this blessed lost day worship service for all these things we pray in the Lord Jesus Christ's name amen I greet all of you in the Blessed name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in our previous message we have considered this classic verse for to me to live is Christ and to die is gained for the Apostle Paul to live or to die was a struggle between two desirable possibilities it was like a talk of War life was all about living for the Lord Jesus Christ and it was truly a privilege to preach Christ to glorify Christ and even to suffer for Christ but death was different it was even better it was to be ushered into the Heavenly realms to be completely free from sin self and the world to be in the presence of the almighty God an imperfect fellowship with him however Paul knew that it was more needful for him to remain on this Earth at this point in time for the purpose of the Philippian believers to help them in their spiritual growth this principle applies to all of us who are believers for us to die and be with our Lord Jesus Christ is far better it is the highest superlative The Best of the Best the only reason why we want to continue living in this world is because the still work for us to do perhaps to bring up our children in the fear of the Lord especially when they are young or to evangelize to our unbelieving family members and loved ones Etc once our work is done it is finished we want to go home this morning we will continue with Philippians 1 verse 27 to 30. let us begin with verse 27. only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ the weather I come and see you or else be absent the word only was placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis remember a moment ago Paul said that it was more needful for him to remain on this Earth because of the Philippians spiritual well-being in other words regardless of what happened what was truly important was their consistent Godly Behavior Paul wanted the Philippians to live their lives to reflect the Gospel of Jesus Christ whether he was with them or not whether he was alive or dead by way of illustration it would be just like parents telling their children whether mommy and daddy is still alive and with you or whether we be taken home to be with the Lord we warn you to live consistent Godly lives the original word for conversation is very interesting because it comes from the root word which means City but what has the word City got to do with the lives of the Philippians you see Philippi had become a part of the Romans Empire living in such a city was a privileged status and the citizens could enjoy many of the rights and privileges like the Roman citizens a responsible citizen will be careful to conduct his life in such a way that he will not bring a bad name to that City and he would always try his best to be known as an honorable citizen if the citizens of Philippi were so devoted to conduct their lives to honor the Earthly Kingdom how much more should believers who were citizens of Heaven be devoted to the kingdom of Jesus Christ that was the point Paul was trying to make a true story was still of a man Who Parked his car on the street of a large city on the west coast of Philadelphia he witnessed an accident a few yards away involving a drunk driver another man was in a car most likely the drunk driver's friend he pushed the drunk driver aside and got behind the wheel of the car when the police arrive on the sand the friend who pretended to be The Driver began pointing his fingers at the driver of the other car saying that he was at fault at this point the man who witnessed the whole incident came forward and gave his testimony to the police he said I saw what had happened the drunk was the actual driver the accident was his fault and after the crash his friend exchanged places with him the drunk driver and his friend were very angry they started to mock him and said it is none of your business leave it to the police none of your business the man replied it is not a matter of intrusion it is a matter of responsibility as a citizen of this nation it is my duty and responsibility to stand for what is right if this matter goes to court although I live in another state I am prepared to fly all the way to the West Coast of Philadelphia to testify for the innocent driver against the drunk driver it is my responsibility how would you describe this man an honorable citizen right as Christians we must bear in mind that we are not only honorable citizens of a Nation we are not only honorable employees of a company the ultimate reason why we are honest truthful righteous dutiful and responsible is because we are citizens of Heaven dear friends how have we been living Our Lives have we been living our lives in such a way that we are worthy to be called citizens of Heaven as he becometh the gospel of Christ means to live a life that is consistent with God's revealed truth to live a life that is in line with the very gospel that saves us our greatest testimony before this world is our spiritual integrity when we live our lives below the standards of biblical truth we will seriously weaken the credibility of the Gospel how can we expect the world to believe the gospel when we as believers do not manifest the transforming power of the Gospel we tell the world that the gospel is the good news of Salvation through Jesus Christ we preach the truth that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that he died and that he rose on the third day according to the scriptures second Corinthians 15 verse 3 to 4. sharing and preaching the gospel is important but it is just as important that the power of the Gospel must be manifested through our change lives when the unbelievers look at our lives if they do not see the Holiness Purity and virtue then there appears to be reason for them not to believe in the gospel we preach when pastors commit blatant sins like adultery and then is restored to the position of leadership and it starts to teach the members about being faithful in marriage will the members listen to him when the church lie cheat steal gossip quarrel and fight will the people want to join such a church when the congregation seems to care little about Sin and hypocrisy the world will be stumbled by our claims of loving and serving the almighty God can you see how our testimonies can be so important if we do not live our lives worthy of the Gospel the name of Jesus Christ and the gospel will be Dishonored notice Paul said whether I come and see you or else be absent this tells us that the Philippians accountability was not to Paul but to Christ in other words whether I come or not whether I'm alive or not your accountability is ultimately to the Lord Jesus Christ it is not to the pastor it is not to the church leaders it is to the one who died on the cross to save you from your sins how should the Philippians live their lives worthy of the gospel of Christ the Apostle Paul gave four characteristics in this passage we will consider these four characteristics firstly to stand fast to Stand Fast means to hold your ground steadfastly regardless of danger or oppositions this word was used of a soldier who defended his position at all cost even at the expense of his own life it can refer to holding strongly to a belief to a conviction to a principle without compromise there may be a price to pay but you are willing to pay it that is what it means do you realize that there are certain doctrines we hold strongly and that requires us to pay a price take for example we believe in the divine inspiration and preservation of the Holy scriptures that the Bible we hold in our hands is perfect without mistakes we will lose our friends who believe that the Bible is only perfect in the original autographs which we do not have or we will lose our friends who believe that the Bible has mistakes but it is not serious because it does not affect our salvation when you and I preach against charismaticism or new evangelicalism we will lose our friends who are sympathetic and accommodative to those movements when you and I preach that women should not be pastors or against homosexuality we will offend the feminist movement or the gay movement and the list goes on and on there is a price to pay the question is are we willing to pay the price we must hold strongly be steadfast and defend opposition based on God's word at all cost dear friends we may lose everything there may be no one standing beside us we may lose our friends but we must always be faithful to our God and to his precious one now these standing fast can have both positive and negative aspects what do we mean we are to stand for God and to stand against Satan we are to stand for the truth and stand against falsehood we are to stand for righteousness and again sinned in fact there is no neutral ground when you stand for one you stand against the other some people want to appear neutral because they want to be friends with everyone they want to have friends on both sides they want everyone to accept them to say that they are loving they are understanding it is one thing when you do not know enough to take a stand but it is another thing when you choose to take a neutral stance to all those people who love to be neutral listen to what our lord Jesus said in Luke to 11 23 this is what Jesus said he that is not with me is against me and he together is not with me scattereth you are either with him or you are not with him there's no neutral ground we have to stand fast and the only way for us to stand fast is in the Lord it is in his word and it is in the power of the Holy Spirit that is why Paul said in Ephesians 6 11 put on the whole armor of God that he may be able to stand against the walls of the devil that is the only way you and I can stand fast in the Lord in his word and in the power of the Holy Spirit secondly there must be this Mutual sharing apart from standing firm in the faith there must also be unity in the church a mutual sharing of convictions and responsibilities one mind with one spirit some people have interpreted this Spirit as referring to the Holy Spirit but the context of the passage is focused on the believer's attitudes as in the human heart and mind allow me to quote William Hendrickson the Bible commentator he said it is best to view this phrase as being united in heart and mind the spiritual Unity of the church was repeatedly emphasized by the Lord Jesus Christ in John 17 21 Jesus prayed for all who believe in him that they may be warned as thou father are in me and I indeed that they may also be one in US that the world may believe that thou has sent me and the glory which thou giveth me I have given them that they may be one even as We Are One Jesus repeatedly prayed that the Believers will be won just as God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit are warned the Apostle Paul also reminded the Believers in Rome for as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office so we being many our one body in Christ and everyone members one of another Romans 12 4 and 5. if you notice in almost every strife and Division in the church it does not always involve sins like adultery cheating stealing or lying in fact more often than not it is because of grudges over minor issues unhappiness differences bitterness and distrust sometimes the disharmony may not even be identified and attributed to any one issue you ask the people why they are divided why is this happening the people involved May simply tell you we do not know I just do not light the way things are done dear friends if we have truly been safe and bought by the Precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and we are one with Christ and here comes another believer who is saved by the same savior and is also one with Christ we ought to take special effort to exercise this spiritual Unity on a personal level we may not have anything in common we may not have the same interest Hobbies or likings we may not go for holidays together we may not sit down together and drink coffee but as far as Christ and the gospel is concerned we are united We Are One in spirit with one mind it is a spiritual Unity not a physical Unity and that is what we should always look forward to as a church we must have this spiritual Unity as far as Christ and the gospel is concerned one in spirit with one mind thirdly we are to strive together for the faith of the Gospel the compound word for strive together has the idea of competing in a contest it is from where we get the word athlete some of us like to watch sporting events right like the Olympics we have our own favorite teams or players it's amazing to see all those professional Sportsmen and women competing in those events but we must bear in mind that long before that long before they are able to compete on such an international level there was already this rigorous intense training that is the idea of strife to work hard to labor in second Timothy 2 verse 5 the Apostle Paul said If any man also strive for masteries yet is he not crowned except he strived lawfully in other words if anyone strives to win he will not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules there are certain rules otherwise he will be disqualified and the rule is not to compete against one another it is to strive together Believers must strive together against sin Satan and the world it's all said when we see believers not striving together but striving against one another you see that happening in so many churches better BB church is not excluded we are not spared people are jealous when others are serving more effectively people are jealous when others can sing better or play the piano better or teach better when others are organizing certain programs they will not attend or support some may even try to sabotage the programs that is not striving together that is striving against when you do that you will be disqualified some years back I was watching a soccer match between two teams one of the teams was the favorite and was expected to win but in the end it lost the game but what struck my mind was what the commentator said the commentator said something to this effect that the reason why they failed to win the competition or the championship was because they had too many outstanding plays why because most of those players were concentrating on their own successes rather than the team they were not United they did not work effectively together for a common objective they did not have a common objective in the first place because they were all promoting themselves all fighting for themselves striving together in the church means serving as a theme we must see ourselves as a team we thank God for very talented and resourceful people in the church praise God for all those people but sometimes the fearful thing is that the more talented a person is the more Pride he tends to carry in himself instead of being a team player he wants to be the star when that happens the church will be in trouble if anyone has this kind of attitude then we have failed to understand God's rule for the church the church is not the Olympic Stadium we are not here to showcase our talents we are not here to strive against one another we are here to strive together we are here to work as a team let us pause in US ourselves this question do we really desire to be United as a church why some people say we must be united we must be United for what purpose genuine Unity of any sort must have a purpose trying to achieve Unity just for the sake of unity is a meaningless exercise there must be a common objective and the Bible says this common objective is for the faith of the Gospel the faith of the Gospel refers to the Christian faith as Jude says the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints in other words you and I strive together as a theme for this common objective for the preaching of the Gospel the souls may be safe some of us are called to preach the gospel some are called to support the gospel work administratively some are called to support the gospel work through financial means others are called to support the gospel work to prayers and other forms of encouragement everyone has a part to play that is to strive together for the faith of the Gospel the question we need to ask ourselves is what part have I played in striving for the faith of the Gospel am I playing the part of supporting the gospel work administratively am I called to teach and preach the gospel am I called to support the gospel work to financial means Auto prayers and other forms of encouragement what part have I played that is the question every believer would have to ask himself or herself the last and final characteristic is about suffering for Christ whenever the believer live righteously and zealously seek to preach the gospel Advance the gospel work they will inevitably be persecutions it may not be the physical persecutions light in a time of the Apostle Paul but nevertheless you will face persecutions sufferings of some sorts this is the natural result of our confession the more we confess the more we are faithful the more we will face oppositions therefore Paul encouraged the Philippian Believers and in nothing terrified of your adversaries in other words do not be surprised do not be frightened because it is expected that when you steadfastly hold on to the faith and stand for the Gospel of Jesus Christ the world will oppose you do not be surprised do not be frightened the Christians during Paul's time have good reasons to be terrified because when they stood for the faith there will come be things imprisonments and even possible executions by the adversaries of the Gospel others might face somewhat less serious afflictions like rejections from their family members friends Neighbors who might Mock and disown them but whatever persecution and suffering they would face Paul says it was to them and evident token of Perdition but to you of Salvation and death of God a token was a sign a proof or an Evidence the very fact that they were being attacked because of the Gospel was a clear sign that those people who attacked them were hating toward destruction but there was another sign a very clear sign that they were the true children of God and they have eternal salvation in other words when we suffer for the gospel's sake there are two tokens given by God the first to Mark out his enemies and the second to Mark out his children oftentimes when you and I serve the Lord when we preach the gospel when we are engaged in God's work whether in Fellowship groups or other Ministries and we face persecutions and other adversities we are discouraged are you discouraged instead of being discouraged it should be a source of confidence and joy because the Bible tells us that it is a clear token a clear sign that you are a child of God verse 29 says For unto you is given in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake by his Sovereign Grace God not only gives to the Believers The Marvelous gift of Faith to believe in him but also the privilege to suffer for his sake you know it is a privilege to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ out of all the people out of all the disciples God has chosen you to suffer for his sake do you think God does not know he knows and he has considered you worthy to suffer for his sake it is a privilege because there will be this Crown of Glory awaiting you First Peter chapter 5 verse 4 says and when the chief Shepherd shall appear he shall receive a Crown of Glory that faded not away that was the reason why Paul said in Romans 8 18 for I reckoned or I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory we shall be revealed in US in other words even if you were to suffer every day of your life and you live up to a hundred years every day of your life you suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ it still cannot be compared to the glory that awaits you in heaven the glory that will come to you when the chief Shepherd appears because that Glory will last forever and ever there's no comparison that is what Paul was trying to say finally Paul ends this passage by telling the Philippians verse 30 having the same conflict which he saw in me and now here in me the phrase having the same conflict which he saw in me refers to the persecution and suffering Paul and Silas face when they were in prison in Philippi the Philippians knew that when both Paul and Silas were imprisoned they knew of the conflict the suffering that they had experienced and then when Paul says and now here to be in me refers to his present imprisonment in Rome so you know when I was imprisoned in Philippi and now you hear of my imprisonment in Rome you know my life you know my testimony you know how I have lived my life for the sake of the Gospel and I'm willing to pay the price the price is to be imprisoned but for the glory of my Lord he has considered me worthy I'm willing you know my life you know my testimony there was what Paul was saying to the Philippians you saw that in me now I want you to also live your life reflecting the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ the very gospel that saves you dear friends how can we live a life that is worthy of the gospel of Christ if you have forgotten whatever I've said please remember these four important characteristics firstly to stand fast and the only way we can stand fast is in the Lord in his word and in the power of the Holy Spirit and we have to share in one spirit with one mind there's this spiritual Unity as far as Christ and the gospel is concerned we are united for the glory of Our Lord and thirdly to strive for the faith of the Gospel and to Rejoice even in suffering so let us ask ourselves all these questions as a church as a family as an individual have we been standing for God and again Satan have we been standing for the truth and against falsehood have we been standing for righteousness and against sinned have we been steadfast are we United as one in mind and in heart or are we divided or are we just United physically you Pat my back I pack your bed you shake my head and I shake your hand that is a physical Unity or are we United spiritually for the sake of the gospel for the glory of Christ are we striving together for the faith or the gospel or are we striving against one another I sing better than you in the choir I play better than you on the piano I arranged the flowers better than you I prepare the refreshment better than everyone else foreign this is not the Olympic Stadium this is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ have we ever suffered for Christ if our answer is never then the question is why not is this simply because we have never stood for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ remember there's no neutral ground you are either for Christ or you are against him if you are for Christ it is inevitable that there will be suffering of some sorts because the suffering is a clear token a clear sign to assure your heart that you are a child of God and God has considered you Worthy to suffer for his glory let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank thee for enabling us to consider this portion of scriptures indeed this is how we ought to live our lives Worthy of the gospel of Christ the very gospel that saves us as we have rendered in our hymn what have we done for thee this is a question we need to ask ourselves we need to live our lives in such a way that all of us will be steadfast we need to live our lives in such a way that we share in one spirit with one mind United in our hearts and in our minds and we need to live our lives to strive for the faith of the Gospel the very gospel that saves us and to rejoice even when we suffer because suffering is a clear token a clear sign that we are thy children and thou has considered us Worthy even to suffer for day help us to apply this message into our lives it is difficult but through the empowerment of thy spirit we will be able to do so do thy Glory all this we pray in Jesus name amen let us turn to our final hymn Revival him and choruses four five four
I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In our previous message, we have considered this classic verse: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gained." For the Apostle Paul, to live or to die was a struggle between two desirable possibilities. It was like a tug of war; life was all about living for the Lord Jesus Christ, and it was truly a privilege to preach Christ, to glorify Christ, and even to suffer for Christ. But death was different; it was even better. It was to be ushered into the heavenly realms, to be completely free from sin, self, and the world, to be in the presence of the almighty God in perfect fellowship with Him.
However, Paul knew that it was more needful for him to remain on this earth at this point in time for the purpose of the Philippian believers, to help them in their spiritual growth. This principle applies to all of us who are believers. For us to die and be with our Lord Jesus Christ is far better. It is the highest superlative, the best of the best. The only reason why we want to continue living in this world is because there is still work for us to do. Perhaps to bring up our children in the fear of the Lord, especially when they are young, or to evangelise to our unbelieving family members and loved ones, etc. Once our work is done, it is finished, we want to go home.
This morning, we will continue with Philippians 1:27-30. Let us begin with verse 27: "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ, whether I come and see you or else be absent." The word "only" was placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis. Remember, a moment ago Paul said that it was more needful for him to remain on this earth because of the Philippian's spiritual well-being. In other words, regardless of what happened, what was truly important was their consistent godly behavior.
Paul wanted the Philippians to live their lives to reflect the gospel of Jesus Christ, whether he was with them or not, whether he was alive or dead. By way of illustration, it would be just like parents telling their children, "Whether mommy and daddy are still alive and with you, or whether we be taken home to be with the Lord, we want you to live consistent godly lives."
The original word for "conversation" is very interesting because it comes from the root word which means "city." But what has the word "city" got to do with the lives of the Philippians? You see, Philippi had become a part of the Roman Empire. Living in such a city was a privileged status, and the citizens could enjoy many of the rights and privileges like the Roman citizens. A responsible citizen would be careful to conduct his life in such a way that he would not bring a bad name to that city, and he would always try his best to be known as an honorable citizen.
If the citizens of Philippi were so devoted to conduct their lives to honor the earthly kingdom, how much more should believers, who are citizens of Heaven, be devoted to the kingdom of Jesus Christ? That was the point Paul was trying to make. A true story was told of a man who parked his car on the street of a large city on the west coast of Philadelphia. He witnessed an accident a few yards away involving a drunk driver. Another man was in a car, most likely the drunk driver's friend. He pushed the drunk driver aside and got behind the wheel of the car. When the police arrived on the scene, the friend, who pretended to be the driver, began pointing his fingers at the driver of the other car, saying that he was at fault. At this point, the man who witnessed the whole incident came forward and gave his testimony to the police. He said, "I saw what had happened. The drunk was the actual driver; the accident was his fault, and after the crash, his friend exchanged places with him." The drunk driver and his friend were very angry; they started to mock him and said, "It is none of your business, leave it to the police. None of your business." The man replied, "It is not a matter of intrusion, it is a matter of responsibility. As a citizen of this nation, it is my duty and responsibility to stand for what is right. If this matter goes to court, although I live in another state, I am prepared to fly all the way to the west coast of Philadelphia to testify for the innocent driver against the drunk driver. It is my responsibility." How would you describe this man? An honorable citizen, right?
As Christians, we must bear in mind that we are not only honorable citizens of a nation, we are not only honorable employees of a company. The ultimate reason why we are honest, truthful, righteous, dutiful, and responsible is because we are citizens of Heaven. Dear friends, how have we been living our lives? Have we been living our lives in such a way that we are worthy to be called citizens of Heaven? "As it becometh the gospel of Christ" means to live a life that is consistent with God's revealed truth, to live a life that is in line with the very gospel that saves us. Our greatest testimony before this world is our spiritual integrity. When we live our lives below the standards of biblical truth, we will seriously weaken the credibility of the gospel. How can we expect the world to believe the gospel when we, as believers, do not manifest the transforming power of the gospel?
We tell the world that the gospel is the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. We preach the truth that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He died and that He rose on the third day according to the Scriptures (2 Corinthians 15:3-4). Sharing and preaching the gospel is important, but it is just as important that the power of the gospel must be manifested through our changed lives. When unbelievers look at our lives, if they do not see holiness, purity, and virtue, then there appears to be a reason for them not to believe in the gospel we preach. When pastors commit blatant sins like adultery and then are restored to the position of leadership and start to teach the members about being faithful in marriage, will the members listen to him? When the church lies, cheats, steals, gossips, quarrels, and fights, will the people want to join such a church? When the congregation seems to care little about sin and hypocrisy, the world will be stumbled by our claims of loving and serving the almighty God.
Can you see how our testimonies can be so important? If we do not live our lives worthy of the gospel, the name of Jesus Christ and the gospel will be dishonored. Notice Paul said, "Whether I come and see you or else be absent," this tells us that the Philippian's accountability was not to Paul, but to Christ. In other words, whether I come or not, whether I'm alive or not, your accountability is ultimately to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not to the pastor, it is not to the church leaders, it is to the one who died on the cross to save you from your sins.
How should the Philippians live their lives worthy of the gospel of Christ? The Apostle Paul gave four characteristics in this passage. We will consider these four characteristics. Firstly, to stand fast. To stand fast means to hold your ground steadfastly, regardless of danger or oppositions. This word was used of a soldier who defended his position at all cost, even at the expense of his own life. It can refer to holding strongly to a belief, to a conviction, to a principle without compromise. There may be a price to pay, but you are willing to pay it. That is what it means.
Do you realize that there are certain doctrines we hold strongly, and that requires us to pay a price? Take for example, we believe in the divine inspiration and preservation of the Holy Scriptures, that the Bible we hold in our hands is perfect, without mistakes. We will lose our friends who believe that the Bible is only perfect in the original autographs, which we do not have, or we will lose our friends who believe that the Bible has mistakes, but it is not serious because it does not affect our salvation. When you and I preach against charismatism or new evangelicalism, we will lose our friends who are sympathetic and accommodative to those movements. When you and I preach that women should not be pastors or against homosexuality, we will offend the feminist movement or the gay movement, and the list goes on and on. There is a price to pay. The question is, are we willing to pay the price? We must hold strongly, be steadfast, and defend opposition based on God's word at all cost. Dear friends, we may lose everything, there may be no one standing beside us, we may lose our friends, but we must always be faithful to our God and to His precious word.
Now, this standing fast can have both positive and negative aspects. What do we mean? We are to stand for God and to stand against Satan. We are to stand for the truth and stand against falsehood. We are to stand for righteousness and against sin. In fact, there is no neutral ground. When you stand for one, you stand against the other. Some people want to appear neutral because they want to be friends with everyone, they want to have friends on both sides, they want everyone to accept them, to say that they are loving, they are understanding. It is one thing when you do not know enough to take a stand, but it is another thing when you choose to take a neutral stance. To all those people who love to be neutral, listen to what our Lord Jesus said in Luke 11:23, this is what Jesus said, "He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth." You are either with Him or you are not with Him, there's no neutral ground. We have to stand fast, and the only way for us to stand fast is in the Lord, it is in His word, and it is in the power of the Holy Spirit. That is why Paul said in Ephesians 6:11, "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." That is the only way you and I can stand fast, in the Lord, in His word, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Secondly, there must be this mutual sharing. Apart from standing firm in the faith, there must also be unity in the church, a mutual sharing of convictions and responsibilities, one mind with one spirit. Some people have interpreted this spirit as referring to the Holy Spirit, but the context of the passage is focused on the believer's attitudes as in the human heart and mind. Allow me to quote William Hendrickson, the Bible commentator, he said, "It is best to view this phrase as being united in heart and mind." The spiritual unity of the church was repeatedly emphasized by the Lord Jesus Christ in John 17:21, Jesus prayed for all who believe in Him that they may be…
- warned as thou father are in me and I indeed that they may also be one in US that the world may believe that thou has sent me and the glory which thou giveth me I have given them that they may be one even as We A
… one, even as we are one. Jesus repeatedly prayed that the believers will be one just as God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. The Apostle Paul also reminded the believers in Rome, "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." (Romans 12:4-5). If you notice, in almost every strife and division in the church, it does not always involve sins like adultery, cheating, stealing, or lying. In fact, more often than not, it is because of grudges over minor issues, unhappiness, differences, bitterness, and distrust. Sometimes the disharmony may not even be identified and attributed to any one issue. You ask the people why they are divided, why is this happening, the people involved may simply tell you, "We do not know, I just do not like the way things are done." Dear friends, if we have truly been saved and bought by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are one with Christ, and here comes another believer who is saved by the same Savior and is also one with Christ, we ought to take special effort to exercise this spiritual unity. On a personal level, we may not have anything in common, we may not have the same interests, hobbies, or likings, we may not go for holidays together, we may not sit down together and drink coffee, but as far as Christ and the gospel is concerned, we are united, we are one in spirit, with one mind. It is a spiritual unity, not a physical unity, and that is what we should always look forward to as a church. We must have this spiritual unity as far as Christ and the gospel is concerned, one in spirit, with one mind.
Thirdly, we are to strive together for the faith of the gospel. The compound word for "strive together" has the idea of competing in a contest. It is from where we get the word "athlete." Some of us like to watch sporting events, right? Like the Olympics, we have our own favorite teams or players. It's amazing to see all those professional sportsmen and women competing in those events. But we must bear in mind that long before they are able to compete on such an international level, there was already this rigorous, intense training. That is the idea of "strive," to work hard, to labor in. 2 Timothy 2:5, the Apostle Paul said, "If any man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully." In other words, if anyone strives to win, he will not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. There are certain rules, otherwise he will be disqualified. And the rule is not to compete against one another, it is to strive together. Believers must strive together against sin, Satan, and the world. It's all sad when we see believers not striving together but striving against one another. You see that happening in so many churches, Beraby Baptist Church is not excluded, we are not spared. People are jealous when others are serving more effectively, people are jealous when others can sing better or play the piano better or teach better, when others are organizing certain programs, they will not attend or support, some may even try to sabotage the programs. That is not striving together, that is striving against. When you do that, you will be disqualified. Some years back, I was watching a soccer match between two teams. One of the teams was the favorite and was expected to win, but in the end, it lost the game. But what struck my mind was what the commentator said. The commentator said something to this effect, that the reason why they failed to win the competition or the championship was because they had too many outstanding players. Why? Because most of those players were concentrating on their own successes, rather than the team. They were not united, they did not work effectively together for a common objective. They did not have a common objective in the first place, because they were all promoting themselves, all fighting for themselves. Striving together in the church means serving as a team. We must see ourselves as a team. We thank God for very talented and resourceful people in the church, praise God for all those people. But sometimes the fearful thing is that the more talented a person is, the more pride he tends to carry in himself. Instead of being a team player, he wants to be the star. When that happens, the church will be in trouble. If anyone has this kind of attitude, then we have failed to understand God's rule for the church. The church is not the Olympic stadium. We are not here to showcase our talents. We are not here to strive against one another. We are here to strive together. We are here to work as a team. Let us pause and ask ourselves this question, do we really desire to be united as a church? Why? Some people say, we must be united. We must be united for what purpose? Genuine unity of any sort must have a purpose. Trying to achieve unity just for the sake of unity is a meaningless exercise. There must be a common objective. And the Bible says this common objective is for the faith of the gospel. The faith of the gospel refers to the Christian faith. As Jude says, the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. In other words, you and I strive together as a team for this common objective, for the preaching of the gospel, that souls may be saved. Some of us are called to preach the gospel, some are called to support the gospel work administratively, some are called to support the gospel work through financial means, others are called to support the gospel work through prayers and other forms of encouragement. Everyone has a part to play, that is to strive together for the faith of the gospel. The question we need to ask ourselves is, what part have I played in striving for the faith of the gospel? Am I playing the part of supporting the gospel work administratively? Am I called to teach and preach the gospel? Am I called to support the gospel work through financial means, or to prayers and other forms of encouragement? What part have I played? That is the question every believer would have to ask himself or herself.
The last and final characteristic is about suffering for Christ. Whenever the believer lives righteously and zealously seeks to preach the gospel, advance the gospel work, they will inevitably face persecutions. It may not be the physical persecutions like in the time of the Apostle Paul, but nevertheless, you will face persecutions, sufferings of some sorts. This is the natural result of our confession. The more we confess, the more we are faithful, the more we will face oppositions. Therefore, Paul encouraged the Philippian believers, "And in nothing terrified
- … of your adversaries." In other words, do not be surprised, do not be frightened, because it is expected that when you steadfastly hold on to the faith and stand for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the world will oppose you. Do not be surprised, do not be frightened. The Christians during Paul's time had good reasons to be terrified because when they stood for the faith, there would be things like imprisonments and even possible executions by the adversaries of the Gospel. Others might face somewhat less serious afflictions like rejections from their family members, friends, neighbors who might mock and disown them. But whatever persecution and suffering they would face, Paul says, it was to them "by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God a.”
… by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God." A token was a sign, a proof, or an evidence. The very fact that they were being attacked because of the gospel was a clear sign that those people who attacked them were heading toward destruction. But there was another sign, a very clear sign, that they were the true children of God and they have eternal salvation. In other words, when we suffer for the gospel's sake, there are two tokens given by God. The first to mark out His enemies, and the second to mark out His children. Oftentimes, when you and I serve the Lord, when we preach the gospel, when we are engaged in God's work, whether in fellowship groups or other ministries, and we face persecutions and other adversities, we are discouraged. Are you discouraged? Instead of being discouraged, it should be a source of confidence and joy, because the Bible tells us that it is a clear token, a clear sign that you are a child of God. Verse 29 says, "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake." By His sovereign grace, God not only gives to the believers the marvelous gift of faith to believe in Him, but also the privilege to suffer for His sake. You know, it is a privilege to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ. Out of all the people, out of all the disciples, God has chosen you to suffer for His sake. Do you think God does not know? He knows, and He has considered you worthy to suffer for His sake. It is a privilege, because there will be this crown of glory awaiting you. 1 Peter 5:4 says, "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." That was the reason why Paul said in Romans 8:18, "For I reckon” – or I consider – “that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." In other words, even if you were to suffer every day of your life, and you live up to a hundred years, every day of your life you suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ, it still cannot be compared to the glory that awaits you in heaven. The glory that will come to you when the chief Shepherd appears, because that glory will last forever and ever. There's no comparison. That is what Paul was trying to say.
Finally, Paul ends this passage by telling the Philippians, "Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me." The phrase "having the same conflict which ye saw in me" refers to the persecution and suffering Paul and Silas faced when they were in prison in Philippi. The Philippians knew that when both Paul and Silas were imprisoned, they knew of the conflict, the suffering that they had experienced. And then when Paul says "and now hear to be in me," refers to his present imprisonment in Rome. So, you know when I was imprisoned in Philippi, and now you hear of my imprisonment in Rome, you know my life, you know my testimony, you know how I have lived my life for the sake of the gospel. And I'm willing to pay the price. The price is to be imprisoned, but for the glory of my Lord. He has considered me worthy. I'm willing. You know my life, you know my testimony. That was what Paul was saying to the Philippians. You saw that in me, now I want you to also live your life reflecting the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the very gospel that saves you.
Dear friends, how can we live a life that is worthy of the gospel of Christ? If you have forgotten whatever I've said, please remember these four important characteristics. Firstly, to stand fast. And the only way we can stand fast is in the Lord, in His word, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. And we have to share in one spirit with one mind. There's this spiritual unity as far as Christ and the gospel is concerned. We are united for the glory of Our Lord.
Thirdly, to strive for the faith of the Gospel and to rejoice even in suffering. So let us ask ourselves all these questions as a church, as a family, as an individual. Have we been standing for God and against Satan? Have we been standing for the truth and against falsehood? Have we been standing for righteousness and against sin? Have we been steadfast? Are we united as one in mind and in heart, or are we divided? Or are we just united physically? You pat my back, I pat your back. You shake my hand, I shake your hand. That is a physical unity.
Or are we united spiritually for the sake of the gospel, for the glory of Christ? Are we striving together for the faith of the gospel, or are we striving against one another? I sing better than you in the choir. I play better than you on the piano. I arrange the flowers better than you. I prepare the refreshment better than everyone else.
Brethren, this is not the Olympic Stadium. This is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Have we ever suffered for Christ? If our answer is never, then the question is why not? Is this simply because we have never stood for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Remember, there's no neutral ground. You are either for Christ or you are against Him.
If you are for Christ, it is inevitable that there will be suffering of some sorts. Because the suffering is a clear token, a clear sign, to assure your heart that you are a child of God. And God has considered you worthy to suffer for His glory.
Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank Thee for enabling us to consider this portion of Scriptures. Indeed, this is how we ought to live our lives worthy of the gospel of Christ, the very gospel that saves us. As we have rendered in our hymn, "What have we done for Thee?" This is a question we need to ask ourselves. We need to live our lives in such a way that all of us will be steadfast. We need to live our lives in such a way that we share in one spirit with one mind, united in our hearts and in our minds. And we need to live our lives to strive for the faith of the Gospel, the very gospel that saves us, and to rejoice even when we suffer, because suffering is a clear token, a clear sign, that we are Thy children. And Thou hast considered us worthy even to suffer for Thy glory. Help us to apply this message into our lives. It is difficult, but through the empowerment of Thy Spirit, we will be able to do so. To Thy glory, all this we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.