ARE WE WORTHY?
Evaluations are an ongoing part of our shopping experience. You are often asked to rate how the store did in meeting your expectations. I purchased some material from a store recently and received an online survey asking me to rate from 1-10 how likely it is that I would recommend this store to others. And when you buy off of Amazon, you are asked how many stars you would give for the product and its delivery.
Imagine then, if we were to rate our church. On a scale of 1-10, how likely is it that you would recommend our church to a friend? How many stars would you give to RFC?
That’s uncomfortable. We know we fall short. We know that there is room for growth. We know that there are people who have fallen through the cracks and whom we have not sufficiently embraced in our community.
So, the question posed, “Are we worthy of the gospel of Christ?” is unfair. The Bible tells us and preachers have long taught us that we are not worthy of the gospel of Jesus, and we never have been. We cannot earn our salvation, and we cannot live up to the grace that has been shown us in Christ. Why then would Paul instruct the church at Philippi (and us by extension) to “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel”? Are we worthy? NO! All our good deeds are like filthy rags according to the prophet.
Let’s not misunderstand what Paul is proposing. He knows we cannot live up to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he is not suggesting we earn our salvation. He is not talking about living in such a way that we earn the benefits of the gospel. What Paul is asking of the church is that we live in such a way that we reflect the reality that God has forgiven you in Christ.
It is true – we contribute nothing to our salvation. But Paul believed and taught that the gospel changes our lives and that we are no longer the same. We are not perfect, but we are repenting – turning from the old life and turning to the new. What is a life worthy of the gospel and why does it matter?
1. What it means to be gospel-worthy (1:27-28a)
After Paul wrestled with the question of life and death, whether to stay alive and teach or to die be with Christ, he says this, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ,” (27a).
Eugene Peterson in the Message words it like this, “Live in such a way that you are a credit to the message of Christ.” That’s fine, except he leaves out an unusual and important word that is found nowhere else in scripture. The ESV can only translate it as “manner of life.” It’s a word in Greek that gives us the word “politics.”
The word means “to live as a citizen of a free state” and implies that you take an active part in the state. But why is Paul using it here? Because the Philippians as a whole were very proud of their status as a Roman colony. Outside of the Italian boot, they were the only colony that had the right to live as if they were Romans.
You know I grew up in Winnipeg. I cheer for the Bombers and Jets. I know the city’s history. I’m pretty loyal to my city. When the CBC show, Murdoch Mysteries, completely dissed Winnipeg in one of its episodes, I stopped watching.
Paul appeals to that loyalty in Philippi saying, “Think about your feelings for the city of Philippi and the loyalty you feel towards Rome. Then remember this, you are actually citizens of a heavenly city-state, the New Jerusalem.” Your true loyalty is to the Kingdom of God. That’s where your citizenship lies so live like it. Conduct your lives in such a way that people know where you come from and who your King is.
This way of living is then unpacked in three ways. Paul writes, “Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you,” (27b-28a). What does it mean to be worthy?
a) It means to stand firm – There are a couple of word-pictures that help us to grasp standing firm. One is having your feet solidly planted on a rolling ship. As the ship bobs in the fifty foot waves of the sea, you are not rolling all over the deck but standing firm in the security maintained by the Spirit’s grip on you. You can face the adversities of life with the maturity that comes from knowing God is with you.
The other picture describes a Roman military formation with the soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder and back-to-back with their shields and spears outward. I always picture that scene from the movie Gladiator where Maximus tells the others that they need to fight together. Stand as one versus standing alone. When the church stands together, when we are united, we stand firm. Paul says that we stand firm in one Spirit, in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is only in that power that individuals with little in common can be intimately connected in Christ.
b) It means striving together – To strive or “contend” for the faith does not mean personal subjective belief but the gospel truths we all share from the Bible. There are secondary teachings that we may disagree about, but we must agree that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died and rose again. We are saved by grace through faith. To “strive” comes from the athletic world – think of a running back straining to get the ball across the goal line. We exert maximum effort for the gospel.
c) It means being fearless – the word for “fear” that Paul uses describes a herd of stampeding horses, wild and out of control in their panic. Horses be crazy. I love them, but they have strange minds. If they look into a puddle and see the sky, they think they’re falling. A horse is a prey animal so when it feels threatened by something in its environment, it is hardwired to run away first and ask questions later.
The reality for the Christian and the church is that you will be opposed. We are going to run into opposition but stand your ground and hold on to the gospel. Keep speaking Jesus. Even as we cherish certain values like traditional marriage and the dignity of the unborn child, we will face resistance. We must not let fear sway us on the matter of our convictions or cave to the popular opinions of our society.
Stand firm.
Strive together.
Don't be afraid of those who oppose us and threaten us with changing laws or customs.
2. How Suffering is a Gift from God (1:28b-30)
So, to live worthy of the gospel of Christ, we need to stand firm in the Spirit together, strive for the gospel truths which have convicted us, and fearlessly speak the gospel. Okay. What’s Paul getting at?
Living for Jesus means expecting opposition. And opposition comes with a heaping side dish of suffering. Isn’t that strange? It’s strange that a gospel of love and forgiveness should reap opposition from our unbelieving neighbors. Why is that?
I read a quote from Miroslav Volf this week (a Croatian theologian) where he said that we forgive because God is a forgiving God. So, we extend forgiveness to those who sin against us. We offer Christ’s forgiveness to a sinful world. But forgiveness names the other as a criminal. It claims an injustice. If we say that people need the forgiveness of God, we point out that they are imperfect, insufficient, helpless to better themselves. They don’t like that. This is why we suffer.
And Paul makes a gift out of the suffering. He said, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have,” (29-30).
The phrase “it has been granted” comes from the word “grace.” Paul is saying that God has graciously given us a gift as an expression of love and favor. Just as Jesus graciously gave sight to the blind or he graciously forgives sin, we have been given the gift of believing in Jesus and suffering for Jesus. Great gifts, eh?
A gift is something you are typically happy to receive. If it’s given out of love you say, “thank you.” Suffering is a gift of God’s grace. It’s not punishment for sin. It’s not because you failed in your Christian walk. It’s a gift! Are you serious?
Actually, the Bible does teach that suffering is a gift that Jesus might be glorified in our lives. “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…” (2 Tim. 3:12). And Jesus said, “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you,” (John 15:20). But make no mistake, we take no pleasure in pain; God is not expecting us to go, “Oh yay, more pain!” We give thanks to God not for what suffering is but for what it does.
First, the gift of suffering does something in you. James wrote, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing,” (1:2-4). Did you see what he said about “trials of various kinds”? Not just opposition for the gospel; trials that cover a broad range of health, personal, work and other issues we face are the training ground for perfection.
Second, the gift of suffering does something in you for others. When we go through tough times, we grow in our understanding of what others suffer. As Paul shared with the Corinthians, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too,” (2 Cor. 1:3-5).
Recently I met with Daniel from Indonesia through an Engage Today representative. Something Daniel said impacted me in terms of "comfort." He said that when Westerners who love Jesus come and visit the Indonesian church, the hearts of the people are encouraged and comforted to know that there are others in the world who believe in Jesus too. It never really occurred to me how important visiting these churches was for them; I had only thought in terms of what it meant for me. My thought previously had been, why spend so much money to visit halfway around the world and speak through an interpreter when sending money is more efficient? But this is where being present in the flesh brings a message of fellowship (koinonia) to the brothers and sisters in far off places.
And third, the gift of suffering does something in us for the glory of Jesus. Verse 29 says “for the sake of Christ” or “on behalf of Christ.” Paul testified that the troubles he faced led almost to his death, but God used those trials as an opportunity to save him and to show Paul and his team that they can hope in God (2 Cor. 1:8-11). In our weakness and in our inability to heal ourselves, help ourselves, or climb out of the hole we are in, we learn the truth about ourselves and Christ, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” (2 Cor. 12:9). We can boast in our weakness as a result. Not that we celebrate being helpless, but that Jesus makes up the deficit in my life; where I lack strength or ability, or where I am just not enough for others, Christ Jesus fills in my weakness with his power.
I don’t enjoy suffering. I’m sure you will agree that suffering is the last thing you wish for or want for others. Pain is to be avoided. But pain and suffering will come. And part of our pain comes because we love Jesus and believe he is the way, the truth, and the life. The gift of suffering for his sake is not about proving how tough we are or to show how committed we are to Jesus. Suffering is a gift from God given to grow in us a childlike faith and a belief that he fulfills his promises.
Last week when I led you in our benediction, we declared together, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” It was a declaration of commitment saying, “I’m all in” when it comes to Jesus. Everything I am and have belongs to Christ.
Many if not all of us spoke these words. Did you consider the suffering part? We didn’t get to that until this morning. Are you still “in”?
Maybe as a church we would not get five stars or a 10 on the line that asks if someone would recommend RFC to a friend. Are we worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ? The question does not ask for perfection in that sense. It asks rather, “Are you heading in that direction? Are we standing firm together for the gospel values of the Bible? Are we striving towards Jesus? Are we full of courage even when we read of new legislation that is woke, or progressive, or alienates Christians? Or are we skittish horses? That’s what its asking: Are we aiming for the kingdom of God in Jesus?
If yes, then get ready to experience turbulence when we tell people they are forgiven and God loves them. And count it all joy when we suffer the name of Jesus.
Are you all in?
AMEN