Stand Firm
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Once a person gives his life to Jesus, he must press on toward the prize and stand firm in the Lord.
As we talked about last Sunday morning, to press on toward the goal is to strive with all our might for Christlikeness as we await the return of Christ when we will enjoy Christ and Christlikeness forever in Heaven.
In addition to pressing on toward the goal, however, we also need to stand firm in the Lord. And the Lord Jesus is the perfect example of standing firm.
Jesus endured hostility from sinners but never grew weary or fainthearted ().
He was, in every respect, tempted as we are and yet he never sinned ().
He endured the cross, despising the shame, and then sat down at the right hand of the throne of God ().
Our Lord Jesus is the perfect example of standing firm and we are repeatedly called to follow his example and stand firm ourselves.
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.
For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
And Paul said to the Philippians that he hoped to find them standing firm in ...
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,
The Philippians were divided by sinful pride, which was no doubt fueled by the false teaching that had come into the church.
The false teachers were known as the Judaizers and they taught that one had to work for salvation by keeping the Law of Moses. They may have even taught that one could become perfect by keeping the Law.
That kind of thinking no doubt leads to the kind of pride that thinks itself better than others and refuses to be a servant to others. That kind of attitude would have been best exemplified in the false teachers, but it also showed up in the members of the church. It’s a mindset that doesn’t allow a man to humble himself before another. It’s a mindset that doesn’t make a woman want to serve and sacrifice.
Because of that self-serving pride, Paul called the Philippians to follow the humble way of Jesus who, even though he was very God of very God, came in the likeness of men and being a man, humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
But Jesus didn’t just die, he was resurrected and exalted so that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Now, if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, then you will be saved!
Let me just pause here and say that if you haven’t believed on Jesus for salvation, you must believe this morning.
If you haven’t confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, what stops you from doing so this morning.
Repent of your sins, believe, and confess, and you will be saved from God’s wrath!
But you will not just be saved. You will also be sanctified, that is, made more like Christ!
Saving faith in Jesus enables us to live the sanctified way of Jesus.
Our faith in Jesus enables us to resist pride and serve and sacrifice like our Lord.
But although we are saved and sanctified, we are still being saved and sanctified. In other words, we aren’t home yet and so we must press on. We must press on in right believing and right living.
We must press on in right believing and right living.
Right believing is believing that Jesus is the only way of salvation; that salvation is by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone.
Right living is the humble way of service and sacrifice perfectly displayed in our Lord Jesus.
But, as I said, we aren’t perfect so we must press on and we must stand firm.
[INTER] But what does it mean to stand firm?
[ILLUS] When I was in elementary school we had Field Day and I loved Field Day. It was the one time of the year that I got to show off my athletic prowess, which seemed to leave me in third place in every event I entered.
One year our class competed in the tug-o-war against another class. It was your classic underdog story. They were giants but we were scrappy or maybe they were dogs and we were the scraps. I can’t remember.
The context got underway and we were being immediately dragged toward defeat. Our feet were sliding in the sand and we were helpless until I felt a rock under the sand.
I put all my weight on the rock and suddenly we stopped sliding and then we started to pull them toward defeat. But then they would pull us their way again but I would find my rock and we would stop sliding. That pattern continued until I couldn’t find the rock anymore.
That pattern continued until I couldn’t find the rock anymore. We were sliding toward defeat and I had my legs scrambling in every direction searching for that rock, but I couldn’t find it and that other class, giant dogs that they were, won.
We were sliding toward defeat and I had my legs scrambling in every direction searching for that rock, but I couldn’t find it and that other class, giant dogs that they were, won.
The self-serving world in which we live; the self-serving false teaching that permeates our culture; and the self-serving pull of our flesh - all of this is constantly pulling us toward defeat.
If we don’t stand firm on Christ our Rock - believing on Him and living after Him - then we will lose.
[INTER] How do we keep this from happening? How do we persevere, persist in faithfulness, keep standing on Christ? How do we stand firm?
[TS] Well, there are some ACTIONS that we need to take and Paul gives them to us here in ...
[ILLUS]
[INTER] What actions do we need to take in order to stand firm?
MAJOR IDEAS
MAJOR IDEAS
Action #1: You’ll need to imitate (v. 17).
Action #1: You’ll need to imitate (v. 17).
Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
[Exp] The call for other Christians to follow Paul is a common recurrence in Paul’s letters (cf. ; ; ).
But there are two important qualifications to Paul’s call to imitate him:
One, the call to imitate Paul only went so far as Paul imitation of Christ. Thus, Paul said in ...
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Two, the call to imitate Paul wasn’t a call to imitate him alone, but every disciple of Jesus “who walk(ed) according to the example” that Paul and others as they depended on Christ alone for salvation and pursued Christ in sanctification. In , Paul wrote...
For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you,
It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.
[App] One of the way we stand firm in Christ is by imitating others who are growing in Christ. Paul told the Philippians in 4:9...
[App]
What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Paul is a great disciple of Jesus to imitate but all disciples of Jesus, especially those of us in leadership, should be worthy of imitation.
Deacon’s should live lives worthy of imitation!
Sunday School teachers should live lives worthy of imitation!
Pastors especially should live lives worthy of imitation!
Timothy was serving as pastor of the church in Ephesus when he wrote to him in ...
Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
And then in , Paul wrote...
Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.
Likewise, in , the author calls church members to follow the godly example of their leaders...
Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
And then listen to what Peter writes to us pastors in ...
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
But for everyone of us (whether we are in church leadership or not), there is someone further down the road with Christ than we are; someone we can and should imitate so that we can grow further in Christ likeness.
But what if we survey the church body (or the whole of church history for that matter) and conclude that there’s no one worth imitating?
But
One, it must be your sinful pride that is blinding you. While no saint is perfect, there are people more mature than you in certain aspects of walking with Jesus. There are people more mature than you in prayer, in understanding the Scriptures, in witnessing, etc.
Two, even if your sinful pride prevents you from imitating a saint (a fellow Christian), it surely wouldn’t prevent you from imitating the Savior.
[Illus]
And I believe as you imitate him, humility will set in, and you’ll see other followers of him you can imitate as well.
[TS] If you want to stand firm, find faithful followers of Jesus imitate.
[TS]
“Imitation is the highest form of flattery.”
Action #2: You’ll need to differentiate (vv. 18-21).
Action #2: You’ll need to differentiate (vv. 18-21).
For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
[Exp] There are two groups that we need to be able to tell apart.
[App]
[Illus]
[TS]
There are two groups that we need to be able to tell apart.
One group is the enemies of the cross. Paul was talking about the Judaizers that he described back in v. 2, but also to all those who walk according to the way of the world (i.e., the way of Satan) rather than the way of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their god is their belly.
They glory in their shame.
They have their minds set on earthly things.
It gives Paul no joy to make the distinction between “enemies of the cross” and “citizens of Heaven
The second group is the citizens of Heaven.
They await a Savoir, the Lord Jesus Christ.
They await transformation into Christlikeness by the power of Christ.
It gives Paul no joy to make the differentiation between these two groups. It’s a necessary distinction. It’s a real distinction, but it’s a distinction that he makes “with tears.”
It broke Paul’s heart to see people headed for destruction, worshipping themselves, taking pride in their sinfulness, and consumed with earthly things.
[App] Now, we should pause here and ask ourselves two questions...
[App]
One, does the description of the enemies of the cross describe me?
Ask yourself, “Am I headed for destruction?” Most people don’t take time to think about it, but maybe in a quiet, honest moment you know that you’re headed for destruction because you’ve not repented of your sins and given your life totally to Jesus.
Maybe you know that you really worship yourself. Paul said, “their god is their belly.” Are you really all about fulfilling the sinful urges of your flesh? Do you spend your time, your money, your mental energy feeding your appetite for sin rather than repenting of sin?
Do you glory in your shame? Does your sin bring a smile to your face? A little smirk? Are you actually proud of the sins you’re committed or the sins your currently committing?
If your focus solely on earthly things or do you give any thought to storing up treasure in Heaven?
Enemies of the cross set their hearts, minds, and actions on earthly things because earth is all they know. Citizens of Heaven, however, set their hearts, minds, and actions above.
The second question, does it bring tears to your eyes that most live as enemies of the cross?
The fact that we followers of Jesus live as citizens of Heaven should not make us prideful toward those still lost in sin.
It should break our hearts and make us pray that the lost will be found in Christ Jesus so that they would not suffer eternal destruction under the just wrath of God.
We should long for and pray for the lost to become citizens of Heaven through faith in Christ just as we did so that their focus would be on Heaven rather than earth; so that their end would be transformation rather destruction; so that their glory would be in the Savior rather than in their sin; so that they would worship the Lord rather than themselves.
However, as Christians our end is not destruction but trans
[ILLUS] This point on differentiation is related to the point before on imitation. If we can’t tell or won’t acknowledge the difference between enemies of the cross and citizens of Heaven, we won’t know who to imitate.
It’s amazing to me when I hear citizens of Heaven hold up enemies of the cross as those whom we should emulate.
There was a well-known pastor some years ago who said that preachers today should imitate stand-up comedians in their sermons.
That pastor did that and even (in my opinion) stole things from the acts of certain comedians.
He was popular for awhile and his people laughed, but he was imitating enemies of the cross, those following the way of the world, and soon it was revealed that he was doing some other things as the world would.
He eventually stepped down. Then he was removed from his church as pastor. Then the church shut down and disappeared.
Those was imitate as Christians must be Christians; citizens of Heaven focused on Jesus and becoming more like Jesus until we are all made like Jesus in Heaven.
[TS] That’s why we need to differentiate… so we know who to imitate.
Action #3: You’ll need to celebrate (4:1).
Action #3: You’ll need to celebrate (4:1).
Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
[Exp] Paul had to be in a celebratory mood as he rounded off vv. 20-21 where he spoke of “awaiting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform us… by (his) power...” But he didn’t just celebrate or rejoice in that truth for himself. He also rejoiced that what he wrote in vv. 20-21 was true for both he and the Philippians together!
This is clear in 4:1 when Paul referred to the Philippians as “my brothers” and then spoke of his love, delight, and pride in the Philippian believers.
Paul couldn’t wait to be transformed fully, finally, completely, gloriously, but he also couldn’t wait to experience that transformation with his brothers and sisters in Christ!
Some think that 4:1 is the conclusion of the passage that we’re studying this morning. Some think it begins the next passage. Either way, it serves as a transition between the two.
If the Philippians are going to stand firm, they must rejoice in one another; they must celebrate one another.
Paul did that with the Philippians in 4:1. They were his brothers and sisters. He loved them and longed for them and rejoiced in them. They were his crown (i.e., his treasure, his prize) and his beloved. Paul celebrated the Philippians!
As we’ll see in 4:2ff, Paul called two women in the Philippian church to celebrate one another once again, because he knew that they would need each other and the church needed them if they were going to stand firm together.
[App] Now, this might surprise you but some of us in this church are pretty annoying. We all have personality quirks, pet peeves, and weird tendencies. We get tired and grumpy. I tend to stay tired and grumpy! We offend and get offended. We disagree sometimes, but we need one another! We need to rejoice in one another, love, long for, and celebrate being together in Christ with one another!
Let me ask you, do you look forward to these “one another” times?
We need to celebrate it globally.
Or are you always thinking of how annoying, how wrong, how immature that person or group is going to be?
If that’s you, let me help you out. There are going to people in the church. By God’s grace, it’ll be people who are slowly (and sometimes very slowly) progressing in Christlikeness, but those people won’t be perfect. If you allow the imperfection of people to stop you from celebrating those people, then you’ll never celebrate anyone. Your pride will keep you from it, and you’ll never stand firm.
We need to celebrate it locally.
[Illus] In December 2017, the Pew Research Center polled people as to why they did or did not go to church.
81% of those who went to church said they did so to become closer to God.
A majority of attenders said they did so because it gave their children a moral foundation, provided comfort in times of sorrow, and made them a better person.
But among non-churchgoers 37% said they practice their faith in other ways. We might wonder what those other ways are but a March 2017 Gallup survey told us that it basically meant “alone.”
In that survey, almost half (44%) of non-churchgoers said they don’t go because they prefer to worship on their own.
But is that an option left open to us? Can we worship Jesus apart from the local church? No!
tells us not to give up meeting together, but do you know why it says that? Here’s what says. Listen for the reason...
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
When we don’t rejoice in and celebrate one another - the fact that we are with one another in Christ - we won’t stand firm!
Our foot will slip and we will be headed toward a fall.
[TS] {see below}
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
Maybe you have slipped. Maybe you’re here physically, but you’re not here in your heart. You’ve been investing in the world rather than Heaven.
We all slip from time-to-time. We all drift. As the old hymn says, we are “prone to wander.”
Even so let’s repent and look to Jesus who never slips.
[Illus] A Baptist pastor of yesteryear, F. B. Meyer, wrote about two Germans who wanted to climb the Matterhorn.
The Matterhorn is a nearly 15,000-foot-tall mountain in the Alps that straddles the border between Sweden and Italy.
The first ever attempt to ascend the summit of the mountain ended in disaster when, out of a group of seven climbers, four fell to their deaths only because one man slipped.
It seemed the same thing might happen to the two German climbers and their three guides when the last man lost his footing.
The men were lashed together and the last man who slipped first was momentarily supported by the other four men who had secured toeholds in the ice.
But then the next man slipped and the two men above him were pulled down as well. Now, four out of the five men were in a dangling over death.
But the only man to stand firm - to not slip - was the first guide, who had secured his position by driving a spike deep into the ice. Because he held his ground, all the men beneath him regained their footing.
F. B. Meyer concluded with this application, “I am like one of those men who slipped, but thank God, I am bound in a living partnership to Christ. And because he stands, I will never perish.”
Thank God that even when we fail to stand firm, Christ stands! And because he stands, we will never perish!
As says...
When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
Praise God! Stand firm!