Standing Firm In The Lord
#PowerfulPassages
ALRIGHT MGCC…
How are you all doing?
Are you feeling good? (1-7 scale)
And are ready to lean into the living and active, able to equip us fully for any good work, sharper than a double edged sword, Word of God?
OKAY – let’s do this…
It’s 65 AD, and a 60 year old guy is leaning against the cold damp wall of his prison cell. His body weary and worn from all that he had endured during 30+ years of ministry for the Lord. AND - believe me when I tell you, this guy had endured much. He had…
• been in prison frequently,
• been flogged severely,
• been exposed to death again and again.
• Five times he received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
• Three times he was beaten with rods,
• once he was pelted with stones (and presumed dead)
• three times he was shipwrecked,
• He spent a night and a day in the open sea,
• He has been in danger from - rivers, bandits, fellow Jews, Gentiles;
• In danger – in the city, in the country, and in danger from false believers.
• He often went without sleep;
• He had known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food
UNDERSTAND MGCC – all of this and so much more, the Apostle Paul endured for the cause of Christ and the expansion of His church.
QUESTION – what have you endured and sacrificed? What would your list look like?
AND NOW – this Gospel warrior knows that his end is very near. UNDERSTAND – Paul knows that at any moment…
Footsteps will be heard, coming down the dark corridor,
The door to his cell will be opened, and will be led to His death, at the edge of a Roman sword.
Beheaded by the command of the cruel and brutal emperor Nero
SO – Paul pens a letter, a letter to Timothy his true son in the faith Timothy, it would be the last letter that He would ever write.
UNDERSTAND MGCC – the NT book of 2 Timothy is the final words of the apostle Paul.
It’s a powerful book, full of great teaching.
BUT LISTEN – of the 83 verses that make up this letter, there are 3 verses that through the years have both inspired and challenged me.
NOW AS I - read them, I want you try to picture Paul in that prison cell, pen and paper in hand…
AGAIN - body weary and worn after 30 years of going ‘all in’ for Christ and His church!
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. – 2 Timothy 4:6-8
I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.
QUESTION… (for those in this room and those listening online).. WHEN - you get to the end of your life (and you will)
WOULD LIKE – to be able to say the very same things?
• I have fought the good fight,
• I have finished the race,
• I have kept the faith.
AND WOULD – you like to say with 100% confidence…
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day
Yeah me too.
Prayer
NOW THIS MORNING – we are kicking our ‘Summer 2021 MSG Series’ called, ‘Powerful Passages.’
AND – what that means, is that for the next couple of months we are going to be diving into what I think, are some of the most powerful passages in the Bible…
AND MGCC – the first passage that we are going to dive into is Philippians chapter 3…
IN A - conversation that I am calling,
‘Standing Firm In The Lord…’
Take a few minutes to greet those around You.
OKAY – let’s begin by doing some quick background work.
The city of Philippi was named after King Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great.
It was a prosperous Roman colony, which meant that the citizens of Philippi were also citizens of Rome.
Many of the Philippians were retired military men who had been given land in the area and who in turn served as a military presence in this frontier city.
The fact that Philippi was a Roman colony may explain why there were not enough Jews there to permit the establishment of a synagogue and why Paul does not quote the OT a single in this letter.
Philippi was located on the Via Egnatia, which was the major road from Europe to Asia, Philippi was 8 miles inland from it’s seaport Neapolis and it was the leading city in northern Greece.
AND LISTEN – because so much activity flowed in and through this city it was a great place to plant a church.
AND - we see the church at Philippi being born in Acts chapter 16 during Paul’s 2nd missionary journey.
AND LISTEN – when you read the book of Acts you can definitely see God’s hand moving to ensure that a church was planted there.
YOU SEE - Paul after leaving Iconium wanted to head south into Asia but the Holy Spirit stop him (not sure how)
SO THEY - went and spread the word throughout Galatia and Phrygia. “HEY, if the door closes here, we will just go somewhere else to share the Gospel.
LATER – Paul wanted to go north into Bithynia, but once again they were stop by the Holy Spirit.
SO PAUL – heads to Troas, and while in Troas during the night, he had a vision of a man in Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
SO THE - very next morning they set sail for Macedonia landing at Neapolis and traveling the 8 miles to Philippi.
NOW PAUL’S - first convert in Philippi, was a wealthy business woman named Lydia who was holding a prayer meeting by the river.
The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. – Acts 16:14,15
AND HIS - second convert (or converts) were a Philippian jailer and his household.
They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. – Acts 16:32,33
AWESOME – stuff! NOW – fast forward a decade+ and Paul is in prison writing them a letter.
NOW - Paul's primary purpose in writing this letter was to thank the Philippians for the gift they had sent him to provide for his needs while in prison. HOWEVER - he makes use of this occasion to accomplish several things
1. update them on his own circumstances
2. to encourage the Philippians to stand firm and rejoice in the face of persecution and difficult circumstances
3. to call them to humility and unity
4. to encourage them to show honor to Timothy and Epaphroditus who had been serving the church with such great commitment.
5. to warn the Philippians about false teachers
OKAY – I think that is enough background material
Now let’s unpack Philippians chapter 3, a powerful passage.
NOW – this week as I was studying and reading over these 20 verses. I was trying to accomplish 2 things…
#1 – figure out if there is key theme that kind of ties everything in these verses together, and
#2 – come up with a good title for today’s conversation, other than ‘Philippians Chapter 3’
NOW – to be honest… I really struggled trying to accomplish those 2 objectives.
AND THEN - I read Philippians 4:1
AND – let me, it really was an aha moment.
REMEMBER – when the Bible written it did not have chapters and verses…
THE FIRST - bible printed with chapter divisions was not until 1382. AND VERSES - were not added until 1448 for O.T. and for 1551 N.T.
(now how for over 1500 years they had sporting events without those John 3:16 signs I will never understand)
OKAY… so here is Philippians 4:1
Therefore,
(and B/S whenever you see this word you always need to ask what is it there for… it’s there to tell you to look back to what has just been said)
my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
(man, Paul really cared about these people)
that (you know all of the stuff I just said in Chapter 3)
is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends…
- Philippians 4:1
OKAY – here’s the deal…
Living out, what Paul writes in Philippians 3, is how can stand firm in the LORD, such that when we get to the end of our life, we, like Paul, will be able to say…
I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.
Now there is in store for me
the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day
LISTEN, LISTEN – in Philippians chapter 3, we are given this an incredible opportunity to seat across the table from the apostle Paul and have him look us in the eye and tell us, ‘Steve, this is how you stand firm in the Lord my dear friend.”
MGCC – as we unpack Philippians 3 this morning we will uncover 7 keys (7 words) that are essential for us standing firm in the Lord (we will only cover 3 this morning)…
Pray Again
OKAY – the first word is…
Rejoicing
Finally,
NOW – Paul’s finally is kind of like my finally, right?
In other words it is not time for them to start packing up and get ready to go
my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!
The word for rejoice is in the present tense, signifying continuous action.
UNDERSTAND – the joy of the Jesus follower is continuous and indestructible because it is joy in the Lord.
It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again,
I LOVE IT – like, Paul is okay repeating the same truths over again to God’s people…
IN FACT - in the first 2 chapters of this letter he has already talked about (joy and rejoicing) 8 times, and he will go on to talk about them 5 more times before he wraps this letter up.
and it (rejoicing in the Lord) is a safeguard for you.
– Philippians 3:1
QUESTION - how is rejoicing in the LORD a safeguard?
LIKE – how does doing it protect us?
UNDERSTAND – anytime your life lacks joy, you know those times, when you cannot seem to find even one reason to be rejoicing…
YOU ARE - extremely vulnerable to attacks from the evil one.
TO – his depression
TO – his offer to find joy in other places, in destructive places.
MGCC – here’s the deal…
Your earthly circumstances often change,
BUT LISTEN - the Lord and His plan, His purposes and promises never do!
MAN, I am with you…
LIKE – I get it, life can be hard and difficult, disappointing and discouraging…
I MEAN – there are times when joy and rejoicing could not seem further away. BUT B/S - we can always rejoice in Him…
• in who He is, in what He has done
• in what He will do, in His mercy
Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation. – Psalm 35:9
The righteous will rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him;
all the upright in heart will glory in him! – Psalm 64:10
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.
– Habakkuk 3:17-19
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
– Philippians 4:4
PAUL
That (rejoicing in the Lord) is how you stand firm in the Lord my dear friends
Warning
Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. – Philippians 3:2
NOW – in the Greek, the word for ‘watch out’ (blepo) is used 3 times for emphasis…
• Watch out, for those dogs (not a term of endearment, it was a huge insult)
• Watch out, for those men who do evil
• Watch out, for those mutilators of the flesh
And interestingly each word describing these people that they needed to watch out for starts with the same Greek letter.
• Watch out for those dogs (Koo ohn)
• Watch out for those men who do evil (Kakos)
• Watch out for those mutilators of the flesh (Kata toma)
UNDERSTAND - Paul is telling them to watch out for those people, those false teachers who were trying to say that to be right with God you need to be circumcised and obey the OT law.
IN OTHER WORDS - watch out for people who are trying to add human effort to the finished work of Christ on the cross.
AND THEN – beginning in verse 3, Paul is going to start doing some Greek trash talking.
I MEAN – he’s like…
“Okay so, you think that you are ‘all that’ when it comes to being right with God by your own efforts.
Alright ‘big shots’ step into the ring with me, and let’s see what you got… and you best prepare for a beat down.”
For it is we who are the circumcision, (the true circumcision, the circumcision that counts in the mind of God)
we who worship by the Spirit of God, (not by our own spirits, like you do)
who glory in Christ Jesus, (and not in ourselves and what we have done)
and who put no confidence in the flesh—(no confidence in our own human effort to be right with God)
AND – Paul continues…
though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:
UNDERSTAND B/S – Paul is telling these false teachers that when it comes to having reasons to put confidence in your own effort to be right with God, THAT THEY - are not even in the same league as he is in. LIKE – he is the Major Leagues, and they are still paying T-ball.
AND THEN – in verses 5,6…
Paul lists his confidence in the flesh pedigree.
He presents 5 things that he had once placed his confidence, believing that they would make Him right with God.
circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
– Philippians 3:2-6
Interestingly this 5 things actually break down into 5 specific categories…
Family heritage - circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Tribe of Benjamin is the tribe where the first King of Israel came from, and his name? Saul
The tribe of Benjamin is the only one of the 12 tribes (beside Judah) that remained faithful to the throne of David.
Social status (good reputation) - a Hebrew of Hebrews
He was like on the All Hebrew All Star Team…
Biblical knowledge - in regard to the law, a Pharisee
NOW – a lot of the Pharisees we see in Scripture are not good guys. But understand these were the guys who dedicated their lives to reading, studying, memorizing, teaching and following the Word of God. I mean, they loved the word.
Religious activity - as for zeal, persecuting the church;
Acts 7
Moral lifestyle - as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
Now take a look at that list, what do they have in common?
They are all good things.
I MEAN – is
• A family heritage bad
• Is having a good reputation a bad thing
• Is knowing the bible bad
• Is religious activity wrong
• Is living the best moral life that you can bad?
UNDERSTAND – it was not bad things keeping Paul from Jesus it was good things.
MGCC – do you catch the gravity of what Paul is saying here… LIKE – can you here the warning that he is giving us.
THAT – is possible…
• To have a good family heritage of going to church
• To have a good reputation
• To know and study the bible
• To be involved in religious activity, and
• To live a good moral life
AND STILL – not be right with God.
UNDERSTAND – Paul came to the point in His life when He realized…
that those good things,
that having confidence in them and in his own human effort Could not save Him.
Could not make Him right with God.
PAUL
That (heeding the warning of putting confidence in the flesh) is how you stand firm in the Lord my dear friends
Knowing
But whatever was to my profit
• Family heritage
• Social status
• Biblical knowledge
• Religious activity
• A moral lifestyle
I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
The word is actually in a tense in Greek (perfect)…
That indicates a past action with continuous effects.
IN OTHER WORDS – Paul’s past decision to consider all of those things a loss, is still his present attitude…
AND – now Paul starts to amplify what he just said in verse 7…
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ…
Rubbish – excrement, dung… (skoo bal on)
TO PAUL - compared to knowing Christ, all things
are dung.
UNDERSTAND - all that matter to Paul was knowing Christ.
AND – it’s the Greek ginosko
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
– Matthew 13:44-46
MGCC – in Christ we have found something worth losing everything for.
I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,
but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. – Ephesians 2:8,9
I want to know Christ
• I want to know Him
• I want to know who He is
• I want to know how He lived
• I want to know what it is like to walk with Him, experience Him
I want to know Christ
and the power of his resurrection
• I want to know the power of the resurrection
• Power of dying to myself and rising to live a new life for and him
• Paul knew that the same power that conquered the grave lived in him
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. – Ephesians 1:18-21
I want to know Christ
and the power of his resurrection
and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death,
• I want to know the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings
• I want to know the fellowship of like Jesus making myself nothing and becoming a servant
• I want to know the fellowship of paying whatever the cost for the sake of The Father and His Gospel
• I want to know the fellowship of being obedient and dying to myself
I want to know Christ
and the power of his resurrection
and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death,
and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. – Philippians 3:7-11
QUESTION – do you know Jesus?
PAUL
That
• Rejoicing in the Lord
• Heeding the warning of putting confidence in the flesh
• Knowing Jesus
is how you stand firm in the Lord my dear friends
