So if you would please turn in your Bibles to Philippians chapter 1. And we'll be focusing on verses 27 through 30 of Philippians chapter 1. Paul writes, 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 that I had, and now hear that I still have. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Dear Lord, I pray that you would work powerfully through me as I preach Your Word. I pray that You would work in the preaching of Your Word, that You would work in this church with the power of Your Holy Spirit, Lord. I pray that You would fill me with Your Holy Spirit and that through the preaching of Your Word, I pray that you would sanctify your church. I pray that you would fill everyone here today with your Holy Spirit. Those who know you, I pray that you would fill them with your Holy Spirit so that they would be focused on your truth alone this morning and that they would not be distracted by anything else that would encumber them or weigh them down or distract them from focusing on Christ. And for any here this morning, Lord, who do not know you, I pray that through the preaching of your word, though this passage is focused on believers, I pray that through the preaching of your word, that through the gospel, that they would be saved. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Now, before we dig into this text in Philippians, I want to first make a very important distinction so that no one here will be misled. I want to make a distinction between the gospel and living worthy of the gospel. Now, the gospel Paul says in Romans 1.16, is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. The gospel is the means of salvation. And we know from scripture that no one can earn their own salvation. The Bible says that he, God saved us and he called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace. An unregenerate man cannot be good enough to please God. He is not worthy of the gospel. And indeed, he cannot become worthy of the gospel by trying to be a good person. Romans chapter 3 says, none is righteous, no, not one. No one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have become worthless. No one does good, not even one. 1 John 1 says, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. All have sinned. Every one of us. You have broken God's law and become guilty. You are a sinner. And Romans 3.20 says, for by works of the law, no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Again, there is not even one person who is good enough to earn their own salvation. If you are not saved, you are a criminal in God's law court, and God is your judge. And God is a righteous judge who will by no means clear the guilty. The only way a sinner can be reconciled to God is through trusting in His Son, Jesus. Trusting in His work for the forgiveness of your sin. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Salvation is by grace alone, not by works or by grace plus works, but through faith alone in Christ alone. Romans 10 verse 9 says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. Romans 3 says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood to be received by faith. In verse 28, for we hold that one is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Ephesians 2.8, for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. The gospel is pure grace. The gospel is not based on our works. The gospel is about Christ and His works. Christ is the essence of the gospel. The gospel is what Christ has already done. Our works contribute nothing to our salvation. All our attempts at righteousness before we are saved are to be counted as filthy rags. Dr. Steve Lawson puts it well. He says, the only contribution man makes to his own salvation is the sin which nailed Christ to the cross. Salvation is a monergistic work, meaning that it is entirely the work of God and we contribute nothing to our salvation. Sanctification, what we will be talking about today, is a synergistic work, meaning that it is both God who works in us and He works in us for our sanctification and we work toward our sanctification. So now Paul is talking to those who have been saved. And to those who have been saved, the effect of the gospel on our lives is good works. Good works are a result of the new birth, not the cause of it. So, This passage here in Philippians is speaking to those who have been saved by the gospel, urging us to live in a manner worthy of this calling to which we have been called. So, back to our text, Philippians 1.27. Again, Paul says, only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. I want to first draw your attention to this word, only. It is purposefully placed at the beginning of our text for emphasis. This command to live worthy of the gospel is both exclusive and absolute. This one thing. Only this. Nothing should distract us from this objective. We are not called to only live this way when we are at church and Bible studies. This is to be our occupation, something we are concerned with all of the time. This must be what distinguishes us as Christians. We must be about the gospel. How we live must reflect the transforming power of the gospel in our lives. So let's look at this phrase, your manner of life. The Greek word behind this is sometimes translated as conduct yourselves, but it also carries the idea to live as citizens. This would have been very meaningful to the Philippians because Philippi was a Roman colony. This meant that the Philippians enjoyed Roman citizenship. And though they were not, in fact, living in Rome, and in fact, over 800 miles from Rome, they acted like Romans. They were proud to be Romans. They called themselves Romans. They did not forget that they were Romans. They spoke the language of the Romans. They dressed like Romans. They were passionate about their Roman citizenship and everything it meant. So Paul reminds the Philippians later in chapter three, verse 20, that our citizenship is in heaven. We are called to live our lives as citizens of the kingdom of heaven, not of this passing world. So how should a citizen of the kingdom of heaven conduct themselves? In a manner worthy of the gospel, consistent with what we know, consistent with what we preach, teach, and believe, living with integrity in every aspect of life. How we live must be determined by our heavenly citizenship. And if the Philippians were so committed to their earthly Roman citizenship, how much more should we, being fellow heirs with Christ of a glorious and heavenly kingdom, be devoted to living worthy of our citizenship? in the kingdom of Christ. Now this command to live worthy of the gospel covers every aspect of life. There is nothing we could think or say or do that this command does not apply to. Now our citizenship in heaven has been granted to us through the gospel. It is the gospel that brought us our citizenship. It is the gospel that is central to our heavenly citizenship. The text says that every part of our lives is to be lived worthy of the gospel of Christ. It is the gospel of Christ because it is both begun in the work of Christ and the work of the gospel will be brought to completion in us by Christ. Christ secured our salvation and Christ will complete his work in us on that day when we will be made like him. This message is called the gospel because it is good news. That is what the word means. It is in fact the greatest news for by it we are both rescued from the wrath of God and give an eternal life in Christ. The gospel is good news because it removes from us the greatest curse and gives us the greatest blessing. Christ is the author of the gospel and the object of the gospel. To live worthy of the gospel of Christ is to be like Christ, for Christ is the sum of the gospel. Ephesians 4.15 says, rather speaking the truth in love We are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ. And to be like Christ is to not be conformed to this world. For this world is opposed to Christ and it hates Christ. Romans 12 verse 2 says, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. To live worthy of the gospel of Christ is to live a life consistent with and obedient to the word of God. Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17, 17. Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth. Psalm 119 verse 101 says, I hold back my feet from every evil way in order to keep your word. Psalm 119 verse 9 says, How can a young man keep his way pure? The answer is by guarding it according to your word. In verse 11, David says, Your word I have treasured in my heart. that I may not sin against you." All throughout the Bible, we are called to this holy living. A few passages or Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1, Paul writes to the church at Ephesus, I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity, the spirit and the bond of peace. The first Thessalonians chapter two, verse 12. He writes to the Thessalonians, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. This is the will of God for your life. First Thessalonians 4.3 says, for this is the will of God, your sanctification. This is a call to bear fruit. Jesus said in John 15.8, by this my father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. So what is this fruit that we are supposed to be bearing? Galatians 5 says the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law and those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Now, this fruit of the Spirit is a result, it is the result of the Holy Spirit indwelling us. It is His power at work in our lives that generates this fruit. Jesus said in John 15, 8, By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. And then in verse 11, These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is for our joy. This call that Jesus calls us to is for our joy. Paul writes in Romans 12, one, I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Living worthy of the gospel is a lifelong sacrifice of worship. This is a call to put away the deeds of the flesh, the deeds that are natural for us in our sinfulness to do. This is a call to bear the fruit of the Spirit. To live in holiness, we must put away sin, and to put it away, we must fight against it, and we must fight against it with every bit of energy that Christ works in us. For sin is the thing that hinders our walk with God. We must make war against sin as a whole and against sins individually. We must resolve to live holy lives and to work hard to put to death those individual sins which so easily entangle us. And we cannot win the battle against sin in our own strength. We must fight against it and the power of the Spirit. We must also work hard not only to put off sin and to make war against sin, but to bear the fruits of the Spirit and to bear the specific fruits of the Spirit. We must both put off sin and put on Christ. This also must be in the power of the Spirit. Romans 13, 14 says, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. Colossians 3, 5 says, put to death therefore what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. In verse 8, but now you yourselves are to put off all these, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Galatians 5, verse 19 through 21, It says, now the works of the flesh are evident. Sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, enmity, sorcery, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. We must put off every one of these things. We must put off all sin. Now, our integrity is key to our witness to the world. And perhaps the greatest threat to the church's integrity is immorality. We live in the midst of an intensely immoral world. If we are not constantly on guard against it, the sensuality of the world will begin to sear our conscience. We must be actively keeping our thinking in line with scripture because the world wants to press us, press our thinking into its mold to seduce us and to entice us to sin in this way. The Bible often warns against immorality. It is devastating to our witness. It is devastating to our walk with the Lord. And it is easy to fall into. So we must be especially careful to avoid this sin. We must run from this sin. We must run directly to Christ when we are tempted with immorality. We cannot resist it on our own. If we try, we will lose the battle. We must run to Christ. Paul said that he beat his body into subjection. This is an illustration that he disciplined himself and kept his body under control because he knew how dangerous this sin of immorality is. 1 Corinthians 6.15 says, do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never. Or do you not know that he who is joined with a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is written, the two shall become one flesh. But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own. You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. And this, Paul says in Titus, is how we glorify God in our bodies. Titus 2.11, it is to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, waiting for our blessed hope. the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. God set us aside for this purpose, that we would glorify him. Now, if you would turn with me quickly to Colossians chapter three, Colossians chapter 3 verse 1. Paul says, if then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is. Seated at the right hand of God, set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory. Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you. sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of God is coming. In these, you too once walked when you were living in them, but now you must put them all away. Anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another. seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all and in all. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another. And if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you. So you also must forgive. And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. and let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. The church is God's chosen people, called out from the world to bear witness to Christ through our fruit. The church's greatest witness to the world is our spiritual integrity, like we just talked about. What kind of witness is a worldly church? A worldly church is like a candle buried in the mud. It is no light at all. The church cannot live beneath its theology or beneath its message. To be effective witnesses for Christ, we must demonstrate to the world the effect of the gospel on our lives. It destroys our witness for Christ to the world. When we say one thing and do another thing, when we call ourselves citizens of heaven and live like citizens of the kingdom of darkness, Now, when the world observes how we live, our goal should be to lead them to Christ, not to be like the Pharisees, who are all about getting people to look at them. Jesus said in Matthew 6-1, Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. We are not to go around boasting as if our righteousness originated from us. Our righteousness is in Christ and a result of His work in us. So we must boast in the Lord, not in ourselves. This passage is also translated, let your conversation be such as becometh the gospel. Indeed, our conversation is part of how we live and a very central part Our conversation displays our character because our words flow from how we think. Matthew 15, 18, Jesus said, what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart and this defiles person. What we say comes directly from our mind. So if we are to speak in a way that is worthy of the gospel, we must think in a manner worthy of the gospel. Paul says in Philippians 4, later in this book, in 4 verses 8-9, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace will be with you. Our thinking is the source of everything we say and everything we do. Our thinking directs our manner of life. Let us be very careful then to make sure that we think rightly. Our thoughts instruct our actions. What we do follows how we think. If our thoughts are unstable and wondering, we can be sure that our life is going to be the same. If our thoughts are hypocritical, we can be sure that our life is hypocritical. So now Paul says, only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. so that whether I come and see you or I'm absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. So let's look at this phrase, so that whether I come and see you or I'm absent. Paul is saying that whether he is here, whether he is there or not, is not critical. What is critical is that they live and a manner worthy of the gospel. They did not need to wait till Paul came to start living worthy of the gospel. Paul is saying by implication to the Philippians, you have all of the spiritual resources available to you. They had all the spiritual resources that they needed for their sanctification through the verse-by-verse expository preaching of the Bible, personal study of the Bible, the striving side-by-side of the church, and the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit. We were sanctified by the truth from the Word of God alone. No outside sources. information are valid. Scripture is sufficient. All the truth that we need to know for our sanctification is contained in the Bible. 2 Timothy 3.16, a verse we all know well, says, all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. We are sanctified by this truth from the word of God through three means. Number one, the expositional preaching of the Bible. Two, again, personal study in the scriptures. And three, the work of the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us through these other means. When Paul says that I may hear of you, he is saying that even if he cannot come and see the Philippians, he wants to hear of them. That they are living worthy of the gospel. And he wants to hear, again, three things about them specifically. That they are standing firm. That they are striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. And that they are not frightened or intimidated by the persecution of their opponents. This is not just what Paul expects of the Philippians. This is what God expects of the church. And not just the church of Philippi, but every church. These things ought to be true of this church. That others would hear about this church. That we are living worthy of the gospel. That we are standing firm, striving side by side one another for the faith of the gospel. that we are not frightened by persecution. Let us be known for these things. Let everyone hear this about us, that the gospel is what we are about, that we not only preach the gospel, but that we live in a manner worthy of the gospel. Let them hear and let them see that the gospel is what defines us as Christians. 1 Peter 2.9 says this to the church, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession. that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable. So that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Jesus said in Matthew 5 in his Sermon on the Mount, you are the salt of the earth. But if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and set it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works. and give glory to our Father who is in heaven. We are commanded here in Matthew five to have a powerful witness visible to all the world so that God may be glorified in us and through us. Now, the first thing that Paul says he wants to hear of the Philippians is that they are standing firm. He is saying, in effect, dear Philippians, whatever happens, I want to hear of you that you are standing firm. This is a call for loyalty to the Lord. We must stand firm in this way of life we have been called to. We are to stand firm in what we have been taught. We are to stand firm against the devil, against the world, and against our flesh. We must resist the devil. We must resolve to live this way and be unwavering in our commitment. Philippians 4.1 says, Stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. 1 Corinthians 16.13 says, Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Ephesians 6.11-18 says, Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm." Stand, therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit. with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." Standing firm means not moving from where you should be standing, like a guard at his post, being steadfast. It means resisting temptation from the world, the flesh, and the devil. It means not playing around with sinful thoughts. Standing firm means being at alert, not sitting or laying down. It is not a relaxed position. It is a position ready for battle, having on the armor of God like a soldier, sword out, shield up, muscles flexed. We must be on the alert, ready for anything. We are in a spiritual battle that is raging all around us. We cannot put down our sword or shield, or take off our armor, we cannot let down our guard for even a second. Because if we do let down our guard, we will surely be wounded. We will surely be struck by one of the flaming darts of the enemy. This battle is not imaginary. It is very real. The devil is watching us, waiting for a chance, waiting for us to let our guard down, And the second we do, He will strike. We have a cunning enemy. We must not give the devil an opportunity. He will take every chance he gets to trip us, to get us to take our eyes off of Christ. 1 Corinthians 10-12 says, Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. But we must stand firm. And God will give us the strength to stand firm if we look to Him. 1 Corinthians 10.13 says, No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. With the temptation, He will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it. Hebrews 12 verses 1 through 2 gives this illustration of a runner. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. We are to strive as an athlete in a race, straining with every fiber of our being to live worthy of this gospel, to put off sin, to put on Christ. Now, standing firm is also to not mess around with false doctrine. It is to be discerning, to not be tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine. Ephesians 4.14 states this. It's like this illustration of the soldier again. Hold your ground. Don't waver from this faith that you have been taught. Romans 16, 17 says, Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you have learned and turn away from them. Now, if someone claims to be a Christian and does not stand firm in the truth and does not live in a manner worthy of the gospel, it may be evidence that they are not saved. This is why the Bible tells us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. Jesus said in John 14, 15, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. A true Christian wants to live worthy of the gospel. A true Christian loves his Savior. A true Christian knows that Christ died to set him free from the bondage of sin. A true Christian understands that Christ bore his sin on the cross where he absorbed the wrath that we deserve to satisfy the justice of God on our behalf. A true Christian knows that the righteousness of Christ has been credited to his account so that he is now declared righteous before God. A true Christian is a new creation in Christ. His heart has been changed. This is what 2 Corinthians 5.17 says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. But, though our hearts have been changed, we still at this time remain in the flesh. And it is so easy to become distracted, to lose sight of our calling, to be lured into the traps of the world, the snares of the devil and the desires of our flesh. It is so easy to let the truth slip from the forefront of our mind and to remember the fleeting pleasures of sin. Paul is afraid of this very thing about the church in Corinth when he says in 2 Corinthians 11.3, But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. This is why we must be reminded of these things over and over again. Paul says in Philippians chapter three, verse one, to write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. We must be constantly reminded because we have not yet been set free from this body of death. Paul says in Romans 7, 24, wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? But the mark of a true Christian is that he hates sin. A true Christian may fall and fall hard, but he proves his salvation to be real by godly sorrow over his sin, genuine repentance, and forgetting what lies behind. and straining forward to what lies ahead. He will press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3.14. What is this prize? It is Christ Himself. This is the day that we long for, that glorious day when we will at last be united with Christ and set free from this body of death. This is the hope that drives our obedience. We press on because we have hope. The promise of eternal life through Christ who is himself our hope of glory, Colossians 1.27 says. Hebrews 10.23 says, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. Let us walk in obedience, looking to the hope that lies before us, Christ, who has prepared a place for us in glory. One day, The church will be presented to Christ without spot or blemish, and we will be made one with Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb, and we will spend eternity in the presence of His glory. Let us have joy in this great hope and walk worthy of Christ, not out of legalism, but looking forward to His return, so that we would be found walking in Him and not ashamed before Him when He comes. This is the hope by which we stand firm. John 2.28 says, And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming. So, back to Philippians 1.27. We see that we are to be standing firm in one spirit with one mind. This is talking about unity in the church. The church is to be united in love. The gospel message is full of love, and it is the gospel of God who is himself love, and if we are to live worthy of it, we must be full of love. This too is a witness to the world. Jesus said in John 13, 35, by this all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another. Jesus says in John 15, 12, this is my commandment, that you love one another. as I have loved you." Our love for each other is to be so deep. It is to be like the love, the very love that Christ has shown to us. Philippians 2.14 says, it gives us instructions about how to be unified as a church. It says, do all things without grumbling or disputing so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you appear as lights in the world. How does a church attain to such unity? we must know what causes disunity and eliminate it. Disunity is caused by selfishness, people seeking their own interests. Selfishness is the enemy of unity. Harmony can only come about when we are not concerned for our own interests, but rather concerned for the well-being of each other. Believers are called to not live for themselves, but for the good of others, for the building up of the church, not for their own interests. When each person in the church is concerned about everyone else, and not themselves, unity results. Philippians 2, 3 says, do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves. The church is a body of individual members and is only effective in its mission when its members act in unity for one purpose. Romans 12, 4, for as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members, one of another. Galatians 5, 13 says, through love, serve one another, for the whole law is fulfilled in one word. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. And verse 25 says, if we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Unity matters. Getting your way does not matter. What matters is what others think. And when there is unity, it produces joy. Psalm 133 verse 1 says, how good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity. This unity of the church is, in fact, to be so deep that it reflects the unity of the Trinity itself. Jesus prayed for us in John 17, that we might be one in this way. He said, Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. He continues to plead on our behalf In verse 21, he says that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, even as we are one. and I in them, and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you love me." Now, this unity of the church is not to be at the cost of truth. The truth must not be compromised at any cost. Galatians 1.8 says, but even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preach to you, let him be accursed. Paul is saying it doesn't matter who is teaching it. If it is heresy, let him be accursed because the gospel is the message by which the church stands or falls. The church is to be united in the truth of the gospel. And if anyone comes in teaching anything other than sound doctrine, we must not give him credence for a moment. The church is to be united in this sound doctrine. Ephesians chapter one, verses four through six says, there is one body and one spirit, just as you are called to one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all who is over all and through all and in all. Now Paul is saying he wants to hear of the Philippians, they're striving side-by-side for the faith of the gospel. We're not supposed to be lone wolf Christians. We need accountability. We need to be standing side-by-side each other to encourage each other. We should be able to identify those in the church whom we are standing side-by-side with. We need to stand side-by-side each other for accountability and encouragement. Galatians 6.2 says, bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. If a member of the church wanders away from the fellowship of the church and distances themselves, no longer walking side-by-side the soldiers of the gospel who would hold them to account, there is no one close enough to catch them when they begin to trip. or to encourage them when they let their guard down. Now, so Paul also says he wants to hear of them that they are not frightened in anything by their opponents. The gospel has opponents because it is the gospel of Christ and the world hates Christ. We see in verse 13 that Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians because he was in prison for the defense of the gospel. The threat of persecution was very real to Paul and the Philippians. The threat of persecution is very real to many of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world, who are being put in prison and even killed for the faith of the gospel. But most of us here do not have firsthand experience of this kind of persecution. We do frequently see headlines indicating the growing opposition to the gospel in this country, but we are still able to live relatively peaceful lives without fear of anyone killing us or putting us in prison for the gospel. We can see clearly, however, that there is opposition and there is hostility toward the gospel of Christ. We do see this. The world hates Christ because the world loves its sin. And the gospel calls men to repent and turn from sin. Mark 1.15 says, repent and believe in the gospel. So, 1 John 3.13 says, do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. The world hates us because we are ambassadors of Christ and it hates Christ. John 15, 18, if the world hates you, Jesus said, know that it has hated me before it has hated you. Jesus affirmed this again in his prayer to the Father for us in John 17, that this opposition is because we are in him. He said, This prayer to the Father, the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Look how he prays for us, for our protection. Verse 15, I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. So, we preach a message that is totally against everything that the world wants. The world hates Christ and hates us, again, because it wants its sin. It does not want to be told to repent. The world does not want to be convicted of its sin. So, next Paul says, this opposition is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation and that from God. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, because in their opposition to the gospel, they show that they have no part in the gospel. They prove themselves to have no part in Christ by their hostility toward Christ and His church. This hostility of the world to us, Paul says, is also a clear sign to us of our salvation. Jesus said in Matthew 5.11, blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account, rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Now verse 29 of Philippians. 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 hear that I still have. We're to look to Christ in this persecution that is for the sake of Christ. As the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews chapter 12, verses three through four, consider him who has endured such hostility by sinners against himself so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood and you're striving against sin. First Peter one verses three through seven says, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. In this, you greatly rejoice. even though now for a little while, if necessary, you've been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Paul says in Romans 1.18, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed to us. We may experience trials here on earth, but the heavy pain of trials, no matter how severe it may seem, becomes light and insignificant when we look to the hope that is laid before us. God promises to reward us when we are faithful in these things. What a joy and encouragement this is, both in the midst of trials and any time in life. God is not obligated to reward us. Beginning with our salvation and all the way to our glorification, anything good in us is from God. James 1.17 says, Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. We are saved because God saved us. And if in anything we are now faithful, it is because of His power at work within us. Yet, in His own good pleasure, He has promised to reward us in glory for our faithfulness. What kindness and mercy and grace He has shown to sinners such as you and I. How great is our God. I will close with this. Second Thessalonians chapter two, verses 16 through 17. It says, now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. Let's pray. Dear Lord, I pray that you would help us Help us to live worthy of your gospel. Help us to not do this out of some kind of ritual or legalism. But that we would look to this hope that we have read about. This hope of glory. This hope when we will be made one with your Son Christ. I pray that you would help us, Lord, to live in this way with joy. I pray that you would, as you said, Lord, that you would make your joy to be in us and that you would cause our joy to be full through our obedience to you. I pray, Lord, that you would strengthen us for the rest of this day and for the rest of our lives to live in a manner worthy of the gospel. That every thought, every word, and every action, though we have this body of sin, I pray that we would strive with every bit of energy that you give us, Lord. I pray that we would strive for the faith of the gospel. We would be striving side by side as a church, building each other up, encouraging one another in love. I pray that you would work in us through your Holy Spirit, that this would become a reality in our lives, and that this reality in our lives would grow, that you would grow us up in this, that you would mature us into the head who is Christ. I pray now, Lord, that as we are about to bring our songs of praise before you. And then as we fellowship, I pray that our worship in song would be pleasing to you, that our worship would be worthy of the gospel, that we would not be distracted by anything else, but that we would be focused on Christ alone. I pray, Lord, that our fellowship would be honoring to you. And that we would build each other up, encourage each other, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.