Gospel-Centered Life
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Gospel-Centered Life
Gospel-Centered Life
Introduction
Introduction
It is a privilege to be with you and to bring God’s Word to you tonight
We have been working our way through Philippians on Tuesday nights
What we’ve found is that the book of Philippians is all about the Gospel
The book has been characterized as being about joy - and that fruit of the Spirit is certainly to be found in these four short chapters
But the book - the main theme of the book - is found in one of the verses we’re going to study tonight
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
I would like to submit that the book lays out a spectrum for examining our Christian walk
I would call it
The Philippian Spectrum
The Gospel leads to Joy leads to Humility which leads to Unity.
We find the Gospel expressed by Paul immediately in the book - as he does in most of his Epistles
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace together sum up the entirety of the Gospel - we were given grace by Christ dying from our sins which now gives us peace with God
Paul also demonstrates his humility as he refers to himself as a slave of Christ and the Philippian believers as saints
He shows us how he prays for the Philippians in verses 4-7
He celebrates their koinonia (partnership) with him in the Gospel
The Philippians and Paul shared a deep affection and striving together for the faith
He shows us what he prays for the Philippians in verses 9-11
He prays that their love would abound more and more
Not just love, but also knowledge and discernment - two very unpopular disciplines in Christianity today
When our love abounds supported by a knowledge of who we love and a discernment of what He has determined as right - we are able to glorify God most
He provides us a glimpse of his perspective when opposition arises in 12-18
And in 18-26 Paul demonstrates perseverance in submission to the will of God
For me to live - Christ; to die - gain
but Paul is convinced that it is better for the Philippians if he remains
he submits his desires to what glorifies Christ most
With that brief overview we can now look at tonights passage
Paul begins a new portion of the letter
from informational to imperative
Our outline will be:
Be a Good Citizen (Philippians 1:27a)
Stand United (Philippians 1:27b-28)
Suffering is a Gift? (Philippians 1:29-30)
Read the Scripture (STAND UP)
Prayer
Be A Good Citizen
Be A Good Citizen
Acts 16:37-39; Philippians 3:20
Paul here uses a verb that carries with it the sense of “be a good citizen” - politeuomai
While the concept of citizenship may be getting reworked in our current affairs, the concept of citizenship in the ancient world was far grander than what we would think today
The Romans conquered the Greeks in 168 BC and designated Philippi as a station on the Egnatian Way - the highway that connected the Eastern and Western Empires
Site of a major battle between Brutus and Cassius (the assassins of Julius Caesar) and Octavius and Antony (who emerged victorious) un 42 BC
Rebuilt in 31 BC and established as a Roman Colony
Residents had the rights of citizens under Roman law; they could own property and land
Citizenship meant a lot to the residents
Many were former soldiers who had earned their citizenship
One of the reasons that Paul and Silas’ imprisonment was such an embarrassment - they had been denied proper proceedings due to citizens
But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city.
The use of the verb (used only twice in the entire New Testament) seems to carry with it a dual meaning
Be a good citizen of your earthly state remembering that everything you do reflects on the Gospel
Jesus said the same thing when he said render unto Caeser
But you are not only a citizen of Philippi - but of Heaven
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
If you write to me, write to me like this: at Westminster, London. Temporary address: Westminster; permanent address: heaven in Christ. I am but a stranger here, heaven is my home.
Tony Sargent, Gems from Martyn Lloyd-Jones: An Anthology of Quotations from “the Doctor” (Milton Keynes, England; Colorado Springs, CO; Hyderabad, AP: Paternoster., 2007), 63.Stand United
Stand United
Stand United
Philippians 1:26; Acts 16:6-9; 2 Corinthians 1:15-16, 23-24; Ecclesiastes 4:9,12; Philippians 1:19; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 2 Timothy 4:3; 2 Timothy 1:7; Luke 12:5
Whether I come and see you or am absent - sounds strange considering that Paul had just told the Philippians that he would be coming to see them
so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
Paul is submitting to the sovereignty and providence of Christ over his plans
Many times he had planned to go one way and had been directed another
That was how he had come to Philippi in the first place
He had tried to enter further in to Asia Minor but the Spirit had opposed him
And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
A major point of contention and one of the reasons for the Epistle of 2 Corinthians was Paul’s seeming capriciousness in changing plans
Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea.
But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.
Paul tells them that regardless the expectation is clear
That they will stand firm
Carries a military overtone - common in Paul’s writings
Soldiers holding the line together regardless of personal consequences
The fifth general order of a sentry - to quit my post only when properly relieved
in one spirit with one mind
striving side by side - Paul shifts from a military to an athletic metaphor
Tug of War
Unity provides resolve, accountability , and confidence.
Resolve to continue the struggle because the man or woman next to you isn’t quitting
Accountability to the group as well as being able to hold one another accountable for their part
Confidence - Ecclesiastes 4:9,12
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.
And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
In his commentary on Philippians Dr. John MacArthur writes:
Striving together in the church means playing as a team to advance the truth of God
Paul has just demonstrated for the Philippians how their prayers activated the help of the Holy Spirit to keep him strong during his trials
for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,
For Paul the deliverance spoken of mattered not whether it was life or death
We stand together for the faith of the Gospel
Standing together for the faith is more than just standing for the truth
It is also standing against error from within the church
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
and outside the church
Paul tells us - Don’t be afraid of your opponents
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
The source for our ability to stand firm is two fold
the first is unity which we’ve already talked about
the second is the content of Paul’s prayer for the Philippians
abounding love through knowledge and discernment
The greater knowledge we have of God and His Word the more firm we are in our convictions that it is true
The greater our ability to discern truth from falsehood the better we are at determining what is primary and what is secondary
He that is not a son of peace, is not a son of God. All other sins destroy the church consequentially, but division and separation demolish it directly.
Building the church is but an orderly joining of the materials; and what then is disjoining, but pulling down? Many doctrinal differences must be tolerated in a church.
And why, but for unity and peace? Therefore, disunion and separation is utterly intolerable.
Elliot Ritzema, ed., 300 Quotations for Preachers (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012).
The next sentence is the most difficult part of the text to decypher
Most modern translations have supplied the “their” in reference to destruction
A better reading of this is probably your
so the verse would read “this is a clear sign to them of your destruction, but to you of your salvation”
The world thinks we are foolish and no amount of our standing up for what we believe will change that
they just think we’re crazier
converts didn’t line up after watching people being torn limb from limb by wild beasts in the coliseum
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Our salvation is a gift from God
Suffering is a Gift?
Suffering is a Gift?
Philippians 1:29-30; John 15:18; 2 Timothy 3:12; James 1:2; Romans 5:3-5; Acts 5:41
Christ suffered for His beloved; should we wonder then that He has left us His example, in order that we endure patiently ourselves all things for our own salvation? - John Huss
Jesus promised that suffering would come our way
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
Suffering is a signal that you’re living a life worthy of the Gospel
Darkness is not going to persecute darkness
Nor is it going to persecute those who are sitting on the sidelines
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
but we can rest in the knowledge that whatever comes against us is being allowed by God
The root of the phrase “has been granted” is the same root word for grace
so it is a manifestation of God’s grace
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
Martin Luther once quipped that the devil is God’s devil
Nothing can come against you without God’s permission
Suffering is one of the ways the Gospel sanctifies us
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
The Apostles demonstrate what our reaction should be to suffering
Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
Conclusion and Application
Conclusion and Application
Where are you at on the spectrum?
Maybe you’ve never submitted to the Gospel - You still think you can make it to Heaven on the strength of being a good person and yet sin continues to dominate your life.
Your good conduct will never outweigh the sins you have committed against our Holy God
Tonight/Today is the time for you to submit your life to Him as both Lord and Savior and trust what He has done on your behalf to save you
Maybe you’re struggling to experience joy because your eyes are on your circumstances
The Gospel provides you the right perspective - that this is all temporary and that God has save you.
No matter what we lose here, nothing can ever take away the surety of our salvation and our place in Heaven
Maybe you’re struggling with humility - you think that you’re better or at least not as bad as the next person
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Recognize that Christ the Second person of the Trinity emptied Himself and came to suffer indignity and humiliation on your behalf
Maybe you’re struggling with unity - you have a dispute between yourself and another member of the body
or you’re struggling over a point of secondary doctrine with someone
Tonight is the night to submit all of those conditions to the Gospel - and begin to glorify God by living your life in a manner worthy of His Gospel.