Good morning. Welcome to the guests that we have here today. So you guess this before we get into the text today, we always have a topic that we kind of talk about as a church family, and today will be no different. There's been lots of discussion going on in our body about Christmas celebration. We've. Most of us, some haven't yet, most of us have become very clear that Christmas is not something that we ought to celebrate. For the reasons of what it is, how it came into existence by man and the traditions that are associated with it. And many of you have been out having these discussions with families and friends and neighbors, and I want to continue to equip us to be able to have discussions that are centered around God's Word. One of the things that you will hear often as a justification for celebrating Christmas is Romans 14, 5 and 6. Romans 14, verse 5. Now, as I read this, I want you to think about Christmas. I'm going to read this, I want you to think Christmas. One person esteems one day above another. Another esteems every day alike. But each one being fully convinced in his own mind. So if you think you read that passage of scripture through the filter of Christmas, it sure seems like one person esteems one day above another and other esteems every day alike. Just be convinced in your own mind. He who observes the day observes it to the Lord, and he does not observe the day to the Lord. He does not observe it. If you're fully convinced in your mind, then you should be able to practice Christmas, and if you're not fully convinced in your mind or you're convinced that you are not, then don't. If you read that through the filter of Christmas, it seems like There's freedom in that. But let's look, one person esteems one day above another. What day is the Apostle Paul alluding to or what days? See, there were new Jewish believers and new Gentile believers in Rome. And these new Jewish believers in particular, they were still unsure, should they be celebrating the Sabbath? Should they be adhering to the dietary laws of the Old Testament? Should they be celebrating the other special days, like the Feast of the Tabernacle and Passover? And so the days that Paul was talking about in this passage, as he was writing to the Roman church, were God ordained, mandated, holy days that God had set apart in the Old Testament. He told the Jews exactly, Israel, exactly how he wanted to celebrate the Passover and the Feast of the Tabernacles and the Sabbath. And so these new believers were, well, I'm supposed to still do that, I think. And see, the confusion was around a God-mandated holy day, not about Christmas. Christmas was a man-created day. The Roman Catholic Church The emperor of Rome instituted the feast of nativity to to compete against Saturnalia. It's clear that man instituted Christmas when the apostle Paul was writing this. Christmas wasn't even around. So we try to we try to place Christmas onto this passage, we're misplacing it. There's no defense for a man mandated day. These were God ordained days. And this is let each each be fully convinced in his own mind. So great. So you may say, I'm convinced in my mind, I can celebrate Christmas. And I may say, I'm convinced in my mind that I can't. And here's why I can't. I can't because everything about Christmas and all of its trappings and all the traditions are a lie. And I'm told not to lie. And I'm told that I'd be separate from unholy things. So I'm convinced that I can't celebrate Christmas, and I just gave you a scriptural reason why. If you believe that you can celebrate Christmas, I would encourage you to think of your scriptural reason why. Because when it says, let each be fully convinced in his own mind, Romans 12, 2 tells us, do not be conformed any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you'll be able to test God's will, his good, pleasing, and perfect will. So I'm to test God's will and to have my mind transformed. So if one is convinced that they can celebrate Christmas and their conviction doesn't come from Scripture. And I will challenge anyone, take this book, take God's word, start from scratch and show me how December 25th celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ is something you can get to. And if you can from Scripture, get to that point, then I would say you could be fully convinced by God's Word, not by your own traditions. And then it says in verse six, he who observes the day, observes it to the Lord, and he who does not observe the day to the Lord, he does not observe it. OK, I will observe Christmas to the Lord, one might say. You don't have to. You don't observe it. You observe it not unto the Lord. I'm going to observe it unto the Lord. Super. So let's take all of the traditions of Christmas that aren't true. Let's take away presents to one another. Let's take away trees. Let's take away mistletoe. Let's take away eggnog. Let's take away Santa Claus. Let's take away reindeer. Let's take away all those things. And what's left? Just another day. So you want to observe that day to the Lord, get rid of all those trappings and then observe it to the Lord. How can we observe to the Lord something that's not biblical? Oh, by the way, you got to take away December 25th being his birthday as you're observing it to the Lord, because that's not when he was born. Another passage that that people will be confused by is Colossians 2.16. Now, I want you to think Christmas again when I read this, think Christmas. So let no one judge you in food or drink or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths. If you think Christmas, one might say, hey, no one should judge me for celebrating Christmas, that festival. There's two problems with that. One is the same problem we had in Romans. The festivals and the dietary requirements and the new moons and Sabbaths were all God ordained again. And what was happening in Colossae was these new believers were not celebrating those days and they were being judged for not celebrating it. So it's the inverse of what we're talking about with don't judge me for celebrating this day. They were being judged for not celebrating the Jewish holy days. So again, these days like Passover and Pentecost and Tabernacle, they were not practicing and they were being judged for that. I stand before you, as I've told you before, that a month ago. We would have celebrated Christmas in some way, we'd had a Christmas Eve service here and my family would have celebrated it in some form or fashion. So I stand not judgmentally or self-righteous. I stand as a man who was ignorant and no longer ignorant, and now I'm convinced by Scripture, as many of you are. We need to be then ready to give a reason for that. We need to be ready to contend for the faith, contend for holiness, contend for being set apart. We read this last week, but in 2 Corinthians 6, 16 through 18, it says this. And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they shall be my people. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean and I will receive you. I will be a father to you and you shall be my sons and my daughters, says the Lord Almighty. We're to be set apart, we're to come out from that. And by God's grace, we will and then we will we will lovingly stand on truth and we will be able to rightly divide scripture and have discussions associated around scripture when people have are ignorant like I was, like many of you were. OK, let's now go to our text for today, Philippians one. As you're turning there, remember, this is called the epistle of joy, Philippians. Paul speaks much of joy. He has a very deep love for the church at Philippi. He was very close to them and very connected to them. He had been sent Epaphroditus. Epaphroditus had come to minister to him from Philippi. They had often ministered to him, so he had this love for them. Paul and his epistle is writing how he is full of joy, full of joy in spite of his circumstances, in spite of being in prison, in spite of being beaten. In spite of all of those things, he is full of joy. In the first 18 verses, he's been writing to his fellow slaves and saints about the commonality of the fellowship that they have in the gospel and how deeply he loved them and how deeply he longed to be with them and to see them. He has just talked about in spite of all of his circumstances, he was full of joy. I'm going to read verses 19 through 26, leading into today's passage. Says this, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers at the supply. Of the spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope. That in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always. So now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I live on the flesh, this will mean fruit of my labor. Yet what shall I choose? I cannot tell, for I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being capable of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy and faith that you rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again. So Paul has just said, look, to live. If I live, it'll be good for the church. There will be fruit from my labor. There will be people being saved. I will edify the body of Christ. And if I die, I get to be with Jesus. And either way is good. But I think I'm going to stay around, he says, and so that's going to help you grow in your holiness, he says. And then we go into today's passage. Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel. and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation and that from God. For to you, it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now here is in me. Remember, Paul is imprisoned in Rome and he may or may not get back to see the Philippians again. Paul is instructing and exhorting them that they need to live with conduct worthy of the gospel of Christ. He starts with the word only the Greek word for the word only is Monon, and it means only only one, the only entity in a class placed at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis. Place the beginning of the sentence for emphasis. So the word is in the emphatic position. It's put at the first part of the sentence. Paul wants to tell them, this is an essential issue. I've talked about all of these things. He's kind of given them an autobiographical first, they weren't verses, but first 26 verses. And now he says, this is how, this is what I want you to hear. Okay, I said all this only. This is what it boils down to. This is the bottom line. This is what I want you to hear, is what he's saying. Regardless of what happens to him, he wants them to display worthy conduct. Worthy conduct. Paul just said, look, whether I live or die, to die is gain. To be with Christ and to live is to spread the gospel, and either way is good. But as for you all, only, bottom line, the only thing that matters is only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. Let your conduct be. The word for let your conduct be is polit uomai. Polit uomai. And polit uomai meant to behave as a citizen. To conduct oneself as pledged to some law of life from the word rude polis where we get, you know, the word polis for city. This word carried the meaning of a good citizen, this one word in the Greek language really was a whole sentence in English. He's saying you are to conduct yourselves as a good citizen. That's what that word. Polite uomai means. Only let your conduct be. Conduct yourselves as a good citizen. It's the same word that Paul uses in Acts 23. Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience, polite uomai, before God until this day. Paul says, I've lived as a good citizen. In what city and state? Before God. Paul says, I've lived as a good citizen before God. Paul is telling the Philippians to conduct themselves as citizens of heaven, as good citizens of heaven. Only let your conduct be. Conduct yourselves as good citizens of heaven. He goes on later in this epistle in Philippians 3, verse 20. He says, for our citizenship is in heaven. from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. So Paul is saying to the Philippian church, whether I'm with you or not, you are to conduct yourselves like good citizens of heaven. Faithful citizens of heaven, heavenly conduct that's characterized by being, look at Philippians 2, verse 15. That you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world there to be blameless, harmless, without fault in a crooked and perverse generation. Paul's exhorting them there to live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, to live consistent with the message that they preached and taught and defended. to live with integrity to their salvation. He's saying live with integrity to your salvation. Conduct yourselves worthy as citizens, good citizens of heaven. Paul gives this same mandate to the Church of Ephesus in Ephesians 4.1. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. To the Colossians as well, Colossians 1.10, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Again, to the church at Thessalonica, he says in 1 Thessalonians 2.12, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. Beloved, we are to walk worthy of our calling. We are to walk worthy of the conduct. We are to have conduct worthy. We are to be citizens, good citizens in heaven. That's how we're to conduct ourselves. How are you walking? I want you to think about how you're walking. Is it integrous with the gospel of Christ? Is it integrous with what we were called to? Paul's telling them, hey, whether I'm around you or not around you, you need to live like good citizens of heaven. Our witness to unbelievers. Is meaningless if we aren't living in integrity, there's no witness there, we can preach and teach and defend the gospel. But if we don't live in integrity. It's meaningless. We're to look different than the world. We're no longer enemies of God, which we were once. We were once enemies of God and we're no longer. And when we don't live in integrity, when we don't live as citizens in heaven, we're living as enemies to God. Romans 5, 6 through 10, For when we, God's people, were still without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love towards us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath through him. For if when we were enemies, We were reconciled to God through the death of His Son. Much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. If we live like the world, then we are living like enemies to God, like we used to do. If we're not living lives worthy of the gospel, if we're not living like good citizens of heaven, then we are not living like those that have been reconciled to God through Christ. That's what Paul's saying here. Ephesians 2, 1 through 3, And you he made alive who were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked. according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. Used to, not anymore, conduct ourselves in the lusts of the flesh. Used to, not anymore, conduct ourselves in the lusts of the mind. And is it fulfilling the desires of our flesh and of our mind? We're no longer children of wrath like the others. So we need to walk worthy of that. Colossians 1, 20, 21 and 22, and you who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled. in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and blameless and above reproach in his sight." When unsaved people see your life, when they look at you, what do they see? Really, what do they see? Do they see a new creation or do they see the same you? Polished up a little bit, maybe, but at the core, still the same you. What do they see? Do they see people living like citizens, good citizens of heaven? They see something new in you, or do they see the same version at the core, just polished up a little bit? 1 Corinthians 6, 9 through 11. Do you not know? that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but you were washed But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. And such were some of you. But you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified. This list right here, all except for one, I was. All except for one of those things, I was. And by God's grace, I'm none of those. We are to walk worthy of our calling, beloved. Paul says, conduct yourselves like good citizens of heaven, not citizens of earth. I'm going to read Galatians 5, 19 through 21, and I want you to listen and I want you to consider if this describes you or these describe you. Now, the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries and the like. In which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in the time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. If these things describe you, you're not saved. And if you are saved, don't live like this. If you're saved, don't live like this. That's not being a good citizen of heaven. 2 Corinthians 5, 17, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. We are a new creation, born again, regenerate. We are to conduct ourselves as such. We are a new creation, reborn, regenerate. We are to conduct ourselves as such. How are you conducting yourself? Don't pass over this exhortation. How are you conducting yourself? Unwholesome talk and swearing? Gossip? Addictions? Anger? Lust? Covetousness? Don't pass over this exhortation. swearing in a wholesome talk or gossip, or if you have addictions, quote unquote. Idolatry. We are a new creation born again, regenerate, we must conduct ourselves as such. Let's go on. Paul says, only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs. Paul says, whether I'm there or not, you should live holy lives. I want to hear good reports. Some of you need to hear this. Some of you act differently when I'm around or the elders Cal and Nick are around. And you act differently. And you wouldn't act the way if we were around. Whether we're there or not there, you're to conduct yourselves as good citizens of heaven. If I conduct myself properly in front of Elder Cal and Nick, or you all, and then I go home and live a whole different way, that's not being a good citizen of heaven. Paul says, look, I may or may not be around you, but if I'm not around you, I want to hear good reports of your conduct. Paul now is going to show what it looks like to be the church. A group of citizens of heaven. What does it look like to be a group of citizens of heaven? First, standing firm. Standing firm. Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast. The Greek word for stand fast is stēko. Here's what stēko means. Stand. stand firm. It was used of a soldier who would not budge from his post during war. This is a picture that Paul is telling these these believers, he's saying, you need to stand like a soldier at a post during war that you will not move away from. Stand firm. Don't be moved away from the gospel of Jesus Christ. No compromise with sin. No compromise with the doctrines of Jesus Christ. No compromise. Stand firm. Same word, steko, used in 1 Corinthians 16, 13. Watch. Secco, stand fast in the faith. Be brave. Be strong. Be brave. Be strong. Stand firm like a soldier. Galatians 5.1, Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Listen to that. Stand firm, fast, therefore, in the liberty in which Christ has made us free. Do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Stand firm in your freedom from sin. No compromising for your sin. Stand firm. We mustn't compromise to sin, beloved. We as a group, as we'll see, he's saying stand firm. If you're if you're living as a good citizen of heaven, you're going to stand firm and you're not going to compromise to sin and you're not going to compromise to bad doctrine. The same word is used in Second Thessalonians 215, therefore, brethren, stand fast. and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. Stand firm to what you have heard from Christ via Paul. Whether Paul spoke it to you or wrote it, what you have heard through Paul and the other disciples, you stand firm in that. How are we to stand firm? Some of you recognize this morning that you don't stand very firm. You compromise to sin. You compromise to doctrine at times. You don't know how to stand firm. Here's how you stand firm. Ephesians 6, starting in verse 10, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Listen, don't check out because you've heard this before. Here's how you'll stand firm, beloved. Here's how we stand firm. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand the evil of the day, the evil day. And having done all to stand, stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication of the Spirit, being watchful of the sin, with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Here's the problem. Listen, listen, please listen. If you're compromising to your sin, and some of you know that you are. Here's the problem. You keep trying to stand firm yourself. You keep trying to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Try, try, try a little harder. Dig, dig, dig a little deeper. You'll conquer this thing. You've conquered lots of things in your life, so you're going to stand firm. That's the problem. You can't. You can't. It won't happen without putting on the full armor of God, which is only available to those who are saved, who are regenerate. The belt of truth. The truth. The belt of truth. The breastplate of righteousness, the righteousness of Christ. The shield of faith. Believing in things unseen, beasties, faith, that shield, your feet, your boots are the gospel of peace. Peace between man and God, where you go out and you plead with people to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, that is peace. With the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, the only offensive weapon we have. The only offensive weapon we have right here. But look, you can't stop it in your own power. Many of you are trying to stop sinning in your own power. You don't put on the full armor of God because either you can't, because you're not right with God, or you're just so trained to try doing it yourself. Stop trying to stand firm without God's power. Really. Some of you need to listen to me this morning. You need to stop trying to stand firm like a soldier without God's power because you just keep falling and then you just wonder why. Because you don't rely on God. Because you don't meditate on the truth. Paul goes on to say, Stand firm in one spirit with one mind. In one spirit with one mind. He says, only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind. Here's what a body of believers looks like, like the church in Philippi that he was writing to. You will stand in one spirit with one mind. Paul starts to paint this picture of unity that we're going to go through now for much of chapter two. He starts to paint this picture of unity that it is necessary in order to stand firm, to live as good citizens of heaven, that you do that in one spirit with one mind. Paul says in one spirit, the Greek word pneuma. That word has multiple meanings. It means Holy Spirit, spirit, evil spirit, ghost. inner being, way of thinking, wind or breath. Paul is using the word here to say they need to have the same way of thinking. Empowered, of course, by the Holy Spirit, they need to have the same way of thinking, because then he says, he says, in one spirit with one mind, psuche. With one mind, which is the soul or often translated, the mind is the seat of feelings, desires, affections, aversions, our heart, soul. Paul says in order to have conduct worthy of the gospel, to stand firm, no compromise to sin and no compromise to truth. We have got to be united in the way we think. We must have unity, harmony and interdependence, beloved. Acts 2, this is not well received in the world we live in. This concept of thinking alike. Acts 2, 44 through 46, just a few days after Pentecost, when the church began. Now, all who believe were together had all things in common. and sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need. So continued daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house. They ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart. As we live out at Grace Fellowship Church, this concept of like minded unity, it's a crazy concept to many people. We have been called a cult by many. Those words have been used because it's so radical to watch people live in a way that they stand firm in one mind and in one spirit, as we are commanded to do. We have been told that we can just agree to disagree. We have been told that we can agree to disagree about holiness, works. We've been told we can agree to disagree about doctrines. That's what we've been taught. That's not what Paul says. If you're going to stand firm, Christians, believers, if you're going to stand firm, you're going to stand firm in one mind, in one spirit. Paul is telling the Philippians, you can't agree to disagree. Romans 12, 5, so we being many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. We are one body. We are interconnected. We are one body. How is one body going to have a different spirit and different mind? You would have schizophrenia and you would be put into a home. The church at Corinth had lots of factions, lots of different messages being talked from the church at Corinth. And here's what Paul wrote to them. Now, I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I'm pleading with you by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing. And that there be no divisions among you. but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. We are to think the same. Think like Christ. There's this lie being told in the church today. I say the church. Here's the lie that's being told. that Joel Osteen, Rob Bell, and Rick Warren are fine preaching the way they preach. And their message might be a little different than John MacArthur or Votie Bauckham or what John Calvin's was, but that's OK. It's not OK. Paul, God says to Paul, it's not OK. I want you speaking the same message. I want you to be of one mind, of one spirit. It's not OK. It's not OK. The gospel, the gospel is not preached. Paul goes on in Philippians two, one and two, therefore, if there's any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any affection and mercy fulfill my joy. By agreeing to disagree. No, that's not what he says, by being like minded, having the same love, being of one accord of one mind. There's to be one message coming from the body of Christ. I am so thankful how God has poured out His grace on the corner of 6th and Marquette that we are able to live this way with one another. That if we don't think the same, we biblically discuss things until we do think the same. And we don't argue and yell and kick each other out. We discuss things until we do think the same. And that's what we're commanded to do. I'm so thankful that we don't just agree to disagree around here. We work at becoming like minded because we're commanded to. We work at being of one spirit and one mind because we're commanded to. And by God's grace, I get to sit with pastors from other churches where we work at this. We have to work at being like minded, of one spirit, of one mind. And we may disagree and we continue to work at that because we're called to. There's others that won't meet with me on that basis, have no interest. They just want to agree to disagree, even though we're commanded not to. If I'm wrong, I want somebody to tell me I'm wrong. I don't want to be preaching a false gospel. Nor should any of us want to be doing that. And you can't have more than one message. There's a message. It's this. It's the Bible. It's God's word. That's the message. That's the gospel. We're to be like minded in Christ. First Corinthians 10, 16, the cup of blessing which we bless. We're going to take communion later today. Is it not the communion of the blood of Christ, the bread we break? Is it not the communion of the body of Christ, the communion, the koinonia, the fellowship, the like mindedness? Is it not that? For we, though many, are one bread and one body, for we all partake of that one bread. We are one body in Christ. We must think like Christ, and we must all think the same in Christ. Paul was dealing with lots of division in the church. He wrote this to Galatians. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. We are all the same in Christ. In order to live as good citizens of heaven, to stand firm in truth, we are to think the same and talk the same. That's clearly taught to us throughout the New Testament. were to stand firm with one spirit and with one mind, striving together for the gospel, striving together for the gospel. Only that your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or in absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel. The Greek word for striving together Soon at Leo soon at Leo soon with at Leo to compete in a contest. The word means to strive at the same time with another to strive or labor to strive or labor with others. Paul is giving a word that would reference an athletic team that they would strive together. It has the idea of competing together as a team. That word athleo is used in Second Timothy 2.5. And also, if anyone competes athleo in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. Here's the thing. We're being told believers are to compete together as a team to contend for the faith. If a team has players all running different plays and they have coaches all giving different directions, how successful are they going to be? They aren't. They have to be selfless for the good of the team. Paul says, strive together like a team. Like minded, one spirit, one mind. We're to strive together for the faith of the gospel, the gospel, evangelion, the good news. The good news. We are to contend together for the good news, for the only gospel. Sola Scriptura. Contend for this. Like a team, standing firm together, striving together. Jude 3. Jude says this, Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, Jude said, I wanted to write to you about our common salvation, our common blessing, our unity in Christ. I found it necessary to write to you, exhorting to you to contend earnestly for the faith. which was once for all delivered to the saints. We are to compete as a team to protect that which was handed down to us. It was delivered to us through Christ, the truth, the word. This is what we are to contend for together as a team. This is what we're to contend for. What the scriptures teach. We're to contend earnestly, we're to strive together, we're to be a team. How can we be a team if we say, well, you think it means this? I think it means this. I don't think sin's such a big deal. You seem to think sin's such a big deal. How are we going to compete together? We aren't. We can't. We're all going in a different direction. I don't think you ought to shepherd a church. I think you ought to shepherd a church. What does the word say? There's the unity in all of Christianity. That unity is to be in the Christian faith, the Bible, Galatians 1.7, which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. There are some who trouble you who want to pervert the gospel of Christ. Anyone who preaches anything different than the word of God is perverting the gospel. Billy Graham says that there's more than one way to heaven. It's not just through Jesus Christ. That is perverting the gospel of Christ. Joel Olson says that every person, every human being has good inside of them. That's perverting the gospel of Christ, because the Bible says no one's good. We're born in sin. Rob Bell would say that Christianity is like a trampoline, and that the virgin birth is just one of those springs. Take the virgin birth out, you still have a trampoline that functions. That's perverting the gospel of Christ. Christ's deity in the virgin birth is completely necessary and essential to our faith. The truth, Christ's teachings, 1 Timothy 6.20. Oh, Timothy, guard what was committed to your trust. What was committed to Timothy's trust was Paul's doctrines that he learned from Christ. He says, guard that. Guard that. It's been committed to your trust. Avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge. All of the knowledge behind man-centered theology is a lie. All of the common sense that goes into thinking that man can choose his salvation and can walk away from his salvation. That's not true. What's true is by God's grace, and it's a gift, and there's nothing we can do that God has to pour down on us. That's the truth. We must contend against the logic of man's mind. Your ways aren't like my ways, God says, your thoughts are not like my thoughts. My thoughts are much higher than yours. We must we must. Fight and contend for truth against the logic of man. Matthew 715, beware of false prophets who come in, come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they're ravenous wolves. We have to practice in these days that we're in, just like back then, just like always in the church age, we have to practice great discernment and not be afraid to call wolves wolves. We must strive together like a team for the gospel. The gospel that says all men are born sinners and must repent and turn from their sin and hate sin like God hates it. That's the gospel we must stand for, contend for. The gospel that was preached at Pentecost, Acts 2.38, then Peter said to them, repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Today's lie is that it is unloving to preach against sin and to preach repentance. It's a lie to don't preach on sin. People don't want to hear that. Peter messed up then. That's a lie that's out there today that it's unloving to preach God's wrath. Just preach God's love, that's loving. God's wrath isn't loving. That's a lie. God is all of the attributes of God. It's intolerant, it's intolerant or judgmental to call sin, sin. to preach on holiness and the necessity of good works that come from our faith is thought to be judgmental. If Charles Spurgeon or Jonathan Edwards stood in the pulpit of most of the institution called churches today, people would not stay. Because it would be too harsh, it would be too lengthy, a couple of hours, too harsh, too lengthy and too unloving. Too boring to do way too boring the way they preach, they preach to the intellect. They preach the word of God. Very cerebrally, not with flashy shows and lots of lights and entertainment, not to get you giggling. People would not stand for Spurgeon and Edwards in the pulpit, most people. We are to contend. We are to stand firm and strive together as a team to protect the gospel. Paul goes on to encourage his dear brothers and sisters in Philippi to stand firm and strive together without fear of opponents, without fear of opponents. Verse 28. and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. Not in any way terrified by your adversaries. People are going to hate the truth. As you stand firm together to preach the truth, people will get mad. But don't be terrified. Don't be afraid. The Greek word for afraid, for terrified here is pituro, be afraid, be frightened. They use this word of a horse that got startled. And often horses get startled by something that's not that dangerous and they bolt. Other times they get startled by things that are dangerous and they bolt. That was what the word was used for. And Paul's saying, don't do that. Don't be terrified. Don't bolt. See, in Philippi, some of these people he was writing to were dealing with beatings and imprisonment. Some were just dealing with persecution from friends and family and neighbors. We don't really have the former, but we certainly have the latter. As you contend for the faith, as we strive together, that will bring hatred. We are not to bolt like a scared horse because people get mad at us about standing firm and striving for the truth. The word for adversaries, the Greek word is antakeimai. Antakeimai. To be hostile toward. To lie against. To be hostile toward. To lie against. There are those who will become hostile towards you when you contend for the faith. There are those who will lie against you. This week, someone received a letter. And in that letter, it said, you listen to the evil, crazy teachings of Mike Reed. He is a bad man. You need to leave Grace Fellowship Church. That's what the letter said. You listen to the evil, crazy teachings of Mike Reed. He is a bad man. You need to leave Grace Fellowship Church. Don't be alarm and bolt. Expect it. Keep standing firm and striving together. Expecting it. Not in any way terrified by your adversaries, those that lie against you, those that are hostile towards you, which is to them a proof of perdition. But to you of salvation, As those people hate you, and are hostile towards you, and lie against you, that is a proof of their perdition. But to you of salvation, and that from God. 2 Thessalonians 1, 4-8 So that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you also suffer. Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. God will give rest to his people that contend for the faith. And he will judge those who are hostile and lie against God's people. The word for perdition. Apolliai, Apolliai. The destruction which consists of eternal misery and hell. The destruction, which consists of eternal misery in hell. That word, which is to them proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, God says, as you strive, there will be those will be hostile toward you and lie against you, tell lies about you. That is a proof of their perdition, their destruction. Same word for that destruction is used in Matthew 7, 13. Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leads to destruction. And there are many who go in by it. 2 Peter 3, 7. But the heavens and the earth, which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Paul is telling the church at Philippi, as we stand firm and strive together for the truth, We are not to be startled and bolt by those who are hostile towards us or lie against us. Their hostility proves their perdition and our salvation. It's a proof text of our salvation. Paul goes on to explain in verses 29 and 30, we are granted suffering on behalf of Christ. We are granted suffering on behalf of Christ. Verses 29 and 30, for to you, it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now here is in me. Paul says that God granted them belief and suffering. Granted the work is the word is Karisoma, karisoma, karis, to give graciously, give freely, bestow. So what Paul is saying is, look, for it has been granted to you, God has graciously given you belief. Not only to believe, He's graciously given you belief, Ephesians 2, 4-8, but God who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. So God has given us the gift of belief. This gift we welcome. We welcome the gift of belief, don't we? Praise God. Thank you, God, for your grace that caused me to believe. Paul is telling the Philippian church, he's telling us that suffering too is a gracious gift of God. He says, for it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ Jesus, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. Part of God's graciousness is giving us freely and is giving us suffering. Second Timothy 3 12. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ. Jesus will suffer persecution We will suffer persecution if we live godly lives standing firm in the faith and contending for the truth That is a gift that proves our salvation Jesus assures us of that this God granted suffering for his sake. He says, Jesus tells us God will grant you this suffering for your sake. John 15, 18 through 20, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. We will be persecuted by those of the world. They will hate us. And that's God's gracious gift to us that proves our salvation. That's a gift from God. Why do we run from it? Why do we get startled by it? It's a gracious gift. Matthew 5, 10-12, blessed, makarios, saved, joyful like God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Persecution equals assurance of salvation. A gift from God. You listen to the evil, crazy teachings of Mike Reed. He is a bad man. Leave Grace Fellowship Church. Understand Elder Cowles told me today, it's the same story over and over again. We hear it lots. We've heard that a number of times. That persecution is assurance of salvation. It's a gracious gift, and we should be thankful for that. It's a proof of perdition for them, and it's a proof of salvation for us. See, but what the devil would do is say, boy, you got five people, ten people calling you a cult, you must be a cult. Because they're hostile against you, and they lie about you. Paul promises that's what's going to happen, and he says that's a gift from God. Philippians 310, that I may know him in the power of his resurrection. We all want to know the power of Christ's resurrection, don't we? He also says, and the fellowship of his sufferings. Why did Christ suffer? Because they hated him. They hated him. They hated the truth, so he suffered. If this is true of us, beloved, we should be thankful. It's a gift from God when we're hated and lied against. Romans 3, 5, 3 through 5, and not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance, character, character, hope. Now, hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Suffering is a gift. Being persecuted is a gift. It grows us in Christ. See, because I have not one ounce of me of anger and hatred towards the person who wrote that letter. I have compassion for them. For their hard heart. For them murdering me. For their unwillingness to come and talk to me, but to slander and revile me. I'm not mad at them. I have compassion for them. But that's because God has grown me through these trials and these tribulations that have started since we came here. James 1, 2 through 4, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience, but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Trials and persecution are necessary for us to be complete. They're necessary for us to be complete. Philippians 1 27 to 30 only. Let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. So that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs that you stand fast. in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation and that from God. For to you, it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now here is in me. Closing thought. Beloved, we are to live as citizens of heaven. Conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the good news that we proclaim. That requires that we stand firm. Like a soldier, immovable in one spirit and in one mind. Striving as a team to spread the gospel. joyfully suffering the hostility of those headed to destruction as their persecution of us affirms our salvation. Amen. Let it be. Let it be that we would live as good citizens. Our conduct would be like good citizens of heaven. That we don't tolerate sin. We don't tolerate bad doctrine. We don't tolerate false preaching. We don't tolerate that in ourselves, and we don't tolerate that in the people amongst us. Listen, people in this body that sin, you all, we all must love them enough to strive with them, to stand firm with them, and not compromise on sin. And not compromise on truth. so that we live worthy of our calling. And we stand firm one mind. We all think the same. We all think like Christ thinks. We all think like the Bible teaches us to think. And that we would expect and be joyful when we are hated and lied against because of that. Because it's promised to us. And it's proof of perdition and salvation for us. I am so encouraged out of this passage of Scripture. This is one of the best weeks I've had preparing for a sermon. I was so encouraged, affirmed, and in love with you all. And so thankful for God's grace. Gracious Heavenly Father, You are perfect. Your plan is perfect. Your Word is perfect. Father, Your Word is perfect. And in your Word, we are commanded. We are exhorted. We are told that we are to live. We're to have conduct worthy. We're to live as good citizens of heaven. Father, that we're not to hate sin like you hated, Father. You hated it so much that you crushed your son. Father, that we not compromise. on sin that we learn the only way to combat that is to stand firm in your armor. Thank you for your armor. Father, thank you for your word, thank you for your plan and the unity in the body of Christ. May we continue to be grown up in that for your glory and for Christ's sake. Amen.