1. "The gospel is not advice, it's news. Advice says, study hard, review everything you've learned, and you should do okay on the test. News says, the teacher has canceled the final exam and has given you 100% in the whole class. The gospel is not about what we do for God, it's about what God has done for us."

2. "God loves sinners but he doesn't love sin. God loves you as you are but he doesn't leave you as you are. Because he loves you he wants to love the sin right out of you."

3. "God's grace finds us lost and saves us. It finds us helpless and enables us. It finds us ruined and renews us. It finds us enslaved and it frees us."

4. "Your commitment to Christ is more basic than your commitment to any earthly power. And your commitment to Christ's people is more basic than your commitment to any earthly family or faction, any party or political cause, any network or nation."

5. "Worldly powers who oppose Christ try to use fear to secure your silence. That's the goal. To get people to stop talking about Jesus, stop articulating his claims, quit talking about this person who challenges my rule, my authority, my influence, my power."

6. "The Christian life calls for both gospel doctrine and gospel shaped living. And the order is crucial. Gospel doctrine is the fuel for gospel-driven action. You have to first stand there in order to do something. No truth, no transformation, no doctrine, no devotion."

7. "When Christians refuse to be defeated and deprogrammed by persecution, that reveals God's distinguishing and preserving work. It shows there's something supernatural going on. It makes the line between God's people and the world all the more evident."

8. "When you love a brother or sister all the way through a disagreement, you show that you love Christ more than you love your own opinion."

9. "If you are humble, you're not threatened by your own faults being pointed out. If you're humble, you're not threatened by other people's desires or wants or the ways they impose upon you because then it's an opportunity to serve them. Humility frees you from the delusions of pride and the chains of self."

10. "If you're secure in Christ's love for you, you can give yourself away in love to others. If Christ has given up everything to save you, serve you, then you can give up whatever you need to in order to humbly care for others."

Observation Questions

1. In Philippians 1:27, what specific phrase does Paul use to describe how believers should conduct themselves, and what does he want to hear about them whether he is present or absent?

2. According to Philippians 1:28-29, what two things does Paul say have been "granted" or graciously given to the Philippians for the sake of Christ?

3. In Philippians 2:1, what four blessings or experiences does Paul appeal to as the basis for his exhortation to the Philippians?

4. What four phrases does Paul use in Philippians 2:2 to describe the unity he wants the Philippians to pursue?

5. According to Philippians 2:3, what two attitudes does Paul command believers to avoid, and what posture does he tell them to adopt instead?

6. In Philippians 2:4, what contrast does Paul draw between how believers should direct their attention and concern?

Interpretation Questions

1. Why does Paul use the imagery of "standing firm" and "striving side by side" in Philippians 1:27, and what does this military language reveal about the nature of Christian witness in the world?

2. How can suffering for Christ's sake be understood as a "gift" from God (Philippians 1:29), and what does this reveal about how the gospel reshapes our understanding of hardship and persecution?

3. Paul says that the Philippians' fearless endurance is "a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation" (Philippians 1:28). What does this mean, and how does faithful endurance under opposition serve as a witness to unbelievers?

4. In Philippians 2:1-2, Paul grounds his call to unity in the spiritual blessings believers have already received in Christ. Why is it significant that gospel benefits serve as the motivation for gospel-shaped living rather than the other way around?

5. How does Paul's command to "count others more significant than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3) challenge the self-centered values of both ancient culture and modern society, and what makes this kind of humility possible for Christians?

Application Questions

1. The sermon emphasized that Christians need interlocking "shields" of fellow believers to stand firm for the gospel. Who in your church community helps cover your weak spots and blind spots, and how might you intentionally strengthen that relationship this week?

2. Paul exhorts believers not to be "frightened in anything" by opponents (Philippians 1:28). What specific situation in your life—at work, in your family, or in your community—tempts you to silence your witness for Christ out of fear, and what would it look like to speak faithfully in that context?

3. The sermon offered practical steps for pursuing unity amid disagreement, including listening carefully and seeking to understand another person's position before arguing. Is there a current disagreement with a fellow church member where you need to apply these steps? What is one concrete action you could take this week?

4. Philippians 2:4 instructs believers to look to the interests of others, not only their own. Think of one specific person in your church or small group—what is one burden they are carrying or need they have that you could help address in the coming days?

5. The sermon described humility as a "spiritual superpower" that frees us from the delusions of pride. In what area of your life do you most struggle with selfish ambition or conceit, and how might meditating on Christ's humbling himself for you (as previewed in the next verses) reshape your attitude?

Additional Bible Reading

1. Philippians 3:17-21 — This passage explicitly names believers' citizenship in heaven and their awaiting a Savior, reinforcing the sermon's emphasis on living as citizens of another kingdom while sojourning on earth.

2. Acts 16:16-40 — This narrative recounts Paul and Silas's imprisonment and suffering in Philippi for preaching the gospel, providing the historical background for Paul's reference to the "same conflict" the Philippians witnessed him endure.

3. Ephesians 6:10-20 — This passage describes the armor of God, including the shield of faith, which connects to the sermon's imagery of believers standing firm together with interlocking shields against spiritual opposition.

4. Daniel 3:13-28 — This account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace illustrates the sermon's point that suffering for God's sake reveals Christ's presence with believers in affliction and demonstrates that He is worth more than anything the world can threaten.

5. 1 Peter 4:12-19 — Peter's teaching on rejoicing in suffering for Christ's name and entrusting oneself to a faithful Creator parallels Paul's exhortation to fearlessly endure opposition as a gracious gift from God.

Sermon Main Topics

I. Two Incomplete Views of Christianity and the True Gospel

II. The Main Burden of Philippians: Live Worthy of the Gospel

III. Point One: Strive Together for the Gospel (Philippians 1:27)

IV. Point Two: Endure Fearlessly in Opposition (Philippians 1:28-30)

V. Point Three: Unite Completely with Fellow Believers (Philippians 2:1-2)

VI. Point Four: Serve Humbly by Putting Others First (Philippians 2:3-4)

VII. Living as Citizens of Heaven in a Foreign Land

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Detailed Sermon Outline

Many people think of Christianity as a religion of self-improvement. They see Christianity fundamentally as a matter of rule-keeping, doing certain religious practices, getting the instructions, following them. And if you do them well enough on balance, well, then hopefully it'll be okay with you and God will accept you in the end and the good will outweigh the bad and you'll be fine. Many others think that Christianity is a form of positive thinking. Self-care, feel good, all affirming, I'm okay, you're okay, God loves everybody just as we are.

On this view, Christianity is like an endlessly renewable get out of jail free card in Monopoly. Everyone sins, everyone makes mistakes, everyone's broken. God loves you just as you are. So don't be too hard on yourself. Take it easy.

Don't look so down. On yourself. What you need is unconditional affirmation, and that's just what God always gives. What's missing from these two views of the Christian faith? What's missing are two crucial aspects of the gospel: the main message of the Bible and the main message of Christianity.

What's missing from the first view is that the gospel is not advice, it's news. Advice says, study hard, review everything you've learned, and you should do okay on the test. News says, the teacher has canceled the final exam and has given you 100% in the whole class.

The gospel is not about what we do for God, it's about what God has done for us.

And what has he done for us? He's done everything that we couldn't do for ourselves. The gospel, this gospel is the most important thing you'll hear today, especially if you don't follow Jesus. Here is this gospel, this good news, what Christianity is all about. God is our loving creator and faithful ruler.

He has given us everything and we owe him everything. But every one of us has rebelled against him, which means that what we deserve from God is nothing but judgment and condemnation. But God is not only just and righteous, he's also loving and merciful. And so he sent his eternal son into the world to become one of us and to live for us and die for us and rise again for us in order to save us. That's what Christmas is all about.

It's not about anything we have done for God or could do for God, it's about something only only God could do for us, sending his son into the world to rid us from the penalty of sin by dying for us and rising for us. So on the third day, Jesus rose triumphant over death to give eternal life to all who trust in him. And now he both invites and commands all people everywhere to turn from sin and trust in him. If you've never trusted in Christ, believe in him today. Turn from sin.

And give yourself totally to him. He will save you. That's the only way you can be made right with God and it is a completely sufficient way. He's done everything. He's done all that's needed for you to be right with God.

Now the aspect of the gospel that's missing from the second view I mentioned, the feel good everybody's okay view, what's missing from that is that the gospel doesn't leave us where it finds us. God loves sinners but he doesn't love sin. God loves you as you are but he doesn't leave you as you are. Because he loves you he wants to love the sin right out of you. The gospel not only rescues us from sin's penalty it also provides both the measure and the motivation of a whole new life.

The gospel places a demand on those who accept it and it provides the power to fulfill that demand. The gospel's transforming work is front and center in the passage that we're going to consider together this morning. As Steve mentioned, we're going to look at Paul's letter to the Philippians from chapter 1 verse 27 to chapter 2 verse four. The passage is on page 980 of the Bible's in the pews. If you don't have a Bible that you can read at home, please do take that one home with you as a Christmas present from us.

Just as a little review to get us into the passage, in the first 11 verses of the chapter, Paul thanks God for the Philippians' partnership in the gospel and he prays for their progress in the gospel. Then in verses 12 to 26, as we considered in our last sermon on Philippians, he tells the Philippians how his imprisonment is actually serving to cause the gospel to progress more and more. So that brings us to verse 27. Please follow along as I read.

Philippians 127-24, 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, 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. 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, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

In this passage, Paul announces the main burden of this letter. You can see it in that little word only. That begins verse 27. Only. Meaning, this is the one thing.

This is the only thing. This is the big thing. If you only do one thing, do this. And what is the one thing? Only.

Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel. Of the gospel of Christ. Paul is saying there is a kind of life that fits with and flows from the gospel. If you're a believer in Jesus, the Holy Spirit inspired apostles' highest priority for you is this: live a life that measures up to the gospel and is motivated by live a life that measures up to the gospel and is motivated by the gospel. This passage has two halves.

In chapter 1 verses 27 to 30, Paul exhorts us about how we Christians should relate to the world, especially to the world's hostility and opposition. And then chapter 2 verses 1 to 4 is about how we should relate to each other. We'll get two points from each half. So the structure of the sermon will be four aspects of a life that measures up to and is motivated by the gospel. Four aspects of a life that measures up to and is motivated by the gospel.

Point one, strive together. In verse 27, Paul exhorts us to strive together. Strive for what? For the public defense and promotion of the gospel. Look again at verse 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. As I said in the beginning of this verse, Paul gives us the main exhortation that governs the body of the letter. This is the main thing he's telling the Philippians and us to do. He's urging us to live a life measured and motivated by the gospel. The gospel comes first and a life worthy of the gospel follows.

God's grace finds us lost and saves us. It finds us helpless and enables us. It finds us ruined and renews us. It finds us enslaved and it frees us. The phrase translated, let your manner of life could be more literally rendered, conduct yourselves as citizens.

The root has the word citizen in it. Paul's reminding us that all of us Christians are first and foremost citizens of heaven, not fundamentally citizens of any earthly state or kingdom. Our belonging to heaven is far more basic. That's exactly what Paul says in Philippians 3:20, Our citizenship is in heaven. Heaven, and from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

This citizenship gives you a new identity and a new security. This citizenship gives you a new confidence and hope. As we've seen in many of our readings and hymns throughout the sermon, we're looking forward to the coming of God's kingdom. Your future in God's kingdom is perfectly secured by Christ's saving work for you. And this citizenship in heaven also gives you new loyalties.

You are a subject of the Lord Jesus Christ and a fellow citizen with all his saints. Your commitment to Christ is more basic than your commitment to any earthly power. And your commitment to Christ's people is more basic than your commitment to any earthly family or faction, any party or political cause, any network or nation. Those all have their legitimate place and their place is a subordinate one. Their place is one under the absolute claims of Christ on you and on all people.

So what's the first way Paul tells you to live out this heavenly citizenship down here among the rival kingdoms of this world? Verse 27, it's by striving together to publicly promote the gospel. You declare your loyalty to Christ. One of the most basic ways you do that is by publicly confessing the truth about him. In the face of rival claims from any person or authority or ideology that would try to set itself up as supreme.

That's why Paul uses the verbs standing firm and striving. Those imply struggle, opposition, headwinds against being a Christian in public. To be faithful to Christ in public always involves overcoming Resistance. Standing firm as a Christian requires you to plug your ears against the invitations of those who will promise you some benefit if you compromise your commitment to Christ. And standing firm as a Christian requires you to plug your ears against the threats of those who warn of some harm if you maintain your commitment to Christ.

Whether promise or threat, in both cases, you have to tune out the world so you can keep listening to Christ. Worldly powers who oppose Christ try to use fear to secure your silence. That's the goal. To get people to stop talking about Jesus, stop articulating his claims, quit talking about this person who challenges my rule, my authority, my influence, my power, fear to try to secure silence. That's why Paul says in the next verse, which we'll consider in a moment, not frightened in anything.

But you shouldn't and in the end you can't do this alone. Paul exhorts us to stand firm in one spirit and with one mind to strive side by side for the faith of the gospel. That image of striving side by side calls to mind a military formation that would have been common in Paul's day called a phalanx. A phalanx is where soldiers would stand in ranks and and files very close, so side by side, one to one, kind of like a big square, all jammed in together, so that their shields would make a seamless covering for everybody. Shield interlocking with shield, overlapping, so there's a front that can't be penetrated, and then offensively, their spears would sort of slot in like teeth, so that there's a common defense and offense, providing for and protecting each other, standing side by side.

That's a little bit of the image that Paul calls to mind here, that we should contend side by side for gospel Gospel offense and gospel defense. We should help each other's shields overlap and interlock so that there is a common and united front. Mark from Ephesians 6 last week exhorted us to take up the shield of faith. But what Paul is saying here is that you need not just your own shield, but you need the interlocking shields of believers side by side next to you so they can cover your weak spots and blind spots.

When Al Mohler became the president of Southern Seminary in Louisville in 1993, a seminary where myself and many other pastors of this church have studied, when Mohler became the president there, at that time the seminary had been compromised for decades, been unfaithful to its mission. It had been staffed by professors who denied many core Christian doctrines. So Dr. Mohler had a sort of house cleaning operation in view when he took up that leadership role. In his first academic year, the first public address he gave was a convocation message entitled, Don't Just Do Something, Stand There.

The Christian life calls for both gospel doctrine and gospel shaped living. And the order is crucial. Gospel doctrine is the fuel for gospel-driven action. You have to first stand there in order to do something. No truth, no transformation, no doctrine, no devotion.

In order to live a life worthy of the gospel, you have to continually stand firm. For the truth of the gospel. And in order to stand firm for the truth of the gospel, you need to be linked arm in arm, shield in shield, with fellow believers. What are some things that can help you do that? To grow in standing firm for the truth of the gospel?

One is simply to saturate your mind in Scripture. Dive into Scripture's depth and breadth. If you've never read straight through the whole Bible, I would encourage you to make it a goal to do that in the new year. There's all kinds of plans you can use to do that. For years, I would use Robert Murray M'Cheyne's reading plan to go through all of Scripture, plus the New Testament twice and Psalms and Proverbs twice.

If you've never done that, I would challenge you. The new year is a perfect time to pick up a habit like that. And also find ways to dig deep into scripture. Pick a short book and read it every day for a month. See how it starts soaking into your thinking and kind of gets into your bones.

Or commit to memorizing a chapter of scripture together with another member of the church. You can encourage each other, hold each other accountable, get together and read it to each other and then talk about it and pray through it. And whether you're reading sort of quickly through big chunks of Scripture or meditating deeply on it, turn what you read into prayer so that you move Scripture from your head to your heart. Prayerfully meditating on Scripture is like adding calcium to your spiritual bones. It will help you hold up and hold out under the pressure of opposition to the gospel.

To live a life that measures up to and is motivated by the gospel is to stand up for the truth of the gospel and to help others stand up next to you. One reason this standing firm is so crucial is because we should expect opposition from the world. So point two, endure fearlessly. Endure fearlessly. Endure what?

Endure opposition to your confession of Christ. This is Paul's exhortation for us in verses 28 to 30.

He continues, 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. 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, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. From these verses, it's clear that Paul knows the Philippians are currently undergoing persecution for their faith, for their suffering for the sake of Christ. These verses are not about suffering generally, the kind of suffering that attends all of us because of the fall, but as Paul says in verse 29, suffering for his sake, Christ's sake.

And it's not surprising that the Philippians were being persecuted since Paul himself suffered persecution in Philippi for preaching the gospel. We learn about that in Acts chapter 16. In these three verses, Paul gives us three motivations to fearlessly endure opposition to Christ. The first in verse 28 is that faithfully enduring opposition offers a picture and preview of the end. Paul says in verse 28 of the Philippians' fearless endurance, this is a clear sign to them, that is, your opponents, of their destruction, but of your salvation and that from God.

When Christians refuse to be defeated, and deprogrammed by persecution. That reveals God's distinguishing and preserving work. It shows there's something supernatural going on. It makes the line between God's people and the world all the more evident. And that bright line showing up now is a preview of the line that will be drawn with eternal consequences on the last day.

The failure of persecution to undo Christians' confession points to the final failure of all efforts to oppose God. And faithful endurance of persecution is assigned to us, Paul says, of God's salvation, because it demonstrates how God specially preserves the people he has specially chosen. It's a reminder that we're safe in God's hands now, no matter what physical harm is threatened, no matter what physical harm we suffer. We're safe in God's hands now, and we will be safe in God's hands forever. The second motivation in verse 29 is that suffering for Christ's sake is a gift from God.

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. The word translated granted could also be translated graciously given. It's from the same root as the word grace. Paul saying that faith itself is a gracious gift of God and so is suffering for Christ's sake. Not only that, the two are a package deal.

Did you receive any gifts for Christmas that were Not immediately obvious as to why someone would think that's an appropriate gift. What if someone gave you a giant Costco-sized box of deodorant? What exactly would that gift be trying to say? There are some gifts that are not apparent as to the rationale or the benefit that they're meant to bring us. Some of you might be wondering whether verse 29 It's talking about a gift like that.

How can it be that suffering for Christ's sake is a gift? It's a present given by God. How can that possibly be? Well, for one thing, Paul's not saying that the suffering is intrinsically good. He's not denying the pain and loss.

But consider, it's a gift to be treated for Christ's sake.

The way he was treated for yours. Acts 5:41. Then they left the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. It's a gift to show the world that Christ is worth more than anything in the world. How do you do that?

By holding on to Christ at the cost of anything the world can take away, including your life.

As Daniel's three friends confessed in Daniel 3:17-18, if this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.

It's a gift to enter the furnace of affliction and discover not just that Christ went there before you, but that he is there with you now. Daniel 3:24-25.

Did we not cast three men bound into the fire? But I see four men unbound walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.

As we'll sing together in a moment, when through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, my grace all-sufficient shall be thy supply. The flame shall not hurt thee. I only design thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine. How is suffering for Christ's sake a gift? It's a gift to lose a little now in the promise of gaining far more by that very loss.

Matthew 5:11-12, Blessed are you. When others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. I'm sure all this raises another question for many of you, which is, is Paul saying that all Christians will be persecuted for their faith?

The short answer is yes. And if that seems unbelievable to you, you might be defining persecution too narrowly. Persecution for Christ's sake is far broader than the state-sponsored infliction of physical harm. Suffering for Christ's sake runs the full spectrum from martyrdom to being mocked. It includes being insulted or bullied for your faith.

It includes having family members freeze you out, refuse to talk to you or even disown you. If you're not a Christian, we're glad you're here. You're very welcome at all of our public services. I'd be delighted to talk to you at that door right afterward. You might think this talk of opposition and persecution sounds overblown like we're sort of making it up or bringing it upon ourselves as Christians.

I think the more exposed you are to history and the more aware you are of the global status of Christians around the world, the less surprised you'd be and the more you'd see this kind of objectively verified both in the past and in the present. But regardless of that impression or not, we can get to the very bottom of this question by asking why? Why does the world persecute Christians? Jesus himself tells us, John 7:7. There are many reasons but Jesus gives us one of them himself.

John 7:7, The world cannot hate you, he says to his own brothers, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. And then he says to his disciples in John 15:18-19, if the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, The world would love you as its own but because you were not of the world but I chose you out of the world therefore the world hates you. If you're not a believer in Jesus, I would love to know your sort of honest, unfiltered, unpolite reaction to Jesus, right? Not trying to be nice because you're in church, not trying to be polite because you're among Christians.

What's your honest reaction? What do you like or not like? What do you think is crazy or harmful to humanity? Jesus is announcing in advance the ways that he's been hated. He's announcing in advance the ways that his disciples are going to be hated.

So the question is, what's at the root of that hatred? What competing love is there that makes Jesus so distasteful to so many? What's at the bottom? Of that conflict. Briefly, the third help that Paul gives us in fearlessly enduring opposition is the example of other believers.

In verse 30, he refers to the same conflict that you saw I had and now here that I still have. He's not putting himself up on a pedestal and saying, yeah, what you guys are going through is nothing. You should look at somebody really suffering for Jesus like me. No, he's saying his struggle is their struggle.

They're undergoing the same conflict, they're in solidarity and suffering for Christ. This is just what Peter tells us. He reminds us in 1 Peter 5:9 that we need to resist the devil and he says, Resist him firm in your faith knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. Whether it's believers near or far, living or dead, renowned or obscure, witnessing the example of Christians who have faithfully endured persecution is a tremendous help and encouragement in standing firm for the faith. One of those faithful brothers and sisters is the 17th century Scottish pastor Samuel Rutherford who was imprisoned for his theological convictions in the midst of his ministry.

He wrote many letters from prison that are wonderfully edifying reading, here's what he says in one of those letters from prison: I never knew by my nine years preaching so much of Christ's love as he has taught me in Aberdeen by six months imprisonment.

A life measured and motivated by the gospel is a life of fearlessly enduring opposition. Those first two points then are about how we all face the world. What about how we face each other? Do we encounter any difficulties or trials when we turn from the world to the church? What challenges do we face?

What does the gospel require of us? And what help does it provide? Point three, unite completely. Unite completely. A life that measures up to and is motivated by the gospel calls you to unite completely.

Heart and mind, action and affection, unite completely with fellow believers. Paul exhorts us to do this in chapter 2, verses 1 and 2. So if there's any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy. Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

In this passage, Paul appeals to the benefits that these Philippians and all Christians have experienced in the gospel, the benefits of the gospel. His if in verse one really means since. He's appealing to them because this is the case, because all these things are true. He's appealing to the blessings the gospel brings to you. So search your own heart and experience.

Have you been encouraged by Christ? Have you been comforted by his love? Do you know what it is to share in the work of the Holy Spirit, to have him living in you and renewing you? You? Has God's love for you resulted in your love for him and for others?

Those are serious questions. They're questions about the reality of your experience of the gospel. If your answer to those is no or you're really not sure, then you should question whether you've been born again. Paul presents these as baseline experiences. Common to all Christians.

He's assuming this is the case for these Christ confessors that he's writing to.

He's reminding the Philippians of what Christ has done for them and in them. He's reminding us of the riches of the gospel that are already heaped up in our lives. He's saying, take a look at the wealth God has already brought you in Christ. And he's doing this as a motivation. The gospel itself motivates growth in godliness.

Paul's using these blessings as a wedge to open up more room for the gospel to make progress in our lives. He's pulling on these benefits as a lever to push us deeper into the character of Christ. And the aspect of Christ-like character he's calling us to is a pursuit of unity, unite with each other completely. He uses four words, four phrases to say the same thing. Look again at verse 2.

He exhorts us to be of the same mind. Having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. There's slight little differences between those little nuances, but he's basically saying the same thing four times to underscore just how important it is. Unity in the church is crucial. It's hard fought, hard won and easily lost.

It's why a promise to maintain the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace is the first promise we make to each other in our church covenant. It's a heading on all the rest.

So we can ask the question, step back from the passage for a moment, what tends to bring people together? What tends to unify people? Not thinking about church specifically or Christians specifically, zoom all the way out and ask, what glues people together? The philosopher Eric Hoffer in the mid-20th century wrote a book called the True Believer in which he asserted hatred. Is the most accessible and comprehensive of all unifying agents.

Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a God, but never without belief in a devil. I think we see this all too often in all too many ways in our culture today. But Paul is exhorting us to exactly the opposite, not to be united by a common hatred, but to be united by a common love. This is what J. B. Lightfoot, the English Bible scholar, pointed out on this verse.

Paul's calling us to the concord, not of a common hatred, but of a common love. Christians are not fundamentally united by being against something, but by being for someone, for Christ. And because we are for Christ, being for all his people. So how can you pursue this kind of unity, especially in the local church, and especially in the face of persistent disagreements about significant issues. Last year, during a kind of weeknight meeting, I gave a one-off message on the subject called How to Promote Unity Amid Disagreement.

You can go find that on the web if you'd like to listen to that. But for now, a simple two-part exhortation: Pursue a common mind, and where that fails, preserve a common love. Pursue a common mind, and where that fails, preserve a common love.

Love. Let's say that you disagree with a fellow church member over something significant, something weighty. It's easy for that disagreement to become heated and to drive a wedge between you. You each hold strongly held beliefs that are incompatible with what the other thinks. So what can you do?

Pray for a common mind and work for a common mind. Here is a whole slew of practical suggestions. Get together in private, face to face, and listen. Let the other person do most of the talking at first. Learn more about what the other member thinks and why.

Make sure that before you try to argue with the person that you understand their position well enough that you could state it back to them in a way that they would fully endorse. Ask, whether of the other person or in your own understanding, ask what good that member is trying to obtain or preserve by the position they're holding to. Ask them what biblical basis they see for it. Ask whether their position and yours depends on a judgment about what Scripture means or about a judgment on some issue out in the world that may be far more complex and disputable or whether the position depends on both applying a judgment about Scripture to something out in the world. Consider whether you have the same grounds to be confident of your interpretation of some vast historical issue or social problem or policy proposal.

Whether you should be as confident about all of those things as you are confident in what Scripture means. And do you know how to find the line between those two things? Where Scripture stops and issues out in the world begin? Try to find out precisely where your views diverge. And not only that, but try to get behind that divergence to the vast tracks of agreement of what you hold in common, including matters related to this issue that's in dispute.

Articulate that agreement together. Remind each other of what you hold in common on the basis of Scripture.

And be open to having your own thinking deepened and challenged and reshaped by another believer who's studying the same Bible you are and is indwelt by the same Holy Spirit as you. Pray that you would both together come to a deeper, fuller understanding of the truth. I could go on, but if all that fails and some disagreement remains, preserve a common love. That's what Paul is telling us here, not just to have the same mind, but have the same love. If you and this person you're disagreeing with are both members of this local church, then as significant as your disagreement might be, it is superficial compared to the far more fundamental issues that unite you.

Either one or maybe both of you are wrong about this issue that's in dispute between you. But God has forgiven far more serious wrongs in you and he commands you to forgive far more serious wrongs in each other. So don't let disagreement degenerate into dividing from or despising another believer. If Christ has welcomed them, so can you. Pray that you would come to love that brother or sister all the more, even in the midst of and even because of your disagreement.

When you love a brother or sister all the way through a disagreement, you show that you love Christ more than you love your own opinion. Point four, serve humbly. To measure up to the gospel, serve humbly. And in order to serve humbly, you have to be motivated by the gospel. Look at verses three and four of chapter two.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Our culture celebrates selfish, self-centered, self-fulfilling individualism. That the plot of virtually every Disney movie underscores exactly that value. Paul's exhortation here is profoundly different.

In a word, Paul's command is: Take yourself off the throne. Remove yourself from the center of your focus and ambitions. Think less highly of yourself and more highly of others. Think less about yourself and more about others.

Treat others as more important, more worthy, more deserving than yourself. When Paul takes aim at selfish ambition and conceit, he's attacking each of our tendency to live as if we are the center of the universe. He's attacking each of our overgrown egos. He's calling us to humility. And he's calling us to express that humility in serving others.

So when Paul exhorts you to count others more significant than yourself, he's saying you should give first place to others' needs, first place to others' desires, first place to others' interests. He's commanding you to willingly become a servant of all.

Who do you struggle to serve? In what ways do you struggle to serve? If you're new to this church, say you've recently joined and you're wondering how you can get involved, one of my main pieces of advice would be this: simply start to get to know other members. Spend time with them, dig beneath the surface, get to know the shape of their lives, get to know them well enough to discover what needs they have and how you might be able to meet some of them, get to know other members well enough to find out about some of the burdens they bear, and to be in a position to help bear them.

What can push self off the throne of your life? What can push selfish ambitions out of the center of your focus? What can lead you to care more about others getting what's good for them than you care about getting what you want? Only the gospel. If you're secure in Christ's love for you, you can give yourself away in love to others.

If Christ has given up everything to save you, serve you, then you can give up whatever you need to in order to humbly care for others. If your eternal happiness is secure in Christ, then you don't need to look out for your own interests because Christ has already looked out for your interests far better than you ever could. That's how you can sacrifice, that's how you can give, that's how you can humble yourself, that's how you can be a force for unity. And for others good. Before Christianity emerged onto the world scene in the kind of ethical fabric of ancient Greco-Roman culture, humility was not considered a virtue but a vice.

It was seen as being lonely, kind of sniveling, failing to stick up for yourself and defend your own honor. Humility was basically equivalent to being trampled on. The ancient Greeks and Romans didn't have any use for it. But Christianity changed that. Christ's own example of humbling himself for us revealed for the first time the full glory of humility.

Our senior pastor, Mark, often says that humility is a spiritual superpower. If you are humble, you're not threatened by your own faults being pointed out. You see those areas where you need to grow. If you're humble, you're not threatened by other people's desires or wants or the ways they impose upon you because then it's an opportunity to serve them.

If you're humble, you can serve whoever you need to. If you're humble, you can serve however you need to. If you're humble, you can grow in any way you need to. Humility frees you from the delusions of pride and the chains of self. Humility enables you to willingly lower yourself in order to lift up others.

And if you're a Christian, that's exactly what Christ has done for you. If you want to see one of the great scriptural celebrations of that, just look at the next several verses, which will be our next sermon, how Christ humbled himself, becoming obedient even to the point of death on a cross in order to rescue you and in order then to be exalted and given the name above every name.

How can people tell where you're from? When our family lived in England for three years, it was pretty easy for people there to tell where we were from. One of the first people we met on one of our first days in the country was a lovely woman who became a close friend. When she first met us with our two little girls at the time, she was just astonished by their cute, adorable, little, tiny American accents. She just couldn't get over it.

Somehow, the adult American accent is one thing, the kid thing is another, right? And when we lived in England, As citizens of another nation, we celebrated holidays like Thanksgiving on the 4th of July that were unknown to the people in the country we were sojourning in. Our English friends were more keen to join us for Thanksgiving than for the 4th of July.

So what about you?

Our homeland makes us different. However much we learned to fit in in England, we still stuck out. How much more should that be true of all of us as Christians? How much more should Christians stand out from all the world? Our homeland is heaven.

That's where our citizenship is. That's where our deepest loyalties lie. That's what we're banking on far more than on any earthly future. And since we are citizens of heaven, our lives should betray our country of origin. It should be unmistakable.

We should stick out like sore thumbs. How can you live this kind of life? This kind of life that stands out from the world? This kind of life that's worthy of the gospel? Only by the power that the gospel itself supplies.

Only by returning again and again to the good news of what Christ has done for you. What more can He say than to you He hath said, To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled? Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for not treating us as our sins deserve, but for coming to us, for sending Christ to us, for obtaining our salvation, and for applying it to us by the power of your Holy Spirit. Father, we pray that our manner of life would be worthy of the gospel. We pray that we would be united in promoting the gospel in public. We pray that we would be united in serving each other for our good. Father, we thank you for your grace and mercy in Christ.

We pray that your mercy and grace would stamp our whole lives together. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.