Living Worthy of the Gospel of Christ
Philippians 1:27-30
Let’s turn to Philippians chapter 1. If you need a Bible please raise your hand, and we will bring one to you. Philippians 1 is on page 980 in the Bibles we are passing out.
Satan works very hard to keep us from obeying Jesus Christ, because if he can keep us from obeying Christ, then we will have no joy in Christ, we will discourage our brothers and sisters, we will set back the advance the gospel, and we will dishonor our Savior.
And one of the ways Satan seeks to keep this from obeying is by telling us that God’s commands are impossible to obey. And Paul knows this is what Satan does, and he knows that the commands he gives in verses 27 and 28 could feel impossible to his readers. And that’s why in verses 1-26 Paul emphasizes that God will always enable us to obey his commands. That no matter how impossible God’s commands might feel, or how spiritually weak we might seem, God will always enable us to obey his commands.
So let’s look at how he does this. In verses 1-2 he greets his readers. Then, in verses 3-8, he thanks God for how they have been advancing the gospel. And the fact that he thanks God for this shows that it was God’s power which helped them do this. And we saw in verse 6 that just as God began his good work in them, so God will continue his good work in them. So just as God has enabled them to obey in the past, so God will always enable them to obey his commands.
Then, in the versus 9-11, Paul says he prays that they would abound in love for people. The command in verses 27-28 involves loving people, because Paul calls us to join together to live for the gospel so others can come to faith -- and that’s the most loving thing we can do for anyone. So this prayer is directly connected to the command of 27-30. And the fact that Paul prays this for them would remind them that God will always enable them to obey his commands.
Then in verses 12-26 Paul gives four examples of how God has helped him love others, and advance the gospel without fear. And that’s exactly what Paul will call them to do in verses 27-30. So Paul is saying that the fact that God has enabled him to obey those commands means that God will also enable them to obey those commands.
So as we come to the end of verse 26, Paul would want us to have it firmly fixed in our minds that God will always enable us to obey. No matter how daunting the commands seem, or how weak we might feel, God will always enable us to obey.
So with that in mind let’s look then at what Paul commands them and us to do --
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.
The main command is right at the beginning of verse 27. Let’s read it again –
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ …
So what does it mean to live in a way that is worthy of the gospel of Christ?
The gospel is all about Jesus Christ. And being saved means receiving Jesus Christ into your life as --
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your Savior,
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your Friend,
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your God,
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your Forgiver,
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your King,
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your Redeemer,
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your Comforter,
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your Guide,
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your Provider,
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your Joy,
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your Peace,
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your Protector,
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and your Resurrecter.
You have Jesus Christ. He is yours. And nothing has the worth that Christ has. Jesus Christ is the greatest value, the infinitely greatest value, in the universe. And so living in a way that is worthy of Christ means to live in such a way that we display his worth. And when you have something of such great worth, that’s easy to do.
Ladies, let’s say someone gave you a beautiful, radiant, 5 carat diamond. Would it be hard to display its worth? No, you would love displaying its worth. You would wear it, you would protect it, you would talk about it, you would display it.
Or, guys, say someone gave you the top-of-the-line Tesla sports car. Would it be hard to display its worth? No, you would love displaying its worth. You would polish it, you would detail it, you would show it, you would talk about it.
So being worthy of the gospel of Christ means displaying Christ’s worth. But how does Paul want us to display the worth of Christ? The answer is in verse 27 and the beginning of verse 28 –
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.
So the way we display the worth of Christ is by joining together to advance the gospel without fear. Notice how Paul emphasizes joining together by calling us to be of “one spirit” and of “one mind.” So look at the brothers and sisters around you. Think of those were in your home group. Paul calls us to join together. But to do what?
To advance the gospel. Notice the words “standing firm.” That means not letting anything push you from Christ. And notice the phrase “striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” That word “striving” has the idea of laboring, working hard, putting out great effort to see the gospel advance in your neighborhood, your workplace, your city, the world.
So Paul is calling them to join together to advance the gospel. This would include telling the truth to a client even though that might cost you your job. This would mean inviting your neighbors over for dinner so you can get to know them and share what Jesus Christ has done in your life. This would include explaining to the guys at work that because of Jesus you are not going to join them at the strip club.
So Paul calls us to join together to advance the gospel. But there’s one more crucial element he emphasizes. It’s that we do this without fear. Notice the words “not frightened in anything by your opponents.” And notice that in verse 29 he mentions suffering for Christ’s sake.
We don’t know who these opponents were. But it’s clear that if Paul’s readers kept standing for the gospel, and advancing the gospel, they faced opposition which could cause them to suffer. In that culture that would have meant the possibility of beatings, loss of property, prison, and even death. And so it seems Paul’s readers had become frightened, and were pulling back from advancing the gospel.
So Paul is calling them to join together to advance the gospel without fear.
But that would not be easy. Imagine living in Philippi. Imagine knowing that if you had your neighbors over for dinner and shared your testimony of faith in Christ, that they could report you, and that the authorities could knock on your door in the middle of the night and take you all the way to prison. That’s foreign for us. But this is what believers face all around the world – in Syria, Iraq, Iran, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Burma, Vietnam, in villages in Mexico and Peru and Guatemala. This is what believers face all around the world.
We don’t face that level of suffering here. But even here we face suffering that can make us frightened, and cause us to pull back. There might be the danger of missing a promotion, or losing your job. There’s the danger of having neighbors reject you, of having people make fun of you, of losing friendships.
But to display the worth of Christ we must join together to advance the gospel without fear. So how can we do this without fear? This is a crucial question. And as I studied verses 28-30 I saw Paul giving us three reasons that we can do this without any fear.
First, realize that unless they are saved, those who cause you to suffer will be destroyed. To see that, read verses 27-28 again –
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.
So when people cause us to suffer for the gospel, that is a sign of two things. It is a sign of their destruction, and of our salvation. Let’s take those one at a time.
The destruction Paul is talking about here is eternal destruction in hell. Now Jesus calls us to love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute us, including praying for their salvation. But Paul is clear that if they don’t turn from their sin and trust Christ, they will face God’s judgment forever.
And that’s why we need not fear. Because God is in complete control. Because justice will be done. Because suffering is temporary. Because those who cause us to suffer will not win, but Jesus Christ and his kingdom will win.
So that’s one reason not to fear suffering, because unless they bow their knee to Christ, they will be destroyed.
Second, realize that your suffering is a sign of your salvation. Read the latter part of verse 28 –
This [your fearless suffering for the gospel] is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.
How is suffering for the gospel a sign of your salvation? It’s because it shows that Jesus Christ is your infinite worth. It’s because it shows that you treasure Christ above jobs, popularity, possessions, freedom, even life itself. Which shows that you have been born again, because when the Holy Spirit causes us to be born again, he gives us new hearts which see Jesus clearly, and treasure him above all else.
So because your suffering shows that you’ve been born again, your suffering is a sign of your salvation. When you suffer for the gospel, think of Jesus Christ looking you in the eyes and saying “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.” Let that comfort you. Let that strengthen you. And let that free you from fear.
Third, realize that your suffering is a gracious gift from God. That’s in verse 29 –
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,
That word “granted” has the word “grace” as its root. So when you suffer, realize that your suffering is a gracious gift from God. Just as God graciously gave you faith in Christ, so God graciously gives suffering.
Remember who is writing these words. This is Paul. And in 2 Corinthians 11 said he had been beaten three times with rods, stoned and left for dead once, had received 39 lashes five times. And Paul says that suffering is a gracious gift from God.
How? Why? It’s because Jesus Christ is an infinite treasure. And when God calls us to suffer for Christ, that suffering honors him, glorifies him, and exalts him. And there is no greater joy than honoring the one who deserves all honor, glorifying the one who deserves all glory, exalting the one who deserves all exaltation.
Suffering for Christ is not God failing you. It is God loving you. Suffering for Christ is a loving gift to you from God.
So if, for Christ’s sake, you don’t compromise at work and so lose your job, that is a loving gift to you from God.
If for Christ’s sake you reach out to your neighbors, get to know them, love them, share the gospel with them, and they slander you to the rest of the neighborhood, that is a loving gift to you from God.
God has called some of you to take a stand for the gospel, to reach out to someone, to share the gospel with someone, but you have not because you have been afraid of suffering. So hear the message of this passage, see and feel the worth of Jesus Christ, and obey him.