Striving Together | Philippians 1:22-30

Opening Remarks:

Last time we focused on Phil. 1:20-21 where Paul said, “My one job is to magnify Christ no matter what. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

In studying those verses, we used an image of a wagon wheel to illustrate the idea of priority.

There can only be on legitimate priority in your life. There can only be one label on the hub of a wagon wheel.

The HUB contains the single one most important thing in our lives. So what does your wagon wheel hub say?

Career?

Money?

Material things?

A relationship?

Only one label can be on the HUB, and it ought to say “Jesus Christ.”

If that priority is right, all of the other important things in life will fit into place.

In tonight’s text, Paul applies the idea of priority to the life of a local church.

READ Phil. 1:22-30.

Title: Striving Together

PRAY

Introduction:

During WWII, General Creighton Abrams found himself and his troops surrounded on all sides. He was known as an optimist, so he told his officers, “For the first time in the history of this campaign, we are now in a position to attack the enemy in any direction.”

It’s easy to both love and hate optimists. You love an optimist because they give you hope. But you hate an optimist because, no one can be that happy all the time, right?!?

Have you ever been around a legitimate optimist? Someone who always sees the glass half full?

My brother Josh is that way when it comes to food. Anything my wife makes has him saying, “This is the greatest thing I’ve ever tasted!”

And although that’s a compliment, it also gets him in big trouble, because my mom is usually sitting at the table and his wife is also sitting at the table.

More than once, at Thanksgiving, I’ve heard my brother compliment my wife’s food as “the greatest” only to hear my mom say, “I’ve been making mac and cheese his whole life.”

Optimism and undiscerning are a bad combination.

If you were around Paul, you might call him an eternal optimist.

But Paul’s optimism had no downside. Because his optimism was connected to eternal things.

He’s a prisoner to Rome. He’s chained to a guard 24 hours a day. Yet his message is clear: There is a battle worth fighting and you can have joy fighting it.

Even though things were hard for him…

I. Paul wanted to make the most of his time on earth for Christ. (v. 22-26)

Here’s where Paul’s optimism shows up: He says it’s hard for him to choose between remaining on earth as a prisoner or going to heaven to be with Jesus.

Staying Was Appealing

Vs. 22 - If Paul was to stay on earth, he had more opportunities to be fruitful for Christ.

That’s optimism. He’s in prison. How can he make a difference for Christ?

Review what he said earlier in the chapter:

12 - The things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel

He goes on to say that his imprisonment had opened doors for him to speak to people he never would have, even those in the palace. Not only that, his imprisonment had emboldened other preachers of the Gospel.

Paul knows that fruit will continue to come if he stays on earth. And that’s been his life priority for years, so he’s not ready to give up on more souls coming to Christ.

But look at Vs. 22c - Still, it’s a tough choice. Because even though I could see more fruit produced, I’m also kind of ready to go home.”

Vs. 23 - I’m in a strait (perplexed). It means Paul was being pressed on both sides. It’s like a positive spin on the phrase “between a rock and a place.” He says, going to Christ is far more preferable. It would be better. I’m tired. My body is falling apart. I’m ready.

The word “depart” was used by the military to refer to taking down one’s tent and moving to the next location.

It was also used by sailors to refer to loosing from the shore to set sail.

And it was used in agriculture to refer to removing the yoke from an ox that finished it’s day’s work.

Paul was ready to go and believed that being with Christ in heaven was far better.

Vs. 24 - But he also recognizes that his presence was more needful for the Philippians.

He wanted to enhance their spiritual growth and joy.

He could make a difference by choosing necessity over preference.

This is a good principle for the Christian life. The battle between preference and necessity.

Preferences are the things you’d rather do.

But necessity is what others need.

Illustration: Choosing to go to Saturation Saturday

Preference - Day to myself. Necessity - The needs of the lost.

Both are important, but a necessity overrides preference.

Vs. 25 - Paul was choosing their needs over his desires. He was confident he would be released and be able to help them grow in their faith again.

A sign of maturity is when you choose the needs of others over your own preferences.

Vs. 26 - Paul’s greatest desire was the abounding of their joy in Christ. And he knew that his influence could impact that, so he was willing to set his preferences for the production of their joy.

II. Paul wanted the Philippians to make the most of their time on earth for Christ.

So He Gives A Few Ways For Them To Do It

A. By living worthily (1:27):

27a - The word “conversation” means behavior or lifestyle. It means to conduct yourself a certain way.

It’s actually a translation of a political word which literally means “live as citizens.” Philippi was a Roman colony, so they knew what it was like to be citizens of one nation living in a different nation. Paul wasn’t telling them to live as citizens of Rome. He was telling them to live as citizens that belong to the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

He says, “Let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” Let people see your faith in the way you conduct yourself.

Warren Wiersbe said, “The most important weapon against the enemy is not a stirring sermon or a powerful book; it is the consistent life of believers.”

Your beliefs should impact your behavior.

I love the principle found in Vs. 27.

“Conduct yourself as a worthy citizen of someone who has faith in Christ.” That’s the message.

Notice Paul doesn’t give a list of rules. He simply says, “Consider every action in light of your faith.”

Modern Christianity tends to look down on standards and rules, but a desire for holiness is not legalism. If every Christian would filter every decision with this thought: “Is this action appropriate for a follower of Christ,” we wouldn’t really need rules. That would guide us.

But it’s easy to forget who we are. We often don’t remember who we belong to and who we represent. But our conduct should reflect our citizenship. Paul says that’s a key to making the most of our time on earth.

Here’s another way Paul says they can make the most of their time on earth:

B. By standing firm in one spirit (1:27):

Paul’s primary concern was that they stand fast in one spirit, whether he was there or not.

Illustration: This kind of reminds me of a parental lecture. Right before the parents leave, they say something like this, “Get along while we’re gone. If you don’t, we’ll find out and you’ll be in big trouble.”

Paul says, “My greatest concern is that you conduct yourselves in such a way that you stand firm in one spirit.”

This is military terminology. Roman armies stood ready for combat regardless of the enemy’s strength. They were ready no matter what. Big or small.

That’s what Paul is saying, “You must stand firm in one spirit as one body for the faith of the Gospel.”

You shouldn’t only be unified when things are good.

You shouldn’t only be unified when things are hard.

You shouldn’t only be unified when you’ve got big events coming up.

You should be unified at all times.

One spirit as one person with one common goal.

Paul wanted to hear that they were “striving together for the faith of the gospel.” (v. 27d)

“Striving together” means to toil side by side in a common cause.

Actually, we get our English word “athletics” from this word. The Greek word is ”sunathleo" (συναθλέω), which points to teamwork, like athletes working together in a contest.

The same root appears in 2 Timothy 2:5, where Paul talks about competing according to the rules to win the prize. Striving together emphasizes a collaborative effort to accomplish a goal.

Paul’s desire to hear that they were working together as a unified team for the sake of the gospel.

Listen, unity is a message we hear all the time.

Corporations all strive for the same mission and vision goals in order to be successful.

Athletic teams operate as one to win a game.

Political parties claim “unity” in order to get their candidates elected and promote an agenda (assuming certain candidates even have an agenda…).

But think about the unifying efforts of groups like that - they are entities striving together for temporal causes.

A money making business doesn’t matter in eternity. A team winning a championship doesn’t impact God’s economy. A political party winning an election doesn’t change God’s kingdom work.

But we are working toward something that does impact eternity. Our mission is to propagate the Gospel, which impacts the spiritual lives of people. We ought to be striving together as a team because our cause is eternal.

Illustration: Striving together

4 boys against Bro. Heath

Boys represent a local church

Heath represents what the church is what the Gospel is trying to accomplish (win the lost, preach the Word, baptize people, make disciples)

These boys are a picture of a local church striving together

Even if we don’t make progress and even if it doesn’t seem like we’re setting the world on fire, our purpose is to work together as a team pulling in the same direction

But here’s a problem that happens too often: One member stops striving together and begins striving against (last boy starts pushing against the back of boy in front of him)

When that happens, we can’t accomplish our purpose in the work of the Gospel.

Too many churches render their efforts in the Gospel ineffective because of disunity

We can’t do what we’re called to do if we’re striving against each other rather than striving with each other

C. Applications:

If you are at odds with another church member, that spirit impacts our missions

If you have a critical spirit about others, that spirit negates our ability to carry out the Gospel mission

If there are ladies in the church that you can’t serve with, that spirit hinders our church’s effectiveness

If there are men in the church that you speak poorly off, that spirit limits us

If there are teens in conflict, we become incapacitated in our task

We have plenty of room to grow in outreach

We had a good showing at Saturation Saturday yesterday, but we should have had plenty more.

3 times this summer we had outreach, how many did you come to?

But understand, one mind is required to see the faith of the Gospel leave its mark

We can do outreach till we’re blue in the face, but a spirit of disunity will cancel its impact

Paul tells them, “I want you to leave your mark for the cause of Christ.”

But he makes it clear that their spirit of unity would keep them from it.

Vs. 28 - Paul tells them, “You have adversaries to deal with. Don’t make it harder by becoming your own adversaries. In fact, if you have one spirit, you have nothing to be afraid of when it comes to those opposing you.”

What Paul is saying is, you have no reason to be afraid of your adversaries. That courage is a sign that, in the end, God will destroy His enemies and deliver His saints.

We have nothing to be afraid of.

Vs. 29-30 - Being opposed by our enemies should not surprise us. If you believe in Christ and live in the world, that’s going to happen. Paul even uses himself as an example. “Look at me. I’m in prison because I follow Jesus. I’m doing right and I’m suffering. You’re going to suffer too. That’s part of it.”

Here’s what Paul is getting at: None of the hard stuff should surprise us.

Persecution - Not surprising

Suffering - No shock at all

Hatred - Of course

But those things aren’t the things to be afraid of. Because God has already determined to destroy His enemies and deliver His people.

That shouldn’t frighten us. That’s not going to prevent us from doing the work of the Gospel.

In fact, persecution and suffering often advance the work of the Gospel. Paul’s life had already been evidence of that.

That’s not the scary part. We have nothing to be afraid of…from without.

But we plenty to be afraid of from within.

Striving together for the faith of the Gospel won’t be stopped by enemies of the church.

But it could be stopped by enemies within the church.

And yes, that could mean you. It could mean me.

If we get crossways and we aren’t mature and we don’t learn to forgive, our mission could be thwarted from within.

As we name enemies that could defeat us, be sure to name ourselves.

Conclusion: Challenger Explosion in January of 1986 that killed its seven occupants.

One of the reasons it was such a big story was because a teacher, Christa McAuliffe, had been selected to take the trip.

As a kid, they gathered our entire school to watch the launch, only to see the shuttle break apart and explode just 73 seconds after takeoff

After an investigation, it was discovered that the issue was an O-Ring that hadn’t been tested enough. An O-Ring took down a space shuttle.

The shuttle was on its way. Moving ahead. Making progress.

But something, from within, became its greatest enemy.

And it’s a prime example of how sometimes, our greatest enemy is the one within. Do we have enemies without? Of course. But Paul said, “If you stand in one spirit for the Gospel’s sake, you don’t have to be afraid of them.”

But the implication is clear, “It’s not the enemy without that you should be afraid of. You should be most afraid of not standing fast in one spirit of unity.”

Eastside has a great opportunity in Sioux Falls.

The last thing I want to be said of us, of me, is that Eastside was rendered ineffective by internal strife.

The cause is too great for us to be disunited.

Questions:

Have you allowed small offenses to endanger our unity?

Do you need to forgive or ask forgiveness for something?

Should you say, “I need to be more unified in my outreach efforts”?

Are you standing fast in one spirit, or are you going against the grain?

May God give us the grace to stand fast in one spirit for the faith of the Gospel.