When our friends ridicule us, that's when we have to hold fast to our faith.
Welcome back to a deeper dive in Philippians.
Today we'll be looking at chapter two from verse 14 to 24.
Let's go ahead and read those verses before we start.
Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith,
I am glad and rejoice with you all.
For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.
But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly,
that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.
For I know no one like minded who will sincerely care for your state,
for all seek their own and not the things which are of Christ.
But you know his proven character that as a son with his father,
he served with me in the gospel.
Therefore, I hope to send him at once as soon as I see how he goes with me.
But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall come shortly.
The title of this episode, I'm calling it Hold Fast.
In this passage of scripture we just read,
Paul is challenging the people of Philippi to hold fast to the word of life
because of the surroundings that they are in.
And in our time today, it is very similar.
You have been tested left, right and center by all kinds of things
and we have to choose to hold fast to our faith.
In certain parts of the world, we Christians are considered the problem
and the temptation is for us to conform to our surroundings.
But we must hold fast to our faith.
It is in those moments when everybody is telling you,
why are you a Christian?
How dare you choose to believe in stopping abortion?
How dare you choose to stand on this outdated thinking?
When our friends ridicule us,
that's when we have to hold fast to our faith.
We might not be in those extreme areas like back in the times of Paul
when he became a Christian, there was a cost.
In the Muslim world, in the Middle East,
if you choose to become a Christian, there's a cost.
I have a personal friend of mine,
if you hear the testimony of his mother, they were from Iran.
They had to escape from Iran overnight
simply because it came out that they were Christians
and they had to flee for their lives.
And the three years that preceded after that, it was a tough time.
They had to hold fast to their faith.
For some of us, we might not be in those extreme areas,
but we are surrounded by people
who are not necessarily committed to the gospel.
We're surrounded by friends who enable us to fall into sin.
And this sometimes can be harder to resist
because we don't even know it's happening.
That friend who's like, no, no, no, no.
Instead of just reading, let's just go out today.
Instead of staying and praying and spending time with the Lord,
let's just go do this.
It doesn't seem bad, but slowly and slowly,
it's pulling you away from Him.
We have to hold fast in those situations and say no to them.
We have to say,
I cannot do this because this is more important than our friendship.
And in the passage of Scripture,
the Apostle Paul is warning us from picking up bad habits
and being careful about our surroundings.
So let's jump into verse 14.
Do all things without complaining and disputing.
Complaining and disputing are one of the easiest sins that we fall into.
And it's also one of the biggest sins that God hates.
This verse highlights one of the biggest abominations
that the children of Israel were all the time falling into
They were always complaining.
God gives them food, gives them manna and they're like,
God, we want meat because we are done.
We don't want this no more.
They were always complaining.
There was always something wrong.
And you can feel it for Moses because all the time
he has over a million people complaining and wanting to kill him
as soon as they get a little inconvenient.
And God is telling us,
do not complain and dispute.
God does not love when people complain and argue.
The question that we must ask is this.
Why does God hate murmuring and complaining
and disputing or arguing?
Why is that?
So I'm going to read the definition of complaining
or murmuring as it says in the King James.
So it means a secret displeasure not openly
vowed. And disputing means a deliberating questioning about what is true, a hesitation or
doubting. And you can see why God hates it because disputing brings doubt and fear. And God does not
like doubt and fear. He hates it because the person disputing is doubting God. They are questioning
whether God can do what he says he will do. If you look at the children of Israel, all that
complaining, they were questioning, is this God able to do what he's told us to do? And then they're
like, let's just go back to our other gods who we trust more than this God. And that's why to this
day God does not like disputing and complaining because you're questioning whether he's able
to do what he says he will do. Look at James chapter 1 from verse 68. But let him ask in faith
with no doubting. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven
and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive
anything from the Lord. He's a double-minded man and stable in all his ways. In these verses in
James, Holy Spirit is explaining why he hates doubting. He hates doubting because it opposes
faith. And we know in Hebrews 11 verse 6, without faith it's impossible to please him. Doubting states
that I have no faith and now if you have no faith then you cannot engage God. Murmuring like disputing
is questioning whether God can do what he says he will do. They both express unbelief and they
just express differently. And that's why God hates it because God does not like unbelief. He's the God
of more than enough. Think about this. This all-powerful, the creator of the heavens and earth
asks you to do a simple thing as go talk to that person and then you start complaining. Expressing
doubt about who God is. Like you must be wrong. I know I'm right. Just think about that. How infuriating
that will be. Disputing and arguing are more in your face while murmuring and complaining is more
subtle. Murmuring and complaining can spread like wildfires because not everyone is confrontational.
Murmuring and complaining is a sin done in the dark and a lot of people can relate to
because they're not publicly displaying their lack of faith. In my opinion, this is my opinion not
scriptural, murmuring is worse than disputing because when someone is disputing
you can easily identify them because they're not they're not trying to hide their doubts.
Murmurers are worse because you don't know who they are. You think they're with you but they're
secretly against you. That's why murmuring spreads like a wildfire. You don't know who they are.
They hide and in the world of social media they hide behind their text. They just say what they
want and then go ahead and hide. God hates complaining and disputing because they speak
of unbelief. In other words, you can rewrite verse 14 and say, do all things full of faith.
Do all things in confidence that God will do what He says He will do. Now with that understanding
on verse 14 we go into verse 15. We become blameless and harmless children of God when
we believe in Him. Our faith in God is what makes us righteous and pure and that's what in verse 15
is encouraging them. He says this, that you become blameless and harmless children of God
without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. When you're walking full
of faith you are becoming blameless and harmless. You see that in Matthew chapter 12 when Jesus is
coming against the Pharisees for their unbelief and he just questions them and tell because they
ask him, teacher we want a sign from you. They want Jesus to show a sign because they don't
believe everything that he's done so far and they're questioning his ability and they're
questioning who he is. He has done all kinds of miracles to prove that he is God and they still
don't believe him and then they go and ask him teacher show us a sign and then he tells them
I will give you the sign of Jonah and the whole thing what he's trying to tell them is this
because of your unbelief I deem you a crooked and perverse generation and the generation of Jonah
will be better off than you because they heard Jonah preach and they believed Jonah preach but
this generation couldn't and so in verse 15 of Philippians when Paul is talking about children
of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation this is a generation that
does not believe in God. This is a generation that they don't think that the God of the universe is
real and that he's still working.
That's the generation that Paul is warning the Philippians from becoming like.
Holy Spirit is urging the believers to believe in God so that they can be differentiated from
the crooked and perverse generation. When you are complaining and disputing, you are stating that
you do not believe in what God is saying. You are walking in unbelief. In other words, verse 14 is
encouraging us to walk in faith so that we can become blameless and harmless children of God.
And verse 15 concludes by saying this,
The light Holy Spirit is referring to is the light of God within us when we accept Jesus as
our Lord and Savior. When we choose to believe Him, He comes and dwells in us and His light
shines through us. And that's how we differentiate ourselves from the crooked and perverse generation.
When we believe in Him and His light comes in us and shines through us when we're walking in faith,
not walking in unbelief. Disputing and complaining will cripple how far you will go with the Lord
because it's you yelling at all the time, I don't believe you. I don't trust that you can do what
you've told me you'll do. This is why we must choose to believe God and trust Him especially
when things are not going right. Let's go to verse 16,
Believing in God is what brings the light into our lives. But keeping the light till the day of Christ
needs more than just saving faith. We need to cling to or hold fast to the word of life.
That is how the light that is within us keeps on shining. Because here's what happens when you
believe God but then you know the light comes in and you're full of faith and God is with you.
And then as you're walking through life bad things started happening. Terrible things that you didn't
even intend started happening. Your friends start leaving you. All these things start happening in
your life. Then what do you start doing? You start complaining and murmuring about, wow I thought God
can do this. Why is this happening? Whatever it is that you're going through you start complaining
about that. And then as you're complaining about that, the light that is within you becomes to dim.
It starts to dim, to dim, to dim. And when I say starts to dim, you start looking more like the
crooked and perverse generation who don't trust God. Paul is telling us in verse 16,
hold fast the word of life. When things are going wrong, hold fast to the word of life. Because that
is how the light within you will shine. And that looks like when you are, when things are going
wrong, you're choosing to believe in Jesus. When things are going wrong, you're choosing to say,
I trust in you regardless of what happens. That's what holding fast to the word of life looks like.
The word of life is Jesus and more importantly, revelation that we receive about Him. When you're
going through a hard time, when you receive the revelation that He will provide for all your needs,
now you can cling to that revelation a little bit harder and He will bring you through that time
and your light will shine brighter. Our faith on salvation is so rudimentary because it's solely
focused on Christ saving us from our sins. After you are saved, you need to know more than just
Christ saved me. You need to grow in His word so that you can get the full picture
of what salvation is. It's like a baby. You never stay a baby all your life. You grow. And those
older people who still have the mentality of a baby, what do we call them? We say they're immature.
We say they're not there yet. So there's a maturing process that comes as a Christian
that you need to go through so that you can be able to walk out this life. When you cling to the
word of life, you are growing. You are growing in all these different areas. You are seeing Him in a
different way. Remember, faith comes by hearing the word of God. So the more you expose to His words,
the more faith you get and the more you grow and the more you become a mature believer. Also in
verse 16, we see the heart of a true father. The heart of a disciple maker. This is why He's praying
that these believers will finish their race because He doesn't want to have labored in vain for them.
He cares for them. It takes time to make a disciple. And all that time that you've invested,
you want it to be fruitful. You don't want to have wasted your time. And this is the challenge
because our generation today loves to make converts, but not disciples. And converts is
the one you preach the gospel, they get saved, and you leave them as a baby. Disciple making is a life.
time and it takes time and the heart of a father will yearn that the children that the people that
have led to the Lord will grow. So let's go to 17 and 18 and we'll see where he's going.
Yes and if I'm being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith I am
glad and rejoice with you all for the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me. Verse 17
continues the same sentiment that we see in chapter 1. Paul was ready to die for the gospel.
His life was a living sacrifice for the gospel of Jesus. After seeing what he says in verse 16
we see that he was ready to go knowing that the people of Philippi will hold on to the word of
life and that's his heart. Can you hold on to the word of life? And when he sees them holding on to
the word of life now he's ready to go because he knows his children will stay and will not be
pulled away. He also encourages them to stand tall on the word and rejoice with him in his life
if his life were to end. Do you see that kind of thinking? So he's made disciples and he's confident
that they will stay and then say now if it's time for my life to be poured out as a drink offering
I'm ready. I'm ready to go. That's the kind of mentality that we all need to have that we are
ready to go whenever we are ready. Whenever it's our time to. And in verse 18 Paul invites them to
this level of commitment when he says for the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me. For
the same reason that they are meaning because of this reason I'm ready to go to die you as well be
ready to be ready to die for the gospel. In this last section from verse 19 to 24 we see Paul
commanding Timothy but also giving an indictment to the rest of his team. He says this but I trust
in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly that I may also be encouraged when I know
your state. Look at verse 20. For I have no one like-minded who will sincerely care for your state
for all seek their own not the things which are of Jesus Christ. His team Paul the great apostle
doesn't have a team of people that he can trust to send and disciple these people. Only one. That's
why you see disciple making is hard. Silas he was with Paul in prison when this church was birthed
and even he wasn't worthy to be sent to them. Only Timothy. But the main thing that you see in this
section is a rubric that Paul gives us of how to have good ministers. He says they must care for
your disciples and they must do everything for the sake of Christ. It can never be about them.
And then in verse 22 also that they are willing to serve their fathers or mentors in in their lives.
That is the goal of a minister. To care for the flock and to do everything for the sake of Christ
and to honor those who have come before you. It is important to study and know the Bible
but the question is has the word seeped into your heart and do you know Jesus so that He can
establish your character. So that He can make sure that you are worthy of caring for the
disciples. That you are worthy to focus on Him and not your selfish desires. Thank you for listening
to this episode. Join me next time as we talk about being a good shepherd. Amen.