Living Worthy: Sacrifice and Action in Faith

Devotional

Day 1: Living a Life Worthy of the Gospel

Paul encourages us to live a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ. This means not only believing in Jesus but also being willing to suffer for His sake. It's about striving to live up to the high calling of being a Christian, not just being saved but actively participating in the work of the Gospel. This is a call to action, a call to sacrifice, and a call to suffer for the sake of Jesus's name ([01:09:44]).

Philippians 1:27 - "Only let 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."

Reflection: How are you actively living a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ? What sacrifices are you making for His sake?

Day 2: The Importance of Discernment

Paul encourages the church to grow and mature in their efforts to advance the Gospel. This involves discernment, the ability to judge well. It's about approving what is excellent and being pure and blameless for the day of Christ ([01:01:08]).

Philippians 1:9-10 - "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ."

Reflection: How are you growing in your discernment? How does this impact your daily decisions and actions?

Day 3: The Role of Sacrifice

Living a life worthy of the Gospel involves sacrifice. It's about being willing to pay the cost of following Jesus, even when it's difficult or inconvenient. This is part of our calling as Christians ([01:21:14]).

Philippians 1:29 - "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."

Reflection: What sacrifices have you made for the sake of Christ? How have these sacrifices impacted your faith?

Day 4: The Balance of Depth and Breadth

In studying the Bible, it's important to strike a balance between depth and breadth. We need to maintain a biblical view of the biblical forest while still being able to see the details of the individual biblical trees ([50:15]).

2 Timothy 2:15 - "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."

Reflection: How do you balance depth and breadth in your personal Bible study? How does this impact your understanding of God's Word?

Day 5: The Call to Suffer for Christ

Part of our calling as Christians is to suffer for Christ. This is not about minor inconveniences or discomforts, but about enduring real hardship for the sake of Jesus's name. This is a key aspect of living a life worthy of the Gospel ([01:12:41]).

1 Peter 4:16 - "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name."

Reflection: How have you experienced suffering for Christ? How has this shaped your faith and your understanding of the Gospel?

Sermon Summary

In this sermon, I explored the theme of living a life worthy of the gospel of Christ, as expressed in the book of Philippians. I emphasized that Paul's encouragement to the Philippians was not a correction of bad behavior, but a call to continue growing and maturing in their efforts to advance the gospel. I highlighted Paul's statement in verse 27, "only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ," as the central theme of the sermon. I also discussed the concept of biblical belief, which is not just intellectual assent but a trust that leads to action, and the expectation of suffering for the sake of Christ.

In the second part of the sermon, I delved into the idea of living a life worthy of the gospel, which involves more than just attending church or giving donations. I challenged the congregation to consider whether their Christian walk has been costly and whether they have made significant sacrifices for the sake of Christ. I expressed my desire to see lives changed and people growing and maturing as Christians because of my own contribution. I concluded by emphasizing that living a life worthy of the gospel requires more than just cheering from the sidelines; it requires joining the team and making sacrifices.

Key Takeaways

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Sermon Clips

1. "We pray Lord that this morning that you would give us the courage and the prompting to make those sacrifices to be willing to pay those costs. We don't want to be just cheering on the sidelines Lord, you want to be part of the team that celebrates this Victory." - 01:21:14

2. "God could break any stronghold, he can break the belief of spirits, the belief of not believing in him. The love that he shows us is unreal. He brings missionaries from everywhere and the love that he shows us is unreal." - 37:37

3. "Things in life, especially big things, the things that are really worthwhile us as doing, they're going to cost us. They're going to cost us something. We will need to sacrifice in some way for those things and sometimes we don't realize how much we will actually have to sacrifice." - 42:24

4. "Team Jesus is going to win. We can cheer as they go by, we can still celebrate victory in the end, or we can become investors and team players and as major participants when we celebrate that victory in the end it will be so much sweeter." - 01:17:02

5. "I want to see lives change in part because of my participation and investment in those lives. I want to see people grow and mature as Christians because of my own contribution. I want to see people being comforted and protected and provided for in part because of what I personally have done." - 01:17:02

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