Philippians 1:27-30 The Steadfast Church

by Larry Ferrell | December 29, 2017
Paul’s confidence that he would be acquitted at his trial and set free (vv. 25-26) inevitably fell short of an absolute certainty. He apparently so judged the needs of the church that he was as near sure as anyone could be that he would again visit Philippi. Nevertheless, he must prepare the church for either eventuality. Strikingly, one set of instructions was enough: absent or present, he required that their life should be worthy of the gospel of Christ (v. 27). The requirement was both exclusive and absolute. Paul said, “This one thing and this only”; nothing else must distract or excuse them from this great objective. Christians are to live worthy of their spiritual possessions. If you are a Christian, you do not hold your possessions in Christ through any virtue of your own. What you have, you only have from Him who is the King of kings. But having it, you must live worthy of your calling. Old things are to be put away; all things are to be new. Being a citizen of heaven, you are to live by the laws of that citizenship.

At this point Paul turns to two practical expressions of proper Christian conduct, expressions that follow logically upon his reference to citizenship. How do you live as a citizen of heaven? First, Paul says that we are to “stand firm in one spirit,” and second, with one mind we are to “strive together” for the advancement of the gospel. The first distinguishing mark of Christian conduct is that we stand together. We are ‘to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). Christians are not to divide along doctrinal or sociological lines. They are to be one. Unfortunately, evangelical churches are not known for “standing together.” In fact the opposite is true. This dishonors Christ. Moreover, it hinders the preaching of the gospel. In the place of these divisions Christians should know a unity that is visible and has practical results.

The second practical expression of true Christian conduct follows naturally from the first. If believers will conduct themselves in a manner that leads to Christian unity, then they will find that this also leads them to strive together to advance the Christian gospel. The result will be an aggressive Christianity. The Christians at Philippi knew what it meant to stand fast as Romans at the frontiers of the Roman world. They knew the obligation that was theirs to advance Roman rule in the face of barbarism. In the same way, Paul would have them united for an aggressive advancement of the faith. How we need to recover an aggressive faith today!

Paul has been emphasizing the need for Christian conduct. A Christian must be like Christ. No sooner has he mentioned this, however, that a sequence comes to mind. This prompts him to talk about a side subject in verses 28-30. The sequence is this: Wherever Christians will live as they ought to live in this world, where they will live righteous lives and aggressively seek to spread the gospel, in that place there will be persecution. This is true for all Christians. If you bear a proper witness for Jesus Christ, as God intends you to do, there will be persecution for you. It will not always be physical persecution as it was in Paul’s day, but you will suffer persecution of some sort nevertheless. It will be the natural result of your confession.

Sometimes it will be ridicule by the crowd. Sometimes our conduct will lead to persecution in business. The greatest example of persecution suffered for the sake of righteousness is in the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus came into the world as the Light of the world. But the world was in darkness. Where there is darkness, people do the works of darkness, and they do not want their deeds to be brought to light because their deeds are evil. When Jesus appeared, His life cut like a knife into the human conscience. People could get along with hypocrisy between one another, for humans are alike in their hypocrisy; but when Christ stood in their midst He exposed the hypocrisy, and they hated Him for it. People could get away with pride, dishonesty, sexual perversion, and legalism among themselves, but they could not do it in Christ’s presence. Consequently, those who rejected His standards eventually crucified Him.

Now I know that at this point you may be asking: Why does God allow persecution? What is its purpose? Paul gives two good reasons. One is that it is a token of salvation for the Christian. The other is that it is a token of destruction to the one who fails to believe. It’s not possible for a Christian to stand firm under persecution and for the world to dismiss it as nothing. It is evidence of a supernatural power. Consequently, it is a token of salvation to the Christian and of destruction to those who will not believe.

It may be that God will call you to bear a testimony like that of the prophets in the Old Testament. It may not be as dramatic as the prophets, but it may result in persecution. You may do it in a quiet way, and no one may ever hear your witness. No one will know of your courage. But God knows. And your witness will go down in the books of eternity as evidence that you were a Christian who lived as God called you to live and who bore the testimony God called you to bear. History will bear out that the things spoken by you were true, and your conduct will be vindicated. If you will see persecution in this light, then you will see it for what it really is a gift from the hand of God. Paul refers to persecution as a gift twice in the last two verses of this chapter, given by God as a token of His grace! How wonderful that persecution can be received in that way by Christians.

Philippians 1:27-30 Reflection Questions:
Do you believe that the church today is aggressive in advancement of the gospel? How might you help?
Have you experienced ridicule or prejudice for Christ’s sake?
Do you see persecution as a gift from God?

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Isaiah 4:2-6 Beyond Judgment – Glory!

by Larry Ferrell | December 22, 2017
The expression “in that day” has run like a refrain through the whole preceding judgment section, from 2:6 to 4:1. But now here in 4:2 the expression is used climatically as Isaiah’s attention is fixed again on the very end of history, the goal towards which everything is moving under God. The great and final day of the Lord, then has a double aspect. It’s both terrible (2:6-22) and glorious (4:2-6). But the way the text refers to glory as the climax reminds us that God’s ultimate purpose for His people is not destruction but salvation, a truth confirmed by the apostle Paul with resounding clarity (1 Thess. 5:9). Peter is no less definite (1 Pet. 1:5). That salvation which will be fully realized when Christ returns to draw history to its triumphant conclusion is represented here under four images.

The Branch of the Lord (4:2a): The Branch of the Lord or simply ‘the Branch’ is used as a technical term for the Messiah, and the motif of a ‘shoot’, ‘branch’ or ‘root’ springing up will later be used in some fairly specific ways within the book of Isaiah. Here however, it seems best to take the full-grown plant in conjunction with what follows, as a general image of the Lord’s saving purposes come to fruition and on display for all to see on the last day. Every gardener knows how a healthy plant in full bloom reflects credit on the one who planted and cultivated it. In a similar way the salvation that the Lord will achieve for His people will reflect great credit on Him on that final day. The Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious. The next three images reveal just what that salvation will involve.

A fruitful land (4:2b): The fruitful land of Canaan had been God’s gift to the Israelites in the days of Joshua in fulfillment of the promises made to their ancestors. The land therefore had religious significance for them. It was a visible sign or sacrament of the grace that the Lord had shown in choosing them to be His people. In Isaiah’s day that relationship was strained almost to breaking –point, and the land lay desolate and ravaged by Israel’s enemies, right up to the gates of Jerusalem itself (1:2, 7-8). But Isaiah was confident that the ancient promises would not fail. God would not destroy the nation; nor would He divorce her permanently from the land. A remnant would survive and enjoy in full measure what had been promised to their fathers long ago. It’s an image of abundant provision and deep contentment.

A holy city (4:3-4): Now the focus narrows from the land to Zion or Jerusalem, the city which had acquired a special significance for Israel in the time of David. In those days it had been holy in a double sense. It had been holy in that God, the Holy One of Israel, had chosen it as the place where David (His chosen king) and his descendants would rule over His people forever, and where God’s people would meet with Him in His temple. It was also holy in the sense that it had exhibited in its corporate life the very character of the one who had chosen it. It had been ‘faithful’ and ‘full of justice’. The Zion of Isaiah’s day had become a corrupt, harlot city, but Isaiah never doubted that it was still chosen to play a key role in the Lord’s purposes. In these two verses he sees the Zion of the future inhabited by an elect remnant, living in a city which has been purged of its moral corruption by divine judgment. Zion will then once more be holy in both senses: elect and faithful. The holy city represents perfect community.

A canopy of glory (4:5-6): The final image is of journey’s end, of the pilgrim people of God at last secure in God’s presence forever. There are many allusions here to the period of the exodus. That journey was punctuated by encampments, and at such times, rest in the land had never been perfectly achieved, even in the time of David. Now, in Isaiah’s time it seemed further off than ever. Isaiah believed that the final encampment of God’s people would be in the new Zion. In the final encampment the glory of the Lord’s presence fills the whole camp, and the protecting cloud, like a vast canopy or pavilion, covers the entire site and all who are assembled there (v. 5). There will no longer be any need for the tabernacle or temple, for the glory of the Lord will be directly accessible to all. And those with whom God is present in this way will be perfectly secure forever (v. 6). This is no out-of-date dream, but one which Jesus prayed to be realized, and which the apostle John sets before us again at the climax of the Bible as the vision of our own future in God which should still inspire us and draw us on. We too, are pilgrims.

Isaiah 4:2-6 Reflection Questions:
Putting yourself into this study, where are you in your spiritual pilgrimage?
Have you experienced the glory of The Lord?
What does it mean when you don’t feel close to the Lord’s presence in your life (according to your spiritual pilgrimage)?

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