Befitting the Gospel
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Befitting the Gospel
Befitting the Gospel
Church,
It is my honor to inform you
That $8500 was just released into the community
Through the Bridge Bargains.
Equal distributions were made to:
The Wilton Open Cupboard Pantry,
which is an emergency food source
for residents of Temple, Wilton
Lyndeborough and Greenfield.
The Blue Bus
Their mission is to provide affordable,
wheelchair-accessible transportation
for non-emergency healthcare appointments
and other essential activities
to individuals residing in participating
Souhegan Valley communities.
Bridges - domestic and sexual violence support
This is a nonprofit agency
dedicated to helping victims and survivors
of domestic and sexual violence
Spanning Southern New Hampshire area
And End 68 Hours of Hunger
End 68 Hours of Hunger
is a public not-for-profit effort
to confront the approximately 68 hours of hunger
that some school children experience
between the free lunch they receive at school on Friday afternoon
and the free breakfast they receive at school on Monday morning.
100% of funds go directly to feeding at-risk children.
Some of you may wonder
“Why does Pastor Kimo get so excited on Sundays?”
Church,
This is the reason why…
The more we do things like this,
Giving to the community
Showing genuine love
Compassion
Grace
And Mercy
The more our identity resembles Christs.
It is exactly what we have been talking about
with the One-another community
And what will be talking about this morning
So,
If you have your bibles with you this morning,
Please turn to Philippians Chapter 1 with me.
Philippians 1:27a
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,
“Only let your manner of life
be worthy of the gospel of Christ”
Take note of the word “only.”
Why does Paul say “only”?
If Paul actually means “only”
then the instruction that follows
is of vital importance.
Like a neon sign,
the word “only” shouts at us
“pay attention pay attention.”
It’s kind of like the alerts you get on the tv
the ones that start with an alarm sound
followed by vital information.
When I was a child,
my family lived in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Smack dab in the center of tornado alley.
Whenever the tv gave off that alarm sound,
we paid close attention to the information that followed
and more often than not
it included the message:
a tornado warning has been issued for your area,
seek shelter immediately.
With that one word “only”
Paul is basically saying,
Pay attention!
What I am about to tell you is key.
My following instruction is all-encompassing.
So,
what is the all-encompassing instruction?
Paul says,
“let your manner of life
be worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
Paul is exhorting us
to conduct ourselves
in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
The phrase
“let your manner of life”
is one word in Greek:
Poly-two-Oh-My (politeuomai)
There is no direct translation of this word into English
but it is full of political undertones.
John Piper asserts
that this word means that you are to
“bring your life into conformity
with your true homeland- “heaven”
or, in other words,
let your manner of life
conform like a good citizen of heaven.
The all-encompassing summary of the Christian life
is to live as citizens of heaven
with the gospel as the center
of your all-authoritative
heavenly constitution.
Thus showing by your life
that the gospel is worth more to you
than everything else in this world.” End Quote
Paul is exhorting us
to live life in a manner worthy of
or befitting of
the gospel of Christ.
What does Paul mean by the “gospel?”
You may know that literally translated
the word “gospel” means good news.
This word is repeated
nine times in Paul’s short letter to the Philippians
and it is used 90 times
throughout the New Testament
so it is important to have a clear definition
for this important term.
Piper offers this summary of Philippians’ definition
of the “gospel,”
“The Gospel of Christ
is the Good News that Christ,
who is equal with God (Phil. 2:6)
became a human being (Phil 2:7),
obeyed God perfectly (Phil. 2:8),
died, and rose again (Phil. 2:9)
so that by union with Him (Phil. 3:9)
all who believe (Phil. 3:9)
will be counted righteous
with Christ’s righteousness/obedience (Phil. 3:9; 2:8)
and so be saved (Phil. 1:28; 3:20)
from sin (Phil. 3:6-8)
and destruction (Phil. 1:28; 3:19),
and belong to Christ (Phil. 3:12)
forever in the resurrection from the dead (Phil. 3:11, 21).”
So we are to live our lives in a manner
befitting of the gospel of Christ
and in the next few verses,
Paul tells us how.
Take a look at the rest of Philippians 1:27:
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,
“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.”
Our First Point for those taking notes is this…
Point One,
We live our lives in a manner befitting of the Gospel of Christ
by standing firm.
This is a posture of defense.
Paul was in prison
and the potential of execution for his faith was very real
and the Philippian Christians were also being persecuted.
But Paul is telling them to stand firm,
don’t be knocked down by anything.
persecution,
rejection,
hatred,
indifference,
false teachers,
fear,
sickness,
poverty-
let nothing knock you down.
Do you remember the devastation of Hurricane Iota?
It was a record shattering
category 5 storm that hit Nicaragua
on November 16th 2020.
The news stations showed footage as the storm raged
bringing in surge waters and flattening buildings.
Amid the wreckage
the palm trees bent beneath the 160 mile per hour winds
but did not break.
In picture after picture,
these trees were the only things left standing.
Church,
we should be like these trees in the storms of life…
we may bend
but not break,
we may be battered
but as Paul exhorts here in Philippians 1:27,
we stand firm.
One of the things that enables the Palm tree
to withstand the raging storms
is its extensive root system.
Likewise,
we are rooted in God’s love
and anchored in the truth of the gospel of Christ.
Colossians 2:7 urges,
rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
“Let your roots grow down into him,
and let your lives be built on him.
Then your faith will grow strong
in the truth you were taught,
and you will overflow with thankfulness.” (NLT)
And in Ephesians 3:17 we are assured,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
“Then Christ will make his home in your hearts
as you trust in him.
Your roots will grow down into God’s love
and keep you strong.” (NLT)
Church, stand firm!
Point two,
We live our lives in a manner befitting of the Gospel of Christ
by striving for faith.
Point 1 “sanding firm” is defensive,
point 2 is offensive.
We are to actively strive for the faith of the gospel.
Paul is not telling us
that we can earn salvation,
rather,
because of the truth of the gospel-
we are saved through faith-
we actively respond to it.
How?
Well,
we respond to the good news by:
advancing the gospel
as we learned earlier in Philippians 1:12-18
and by actively pursuing godliness
as we will learn in Philippians 3 in a couple of weeks
Point three,
We live our lives in a manner befitting of the Gospel of Christ
by standing firm and striving FEARLESSLY.
Ray Ellis shares the following sweet story.
“A first grader
stood in front of his classroom to make a speech
about ‘What I want to be when I grow up.’
He said,
‘I'm going to be a lion tamer
and have lots of fierce lions.
I'll walk into the cage
and they will roar.’
He paused for a moment,
thinking through what he had just said
and then he added,
‘But of course,
I'll have my Daddy with me.’”
As you stand firm against opponents
and obstacles as fierce as lions,
as you strive for the gospel in a hostile culture
know that you are not alone.
God is with you.
Do not be afraid.
A few weeks ago
We talked about John 16:33,
Where Jesus gives
one of the most terrifying declarations.
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
He states,
“In this world you will have trouble.”
But He follows that prediction with a promise,
“But take heart!
I have overcome the world.”
Friends,
the God of the universe stands firm with us,
the Resurrected Jesus
is victor over sin and death
and His Holy Spirit
empowers you as you strive.
Do not be afraid-
go ahead and tame your fierce lions-
Our Father God
is with you.
Next,
I want you to take notice
of the common thread of unity
that runs through Paul’s instructions.
“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.”
Can you see it Church?
In one spirit
With one mind
Side by side
Point four,
We live our lives in a manner befitting of the Gospel of Christ
by coming together.
I am reminded of the Peanuts cartoon
where Lucy demands that Linus change the TV channel.
She threatens him with her fist.
"What makes you think
you can walk right in here
and take over?" asks Linus.
"These five fingers," says Lucy.
"Individually they're nothing
but when I curl them together like this into a single unit,
they form a weapon that is terrible to behold."
"Which channel do you want?" asks Linus.
Turning away,
he looks at his fingers and says,
"Why can't you guys get organized like that?"
In Philippians 1:27,
Paul tells us to “come together.”
We don’t “stand firm” against opposition and hardship alone.
We stand firm in “one spirit,”
and with “one-mind.”
Should the “S” in spirit be a capital S?
This would indicate
that we are to stand firm in the Spirit of God.
There is definitely support for this interpretation
in other places such as in Ephesians 4:3-6
where Paul instructs,
“Make every effort
to keep the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit,
just as you were called to one hope
when you were called;
one Lord,
one faith,
one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all
and through all
and in all.”
Unity is undoubtedly strengthened
when we stand firm in the Holy Spirit of God.
However,
a unity that originates with God’s Spirit
is not passive.
Paul is not encouraging us
to adopt a passive posture
simply waiting for the Spirit
to impel us into the deeds of love that foster unity.
No,
we can also interpret the “spirit” in Philippians 1:27
to be the human spirit.
The human spirit
is defined as one’s emotions,
passions,
intellect,
and creativity.
Therefore,
this verse instructs us to
strive for the faith of the gospel
with our emotions,
passions,
intellect,
and creativity
all working together in one accord.
As we will see in Chapter 2 next week,
Paul instructs us
to avoid selfish ambition,
and to look to other’s interests,
unity therefore flows in part
from our intentional hard work.
So as Piper summarizes,
“In the one Holy Spirit
as He unites us in one human spirit
we strive side by side
for the faith of the gospel.” End Quote
Next,
Paul tells us to
stand firm
and strive in “one mind.”
The word mind in Greek
does not refer to the brain
or the intellect
but rather the word (Sookhay) psuchē
(Sookhay) Psuchē used here means
one’s breath or one’s soul.
One of my wife’s favorite fictional characters
whom I have grown to love as well
is Anne of Green Gables.
We love the creative and gracious way
Anne looks at life
Including her idea of a “kindred spirit,”
as is seen in the following quote,
“’Marilla,’ Anne demanded presently,
‘do you think that I shall ever have a bosom friend in Avonlea?’
‘A--a what kind of friend?’
‘A bosom friend--
an intimate friend,
you know--
a really kindred spirit to whom I can confide my inmost soul.
I've dreamed of meeting her all my life.
I never really supposed I would,
but so many of my loveliest dreams have come true all at once
that perhaps this one will, too.
Do you think it's possible?’” End Quote
For Anne,
kindred spirits
share a bond that is closer than normal friendship.
It is a deep connection
where one person’s soul
resonates with the other.
Later in the story Anne discovers,
“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think.
It's splendid to find out
there are so many of them in the world.”
Church,
Shall we be a community of kindred spirits?
Will we allow the Holy Spirit that is in me
resonate with the Holy spirit within you?
May our unity not be superficial
but may there be a connection
that resonates deep within our souls
that pulls us together.
As we will learn in next week’s message
found in Philippians 2:1-4:
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.
“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.”
Let us pray