Sermon for MHBC (10 October 2021). You can listen on Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, or our website. Live at 11:00am on Sundays. Also available as a podcast here or by searching “Monument Heights Baptist Church” in your favorite podcast app.
What does the Christian life demand of us? It demands a life informed and influenced in every way by the gospel of Jesus. Notice what Paul is so intent to communicate in v. 27: Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.
He says only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ. There’s one word in the original that lies behind the phrase let your manner of life. It’s a word from which we derive our English word politics and all the related terms. It carries the sense of living as a citizen of somewhere. So the command here is that their lives would be reflective of those who live under the reign, rule, and government of Jesus Christ. See that’s what is so significant about being a Christian. It is a claim that Jesus is Lord, and He is Lord over every kingdom, country, person, and power.
This is especially clear later in Philippians when Paul uses a related word. In Philippians 3:20, he writes, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Now that’s a bombshell claim because he’s saying that a Christian’s current status is as a sojourner in a foreign land. Their citizenship is in heaven.
Previously, I’ve used the analogy of an embassy. That’s exactly what it means to live a life worthy of the gospel. We are citizens of heaven who happen to have our residence in other countries—in our case that is the United States. While here, we live lives that will not reflect poorly on Jesus’s kingdom, which is where our citizenship lies. But we also integrate into the society we are living in. You might even think about it this way. This morning, we are in the embassy. We are speaking the language of our nation. When we go out into the world, we are bound to represent our home country well.
Let’s go back to v. 27: Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. Notice that living as a citizen of God’s Kingdom, living a life reflective of Jesus’s kingship, results in a distinctive stance. They are standing firm in one spirit. They are striving together with one mind for the faith of the gospel.
A primary concern for Paul is unity. We saw that in his opening prayer. We see it here. We see it as we go into the next verses in chapter two and we see it in chapter four. It’s all over the book of Philippians. Why is that? Because there is opposition. Now I want to be absolutely clear about something. Sometimes when we hear unity we think that means sweeping things under the rug, not addressing serious issues. We think it means peace at any cost. But that is not at all what Paul is talking about here.
Later in our passage in v. 30, Paul will talk about conflict. Paul talks about the same conflict that he had. Remember Paul has opponents. And these opponents come in two types. He has opposition from those who also name the name of Jesus. In chapter one he talks about those who preach the gospel out of false motives, aiming to harm Paul. The other opposition comes from outsiders of the faith. He is persecuted by political leaders whether they are part of the religious establishment or part of Rome.
Sometimes we get so fixated on outside opposition that we forget about opposition inside churches. This is extremely dangerous. Pay close attention to Paul’s language. He hopes that they will stand firm in one Spirit, with one mind struggling together for the gospel. Do you see how his concern is for unity? One Spirit, one mind. He continues this same emphasis in chapter two where he says follow the example of Jesus, who gave himself for us. And the implication is that we would abandon our preferences for the sake of the gospel.
No doubt we are familiar with churches that are torn apart by the most absurd preferences. Churches have split over the color of the carpet. Changing service times, moving decorations, removing plaques—all of these have destroyed churches. Are any of these gospel issues? No, they are all only preferences. However, they become gospel issues when they become the chief focus because they detract from the gospel. In fact, they become idols that stand in the way of the gospel.
But we shouldn’t be surprised by conflict. Anytime we take the demands of the gospel seriously, we can expect conflict. Anytime what is cherished is challenged we can expect conflict. But notice what Paul says. We are to struggle together for the gospel. This is unity. The question is not, “Does this meet my preferences?” That’s the question of Paul’s opponents. The question is are we seeking to magnify the gospel of Jesus and live in light of that gospel. Live a life worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Conflict is a regular feature of struggling for the gospel. Any effort to be faithful will be met with conflict. But real unity is a result of struggling for the gospel. You know we can talk about church models and how to do things organizationally all day, but until we are absolutely sold on struggling for the gospel, nobody will take us seriously. Monument Heights must be characterized by a seriousness, a gravity, a weight. That’s Paul’s appeal here. Stand. Struggle.
Let me speak practically for a moment about a vision for our congregation. I’ve said from the beginning that I believe a traditional model of the church can work here in Richmond and I believe Monument Heights is suited to that model. But I also have to say clearly that that doesn’t mean nothing changes. Traditional doesn’t mean stuck in our ways and traditional isn’t the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, or 90s. For us to do traditional well, we have to be fully in on being conformed to Scripture and the historic beliefs of Christianity, particularly those of our Baptist forebears. That means we can go deeper in Scripture and doctrine. That means when we sing, we sing with all the vigor that a congregation should be singing with.
But all of that is going to require a commitment to the gospel, a commitment to seeing this church conformed to Scripture, and a unified commitment to those things. Otherwise, we will waffle between preferences and opinions.
Look at Paul’s seriousness in v. 28: and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. Sharing in the struggle. Facing down the conflict together marks out the folly of those who oppose the gospel. And for those who struggle for the gospel it means their vindication and deliverance. But again, gospel struggle results in conflict. And that conflict is a form of suffering.
Look at v. 29: 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. Look at the two gifts to the church. It has been granted to you for the sake of Christ to believe and to suffer. God gives His people two gifts: faith and suffering. Paul is prepping the Philippian believers for real opposition. He is warning them that conflict is coming, but they must struggle together for the gospel.
And he’s been an example to them. We’ve read about it throughout chapter one. Look at v. 30: engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. The gospel is costly. It carries with it opposition. Not just from the outside but from those inside as well.
So here’s what we have to take away as a church. Any move toward faithfulness will be met with opposition. It will require a fierce resolve to struggle together. Any move toward faithfulness will be met with conflict. It will require steadfast fearlessness.
But if we are intent on living lives informed by the gospel in every area, this is what we are signing up for. And remember Paul is speaking to the Philippian church here, so let’s also hear it as a word to us. Imagine Paul is writing these words to Monument Heights. After all, that’s what we believe about Scripture. Here is our call to struggle together for the gospel. I am excited about what God might do here. I truly believe we have an opportunity to be part of something exciting and amazing. But the opposition and conflict will come. There will be those driven not by a commitment to the gospel and Scripture, but by a commitment to personal preferences and tradition. But if we will stand together fixed on the gospel, it will be a sure sign that God is at work in us.
On October 6, 1536,[1] a 42-year-old man named William Tyndale was executed. His crime was opposing wayward theological tradition and translating the NT into the English language. Tyndale was a man who knew the cost and worth of gospel struggle. Just before he was executed, he is said to have exclaimed, “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes!” That is the type of resolve Paul exhorts us to this morning.
[1] The precise date is uncertain. It is possible that Tyndale was executed a few weeks prior.