By Rev. Dr. Brent Russett – Asbury Free Methodist
February 27th, 2022 – Philippians 3:15-4:1
We are continuing our walk-through Philippians.
Another week, another world crisis. Russia has invaded Ukraine. The prognosticators are trying to predict what it will mean for us. Probably higher prices for gas and bread. That is the best-case scenario.
It seems that we have been hit with one storm after another. Covid was more like a hurricane. Politics has become polarized, and everyone seems to be angry.
Life seems more uncertain these days. This week we lost one of our own – Barbara McCann. That is a storm for those who knew her. It seems that a large number of the people I am talking to are walking through storms.
So, what does scripture call us to do when we are lashed by the storms of life. Here is what the passage we are looking at today says,
Philippians 4:1 (NIV)
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
Stand firm. When the storms of life come, stand firm. When another crisis hits, stand firm. When the enemy of our soul attacks, stand firm. When life is tough, stand firm.
Scripture urges us to do this over and over again. When Paul was closing off his letter to the Corinthians, he said,
1 Corinthians 16:13 (NIV)
13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
When Paul was speaking to the Ephesians about the storms of spiritual warfare, he says,
Ephesians 6:14 (NIV)
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
When Paul was speaking about those who were trying to draw the Galatian church away from the faith, he says,
Galatians 5:1 (NIV)
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
I could go on and on. The call in the middle of the crisis of life is to stand firm. The call in the middle of the storm is to stand firm. When trials come, and persecution happens, and when temptation is at your door, and people try to persuade you that right is wrong, stand firm.
But what I love about our passage today is that it says
Philippians 4:1 (NIV)
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, …stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
Stand firm in this way. Here is how you do it. So, let me take you back to the way Paul says to stand firm. Let me review where we have been the last couple of weeks. If you haven’t heard those sermons, you can get them on our website, Spotify or YouTube.
But let me give you a two-minute review. Paul gives us his testimony. He used to trust in his own effort to become righteous and have a relationship with God, but no longer. He has disowned all the things he used to do to gain God’s approval. Now he is trusting in Christ and Christ alone for his righteousness.
The whole focus of his life is to know Christ. That is the treasure. He says,
Philippians 3:10–11 (NIV)
10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
He is looking for God to be infused with the power of the resurrection; he looking to participate in the death of Christ by dying to his old nature; he is looking to be fully alive. And he has seen inklings of this in his own life. But he doesn’t consider himself to have fully realized this treasure. He says,
Philippians 3:12–14 (NIV)
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
He is pressing; he is straining towards the treasure of knowing the fullness of God in his life through Jesus. It is about knowing Jesus.
He then goes on to say, and this is where we pick up our passage today.
Philippians 3:15–16 (NIV)
15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
If you are going to stand firm when the storms of life come, the first thing that has to happen is that you press into knowing Jesus. That is what spiritually mature people do. We talked about that last week.
He then says, let us live up to what we have already attained. Basically, he is saying, you know how I was talking about the already but not yet. I have experienced the life and death of Christ, but it is not fully realized in my life. He is saying, don’t let slip what has been realized in our lives.
I don’t know about you, but my spiritual growth has not always been up and to the right. You take a step or two forward, and you sit there. Sometimes you take a step backward. Paul encourages us to live up to what we have attained.
You have come to a deeper intimacy with Christ. Stay there, don’t slip back. If you have slipped back, repent and regain what you lost.
When it comes to standing firm in the storms of life, not only do we need to press into knowing Jesus, but we need to live out what we have already attained. This is pressing forward in a different manner. Hold onto the gains you have made. Don’t shrink back.
But then Paul goes on.
Philippians 3:17 (NIV)
17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.
In our cancel culture, we are really reluctant to hold up other people as a model. It seems so many people who were on pedestals have fallen off. This is why we have the saying, “People will let you down, but Jesus will never let you down.” It is true; people will let you down.
Even if you had been around the apostle Paul, there are times in your life where you would have been disappointed. How about when Paul was arguing against John-Mark going on a mission trip with him because Mark had let him down before. Where is your grace, Paul? Or, because of that dispute with Barnabas, they ended up having a falling out.
In spite of this, Paul puts himself up as a model. He does this in other places too. In 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV) He says,
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. What is going on here?
When Paul describes himself as a model, other translations translate that word as “pattern.”
The word pattern or model is the Greek word used for a stamp on metal. If you wanted to put your insignia on a coin, you could stamp that into the metal. There would be a pattern of grooves on the metal. Each piece of metal that was stamped would look very similar.
Paul is saying, look at the pattern of my life or other people who are spiritually mature, and pattern your life after them.
There are certain grooves of life that spiritually mature people seem to live out. Again, people will let you down. Nobody is perfect. Keep your eyes on Jesus. But I notice that spiritually mature people have a pattern in their life.
You will see a deep trust in the character of God. You will see holiness that stems out of intimacy with God. They are listening to God and obeying God. You will see them using their gifts to bear fruit. You will see them engaging their world in a spirit lead way. You will see them demonstrate love to those around them. The pattern of their lives creates grooves that are easy to see.
Philippians 3:17 (NLT)
17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.
It is helpful to have mentors in the faith. It is helpful to read biographies of people who love God. It is helpful to see how others have walked their Christian life.
What you are looking for is the patterns of life that have allowed them to mature into the people that are mature in the faith and look like Jesus. If you have a chance, take these kinds of people out for coffee and ask about the faith journey. Ask about their spiritual practices. It can be very encouraging.
If you are going to stand firm, follow the patterns of people who are spiritually mature. Learn how they have stood firm in the face of trouble. Find out what has made them strong in faith and adopt those patterns of life if you can. The ability to stand firm is strengthened by the patterns of life that have made people throughout the ages deep in the faith.
*****
Here is the thing, there will be people who will try to pry you away from Christ. When you are around those people, stand firm.
Philippians 3:18–19 (NIV)
18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.
We don’t know who Paul was talking about in these verses. But they have four characteristics. No matter what they say,
- they live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
- Their god is their stomachs.
- Their glory is in their shame
- Their minds are set on earthly things.
These people live as if sin was irrelevant. When it talks about their god being their stomachs, that could be taken to mean their fleshly appetites. They are proud of the things that they should feel shame over. Their minds are set on the desires of the flesh, the accumulations of things, and position and power.
This is not the only time that Paul has warned a church about people like this. Paul was speaking to the elders at Ephesus, and this is what he said,
Acts 20:29–31 (NIV)
29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
The threats to you standing firm can come from within or without the body of Christ. Paul says, even from your own number, people will emerge to distort the truth. In the face of that, stand firm.
Beware of the businessperson who attends church to find contacts. We expect people who are Christians to deal with us with integrity. It doesn’t always happen. Wolves!
For those of you who are listening and are single, there is a kind of person that uses the church to meet people and use the name Christian without being a Christian. They prey on loneliness and insecurity. Watch out. Wolves!
Watch out for the power-hungry wolf. They set their heart on power and prestige and social standing. The tools of their trade are slander, gossip, backstabbing and creating factions. Humility is completely foreign to them. Wolf!
I could go on. But you get the idea. Paul warns that these kinds of threats will come from inside and outside the church. In the face of these kinds of threats, stand firm. Stand firm against the wolves.
I think it is helpful to note that your spiritual life will be significantly influenced by the people you hang around with. We all need spiritual friends. But we don’t just need friends who go to church. We need friends who are pressing to know Jesus.
Paul goes on.
Philippians 3:20–21 (NIV)
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Philippi was a Roman city full of Roman citizens that was at least a six-week journey away from Rome. They were used to taking their cues on how to conduct business and government from a distant place. So, when Paul says, “our citizenship is in heaven,” they got it.
Jesus primarily taught on the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. He taught on what it means to be a citizen of heaven. He taught what the culture of heaven is like. We love God. We love our neighbours. We care for others in the messiness of life.
That is what it means to be a citizen of heaven. We live out the culture of heaven. Jesus is the king, and we follow his rule.
Someday Jesus is going to come back and take us to be with him. This will either happen when we die or when he returns. It doesn’t matter because his power is able to transform us to be like his glorious body.
Understanding and living out the culture of heaven now and we will be with Jesus for eternity also helps us to stand firm.
Philippians 4:1 (NIV)
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
In what way?
Press into knowing Christ. It makes all the difference in the world
Live up to what you have already attained. Don’t slip back. Jesus has taught you so much. Continue to live out what he has taught you.
Follow the patterns of spiritually mature people. Learn to pray and live out God’s word. Learn to connect with Jesus and live that out by using your gifts.
Stand firm against the wolves that will come from outside the church and sometimes from within the church
Live out the culture of heaven. Jesus is king. Live in a way that is consistent with pleasing him. If you do these things, despite the crisis that may come – you can stand firm.
Another week another crisis. But you do not need to be dismayed. In this world, we will have trouble. But take heart, Jesus has overcome the world.
Sermon Questions
Philippians 3:15-4:1 – February 27th, 2022
Introduction
1. What are you celebrating this week?
2. What are you praying about this week?
Digging in
3. Read Philippians 3:15-4:1
4. Reread Philippians 4:1 Then read 1 Cor. 16:13, Eph 6:13-4, Gal 5:1. Why do you think there is such an emphasis on standing firm?
5. Note that Philippians 4:1 tells us how to stand firm. “Stand firm in this way.” Let’s review the ways to stand firm.
a) Read Philippians 3:10-15. Stand firm by pressing into knowing Jesus. How does our pressing to know Jesus help us to stand firm?
b) Read Philippians 3:16. Stand firm by living up to what we have already attained? What does this mean? How does it help us to stand firm?
c) Read Philippians 3:17 – Stand firm by following the example of spiritually mature people. What are the challenges in doing this? How do we do what Paul has said and yet keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and not other people? What are some of the patterns of spiritually mature people?
d) Read Philippians 3:18-19 and Acts 20:29-30 – What are the characteristics of wolves (3:18-19?) How can they show up in today’s church? What does it mean to stand firm against the wolves?
e) Read Philippians 3:20-21. What does it mean to live as a citizen of heaven? How does that help us to stand firm?
Application
6. Which one of the above is the most important for you to focus on in this current part of your spiritual journey?