9.30 am, Sunday 5 April 1998

Philippians 1:27-30

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel
of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in
my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as
one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way
by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be
destroyed, but that you will be saved – and that by God. For it has
been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but
also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle
you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

We live amidst the ruins of the great, five-hundred-year epoch of
Humanism. Around us is that ‘colossal wreck.’ Our culture is a flat
expanse of rubble . . . Is it surprising that we are run down? We are
desperate, yet we don’t care much any more. We are timid, yet we cannot
be shocked. We are inert underneath our busyness. We are destitute in
our plenty. We are homeless in our homes
(John Carroll, Humanism: The Wreck of Western Culture (London: Fontana,
1993) p. 1).

So says Australian academic John Carroll in his book, Humanism: The
Wreck of Western Culture (London: Fontana, 1993) p. 1). The basic ideas
and patterns of behaviour of Western culture, on which mainstream
Australian society is built, is bankrupt.

Material affluence doesn’t inevitably lead to well-being. Intellectual
and technological sophistication don’t make us better people. The
search for spirituality without God is futile. Every human attempt to
revise or replace the God-given blueprint for living found in scripture
is destined to fail.

But while the world has given up on God, God has not given up on them!
That’s why the Bible was written. That’s why Jesus came to die. That’s
why the church was created. That’s why we have Good News to share with
all people everywhere!

The sad reality is that so many people who seek a relationship with
Jesus use it like a ‘Get out of jail free’ card in Monopoly. Life goes
on as usual until you hit a rough patch, and you call to God for help.

The more I observe Christian practice, and the more I reflect on the
Bible’s teaching, the more I’m convinced the church needs to take
discipleship more seriously, and accept that the Good News involves
clear ethical guidelines as well as declaring God’s way for people to
escape from hell and find heaven.

That’s not to say we should give evangelism a rest and focus solely on
discipleship; the two go together. In many places in his letters, Paul
emphasises that those who have accepted the Good News should live
according to its principles, and so go on bringing glory to God through
their righteous lives.

In Philippians 1:27, Paul makes this very clear: “Whatever happens,
conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” That
is, he says, “Live day by day in the Roman colony of Philippi as worthy
citizens of your heavenly homeland.”

The people of Philippi enjoyed a special honour. In 42BC, Octavian
(who later became Emperor Augustus) won a decisive victory against
Cassius and Brutus (the assassins of Julius Caesar) on a plain near
Philippi. To celebrate, Octavian granted Roman citizenship to all the
people of the city.

Now, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, these Philippians have dual
citizenship: they are citizens of Rome and citizens of heaven. In the
same way, we who accept Jesus Christ as Lord are citizens of Australia
and of heaven, and we are encouraged to order our lives, and regulate
our conduct, so that it is worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Paul has similar advice for the Ephesians: “I urge you to live a life
worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1). The
difference is that, in Philippians 1:27, Paul emphasises the need to
take an active part in the affairs of the kingdom of God – both a
missionary outlook, and a pastoral concern for the Christian community.

The rest of our passage flows from this imperative. As we develop a
consistent life that honours the gospel of Christ, we’ll discover three
associated benefits: a confident foundation that promotes unity in
Christ; a clear message that encourages commitment to Christ; and a
courageous attitude that strengthens our faith in Christ.

The first benefit is a confident foundation that promotes unity in
Christ. “I will know,” Paul says, “that you stand firm in one spirit”
(verse 27b). In the face of situations within the church that may lead
to disunity, and oppression from the general community, he encourages
them to be strong, and to be united.

There’s a common saying, “United we stand, divided we fall”; and it
applies not only to the trade union movement but to the church of Jesus
Christ. Don’t lose your confidence in what you believe and what you’re
doing, and never be guilty of factionalism.

Instead, “stand firm in one Spirit.” The Holy Spirit should be the one
who brings us together, rather than a non-essential doctrine or
practice. Our unity is one of our most powerful weapons against the
devil, and we can be sure he will do all he can to disrupt it.

Apart from direct spiritual warfare, one of the most effective ways to
prevent division in the church is to support activities that foster
fellowship and build a sense of community and mutual understanding.
It’s when we don’t know one another well that the devil creeps in and
places doubts or hurts in our minds. We too need to stand our ground,
and “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond
of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).

The second benefit is a clear message that encourages commitment to
Christ. Paul urges the Philippian Christians to “[contend] as one man
for the faith of the gospel” (verse 27c). That is, they are to present
a single message that communicates the Good News clearly and
effectively.

We can run into three problems in our evangelism. First, we can opt
out altogether and keep the Good News all to ourselves. Jesus urged his
disciples to become “fishers of men.” Too many Christians today are no
longer fishers of men but keepers of the aquarium. Second, we can share
part of it and withhold the rest. Third, as a church or a denomination,
we can present a variety of messages that confuse or distract those who
are seeking the truth. We need to avoid these pitfalls, and present a
clear, united voice saturated with love and compassion, that will turn
people’s hearts and encourage them to say “Yes” to God.

The third benefit of a consistent life that honours the gospel is a
courageous attitude that strengthens our faith in Christ. Paul wraps up
his exhortation by saying, “stand fast . . . contend . . . without being
frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them
that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved – and that by
God” (verse 28).

There’s one thing we can be sure of as we seek to live a
Christ-honouring life and contend for the gospel, and that is opposition
– both from the human heart that resists the grace of God, and from our
adversary the devil who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Peter goes on to say, “Resist him,
standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers
throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering” (verse
9).

Paul offers a similar explanation to the Philippians: “For it has been
granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also
to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw
I had, and now hear that I still have” (Philippians 1:29-30).

He casts their present suffering in terms of their relationship with
Christ, and then in terms of what they have seen and heard of his own
experience as he contended for the gospel. It may be that the
Philippian jailor, and Lydia, and the young girl whom Paul released from
spiritual bondage, were recipients of this letter, and they could recall
the hard time Paul had in Philippi and other places.

I like the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of one of my heroes, US
President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She said on one occasion, “You gain
strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really
stop to look fear in the face . . . You must do the thing you cannot
do.”

Otherwise, the really important things in life just won’t get done.
Fear is a powerful emotion, but with the Holy Spirit strengthening you,
and with a united and praying church behind you, anything is possible!

And we’re all in the struggle together. Paul’s imprisonment, and their
oppression, and whatever holds you and me back from living the Good News
and sharing it with others, comes from the same anti-gospel source, and
we all need to stand firm and contend as a united team for the sake of
those who have not yet been introduced to Jesus.

The enemy is outside! In the Western world, the physical opposition is
light, and the struggle is largely a battle for the mind, with
secularism, atheism and postmodernism rising up as powerful enemies of
the cross. But in Africa and Asia and the nations where Islam is
entrenched, the struggle is physical, on a daily basis, as well as in
the world of ideas and ideology.

As we start this week, let us live here in Sydney as worthy citizens of
our heavenly home, let us stand firm in one spirit, devoting ourselves
to the unity of the body of Christ, contending as one person for the
Good News, without being overwhelmed or intimidated by our opposition.

And let us pray for our brothers and sisters in other places who
experience real physical suffering, whose lives and livelihoods are
threatened by their witness for Christ. “Whatever happens, conduct
yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

Recommended hymn: ‘The church’s one foundation’ (G277) Samuel Stone

Recommended reading:
Michael Griffiths, Get Your Act Together, Cinderella (Leicester: IVP,
1989).
Charles Colson, The Body: Being Light in Darkness (Dallas: Word, 1992).

Copyright  © 1998 Rod Benson. All rights reserved. Sermon 147 presented
at Blakehurst Baptist Church, Sydney, Australia, on Sunday 5 April 1998.
Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible,
New International Version (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1980).Rod Benson
Sydney, Australia