Amen. All right, we're there in Philippians chapter number one, and of course on Sunday mornings we've been making our way through the book of Philippians, and we are going verse by verse, taking our time with this great book, dissecting every verse and passage in it, and this morning we are in our fourth sermon in this series called Rejoice, and we will be finishing up chapter one today.
And of course, if you remember, as we've been going through the book of Philippians, I've been telling you that this book is about joy. It's about rejoicing. The word rejoice comes up over and over again in this book, and the apostle Paul is in prison, he's under house arrest, and he's writing to the church at Philippi, and he's writing to them about how to have joy, how to rejoice.
He's teaching them about joy, and he's teaching them about Jesus, and he's actually teaching them about the joy that can be found in Jesus, and we're going to pick up right where we left off a couple of weeks ago, if you look at verse twenty-seven.
Philippians one twenty-seven is one of the most famous verses in the book of Philippians, and there's lots of those. You're going to hear me say that throughout this study because there's lots of just great, well-known passages in the book of Philippians, but this is definitely one of them, and we're going to spend most of our time on this one verse.
This morning, although we're going to cover through the end of the chapter, in Philippians one twenty-seven, the apostle Paul says this, he says, only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.
The apostle Paul begins here by speaking about the lifestyle of the church at Philippi. If you remember, we've talked about this over the last several weeks, that the purpose of the apostle Paul, his drive was the gospel all throughout, and I won't take the time to highlight it for you in the chapter, but we see him talk about the furtherance of the gospel, the defense of the gospel, the confirmation of the gospel.
He eats, breathes, and thinks about the gospel, and here he says, only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ. I want you to notice that word conversation there.
The word conversation is an older word in our King James Bible that means something different than what it means to you and I today. Today when we use the word conversation, we mean the fact that two individuals are talking to each other,
but the word conversation in our King James Bible means your conduct or your manner of life, your lifestyle. He says, only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ.
I'd like you to keep your place there in Philippians chapter 1. That's our text for this morning.
But go with me if you would to the book of Matthew, the very first book in the New Testament, Matthew chapter 5.
Matthew chapter number 5. And let me just begin by giving some introductory statements on this idea of lifestyle and evangelism.
Now we obviously do not believe in lifestyle evangelism. Lifestyle evangelism is this idea that we do not go on the offensive with the gospel. We do not go and confront people with the gospel.
We do not go and bring the gospel to them, but instead we just live our lives in a certain way that when people see our lives, they will ask us or they will want what we want.
This is what the liberals teach today. You don't go and preach the gospel to anybody. You just, you know, live a good life, try to love your neighbor as yourself, and you just go to work and be a good employee and do all those things.
And then people are going to see you, they're going to see your lifestyle, and they're going to want what you want. They're going to come and ask you about how to be saved.
Now obviously we want you to live a good life. We want you to be a good neighbor. We want you to work hard and all those things.
But lifestyle evangelism is not a concept found in the Bible. The Bible teaches that we are to go. In fact, whenever you study the passages regarding evangelism, the word, the underlying word that is often used in the Bible is this word go.
We are to go and preach the gospel. We are to go and knock on doors. We are to go and bring the gospel to them. This idea of lifestyle evangelism is a lie.
The truth of the matter is this, that you're not going to, you know, live your life in such a way that people are just going to be in awe of your Christianity.
You know, this idea that you're going to be out there mowing your lawn or taking the trash out, and some neighbor is going to walk up to you and fall before you, trembling and saying, I just saw how godly you were when you were bringing the trash out to the side of the curb there.
You know, what must I do to be saved? That's never going to happen. The way that we preach the gospel, the Bible says that we must open our mouth boldly and make known the mystery of the gospel.
We must bring the gospel to people. Lifestyle evangelism is a lie. It doesn't work. It's ineffective. However, with that said, though we don't believe in lifestyle evangelism, we do believe that your lifestyle should match your evangelism.
You say, do you guys believe in lifestyle evangelism? No, we believe in knocking doors. We believe in preaching the gospel. We believe in going out and confronting people, not being confrontational, but confronting people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We do believe that your lifestyle should not hinder or deter the message of the gospel. Matthew 5, are you there? Look at verse 16.
Matthew 5 and verse 16, Jesus said this, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
You know your testimony matters? You know that your lifestyle matters? You realize that you may be the only Bible that some people read?
Let me tell you something. I'm all for soul winning. I'm all about soul winning. I'm all about you going out there and preaching the gospel and getting people saved.
But you know what? If you go out there and you're knocking doors every day of the week and every night you're getting drunk, you're not going to have the power of God upon your life.
There is a connection between our evangelism and the way we live our lives. You say, well I go out there and I preach the gospel.
Alright, but did you read your Bible this morning? Did you pray this morning? What did you watch on YouTube last night?
See, our lifestyle needs to match our evangelism because our evangelism is powered by the way you live your life, the way you walk with God, the way that you are connected to the Holy Spirit of God.
Go to Ephesians if you would. If you kept your place in Philippians, right before Philippians you have the book of Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 4.
Soul winning is something that often can be motivated by the wrong things. It becomes this competition. I go more than you go. I do more than you do.
And I'm all for it and I'm not against soul winning. I've written a manual on soul winning. I've led this church to be a soul winning church for years and years and years.
But let me tell you something. You need to make sure your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ. You young people are very zealous about soul winning and I'm happy for it.
But make sure you're also zealous about having purity with your girlfriend. Not sitting there petting and necking and kissing and hugging and holding hands.
And I'm supposed to be impressed with how much soul winning you do. Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ. You know what I'm impressed with? A holy life.
You know what God is impressed with? A righteous living. Let your light so shine before men, the Bible says, that ye may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Ephesians 4-11, Paul said this, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.
See, I'm supposed to be impressed that you go soul winning and then you're out here in the parking lot holding hands. When the Bible says that a man should not touch a woman when you're not married to her.
And I'm supposed to be impressed with that. Like you're some sort of a godly Christian. Well you're missing something because the Bible says let your conversation, let your lifestyle, let your conduct be as it becometh the gospel of Christ.
So yes, I'm for soul winning. But I'm also for righteous living. I'm also for making sure that your lifestyle matches the Bible that you're supposedly preaching.
See, one of the best ways and one of the most effective ways to reach people with the gospel and to develop disciples is for Christians to reach, not just the stranger.
See, it's easy to impress a stranger. You knock on a stranger's door, you're dressed on ice and you've got some verses memorized. It's easy to impress that stranger.
You know who is less easy to impress? Your neighbor, your co-workers, your personal friends, your family members. You say, how am I going to reach those around me?
Well, those that have a close relationship with you will require you to live out the gospel in your life.
So let's not miss this important aspect of soul winning. That our conversation matters, our conduct matters, our lifestyle matters, the way we live our lives matters.
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ. Do we believe in lifestyle evangelism? No. Do we believe that your lifestyle should match your evangelism? Yes.
We should live godly lives, holy lives, separated lives. So we see this idea that Paul begins with the idea of your lifestyle.
And then for the rest of this chapter, Paul, go back to Philippians if you would. Keep your place in Ephesians. We're going to come back to it.
Go back to Philippians. For the rest of this chapter, he talks about this church family and he's speaking to the church at Philippi.
And this is a great sermon for our church because we're a church just like the church of Philippi.
He talks to them about unity, about standing together and striving together.
I want you to notice what he says there in verse 27. He says, only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ.
That whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs. That ye, notice these words, stand fast in one spirit.
He says, I want you to stand. The apostle Paul talks to this church at Philippi. He says, you need to stand together.
And he begins to talk to them of this idea of standing together. And you say, how do you stand together?
Well, the idea of standing together is this idea that we are united. We are a united church. We are supposed to be a united church.
We are united. You say, what unites us? We are united by our Christian bond. Notice what he says. He says that ye stand fast in one spirit.
The word one there speaks of unity. The word spirit there speaks of not just the Holy Spirit but our spirit.
The fact that we are spirit people. The fact that we are spiritual people. He says, I want you to stand fast in one spirit.
Go back to Ephesians if you would. Ephesians chapter number 4. You're there in Philippians. Just flip back to Ephesians.
Have you ever stopped to think of the fact that believers from diverse countries, cultures, economic classes, all sorts of backgrounds all over the world can unite over one thing?
The Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe you haven't experienced that and it's not your fault if you haven't.
But it's this interesting idea that people that believe on Christ from all over the world, different cultures, different backgrounds, different ways they were raised, they can all unite based off one thing.
The Lord Jesus Christ based off the Son of God, based off God and what we believe about His Son. Ephesians chapter 4. Look at verse 3.
Now I want you to notice the context because remember the apostle Paul is speaking to us about this idea of unity.
That you stand fast in one spirit. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 3. Endeavoring, notice, to keep the unity.
By the way, unity is not something that happens if it's not done on purpose. You must endeavor to keep the unity.
You must put in energy, effort, purpose to do it. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.
Now notice what he says, what he highlights for us. Why should we have unity? Why should we stand together?
He says, well, there is something that bonds us together. There's this one spirit, there's this Christian bond and here's the idea. You and I should embrace what unites us.
Notice verse 4. There is one body. The idea there is referring to the church and this is not teaching the concept of a universal church.
A church is a called out assembly. A church must be local. But he says, look, in our body of believers here, he's specifically talking to the church.
Ephesus here and he could apply it to the church of Philippi. We could apply it to Verdi Baptist Church in Sacramento.
He says there's one body. You know, there's not two sides to this church. There's just one church.
There's one body, notice, and one spirit. Even as you are called in, one hope of your calling.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all.
You say, why should we unite as a church? We should embrace that which unites us.
You say, what unites us? The fact that there's one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, above all, through all and in you all.
The fact that there is one savior. The fact that there is a common faith. The apostle Paul often in his writings would talk about the common faith.
Or Jude spoke about the fact that he wrote about the common faith. The truth is this. If I'm saved and you're saved, we have something in common.
We share a common faith. And at a church, in a church, we should embrace that which unites us.
See, we live in a society and in a culture where the devil wants to divide us. The devil, just watch the news, just listen to the news.
And constantly he's wanting to divide us based off our economy or based off our skin color or based off of this idea or that idea.
Are you a Republican? Are you a Democrat? You know, all these different things. But the Bible says that there is unity within Christianity when we are united in Christ.
The Bible says there is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither male nor female. There is neither bond nor free, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
We are united together. By the way, in heaven we'll be united together. Revelation 5, 9 says this,
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou worty to take the book and to open the seals. For Thou wast slain and has redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation.
You know that in heaven you're going to be around all sorts of people that aren't like you? But they have something in common with you. It's the Lord Jesus Christ.
So let me just explain something to you. You say, I'd like to really get connected into a good church. And we'd like you to get connected into a good church.
We'd like you to get connected into this church. We'd like you to stand together with us. But let me tell you something. Don't walk in through these doors and bring in your racism.
Don't walk in through these doors and bring in your respecter of persons. I make more money than you do, so I must be better than you attitude.
Don't walk in through these doors with all your issues and all your problems and all your baggage and all your different things as to why you don't like someone or you don't like this or you don't like that or you don't like these people.
Listen to me. We are to stand together and be united. You say, well, I can't unite with that person. I don't have anything in common.
If you're saved, you do. You got the Lord Jesus Christ. What can unite me, what can unite us is the fact that we have a common faith.
One body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God above all, through all, in you all.
So we should embrace that which unites us. What unites us? Our Christian bond. Not only should we embrace that which unites us, we should avoid being divided.
I'm not sure where you're at. You're either in Ephesians or Philippians, but go with me if you would to the book of 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians chapter 1.
If you're in Ephesians, you go past Galatians 2 and 1 Corinthians. If you're in Philippians, you go past Ephesians, Galatians 2 and 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians chapter 1.
See, standing together means that we must embrace that which unites us. But if you remember Ephesians 4-3, endeavoring to keep the unity, it's going to require work.
It's going to require purpose. We're going to have to endeavor to keep the unity. You say, well, what does that mean? Well, we should avoid being divided.
You say, why? Because, and we'll talk about it here in a minute, conflict will render us ineffective. We should avoid being divided. You say, well, how can I avoid being divided?
Well, here's how you can avoid being divided. You can begin by avoiding conflict. 1 Corinthians 1, look at verse 10. Notice what the Bible says.
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing. Notice that's unity.
And that there be no divisions among you. Notice, unity. But that you be perfectly joined together. Notice, unity. In the same mind, unity. And in the same judgment, unity.
For it hath been declared unto me of you. Here's the apostle Paul saying, here's what I'd like you to do. I'd like you to speak the same thing, have no divisions, be perfectly joined together, have the same mind, have the same judgment.
And he says, but this is what I've heard. Verse 11, he says, for it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
You know, unfortunately, this is bound to happen in church. You cannot spend as much time as we do together and not think that there's not going to be conflict from time to time.
There's going to be issues. There's going to be contentions. There's going to be people that get upset with each other and fight with each other and all those things.
But you know, to the best of your ability, the Bible says, if it be possible as much as life in you, live peaceably with all men.
You say, pastor, I'd like to help Verity Baptist Church. How can I help? Here's how you can help. Avoid conflict.
The Bible says, blessed are the peacemakers. One of the biggest things that my wife and I spend most of our time with is dealing with conflict.
I mean, it seems like we can't go a few days, we can't go out of town without having to deal with six or seven different conflicts.
You say, how can I help, pastor? How about this? Be a peacemaker. How about this? Avoid conflict. How about this?
You know, realize that maybe you need to esteem others better than yourself. Maybe you need to suffer yourself to be deprived.
Maybe you don't need to make a big deal about it. You know, it's been said before that an immature Christian takes a small problem and makes it big.
And a mature Christian takes a big problem and makes it small. Which one are you? You should avoid conflicts.
Now, obviously, sometimes there's conflicts that are unavoidable. They have to be dealt with.
That's why there are issues, instructions like Matthew 18, where we are to go to a brother that has offended us and bring witnesses and those things.
Obviously, sometimes things can't be avoided. We understand that. But to the best of your ability, you ought to try to avoid conflicts, if it be possible.
Now, sometimes it's not possible. But if it be possible, as much as I think of you, live peaceably with all men.
You ought to avoid conflicts. And I can notice, secondly, here in 1 Corinthians 1, you ought to avoid cliques.
Look at verse 12. Now, this I say, that every one of you say it. I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ.
Here, the Apostle Paul is dealing with these immature Christians at Corinth. He says, some of you are in conflict, and some of you are in cliques.
Some of you are saying, I am of Pastor Jimenez, and I am of Pastor Anderson, and then you have the real spiritual ones.
I don't follow anybody. I am of Christ. Notice what he says in verse 13. Is Christ divided?
Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? By the way, there's no new thing under the sun.
Let me tell you something. In a church life, in a church world, you ought to avoid cliques.
By the way, this is why at our soul many times, we don't allow you to partner yourself up. We make you get partnered with people.
You say, why? Because we're supposed to stand together. Because we're a family. We're supposed to love each other.
We're supposed to be friends with each other. And one of the main reasons is we don't create this clique mentality.
It's us four and no more. No, we are not divided. Is Christ divided?
We ought to avoid this clique mentality. I'm better than you are, and I'm this, and I'm that, and I don't like these people,
and I don't want to be around these people. I tell people this all the time. Go to Mark, if you would.
Matthew, Mark, in the New Testament, Matthew, Mark. You don't have to be friends with everybody in the church. You know that?
This is what I tell people all the time. I've probably said this to a hundred people, hundreds of times over the last ten years of ministry.
You don't have to be friends with anybody in this church, but you do need to be friendly. And you need to be friendly enough, you say, well, what does that mean?
She stays on that side, and I stay on this side. And we glare at each other the entire time.
What does that mean? You know, here's what it means. It means that somebody can partner you to be soul owners, and you can go out and knock doors for an hour and be cordial.
You say, why? Because I'm not going to sit here and tell the soul-owning captains, don't partner so-and-so and so-and-so because they got in a fight, and then don't partner so-and-so and so-and-so because they took their parking spot, and then don't partner so-and-so and so-and-so because they sat in the chair.
Because I'm not going to sit here like a five-year-old telling the soul-owning captains every immature issue and problem that people have.
You think we need to be friends? I don't think you need to be friends. I do think you need to be friendly. I think you need to make small, big problems small.
You say, what's the problem with division? See, the problem with division is this. People will selfishly choose to divide, but division will make our church ineffective.
It'll ruin what we're trying to do here. You say, well, I don't understand. Mark 3, verse 24. Notice what Jesus said.
And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself. This is a good lesson for some of you parents.
Quit taking sides with your kids. If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. We cannot do. Look, what did Paul say?
Paul said, stand together. He said, I want you to stand together. He said, I want you to stand. He said that ye stand fast in one spirit.
But here's what Jesus said. If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. So if we are to stand together, then we must avoid conflict.
We must avoid cliques. We must avoid divisions. We must embrace that which unites us, our common faith, and we must avoid that which divides us.
Go back to Philippians chapter 1. Look at verse 27. The apostle Paul here is speaking to the church at Philippi about standing together.
He says, we are united by our Christian bond. But then he gives us another thought there. He says, we are united by our Christian belief.
I want you to notice that he says there in Philippians 1, 27, only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ,
that whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit. That's our Christian bond.
But then he says this, with one mind. That's our Christian beliefs, striving together for the faith of the gospel.
See, we are to be united over doctrine. We should unite based on doctrine. There in Philippians chapter 1. Flip over to Philippians chapter 2.
Now, next week we're going to start on Philippians chapter 2 and we're going to dissect it and go through it.
Let me just quickly show you some things that match up with verse 27 there. Philippians 2 verse 1.
He says, be there for any consolation in Christ. If any comfort of love, if any, notice these words, fellowship of the spirit.
If any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, notice, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord of one mind.
He says, I want you to be like-minded. And by the way, later on in this chapter, in chapter 2, he's going to tell us which mind.
He says, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
He said, I want you to be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord. The word accord there is a musical term.
It is the idea that different parts come together and they harmonize together.
He says, being one cord of one mind. Go to Philippians chapter 3. Look at verse 16.
See, we should unite over doctrine. Philippians 3 and verse 16, the Bible says this,
Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, notice these words, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
You say, what should rule us? It's this book right here. It's called the King James Bible.
So what should we think about? We should mind the same rule. We should walk by the same rule. We should mind the same thing.
We need to be united over doctrine. Now obviously, no one is going to agree a hundred percent on everything.
Obviously, you're never going to find a church. You know, people often try to talk about the perfect church.
They need to find the perfect church. Well look, once you find the perfect church, don't join it, you'll ruin it.
There's no such thing as a perfect church. No one's ever going to just agree one hundred percent on everything.
Look, I don't agree a hundred percent with myself. Good night, I don't know what's wrong with this thing.
I'll try to do my best not to touch it. I don't agree, you know, even we as Christians sometimes,
we take positions and then reconsider them and take new positions and obviously no one's going to agree a hundred percent on everything.
But we should agree on the major things and try to get along. Someone said you get three Baptists together, you'll have four opinions.
Baptists tend to be very opinionated. We're going to talk about that with Elihu when we get to Elihu in the book of Job.
Look, we're not going to agree a hundred percent on everything, but we should try, we should agree on the major things, the major doctrines.
By the way, that's why we spent several weeks on Sunday night going through a series called Declaring Doctrine and we've been talking about the major doctrines of the Bible.
You say, why? Because we should agree on those things. Go back to First Corinthians chapter one. First Corinthians chapter one.
And by the way, let me just say this. Some of you come from a different culture and that's okay. I'm not mad at you, but let me just help you out.
Verity Baptist Church is a church that actually believes what we say. See, there are churches, people are used to going to church and they're like,
yeah, that's what the pastor says, but you know, whatever. I mean, we've had people come in here, try to teach that there's no literal hell,
that Jesus didn't physically resurrect from the grave, that the King James Bible is not the word of God, that maybe you can lose your salvation.
Look, those are things that, those are non-negotiables. So what do you do when you find out people come in here and bring in those false doctrines?
We tell them you got to pack up and go. Now look, somebody can come in here and not believe everything we believe and that's okay.
But when they come in here and they're trying to bring their doctrine, they're trying to bring their teachings, they're trying to tell everybody why your pastor's wrong about this and why the church is wrong about this.
No, see, a church must be united on doctrine. First Corinthians one, verse 10, the Bible says this,
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you,
and that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
See, we should be united based on doctrine. And by the way, we should divide based on doctrine.
Go back to the book of Romans if you would. You're there in 1 Corinthians, go back to Romans, Romans chapter 16.
Romans chapter 16.
Look, our church believes certain things. It's believed them since the day this church started.
It's believed them since before any of you got here.
And you showing up with your little arguments, your little cute doctrinal ideas is not going to change that.
We will change you before you change us. We will get rid of you before you get rid of us.
Romans 16, you say, I don't think there's enough people out there. They're not allowed to come back if they're trying to cause divisions.
Well, the Bible says in Romans 16, 17, Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them.
Let me tell you something, especially young people. Don't always be this contrarian, this debater, just always trying to go against everything just for the sake of going against everything.
See, here's what young people do. They want to earn the right to lead or earn the right to be listened to or earn the right to, I don't know what they think they're going to earn the right to.
And they think they got to come up with all these new doctrines and new ideas in order to impress people. Hey, why don't you just work hard?
Why don't you just read the Bible and love the Lord and be faithful and be a good church member?
And then you can earn the right to do all those things you want to do.
Don't just be this person who's always trying to go against everything, debate everything, you know, think that everything's wrong.
Hey, we must unite on doctrine. We must unite on the Word of God. We must be like-minded. We must mind the same things and walk by the same rule.
Sometimes I think people think I'm joking. I get up here and preach things like,
Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you.
I get up here and preach things like the fact that this is a pastor-led church. It's not a deacon-led church. It's not an elder-led church. It's not, it's dead sure not a bunch of women-led church.
I get up here and preach these things and then people think, oh, you know, I preach about the fact that you got to, we got to strive together.
We got to be on board. We got to all do the same thing, walk the same way. And people think I'm joking.
I preach against fornication. People think I'm joking. I preach against drunkenness. People think I'm joking.
I preach about the fact that you shouldn't be going out to these rivers in the summertime half-naked with half-naked people and people think I'm joking.
You say, oh, pastor, didn't you just come back from a mission trip in Hawaii? Yeah, you know what we did in Hawaii?
We drove an hour and a half to the other side of the island where nobody's at and we got up at six in the morning and went to the beach before anybody was there.
We weren't at some river with a bunch of naked people. And then, you know, I get up here and preach these things and apparently I'm just up here for my own entertainment.
No, I actually believe what I'm preaching here. And you may not take me serious, but you'll take me serious when I come down on you.
You young people, I don't want to hear of you holding hands, hugging, kissing, petting. We're not for that here.
You say, I can't contain. Then get married. And I'm not going to sit here and give you some nice big marriage celebration.
You go down there to the courthouse and get married if you can't control your flesh.
But you're looking at a man that actually believes what he says, that actually believes what he preaches.
We're going to stand together. I'm going to leave this church and if you're going to fight me on it, one of us is going to go and it's probably not going to be me.
We ought to be standing together. We're united by our Christian bond and we should be united by our Christian beliefs.
I'd like you to notice, secondly, the Apostle Paul says we ought to be striving together.
Go to Philippians chapter 1. You say, Pastor, are you preaching this sermon because you're upset?
I don't know if you've noticed, I'm preaching this sermon because I'm preaching through the book of Philippians.
It's not my fault you guys all decided to act up.
Philippians 1.27, only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ.
That whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind.
Notice these words, striving together for the faith of the gospel.
The Apostle Paul says we ought to be standing together. Then he says we ought to be striving together.
We must strive together, he says, for the faith. What does that mean?
It means we should all have a common goal and we should all put in a common effort.
You know that church work and the work of God is a team sport?
It's a team sport. So you ought to get involved. We ought to strive together for the faith.
It's not a one man show. It's not just a few people. It's not just us four and no more.
Hey, it's something that we're supposed to do together. The word strive is this idea of putting energy, effort.
The idea literally is this idea of a sports team coming together and they're playing together and they're working together towards a common goal.
You say, how can I be a good church member? Here's how you can be a good church member. Be a good team player.
You say, what does it mean to be a team player? Here's what it means. It means you understand your role.
You know the Bible says that we're all members of one body?
It means that we're all different body parts that come together and we all play a role in what's being accomplished.
You say, I'd like to strive together for the faith. Well, I'd like you to strive together for the faith.
But here's how you do it. You understand your role. You understand your part.
You say, how do you be a team player? First of all, you understand your role. Secondly, you welcome collaboration.
This is this idea against conflict, against cliques. You welcome the fact that we want to work together, we want to strive together, we want to stand together.
How about this? You hold yourself accountable. You know how team players don't just go out there and do whatever they want?
I'm going to do this. I'm going to do that. No, team players realize that they're accountable to each other. They're accountable to the team.
How about this? Be flexible. We've said it this way. Improvise, adapt, and overcome. How about this? Keep a positive attitude.
Negative people make everything difficult. Negative people make everything difficult and they make everything unenjoyable.
You've got to keep a positive attitude. You say, how can I be a team player? How about this? You commit to the team.
You commit to the team, the church, the Verity Baptist Church, and say, hey, I'm committed to what the church is doing. I'm going to get involved with what the church is doing.
I'm going to get on board with what the church is doing. I'm not going to be off here to the side running my own little agenda. I'm just going to get involved with what the people of God are doing.
How about this? You carry your own weight. You do your part. You realize I've got a part to play. I've got things to do.
Maybe I should volunteer. Maybe I should get involved. Maybe I should do something.
Hey, church life is not a spectator sport. You don't show up and watch. You get involved.
I don't know about you, but if I'm playing on a team, I don't want to be on the bench watching everybody else play.
I want to get involved. Put me in, coach! I want to play!
We must strive together. We must strive together for the faith.
I'd like you to notice we must not only strive together for the faith, we must strive together against our foes.
Notice what the apostle Paul says in verse 28. Philippians 1 and verse 28. He says this,
And in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation and that of God.
He just got done telling us in verse 27 that we must strive together for the faith.
But then he says, I want you to strive together against your foes. I want you to realize, to not be terrified.
He says, in nothing terrified by your adversaries. Did you know that you have an adversary?
The Bible says, Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Paul has been encouraging the church at Philippi with this idea that they have a common faith, they have a common bond, they have a common purpose, they have a common belief.
But now he brings to their attention that they also have a common enemy.
You know that the devil would want nothing more than to destroy your life?
He'd want nothing more than to destroy this church. He'd want nothing more than to destroy your marriage, destroy your relationship with your children.
And you know what the devil would love? The devil would love for us to be busy fighting each other instead of fighting him.
As long as we're fighting each other, as long as we're calling each other names, as long as we're upset with each other, as long as we're angry with each other, he's happy.
Because as long as we're fighting each other, we're not fighting him. Can you just turn this off and put me on this one, please?
He'd want nothing more, nothing more than for us to spend our lives spinning our wheels angry at each other, mad at each other, unforgiving each other.
And we're supposed to be fighting him. Paul says that in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation and that of God.
Then Paul, he says not only is there an opposition of your adversary. Look, whenever there's great opportunity, there's great opposition.
Whenever there's great opportunity, there's great opposition. Whenever you say, I've got a great opportunity to raise my children for God, well, just realize there's going to be great opposition that comes your way.
Look, you can't live in this culture today and think you're going to raise children that are pure for the glory of God and just think it's going to happen just because.
I'm sorry, Dad. It doesn't work that way. I'm sorry, Mom. It doesn't work that way.
At some point, you're going to have to put the stinking cell phone down and turn off the stinking Facebook and YouTube and actually begin to endeavor to raise your children for the cause of Christ.
With great opportunity comes great opposition, the opposition of our adversaries, but I'd like you to notice also the opportunity of our adversaries.
The opportunity of our adversity. Look at that verse 29. Now, it's interesting how Philippians 1 29 is worded. It's worded very interesting.
He says, for unto you. He says, for unto you it is given. Now, if we were to just take those words just out of that verse, it would sound like a real nice thing. I'm about to get a gift.
Now, remember the context is, and in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation and that of God.
The context is that the opposition of our adversaries is very real. Then Paul talks about the opportunity in our adversity.
He says, for unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.
You say, what is given to us? What opportunity do we have? He says, unto you it is given, yes, to believe on him, but he says, you also have this great opportunity to suffer for his sake.
He says, do you know that you've been given the opportunity to suffer for Christ? Having the same conflict which you see in me, and now here to be in me.
You say, I don't understand how suffering for Christ is an opportunity. Well, go to Philippians chapter 3. Look at verse 10.
Suffering for Christ is a great opportunity. You say, why? Here's why. Because you will never be closer to Jesus than when you're suffering for Jesus.
Did you know that? Philippians 3, look at verse 10. Notice what Paul says. He says, that I may know him.
That I may know who? Jesus. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection. Doesn't that sound good?
I'd like to have the power of the resurrection of God. The same power, the same Holy Spirit that resurrected Christ from the grave.
I can have that power, Paul said. I can know that power upon my life. I can have that power. Wouldn't you want that in your preaching if you were a preacher?
Wouldn't you want that in your soul winning if you're a soul winner? Wouldn't you want that in your marriage and in your parenting?
He says that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, but wait a minute. Don't forget this.
And the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death.
See, there was no resurrection without first a death. The Bible says that the only way to be fruitful is to first die.
The Bible says that if a seed falls to the earth and dies, he said, if it doesn't fall to the earth and die, it abideth alone.
But if it falls to the earth and dies, it bringeth forth much fruit.
See, Paul said that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering being made conformable unto his death.
Here's the truth. You will never be closer to Jesus than when you are suffering for Jesus.
We'll go to Matthew chapter 5. We're going to go to Matthew. We'll go to 1 Peter and we'll be done.
Matthew chapter 5. You can still rejoice, by the way, in Jesus, when you're suffering for Jesus.
What's the purpose of the book of Philippians? What's the number one word that's brought up over and over and over and over again in the book of Philippians? What is it? Rejoice.
That's why the sermon series is called Rejoice, a verse-by-verse study through the book of Philippians.
Paul is teaching us from a prison cell how to rejoice. Then he says you've got this adversary, this opposition, but then he says you have an opportunity in the adversity.
You say, what's the opportunity? Well, I can get close to Jesus. I will never be more like Jesus than when I'm suffering for Jesus.
And then he reminds us that we can rejoice in Jesus while we're suffering for Jesus.
Matthew 5, look at verse 11. Blessed are ye, one man shall revile you and persecute you.
Matthew 5, 11. And shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.
Look at verse 12. Rejoice. Don't miss it. Rejoice. You say, is that because I just got a raise? No. Is that because I just bought a nice house? No.
Is that because I just bought a nice car? No. Is that because I just got a nice gift? No.
He says blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake.
Then he says this, rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven. For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
You know that you can rejoice in the midst of persecution? Go to 1 Peter chapter 4.
1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4. If you start at the end of the Bible, you've got it backwards. You've got Revelation, Jude, 32 and 1 John, 2 and 1 Peter, 1 Peter chapter 4.
See the book of Philippians is teaching us this idea that you've got this concept of rejoicing, being glad, having joy, being content. You've got it all wrong.
You think I can rejoice when everything around me settles. I can rejoice when all my ducks line up in a row. I can rejoice when everything around me finally lines up in the proper way.
Then I can finally be happy and rejoice. And Paul says no, you can rejoice in any circumstance.
And by the way, if you think that your happiness is going to come from the outside, you will never be happy. You will always be chasing that happiness.
But I can have the peace that passeth all understanding. I can rejoice in my heart.
Even though the outward man perished, Paul says, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
1 Peter chapter 4, look at verse 12. Beloved, thinking out strange concerning the fiery trials, which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you. Don't miss it, but rejoice.
And as much as ye are partakers of Christ's suffering, that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding, don't miss it, joy.
And if ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you.
On their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf.
He says rejoice. You say why? Because when you're suffering for Jesus, you will never be closer to Jesus than when you're suffering for Jesus.
Think about the three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when they were thrown into the fiery furnace. They got thrown into the fiery furnace, and who showed up? Jesus.
They were the closest they'd ever been to Jesus when they were suffering for Jesus.
They earn rewards, rejoice, and be exceeding God, for great is your reward in heaven.
You know what's sad? Is that we so often, see the idea in 1 Peter is this idea that you are to rejoice, you are to rejoice when you are suffering for Jesus.
He says if you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye. He says but let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
See, if you're all sad and depressed because you're suffering because of your own sin, yeah, that's understandable.
Here's the idea. The idea is this. So often we waste the opportunity to suffer for Jesus, which if we were honest, we would say doesn't come very often.
Because come on, let's be honest. Can we be honest in church? Let's be honest. Most of the time that you're suffering is for your own stupidity.
Most of the time that you suffer is because you got out of control, it's because you did something stupid, it's because you said something you shouldn't have said, because you went somewhere you shouldn't have gone.
Most of the time that we suffer is because of us. It's actually very rare. The Job's are very rare.
When we're suffering and we say, wow, I actually didn't do anything wrong this time, I'm actually just suffering for the cause of Christ, that's very rare.
It's a very rare opportunity to suffer for Christ. And you know what you and I do? We waste those opportunities by getting bitter and angry and complaining.
When Paul says don't waste it, you don't get much of them. Most of the stupid things you do are your own fault.
Don't waste it. When you're actually suffering for Jesus, rejoice. Rejoice and be exceeding God for great is your reward in heaven.
He says rejoice. He says that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering because when I'm suffering for Jesus, I can never be closer to Jesus than when I'm suffering for Jesus.
Go back to Philippians chapter one. Notice what he says there in verse 27. We're done.
He says, only let your conversation be as it become of the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs.
That you stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.
You know that the church at Philippi had a reputation. Paul said I may hear of your affairs.
In Romans, the apostle Paul talked to the church of Rome about how their testimony, their reputation had been spread throughout the whole world.
Whether you realize it or not, whether you like it or not, Verity Baptist Church has a reputation.
And whether I like it or not, you get to partake in our reputation.
So let's stand together. Let's strive together. Let's embrace that which unites us, our common Christian bond, and let's unite over our beliefs, our doctrine.
Let us work together, let us strive together, and let us fight together. Not against each other, but against our common foe.
Paul says that I may hear of your affairs. Paul says I don't know if I'm going to make it out of this prison.
Whether I come and see you or else be absent, I'm not sure. Maybe I'll get to see you, maybe I won't.
But I know that I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.
Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for your word.
Thank you for the Bible. Thank you for the book of Philippians.
Lord, I pray that you would help us to be a church that is striving together, standing together, endeavoring to keep the unity,
endeavoring to get along and work together and accomplish great things for you.
Lord, I pray you'd help us to be Christians that are mature, that can take a big situation and make it small.
Help us not to be the type of immature Christians that take a small situation and make it big.
Lord, help us to realize that you have not called us to live isolated lives. You have called us to live in community.
I pray that you would help this church to stand together, strive together for the faith of the gospel.
We love you. In the matchless name of Christ, we pray. Amen.