Introduction: Every year at Christmas time one of my favorite movies is shown on TV, "It’s A Wonderful Life", staring Jimmy Stewart. In the movie Jimmy plays a man named George Bailey. George has big dreams of going to college and being a world traveler. Instead, he winds up having to take over his father’s building and loan, which is more like a charity than a business. George becomes so disappointed in what he has become that one day he decides to take his own life. He says, "I wish I’d never been born". At that moment his guardian angel Clarence intervenes and shows him what life would have been like had he never been born. His home town "Bedford Falls" would have become "Pottersville" named after the greedy old banker. His old boss the druggist would have turned into the town drunk because George wouldn’t have been there to stop him from making a fatal error in a prescription. The angel shows him how many lives he touched with his life. All of us want to be like George Baily. We all want to know that our lives have counted, that we have made a difference in the lives of others.
This was what Paul wanted for the Philippian Christians. In our text he says that he wants to "rejoice in the day of Christ that he has not run in vain, neither labored in vain". He wants to know that his efforts on them had not been wasted, that they had become difference makers in this world.
In the first several verses of this chapter Paul focuses on what believers are to be inside of the Body of Christ as they interact with one another. Now Paul begins to talk about what our impact should be on the world.
(READ verses 14-16)
Do you want to be a difference maker? Then consider:
I. THE CONDUCT OF A DIFFERENCE MAKER (14)
Just before our text, in verse 13 Paul says that God works in the believer both to will (that means giving him the desire) and to do His (God’s) good pleasure.
In our text Paul begins by saying "do all things". The Christian life is a life of doing. It’s not a life of sitting but a life of serving. We are to be "doers of the word". Faith that does not result in some kind of service is dead James says. But there is a way that we are to serve God, a manner in which we are to conduct ourselves.
"Without murmurings and disputings." The word "murmuring" means whispering, or muttering, it speaks of private complaining, grumbling. One of the most unbecoming things a Christian can be is a chronic complainer, always finding fault, never contented, never happy.
A monk entered a monastery in which he agreed to take a vow of silence. He could only speak two words every ten years. After the first ten years he was brought before the leader. He said, "bed hard". Ten years later he was brought before the leader again. He said, "food bad". Ten years later he was brought before the leader again. He said, "I quit". The leader said, "Well it doesn’t surprise me. You haven’t done anything but complain for the last 30 years."
There are some Christians who never seem to speak unless it is a word of complaint, either about their condition or about someone else, or the church. All of us have our complaints from time to time but some are constant complainers. Complainers are seldom difference makers, usually they are on the sidelines criticizing those who are making a difference.
Baily Smith, an evangelist said he had a man in his church once that never had a positive thing to say. In a business meeting he called on the man as if to pray but this is what he said, "Brother so and so would you please stand and lead us in a word of discouragement at this time." Not only does chronic complaining damage our testimony and discourage others, it is very displeasing to God.
Most scholars agree that Paul is drawing a correlation in these verses between Israel and the Church. Israel was redeemed by God to be a "light unto the nations". The church was redeemed and called to be the "light of the world". Israel’s greatest downfall was that of constant complaining. "We’re tired of manna. We want meat. We’re thirsty. God has brought us out here to die." Finally one day God sent fire from heaven to consume the complainers.
When we constantly complain, we are saying, "God your provision is not good enough. Your intentions are unjust. Your grace is not sufficient.
To overcome complaining we must begin to trust God. God who’s intentions are always good, who’s grace is always sufficient for every circumstance, who’s person is always available. I like the little serenity prayer because I think it applies here. "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can. And the wisdom to know the difference."
If we are going to be difference makers we cannot be complainers and disputers. That is the conduct of a difference maker. Now consider:
II. THE CHARACTER OF A DIFFERENCE MAKER (15)
In recent years society has asked the question, "does character really matter?" A large portion of our society has concluded that character is not that important as long as a person has the ability to do the job. Make no mistake. To God, character is everything. If we are going to be difference makers we must become people of character. Paul says we are to be:
a) Unblamable---Here he is speaking of who we are before men. He is saying there should be nothing in our lives that would cause others to point a finger of accusation. I’ve heard people say, "I don’t care what anybody thinks about me". If you are a Christian you better care. The lost world is looking for something to discredit your testimony so they can reject your savior with a good conscience. Ghandi said, "I don’t refuse Christianity because of the Christian Scriptures but because of Christians".
When Paul stood before the governor Felix and preached the gospel to him the bible says, "He reasoned of righteousness and temperance and judgment to come and Felix trembled". Here was a man that was under severe conviction. But listen to what he did. "He answered, Go thy way for this time. When I have a convenient season I will call for thee." Now listen to what his motives were. "He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul that he might loose him wherefore he sent for him the oftener and communed with Him." Felix was just waiting for Paul to offer a bribe and in so doing to discredit the Gospel and relieve his conviction. We must be unblamable.
b) Unmixed---In the KJV the word is "harmless". A more accurate translation would be "pure" or "unadulterated". It was a term used to describe wine that wasn’t watered down, or metal without alloy. If unblamable speaks of who we are before men, then this speaks of who we are before God. Man looks on outward appearances, but God looks on the heart.
Jesus said the Pharisees were whitewashed tombs. Outside they were white and clean. Inside they were full of dead men’s bones.
God is primarily concerned with who you are on the inside, the way you think, what motivates you, what you desire. Jesus said, "you have heard that it was said, thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say unto you he who looketh upon a woman to lust hath already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Why do we need to be pure before God if we are going to be difference makers? Because if you are real you will last. When Billy Graham was just starting out he preached with Campus Crusade for Christ. Another young man his age preached with him. He was said by most to be a far superior preacher than Billy. Billy Graham has gone on to lead thousands upon thousands of people to Christ. We don’t even know the other man’s name. Why? Because he wasn’t real. He turned away from the faith and now lives as an agnostic. We must be unmixed, real, genuine.
c) Unmistakable---He says, "children of God". We are to be unmistakable children of God. What is it that primarily identifies us as children of God? Our denomination, our beliefs? No, our love. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another". A little boy stood outside of a store at Christmas time looking in the window. His clothes were tattered and torn. A lady moved with compassion brought him into the store and bought him a jacket and some clothes. When they were leaving the boy said, "Lady, are you God?" She said, "No, but we are related." We are to be unmistakable children of God.
d) unblemished--This ties all of them together. Of course we are not going to be perfect until the day that "he presents us faultless in the presence of his glory with exceeding joy". But this is what we must be striving for in His strength. This must be what we are becoming.
Now consider:
III. THE CONTEXT OF A DIFFERENCE MAKER (15)
Where are we to live this life? In the walls of the church, at youth functions, at church socials. Yes, but not just there. Paul tells us.
"in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom ye shine as lights in the world." We are supposed to live this life right in the middle of a crooked and perverse nation. "Crooked" speaks of moral evil, and "Perverse" speaks of a twisted nature. We can really be Biblical here. If there was a ever a twisted and perverted generation this is it. Right is now wrong, and wrong is now right. This is right where God wants us. These are the people God wants us to reach. These are the very people that God loves and Jesus died for.
I was given a book one time written by George W. Truett. In the book was a chapter entitled "The Prayer Jesus Refused to Pray". Out of curiosity I read. It was a reference to the high priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17 where he prayed for us, "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil."
Church, it is time that we realize why we are here. If our ultimate purpose for being here was to worship God, then God would have immediately transported us to heaven when we were saved because in heaven worship is perfect. If our ultimate purpose for being here were to fellowship with one another, God would have immediately transported us to heaven where we could fellowship for eternity. God has left us here that we might "shine as lights in the world".
The bible never teaches that we are to bring people to church. The bible teaches that we are the church, and we are to take the church to the people.
Go ye into all the World and preach the Gospel.
The greatest difference maker in the World was Jesus Christ. They said of Him, "Behold a man gluttonous and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners." The context of a difference maker is right in the middle of the lost world, contrasting that world like a star contrasting the dark night sky. If we are to be difference makers we must both be around and befriend the lost. We exist in this world for them. A good friend of mine shared a testimony. Her nephew and his wife were saved because they watched some close friends of theirs endure the loss of an infant. As they watched that family draw upon the strength of God they said, I want what you have. Finally consider:
IV. THE CONTRIBUTION OF A DIFFERENCE MAKER (16)
Paul says we are "holding forth the word of life". Our lost friends are dead spiritually and the bible says they are headed for eternal destruction. We have the Word of Life. The word of Life is their only hope, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul says we are holding it out like a lifeline. Some time ago I saw a documentary on the reservoirs in Los Angeles. After heavy rains they would fill and flow very quickly like raging rivers. Every once in a while an unfortunate individual would fall in the reservoir and float helplessly down stream to certain destruction being beaten against rocks and other objects further down stream. I saw a clip of a man being carried down the stream to his death. People were holding out limbs but he couldn’t hang on. A helicopter lowered a man down on a rope but he couldn’t hang on. Cords were stretched across the water, but he couldn’t hang on. Finally, a man harnessed, got in the water, caught him, hung on, and drug him ashore, saving his life.
A perfect picture of a difference maker. Getting in the world of a lost person, pulling them out, and giving them life through the gospel of Christ. Not only making a difference in this life, but for all eternity. The stakes are high. Will you be a difference maker? Will you be a doer and not a complainer. Will you allow God to mold your character? Forsaking that which could bring accusation from the lost? Allowing God to examine and purge your life of those things that only He knows about? Befriending a lost person?. Sharing your faith?
