Philippians 1:27-30 December 13, 1998 Several years ago the hit movie "City Slickers" introduced us to three aging friends, struggling through their mid-life crises. Each year they would embark on an adventure trying to recapture their youth. In the movie they decided to become cowpokes, bringing in a herd of cattle out west. On the drive, these city slickers met up with a tough ole’ hand named Curly. Curly exemplified the rugged western cowboy, who lived life to the fullest. Billy Crystal wanted to know what it was that made Curly the man that Crystal wanted to be. Curly held up his index finger and said, “One thing.” That was it, the extent of his advice. So through the movie, Crystal tried to discover that one thing he was going to do. Being single-focused is great; the trouble is: “What is the one thing!” In typical post-modern fashion, the one thing exists as a multiplicity of “things” as we each follow our one thing. But in Philippians 1:27-30, Paul instructs his readers what the “one thing” is for the Christian. But rather than a vague command to just do something in life, his charge is specific. The verse begins with an emphatic “only;” it stands for one essential issue. This is the bottom line. The NIV translates this as “whatever happens,” trying to focus that no matter if Paul or they live or die, this is how they must live today. Let’s see what this single focus, this “one thing” is to be for the believer.
The bottom line in the Christian life is conduct which reflects the Gospel. But in describing this conduct, Paul uses a term which the Philippians well understood. Conduct is much too bland a translation. Rather the root of the word used refers to the polis, the city. Paul calls the Philippians to live as good citizens. The polis was not just a place to live. It was a partnership in which all people worked together to achieve the best for everyone. The people did not work in isolation; they cooperated. The individual citizen developed his abilities, talents and skills, not for his own sake, but for the benefit of the community. What is more, the city of Philippi was not just any ordinary city. It was granted special status by the Caesar after the defeat of Anthony during the civil war. After the battle of Actium which squelched the rebellion, a large number of soldiers retired to this city and so it was declared to be a Roman colony. This special status evoked a sense of pride by its inhabitants. It was Rome away from Rome. This pride is seen in Acts 16:20-21. They saw themselves as "Romans." Rome was their mother and they never forgot to whom they belonged. They spoke Latin, wore Roman dress, called the magistrates by their Latin titles. They were deeply into Roman citizenship and all it meant. Against this background, Paul is reminding these believers that their lifestyle must reflect their faith. They are colonists, not of Rome, but of another city, another country. They are citizens of the heaven. Paul returns to this theme of their citizenship in Philippians 3:20 where he reminds them once more that they belong to another. Yet, like the residents of Philippi whose land is Greek, but whose hearts are Roman, we must remember our dual citizenship. What does this mean for you and me? How will this affect the way in which we live? Our citizenship must reflect where our hearts lie. As those chosen by the Father, purchased by the Son and sealed by the Spirit, we must not forget that our citizenship must reflect what God has done for us. OUR CITIZENSHIP MUST REFLECT THE WORK OF THE SON We reflect the Gospel by our lives. When we, like Paul, come to that position in our lives that the bottom line in our life is not our comfort, not our pleasure, not even our reputation or family, but when we can say with Paul, “for me to live is Christ,” when it is He who defines our lives, then we also understand that our lives must demonstrate the work Christ has done for us. The words we profess to be true, the doctrine we believe to be correct must be evidenced in our lives. Paul reminds his readers that their lifestyle shows their citizenship. For Christians, they are to be “worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Our profession of faith has an ethical content. The word we translate “worthy” originally meant to “even the beam” as it came from commerce. When you went to the marketplace to purchase grain, the kernels would be placed on one side and weights on the other. Your bill was determined by the amount of weight when the beam was balanced. The worth was determined when the scales were balanced. God comes to us and fills us with infinite love, acceptance, mercy and forgiveness, gifts to empower us; all of that. How are we going to respond? This is not a matter of salvation, but a demonstration of what Christ has done. This is our lifelong task. To live a life worthy of the Gospel, then, is to give weight to what God has done in our lives by the way we live our lives toward others. We seek to even the beam by living out all the love, acceptance, mercy and forgiveness we can show. Obviously, we will never respond fully enough. We reflect the Gospel despite who is present. This proper conduct should not depend on who is watching, but on your understanding of God’s grace. Whether Paul is present or absent, this is how they are to live. Back in the 1800's a slave trader was looking over a group of slaves that he was considering buying. He walked up to one slave and said, "Would you be honest if I bought you?" And the man replied, "I'll be honest whether you buy me or not." Integrity is what we are when no one is watching. Our single-minded devotion to God is not a performance; it is not so that others will pat us on the back. That “one thing” in our lives flows from who we are at the core. How are you doing living as a citizen? While we know we can never repay the debt we owe to Christ, we will spend eternity responding in gratitude to his mercy by our lives. What worth are you showing by how you are living? Does your lifestyle as a Christian waiver on who is watching? Do you watch your language because I’m around? If the doctrines of grace have not settled into your soul and have not produced a movement in your life to honor God, then there is a question whether you understand Christ’s work for you. The good news of Christ’s death for you must create a response. What does this living as a citizen worthy of the gospel look like? OUR CITIZENSHIP MUST REFLECT THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT The basis of our unity is the Holy Spirit. Paul knows that if the Gospel, the faith that Christ’s death is sufficient for our sins and we’ve been credited Christ’s righteousness is present, that worthy life will be seen as we reflect the unity which comes only by the Holy Spirit. “Standing in one spirit” is not parallel to “contending as one man for the faith,” but the former provides the basis for the latter. We stand firm by means of the indwelling work of God the Holy Spirit so that we can work together. The unity you and I have together comes from the common working of one Spirit. Our unity has the work of God as its foundation, not our personal choice to decide to work together. What is the work of the Holy Spirit today? The Spirit is the means by which we stand our ground. “Standing firm” was a military term used at the point of conflict. When the battle rages the soldier was to hold that piece of earth with his life. He could not budge. The Christian likewise is to hold his post, no compromise in doctrine or conduct. Unfortunately, we often retreat or go AWOL. We ignore the common working of the Holy Spirit and we succumb to the attack. The outworking of our unity is seen in the church. The unity we have by means of the Holy Spirit is evidenced by how well we work together. Here Paul uses another combative term, using the image of the gladiator. “Contending together” (sunathleo) contains the familiar word from which we get "athletic." It was used of the gladiators who engaged in competition. Their struggle was just as life and death as on the battlefield. The necessity to fight side by side instead of fighting against each other was critical. Peter was a Marine who was a trumpet player for the Marine Corps band. He and the other band members would be subject to ridicule by those whose careers were more focused on combat. Their primary focus was practicing the skills necessary to be a good band. But, like all other Marines, they engaged in field training on a regular basis. They would go out for 2 weeks with war paint and guns for war games. How would a bunch of musicians who sit around and play an instrument everyday stack up against those whose whole lives are focused on conflict? Peter said the Marine Corps band rarely lost, for the simple reason that they spent every day learning to play in harmony, to work together. You can’t have disunity in a band. The problem in the Church today is not so much that we don’t get along. The problem is that we spend no time with one another to struggle with one another. We insulate our lives from the pain of contending together. It is true that this kind of community can be, at times, like porcupines hugging; we’ll all get pricked. Our unity is seen when we believe together. Notice on what issue they are to stand side by side: for the faith of the Gospel. What it means to live as a citizen belonging to God’s kingdom while living here and now necessitates that we demonstrate the grace of God in our lives. The power by which we do this is the common working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This common work enables us to stand together as believers united in defending the faith. While there may be plenty of issues dealing with morality and justice for which we must speak out, the focus here is content-oriented, the content of the Gospel. There is the unfortunate saying circulated by some Christians: “Doctrine divides!” The idea is that what we believe must be subjugated to practical unity. But here God makes it clear that it is on the matter of the Gospel that we must make the hallmark of our lives. Our unity is seen when we endure together. This unity as those who are of common heritage, belonging to the same King, must be seen in our refusal to run in terror. Just like the well-trained soldier who holds his ground so that he and his compatriots can defend their land from attack, those that stand firm must not become frightened. The word here is used of spooking horses, where a noise scatters otherwise quiet creatures. The attacks we face in our culture are rather subtle. They are seen when polite people scoff at the Gospel, when they think Christianity is just another form of spirituality, but become enraged when the exclusive claims of Christ hit home. Such subtle attacks strike at the very foundation and essentials of the whole of the Gospel and dismisses it. The Rev. Kenneth South, executive director of the AIDS National Interfaith Network refused to invite representatives from the National Association of Evangelicals to a November conference because they viewed homosexuality as a sin. He said, “Evangelicals are doing great ministry, as long as they don’t try to change people.” What happens when the truth of God’s Law conflicts with your job? How do you handle the teacher or professor who ridicules you for your faith? What’s the response to the subtle persecution, the ostracizing, the looks and glances in the office? When we have the future orientation to our lives, when we understand that our home is elsewhere, that our unity created by the Holy Spirit far exceeds what the world may offer, then we can stand firm. We stand firm, we stand with each other, we refuse to be frightened because of what is inside - God’s gracious working through the Holy Spirit. What makes popcorn pop when heated to 400F while any other kernel become hard is the moisture inside the popcorn. The high temperature expands the water, allowing the white pulp to burst forth into an edible treat. When trials come, the difference between one who shrivels and becomes hard and one who erupts for a more useful purpose reflects the unity we have in the Spirit. Our refusal to be frightened is a sign of destruction and salvation. The word “sign” can be translated “omen” or proof. It was a legal term referring to the proof attained by facts. To those who seek to frighten us, while we stand firm undaunted by their threats, we only demonstrate that they will be destroyed. But for us, we are only reminded that God is at work in us and we will be saved. Yet the proof is not our individual rectitude, but our corporate solidarity. The “one thing” applies to each of us as a group, as God’s people. We must stand together with one another for the sign to be seen. In the 4th Century a pathetic Christian was interrogated by the Emperor Julian, nicknamed the "Apostate" for his rejection of Christ. As the believer faced death for his faith, Julian inquired: "What is your Carpenter doing now?" The answer of the undaunted Christian was, "Making a coffin for your Emperor." OUR CITIZENSHIP MUST REFLECT THE GIFT OF THE FATHER We reflect the Father’s gift of faith. As we know throughout the Scriptures our faith is a gift from God. Here Paul reminds us that it has been granted, literally graciously given as a gift to believe. Verse 29 shatters human free will. Paul says it is not in the ability of fallen man, apart from God's grace, to believe; it must come as a gracious, undeserved, freely, voluntarily given gift of God to His people. If God owed us salvation by virtue of our choice, then he couldn't describe faith as a gift. Gifts aren't owed; they are given or they are not gifts. Faith itself is a gift. This doesn't mean that people apart from Christ don't have a will; of course they do - they make choices, they deliberate, they decide, they think, they reason, they choose. When we deny human free will, we're not saying that people don't will, but that they can't will well. They can't will to choose Christ. In order to will well, you must have the gift from God. Just as my being born an American was not something I chose, but rather that I was born into, likewise, when I was born from above, that birth making me a child of my Heavenly Father was not my choice, but God’s alone. It is His gift to me. I would be content to leave the passage at that, but&ldots; We reflect the Father’s gift of suffering. If this is the way God treats His friends, no wonder He seems to have so many enemies. But suffering is just as much a part of God’s gift to us as faith. Rather than seeing suffering and conflict in your life as a sign that God is displeased with you or intends to destroy you, you must see suffering as a gift from God. Grasping this is not simple, basic Christianity. This is hard stuff. We feel we are making spiritual progress if we resign ourselves to the fact that grief cannot be avoided. But here the apostle challenges the Philippians’ theology and asks them to understand their afflictions not merely as inevitable but as a manifestation of God’s gracious dealings with them. Suffering is the friction which polishes us. Without this friction, this polishing, we would be all the poorer as reflectors of the image of the Son. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who refused to be frightened by Hitler, who with others contended as one man for the faith of the gospel, said in a letter to his twin sister, Sabine: “It is good to learn early enough that suffering and God are not a contradiction but rather a unity, for the idea that God himself is suffering is one that has always been one of the most convincing teachings of Christianity. I think God is nearer to suffering than to happiness, and to find God in this way gives peace and rest and a strong and courageous heart." Let's face it. No one wants to struggle and suffer. None of us welcomes the things that come our way and think, "Oh boy, this is great! Now I get to grow as a Christian - can't wait!" Most of us dread the idea of facing hardships in life and trying to make sense of them in light of who we know God is and what He's done for us. It's tough. But this is where the Christian faith is the most real. This is where being like Christ is most accessible to us. But it is from this we so often run as fast as we can. As Christ suffered and died for us, discipleship, growing in Christ, being a citizen of His kingdom necessitates suffering as well. The struggle to become all that Christ has made us to be, to let go of self and put on Christ, to allow God to make our attitude the same as that of Christ Jesus, is a struggle which will last a lifetime. It is all a part of becoming like Jesus. But in the meantime, how do we live as Christians? How can you make it through another week when living as a citizen of heaven in a manner worthy of all Christ has done for you is far too much for you to handle? What is the answer for our lives? One thing! Just one thing! God has made you a citizen of heaven by the suffering of His son - despite your sinfulness, your rebellion, your refusal to submit to His Law. We can with the prophet Zephaniah join in the celebration of the Lord, where the prophet says:
God rejoices over you now because of Christ. |