Live Up to the Gospel - Philippians 1:27–2:11

Last Sunday the title of our lesson was “Lift up the Gospel” and if I had chosen the titles, we would have studied the lesson for today first, because I believe that one must practice what they preach; and the practice should come before the preaching. I once heard it said that “A person can not teach that which they do not know any more than they can return from a place where they have never been.” Think about that fact for a moment. Since our actions speak louder than our words, it behooves each one of us to live our lives so that others see Christ through what we do and how we act. It may seem like a paradox at times because none of us are perfect as Christ is, and for that reason the bible plainly tells us that we should judge not, lest we be judged in the same way, or by the same judgment. However, the same book tells us that we shall know a tree by the fruit that it bears.

The Gospel is the Good News that Christ has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to God, by our faith in his Omnipotent Grace. The first step of a Christian is to study His word for approval and then to live the Gospel daily. Christ’s last command was for Christians to go and teach his truth and teaching requires both action and words. We should never be ashamed of the gospel, because Paul tells us that it is the power of God that leads to the salvation of others who hear our words and watch our lives.

The conversations that I hear among neighbors and friends amaze me at times. We greet each other with hello or good morning; then we express our interest in their health; how are you today? We must be vitally interested in their activity because we invariably inquire about what they have been doing, how the fish are biting or the number of ducks they bagged in yesterday’s hunt; even ask the sometimes embarrassing question—what score did you shoot in golf Saturday? Even at church on Sunday morning, if you appear a bit gloomy, or are not smiling, someone may suggest that your wife must have burned the biscuits this morning. Does the opportunity never appear for us to ask our friends why they were not in church last Sunday, or Wednesday evening? Or, what special blessing they received this week? Maybe, even ask a stranger if they have accepted Christ as their Savior? Neither of these examples should dominate our conversation; however neither should be totally neglected. What we do and say tells others who we really are.

Last Tuesday a stranger stopped me in the isle at the grocery store and asked if I was the Dr. Vandiver that writes a bible lesson that is published in the Sun Times. I thanked her for asking and enjoyed our brief conversation. When I asked her if she reads the lesson, her reply was: “Sometimes, if it is not too long.” My reply was, “I guess I am a little windy” and she agreed in a pleasant way. To you and to her, I simply say that I much prefer to talk often and long about God and his goodness than to neglect my opportunity and responsibility to tell others of his love and grace. Live the Gospel, and tell others of its merits. Please pray for me; pray that I will always explore every opportunity to witness about and for Jesus Christ.

Paul is my hero, and I would be overjoyed to know that I emulate his actions and conversations. In the early chapters of Philippines he was unwilling to simply review his life; he was more interested in guiding the church to specifically live and teach the gospel. In the last part of the first chapter Paul is emphasizing exhortation and giving instructions; He was also attempting to encourage his fellow Christians. He did not feel that he was out of place and he was never reluctant to tell Christians what they were expected to do in order to be more effective witnesses. Paul was happy with this church and had many good things to say to them and about them; however, just as it is with many of our churches today, there were some underlying problems that dealt with unity, or lack of it, and doctrinal purity that could be corrected if the members would commit themselves to the mind of Christ.

The first exhortation he gave in verse 27 was for all Christians to live their life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Can one always be worthy of what Christ did for us on the Cross? The answer is no, because we are not perfect; but we can be continually repentant and we can always try. We can always stand together in one spirit, and one mind, and work together for the faith that we have learned from the gospel’s teaching. This does not mean that everyone will totally agree with every word, action or reaction of all other members. But it does mean that there are certain basic truths in the bible that are absolute and cannot be compromised.

The 27^th verse tells us to never be afraid of those who oppose our true witness. Any time a Christian or the church takes seriously its God-given assignment, there will be some opposition but we should feel no terror. Paul had experienced problems with the Gentile authorities on his first trip to Philippi [Acts 16: 22] and may have been referring to this incident, or he may have been referring to the Judaizers that continually wanted to keep some of the law as a requirement.

In the 29^th verse he says “it” has been given to you. The “it” refers to opposition or persecution and he says that God gave it to them. Paul is saying that “it” is just a part of the Christian life and that God lets it happen. In fact “it” is to be considered a blessing. Look at Matthew 5: 10-12, it is red letters in my bible and plainly states that we are blessed when men insult us and say all manners of evil things about us. It does not say that we must enjoy these things but we are not to be afraid, or allow it to be a hindrance to our witness. It simply denotes that the suffering was due to commitment to Jesus and identification with Him.

As you read on through verse 30 you will hear him say that their struggle at Philippi is something like his struggles have been. He is encouraging them by reminding them that he had been there and suffered that: and is suggesting that they should follow his example. He had lived and was living what he preached. We are fortunate in Arkansas, in Heber Springs that we do not physically suffer because of our belief and teaching; but even here there are things sometimes said or implied that hurt mentally and spiritually.

In chapter two Paul continues his emphasis on unity by pointing to the basis of church harmony. In verse two he says that harmony will result from Christian “Thinking the same way.” We define ‘thinking’ as an intellectual effort, or what we personally think; but here it also indicates a mental inclination or tendency toward a right direction. We Christians should have the same mental orientation and this does not prevent us from having varying opinions which will always exist. Because of varying opinions we have a great number of different churches and I believe that there are save people in most of them. However there are some basic absolutes taught in the bible that all Christians must be “like minded about” or they are simply lost church members.

In verse three Paul admonishes Christians not to practice their beliefs in rivalry which means in competition with others. We should not compete but cooperate and we should never practice conceit [which means to have a high opinion of oneself] or deceit [which simply means deception or misleading]. Our labor for Christ should never be for pay or personal gain of any kind, but for the good of all concerned; this requires that we consider others as equally as important as ourselves. Then he says that we will be as concerned about the interest of others as we are about our own interest.

Paul gives us a great passage in 2: 6-11, referring to Christ attitude regarding his leaving His glory in heaven and coming to earth as a human to ultimately die on the cross. These verses present the ultimate model for the kind of humility and selfless service that should characterize each one of us individually and the church body as a whole. Verse five “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus.” The word ‘attitude; indicates our mind-set or our way of thinking—and if we are genuine it will result in more than just a fuzzy feeling—it will bring about overt actions that are Christ-like. Paul was writing to the church and is explaining what it takes to bring about unity in the body of Christ.

Christ emptied himself—he willingly gave up the glories in Heaven and assumed the form of a slave; He was humble and obedient even unto death on the cross. In my opinion, and according to God’ word, I believe His death on the cross is the most important event recorded in the bible. You absolutely must believe that he died on the cross for you and you must accept him as your savior, otherwise you are lost and cannot be saved. Of course, you can change your mind-set, and believe and be saved at any time. This is one of, and probably the most important truths recorded in word.

Christ was humble and God exalted Him. When we become humble and submit our lives to Him, He will exalt us. Some may not believe, will not humble themselves here and now, but everyone will [verse 10]. The day of the Lord will come and regardless of your location, whether you are alive on earth, already in heaven, or living under the earth which refers to hell, you will know assuredly that he is the Living, Saving, Son of God and will bow to Him. My last plea is that you confess Him now. Admit you are lost, ask Jesus Christ to save you, submit your life to his keeping, and live for him, obey him and you will be saved that moment.