GOD ALWAYS WINS (6): CITIZENSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES

(Philippians 1:29-30)
Date: ____________________

Read Phil 1:27-28 – Baseball fans will remember Brooks Robinson, all-star
3rd baseman for the Orioles. Pretty good hitter. Unparalleled fielder. No one
ever did it better. At the peak of his career someone said it was almost as if he
came down from a higher league and was just tuning up to return. Except,
of course, there was no higher league. It was a tremendous compliment.

Wouldn’t it be great if people said of us, “This person lives like they’ve come
down from a higher plane, higher league, and they’re just tuning up to
return.” That’s Paul’s challenge in Phil 1:27, “Only let your manner of life be
worthy of the gospel of Christ.” “Let your manner of life” is a single Greek
word -- built on the word “city.” It’s saying, “Only let your manner of life as
a citizen of heaven look like that!” If you think citizenship in America is a
high privilege – and it is – it can’t hold a candle to being a citizen of heaven.

Last week, we saw that citizenship has its Responsibilities -- to live a life that
obeys the commands of our King with enthusiasm and without fear. We have
an other-world identity. God has “seated us with him in the heavenly places in
Christ Jesus.” There is no higher league than that. So, we are to live like it.
Today we want to look at the Privileges of heavenly citizenship. There are
many, but 3 are identified in vv. 29-30. Heavenly citizenship is a high honor.
The privileges that come with that are astounding. One may be surprising!

Paul’s opening is fascinating: “29 For it has been granted to you that for the
sake of Christ.” “Granted” translates Χαριζομαι - verb form of “grace.”
Literally, “You have been graced,” or “Tho undeserved, God has freely given
you these gifts.” Like the old MasterCard commercials? The zookeeper
sneezes his way through feeding the elephant. He leaves; the elephant picks up
his MasterCard, goes to the store and the voice over says, “Hot soup -- $1.
Cold medicine -- $11. Tissues -- $2. Blanket -- $24.” The elephant collects
his things, delivers them through the window of the red-nosed guy sitting in
his chair, and the voice says, “Making it all better – priceless.” That’s exactly
Paul’s point. “It has been graced to you.” “You’ve received a priceless gift
from God Himself. You’ve been graced from above.”

Notice, we’re graced “for the sake of Christ.” Strange. Normally gifts benefit
the receiver. Not in this case. We’ve been given priceless gifts for Christ’s
sake. Why? At least 2 reasons for that. First, God’s glory is always the
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priority. Isa 48:11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should
my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.” Everything that
ever happens is ultimately for the glory of God – including gifts of grace!

But it’s also for Christ’s sake bc He paid a huge price for these gifts. They are
free to us, but they cost Him dearly. Suppose I bought an expensive diamond
necklace for my wife. She would benefit from that gift, but who paid? Me.
Why? Bc it gives me joy to see the benefit of my sacrifice. In that sense the
gift would be for my sake -- for the joy I take in showing my love for her.
Same with God. To be graced by Him is a priceless privilege to me and Him!
So let’s examine in more detail the 3 priceless gifts we have from above.

I. Saving Grace

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For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only
believe in him.” The first gift? Saving faith. It’s the greatest gift of all, of
course. Jesus not only paid the penalty for our sin that we could not pay, but
He also gave us the faith to receive that payment. Much as it seems I accepted
Him on my own, the truth is the very faith to believe was also His gift. Eph
2:8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your
own doing; it is the gift of God.” What is the gift of God? The grace and faith
by which we are saved. It’s a priceless gift – delivered in countless ways.

A few years ago, a local man was diagnosed with cancer and given only a few
months to live. We spent some time together in his last days – during which
time he confessed Christ as Lord. Here’s how he described accepting Christ to
his family in an email: “How simple this all is. I cannot save myself. God,
thru the blessed gift of his Son Jesus has saved me. I need only have faith
and not even that faith is of my doing; it is also a gift from God. I’ve long
known it is this simple, [and am ashamed] not to have put God at the center
of my life. To know yet reject the most important free gift. This is Satan’s
work. I am privileged to have this disease. God could have snatched me
away and sent me to hell, do not pass go. Instead He chose this way to
awaken me and, most important, to give me time to accept Jesus Christ as
my Savior and Lord who died on that cross and arose from the dead to save
all of us.” That’s priceless! Do you have the gift of saving faith? Are you
sharing it with others? It’s the greatest privilege of citizenship! Saving faith.

II. Suffering Grace – the surprising gift

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Suffering as gift? Yes. 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.” God
gave us saving faith; God gave us suffering. The same verb governs both
gifts. Salvation and suffering are a package deal! We don’t talk about that
much but suffering is as much a gift of grace as salvation. Here’s why.

A. Gives Assurance – Suffering is one way I know I belong to

God. Why? Because He promised it to family members! If you never suffer,
you might ask, is my faith real? You don’t have to look for it. It’ll find you if
you are real. When Paul was blinded on the Damascus Road, God sent
Ananias to tell him he would preach Christ to the Gentiles. But he added in
Acts 9:16: “For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my
name.” Paul’s commission came with the promise of suffering. But guess
what? So does every believer. Jesus told His disciples in Jn 15: 20 Remember
the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they
persecuted me, they will also persecute you.’” God warned in II Tim 3:12:
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Not “may”, “will.” Persecution is our heritage as believers.

When people can be denied jobs, lose businesses, and be vilified in the press,
for taking biblical stands, persecution has come. When churches and Christian
organizations can lose their tax exempt status, and Christian schools can no
longer require a statement of faith for entry or teaching, the jig is up. But
rejoice. This shows we’re real. Heb 13:13: “Therefore let us go to him outside
the camp and bear the reproach he endured.” As He was crucified outside
the city, separated from polite society, it’s our privilege to join Him there!

B. Grows Us – Suffering is essential to growth. First, it is the

means by which God disciplines us to remove sin, excess and waste from our
lives. Heb 12:7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you
as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are
left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate
children and not sons.” When you’re asking why suffering – start there. Is it
God’s hand of discipline? David says in Psa 119:67, “Before I was afflicted I
went astray, but now I keep your word.” The quicker we obey, the less pain!

Spurgeon said, “All the grace I have received in comfortable and easy times
could lie on a penny. The good that I have received from sorrow, grief, and
pain is incalculable. What do I not owe to the hammer and the anvil, the fire
and the file? What do I not owe to the crucible and the furnace, the bellows
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that flame the coals and the hand that thrust me into the heat? Affliction is
the best bit of furniture in my house. It is the best book in a minister’s
library.” So suffering gets our attention and helps us get the sin out.

But second, it helps keep it out. Affliction makes us dependent. It reminds us

we’re not sufficient on our own. I Pet 5:7: “casting all your anxieties on him,
because he cares for you.” The fires of suffering humble us. I love how
Spurgeon captures this idea: “Our joy is like the wave as it dashes on the
shore – it throws us on the earth. But our sorrows are like that receding
wave which sucks us back again into the great depth of the Godhead. We
would be stranded high and dry on shore if it were not for that receding
wave, that ebbing of our prosperity that carries us back to our Father again
and again.” Suffering creates the need that drives us to the Father.

C. Glorifies Christ – Why suffer? Take it from an expert, Paul in

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II Cor 4: But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the
surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every
way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but
not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body
the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our
bodies.” Why suffer? Because when we suffer well, we glorify Christ.

Americans don’t get this. To us success wins people. Show them someone
who came to Christ and his marriage got healed, his business prospered, his
kids got off drugs and his dog came back. That’s the ticket. But we have it all
wrong. Jesus never promised any of that. And the world is not impressed.
“So, Jesus is your ticket; I’m successful by hard work.” And many are. What
they can’t do is suffer well. Suffering well shows off Jesus like nothing else.

Acts is a prime example. The first NT martyr is Stephen in Acts 7. Satan

thinks, “Ha! I’m winning now.” But Stephen’s death fuels mission in Acts 8.
Persecuted Xns scatter to Judea and Samaria, the gospel prospers and revival
breaks out. Meanwhile Saul, who hated Jesus and held the coats for those who
stoned Stephen takes off on a “search and destroy mission” to Damascus. But
he meets Jesus on the road – Acts 9. The persecuted Xns eventually get to
Antioch (Acts 13) and send out the first missionary who turns the Roman
world upside down – Saul/Paul. So get the big picture. Paul incites Stephen’s
execution which leads to the scattering of Xns which leads to founding the
church in Antioch which sends Paul on global mission. Paul’s persecution
of Stephen led to the whole movement that sent Paul on worldwide mission.
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God always wins! Satan’s strategy of persecution backfired. And Satan’s
persecution in your life will increase God’s glory to you as well!

D. Galvanizes Others – Suffering well encourages others. Like

Paul did: Phil 1:14: “And most of the brothers, having become confident in
the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without
fear.” Paul’s suffering was a gift not only to himself but to others as well. II
Cor 4:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that
we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort
with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

In Follow Me, David Platt tells of Sanja, an impoverished mother in India.

When she became pregnant with her 2nd daughter, her husband left. In shame,
Sanja was forced to go back to her parents. But a Xn church reached out to
her. She heard the gospel, and tho it caused her further shame she repented her
sin and trusted Christ. And what does she do now? She leads the church
outreach to impoverished pregnant mothers, sharing the gospel with every
Hindu she knows. Suffering, leading to salvation, leading to service,
encouraging others. God’s grace at work in His own mysterious ways.

E. Generates Reward – No one wants to suffer for nothing. And

no one in God’s family ever will. Suffering leads to reward that will make that
suffering seem as nothing. You have God’s Word on that. Rom 8:18: “For I
consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with
the glory that is to be revealed to us.” One minute in heaven and all the pain
will be forgotten -- overwhelmed by the glory of the Lord. II Cor 4: 17 For
this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory
beyond all comparison.” Beyond comparison? Paul’s saying, “I have no way
to describe what is coming then to compensate for the affliction of now.”

Jonathan Edward said that time is related to eternity as a porch is related to a

house. We must view our life here as a lead-in to something far greater and
more glorious. He said, “This world was made for a place of preparation for
another. Man’s mortal life was given him that he might be prepared for his
fixed state. And all that God has given us here (including suffering), is given
for this purpose.” That puts suffering in a whole different light. It’ll pay rich
dividends in the life that follows. “It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus.”

III. Sustaining Grace

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30)engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still
have.” What conflict? The battle with the forces of evil bent on hindering the
gospel. Paul was in the fight to the end, whether in Philippi, in Corinth, in
Ephesus or in jail. The where didn’t matter. The battle went on. The fight
continued. He was in it for the long haul. False accusations, slights,
betrayals, discouragement, disappointment – nothing could stop him. He had
an audience of One -- driven by God’s sustaining grace. He would finish
strong. Neither age nor circumstances are an excuse for not finishing strong.

One guy had just retired and his wife asked, “What are you going to do
today?” He replied, “Nothing.” She said, “That’s what you did yesterday.”
He said, “Yes, but I didn’t finish!” Listen, Beloved, if you’re doing nothing to
spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, it’s time finish doing nothing and begin
doing something! If you’re still here, there’s a reason and you need to be in
the game – “engaged in the same conflict” that Paul was. Don’t waste your
last years -- nor your early nor middle years! God’s gifted you with sustaining
grace to be fruitful. So get on with it. Do for someone else in Jesus’ name.

Conc – God’s grace is never-ending. Grace that saves us. Grace that sustain us
thru ministry and suffering. Don’t look for excuses not to use His gifts, even
suffering! Spurgeon once said, “In heaven we shall see that we had not one
trial too many. Things are not left to chance – no blind fate rules the world!
God has purposes and those purposes are fulfilled; God has plans and those
plans are wise, and never can be dislocated!” God always wins. Question is,
will we join in and win, too – or will we insist on our own way? Let’s pray.