thoughts and ruminations while in exile (1 Pet. 2:11)

A sermon delivered on 3/28/10 at Grace Community Church.

You can listen to it here.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have (Phil. 1:27-30).

I would venture to say that nothing makes us more upset than when a person says one thing and does another; that is, when there is a disconnect between what a person says and what a person does. And in particular this happens when a person claims to be religous. But for our context let's limit our discussion to those who claim to be Christians. When a person claims to be a Christian, we expect them to think, talk, and behave differently. When they do not, while we certainly want to be forgiving, we take note of it. When we see blatant hypocrisy, we get pretty upset.

I think, for instance, of a musician or some type of musical artist, whose album is filled with nothing but profanity, disrespects women, promotes drug abuse and promiscuity, but when he or she gets on stage after winning a grammy, says, "First and foremost I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." That kind of behavior causes most of us to get upset. But when we boil it all down, the reason we're upset is because we hear them saying one thing, and doing another.

We call this hypocrisy. And it's what rightly infuriates many people. And, as you know, it's why people refuse to come to church. Well, in the passage before us, the Apostle Paul calls us to live lives worthy of the gospel of Christ. To put it in a sentence:

We are to conduct ourselves as citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

As you’ll recall in our last time together, one of the things I mentioned was that Paul had a great affection for this Philippian congregation; and of course that affection was reciprocated by this body of believers. After all, Paul had founded this church; he taught them the Word of God; he prayed for them, loved them, and cared for them; he was their apostle, he relied on this church for prayerful support as well as for monetary donations to help him in his missionary efforts. Therefore, as you can imagine, when they find out that Paul is imprisoned they are quite upset; they are discouraged.

We noted last time in our study of verses 12-26 that Paul tells the congregation not to be discouraged. He tells them that even though he is imprisoned and his situation is not ideal, nevertheless, the gospel is advancing. And therefore, because the gospel is advancing, Paul will rejoice. Not only this, but Paul believes that in the providence of God and through the prayers of the people, he will be released from prison; that is his expectation.

So in looking through verses 12-26 we notice that it is composed of a narrative section where Paul explains what is going on in his life. In verses 27 and following, however, the book takes a bit of a turn. From 1:27-2:18 we find a series of moral exhortations; a series of commands. And in this section Paul focuses on the witness that this congregation will give to the surrounding culture, how they will conduct themselves as individuals, and as a congregation.

And as I said Paul’s focus is that we conduct ourselves as citizens of the kingdom of heaven. Of course, the question becomes: How do we do that? How do we live in such a way as to demonstrate to others that we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom? Well, Paul tells us in this passage at least three ways to do that: 1) Our behavior should match our profession of faith; 2) We are to persevere in our work of spreading the gospel; and 3) Realize that the Christian life involves suffering.

1) Our behavior should match our profession of faith (V. 27a).

V. 27- Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

This is Paul’s central exhortation in this passage. He’s telling us that if those around us are to know that we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom, it’s going to be evident by how we conduct ourselves, by our manner of life, by the way we live. And this happens, of course, because we have been changed by the power of the gospel. It is impossible to encounter Christ and to remain the same.

This is why, in John 3, Jesus describes this event as being born again (Jn. 3:3). That is how radically transforming it is. The power of the gospel in a person’s life causes them to desire to please God. And that desire is superior to all other desires. This is not to say that we are sinless, but it is to say, as Paul says in 2 Cor. 5:9, we make it our aim to please him.

I point all this out because I think it is important to see that Paul does not give this command in a vacuum. As we read Paul’s letters we know he grounds his commands in the gospel. It is always in view of what God has done for us in Christ that Paul issues his commands.

And he tells them, and by extension us, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Now, if Paul is talking about conduct, why am I talking about heavenly citizenship? Well, I’m doing that because of the word that is translated here, “conduct yourselves.” It comes from a Greek word that has to do with citizenship. In fact, the word means, “To be a citizen,” and it carried with it the idea of bringing honor to the political to which a person belonged.

It has a lot of significance for this Philippian church because Philippi is a Roman colony. And the church would have been filled with people who are Roman citizens. And being a Roman citizen was a big deal. Just to get a feel for this you can go back and read Acts 16 and 22 where Paul appeals to his Roman citizenship. But what is instructive for our purposes here is that if you read Acts 22:28, you will see where one of soldiers tells Paul he acquired Roman citizenship by paying “a large sum.” Paul answers this gentleman and says, “But I am a citizen by birth.” Being born a Roman citizen was considered even more prestigious.

I mention this because this is the background information behind this term. And what Paul is telling this congregation is, “Look, I realize you are proud of being a Roman citizen. Being a Roman citizen is a great privilege, and with that privilege come certain responsibilities. But don’t forget that you are a citizen of the kingdom of heaven first. And being a citizen of the kingdom of heaven is an even greater privilege, and with that privilege come even greater responsibilities.”

So in light of the fact that we are citizens of the kingdom of heaven, we are to live lives that befit the gospel. Brothers and sisters this means exactly what you think it means: You say you’re a Christian, act like one. We’ve been transformed by the power of the gospel. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). We’ve been bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:20). You have died to sin, Paul says in Romans 6. So what’s his conclusion? Listen to what Paul says: Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness (Rom. 6:12-13).

This is what God is saying to us here. Because God has changed us, that change ought to be evident in our lives. This change is a byproduct of our union with Christ. If you are a believer you are united to Christ, and that union produces change in our behavior, in our attitude, in the way we treat people, in the way we treat our spouses, in the way we raise our children; which is to say that our union with Christ makes a difference in our lives practically. And this is what Paul shows us here and through chapter 2 verse 18. In the coming sections Paul is going to teach us that the gospel produces humility, and we see this humility demonstrated perfectly in the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s going to tell us to work out our salvation, to do all things with out grumbling or questions. These are all practical examples.

And there are others mentioned throughout the Bible; not the least of which is the fact that because we have received grace from God, should we not be gracious with other people? If we’ve been forgiven by God, should we not forgive others who sin against us in our lives? Theologians throughout the centuries have taught us that the three Christian virtues are faith, hope, and love. And our hope is outlined in the Lord’s Prayer. And in the fifth petition we ask, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” We ask the Lord for the grace to be able to do this, and we know this is an evidence of the Lord’s grace in our lives.

This is what Paul is exhorting us to do in this verse: That our behavior would match our profession of faith.

2. In spite of opposition we are to stand united in our work of spreading the gospel (V. 27b-28).

Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.
For starters, notice Paul’s words, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence. Paul is saying, “Look, whether I am able to come and see you or not, there are certain things I want to hear about you.” And remember, he’s already said in verses 18 and 26 that he believes he will be released from prison and will see this church again.

But if that doesn’t happen, if he’s not able to see this congregation, he wants to know that in spite of the opposition they are facing—because he knows they are facing persecution—he wants to hear that they are united in the work of spreading the gospel. And if you stop and think about it, this goes hand in hand with what he has just said. If it’s true that as citizens of heaven our behavior is to match our profession of faith, then it should also be true that we are united and are working together to spread the gospel.

But what is it that Paul wants to hear about this congregation? He wants to know that they stand firm in one spirit, and that they are contending as one man for the faith of the gospel. Do you hear how Paul is calling them to be united in this work? Notice how he says to stand firm in one spirit, and to contend as one man. So he’s talking about being united in our stance for the truth and to work together in advancing the gospel.


But the idea of “standing firm” carries with it the connotation of holding one’s ground. The picture is of a soldier who defends his position at all costs even if it costs him his life. And given the context of what Paul has just said and what he will say in the coming chapters, he may be referring to the fact that the Philippians will have to stand firm and hold on to the truth in the midst of the Judaizers, the false teachers who were saying that in order to be saved we need Christ plus something else; in this case circumcision.

So Paul is telling them to stand firm in the truth. And this goes right along with what he says next: contending as one man for the faith of the gospel. Or, as the ESV puts it, “Striving side by side.” Once again, the emphasis in on our unity. We are together about our understanding of the gospel, and therefore, we work together to advance that message.

To me, this is a good place to stop, and ask the question, “What is the gospel?” You may think this is a very basic question, but I think if we were to go around this room and randomly ask people to stand up and tell us what the gospel is, I guarantee some people would not be able to do it. But there may also be people here who are not Christians and therefore need to hear the gospel. So what is the gospel?

The first thing we need to see is that the gospel has objective content. First and foremost, the gospel is about who Jesus is and what he has accomplished. This point cannot be missed, because in light of this truth, we cannot say that giving our personal testimony is the gospel. And when we are trying to witness to someone, and we tell them about how we became a Christian, that does not necessarily mean that we have shared the gospel.

So what is the gospel? It is the announcement that though we humans have sinned, and thus rightly deserve God's wrath and condemnation, God has acted and came in human flesh in the form of his Son, the second Person of the Holy Trinity; he lived a perfect life, thus positively fulfilling the demands of the law, and died on our behalf, thus bearing the punishment we deserved, and rose from the dead on the third day. He ascended back to the Father where he now lives interceding on behalf of his people. And he will return to judge all people.

That's the objective content of the gospel. Secondly, however, we must explain how those benefits are applied to us. How do we receive those benefits? This is of critical importance as well because if we get it wrong we are guilty of believing a false gospel. As we take all of Scripture into account, the Bible teaches that we receive the benefits of Christ solely through faith. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone for the glory of God alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 is instructive: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
How this relates to the text we’re looking at today is by asking this question: Are we united around this message? And are we working together as a church and as Christians in general to advance that message?

Next month in Kentucky there will be a Together for the Gospel conference and it will be hosted by Mark Dever, Al Mohler, Ligon Duncan, and C. J. Mahaney. The group is made up of two Baptists, a Presbyterian, and a Charismatic. People ask them how they do it? And they say it’s because they are crystal clear on the gospel, though they may have some disagreements.

That’s what we as a church desire to do. We don’t see ourselves as it being us against the world. We are united around the gospel and we seek to spread that message, and we are willing to link arms with others in the community to do that. When we do this we are living in a way that is consistent with the gospel, and thus show ourselves to be citizens of heaven.

So Paul tells us to stand firm and to contend for the gospel. And one thing that is evident throughout the NT is that when we seek to advance this message, we will be opposed. And here Paul tells us that, yes, you are being opposed, and you will be opposed, but don’t be afraid; don’t be alarmed; don’t be terrified. You are citizens of heaven. I mention the citizenship thing again because, remember, most of the Philippians were Roman citizens; and most of the Romans at this time were polytheists, they believed in many gods.

And since Christians did not believe in many gods the Romans called the Christians atheists. And Christians were seen as weird, and as rebellious because they didn’t go with the crowd, but more than anything because of their stance on the gospel, they were seen as bad citizens! Of course, we do not want to be bad citizens. Paul tells us to submit to the governing authorities (Rom. 13:1), but if they tell us to disobey God we must answer as Peter did in Acts 5:29, We must obey God rather than men.

This is because our heavenly citizenship is superior to our earthly citizenship. And so if we are opposed by others we will not be afraid. What reasoning does Paul gives as to why we should not be afraid? He tells us we should not be afraid because this opposition that we are facing is a sign to them [those who are opposing us] that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.

What’s Paul saying here? He is saying that those people who oppose you because of your stance for the gospel are giving evidence of the fact that they ultimately oppose God. And if they continue in that state of opposing God, it will lead to their eternal destruction. But that’s not all he says, because he says that fact that we are being opposed is not only a sign of our opponents’ destruction, but it is also a sign of our salvation. Yes, you heard him correctly; he said the fact that we are being opposed is a sign of our salvation.

How is that? The fact that we are able to endure our afflictions is proof that if God is for us no one can be against us. Since he is giving us the grace to endure, we can be sure he is on our side. Paul adds that this is being done by God, both orchestrating our salvation and our enemies’ final destruction.

We can see from this last sentence that Paul is moving into a discussion about suffering and affliction, which he will speak about in verses 29-30.

But so far we’ve seen that as citizens of heaven, 1) Our behavior should match our profession of faith, 2) In spite of opposition we are to stand united in our work of spreading the gospel, and lastly,

3) We are to realize that the Christian life involves suffering (V. 29-30).

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
The word, “For” here is very significant because it shows us that there is a connection between verse 28 and verse 29. Here’s how: In verse 28 Paul tells us that the opposition we face is a sign from God that we are his. How so? Verse 29: For[or because] it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.

Paul tells us here that to believe in Christ is a gift , and that to suffer for Christ is a gift. This is what he is saying. This is very important; and here’s why: Whenever believers suffer, it is a natural reaction to ask why? “Why me God?” we ask. We wonder if it’s something we have done to deserve this. Think about it: We the creature want God the Creator to give an account for what has happened! We the created, want God the Creator to explain himself to us.

Paul knows the Philippians are experiencing a situation like this. They are facing opposition from the surrounding culture; they are suffering for the faith by those persecuting them; and they are trying to ward off the false teachers. And all of this adds to the discouragement they are already facing. And Paul’s words here are very comforting to them and to us because what he’s saying is, “God has not abandoned you. This suffering you are experiencing is not punishment, it’s not a sign that he doesn’t have enough power to preven itt; it’s not that you aren’t excercising enough faith in him.” “No,” he says, “it is a gift; it is a privilege; it is under God’s control.”

Just like your believing in Christ was under God’s control. 2 Tim. 2:25 says God grants repentence, here Paul says God grants that people believe. This is consistent with other Scriptures. 1 John 5:1 reads, Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Notice the language; he does not say that believing in Christ causes one to be born again. It’s the other way around. Those who have been born of God believe.

Jesus says the same thing in John 8:47. In John 8 Jesus is having a discussion with the Jewish leaders. They are opposing him, they refuse to believe that he is the Messiah, and they want him dead. Jesus says to them, “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God” (NASB, emphasis mine). Jesus does not say you are not of God because you do not hear; rather, you do not hear because you are not of God.

Of course, this raises questions of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Am I saying that those who don’t believe in Christ on the last day will be able to say to God, “God, you can’t blame me for not believing in you because you didn’t give me the gift of faith, and you didn’t grant me repentance. It’s not my fault I didn’t believe” Will that work on the last day? No. God commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). So we affirm both. A person must believe in Jesus in order to be saved, and we also believe that believing in Christ is a gift from God.

We believe both because the Bible teaches both. And the Bible is our final authority, not our own understanding.

God is saying to us that just as he was in control over our believing in him, so he is in control of our suffering. If he took the initiative to save, will he not see us through our various trials and afflictions.

And just because Paul tells us, “Don’t be afraid,” doesn’t mean that we will never experience fear. In fact, he tells us this because he knows we will be afraid. But he wants us to realize that the opposition we face is a sign to us of our salvation. It is part of being a citizen of heaven. God is conforming us into the image of Christ, and one of his means to sanctify us is suffering and affliction. In Acts 14 it says that Paul “[strengthened] the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

This is basic Christianity. This is heavenly citizenship 101.

This is why, at the end of verse 30, he says you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, speaking of his Acts 16 arrest and imprisonment. But he also tells them they’re going through the same struggles he is presently facing because he’s in prison again as he’s writing them. Suffering is what Christians have always faced.

Following Christ involves suffering. Early church father Augustine said, “God had one Son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.” G. K. Chesterton said, “Jesus promised his disciples three things: that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble.”

The question is whether we will identify ourselves as Christ followers. Will our lives reflect our profession of faith? Will we have the humility and the perseverance to partner with other believers for the spread of the gospel? And will we view suffering in a biblical manner, seeing them as gifts of God, and be willing to identify with Christ even at great cost? May the Lord give us the grace to do so.