Joy in Unity

Call to Worship

To all who are weary and in need of rest

To all who are mourning and longing for comfort

To all who fail and desire strength

To all who sin and need a Savior

We at Moraga Valley open wide our arms

With a welcome from Jesus Christ.

He is the ally to the guilty and failing

He is the comfort to those who are mourning

He is the joy of our hearts

And He is the friend of sinners

So Come, worship Him with us.

Scripture Reading

Philippians 1:27–2:4 NIV

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Sermon

Good morning! Thank you to Jen Wines for reading the Word this morning! If you haven’t already, will you turn with me in your Bibles to Philippians 1:27-2:4? We’re in our fourth week of our series: The Joy-Filled Life, and last week we had Gabby Alzate come and join us, and Gabby preached a sermon that aligned perfectly with the season we’re in as a church.

Isn’t that amazing how God works that way? I went back and checked, I asked her on April 2 if she would preach for us on September 15. Incredible. Incredible.

We’ve been looking at Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, which was a premier Roman colony, and we’ve been mining this letter for points of joy amidst opposition.

I think there are two great forms of opposition facing the church: outside forces and inside forces… and both of these forces want to derail the church from what the church is called to do: which is take the message of Jesus to the world.

What’s required to faithfully take the message of the gospel to the world is a unified force in the church. What Paul wants is unity, and there is incredible joy to be found in unity… This morning we will find JOY IN UNITY when we see our shared struggle as our shared strength.

Let’s look at verse 27, and Paul is going to start to explain to us how we are a unified force in the church.

Philippians 1:27 NIV

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel

Paul’s whole purpose for writing the very first sentence in our passage is to remind his audience that they are a part of a much bigger story. Slightly more than that, he wants to iterate the truth that how they live their lives matter.

When we read the scriptures, when we live our lives in the proximity of other people who follow Jesus, we are living a shared story that is much larger than ourselves… and how we live, in this much larger story, matters.

Paul is concerned about how his friends are going to conduct their lives, because how they conduct their lives, is a reflection of where they come from.

In high school, our coaches would always tell us: remember, you reflect Skyline High School when you’re at sporting events.

They had an expectation that our behavior and character were fitting of those who were at Skyline High School.

Paul’s encouragement is that believers have a character that should be fitting for those who follow Jesus. What Paul is doing when he uses the phrase, “conduct yourselves,” or other translations might say, “live your life,” is he using a political or geographical term to describe that they represent an origin that doesn’t begin with them. There’s a Greek word (POLITETHOMAY) that is used, where we get English terms like policy or politics, the Greek root of POLIS (PAUL-US), where Paul uses this term to describe, where they come from. Like the word, citizenship.

Many of us have citizenship in the United States, or we have citizenship in Moraga, or Orinda, or Lafayette.

“Conduct yourselves,” POLITETHOMAY, “live your lives,” as citizens “worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

And I think this is probably the right way to read this, because Paul actually says those words towards the end of this letter in Philippians 3:20 where He says:

Philippians 3:20 (NIV)

But our citizenship is in heaven.

And he even uses the same Greek word.

Let me go back.

How we live matters, because how we live represents where we’re from, and where we’re from shapes our collective identities as followers of Jesus.

When you have had your heart changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ, you have been moved from a citizen of the world, to a citizen of heaven.

You now share in a story that is much bigger than yourself. Every person who has heard and responded to the gospel, have now decided to follow Jesus, have been filled with the Holy Spirit, they all share in this same citizenship. We are now united as a people; though very different in color, preferences, language, size; and now we live as if we belong to God for all eternity. This is the thing we all share. This is what unites the church against outside forces.

Paul’s encouragement is to live like we are citizens worthy of the gospel… And Paul’s phrase worthy of the gospel, is not that we have to become worthy to receive the gospel, but that we have received the gospel, and we should live our lives in a way that reflects that truth.

I think not knowing where your citizenship is is an opportunity for your joy to be robbed. Here’s the thing though… there’s nothing that can alter our citizenship as God’s people a part of His Kingdom. We get to combat lies with the truth — that though outside forces might rain down on you, you’re never alone.

I think we forget how great a gift the good news actually is. The gospel is the single greatest announcement in all of human history. It is the announcement that Jesus has died for all of humanity’s sin, past, present, and future; that we have been given new life as a result of His burial and resurrection; and we have been welcomed into His Kingdom for now and all eternity.

I think we forget that it’s actually good news for us. We were citizens of the world, destined for a life apart from God; but we’ve been given a gift so that our citizenship has been moved to heaven, so that we might spend forever with God… but the even sweeter spin on that gift is that eternity started the day that Jesus put you in a right relationship with God. This is why we pray in the Lord’s prayer, “on earth as it is in heaven,” because we get a sweet part in the reality that we are due in the future.

We forget that this is ours… In 1 Peter, Peter says it’s only for us, in fact, he hints that angels feel a little left out because the gospel is for us, not for them. Listen to this in 1 Peter 1:12.

1 Peter 1:12 (NIV)

It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Even angels wish they could get what we have.

Paul’s encouragement is this: live your life consistent with what you’ve been given.

Paul explains in the second half of verse 27, and through verse 28, why he wants them to keep living like this:

Philippians 1:27–28 NIV

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.

Paul wants them to keep living a life that looks like the gospel, so what when He hears about it, He can hear of the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in their lives. And here’s how he describes the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives:

They’re able to stand firm

They’re able to work together

And they’ll not be persuaded by fear.

Verse 28 gives us some kind of picture that opposition is being implied… There is somebody or something who is opposing what God wants to do in Philippi, and Paul is likely drawing from his own circumstance, where he is facing physical and spiritual opposition, in that he’s awaiting trial in Rome, and that satan doesn’t want the gospel to succeed.

This was our conversation last week as a church. Satan doesn’t want Moraga Valley to succeed. Outside forces will actively try to oppose us. Which shouldn’t be surprising… It shouldn’t be surprising for several reasons: we live in one of the hardest areas to take the gospel, and scripture says it’s a reality that we should be assuming.

Opposition is both invitation and reminder. It invites us to remember that someday this trying effort against us, it will some day meet its match in Christ; and yet, it’s a sweet, sweet reminder, that God has already promised to rescue you through His Son.

Opposition is not just invitation and reminder, it’s also a gift.

Opposition is the refining moment of how we remember what God has done through Jesus Christ, what He has promised to us in our deliverance, and what we can look forward to in the future where every trial by opposing forces has been tried, and it will have been weighed on the scales of judgment and it will have been found wanting.

This is what the church is learning about difficulty, about suffering, about facing opposition, as they follow Jesus: that God has given them the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that with the Holy Spirit they won’t give any ground to opposition, that the gospel never retreats in the face of difficulty, and the church marches lock-step forward.

Paul goes… “when I hear about you, I wanna hear how you’re all picking a fight with the devil together.”

Paul is just warming them up the idea of how they’re going to find joy in their unified efforts together… they’re all sharing in the same struggle, and this struggle is unique to those who have citizenship in heaven.

Look with me at verses 29-30, and Paul will go into greater detail about this struggle.

Philippians 1:29–30 NIV

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

The struggle is that the heat in Philippi had been turning up, and heat is always going to be a concern for followers of Jesus.

Gabby, last week, referenced the book of Daniel, and the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and how we’re going to go the fiery moments — and Paul is announcing that this is an assumed reality of following Jesus, because following Jesus in participating in the life of Jesus, and we don’t get to pick and choose what parts we get to participate in.

Outside forces are always going to try to work against us, in the same way that they worked against Jesus. So we stand firm, we march forward, and keep our hope alive in Jesus’ plan to redeem us.

Outside forces are going to try and derail us, and most of the time we’re prepared for those… I find that it’s the inside forces that we’re ill-prepared for.

Look with me at verses 1-4 in Philippians 2. Philippians 2:1-4

Philippians 2:1–4 NIV

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

At the beginning of the second chapter, Paul begins with four “IF” statements, and they’re all chained together — and we’re assuming all four of these IF statements are true at this point.

IF — you’re encouraged because you’re in this with Jesus

IF — you feel comforted that He hasn’t abandoned you in this

IF — you know the Spirit of God is with you

IF — you’ve got any ounce of compassion and affection for others

And IF they are true, then Paul says UNITY, or being like-minded, or of one mind, isn’t going to be an issue. But we have enemies to that unity, and the enemy to that level of unity is not outside the church, it’s in the church.

Paul said it like this in the Book of Romans, “What a wretched man I am”

Sure… there are all sorts of problems out there, but I think I’m the bigger problem. I think you’re the bigger problem. I think we’re the bigger problem. We’re all desperately in need of grace, and being fixed. Think about your marriage… your marriage would be great, not if your spouse wasn’t around, but if you were different. Think about your parenting, sure our kids are prone to mistakes, but I’m more concerned about how I’m going to mess them up than how they’re going to mess themselves up.

All I’m saying is that I’m an enemy to unity.

The Holy Spirit wants unity.

I want uniformity — everything how I want it.

Inside forces can wreak just as much havoc on the church as outside forces… Paul knows this, and he knows how hard of an uphill battle this is for the church. This is why he says in verse 2, “make my joy complete,” because it would be the supernatural work of God on display — if every time Paul looked at them — He saw them not just standing firm against outside forces, but that they were one together amidst the inside forces that don’t want them to succeed.

Picture Paul saying it like this, “I really like when you all are fighting the devil, and I really like when you all don’t fight each other.”

And he briefly describes what the unity sounds like and feels like: having the same love, walking in the Spirit together, not being selfish, not treating others as below you, and not always just looking out for yourself.

I love Paul’s description of what unity sounds and feels like… and we’re going to talk more about this next week because He helps us figure out how to do it, but I keep coming back to this and going… I don’t know how to do this on my own. But here’s what I think I’ve learned from Paul… Paul doesn’t want us to do it on our own. Look at verse 1 again with me, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ — I don’t have to do it, I can look to Jesus who has done it, and that’s who all us link ourselves, together, to.

If we just all tried to figure it out together, we’d end up consuming each other… we can’t find unity on on our own, but if we are United With Christ, then unity is absolutely achievable.

Unity is the shared strength of the church.

That’s where the joy is. Uniting ourselves with Jesus, where our shared struggled somehow becomes our shared strength… and we keep taking the gospel forward.

Let me take us all the way back to the beginning of our passage real quick before we end this…

When Paul talks about conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel, he's not giving us a to-do list. He's reminding us of our identity. We're people who've been radically changed by the best news in human history. That changes everything.

So here's what I want us to do this week:

First, let's get real about the opposition we're facing. What's trying to derail us? Is it the cultural pressure to water down our beliefs? The temptation to prioritize comfort over mission? Is it spiritual attack in the form of a $250,000 insurance increase? Name it. Identify it. Because once we see it, we can stand firm against it - together.

Second, let's tackle the unity-killers in our midst. You know what I'm talking about - the gossip, the cliques, the subtle ways we put ourselves above others. This week, I want you to catch yourself in those moments. And then, choose the harder path. Choose humility. Choose to lift others up.

Lastly, let's lean into the struggle together. Find someone in this church who's in the thick of it - maybe they're dealing with illness, or a tough family situation, or doubts about their faith. Don't just pray for them - though definitely do that. But also, get in the trenches with them. Show them what it means to have the body of Christ at your back.

Here's the thing: unity isn't about us all getting along. It's about us all moving forward together, even when - especially when - it's tough. It's about finding joy not in easy times, but in the shared struggle of living out this gospel.

So this week, let's live like citizens of heaven. Let's stand firm together. Let's choose unity in the face of opposition. Because when we do, we're not just building a stronger church. We're showing the world what it looks like when the gospel takes hold of a community.

And that, friends, is how we make Paul's joy complete. More importantly, it's how we bring joy to the heart of God.