Around Christmas time one of the movies on TV is,
"It’s A Wonderful Life", staring Jimmy Stewart. In the movie Jimmy
plays a man named George Bailey. George has big dreams of going to college and
being a world traveler. Instead, he winds up having to take over his father’s
building and loan, which is more like a charity than a business. George becomes
so disappointed in what he has become that one day he decides to take his own
life. He says, "I wish I’d never been born". At that moment his
guardian angel Clarence intervenes and shows him what life would have been like
had he never been born. His home town "
This was what Paul wanted for the Philippian
Christians. In our text he says that he wants to "rejoice in the day of
Christ that he has not run in vain, neither labored in vain". He wants to
know that his efforts on them had not been wasted, that they had become
difference makers in this world.
Philippians
2:14-16: 14 Do all things without grumbling of disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and
innocent, children of God without
blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the
world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in
vain.
I. THE CONDUCT OF A DIFFERENCE MAKER (14)
Just before our text, in verse 13 Paul says that
God works in the believer both to will (that means giving him the desire) and
to do His (God’s) good pleasure.
In our text Paul begins by saying "do all
things". The Christian life is a life of doing. It’s not a life of sitting
but a life of serving. We are to be "doers of the word". Faith that
does not result in some kind of service is dead James says. But there is a way
that we are to serve God, a manner in which we are to conduct ourselves.
"Without murmurings and disputings."
The word "murmuring" means whispering, or muttering, it speaks of
private complaining, grumbling. One of the most unbecoming things a Christian
can be is a chronic complainer, always finding fault, never contented, never happy.
Illustration: A monk entered a monastery in
which he agreed to take a vow of silence. He could only speak two words every
ten years. After the first ten years he was brought before the leader. He said,
"bed hard". Ten years later he was brought before the leader
again. He said, "food bad". Ten years later he was brought
before the leader again. He said, "I quit". The leader said,
"Well it doesn’t surprise me. You haven’t done anything but complain for
the last 30 years."
There are some Christians who never seem to
speak unless it is a word of complaint, either about their condition or about
someone else, or the church. All of us have our complaints from time to time
but some are constant complainers. Complainers are seldom difference makers,
usually they are on the sidelines criticizing those who are making a
difference.
Most scholars agree that Paul is drawing a
correlation in these verses between
When we constantly complain, we are saying,
"God your provision is not good enough. Your grace is not sufficient.
To overcome complaining we must begin to trust
God.
Serenity prayer: "God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can.
And the wisdom to know the difference."
II. THE CHARACTER OF A DIFFERENCE MAKER (15)
Does character really matter?
If we are going to be difference makers we must
become people of character. Paul says we are to be:
a) blameless---Here he is speaking of who we are
before men. He is saying there should be nothing in our lives that would cause
others to point a finger of accusation. I’ve heard people say, "I don’t
care what anybody thinks about me". If you are a Christian you
better care. The lost world is looking for something to discredit your
testimony so they can reject your savior with a good conscience. Ghandi said,
"I don’t refuse Christianity because of the Christian Scriptures but
because of Christians".
When Paul stood before the governor Felix and
preached the gospel to him the bible says, "He reasoned of righteousness
and temperance and judgment to come and Felix trembled". Here was a man
that was under severe conviction. But listen to what he did. "He answered,
Go thy way for this time. When I have a convenient season I will call for
thee." Now listen to what his motives were. "He hoped also that money
should have been given him of Paul that he might loose him wherefore he sent
for him the oftener and communed with Him." Felix was just waiting for
Paul to offer a bribe and in so doing to discredit the Gospel and relieve his
conviction. We must be unblamable.
b) Unmistakable---He says, "children of
God". We are to be unmistakable children of God. What is it that primarily
identifies us as children of God? LOVE.
- (John 13:35) "By this shall all men know that you are my
disciples, if you have love one to another"
III. THE CONTEXT OF A DIFFERENCE MAKER (15):
Where are we to live this life? In the walls of
the church, at youth functions, at church socials. Yes, but not just there.
Paul tells us.
"in the midst of a crooked and perverse
nation among whom ye shine as lights in the world." We are supposed to
live this life right in the middle of a crooked and perverse nation.
George W. Truett. Wrote a book with a chapter
entitled "The Prayer Jesus Refused to Pray". Out of curiosity I read
it. It was a reference to the high priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17 where he
prayed for us, "I pray not that you would take them out of the world, but
that you would keep them from evil."
Church, it is time that we realize why we are
here. If our ultimate purpose for being here was to worship God, then God would
have immediately transported us to heaven when we were saved because in heaven
worship is perfect. If our ultimate purpose for being here were to fellowship
with one another, God would have immediately transported us to heaven where we
could fellowship for eternity. God has left us here that we might "shine
as lights in the world".
The bible never teaches that we are to bring
people to church. The bible teaches that we are the church, and we are to take
the church to the people.