2022.03.06 - A Church Worthy Of The Gospel

Philippians 1:27-30 Opening Statement: When we talk about living worthy of the gospel, we are not talking about living in such a way as to earn the benefits of the gospel. Rather we are talking about living in such a way to reflect the reality that God has already forgiven you in Christ. You cannot live worthy to receive the gospel, rather you should live worthy of the gospel which you have received. I) A Courageous Church Stands Together as Citizens of Heaven (27a) A) Determine to live for Christ God gives you a lot of freedom. He gives you a lot of latitude in the choices you make. But no matter your choices, no matter your circumstances Determine to live for Christ no matter what happens. B) Trust God at all times Just because Paul was in one of the bad times did not mean that God had abandoned him. In fact, God was using Paul where he was to further advance the gospel. Paul was willing to Trust God at all Times. II) A Courageous Church Strives Together for the Faith of the Gospel (27b) When you start taking a stand for Christ and the gospel in your life, you will face opposition. Paul has two instructions for us when we face opposition for Christ: A) Stand firm together in the Holy Spirit Even though some translations spell “spirit” with the lowercase “s” in this verse, I believe Paul is talking about the Holy Spirit here. It is the Holy Spirit who unifies us in Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us power to witness. (Acts 1:8) We can’t face the opposition on our own. Thankfully we don’t have to! B) Work together as a team for the gospel In order for a team to be successful they need to work together. The team must work as one man to achieve the goal. Paul says our purpose in the church is the faith of the gospel. We must contend as one man for the spread of the gospel message of Jesus Christ. III) A Courageous Church Suffers Together for the Sake of Christ (28-30) Living a life worthy of the gospel brings persecution. Jesus is up front with us about that. (2 Timothy 3:12) A) Don’t live in fe