Philippians 1:27-30: Living Worthy

Living Worthy: Philippians 1:27-30

Our Scripture reading this morning comes from Philippians 1:27-30. Hear now the words of the Living and True God:

²⁷ 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, ²⁸ 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. 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, ³⁰ engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

May God bless the reading of his Word.

Those who know me well, know that Francis Schaeffer ranks as my favorite Christian author, though on any given day he may compete with my other favorite, Martyn Lloyd-Jones. I have read all but one of Francis Schaeffer’s books, holding off on reading the last one as long as I can.  One of Schaeffer’s most profound observations in one of his most profound books, his book How Should We Then Live: The Rise and Decline of Western Civilization, I believe, rightly diagnoses the problem of our age.  If you have not read that book, I highly recommend it.  I have one copy for whomever wishes to come get it after the service, if you promise to read it.  If you don’t fancy yourself much of a reader, then I highly recommend his video series by the same name, free on YouTube.  He calls our age, “The Age of Personal Peace and Affluence.”  He defines personal peace as a desire to live untroubled and undisturbed by the problems around us.  Without admitting it, many in our age believe that if we have personal peace, little else matters.  “The world can go to hell in a handbasket, as long as I go to heaven on a Helix mattress.”  He defines affluence as overwhelming and ever-increasing prosperity.  If I have the money to buy what I want, little else matters. 

One author compares this unhealthy relationship with money to an infection she calls, “affluenza.”  She even names her book, The Golden Ghetto: The Psychology Of Affluence.  Even Christians in our age have succumbed to this mentality of personal peace and affluence.  We could, of course, point to its more obvious forms like those touting the prosperity gospel, but it shows up subtlety almost everywhere.  If given the choice, most of us would rather choose personal peace and affluence than choose hardship, trial, and suffering; unless, of course, we could guarantee some sort of significant gain for choosing the latter.  At the same time, we would all probably concede that hardship, trial, and suffering also yield some of the most meaningful experiences that life has to offer.

 For Christians, God promises the ultimate experience, an experience that may require great sacrifice. In our text today, Paul calls us to let the manner of our lives be worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We do this by standing firm, side by side with one another for the sake of the gospel, willing to suffer for the sake of Christ, if called upon to do so.  When we cross the finish line from this life into the next, will we look back at our service to our Lord in the way we look back to the trials we have overcome, with a satisfied sense of having gone through something difficult but meaningful at the same time, even if that meaning came through great sacrifice?  We should not merely believe our Lord but be-like our Lord.  Dare I say that anything less proves sub-Christian. 

 Jesus himself says in Luke 12:48, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.” Christians have been given much, everything, in fact, requiring much in return.  Which leads to the main idea of our text today: God’s people must live worthy lives in Christ, unified with one another, even suffering for Christ’s sake, if necessary.

 Paul, writing to the church at Philippi, expresses joy in exhorting God’s people in ch1, vv1-11 to abound in love out of gratitude for God’s work in them and for the gospel partnership they share with one another. Indeed, God’s people have great reason to rejoice, for God’s people proclaim Christ despite trial or motive in vv12-18.  Which, in turn, requires courage to honor Christ in life or death, confident to live for Christ, and convinced that death is gain in vv18-26.  As a result, God’s people can… 

I. Live Worthy of Christ’s Sacrifice, 27

A. We live lives worthy of the gospel, 27a

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”  Now first, we should probably understand what “worthy” means.  Worthy means “in keeping with” or “matching.”  My manner of life should match or keep with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I should drop the hypocrisy and the pretense, the pretending.  For instance, did you know that I happen to be an extremely good golfer…like nearly pro?  Well, I golf pretty well.  Okay, I have played golf once a little over 20 years ago.  But, occasionally, I do watch highlights if they come on at the gym.  Occasionally, I mini-golf, though I have never top-golfed.  With that progression from fiction to fact, would you say that my manner of life is worthy of a golfer?  No!  I profess to golf, without possessing any skill or effort.  In like fashion, do we profess a faith that we do not truly possess?  Do we embellish our devotion to God like I embellished my devotion to golf?  Do we mini-Christian like I mini-golf?  Just as I can go watch people golf every week without ever even coming close to living my life worthy of a golfer, so too can we go watch people live Christian lives without ever living it ourselves.  God will not check the attendance rolls of our church when we stand at the gates of heaven one day.  He’ll check our hearts, to see if we trusted Christ.  Herein, God calls us to introspection and self-examination.  Does my life look like I really believe this gospel, this good news of Jesus, that I say I believe?    

I once heard it said, “The trouble with many of us Christians is that we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, but that we do not believe him.”  In other words, we believe on him for the salvation of our souls, but we do not live that belief out in a way that shows we truly trust him with every aspect of our lives.  If we did, we would live lives worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ, with God’s help.  And living lives worthy of the gospel requires that we know the gospel, that we know the central message of the cross.  Do you ever wonder why churches put up crosses in the sanctuary instead of pictures of Jesus, or images of an empty tomb?  The cross reminds us of what sin costs.  It will either cost us our lives and our eternal souls, or it will cost Jesus his life as a perfect sacrifice so that he can redeem us.  To do what? —To live worthy of the gospel.  Now, do we live worthy of the gospel to earn our salvation? —No.  But we do live worthy of the gospel as a demonstration that Christ earned our salvation.  So, we live worthy, but also…

B. We live lives of interdependence, not dependence or independence, 27b

Let your life be worthy of Jesus, “so that whether I come and see you or am absent…”  Now before we proceed, let’s pause and consider this phrase.  Notice this high calling does not necessitate the presence of a more mature believer such as Paul.  God does not call us to dependence upon one another, like little babies in constant need of protection and sustenance, as if we cannot function without another believer.  No.  We should have the ability to self-feed, spiritually speaking, and take care of our own Christian life, not depend upon our partners or our pastors to take care of us spiritually.  

But neither does he call us to independence of one another, but interdependence, wherein I can live without the other, but I should not if I can help it.  Becoming interdependent means that we exhibit a capability of building rich, enduring, highly productive relationships and fellowship, not only with God but also other people.  Paul wishes to be with them.  But even if he cannot, he has all he needs in Christ.  And so too do they.  Please understand that Paul only says this because he physically cannot get to them due to his imprisonment.  So, do not take this as an excuse to only ever commune with God alone in the woods.  Remember, not independence or dependence, but interdependence with others.  He longs to commune with them.  He longs to worship God together with them.  But he cannot get to them.  So, he, and we, live interdependently, but also… 

C. We live lives united to other believers in mind and spirit, 27c

Let your life be worthy of Jesus—Paul says—so that, “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.”  Herein Paul commends to them two unifying, shared convictions.  They stand firm in (1) one spirit, and (2) one mind.  Now when we get to v28, we will see the indispensable need for unity between Christians.  Christians should not see other Christians as opponents so long as they stand firm, unified in Christ.  We will come across opponents, but you and I who follow Christ should not stand in opposition to one another. 

But how do I know the person next to me stands for the same thing?  We find two indicators in this text: (1) we share the same spirit; in other words, the Holy Spirit that links each believer together, so that we share an unprecedented connectivity and agreement, and (2) we share the same mind.  Now that does not mean that all believers think the same, in some sort of Star Trek Borg-like hive-mind, but that we exhibit unity in diversity.  So, unity, not uniformity.  We agree on essentials like who God reveals himself as, and what Christ does, as we strive side by side for the faith, the good news that Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, accession, return, and reign secures for us that which we cannot secure for ourselves.  We must have the same mind about that, standing firm against a world in opposition.

Now a more literal translation of this verse suggests the idea of citizenship in the original Greek text, wherein we fulfill certain duties and live a certain lifestyle becoming of citizens of this heavenly kingdom.  The Philippians would have understood only too well what it meant to live as a citizen, a Roman citizen particularly, as Philippi served as a Roman colony.  In fact, this colony functioned, believe it or not, as a military retirement community for Roman soldiers, the Florida of the Roman empire, if you will.  And many a Roman citizen paid and sacrificed greatly to earn that citizenship, something prized in much the same way that many prize their earning of American citizenship.    You could say that many a Philippian lived their lives worthy of Roman citizenship, just as much as we hope to live our lives worthy of American citizenship.  I cannot tell you how happy I feel when friends receive American citizenship, like when Anna Jordan, Shane’s wife, received her American citizenship.  I rejoiced.  But that pales in comparison to how happy I feel when many of you stood in that baptistry, declaring your higher citizenship.

 God implores us, through Paul, to a higher calling, a higher citizenship, in letting our manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ, standing firm in unity around Jesus, striving for the faith of the gospel in all that Christ accomplished in making a way out of no way.  And just as we as Americans uphold certain ideals of what makes an American an American, so too do we as Christians uphold certain ideals of what makes a Christian a Christian.  But unlike those who earned Roman citizenship, the only one worthy of earning citizenship in this heavenly kingdom, is Christ, himself.  Once we realize this, and submit ourselves to this, Christ makes us citizens of his kingdom, giving us the strength to live worthy of Christ, standing firm in the faith, trusting not in ourselves, but in Christ.  Only then might we…

II. Suffer for Christ’s Sake, if Necessary, 28-30

A. Frame fear with an eternal mindset, 28

Paul calls us to stand firm in unity with one another in 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.”  Do we truly comprehend the reality that those who stand against Christ have their days numbered?  And, apparently, deep down, they know this.  Why do you think so many opposed to Christ either fear death or seek to avoid it at all costs.  Woody Allen once said, “I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens.”  We should not fear them.  If anything, we should fear for them.  But we should not fear anything from them.  Only short-term thinking succumbs to fear of the world.  Yes, the world proves a dark and wicked place at times.  But we do not need to act frightened of what unbelievers might do to us.  You have salvation.  They have destruction.

Only those who live for this life need to keep it.  Those who live for the next can let it go, if called upon to do so.  Jesus says in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”  Only God can destroy both soul and body in hell, therefore we need only fear him.  And those who see him as Father need not fear him, at least not in a terrified sense, but in a reverent sense.  Only those who do not see him as Father need fear him.  God will rightly deal with both believers and their opponents.  Therefore, we can frame fear in an eternal mindset, trusting that the God of all the earth will do rightly.  It will all work out in the end.  Stop fearing.  Stop worrying.  Start trusting God.  John says in 1 John 4:18, “Perfect love casts out fear, for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”  When we live worthy of the gospel, we will know the perfect love of God for us.  And, as a result, we will not fear.

B. But know that God may ask more of us than mere belief, 29-30

“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.”  Dare I say that suffering for someone or something verifies whether we truly believe in someone or something.  For instance, I happily do what my wife, Adina, wants to do, so long as it happens to coincide with what I want to do.  You could say that for the sake of me, I not only believe in me but also prosper for my sake.  And hers’.  But I verify my love for her and my belief in the importance of our relationship when I willingly and joyfully “suffer” through something for her that I don’t want to do.  Only, too often, I don’t willingly and joyfully suffer through it.  I remind her of my unwillingness and joylessness of having to go along to get along, which means I don’t truly go along or get along, in that moment.  I don’t for the sake of Adina, believe in the importance of her or our relationship in that moment, if I won’t suffer for her.  The same goes for Christ.

Now having a willingness to suffer for someone or something does not guarantee its truthfulness.  Plenty of people will suffer and die for a false idea or a false prophet the world over.  The last twenty-five years or more has made this only too evident given all the terrorism and mass shootings.  But if I say I believe in Christ, I should willingly suffer for the sake of that belief.  Otherwise, I only believe halfheartedly.  But lest we think that we can somehow generate this sort of zeal, v29 quickly dispels such a notion.  It says, it has been granted to us.  Meaning that you and I, on our own, cannot muster such zeal and courage.  Only God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can give us the strength and ability to suffer for Christ’s sake.  We see this evidenced in the book of Acts in the courage of the apostles, in contrast to their lack of courage at the capture and crucifixion of Jesus in the gospels.  What made the difference?  Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit came upon them.  From then on, God granted the courage to stand up and suffer for the sake of Christ, until we come to Acts 5:41 where they rejoice to be counted worthy to suffer for the name.

Paul goes on to say, suffer for Christ’s sake, “Engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.”  In other words, “Join me in demonstrating your faith, something, I, Paul did for you in Philippi when they threw Silas and I in prison for exorcising a demon from that fortune-telling slave girl.  And continue to join me as I suffer whatever might prove necessary for the advance of the gospel.”  Friends, people do not like the truth, especially when that truth requires something from them. Or in the case of the owners of the slave girl, takes something from them.  They sought to exploit this young girl for profit.  God’s liberation of her cut in on their business.  God, through his son Jesus Christ, breaking into history, turned the natural order on its head.  People don’t like this.  It cuts in on their business, on their lifestyle, on their rebellion.

 In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a troubling dream.  And in that dream, God revealed to him a statue of all the kingdoms of the world broken by a stone.  And the stone that struck these worldly kingdoms became a great mountain that filled the whole earth.  That stone that became a mountain is none other than Jesus Christ and his kingdom breaking into history, upsetting and ultimately destroying all earthly kingdoms.  And that mountain is God’s people who fill the earth.  But what we might not gather from this text alone is the painful, even somewhat destructive process this growth might involve.  You see, no worldly kingdom goes down without a fight. 

Psalm 2 asks, “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed.”  But the Lord’s Anointed—v9—shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces.  Daniel’s interpretation ends by saying, “The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”  Meaning that you and I, as instruments in the Redeemer’s hands, can go through whatever God might deem necessary to both shape and mold us into his image, and cause his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  This can be painful, albeit often necessary.  But it’s worth it.

 Brothers and sisters, what might constitute the most meaningful experience of our lives?  What might God call us to endure in this life?  I cannot say I have loved every trial and hardship I have endured.  But I can say that I grew as a result, more than I ever did in times of personal peace and affluence.  Hopefully, we do not grow more hardened and recalcitrant to God in suffering.  Hopefully, we grow more softened and restored to God in suffering.  God’s people must live worthy lives in Christ, unified with one another, even suffering for Christ’s sake, if necessary.  Let us have the willingness to live as Christ did.  For his life is worthy of worship and emulation.