Persevering in Love for the Saints (West Chester Baptist Church)

I want to ask you all a trick question. It is a trick question because I think I know what your answer will be.  And, according to my understanding of the Scriptures, your answer will be wrong.  So be careful before you answer.  Here’s the question: What is the primary purpose of the church?  What is the most fundamental task a church has? 

If you said evangelism, you would be almost right.  But not quite.  There is something very important that has to happen prior to evangelism, and if it doesn’t happen, all of our evangelistic efforts will be ineffective.  What do you think that would be?

Turn with me to John 13.  I want you to look with me at verse 31.

The way I understand verse 35 is this: The unsaved know better than to think people who don’t love each other are followers of Christ.  It doesn’t really matter how we present the gospel, by what means we present the gospel, how flashy or high-tech it is, or even how biblical it is.  It doesn’t matter how we present the gospel to the lost if the presenters of that gospel do not reflect such a change in their own behavior that they are able to obey this fundamental command of the Lord Jesus to love their fellow believers.  The unsaved will not know we are really and truly Christ’s disciples if we don’t persevere in love for each other.  That’s what verse 35 means.  

So I would submit to you that the first task of every church family is to persevere in keeping the commandment of the Lord Jesus to love each other.  But what does that look like?  How is it that we persevere in practical love for each other in such a way that even pagans recognize it as a genuine expression of love for Christ?  Over the past few days I have seen the love of Christ toward my brother and our family through cards, and gifts, and food.  And food.  And more food!  But even unbelievers do that.  So I'll repeat the question: How is it that we persevere in practical love for each other in such a way that even pagans recognize it as a genuine expression of love for Christ?

Here’s one text that I think spells it out clearly.  Turn with me to Philippians 2:1-16a ESV.

Once again, I want you to be sure you understand why we're looking at this passage; In order to answer this question: How is it that we persevere in practical love for each other in such a way that even pagans recognize it as a genuine expression of love for Christ?

Verses 1 through 5 explain the CONTEXT in which we must persevere in love.

Verses 6 through 11 displays our MODEL for perseverance in love.

Verses 12 through 13 explain the POWER behind our perseverance in love.

Verses 14 through 16a show us the EFFECT of perseverance in love.

First, let me suggest that persevering in the faith is the same thing as persevering in obedience.  Those who persevere in their faith in Christ to save them are marked by a lifestyle of obedience to His commands.  The apostles were commanded to make disciples, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”  As Christ’s disciples, we are to obey all He has commanded and teach other believers to do likewise.  If we believe He is who He says He is, then genuine faith in Christ is will provoke us to obey what He says.  So perseverance in the faith equals obedience to His commands.  Perseverance in the faith is not simply holding to the conviction that certain doctrines are true.  

Here’s what I mean by perseverance: Perseverance is a “steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.“ 2

Perseverance implies resistance.  If there is no opposition, then it can’t really be called persevering.  We persevere AGAINST things.  Namely, we persevere against all our natural, ungodly tendencies.  The flesh wars against the spirit constantly, and thus the constant need for us to persevere and fight back against the sinful lusts and desires of our own flesh.

1. The CONTEXT of Perseverance (vs 1-5)

Here in the first five verses of Philippians 2, Paul addresses the perseverance of the saints in the context of the local church fellowship.  

In other words, since as individual believers you experience the encouragement and love of Christ, if you enjoy individually the fellowship and affection and compassion that comes from the Spirit of God, then spread that around amongst yourselves.  Live together as a body of believers with a common love for one another, a common purpose, a common mindset, a common selflessness that looks out for each other’s interests.

All of this assumes we have personal relationships with one another that give us occasion to actually express these things.  Paul assumes these believers spend time with one another, and they live in relatively close proximity to one another, and they meet together as a church body on a regular basis.  Paul also assumes that none of what he is commanding them to do comes naturally.  The natural inclination of our hearts, STILL, even as believers in the Lord Jesus, is to be selfish, self-centered, and to regard ourselves as more important than everybody else, and to look out for our own interests above all others.  

It is at this point that perseverance makes sense.  I must persevere against my own fleshly inclination to think I must increase and everyone else must decrease.  I must persist in the fight against the natural worship of self and act towards my brothers and sisters in the same manner as God acts towards me: With encouragement, love, affection, compassion, and in fellowship.  The context in which we as believers persevere is the local church with our fellow believers, our brothers and sisters in the Lord.  What we experience privately and individually through our relationship with Christ, is supposed to be our corporate experience as well.  What you receive from Christ, share with the rest of the body.  The local church is the context for perseverance in love.

2. Our MODEL for perseverance (vs 6-11)

In verses 6 through 11, Paul sets the Lord Jesus before the Church as their supreme example of what an attitude of perseverance looks like.  

Three characteristics of successful perseverance that we see in Christ are:

a. a slave mentality

b. humility

c. obedience

Verse 7 has been interpreted in a lot of different ways.  One hymn says He emptied Himself of all but love.  I don’t think that is quite accurate, and I’m not sure I’m completely accurate in my interpretation of this.  But it seems that Jesus’ emptying Himself is directly tied in this verse to His becoming a bond-servant.  The word “bond-servant” is the Greek word “doulos” which means “slave.“  The one who was equal with God and deserving of all the glory and praise and worship that God deserves, laid aside His right to be glorified and honored as an equal with God in order to become a slave of God the Father with no rights at all.

Slaves have no rights, and they have no will of their own.  They must subject their own wills to the will of their owner and master.  Jesus took on the form of a slave to His Father, and humbly obeyed everything God commanded Him to do.  Repeatedly, we read of Jesus saying things like: 

If Jesus, who was equal with God, CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN!, willingly gave up His right to be recognized and worshipped as God, humbled Himself to take on the role of a slave, and in complete humility obeyed everything His Father commanded Him to do, even to the point of crucifixion . . .

. . . then how is it that we who are clearly NOT equal with God, and who obviously DIDN’T come down from Heaven, should be proud and demand to be honored and respected by everyone everywhere, inside and outside the church?

If Jesus took on the role of a humble, obedient slave to His Father, shouldn’t we?  Here, Paul is telling us we should be each other’s slaves.  We are to persevere in denying ourselves in order to serve one another.  Like Jesus did.  Jesus’ life was not His own.  His life was subject to the will of His Father who loved Him.

Our lives are not our own.  We have been purchased, bought, and paid for like slaves, not with money, but with the precious blood of Christ.  We belong to Him, we are to be like Him, and we are to serve one another selflessly.  That is a picture of perseverance.  We must persevere against indwelling pride and self-centeredness, and humble ourselves like slaves in our absolute submission to our good Master, the Lord Jesus.  Jesus is our model in perseverance. 

3. The POWER behind our perseverance. (vs 12-13)

The question we ask ourselves when we hear this is, “Who is sufficient for these things?”  “Who can persevere like that?”  That is my whole point.  It’s not called the Perseverance of the Saints for nothing.  The perseverance of the Saints requires that the saints persevere!  But we do not persevere alone, or in our own strength.  Look again at our text:

Let me paraphrase this a little.  I think Paul is saying, “Y’all were good when I was there with you.  You behaved well when I was around.  But now that I’m not around, but I’m over here in this prison in chains, don’t even think about misbehaving.  You keep on being obedient just like when I was there.  You keep on working out and living out your new life in Christ, because God is there even if I’m not.  God is there, and He is actually at work IN YOU to cause you to WANT to do His will and to actually DO His will, instead of living the way you used to live prior to your salvation.”

In other words, God supplies the grace and the power and the enabling for us to do what He requires of us.  He works in us so that we continue in obedience to Him which we cannot perform in and of ourselves, in our own strength. 

But Paul throws in that little phrase in verse 12, “with fear and trembling.”  Why does he say that?  If he had left those four little words out, the verse would have been much cleaner, more convenient, less confusing.  Seems like he could have just said, work out your salvation . . . for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”  Just do what God moves you to do.

But it is more than that.  This is an expression of our responsibility before God to persevere in holiness.  We live out what He is working in us with fear and trembling specifically because it is GOD who is working that in us.  We had BETTER work out what He’s working in us.  We had better ditch our wills and submit to His will.  We must perpetually deny ourselves, bring our sinful wills into subjection to His will, and cry out for Him to cause us to will to do His will.

God Himself CAUSES His people to persevere in His will.  We persevere in obedience to Him.  He makes it happen.  And it’s as though we did it.  

It’s still a mystery to me exactly how it works.  But what is comforting to me is this: God is not standing across the room, waiting for me to muster enough strength within myself to be obedient to Him in everything.  The obedience, the submission, and the perseverance in these things which He requires of us, He works in us.  

There was a time when I feared that I would never live the Christian life in a way that was sufficient to please God.  I don’t fear that any more.  Now I KNOW I can’t live the Christian life in obedience to God.  But I also know that God is at work in me so that my will is becoming more and more conformed to His will so that I live less and less for me, and more and more for His good pleasure.  He works perseverance in us.  He is the power behind our perseverance.

4. The EFFECT of perseverance (vs 14-16)

Finally, when we humble ourselves like Christ and selflessly love one another and serve one another in the church because of God’s gracious work He is doing in us, what effect does that kind of persevering obedience have?  Verses 14-16: 

When we live this way with one another, we evangelize the world.  The effect of a godly church is they become a light to the world.  We become lights to the world around us, both individually and corporately.  Do you want to make an impact on your community for the sake of the Gospel?  Then persevere in your love for one another.  You say, “That’s not outreach!  If we’re gonna evangelize the community, we need to knock on doors and share the Gospel and leave literature hanging on doorknobs and such.”  

Well, that is certainly a good way to reach out, and surely we must share the truth of the Gospel with others.  But Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples: if you have love for one another.”  In other words, if we do not persevere in our obedience to Christ’s command to love each other, then we can say whatever we want about the Gospel and they will know we don’t really believe it ourselves.  Perseverance in the faith takes place in the context of the local church.  We persevere in obedience to Christ’s commands by loving His people.

And it’s hard!  Some of the hardest obedience involves our relationships with each other.  That’s why it is so important, and why it makes such an impact on outsiders looking on.  Even the unbelieving world will realize we belong to Christ when we persevere in our love for one another.  That is not natural.  It is supernatural.  It is the result of God’s working in us to will and to act according to His good pleasure, and it is His good pleasure that we love the brethren.

Beloved, here's what it comes down to: The eventual effect of long-term, faithful obedience to Christ to love each other is a credible witness to an unsaved world.  When we live together without grumbling or complaining against one another, being motivated by the grace of God at work in us so that His will becomes our own, then we do those things that please Him.  That is how God causes us to persevere in the faith and shine as lights in a dark world.

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1. Katergazomai (kat-er-gad'-zom-ahee)

2. "perseverance." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 10 Jun. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/perseverance>.