A Life Worthy of the Gospel
Notes
Transcript
In the world of business, it’s a well known fact that your product is only as good as your ability to market it.
Because even if you have a stellar product,
If your advertising of your new great product sends mixed messages,
People will not see the value of your product!
Which is something that happens, ALL OF THE TIME
For instance,
In January of 2015, the phone company Blackberry unveiled their new phone,
Which they believed to be vastly superior to the phones that Apple an Android offered.
And with it, one of the things they had to overcome
was the public idea that Blackberry’s App store offerings, were vastly inferior.
Which was a goal their advertising campaign sought to overcome!
However,
On January 13th, at 2:08pm, Blackberry made a Twitter post showcasing their new product,
But their advertising had one little problem.
And the problem was, as one user quickly pointed out…
They posted the Tweet, not from a Blackberry,
But from an iPhone!
Which led customers to believe that their product was not worthy of purchasing.
In 2007,
the company LifeLock was trying to advertise their new fraud and identity protection software.
Which promised complete and total identity fraud protection for it’s customers.
And to prove this, the CEO of the company included in their advertising,
A picture of his own personal social security number!
Which was splattered all over billboards as well as their website!
All with the hopes of showcasing how secure their protection was!
However,
One could say this advertising campaign backfired, after the the CEO’s identity was stolen!
and not just once!
But 13 TIMES,
with numerous loans being taken out without him even knowing about it!
OK this next one’s my favorite.
In the 1970’s, companies were trying to keep up with the “natural food ingredients” movement,
by releasing products that were marketed as “all natural!”
And so the Company Clairol released a new all natural product,
one they believed American consumers could not live without!
And what was this product?
A special all-natural shampoo!
But it wasn’t made with commonly-used natural ingredients like:
lemon, herbs, or honey,
No - this one was for the SUPER-CRUNCHY!
For this special shampoo was no ordinary shampoo!
For it was a all-natural YOGURT SHAMPOO!
However,
It turned out the company had grossly miscalculated their marketing campaign,
After many consumers were confused about what it is they had bought!
Still, it wasn’t until reports began coming in that people were actually getting sick from EATING the shampoo,
That the company pulled the shampoo,
realizing that they had failed to properly market their product.
And so, as the trustworthy saying goes,
A product is only as good as your ability to market it.
Which is REALLY sad,
Because even if you have a truly amazing product that will absolutely help people in their daily lives,
It doesn’t matter if you don’t market it properly!
And this is especially true, if you send mixed-messages in your marketing campaign.
Ya know, when it comes to mixed messaging,
When it comes to poor advertising of a truly great product,
it’s not Blackberry, LifeLock, or Clairol that takes the crown,
Sadly,
If we are honest about it,
I think we would have to say it’s Christians.
See, there’s no doubt about it,
What we are offering is truly spectacular!
For what we offer is complete and total forgiveness of sins,
which leads to a radically transformed life, that culminates in eternal life!
AND IT’S FREE!
It costs NOTHING!
And yet,
As Christians who have received this free gift,
Who are now called to advertise it to others by being salt and light,
Who are called to live as a city set upon a hill,
What do we often do with the gospel?
We tell the world with our mouth,
But we deny it with our lifestyles.
Which is the ONE THING Paul encourages us NOT to do in our passage this morning.
And he strongly exhorts us not to do this,
Because what we are offering is of the utmost importance!
And because it is, we must do it justice by advertising it well
By living a life worthy of it!
To live a life worthy of the gospel we must:
Stand Firmly (v. 27)
Stand Fearlessly (v. 28)
Suffer Thankfully (v. 29-30)
Now, before we jump in here too far, we need to talk about that word at the beginning in verse 27.
Which is the word: “Only.”
And this word is an extremely FORCEFUL word.
Because with it, the Apostle Paul is saying:
“Out of everything I’ve just told you, MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT MISS THIS ONE THING!”
It’s him highlighting for us what he’s about to tell, because of how important it is!
And what is it He’s wanted them to pay extreme attention to?
Look at verse 27:
Philippians 1:27 (ESV)
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ
Paul is saying,
“Out of everything I’ve said, PLEASE! I IMPLORE YOU! MAKE SURE YOU ARE Conducting yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel!”
and in the Greek, that entire phrase: “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy”
Is just 1 WORD!
It’s the word politeuesthe,
Which literally means: “To live as a citizen.”
And this idea of living as a citizen would have made perfect sense to the Philippians Christians,
Because the city of Philippi was a Roman, City-State colony,
And so they took great pride as being citizens of Rome!
They were as patriotic as it came
And so this is what Paul is calling them to live like.
Yes, they were Roman citizens,
But Paul was reminding them that they were truly citizens of a more important kingdom,
A heavenly one,
Which is moment away from invading the kingdoms of this world and take over!
And in the meantime,
We ambassadors of the coming kingdom,
Are to INVITE everyone we can to bow the knee and swear allegiance to King Jesus!
Because if they don’t,
They will not be spared and will suffer the full wrath of God that Paul speak of in verse 28.
So yeah,
What we are offering is pretty important,
wouldn’t you say?
OK, so how do we do this?
How do we live as citizens of Christ’s coming Kingdom?
Well, to answer that, we have to read the rest of 27.
27 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,
OK, so there’s one thing we have to do,
Which happens in two ways.
Did you see it?
Ok first off, the one thing we must do is to STAND FIRM!
Which is a military word that basically means a soldier who doesn’t leave his post,
NO MATTER WHAT!
and for this, I think of the Queen’s guard,
who guard Buckingham Palace,
And they guard it so determinately, that they almost never move a muscle!
These guys aren’t checking their phones,
They aren’t getting distracted by nearby events,
or public commotion,
No!
they remain completely STEADFAST, and focused upon the importance of their mission!
Church,
That’s what we are called to do!
Which is why the question: “What’s wrong with it”
is an absolutely terrible question!
When it comes to Christian living, the question isn’t: “What’s WRONG with it,”
But instead, “What’s RIGHT with it!”
Because that’s the question!
Yes, all things are lawful for us as Christians - all things that don’t violate God’s law that is.
But NOT ALL THINGS ARE a GOOD IDEA!
Not all things contribute to our mission of standing firm!
Which is exactly what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10.
23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.
And for those who are looking for some homework here, I would assign you Ephesians chapter 6 and Paul’s example of putting on the armor of God.
And the reason he is using the example of putting on the armor of God, is because, as we discussed last week,
WE ARE AT WAR!
We are in a battleground!
And the battle is over standing firmly!
How do we stand firmly?
As we said a minute ago,
it’s by 2 ways.
Which are:
By standing in one Spirit,
AND
2. By standing with one Mind!
That’s the battle!
It always has been and always will be!
And we do this,
As we strive together,
Side by side for the faith of the gospel!
And yet, so many times, Christians forget this!
And they forget this because they think we are in a playground and not a battleground!
That’s why Christians are often more pre-occupied with getting their fair share with the toys.
Getting their time in the sandbox.
And it’s why Christians often spend so much time fighting with other Christians over stupid and petty things!
And they do this, because of why?
Because they think the Christian life is one lived in a playground instead of a battleground!
The world is literally going to hell in a hand-basket,
And yet, to our shame, we are often so preoccupied with ourselves and our immediate comforts and preferences,
That we give us our unity for the sake of our own enjoyment!
Our own temporary pleasures!
Which is why it’s like pulling teeth sometimes to get people in churches to serve in ministry on an even semi-regular basis!
“Wait… so if I sign up for that, you mean I’ll be put on a schedule where people expect me to be there…”
“I dun know… that sounds mighty inconvenient…”
“What if I want to do something else that day?”
“What if I’ve had a really busy week and I just need some ME TIME?”
Come here…
Can i tell you something.
IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU!!!!!
It’s not about me!
It’s about US striving side-by-side for the sake of CHRIST and HIS GOSPEL MESSAGE!
Which last time I checked, absolutely is something is pertains to us!
And it pertains to us,
Because it’s not only a gospel that saves us from sin, death, and hell!
But as we discussed last week,
It’s a gospel that saves us UNTO ETERNAL, NEVER-ENDING GLORY!
And it’s a glory that is going to destroy this stupid sandbox anyways!
And yet,
we fuss and we fret about Billy and Susie messing up our little sand castles.
We throw a tantrum when we don’t get to play with the toys we want.
And what does all this achieve?
It achieves Christians being part of the absolute WORST advertising campaign in all of human history!
Because instead of showcasing the UNITY, LOVE, GRACE, and PATIENCE that the Gospel brings,
We showcase the fruits of the flesh,
which tell a watching world that THE GOSPEL DOESN’T WORK!
it tells them it’s powerless!
It tells them it’s lifeless!
WHEN IT’S NOT!
Look, I know we haven’t even touched on the 2nd part of how we stand firm - which is doctrinal truth,
But ya know what.
NONE OF THAT MATTERS IN THE SLIGHTEST if we cannot stand firm upon the unity we have in Christ!
A unity that was bought and paid for BY HIS VERY BLOOD!
And it’s a unity that unites us to GOD!
Who is a God unlike any we’d expect!
For He is a God who is TRIUNE in nature:
Being Father,
Son,
And Spirit!
Who then INVITES US into His perfect unity with himself and others,
Who make up the body of Christ!
Which means, that even if we get our doctrine right,
Even if we avoid falling into theological error as a church,
IT WON’T ACHIEVE A THING
If we do not SHOWCASE the POWER those those theological truths being supernaturally at work in our lives!
Yes, our unity as a church begins at the point of doctrine,
But it does not end there!
For it must go on to showcase the power of God’s people standing together, side-by-side, for the sake of the gospel!
So let me ask you:
Husbands…
What’s that unity with your wife looking like?
Are you loving them as Christ loved the church, willingly sacrificing for them where and when you can?
Or are you fighting over sand castles with your spouse,
Acting like a man-baby every time things don’t go your way?
If so,
Guess what?!
It’s not supposed to go your way!
Marriage isn’t Burger King!
it’s not about having it your way!
But having it God’s way manifested in HER WAY.
Wives
Don’t be surprised - you should have known you were next.
I ask you the same question.
How’s that unity with your husband looking?
Are you loving him and submitting to him in ALL THINGS?
Or just a few things?
or maybe no things?
Or, are you acting like a pouty princess every time he fails to love you as Christ loved the church?
If so…
Guess what?!
It’s not supposed to go your way!
It’s supposed to go God’s way
and God’s way calls you to submit to your husband as a Godly wife,
who’s beauty isn’t centered upon the braiding of hair and jewelry,
But as 1 Peter 3 says,
4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
Children,
What’s your attitude and actions at home looking like?
Are they unity driven or disunity driven?
And I don’t just mean obeying your parents in the Lord for this is right.
I also mean, getting along with your brothers and sisters, and being a peacemaker, even when they are being a conflict maker!
“But HE DID THIS”
“BUT HE DID THAT!”
Yeah…
That’s definitely not good.
But was your response good?
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Husbands,
Wives,
Children,
Employers,
Employees,
Church members!
Do you ever stop to consider that the prickly person you’re dealing with MIGHT NOT know Jesus Christ through the power of the gospel?
Do you ever stop to consider what it is you’re advertising to them about the gospel and how that serves to distract and diminish from it?
As Paul says in verse 1
“Only then, let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
“Above all else - MAKE SURE YOUR BEHAVIOR matches the message!”
And so, by striving side-by-side in one spirit and one mind,
For the sake the gospel!
Do you realize that 99% of the counseling I do as a pastor is because we don’t do this as God’s people?
We don’t!
Instead,
We bicker and fight about petty things in the effort to get things our way,
Instead of looking at situations as opportunities to suffer for the sake of the gospel.
To live a life worthy of the gospel we must:
Stand Firmly (v. 27)
Stand Fearlessly (v. 28)
As we’ve seen so far in our study of the book of Philippians,
The Apostle Paul is writing to the Christians in Philippi,
Urging them to do what?
“Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say REJOICE!”
And, just incase you didn’t think Paul practiced what he preached,
Paul doing this from a Roman prison
And from this Prison, Paul isn’t concerned about himself and having this “his way,”
Instead he’s concerned about others and making sure these Philippian Christians know that his own imprisonment isn’t a gospel-set back:
Instead, it’s huge gospel advancement!
And it’s an advancement because through Paul’s Roman imprisonment,
All of these Roman Praetorian guards aren’t seeing a grumbling, whining Paul,
Instead, they are seeing a fearless and loving man,
who cares more about God and others than he cares about himself.
And this leads to guard after guard being so persuaded by Paul’s stellar advertising strategy,
that through God’s mighty power they too place their faith in the gospel message of Jesus Christ.
And I gotta say - This is absolutely BRILLIANT advertising strategy on God’s behalf!
And why is it brilliant advertising?
Look at verse 28 with me.
28 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.
Paul is saying 3 things in this verse.
That their fearless and godly character will be a sign of their destruction
Which again, makes the gospel much more potent!
It’s also a sign of your salvation!
And why?
Because you can’t live this way without God’s power at work within you!
You just can’t!
it’s not possible!
and if you try on your own
even as a Christian who has FULL access to the power of God in your life,
If you try that without God - you WILL FAIL EACH AND EVERY TIME!
And so when you see yourself living fearlessly,
through serving a selfish husband or wife,
Or getting along with prickly people like brothers, sisters, coworkers, or whoever,
When you stop fearing being taken advantage of,
It POWERFULLY demonstrates the truth of the gospel,
Which tells us that God will damn the wicked,
and will save the righteous who are in Christ Jesus!
That’s why Paul puts that little “And that from God” statement at the end.
See, you can take that in one of two ways,
1. being that Paul is saying salvation and destruction are from God.
or 2. - that not being frightened in anything by your opponents is from God.
I think it’s #2 - but either way, both are TRUE!
Because think about it?
What causes a husband to act like a man-baby when he gets his man-card stepped on?
Fear!
Fear that his happiness is going bye, bye!
What causes a wife to at like a pouty princess when her husband is a jerk?
Fear!
Fear that her happiness is being taken away from her!
The same is true for when children fight with their siblings,
and when church members fight with fellow church members!
it’s all driven by fear!
And not the good kind either!
All of that stuff is fear of man,
Instead of what we should be fearful of which is God!
Do you see now why Proverbs says:
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
And yet, as God’s people, we have nothing to fear but fear itself!
Because our fear of the Lord has not led to misery and despair, has it?
No…
For as Paul says, our lack of fear in all of these things is a clear sign of wicked’s destruction,
But of our Salvation!
And because of this, we can suffer THANKFULLY!
To live a life worthy of the gospel we must:
Stand Firmly (v. 27)
Stand Fearlessly (v. 28)
Suffer Thankfully (v. 29-30)
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, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
Here Paul tells us two things that have been granted to us by God
And one of them is quite surprising for us American Christians,
Well, actually maybe both are...
The first thing that we’ve been granted is what?
Salvation.
Which fits with what Paul said earlier in this chapter,
When he said, “Phil 1:6
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
That’s what we have been granted church!
Salvation from sin, death, and hell!
And it’s been granted to us as a FREE, UNMERITED GIFT!
NOT OF WORKS so that one can boast!
But do you know what else has been granted to us?
The suffering we were just told by Paul to stand fearlessly in the face of!
it’s not an accident!
It’s not an oversight by God!
Church,
Your suffering!
EVERY. LAST. OUNCE OF IT!
Has been granted to you BY GOD
For CHRIST’S SAKE!
That’s what Paul is saying!
Your salvation
And your suffering,
Are all granted to you for the sake of Christ!
FOR HIS ETERNAL GLORY and our good!
Can you imagine the powerful effect this would have upon our church if this truly sank in?
Can you imagine what it would do for our marriages?
Our relationships?
And for the gospel being effectively communicated and received?
Oh that we would embrace this truth and willing engage in the same conflict Paul endured!
A conflict based upon his steadfast, unwavering determination to STAND FIRM in properly presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ!
“Jail you say? If it effectively advertises the gospel - sign me up!”
“Persecution and pain you say? If it effectively advertises the gospel - sign me up!” Paul says.
And why?
Not because Paul was a glutton for punishment!
But because Paul had a hope beyond the tiny sandbox of this world!
For his hope was in his God,
Whom had saved him,
Persecuting Paul - who was the chiefest of sinners!
And he, being Christ, had saved him through His own substitutionally death upon a cross.
And it was because of that, that Paul suffered THANKFULLY!
TRIUMPANTLY!
GLORIOUSLY!
And because of that,
God sovereignly used Paul to successfully advertise the gospel of Jesus Christ,
to sinners,
who by God’s grace, became saints, who are spared from the wrath of God.
So how about you?
Are you walking a worthy walk by standing firmly in the truth and spirit of the gospel?
Are you standing fearlessly?
And are you suffering thankfully?
Knowing that all of it is leading to a glory beyond your wildest imaginations?
By God’s grace may we stand firm in the Gospel before a watching world that desperately needs our witness and message!
Let us pray