Kaleo San Diego Church

Paul moves us to practical instruction. Paul is going to teach us how to live or ask us to do something with the way we live but he does this after he has announced doctrine. Paul moves to the practical after he teaches you about the truth of God and the truth of how we are to view life and death. His gives us truth first then he lays down the instruction of how we are to respond to that truth. In light of, because of, therefore, “only” this one thing, let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

This is the entire New Testament model. First comes the truth of God and the truth of God’s word and then comes instruction on conduct and behavior in this world.

This is extremely important for us as we think about discussing what it looks like to live as foreign citizens who are living in this world but are not of this world. Who are called to represent our Father, our King, and our Kingdom that we belong to.

The mistake that is often made in the church is getting to the “how” to behave without discussing the “why” we are to conduct ourselves a certain way.

Paul first lays down for us who God is and the truth He has spoken to us, then he calls to live in response, in light of that truth. To live out what we believe because of who God is and what He has done.

So he says “only let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel…”

Live out what you believe. Live in such a way that it is worthy of what you claim…the Gospel!

This may be the most effective way of evangelizing the lost.

We see this in the book of acts when we read about the followers of Christ being persecuted and scattered to distant lands. Wherever they went the went spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ by their lives and testimony of what Jesus Christ has done in forgiving their sin as He took upon Himself their sin and in return gave them His right standing before God.

There is nothing that more influenced the early world than the lives of these followers of Jesus. The not only died well, they lived well.

Observers saw their lives and began to ask “why do these people live with such focus and purpose,” “what is it they have?”

“How can these people live and die so well?” Do unbelievers ask this about us?

And when they asked the question, the followers of Christ were happy to give the answer and the gospel moved forward.

This has been the case throughout the last 2,000 years and this message has been told again and again and again and here we are discussing the same story and we are being called by this apostle to do the same and “live worthy.”

People are not nearly as interested in discussing absolute, objective truth claims. People are even less interested in discussing theology or philosophy, but everyone is interested in the practical questions of how to live.

We have the most information heavy culture in the world regarding psychology and self-help. We have book stores filled with books telling you how to live in this world. Giving you a way of living that you can grab hold of and tuck into your pocket. It’s a sound bite psychology that isn’t interested in diving deep to the depths of truth, but like a thin, smooth rock it skips along the water without really breaking the surface.

We spend billions of dollars a year buying these books and all of us are trying to figure out what’s wrong. How come it doesn’t work? Why isn’t it permanent? Why is it failing?

These same people that are looking for models and conduct that will give them some solid footing are waiting to see someone actually live out what they believe.

Here we are, followers of Christ, called to follow Him all the way to the cross, called to conduct ourselves a certain way, and in so doing, validate what we say we believe by how we live it out. People will talk about the undeniable truth of how you live.

The hardened skeptics can’t argue with you when what you believe is consistent with how you live. Your conduct proves your truth claim of the Gospel.

The most effective way to spread the Gospel is to live it. All other ideas and philosophies are breaking down around us and people are reaching for the most unreasonable and ridiculous answers to the most basic of questions.

Men and women are wondering where and what all of this is leading to in life and they are watching us to see if we are consistent with what we say.

If this is the case, we have a tremendous opportunity to show them what we believe in how we live.

Most of us resist this because we would rather tell people “do what I say and not what I do.” We come up with excuses about how unfair it is that they would judge us when they are even a Christian.

There is nothing more that we should to that to make the Gospel attractive by the way it is lived out. I’m not talking about changing its message of the gospel, but changing the way we live in response to it.

This is how Paul puts it to us: conduct is in light of doctrine. The way we act is second to what we believe. They can never be detached because what we believe to be true will inevitably be lived out in our lives.

Conduct is the outcome of certain things believed. The New Testament is never interested in conduct and behavior itself, and the New Testament never makes an appeal to conduct or behavior to anybody but Christian believers.

The New Testament isn’t interested in the morality of the world. It tells us plainly that you should expect nothing from the world but sin.

The Christian life is impossible to the non-Christian and the New Testament tells us that everywhere.

The only message the New Testament has for anyone that isn’t a follower of Jesus Christ is to repent and believe in God’s only Son for the forgiveness of your sins. It never makes an appeal to make bad men good, it’s only interested in making dead men live.

Once you have believed, then you live a life that is in response to the forgiving grace and mercy and love of God which can only be found and experienced through Christ.

Would we ever be warranted to tell someone that doesn’t believe in Christ and His message of salvation “only let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?” Never! We wouldn’t call someone to change their conduct when the basis for change is because of the good news of God’s forgiveness found in Jesus.

This is the problem; most men and women see Christians as people that don’t do certain things.

They view us as a people with nothing more to offer than prohibitions, restrictions and restraints. We are the people that “don’t do” something rather than the people that “do” something.

Is that what being worthy of the Gospel is? Not doing certain things? It’s partially true that we do keep ourselves from certain things that will harm us. But if that is the only message we have in this world is not doing things, we have a pretty pathetic message.

The Gospel appeal is fundamentally different that the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments didn’t and doesn’t reason with you. It says “don’t do this, or do this,” it’s the “thou shalt, and thou shalt not.” This is the characteristic of a law, it doesn’t reason with us it just tells us what to do or not to do.

The New Testament appeal is a totally different appeal than the Ten Commandments. It comes to us in a way that reasons with us and appeals to our intellect and heart.

The outcome of the New Testament appeal is inevitable. It doesn’t legislate or command, it makes a series of statements, it lays down doctrine and then says “in light of that,” “therefore,” “only…”

New Testament living is never isolates conduct by itself. Conduct is the outcome of the life of the Gospel. It doesn’t give us a list of rules and regulations to follow. Instead, it gives us a principle and calls us to apply it and live it.

Does the New Testament give us specific instruction and command us to something? Yes. But it is given as a response to a principle that we believe and then it says for us to life in light of that principle.

In light of this, in view of this, can’t you see that lying, stealing, adultery, fornication, and all the rest is incompatible with what you believe.

In the movie “TROY” Paris and Hector are not given detailed instruction with every word and phrase worked out perfectly. They are called to represent their kingdom and king in a way that will honor and not harm. The conduct of Paris was incompatible with the principle of honoring their king. It was not a breaking of a detailed instruction as much as it was not living according to the principle that was supposed to govern his entire life.

This is the thrust of the verse: “Only let your conduct (citizenship), be worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Conduct or conversation is poorly translated from the Greek word politeuomai which means “citizenship.” Paul is appealing to their citizenship.

He is saying to them: Behave as a worthy citizen of the Kingdom message which is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Do we live as a worthy citizen of the kingdom in response to what we believe about the gospel?

Are we Hector which honored our Father, our King, and our Kingdom? Or are we Paris, the weak and cowardly, which was only interested in his gain, his desires, his wants, his emotions, his interests, his lusts, his felt needs, and his own glory?

Paul’s appeal to us isn’t for an ethical system it’s for consistent living to what we say we already believe.

We represent our Father, our King, and our Kingdom every day, in every way. We are citizens of another land. We are under a different jurisdiction. We are called to a different life, a different code, a different way of living than the rest of this world.

We are foreigners traveling through and wanting to go home as soon as our King calls for us. But while we are here, the King has asked us to represent Him and our homeland in a way that will win people to our kingdom.

We are called to live in a way that reflects what Christ has done. Are you familiar with what your King has done for you? Are you familiar with the price He paid to secure your citizenship? Are you aware of the claims we make when we say we believe His message?

Paul moves from telling what we should do to how we should do it.

Verse 27b- so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast…

Stand fast is from the Greek verb steko, and it means to hold your ground regardless of the danger or the opposition. It is a word that was used of a soldier who defended his position at all costs, even to the point of sacrificing his own life.

Figuratively it means to hold fast to a belief, a conviction, or a principle without compromise, regardless of personal cost.

To stand fast means to stand for truth in a culture that doesn’t believe there is any such thing, to stand against falsehood even though our culture has accepted falsehood as the norm, and to stand for righteousness against sin, even though sin is common and righteousness is uncommon. It can mean to stand for or against something.

Paul was not afraid of ridicule, hardship, suffering or even death. His convictions were firm and he didn’t waver. He refused to compromise God’s truth for a better or more pleasant life. His only fear was that he would be disqualified from the ministry if he caved in.

This standing fast was standing fast…

…in one spirit, with one mind…

Along with standing firm in the faith as an individual, there must also be unity within the church, a sharing of convictions and responsibilities.

Many of us would prefer to be lone ranger Christians mavericks. Many of us would rather hide in a mega-church, or hide at home away from the life of a family so that we can think, do, and act any way we want without anyone expecting anything from us.

The idea of standing together in agreement and in our duty to and with one another sounds foreign.

We would rather bowl alone than to join a team. It’s an epidemic that is a relatively recent phenomenon. The trend to isolate is on its way up not down. People are screaming for community but no one knows what the heck that means or how to have it.

Here Paul calls us to live together, believing the same thing, and standing firm in our relationship and responsibility to that belief. He is calling us to harmony, and mutual dependence.

From the very beginning the church was of one spirit, with one mind…

Acts 2:44-46- 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,

Acts 4:32- Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

They were called to stand for truth as an individual, to have agreement “one spirit” within God’s community, and they were called to…

…striving together for the faith of the gospel,

The last thing Paul calls them to is to be worthy citizens of where they have citizenship and to live according to what they believe as they are “striving together.” To “sunathleo” as kingdom citizens.

This word in the Greek is two words joined together. It’s a compound with “sun” which means with and the noun “athleo” which is a term we use in the English for athelete.

He is emphasizing that we compete together as a team. It’s not an all star basketball team that can’t win because each of them are used to being the star, it is a team in which Christ is the supreme athlete and we are joined together with him to compete.

It is the opposite of taking advantage of one another for our own benefit. Instead Paul is calling us to sacrifice our own welfare to promote the welfare of others. It means for us to play as a team to advance the truth of God and promote His kingdom.

Any kind of genuine unity needs to have a purpose. Trying to achieve unity for the sake of unity is an exercise in futility, because it needs to have proper motivation and a focus of a common goal or cause.

The church’s only true unity is grounded in “the faith of the gospel.”

This kind of striving not only advances the faith of the gospel, it also stops the advance of whatever oppose it. Through history we have faced a hostile world and it isn’t any different today.

From the very beginning the church has endured ridicule and shame at the hands of those that would have us shackled to a works based religion.

To promote the free offer of grace upon the work of One person, Jesus, is foolish to a world that thinks they are all their own savior.

Some of this opposition is obvious, some of it is subtle, but make no mistake if you believe in the truth of this gospel of Jesus, you have enemies. The key isn’t to hide from your enemies, or be afraid of them, but to put on your armor, stand fast with your brothers and sisters and advance the kingdom as Godly athletes who are pressing the gospel forward and taking ground on a daily basis.

We’re called as citizens of the Kingdom an believers in the gospel to not be afraid of our enemies….

Verse 28- and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

Our confidence in battle shows their ultimate doom. All of God’s enemies will one day be destroyed, but until then we stand firm in the gospel, we stand firm together, and we fight with all we have for the glory of God and to represent him well.

If that means we suffer….

Verse 29- For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,

It’s what we have been appointed to. We have been given a gracious gift from the Father to suffer for His sake. It’s to be expected. God not only granted us the faith we have in Christ, along with that He granted us suffering for Him.

Why? Because we are to imitators of Jesus, and Jesus carried a large heavy cross to the top of Calvary and he was nailed to it and died upon it. We are then called to take up our cross and follow Him.

This isn’t some pointless life, some eeking out an existence. This is passionate, focused, working faith that gives us a purpose to live and to die well.

We all experience this together…

Verse 30- having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

Our conflict is no different than was Paul’s. He was eventually beheaded for his faith in Christ and his willingness to strive.

Here we are called to represent the same Father, the same King, and the same Kingdom as our brother warrior Paul.

We are called to live as a worthy citizen of the Kingdom of God in a foreign land because of what we believe about Jesus. Amen.