On the Whitewater of Grace - Philippians 1:28-30

The church at large. Today is evidently alarmed at any kind of opposition.

So it is sort of scurrying around in an attempt to high downplay any offensive part of its gospel. It's refusing to call soon soon sort of polish away to take anything that is viewed as politically incorrect from the gospel and and make it more palatable for an unbelieving culture.

The fact that the gospel is offensive because Jesus claims to be the exclusive way of salvation. Have you ever been opposed for your that's not a pleasant experience. But did you know that opposition and suffering is granted to the believer is a privilege. If you've ever rafted down winding turbulent rapids, you know both the pleasures and terrors of the experience.

You never know what's waiting around the bend in Philippians 1, the apostle Paul reminds us that the Christian life is also like that it too is turbulent.

That's why statements calling today's lesson on the white water of grace. Keep listening. Now today we arrive at a somewhat surprising third action point to be worthy as citizens of heaven. The first two told us what to do. This one tells us what not to do. It begins in verse 28 just the first phrase for a moment in no way alarmed by your opponents.

In no way alarmed by your opponents refinish the three-point outline and principle for not only are we to be committed. Repairing any this unifying spirit that only are we to reject any disengaging attitude. Now, Paul effectively tells them and us that our conduct as worthy citizens of the kingdom of heaven should be committed to refusing any disheartening perspective not only for themselves but for the sake of those around refusing any disheartening perspective. In no way alarmed by your opponent, the church at large. Today is evidently alarmed at any kind of opposition.

So it is sort of scurrying around in an attempt to high downplay any offensive part of its gospel sort of polish away to take anything that is viewed as politically incorrect from the gospel and and make it more palatable for an unbelieving culture. It's refusing to call soon soon to even refuse to describe someone as being in danger of hell, even if that person actually openly denies the gospel of Jesus Christ. I heard one pseudo-pastor on television by just a few weeks ago being asked do you believe someone doesn't actually follow Jesus Christ that they will go to hell. I watch that man capitulate. I guess he capitulated. Maybe he doesn't believe it but he said well that's really not us, not to me.

I just can leave that up to God. I wanted to climb in the TV but I had been invited. God has actually left it up to us to deliver the gospel to our world that this is how you go to hell. And this is how you go to heaven is left up to us.

One author wrote a growing number of churches today are intentionally playing down the biblical elements of sin and repentance and in so doing, the gospel is effectively trivialized is produced to unimportance its then repackaged into various forms of entertainment and amusement. I personally believe that at the core of this digression is what Paul is referring to here. It's fear, it's fear of losing the approval of our boss, our contemporaries are culture it's fear of not being invited to sit at the table with those who are considered erudite or sophisticated, it is fear of being viewed as out of touch. It is fear of being among the worst offenders of human rights factors. One member of the Colorado civil rights commission recently suggested that any religious system that doesn't endorse same-sex marriage is effectively in the same category as slave traders and Nazi that is not a minority opinion. Nevermind by the way, if you just look at history the Christians, many of them worked tirelessly to and slavery. Nevermind that many Christians hidden Jews in their closets from Nazi and Christians today are loyal friend of the Jewish people. The church is scrambling to avoid any kind of opposition. While the apostle Paul clearly tells us to expect to Nepal doesn't just say here to chin up there. Do your best. What he does is he builds his case for fearlessness onto eternal realities that go back to verse 28. A notice he says in no way alarmed by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you and others. This whole issue needs to have the perspective of some eternal realities wind is destruction and to his salvation facility redefine opposition for you.

Let me give you another perspective.

Paul is effectively saying opposition, he writes, is a sign you might circle that little word in verse 28 it's a sign. The word Paul uses for sign is a word that refers to giving evidence that something is true opposition gives evidence that something is true when you break it down to put it this way first opposition is evidence for a calming judgment notice is a sign of destruction for them antecedent of them as those who oppose the church were the opponents of the gospel and that's frankly a terrifying thought. The opponents of the church are actually opposing God there opposing the chief Shepherd of the true church, and there is a coming day of judgment from God because God has taken notes of the evidence. God sees the sign he can read it so the acts of the opponent. Their actions and their attitudes are turned into evidence that will one day. In reality, demonstrate they are worthy of judgment which is why you go to the end of Revelation is the world of unbelievers are judged at the great white throne. What is God doing takes out the books in the open and he says effectively. Let me show you the evidence is not all. Secondly, opposition is not only evidence for coming judgment but want to know is this opposition is evidence of a genuine disciple noticing in verse 28 in no way alarmed by your opponents, which is a sign which is evidence of destruction for them, but it is evidence of salvation its assignment of salvation for you now are the very fact that you are being opposed is good news.

I think I want to leave here afterward done. Eventually I want you to be trouble if you do not have in your life some kind of opposition some kind of trouble. Those who will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer Lord, how am I suffering for the cause of Christ.

It's evidence of a genuine disciple. Think about the apostles, their entire world changed further commissioned after the crucifixion there huddled in fear.

If there's any a great disc and stampeded them something changed. They were terrified.

But the evidence was unmistakable. They were cowards after the crucifixion they became courageous after the resurrection, I would have made the difference. The gospel of Christ was physically tangibly visibly completely undeniably confirmed. So they are now preaching when they earlier were panicking. It isn't long before they're arrested and are told to never preach again don't deliver that message to anybody again. Acts chapter 5 and if you know that the book of acts at all. You may be under the faith and not have read that book.

But what happens is interesting to me their call before the high court, the Supreme Court of Israel, known as the scene even imagine being called before the Supreme Court of our country there called before the Supreme Court and there told never to preach in the name of Jesus again. So what I do they get that classic response that that says while know we will obey God rather than man. You're just man born obey God rather than men. Regular sub preaching in the name of Jesus.

So many pastors of capitulated because they were told don't pray in the name of Jesus will let's just pray that they said no were going to keep preaching and so they were used to that.

So they they they have the apostle step out and they collaborated in finally decided well if this is of God.

We really probably can't stop it if it isn't of God. It's probably gonna wind down, so let's not go too far here and then it's easy to think that the apostles were given a free right now. They brought them back in the text says they flogged them and ordered them to speak and I'm reading from acts five.

No more in the name of Jesus and then released them and they went on their way from the presence of the Supreme Court, rejoicing way. The second is that the verb I think would follow.

They they went on their way rejoicing. Why that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for his name and then they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Messiah.

Opposition points to a calming punishment for the enemies of God, but opposition also points as convincing proof for the children of God. In other words, opposition against you for the sake of your faith in Jesus Christ becomes very evidence of your faith in Jesus Christ. It points to the reality of the fact that you are genuine and you are a loyal follower of this one.

I couldn't help but notice a very tangible illustration of the being played out on the news. Even though were not given the inside story of what's happening as is you've read these believers in Niger are being persecuted. The news that the White House press statement said that there is been the loss of 10 lives and the destruction of some houses of worship know it is the loss of an indeterminate number of Christians lives and the destruction of 70 churches.

I couldn't help it but read as I was reading this past week. One particular news report that that made me curious fingers or something else going on here that are not being told talk about how Isis in the city of Mosul, the second largest city of Iraq is the Christians are being given some ultimatums by Muslims, they ordered all of the Christians in that city to either converts to Islam, or pay a protection fee or leave their businesses, their homes, or possessions everything and fully or to be put to death.

Those are the options. In the meantime, every house in the school occupied by a Christian family was Marcus Sommer on the outside. The Arabic letter that would be the in the English counterpart. The letter in and I wonder, what does that mean, why have their homes been marked with the letter in scoured the news reports couldn't find I get the news and disturber side exhibit within there anyway I did everything good could not find the answer and then it hit me.

I know who knows the answer.

So I called my friend Hana Hana is a converted Palestinian. He has a ministry reaching throughout the Middle East is a member of our flock and also one of our global development teammates you may know, he and his sweet wife, Evelyn.

If anybody knew this matter would be him to call nonresident Hana you know what's going on why why my reading here the day of.

They have written the Arabic letter for EN on the harms of those Christians to mark to make sure that neither leave or convert what what is that letter in stand for and he's he knew immediately. He said well the letter in in in the Arabic goes all the way back centuries earlier effective the seventh century, where it became a symbol for those who are followers of Jesus of Nazareth and so that in marks them as followers of the Nazarene, I thought, well, while how would we handle our culture. Reaching a point where they mark our home with a letter and give us a decision. This is a living illustration of Philippians 127, he displayed tangible physical weight. These families have been marked by their opponent, and not only that the letter in scrawled on their homes is also a sign to those inhabitants. It is tangible evidence that they belong to the Nazarene what Paul will do next is effectively expand his case for fearlessness and is going to say some encouraging things to them.

Three things at least want to give them to you. These three encouraging reminders. First of all Paul will remind them that that salvation is a gift. Go to verse 29 for you. It has been granted for Christ's sake not only to believe in him, but also to suffer now before we run to the second part of that startling phrase is go back and make sure it was the first one.

Salvation is a gift to those who belong to God for to you it has been granted to believe the word Paul uses for granted is from current so which means to give graciously. It's the same root word from which we get Carissa or or grace. Paul will write it this way to the Ephesians, verse, you know well formed by grace you have been saved through faith, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God's salvation is granted to you as a gift of a gracious God, so you can never pat yourself on the back you can never say let me show you the eight things I did without fail, and that's what I get there. It's a gift of God's grace, then is where it gets surprising Paul was not only encouraging them to remember that salvation is a gift of grace. He also tells them that suffering is a privilege to embrace those again for you.

It is been granted for Christ's sake not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake. It has been granted to you to suffer.

That sounds like an award. I don't think of suffering as a wow.

II got that medallion I got that award. The languages using it's an honor to God in his grace, not his disfavor saves you and then grants you the privilege of suffering to signed and the goddess disbelieves. But please Whitewater is his gift of grace easy to believe that when trouble comes that somehow it slipped past the hand of God to grab us by the neck. What Paul says here effectively is the trouble is actually come from the hand of God. I don't misunderstand, Paul is saying okay church in a go out there and spoil for trouble letter look for virtue and pain pain sake.

He simply telling us that when it comes God is granted as a gift.

Why would suffering be viewed why with opposition. Why would tribulation. Why would persecution ever be considered a gift of God's grace, I spent some time just trying to think of reasons would be the list as an exhaustive or some that I came up with his first of all, take your eyes off earthly things just sort of clears up the fall we become so earthbound that has a way of clearing up Eden weeds out superficial beliefs.

The it it weeds out superficial believers in the church, by the way, it strengthens the testimony of those who endure it. It adds to the future reward.

In fact, there's a special reward for those who suffer the ultimate persecution who are martyred. It weans us from self-sufficiency and self-promotion. It crushes our pride and it informs us we are not in control. It causes us to worship God with purified motives. We stop asking for stuff we realize it's plastic. We want him the rock of our salvation, to name just a few. Salvation is a gift of grace.

Suffering is a privilege to embrace the plan of God is not to pamper us but to perfect us to mature us in the uses the rapids of life in a unique way to keep us focused and dependent, and where this is the rewriting of our perspective, which then resists the disheartened salvation is a gift of grace.

Suffering is a privilege to embrace. Thirdly, trials are expected is commonplace.

Don't be surprised. Look at what he writes in verse 20 Lanigan for the unit is been granted for Christ's sake not only to believe in them but also to suffer for his sake, I noticed verse 30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now here to be in me. In other words you are experiencing what I am experiencing implied what every believer experiences while our situations might be different.

James calls trials multivariate or multicolored but saw the same trials should be viewed then. Not as occasional guests, but as constant companion and knowing that doesn't make it easy back, Paul uses the word conflict here in verse 34 opposition or suffering is as I am experiencing the same conflict in the word he uses is from the Greek word agon or agony. It gives us our word agony is that you know why, but all plastic smile was phases and I am saying and you just sort of forget it.

Now this is agonizing fact, it's the same word used of Christ's struggle in the garden of Gethsemane, were we read and being in agony, same word, he prayed fervently. First and foremost Jesus crisis tasted the agony of suffering he can understand yours, Paul effectively says you've seen the agony in my own life and now you're seeing it in your own which is another way of reminding them and us. You are not the only ones who are suffering and that's one of the tactics of the enemy. When you do you sit alone Brabson you think I'm the only one who suffer.

I'm the only one that God seems that just sort of backed the truck and let it out. Not the only one. Trials are commonplace, they are a mark of a genuine disciple. They are the gracious gift of God to mature his children. You're not then the only one suffering, but it also means I could turn just a little bit. It also means you are never alone in your suffering never alone surrounded by the way in here by believers who speak the same language. Suffering is can all look a little different suffering is the native tongue of the true believer.

For every Christian is involved in the agony. Every Christian is in the race. Every Christian has been marked, we belong to the kingdom of heaven we close with this testimony of trust in Christ by one who was just beginning to walk of faith as a college student one pastor that I read an article by served as a summer missionary in East Malaysia while he was in East Malaysia for few months he attended a Bible believing church working with them during his internship at one of the church worship services. Baptism had been planned after word in a young teenage girl had come to publicly announce her faith in Christ and her desire to be baptized as a public profession of her loyalty as a follower of Christ during the service. Jim noticed a worn out suitcase, leaning against the wall of that little church sanctuary. He writes I asked the pastor why it was sitting the pastor pointed to the young lady who just been baptized and said her father said that if she was baptized as a Christian she could never come home again so she brought her luggage. Evidence genuine ready to get on a raft headed out into the Whitewater marked by guided by actually granted by hand, the gracious God will strengthen as you walk with the lessons you heard today here on wisdom for the heart is called on the Whitewater of grace and it comes from the series moving forward. We have a booklet that corresponds with this series called moving forward and reverse. We'd like to send you a copy today.

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