If Jesus Appeared...
Notes
Transcript
“If Jesus appeared before you would he be proud of what you are doing, or would he be ashamed and upset?”
I’m sure that all of you have heard either this phrase or something close to it before. It usually comes out of the mouths of parents to their children, or from one friend to another, or maybe from a pastor to a church-goer. It’s a phrase used to sort of say, “hey, we both know what you’ve been doing isn’t good.”
But, I try to keep that phrase in my mind’s eye whenever I am doing or saying something. Usually, I can think of this phrase right before I’m about to do or say something, but there are those moments where I blow right past this phrase and continue on into whatever thing I was about to do.
I’ve learned though that it’s a great way for me to perform a self-check.
Now, another popular phrase that stemmed from this was WWJD, “what would Jesus do?”
To many, it’s silly, or humorous…but to same that simple saying has helped them to avoid sin and live a life that embodies Christ.
In Paul’s letter to Philippi, he speaks briefly about living in Christ and for Christ. Let’s look at what Paul says.
For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.
Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
There is so much in this selection of Paul’s letter to speak about. We have his classic “to live is Christ, to die is gain,” a discussion about Paul’s desire to die so that he can be with Christ, his written commitment to remain and help the people of Philippi in their progress of faith, and he goes on to say that he wishes to “share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus.”
However, my ears perked when I started reading verses 27 and on.
Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
When Paul says, “live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ,” he is basically saying “If Jesus appeared before you right now, make sure that he would be pleased with what you are doing and/or saying.” Already, in the first chapter of Philippians, Paul is trying to persuade the people to live holy lives, that’s a pretty big thing for Paul.
He constantly talks about the life, death, and resurrection of Christ and how that brought forth salvation, and then he matches that with discussions about holy living.
What Paul is asking here is that people live out the faith they proclaim. He doesn’t want people to simply say, “yea, I’m a believer” and then go out and do things that show the opposite of that. He longs for growth in faith and spiritual maturity.
As I read over this I thought to myself, “am I living my life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ?” Some times I can honestly say, “yes, I am.” But, most of the time, I’m not.
To live a life that is worthy of the gospel of Christ is to live a life that embodies Christ’s teachings and replicates His life as well. It means to break away from the world while simultaneously showing it the true love of Christ.
When we live out our lives in a way that is worthy of the gospel we are effectively preaching the gospel to others.
In fact, Paul knows this. He says that when you live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, you will in no way be intimidated by your opponents. Today if you walk into a public space and preach the gospel, you will be met with many opponents. Paul simply says, “to live the gospel means not being intimidated.”
But, the kicker of Paul’s argument is this, when you live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ you will stand firm together in one spirit, strive side-by-side with other believers, be of one mind for the faith, and you will not be intimidated. In doing all of this, Paul says that it is evidence to our opponents of their destruction, but also of our salvation.
When we live in this world as baptized believers of Jesus Christ, we are doing two things:
We are showing our enemy their own destruction.
We are showing the world our salvation through faith in Christ.
This means that when you meet someone who challenges your faith, or denies what you believe or harasses you because you trust in Christ…your steadfastness in your faith, the way you live your life, how you respond…if it is worthy of the gospel of Christ, it is teaching them the gospel. It’s planting a seed, it’s changing the world.
It doesn’t always happen fast, and sometimes it doesn’t seem like it does anything at all, but your persistent lifestyle that reflects Jesus will make a change.
The beauty of this all is what Paul says in v.29
“For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ but of suffering for him as well.”
We were not called to live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ because it would be easy, but because it would be rewarding.
Living out our lives thinking, “would Jesus be proud of what I have just done or said” will help us all to tremendously grow in faith. When we are able to assess each situation and moment through the lens of Jesus, our lives will be transformed. We will begin to display the fruit of the Spirit.
But, the more we do this, the more we are met with opposition. The more, as Paul says, “we suffer for Christ.” This calling to live a Christ-like life is not an easy one. There will be many moments of hardship, pain, and great suffering. But, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have blessed assurance. An assurance that has Christ walking in us and through us and beside us as we tackle those challenges. We are not alone in our suffering for the sake of Christ.
So, maybe you are someone who is not living a life worthy of the gospel. Maybe you are someone who doesn’t suffer for the sake of Christ. If that is you, today is the day to change that. Today is the day to put aside your pride and arrogance and to pick up the cross. Today is the day that you recommit yourself to full dependence on God. Otherwise, we will never show the world the gospel.
We each need to rededicate our lives to Christ every single day. We need to be sure that we are living lives that are worthy of the gospel. We have no idea at what time or hour Christ will return, but I know that I want the Kingdom of Heaven to be filled with as many people as possible. If my suffering now means the glory of heaven for other people, then every bit of pain and hardship is worth it.
Look at your lives today, and in every moment, and ask yourself this question, “Am I living a life worthy of the gospel of Christ? Would He be proud of me?”
Let us pray