to you.”

While this is not an imperative in this case that is how Paul uses it. He says that they are not to fear those who oppose them.

These opponents are set against the believer. Just as in v. 27 believers are to stand firm in one spirit, these opponents are standing firm against the believer and against the gospel.

I’m sure many if not most of us have run into opposition to biblical truth. That resistance has surely manifested itself to different degrees from simple indifference to outright hostility. And while there are many nations in the world where violence against the gospel and those who proclaim it are commonplace and even encouraged, we have not seen that here, at least not yet, in these United States. Though hostility is on the rise and we are currently in a season of hostility.

But Paul says not to fear this opposition and those who practice it. We know Scripture repeatedly tells us not to fear for God is sovereign over each of our lives. Our hairs are numbered and nothing happens to us outside of His decree and providence.

Charles Spurgeon said that God's sovereignty is the pillow upon which the Christian lays his head.

But Paul states that this opposition is a sign of two things. The first is that it points to the destruction of the wicked, those opposed to God and His people.

We need to be careful here because this is not a sanction to revel or take joy in the destruction of the wicked. Ezekiel 33:11 says, “‘As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live.” So neither should we.

As a side note, we must be careful in our evaluation of these opponents. When we speak of the wicked we tend to think of the worst of the worst. We see Hitler, or Stalin, and jihadists. And it’s easy to see their opposition and that they fall under the classification of the wicked.

But we must be careful when we look at the lost who are among us. The world is not filled with 8 billion Hitlers. The lost are everyday people. They are nice, friendly, helpful. We hang out with them and eat with them. And it is easy for us to forget that they are lost and are in that classification of the wicked, which is all those who are not in union with Christ.

I say this not to belittle them or consign them to Hell. I say this as a warning to us, the church, to not forget them and fail to share the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. Personal success, a good 401k, and a lot of charity work do not save a person. Only faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ can. We cannot let our feelings stop us from sharing the gospel.

Picking up, when we endure this opposition it is a confirmation of the truth of the gospel as it is only ever opposed by the wicked. But it also confirms our salvation. It shows that we are found standing in the truth and by extension standing in Christ. We should count it all joy when we are opposed because it is an affirmation of God’s saving work within us.

And it truly is the work of God as Paul says that too is from God. Paul cannot help but point everything back to the Lord.

So we see that the wicked are opposed to God, but they cannot see Him. So what do they do if they can’t attack God? They attack that which they can see which is His church and, two thousand years ago, His Son. This points us to this final section and our first lesson on what it is to be like Christ.

Consolation 1:29-30

[Read the text]

What an interesting statement. It has been granted to us, on behalf of Christ, to believe and to suffer.

First note the word granted. It’s an interesting Greek word, χαρίζομαι. It means to forgive, to show favor, to bestow. It is meant in such a way as to give the sense that something is given without any thought of reciprocation. It could be translated, “It has been graciously given to you,” to believe and suffer.

It’s easy for us to accept the part about belief. We know that faith and belief come from God. It’s easy for us to say, “Sure, for the sake of Christ I have been graciously given faith, belief, and repentance.” Faith is the free gift of God. But suffering in the form of persecution? How is this a grace gift? The key is in 3:10 and keeping in mind that this is done for Christ’s sake.

[Read Philippians 3:8-10]

Paul realizes and shares with his audience that the suffering believers endure by those opposed to them is a divine confirmation of their salvation and in a sense a communion with Christ. Paul calls it a fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. When we suffer for the sake of Christ we are brought closer to the Lord. Our relationship with Christ is made tangible.

The Apostles understood that suffering, particularly for the sake of Christ, was a part of being a follower of Jesus Christ. They rejoiced when they were beaten. They sang hymns when they were jailed. Why? Because they got to suffer just a little for the sake of the One who suffered ultimately for them. In those moments they got to be like their savior, all to His glorious praise.

Paul fleshes this out as he closes saying the Philippians could expect the same conflict they saw Paul suffer. This word conflictis symbolic of the struggles of the Christian life. It means a gathering or assembly place for games, contests, or struggles. It is symbolic the of persecution one can expect when following Christ.

And the Philippians were certainly familiar with it. Paul says they saw it themselves. In Acts 16 after the freeing of a slave-girl from a demon, the city rose up against Paul and Silas and had them stripped, beaten, and thrown in jail.

And we know that their faith was confirmed when an earthquake freed them, a jailer was converted, and they were practically forced out of the city.

And the Philippians no doubt had heard of the ongoing struggles Paul endured in his ministry.

Conclusion

We are to live as citizens of heaven. It is not optional. There has been an incredible change within us and to act differently is to hide a light under a basket. We are called to be salt and light and doing so involves living in a manner worthy of the gospel and of Christ.

If we want to be like Christ we must expect to suffer for His sake since he suffered for ours. When we are hated and reviled our faith is vindicated and we can rest in the knowledge that we belong to Him who has saved us from more than earthly pain but from eternal death.

Prayer

Our Lord and God. We thank you for your Word and the comfort it brings. We thank you for your instruction. May we take this Word and apply it to our hearts and actions and not be merely hearers of the Word but doers of the Word. Let us not be fearful of those who oppose us, revile us, or wish us harm. Instead, may we love them as you have taught us to love lost. By proclaiming the truth until your coming, praying for their salvation, and ministering to them. May we rejoice when those moments of persecution come and praise you when we can be like our savior and suffer for His sake, if only in an infinitesimal way. We ask this in Jesus' name and for His sake, amen.