SERMON BRIEF
Date Written: January 17, 2001
Date Preached: January 17, 2001
Church: BBC (PM) Wed Night
FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS
Series: Great Imperatives for the Christian Walk
Title: The Imperative of Our Christian Citizenship
Text: Phil 1:27-30
Introduction:
Paul shares many thrilling truths in his letter to the church in Philippi. The church in Philippi was one of Paul’s favorites. The letter he writes to the church in Philippi is a letter of gratitude and thanksgiving and it reveals his feelings about the congregation at Philippi! Paul cared deeply about this fellowship, but they also cared deeply about the Apostle Paul.
There are many references about this fellowship’s love and support of the apostle and his ministry. So it is with great love for them that he wrote this letter. He gave them some imperatives to direct their Christian walk, and the imperatives he gave to them apply to us today!
Philippi was a colony city of the Roman Empire. The citizens of Philippi enjoyed the same legal rights as those citizens who lived in Rome. To live in Philippi made one a citizen of the Roman Empire.
However, Paul reminded these fellow believers (on at least 2 occasions 1:27 and 3:20) that their true citizenship was not here on this earth, but in the heavenly realm, their true citizenship lay in heaven!
Let me straighten out something that many people confuse when they hear something like this. Paul was NOT suggesting that these believers neglect their earthly citizenship.
Paul’s challenge to them was that they recognize the unique relationship they had with God and the work of the Kingdom.
They were to live in that pagan city of Philippi, run and ruled by the pagan Emperor of Rome as citizens of the holy and higher kingdom of God. In other words, regardless of who was running the show here on earth, they were to remember who they ultimately belonged to and that is God!
As he comes to the close of this letter, Paul sends a greeting to the saints in Caesar’s household. This possibly served as a challenge to the believers in Philippi to be devoted and faithful followers and servants of Jesus Christ. Because if someone could live for Jesus and live in the very house of the most pagan man on earth (the Emperor of Rome who thought he was a god)…then surely the Christians in Philippi could live a faithful and devoted life for Jesus.
This concept transcends just the Christians in Philippi, it transcends time all the way to the year 2001 and the Christians in Lafitte, LA, the Christians in LA, the Christians in the USA, the Christians in the world today. IF they could live for Christ in Caesar’s house, we can live for Christ in the situation we are living in today.
Our response to God will always take on a different form because we all have different pressures and needs that we will encounter in our lives.
But I find it very interesting to note the manner in which Paul hoped his readers would conduct themselves as citizens of the Kingdom of God.
From this passage tonight I can see Paul prayerfully requiring these Christians to take action in their walk with Christ. I can see 4 specific actions that he wanted them to take:
He wanted them to stand firm in one spirit and one mind (v.27)
He wanted them to strive together in a united effort (
He wanted them to stand firm against opposition
He wanted them to be willing to suffer for the sake of Christ (v.29)
Paul was not just a talker, he led by example. All of the things he was asking the church in Philippi and ultimately asking us to do were things he had done and was willing to do again and again for the sake of Christ!
He wanted them to stand firm in one spirit and with one mind:[v.27]
“…Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel…”
The threat of division or disunity has always been present in the church. Just as churches today suffer from divisions and disunity that fracture and split their fellowships…the churches of the 1st century had the same situations.
What Paul wanted them to recognize and what I want us to recognize is that one mind and one spirit is difficult to obtain. There are many roadblocks and problems that hinder a fellowship of believers from a united front (one mind, one spirit)
Immaturity in the fellowship can and does cause disunity. Immaturity can be handled, but only with mature Christians who understand the mission of Christ and who do so with love and compassion for that one being immature in their actions.
The individuality of certain persons can cause disunity. This does not say that one cannot have his/her own distinct personality, but when it becomes a distraction to the cause of Christ then it becomes a divisive factor.
Honest differences of opinion can sometimes be a divisive factor. Mature leaders and Christians must learn to work out their differences and focus on the main thing and that is the Kingdom work of Christ.
Fatigue, whether it be physical or emotional, can often create disunity. This is why we must be mindful and respectful of others and encourage rest as Jesus did with His disciples…a tired and fatigued Christian is an ineffective Christian because we are human and fatigued humans act like fatigued humans.
We must recognize that our enemy, the devil, is always looking for ways to divide the people of God…to conquer them and destroy their witness to the world. So let’s remember just who the enemy is…it is NOT each other, it is not one ministry against another ministry, it is not one church against another…it is us (with Christ as our leader) against the evil forces that the devil musters against the Church.
In this verse [27] Paul was urging the church in Philippi to take steps toward unity within their fellowship in order that they would reflect God’s grace and goodness on their city.
Paul wanted them to strive together in a united effort:
Jesus prayed for unity among the disciples and His prayer also applied to the church in general. Paul knew that this unity was important and he wanted them to be together in all things. Like the Christians in Philippi, I believe unity is a must here in our fellowship in Barataria Baptist Church:
We must strive together…side by side… for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. All Christians must work together like dedicated and disciplined athletes on a winning team. We should cooperate in redemptive activity…just like the choir should cooperate and sing the right parts and produce the proper harmony. We should seek to avoid any discord because it will cast a blanket of doubt on our witness and on our efforts to share Jesus with the world.
We must strive together to protect the purity of our faith. Truth has always been attacked by the ignorant and those in error. Some people try to mix truth and error. It is because of this constant attack on truth that we must strive together to protect the purity of our message.
We must strive together in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world. We do this in several ways. We send our money to the New Orleans association and it goes onto the State convention and then onto the SBC, all along the way helping to share the gospel along! This is what we call the Cooperative Program where all the SBC churches ‘cooperate’ in giving and missions.
Paul also wanted them to stand firm against all opposition:
In Paul’s world preaching a message of a crucified but risen Savior was not a very popular thing to do. Because of the pluralism present in his culture, with the many idols and shrines and false gods, there were many who were against this ‘new’ message that Paul was spreading.
Bravery, with no sense of retreat or surrender, was an essential for Paul and his ministry, and he expected all those who followed Christ to do likewise. Likewise we must be as brave and bold as Paul was in the face of opposition. We cannot bolt like a frightened animal, but must be strong and courageous in our walk with Christ.
We have seen how Paul wanted the church as Philippi to be of 1 mind and 1 spirit, to strive together in a united effort and to stand firm against all opposition, but there is one last thing that Paul wanted the church in Philippi to do…
4. Paul encouraged them to be willing to suffer for the sake of Christ [v.29]
In some parts of the world it is popular and socially acceptable for one to be a professing Christian. However, this was NOT the case in Philippi when Paul was there preaching the Gospel. And it is also not the case in many parts of the earth today.
There are many contemporary believers who have NEVER faced up to the fact that the cross that we represent is the symbol of our faith and our commitment to God’s will. If we cannot stand firm and be willing to be persecuted…we are not worthy to be part of the family of God.
If we were true followers of Jesus Christ, we must be willing to suffer as he suffered and as others have suffered down through the ages…all for the God in heaven who has forgiven them and save them. We must be ready to give of ourselves as Christ gave of Himself.
Conclusion:
What is the shape of your Christian walk in today’s modern world? As those who seek for a city whose builder and maker is God, we must continually demonstrate the characteristics of our heavenly citizenship here and now on earth.
Philippi was a Roman colony, and their citizens were urged to dress like the Romans did, act like the Romans acted, think like the Romans thought, speak like the Romans spoke, and never forget that they were Romans 1st!
Paul encouraged the Christians in Philippi to dress, act, think, and speak in a way that was worthy of Jesus Christ. So now we must strive with the HS help to be good citizens of our heavenly home…but be good citizens here on this world so that we can influence someone to come to know Jesus Christ.
