Let us remain standing at this time and open God's Word to the book of Philippians. Our text this morning is Philippians chapter 1. And our text really covers, over the next couple of weeks, at a minimum, we're going to be considering these last verses of chapter 1, which would be verses 27 through 30. This morning, we're going to see a link between what has gone before with respect to Paul's letter and how that links together with a transition that we find in the letter now at verse 27. But let us read the whole of this pericope as our public reading of God's Word this morning. Philippians chapter 1, beginning with verse 27. 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. Thus ends the reading of God's word this morning from Philippians chapter one. Let us pray for the Lord's illumination. Our Father in heaven, we ask that you would bless the preaching of your word now. Open our hearts such that we have ears to hear and eyes to see. And may you apply this text to our souls for our good and for your glory. In Christ's name, amen. You may be seated. Well, having been used by God to found the church at Philippi, Paul, who is now in chains, desires to be released from those chains to return to the people at Philippi. He longs to see their faces again. Paul, as we have seen, is quite familiar with suffering. He is very well acquainted with the discouragements that come from suffering, from having opponents that dissuade him and seek to bring off course the purpose and cause of the gospel. Well, Paul, who loves the church at Philippi, knows that they too suffer for Christ's sake, and they will suffer for Christ's sake. In fact, as we just read and we'll see in the upcoming sermons on this text, it actually is a gift that they suffer for Christ's sake. And as a good and a loving pastor, Paul wishes to encourage them. knowing what they're undergoing now and what they will undergo. He knows what it is to suffer and to face opposition. And he wishes to encourage their souls. He wishes for their souls to find hope and courage and strength and zeal amid their sufferings. just as Paul has found hope, courage, strength, and zeal in his own sufferings, even while he's in chains. But where is it that Paul has found such strength and hope and anchor for his soul? In fact, even zeal and joy amid his sufferings. Where has this come from? What is it that has gripped Paul at his core? Yes, certainly the authorities may have arrested his body, but the question before us this morning is what is it that has arrested his soul? What has so gripped Paul at the nucleus of his being that he's willing to even die for it? Because whatever that is, That is where Paul finds his joy and his anchor and his hope, this side of glory. Well, Paul has made it very clear already in his letter to the Philippians what that thing is. And it is none other than the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, he says in verse 7 that he and they alike are partakers of grace through Jesus Christ. That one who came as God's perfect son, who was innocent in all of his thoughts and all of his will, all of his intentions, all of his motives, all of his desires, they all perfectly accorded with his father's will. We sometimes only think of that as Jesus is in his 30s. But children, maybe you may have difficulty grasping this, but can you believe that Jesus was once your age? As a teenager, as younger as an elementary student. And even as a child, his mind and his intentions and his will always perfectly accorded with the will of his father. He never disobeyed his parents or had any ill will towards his parents. His friends and his neighbors, he loved unconditionally. And yet the father crushed him. The father bruised him, to use the scripture's language. The cup of the father's condemnation upon sin was poured out fully and completely upon his dear son, that most innocent one. And why is it that the Lord Jesus had the cup of God's wrath poured out upon himself? It's because he wasn't innocent. He was bearing someone else's sin. And therefore, being one who's bearing another's sin, he is guilty of that sin and therefore undergoes the condemnation that's due, sin. And Jesus Christ underwent it as a substitute for you and I. The only thing that God has for a sinner who has violated his will is condemnation. And though Jesus himself was perfect in all respects, here enters the gospel. The Lord Jesus willingly took upon himself an alien sin, someone else's. And the father crushed him, poured out what we deserve upon him. so that you and I are set free and forgiven of our sins. In effect, if we could put it in this language, he gave Jesus hell and us heaven. He poured out the full weight of his wrath upon our substitute. And through his substitutionary work on our behalf, we are saved who believe upon him who love him, are united to him, who are disciples of his. Oh, the glory of the gospel, the two S's of the gospel, substitution and satisfaction. The Lord Jesus satisfied the wrath of God as our substitute. What glorious news. And did you know that it's this news that has not only brought Saul to being Paul, one who was dead in sin that now is alive in Christ. But Paul is called by the Father to bring that very word of grace and salvation of the two S's, the substitution and satisfaction of the Lord Jesus Christ to all the nations, particularly to the Gentile. It's arrested his soul. It's so gripped Paul, he's willing to die for it, and gladly so. Well, let us ask another question here that starts to drive us into the soil of this particular text. What particularly concerning the gospel of Christ and his redemptive work has so compelled Saul Now we're gonna be exploring this much further as we progress through this letter. Some of you are aware that chapter two of Philippians is a very golden section of the New Testament that concerns aspects of the gospel that do compel Paul. And we'll get to that when we arrive, but what we find, even considering the whole of this letter, is that what has compelled Paul and has taken his whole life and has shaped its practice and shaped him as a disciple is that sacrificial element of the Lord Jesus. That selflessness of Jesus, that he was willing to set aside his own comfort, his own ease, his own glory to take upon our sin And not even a friend's sin, his enemy's sins. There's that selflessness, that self-sacrificial element of the gospel that particularly has gripped Paul. And this has come to inform all that Paul does in his life. For what he has learned is this. If he is to live a life that is worthy of that gospel, his life too must be self-sacrificial. If he's to live a life that's worthy of that gospel that has so saved him and has given him life, then he too must be selfless. It must not be just an ancillary element of his life, but must define his life and his ministry. In fact, the primary ethic that should epitomize those who are Christ's, those who are his, is death to self. And Paul understands that. He sees how the gospel informs what his life ought to look like at its core. It should be death to self, just like his Savior. Selfless, not selfful, just like his Savior. A life of sacrifice. He sees the implications of the gospel in what it looks like to live a life that's worthy of it. You know, in that very phrase of living a life that's worthy of it, it's worth pausing a moment and exploring that a little bit further. Because we know for certain he's not in any way saying that you have to live in such a way as to be worthy to be saved. That has nothing to do with what Paul is saying here. So what does he mean when we say that Paul wishes to live a life that is worthy of the gospel that has saved him? Well, in 2011, in Salt Lake City, there was a very wealthy man that died. And he left a fortune to his younger brother. His younger brother's name was Max. He was an estranged brother. But this younger brother, Max, was very difficult to find. In fact, a private investigator had to be involved in trying to locate this man that had inherited this fortune. And where the private investigator found Max was in the streets of downtown Salt Lake City. And he was dressed in rags and he smelled with quite a stench. And he used a shopping cart to move all of his belongings around with him. He was a homeless man. Oh, what good news this investigator had for this poor homeless man. You're no longer helpless. You're no longer homeless. You've inherited a fortune. All because and solely because of your relationship to your elder brother. Only because of that relationship. Are you the one who has this fortune? It would completely and utterly change Max's life. Now I want to ask you this, brethren. Upon receiving this fortune, what if Max continued to walk around in rags? What if after receiving this fortune, Max would continue to walk on the streets homeless in Salt Lake City? What if Max still carted around all of his belongings with that shopping cart and smelled like some kind of stench that nobody wanted to be near? Looking in trash cans for his next meal, what would you say? You'd probably say, does this man not understand what change this news brings to him? Does he not grasp the life-altering consequences of being a recipient of a fortune? He's not living in accord with the blessing that he's received. That's what we'd probably say. He's not living in accord with the blessing, with the fortune. And you'd wanna say to him, sir, Max, given the magnitude of your riches, the magnitude of your blessing, because of your elder brother, I urge you to have your life conform to that reality. Max, have your life conform to your new reality. Live a life that accords with that new reality, would you please? Because you're living like a blind man that does not see what it is that he has inherited. Brothers and sisters, that illustration, that real life story, I think helps us get under the skin of what Paul's saying when he says that he desires to live a life that's worthy of the gospel. Because you see, Paul recognizes his reality. By God's grace, he has his heart wholly focused upon this new reality, the sheer riches, the magnitude of riches that are his in Jesus Christ. He knows that every blessing of salvation that he possesses is all due to his relationship to his elder brother, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. He recognizes the magnitude of what he has in Christ. He is embraced and his heart is captivated by this good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. The good news of grace that comes through Jesus Christ that is beyond riches, that's priceless. its value cannot be estimated. And that's what's gripped him, you see. And because it's gripped him, he is convinced that he is to not go on living as one who is unsaved or go on living in the poverty of slavery to sin or go on living contrary to God's will. No, he now has this delight and this desire to live a life that accords with that new reality of life in Christ. to have a life that conforms to the gospel that has overtaken him and rescued him, to live a life that's worthy of that gospel, you see. And if he is to conform, here it is, if he is to conform his life to that new reality and live in accord with it, he knows what that means. That means that I must live at the core with self-sacrifice. At the core of it all, if I'm to live in accord with that reality, I must live a life that is characterized by crucifixion, dying to self, dying to my selfishness and live selfless. And so the reason we've explored this, brothers and sisters, is what is it that we have found in the life of Paul up to this point in Philippians? Because I want you to see how this has manifested itself in his life. Because if you were to actually go back and read Philippians up to this point, you would find that it's largely autobiographical. where he is telling the Philippians about his situation, about his imprisonment, about his chains, about his suffering. He says in verse 12, my chains are bringing about the furtherance of the gospel. You can almost see that he has this smile on his face as he's writing that. You see, Paul has set aside his own comfort and his own ease for the glory of Christ. He says these chains, this bondage, this imprisonment, it's all for the glory of Jesus Christ. It's actually proving to advance and progress the gospel. And he says, you know what? News is spreading among the praetorian guard that my chains are for Christ's sake, not because of anything that I've done that has brought about ill to others. And he's delighting in this. You see, we find that Paul is willing to set aside selflessly his own comfort and ease because the glory of Christ and the cause of the gospel is greater and of greater value. He sees the riches of it, you see. We find in verse 14 of chapter one that Paul is grateful that other brothers in Christ are actually encouraged and they have greater confidence to speak even all the more boldly about the gospel because of his chains. You see, Paul joyfully sacrifices his own self-comfort and is willing to undergo it for the sake of Christ and others. And what do we find in verses 15 to 18? You remember that? There were individuals who did preach the gospel of Christ, but they did with very poor motives, seeking to discourage or afflict Paul in some type of personal rivalry that they had with him. And what is it that Paul responded with? He laid aside his own self, his own recognition, and he says, you know what? So long as Christ is proclaimed, I rejoice in that. You see how he's selfless. He sets aside self and even his own reputation and his own recognition. Because he sees the wealth and the value of the gospel. And then what did we discover in verses 19 to 26, which we ended off last week with? Remember how Paul is contemplating his desires? And he's like, you know, if I had a choice between going to heaven and being with Christ, dying and going and being in the presence of the Lord Jesus, that would be far better than being here below. But what does he conclude? I want to remain here with you, the church at Philippi. Why is that? Why would he choose to remain with them? He tells us, remember? He tells us that even though it would be far better to be with Christ and have that uninterrupted presence with Christ, it's better for you that I stay. It's better that I stay and labor among you for your benefit, brothers and sisters. Do you see the selflessness, the self-sacrifice that you find even in that? As we saw so profoundly last week, it's as if Paul is saying, I will forego and delay my being with Jesus just for your progress in sanctification. Verse 25, for your progress and joy in the faith. I'm willing to forego and postpone my being with Jesus just so that in verse 24 he says, for remaining in the flesh is more needful for you. Do you see the heart of this man? It's just overflowing of love for the church, for Christ's people. And he's even willing to delay and willing to postpone being in the presence of Jesus. That's far better. And to continue suffering. for the sake of Christ, for their sake, for their welfare. Do you see the pattern, brothers and sisters? You see what we already find in Paul's life? Who is it that he's mirroring? Who is it that he looks like? He looks like Christ, his Savior. You see, he is so captivated by the gospel and so convinced that the core element that should dominate his life and his activity is sacrifice. Sacrifice. Selflessness. And we see that in Paul's life all up to this point. And you see what Paul is doing here? Do you see what the gospel is doing to him? What we find Paul doing is he already has provided for the church at Philippi and for you and me an example of what it looks like to live worthy of the gospel. He's already showing us what stands at the core of what it is to live worthy of the gospel. He's providing us an example of what it is to live in accord with the gospel, to be conformed to the gospel. At its heart, it's a life that is conducted in such a way that it dies to self. That's it. That's it. It dies to self. Does that characterize our own hearts? If you were to dig down to the rock bottom of what it is that defines your discipleship as a follower of Jesus, do you find dying to self? You see, Paul is so gripped by Christ and the gospel of Christ, he wants to be very careful to live in a way that's worthy of it and accords with it. He wants his life to conform to Christ's life, his substitute, his savior. And so see, what's gonna happen now, brothers and sisters, and this is the reason why we wanted to devote this whole sermon to this subject matter, is we find Paul now moving from this autobiographical-oriented letter, and he's now shifting, and he's focusing the attention on the church at Philippi. Because he knows that the church at Philippi is going to suffer for Christ's sake, just like he suffers. He knows that they're going to undergo opposition just as he's undergone opposition. and Paul desires to return to them and labor among them, but he's not sure that he's gonna be given that privilege, so he writes in verse 27, now we actually get to our text this morning, he writes in verse 27, and we're only gonna consider the first phrase, only, he says, meaning whatever the case may be, whether I stay in prison or I come and I'm able to be with you, whatever may happen, whatever the circumstances may be regarding our reuniting, let your conduct. Let your life be worthy of the gospel. You see? He's already provided this example all throughout chapter 1 up to this point in his own life and how the gospels transformed his life and now he's saying the same should be true of you. Let your life be transformed in the same way where you die to self and you live a life that's worthy of the gospel. They're all aiming for the same thing, to be shaped by the gospel. Now, brothers and sisters, this is rather profound. Because Paul is saying this, your mouth proclaims, your mouth testifies to either what accords with truth, or accords with falsehood, but also your life will either tell a story that accords with the truth of the gospel or your life will tell a false narrative that does not accord with the gospel. In other words, your life speaks even when you're not opening your mouth. And you see, just like Max, if Max continues to live as a poor homeless bum after receiving a fortune, that speaks falsehood. That does not speak the truth that he is one of riches, one of means to care for himself. That does not speak the truth of his reality. if he's walking around the streets of downtown with a shopping cart. It says, my elder brother, he ain't so generous after all. You see, if he still walks around the downtown with that shopping cart, he's in effect declaring, I've received nothing from my brother. He's not generous at all. And that's a falsehood, you see. I'm a recipient of nothing that changes my life. I'm going to keep on living life the same way I've always lived it. Because I've not been given anything that changed it. That's a falsehood, you see. You are Christ's brethren. You, and this is what Paul is saying to the church at Philippi, you are the recipients of a rich fortune of grace. Let your life conform to it in such a way that it speaks the truth about your reality, that it doesn't speak a falsehood about the riches that are yours in Christ. That's what Paul says. And we'll see next week how this manifests itself in the church, because Paul has more to say here. But for now, let's just take in this most glorious imperative. And it's the first imperative we've come to in this letter. Let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. Oh, what a glorious imperative. It's just like telling Max, Max, go get some clothes on your back. And let's get you a home where you can live under a roof. It's a beautiful imperative. It's actually quite remarkable how Paul, you see, is weaving together orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Orthodoxy is right believing. Orthopraxy is right living. And Paul is interested in a Christian that is full of health, spiritual health, that it's not just a matter of correct knowing and correct believing and correct confessing, but rather the measure of that Christian's progress in those things is found in how it affects their life. Orthopraxy. And that is what defines a healthy Christian. One that has wedded together in his or her heart orthodoxy, right believing, right confessing, and also orthopraxy, right living, living that accords with that truth. And that's what Paul's doing for us here. Our conduct and our manner of life, it is not the gospel. Our conduct and manner of life don't add to the gospel, but our conduct and manner of life should adorn the gospel. Like ornaments on a Christmas tree, it brings your attention to it. It grabs your eyes and grabs your attention. He says that's what our lives should be like. It should adorn the gospel. It should attract others to saying, I want to know more about that Christ. Wouldn't it be remarkable that your life of selflessness would actually be the very thing that attracts one to asking questions about the king of kings and the Lord of lords and wants to know more about the two S's, that substitute, that satisfaction that Jesus made on your behalf? Well, what should be our motivation for living life this way? Should this just be merely emulation? Is Paul saying that he's just engaged in mere emulation? Just trying to imitate Jesus. That disturbing, let's say for lack of a better word, phrase, what would Jesus do? The gospel is what has Jesus done for you outside of you. That's the gospel. But is Paul giving us just a bare message of imitation? And also telling the church that you, like me, should imitate Jesus's sacrificial life? No. Remember where Paul left us off last time in verse 26? Why did he wish to remain with them for their progress? Look at verse 29. So that So that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again. It's in verse 26, I may have said 29. That your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again. My desire to come to you again and to labor among you for your progress is it so that you may boast in and glory in and exult in Jesus Christ all the more. All the more. You see what Paul's doing, he's putting their focus on the same thing that his focus is upon whenever he's suffering. His focus is upon the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the glory of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is what gives rise to his interest in emulating Jesus. That imperative to emulate the Lord Jesus in self-sacrifice is not to win or earn anything. It's a response of gratitude for what Jesus Christ has done. So that's where he is setting their attention. Brothers and sisters, where is our attention? Where is our attention today? Are we glorying in the gospel and seeing it with the value that Paul sees it? Do we see it as immeasurable riches that we have inherited because of our elder brother, because of his gift to us through salvation, such that it moves us and molds us and shapes us and has us living a life that is worthy of the gospel, that's shaped by the gospel, that mirrors our Lord's self-sacrifice. Let's end with this question. In light of all that Christ has done for you, a heart that's now swollen with gratitude, what would you like to give the Lord in thanksgiving for all that he's given to you? What if you had a gorgeous sky That's more beautiful than a painting, isn't it? A beautiful, glorious sky. What if that were to be a gift that you could give to Him? What about a mountain that just takes your breath away? What if that mountain were yours and you could give it to the Lord in thanksgiving for all that He has done for you? Or better yet, what if the entire realm of nature were yours? Would that be a present far too small? Would that be a present if all of nature were yours? Would that be a present far too small? Yes, it would be, for love so amazing and so divine demands our souls, our lives, and our all. Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the glorious gospel of Christ. Help us, Father, to see and recognize and be gripped by its value so that our lives are lived in a way that is so changed in such a way that it is conformed to that reality. Father, we pray that you would grip our hearts as Paul's heart was gripped, so that we would live lives worthy of the gospel with hearts full of gratitude. We pray this in Christ's name, amen. will receive now the blessing from the throne of God to the people of God. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord now and forevermore. Amen.