Hold Forth the Torch: Be Blameless and Share the Word of Life - Phil 2.14-16

Good morning, and what a great blessing it is to be worshipers of the only Lord and God, Jesus Christ.

My name is Pastor Simon, and here at Dillingham Moravian Church,

we delight in making disciples for Christ as we learn God's Word together with you.

One of my favorite parts of the Summer Olympics is the torch relay.

These days, everything starts in Olympia, Greece. A few months before the opening

of the Games, a ceremony is organized on the ancient site of the Olympic Games.

The flame is lit in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera by actresses playing

the part of priestesses.

The choreography and the costumes used in the ceremony are based on those of antiquity.

The flame is lit according to the ancient method of the sun's rays in the parabolic mirror.

The flame is placed in an urn and transported into the ancient stadium where

it is given to the first runner, the high priest deemed responsible for this operation.

This process is done months before the opening of the games in order to allow

for the relay to arrive at the host city.

The Olympic flame is transported from Greece to the host country by airplane.

The flame is carefully housed within specially designed safety lamps,

similar to miner's lamps, that keep it burning continuously in flight.

Multiple backup flames are also carried to ensure the flame's authenticity.

Then the runners run from the airport in the host country, relaying the torch

to other runners, and so forth, until the torch is brought to light the Olympic

flame cauldron in the host city.

The reason I'm sharing about the Olympic relay race is that as disciples of

Christ, we are running the race of life together with the family of God.

Towards the finish line, shining the light of the gospel in the darkness of

this world as we go. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we are so overjoyed to be able to be in your presence,

to be able to pray to you, to be able to entreat you.

But also we are excited to hear from your word. Teach us today.

Use us, Lord. Work in us so that by your Holy Spirit, so that we can be able to,

understand and know what you're teaching us today and be able to apply it to

our lives so that we too can be lights in this dark world.

In your precious son's name, Jesus Christ, we pray, amen.

Last week in our series, through Paul's letter to the Philippians,

we learned from God through Paul that we are to value each other in Christ's

church as beloved in Christ as we humbly worship.

And with reverence to God, obediently exercise God's salvation in us.

Secondly, Paul taught the believers in Philippi that they were to exercise their

salvation, recognizing that it is God that is working in them,

so that they could seek God with all their desires and serve Him for the glory of God.

And today we're going to continue in our study in Philippians 2, verse 14 to 16.

Philippians 2:14–16

Verse 14, Do all things without grumbling or disputing, so that you will prove

yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God, above reproach,

in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,

among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life,

so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory, because I did not

run in vain nor toil in vain.

There are three main points that I want to show you from this passage this morning.

The first truth is that as Christians, we are to live life without grumbling or quarreling.

One of the first Sunday mornings when I was pastor here at the Moravian Church

in Dillingham, my wife Abigail was making a dish for the potluck after church.

The dish that she was making called for mustard in it, and my wonderful wife

used mustard seeds and cooked them straight in the oil on the pan.

However, the result of her cooking the mustard seeds was this massive cloud

of mustard-like gas that forced Abigail and I out of the house and into the entranceway.

However, when we got out in the entranceway, we realized two things.

One, that we were in our pajamas. And two, that we had locked ourselves out

of the house without keys or phones.

It's still early in the morning and I had to walk over to the Bayside Inn to use their phone.

Now you have to understand, I was up late the night before working on the sermon.

I had not had my coffee yet and back then I was really addicted to caffeine.

And I was stomping over to the inn in my pajamas.

I grumbled and I muttered under my breath the entire way about Abigail locking

us out and trying to gas us.

When I got to the inn, fortunately I was able to call for one of the trustees

to come and bring us a key so that we could get back into the parsonage.

My point with this story is that I was full of grumbling that morning when I shouldn't have been.

This concept of grumbling combined with quarreling or disputing with someone

is what Paul was getting at in Philippians 2, verse 14.

Philippians 2:14

Do all things without grumbling or disputing.

To understand what Paul was teaching the Philippians about in verse 14,

we must understand that although Paul praised the Philippians for their fellowship

in the gospel, for their generosity, and for their witness under persecution,

It seemed like their congregation was experiencing trouble in the life of its membership.

And what I mean by this is that there was at least one disagreement between

two godly people in the Philippian church, and it may have been getting out of hand.

Let's look at Philippians 4, verses 1-4.

Philippians 4:1–4

Therefore, my brothers, loved and longed for my joy and crown,

in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. And here it is, verse 2.

I urge Iodia and I urge Sinti to think the same way in the Lord.

Indeed, I also ask you, genuine companion, help these women who have contended

together alongside of me in the gospel, with also Clement and the rest of my

fellow workers whose names are in the book of life.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice.

It's important for us to recognize that these two women were godly ladies.

Paul praised Iodia and Sinkti highly when he said that those women had ministered

together alongside of Paul and the gospel and that their names were in the book of life.

However, for some reason that Paul did not share in this letter,

these two women had a disagreement and this disagreement had to have gotten

bad for Paul to mention it in a public letter such as this.

Thus it makes me think the church was beginning to divide with people on the

side of Iodia and the side of Sinti.

This I believe is one of the main reasons for Paul writing his letter to the Philippians.

Paul was encouraging the two ladies and the people with them to unite in the Lord.

Remember the situation that this congregation was in. The Philippian church,

by holding fast to the lordship and kingship of Jesus Christ,

they were propelled into direct conflict with the super-Roman culture of Philippi,

who worshipped the emperor as God and king of the earth.

The Philippian church, along with the church in Thessalonica,

were the most severely persecuted congregations in the known world at the time.

Believers would have been killed, put into prison, possibly tortured.

They probably lost much of their livelihood, and they were quite poor.

It's very possible that these two women and the congregation were extremely

tired and worn down by suffering.

And as we all know, it's often when things are most challenging,

when tempers flare, or when we're often the most impatient with those we love

and less understanding.

Paul was so concerned about this issue because relationships inside the church

are seen by those who do not believe in Christ.

The harmony of Christ believers with congregations is the demonstration that

we are indeed saved by Christ and that the love of God exists and is working in us.

There is also another aspect about disputing and grumbling that I want to show you.

Moses recorded in Exodus 17, verses 1-7.

Exodus 17:1–7

Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the

wilderness of sin, according to the command of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim.

There was no water for the people to drink.

Therefore the people, and here is the word, quarreled with Moses,

and said, Give us water that we may drink.

Moses said to them, Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?

But the people thirsted there for water, and they grumbled against Moses and

said, Why now have you brought us up from Egypt to kill us and our children

and our livestock with thirst?

So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, What shall I do to this people?

A little more, and they will stone me.

The Lord said to Moses, Pass before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel.

Take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.

Behold, I will stand before you. They are on the rock at Horeb,

and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it,

and the people may drink.

And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

He named the place Massa Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel,

and because they tested the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us or not?

One of the points of the Exodus 17 passage is that although the people of Israel

were grumbling and complaining against God or against Moses,

they were really grumbling and quarreling against God because Moses said, why do you test the Lord?

My point with sharing this Exodus passage with you is to drive home the truth

that although Christians may quarrel and grumble against each other and their leaders,

When we do so, we're not just doing against other Christians,

also against God himself.

As Christians, there are so many things we could possibly quarrel about and

dispute with each other about.

As I said last week, there are at least 11 or 12 denominational backgrounds

that are represented in our church.

While this is wonderful and allows us to have a wealth of understanding of Scripture.

However, if we're not careful, it also makes for a lot of ways that believers

can disagree with one another, especially on the non-core, non-doctrinal issues,

as well as church practices, which also,

can be divisive if we're not careful.

This is also fishing time. People have stayed up late fishing,

processing fish on top of work and family, so people can be tired,

tempers and patience worn thin.

Thus, all kinds of disagreement and quarreling could be possible.

And yet, as we know, Christ has died on the cross to make us one being in Christ,

holy and beloved in the sight of God the Father.

There's also another warning here. We need to remember that when we quarrel

and fight with each other, we're not only doing those things against the people in front of us.

We are also hurting God.

And as much as God loves us and is gracious to us, it's also not a good place

to be in before our holy God.

There are consequences for disrupting the peace of God amongst His people.

God hates division.

So far we've learned that Paul warned the Philippian congregation to do everything

without grumbling and quarreling because it leads to division and is a terrible witness for Christ.

Yet Paul goes on in Philippians 2 to explain that Christ followers are to remove

grumbling and quarreling from their cells to prove that.

That we are children of God to light the way to God.

Although babies and young toddlers are a lot of work, when my boys were that

age, I enjoyed that they trusted me completely and were so dependent upon my wife Abigail and I.

I remember the times when the boys would come to me and look up and say,

Daddy, up. That was my cue to pick them up and hold them.

They didn't have ulterior motives or fear that I would drop them,

nor did they have any resentments yet.

No, all they wanted was me to hold them and everything would be all right.

And while there is still original sin from Adam that passes on human depravity

to us, really little children are largely without blame. They're innocent because

they do not have the knowledge of sin yet.

And as such, they haven't committed sin that God holds them accountable for yet.

Philippians 2, verse 15, Paul continued on.

Philippians 2:15

So that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent children of God

above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom

you appear as lights in the world.

There are three truths I want to show you in this verse. First off,

when Christians do not grumble and quarrel with each other, they in great part

prove that they are truly

children of God who have been made blameless and pure by God.

The word blameless meant unblemished when describing the absence of defects

in sacrificial animals.

Only a spotless or perfect sacrifice was fit to be offered to God.

Blameless also referred to one who is free from accusation or blame from either

side of God or of the human beings.

The other word that I want to bring your attention to is the word innocent,

which referred to mix, mingle, was used of undiluted wine or unalloyed metal.

When referring to people, it carried the notions of simplicity,

of character, purity, sincerity, or innocence.

In the atonement of Christ Jesus, God has made unblemished all those who believe

in Jesus Christ in response to the grace of God.

What Paul was getting at was that the Philippians and all Christians are to

live and stay in the unblemished or spotless state that God has imparted to us.

And as a result, Christians are to stay unblemished so that they are free from

any accusations of wrongdoing for God and human beings.

One commentary taught the apostle's purpose in laying upon his Philippian friends

this admonition, do all things with grumbling, without grumbling and quarrels,

is that no one would be able to lay any accusation or blame against them because

they were pure and sincere.

Again, I want you to notice the connection between the Philippians being without

defect and innocent with when believers do not grumble and quarrel in verse 14.

They are proving that they truly are children of God who have been made blameless and pure by God.

Secondly, Paul taught the Philippians that Christians are to prove that they

truly are children of God without blame and without defect in the midst of a

crooked and perverse generation.

Paul wrote in Philippians 2.15, A broad reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

When using the phrase crooked and perverse generation, Paul was quoting Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 32:5

32, verse 5, referring to the rebelliousness of Israel.

And this is what it says in verse 5. They have acted corruptly toward him.

They are not his children because of their defect, but are a perverse and crooked generation.

Paul is quoting Deuteronomy 32, verse 5, to demonstrate the contrast between

Deuteronomy 32:5

the wilderness generation of Moses day,

who are no longer his children because of their blemish and between Christ's

church who have been made in Christ by the Holy Spirit into the blameless children

of God and are called to live blamelessly before the Lord.

The last truth I want you to see in verse 15 is that Christians are to appear as light in this world.

Paul's statement that Christians are to appear as lights in the world remind

me of when I was crewing on a drift boat fishing for salmon.

The first year on the boat, our lights for the back deck were not very good.

It was difficult to pick by.

However, the next year, my captain installed a light system that illuminated

the back deck from multiple angles, and the lights were considerably brighter than the year before.

This was very helpful, especially when fishing down on the south line when we

were all crowded together in the dark in the event that is called combat fishing,

having the exponentially greater light not only helped us see to pick fish but

allowed us to see our boat and where our nets would be and for the fleet to see us,

this concept of being a light in the darkness is what paul was explaining to

the philippians in philippians chapter 2 verse 15 when he wrote among you.

Philippians 2:15

Among whom you appear as lights in the world.

My point is that the light of Christ in us as believers illuminates the darkness

to show others who are living in the darkness the way to Christ.

However, the light of Christ and his blameless children also reveals what is

in the darkness so that those who are trapped in Satan's darkness of sin can

see clearly what is really happening in the darkness.

So how can we apply verse 15 to us as Christians today?

By living as innocent children of God, free from blame before God,

as lights in the midst of perverse and crooked generations.

As we all know, living free from blame before God is not easy.

From God's perspective, we are holy and blameless before Him,

according to Ephesians 1.

On the other hand, we also live here on earth in our fallen mortal bodies.

We're subject to temptation from Satan.

We get lured by the desires of our sinful flesh.

It's also crucial, remember, that we are not left alone and we are not powerless.

Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit lives in us, and he is with us.

The Holy Spirit teaches and guides us through his word, reminds us of God's word when we need it.

Christ in the Spirit gives us his power and strength for us to live up to the

standard of holiness and blamelessness that God has positionally placed us in.

As Christians, as far as it is in our power, we must keep ourselves free from

accusation so as not to tarnish the reputation of Christ.

However, I must say this. The challenge is that we cannot always guard ourselves

against false accusations.

Evil people can still use lies against us.

I'm thinking of the situation I ran right now where the government are using

all kinds of lies against Christians in their country.

Yet, we, you and I, are called as Christians to be free from blame and innocent

of wrongdoing. And by and large, God's people will know the difference.

Even if a Christian is not acquitted from the lies of wrongdoing in this life,

God knows and he finds us faultless.

Take comfort from that.

It's important for us to stay in Christ and be faithful before God and others,

even when we are attacked and falsely maligned.

God is faithful, and He is with us.

The last main point that I wish to bring to your attention is that as Christians

we are to hold forth the word of life.

Paul, in Philippians 2, verse 16, continued writing, Holding fast the word of

Philippians 2:16

life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reasoned the glory,

because I did not run in vain, nor toil in vain.

Paul taught about not running in vain, holding forth the word of life.

When he did so, it was very possible he had the Olympics in mind.

Everyone in Greece back then knew about the Olympic Games.

The picture that Paul was presenting in this verse was that of a runner holding

fast to the flaming torch and holding it forth as a beacon of light in the darkness

until the runner reached his prize.

Paul painted the word picture of Christ, of a Christ believer,

as lights in this dark world, holding fast or tight to the Word of God.

But the other way of translating holding fast is also holding forth the Word

of God as a torch of light shining brightly in the darkness.

For Paul, the prize that he had to reach was the day of Christ,

when Christ would return and overthrow the world's powers and rule over the

world in justice and truth.

Paul's hope was that the Philippians that he had discipled would hold forth

the message of life in Jesus Christ through their preaching and practice,

so that Paul would know that in all the strenuous hard work that he had done,

that it wasn't in vain that he could give glory to God for the Philippians when Christ returned.

Paul in Acts chapter 20, verse 24 wrote this, but I do not make my life of any

Acts 20:24

account nor dear to myself so that I may finish my course.

This is mean as a race course and the ministry which I received from the Lord

Jesus Christ to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

There are two takeaways from this verse that I want to point out to you.

First off, as children of God, we are to hold forth the light of the gospel

through our speaking and actions so that the people of this dark world may be

able to receive the life of God.

Some ways that we may do this is through speaking to people about the life that

is available in Christ as we steam,

as we're in our workplaces, as we get to know the parents of our children's

classmates in the slower times while out on the drift boat or sitting at fishing.

Workplaces are a prime time to hold forth the light of Christ as we work hard

and we joyfully serve others, as we pray that God will open Holy Spirit moments

to be able to share the gospel to them.

As God opens these Holy Spirit moments, and He will as we trust Him, Step forward in faith.

Weave what God in Christ has done for you and what He can do for them into your conversations.

Secondly, as Christ believers, we must realize that we are in a race,

and the finish line is the day of the Lord's return.

Paul may have believed that the Lord would return in his lifetime.

While the ultimate finish line is Christ's return, should our Lord tarry,

then our goal is finishing this life well, being faithful to Christ, even unto death.

My encouragement to all of us is that as the family of God, we are in this race together.

There will be seasons of trial and trouble. And unfortunately,

the Bible teaches that it will get worse.

Yet do not give up running for Christ.

Keep clinging hard to God's word because you're a light to see with.

Also keep holding out the gospel as you speak to people and serve the Lord and

others so that they will be able to see Christ in the darkness and be freed by his glorious light.

There are three key truths that we need to remember from our passage today.

Believers in Christ are to live life without grumbling or quarreling with other

believers and or with unbelievers, because it leads to division and is a terrible witness for Christ.

As Christians, we are called to live as innocent children of God,

free from blame for God and others.

We are to be lights for Christ in the midst of a perverse and crooked generation.

And lastly, as runners in the race of God, we are to hold forth the light of

the gospel through our speaking and actions so that the people of this dark

world may be able to receive the life of God.

The difference between a regular race and the race that we're in for Christ

is that we're not competing with each other to win the race.

Rather, we are working together to run this race, encouraging and helping each

other, building each other up, making disciples for Christ and passing them

the torch so that they too can run with us and be lights for Christ in this dark world.

I encourage all of us today that amidst the numerous challenges of this life, we must not give up.

The key to finishing a race is not giving up, but keep going until we reach the finish line.

And I believe that is one of the reasons that God has given us our local churches

so that we can run the race together for the glory of God.

Again, I say, do not give up. Christ is with you and he is in you.

And in Christ, we have each other. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we are so grateful for the truth of your word.

Thank you for teaching us, Lord. Use us and guide us, Lord. Lord, I pray too.

That the church, in the midst of this race that we are running to you, Lord,

that the church in Alaska, the church in this world, the church in Dillingham

and wherever the listeners are from,

that it would hold strong in you, united in Christ, in the love of Jesus Christ.

May the believers who are listening here, including myself, that we would all

lift high the light of Christ, the torch, the flame of God,

the message of the gospel so that others will be able to see in the darkness,

and be able to be saved and given the life of God.

We love you, Lord. Work in us to love you more by your gracious power and your love.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, amen.

I'll leave you with this blessing from Romans chapter 15, verse 5 through 6.

Romans 15:5–6

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony

with one another and accord with Christ Jesus that together you may have one voice.

Glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Have a wonderful

Sunday. May the Lord bless you all.