Good News: The Gospel Gives Us Courage to Face Opposition

Charles Cotton

Good News • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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Philippians 1:27-30

Philippians 1:27–30 ESV

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, 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. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

We are coming here to the end of chapter 1, and I hope it has been encouraging and uplifting for you to hear some good news from God’s Word thus far. But while the gospel is good news, a gospel centered life is not always an easy life to live. On the contrary, being a Christian can be very difficult. The call to follow Christ is a call to go against the grain. The Christian must be willing to sacrifice and suffer as result of his or her decision to follow Christ. Jesus put everything on the line and purchased our salvation through his sufferings, and likewise the Christian must be willing to boldly endure suffering and opposition for the sake of the gospel.

It’s no secret that Christians all around the world are being persecuted for their faith, but interestingly enough, in places where Christians are being persecuted, the gospel is still spreading. In our growth group a few weeks ago we were talking about persecuted Christians and we brought out the fact that the place where the gospel is spreading most rapidly is Iran. Now when we think of Iran we think of a predominantly Muslim country that is very hostile towards Christians, and that is very true. The Iranian Christians are facing constant persecution. I read the story of a woman named Mary who by the age of 21 had already spent 6 months in the toughest women’s prison in the country where she endured mental and physical torture for being part of a house church, and was now facing another bout of persecution against her and her family for fighting for the right for Christians to worship freely. But despite circumstances like Mary’s the gospel is still advancing. David right as I was working on this portion of the message, you made a post that said the Christian church in Iran was approaching 1 million believers. Let me read you an excerpt from an article about Christians in Iran.

The church, largely operating underground, has not been spared by the coronavirus pandemic. Despite that fact that some Christians were released from prison when COVID-19 first began impacting Iran, more recently Christians have been arrested or sentenced to years in jail, just for following Jesus.

The sense of hopelessness and fatigue present in Iran has not bypassed Christians. “I see spiritual attacks happening,” says a leader in the region. “And while some are actively reaching out to those in need, others don’t feel they have the strength to do so.”

But, incredibly, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Iranian Christians continue to minister to hurting people. The Iranian church has had to quickly adjust to the reality of COVID-19—and, like all Christians around the world, have had to find creative ways to have fellowship. Despite the constant threat of prison, the underground church is shining brightly. From their own means, and with the money given to them through partners, they share their food and sanitary items with their community.

Those engaged in providing relief report the blessings it brings them. A pastor wrote us a handwritten note through a partner. He writes: “Many non-believing family members of Christians have changed their views towards the church during this pandemic. They were amazed to see how the church was taking care of the needy.”

And the article goes on to talk about the work that the Iranian Christians to provide aid to the needy through the pandemic. In the midst of persecution, and facing the difficulty of the pandemic the church in Iran is still finding a way to be the church by loving their community and spreading the gospel. When you hear stories like this, do you ever wonder”Where do these persecuted Christians find the courage to stand for Christ in the midst of persecution?”

What would American Christianity look like if placed in the same situation? I wonder what the church in America would look like if we were threatened with imprisonment for meeting together? Would there be as many people that claimed to be Christians if identifying with Christ meant that you would be a complete outcast from society? Would we still stand for Christ if it meant we were subject to mental or physical pain?

I was talking with a good friend of mine, and he said something that was thought provoking. He said that he believes Christianity in America is headed for revival, but it won’t look like what we think it would. It won’t be millions of Americans turning from sin and heading to the nearest megachurch. Rather, as persecution and hostility toward Christianity begins to rise in America, it will start to separate the sheep from the goats. Those that are cultural Christians, those that maybe believe in God but have never chosen to follow him, people that are Christians in name only, those people will start to fade away in the midst of persecution while the true church arises and thrives. We may not be there yet, ever so slowly, the push is in America is for Christians to keep quiet and not allow their religious views to impact our society. I don’t know when, but we could be headed toward a day when government restrictions force the church underground here in America.

If this happened, would you continue through persecution, or would you be one that fade away? What is it that gives the persecuted Christians in Iran, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and in other parts of the world the courage to boldly proclaim Christ knowing there could be dire consequences. What gave courage to Christians throughout the ages who have suffered by being beaten, tortured, beheaded, or burned at stake? Do we have it in us to be able to endure such persecution?

Persecution is one type of opposition, but spiritual opposition can come in many different forms. In America right now, I think there is more of an attack on truth. The world wants to paint Christians as a right-winged whackos that believe in a fairy tale. How are we to stand against the attack on truth of God’s Word.

The Bible even tells us about spiritual opposition that we will face. Ephesians 6:12

Ephesians 6:12 ESV

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

As Christians we need to be prepared. Because without a doubt, we will face difficulty on some level.

Well, I have some good news. The Gospel gives us the courage face opposition. You see those that have had to endure shame and suffering for their faith do so because they truly believe the message of the gospel. The gospel was a truth worth living for, worth suffering for, and worth dying for. If we truly believe that gospel, our faith will give us the courage to be able to stand through any type of opposition we may face.

In our text this morning, Paul is going to be teaching the Philippian church about withstanding opposition to the church, and I hope that God will likewise show us how we might be able to stand against opposition in the future.

First, notice we must

I. Live Worthy of the Gospel

Philippians 1:27

Philippians 1:27 ESV

Remember Paul was talking to the Philippian church about the progress and joy in faith that would be brought to them through Paul’s ministry. But when Paul says only, he is saying, but pay attention to this one thing. Paul wanted the believers to know that what he was going to say needed to be true whether he lived and was able to return to them or he ended up being sentenced to death. Either way, their life needed to be worthy of the gospel.

That phrase let your manner of life or in some versions you may see the word conduct is all one word in Greek that means to be a law-abiding citizen of a country. Paul only uses this word in the book of Philippians. If you been with us through the series, you’ll remember that Philippi was a Roman colony, and the Philippians were extremely proud of the Roman citizenship. When people visited Philippi, it was like the were visiting Rome. So being a good citizen was something that they closely identified with. And what Paul was saying is that when people looked at the church, they should be reminded of God’s kingdom. Our lives should reflect the things that are indicative of someone that is a citizen of heaven. More on that when we get to chapter 3. But Paul’s command is that each individual Christian needs to consistently live in accordance with the gospel.

Paul is beginning with a very important statement. Believers should not only believe the gospel, but they need to also live the gospel. The gospel is about love, so believers should be loving, the gospel is about sacrifice, so the believers should be willing to sacrifice. The gospel is about humility, so the believers should live humbly. But one aspect of the gospel that we may often over look is the courage that is displayed in the gospel.

Jesus was not a wimp or sissy. His soul purpose in coming to earth was to face the excruciating death of the cross. Knowing that he would be beaten beyond recognition. Knowing that he would suffer the shame of being stripped of his clothes, mocked, and spat upon. Knowing that they press a crown of thorns into his skull, knowing that those nails would be driven through his hands and His feet, Jesus still came to earth anyway to pay the price for our sins! It took courage. Jesus was 100% man, and he experienced all the same emotions that we would experience in that same situation. That’s why we saw Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane sweating droplets of blood while He was praying to Father and asking if there was any other way this could be done. But he submitted himself, and courageously said not my will but thine.

Perhaps this is why the gospel often thrive in the midst of persecution and suffering. It was born out of persecution and suffering. Those that hated Jesus had him sentenced to death. And Jesus’s message to His followers went like this Mark 8:34

Mark 8:34 ESV

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Jesus didn’t call people to cowardice or comfort. He called people to courageously follow him into suffering.

Living the gospel means that we must live holy, we must live lovingly, we must live humbly, but we must also live courageously knowing that we are going to face opposition. Our lives must be worthy of the gospel that we proclaim.

Transition: But not only do we need to live worthy of the gospel, but we must also work together for the gospel.

II. Work Together for the Gospel

Philippians 1:27–28 ESV

Paul second word of advice for the Philippian church was that they needed to be unified as they faced opposition. And Paul is explaining what it means to walk worthy of the gospel. He uses two word pictures here to illustrate his desire for the church.

First, Paul said that he wanted to hear that the church was standing firm in one spirit, with one mind.

The word used for stand here was a military word. As a Roman colony, the Philippians would have been accustomed to seeing Roman soldiers. And the picture here is of a soldier who is standing his ground and not budging from his post. This solider is securely anchored, not being moved around by any other force. If the soldier is moved from his post, the enemy gains a significant advantage.

So the idea here is that when the church met opposition, he wanted to them to firmly stand together with one spirit. Spirit in this verse is referring to the internal drive within a person. So to be of one spirit meant that they needed to be driven by the same passion. Of mind is a parallel expression that further explains what Paul is trying to say. One thought, a singular focus. These believers were to be standing together in complete unity.

Then Paul says they need to be striving side by side. The Greek word for striving side by side is the word synathleo. You probably recognize that root word athleo. It’s where we get our word athletics from. So Paul here is giving another word picture. First was a picture of soldiers that were standing firm holding the line in battle. And now, the picture is of a sports team that is working hard, contending, striving to win their competition. Again, this would have been a picture that the Philippian church would have been very familiar with. This was commonly used in reference to wrestling. Now their version of wrestling was different from ours. This isn’t the Rock laying the Smack Down giving the people’s Elbow. The wrestling they were familiar with was a team event where the team would unite together trying to push back the other team. So think more along the lines of the linemen in a football game. So the picture is that the church is to labor side by side making a push for the gospel.

Paul also desired that they would not be frightened by their opponents. The term used here often referrred to a startled horse that’s running wild. It was Paul’s desired that these believers would not be intimidated by anything that was opposing them, but that they would face these fears head on and ready to fight.

So let’s put together Paul’s desire here. He wants to hear that they are standing firm with a similar heart and passion. He wants to hear that they are earnestly contending together like a sports team in a fierce competition. Without fear, without reservation. All for the faith of the gospel.

Paul uses terms that gave us the image of perseverance, teamwork, and tenacity. He wanted the believers to understand that living for the gospel was going to be a battle. He wanted them to defend the truth of the gospel. There were some false teachers in Philippi who were preaching an inaccurate gospel. Paul wanted the believers to stand up against the false teachers and show their error.

But there were also to advance the truth of the gospel. Again the Philippians surely faced opposition as they spread the message of the gospel. Remember what happened to Paul when he was in Philippi? He was thrown into prison and that’s where he met the Philippian jailer. So if the Philippian church was going to advance the gospel they were going to have to strive together.

In Ephesians 6:15 , the passage about the armor of God.

Ephesians 6:15 ESV

and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

The shoes worn by Roman soldiers had spikes on them. King of like cleats. These allowed the soldier to really dig their feet into the ground so that they could not be easily moved in battle, and also to aid them as they often marched uphill. And what Paul is saying is that the gospel is that the our faith in the gospel is what allows us to really dig in our heels in move forward as we live for Christ. So it’s important that we stay focused on the defense and advancement of the gospel.

Paul tells us what happens when believers will work together for the sake of the gospel. It’s a clear sign of two things. One of the destruction of those that are in opposition to the gospel. The fact that believers were willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel was an incredible testimony to their persecutors. Unbelievers were confronted with their unbelief and their impending destruction if they reject Christ.

At the same time, it is a sign is to us as believers of our salvation. If we are willing to stand and strive for the faith, it must be something that we truly believe. Our hearts being in line with our stance gives us assurance that we are all in for the cause of Christ.

Transition: So If we are going to have the courage to stand in the face of opposition we need to live worthy of the gospel, we need to work together for the gospel, and third, we must

III. Realize Suffering is a Reward for the Gospel

Now this may sound strange, but check out what the Bible says in verse Philippians 1:29-30

Philippians 1:29–30 ESV

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

It has been granted to us that we should believe in Christ. No one comes to Jesus on their own. It is all of result of the Spirit working in our lives, revealing our sin to us, leading us to repentance, and turning us toward God. God has granted that to us. We know that from Ephesians 2:8

Ephesians 2:8 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

But in the same manner, Paul says that we are granted suffering for Christ sake. Paul is saying that salvation and suffering and inseparable. He shared the same thoughts with his son in the faith Timothy. 2 Timothy 3:12

2 Timothy 3:12 ESV

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

In Acts 5:41 the disciples were enduring persecution for preaching Jesus and this is what they said after their trial.

Acts 5:41 ESV

Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

They did not just endure suffering. They rejoiced in suffering. They counted it as a gift. But why? How can suffering and facing opposition be a good thing?

One reason is what we mentioned earlier, it gives us that assurance that we are authentic about our faith. This is from some of yall’s generation, not mine. But you can’t fake the funk right? If you aren’t truly desiring to follow Christ, when opposition comes, you won’t last.

But then it also gives us a new intimacy with Christ. Having to rely on Christ for courage helps you to build your relationship with Christ. It’s often when we are enduring trials that God seems to be closest to us.

Whether we are enduring mild persecution like being mocked or rejected. Or we face intense persecution like imprisonment, torture, or death. Whether it’s physical or spiritual, or mental. We should count it as a privilege to suffer for the name of Jesus.

In verse 30, Paul further validates that their ability to endure suffering was a sign of their spiritual maturity. He says that they were engaged in the same conflict that he was in. The Greek word conflict is where we get our English word agony from. It’s another sports related term referring to the painful effort expended by athletes.

Remember Paul was writing from prison, and we don’t know exactly what type of opposition the Philippians were in , but Paul said that they were in the same agony. There were enduring the same conflict for the sake of the gospel. This gave the Philippians church assurance that they were following Paul as Paul followed Christ.

Jesus himself told his disciples to be ready for opposition. John 15:18-21

John 15:18–21 ESV

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

Persecution is inevitable for those that claim the name of Christ. Knowing that it’s coming. We need to be ready. Here is the main thought for you this morning.

Our faith in the gospel should overcome our fear of opposition

It’s our strong belief in the truth of the gospel that should give us the courage to face opposition. If we truly believe that what we say we believe, we’ll be willing to endure shame, slander, suffering, persecution all for the sake of the gospel. Christians should live fearless. It goes back to what Paul wrote in verse 21. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Again it’s unlikely that right now in America that you will be murdered or thrown in prison for your faith in the gospel. But these concepts can still work their way out in our context.

Don’t be afraid to share the gospel with those that God has placed in your life.

Don’t be afraid to battle for truth. Continue to fight that battle. Continue to dig into God’s Word. Understand the truth the He gives to us, and unashamedly share that truth with others.

Don’t be afraid to take the pay cut if God is calling you into a greater ministry.Don’t be afraid of rejection. Don’t be afraid to live differently than the people that are around you. Don’t be afraid to go on that missions trip. Don’t be afraid to live worthy of the gospel that you claim to believe. Our faith in the gospel should overcome our fear opposition, no matter what that opposition may look like in our context. Let’s put on the gospel of peace and in our heels and stand and strive together for the sake of the gospel.

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