Philippians 1:27-30

So, I'm really privileged and honored to be here tonight and speak to y'all just for a little bit.

So, just kind of going back to what Alex is saying and what Nathan was saying, it's like, man, it's not about any of us up here.

Like, I'm just glad that we get to really hear the word tonight, and I'm honored to study it.

So, the cool thing about tonight is we're going through Philippians, and I believe that, like, man, as we're all in here,

like, I know that we're all, like, some of y'all are from Truett, and some of us are from North Georgia,

and we've all got, like, different walks of life.

And the cool thing is, is that, like, tonight the word is relevant to every stage that we're in.

It's like, so I believe, like, man, the word has something to say to us.

It has something to say to me.

It's been speaking to me all week.

So, it's cool.

And so, I think we're going to be kind of talking to two different groups of people tonight,

and I think it's going to be, I think everyone's going to be able to take something away from tonight.

And so, kind of the way that I'm following up Clay is we're doing Philippians.

So, we've been doing one, and we've been going through the text.

And the way that we do it is we do expositionally, where we just go verse by verse.

And that's good, because it leaves less room for me just to throw in my own opinions.

The other side of that is, like, topically.

So, you have, like, topical preaching where we'll talk on, like, a certain topic, and that's good.

And I love that.

I have no problem with it.

But I'm just not that creative.

So, I just get to go.

Y'all are stuck with no creativeness from me, and we just get to go straight into the text.

But I think it's cool, because it leaves, it doesn't allow us to kind of insert our own opinions there.

I think it's so important that, like, Nathan's been talking about this a lot, is, you know, as we're in college,

like, we're being told so many different things right now, and it's hard to decipher.

Okay, so what's true?

Like, there might be a little bit of truth in it, and I can add my own story to it, but it might not be completely true.

And so, as we're at college, as we're hearing so many different things to us, like, man, what the world is telling us that it's okay to live by.

Man, we get to look at God's Word and be like, okay, so what does it say?

So, as we go through tonight, we're just going to go in verse by verse by verse, which is cool.

I'm really excited about it.

So, we're in Philippians 1, 27 through 30.

And so, I'm just going to do a quick little recap of last week.

So, last week, Clay was speaking.

Clay's not here, so he's in Hiawassee.

So, I was the last resort.

Y'all are stuck with me tonight.

And so, Clay, last week, so we're just going to pick up kind of where he left off.

So, he said in verse 19 through 26, he's talking about this huge section.

Like, if we get to really read the Word, and we really, like, understand what's going on,

there's this huge claim that's made.

So, if we just, like, sometimes I think, like, you've been stuck in church long enough

to where you, like, we'll read certain texts.

And, uh...

I'm kind of nervous over there.

Sorry.

So, we'll read certain kind of texts.

And we're in this, like, Christian mode of, like, okay, like, I know how to read verses.

Like, I've been reading the Bible for a while.

And so, we kind of read over text, and we're like, okay, yeah, to live is Christ, you know,

or to die is Christ, and to live is...

or to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

So, we read over those verses, and we're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's cool.

But, man, am I the only one here who has, like, a really hard time saying, like, amen to that?

Like, yes.

So, if we're translating that, Paul is literally saying,

it would actually be better for me to die because I get to go be with Christ.

But it's also okay for me to live because I get to keep sharing the gospel.

And so, that's a tough text to say amen to.

Like, I mean, you know, if we just think about what are all the things that, like, I really look forward to.

And I think, you know, a lot of us are in the same boat.

Man, I can tell you the things that I'm really excited about.

I'm really excited about getting married one day and, you know, having a family and doing life.

I'm really excited about those things.

And so, what happens a lot of times is we look forward to those things so much

that we, you know, start to value those things, like, above Christ.

And so, you know, like, am I, I guess the question that I have to ask myself

and that we all have to ask ourselves tonight is it's like, okay, would I rather,

like, on the day of your wedding, like, you're ready to get married,

you've been going through all the planning of everything, and you're psyched.

And that's, I'm just using this as an example.

But, and then if you have this opportunity, like, okay, Christ can come back right now.

Would you take it?

And if we're just like, it's hard to be like, yes, I'm so stoked about that.

Christ, come back right now.

Like, I'm okay.

This marriage is cool.

I'm looking forward to it.

But, and I think if we're honest, that is a hard thing to say amen to.

Like, that's really hard.

And so, it's a really good litmus test of, like, how important Christ is to us.

Like, how badly do we want Jesus to come back right now?

And I think there's so many things that we're looking forward to

that we sometimes put those on this pedestal above Christ.

So, that was last week.

Really heavy.

Really heavy.

And then we're going into this week, which, I don't know, it doesn't get much better.

It's, I mean, as far as how tough it is to say.

So, I'm going to read through the text.

I'll do a quick little intro, and then we'll pray.

Okay.

So, he says in verse 27, he says,

This is a clear sign to them of their destruction.

I think I'll just go ahead and pray right there.

I think that's a good point before I really start blabbering on.

Father, thank you so much for tonight.

Thank you for just the opportunity to be here.

Thank you for every single person that is in this room.

Lord, I know you drew them here for a reason.

Not because I had anything good to say, but because we get to really come to you

and just understand and hear from your word tonight.

So, Father, I just pray that you would take away all my own opinions and my own thoughts

and that we would really kind of understand what you're saying in this verse to us

and we would allow it to change our lives.

Father, I pray that you would humble us tonight to see how glorious your gospel is

and how much we need you, Father.

We praise you.

Just give us clarity.

Give us attention tonight.

We praise you in Christ's name.

Amen.

Okay.

So, the main thing I'm going for tonight, like the main question we're talking about,

is he says in this first verse, he says,

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.

So, if we stop right there, that's this huge statement.

That's a huge question.

Like, okay, only let your manner of life be in a way that's worthy of the gospel.

So, right there, that is a huge, that's a huge thing to say.

And so, I think a lot of times we can kind of miss, we can not understand exactly what this verse is saying.

So, what do we mean by that?

Like, what do I mean when I say, when Paul says,

Let your life be in a manner that's worthy of the gospel.

So, let's define that a little bit better so we understand what we're talking about tonight.

So, I want to talk about, like, okay, what are we not saying?

Because, I want to, like, let's get that clear, okay?

When Paul says, Only live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel.

Paul is not saying, Be a good person, do good things, recycle, and don't watch R.A. movies.

But, a lot of the times, like, man, that is, I mean, let's take out, let's take out, like, a few of those hokey things.

But, it's like, man, honestly, that's what really, like, if we're to think of, like, the American Christian life,

that's what it can really kind of boil down to.

It's like, okay, I'm not doing these things, and I'm being good, and I'm not watching these R.A. movies

unless they're violent and they're war-themed.

And so, it really depends on, like, how, and so, if it's not saying that,

if Paul's not just saying, Be a good person, then what is he saying?

And so, it depends on how we define, like, who Jesus was.

So, let's reread that verse, but let's substitute the word gospel.

So, if you've grown up in church, you know that gospel means good news.

So, only let your manner of life be worthy of the good news of Christ.

And so, what's the good news?

Man, before, I'm not just going to spend 20 minutes talking about what the good news of Christ is.

We're going to go over it, like, just for a second.

But, if y'all could turn to Romans 3.

I don't think y'all will be flipping many places tonight.

So, we're going to start in 21 and go through 26.

Just so that we can kind of understand a little bit more clearly, like, what is Paul talking about when he says the good news?

So that we're all on the same page here.

Okay, so the good news.

Man, this is awesome.

Verse 21.

But now the righteousness of God, so meaning, talking about Christ, has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it.

The righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, for all who believe.

For there is no distinction.

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.

This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine foreparents, he had passed over former sins.

It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just, and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

So, in a nutshell, that's exactly what we're talking about.

That's the good news of Christ, is that everyone has sinned.

Like, there's not a single person, Mother Teresa, is in the same boat as us.

Gandhi's in the same boat.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

We're all in the same boat.

Adolf Hitler has put, like, everyone in there.

And the good news is that, so we've all fallen short, but it's not just that we're left to our own devices.

It's that, man, God made its way through Christ.

And so, he provided an opportunity for us to be justified.

So, that's through Jesus.

So, that is the good news.

That's what we're talking about.

That's what we're defining it as.

So, it's really important, and it's almost like, man, it has to be, like, really put in our heads, like, over and over again,

that the gospel is not just about abstaining from certain things.

Saying, like, no, I'm not going to party that way.

I'm not going to watch that movie.

And I'm not going to listen to that music.

And I'm not going to, you know, list it off.

Like, but a lot of times, that's kind of what the Christian life boils down to.

Like, we see that with people.

It's like, well, they're just not doing certain things.

Like, okay, is that what it's all about?

Because if that's what it's all about, if it's just about abstaining from things,

then, like, man, I think a lot of us here don't want a part of that.

That's not enough.

That's not enough to save us.

That's not enough to motivate us.

And so, if we did that, we would miss out on the whole point of the gospel completely.

If we just stopped there and said, let's do these good things,

and let's stop doing these bad things, then we'd miss out completely.

So, this question that I'm asking, I'm like, man, so, let your manner of life,

like, live it in a way that's worthy of the gospel.

Why does it matter to you right here?

Like, okay, we're all in this room.

Like, why does it matter to us as college students?

Most of us, like, most of us here are college students.

So, the reason why it matters to us is if you think about the way you've lived your life,

is that our ethics are constantly changing.

Okay, so, you're in middle school, and you, like, there's certain ways that you said,

like, okay, when I'm in high school, I won't do this.

Or maybe in high school, you looked at people, and you saw people, like, partying,

or drinking, or sleeping around, or something, and you're like, oh, I promise, like,

I'm never going to be that way.

And so, we set this, like, standard, and so, then we get to high school, and we're like,

oh, well, that's actually all right.

Like, I don't, like, that music, it's okay.

Like, that's not so bad.

I'm okay listening to that music.

And then we get to college, and we're like, ah, that person's doing it.

And so, I'm okay with that.

So, our ethics, we're constantly changing.

So, even when you get married, your standards of, like, what's right and wrong,

it's going to change again.

And it's kind of like this cycle.

And so, that's changing.

And so, kind of what happens is we've made this change from, like, our ethics,

where we thought this was wrong at one point, and now we're kind of in college,

and there's this whole mesh of different cultures and different beliefs,

and we're making compromises.

Because Paul is saying, let your life be lived in a way that's worthy of the gospel.

But the thing is that we're making compromises that we never said we would.

So, we're no longer living our lives in a manner worthy of the gospel.

But the thing is that, like, as Christians, if you're in this room right now,

and you're calling yourself a Christian, we're called not to be conformed by the ways of this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

So, like, how do we do that?

How do we do that?

Like, how do we live our lives in a manner worthy of the gospel?

That is such a huge claim.

That's a huge thing to ask of us, especially as college students,

since everything around us is being, we're being told different things.

So, man, verse 27, back to Philippians.

So, he says, you know, only let your manner be worthy of the gospel of Christ.

And so, this word manner can also translate to conduct.

So, the Greek word for that is,

Paul's actually kind of talking about something a little bit deeper than just your conduct.

So, background on Philippians is that this is the book of Philippians,

and sometimes we don't understand exactly what that means.

Because what's going on is that Paul is, like we said at the very beginning of Philippians' study,

is that, like, Paul is under house arrest,

and so he's writing this letter to the Philippian church.

And so, what would happen a lot of times is, like, you'd have these people in this room,

you'd have, like, the whole Philippian church.

And so, Paul would write this letter,

and so there's a guy, literally, like, what we're reading right now,

there's a guy standing up there, and he's like, okay,

so the elders are reading it out to the church.

So, they're reading this to the church in Philippi.

And so, Philippi, like Paul, like Clay has talked about,

is actually under Roman rule.

So, they're considering themselves Roman citizens.

And for them, that's a good thing.

They're like, okay, I'm a Roman citizen,

I can have claim to this, and to this, and this.

Like, Rome took really good care of their cities.

And so, a lot of these people, like, they pride themselves on,

oh, I'm a Roman citizen.

Like, here, maybe not as much, but we're like, I'm an American.

Unless you're saying that in a sarcastic way.

You know.

So, they're really proud of their Roman citizenship.

It's like, okay, they consider themselves as a Roman.

And so, Paul is saying, let your manner be worthy of the gospel of Christ.

So, he's actually calling them to something even greater than that.

We can kind of know that for certain by going to, like,

just flipping over a page and going to Philippians 3.20.

So, he says, in Philippians 3.20, he says,

But our citizenship is in heaven.

And from it, we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, Paul is actually saying, you're not, yeah, you're a Roman citizen, you're here.

But you're really a citizen of the kingdom.

And so, Paul is kind of, like, asking them, like,

just kind of forget about your Roman citizenship just for a second.

And remember that you're called to an even greater citizenship, which is in heaven.

And so, as we kind of go on with this, like, I'm just kind of reiterating that Paul is calling them away from that

and to this heavenly citizenship.

And so, I'm just kind of reiterating, like, and this is, there's just, like,

we're not called in the gospel just to abstain from certain things.

It is not a life of just not doing certain things.

It's so much more than that.

And so, I'm just coming back to that main question of,

are you tonight living your life in a manner that's worthy of the gospel?

Like, so, as an individual, are you, am I living my life in a manner that's worthy of the gospel?

So, there are two categories.

So, you're in one category and you're in the other tonight.

So, I think there's, the first category is people who,

okay, yeah, you once did live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel.

Okay, you, like, maybe in high school, we were, like, you know,

if, as anyone grew up in the Bible Belt, you were in church, you were involved,

you were a part of your church body,

and then something happened to where we came to college

and we made one compromise after another,

and then we're no longer, we can no longer, like, put ourselves in this boat of,

well, yeah, I'm living my life in a manner worthy of the gospel.

We're actually far from it, and we've actually run from that,

and we're making so many more compromises than we ever thought we would.

And then, or, you're kind of in this other boat where Paul's in,

and he says in 3.12, he says in this next chapter, he says,

not that I've already obtained this,

so all these things that we're talking about, he says,

not that I've already obtained this, or am already perfect,

but I press on to make it my own,

because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

And so, you're either in this boat of,

okay, well, I've left the time that I was walking,

like, in a manner worthy of the gospel,

and now I don't even know where I am anymore.

Or, you're kind of with Paul, where you're like,

man, I'm not perfect, and, I mean, yes, I can say,

like, yes, I'm living my life in a manner worthy of the gospel,

but I kind of, I think the things that we're going to go through tonight are,

okay, well, do you have the right motivation?

What is, like, motivating you to live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel?

Are you in the right motivation, or are you burnt out?

Like, have we been doing this, and we're not actually doing it

for the right motivation anymore?

We kind of need to have, like, a heart check of,

well, why am I actually doing the things that I'm doing?

Are we doing it because that's the right thing to do,

and we know that it's going to make our parents happy,

and it's going to keep us safe,

and it's just the thing that we've been doing

since we've been in middle school,

and we never really asked why.

So, that's kind of the direction that we're going for tonight.

And so, I'm just going to go back,

and so we're going to start,

and we're just going to kind of go down.

I promise I won't take that long.

Okay, so, I kind of want to go deeper into this point of,

like, okay, so why is this question of

living your life in a manner worthy of the gospel,

why is that, like, so hard to live?

Like, I say that it's hard to live out,

like, yeah, it's hard to say, you know,

to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Like, that's a hard thing to say,

but why am I saying that to live your life

in a manner worthy of the gospel,

that's a hard thing?

Well, I think the reason why that is,

because unless you live in a commune,

somewhere that I don't know about,

and you're in your holy huddle,

and we're just hanging out with Christians all day,

and we're not really listening to the world,

we're not paying attention to the world,

then, unless you're there,

well, we can talk afterwards, maybe,

but, like, unless you're in a commune,

then you are in this college environment,

or you're just in the world,

like, as soon as we get out of college,

we're going to still kind of be

under this extraordinary pressure

to make compromises.

And we need to realize, like,

we are under this extreme amount of pressure

to not live your life

in a manner worthy of the gospel.

Actually, we're called to live our lives

in a manner that's worthy of culture.

And so if we don't believe that,

first of all, we need to wake up to that,

and, like, I pray, like,

let's wake up to the fact that culture is saying,

live your life in a manner

that's worthy of what we're saying.

And so the things that we're going to find,

what the world tells us to live our life

in a manner of, it would be

how much money you make.

So when you get out and you get a job,

how much money are you making?

What about the car that you drive?

The person that you're married to?

The family that you raise?

These are kind of long-term, like, down the road,

because we're not really there yet.

But it's like, man,

or even just right now in college,

like, okay,

what fraternity are you a part of?

Like, what sorority are you a part of?

Like, how involved are you in campus?

How much money are you making right now?

Like, man, culture is bombarding us

with, like, just different ideas of,

okay, this is how you live your life

in a manner that's worthy of us.

So, I kind of think that what happens

to a lot of us is we say,

well, okay, maybe I'm not living my life, like,

in a manner worthy of the gospel

the way that Swanson's defining it.

But, I mean, yeah, okay,

I'm not, like, reading my Bible daily,

I'm not, like, involved in the church,

and I'm not, like, disciplining myself

in, like, godliness or whatever,

like, they'll say.

So, maybe I'm not, like,

going ham on the gospel right now,

but, man, I'm not, like,

sleeping around, like,

as much as that person,

or, like, I'm not drinking as,

like, that guy really drinks a lot.

Like, man, and we hear it all the time.

Like, you hear people

constantly comparing themselves,

like, well, I'm not as bad as that person.

And so, kind of what happens is

we believe that we're in this place

of neutral ground.

Like, I talk, I think it's the most,

it's the scariest thing,

because, like, I talk to a lot of my friends,

and they're in the same boat of, like,

well, they believe that they're

in this neutral territory.

Okay, I'm not doing this.

I'm not going and sharing the gospel

all the time.

I'm not reading my Bible.

I'm not, I'm not going crazy

with the gospel.

But I'm not, like, straight up, like,

you know, doing drugs

and snorting cocaine

or something like that.

So, they just kind of, like,

believe, like, well, I'm neutral.

Like, I can stay in this neutral

area of the territory

where I'm not really, like,

going forward,

but I'm not really, like,

taking steps back.

And so, what happens is

we believe this mindset,

and then three years later,

like, where we thought

we would never be,

we wake up, and we're like,

how did we even get here?

Like, we have this, like,

aha moment.

We're like,

I don't even know

what I'm doing anymore.

Like, how did I get

from such a place

where I thought

that I wasn't ever going to be,

and now I'm here?

And so, I don't think it's,

I don't think anyone here

would be like,

okay, yeah,

I just woke up one night,

and I just decided,

I woke up one morning

and just decided,

I'm done with this gospel thing.

Like, I'm done with church.

Like, I'm walking away from it.

Like, this isn't,

this isn't meaningful.

Like, I really,

sometimes,

but for the most part,

I believe that no one's going to,

like, really make that much

of a conscious decision

to be like,

what you got, world?

Let's do this.

Like, I just don't think

that's going to happen.

And so, what happens, though,

what I believe,

is that we have this neutral territory

where we're like,

yeah, I'm not really doing

these things.

And so, we just start taking

really slow, subtle,

like, inch by inch steps back.

And we wake up,

and we just realize,

like, man,

what has happened?

I wanted to give a shout-out

to Clay,

because he let me,

he, he, well,

he ran out of options,

and so he had to let me speak.

But, so Clay's like

a huge history buff,

so I have to give him

a history shout-out.

So, generals believe that

if their soldiers were not

advancing towards enemy lines,

like, if they weren't

taking ground,

that they were actually

losing it.

So, so generals were

constantly advancing

their armies,

like, saying, okay,

keep going.

It's not, like,

they, they rarely had them

just, like, camp out

and just, like,

stay a certain place.

It was kind of, like,

always, like,

trying to figure out,

okay, well,

let's wait for these

reinforcements to come

so we can finally take this.

It was kind of,

it wasn't,

it was never this,

all right, well,

we got that hill.

Like, man,

we stormed Normandy.

Let's, Normandy,

let's just, like,

chill here for a while.

This beach is great.

Like, that's not,

like, man,

we just kept advancing.

That was for you, Clay.

So, so you're in that boat.

There's one group of us

that's in that boat

of, like, okay,

the compromises

and slowly,

we're not taking ground.

We're actually,

like, I mean,

even, I'm really kind of

more of a real world

example of, like,

divorce.

I don't,

I rarely think that anyone,

like, you know,

gets involved in a marriage

and they're, like,

this thing's gonna be great.

I'll probably give it

three years of my best shot

and then we'll call it quits

in about five

after we have kids.

Like, no one,

no one's gonna marry

that person anyways.

It's kind of this, like,

and so, I mean,

it's like, how do we,

so the question is,

like, how do we,

how, how,

if we're all susceptible

to it,

if we're all sinful

and we're all fully capable

of the same thing,

like, I'm so capable

of divorce

just as much

as the next guy is.

And so,

I think what happens

is that we believe

that we're not.

We believe that,

well, I'm not going

to ever get a divorce.

I've seen the way

it's wrecked.

Like, my life

or my friend's life.

And so then we get

in this marriage

and we're not really

advancing the marriage either.

We're just kind of like,

you know, like,

I mean, I'm married now

and, you know,

she's cool,

like, we'll talk.

And then there's things

kind of, you get distance

and it's just like,

day by day

and you just don't even

really know where

you are anymore.

So I think that kind of

happens, like,

spiritually and then also,

like, man,

in our marriages.

So that's kind of

like an example

if y'all can,

if that makes sense

to y'all as far as

what I'm talking about.

Or, and so I'm kind of

going a little bit more

to, like, man,

how do we get burnt out

or low on fuel?

So we agree with Paul

where he says,

you know,

not that I'm perfect

or that I've already

obtained these things,

but I'm making

strives towards it.

But then at the same time,

like, man,

we have this huge view

of Paul.

But, man,

Paul struggled with sin

just as much

as the next guy did.

If we're going to look

at Romans 7,

15 through 25.

Okay.

So I'll pick up

in verse 15.

So Paul's, like,

talking to the Romans,

kind of the same thing

with, like,

the Philippian church

of, like,

reading the letters

so the Romans

are reading this letter

and Paul says to them,

for I do not understand

my own actions.

For I do not do

what I want,

but I do the very thing

I hate.

Now if I do

what I do not want,

I agree with the law

that it is good.

So now it is no longer

that I who do it,

but sin that dwells

within me.

For I know that

nothing good dwells

in me,

that is,

in my flesh.

For I have the desire

to do what is right,

but not the ability

to carry it out.

For I do not do

the good I want,

but the evil

I do not want

is what I keep

on doing.

Now if I do

what I do not want,

it is no longer

I who do it,

but sin that dwells

within me.

And he says,

so I find it to be

a law that when

I want to do right,

evil lies close

at hand.

For I delight

in the law of God

in my inner being,

but I see in my

members another law

waging war against

the law of my mind

and making me captive

to the law of sin

that dwells in my

members.

Wretched man that I am,

who will deliver me

from this body of death?

Thanks be to God

through Jesus Christ

our Lord.

So then,

I myself serve

the law of God

with my mind,

but with my flesh

I serve the law

of sin.

Okay,

so Paul says this

and we're kind of

in the same boat.

If you're not in

this other boat

that we just kind of

talked about,

you're in this boat

where we have

this internal struggle

and we're just like,

man, what am I

even doing here?

Like, I want to

live out the gospel

in a manner that's

worthy.

I want to live my

life in a manner

that's worthy gospel,

but I have such a

hard time doing it

because I still see

sin creeping close

at hand.

Okay, so we come

back again to the

main question.

We're about to,

but I'm not going

to be one of the

four flights

and then we'll

actually be done.

So I'm glad.

So the question is,

how does a college

student in the

United States of

America live this

out?

I will not be

answering this.

I think Paul will

be able to do a

good enough job to

where I won't

actually have to

say much.

Okay, so let's

pick it up in

27.

He says,

Only let your

manner of life be

worthy of the

gospel of Christ,

so that whether I

come and see you

or absent, I may

hear of you that

you are standing

firm.

So, okay, so the

first reason, if you're

taking notes tonight,

the first reason that

we're not living out

our lives in a manner

worthy of the gospel is

we have the wrong

motivation.

So let's pay attention

to that verse.

He says,

So whether I come and

see you or I'm absent,

I may hear that you're

standing firm in the

gospel.

And so I think a lot of

the times what a lot of

us have allowed to happen

in our lives is that,

well, I mean, Paul is

first of all saying,

okay, if I'm there,

please, like, like,

stand firm in the

gospel.

But if I'm not, also

stand firm in the

gospel.

Because Paul does not

want their motivation

to be the fact that

he's there.

And so, man, either us

or, like, a friend that

we know or somewhere

along the line, like,

some of us, like, we

let our motivation for

living our lives in a

manner worthy of the

gospel be because our

pastor, our youth

pastor was, like,

super, like, he had a

lot of charisma.

Or he was, like, man,

he was a great guy.

Like, he always made me

laugh.

He was really cool.

Or, like, man, it

pleased our parents or our

friends.

And, like, okay, so we'll

go on mission trips.

And we know that it's

really, really good.

And so we have this

motivation of, I'm going

to live the gospel because

my friends are doing it.

My pastor loves me.

My parents are proud of

me.

And we have this wrong

motivation the whole time.

And Paul's saying, like,

no, no, no.

Like, that cannot be the

reason why you're living

your life.

Like, that cannot be it.

It's not enough.

So we mistake this

manner of life.

We mistake this manner

of life that's motivated

by people seeing us.

And we mistake that for

actual salvation.

We're like, okay, people

are seeing us.

I'm a good person.

I've got my Jesus swag

going.

I've got it all, man.

And we're so proud of

ourselves.

But we don't know that,

man, we're actually really,

really hollow.

Like, on the inside, we're

so hollow because this

relationship with Christ

has not been based off of

him at all.

And so the thing is that

we have to be motivated

by grace.

Like, I don't know what

else is going to motivate

us.

Guilt can motivate you for

a little while.

Like, I can get up here

and say, like, man, we

need to live our lives in

a manner worthy of the

gospel because of this

reason and this reason

and this reason.

And I can guilt trip every

single person of y'all

into it.

Y'all have been there

where it's like, okay,

even with just, like,

giving to, like, you

know, poverty or

something like that.

Like, that's a huge

motivator.

And so what happens is

it gets money out of our

wallets because we see

that Tamrat in Ethiopia

doesn't have, like, food

to eat.

And so we're like, oh, I

feel terrible, so I'll

throw him some money.

And so, but that's, but

then we just lose

motivation, like, a week

or two later.

And so we have to be

motivated by grace.

Like, we have to, and

Paul wants that too.

Like, yeah, he wants

them, he wants to see

them, he wants to see

this happen, but he can't,

he doesn't want that to

be the motivator.

So we have to let that

be the motivator instead

of us being in high

school and singing

songs and going on

youth group mission

trips and missing the

gospel completely.

I think that'd be the

scariest thing in my

life is to think that I

could get to Christ and

he could look at me and

just be like, Daniel, you

missed it completely.

You were doing all these

things, you were singing

these songs and you were

raising your hands, but you

missed me completely.

I think that's honestly one

of the things that I'm

terrified of the most is

running this race and God

not being right there

with me.

So I'm going to ask a

question with each point

kind of something like

for y'all and for me.

What motivated you in the

past to follow Christ that

you aren't following him

anymore?

Was it the fact to please

your parents or your

pastor or so on?

What motivates you now if

you are standing firm in

the gospel?

Is it the gospel?

Is Christ motivating you?

Are you still, like, do you

still wake up and when you

think about sharing the

gospel with someone or

living your life in a

manner worthy?

Is it because you're like,

Christ, you are so good and

I cannot believe that, like,

after all the crap that

I've done, you would still

let me breathe?

Like, that hat, like, is

that the motivator?

What is it?

Okay, second point.

Verse 27, the second part

of it, he says, so that

whether I come and see you

where I'm absent, I may hear

that you are standing firm in

one spirit with one mind

striving side by side for the

faith of the gospel.

Second reason, we're not in

church anymore with community.

Not that we're going to

church, but we're not in

community anymore.

There's a difference between

going to church and being in

community.

So, this is huge, especially

for college students, where

there's a million different

things, like, saying, okay,

come to this youth ministry,

or come to this ministry

that's going on in college,

like, come to this.

Like, everything is trying to

grab our attention right now.

And so, the idea of being a

covenant member of a church,

and being a part of a church,

and laboring with a church,

and serving a church, is not

on the top list of things for

us to do.

You know?

I mean, honestly, there's a

million other things that are

grabbing our attention.

And so, he says in this verse,

he says, one mind and one

spirit.

So, what Paul's saying is not

that we're going to agree on

everything, but that we'll be

harmonious.

He says, strive together,

which is a really cool verse,

because in Greek, that actually

means wrestle.

So, it doesn't mean just, like,

oh, come on, you got it.

It means, like, wrestle.

And so, I think he says that

because, like, I think the

reason why he says wrestle

together is because the gospel

is something really hard to

obtain.

Man, it's the treasure in the

field that we have to sell

everything for.

And it is the narrow road that

is hard to find.

Few find it, but it leads to

life.

Like, the gospel is something

that we have to work for.

Not work for as in to earn,

but, I mean, it is difficult

to obtain because the world is

throwing us so many different

things.

The other cool thing is that,

I mean, we're supposed to

strive together, so wrestle

together.

And I think a lot of us find

ourselves in this boat where

we're like, okay, well, I like

this about the church.

Like, their music's good, and

their teaching is good, but I

really don't like the

leadership, or there's not

really, like, a good ministry

for me to put myself in.

So, I'm really just going to,

I'll go there occasionally.

I'll go to that church.

And so we kind of start this

idea of, like, we start

dating the church, and we're

not actually planting

ourselves in a church.

And so, what Paul's saying

is, like, okay, you can have

those objections.

Like, we have this list of

critiques of, like, this is

wrong, this is wrong, and this

is wrong.

But he's saying, wrestle with

that church.

He's saying, like, man, like,

we're going to have to wrestle

with each other.

Like, okay, I don't agree with

the way you're doing this.

Um, and it's like, okay, well,

you know, a good church that

loves Christ is going to say,

I completely agree, man.

I see it differently, but let's

work this out.

Let's pray through it together.

Let's work through this.

Um, we're also called to

wrestle alongside one another.

We need one another so badly.

Because I am such an imperfect

person, and I need someone

like Alex, uh, to wrestle with

me and catch me when I'm not

living my life in a manner

worthy of the gospel.

Like, we need one another.

Um, so, uh, the cool thing is

that he says, side by side

for the faith of the gospel.

So, if we read that again, um,

in one spirit, with one mind,

striving by yourself for the

faith of the gospel.

That's not what it says.

It doesn't say, by yourself.

It says, side by side.

Um, and that's a difficult

mindset for us to understand,

I think, because if you live

in the U.S., like, the way

the U.S. is built is on

rugged individualism.

Um, you know, we came here,

we started things, and we got

our independence and our

freedom.

Think about the pioneers

going out west.

Um, think about everything

going on right now.

Like, just, even just

capitalism and the way that

this economy is set up.

It is for you as the

individual.

You can do it, make the

best of your life.

And, and, and so it's,

it's understandable that we

have a hard time understanding

that we need to come side by

side with one another.

But, God's kingdom does not

work in the same way that a

lot of our U.S.

mindsets are.

God's kingdom is based off

his church.

He's not, he's not doing work

just through individuals.

Um, even parachurches, like

churches, like, like, you

just youth ministries.

Like, churches that are not

multi-generational.

Like, man, that can't be a

church, and it's hard to

strive side by side with a

group that isn't committed to

each other.

Um, so he's kind of calling us

to something more than that.

And, and that's not even

really a plug for Christ's

family.

I love this church, but I

think there's also really

great churches in the area.

I think Creekstone's an

awesome church.

I think Christ's church is a

cool church.

And, like, I, I, I'm really

encouraged by the stuff that's

going on.

And so, um, but I think Paul

is just saying be invested

with other people.

Um, so my question on that

before I move to my next

point is, okay, so that's an

awesome point, but are you as

an individual, am I as an

individual, are we invested in

the local church?

Are we looking and seeking

out, okay, how can I be a

member of, of, of such and

such church?

How can I run together with

them in a wolf pack and not

just as a lone wolf?

Um, so are you running with

the wolf pack or are you

running as a lone wolf?

Um, okay, third point.

Uh, verse 28.

He says, 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.

Um, okay, so this is one of the

tougher points of the night.

Um, I think the third reason

why we don't live our lives in a

manner worthy of the gospel,

that Paul is urging us to, is

we don't want to suffer.

Um, and your first thought is,

uh, duh, Swanson.

Like, uh, and, and so, uh, I'm

just gonna read Acts 42 to y'all.

You don't have to, 14, 22.

You don't have to turn there.

Um, but I'll take forever to

get there.

Um, okay, so 14, 22.

Um, this, man, this strength,

this challenges me in so much.

So, um, in 21 he says, but when

they preached the gospel to that

city and had made many disciples,

they returned to Lystra and to

Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening

the souls of the disciples,

encouraging them to continue in

the faith and saying that through

many tribulations, we must enter

the kingdom of God.

Um, okay, so if we're gonna

define suffering really quickly,

um, there's a difference between

American suffering and closed

country suffering, suffering.

Kind of like, um, uh, with the

guy that Clay's having speak this

weekend in Hiawasi.

Um, he's from, uh, Kazakhstan,

I believe, and it's a completely

different world of suffering over

there.

So we've got our American

suffering where none of y'all are

going to be thrown into prison or

beaten or anything like that.

Like, it's a completely different

world of suffering from, from

anywhere else.

Um, and so what do I mean by

that?

I don't, I'm not gonna say a

million different specific

things for us as, as Christians,

but I will say this.

Specifically what this looks like

is that when we read the word,

like, when we read this book and

we take off, like, the church

lenses that we have, and we're

like, that's a sweet verse.

That's really encouraging,

brother.

Like, when we really read the

Bible, like, just that verse that

we just read of, through much

tribulation we must enter the

kingdom of God.

That is so hard.

Like, I, I know I'm not the only

one who believes that.

It's hard.

Like, I don't say amen to that.

Um, but the second that we start

reading the Bible and start

applying what it actually says

to say about what we spend our

money on, how do you, what, like,

let's look at your bank account.

How do you spend your money?

What about the person that you're

dating, um, or you, you marry one

day?

The things we stand for and the

things that we stand against.

When we start applying the Bible

to those things, we will not be

popular.

And so we don't have to, I don't

have to go into specifics for

every single person tonight, but

when we start following this, man,

like, we're not going to be

popular.

Um, so the question is, why

should we have opponents?

Why, why would we even have

opponents?

Um, the apostle Paul, like, he has

opponents that he speaks about in

his letters and in Acts.

Um, why?

Why does Paul have opponents?

That's, that doesn't sound like a

very loving thing to say, that,

like, Paul would have opponents.

I would say Paul's probably doing

something wrong if he has

opponents.

But, if we look all throughout Acts

and we trace everything throughout

the New Testament, we see that

every major character in the New

Testament did not have a pretty

ending.

You could be like, oh, well, John

actually had a pretty good ending.

He was just exiled on an island of

Patmos.

That was actually after they tried

to boil him alive and couldn't do

it.

And he kept preaching the gospel.

It's like they decided the only way

to actually get rid of him was to

exile.

So, it's hard to find someone and

you're like, and you read it, and

Timothy died at a ripe old age on a

good 401k retirement.

Like, we don't find that in the New

Testament.

So, but why?

Why is this if the gospel is good

news?

It's good news for our souls if we

desire to walk in a manner worthy of

the gospel.

But, if you're trying to walk in a

manner worthy of culture, that is bad

news for them because the gospel is

counter-cultural.

It says to lose your life so that you

can find it.

Man, that naturally is going, like the

gospel is saying that we, that you,

this is the message of the gospel is

saying that you are broken and you're a

sinner and you need Christ because

Christ is the only thing that can give

us salvation and real joy.

But, that's not a very popular message

if you want to follow your own ways.

And so, I wanted to differentiate between

rejecting the message of Christ versus

the messenger.

There is a huge difference.

This, like, what I don't want us to

take out of this is that, okay, well, I

need to go get opponents.

I need to go get opponents for the

gospel.

And so, if y'all know anything about,

like, some of the churches, like, like,

I'm not going to say specific names, but,

like, some of the churches that, like,

boycott, like, funerals and, like, picket,

like, like, like, anti-gay protesting,

like, that's, like, yeah, they're getting

opponents, trust me.

But, trust me, those guys are, are hating

them and not the message of Christ

because it's not being shared.

So, it's really important that, yeah,

like, we do everything we can to love

this person who does not have the

gospel.

Like, man, we pray for them.

We share the gospel with them.

We tell them, brother, I love you.

Man, I love you so much.

Like, I want to invest my time, my money

into you, but you need the gospel.

Um, and if they reject, if they reject

the gospel, like, yeah, they're going

to eventually reject you, too, because

you care about them.

But, we cannot allow this message to

affect us and say, I'm going to go out

and acquire opponents by sharing a

very unloving and hate-filled gospel.

Um, so, um, the cool thing is that,

man, the second part of the verse, he

says, he says, uh, this is a clear sign

to them of their destruction, but of

your salvation, and that from God.

So, my question is, if suffering is a

clear sign of our salvation, what is it

a clear sign of if we aren't suffering?

Um, are you sharing the gospel?

Um, I think, I think that is going to

do it enough.

Um, I think even if we look at Luke 6,

22, he says, woe to you when all men

speak well of you, for that is how their

fathers treated the false prophets.

Uh, I don't even know what to do with

that verse.

Um, so, I guess the question is here, is,

are you suffering for the gospel by being

true to what it says to you about how

you spend your money, the people you date,

and how you live your life?

Or do you look, like, just like everybody

else?

Like, there's literally no distinguish

between you and everyone else.

Um, I can give a huge testament of this

as, like, Greek life.

Um, and I'm involved in Greek life, and I

think a lot of people go into Greek life

with, like, these really good intentions

of, like, well, I'm going to meet people,

I'm going to, like, have good friends,

I want to be a good influence on people,

like, I want to grow as an individual.

And even if it's, like, some of those

people will, like, say, you know, I want

to meet people, but I also want to share

the gospel with people.

Like, so how true are we still to that

original plan?

Um, are we still doing that?

Or have we been influenced by,

not just Greek life, but, I mean,

just in general, like, have we made

compromises?

Um, are we just hanging out with people

and putting it under the banner of

sharing the gospel?

We're not actually doing anything.

Um, and so that's my challenge to us

in that section is, you know,

are we sharing the gospel, or are we

going to uncomfortable places?

Sometimes, like, even for me, like,

I can give a testimony to it of, like,

man, I will, I love Sigma Nu.

Like, I love the guys in Sigma Nu.

Um, and, man, my intention was to get

out of my own Christian bubble and, man,

share the gospel with people, too.

Um, and I think, I think what happens

is we go from this area of, like, okay,

I'm really, really lukewarm, and then

I get in this really, really hot water,

and you're like, oh, this is really,

really uncomfortable, and then that

becomes lukewarm, and you're like,

yeah, I can really get used to this.

And then God's, like, saying, like,

no, I want to take you further into a

place of even hotter water.

Um, because we're constantly battling

against our flesh, and my flesh says,

be quiet, shut up, don't talk about

Jesus.

Um, okay, so fourth point, um, is in

verse 29.

It says, 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 have.

Um, so the fourth point is, we don't

want to be actively engaged in the

gospel.

Um, we don't want to actively engage

it.

So, I want to take this second and

make fun of Christian marketing

culture.

Um, and so y'all know, if you've been

in, around Christians at all, you see

that we like to have these really,

really comfortable, warm verses on

coffee mugs and blankets, and if you

listen to 91.5 or 104.7, you hear,

like, these really sweet verses, like,

love is patient, love is kind, and

those are true, those are great, but

we will never find this verse on a

coffee mug.

You won't find it.

Um, no one is going to sit down and

just like, man, I'm really discouraged,

and then someone just walks up to them

and says, or someone's like listening to

them pour out their heart and like,

brother, I just want to, I just want to

encourage you with this verse.

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.

And they're just like, I'm so encouraged

right now.

That is exactly what I needed.

Like, that, we're not going to find that,

and whoever does, that business is going

to burn, and like, it's going to crash

and burn.

No one's going to buy those coffee mugs.

Um, but we're really biased with our

scripture.

Um, so, that is a tough word, granted to

you.

Like, what?

It's been granted to you that, like, like,

and so the Greek is saying that you've

actually been done a favor, um, that

you've been gratuitously in kindness, been

given the opportunity to believe in Jesus,

but also suffer for his sake.

Um, Matthew 5, 12 says, rejoice and be

glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

For so they persecuted the prophets who

were before you.

So we read that verse a second ago, saying,

woe to you who they speak well of.

Like, man, like, be, be on, he's basically

saying, like, be on guard when people are

just speaking really, really good things

about you, because they did the exact same

thing about the false prophets.

And then he's saying, man, um, rejoice,

because if they're persecuting you, they

persecuted Isaiah, and they persecuted

Jeremiah.

And they persecuted all these prophets, so

it's a huge, it's supposed to be this

huge encouragement.

So if we disagree, we need to look again

at the outcome, again, of every major

character in the New Testament.

If we say, like, well, Swanson, I'm

following you, I'm with you, but right up

until now, I'm actually not anymore.

Like, I, I, I really don't agree, like,

I don't agree that we're supposed to

call, that we're called to suffer.

I was like, man, please, I would encourage

you, read the New Testament again through

the lenses of, man, Christ is actually

calling, everyone, like, calling us to

suffer for his sake.

And so, the cool thing is that Paul does

not divorce belief and obedience ever

in his letters.

He usually will say something like, man,

thank you for, like, I, like, I'm so glad

that you believe in the gospel and that

you obey it.

And so a lot of times our tendency is to

want to say, well, I believe in the

gospel, like, I believe in Jesus, and he's

my savior, and I'll follow him to the ends

of the world.

And then our obedience is so opposite of

that.

Like, our lives are so different from

it.

And because it's really easy just to lay

claim to that and be like, man, I believe

in Jesus, but it's so much harder to be

obedient to him, especially if that entails

suffering.

So, Paul is engaging in conflict, and as a

result of that, he's suffering.

He's engaging the gospel.

He's sharing the gospel all the time.

And as a result, this guy is not rolling up

in a Mercedes Benz or a Rolls Royce, and he's

actually in prison, and all of his friends are

starting to desert him, like people who he

stood by, and he's sharing the gospel with

those people actually end up deserting him.

And so Paul is suffering, and he's saying, don't

run from that.

That's a good thing.

That is a good indicator that you're saved.

So, my question with this is, are you engaged

in the gospel, or do you still believe that you

can live in neutral territory?

That we can live in this comfortable bubble of

not engaging, but not really falling back.

So, I'm wrapping it all up right here.

How do all these things relate?

If we're going back to that question of, are you

living your life in a manner worthy of the

gospel, or have you drifted far off?

Or, man, are we not even in it for the right

reason anymore?

And we're not actually a part of all those

things.

We don't have the right motivation.

We're not in a church community.

We're not suffering for the gospel, and we're not

actively engaging the gospel.

So, how can we do this practically?

What do you do with this?

The thing that I don't want is for us to say,

okay, man, I will start being involved in the

church.

Yeah, I'll start suffering for the gospel, and

I'll start engaging and sharing my faith.

So, we set this huge to-do list, this huge to-do

list of things to do, of like, as long as I do

those things, man, I will, like, I'm good, and I can

get back on track.

Like, if we do that, we're missing it completely.

We're missing the point of the gospel.

And so, I just beg you, that's not what I'm trying

to say tonight.

I'm not saying that at all.

I think where we start is humility.

I think we say, you know, God, I've fallen short of

this so much.

Like, I've fallen short completely.

Or, God, I don't even know what my motivation is

anymore.

Or, like, tomorrow, I'm just doing things for the

sake of doing them.

And I'm not motivated by your grace.

And I'm not involved in the church body.

I'm not sharing the gospel.

I have a terrible motivation for why I'm doing this.

And I'm not suffering at all.

But, um, so I think this starts with your own heart.

Um, of, and that's what's, what's tough for the

church because it's like, I want to, you want to see

results, you know?

You want to see people change.

But that starts with your own heart.

And that does not start tomorrow morning.

It's not, like, an instant, like, I'm just going to

change my actions.

It's this thing with, like, man, Christ has to really

transform your heart.

And so, what I would beg you all to do is, tonight,

like, yeah, like, we're going to leave here.

We're going to keep talking.

We're going to, like, we're going to get on with the

night.

We're going to, we have homework to do.

We have the world to get back to at college.

But I just ask us to take a moment and really examine

our own hearts and say, like, man, Christ, why do you

have me doing the things that I'm doing?

Um, am I doing with this right motivation?

We need to start praying to God and say, God, I fall so

short of this.

Like, I fall so short of this.

Like, even today, I cannot handle ultimate frisbee, I

realized.

I get way too competitive.

And I am not a non-confrontational person.

So, I just, and it's like, I realized just even in that,

how sinful I am today.

It's like God was knocking me down on the notch.

He was like, man, you think you're all that.

And I just realized, I'm so sinful.

I care about a stupid game of frisbee more than this guy here.

Um, so, again, I'm just saying, wrestle with this truth.

And then finally, like, man, like, if God is doing something in

your heart, man, and you don't know where to go with this.

Like, I think Nathan and Chris in the back, and even, you

know, if you won't, if those guys are busy, I'm a last resort.

Come talk to me.

Um, that kind of seems to be the pattern of tonight.

Um, or the guy you read with, or the girl that you read with.

Like, like, I just pray that, like, this really would just affect

just, just our conversations on the way back.

So, in the car tonight, maybe just take a second and just be like,

you know, what did that mean to you tonight?

Let's, let's really kind of go deep.

Let's not just change actions.

Let's have our hearts changed.

Um, I'm going to pray us out, and then Alex is going to come up.