You Won't Be Disappointed in the Gospel
Tom Shrader works through Philippians 1:19-27, showing that Paul's confidence in God's sovereign control allowed him to rejoice even in prison and to face either death or continued life without fear or disappointment. Drawing on Romans 1:16, 1 Corinthians 1:18, and 2 Timothy 1:12, Shrader traces Paul's argument that the gospel is the only power sufficient to deliver people from sin and that Christ alone is truly trustworthy. The teaching closes with a call to conduct oneself in a manner worthy of the gospel, living out faith visibly in ordinary life so that others are drawn to Christ.
“You will never be disappointed in Jesus Christ, and everything else will disappoint you.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: Philippians
Recorded: 2008 at East Valley Bible Church
Duration: 54 min
Themes: joy, gospel, suffering, trust, fear of death, contentment, faith, hope, struggling with fear, facing imprisonment, going through hardship, new believer, feeling disappointed, questioning God's plan, young adult, navigating uncertainty
Scripture: Philippians 1:6, Philippians 1:13, Philippians 1:15, Philippians 1:17, Philippians 1:18, Philippians 1:19-27, Philippians 3:8, Philippians 3:10, Philippians 3:12-14, Philippians 4:22, Romans 1:16, Romans 5:1, Romans 5:3, Romans 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 1:18, 1 Corinthians 1:22, 1 Corinthians 2:2, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 Corinthians 15:3, 2 Timothy 1:12, Ephesians 2:8-10, Ephesians 4:1, John 10, John 17:3, Acts 2:22, Acts 16, Job 2:10, Ecclesiastes 7:14
Theological Themes: sovereignty of God, soteriology, power of the gospel, sanctification, Philippians, worthy living, justification, Christ-centered life
Full Transcript
Introduction and Context
Father, You are a great, holy, mighty God. You are awesome in power and majesty and might, and we are absolutely filled with praise and thanksgiving to be able to come before You as Your people here this morning — to sing songs of praise and worship to You, celebrate communion together, and to study Your Word. God, we pray that You would use this Word to open our eyes and hearts and minds, and that today You would change our lives and transform us. We pray that in Christ's name, amen.
Open your Bibles, if you would, please, to Philippians chapter 1. We are going to continue our study there. As you do, can I remind you that in your bulletin there is an insert for Institute classes, and some of those classes begin next week. Some of these we are offering for the first time. There is a pastor's class — an ongoing class meeting with the pastors, elders, and missionaries — and it is just great material. Please take advantage of that.
Paul's Joy in Prison
We continue our study in this letter written by Paul from prison, highlighted by the fact that he can speak to us about joy. Paul says that even in the midst of prison, he rejoices. You see it there in verse 18: "In this I rejoice. Yes, I will rejoice." Paul is speaking to us not about happiness, not about circumstance, but about relationship. He is saying there are probably places he would rather be, humanly speaking, but supernaturally this is exactly where he would want to be for one simple reason — this is where God wants him to be.
He had hoped to go to Rome, and I am convinced he had a wonderful plan. He may even have been so bold as to pray, "Father, if You would, allow the gospel to penetrate into Nero's palace itself." And I am sure Paul had some sort of plan for how that might take place. God said, "Paul, I am going to answer that prayer. I am going to let that happen." That is what we saw last week in verse 13 — that this was known through the whole Praetorian Guard. And remember, as we close the book in chapter 4, verse 22, Paul writes, "All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household." So there is this group of saints whom God saved through the gospel message delivered by Paul while he was in prison.
We also noted last week that Paul has no problem telling us there is some strife in that church. You see it in verse 15: "Some are preaching out of envy and strife. Others are doing so out of goodwill and love." Verse 17 tells us that group preaching out of envy and strife "preach out of selfish ambition rather than pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment." In other words, the imprisonment was not enough — they want to pile on distress in the midst of it. Paul is not calling these men out; that is not his point. His whole point is to demonstrate that it really does not matter, because the gospel is proclaimed and God's plans will move forward.
"What then?" verse 18 asks. "Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, I will rejoice." Paul does not know how the whole thing is going to turn out, but he knows he will be delivered.
The Doctrinal Foundation for Rejoicing
The message Paul is giving us flows from a doctrinal truth. Look at verse 6 — we discussed this in our second week in this letter: "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will continue it until the day of Christ Jesus." That verse becomes the basis for much of what I want to examine today. Paul's point is that when you understand that truth — when you understand doctrinal truth — you begin to live. As you live, things begin to be supernaturally understood by you. That is why Paul can rejoice. It is not natural to rejoice in prison, but it is part of his legacy.
We saw in Acts chapter 16 that when Paul comes to Philippi, he is in jail — in a dungeon — and at midnight he is singing praise and worshiping God. This becomes a defining characteristic of his life. Why? Because he knows something. He is confident of this very thing: that God is at work.
God Uses What We Would Not Choose
I have been reading a variety of things lately beyond the material typically associated with what I do. I have been working my way through Booker T. Washington's autobiography, and it is interesting to listen to him write about slavery. He has some remarkable insights, as you would expect, and he writes about how his bitterness is gone. I want to build on one principle from what he wrote — that God uses even the things we would not select. He will use Paul's imprisonment. He will use your sickness. He will use even slavery to advance His cause.
Here is what Washington writes, and I have edited it slightly for the flow of reading: "To such an extent, that Negroes in this country, who themselves or their forefathers went through the school of slavery, are constantly returning to Africa as missionaries to enlighten those who remain in the fatherland." He is quick to add — and I want to be equally clear — this is not said to justify slavery.
God's Sovereignty Over Difficult Circumstances
Booker T. Washington acknowledged that slavery was awful, horrific, and a blight on the country. He was not trying to justify it; he condemned it as an institution, noting that in America it was established for selfish and financial reasons and not for missionary motives. His point was to call attention to the fact and to show how God so often uses men and institutions to accomplish His purposes. Those slaves ultimately became missionaries to Africa, which is an amazing thing.
When people asked Washington how, in the midst of what sometimes seemed hopelessly discouraging conditions, he could have such faith in the future of his race in this country, he reminded them of the wilderness through which and out of which a good God had already led them. That is why doctrine is so important. When we know this, we are ready for life. We do not expect life to be smooth and easy, and in the midst of difficulty we do not conclude that God has dozed off or become distracted. God is in absolute control.
That is exactly the point Paul is making. The people preaching during his imprisonment were not preaching a false gospel — it was not false doctrine. The issue was their motives. Paul said that while it would not have been his selection, he could endure it. Why? Because he knew God was at work. He knew God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, and that even though God is sickened by sin, sickened by an institution like slavery, and does not endorse preaching out of envy or strife, He will use even that.
"For I Know" — The Anchor of Paul's Confidence
Paul builds on this in verse 19 with words that deserve close attention: "For I know." That phrase appears repeatedly in Paul's writings, and also in Peter. Each time, what Paul knows is the thing that allows him to deal with whatever greater difficulty he is facing.
Paul says, "For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance." That word *know* means to be convinced with absolute certainty. He was going to be delivered — not necessarily out of prison. He might not get out of prison. He might die there. But he would be delivered in the midst of that, or he might actually be rescued out of it. Either way, he was at peace with the outcome.
Through what means would this deliverance come? Paul identifies two: your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Prayers matter. Paul explicitly says that deliverance comes through the prayers of the believers and through the Spirit's provision. The deeper point is that whether Paul remained in prison or was released, it was not the central issue. The central issue was whether he was faithful, obedient, and proclaiming the truth.
Hope That Does Not Disappoint
Verse 20 continues: "according to my earnest expectation and hope." When Paul uses the word *hope* here, he is not speaking of something that may or may not occur, the way we might say we hope a sports team wins today. He is speaking of something that is going to occur with absolute certainty. This kind of hope is connected to what he knows, and what he knows is rooted in the gospel.
Romans chapter 5, verse 1 captures this connection: "therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Then in verse 3: "not only this, but we also exalt in our tribulation, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance, and perseverance proven character, and proven character hope." It is this absolute certainty that Paul means by hope.
Paul then says this hope "will not be put to shame." Some translations render that word as *ashamed*, but that does not fully convey the intent. A dictionary definition of shame describes it as a painful emotion excited by a consciousness of guilt, a disgrace or dishonor. That is not what this word is about. The better rendering is *disappointed*. Those who have placed their faith and trust in Christ will not be disillusioned, will not be disappointed. Read it that way: "According to my earnest expectation and hope, I will not be disappointed in anything."
The same idea appears again in Romans 5: "not only this, but we also exalt in tribulation, knowing tribulation brings about perseverance, perseverance proven character, proven character hope, and hope does not disappoint." Paul is saying to those of us who are followers of Christ that we will not be disappointed because our faith and trust is in Jesus.
Not Ashamed of the Gospel
This brings us to a passage we want to examine closely. Turn to Romans chapter 1, verse 16, where Paul writes: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel." Again, that word means *disappointed*. Paul is saying he is not disappointed in the gospel. Why? "For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
At this point it is important to stop and make sure we understand what we mean by the word *gospel*. This is crucial for getting our arms around everything Paul is saying here.
The Power of the Gospel
Chuck Holmes stops by my office every Sunday morning around 7:45. He came in today, and today he prayed for you. Here is what he prayed: "Father, today, as Tom's teaching, would Your Spirit fill him, and would Your Spirit be used in such a way that it would take those of us who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and fill us up and move us and use us in a significant way?" He prayed for those of you who are followers of Christ, those of you who believe the gospel. But he prayed for another group as well. He said, "And those who will be here today who don't know the gospel, might this be a day of salvation for them?"
This gospel is pretty important, isn't it? In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul gives us what my friend Larry Wright used to call the gospel in a nutshell. 1 Corinthians 15:3 says, "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received." Here it is: that Christ died. Why? For our sins, according to the Scripture.
Almost every person I know who seems mildly reasonable acknowledges that Jesus Christ lived. And I don't know anyone who thinks He is still living in terms of that physical body — that Jesus is somewhere back in the mountains and has been there for 2,000 years. Virtually everybody acknowledges Jesus lived and died. But what the Scripture tells us is something really important: the Scripture tells us why He died. He died for our sins.
What does it mean that Christ died for our sins? It means that you and I — every one of us, every person who comes into this world — is separated from God. As we read through Scripture, Paul says we are sons of disobedience, children of wrath. We are separated from God as a result of our sin, and there is nothing we can do to make this situation right.
That is what Paul has in mind when he says, "I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation" — for deliverance. Deliverance from what? From the consequence and the burden of our sin. From the reality that I can now have an intimate relationship with the Creator God of the universe through His Son Jesus Christ, and I know that to be absent from this body is to be present with Him.
Christ Died, Was Buried, and Rose Again
Here is the gospel: Christ died for our sins, and then they did with Him what they do with dead men — they buried Him. And He was raised on the third day, again according to the Scripture. He appeared to Peter and the Twelve and a whole group of others, as many as five hundred. That is the gospel.
The gospel is that we can find life in Christ and Christ alone, nowhere else. Paul says, "I'm not ashamed. I'm not disappointed in the gospel." Why? Because it will do what we are trusting it to do. It is the power — the dunamis, the explosive power of the gospel — to take a life that is ruined and make it whole again, to take a person who is dead and bring them to life, to take a life that is empty and lost and bring meaning and hope to it. "I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."
The Gospel in Three Cultures
Then Paul says "to the Jew and also to the Greek." When Paul is writing, there are really three cultures he is dealing with — you are in Romans 1, turn to the right to 1 Corinthians 1 — the Jew, the Greek, and the Roman. The Jews thought they had power for salvation in religious systems, in their religion itself. The Greeks thought their power was in human wisdom — Plato, Aristotle, Socrates — and even then they believed there was an almost unbridgeable gap between an infinite God and finite man. The Romans found their power in conquering military might, in dominating the civilized world.
Here is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:18: "The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." The cross is foolishness, he says — the cross is silly. In fact, he goes on in verse 22: "For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness." The cross makes no sense to those outside of faith.
Does the Gospel Sound Foolish?
And yet Paul says in verse 18 that it is power to those of us who are being saved. Can we acknowledge — can you remember back to the day when you did not believe this gospel? Can you not admit that it does sound kind of foolish? There was a man named Adam and a woman named Eve, and somehow, out of something that happened long, long ago, he sinned, and somehow I am identified with him in the midst of it. And the whole rest of history is God trying to fix that. Somehow when he sinned, I sinned with him. Then God has this nation and He guides it — parting waters, making promises — and then, 2,000 years ago, there is this man named Jesus, born into the world, and when He died on the cross He actually died in my place. In some way I was there too, and somehow I receive righteousness through that if I only believe.
Now, that does sound foolish, really, doesn't it? But to those of us who believe, it doesn't sound foolish at all. There are no sweeter words than the gospel of Jesus Christ. I once was lost and now I am found — isn't that a wonderful truth?
The Jews were saying, "I'm going to get this through religion. That's how I was raised." I was there myself — in church a lot, doing what they told me to do — and then
The Failure of Human Systems
When I screwed up, I did what they told me to do. Somehow in my mind I had this idea that at the end of my life, if I could do more good than bad, I'd go to heaven. More bad than good, I'd go to hell. By my junior year of college, I said, that bad pile is getting pretty high, and I don't think we're ever going to get it caught up. It's not going to work.
What Paul is saying to us is that there is no power in religion. There is no power in a system, a prayer, or a church. Then we think, well, I'm pretty smart — I'm going to think my way there, reason my way there. That was the Greek. They were very proud of their wisdom. Paul says no: this whole thing is a stumbling block to the Jew and foolishness to the Greek.
The Romans were saying, listen, we'll dominate, we'll control, we'll conquer. I'll find power, I'll find salvation, I'll find life and deliverance in my own strength. And it's empty, isn't it? Somehow we all fit somewhere in that.
If you're here today and you don't know Christ, you're trusting something for your deliverance, something to bring meaning to your life — maybe your money, maybe your education, maybe your intellect, maybe political power. But the only thing that has power to deliver me from God's judgment is the gospel. It's the only thing that has power to make me right, to make me whole.
It's the gospel — that Jesus died. We've been talking about it, and we need to preach that to ourselves every day. I need to be reminded every day that Christ died for me, that I was identified with Him, and that I find grace, mercy, and strength in Him.
Not Ashamed, Not Disappointed
So Paul says first in Romans 1, "I am not going to be disappointed in the gospel, for it indeed is the power of salvation." Turn to the right to 2 Timothy chapter 1. If you get to Hebrews, you've gone too far — go left.
2 Timothy chapter 1, verse 12: "For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed. I will not be disappointed, for I know whom I believed, and I am convinced He is able to guard that which I have entrusted to Him." Paul is saying, here's what I know: I know Jesus Christ, and I know He is trustworthy. I have trusted my whole life to Him — this life and the afterlife, my heart, my soul, everything I am. I've trusted it all to Him, and I know I will not be disappointed, for He will do what I've trusted Him to do.
This is the culmination of several things we've been looking at. What can separate us from the love of Christ? Nothing. It's John 10 — "My sheep hear My voice. I know them. They know Me. They follow Me. I give them eternal life." Nothing. You trust Him, and He will not disappoint you. Ephesians 2:8–10, He will perform those works. 1 Corinthians 10:13, He will not test you beyond that which you can endure. You will never be disappointed in Jesus Christ. Everything else will disappoint you.
Everything Else Will Let You Down
I don't take these things lightly. I've been trying to figure out who I'm going to vote for on Tuesday, and I've been working at it really hard. I've had more difficulty with this than any other election, and here's the reason: I know every one of these candidates will disappoint me. I cannot find any of them without some huge problem. I'm trying to find the perfect candidate, and they don't exist.
If you're sitting there with your spouse, I can tell you what you already know — that other than my wife Susan, all of you will disappoint me in one way or another. Here's what Paul is saying. Think of this wonderful truth: Paul says I've placed my whole life in Him. I presented my body as a living sacrifice. I've trusted Him with everything I have, and I'm sleeping like a rock — because He is trustworthy.
Exalted in Every Circumstance
Now let's go back to the passage we started with, Philippians chapter 1, verse 20, and tie all this together. Paul is saying, I know it will turn out for my deliverance. Verse 20: "According to my earnest expectation and hope that I will not be disappointed in anything, I will not be put to shame, but that with all boldness Christ even now as always will be exalted."
That word exalted means to be made great, to be magnified, to declare great, to esteem highly, to laud, to celebrate, to give glory and praise. Paul said, I won't be disappointed in God. He will be magnified in every situation I face, whether I'm in prison or a free man. He will be magnified and exalted in my life.
See the last part of verse 20 — "in my death." Paul said He will be exalted in what we might call good times or what we might call bad times. Remember last week we quoted from Job chapter 2, verse 10, when Job's wife said to him, "Curse God and die," and Job said, "Shall we accept good from God and not adversity?" Ecclesiastes 7:14 says, "In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider — God has made the one as well as the other."
I will not be lost. I will not be disappointed. I will exalt God. Why? Because if I remain faithful to Him, He is faithful to me. I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in me will continue it until the day of Christ Jesus.
To Live Is Christ, to Die Is Gain
Then in verse 20 comes this wonderful statement: "To live is Christ and to die is gain." In the Greek there is no verb. It reads literally, "To live — Christ; to die — gain." This is where I will find real life. I will find real life in Jesus Christ. Paul's favorite way of describing those of us who belong to Him is that we are found in Christ.
To Live Is Christ
Paul would call Christians — believers, followers of Christ — people who are *in* Christ. We know Him. We find life in Him and Him alone. Jesus said this in John 17:3: "This is eternal life, that they might know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you've sent." Here is where we find life. Here is real living, Paul says. It is to know Him and trust Him and love Him and serve Him and share with Him.
Paul did everything — traveled, preached, suffered, and died for Christ. That was his driving motive. When he came to the church at Corinth, he said to them that it was not complicated. He says in 1 Corinthians 2:2, "I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." Did Paul preach other things? Yes, he did. He talked about marriage and family and kids and bosses and employees and all sorts of other relationships, but he said it is always in the context of Christ. If you want to know how a marriage should work, he says, husbands, you love as Christ loves the church — and you cannot do it. You can only do it as Christ strengthens you. Wives, submit to your husbands — you cannot do it except as Christ begins to strengthen you. So Paul said, I was determined to preach one thing: Christ crucified.
Pressing On Toward the Goal
Turning to Philippians chapter 3, we are going to spend time on verses 12 through 14, and it is the same idea yet again. Paul has been talking about his résumé — who he is, all of his accomplishments — and he said, whatever they were, they are lost to him, of no value compared to the value, in verse 8, of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord. That is what he begins to talk about: knowing Him. Verse 10: "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, in order that I may attain the resurrection of the dead."
Verse 12: "Not that I have already obtained it, or have become perfect, but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus." Jesus grabbed you for a purpose. Paul says, I am pressing on — because Jesus grabbed me, saved me, laid hold of me for a purpose. He had a purpose in mind. Verse 13: "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do." What is that one thing? Christ, and Christ crucified. Paul did a great many things in his life, but even when he simply ate and drank, he did it for the glory of God. "I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Fruitful Labor
That is what Paul is talking about here in chapter 1 as we finish this chapter. To live is Christ. Now, to die is gain, and Paul begins to share that he has a bit of a struggle going on. "But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me, and I do not know which to choose." Paul says, if I continue in this world, there will be what he calls fruitful labor. Back in verse 11, he called it the fruit of righteousness. God has saved him for a reason and a purpose. He has left Paul here so that Paul will produce fruitful labor in his life.
And yet Paul cannot produce it on his own. Jesus is the vine; Paul is the branch. All Paul can do is remain in Him while God begins to do these things in his life. Apart from Him, Paul can do nothing. He said, so powerful is this reality that he is hard-pressed — the word literally carries the idea of being torn between two things, caught between a rock and a hard place from both directions. "For I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better, and yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake."
The Fear of Death
In that ancient literature, the word *depart* was spoken of as freeing a slave, or cutting loose a ship and letting it sail out to sea — the idea of a permanent departure. Paul says he is hard-pressed in both directions: the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is very much better, and the necessity to remain for the sake of others.
This may strike some of you as odd, because you may be scared to death of death. Searching recently for what Americans are fearful of turned up over one and a half million results in under a second. The fears listed were these: another terrorist attack, four-dollar gas prices, Iran developing nuclear weapons, declining education performance in math and science, nuclear power, Alzheimer's disease more than heart disease, having their television shut off, harm to the environment, change, war in Iraq, vulnerability in the oil supply, and losing their job or having it outsourced. But the number one fear of all is the fear of death.
So if you are here today and you are afraid of death, it must be something very strange to hear Paul say, "Man, that would be a good deal. That would be incredible." And as he says elsewhere, here is why: because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. To be absent from this body would be to be with this Jesus whom he knows and desires to love and serve. Peter says in Acts chapter 2, verse 22, in that powerful sermon, that Jesus died and put an end to the agony of death — the uncertainty of death.
One comedian has put it this way: "I'm not afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens." Are you afraid to die? The uncertainty of death comes down to what happens afterwards. Paul said he knows what happens afterwards. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Living for a Purpose Beyond Heaven
Absent from the body, I am present with my Lord. My citizenship is in heaven. I know that with certainty, and it is very appealing to me. We realized that perhaps ten or twelve years prior to this, Paul had some sort of experience where he saw a picture of heaven. Paul was absolutely, fully, consciously aware of this idea of heaven and how incredible it was.
So he is torn. If you are here and you think, how can he do this — well, now you understand. But to those of us who would say Paul really understands what heaven is and is torn, why wouldn't he just say, "I want to go there. Let's go"? Doesn't that sound appealing? It does to me.
You get a sense, when Paul writes, of how important our life here must be. If all God wanted to do was get us to heaven, He would have taken us there the moment we believed. But He left us here so that we would have fruitful labor and the fruit of righteousness, and God would begin to do this incredible, mighty work in our lives.
It is an absolutely incredible thought that here is Paul, who fully understands heaven probably as well as anybody who has ever lived, and yet he said, it is not time for me to go yet. Susan and I talk about that all the time. She would say she is not in a particular hurry to go to heaven — she likes her life here. What she will say is: Braden, and Gracie, and Yale. She sees God beginning to use her in a variety of ways.
That is what Paul is saying. Paul is saying God left you here for a reason. This is not about you just getting to heaven. This is about way more than that.
Standing Firm Together
He goes on: "I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and to be with Christ, for that is very much better. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you, all for your progress and joy and faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ through my coming to you again."
Verse 27: "Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel." Why? "So that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear that you are standing firm." The word speaks of an army or a military force that has taken or captured or is in control of a stronghold — the idea of protecting it. Standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving together. There is a togetherness, an idea of oneness and unity of purpose. Will there be differences in the way that fleshes out? Of course. But unity of purpose.
"In no way alarmed by your opponents" — do not be troubled by them — "which is a sign of their destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too from God." These opponents are going to come against the believers, but the gospel itself is a picture of the destruction that awaits those opponents. "For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear to be in me."
Walking Worthy of the Calling
Going back to verse 27, Paul is saying: conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. Turn just to the left to the book of Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 1. Again Paul writes: "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called." That is essentially the same point he is making in Philippians chapter 1 — conduct yourself in a way that is worthy of the gospel of Christ, walk in a manner worthy of your calling.
A key word in Ephesians 4:1 is the word "therefore." It is the connecting word. It takes chapters 1, 2, and 3 and ties them all together. If you are a follower of Christ and you are feeling a little down and weary, wondering how this is all going to turn out, not feeling so good about yourself or about what God is doing or has done or needs to do — read Ephesians 1, 2, and 3.
You will be reminded that He has had His hands on you before the foundations of the earth. Though you were separated from Him, though you were indeed a child of wrath and a son of disobedience, in spite of that, God caused you to love Him. God saved you. He delivered you. He works in your life.
And Paul says, because that is true, now he wants you to look like it and act like it — to walk in a manner worthy of your calling, to live consistent with who God is and who God says we are.
An Offering of Ordinary Life
Romans chapter 12, verses 1 and 2. First from the New American Standard: "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
Now Eugene Peterson paraphrases it this way: "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you. Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going to work, walking around life — and place it before God as an offering." Walk in a manner worthy of your calling. Because you have been saved, take your life — it is His.
That is what Paul said. I am not going to be disappointed. Why? Because I am not trusting in Bank of America. I am not trusting in some human. I am not trusting in some presidential —
Trusting Christ Alone
I am not trusting in some military power. I am not trusting my own wisdom. I am not trusting a religious system. I am trusting Christ — Christ alone — and I know Him, and I know He is trustworthy. Give Him your ordinary, everyday life: sleeping, eating, walking around. Present it to Him.
Verse 2: "Do not become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God, and you'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you and develops well-formed maturity in you." That is what He wants. That is what it means to walk in a manner worthy of your calling — that the people around you are infected with the gospel. They see it. It is undeniable.
A Story from a Pickup Truck
I was having breakfast with a guy this week, and we were talking about how he became a Christian at probably about age sixty. He is a remarkable man, and he has been in a lot of Bible studies for the last ten years. He said, "We are just studying and studying and studying and studying." He said, "It is like I am studying for a class I know I am never going to pass." He said all he was doing was studying.
He finally started his own study, and you either had to be a brand-new Christian or not a Christian at all to get into it. He got one man into the study, and God saved him — God transformed his life, changed his life. That man had been a Christian for about six months when, about two months ago, he started bringing his buddy — lost as a goose, my friend said, lost as a goose — to the Bible study.
Then one day that new believer called and said, "Hey, I am on my cell phone in my pickup truck, and I have got this guy here and he wants to become a Christian. What do we say now? What do we do?" My friend said, "I want to get this right. What is the right thing to say?" And the answer was simply: just be honest. So the new believer said, "All right, I am going to put you on speakerphone, because I want you to listen to this."
There were these two guys sitting in that pickup truck, and the one man was just saying, "God, I am a mess, and I am lost, and I want You more than anything. I know there is sin, and I know Jesus died, and that is why I want You more than anything." My friend said he was sitting there crying. And the new believer was saying, "Is there anything else we have to say? Is it done? Is it okay?" Click. That is why God saved you — for that. To walk in a manner worthy. All my friend was doing was living this life, and the people around him saw it and began to respond. That is how we are supposed to live.
The Danger of Studying Without Knowing God
That is not to say study is unimportant. But there is a warning worth heeding. A. W. Tozer writes: "The modern scientist has lost God amid the wonder of his world. We Christians are in real danger of losing God amidst the wonder of His Word. We have almost forgotten that God is a person, and as such can be cultivated as any person can."
Here is what Tozer is saying: we can study and study and study. Is that not the very warning Jesus gave the Pharisees? You search the Scriptures, and you think in them you have life — but life is not found in the study itself. Life is found in knowing Him. There is the relationship.
Do we study? Of course. Is that important? Yes. But why? Why is this doctrine important? Why is Ephesians chapter 4, verse 1 — that we walk in a manner worthy of our calling — why does it matter? Why is it important to know that God will continue His work in our lives? So that we conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. It matters how you live. That is what comes out of all of this.
God Saved You for a Purpose Here and Now
Going to heaven sounds good — sounds great. Paul seems to understand it more than anyone, and yet he says, "Not yet, not yet, not yet," because God has something for him here. God has something for you here. He laid hold of you. There is a reason He saved you beyond simply going to heaven, and it is not a secret: it is that you glorify Him in everything you do.
You can glorify Him today at a Super Bowl party — and I do not mean that in a flip way, I mean it in a serious way. You glorify Him tomorrow at work, or at school, or at the gym. That is what your life is all about. Your life is all about conducting yourself in a way that is worthy of the gospel, worthy of walking in the manner to which you have been called. God saved you for a reason and for a purpose.
Paul is saying: I trust Him with everything, and I am not going to be disappointed. Why? Because He and He alone is trustworthy. No person, no institution — not even yourself. You cannot trust yourself. That is what Paul is saying. And he says we are striving in this together. We are not competing with one another. We are to be of one mind, one spirit, as God begins to work in our lives. He has granted us the privilege of calling Him Father, of knowing Jesus as Lord, and then living accordingly.
Closing Prayer
Father, we are going to leave this place in about a minute, and I pray that as we do, You take this time together and let it be more than just checking a box and saying we did the Sunday thing. God, I pray we too, like Paul, could say we are torn — because heaven sounds pretty good, and yet You have us here for a reason. Do that work in our hearts. Amen.