2018-06-03 Philippians 1:29-30 GOD ALWAYS WINS (6): CITIZENSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES

GOD ALWAYS WINS (6): CITIZENSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES (Philippians 1:29-30) Date: ____________________ Read Phil 1:27-28 – Baseball fans will remember Brooks Robinson, all-star 3rd baseman for the Orioles. Pretty good hitter. Unparalleled fielder. No one ever did it better. At the peak of his career someone said it was almost as if he came down from a higher league and was just tuning up to return. Except, of course, there was no higher league. It was a tremendous compliment. Wouldn’t it be great if people said of us, “This person lives like they’ve come down from a higher plane, higher league, and they’re just tuning up to return.” That’s Paul’s challenge in Phil 1:27, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” “Let your manner of life” is a single Greek word -- built on the word “city.” It’s saying, “Only let your manner of life as a citizen of heaven look like that!” If you think citizenship in America is a high privilege – and it is – it can’t hold a candle to being a citizen of heaven. Last week, we saw that citizenship has its Responsibilities -- to live a life that obeys the commands of our King with enthusiasm and without fear. We have an other-world identity. God has “seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” There is no higher league than that. So, we are to live like it. Today we want to look at the Privileges of heavenly citizenship. There are many, but 3 are identified in vv. 29-30. Heavenly citizenship is a high honor. The privileges that come with that are astounding. One may be surprising! Paul’s opening is fascinating: “29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ.” “Granted” translates Χαριζομαι - verb form of “grace.” Literally, “You have been graced,” or “Tho undeserved, God has freely given you these gifts.” Like the old MasterCard commercials? The zookeeper sneezes his way through feeding the elephant. He leaves; the elephant picks up his MasterCard, goes to the store and the voice over says, “Hot soup -- $1. Cold medicine -- $11. Tissues -- $2. Blanket -- $24.” The elephant collects his things, delivers them through the window of the red-nosed guy sitting in his chair, and the voice says, “Making it all better – priceless.” That’s exactly Paul’s point. “It has been graced to you.” “You’ve received a priceless gift from God Himself. You’ve been graced from above.” Notice, we’re graced “for the sake of Christ.” Strange. Normally gifts benefit the receiver. Not in this case. We’ve been given priceless gifts for Christ’s sake. Why? At least 2 reasons for that. First, God’s glory is always the 1 priority. Isa 48:11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.” Everything that ever happens is ultimately for the glory of God – including gifts of grace! But it’s also for Christ’s sake bc He paid a huge price for these gifts. They are free to us, but they cost Him dearly. Suppose I bought an expensive diamond necklace for my wife. She would benefit from that gift, but who paid? Me. Why? Bc it gives me joy to see the benefit of my sacrifice. In that sense the gift would be for my sake -- for the joy I take in showing my love for her. Same with God. To be graced by Him is a priceless privilege to me and Him! So let’s examine in more detail the 3 priceless gifts we have from above. I. Saving Grace 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him.” The first gift? Saving faith. It’s the greatest gift of all, of course. Jesus not only paid the penalty for our sin that we could not pay, but He also gave us the faith to receive that payment. Much as it seems I accepted Him on my own, the truth is the very faith to believe was also His gift. Eph 2:8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” What is the gift of God? The grace and faith by which we are saved. It’s a priceless gift – delivered in countless ways. A few years ago, a local man was diagnosed with cancer and given only a few months to live. We spent some time together in his last days – during which time he confessed Christ as Lord. Here’s how he described accepting Christ to his family in an email: “How simple this all is. I cannot save myself. God, thru the blessed gift of his Son Jesus has saved me. I need only have faith and not even that faith is of my doing; it is also a gift from God. I’ve long known it is this simple, [and am ashamed] not to have put God at the center of my life. To know yet reject the most important free gift. This is Satan’s work. I am privileged to have this disease. God could have snatched me away and sent me to hell, do not pass go. Instead He chose this way to awaken me and, most important, to give me time to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord who died on that cross and arose from the dead to save all of us.” That’s priceless! Do you have the gift of saving faith? Are you sharing it with others? It’s the greatest privilege of citizenship! Saving faith. II. Suffering Grace – the surprising gift 2 Suffering as gift? Yes. 29 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.” God gave us saving faith; God gave us suffering. The same verb governs both gifts. Salvation and suffering are a package deal! We don’t talk about that much but suffering is as much a gift of grace as salvation. Here’s why. A. Gives Assurance – Suffering is one way I know I belong to God. Why? Because He promised it to family members! If you never suffer, you might ask, is my faith real? You don’t have to look for it. It’ll find you if you are real. When Paul was blinded on the Damascus Road, God sent Ananias to tell him he would preach Christ to the Gentiles. But he added in Acts 9:16: “For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” Paul’s commission came with the promise of suffering. But guess what? So does every believer. Jesus told His disciples in Jn 15: 20 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.’” God warned in II Tim 3:12: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Not “may”, “will.” Persecution is our heritage as believers. When people can be denied jobs, lose businesses, and be vilified in the press, for taking biblical stands, persecution has come. When churches and Christian organizations can lose their tax exempt status, and Christian schools can no longer require a statement of faith for entry or teaching, the jig is up. But rejoice. This shows we’re real. Heb 13:13: “Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.” As He was crucified outside the city, separated from polite society, it’s our privilege to join Him there! B. Grows Us – Suffering is essential to growth. First, it is the means by which God disciplines us to remove sin, excess and waste from our lives. Heb 12:7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” When you’re asking why suffering – start there. Is it God’s hand of discipline? David says in Psa 119:67, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.” The quicker we obey, the less pain! Spurgeon said, “All the grace I have received in comfortable and easy times could lie on a penny. The good that I have received from sorrow, grief, and pain is incalculable. What do I not owe to the hammer and the anvil, the fire and the file? What do I not owe to the crucible and the furnace, the bellows 3 that flame the coals and the hand that thrust me into the heat? Affliction is the best bit of furniture in my house. It is the best book in a minister’s library.” So suffering gets our attention and helps us get the sin out. But second, it helps keep it out. Affliction makes us dependent. It reminds us we’re not sufficient on our own. I Pet 5:7: “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” The fires of suffering humble us. I love how Spurgeon captures this idea: “Our joy is like the wave as it dashes on the shore – it throws us on the earth. But our sorrows are like that receding wave which sucks us back again into the great depth of the Godhead. We would be stranded high and dry on shore if it were not for that receding wave, that ebbing of our prosperity that carries us back to our Father again and again.” Suffering creates the need that drives us to the Father. C. Glorifies Christ – Why suffer? Take it from an expert, Paul in II Cor 4: But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” Why suffer? Because when we suffer well, we glorify Christ. 7 Americans don’t get this. To us success wins people. Show them someone who came to Christ and his marriage got healed, his business prospered, his kids got off drugs and his dog came back. That’s the ticket. But we have it all wrong. Jesus never promised any of that. And the world is not impressed. “So, Jesus is your ticket; I’m successful by hard work.” And many are. What they can’t do is suffer well. Suffering well shows off Jesus like nothing else. Acts is a prime example. The first NT martyr is Stephen in Acts 7. Satan thinks, “Ha! I’m winning now.” But Stephen’s death fuels mission in Acts 8. Persecuted Xns scatter to Judea and Samaria, the gospel prospers and revival breaks out. Meanwhile Saul, who hated Jesus and held the coats for those who stoned Stephen takes off on a “search and destroy mission” to Damascus. But he meets Jesus on the road – Acts 9. The persecuted Xns eventually get to Antioch (Acts 13) and send out the first missionary who turns the Roman world upside down – Saul/Paul. So get the big picture. Paul incites Stephen’s execution which leads to the scattering of Xns which leads to founding the church in Antioch which sends Paul on global mission. Paul’s persecution of Stephen led to the whole movement that sent Paul on worldwide mission. 4 God always wins! Satan’s strategy of persecution backfired. And Satan’s persecution in your life will increase God’s glory to you as well! D. Galvanizes Others – Suffering well encourages others. Like Paul did: Phil 1:14: “And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” Paul’s suffering was a gift not only to himself but to others as well. II Cor 4:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” In Follow Me, David Platt tells of Sanja, an impoverished mother in India. When she became pregnant with her 2nd daughter, her husband left. In shame, Sanja was forced to go back to her parents. But a Xn church reached out to her. She heard the gospel, and tho it caused her further shame she repented her sin and trusted Christ. And what does she do now? She leads the church outreach to impoverished pregnant mothers, sharing the gospel with every Hindu she knows. Suffering, leading to salvation, leading to service, encouraging others. God’s grace at work in His own mysterious ways. E. Generates Reward – No one wants to suffer for nothing. And no one in God’s family ever will. Suffering leads to reward that will make that suffering seem as nothing. You have God’s Word on that. Rom 8:18: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” One minute in heaven and all the pain will be forgotten -- overwhelmed by the glory of the Lord. II Cor 4: 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” Beyond comparison? Paul’s saying, “I have no way to describe what is coming then to compensate for the affliction of now.” Jonathan Edward said that time is related to eternity as a porch is related to a house. We must view our life here as a lead-in to something far greater and more glorious. He said, “This world was made for a place of preparation for another. Man’s mortal life was given him that he might be prepared for his fixed state. And all that God has given us here (including suffering), is given for this purpose.” That puts suffering in a whole different light. It’ll pay rich dividends in the life that follows. “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus.” III. Sustaining Grace 5 30) engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.” What conflict? The battle with the forces of evil bent on hindering the gospel. Paul was in the fight to the end, whether in Philippi, in Corinth, in Ephesus or in jail. The where didn’t matter. The battle went on. The fight continued. He was in it for the long haul. False accusations, slights, betrayals, discouragement, disappointment – nothing could stop him. He had an audience of One -- driven by God’s sustaining grace. He would finish strong. Neither age nor circumstances are an excuse for not finishing strong. One guy had just retired and his wife asked, “What are you going to do today?” He replied, “Nothing.” She said, “That’s what you did yesterday.” He said, “Yes, but I didn’t finish!” Listen, Beloved, if you’re doing nothing to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, it’s time finish doing nothing and begin doing something! If you’re still here, there’s a reason and you need to be in the game – “engaged in the same conflict” that Paul was. Don’t waste your last years -- nor your early nor middle years! God’s gifted you with sustaining grace to be fruitful. So get on with it. Do for someone else in Jesus’ name. Conc – God’s grace is never-ending. Grace that saves us. Grace that sustain us thru ministry and suffering. Don’t look for excuses not to use His gifts, even suffering! Spurgeon once said, “In heaven we shall see that we had not one trial too many. Things are not left to chance – no blind fate rules the world! God has purposes and those purposes are fulfilled; God has plans and those plans are wise, and never can be dislocated!” God always wins. Question is, will we join in and win, too – or will we insist on our own way? Let’s pray. 6