Stand Firm
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Please open to Philippians 3:17-4:1 (Read)
Paul gave a command (in 4:1): Stand firm!
…has been his concern throughout the letter:
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,
Is it a concern for us today? Will we be able to obey this command?
What is the strategy we need to employ?
Two elements: horizontal + vertical
Stand Firm by Imitating the Faithful
Stand Firm by Imitating the Faithful
Read vs. 17
Last Sunday: imitation for growing spiritually; this morning: imitation for standing firm
Question: What does the phrase “Sola Scriptura” mean?
Does mean: Bible is the only ultimate/final authority
Does not mean: believer just needs Bible + self
Evident in Paul’s command to imitate
It is impossible to be an imitator of the faithful when you are not in company with the faithful!
“The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.”
Couldn’t this be just an extra/elective/voluntary?
“Imitation Command” not extra, but vital
context: vs. 14, Paul’s own life as a believer, “[pressing on] toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
B/c pressing “toward the goal of Christ” is normal Christian life!
Vs. 17, “join in imitating me” - imitate Paul’s pursuit of Christ
Given weighty/exalted subject matter surrounding vs. 17… “imitation command” seems primary means...
Someone might say: “Well… I can do that by just reading about Paul in the Bible and imitating him. I don’t need Christian community.”
Paul didn’t think so!
Philippians were in same boat as us… had Paul by letter, not in person… so Paul instructed:
“Join in imitating me...” Join who?
Wooden transl. “Become fellow-imitators of me.”
Command is, “imitate me as part of a community of imitators.”
“…keep your eyes on those who walk...”
Command is, “imitate those you know personally, who walk faithfully.”
“Imitation Command” not casual, but intentional
Imitation requires faithful, mutual commitment of an intergenerational community of believers.
Only context in which imitation/relationships for imitation can flourish.
Just described the church...
When you pick up all the strands of what God has said about life in the Church and lay them out together, you see that God has put together a very intentional community...
Elders and deacons
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Singing, praying, hearing the Word, preaching
Encouraging, exhorting, instructing, being in fellowship
Paul’s command, in context with what the Bible has to say about Christian community and church life, is a command to commit to a local body of believers, to imitate the mature among them, and to seek to become someday a model of Christlikeness for others to imitate.
Who/What do we imitate?
Vs. 3, those who, “glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.”
Vs. 7-9, those who, “count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ,” and being justified by him as a gift of grace
Vs. 12-14, those who press on and strain forward toward greater Christlikeness and a deeper walk with God
[as will show] Vs. those whose hope is in Jesus
Not so much Paul, but Christ in Paul and others...
How do we imitate?
Vs. 17 “keep your eyes on those who walk...”
No direct instructions...
Be involved in the life of the church
Consider, not a social activity but involvement in Christ’s body...
Humility is necessary...
Not looking for what is flashy or impressive
Looking for Christ
Be involved in close friendships
Esp. church
Not confined to age/stage
Also neighborhood, workplace, etc.
Those Who Have Not Stood Firm
Those Who Have Not Stood Firm
Paul gave us the “imitation command” - now turns to a warning...
Read Vs. 18
False Models for Imitation/Rival Examples
Those who… “walk as enemies of the cross of Christ”
Contrast to those who “walk” according to Paul’s example
Paul used to think them true believers -
“Of whom I often told you” - Paul had given positive reports…
“Even with tears” - Paul quicker to weep over converts who turned away…
Those in danger of being imitated by less mature believers…
Either:
Pretend to be Christian, lead believers away from Christ
Renounce Christ, seek to lead others away
False Hope
Enemies of the cross of Christ
Why cross of Christ? (Not just Christ.)
Christ’s cross represents suffering/self-denial for believers
that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
They reject
Self-control for unbounded pursuit of pleasure
Suffering or persecution for earthly security and comfort
Hope in the New Creation for full indulgence of appetite now
Remember:
Not referring to unbelievers in general
Referring
Those who have left the faith, or
False believers
Both walk/offer an alternate path to that of suffering and glory in Christ
(Vs. 19) Their end is destruction
Their end is destruction
Paul does not say this glibly:
“and now tell you even with tears.”
Does not relish the conflict
But does not hide truth...
Their god is their belly/they glory in their shame
“Belly” = desires of the body; they worship the desires of their bodies
Desires of our bodies are gifts from God, e.g. hunger for food, sexual desire
When worshiped, become twisted/evil/destructive… how?
Putting a personal desire before God’s glory...
Putting a personal desire before imitating Christ...
Putting a personal desire before the good of another...
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“they glory in their shame”
The result of embracing bodily desires as God, i/o fighting
Causes abandonment of the faith, or
Perversion of the faith
Desires themselves become more and more twisted...
Their shame becomes a primary source of identity for them
The abuse of their bodily desires become identity definers
The twisted aspects of their bodily desires become identity definers
Ex: The sexual revolution/progressive “Christian”
A God who would never call me to deny my sexual desires/felt identity
A God who would never call me to maintain an unpopular sexual ethic…
A God of powerless, man-centered love rather than the divine love of the cross
But we step this way when… excuse lust/make the bedroom selfish… fail to worship God as holy
Minds set on earthly things
A much wider net: includes - pride, selfishness, comfort, security, human-centeredness…
Ex: The libertine “Christian”/The materialist “Christian”/ me “Christian”
A God who winks at my sin/is comfortable with it
God wants me to be happy, right?
But we step this way when… “sin is no big deal”… God vs. benefits
Ex: The nationalist “Christian”
A God whose primary value is to bless MY country… don’t waste my time with the details of the gospel!
A God who “needs” America...
We walk this way when… church vs. nation, gospel vs. politics
Really a collection of false hopes:
False hope: satisfaction in sin/sexual identify/sexual fulfilment
False Hope: acceptance by the culture
False Hope: man-centered thinking can redeem us
False Hope: national greatness can redeem us
False Hope: I can find satisfaction in the pursuit of my own happiness
Ultimately: a false hope that I can reach glory without passing through suffering and self-denial
Stand Firm in the Hope of Christ
Stand Firm in the Hope of Christ
Read vs. 20-21
Contrast to false hope - HOPE IN CHRIST! - vertical component of standing firm
Angle 1: Citizenship in Heaven
Lit, “the place of our citizenship” - nation/country/kingdom
William Bradford (Of Plymouth Plantation): “[With] and abundance of tears [they departed] that goodly and pleasant city which had been their resting place near twelve years; but they knew they were pilgrims, and looked not much on those things, but lifted their eyes to heaven, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits.”
Like Abraham:
For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
Why we are not to place hope in earthly things!
We live in a world corrupted by the curse/affects of sin/death
We live in a world laced with sin
We belong to another country!
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Context: we do not belong to the Kingdom of Man… which will be consumed
Used to belong to it through sin
Citizenship purchased by Jesus…
We have citizenship which cannot be revoked in a Kingdom which cannot be shaken!
Angle 2: The Return of our Savior
Our hope not ethereal/ungrounded
But in the real return of Christ
The Kingdom of Man will finally be abolished, and all creation will be made new...
Angle 3: The Transformation of our Bodies
Our lowly bodies
Lowly bodies =
bodies of humiliation - curse, death
afflicted bodies - struggle with sin, suffering
His glorious body
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Christ was rased from the dead as the “firstfruits” - first part of harvest
Rest of harvest - those who died in Christ; those found faithful at 2nd coming
Eternal life
freed from sin, suffering, and death;
in the new creation;
in the presence of the Lord forever
All of this accomplished by as eternal God/resurrected King
The certainty that the Sovereign God will win against evil/same, that you will one day be made new
He took on our nature to heal our nature/he will finish what he started
This is our hope!
Conclusion
Conclusion
How can we be prepared to stand firm in the Lord?
Vertical means: hope in Christ
Horizontal means: imitation of the faithful
But horizontal means is really another version of vertical means
Polycarp example:
The Apostolic Fathers Chapter 9
As the Proconsul urged him and said: ‘Take the oath and I release you; revile Christ,’ Polycarp said: ‘Eighty-six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?’
Chapter 10
1 As he further insisted and said: ‘Swear by the genius of Caesar,’ Polycarp replied: ‘If you vainly imagine that I will swear by the genius [fortune] of Caesar, as you say, and pretend not to know who I am, let me tell you plainly: I am a Christian.
The Apostolic Fathers Chapter 11
Chapter 11
1 The Proconsul said: ‘I have wild animals; to them will I throw you, unless you change your mind.’ But he said: ‘Call them, for change of mind from better to worse is a change not allowed us; but it is good to change from wickedness to justice.’ 2 Again he said to him: ‘If you scorn the wild beasts, I will have you burned by fire, unless you repent.’ But Polycarp said: ‘You threaten the fire that burns for an hour and in a little while is quenched; for you do not know the fire of the future judgment and of eternal punishment, the fire reserved for the wicked. But why do you delay? Come, do as you wish.’
Chapter 12
1 While making these and other remarks besides, he was filled with courage and joy. His countenance was filled with grace, so that not only did it not droop in anxiety at the remarks addressed to him, but the Proconsul, on the contrary, in amazement sent his own herald into the middle of the arena to announce three times: ‘Polycarp has confessed himself to be a Christian.’
The Apostolic Fathers Chapter 14
As he looked up to heaven, he said: ‘Lord God Almighty, Father of Thy beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have received knowledge of Thee, God of the angels and powers, of the whole creation and of the whole race of the righteous who live in Thy sight, 2 I bless Thee, for having made me worthy of this day and hour; I bless Thee, because I may have a part, along with the martyrs, in the chalice of Thy Christ, “unto resurrection in eternal life.” ’ resurrection both of soul and body in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit. May I be received today as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, among those who are in Thy presence, as Thou hast prepared and foretold and fulfilled, God who art faithful and true. For this and for all benefits I praise Thee, I bless Thee, I glorify Thee, through the eternal and heavenly Hight Priest, Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, through whom be to Thee with Him and the Holy Spirit glory, now and for all the ages to come. Amen.’
But also, everyday/ordinary imitation; Christ formed in the ordinary believers around you
Take responsibility for others standing firm:
Not so much circle of friends, but those committed to the same body
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.
Parting encouragements:
Remember Jesus: love/power/sacrifice/promised return
Place hope in him!
He will one day complete our redemption...
Invest yourself fully in the congregation
Imitating the faithful
Encouraging the weak
When this generation of believers is remembered in eternity:
Redeemed by his blood
Stood firm in the gospel
Salvation completed by the power of our Lord Jesus into eternal life