Imitate Christ

Opening:

Have you ever done something and then not gotten credit for it? Well it turns out in modern running some people are finding out that there efforts are ending up in vain, unfortunately not for good reasons.

Cheating has always plagued running especially distance running like marathons. In the past people have gotten away with it a little easier but with new technology it’s becoming more and more difficult.

Recently a high school principal named Jennifer Bowmaster falsified her results at the Sarasota Marathon. Apparently she cut the course short by about 4 miles finishing at 3 hours 39 minutes, just under the Boston Marathon qualifying standard for her age group.

Race organizers and watchdog groups such as Marathon Investigator found the time as an abnormality from her previous best at the Chicago Marathon with her “new” time besting it by 2 hours. Needless to say it was a wasted effort for her as she was disqualified, not to mention the embarrassment of going back to a high school facing a bunch of teenagers and her faculty after having been deemed a fraud.

Perhaps the most famous is Rosie Ruiz who rode the New York Subway during the NYC Marathon back in 1979. After it was discovered she only ran half the race her medal was taken away and her result deleted from history.

This past year the Chicago Marathon had to disqualify 275 runner alone.

Today we will see Paul use this imagery of not wanting to be like this examples of running a race in vain. That is following the example he gave of Christs humility and exaltation Paul implores the Philippian church to live out their faith in a manner worthy of Christ’s majesty. Paul wants to know that the sacrifices he has made and the Philippian church has made won’t be found in vain as they continue to live out the gospel hope they have in Jesus.

Let’s read our passage from today found in Philippians 2:12-18

Philippians 2:12–18 ESV

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Transition:

On the heels of the wonderful Christ Hymn Paul is ready to transition to sharing with the Philippian church about discipleship and starts out by using pastoral language of beloved or in other translations my dear friends.

Today we will see how Paul encourages the church to be a light in the darkness making an impact on a culture that surrounded them that desperately needed Jesus. It was his desire to give the practical implications of how to live out our faith in response to this great truth about Jesus our humble and exalted Lord.

1. God Working Through Us

Sanctification is a word we like to throw around in church. It sounds intimidating but in reality is another way of saying it is “the lifelong obedience of believers that leads us to grow in Christlikeness” (Merida).

It’s important for us to not shy away from some of these intimidaing words. Sanctification is a key theological, also a big word that means the study of God, and is crucial for the believer to understand.

A key aspect of sanctification is that it does not mean we work or earn our salvation. This Thursday was an important day. No I’m not talking about people dressing up and collecting candy door to door, but the fact that it was Reformation Day. One of the key aspects of the reformation is justification by faith alone. It’s through this justification that we have a proper understanding what Christ did for us on the cross and impacts how we live out our faith.

“No justified sinner can remain indifferent about their conduct nor continue on in sin as they did before they were justified.” from the Westminster Seminary of California

Having placed our faith in Christ as Saviour and then making him Lord of our lives ensures that we will have this sanctification process in our lives as we continue to grow in Christliness throughout our lives. The key component in this is that God is the initiator of this. Tony Merida helps us see this better in his commentary:

Paul says, “Work out your salvation.” That’s a huge difference. God has worked salvation for us by His sovereign grace alone. Christ has done the work on the cross to bring us “justification.” Sanctification is about living in light of this gracious gift of salvation, living in light of our new position and our new identity.

-Tony Merida and Francis Chan, Exalting Jesus in Philippians,

So Paul seeks to help the Philippian church establish a healthy culture of discipleship in his absence, since as you recall he’s imprisoned as he writes this. One thing that stood out in verses 12 & 13 is that Paul uses the pattern of commending and then commanding the church. This is such a beautiful way of showing what discipleship looks like. We come along and encourage and then we exhort or instruct.

We see this again in 1 Thessalonians 4:1

1 Thessalonians 4:1 ESV

Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.

1 Thessalonians 4:9–10 ESV

Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more,

Before we move onto our next point let’s briefly dive into the phrase “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” We’ve already established that we are working out what God has already worked in us, but let’s go a little deeper. The question then is how do we work out our salvation? which is a great question to ask yourself from reading this passage. To boil it down to one thing it is to simply follow Christ’s example. Merida gives us a pattern from the Christ Hymn that is very practical:

“Jesus has given us the pattern for obedience. He has shown us what humble, others-focused, God-glorifying obedience looks like. That’s the kind of life that we are called to live as believers. Does your life look like Philippians 2:6–8? Are you praying and striving for growth in humility, personal holiness, selfless service, and sacrificial mission by the power of God’s enabling grace?”

-Tony Merida and Francis Chan, Exalting Jesus in Philippians,

Eugene Patterson wrote a book called “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction” that focuses on this challenge of experiencing sanctification in our lives. Living out our faith in this long-term day-by-day obedience is difficult in our instant gratification, go go go culture. The goal is daily submission to God or as Jesus calls us to in Luke 9:23 “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Then encouragement comes in verse 13. God is at work in us and beyond that it is because it gives him joy. What an encouragement. By God’s grace we can know that He is workin in us because he loves us so much and wants to accomplish His will in and through us. What joy for us to be used by God for His glory!

2. Shine Like Lights

Have you ever been somewhere were you can step out at night and really see the stars? Last summer my family had the pleasure of traveling to Austria to see where I grew up and spend time with my family as we explored a country that we spent 11 years living in as missionaries.

One of the highlights of the trip was the farmhouse style VRBO that my dad found for us nestled in the mountains of Austria. This area is known for hosting world cup ski events and is just absolutely beautiful. The place my dad found was at the end of a crazy long dirt road with some pretty extreme twists and turns and ups and downs along the way. Of course I was the only one driving a stick shift so that made life a little interesting.

Perhaps one of the neatest things about this place was how beautiful the surrounding were. During the day you could really see the mountains well and at night there was a totally different dynamic. If you went outside at night you didn’t have any of the light pollution of a city and the elevation made you feel that much closer to the sky. When you looked up at the night sky it was incredible to see that stars and how bright they shined.

Well in verses 14-16 we see Paul emphasize how our lives are to shine brightly in what he describes as a “crooked and twisted generation”

Paul starts with a warning against grumbling and complaining. There is a strong warning here of how God’s people can miss out on what God wishes to accomplish through them and it is rooted in grumbling and arguing. Philippians 2:14 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing,”

This warning is timely for the Philippian church and for the believer today as well. Pursuing holiness isn’t an easy endeavor. Paul is so gifted in his writing here in Philippians. His knowledge of scripture is so impressive as he skilfully writes in a manor where the church in Philippi would quickly recognize the parallels in these verses and those found in Exodus, Deuteronomy, Numbers, Daniel and Isaiah. Paul compares the Old Covenant People (Israel) to the New Covenant People (Philippian Church). Here are some comparisions in the text:

Old Covenant People & New Covenant People

Exodus salvation (Ex. 14:13; 15:2) results in “trembling and fear” of the peoples surrounding Israel (Ex. 15:16 LXX).

Gospel salvation (Phil. 2:12) must be worked out with “fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12).

“I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord. How much more after my death!” (Deut. 31:27).

“as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence …” (Phil. 2:12).

grumbling (Ex. 16:7, 8, 9, 12; Num. 17:5, 10)

“Do all things without grumbling” (Phil. 2:14).

“They have dealt corruptly with him; they are no longer his children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation” (Deut. 32:5).

“that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation” (Phil. 2:15).

In essence Paul is crafting a picture of the Philippian church and Paul’s own life being the OT script lived out. The Philippians are, and are to continue, to be the “shining stars” quoted in Daniel and Paul is following in the footsteps of Isaiah’s Servant of the Lord. Paul is drawing an imaginary line from the OT to the New Testament, though for them it was just their current reality, and is saying we are to live these OT concepts out in a way that brings glory to God. Paul knew that the church in Philippi had both internal struggles (we will see clearly in 4:2 and saw a glimpse in 1:27-2:4) and external pressures Philippians 1:28 “and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.”

So what is the antidote to this tendency to grumble and complain? The gospel. The hope we have in the undeserved grace found in Jesus coming to die for our sins and being exalted to his rightful place on the throne gives us hope even in the difficulties. Paul finishes the verse (16) by encouraging believers to “hold fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”

We are to be people of the book as I once heard it described. Our faith needs to be rooted in studying God’s word and fearlessly proclaiming it. Paul gives us a great example as so much of what he is encouraging the church with is from scripture. It’s a great source of strength for the believer. We need to love God’s word and love sharing the good news, the gospel, with others.

I opened with the story of not running a race in vain. What a shame to run 20 something miles only to skip the last 4 like the example of the principal and get disqualified. Paul is so desperately wanting the church to stand firm in their faith so that his efforts and their efforts of the church stand the test of time. His desire is to be proud of what his life and the Philippian church did for the sake of the gospel and so should we.

Oh to one day stand before God and be proud of how I poured out my life for the sake of the gospel and for how the saints at Liberty Baptist Church poured out their life for the sake of the gospel. Ultimately there is only on person who’s approval we should seek and that is of Christ Jesus and because of that all we do as Christians and as a local church should all be for his glory!

This is a challenge for us. We can easily describe our culture as Paul described what the Philippian church faced….”a crooked and twisted generation”….we have people caught up in all kinds of sin around us.

God established Liberty Baptist Church to be an outpost for the gospel…a place where people can see the light in the darkness….think about the imagery of a lighthouse…our lives and as we come together as a church should help people find the hope that is only found in Jesus….to experience that perfect love and grace….so are you living that out? are you like a star shining in the darkness…are we like a bunch of stars coming together to impact the darkness that is found in our community?

3. Joy in Suffering

Don’t you wish in some ways that we just stopped right there? I mean that all sounds good right? But, we can’t forget Paul’s circumstances. Remember he’s writing from jail and there is a likelihood that he might never leave it. Paul’s letter is heavy with terminology such as in my absence. Even if we are not runners, we can relate to the idea of running with endurance and that the Christian life will need endurance…but Paul takes it a step further…in verse Philippians 2:17 Paul says “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.” & don’t know about you but that’s hard to read.

“What’s impressive about this drink offering analogy is that Paul says, “I am glad and rejoice with all of you.” Just as wine was poured out in ancient (Greek and Jewish) sacrificial ceremonies, Paul says he is happy to pour out his blood for the advancement of the gospel. Just as Christ emptied Himself, Paul is glad to pour out himself for the glory of God. He’s a glad offering.

-Merida, Tony, and Francis Chan. 2016. Exalting Jesus in Philippians.

So as followers of Christ we should follow the example of Christ, and as followers of Christ we should expect to experience persecution. Paul knew this and was living out his faith in light of this reality. He saw it as an honor to pour out his life, just like Jesus, for the sake of the gospel and for the growth of the church.

Blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.

c. 50.

Tertullian

Hence, “knowing Christ” for Paul involves “participation in his sufferings”—and is a cause for constant joy, not because suffering is enjoyable, but because it is certain evidence of his intimate relationship with his Lord.

Gordon Fee

Finish:

Story that Ukrainian believers shared about persecution during Soviet Union times. Though it was difficult is sparked a deep commitment among believers and even in their suffering they found joy in what God was doing through them. We too must find joy in our difficult circumstances and use the example of Paul who used the example of Christ. It’s also a great reminder to pray for the global church as many face persecution, even death, in line with the example of Paul and the ultimate example in Jesus.

Big Takeaways:

Genuine faith should result in sanctification which is the ongoing process of becoming more like Jesus. Reflecting on the truth that Christ humbled himself to death on the cross and was exalted by God after he defeated death through his resurrection. In light of this we are too work out our salvation with fear and trembling, living out a genuine faith that is light to a darkness. We can find hope in the assurance we have through what Christ accomplished as he died and rose again and because of that we can face trials, even to the point of the threat of death, with confidence that we will spend eternity with God and know that even through pain and death His will is accomplished.

As we close out today the encouragement is for those who haven’t trusted in Jesus that he’s worthy. He’s worthy of it all and through His grace he wants to grow us more and more into his likeness. All we have to do is accept this free gift of God.

For the believer in the room or watching online, we have hope that God is continuing a good work in us. As a church we come together to worship God, give praise for what he’s done, but also to be reminded that God wants to use us to accomplish His purposes. We willfully submit to God knowing that whatever he calls us to He is worthy. Our goal is to shine brightly both individually and collectively so we can be ambassadors of Christ in this community that God has placed us in.