Sermon Tone Analysis

STAND IN HONOR OF GOD AND HIS WORD.

PRAY FOR HOLY SPIRIT TRANSFORMATION AS YOU READ IT

Church: Heaven on Earth

Let’s recap briefly the history of the city of Philippi, where these Christians lived.

About 90 years before the arrival of Paul with the Gospel, the city became heavily populated by Roman soldiers.

Essentially becoming an outpost of Rome and its army, so it acquired the status of being a “colony” which meant that the privileges and rights of Roman citizenship were granted to everyone in Philippi, treated as if they were living in Italy.

They acted like they were living there.

They operate under Roman law and principles.

Philippi might have been geographically located in Macedonia, but to all the people of Philippi it was Rome in Greece.

Paul, here in v.27 and in , builds his imperatives in this letter upon the civic pride of these citizens.

To the church, he is saying you may be citizens there, but as saints in Christ, your primary citizenship is now in heaven.

Fast forward a couple thousand years, God through Paul is saying to us, “You may be citizens of Union County, Illinois and the USA but as saints in Christ, your primary citizenship is now in heaven.”

How many of you remember Curly.

Not the fat Bald guy with the 3 Stooges.

I am talking about the cattle driving, big hat wearing cowboy from the movie “City Slickers”

Picture of Curly on Screen

Curly (Played by Jack Palance) asks Mitch (Played by Billy Crystal)

“Do you know what the Secret of Life is?

Mithc

Holding up 1 finger: “This!”

Mitch: Your Finger?

Curly: One thing.

Just One thing.

You stick to that and the rest don’t mean anything!

Mitch: But, what’s the one thing?

Curly: That’s what you have to find out

“Just One Thing”

Paul begins his first imperative with that emphatic phrase, meaning “above all, at all cost.”

Paul’s one thing is to be our one thing.

Make your Church Heaven on Earth, just as they made their city Rome in Greece.

How: Live Like It!! Live worthy of the grace that has been bestowed upon you!! Live worthy of the Gospel.

The joyful spirit of Paul is unquestionable.

It comes through loud and clear.

The only thing that would have saddened Paul, the leader in planting this church, is if he heard or came and visited to find this group of professed Christ followers failing to live worthy of the gospel.

Finding they lowered the standards of holiness in the church.

Finding they were refusing to live harmoniously around the sole purpose of Christ - lost people being saved by the same gospel that saved them.

Anyone know James Phillips Edwards and Joel Boggis?

I hope not because that would mean you are over 200 years old.

These two men are a big reason why you sit here today.

Edwards addressed the people gathered for worship in the home of Boggis.

From that gathering came Clear Creek Church in 1818, which now gathers for worship right where you sit as JFBC.

Now imagine we received a letter, if it were possible, from Rev. Edwards and His companion, that they were planning a visit and wished to see what fine of a job their church plant was doing 200 years later as they were living and worshipping in unity together, and these two were looking to hear and see how many souls were being saved because the 200 year old church plant was still working hard together for the gospel.

Imagine if you read in the letter how anxious these men were to see the colony of heaven on earth in Jonesboro.

What is Paul saying here with that phrase?

What does it mean?

What is God telling us?

We have from God here the direct order from the ruler of the homeland in heaven.

God is commanding us who profess ourselves as committed Christ followers, to live worthy of the gospel that we say saved us.

What is Paul saying here with that phrase?

What does it mean?

What is God telling us?

What is Paul saying here with that phrase?

What does it mean?

What is God telling us?

God is commanding us who profess ourselves as committed Christ followers, to live worthy of the gospel that we say saved us.

Don’t just give the gospel lip service.

Give the gospel life service.

The gospel is about transformation

so we better live as transformed people.

Different from who we were.

Different from the world.

Every citizen has to have a valid ID.

That ID is evidence, the proof of residence saying hey I am a citizen of this place.

Many states have voter ID laws.

Every citizen has to have a valid ID for the state in which they live in.

That ID is evidence, the proof of residence saying hey I am a citizen of this place.

Your life and my life needs to be proof of the grace, the privilege of heavenly citizenship.

Our attitudes and our actions act as our valid ID of being a citizen of heaven.

Your and my manner of life as this new creation needs to reflect the level of gratitude deserving of the grace that has been poured down upon us so abundantly from heaven.

You and I have civic duties we are to uphold if we are to be model citizens of America.

Patriotic people are people who live by the constitution and principles of America.

We exude the American spirit.

Paul was saying to the Philippian Christians, “Listen, Just One thing, as patriotic and proud as you are about being a Roman citizen, let your citizenship of heaven be twice as emphatic.

God is telling us that our passion for our country and politics better take a back seat to our passion for the gospel and the church.

Be People who live by the spirit not by the flesh.

Galatians 5:16-

The gospel is about love so we should be known as loving people.

Galatians 5:13-

1 John 4:

The gospel is about grace so we better be gracious people.

The gospel is about grace so we better be gracious people.

The gospel is about compassion and forgiveness so we better be compassionate and forgiving people.

The gospel is about compassion and forgiveness so we better be compassionate and forgiving people.

Ephesians 4

The gospel is truth so we better be truthful people.

Colossians

The gospel is about unselfish sacrifice so we better be unselfish and sacrificial people.

1 Peter

James 3:14-1

The gospel is about Jesus as the Suffering Servant who taught servanthood as the highest honor so we better be servant people.

The gospel is about a relationship with Christ so we better have a relationship with Jesus and be friendly relational people.

The gospel is about giving us liberty so we best not be legalistic people.

Isaiah

The gospel is all about humility, Jesus humbled himself even unto the cross (), it is our duty to become humble people.

(Humility is not a feeling.

Like love, Humility is and action.)

James

The gospel is about unity around the mission of rescuing lost souls, and God intends for us who are Christians to be unified people.

So we need to be unified and harmonious people.

Spiritual unity.