Today's Sermon Notes: Printable Notes PDF

STRIVE, REVIVE & THRIVE IN 2025 (PART 6)

Today’s Text

Philippians 1:27-28 (ESV) ^{Php 1:27 (ESV)}  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, ^{Php 1:28 (ESV)}  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.

Review

1.      We are called to live a life worthy of the gospel.

2.      We are called to live a life worthy of the gospel exclusively.

Philippians 1:27 (ESV) 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,

3.      We are called to live a life worthy of the gospel earnestly. How?

a.      Live in daily consciousness of God’s all-seeing eyes.

Ephesians 6:6 (ESV) ⁶  not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

b.      Live unashamedly and visibly for the Gospel of Christ.

Mark 8:38 (ESV)  For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

The Lesson

& Earnestly - characterized by or proceeding from an intense and serious state of mind: not lightly, casually, or flippantly.

Strive constantly

& Constant - marked by firm steadfast resolution or faithfulness.[i] not changing or varying; continuing without pause or letup.[ii]

1.      To earnestly live a life worthy of the gospel is to live standing firm for the faith of the Gospel.

Philippians 1:27 (ESV) 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,

& Standing firm - firm, persistent standing.[iii] Elsewhere only figuratively meaning to stand firm in faith and duty, to be constant, to persevere.[iv]

Ezekiel 3:17-21 (KJV)
¹⁷  Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
¹⁸  When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
¹⁹  Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
²⁰  Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
²¹  Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

John 4:35-36 (ESV)
^{Jn 4:35 (ESV)}  Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.
^{Jn 4:36 (ESV)}  Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.

1 Timothy 4:1 (KJV) ¹  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Jude 1:3-4 (NIV)
³  Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
⁴  For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

2 Timothy 3:13-16 (KJV)
¹³  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
¹⁴  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
¹⁵  And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
¹⁶  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Colossians 1:21-23 (KJV)
²¹  And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
²²  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
²³  If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (NIV)
¹  Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
²  By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
³  For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
⁴  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
⁵  and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
⁶  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
⁷  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
⁸  and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
1 Corinthians 15:11 (NIV) ¹¹  Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.  

Romans 1:16 (KJV) ¹⁶  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Next Steps

      Sow gospel seeds and pray for rain.

Zechariah 10:1 (KJV) ¹  Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.

James 5:7-8 (KJV)
⁷  Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. ⁸  Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.