Philippians 3:17-4:1 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
“Keep Standing Firm”
Lent 2 Sunday, March 17, 2019
Is it hard to be a Christian? Certainly there are a number of ways we could answer that question. At various times throughout history and in many places in the world today, being a Christian could get someone tortured or even killed. There is no arguing that circumstances like that would make it very difficult to be a Christian. On the other hand, here today we are guaranteed certain rights, meaning that unless and until something changes dramatically, we generally won’t face those sorts of issues. In that way, I suppose you can make a case that it is easy to be a Christian. It's also easy to call oneself a Christian. There is an assumption in society in general and in the various media that report on our culture that all it takes to be a Christian is to call yourself a Christian. And so we hear, for example, about so-called Christians who deny all sorts of biblical truths, even to the point of denying things like Jesus Christ died and rose again. According to any historic or realistic definitions of Christianity, that sort of attitude simply doesn’t qualify as such. But for true Christians, who understand what that it means that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world and who trust in him for salvation, there remains a challenge. While on the one hand it is the easiest thing in the world to be a Christian because that doesn’t depend on any work or action on our part, it is also a dramatic challenge to be and to remain a Christian because so many factors work against that. This is why passages like the one we are using as a basis for our sermon, from the third and fourth chapters of Philippians, needed to be written. They encourage both the original recipients of these words and us to deal with all the challenges and to remain connected to Jesus, to be a Christian and to live as a Christian. The challenges are found around us in the form of the devil’s temptations (something that was discussed extensively in our service last week), and also the world itself, which is full of sin and temptation. Finally, some of those challenges come from within, where our own sinful natures still work against God and his will. So let’s listen carefully to the encouragement of these verses to keep standing firm. Paul offers this encouragement first because there are many who are enemies of Jesus, and therefore enemies of Christians. He describes them as followers of their appetites. In other words, they are seeking after earthly pleasures. They are influenced by whatever offers them immediate enjoyment or gratification. He even speaks of their appetites being their god. That sort of person can only be focused on earthly things, things that are by their very nature temporary. Through Jesus, God has given his people something infinitely better. He has given them something that is permanent and lasting. He forgives their sins and gives them eternal life in heaven. It should go without saying that these things are worth holding onto. But Paul writes to the Philippians because he knows it is not always easy to be a Christian. His words are preserved for us today because it’s not always easy for us to be Christians. We need encouragement. We need reminders. We need strengthening to battle against the enemies of our faith, both inside and outside, those things which would keep us from standing firm. And so Paul writes about all those who live as enemies of the cross of Christ because this is what it would look like for the Philippians, or us, to wander away from the faith. We may think that could never happen. We may think that we are stronger than that. We may think that everything will always be fine for us, but that kind of thinking underestimates the reality of our enemies and the power that they have. See, inside every one of us is that sinful nature that we were born with. It continues to do like the people Paul describes and to focus on earthly things, pleasures, appetites. It finds all sorts of gods to chase after as long as they are not the true God. Think about the sorts of things that people have an appetite for. Maybe the obvious is food, a literal appetite. It is a blessing from God that we have food on
our plates, but it is certainly not the most important thing in our lives. But people also tend to turn to things like money, houses, cars, status symbols. These are appetites to which our sinful natures might lead us. Maybe it tempts us with sexual temptations or pornography. Maybe it tempts us with position or power, or perhaps fame and notoriety. No matter what we come up with, all of these things are temporary. They will pass away. They will be taken from us. And what is left behind is destruction. They lead us away from our Savior. They lead us away from God. They lead us toward the gloomy dungeons of hell. Don’t go that direction, Paul urges. This is a warning that’s driven home by the many people who do walk that way. Don’t simply focus on earthly things. Don’t allow your appetite to become your god. No, Paul has a better example for us to follow. He begins this entire section, “Brothers, join together in imitating me and in paying attention to those who are walking according to the pattern we gave you.” Paul was setting an example for the Christians among whom he worked, many of whom had come to faith through his missionary efforts. And he was not alone in this. The Philippians could find people right there in their own congregation who were living according to that same pattern. This pattern was completely different than those who followed their own sinful and destructive desires. This pattern had its goal and its aim in heaven. Instead of thinking only on earthly things, these people focus on heavenly matters. In fact, that is what makes all the difference: “Our citizenship is in heaven.” True Christians understand that heaven is our real home. Life on earth is all temporary. So of course we will want to shift our focus toward those eternal things, toward those most important things, toward our Savior Jesus. Our home is in heaven with him, and we are waiting, eagerly waiting, for him to come to take us there. That concept of citizenship is one that is familiar to us. Political debates rage on as to how those people who are not citizens of this country should be treated. But citizens are assured of certain rights and privileges. Many of the Philippians were Roman citizens. The city of Philippi was a Roman colony, and many who were settled there would have been Roman soldiers in retirement. They appreciated their Roman citizenship and all the rights and freedoms and benefits that it offered them. How much more their heavenly citizenship? How much more our heavenly citizenship? We live as foreigners and aliens here. We dare not get too comfortable or too connected. This is not our real home. Our home is in heaven. Our citizenship is there. We will never be turned away. We have the rights and privileges of heaven. We have a home there waiting for us and a Savior who will not just take us to be with him, but will transform us to be like him in his glory. Paul has mentioned behavior and ways of living quite a bit throughout this section. It is appropriate that as Christians we are encouraged to look at the way that we live our lives and the things that we focus on. But when we look at our heavenly citizenship and at our Savior, we need to remind ourselves about where we can place our confidence and our trust. Heaven is not our home because of what we have done or how we have behaved or even how much we have longed to live there. Heaven is our home because Jesus walked through hell for us and rose from the dead as a victorious king. Heaven is our home because we have a Savior who has gone ahead of us to prepare our place. And heaven will be our glorious home. We can’t really even imagine what it means that we will have glorious bodies like Jesus. We know it means that he will have done away with our sinful natures. He will have done away with our pain and suffering. He will have done away with our weaknesses. We will share in his glorious joy. So, stand firm. That is the driving message behind all the Paul writes to the Philippians. That is the message that God has preserved for our hearts as well. Keep standing firm. Don’t focus on earthly pleasures. Focus on your heavenly treasures.
The Text: Philippians 3:17-4:1 17
Brothers, join together in imitating me and in paying attention to those who are walking according to the pattern we gave you. 18 To be sure, many walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. I told you about them often, and now I am saying it while weeping. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their appetite, and their glory is in their shame. They are thinking only about earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. We are eagerly waiting for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 By the power that enables him to subject all things to himself, he will transform our humble bodies to be like his glorious body. 4 So then, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, in this way keep standing firm in the Lord, my dear friends.