Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey        
March 15, 1998                                       
                                                     Philippians 1:27-2:4
                             UNITED WE STAND
                             ===============

  I. Buddies.
      A. How many buddies do you have?
          1) People we hang around with.
          2) Those who share our interests and values.
          3) A church ought to operate on the buddy system.
      B. Buddies have to get along.
          1) Yet we live in a hostile world.
          2) We have to watch our own hostility and selfishness.
      C. Passage deals with standing against world, and with each other.

 II. Stand firm!                                                     1:27
      A. Keep your citizenship valid.
          1) "Conduct self" a rare word that deals with politics and
                citizenship.
              a) Philippians were proud of their citizenship because they
                    were a Roman colony, and got it as a special honor.
              b) Americans also feel this way.
                  1> We are proud to carry a U.S. passport, and feel very
                        patriotic when overseas.
          2) Paul is saying they need to live like citizens of heaven.
              a) In all your dealings, remember you represent a Savior.
              b) People are watching you even when you don't realize it.

      B. Three characteristics of Christians in the world:
          1) Firm.
              a) How solid is your faith?
                  1> According to the Supreme Court, all religious
                        beliefs are either preferences or convictions.
                  2> Only convictions are protected under the First
                        Amendment.
              b) A belief is a preference when, under certain circum-
                    stances, that belief can be changed.
                  1> Peer pressure.
                  2> Family pressure.
                  3> Litigation pressure.
                  4> Jail pressure.
                  5> Death pressure.
              c) A conviction is a belief which will not change under any
                     circumstance.
                  1> Self-determined.
                  2> Nonnegotiable.
                  3> Victorious.
                  4> Consistent with a person's lifestyle.
                                                                    #3390
          2) Forceful.
              a) We need to contend for the faith.
              b) Positive aspect:  give a strong Christian witness.
                  1> Stand up for what you believe.
                  2> Approach people about it - don't wait for them to
                        come to you.
              c) Negative aspect: face up to opponents.
                  1> True Christians have always rubbed society wrong.
                  2> If you are "contending," they have to notice you.
                      A> Example:  Charles Colson, William Bennett.
                  3> Our forcefulness will be an omen to opponents.
                      A> They lose in the end.
                      B> We win in the end.  (they'll notice this later)
                          1: Note emphasis on God's action in saving.
              d) Contending is not an individual sport.
                  1> "Contending as one man" is an expression Greeks
                        used of team wrestling.
                      A> (this is why people love professional wrestling.)
                  2> We need to cooperate together to influence country.
          3) Fearless.                                               1:28
              a) Not spooked or frightened.
              b) Christian conduct can be a costly affair.
                  1> John Wesley was riding on his horse when it dawned
                        on him he had not been persecuted for three days.
                     "Maybe I've sinned or been disobedient."
                     He got off his horse, got on knees.
                     A redneck on other side of road recognized the
                        evangelist and heaved a rock at him.
                     It bounced off the road, just missing Wesley.
                     He leaped to his feet and shouted,
                       "Thanks be to God!  Everything's all right.
                           I still have God's presence with me."
                                                                    #4302
                  2> A forceful, courageous witness will draw pressure.

III. Stand united.
      A. Conflict is a fact of life.
          1) Rev. Roy Medley in northwest India.
                Needed double permission to enter a city due to fighting.
             That day a military convey killed a motorcycle rider,
                suspecting he was a terrorist.
             The gunfire also killed two women in the crowded street.
             His greatest distress?
                Many of those doing the terrorism are Baptists.
             They not only fight the government, but also each other.
          2) We expect the world to be against us.
              a) It is sad when the church seems to be our opponent.
              b) Affects our witness.                                1:27

      B. Four spiritual facts should make our fighting obsolete.
          1) Our spiritual unity in Christ.
              a) Must have a personal relationship with Christ.
              b) We must realize we are a body.
          2) Comfort of his love.
              a) Love is at the root of the Christian experience.
              b) If we know God's love, we should be able to spread it
                    to others.
          3) Fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
              a) Must have Spirit to be saved.                    Rom 8:9
              b) Fellowship is produced by the Spirit.
              c) Fighting is the opposite of fellowship.
          4) Tenderness and affection.
              a) Do you feel other Christians care about you?
              b) People who care, don't continually fight.

 IV. The blessing of unity.
      A. The signs of a spiritual church.
          1) Like-minded.
              a) Doctrine important.
              b) Baptists have soul freedom, but within boundaries.
          2) Same love.

              Lee Iacocca once asked legendary football coach Vince
                 Lombardi what it took to make a winning team.
              Lombardi's answer:

              "There are a lot of coaches with good ball clubs who know
                 the fundamentals and have plenty of discipline but still
                    don't win the game.
              Then you come to the third ingredient: if you're going to
                 play together as a team, you've got to care for one
                    another.
              You've got to love each other.
              Each player has to be thinking about the next guy and saying
                 to himself: "If I don't block that man, Paul is going to
                    get his legs broken.
              I have to do my job well to protect my buddy."

              "The difference between mediocrity and greatness," Lombardi
                 said that night, "is the feeling these guys have for
                    each other."
              In the healthy church, each Christian learns to care for
                 others.
              As we take seriously Jesus' command to "love one another,"
                 we contribute to a winning team.
                                                                    #3156
          3) One in spirit and purpose.
              a) Everyone is pulling in the same direction.
              b) Everyone is focused ahead.

      B. How to get unity.
          1) No room for conceit or selfishness.
              a) Key ingredient in church conflict.

                Dr. Kenneth Haugk writes a newsletter for small groups:
                Destructive conflict usually will not occur without an
                   antagonist.
                I define an antagonist as an individual who goes out of
                   the way to make unreasonable demands.
                Usually they attack the person or performance of others.
                These attacks are selfish in nature, tearing down rather
                   than building up.
                Frequently the attacks are directed against those in
                   leadership.

                It is healthy conflict to honestly disagree with
                   something that is being discussed in the group.
                However, the goal of the antagonist is to seize power
                   or to criticize and tear down someone (especially
                      the leader), often behind the person's back.
                The antagonist's critical nature and behavior, left
                   unchecked, will destroy a group.
                                                                   #4203
          2) Humility of mind - regard others as more important.
              a) Look for ways to support, encourage and build up
                    other people.
              b) Requires an attitude that would rather give than
                    receive.
          3) Unity not just lack of dissension, but active self-LESS-ness.

      C. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's seven principles for erasing selfishness:
          1) Hold your tongue and refuse to speak uncharitably about
                a Christian brother or sister.
          2) Cultivate humility by understanding that you, like Paul,
                are the greatest of sinners.
                   You can only live in God's sight by his grace.
          3) Listen long and patiently so that you will understand your
                fellow Christian's need.
          4) Refuse to consider your time so valuable that you cannot
                be interrupted to help with unexpected needs, no matter
                   how small or menial.
          5) Bear the burden of your brothers and sisters in the Lord,
               both by preserving their freedom, and by forgiving their
                  sinful abuse of that freedom.
          6) Declare God's word to your fellow believers when they need
                to hear it.
          7) Understand that Christian authority is characterized by
                service and does not call attention to the person who
                   performs the service.


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