Sermon Feb 21

Text: Philippians 3:17-4:1
Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. 4:1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.

Stand Fast!

Dear fellow redeemed in Christ:

I have not done much in the way of yoga, but in trying the few poses that I did, I am impressed by those who do it on a regular basis. It is very difficult to hold and sustain the poses for any length of time. It takes quite a bit of concentration and strength. How can a person do it? The same way that we endure any other difficult thing – for the goal that lies ahead. We’re able to make financial sacrifices so that we can save up for a car or a house. We’re able to set aside the chips or the doughnuts if we are serious about losing weight.

Today we are encouraged to stand fast in Christ despite the temptations that surround us. The enemies of Jesus surround us and would lead us on a path that leads us to a devastating destination. We are to use our spiritual focus and strength and look ahead to the goal that lies ahead – heaven. This makes every sacrifice worth it. May the Holy Spirit open our hearts to receive His message.

1. Because Christ is the safer path

Everybody learns in a different way. Some learn better by seeing instructions, others by hearing, still others by being hands on. But I believe it is universal that once we see somebody doing something we can imitate that action. The Christian walk with God is laid out for us in Scripture. We can read about what is right and wrong. Yet it is still very helpful to see how a fellow Christian functions.

For this reason – not out of ego – the apostle Paul asks the Christians in Philippi to imitate him and his team. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. Some of the members of that congregation were relatively new to the faith, and it would be helpful for them to see a contrast between the lifestyle of their heathen friends and neighbors and these spiritual leaders. In learning how to walk with Christ, they then would become the ones giving the example. We are at the same time followers and leaders. We acknowledge that we have more to learn and ways that we can improve, but simultaneously we offer up a way to others. That’s a big responsibility, but certainly one that we ought to take on. We cannot say, “Do as I say not as I do.”

This is especially true for parents. What your actions are will in large part influence how your kids turn out. If you don’t take them to church as children, they likely will not go to church as adults. If your main priority is sports and entertainment, likely the same will be true for them. But the opposite is true as well – if you make the Lord and His ways a priority they have a greater chance of following that example.

Example is so important because there is another path offered. It is a path that is not safe. In fact, it leads to eternal destruction. The other path is led by the enemies of the cross of Christ. These enemies are many. The common denominator is that they nullify what Jesus did on the cross. That, of course, is key, for it was on the cross that Jesus procured our salvation. There are enemies who are immersed in legalism. They would say that the payment of Jesus’ blood was not enough so we have to do a certain number of things to make up the difference. There are those who gravitate toward liberalism. They don’t realize the value of Christ’s sacrifice and do not regard it as important. They don’t see a need for forgiveness because they don’t realize the price of sin.

But no matter which end of the spectrum they come from, verse 19 tells of these traits: Whose god is their belly – not just thinking about food, but their main priority is taking care of themselves. They are not serving other people. They’re serving themselves. Whose glory is in their shame – We’ve no doubt met people – or maybe been that person ourselves – who said, “I was so wasted last night.” Or the person who brags about how many people he’s slept with. That is glorying in things that are shameful, rather than having an attitude of repentance. Who set their mind on earthly things. There are those who are most concerned about the things of this world and get so caught up in the temporary that they lose sight of the eternal. All those are enemies of the cross of Christ, and they are giving their own example and path to follow.

But this is not a safe path. The result is at the beginning of verse 19: Whose end is destruction. There are no doubt many people who want to follow the path of Christ’s enemies here on this earth because it is attractive. Yet on the Last Day, nobody will want to be on that path because it leads to being eternally lost.

It is important to hold fast to Christ because there is no neutral destination. It is either heaven or hell. Glory or destruction. So if you are not on the correct path, it means that you’re on the wrong one because we’re all walking. There is a very basic solution, but there are many things that have basic solutions that we fail at. For example: The solution to losing weight is very simple. Eat less, then you burn off. The solution to financial success is very simple: Spend less than you make. Yet how many of us struggle with that. The basic solution to walking on the right path is to follow Christ and make good choices, but the temptations to do otherwise are strong. We need constant encouragement.

2. Because your citizenship is in heaven

It helps to remember that you are different. You are a citizen of heaven who is just visiting this earth. If you had a spiritual passport or visa to look at, it would show that you don’t belong to this place. Verse 20: For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly await for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. I can’t say when you’re returning to your home country. But that day is coming. As the world grows more and more wicked we do eagerly await the return of Jesus to transport us to where we really belong.

Because of that fact don’t let all the things of this world distract you. Material things? God will provide for your needs. We’re reminded that He takes care of the birds and the flowers and we’re more precious to Him than those. The chaos and evil of this world? The Lord is still in control. He hasn’t let His hands off the steering wheel. Certainly enjoy your life, but always keep in mind that better times are coming.

We need these reminders because oftentimes our eyes deceive us. We look around and can’t get past the current situation. But it will all become clear as we read in verse 21: Who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. On Judgment Day you will see that it was worth it to stand fast. Everything will be changed and we will see things as they really are. Our bodies will be glorified and perfected. Those who rebelled against Christ but seemed to have it better than Christians in this life will be marched off to hell. The end of each path will finally be seen.

You will see that it was worth all the sacrifices that you made in this life. We are able to trace the humiliation and exaltation of Jesus in the Bible and see how His suffering was worth it as He was resurrected. Right now we are operating by faith that being connected to Jesus we are connected to His death and resurrection. We accept this by faith and believe that we stand forgiven. On the Last Day faith becomes sight. You will experience first-hand standing accepted before the Holy Lord.

The conclusion: Therefore my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. The Lord has brought us together to encourage one another to do that very thing. Looking at Paul’s language in the last verse of our text, we can tell that he wanted them to have what he had, that he wanted to be in heaven with them. So we as well. Rather than leading each other to the lowest common denominator, help each other strive for excellence in Christ. Amen.