My daughter plays basketball and is a pretty good little player. Much better than I was at her age. In her very first tournament last month, her and her team won all their games decisively. They were no doubt the best team on the court. They were also the home team for that tournament. Three weeks later, she was playing in her last tournament and this time they were on the road. Every team had seen them play at this point and they all wanted payback. Every game they played this time around was a lot tougher. They were in enemy territory. All of the odds were stacked against them. Yet, they were still expected to perform.
Each game they played was a battle. Those teams pushed them and challenged them more than they had been pushed before. However, there was only one way to win; they had to put that ball in the basket more than the other team. After three long fought games, those girls walked out of there with another championship. They went into enemy territory and they came out victorious!
How awesome is that! As her dad, I was extremely proud of her and her teammates in the way they played. Even with the odds stacked against them, they still came out with the win.
As I was thinking about this, it made me think, “this must be how God feels about us as His children.”
As believers in Jesus Christ, we are all on one team. As Christians, we have a game to play everyday. Our life is the court we walk on to each and every day. The goal of each day is to win the game. There is only one way to win, that is by pleasing God. Why? Because He has already won! The victory is in Christ! There are no wins outside of Christ. The devil will try to make you believe that there are other ways to win outside of Jesus. They will look good and feel good. However, they will only leave you feeling like a winner, only to find yourself disappointed in the end.
In every game we play we only have one opponent; that is the devil. Your co-worker is not your enemy, your ex is not your enemy, the person who makes you upset is not your enemy. There is only one true enemy, that is the devil.
And even though God is our father, every game we play is on the road. We live in enemy territory. This world and the culture we live in is not our home. It is not our final destination. The gym may look nice, the field might look good, all the equipment may be top notch, it all looks great, but this is not our home.
We must realize that as Christians, every game we play is on the road.
We live in a culture that does not celebrate Christ. We live in a world that does not want Jesus to win. Why? Because the god of this world hates Jesus. The god of this world has his hands on the culture, on media, on minds, etc.
While the devil may be the god of this world, he is not the God of the universe. While he may have his hand on culture, media, minds, he does not have the final say in someone else’s life.
There are a lot of people who need to hear about Jesus. There are a lot of people who are close to being saved. However, they need someone to show them he way. They need someone to tell them how. They need someone to be a light.
As Christians, even though every game we play is on the road, we are still expected to win. Someone else’s eternity depends on it. They need you to be a light shining in this dark world.
That brings us to our scripture for today.
Paul the apostle is speaking to Christians living in Philippi, modern day Turkey. He realizes that they are in need of a paradigm shift. Although they were Christians, some of them were living as if they were not. They were being influenced by the Philippian culture around them. The Apostle Paul felt the need to address the issue. Let’s pick up in verse 17.
17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.
Paul starts off by telling these Philippian Christians to set their focus on gaining Christ. He tells them in the precious verses to forget what lies behind them, their past, their mistakes, their failures, to put them all behind them. He tells them to not hold on to what you once had, but it to press on and run toward what lies ahead of them. What was that? Christ! He was saying to make their relationship with Christ the main thing. He said that by doing so, they will obtain the ultimate prize. That is, eternal life and ultimate satisfaction with God in heaven.
There are a lot of good things here in this life. There are a lot of things that bring us joy. However, ultimate joy is found in Christ! What do I mean by that? We have moments of joy and happiness here in this life. But joy and happiness come from God. They are a benefit of God’s blessings in your life. The devil, his desire is to change what you believe to be true. He wants to make you think that you can still find joy and happiness by going outside of God’s will. But you have to remember that His desire is to steal, kill, and destroy. He does this through deception. You may find joy, but it will come with a price. All of the devil’s enticements come with strings attached.
Therefore, Paul tells the Philippians to imitate himself. He says to follow his example or the example of someone else who is following Jesus. In other words, He is saying watch who you are emulating. Watch who you are allowing to influence you. Be watchful of what building you are leaning your ladder against.
We should have people we look up to and follow concerning the faith. However, we must follow the fruit. What kind of example are they leaving behind? That is important to ask because that will be the example you will leave behind. What kind of example are you leaving behind for other believers to follow? What kind of example are you leaving behind for your children? There are a lot of things that matter in life.
We need more people who are leaving an example worth following. What does that look like?
Philippians 3:13-14
“Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
All this stuff that life has to offer is great, but let us not get caught up with the stuff of this life. Instead, we make Jesus and His kingdom the priority. The goal is to build a godly life.
Godly Life = To be pleased with God and to be pleasing to God.
This is the goal; this is the example we should strive to leave behind
18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Who is Paul referring to here? He is speaking of those who alter or change the message of the gospel and believe they are right with God. There are a lot of people who believe a different message but claim it is the same gospel.
These all sound good, but they are not the same message of the gospel. Instead, their teachings oppose the message of the cross. This is what Paul was saying. Anyone who believes and lives out these teachings are ultimately enemies of the cross.
It is also important to note that he says this with tears in his eyes. While their life and mindset oppose the cross, they are not our enemies. Our desire is that each would be saved.
v19 - “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”
Their god is their appetite and glory in things that are shameful. Their mindsets are on earthly things. Jesus had a much different mindset.
v20 - “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”
Paul reminds the Philippians that their citizenship was not only in Philippi. As believers, they had a new citizenship, that was in heaven. Being a Philippian citizen was notable in that day. It came with Roman benefits, which in that day was a big deal. But Paul was letting them know that as notable as that was, they were also citizens of heaven. In fact, he was implying that their citizenship in heaven was of higher rank than their Philippian citizenship.
I am proud to be an American citizen. I am happy to be a resident of Texas. I love living here in Southeast Texas! However, none of those take the place of my citizenship in heaven. I am a born-again believer before anything else. That is not just our destination, that is our identity.
As Christians, every game we play is on the road. We must be careful not to confuse our location as our destination. We may live here on earth, but our destination is in heaven!
We as Christians are the visiting team in today’s culture. There was a day in age when culture was informed by Christian truths. Now we live in a time where culture is trying to impact and change the Christian worldview. Jesus is not accepted in today’s culture. He has been rejected by a culture that has continually tried to cancel Him in media. The culture of today is against Jesus and is against you as well. They are rooting against you. However, you are still expected to win.
In the midst of a culture that publicizes humanism, materialism, and secularism, God needs you to get into the game. Not to sit on the sidelines, but to get in the game. He is in need of us to be kingdom citizens.
Kingdom Citizen = Followers of Christ who align their priorities with God’s Word, in the midst of today’s culture.
Regardless of what is happening around us, we are still going to live right, do what is right, and be a light to the world around us. Culture does not define for me what is right and what is wrong. Only God’s Word can define what is right and what is wrong. As kingdom citizens, we prioritize God’s Word and seek to uphold it in the midst of today’s culture. That is what I call “Kingdom Culture.”
While the god of this world has his hand on the culture and media, he does not have the final say in anyone’s life. For this reason, let us be kingdom citizens and shine a light in a dark world. Let us uphold God’s Word with how we live and how we think.
Let us be less like the world and more like Jesus.
v21 - who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”
One day everything will be made right. Let us do all that we can to draw more people to Jesus.
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