12-16-12 A MANNER WORTHY

We are going to pick up our study

of Paul’s letter to the Philippians

with Phil. 1:27 today.

Last week we stopped at verse 21,

but several weeks ago we jumped ahead to verses 22-26

when we were talking about Paul’s ‟win-win” situation

as he realized that his only two options

were to be released from prison

or to ushered into the presence of Christ through execution,

and he figured either one was fine with him.

You may recall we talked about how

that “win-win” attitude

served as such a powerful encouragement to the Christians around him.

Verse 27 of Phil. chapter 1

brings us to a concept

that provides the foundation

for everything he says

in the next 22 verses.

And to help us get into

what Paul is saying here

I just want to take the first phraseof that 27^th verse

and stay with it long enough

so that we really hear what’s being said.

Paul begins verse 27 with these words,

‟ Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ;...”

Now he goes on in the verses that follow

to describe what “a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” looks like,

but there is something remarkable

about this opening phrase itself

that I want us to see first.

Paul uses this phrase five different times

throughout his letters.

In order to understand

what’s really going on here

I need to back up a few steps

and get a run at it.

There may be no better phrase

in all of Scripture

that more effectively points out

the difference between

the gospel of Christ

and the message of religion

than this single phrase, “a manner worthy”.

The basic premise of virtually all religious systems

is that we can change who we are

by improving how we act.

You can become a good man

by doing good things.

You can become a righteous man

by doing righteous things.

Religion takes a thousand different forms

in a thousand different settings,

but the underlying message

is always the same.

It says, “Come, my child.

Let me show you the way.

I have a system guaranteed to improve your standing with God.

These are the duties you must fulfill,

these are the proofs of faithfulness, the signs of the truly committed.

Do not be afraid...

if you will just try harder,

and do more,

and be better

God will be pleased,

and He will smile on you.”

The assumption is always

that we are not what we should be

and we can become

who we need to be

by changing our behavior.

That’s religion,

it is not Christianity.

True Christianity begins with exactly the opposite assumption.

It begins with the assumption that

through Christ we have already become

holy and righteous and pure

and perfect

and our problem is that

our behavior

is not consistent with our true identity

because we do not yet believe the truth

about who we really are.

This is why the new testament writers

approach the performance problem

the way they do.

Rather than beginning their comments

by talking about our actions,

they always begin by talking about

our true identity.

They know that if we can ever begin to grasp who we are,

it will transform how we act.

If, however, we try to change

how we act,

without first coming to grips with

who we are,

it will produce only

a pasted-on religious facade

that will produce no real inner transformation in our life.

Now I know we are on dangerous ground right here

and some of you are already starting to glaze over

because what I’m saying

quite honestly doesn’t seem to

tie in at all with the real issues

going on in your life right now,

but if you stay with me

I hope it will make more sense

before we finish.

Maybe I can give you an illustration

that will help us better relate

to what I see going on here.

OK, picture a small nation ruled by a king and queen.

The king and queen have just one child,

a 12 year old son.

He, of course, is the future heir of the throne,

the future ruler of the nation,

and has been a royal prince

since the day of his birth.

He is also, however, a 12 year old boy,

and he likes his schooling

and his lessons

and his daily responsibilities

about as much as most 12 year old boys.

Our prince lives within the royal palace.

It’s really a great set-up

with all the things he could ever want,

but at 12 years old

his palace begins to feel like a prison

to the young prince.

One day the prince decides he’s had enough.

He’s had to fight his way through

one too many

double-digit long division problems

and decides he’s busting out.

He’s going to get out of this place for a while and find out

what the real world is like.

So he digs through his royal wardrobe

until he finds the grubbiest old clothes he can find.

He takes off his royal rings

and gold chains

and anything else that might identify

who he really is,

and sneaks out the back entrance

of the royal palace.

The young prince wanders on down town

and just walks the streets for a while.

Before long

he meets another boy about his age.

His name is Tim,

his dad is a dock worker

and his family lives in the poorer part of town.

Tim is clearly at the bottom end

of the country’s social structure.

Tim and the prince start talking

and before long Tim says,

“Hey, you want to have some fun?”

The prince is all for it,

and the two of them set off

to terrorize the town

as only 12 year old boys can.

They begin by tearing through the market place

grabbing as much stuff as they can get a hold of

when the shop keepers aren’t watching.

They fill their pockets with toys

and pocket knives

and candy bars

and anything else their little fingers

can grab.

Then Tim comes up with this great idea

involving the huge fountain

in the center of the city.

What would that fountain look like

if several gallons of dish soap

sort of got poured into it?

The boys rip off several large bottles of soap

and head down to the fountain.

Then, when no one is looking

they pour them in right where

the circulating pump

is sucking in water at the base of the fountain.

They effect is beyond their wildest expectations.

Instantly the stone lions

at the top of the fountain

that just a minute ago had a stream of water pouring out of their mouths,

suddenly begin to blow billions of soap bubbles into the air.

Then the huge pools at the lions’ feet

begin to froth up into heaps and piles

of the most glorious foam.

The effect is fantastic,

and the boys step back

and stare at their creation,

awestruck at their brilliance.

Then suddenly they each feel a strong,

heavy hand on their shoulder

and turn around to look up into the face of an apparently very unhappy police officer.

The boys are taken down town,

and held until their parents can be contacted.

Now, I want you to imagine

the kind of conversations

those two boys will have with their parents.

I think Tim’s conversation

will go something like this...

Tim’s dad will say,

‟You little idiot! What’s wrong with you anyway? Look at the mess you’ve created for us!

I’ve lost a full day’s work,

your stupid little antics are going to cost us several hundred dollars to correct,

and every dime of that is coming out of you.

Do you really want to spend

the rest of your childhood

locked up in some juvenile detention center?

If you ever pull something like this again

don’t count on us bailing you out.

We’ve got enough problems

without patching up your stupidity.

Why can’t you behave yourself anyway?”

Now, how do you think the prince’s conversation with his parents will go?

I think it will sound very different.

I think his father, the King, will say something like this:

“Son, don’t you realize who you are? You are the prince,

the future ruler of this nation.

You are not some little street urchin

running around the city.

Your actions today

were totally incompatible

with the royal blood that runs in your veins.

You owe our nation an apology

for dishonoring this throne

and your royal title

and you will apologize!”

Those two boys

and the conversations they had with their fathers

illustrate the difference between

religion and Christianity

when it comes to dealing with

bringing about changes

in our behavior.

Tim’s interaction with his parents

illustrates the way religion

typically approaches behavior problems -

it aims its attack at the consequences

of our actions.

Don’t do that because it is wrong,

because it causes problems,

because you’ll get in trouble, etc.

The prince’s conversation with the King

illustrates the way our Lord

approaches behavior problems

in the life of the Christian.

He begins by saying basically,

“Don’t you realize who you are?”

And we all respond by saying, “NO! As a matter of fact

we’re not real clear on who we are.”

And so He tells us,

again and again and again.

The way in which Paul approaches

the Christians at Corinth

is a great example.

Here is a group of Christians

who are doing just about everything wrong they can do.

They are fighting like crazy with one another -

some of them in open court,

others by dividing into little factions within the church

fighting over which teacher they like best.

Some of them are sleeping with prostitutes,

and one man is living in an open incest relationship within the church.

They are getting drunk at their pot lucks,

and their church services

are so chaotic and out of control

that Paul says anyone who walked in on them

would consider them all to be crazy.

Now how would you begin a letter

to a group of Christians like that?

I believe I’d start with something like,

‟You idiots! Get your act together! Way to destroy the name of Christ.

Why don’t you get your act together

or get out!”

You know, something subtle,

gentle,

kind.

Listen to the way Paul begins his letter

to these guys:

1CO 1:1 Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, [2] to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: [3] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1CO 1:4 I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, [5] that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, [6] even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, [7] so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, [8] who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

He calls them SAINTS!!

Holy ones!

He promises them grace and peace from God.

He even tells them that God will confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And a few chapters latter

when he deals with that prostitution thing,

listen to the argument he offers

to help them change their behavior:

He says,

1CO 6:12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.... [15] Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be! ...[19] Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? [20] For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

His whole message is one of

reshaping the identity of God’s people

to the point where we realize

that our sinful actions

are completely inconsistent

with who we really are.

That, of course, is at the heart of what Paul is saying in Rom. 12:1-2

when he says,

ROM 12:1 I urge you therefore, 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. [2] And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

And that brings us back to Paul’s use

of this phrase, “A manner worthy..”

When Paul wants to talk to us

about our behavior

he often uses this phrase, “a manner worthy...”

because it provides the perfect transition into behavior issues.

But it is always a transition,

not a beginning point.

He always begins

by talking to us about who we are,

who we have become in Christ,

and only after he is certain

we have understood our true identity

does he talk to us about

how that identity should impact

our daily lives.

That’s what’s going on here in Phil. 1: 27.

The next 22 verses are going to talk about

some behavior issues.

But Paul begins that discussion

by first of all reminding us about WHY

our behavior is an issue.

It matters most of all

because of who we are,

because of who we have become in Christ.

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ...

But I can’t stop there for the morning

because even though what we’ve looked at

does explain what our Lord is seeking to do in our lives,

it may not help us understand how He goes about doing it.

And the truth is

that there is no more difficult battle in our lives

than the battle for us to gain a correct understanding of who we really are in Christ.

It is, quite honestly, absolute, daily open warfare.

Even apart from Satan’s direct attacks against us,

we all come to our Lord

with a lifetime of lies about who we are.

We know all too well our own wounds,

and failures,

and inabilities to do all the things we think we should do.

And then the accuser of the brethren, Satan, comes along side of us

and does all within his power

to keep our eyes focused on our performance,

telling us that we are what we do

and what we do falls so short of what we should have done.

And of course our highly refined religious systems

provide the perfect environment in which this performance-based warfare can rage within us.

So how does our Lord

break us free from the lies

and bring us into the amazing light of His truth?

Well, for now I will end by simply sharing with you

what He will seek to do.

The how in each of our lives

is something I can’t offer you

because it is unique in each of our lives,

but the what is always the same.

And the what is simply this -

He will be seeking to find some way through

all of our lies,

and all of our defenses,

and all of our assumptions

to bring us to the place where we can hear Him saying to us,

“My child, I love you.

I love you right where you are, just as you are.

You cannot earn My love,

you cannot lose it,

because it is rooted not it what you do or don’t do,

but rather in My absolute delight in who you are as my unique creation.

I bring no expectations into my friendship with you beyond this one thing:

that you will trust my love for you,

allowing it to bathe and cleanse your spirit once again each day,

freeing you from you obsessive attempts to earn my acceptance,

allowing you to rest in your total peace with Me.

As you begin to understand who you really are to Me,

that knowledge will seep into your life

in a way that creates with you a growing desire

to walk in a manner worthy of this glorious love relationship

that you and I share together.”

That’s the what.

And to that what I’ll add just one more observation from my own life.

Most of the time

it seems as though we cannot truly, deeply hear that voice of love

until He speaks it to us at the point of our failure.

Only then do we really begin to hear

the true nature of who we are in the eyes and heart of our God.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.