A Life Worthy of the Gospel

Philippians 1:12-14, 19-30

 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, ¹³ so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. ¹⁴ And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

…

Yes, and I will rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, ²⁰ as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²² If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. ²³ I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. ²⁴ But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

²⁷ Only let your manner of life be worthy^[h] of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. ²⁹ For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, ³⁰ engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

A Life Worthy of the Gospel

Imagine St. Paul – a world traveler, evangelist, and writer. He is imprisoned under house arrest in Rome. (There is a whole story of intrigue, danger, and political corruption behind this, which you can read in Acts 21-25.) He is writing to churches that he had established, and for our purposes today, he is writing to the church at Philippi.

When Paul says, “I want you to know that what has happened to me has served to advance the gospel …” They can imagine that because imprisoned Paul once spent a night in jail in Philippi, which you can read about in Acts 16, leading to some miraculous events and conversions.  

So, there is Paul – a prisoner, no longer young, and road-weary. He’s gone miles, and miles, and miles to share the message of salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection. And now, his life is in the balance, and he is ready to die if that honors Jesus. He would also be glad to continue living if that honors Jesus and blesses God’s people. So while he desires to go to heaven, he’s at peace as long as he can serve the Lord.

Paul looked at his life and death, his travels, his past, his suffering, and even his imprisonment through one lens – His relationship with Jesus.

That’s where he points you and me as we look at our lives, too. “Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Literally, “Live in a way that is worthy of your salvation.” That is, after all, the gospel of Christ: salvation because Jesus died and rose for you.

Paul confronts us today with this question: How should we live since Jesus died and rose for us?

For Paul, Jesus’ death and resurrection meant that he left his old life behind. He became a missionary and preached the gospel of the cross and empty tomb everywhere he went, which was, perhaps, from Jerusalem to Spain. Everything in his life revolved around a profound gratitude for what Jesus had done for him. Listen to what he wrote to a young pastor: I thank … Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, ¹³ though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy … ¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me … in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. ¹⁶ But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. Everything was about Jesus, His grace, and His salvation.

What does this mean for you and me?

Some of this is specific and personal. Not everyone is called to be a missionary, like Paul. Not all of us have the same sins as Paul, although we all (hopefully) know the profound power of Jesus’ forgiveness for our sins. But the hope we have in Jesus still gets lived out in our lives, the choices we make, and the desires of our hearts.

In other ways, our response to Jesus’ salvation is broader and more common. Like all Christians, we worship, we display devotion to God’s Word, and receive His sacraments. We live lives of repentance and strive to be obedient to God’s Word. Jesus’ salvation moves our lives, and we have confidence and trust in Christ’s sacrifice.

As Paul wrote to the Philippians, this is what he said about our response to the gospel, “[L]et your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ and not frightened in anything by your opponents.” 

He says that living a life worthy of the gospel – worthy of our salvation – is displayed when we stand in one spirit. This means that we hold to the teachings of the Apostles and Prophets. We believe Jesus died and rose for us, and we are confident in the power of Jesus’ resurrection and His promises for us. And this is the reason we are not frightened by those who oppose the faith and deny the hope we have in Jesus.

He also says that a life worthy of the gospel is lived together, “with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” In part, that means coming together to receive God’s gifts. It also means coming together to make sure that God’s gifts are given. We give of ourselves to make sure that the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection – and everything connected to that – is happening in our families, communities, and in the world.

Another way we could say this is that, as people who have received the gospel, we support the work of the Church. We want to make sure that Christ is preached, people are baptized, and sins are forgiven. We want the faith to be fed; for God’s Word to be taught in truth and purity, and for the Sacraments to be administered for us and for the world. It also means engaging in and supporting mercy work: helping one another, feeding the hungry, and attending to “the least of these.”

Over the next few weeks, we are talking about stewardship here at Gloria Dei. Some of this topic is specific to you and your situation. We have different gifts and means, different struggles and needs, and that means our responses will be different. But as we “strive side by side for the faith of the Gospel,” it also means that we will be thinking about how we work together to make sure the gospel is being delivered. We want to make sure the gospel is delivered to us and to our families – we need Jesus’ death and resurrection! We also want to make sure that the gospel is proclaimed in our community – in words and actions that help others receive the good news of Jesus’ salvation.

When Paul speaks of living a life worthy of the gospel, part of that life is this connection we have to one another in a congregation. It is tempting to hear these words, “live a life worthy,” as spoken to “me” as an individual striving to be worthy of the gift “I” have received. And that’s a fine goal, but the verbs here are all plural. This “living a life worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” is something we do together. This passage is not just about “me” … it is about “us.” It is about believing God’s Word together. It is about receiving his promises of salvation delivered in the Word and Sacraments together. It is about striving side by side for the faith of the gospel – supporting ministry together in prayer, in work, in volunteering, in showing up, in playing our parts, and, yes, in generous giving.

In the next few weeks, please pray about your part in this work.

We are a church that is growing. That provides us with certain challenges. The various boards of the council, representing different areas of the work we do as a church, have taken a crack at the budget for next year, and right now it is over $1 million for the first time in Gloria Dei’s history. A lot of that is, “the cost of doing business,” supporting the things we need to have staff and property. A good piece of that – over 10% - is also directed toward growth, striving to do more, serve more people, care for our people better, and reach out to others with the Gospel.  

The fact is, there are immediate needs, but there is so much more we could do than we are. What we do, we do well! All glory be to God! But there is more work to be done. There are more people to care for and to reach. There are more opportunities to share the Gospel. Because everyone needs Jesus.

So, let’s strive to live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ. And thanks be to God for His grace and salvation. Amen.