Standing Firm in the Lord

Good evening. Gohan. Aloha. Good. There you go. So, tonight we're going to continue on our series in the book of Philippians, and we're going to pick off where uh we're going to start off where Pastor Enser left off last Sunday night. So, that'll be in Philippians chapter 3, if you turn there, uh vers 17 all the way to the last verse, and then chapter 4 verse 1. Um let me start out by saying every day we are influenced by someone or something. People tell us what success looks like, what happiness looks like and what we should live for. The world says live for yourself. Do what makes you happy.

But God's word teaches us to live for Christ. Paul wrote the book of Philippians, as many of you already know, while he was in prison. Even though he was suffering, he kept encouraging believers to stay faithful to Jesus. Earlier in this chapter, Paul spoke about pressing toward the mark, pursuing Christ, and growing spiritually. Now, in our passage tonight, Paul gives us five important truths that I hope as we dig into this message that will help you as believers to be faithful. We're going to look at how we ought to follow godly examples, how we should avoid worldly influences. Remember your heavenly citizenship, but we should look at Christ's return and stand firm in the Lord.

So tonight, I've entitled our message standing firm in the Lord. So if you are able, I'm going to read our text. If you are able, please stand with me as I read from our holy word. the the word of God. In verse 17, the Bible says, "Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk as ye have us for an example. For many of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly and whose glory is in their shame who mind earthly things. For our conversation is in heaven. From hence also we look for the Savior in the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the work where uh working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Chapter 4 verse one. Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved and long for my joy and crown, so standfast in the Lord, my dearly beloved father, Lord, thank you so much again for who you are. Thinking about this song we just sang, the grace, grace of God. We thank you so much and praise you for your grace. We thank you for your enduring mercy. Father, we especially thank you for your holy word. We pray now, Lord, as we come together to learn from this passage that you will allow us to open our hearts and our minds to this passage and to learn and to respond to your word. And Father, I pray that you grant me clarity and you will help me to get my voice to last towards the end of this message.

We thank you. We love you. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Thank you. Please have a seat. You're good. So the first suggestion is this passage or truth if you will. Paul's is talking about following godly examples. In verse 17 he says, "Brethren uh be followers together of me and mark them which walk as uh so as ye have us for an example." Paul tells believers to follow his example. You know, as you read this, at first you may think that it sounds prideful. But Paul was not pointing people to himself instead of Christ. He was pointing people to a life that follows Christ. Notice in uh he said in 1 Corinth uh 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ."

I got to tell you, I I know that you probably know this. Paul's life is far more than perfect, but his decision or his direction that he made is is right. So, we need to we need good examples as we look at people like Paul, you know, young Christians, they need mature Christians. Children need godly parents. New believers need faithful church members. And that's where you all come in. I say faithful church members because when you all come in on Sunday evenings or even Wednesday nights, you're the pair of this church. Everyone needs someone who can help them grow. God often teaches us through the lives of others.

And there are so many in this in in in in the Bible. In Hebrews 13:7, the Bible says, "Remember them which have the rule over you, you uh who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation." Notice that Paul what he said in this verse he said um to mark them mark them. The word mark means to observe carefully. We are to look at people who and look at how they love God's word and look at yourself. Do you love God's word? Stay faithful to church. people who pray consistently, who remain faithful during hard times and show kindness and humility. These are the kinds of people that you need in your life.

Good examples. The truth is that everyone is following somebody. The question is not am I following someone but the question is who am I following? should ask yourself that if you spend all your time following worldly influence, you will think like the world. I can guarantee that. If you spend all your time following worldly influences, you're going to think like the world. If you spend your time around or surrounding people with godly people, you will be encouraged to follow Christ. That is where the fellowship is so essential, folks. Let me illustrate. A student learns by watching a teacher, right?

An apprentice learns by watching a skilled worker. A young Christian grows by watching mature believers. If you consider yourself mature, be mindful on what you are doing because the younger believers are watching and learning from you. o you should ask yourself who is influencing me the most? Who is influencing me the most? The second truth is we are to avoid worldly influences. I'll read that of verse 18 and 19 together for you. For many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly and whose glory is in their shame who mind earthly things.

Let's break these two these two verses down a little bit. I want you to notice Paul's heart in in these verses. He's not angry. It may sound like his he's angry, but if you look at the words, he's not angry. He is weeping. His warning comes with tears, crying for the people of Philippians, the people who are falling away. Paul was heartbroken. He saw people walking from God's truth. Their lives contradicted the gospel. Instead of rejoicing over sin, Paul grieved over it. Many, many Christians today are quick to criticize. Oh, this guy is not coming anymore or this lady is not coming anymore. And we start to judge.

Paul cried over them. Our cries had the same heart. In Luke 19:41, our Lord said, "And when he was come near, he beheld the city and wept over it." God's people should never become cold toward lost sinners. We should love them enough to tell them about the truth, to tell them about the gospel of Christ. And then as we look at these folks, remember these verses tells us that their their end is destruction. That's why Paul, I think, was crying for them. Whose end is destruction. A life live without Christ ends in judgment. The world says follow your path. But God says there is only one way to salvation.

Our Lord said Jesus uh unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the father but by me. And then in Proverbs 14:12, the Bible says, "There is a way which seemth right unto the man unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." And be careful where you're heading to. Be mindful of those who are walking off, who are lost. Many people believe they are on the right road. That's a sad thing. Many, many do. But I I got to tell you, sincerity does not make someone right. Only Christ can save. And as we look at these people, their God is their belly. The the Bible says whose God is is is their belly.

Paul is talking about people whose desires rule their lives. You know those kinds of people whatever they want becomes the master of how they live. Instead of obeying God, they obey their appetites. And we see that today as well. We see that in pleasure. We see that in money. We see that in success, in comfort, in entertainment. All of these in the world takes over. And the first priority of the lost in their lives. Anything that controls you folks more than God becomes an idol. In Romans 6:16, the Bible says, "Know ye not that whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey? His servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness."

Now we see that these people who are falling away, their glory is in their shame. I mean, what what does Paul mean by that? Their glory is in their shame. And you see that in verse 19 of our passage. You know what that really means is that they brag about things they should be ashamed of. And that is true today. Today they celebrate sin. What cause wrong, what God calls wrong, the world says all is good. And Isaiah warned us in chapter 5 20. Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet and and sweet for bitter. Well, just because culture is changing.

Just you see that the world is changing and everything seems to be everything that is bad is good, that doesn't mean God's truth is changing as well. Be careful of that. And then it talks about their minds, how their minds are focused on earth, who mind earthly things. Verse 19 says, you know, these folks with that kind of mind, their their mind never rises above the world. Everything is about today. Everything is about now. Everything is about what they can get. Our Lord warned us in Matthew 6:19 and 20, "Lay not up yourselves treasures upon upon earth, where moth and rod uh rust dot corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust do corrupt, and where their thie where where thieves do not break through nor steal." Where are you? Where are you laying your treasures? Is it all worldly? Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with having a job, owning a home, or planning for the future. I'm in retirement mode right now. I'm starting to plan a little bit what's coming down in a few years. The problem comes when earthly things become important than the eternal things of life. Some people spend their lives preparing for retirement but never prepare for eternity.

Some people spend hours on entertainment but never spending the time with God. Paul warns us not to become so focused on these earthly things that we forget about heaven. Should ask yourselves these questions. What do I think about most? What do you think about most? What occupies your mind? What excite excites you most? And what takes most of your time? See, when you consider these questions and you ask these questions about yourself, the answers often reveal what is most important to you. Make sure your priorities are right. Third truth is we are to remember our heavenly citizenship. In verse 20, the Bible said of our passible says, "For our conversation is in heaven.

From hence also we look to the savior the lord Jesus Christ. The word conversation here means citizenship. Paul is reminding believers that they belong to another kingdom. They lived in Philippi when their citizenship is in heaven. As Christians, we live on earth. But we must never forget that we belong to the kingdom of God in heaven. This world is not ours. Peter wrote in in uh 1 Peter 2:1 uh dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lust which are war against the soul. Strangers and pilgrims in this world. A pilgrim is someone who's passing through. We're not of this world.

We're passing through. This is temporal. Everything in this world is temporary. Everything around us will one day pass away. Our real home, ladies and gentlemen, is with Christ. See that? In Hebrews 13:14, the Bible says, "For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come." We have no continuing city here, but we seek for one to come. We should live, therefore, we should live like heavenly citizens. If heaven is our home, then our lives should reflect heaven's values, right? We should love what God loves. We should hate what God hates. We should speak like Christians, act like Christians, and treat people like Christians.

Our Lord said in Matthew 5:14, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hit." Are you being a light? The world should be able to see an influence in our lives. The influence of our God. Let me illustrate what I'm talking about. When when a citizen of one country visits another country, he or she remembers that they are representing their homeland. Likewise, wherever we go, we as citizens of heaven should always remember that we represent Christ. We represent Christ at work, at school, at home, at church. in the community. Remember that we are ambassadors for Christ.

Sometimes believers become so attached to this world that they they forget where they belong. When heaven becomes real to us, let me say it again. When heaven becomes real to us, many earthly problems begin to look much smaller. So if you're one of those who are worrying all all the time focusing on the problems of this world perhaps you need to be focusing on the Lord and his kingdom for truth look for look for Christ's return I'm going to read verse 20 and 21 of our passage again we'll read them together for our conversation is in heaven from whence also we look for the sa uh savior the lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

See, one of the greatest hopes of Christian life is the return of our savior. Paul says, "We are looking for the savior." The early church lived with that expectation. They believe Jesus could come any time and rightfully so because Jesus our Lord promised that he would return. In John 14:3 he said, "For and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and I and receive you unto myself that where I am there ye may be also." He did not say I might come back again. He said, "I will come back again." That is a promise, folks. It's not a possibility. It is a bonafide promise, true promise.

You know, the same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem, died at the cross, uh rose from the grave, and ascended into heaven, uh has promised to return to his people. When the world looks really out of control, you should think about this truth. Jesus is coming again. When life is difficult, Jesus is coming again. When your heart is broken, Jesus is coming again. When you stand at the grave of a loved one who's accepted Christ, Jesus is coming again. See, that promise has encouraged believers for more than two thou 2,000 years already. Paul also wrote in Titus 2:13, "Looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ."

The return of Christ. You know what's that called? The return of Christ. The blessed hope. That's it. [clears throat] The blessed hope. It is a believer's hope. Because one day, one day every sorrow will end and every promise of God will be fulfilled. If you understand that, there should be hope in your heart. And get this, our Lord, according to this passage, will change our bodies. Yes. Paul said in verse 21, who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. The world, the word vile does not mean sinful here. It just simply refers to our weak mortal bodies that suffer because of a living because of living in a fallen called earth.

I know you understand what I'm talking about. I know you understand about the weaknesses of these bodies. We get tired, right? We get sick. We grow older. We experience pain. Well, some of you are not there yet. Some are battling diseases. Some are battling physical limitations. Some carry scars from their accidents or their surgeries. But Paul says a day is coming when Christ will completely transform these bodies. He also explains in in 1 Corinthians 15:51, "Behold, I show you a mystery." We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. I know the Lord created myself, and I know I love my body because of that, but I am also looking forward to a body that's not as broken as this.

The blessed hope. The final truth is, stand firm in the Lord. Stand firm in the Lord. See, after reminding believers about their heavenly citizenship and the return of Christ, Paul brings everything to a practical conclusion. And that comes in verse uh one of chapter 4. Therefore, my brethren and dearly beloved, and long for my joy and crown, so stand fast in the in the Lord, my dearly beloved. Several things I want to cover there. First notice the word therefore. And pastor loves to say this. He love he loves to explain therefore. He said whenever we see therefore in scripture we should ask what is it therefore?

You remember him saying that? Makes a lot of sense. Paul is pointing back to everything that he just said because Christ is our righteousness. Because we have heavenly citizenship. Because Jesus is coming again. because he will transform our bodies. Therefore, it's what Paul meant. Therefore, stand fast in the Lord. But I want to go a little bit deeper and notice Paul's love for the church. He calls them my brother and uh dearly beloved and long for these believers of Philippi were precious to the Apostle Paul. He loved them deeply. They were not simply church members on a list. I know we have a list here, but you're more than a name on the list.

They were family in the church of Philippi. The church should be a place where people genuinely love one another. Christ said in John 13:35, "By this shall all men or men know that ye are my disciples if you have love one to another." I always often think about this nowadays as I kind of age a little bit. Fellowship, church fellowship. Are you coming together? Are you loving one another? Are you showing the love of God towards each other? See, one of the greatest testimonies of a church is its love for God and his love for its people. Paul he also me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me mentioned his joy said my joy and crown in verse one the Philippian believer has brought joy to Paul's heart as a pastor teacher parent or even Christian friend there's a great joy in seeing people grow in Christ doesn't it when you see people grow in in Christ when you see lives changed because of Christ.

That's awesome. John expressed similar thoughts in 3R John 4. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Nothing compares to seeing lives transformed by God's grace. As I was as we started, I was listening to to the song of God's grace, it reminded me of that. Our God is so gracious. But I want to say this. Notice Paul's command though in verse one says, "So stand fast in the Lord." That's a command. See the phrase stand fast means to stand firm. Remain faithful and refuse to give up. Paul is saying don't quit. Don't compromise. Don't drift away. Don't surrender to the pressures pressures of this world.

We are to stand firm in Christ. I also remind I want to remind you that Christian life is not a sprint. It is a marathon. There will be temptations. There will be trials. There will be disappointments. There will be seasons when standing for our Lord is not popular. You may already be in that season now at work when you mention your savior. Nobody likes to listen. Regardless of all that, Paul says to stand fast in the Lord. That's a command. Stand fast in the Lord. So, let me ask you this. How do we stand fast? How do we stand firm in the Lord? This is something that's so complicated that you need a degree.

Oh, we stand firm by staying close to Christ. We stand firm through prayer. We stand firm through God's word, through fellowship with God's people, and we stand firm through obedience. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 16:13, "Watch ye stand fast in the faith. Quit ye like men. Be strong." Again, in 1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord, the strength to stand, I want to make it very clear. The strength to to stand fast, to stand firm, does not come from you and I.

It comes from our Lord. Say that. So perhaps you may be here today. Perhaps you're weary or discouraged. Sometimes you probably might you may be feeling like you want to quit. But then we got to consider that what Paul is saying here. Stand fast. Keep trusting. Keep serving. Keep believing. Pe keep looking up. Because you know what? Our Christ, the son of God, has not forgotten you at all. Jesus is still on the throne. Jesus is still coming again. Stand fast in the Lord.