Please open your Bibles to Philippians Chapter 1. Philippians Chapter 1. This evening's text will be verses 27 to 30. This is found on page 1248 if you're using the Pew Bible. Philippians Chapter 1, beginning in verse 27. Give ear now to God's holy, inerrant, and life-giving word. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had, and now here I still have. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God abides forever. Let us pray. Our gracious God in heaven. We asked tonight that as we consider. What it means to live a worthy life, a life worthy of the Gospel of your son that it would please you by your spirit. To grow us not only in our obedience to the calling that is ours, but in a thankfulness for that heavy calling and most of all, an appreciation that you have not left us to do it on our own. but that you have given us Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We ask in Christ's name and for his sake, amen. Marley was dead. There was no doubt about that. He was dead as a doornail. And so begins Charles Dickens' famous tale, A Christmas Carol. And this holiday classic tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. He was the former business partner of the now late Jacob Marley. Scrooge lives a bitter and self-centered life until one Christmas Eve, he has a visit from the ghost of his old partner. Marley has come to warn him of his need to turn a new leaf. You see, Marley had led a very similar life to Scrooge, self-centered, only concerned with money. And so he had forged chains that were now his to carry in the afterlife. And after this visit from Marley, as well as three other spirits that night, Scrooge would awake the next morning a changed man. He decided to live according to a new principle. No longer would money and selfish gain be what governed his life. Rather, he would live his whole life long according to the spirit of Christmas. No longer would he be selfish, but rather giving. No longer gruff, but kind. No longer shouting bah humbug, but rather Merry Christmas and God bless us, everyone. He had a new thing that was governing every facet of his life. The Apostle Paul issues a similar charge to the Philippians in our text tonight. He tells them that they are to have a single goal, that they are to have a laser-like focus for their lives. A focus that is not unlike David wrote of and we sang even earlier tonight in Psalm 27. One thing I please before the Lord and seek with heart upraised that I may come within God's house. and dwell there all my days." You see, up to this point in the letter, Paul has dealt with matters concerning himself, of which the Philippians had very lovingly inquired. But now he will deal with his concerns for them. Specifically, he will deal with how they are to think about life. What will guard and govern their outlook and behavior? Or to put it another way, How shall they then live in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity? In the earliest years of the faith, Christians were considered by the ruling class, by the governing officials, to just be another sect of Judaism. But as the years went on, it became increasingly obvious that Christianity was not the same religion as first century Judaism. And so they lost many of the perks and privileges, the chief of which was that they could worship their God in peace. And so the persecutions came. Hence, Paul is writing this letter from prison. He's in prison for preaching the gospel of Christ. And so whatever may happen to him, He wants the Philippians to live for Christ even amidst persecutions. And my friends, I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but I hope you know that we're not living in all that different of a situation from the church at Philippi. We live in a time and in a place where the culture is becoming increasingly hostile towards Christianity. And so Paul is speaking to us tonight as well, and he gives us a word which we would do well to pay attention to as a lamp shining in a dark place. And so as we consider Paul's charge to the Philippians tonight, we will do so under these three headings. The call to a worthy life, that's the first part of verse 27. The call to a worthy life. The description of the worthy life, that's the rest of 27 and into 28. And finally, the source of the worthy life, that's verses 29 and 30. So there's the call to the worthy life, the description of the worthy life, and finally the source of the worthy life. Verse 27 is actually the first imperative that we've encountered in this letter. In other words, up to this point, Paul has not commanded the Philippian Christians to do anything. But now, as we begin a new section, which we might call the body of the letter, he turns from greetings to exhortations. And he begins with this word, only, which highlights the importance of what he's about to say. We might say that Paul has been careful not to issue any command so far because he knows that this first one is going to be a big one. One commentator explains, the force of the word only is tremendous. It's as if Paul had said, this one thing and this only, nothing else must distract or excuse them from this great objective. So what is the great objective? Or to put it another way, what is the meaning of life for the Christian? Or to put it yet another way, what is the chief end of man? Paul does not answer the same way the Shorter Catechism does, but yet he answers with the very same spirit. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. The phrase manner of life in our ESV translates a single Greek word, the closest English equivalent would be citizenship. It's actually translated that same way in chapter 3 verse 20 when Paul writes, but our citizenship is in heaven. In fact, if you have an English Standard Version of the Scriptures, you may notice that there's a footnote over this verse that gives a more literal rendering in the margins that says, only behave as citizens. As we touched on earlier in this series, being a citizen of Philippi had a great deal of significance, and Paul was kind of playing off of that concept here. It brought with it a lot of cultural advantages that are frankly hard to relate to in our modern context. You see, in the ancient world in general, but in Philippi especially, the category of citizenship was a much more central component to one's identity than we tend to think of it today. James Montgomery Boyce helpfully explains, in our day, it is possible for a person to live in a city and yet feel no attachment to it. This was not possible for the citizen of a Greek city. Its laws were part of his being. Its customs were something of which he was proud. The city demanded his complete loyalty, and he gave it willingly. And so with that understanding in mind then, what Paul is saying is don't forget where your real citizenship is. You would not do anything to violate the standards of conduct for a citizen of Philippi. Likewise, do not do anything in your life that is unbefitting of the conduct of a citizen of heaven. The scope is vast. It's all-encompassing. Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. I told you this is a big imperative. How are we sinners to be worthy of the gospel of Christ? Now notice he's not saying that you earn your way into the gospel of Christ. He's not saying first live a worthy life, live a life becoming of a worthy citizen and then we'll talk about letting you in. No, he's saying you are a citizen of heaven so live like it. In everything you do, but also in every word that you say, every thought that you think is to be taken captive to Christ, The way in which you approach every part of your life, from work to education to entertainment to leisure, should all be done through the lens of submission to the Lord Christ. In his autobiography, the 1996 Olympic gold medalist Kurt Engel describes his training regimen. Becoming a gold medalist was the greatest ambition of his life. It dominated his life, both in big things such as where he lived, where he went to school, obviously he had to be where the best training facility was, where the best trainers were, but also in little things that you and I would tend to not think of. It dictated what time he went to bed at night. It dictated what time he got up in the morning. It governed what he ate, when he ate, and how much he ate down to the very ounce. Literally, Every second of every minute of every hour of every day for years of his life were calculated according to this one goal. This one thing he desired and that he sought for to be an Olympic gold medalist and so he was. This level of commitment begins to approach what Paul is calling Christians to when he writes, only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel. Every aspect and part of your day needs to be sifted through this filter. As Moses Silva put it, there is no respite from Christian obligation. I would like to think that in a congregation such as ours, This is not new information to too many of us here. However, is it possible that we affirm in mind the supremacy of Christ and his gospel overall, and yet we limit it in practice? It would be very easy in a context such as ours To think that if I just get my family in the right church, if I just get my kids in the right school or the right homeschool curriculum, then I'm home free. I've set up the Christian life and I can put it on autopilot from there. Now we might not ever say that. I hope we would never say that, but is it possible that we could live like that? You see, the scriptures call for much more than just actively being a part of the right groups and organizations. And sure, it's important where you go to church. There are a few decisions you'll make in life that are more important than what church you're a part of. And sure, it's important where you send your children to school and how you educate them. But these you ought to have done without neglecting the others. Jesus warns in Matthew chapter 12 that we will give an account not just for those big decisions, He says in Matthew 12, 36, that we will give an answer for every careless word that we speak. This is a heavy calling. But I want to say clearly that the worthy life that Paul is calling us to is is not one that has achieved perfect obedience in all of these areas. It is all-encompassing, it is demanding, but Paul would say himself later in this very same letter, chapter 3, verse 12, in this same context, not that I've already obtained it, not that I'm already perfect, but I press on. And then in the next verse he repeats, I do not consider that I have made it, but one thing I do, straining forward, The worthy life that he is calling us to live is not one that has achieved perfection, but one that is striving intentionally and consistently for that holiness without which none shall see the Lord. Thank the Lord that you don't have to earn your way into the benefits of the gospel, but rather your faith in the gospel is making you a new creation. Behold, the old has passed away and all things are become new. And your faith in the gospel is making you more like Christ from one degree of glory to the next. Paul is calling the Philippians to live as though that is happening to them. And again, I suspect that this principle is one that many of us know, but Paul is not laboring to teach an intricate principle here. He's calling us to conform our practice to the best of our ability to that principle. Now, there are lots of ways, of course, that Paul could paint this picture, could describe the worthy life. If you would like for an additional treatment of this, what does it look like to submit all of my life to the Word of God? I would commend to you the larger Catechism 101 to 150, and you will see question by question, line by line, what it looks like to conform your practice to the Word of God. But Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives us two specific examples in our text, and so we will focus our attention there. Immediately on the heels of this command, Paul gives us a purpose clause with two clear results that he expects to see. This time of year, my family and I love to go to Skytop Falls, this apple orchard, and in the same way that we expect to see apples when we go there. Paul expects to see this fruit in the lives of the church. Look at verse 27, the next part. He says, so that In other words, for this reason, you should live a life worthy of the gospel. Whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. Paul expects that living a life worthy of the gospel will produce firm unity and steadfast faith. Part of honoring the command to live a life worthy of the gospel is to live a life with others who have been changed by that same gospel. This is to be normative for the Christian. This is not to downplay or deny the personal nature of the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is in one sense an intensely personal message that God so loved you that he sent his only son so that you might not perish but have eternal life. It's an intensely personal message that for your sake God the Father made Christ the Son who knew no sin to be sin so that in him you might become the righteousness of God. There is a very personal element to this, but there is a corporate element, and that is what Paul is focused on. See, Christ did not die just for persons such as you and me individually. He died for a people, which is all of us together. That is to say, all of the elect. Paul would say it this way to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, 28, that God purchased the church with his blood. Or as we just sang a few moments ago, with his own blood, he bought her and for her life, he died. That's not just a line about any of us individually. That's about us as a body. And that's why it's important that we sing and worship together. There is no solo Christian life. The point is that we are not islands to ourselves. We are to have union with other believers, standing firm. The late Gordon Fee explains the image is of people engaged in spiritual warfare, imagery that will hardly be lost on those who live in a military colony such as Philippi. They're engaged in spiritual warfare and they're standing their ground firmly. It's true, we long for that consummation of peace forevermore when the church victorious shall be the church at rest, but that is not where we are. We are mid toil and tribulation and tumult of our war, and we have an adversary, the devil, who prowls like a roaring lion, seeking that which he may devour. And he has demanded to have you, that he might sift you as wheat. And yet Jesus has prayed for you. And so you must stand firm and resist the devil. This is not a game. He is not playing. That's part of the price of being a member of the church. The Bible says in Revelation 12, 12, that the devil has come down to us in great wrath because he knows that his time is short. But the good news is you have not been sent on a one-man suicide mission. We need each other and by God's grace he has given us one another to be part of the church. To live a life worthy of the gospel is to live a life in concern for fellow believers, especially their spiritual state. I hope you all make regular use of the intercessor prayer guide. That you would follow up on those. We ought to be praying for one another and checking in. How can I help you? How can I build you up? But it's also a life that is to be accountable to other believers for your spiritual state. Among other things, one purpose of the church is that we would keep watch on one another and encourage each other. No one has ever accidentally stumbled into holiness. No, we need to help one another. Encouraging each other in example, encouraging each other in prayer, and if necessary, even in exhortation. None is to be beyond reproach in the hopes that all might live above reproach." Now, when he speaks of striving together in one spirit and in one mind, there is much debate amongst the commentators how to take this phrase, in one spirit. I am persuaded that this should be taken as a reference to the Holy Spirit. As some might say, that should be a capital S spirit in your translation as the NIV renders it. There are several reasons to take it this way. For one, if we understand this reference to one spirit to be the Holy Spirit, it becomes easier to distinguish between what it means when Paul writes one spirit and one mind. Another reason is when Paul takes up this very same theme at the end of the body of the letter, later in chapter three, he will tell the Philippians, stand firm in the Lord. which is a nice parallel to the spirit who is Lord. Finally, and I think the best reason to take it as a reference to the Holy Spirit, is that that would point us then to the one who is the true architect of this unity that we are called to have. To live a life worthy of the gospel requires the illumination and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is how Paul often exhorts the early church to live in a manner worthy of the gospel. He would say in 1 Corinthians 6, 19, do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? And this is also the very same basis that he points to in Ephesians chapter two for our unity when he writes, you are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. What's the significance? It's this, that in our call to live a worthy life, our chief resource is not ourselves. It is not our best efforts. No, our chief resource to live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ is the God who has brought us into communion with him, the God who preaches the gospel of Christ. We are reminded that sanctification is not a work of man by himself. It is not something that we do on our own, but rather it is the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God and enabled more and more to die unto sin and to live unto righteousness. Yes, we need to pursue it. Yes, we need to be diligent about it. We must plant seeds, we must water, but we must do so knowing that it is God who gives the growth. Yes, the scriptures tell us that we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. But the very next verse would caution us to do so with the knowledge that it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to do his good pleasure. Finally, on this verse, notice what this unity is around. It's not unity for the sake of unity, as many would call you to. Yes, institutional unity is a nice thing. I enjoy being part of a denomination. It's great. But the unity that we are to stand firm on, that we are to strive for, is a unity for the faith of the gospel. What is the faith of the gospel? What does Paul mean by that? He means that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. The gospel is not that Jesus gives us a good example to follow after, though he certainly does that. The gospel is not that Jesus made salvation possible for you so long as you do your part. No. The gospel that comes from the pen of the Apostle Paul is that Jesus actually accomplishes salvation for his people. That he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Titus chapter 3 verse 5. And this he did while we were still weak. At the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. came to give his life as a ransom for many. And we're reminded that we have been ransomed from the futile ways inherited from our forefathers, not by perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ. Thinking back to the prodigal son from this morning's sermon, the gospel is that it is because of the love of the father that both sons are invited to come home. My friends, our unity is not to be built on anything less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. That is our one foundation, one Lord, one faith, one birth. And it is the only thing that can unify sinners such as us this side of heaven that Christ has brought us to himself. Now, there is a second thing. This passage would tell us is required to be produced out of the worthy life, and that is a steadfast faith. Look at verse 28. And not frightened in anything by your opponents. How's the gospel? How does that allow us to be unafraid of anything from our opponents? Again, it's fairly simple. If you're believing the gospel, you know the Lord. You know the one who holds all things together. Jesus said, do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell. According to Jesus, when it comes to your opponents, worst case scenario, they kill you. But as we saw last time in our study of Philippians for the Christian, To die is gain. What's more, for those who fear the Lord, Jesus goes on to say, not even a sparrow will fall to the ground apart from your father. But as to you, even the hairs of your head are numbered. Fear not, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows. What's he saying? He's saying that even if the worst happens to you, it happens under the authority of God. It happens according to the sovereignty of God, and though our enemies may well mean it for evil, God meant it for good. A lot of prosperity preachers love to quote the verse from Isaiah, no weapon formed against you shall prosper. It's a true verse, just not the way they use it. That verse in no way promises that nothing bad will ever happen to you. Rather, it affirms that at the last day it will be You who stand vindicated and not your opponents, they will not win in the end, so have no fear. Let goods and kindred go. This mortal life also, the body they may kill, but God's truth abided still, and his kingdom is forever. You have nothing to fear. As we've said numerous times tonight, the principle is simple. The practice of that is difficult. Are you afraid tonight? We've heard in pastoral prayer tonight, and we heard in the pastoral prayer this morning, prayers about the midterm elections. I don't know if you've heard of them or not, but they're coming up on Tuesday. Are you afraid of how they might go? I'm not asking, do you care? We're supposed to care. The Bible says that we're to pray about these things. Jeremiah would write, seek the welfare of the city, pray to the Lord on its behalf. I'm asking, are you afraid? Does it keep you up at night? Does it cause you to lash out at others who might disagree with you with anger and malice? Are you afraid of what might happen to the economy? Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth. Are you afraid of what might happen to the church? The gates of hell will not prevail against her. Are you afraid of what might happen to our nation, our culture? Well, here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Now, maybe you're not afraid for your own sake. Maybe You're afraid of the world that your children or your grandchildren might grow up in or are growing up in. Well, the same God who promised that he would never leave you nor forsake you, he also promised that he would be a God to you and to your children after you. You need not be frightened in anything by your opponents. Trust God and believe. His promises. And this unshakable hope in God is not easy. I know that. But it is what the text calls us to. And Paul will say in verse 28 of this steadfast faith that it is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation and that from God. And there may be no greater picture of steadfast courage in the face of your opponents than that of the church father Polycarp. He had a courage that was a sure sign of his salvation and of the destruction of his executioners. He was martyred in the year 155 because he refused to recant Christ. And when they came to arrest him, he actually welcomed them into his home. He gave them food and water. He was not afraid. They offered him another chance to recant. All he had to do was say, Caesar is Lord. But he stood firm, and the council warned him, I have beasts. Send for them. The council warns again, if you despise the beasts, I will send you to the fires. And he's got a very famous line that he says here, and perhaps you've heard it before. Eighty and six years have I served Christ, and he has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who has saved me? And if it ended there, it would be a wonderful and perfectly good picture of steadfast faith in the face of adversity. And it is that. But it's also a sure sign of the destruction of those who are killing him as he says, You threaten the fire that burns for about an hour, but you know nothing of the fire of the judgment to come and the fire of eternal punishment. Bring what you will." This was a picture of a man of whom it can truly be said the world was not worthy. To live the worthy life is a comprehensive call, and it will require a firm unity and a steadfast faith These are heavy matters to consider. It's easy to see why Jesus told many to count the cost. But it's right that we feel the weight of this. But as we conclude our passage tonight, Paul does not leave us with just a heavy call for how we are to live our lives. He points us to the fountain of life itself. Paul begins the final verses of chapter 1 with the word for. That means he's about to tell us the ground or the basis on which we are expected to live the worthy life. The reason then that Paul can make this great command, the reason that he can give this heavy imperative in v. 27 is because of this glorious indicative, or to use less technical terminology, Because what he is about to say in verse 29 is true of every Christian, what he calls us to in verse 27 is possible for every Christian. Look at verse 29. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake. First of all, that it has been granted to you to believe the gospel to obey the Gospel, to obey the call to live a life worthy of the Gospel begins with belief in the Gospel. And what's more, it not only begins there, but it is also carried forward and propelled forward by our faith in that same Gospel. It is the means by which we are able to do all of these things. And this may be the only sermon you ever hear in your life where Polycarp is quoted twice, but he also wrote to this church just a few decades after this letter, and he was writing on what it meant to be a citizen worthy of heaven. And he said this. If we please him in this present world, we shall receive from him that which is to come in that which is to come, even as he promised to raise us from the dead. And that if we are worthy citizens of his community, now it sounds like what he just said is that if we do our part, then God will keep his promise. But that's not the end of the quote. It goes on, if we have but faith. It is through faith in the promises of God that we are able to obey the commands of God. His full confidence in what God had promised to do was that he was assured of his interest in those promises through faith. He understood, as Augustine would say after him, that it is God's prerogative to command what he will. But it is our only hope that God would also grant what he commands. But that's not the only basis on which Paul expects us to obey this call. There is another resource that has been granted to us. And it's one that we don't often think of as a resource given to us as a good gift. Look again at verse 29. It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him. But also suffer. his sake now I know as good reformed folk we understand that suffering is under the providence of God we understand that as we said earlier it is not outside of his control and and even as Paul would promise in Romans 8 28 that it will all work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose but he's suggesting here that it has been granted to you In a positive sense, in a good sense, even in the here and now. How is that possible? Well, notice he's not speaking of suffering in the abstract. It's not a general suffering. It's a specific type. Suffering for the sake of Christ. Jesus said there is not one who has left father or mother or children or anything else that will not receive a hundredfold suffering for the sake of Christ. William Hendrickson lists in his commentary on Philippians five ways that suffering, even in the moment, is a good gift from God. First, he says, it brings Christ nearer to the soul of the Christian. What he means by that is that as believers suffer for Christ's sake, we better understand the Christ who suffered for our sake. Secondly, it brings assurance of salvation. As the Christian suffers for Christ, they are assured. They're really believing the gospel, that Christ is the chiefest among 10,000 to them, that he is worth it. Thirdly, that it will be rewarded in the hereafter. As I already quoted, Jesus said, there is no one who has not left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the gospel who will not receive a hundredfold. Fourth, it is often a means of winning unbelievers for Christ. In fact, Paul makes that direct application in Philippians 1, 12 to 14. that what has happened to him has served to advance the gospel, both in the conversion of the guards that are watching over him, but it has also emboldened the faith, strengthened the faith of other believers in Rome. And then he closes, cumulatively, all of these serve to frustrate Satan and glorify God. I'll throw one more quote at you and we'll wrap up. Matthew Harmon sums it up very well when he writes, the end result of suffering is hope in the love of God. Suffering is the evidence that the believer already participates in the age to come while still living in the present evil age. In other words, as you come to understand the glories of heaven, The wonder that is the new heavens and the new earth where he will wipe away every tear from our eyes and no unclean thing will ever enter again. When you understand that, this world becomes less a place of wonder and more a place of woe. And the people of this age will reject you for your faith. And yet you know that it is worth it. Because it has been granted to you by your master who loves you and gave himself for you that not only would you believe, but you would also suffer for his sake. And I have to admit, this is not the plan as I would have laid it out. I would not have had suffering be such a big part of drawing me closer to Christ. I love the way Dr. Phillips puts it. He says, I love myself and I have a wonderful plan for my life. It's called happiness. God loves me more and has a better plan for me. It's called holiness. And he works that out through suffering. As the hymn writer wrote, and we will sing in just a minute, it's as if God says, these inward trials I employ from self and pride to set thee free. And break thy schemes of earthly joy. Why? That thou mayest find thine all in me. Let's pray. Father in heaven, You have called us to yourself. You have called us to live a life worthy of the gospel of your son. But we know that the only way that we can do that is through faith in the power of that same gospel. Lord, we believe help our unbelief. Even if that help comes through suffering, for we know that whatever you ordain is right and that you do all things well, make us pleasing in your sight in all of life, whatever the cost. We ask it in the precious and matchless name, the name above every name, the only name given under heaven by which we must be saved. We ask it in the name of Jesus. Amen.