So, I'm really privileged and honored to be here tonight and speak to y'all just for a little bit.
So, just kind of going back to what Alex is saying and what Nathan was saying, it's like, man, it's not about any of us up here.
Like, I'm just glad that we get to really hear the word tonight, and I'm honored to study it.
So, the cool thing about tonight is we're going through Philippians, and I believe that, like, man, as we're all in here,
like, I know that we're all, like, some of y'all are from Truett, and some of us are from North Georgia,
and we've all got, like, different walks of life.
And the cool thing is, is that, like, tonight the word is relevant to every stage that we're in.
It's like, so I believe, like, man, the word has something to say to us.
It has something to say to me.
It's been speaking to me all week.
So, it's cool.
And so, I think we're going to be kind of talking to two different groups of people tonight,
and I think it's going to be, I think everyone's going to be able to take something away from tonight.
And so, kind of the way that I'm following up Clay is we're doing Philippians.
So, we've been doing one, and we've been going through the text.
And the way that we do it is we do expositionally, where we just go verse by verse.
And that's good, because it leaves less room for me just to throw in my own opinions.
The other side of that is, like, topically.
So, you have, like, topical preaching where we'll talk on, like, a certain topic, and that's good.
And I love that.
I have no problem with it.
But I'm just not that creative.
So, I just get to go.
Y'all are stuck with no creativeness from me, and we just get to go straight into the text.
But I think it's cool, because it leaves, it doesn't allow us to kind of insert our own opinions there.
I think it's so important that, like, Nathan's been talking about this a lot, is, you know, as we're in college,
like, we're being told so many different things right now, and it's hard to decipher.
Okay, so what's true?
Like, there might be a little bit of truth in it, and I can add my own story to it, but it might not be completely true.
And so, as we're at college, as we're hearing so many different things to us, like, man, what the world is telling us that it's okay to live by.
Man, we get to look at God's Word and be like, okay, so what does it say?
So, as we go through tonight, we're just going to go in verse by verse by verse, which is cool.
I'm really excited about it.
So, we're in Philippians 1, 27 through 30.
And so, I'm just going to do a quick little recap of last week.
So, last week, Clay was speaking.
Clay's not here, so he's in Hiawassee.
So, I was the last resort.
Y'all are stuck with me tonight.
And so, Clay, last week, so we're just going to pick up kind of where he left off.
So, he said in verse 19 through 26, he's talking about this huge section.
Like, if we get to really read the Word, and we really, like, understand what's going on,
there's this huge claim that's made.
So, if we just, like, sometimes I think, like, you've been stuck in church long enough
to where you, like, we'll read certain texts.
And, uh...
I'm kind of nervous over there.
Sorry.
So, we'll read certain kind of texts.
And we're in this, like, Christian mode of, like, okay, like, I know how to read verses.
Like, I've been reading the Bible for a while.
And so, we kind of read over text, and we're like, okay, yeah, to live is Christ, you know,
or to die is Christ, and to live is...
or to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
So, we read over those verses, and we're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's cool.
But, man, am I the only one here who has, like, a really hard time saying, like, amen to that?
Like, yes.
So, if we're translating that, Paul is literally saying,
it would actually be better for me to die because I get to go be with Christ.
But it's also okay for me to live because I get to keep sharing the gospel.
And so, that's a tough text to say amen to.
Like, I mean, you know, if we just think about what are all the things that, like, I really look forward to.
And I think, you know, a lot of us are in the same boat.
Man, I can tell you the things that I'm really excited about.
I'm really excited about getting married one day and, you know, having a family and doing life.
I'm really excited about those things.
And so, what happens a lot of times is we look forward to those things so much
that we, you know, start to value those things, like, above Christ.
And so, you know, like, am I, I guess the question that I have to ask myself
and that we all have to ask ourselves tonight is it's like, okay, would I rather,
like, on the day of your wedding, like, you're ready to get married,
you've been going through all the planning of everything, and you're psyched.
And that's, I'm just using this as an example.
But, and then if you have this opportunity, like, okay, Christ can come back right now.
Would you take it?
And if we're just like, it's hard to be like, yes, I'm so stoked about that.
Christ, come back right now.
Like, I'm okay.
This marriage is cool.
I'm looking forward to it.
But, and I think if we're honest, that is a hard thing to say amen to.
Like, that's really hard.
And so, it's a really good litmus test of, like, how important Christ is to us.
Like, how badly do we want Jesus to come back right now?
And I think there's so many things that we're looking forward to
that we sometimes put those on this pedestal above Christ.
So, that was last week.
Really heavy.
And then we're going into this week, which, I don't know, it doesn't get much better.
It's, I mean, as far as how tough it is to say.
So, I'm going to read through the text.
I'll do a quick little intro, and then we'll pray.
Okay.
So, he says in verse 27, he says,
This is a clear sign to them of their destruction.
I think I'll just go ahead and pray right there.
I think that's a good point before I really start blabbering on.
Father, thank you so much for tonight.
Thank you for just the opportunity to be here.
Thank you for every single person that is in this room.
Lord, I know you drew them here for a reason.
Not because I had anything good to say, but because we get to really come to you
and just understand and hear from your word tonight.
So, Father, I just pray that you would take away all my own opinions and my own thoughts
and that we would really kind of understand what you're saying in this verse to us
and we would allow it to change our lives.
Father, I pray that you would humble us tonight to see how glorious your gospel is
and how much we need you, Father.
We praise you.
Just give us clarity.
Give us attention tonight.
We praise you in Christ's name.
Amen.
Okay.
So, the main thing I'm going for tonight, like the main question we're talking about,
is he says in this first verse, he says,
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.
So, if we stop right there, that's this huge statement.
That's a huge question.
Like, okay, only let your manner of life be in a way that's worthy of the gospel.
So, right there, that is a huge, that's a huge thing to say.
And so, I think a lot of times we can kind of miss, we can not understand exactly what this verse is saying.
So, what do we mean by that?
Like, what do I mean when I say, when Paul says,
Let your life be in a manner that's worthy of the gospel.
So, let's define that a little bit better so we understand what we're talking about tonight.
So, I want to talk about, like, okay, what are we not saying?
Because, I want to, like, let's get that clear, okay?
When Paul says, Only live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel.
Paul is not saying, Be a good person, do good things, recycle, and don't watch R.A. movies.
But, a lot of the times, like, man, that is, I mean, let's take out, let's take out, like, a few of those hokey things.
But, it's like, man, honestly, that's what really, like, if we're to think of, like, the American Christian life,
that's what it can really kind of boil down to.
It's like, okay, I'm not doing these things, and I'm being good, and I'm not watching these R.A. movies
unless they're violent and they're war-themed.
And so, it really depends on, like, how, and so, if it's not saying that,
if Paul's not just saying, Be a good person, then what is he saying?
And so, it depends on how we define, like, who Jesus was.
So, let's reread that verse, but let's substitute the word gospel.
So, if you've grown up in church, you know that gospel means good news.
So, only let your manner of life be worthy of the good news of Christ.
And so, what's the good news?
Man, before, I'm not just going to spend 20 minutes talking about what the good news of Christ is.
We're going to go over it, like, just for a second.
But, if y'all could turn to Romans 3.
I don't think y'all will be flipping many places tonight.
So, we're going to start in 21 and go through 26.
Just so that we can kind of understand a little bit more clearly, like, what is Paul talking about when he says the good news?
So that we're all on the same page here.
Okay, so the good news.
Man, this is awesome.
Verse 21.
But now the righteousness of God, so meaning, talking about Christ, has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it.
The righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, for all who believe.
For there is no distinction.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.
This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine foreparents, he had passed over former sins.
It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just, and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
So, in a nutshell, that's exactly what we're talking about.
That's the good news of Christ, is that everyone has sinned.
Like, there's not a single person, Mother Teresa, is in the same boat as us.
Gandhi's in the same boat.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
We're all in the same boat.
Adolf Hitler has put, like, everyone in there.
And the good news is that, so we've all fallen short, but it's not just that we're left to our own devices.
It's that, man, God made its way through Christ.
And so, he provided an opportunity for us to be justified.
So, that's through Jesus.
So, that is the good news.
That's what we're talking about.
That's what we're defining it as.
So, it's really important, and it's almost like, man, it has to be, like, really put in our heads, like, over and over again,
that the gospel is not just about abstaining from certain things.
Saying, like, no, I'm not going to party that way.
I'm not going to watch that movie.
And I'm not going to listen to that music.
And I'm not going to, you know, list it off.
Like, but a lot of times, that's kind of what the Christian life boils down to.
Like, we see that with people.
It's like, well, they're just not doing certain things.
Like, okay, is that what it's all about?
Because if that's what it's all about, if it's just about abstaining from things,
then, like, man, I think a lot of us here don't want a part of that.
That's not enough.
That's not enough to save us.
That's not enough to motivate us.
And so, if we did that, we would miss out on the whole point of the gospel completely.
If we just stopped there and said, let's do these good things,
and let's stop doing these bad things, then we'd miss out completely.
So, this question that I'm asking, I'm like, man, so, let your manner of life,
like, live it in a way that's worthy of the gospel.
Why does it matter to you right here?
Like, okay, we're all in this room.
Like, why does it matter to us as college students?
Most of us, like, most of us here are college students.
So, the reason why it matters to us is if you think about the way you've lived your life,
is that our ethics are constantly changing.
Okay, so, you're in middle school, and you, like, there's certain ways that you said,
like, okay, when I'm in high school, I won't do this.
Or maybe in high school, you looked at people, and you saw people, like, partying,
or drinking, or sleeping around, or something, and you're like, oh, I promise, like,
I'm never going to be that way.
And so, we set this, like, standard, and so, then we get to high school, and we're like,
oh, well, that's actually all right.
Like, I don't, like, that music, it's okay.
Like, that's not so bad.
I'm okay listening to that music.
And then we get to college, and we're like, ah, that person's doing it.
And so, I'm okay with that.
So, our ethics, we're constantly changing.
So, even when you get married, your standards of, like, what's right and wrong,
it's going to change again.
And it's kind of like this cycle.
And so, that's changing.
And so, kind of what happens is we've made this change from, like, our ethics,
where we thought this was wrong at one point, and now we're kind of in college,
and there's this whole mesh of different cultures and different beliefs,
and we're making compromises.
Because Paul is saying, let your life be lived in a way that's worthy of the gospel.
But the thing is that we're making compromises that we never said we would.
So, we're no longer living our lives in a manner worthy of the gospel.
But the thing is that, like, as Christians, if you're in this room right now,
and you're calling yourself a Christian, we're called not to be conformed by the ways of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of our mind.
So, like, how do we do that?
How do we do that?
Like, how do we live our lives in a manner worthy of the gospel?
That is such a huge claim.
That's a huge thing to ask of us, especially as college students,
since everything around us is being, we're being told different things.
So, man, verse 27, back to Philippians.
So, he says, you know, only let your manner be worthy of the gospel of Christ.
And so, this word manner can also translate to conduct.
So, the Greek word for that is,
Paul's actually kind of talking about something a little bit deeper than just your conduct.
So, background on Philippians is that this is the book of Philippians,
and sometimes we don't understand exactly what that means.
Because what's going on is that Paul is, like we said at the very beginning of Philippians' study,
is that, like, Paul is under house arrest,
and so he's writing this letter to the Philippian church.
And so, what would happen a lot of times is, like, you'd have these people in this room,
you'd have, like, the whole Philippian church.
And so, Paul would write this letter,
and so there's a guy, literally, like, what we're reading right now,
there's a guy standing up there, and he's like, okay,
so the elders are reading it out to the church.
So, they're reading this to the church in Philippi.
And so, Philippi, like Paul, like Clay has talked about,
is actually under Roman rule.
So, they're considering themselves Roman citizens.
And for them, that's a good thing.
They're like, okay, I'm a Roman citizen,
I can have claim to this, and to this, and this.
Like, Rome took really good care of their cities.
And so, a lot of these people, like, they pride themselves on,
oh, I'm a Roman citizen.
Like, here, maybe not as much, but we're like, I'm an American.
Unless you're saying that in a sarcastic way.
You know.
So, they're really proud of their Roman citizenship.
It's like, okay, they consider themselves as a Roman.
And so, Paul is saying, let your manner be worthy of the gospel of Christ.
So, he's actually calling them to something even greater than that.
We can kind of know that for certain by going to, like,
just flipping over a page and going to Philippians 3.20.
So, he says, in Philippians 3.20, he says,
But our citizenship is in heaven.
And from it, we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, Paul is actually saying, you're not, yeah, you're a Roman citizen, you're here.
But you're really a citizen of the kingdom.
And so, Paul is kind of, like, asking them, like,
just kind of forget about your Roman citizenship just for a second.
And remember that you're called to an even greater citizenship, which is in heaven.
And so, as we kind of go on with this, like, I'm just kind of reiterating that Paul is calling them away from that
and to this heavenly citizenship.
And so, I'm just kind of reiterating, like, and this is, there's just, like,
we're not called in the gospel just to abstain from certain things.
It is not a life of just not doing certain things.
It's so much more than that.
And so, I'm just coming back to that main question of,
are you tonight living your life in a manner that's worthy of the gospel?
Like, so, as an individual, are you, am I living my life in a manner that's worthy of the gospel?
So, there are two categories.
So, you're in one category and you're in the other tonight.
So, I think there's, the first category is people who,
okay, yeah, you once did live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel.
Okay, you, like, maybe in high school, we were, like, you know,
if, as anyone grew up in the Bible Belt, you were in church, you were involved,
you were a part of your church body,
and then something happened to where we came to college
and we made one compromise after another,
and then we're no longer, we can no longer, like, put ourselves in this boat of,
well, yeah, I'm living my life in a manner worthy of the gospel.
We're actually far from it, and we've actually run from that,
and we're making so many more compromises than we ever thought we would.
And then, or, you're kind of in this other boat where Paul's in,
and he says in 3.12, he says in this next chapter, he says,
not that I've already obtained this,
so all these things that we're talking about, he says,
not that I've already obtained this, or am already perfect,
but I press on to make it my own,
because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
And so, you're either in this boat of,
okay, well, I've left the time that I was walking,
like, in a manner worthy of the gospel,
and now I don't even know where I am anymore.
Or, you're kind of with Paul, where you're like,
man, I'm not perfect, and, I mean, yes, I can say,
like, yes, I'm living my life in a manner worthy of the gospel,
but I kind of, I think the things that we're going to go through tonight are,
okay, well, do you have the right motivation?
What is, like, motivating you to live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel?
Are you in the right motivation, or are you burnt out?
Like, have we been doing this, and we're not actually doing it
for the right motivation anymore?
We kind of need to have, like, a heart check of,
well, why am I actually doing the things that I'm doing?
Are we doing it because that's the right thing to do,
and we know that it's going to make our parents happy,
and it's going to keep us safe,
and it's just the thing that we've been doing
since we've been in middle school,
and we never really asked why.
So, that's kind of the direction that we're going for tonight.
And so, I'm just going to go back,
and so we're going to start,
and we're just going to kind of go down.
I promise I won't take that long.
Okay, so, I kind of want to go deeper into this point of,
like, okay, so why is this question of
living your life in a manner worthy of the gospel,
why is that, like, so hard to live?
Like, I say that it's hard to live out,
like, yeah, it's hard to say, you know,
to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Like, that's a hard thing to say,
but why am I saying that to live your life
in a manner worthy of the gospel,
that's a hard thing?
Well, I think the reason why that is,
because unless you live in a commune,
somewhere that I don't know about,
and you're in your holy huddle,
and we're just hanging out with Christians all day,
and we're not really listening to the world,
we're not paying attention to the world,
then, unless you're there,
well, we can talk afterwards, maybe,
but, like, unless you're in a commune,
then you are in this college environment,
or you're just in the world,
like, as soon as we get out of college,
we're going to still kind of be
under this extraordinary pressure
to make compromises.
And we need to realize, like,
we are under this extreme amount of pressure
to not live your life
in a manner worthy of the gospel.
Actually, we're called to live our lives
in a manner that's worthy of culture.
And so if we don't believe that,
first of all, we need to wake up to that,
and, like, I pray, like,
let's wake up to the fact that culture is saying,
live your life in a manner
that's worthy of what we're saying.
And so the things that we're going to find,
what the world tells us to live our life
in a manner of, it would be
how much money you make.
So when you get out and you get a job,
how much money are you making?
What about the car that you drive?
The person that you're married to?
The family that you raise?
These are kind of long-term, like, down the road,
because we're not really there yet.
But it's like, man,
or even just right now in college,
like, okay,
what fraternity are you a part of?
Like, what sorority are you a part of?
Like, how involved are you in campus?
How much money are you making right now?
Like, man, culture is bombarding us
with, like, just different ideas of,
okay, this is how you live your life
in a manner that's worthy of us.
So, I kind of think that what happens
to a lot of us is we say,
well, okay, maybe I'm not living my life, like,
in a manner worthy of the gospel
the way that Swanson's defining it.
But, I mean, yeah, okay,
I'm not, like, reading my Bible daily,
I'm not, like, involved in the church,
and I'm not, like, disciplining myself
in, like, godliness or whatever,
like, they'll say.
So, maybe I'm not, like,
going ham on the gospel right now,
but, man, I'm not, like,
sleeping around, like,
as much as that person,
or, like, I'm not drinking as,
like, that guy really drinks a lot.
Like, man, and we hear it all the time.
Like, you hear people
constantly comparing themselves,
like, well, I'm not as bad as that person.
And so, kind of what happens is
we believe that we're in this place
of neutral ground.
Like, I talk, I think it's the most,
it's the scariest thing,
because, like, I talk to a lot of my friends,
and they're in the same boat of, like,
well, they believe that they're
in this neutral territory.
Okay, I'm not doing this.
I'm not going and sharing the gospel
all the time.
I'm not reading my Bible.
I'm not, I'm not going crazy
with the gospel.
But I'm not, like, straight up, like,
you know, doing drugs
and snorting cocaine
or something like that.
So, they just kind of, like,
believe, like, well, I'm neutral.
Like, I can stay in this neutral
area of the territory
where I'm not really, like,
going forward,
but I'm not really, like,
taking steps back.
And so, what happens is
we believe this mindset,
and then three years later,
like, where we thought
we would never be,
we wake up, and we're like,
how did we even get here?
Like, we have this, like,
aha moment.
We're like,
I don't even know
what I'm doing anymore.
Like, how did I get
from such a place
where I thought
that I wasn't ever going to be,
and now I'm here?
And so, I don't think it's,
I don't think anyone here
would be like,
okay, yeah,
I just woke up one night,
and I just decided,
I woke up one morning
and just decided,
I'm done with this gospel thing.
Like, I'm done with church.
Like, I'm walking away from it.
Like, this isn't,
this isn't meaningful.
Like, I really,
sometimes,
but for the most part,
I believe that no one's going to,
like, really make that much
of a conscious decision
to be like,
what you got, world?
Let's do this.
Like, I just don't think
that's going to happen.
And so, what happens, though,
what I believe,
is that we have this neutral territory
where we're like,
yeah, I'm not really doing
these things.
And so, we just start taking
really slow, subtle,
like, inch by inch steps back.
And we wake up,
and we just realize,
like, man,
what has happened?
I wanted to give a shout-out
to Clay,
because he let me,
he, he, well,
he ran out of options,
and so he had to let me speak.
But, so Clay's like
a huge history buff,
so I have to give him
a history shout-out.
So, generals believe that
if their soldiers were not
advancing towards enemy lines,
like, if they weren't
taking ground,
that they were actually
losing it.
So, so generals were
constantly advancing
their armies,
like, saying, okay,
keep going.
It's not, like,
they, they rarely had them
just, like, camp out
and just, like,
stay a certain place.
It was kind of, like,
always, like,
trying to figure out,
okay, well,
let's wait for these
reinforcements to come
so we can finally take this.
It was kind of,
it wasn't,
it was never this,
all right, well,
we got that hill.
Like, man,
we stormed Normandy.
Let's, Normandy,
let's just, like,
chill here for a while.
This beach is great.
Like, that's not,
like, man,
we just kept advancing.
That was for you, Clay.
So, so you're in that boat.
There's one group of us
that's in that boat
of, like, okay,
the compromises
and slowly,
we're not taking ground.
We're actually,
like, I mean,
even, I'm really kind of
more of a real world
example of, like,
divorce.
I don't,
I rarely think that anyone,
like, you know,
gets involved in a marriage
and they're, like,
this thing's gonna be great.
I'll probably give it
three years of my best shot
and then we'll call it quits
in about five
after we have kids.
Like, no one,
no one's gonna marry
that person anyways.
It's kind of this, like,
and so, I mean,
it's like, how do we,
so the question is,
like, how do we,
how, how,
if we're all susceptible
to it,
if we're all sinful
and we're all fully capable
of the same thing,
like, I'm so capable
of divorce
just as much
as the next guy is.
And so,
I think what happens
is that we believe
that we're not.
We believe that,
well, I'm not going
to ever get a divorce.
I've seen the way
it's wrecked.
Like, my life
or my friend's life.
And so then we get
in this marriage
and we're not really
advancing the marriage either.
We're just kind of like,
you know, like,
I mean, I'm married now
and, you know,
she's cool,
like, we'll talk.
And then there's things
kind of, you get distance
and it's just like,
day by day
and you just don't even
really know where
you are anymore.
So I think that kind of
happens, like,
spiritually and then also,
like, man,
in our marriages.
So that's kind of
like an example
if y'all can,
if that makes sense
to y'all as far as
what I'm talking about.
Or, and so I'm kind of
going a little bit more
to, like, man,
how do we get burnt out
or low on fuel?
So we agree with Paul
where he says,
you know,
not that I'm perfect
or that I've already
obtained these things,
but I'm making
strives towards it.
But then at the same time,
like, man,
we have this huge view
of Paul.
But, man,
Paul struggled with sin
just as much
as the next guy did.
If we're going to look
at Romans 7,
15 through 25.
Okay.
So I'll pick up
in verse 15.
So Paul's, like,
talking to the Romans,
kind of the same thing
with, like,
the Philippian church
of, like,
reading the letters
so the Romans
are reading this letter
and Paul says to them,
for I do not understand
my own actions.
For I do not do
what I want,
but I do the very thing
I hate.
Now if I do
what I do not want,
I agree with the law
that it is good.
So now it is no longer
that I who do it,
but sin that dwells
within me.
For I know that
nothing good dwells
in me,
that is,
in my flesh.
For I have the desire
to do what is right,
but not the ability
to carry it out.
For I do not do
the good I want,
but the evil
I do not want
is what I keep
on doing.
Now if I do
what I do not want,
it is no longer
I who do it,
but sin that dwells
within me.
And he says,
so I find it to be
a law that when
I want to do right,
evil lies close
at hand.
For I delight
in the law of God
in my inner being,
but I see in my
members another law
waging war against
the law of my mind
and making me captive
to the law of sin
that dwells in my
members.
Wretched man that I am,
who will deliver me
from this body of death?
Thanks be to God
through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
So then,
I myself serve
the law of God
with my mind,
but with my flesh
I serve the law
of sin.
Okay,
so Paul says this
and we're kind of
in the same boat.
If you're not in
this other boat
that we just kind of
talked about,
you're in this boat
where we have
this internal struggle
and we're just like,
man, what am I
even doing here?
Like, I want to
live out the gospel
in a manner that's
worthy.
I want to live my
life in a manner
that's worthy gospel,
but I have such a
hard time doing it
because I still see
sin creeping close
at hand.
Okay, so we come
back again to the
main question.
We're about to,
but I'm not going
to be one of the
four flights
and then we'll
actually be done.
So I'm glad.
So the question is,
how does a college
student in the
United States of
America live this
out?
I will not be
answering this.
I think Paul will
be able to do a
good enough job to
where I won't
actually have to
say much.
Okay, so let's
pick it up in
27.
He says,
Only let your
manner of life be
worthy of the
gospel of Christ,
so that whether I
come and see you
or absent, I may
hear of you that
you are standing
firm.
So, okay, so the
first reason, if you're
taking notes tonight,
the first reason that
we're not living out
our lives in a manner
worthy of the gospel is
we have the wrong
motivation.
So let's pay attention
to that verse.
He says,
So whether I come and
see you or I'm absent,
I may hear that you're
standing firm in the
gospel.
And so I think a lot of
the times what a lot of
us have allowed to happen
in our lives is that,
well, I mean, Paul is
first of all saying,
okay, if I'm there,
please, like, like,
stand firm in the
gospel.
But if I'm not, also
stand firm in the
gospel.
Because Paul does not
want their motivation
to be the fact that
he's there.
And so, man, either us
or, like, a friend that
we know or somewhere
along the line, like,
some of us, like, we
let our motivation for
living our lives in a
manner worthy of the
gospel be because our
pastor, our youth
pastor was, like,
super, like, he had a
lot of charisma.
Or he was, like, man,
he was a great guy.
Like, he always made me
laugh.
He was really cool.
Or, like, man, it
pleased our parents or our
friends.
And, like, okay, so we'll
go on mission trips.
And we know that it's
really, really good.
And so we have this
motivation of, I'm going
to live the gospel because
my friends are doing it.
My pastor loves me.
My parents are proud of
me.
And we have this wrong
motivation the whole time.
And Paul's saying, like,
no, no, no.
Like, that cannot be the
reason why you're living
your life.
Like, that cannot be it.
It's not enough.
So we mistake this
manner of life.
We mistake this manner
of life that's motivated
by people seeing us.
And we mistake that for
actual salvation.
We're like, okay, people
are seeing us.
I'm a good person.
I've got my Jesus swag
going.
I've got it all, man.
And we're so proud of
ourselves.
But we don't know that,
man, we're actually really,
really hollow.
Like, on the inside, we're
so hollow because this
relationship with Christ
has not been based off of
him at all.
And so the thing is that
we have to be motivated
by grace.
Like, I don't know what
else is going to motivate
us.
Guilt can motivate you for
a little while.
Like, I can get up here
and say, like, man, we
need to live our lives in
a manner worthy of the
gospel because of this
reason and this reason
and this reason.
And I can guilt trip every
single person of y'all
into it.
Y'all have been there
where it's like, okay,
even with just, like,
giving to, like, you
know, poverty or
something like that.
Like, that's a huge
motivator.
And so what happens is
it gets money out of our
wallets because we see
that Tamrat in Ethiopia
doesn't have, like, food
to eat.
And so we're like, oh, I
feel terrible, so I'll
throw him some money.
And so, but that's, but
then we just lose
motivation, like, a week
or two later.
And so we have to be
motivated by grace.
Like, we have to, and
Paul wants that too.
Like, yeah, he wants
them, he wants to see
this happen, but he can't,
he doesn't want that to
be the motivator.
So we have to let that
be the motivator instead
of us being in high
school and singing
songs and going on
youth group mission
trips and missing the
gospel completely.
I think that'd be the
scariest thing in my
life is to think that I
could get to Christ and
he could look at me and
just be like, Daniel, you
missed it completely.
You were doing all these
things, you were singing
these songs and you were
raising your hands, but you
missed me completely.
I think that's honestly one
of the things that I'm
terrified of the most is
running this race and God
not being right there
with me.
So I'm going to ask a
question with each point
kind of something like
for y'all and for me.
What motivated you in the
past to follow Christ that
you aren't following him
anymore?
Was it the fact to please
your parents or your
pastor or so on?
What motivates you now if
you are standing firm in
the gospel?
Is it the gospel?
Is Christ motivating you?
Are you still, like, do you
still wake up and when you
think about sharing the
gospel with someone or
living your life in a
manner worthy?
Is it because you're like,
Christ, you are so good and
I cannot believe that, like,
after all the crap that
I've done, you would still
let me breathe?
Like, that hat, like, is
that the motivator?
What is it?
Okay, second point.
Verse 27, the second part
of it, he says, so that
whether I come and see you
where I'm absent, I may hear
that you are standing firm in
one spirit with one mind
striving side by side for the
faith of the gospel.
Second reason, we're not in
church anymore with community.
Not that we're going to
church, but we're not in
community anymore.
There's a difference between
going to church and being in
community.
So, this is huge, especially
for college students, where
there's a million different
things, like, saying, okay,
come to this youth ministry,
or come to this ministry
that's going on in college,
like, come to this.
Like, everything is trying to
grab our attention right now.
And so, the idea of being a
covenant member of a church,
and being a part of a church,
and laboring with a church,
and serving a church, is not
on the top list of things for
us to do.
You know?
I mean, honestly, there's a
million other things that are
grabbing our attention.
And so, he says in this verse,
he says, one mind and one
spirit.
So, what Paul's saying is not
that we're going to agree on
everything, but that we'll be
harmonious.
He says, strive together,
which is a really cool verse,
because in Greek, that actually
means wrestle.
So, it doesn't mean just, like,
oh, come on, you got it.
It means, like, wrestle.
And so, I think he says that
because, like, I think the
reason why he says wrestle
together is because the gospel
is something really hard to
obtain.
Man, it's the treasure in the
field that we have to sell
everything for.
And it is the narrow road that
is hard to find.
Few find it, but it leads to
life.
Like, the gospel is something
that we have to work for.
Not work for as in to earn,
but, I mean, it is difficult
to obtain because the world is
throwing us so many different
things.
The other cool thing is that,
I mean, we're supposed to
strive together, so wrestle
together.
And I think a lot of us find
ourselves in this boat where
we're like, okay, well, I like
this about the church.
Like, their music's good, and
their teaching is good, but I
really don't like the
leadership, or there's not
really, like, a good ministry
for me to put myself in.
So, I'm really just going to,
I'll go there occasionally.
I'll go to that church.
And so we kind of start this
idea of, like, we start
dating the church, and we're
not actually planting
ourselves in a church.
And so, what Paul's saying
is, like, okay, you can have
those objections.
Like, we have this list of
critiques of, like, this is
wrong, this is wrong, and this
is wrong.
But he's saying, wrestle with
that church.
He's saying, like, man, like,
we're going to have to wrestle
with each other.
Like, okay, I don't agree with
the way you're doing this.
Um, and it's like, okay, well,
you know, a good church that
loves Christ is going to say,
I completely agree, man.
I see it differently, but let's
work this out.
Let's pray through it together.
Let's work through this.
Um, we're also called to
wrestle alongside one another.
We need one another so badly.
Because I am such an imperfect
person, and I need someone
like Alex, uh, to wrestle with
me and catch me when I'm not
living my life in a manner
worthy of the gospel.
Like, we need one another.
Um, so, uh, the cool thing is
that he says, side by side
for the faith of the gospel.
So, if we read that again, um,
in one spirit, with one mind,
striving by yourself for the
faith of the gospel.
That's not what it says.
It doesn't say, by yourself.
It says, side by side.
Um, and that's a difficult
mindset for us to understand,
I think, because if you live
in the U.S., like, the way
the U.S. is built is on
rugged individualism.
Um, you know, we came here,
we started things, and we got
our independence and our
freedom.
Think about the pioneers
going out west.
Um, think about everything
going on right now.
Like, just, even just
capitalism and the way that
this economy is set up.
It is for you as the
individual.
You can do it, make the
best of your life.
And, and, and so it's,
it's understandable that we
have a hard time understanding
that we need to come side by
side with one another.
But, God's kingdom does not
work in the same way that a
lot of our U.S.
mindsets are.
God's kingdom is based off
his church.
He's not, he's not doing work
just through individuals.
Um, even parachurches, like
churches, like, like, you
just youth ministries.
Like, churches that are not
multi-generational.
Like, man, that can't be a
church, and it's hard to
strive side by side with a
group that isn't committed to
each other.
Um, so he's kind of calling us
to something more than that.
And, and that's not even
really a plug for Christ's
family.
I love this church, but I
think there's also really
great churches in the area.
I think Creekstone's an
awesome church.
I think Christ's church is a
cool church.
And, like, I, I, I'm really
encouraged by the stuff that's
going on.
And so, um, but I think Paul
is just saying be invested
with other people.
Um, so my question on that
before I move to my next
point is, okay, so that's an
awesome point, but are you as
an individual, am I as an
individual, are we invested in
the local church?
Are we looking and seeking
out, okay, how can I be a
member of, of, of such and
such church?
How can I run together with
them in a wolf pack and not
just as a lone wolf?
Um, so are you running with
the wolf pack or are you
running as a lone wolf?
Um, okay, third point.
Uh, verse 28.
He says, 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.
Um, okay, so this is one of the
tougher points of the night.
Um, I think the third reason
why we don't live our lives in a
manner worthy of the gospel,
that Paul is urging us to, is
we don't want to suffer.
Um, and your first thought is,
uh, duh, Swanson.
Like, uh, and, and so, uh, I'm
just gonna read Acts 42 to y'all.
You don't have to, 14, 22.
You don't have to turn there.
Um, but I'll take forever to
get there.
Um, okay, so 14, 22.
Um, this, man, this strength,
this challenges me in so much.
So, um, in 21 he says, but when
they preached the gospel to that
city and had made many disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to
Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening
the souls of the disciples,
encouraging them to continue in
the faith and saying that through
many tribulations, we must enter
the kingdom of God.
Um, okay, so if we're gonna
define suffering really quickly,
um, there's a difference between
American suffering and closed
country suffering, suffering.
Kind of like, um, uh, with the
guy that Clay's having speak this
weekend in Hiawasi.
Um, he's from, uh, Kazakhstan,
I believe, and it's a completely
different world of suffering over
there.
So we've got our American
suffering where none of y'all are
going to be thrown into prison or
beaten or anything like that.
Like, it's a completely different
world of suffering from, from
anywhere else.
Um, and so what do I mean by
that?
I don't, I'm not gonna say a
million different specific
things for us as, as Christians,
but I will say this.
Specifically what this looks like
is that when we read the word,
like, when we read this book and
we take off, like, the church
lenses that we have, and we're
like, that's a sweet verse.
That's really encouraging,
brother.
Like, when we really read the
Bible, like, just that verse that
we just read of, through much
tribulation we must enter the
kingdom of God.
That is so hard.
Like, I, I know I'm not the only
one who believes that.
It's hard.
Like, I don't say amen to that.
Um, but the second that we start
reading the Bible and start
applying what it actually says
to say about what we spend our
money on, how do you, what, like,
let's look at your bank account.
How do you spend your money?
What about the person that you're
dating, um, or you, you marry one
day?
The things we stand for and the
things that we stand against.
When we start applying the Bible
to those things, we will not be
popular.
And so we don't have to, I don't
have to go into specifics for
every single person tonight, but
when we start following this, man,
like, we're not going to be
popular.
Um, so the question is, why
should we have opponents?
Why, why would we even have
opponents?
Um, the apostle Paul, like, he has
opponents that he speaks about in
his letters and in Acts.
Um, why?
Why does Paul have opponents?
That's, that doesn't sound like a
very loving thing to say, that,
like, Paul would have opponents.
I would say Paul's probably doing
something wrong if he has
opponents.
But, if we look all throughout Acts
and we trace everything throughout
the New Testament, we see that
every major character in the New
Testament did not have a pretty
ending.
You could be like, oh, well, John
actually had a pretty good ending.
He was just exiled on an island of
Patmos.
That was actually after they tried
to boil him alive and couldn't do
it.
And he kept preaching the gospel.
It's like they decided the only way
to actually get rid of him was to
exile.
So, it's hard to find someone and
you're like, and you read it, and
Timothy died at a ripe old age on a
good 401k retirement.
Like, we don't find that in the New
Testament.
So, but why?
Why is this if the gospel is good
news?
It's good news for our souls if we
desire to walk in a manner worthy of
the gospel.
But, if you're trying to walk in a
manner worthy of culture, that is bad
news for them because the gospel is
counter-cultural.
It says to lose your life so that you
can find it.
Man, that naturally is going, like the
gospel is saying that we, that you,
this is the message of the gospel is
saying that you are broken and you're a
sinner and you need Christ because
Christ is the only thing that can give
us salvation and real joy.
But, that's not a very popular message
if you want to follow your own ways.
And so, I wanted to differentiate between
rejecting the message of Christ versus
the messenger.
There is a huge difference.
This, like, what I don't want us to
take out of this is that, okay, well, I
need to go get opponents.
I need to go get opponents for the
gospel.
And so, if y'all know anything about,
like, some of the churches, like, like,
I'm not going to say specific names, but,
like, some of the churches that, like,
boycott, like, funerals and, like, picket,
like, like, like, anti-gay protesting,
like, that's, like, yeah, they're getting
opponents, trust me.
But, trust me, those guys are, are hating
them and not the message of Christ
because it's not being shared.
So, it's really important that, yeah,
like, we do everything we can to love
this person who does not have the
gospel.
Like, man, we pray for them.
We share the gospel with them.
We tell them, brother, I love you.
Man, I love you so much.
Like, I want to invest my time, my money
into you, but you need the gospel.
Um, and if they reject, if they reject
the gospel, like, yeah, they're going
to eventually reject you, too, because
you care about them.
But, we cannot allow this message to
affect us and say, I'm going to go out
and acquire opponents by sharing a
very unloving and hate-filled gospel.
Um, so, um, the cool thing is that,
man, the second part of the verse, he
says, he says, uh, this is a clear sign
to them of their destruction, but of
your salvation, and that from God.
So, my question is, if suffering is a
clear sign of our salvation, what is it
a clear sign of if we aren't suffering?
Um, are you sharing the gospel?
Um, I think, I think that is going to
do it enough.
Um, I think even if we look at Luke 6,
22, he says, woe to you when all men
speak well of you, for that is how their
fathers treated the false prophets.
Uh, I don't even know what to do with
that verse.
Um, so, I guess the question is here, is,
are you suffering for the gospel by being
true to what it says to you about how
you spend your money, the people you date,
and how you live your life?
Or do you look, like, just like everybody
else?
Like, there's literally no distinguish
between you and everyone else.
Um, I can give a huge testament of this
as, like, Greek life.
Um, and I'm involved in Greek life, and I
think a lot of people go into Greek life
with, like, these really good intentions
of, like, well, I'm going to meet people,
I'm going to, like, have good friends,
I want to be a good influence on people,
like, I want to grow as an individual.
And even if it's, like, some of those
people will, like, say, you know, I want
to meet people, but I also want to share
the gospel with people.
Like, so how true are we still to that
original plan?
Um, are we still doing that?
Or have we been influenced by,
not just Greek life, but, I mean,
just in general, like, have we made
compromises?
Um, are we just hanging out with people
and putting it under the banner of
sharing the gospel?
We're not actually doing anything.
Um, and so that's my challenge to us
in that section is, you know,
are we sharing the gospel, or are we
going to uncomfortable places?
Sometimes, like, even for me, like,
I can give a testimony to it of, like,
man, I will, I love Sigma Nu.
Like, I love the guys in Sigma Nu.
Um, and, man, my intention was to get
out of my own Christian bubble and, man,
share the gospel with people, too.
Um, and I think, I think what happens
is we go from this area of, like, okay,
I'm really, really lukewarm, and then
I get in this really, really hot water,
and you're like, oh, this is really,
really uncomfortable, and then that
becomes lukewarm, and you're like,
yeah, I can really get used to this.
And then God's, like, saying, like,
no, I want to take you further into a
place of even hotter water.
Um, because we're constantly battling
against our flesh, and my flesh says,
be quiet, shut up, don't talk about
Jesus.
Um, okay, so fourth point, um, is in
verse 29.
It says, 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, engaged in the
same conflict that you saw I had, and
now hear that I have.
Um, so the fourth point is, we don't
want to be actively engaged in the
gospel.
Um, we don't want to actively engage
it.
So, I want to take this second and
make fun of Christian marketing
culture.
Um, and so y'all know, if you've been
in, around Christians at all, you see
that we like to have these really,
really comfortable, warm verses on
coffee mugs and blankets, and if you
listen to 91.5 or 104.7, you hear,
like, these really sweet verses, like,
love is patient, love is kind, and
those are true, those are great, but
we will never find this verse on a
coffee mug.
You won't find it.
Um, no one is going to sit down and
just like, man, I'm really discouraged,
and then someone just walks up to them
and says, or someone's like listening to
them pour out their heart and like,
brother, I just want to, I just want to
encourage you with this verse.
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.
And they're just like, I'm so encouraged
right now.
That is exactly what I needed.
Like, that, we're not going to find that,
and whoever does, that business is going
to burn, and like, it's going to crash
and burn.
No one's going to buy those coffee mugs.
Um, but we're really biased with our
scripture.
Um, so, that is a tough word, granted to
you.
Like, what?
It's been granted to you that, like, like,
and so the Greek is saying that you've
actually been done a favor, um, that
you've been gratuitously in kindness, been
given the opportunity to believe in Jesus,
but also suffer for his sake.
Um, Matthew 5, 12 says, rejoice and be
glad, for your reward is great in heaven.
For so they persecuted the prophets who
were before you.
So we read that verse a second ago, saying,
woe to you who they speak well of.
Like, man, like, be, be on, he's basically
saying, like, be on guard when people are
just speaking really, really good things
about you, because they did the exact same
thing about the false prophets.
And then he's saying, man, um, rejoice,
because if they're persecuting you, they
persecuted Isaiah, and they persecuted
Jeremiah.
And they persecuted all these prophets, so
it's a huge, it's supposed to be this
huge encouragement.
So if we disagree, we need to look again
at the outcome, again, of every major
character in the New Testament.
If we say, like, well, Swanson, I'm
following you, I'm with you, but right up
until now, I'm actually not anymore.
Like, I, I, I really don't agree, like,
I don't agree that we're supposed to
call, that we're called to suffer.
I was like, man, please, I would encourage
you, read the New Testament again through
the lenses of, man, Christ is actually
calling, everyone, like, calling us to
suffer for his sake.
And so, the cool thing is that Paul does
not divorce belief and obedience ever
in his letters.
He usually will say something like, man,
thank you for, like, I, like, I'm so glad
that you believe in the gospel and that
you obey it.
And so a lot of times our tendency is to
want to say, well, I believe in the
gospel, like, I believe in Jesus, and he's
my savior, and I'll follow him to the ends
of the world.
And then our obedience is so opposite of
that.
Like, our lives are so different from
it.
And because it's really easy just to lay
claim to that and be like, man, I believe
in Jesus, but it's so much harder to be
obedient to him, especially if that entails
suffering.
So, Paul is engaging in conflict, and as a
result of that, he's suffering.
He's engaging the gospel.
He's sharing the gospel all the time.
And as a result, this guy is not rolling up
in a Mercedes Benz or a Rolls Royce, and he's
actually in prison, and all of his friends are
starting to desert him, like people who he
stood by, and he's sharing the gospel with
those people actually end up deserting him.
And so Paul is suffering, and he's saying, don't
run from that.
That's a good thing.
That is a good indicator that you're saved.
So, my question with this is, are you engaged
in the gospel, or do you still believe that you
can live in neutral territory?
That we can live in this comfortable bubble of
not engaging, but not really falling back.
So, I'm wrapping it all up right here.
How do all these things relate?
If we're going back to that question of, are you
living your life in a manner worthy of the
gospel, or have you drifted far off?
Or, man, are we not even in it for the right
reason anymore?
And we're not actually a part of all those
things.
We don't have the right motivation.
We're not in a church community.
We're not suffering for the gospel, and we're not
actively engaging the gospel.
So, how can we do this practically?
What do you do with this?
The thing that I don't want is for us to say,
okay, man, I will start being involved in the
church.
Yeah, I'll start suffering for the gospel, and
I'll start engaging and sharing my faith.
So, we set this huge to-do list, this huge to-do
list of things to do, of like, as long as I do
those things, man, I will, like, I'm good, and I can
get back on track.
Like, if we do that, we're missing it completely.
We're missing the point of the gospel.
And so, I just beg you, that's not what I'm trying
to say tonight.
I'm not saying that at all.
I think where we start is humility.
I think we say, you know, God, I've fallen short of
this so much.
Like, I've fallen short completely.
Or, God, I don't even know what my motivation is
anymore.
Or, like, tomorrow, I'm just doing things for the
sake of doing them.
And I'm not motivated by your grace.
And I'm not involved in the church body.
I'm not sharing the gospel.
I have a terrible motivation for why I'm doing this.
And I'm not suffering at all.
But, um, so I think this starts with your own heart.
Um, of, and that's what's, what's tough for the
church because it's like, I want to, you want to see
results, you know?
You want to see people change.
But that starts with your own heart.
And that does not start tomorrow morning.
It's not, like, an instant, like, I'm just going to
change my actions.
It's this thing with, like, man, Christ has to really
transform your heart.
And so, what I would beg you all to do is, tonight,
like, yeah, like, we're going to leave here.
We're going to keep talking.
We're going to, like, we're going to get on with the
night.
We're going to, we have homework to do.
We have the world to get back to at college.
But I just ask us to take a moment and really examine
our own hearts and say, like, man, Christ, why do you
have me doing the things that I'm doing?
Um, am I doing with this right motivation?
We need to start praying to God and say, God, I fall so
short of this.
Like, I fall so short of this.
Like, even today, I cannot handle ultimate frisbee, I
realized.
I get way too competitive.
And I am not a non-confrontational person.
So, I just, and it's like, I realized just even in that,
how sinful I am today.
It's like God was knocking me down on the notch.
He was like, man, you think you're all that.
And I just realized, I'm so sinful.
I care about a stupid game of frisbee more than this guy here.
Um, so, again, I'm just saying, wrestle with this truth.
And then finally, like, man, like, if God is doing something in
your heart, man, and you don't know where to go with this.
Like, I think Nathan and Chris in the back, and even, you
know, if you won't, if those guys are busy, I'm a last resort.
Come talk to me.
Um, that kind of seems to be the pattern of tonight.
Um, or the guy you read with, or the girl that you read with.
Like, like, I just pray that, like, this really would just affect
just, just our conversations on the way back.
So, in the car tonight, maybe just take a second and just be like,
you know, what did that mean to you tonight?
Let's, let's really kind of go deep.
Let's not just change actions.
Let's have our hearts changed.
Um, I'm going to pray us out, and then Alex is going to come up.