Strive Side-by-Side for the Gospel (Phil. 1:27-30)

Posted on by

Live in unity striving side-by-side according to the gospel (Phil 1:27-30)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on July 23, 2023

Think with me about suffering. What is your view of suffering? How do you reconcile suffering with life? Christianity does have a view of suffering.

Oysters suffer affliction when they get a grain of sand lodged inside their shells. No matter what they do, they can’t get rid of it. The sand gets lodged there and it’s irritating to the oyster. It’s a thorn. It drives them crazy. To bring comfort to their anguish, they begin to coat the grain of sand over and over and over again. Coating the sand doesn’t get rid of it; it just comforts them.

Over time the coating of the grain of sand over and over again produces something that costs a mint. It’s called a pearl. Do you know what a pearl is? A pearl is the result of an irritated oyster. Out of that came something women place great value on.

The pain resulted in beauty. Their pain resulted in elegance. The pain results in something of high value. When God allows us to suffer, He is producing something precious.944[1]

We do not know what God is doing in our suffering, but we do know He is working in us. We do know that He is building us up and those around us (Romans 5).

We have been walking through Philippians. This is a letter that Paul wrote to the church at Philippi. During this time he is writing from a Roman prison. He is shackled to a guard. However, in the previous verses Paul wrote about how he is ready to go to heaven, but he wants to live for their sake. He also wrote in the previous verse about him coming to them. This brings us to our passage for today.

My theme today is:

Live in unity striving side-by-side according to the gospel.

  1. Strive side by side for the Gospel (verses 27).
    1. Philippians 1:27 (ESV)
    2. 27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel…
    3. In the Greek Philippians 1, verses 27-30 are one sentence.
    4. He is urging them to let their behavior be worthy of the Gospel.
    5. Paul gives a purpose, and that is that he can hear this about them.
    6. This is likely not about him hearing about them in heaven but whether he comes or hears from a distance.
    7. So, he has just written about coming to see them again, and now, he begins with “only” which is a Greek word, monos, which means “alone” or “only.” So, he is saying this is very important. It is prefaced with “only” to specify it as special.
    8. What is behavior that is worthy of the gospel?
    9. One would think it is what follows in this verse and in verses 28-30. But I think it is also what the book is about. See Phil. 2:3-4 and 4:1-2 which are about unity and self-sacrifice which he will write about here.
    10. Notice what he writes: Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.
    11. The Philippians lived in a free Roman city, and thus understood from their own experience what it meant to live as citizens. Paul is here picking up on that motif and elevating it to the citizenship of heaven. Cf. 3:20 (our citizenship is in heaven).[2]
    12. Did you notice how he qualified a life worthy of the gospel?
    13. Standing firm…
    14. Side by side….
    15. Paul wants them to agree as much as possible. I have said that Philippians is about joy, but it is also about unity.
    16. This is about unity.
    17. Part of conduct worthy of the Gospel is unity and self-sacrifice as we will see again in Phil. 2:3-4 and Phil. 4:1-2.
    18. Christianity is about living as a team with other Christians.
    19. Paul says “standing firm in ‘one Spirit.’”
    20. “One Spirit” this could be one Holy Spirit who unites us but it is hard to tell in the Greek if it is the Holy Spirit or not. However, Phil. 2:1 seems to be the Holy Spirit.
    21. Striving is an offensive term. We are striving for the gospel.
    22. Paul wants to hear that they are “striving side by side.” “Striving together” is a compound word in the Greek, similar to where we get our English word athletics. Christianity is a team sport. The Gospel is mentioned for the sixth time in this first chapter.[3]
    23. Wow! There is a lot in that verse!
    24. Are we striving side by side for the Gospel?
    25. Are we standing firm?
    26. Are we making sure that our conduct is worthy of the Gospel?
    27. Are we united in one Spirit and one mind?
  2. Don’t be frightened by your opponent (verse 28).
    1. Philippians 1:28 (ESV)
    2. 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.
    3. This is continuing from what he wrote.
    4. So, be striving side by side in unity.
    5. And now don’t be frightened by your opponents.
    6. The word “frightened” or “alarmed” could describe spooking a horse.
    7. This is a clear sign of their destruction and your salvation. What is the sign?
    8. Maybe not being frightened by them. Maybe standing strong in the faith. Maybe staying united. Maybe all three.
    9. So, when they stand strong for the gospel, it is a sign of their opponents destruction and their salvation. I like that.
    10. As John MacArthur writes: When believers willingly suffer without being “alarmed,” it is a sign that God’s enemies will be destroyed and eternally lost.[5]
    11. Malcolm Muggeridge died in the fall of 1990. He had been a foreign correspondent, newspaper editor, editor of Punch magazine, and a well-known television personality in Great Britain. As an adult, he finally turned to Christ and wrote of his own dilemmas as a journalist-turned-believer. Among his works are Jesus Rediscovered, Christ and the Media, Something Beautiful for God, and his multivolume autobiography, Chronicles of Wasted Time. He frequently spoke and wrote of “feeling like a stranger” in the world. In an interview a few years before his death, Muggeridge was asked if he would be willing to explain that feeling. His answer is worth repeating. “I’d very gladly do so, because I’ve thought about it often. In the war, when I was in North Africa, I heard some lieutenant colonel first use the phrase “displaced person.” That phrase was very poignant to me. But it’s also a very good definition of a person who’s come to see that life is not about carnal things, or success, but is about eternity rather than time. . . . I don’t really belong here, I’m simply staying here.”[6]
    12. That is true for Christians.
  3. The reminder (verses 29-30)
    1. Philippians 1:29–30 (ESV)
    2. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
    3. This is important. We, as Christians, have a privilege of suffering for Christ. See Acts 5:41.
    4. We have the privilege of believing and suffering.
    5. Belief is a gift from God:
    6. Acts 3:16 (ESV)
    7. 16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
    8. Acts 11:18 (ESV)
    9. 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
    10. John 6:44 (ESV)
    11. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
    12. We are also granted to suffer for Christ’s sake:
    13. Matthew 5:10–11 (ESV)
    14. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
    15. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
    16. 1 Peter 4:12–14 (ESV)
    17. 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
    18. In verse 30 he shares: they are in the same conflict as they observed in the Apostle Paul and know that Paul is still in.
    19. Swindoll shares: In the early days of Christianity, a scoffer once inquired, “What is your Carpenter doing now?” And the answer of the unperturbed Christian was bold: “Making a coffin for your Emperor!”[7]
  4.  Applications:
    1. Are we striving side by side for the Gospel (Phil. 1:27)?
    2. Are we standing firm (Phil. 1:27)?
    3. Are we making sure that our conduct is worthy of the Gospel (Phil. 1:27)?
    4. Are we united in one Spirit and one mind (Phil. 1:27)?
    5. We must not be frightened by those who oppose the Gospel (Phil. 1:28). Instead, we must stay united and serve one another. We must stay strong in the faith.
    6. Are we living consistent with our beliefs? If not, do we really believe them?
    7. Do we fear what non-believers think or do we have a confidence in the Gospel (Phil. 1:28)?
    8. Do we allow unnecessary division or do we seek unity (Phil. 1:27)?
    9. Are we contributing members of a local church (Phil. 1:27-30)?
    10. Do we live in community? Do we have friends who will challenge and encourage us? Are we vulnerable with each other (Phil. 1:27-30)?
    11. Do we recognize that we can’t do this on our own? We need grace. We need the Gospel. We need the Spirit’s help. We need each other (Phil. 1:27-30).
    12. Do we have to always be in charge, always be right, do we divide over silly matters, are we a contentious person, always causing arguments? Are we a unifier or a divider?
    13. Are we prepared to suffer for Jesus (Phil. 1:29)?
    14. How do we prepare to suffer for Him? Pray about it. Pray that we can be like those in Acts 5:41 who rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ. Pray that God makes us bold AND loving witnesses. Study the Bible about what the Scripture says about suffering. Read testimonies of those who suffered for Christ from the Voice of the Martyrs. Pray for the persecuted church now.

Close:

The reason a woman can endure the pain of childbirth is because something good is coming down the pipe. She can endure because the pain will be worth it in the end as she celebrates the new birth of her child. She bears the suffering because of the joy before her. It is in weakness that God does His greatest birthing.943[9]

We cannot see things from God’s viewpoint, but He is working even in our suffering.

[1] Tony Evans, Tony Evans’ Book of Illustrations: Stories, Quotes, and Anecdotes from More than 30 Years of Preaching and Public Speaking (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2009), 314–315.

[2] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Php 1:27.

[3] Dr Steven Lawson; Renewing your mind; 09.21.2022

[4] Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Php 1:28.

[5] John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Php 1:28.

[6] Swindoll “Laugh Again” pages 73-74

[7] Swindoll, Laugh Again, page 72

[8] https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/god-given-foes-and-god-given-faith?utm_campaign=Daily%20Email&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=94074571&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9hbAG0qM3E3WA5nRh1ujD-1qFldL9ScViCie4kW5Z6uRJydWdZHa1iMNaqv3z_lVkN_PVsPo7taY5_4oJT8qPr-Nyp_A&utm_content=94074571&utm_source=hs_email

[9] Tony Evans, Tony Evans’ Book of Illustrations: Stories, Quotes, and Anecdotes from More than 30 Years of Preaching and Public Speaking (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2009), 314.

Leave a comment