When Emily and I bought our first home in 2009 we moved in with plans to cut the cable. Emily at the time was working nights as a nurse and so I was left to my lonesome three evening each week. Previously, ESPN always occupied my attention (and sadly, my affections as well), but when cable was let go, I had to find other means of occupation. So, I went to the library and rented Band of Brothers for the first time.
Thus began my infatuation with World War II, and also my infatuation with reading. I was soon spending hours each night pouring through military history books, one of the first of which was Stephen Ambrose’s Citizens Soldiers. Elaborating on the title Ambrose opens with these words, “This book is about the citizen soldiers of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Forces in the European Theater of Operations in World War II. Although it includes some material on strategy . . . it is not a book about generals. It is about the GIs, [the ordinary men] of ETO—who they were, how they fought, what they endured, how they triumphed.”
“Citizen soldiers” is a most apt description of Christians according to our text. The verbs are almost exclusively political and militant. It’s as though Paul is saying, citizens of heaven are to live as soldiers for Christ. We thus see truth about our identity in Christ (citizens of heaven), and also about the tenacity of life in Christ (soldiers fighting worthy of the gospel).
But let us saying something here about living “worthy.” For how many of us, after seeing everything Paul says feel so unworthy. We are divisive complainers, fearful with the truth, and prone to distrust a sovereign God when He graces us with suffering. Far from being worthy soldiers for Christ, we are often unworthy deserters of Christ. If you are in here tonight and are not a Christian, the Bible says you are an enemy of Christ. What hope does Paul have for our unworthiness? Look back at 1:29. Paul writes, “It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should . . . believe in him.” God meets our unworthiness with the worth of Christ, He graciously gives us faith in Jesus; faith that saves from sin and enlists us into Christ’s army. Oh, I pray that those of you apart from Christ tonight would see His supreme worth—that he died for sinners like you. If you would but turn from you sin and trust in Him, you will become a citizen of heaven and soldier of Christ.
If you are a Christian see afresh the grace that changes unworthy sinners into worthy citizen soldiers. His Spirit of Grace resides within you to enable you to live in a manner worthy of the gospel. So, as we close let me try and tie everything we’ve seen together as we consider what our text tells us about a church that lives worthy of the gospel.
A Church That Lives Worthy of the Gospel
We display the heart of Christ. The heart of Christ is one of unity. He secures it through his death, intercedes for it through His prayer, and builds it through His spirit. Steve Timmis said, “The church is the fruit of the cross. You may look across this room and be unhappy about a part of this body. Something that frustrates you, or some that makes you uncomfortable. But Jesus looks at us and say, “This is the fruit of my suffering and I love it.” So we are to stand firm in one spirit, with one mind.
We declare the truth of Christ. Through our preaching and hearing the word preached we take up arms against the forces of darkness. As we grow in the truth through discipling relationships and small groups we sharpen our blades to do battle against the Serpent. As we fathers and mothers lead our children to love and obey the truth we fit are putting them through a spiritual boot camp. And, as we’ve said already, we do all of this without fear. Courage is the seasoning that ought to permeate our declarations of truth.
We demonstrate the treasure of Christ. The grace of suffering will fall on you at some point. It’s has fallen on us multiple times this year, and we ought not to expect next year to be any different should the Lord tarry. It’s a grace for many reasons, one of which is that is allows us to demonstrate before the world what we truly treasure. Comfort? Pleasure? Success? Acclaim? Or, when all those things fall away, do we show that in plenty or in want, Jesus is our true treasure.
We are welcomed into the kingdom of Christ and called to behave as citizens worthy of the gospel; behavior Paul summarizes as showing our allegiance to Christ and perseverance in Christ. As those things happen we will find this church to be one that display the heart of Christ, declares the truth of Christ, and demonstrates the treasure of Christ. Living worthy of the gospel is the essence of the Christian life.
This post is adapted from my recent sermon, “Rejoicing in Life,” on Philippians 1:27-30.