Title: Living Worthy of the Gospel 
Text: Phil 1:27 - 2:4

Continuing with Paul's theme from last week to live is Christ, we want to look this morning at verse 27 where Paul wrote: live in a manner worthy of the gospel.

Carl F. H. Henry, the founding editor of Christianity Today magazine and one of the premier evangelical theologians of our day said, whoever opens the Bible will find there a worldview that differs astonishingly from the mass ideas and megavalues of modern society. The reader of Scripture will discover that the universe is the creation of a sovereign and personal God, that being in God's image lifts humanity above all other orders of finite life, that a divine purpose governs history and moves nations towards final judgement, that God came personally to mankind in Jesus of Nazareth to redeem all creation from the eternal consequences of sin, and that forgiveness and newness of life are available to all who would place their faith in Jesus Christ. (From gods of this Age or God of the Ages, B&H, 1994, p. 1)

The is absolutely no doubt in my mind, the key word in the gospel message is faith. Many of you probably know John 3:16 by heart, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (NAS)

You would probably know Eph 2:8-9 as well. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, {it is} the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. (NAS)

Jesus also said in John 6:40, "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." (NAS)

Paul in speaking to the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia in Acts 13 said in verse 39:"and through Him (referring to Jesus - parenthesis mine) everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses." (NAS)

And to the Philippian jailer in Acts 16:31 Paul and Silas said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household." (NAS)

So there is never any doubt that Christians are saved by grace through our faith. That's one of the unique things about Christianity that sets it apart from all of the religions of the world. It is one of the simplest and at the same time one of the hardest concepts for mankind to understand. In other religions individuals must work to make themselves acceptable to god, and in most all cases the person can never be sure they have succeeded. It is a life long struggle hoping that somehow and someway they can do enough good to outweigh any wrong they have done.

What God has revealed to us in the Bible is the fact He is aware we can never hope to work hard enough to make ourselves acceptable to a holy and righteous God, because all of our righteous deeds as Isaiah says in 64:6 are like filthy rags in his sight. We can't do it ourselves. Salvation is not based on what we can do for God, but what He did for us and that's grace. Man can never atone for his sin, only God can atone for sin, and He chose to do that at the cross.

Having said that we must never think, however, that grace as wonderful and marvelous as it is either permits or encourages us to continue to live in any way we choose. Faith in God's atonement implies our repentance and turning away from our sin. Paul wrote in Rom 5 that where sin was abundant, grace was much more abundant, but when he asked the rhetorical question does that mean we keep on sinning to experience more grace in 6:2 his answer was may it never be.

So we might say there is another side to the coin. If faith is the key word on one side stewardship might well be the Key word on the other side. Paul's words in verse 27 might be paraphrased live as good stewards of the gospel, or to put it another way you're a child of God, act like one.

Another word which fits here is the word responsibility. We have a responsibility, as Christians, to live in a manner that testifies to the reality and truth of the gospel message, honors God and brings glory to Him.

The late Charles Erdman in a little commentary written in 1932 said the gospel message is not just something to be believed it is also something to be obeyed. It doesn't consist merely of teachings and doctrines to be discussed and debated and arranged in a system; it embodies vital principles which regulate the conscience and determine right conduct. (The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians, Philadelphia: The Westminister Press, 1932, p. 63.)

As with most portions of the Bible this entails corporate and individual responsibility. Corporate stewardship of the gospels requires unity. Paul wrote he hope he would find them standing firm in one spirit. The reference is not to the Holy Spirit, but that together they are standing firm with a common purpose, a common moral disposition created by the presence of the Holy Spirit which draws them together with one desire or as one soul defending and advancing faith in Jesus Christ the biblical message the gospel teaches.

This corporate unity also strengthens and encourages believers in the face of enemies and trials which will come about because of their stand.

Corporate stewardship is further underscored in verse 1-4 of chapter 2 where Paul wrote:

"If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not {merely} look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. (NAS)

The word if is used 4 times in verse one. The word is a first class condition in Greek which assumes the condition to be true. So Paul was saying because there is encouragement in Christ , because there is consolation and love, because there is fellowship of the Spirit, and that is the Holy Spirit in this case and because there is affection and compassion this is how you should act and this is what will make my joy complete. Verse 2 is then basically a restatement of the last part of verse 27 while verses 3& 4 emphasize humility particularly in regards to the corporate body, the local church. Humility as explained in those verses is not thinking too highly of yourself, but being a servant of others.

Stewardship of the gospel also has individual implications, because individuals make up the body. Rom 12:5 says: ". . .we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. (NAS)

In His book The Good Life Max Anders says that one of the greatest difficulties in the Christian living like one is we never really understand or believe who the Bible says we are. The Bible says we are children of God, but because we see ourselves as children of the world that's often how we act. Anders lists ten things the Bible says about us:

We are chosen by God to be holy and blameless.
We have been adopted by Him into His holy family.
We have been forgiven of every sin - past, present and future - because of the death of Christ.
We have been redeemed.
We have been given an eternal inheritance.
We have been sealed and secured by the Holy Spirit.
We have been made alive with Christ.
We have been made fellow citizens with all the saints of God.
We have been made into a dwelling place of God.
We have infinite value.
(The Good Life, Max Anders, p. 85)

All of those things are part of the gospel of Christ. Knowing that's who we are in Christ, because of God's love and grace, we must then walk in a manner that is a worthy response to that love and grace.

In a number of other passages Paul explains the difference between living as children of God and living as children of the world. These passages really don't require a lot of explanation or exposition for us to understand.

in Eph 5:1-4 Paul wrote:
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.  But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and {there must be no} filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks." (NAS)

I like the way the Living Bible paraphrases that passage.
"Follow God's example in everything you do just as a much loved child imitates his father. Be full of love for others, following the example of Christ who loved you and gave himself to God as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, for Christ's love for you was like sweet perfume to him. Let there be no sex sin, impurity or greed among you. Let no one be able to accuse you of any such things. Dirty stories, foul talk, and coarse jokes-- these are not for you. Instead, remind each other of God's goodness, and be thankful." (TLB)

Titus 2:11-12 says, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age," (NAS)

1Thes 4:3-5 adds to that, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification; {that is,} that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;" (NAS)

Gal 5:19-21 further state, "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these," (NAS)

It is clear from these passages that there is to be a difference in character, life-style and conduct between the person who is a believer in Christ and those who are not.

To walk in a manner worthy of the gospel the Christian must walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. Paul writes in Rom 8:5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (NAS)

In the book, "One Step Closer" by David Edwards there is a story that illustrates the nature of this difference. It's from a poem that was written on the wall of an unnamed correctional center in Atlanta. It's called "The Eagle And The Wolf."

There's a battle between the eagle and the wolf.

The eagle inside of me represents everything that is good and pure.
And even though it soars through the valleys, it still lays its eggs on the mountain tops.

There's a wolf inside of me. And the wolf preys upon my weaknesses 
And justifies itself in the presence of the pack.

Who will win the war between the eagle and the wolf?"

There a big space and then the following words written by someone else: "The one that you feed."

We might think of the old nature as the wolf, the new nature as the eagle. Who wins the battle for your mind? The one you choose to feed. Who wins the battle for your life? The one you choose to feed. Who wins the battle between right and wrong? The one you choose to feed.

Which one are you feeding? Are you being an imitator of God or of the world? Are you filling your life with God's truth, or are you feeding it a steady diet of worldly values, ideals, and attitudes? It's easy to become desensitize and conformed to this world. But God calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, to take every thought captive, to live every day in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Will you answer that call and allow him to take your life?

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