Replicate

Intro - Replicate/Duplicate

I explained to the kids about that seed and the word “replicate” came to mind this week, but then I got to thinking, is it replicate or duplicate? Then I thought about it like this. When I was a kid, I loved my Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars. I had two different cases of cars. Now my race cars were something totally different, but my Matchbox cars were awesome. My buddy Wesley Lineberry and I, would get out a bunch of our cars and we’d set things up like we were driving our cars around town. A box would be our house or a cabinet would be the office space we worked in. I always had favorites that I would play with. One of them was a Ford Cobra. It was cool because it was red, the hood came up and it looks like a race car and, as long as it has four wheels and you can race it, then it’s a race car and race cars will always be the coolest thing every, all day, every day, in my book. I remember when we would buy these things from the store. On the outside of some packaging it would say “replica.” As if someone actually thought they were getting the real thing. It is only a replica of a Ford Cobra. Now if I could make the real thing appear, then I would be happy, but what I have here is a replica. Now a Ford Cobra was something that someone could buy a kit and take a frame from other car and put a bunch of parts on it, like it was a Cobra. I reality, that was cool and could save you a lot of money, but it wasn’t the real thing. At best, it was a duplicate. I had a replica.

You might be thinking, that’s great Brandon. Thanks for sharing you toys with us. There is a point to the cotton and to the little Matchbox car. It’s all about replication and what is being replicated in you. Or my question is, are you living a life that is worth replicating? Has anyone modeled a life worth replicating to you and you’ve tried and failed, knew you would fail and didn’t try, or gave up over time?

Body

Paul

Paul’s letter to the Christians who resided in Philippi is a nice letter to read. It’s not a passage that is filled with condemnation, correction, or chastisement. It is a letter that is really an overview of what it look likes to live out kingdom of God, here on earth. Essentially, if we took the kingdom principles of the kingdom of heaven, and put them to practice here on earth, this is what they would look like.

There are a lot of verses that we have pulled out of Philippians over the years, and they are verses that work well on t-shirts, bumper stickers, on a meme, a social media post or for a quick Bible lesson or devotion. As a was reminded this week, while doing some reading, these verses are sentences that are grouped with others sentences to make a story or a point. We shouldn’t be so quick to rush and pull

Philippians 4:13 CSB

I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.

or

Philippians 4:4 CSB

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

from its rightful place among the entire passage or the entire book in which it was written.

So rather than just preaching verses 8 & 9, I want to go back and grab some context.

As Paul is wrapping up this short letter, here in chapter four, he starts off with

Philippians 4:1–2 CSB

So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord.

Philippians 2:1–2 CSB

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

So, some closing thoughts here and this first swing of the hammer to drive home his point is “stand firm.” Yet, then in the next verse he is encouraging two women to agree. Now, I know that these were Christians in a church, because apparently there was something that they struggled to agree upon. We don’t know exactly what that dispute was. Some have speculated, you could even use the following verses as a way to piece together what the issue was, but suffice it to say that there was an issue and Paul encouraged the rest of the church

Philippians 4:3 CSB

Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life.

So, if they are

Philippians 4:

So, if they are

Then he begins to share the rest of his instructions of what kingdom life on heaven look like.

He says:

Rejoice in the Lord always - v.4

Let your graciousness be known to everyone - v.5

Don’t worry about anything, but through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. - v.7

Then he instructs them about the things that they should set their minds upon

Philippians 4:8 CSB

Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.

If you reading this with me and feeling the same thing that I am feeling. I am led to believe there is some disunity among the church, especially among Eudoia and Syntyche. Paul is giving them a way to, not necessarily come to a compromise, but to check the way they may have been treating one another. So, he says “rejoice…always,” be “Gracious,” “don’t worry.” Kingdom people have a kingdom mindset and even in conflict we seek what is good, we seek to find the blessing, we should seek to be gracious, and not to worry.

Listen, I can tell you one thing that I know about churches, especially a church with as many years as ours that is rooted in history and tradition: there are lot of different personalities. With different personalities, come different ideas, opinions, thoughts, ways of thinking, ways of doing, questions, ways to motivate different people, some people complain a lot, some people are grateful for anything they get, some people you can ever please and some are just happy with littlest of things, some have a different taste in music or a different way that they learn. Everyone is different. When we come together as a church, we come together as one. We make big decisions together. We work together. We can all have different points of view, different thoughts how things should be done, and we can disagree, but at the end of the day we should still treat each other with dignity and respect. We should treat one another like family and we should show grace, and rejoice, and be thankful.

Then he moves into the final words that I really want to focus on this morning.

Paul gave the Philippians what they should set their minds. Not on what they don’t have, not on conflict, not on how something didn’t get done, or ministry event that didn’t make sense to them. Paul said whatever is “true.

True

There are many things in this world that are deceptive, promising what they never can perform, offering a false peace and happiness which they can never supply. Paul says we should always set our thoughts on the things that will not let us down.

Honorable

There are things in this world that are flippant, cheap, and attractive to those who never take life seriously, but it is on the things that are serious, dignified, and honorable which the Christian will set their minds.

Just

There has been a lot of talk in the news of just and social justice, but what Paul refers to here is giving what is due. We can set our minds on pleasure, comfort and easy ways or we can set our minds on things which are just. Christian thoughts are on duty to other people and to God.

Pure

The Greek word hagnos means morally uncontaminated. When it is used ceremonially, it is described as that which had been so cleansed that it is fit to be brought into the presence of God and used for His service. That is clean! This world is full of things which are sordid and shabby and soiled and smutty. We can develop ways of thinking that soils everything, or we as Christians, as kingdom-minded people set our minds on things that are pure. Williams Barclay said, “The Christian’s thoughts are so clean that they can stand even the scrutiny of God.”

Lovely

There are those who set their minds on vengeance and punishment. It will cause bitterness and fear. There are those who set their minds on criticism and rebuke. It will result in resentment in others. Christians set their minds on the lovely things - kindness, sympathy, patience - so they are winsome people, whose presence inspires the feelings of love.

Lastly, he says

Commendable

Or maybe your translation has honorable. It is a person of good report. There are far too many ugly and false words and impure words in this world. On the lips and in the minds of Christians, there should be only words which are fit for God to hear.

He said we should dwell on these things.

How here is the deal.

The very next thing he writes is

Philippians 4:9 CSB

Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:9

So, Paul, we’re suppose to think, speak, dwell, act and do everything you just told us to do and now you are going to tell us to do what we’ve seen you do? Yep

Get this. Paul said “Do what you have learned and received and heard from me.”

What had they learned and heard?

Look out for others 2:4

Adopt the humility of Christ 2:5-11

Do everything without complaining 2:14

Rejoice in the Lord always 3:1

Watch our for those who teach falsely 3:2

Our goal is to know Christ 3:10

We are stand firm in the faith 4:1

We are to dwell on these things 4:8

In all things we give glory to God 4:20

And that is only what Paul wrote to the Philippians. Not doesn’t cover the book of Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonica, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and Hebrews.

Not only that, but look at what they had “seen” in him.

His imprisonment for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ 1:13

That he was unashamed to share wherever he went 1:20

That he was encouraging and loving 2:1-2

That he took joy for his life to be poured out as an offering 2:19-30

That he wanted to meet the physical and spiritual needs of others 3:6

Learned to be content in all circumstances 4:12

That is a lot to replicate, but Paul says “do it.”

You may say, there is no way I can do it. There is no way that I can replicate all of that. We don’t have an option folks. I heard a great quote this week: “Religions say: I obey, therefore I am accepted. The Gospel say, ‘I am accepted, therefore I will obey.”

Our acceptance is not predicated on whether or not we will obey. The work has already been done. All we have to do is believe and obey. If you consider yourself a Christian, then do it.

Why? Because as I have said before, there is a world that is watching.

Proverbs 7:1–4 CSB

My son, obey my words, and treasure my commands. Keep my commands and live, and guard my instructions as you would the pupil of your eye. Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your relative.

There isn’t a choice about obedience.

When I look at though, I look and I think about the culture that is around us. I think about where the church, in America is. How far do we get away from what we have heard, what we have been taught, or what we once believed. We get relaxed on what we are willing to stand against. We let our guard slip, where we use to build fortresses. We lay down where we use to take a stand. We turn bold face lies into “little white lies.” We let ourselves accept shows, images, and language that we wouldn’t have allowed a decade ago. We let our children start choosing how they are going to dress, who they are going to hang out with, whether or not they want to come to church at a much younger age. Underage drinking has become ok. Sexual promiscuity is on the rise, and at a younger age. Living together before marriage. Homosexual behavior. Apathy towards important things. Don’t give a care mentality about things that should matter. Raise the value of comfort, ease of life, pay it off later, get what you can now, how comfortable can I be in this life and let me post it all to the internet, so that everybody can see is all on the rise.

Do not get me wrong. I’m not calling for some sort of strict, legalistic, we need to get back to where we were 60 years ago kind of mentality. To start setting parameters and becoming legalistic flies in the face of the Gospel as well, because the Gospel frees us, it doesn’t set guidelines. Most of us have long learned and received, we have heard and seen others live out a life that we should follow. We should do it! Maybe more important than that, is what kind of life are you living? Are you living one that display that kingdom of heaven here on earth? Are you living a life with that same joyfulness, graciousness, and love that Paul said we should have? Do you wish the church looked just like you? Are you dwelling on the important things or the stats of your favorite team? Are you willing to let your life be poured out as a drink offerring or are you willing to leave a couple drops behind but no more? Are you living a life that any would want to replicate?

We aren’t in the business of duplicating, because if we duplicate it, then we have to walk in Paul’ sandals, in his time. You are living in this time, in this culture, around your people. God has given you a a context, not to duplicate, but to replicate and see the life, that I hope is in you, replicated in others.

Let’s pray.

Closing