One Faith – United for the Gospel | Philippians 1:27–30

Men, man, you may be seated.

Well, welcome.

Good morning and uh glad you're here.

It's good to be back.

Thankful for uh Bradley filling in last week as we did the worst thing you could possibly ever do, which is drop a kid off at college and leave looking at them in the rearview mirror and all of that.

So we're gonna leave it at that, okay?

Because I don't cry on stage, which isn't a good thing, it's just what I don't do.

So uh no, I'm kidding, but um it is it was great to be able to do that and uh thankful for those who can fill in and are able to uh continue to serve you uh and us.

So starting a short new series, as I said, we're kind of entering into the the beginning of a ministry season.

So ministry season is really kind of begins in August.

Vacations are done, people are back from their trips, and schools getting back in session, so small groups are getting started again, and studies are getting started again, and uh different ministries are starting to gear up, and this is gonna be a busy season.

And as we enter into this season, as we get ready for what lies ahead of us over the course of the next several months, getting ready for the holiday season, gasp collectively.

We're there, but we're getting ready for it, and uh, we want to make sure that we're starting the season right, and we're starting uh with the right perspective.

And I was thinking about that, whenever you see a group that's gathered, so this group is gathered.

We're a group of a few hundred people here today, and and we have gathered together, and and whenever you see a group gather, let's say they just gather out on the street or they're gathered for any sort of big big thing, the question that is is right is why is everyone here?

Like, what do you what what are they doing?

What's going on over there?

What is going on to gather all those people together?

Why are they united?

What are they doing?

And you know that if you see a bunch of people gathered at a political party, the thing that they are united around is probably they all support the same party.

Right?

If you see people gathered at a at an AA meeting, right, that you know that they're all gathered because they struggle with the same addiction.

If people are gathered at a ball game and your question is, why are they gathered?

The answer is they all support the same team.

What I'm saying is that there is something around which a gathered people unite.

And we want to talk about that, and that should be the question that is asked.

What draws us together?

So it should be asked about the church.

What brings us together?

How should we gather together?

Why are we united?

So the series title is that United.

We want to be a united people.

There are a few things that destroy the effectiveness of the church and a church more than a divided people.

And so we want to know what we're divided around.

We want to know what empowers our or what we are united around, what empowers our unity, the posture of our unity.

Uh, what what what what are we doing when we do this and gather around?

So as a church, it should be that we are united for the gospel.

That's why we're here.

If somebody says, What are all you doing?

What are y'all doing in that room?

What's going on?

The answer isn't, well, those are my friends, and that's a fun place to be, and all of those periphery things.

It should be we are a people united by the gospel of Jesus Christ for the purpose of discipleship and evangelism.

We are here that all may know Christ and make him known.

That's our gospel purpose.

And what a person believes is always reflected by how a person lives.

You know that, right?

Your lifestyle is a reflection of your belief system.

You we see this not just in big theological things, we see this every day.

If you are a person who believes that check engine light is not a big deal, then you just keep driving, right?

But if you do believe that your engine might actually explode, you pull over and pray.

If you believe the expiration date is just a suggestion, you smell the milk first before you drink it.

But if you are a believer that the expiration date is an absolute truth, you dump it straight out and put it in the trash.

If you are a person who believes your phone battery at 3% can make it, then you leave your charger at home and you're one of my children.

Or your actions reveal your theology of battery life.

I think about the this more, no more present in the life of the Reed family than in the different ways my wife and I act when the gaslight comes on.

Now I know how much miles or how many miles, how many gallons I have left when the gaslight comes on.

I've got about one to two gallons, which means in a car that goes about 15 to 20 miles per gallon, I've got about 30 to 40 miles before I actually need it.

Now, all of you guys can come tell me how bad that is for my fuel pump, and I'm sucking up all the sediments at the bottom of my gas tank and all of those things.

I know.

I don't care.

I'm gonna get every last drop out of that thing, and I would love it if I would just sputter and die at the gas pump every time.

And then fill that sucker back up and let's go.

But my wife thinks the gas light comes on, and she's calling me saying, I'm about to run out of gas.

Make sure you know where I am so you can meet me.

Where's the gas station?

Let's find it right now.

Listen, we have different belief systems about the importance or the the quantity of gas left when a gaslight comes on.

Therefore, we have different actions when that happens.

Listen, what we believe influences the way we live.

And that is true and should be true when what we believe about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how that affects the way we live.

Now, Philippians chapter 1 is where I want you to find your in your Bible.

Philippians 1 · chapter mention

So go to Philippians 1.

Let's let's open there and let's read something there in a few minutes.

But Philippians 1 is a letter.

We're gonna kind of parachute into the middle of it or at the end of the first chapter.

So let me give you a short little quick uh background.

Philippians is a letter written by Paul to the church in Philippi.

It's a church that he's encouraging them to rejoice, uh, to celebrate what God has done.

It's a gospel-centered book.

And before we read it, just think about the reality that there is um several times in chapter one where Paul is talking about the gospel.

And we're gonna read, we're not gonna read the whole chapter, obviously, but just some things that he says in his introductions about the gospel.

Now, when we talk about the gospel, we're talking about the good news of Jesus Christ.

We're talking about the message that Jesus Christ came, died, uh buried, rose again for your sin and my sin, and all who place their trust and faith in him receive everlasting life.

That's in the short.

Now, he talks about this multiple times, this gospel.

What is this gospel?

In fact, if you just see it in verse 5, he talks about the partnership that they had with him in the gospel.

Like he was he was thankful.

Thank you for your partnership in the gospel with me.

So, so there was a sense in which he was living a gospel-centered life, and the church in Philippi was helping him accomplish this gospel-centered purpose.

In verse 7, he talks about how his imprisonment, the end of verse 7, his imprisonment and how how uh how that uh imprisonment helped him in confirm confirmation of the gospel and in defense of the gospel.

So he talks about how they were with him in all of his imprisonment and all of his circumstances, and how that served to confirm and defend the gospel, and how they served with him in that ministry.

In verse 12, he actually says that those imprisonments happened actually to the advancement of the gospel.

So his persecution and his his imprisonment and his struggles happened, and the gospel advanced because of, not necessarily in spite of, but actually because of his imprisonment.

And then in verse 16, he says, Knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.

So what I'm trying to get at is that it is clear in the first few verses of chapter one that Paul believed in the importance and the centrality of the gospel.

Now he's gonna shift gears and tell us that our lives need to be lived in a certain way in light of the gospel.

So I'm a gospel-centered person, you're a gospel-centered church, we're together for the purpose of advancing the gospel.

Now let me give you some instructions and some imperatives when it comes to the importance of the influence of the gospel on your lives.

And that's where we get to the text in chapter 1, verse 27.

So I'm gonna read verse 27 through verse 30 out loud.

You follow along silently in your Bible, or if you need to look at the screen, it's there.

And these are God's words for us.

May we come to them with a reverence and submission to what they have to say to us.

Verse 27, here's what Scripture says.

Only let your manner of life, your lifestyle, we'll talk about that, be worthy of the gospel of Christ.

So that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents.

This is a clear sign to them of their destruction and of your salvation and that from God.

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

So, these are God's words for us.

And what he is doing now after establishing the centrality of the gospel and the importance of the gospel in his life and ministry, he is saying now, in light of everything that you and I believe about the gospel, this is how you should live.

Verse 27 starts with the word only.

That's a that's an interesting word.

It really could be translated just one thing.

It's it's the idea of this one essential thing.

It's it's like he held up his finger and he said, If you remember nothing else, remember this.

One commentator says the word introduces an admonition lifted like a warning finger.

If you remember one thing, it's the it's the father to the children, it's the boss.

Don't forget this.

Don't re don't don't don't neglect this.

If there's one thing that I can leave with you in light of the centrality of the gospel, it is this.

And he is reminding of them of this one thing.

And what I want to unpack, this one thing is, is I think captured in this big idea that sits over the top of our text.

So it's one sentence.

If you're new with us, this is for our notes to get a guide for where we're headed in the sermon and unpacking of the text.

It's this a united church lives together in a way that is worthy of the gospel.

So when a church is united, or to be united, we live together in unity in a way that is worthy of the gospel.

That's the word he uses.

Only let your manner of life, church, let y'all's manner of life, it's a plural idea, let your life together be a life that is worthy of the gospel of Christ.

So here's what we need to understand about this.

The phrase manner of life is super interesting.

It actually comes from a Greek word that that is uh where we get kind of this uh uh citizenship idea.

It carries the idea of conducting yourself as a citizen.

This would have been a word immediately connected to the Philippi, the people in Philippi.

In Philippi, it was a Roman colony.

So it was a colony.

It wasn't Rome, but it was a colony of Rome.

And even though they lived hundreds of miles from Rome, they were very proud of their Roman citizenship.

Roman colonies were like these little pieces of Rome scattered throughout the empire.

So it wasn't Rome, but you could go there and it would feel like you were in Rome.

They spoke like Romans, they dressed like Romans, they lived under Roman laws, they had a Roman culture, they were expected to conduct themselves as citizens of Rome.

So when he uses this word, your manner of life should reflect something.

The people in Philippi would have said that's the word we use for how we live in Philippi, like Romans.

So, people in Philippi, if you saw how they live, you would think, these people are like Romans.

So he takes that understanding and says, You know what it means to live like a Roman citizen, even though you are far from Rome.

But Christian, you have an even greater citizenship.

In fact, in Philippians 3.20, he uses the same word when he says, Our citizenship is in heaven.

So, so he's saying our manner of life, our citizenship should be worthy of the gospel.

The word worthy was used to describe the balancing of a scale.

It spoke of a standard.

So the Roman citizens of Philippi lived up to a standard of Roman living in the same way what Paul is doing here is he's saying, just like that, Christians who are changed by the gospel, followers of Jesus Christ, should live a life worthy or up to the standard of their true citizenship, which is in heaven, which is characterized by gospel-centered lifestyle.

So the Roman citizens of Philippi would have sought to live lives as citizens of Rome in a way that appropriately reflected the Roman culture.

And in the same way, we citizens of heaven should seek to live our lives in a way that appropriately reflects the gospel.

We know that.

Now, Paul isn't talking about how to become a Christian.

Know that.

He's not saying live a life that's worthy so that he'll save you.

That's not what he's saying.

He's talking about how Christians should live because they have been changed by the gospel.

You don't live worthy of the gospel so that God will save you.

You live worthy of the gospel because God has saved you.

So what does it look like?

So if we go back to the big idea, this united church, as citizens of another country, namely heaven, are to live their lives in this world together in unity in a way that is worthy of the gospel, in a way that it accurately reflects the gospel.

How does Paul speak that that should reflect for us?

And it's not about being a denomination, it's not about being a part of a church, it's not about being a certain political group or a racial group, it's about being people of the gospel and citizens of the kingdom of heaven by the gospel should live in a certain way.

So what does that look like?

And he gives us three pictures.

Three pictures that show us what it looks like as a church united to live worthy of the gospel.

I want to look at those for us together.

Okay?

There's three of them.

The first one I want you to see goes like this a church living worthy is, number one, united in firm standing in the gospel.

United in firm standing.

Okay, so follow the logic of the grammar.

Let your manner of life, let your citizenship, let your culture be lived out in a way that's worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I'm with you or I just hear about you, whether I'm there with you or reading your posts on Facebook, that I'm aware of the fact that there's something true about you.

And the first thing that I want to be true about you is that I may hear that you are standing firm in one spirit.

That's a cool phrase.

Standing firm is a word that was used often to describe soldiers who would not be pushed around.

Anchored in place, immovable, not willing to abandon their post.

So imagine battle raging all around the soldier, enemy advancing, everything around him is telling him, retreat, but the soldier plants his feet and says, I'm not moving.

The enemy's coming, I'm not moving.

They're attacking, I'm not moving.

This is Paul's picture of the Christian.

He is saying, There are truths upon which we cannot move.

There are convictions that we cannot surrender.

There is a gospel that we cannot compromise.

Stand firm in the gospel.

Stand firm, worthy of the gospel are people who stand firm on the truths of the gospel.

We're not willing to manipulate it, to compromise it, to remake it so that it becomes more palatable to the people who are listening.

No, we are a people who stand firm strong even when the enemy is raging against us.

In fact, Paul knew how devastating it was when churches failed to stand firm.

Look at what he says to the church in Galatia.

Galatians chapter 1, verse 6 and 7.

Galatians 1:6

He says, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.

Like you just took your cleats off, and now you're sliding all over the place.

You have just lost your firm grip in standing.

Not that there is another one.

He's not, he's like, there's not really even another gospel, but you're following something else that is packaging itself as another gospel.

And there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

Do you see the point Paul's making in Philippi is what he wanted to uh have them avoid, what was happening in Galatia.

That you're not following another gospel.

The Galatians were moving, they were drifting, they were allowing another gospel to replace the true gospel.

One of the greatest jobs, I think, of a pastor and a pastoral team, which is why I'm grateful that I get to serve on a pastoral team here at life, like I get to, is that we would train the church and disciple the church so that the church will become strong and unwavering.

And in Ephesians chapter 4, we are told that he gave apostles to the church, and he gave prophets, and he gave evangelists, and he gave shepherds, and he gave teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

And then there's a so that.

There's a reason why.

So that, here it is on the screen, we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

See, the enemy that is opposing us wants the gospel to be distorted, watered down, and changed, so that it's less offensive and it's less uh dividing.

And here he is saying, No, the gospel is the only message that saves, it's the message that needs to be clear.

And as a people who are living worthy of the gospel, they are not changing the message, they are standing firm in it, not shaken.

So when the winds of change come, the person who stands firm doesn't move.

When the waves of false doctrine and compromise attempt to erode, he doesn't.

He doesn't budge, he stands like a mighty tree, his feet firmly planted.

That's the idea of standing firm.

But here's the cool thing: he doesn't say stand firm alone.

He's not like, hey, Christian, go out into the middle of that field and just stand there and don't move.

He says to stand firm in one spirit.

What he's talking about is all y'all together in one spirit stand firm.

What's one spirit mean?

I think it's not talking about the Holy Spirit, but it's talking about the spirit of man.

He seems to be describing uh that the Philippians and the church should have a shared inner disposition, a shared purpose and a shared resolve, a shared conviction around which we as a church unite.

That with one mind, there are things we disagree on, believe it or not.

There are things that you and I aren't going to see eye to eye on.

But when it comes to the gospel, we should have one spirit, a shared resolve, a shared conviction, a shared unity around the reality of who Jesus Christ is and what he did.

This is the picture of a Christian standing together, linking arms, linking their shields together.

One out in the middle of a field, sure, can be defeated.

But a wall of united shields, a wall of united people standing together for the faith of the gospel is hard to fight against.

That's the picture Paul's giving us.

So he's like, listen, as a people who are citizens of heaven living in a foreign land called earth, in a world culture, you should be a people who are so clear together with this shared resolve and conviction that the message of the gospel is not to be trifled with or altered.

And so with that conviction, you stand firm together, linked up, locked in, so that the enemy who's trying to deceive and distort will not be able to get to the church.

We have different backgrounds, we have different personalities, preferences, different generations, different opinions about all kinds of secondary issues, but there's something greater that unites us, and that's the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Amen, church?

And we should unite around that as a gospel people.

Okay?

That's point number one.

Listen, we're not just to be a people who stand firm, we're not just to be a people who defend, we are not just to be a people who know where we stand and stand.

We are also to be a people who are on mission, advancing forward.

And that is number two.

What I think Paul is getting at for us is this a church living worthy is united with focused striving.

I got a double alliteration going for you, so get ready to be annoyed and be obnoxious, all of that.

But united with focused striving for the gospel.

So listen, he says first be a church who in unity stands firm.

And second, be a church who in unity strives forward, focused on a goal.

Look at it in verse 27.

Here he says, standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, striving together.

That's a cool word.

It's sun athleo.

It means to contend or wrestle together as in an athletic contest in which a group of athletes cooperates with one another as a team, competing against another team to accomplish a goal, to achieve a purpose, to score a touchdown or to score a point.

It's working in coordination against a common opponent.

Now, listen, there's a lot of illustrations we have of this, and some of them I understand better than others, but one of my favorite illustrations of this is the scrum in rugby.

Check this picture out.

Like, first of all, my first thought in that picture is what it must smell like down there.

Holy cow.

Like, that's gross.

But I think this perfectly illustrates for us what we're trying to see.

I don't understand what they're doing.

This guy's throwing a ball in the middle of them and they're gonna kick it to their side anyway.

So I'm like, what's the point of the scrum?

You guys just wanna like wrestle each other and then kick the ball?

It just doesn't make sense.

If you know rugby, fine, I'll I'll take your uh your education of what they're actually accomplishing there.

But linked in arms, I love it.

These guys are linking in arms.

So look at their cleats.

Their cleats are standing firm, holding their ground, and they're linked together, and they're pressing together against the common enemy.

The goal is to push against so that they can accomplish the purpose, to advance the ball down the field.

That's the picture of Soon Athle.

This striving together.

It's one word, striving side by side is one Greek word.

Together strive, together work, together labor as an athlete on a rugby team in a scrum would do for the purpose that they are accomplishing.

So biblically, the idea here is that the church would struggle for a common cause.

And the primary cause he gives us.

We don't have to wonder what that is.

That's what's cool about scripture.

Well, what's our cause?

Well, what's our purpose?

Let's make sure we come up with a really cool, quippy way of describing our purpose.

Here's the purpose.

He gives it for us, striving together for the faith of the gospel.

That's our mission.

There's plenty of other things that are good that we can be a part of and we should be a part of, but the ultimate goal is the faith of the gospel.

Now, what is meant by the faith of the gospel?

Well, it could mean two things.

I think one is more than the other.

It could mean defense, as we just said, stand firm.

It has that idea.

It could be talking about a set of beliefs, the faith of the gospel.

It's striving together against false teaching and atheism and humanistic beliefs.

It's a standing for the fighting, standing for and fighting for the truth.

Jude 3 talks about it earnestly contending for the faith.

In fact, look at it on the screen.

He says, uh, beloved, though I was eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith.

So it could mean that.

Definitely we know that's a reality of our existence together, right?

That we contend for the faith, meaning the set of beliefs that make up the doctrine we call the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But I don't think in this context it is referencing that, though there's connection there.

I think it's more this.

This probably is talking about the striving to bring unsaved, unbelieving people to faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I think that based on the context, it is an evangelistic and a missional thing.

It is the advancement of the gospel in areas where people are lost and in darkness.

The church is to strive in unity to advance the faith of the gospel through evangelism, through discipleship, by reaching the unbelievers that God is intending to save.

That's what we get to be a part of.

Paul is saying to in unity defend and to advance the faith of the gospel, the truth of the gospel.

So in a world saturated with false teaching and humanism, we are to be a united team to combat those other ideas and teaching that promotes faith in the gospel.

That's why Paul says this in Romans 1:16.

Romans 1:16

I am not ashamed of the gospel.

I will preach it, I will declare it, I will live it, I will sacrifice for it, I will be imprisoned for it, I will be beaten for it, I will sacrifice everything I have for it, because it and it alone is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

That is Paul's declaration of striving for the faith of the gospel.

I am living and I am sacrificing and I am giving my all because the only hope of mankind is not another form of religion or another set of man-made standards.

It is faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And I am not ashamed to preach that message all around.

That's striving for the faith of the gospel.

So I think that's the point that he's making here that the church has been entrusted with the gospel.

And our responsibility is not merely to preserve it, it's not merely to put our cleats in the ground, link arms, and stand against opposition.

It is also to advance the gospel, to advance the message, to make disciples.

Listen, it is without denying scripture is full of the reality that our existence as a church and as disciples is that we would be people who take the gospel across the street, and that we would be people who take the gospel around the city, and that we would be people who take the gospel across the world and tell people that Jesus Christ died for sinners and rose again to call people to repent and believe, to teach believers everything that Christ commanded us.

That's our purpose, and that's what it means to strive side by side for the faith of the gospel.

So one man said it well.

What Paul is saying is that in order to live lives worthy of the gospel, there must be a unified, fearless striving for the faith of the gospel.

That is an effort in some way to see the gospel spread and win more and more faith in the world of unbelief.

So Paul says this strive to advance the gospel and do it together.

Side by side, arms linked, stinky scrum rugby people, linking arms, advancing the ball, which is the gospel, the faith of the gospel, not by yourself, but doing this together.

Listen, you you're not called to do what I do.

Some preach, some teach children, some disciple teenagers, some of y'all lead groups, some sing and serve and give and go, some pray.

Some of you teach in the classroom, some of you are evangelists in your workplace at the water cooler or the lunchroom.

Some of you are people who just shine bright with the gospel, and when people ask of it, you're ready to share with them the message of Jesus Christ.

The reality is that not everybody's gonna do this as a vocational call, but everybody does this as a part of the call of God on their life, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, that we together, linking in arms, would see that we are advancing the gospel message around the world in places where they need to hear and believe on the name of Jesus Christ.

We cannot make the gospel ambiguous.

We cannot attempt to hide beneath the surface of a seeker mindset.

Like we're not trying to just fill a room full of people.

We want people to know the gospel.

Because here's the reality: this room is not the power of God to save.

This church is not the power of God to save.

This dude right here is not the power of God to save.

This denomination is not the power of God to save.

It is the gospel that is the power of God to save.

And so when a people remember that it is the gospel that saves and the world needs that message, we link arms and we strive side by side for the advancement of the faith of the gospel.

That's what he's calling us to.

Not hide it, not conceal it, not make it watered down or change it, but to preach it clearly and loudly.

Amen, church?

That's what we're after.

That's what we're after.

And to the world, the preaching of the cross is folly.

I love it if you think about the reality that if the church growth advisors of today were around in the first century advising Jesus or Paul about their ministries, if they invited Jesus and Paul to the conference they were holding, they might have told Paul and Jesus to change everything they did.

No, you can't preach like that.

No, you can't say that.

No, you shouldn't go in and turn tables over.

No, you shouldn't do that.

However, the cross can be offensive, that's the reality, but we don't need to soften the gospel, we don't need to hide the gospel, we don't need to apologize for the gospel.

We need to believe it, proclaim it, defend it, and advance it.

Our mission isn't to make everyone more comfortable, and it's not to add more church people.

Our mission is to faithfully make Christ known and see people come to know Jesus as their Savior.

That's what we're doing.

And every ministry we believe ultimately should serve that mission.

And every dollar that is given should serve that mission, and every building we use should serve that mission.

And every program we operate and every partnership we enter into should serve that mission, that all may know Christ and make him known.

So not merely occupying space, not just maintaining an institution, not preserving what previous generations built, but striving together for the advancement of the faith of the gospel.

That's what it means for the church united as citizens of heaven to live in a worthy way in this world.

That's number two.

Okay?

Now, number three.

A church living worthy is not only a church standing firm and striving with focused attention.

A church living worthy is number three, united through faithful suffering because of the gospel.

So we're united standing firm in the gospel.

We are focused in our striving for the gospel, and we are united through suffering because of the gospel.

Here's what's crazy about what's going on here.

Paul doesn't pretend following Jesus and striving for the faith of the gospel will always be easy and that everyone's gonna like you.

If you're here because you're hoping people will like you more because you're on Jesus' side, you're in the wrong place.

Quite the opposite is true.

In fact, John 15, verse 20 says it this way Remember the word that I said to you.

John 15:20

A servant is not greater than his master.

If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

If they killed me, they're gonna kill you.

If they denied the gospel that I preach to them, they're gonna deny the gospel you preach to them.

If the world hated me, it's going to hate you.

Donald English rightly said that there is no authentic Christian service that does not have suffering written into it.

So Paul says that together, in their standing and in their striving, they should not be frightened when the opponents come.

That's crazy, verse 28.

Not frightened by anything or in anything by your opponents.

Not frightened.

The word carries the idea of being startled or spooked, like a horse that's spooked.

He's like, don't be spooked.

Don't be intimidated.

Imagine a team walking onto the field, seeing the opponent.

They are bigger, they are stronger, they are faster.

Think the children of Israel fighting against the Philistines, and Goliath, the giant, comes out on the battlefield, and the Israelites are all horrified and scared and intimidated.

They lost the fight before they ever started the fight because they were intimidated, they were spooked, they were startled.

That's the idea.

Do not be frightened, do not be spooked, do not be intimidated, don't let the opposition intimidate you.

I don't care how big they are, I don't care how wise they are, I don't care how crazy they are.

He says, don't let it happen.

And here's the reality we know that there is an irrational confidence that Christians possess in the face of extreme opposition because of the gospel.

It's irrational.

They can look at an enemy much stronger, much wiser, much more powerful, much richer, and have a peaceful composure in the face of this intense persecution because of something that the gospel provides.

In fact, in 1555, there was a queen of England named Queen Mary.

She became known as Bloody Mary because over 300 Christians were executed under her orders.

And among them were two Christians, these guys named Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley.

The two preachers were bound to a post.

Wood was piled high around them, and they were set on fire.

And Latimer, Hugh Latimer, looks at Ridley and says, This, it's on the bottom here.

Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man.

I love that.

You're on fire, be a man.

Like it sounds like a son, a dad to a son, right?

You're just on fire, just be a man and toughen up.

Hugh Latimer had that kind of confidence.

And he says, Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, play the man.

We shall this day light such a candle by God's grace as I trust shall never be put out.

Who does that?

Who stands on a pile of wood and it lit on fire and looks at their partner who's suffering with them and says, It's okay, it's gonna be okay.

We're gonna start a fire that's gonna spread across this land like nobody's ever seen before.

And how can they do that?

They can do that because they believed the gospel was true.

There's an irrational confidence and an irrational composure that comes over a Christian by the grace of God in the face of intense persecution.

So much so that Paul can write to them and say, Don't let them spook you.

They're gonna burn you, they're gonna feed you to animals, they're gonna attack you, they're gonna malign you, they're gonna say all kinds of crazy things about you.

Don't let them spook you.

Stand strong, stay strong.

And verse 28, he says this this, this clear composure, this confidence is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation and that from God.

The Spirit empowered, grace-filled courage and peace and composure of a Christian in the midst of opposition and death is a sign declaring two things to be true.

All of you who don't believe are doomed for destruction because the gospel is true, and all of those who have believed are doomed for eternal life because the gospel is true.

There is some testimony that happens in the f in the world when Christians die and are persecuted and opposed for the gospel, and they do it with grace, and they do it with composure.

Think about this.

When Jesus died, he died on the cross.

Peter tells us he was reviled, but he didn't revile back.

He was struck, he didn't strike back.

He was he was persecuted, he was killed, he was defamed, he was lied about, and he died with such control and composure that even the people who nailed him to the cross in Matthew 27, 54 said this.

When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said this truly, this was the Son of God.

Do you see what happened?

The composure and the grace with which Jesus died and faced persecution actually saw the very people who nailed him to the cross converted to the reality that Jesus was the Son of God.

And then in 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 14 says that even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed.

1 Peter 3:14

Have no fear of them nor be troubled, but in your hearts, he says, honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, and do it with gentleness and respect.

So here's what he said: when you suffer and when you are opposed for the cause of Jesus Christ, and you do it with gentleness and respect and composure, that's irrational and supernatural, people are gonna come and be like, How did you die like that?

How do you suffer like this?

How do you take the opposition there and just continue on as if this is true?

And they ask you for the hope that is within you, and you tell them that it is Christ the Lord, he's the one who gives me the strength to do that.

See, the opportunity he's talking about in verse 28 is the opportunity to make much of Christ.

And here's what he says in verse 29.

For it has been granted to you for the sake of Christ that you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake.

Now, church, don't miss this.

The word granted there, it's not the Greek word didomai.

It's not that he gave you.

See, I can give you a punch in the nose.

It's a different word.

It's not didomai, it's charitzomai.

It means it's not a giving of something, it is a gift of love, it is a gift of grace.

It is that it is something that he has graciously granted to you, the same way he says that he has graciously granted to you faith and salvation.

Here it is.

It's easy for us to see salvation as a grace gift, but Paul is saying that suffering for Christ is a grace gift, it is a merciful gift of grace, in the same way that salvation is a gift of grace.

I know you don't like that because I don't like that either.

I'm like, that's not true.

That can't be true.

He can't have said that.

Why?

Why would he say that suffering for the gospel is a gift?

Man, I could give you so many reasons here.

Just a couple that come to my head, because suffering allows us to identify with Christ.

We can share in his suffering, 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 13 says.

1 Peter 4:13

We get to share in Christ's suffering.

That we get to suffer like he did, even in death.

There's this intimate fellowship that we have with Christ when we suffer for Christ.

It's supernatural and it's irrational composure that helps us know when I go through turmoil and persecution, I am going through it just like Christ went through it, and I'm okay with that.

I think faithful suffering provides assurance that we belong to Christ.

We just saw that, didn't we?

That when he grants to you to go through suffering for Christ to confirm that you are a child of Christ, that you are saved by the gospel, suffering for Christ and His gospel, remind us that this is a worthy cause to live for.

In fact, in Acts 5.41, the apostles were beaten and commanded not to preach Jesus.

And after they were let go, they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Christ.

I mean, I don't know about you, but I'm like, these guys left getting beat, high-five in each other, saying, That was awesome! I get the picture of guys coming off of a roller coaster who loved it and they're high five, and they're like, That was amazing.

And what they just were saying was amazing was that they just got beat for the name of Jesus Christ.

It wasn't that they love to get a good beating, they're not crazy.

It was that they were honored that they got to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ.

That he was worthy of this.

I think one thing that makes suffering a gift of grace to us is that suffering reminds us that the glory of God and the glory of heaven awaits us.

Again, 1 Peter 4 13, it's on the screen.

Rejoice in so far as you share Christ's suffering, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

That suffering on earth reminds me of peace and glory in eternity.

It reminds me that since I am follower of Christ, since I'm living for Christ, there is something that awaits me.

This is as bad as it's ever gonna get for me.

It only gets better after this.

It's the reminder.

Now, again, remember, suffering itself is not the gift, it's the privilege, is what suffering for Christ produces.

And he says, listen to do it together.

And finish this out with verse 30.

Engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

This gets us back to our theme.

The same conflict means that we don't just stand together when things are easy, we don't just strive together when ministry is exciting, but we suffer together.

That you're sharing with me in my suffering.

And when a person hurts, we surround them, when a person is attacked, we stand beside them.

When a person becomes discouraged, we strengthen them.

When a person grows wary, we help them carry the load.

That's what he's describing here is that there is faithfulness that comes.

Courage is bolstered when we link arms and when we suffer for the cause of Christ, but we're doing it together, and we're linked together in this to live a life worthy of the gospel as a church, is that we would be a united people who go through suffering for the gospel of Jesus Christ together, and by doing it together, our courage and our strength is bolstered so that we can remain faithful, steadfast, unmoving, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

We do it together.

We stand together, we fight together.

So let's land this plane, let's sum it all up.

The entire passage begins with let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.

The gospel begins with the reality that none of us is worthy.

So he's not talking about be worthy of being saved.

He's not saying deserve the gospel.

He is saying the reality of the gospel is that none of us is worthy.

We are sinners, we have rebelled against God and broken his law, and we could never make ourselves right with him.

But Jesus came, he stood firm where we failed, he perfectly obeyed the Father.

He was rejected, he was mocked, he was beaten, and he suffered, and ultimately Jesus went to the cross.

But he didn't merely die giving us an example to follow, he suffered as our substitute, he bore our sin.

He received the judgment we deserved.

He died in our place, and three days later he rose from the grave.

This is the gospel.

And everyone who turns from their sin and believes in Jesus Christ is forgiven, is declared righteous, is reconciled to God, is adopted into his family, and is made a citizen of heaven.

And brothers and sisters, this is what unites us.

Jesus Christ and his gospel unites us.

Not our age, not our political party, not our nationality, our faith in Jesus Christ.

And because we have been united by the gospel, we live for the gospel.

So we stand together firm in the gospel.

We strive together, advancing the gospel.

And if the pathway leads through the path, uh through the way of suffering, we suffer together for the gospel.

Because a church living worthy of the gospel in this world is a church who unites doing these things together as a church family.

Amen?

Let's do it together.

Let's fight together.

Let's stand together.

Let's honor the Lord together in this way.

All right.

We're done.

Let me give you three quick truth to life questions that you need to engage with as a result of this text.

These are three things that I need you to ask of yourself, not your neighbor.

It's you.

It's you and it's yours.

First thing is this Does my life accurately reflect the gospel I believe?

If what you claim to believe consistently doesn't line up with the way you live, you need to ask whether what you claim to believe is actually what you are trusting.

Everyone is trusting in some kind of good news.

Quote, air quotes, good news.

Something they believe will save them, satisfy them, or make their life worthwhile.

If your good news is good works, your life will be consumed with performance, trying to prove yourself, justify yourself, and earn what you can never earn.

If your good news is pleasure, then your life will be consumed with whatever it takes to make you happy, comfortable, and satisfied right now.

But if you believe in and the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then you will be a person who is trusting in a Savior, who died for your sins, rose from the grave, and offers forgiveness and eternal life to everyone who believes.

So the question is not merely, do you believe something?

The question is, have you believed the gospel of Jesus Christ?

And if the answer to that question is anything other than a clear and composed and resounding yes, then I would encourage you to come to Christ and trust Him as your Savior.

Number two, am I living united with my church for the gospel?

Am I living united?

I'm not saying, are you arguing with anyone right now?

You may say, Well, I'm not arguing with anybody, I'm not upset with anybody.

Whenever we do handshake time, I shake people's hands and I'm not mad at anybody.

But that's not what gospel unity is.

Gospel unity is not that.

That's the absence of division.

It's not the same thing as the presence of a unified force.

Being united for the gospel means more than sitting peacefully beside one another, it means linking arms with one another, standing together, striving together, and when necessary, suffering together.

It means knowing and being known.

It's recognizing that God has placed you in this church at this time in this city to accomplish something together with this group of people that none of us was ever intended to accomplish alone.

So don't just ask, am I getting along with my church?

Ask, am I actively standing and striving with my church for the gospel?

Amen?

Number four three, last question, we're done.

What does advancing the gospel look like for me?

You have a unique mission field that I don't have.

There are people God has placed in your life that He hasn't placed in mine, your family, your neighborhood, your workplace, your school, your team, your circle of friends.

You are a worker in a casino, you are a coach, you are a teacher, you are a person who works in construction.

You have a circle of influence that you I and the rest of us will never get to.

So where has God positioned you to advance the gospel?

Who needs to hear about Jesus from you?

Identifying your mission field is the first step.

Now step into it.

Pray for them, build a relationship, invite the conversation, share the gospel, invite them to church, say their name and disciple them.

Don't settle for believing the gospel without participating in the advancing of the gospel.

Paul says that we are to be striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.

So the big idea: a united church lives together in a way that is worthy of the gospel.

Amen, church.

Let's do it.

Let's go.

Let's unite.

Let's get it done.

Let's serve the Lord in this way.

Let's pray.

Thank you, Father, for reminding us what Paul gave us in Philippians chapter 1, verse 27 through 30.

Philippians 1:27–30

We are a people who are transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that reality should now be reflected in how we live together.

Help us to unite standing firm for the gospel.

Help us to unite, striving forward for the gospel, and help us to unite, suffering faithfully for the gospel.

And we know that we're better together.

And you did not call us to be Lone Rangers.

You called us to be part of a team called the church, a family called the church.

And if there's somebody in this room that's never placed their faith in Jesus Christ, their good news is something other than the good news of Jesus Christ.

I pray that today they would come by faith and trust Christ as their Savior and be saved.

Bless our time as we finish out our service, responding in worship.

Be honored and glorified in this time.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.