Responsible Faith (2)
Notes
Transcript
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.
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Scripture: Philippians 1:27-2:4
Sermon Title: Responsible Faith
People of God, it’s my favorite time of the year right now, filled with opportunities to grill, fish, and go to the beach…the dog days of summer as they’ve been called…but unsurprisingly that’s not even why. All those things are great, but the Olympics are what this period of the year so enjoyable every four years for me. The Olympics, a time to celebrate the human form, God-given gifts, competition, and a time where more people can cheer for the same team. . As much I would love to just talk to you about the Olympics, about sports like water polo which I’m seeing for the first time, about beach volleyball matches that are almost too close to call…But alas that’s not what a sermon is for, but to use language from Dordt College’s mission statement, believers are called to work for Christ-centered renewal in all areas of contemporary life; I think there’s something about the Olympics that can be seen as receiving a foundation in our text tonight. In preaching on chapter 2:1-11 in a class at the seminary I called it a conduct policy, but it’s really more like a pep talk, and what better time to acknowledge pep talks than during the Olympics!
I want to give the setting for this passage by providing a paraphrase of Paul’s introduction and how we come to where we are in this book. From Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the elders and deacons, grace and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Our partnership is a blessing, I long to be with you, but while I am not I pray that the Lord may grow you in love. Hear my testimony, I am in chains for Christ and even here I preach the gospel, unashamed, that all may know it! Let me say, first, there are people who approach the Word and preach it with different motives, selfish motives, while they shouldn’t be doing that all that really matters is that Christ is preached! Brothers and sisters, I struggle between wanting to live, heeding God’s call to preach His truth, and my desire to die, being with Christ. Enough about me though, let’s focus on you…Whether I live or die, whether I come to you or meet obstacles, do this: Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Do not go shopping or out to eat on Sundays, do not drink or smoke, attend church twice on Sunday, be sure to commit yourselves only to those who help themselves, wait minute, that’s not what it says.
Now brothers and sisters don’t get me wrong, the guidelines for conduct that I just listed are ones that I believe can be helpful for not putting stumbling blocks in front of ourselves or others, but the Bible does not give us an explicit list of 21st century things to do and not to do as we see to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. The Bible does not tell us “Thou shalt not go to Wal-Mart, or thou shalt not drive vehicles that get under 10 miles/gallon.” Neither does it tell us “Thou shall spend 2 hours a day in devotions on your knees, or buy American, or vote Republican or vote Democrat.” This does however teach us inexplicitly the need to live and conduct ourselves in a certain way. As the age old argument of kids and young adults goes why we can’t do something that everyone else is…so we have a reply, because we have a higher calling, a calling that does make us different, a calling to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. This must be qualified that we are not subscribing to a doctrine of works righteousness, Paul of all people is not saying unless you do this the gospel cannot be effective but truly Paul is calling believers for a certain set of principles to manifest themselves in the lives of Christians. The question that really lies before us tonight is how are we supposed to live then? What makes us as Christians different from anyone else? How were these Philippian saints and now us Hollander believers to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel, how can we responsibly exhibit faith? The Olympics offer people something to talk about, people to look up to, but for those involved this is the hilltop of 4 years of training, of dedication, of (as one commercial says) no desserts for the last 2 years, no TV since last summer. A life worthy of something requires dedication to a goal. That goal brothers and sisters for living lives worthy of the gospel is that believers would stand firm in 1 spirit contending as 1 person, unafraid of opposition as we are told in verses 27 and 28.
Paul loved the Philippians, this wasn’t a church that he didn’t know about, that he had never been to. He’s not angered with them, chastising them for betraying the gospel. he’s speaking rather to the church that he had planted years ago. If you wish to read about the planting of this church, the first European church, check out Acts 16:11-40, it’s where Lydia, the purple cloth dealer was baptized and also where Paul and Silas experienced the earthquake of freedom while in prison. This church appears to have blossomed into one of the most faithful congregations in the region, but Paul sees the opportunity for growth in them and I think after focusing on himself after proclaiming what conducting oneself in a manner worthy of the gospel looks like for him, it’s time to give them a pep talk. For teams and individuals, the pep talk is most necessary when going into the championship, whether to the favorite like Missy Franklin or to the underdog or to the dark horse, a word of encouragement is needed, a speech that gets adrenaline going and the competitor focused on their goal. THE PEP TALK COMES IN REVIEWING THE FUNDAMENTALS, GETTING A GAME PLAN FOR CONSISTENCY and CONFRONTING THE ENEMY.
The Word of God in Philippians 2:1 gives us a chance to look at the tape, to check out our practices, to review what we have learned. And I pray brothers and sisters that these are truths that you claim, that you hold onto as a believer; these are words of hope that we can offer to those with no hope, to those void of faith in God, these are truths which bear the foundation of our beliefs and lives. The 4 things that Paul calls them to review come following the “if”…an if that is meant not in a questionable way but rather an affirmative…and so the pep talk begins by looking back on the season, on the training. Be encouraged from your unity with Christ, be comforted by God’s love, be in fellowship with the Spirit and last of all be willing to show tenderness and compassion. This church had these things, encouragement and comfort from their unity with Christ, they had been given the Spirit to teach, train, and lead, and they cared about each other. Having recognized these strengths, these successes, these building blocks that show us who they are and what mature Christians should see in their lives, let’s get our game plan. How will we succeed and go forth conducting ourselves worthy of the gospel of Christ?
Our game plan comes out in verses 2-4, the keys to what we must do to face our opponents. Be like-minded having the same love, 1 in spirit and purpose as our goal emphasizes, be humble, respect others, seek to encourage their strengths and positive gifts. That doesn’t mean that we should become doctrinally weak or let all convictions go or become relativists, no we must seek to encourage discipleship, to encourage discipline in our churches and families, and to encourage piety…devotions, prayer, service…but let’s do these things 1-on-1 with fellow believers. The last point that we have in this game plan is to look out for others; these are all clearly linked, that true believers are willing to promote unity, to work for ecumenism, the spread of the gospel without begrudging. As Christians and partners in the faith with the Philippi church, we face outward opponents, enemies who persecute us as well as those opponents not of flesh and blood: sin, temptation, and the like. But too easily, and what Paul is speaking against is the opponent known as ourselves. As brothers and sisters in Christ, across denominations, across geographical borders, across cultural differences, we need to be on guard that we don’t defeat ourselves, that we play the ball forward, keep our feet in the blocks before the start, always being on guard. A game plan was necessary for the Philippians, and continues to be necessary for us today that we might press on, as Paul later calls them to in chapter 3:12. The game plan is also a reminder to believers that we do not stand alone, that we have one another and must be in accord with one another. The Christian walk is not a contest that we do solo, but rather one where we build each other, where we pick our brothers and sisters up because we will face challenges.
So far we’ve got an opportunity to look back on our training, our fundamentals, we’ve gotten a look at our game plan, how we can grow particularly in love, what we must be doing to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel, and now we go forth recognizing what we face, to confront the enemy. Paul told this church, when you do this, and I’m speaking back into chapter 1:28, it will be seen as a sign of your salvation by God, a sign of your faith which granted that you might believe AND suffer. It’s easy for us to believe, particularly in a land where we don’t face persecution. American Christians like American athletes in many contests, are the easy favorites and thus it’s easy for us to have confidence. But as every great team, duo, and athlete knows, you cannot underestimate your opponent. And so Paul tells this Roman colony and tells us, that we have been granted faith and essentially the calling to conduct is offered that we may suffer for our prize, for God. This church must take this encouragement in view of Paul’s struggles, Paul’s time in chains as a slave of Christ but also in the physical chains of imprisonment. The powers that we face do not desire for God to get his message out through us. Our opponent wants for us to suffer a disqualification, wants for us to not grow, but we need to keep heart that God’s call is blessing for us, is sure for us, stands against all odds.
Let us take encouragement from our faith, but even more let us take hope in the faith that God gives us, desiring for us to be responsible to him and then he gives us our call, reveals his truth, teaches us the principles we are to live our lives by. He gives us these as benchmarks for our faith, we have the ability, the call is clear to follow our trainer, our coach, our support…our Father. Brothers and sisters, the battle begins, we must not become complacent, we can’t look on this life to be easy….keep your guard strong, the enemy is coming, be sure of your salvation.