Secondly, we are to strive. Paul says in verse 27 contending as one man for the faith of the gospel. Contending. When we contend we battle. We fight. We strive to defeat someone and gain victory over them in competition or contest.
If you’ve ever played a team sport, the concept Paul is conveying here will make sense to you. The Greek word he uses for contend actually is an athletic word, “sunathleo”. It means to strive together for a common goal. It’s a compound word: “sun” means with and “athleo” means to strive – put them together and you get, to strive with. We get our English word “athlete” from the word athleo, so this word Paul uses gives the image of athletics. He wants the Philippians to see that they are like a team of athletes working and striving and battling and contending together all of them for the same goal.
A good illustration is football. You have a team of men on the field in different positions. But, each man is facing the same direction. Each man’s objective is the end zone. Each man has the same opponent – the team across from them. Each man has a different function that vitally contributes to scoring the goal. Each man is well trained for his role. They move together as a one unit down the field towards the goal, all the while contending with the opposing team.
We are like a team striving against an opponent. Our opponent many times is man, but, the source of opposition to the gospel is not flesh and blood. Paul said in Ephesians 6, “…take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
These enemies are spiritual. They set themselves up against the knowledge of God and try to win over the minds of the weak. Paul speaks further to this point in 2 Corinthians when he says, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.”
The enemy is spiritual and the weapons they fight with are spiritual - arguments and pretensions. What does that mean? It means that the way they fight are through false teachings and heresies and wrong doctrines and lies about God – all of which have their source from Satan. Jesus calls him the father of lies in John’s gospel.
Paul further acknowledges that in 1 Timothy chapter 4 when he says, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
Understand this: source of opposition to the gospel comes from the spiritual realm, and the stage for opposition to the gospel is the world of man. The objective of the opposition is to destroy the knowledge of God – to silence the speaking and advancement of the gospel that saves men’s souls from sin. Every form and degree of persecution is aimed at muzzling this message: that Jesus Christ came in the flesh to save sinners, and apart from faith in Him and His name alone there is no salvation. Satan and his legion of demons desire to destroy this knowledge and those who proclaim it – and they do it through false teachings and physical persecution.
Notice this contending – this striving – is with each other and not against each other. Paul says “standing firm in one spirit and contending as one man”. So the third thing Paul wants for the Philippians is solidarity – or unity. God’s work and purpose for the Church is unity, and, the work and purpose of Satan is disunity. Wherever there is disunity there is the work and success of Satan. But, wherever there is unity among us there is the work of the Spirit of Christ. What Paul wants is for the Philippian’s to stand firm in the unity of the Spirit and to contend in unison for the gospel of Christ. Be one. Though we are many we are to be as one man. Be as one voice proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul says later in chapter 3 that awesome verse that should capture our purpose together here at EFC and we should all memorize, that, “…forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, we press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.” We press on, leaving behind our little inconsequential differences. We have something greater that joins us together. We are one in the Spirit, as one man, with one faith, one baptism, and with one Father in heaven who is over all. Anything less than solidarity in the gospel is not worthy of the gospel.
When the church is standing firm in one spirit and contending as one man for the faith of the gospel, while suffering persecution, Paul says this is a sign. The Church that is standing firm and striving in solidarity is a sign. First, it is a sign to the unbelieving world that is opposing the gospel that they will be destroyed. Look at verse 28, “without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed”. The unity of the church and the unity of the message speaks to the judgment of God that is coming on the world for sin.
But, it is not only a sign to unbelievers Paul says. “This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.” Persecution is a sign to us as well. The message we proclaim that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord ignites hatred by the enemies of God in this world. If they become our enemies because we stand firm and contend for the gospel, then this is an assurance to us that we will be saved because we are not among the ranks of the enemies of God.
Do you see a sign today? I want to close with an assurance and an appeal.
If you have suffered for your faith I want you to be assured by it. It is a sign that you are saved by God. You share in Christ’s sufferings at the hands of His enemies. You will share in His resurrection.
If, however, you are here today and you reject the notion that you are a sinner and that Jesus Christ is your only hope of salvation, then I appeal to you. This message is a sign for you. Jesus Christ came in the flesh to take the punishment for your sin in His body.
If you will believe that then you will be counted free from your sins and at peace with God – no longer His enemy because of your sin. He did this first because you can’t make yourself free from sin. He did it second because He loves you. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Life that does not perish. Life that does not fade. Life that is never taken away. It is the life that is only available by faith in Christ. I appeal to you today to hear this message, take it as a sign, and surrender yourself to Christ.
If you’ve ever played a team sport, the concept Paul is conveying here will make sense to you. The Greek word he uses for contend actually is an athletic word, “sunathleo”. It means to strive together for a common goal. It’s a compound word: “sun” means with and “athleo” means to strive – put them together and you get, to strive with. We get our English word “athlete” from the word athleo, so this word Paul uses gives the image of athletics. He wants the Philippians to see that they are like a team of athletes working and striving and battling and contending together all of them for the same goal.
A good illustration is football. You have a team of men on the field in different positions. But, each man is facing the same direction. Each man’s objective is the end zone. Each man has the same opponent – the team across from them. Each man has a different function that vitally contributes to scoring the goal. Each man is well trained for his role. They move together as a one unit down the field towards the goal, all the while contending with the opposing team.
We are like a team striving against an opponent. Our opponent many times is man, but, the source of opposition to the gospel is not flesh and blood. Paul said in Ephesians 6, “…take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
These enemies are spiritual. They set themselves up against the knowledge of God and try to win over the minds of the weak. Paul speaks further to this point in 2 Corinthians when he says, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.”
The enemy is spiritual and the weapons they fight with are spiritual - arguments and pretensions. What does that mean? It means that the way they fight are through false teachings and heresies and wrong doctrines and lies about God – all of which have their source from Satan. Jesus calls him the father of lies in John’s gospel.
Paul further acknowledges that in 1 Timothy chapter 4 when he says, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
Understand this: source of opposition to the gospel comes from the spiritual realm, and the stage for opposition to the gospel is the world of man. The objective of the opposition is to destroy the knowledge of God – to silence the speaking and advancement of the gospel that saves men’s souls from sin. Every form and degree of persecution is aimed at muzzling this message: that Jesus Christ came in the flesh to save sinners, and apart from faith in Him and His name alone there is no salvation. Satan and his legion of demons desire to destroy this knowledge and those who proclaim it – and they do it through false teachings and physical persecution.
Notice this contending – this striving – is with each other and not against each other. Paul says “standing firm in one spirit and contending as one man”. So the third thing Paul wants for the Philippians is solidarity – or unity. God’s work and purpose for the Church is unity, and, the work and purpose of Satan is disunity. Wherever there is disunity there is the work and success of Satan. But, wherever there is unity among us there is the work of the Spirit of Christ. What Paul wants is for the Philippian’s to stand firm in the unity of the Spirit and to contend in unison for the gospel of Christ. Be one. Though we are many we are to be as one man. Be as one voice proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Paul says later in chapter 3 that awesome verse that should capture our purpose together here at EFC and we should all memorize, that, “…forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, we press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus.” We press on, leaving behind our little inconsequential differences. We have something greater that joins us together. We are one in the Spirit, as one man, with one faith, one baptism, and with one Father in heaven who is over all. Anything less than solidarity in the gospel is not worthy of the gospel.
When the church is standing firm in one spirit and contending as one man for the faith of the gospel, while suffering persecution, Paul says this is a sign. The Church that is standing firm and striving in solidarity is a sign. First, it is a sign to the unbelieving world that is opposing the gospel that they will be destroyed. Look at verse 28, “without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed”. The unity of the church and the unity of the message speaks to the judgment of God that is coming on the world for sin.
But, it is not only a sign to unbelievers Paul says. “This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.” Persecution is a sign to us as well. The message we proclaim that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord ignites hatred by the enemies of God in this world. If they become our enemies because we stand firm and contend for the gospel, then this is an assurance to us that we will be saved because we are not among the ranks of the enemies of God.
Do you see a sign today? I want to close with an assurance and an appeal.
If you have suffered for your faith I want you to be assured by it. It is a sign that you are saved by God. You share in Christ’s sufferings at the hands of His enemies. You will share in His resurrection.
If, however, you are here today and you reject the notion that you are a sinner and that Jesus Christ is your only hope of salvation, then I appeal to you. This message is a sign for you. Jesus Christ came in the flesh to take the punishment for your sin in His body.
If you will believe that then you will be counted free from your sins and at peace with God – no longer His enemy because of your sin. He did this first because you can’t make yourself free from sin. He did it second because He loves you. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Life that does not perish. Life that does not fade. Life that is never taken away. It is the life that is only available by faith in Christ. I appeal to you today to hear this message, take it as a sign, and surrender yourself to Christ.
Comments
Post a Comment