Sermon Series: Jesus-Everything We Need 

Making a Difference in the Owens Valley 

Philippians 2:14-16 

CBC Bishop-6/15/03

In a nutshell: And all of us can make a difference when our godly conduct and character are lived out in the context of the non-believers of the Owens Valley.

I. Introduction

A. "It's a Wonderful Life" movie

Every year at Christmas time one of the old movies that gets shown on TV is, "It's A Wonderful Life", staring Jimmy Stewart. Just about everyone of us has seen that movie at least once!

In the movie Jimmy Stewart plays a young man named George Bailey. George has big dreams of going to college, and being a world traveler. But instead, he winds up having to take over his father's building and loan business, which is more like a charity than it is like a business.

As time goes on, 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 of "Bedford Falls" would have become "Pottersville" named after a greedy old banker. -His old boss the druggist would have turned into the town drunk because George wouldn't have been there to stop him from making a fatal error in a prescription. -And during the course of the film, the angel shows George a number of lives he touched for good, with his life.

I think, when it's all said and done, everyone of us wants to be like George Baily. We all want to know that our lives have counted, and that we have made a difference in the lives of others.

B. Transition to Philippians

Well friends, this was what Paul wanted for the Philippian Christians. In fact, in the verses we're going to be looking at today, Paul says he wants to be able to…

Philippians 2:16b …boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. In other words, he wants to know that the effort he's put into founding this church and establishing it in the city of Philippi wasn't wasted. He wanted to make sure that the people of this church were making a difference in their corner of the world.

And that's God's desire for us as well. He wants us to make a difference right where we are…in the Owens Valley, of the Eastern Sierras, in California, in 2003.

With that in mind, if you have your Bibles, I'd like you to turn to Philippians 2. And today, we'll be looking at verses 14-16. In these verses, Paul very practically outlines how you and I can most effectively impact the Owens Valley for Jesus Christ in three distinct areas of our lives-our conduct, our character and our context. To begin with, let's look at verse 14

II. Our Conduct

Philippians 2:14 14 Do everything without complaining or arguing,

A. "Doing" is Important

In the verse just above this one, Paul says this…

Phil 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will (that means giving us the desire) and to do (that means that this desire will affect our conduct) for His good pleasure. NKJV

Our conduct is very important to God, because He knows that people outside of His family, observe our conduct, every day, and many decide to accept Christ or reject Him, based on what they see in us. So, Paul begins verse 14 by saying "do everything…".

I don't care how much of a "free spirit" you visualize yourself as being, or how much independence you feel you deserve…, if you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you are responsible for a life of "doing". In other words, your conduct is crucially important!

As a Christian, your life and mine isn't a life of sitting-it's a life of serving. The Bible tells us that we are to be "doers of the word". Faith that does not result in some kind of service is dead, according to what the apostle James wrote in his New Testament letter.

So, in these verses, Paul gives us some very specific ways that every Christian should be conducting his or her life. He says, "Do everything without complaining or arguing."

B. Don't complain or argue

1. Complain

The Greek word that's translated "complaining" here, is also translated in some versions as, "murmuring". It literally means whispering, or muttering under your breath. This word is talking about private complaining, or grumbling to either another individual, or so that people who are near you can hear what you're saying. Friends, one of the most unbecoming things a Christian can be is a chronic complainer, who is always finding fault, is never contented, or is 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 head of the monastery. 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 get into this mental loop, where all they seem to be able to do is complain-usually about one of three things: either their feelings; or about someone else's actions; or about how things are done at church.

Now, all of us have problems from time to time and we talk about those problems. Some personality types need to talk things out in order to resolve a problem in their minds. But some people are just constant complainers. And you know something?, people who complain, seldom make a difference in another person's life for Jesus Christ. Complainers are usually on the sidelines criticizing people who are making a difference.

Illustration: Some of you are familiar with Baily Smith, who is an evangelist in the Southern Baptist Convention. He once told a story about a man in his church who never had a positive thing to say about the church. So, one time, in a business meeting Baily Smith called on this man as if he were going to ask him to pray at the meeting. But instead of asking him to pray, Baily said, "Brother, would you please stand and lead us in a word of discouragement at this time."

Friends, chronic complaining damages our testimony, it is not attractive, and it discourages others. In other words, it is very displeasing to God.

In this context, if you go to the next verse, you'll see that Paul uses the phrase, "children of God". Now, most scholars agree that by using that phrase, Paul is drawing a connection between the Old Testament nation of Israel and the New Testament Church: -According to the Old Testament, Israel was called by God to be a "light to the nations". -According to the New Testament, the church was called by God to be the "light of the world".

One of Israel's greatest downfalls was that it was comprised of people who were always complaining: "We're tired of manna." "We want meat." "We're thirsty." "God has brought us out here to die." "Our leader hasn't come down from the mountain as soon as we want him to."

God got so fed up, that one day He sent fire from heaven and consumed all the complainers.

Folks, when we constantly complain, we are saying, "God what You provide isn't good enough. Your intentions are unjust. And Your grace isn't sufficient."

Illustration: At the beginning of this week, Diane and I were in Anaheim to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, and for me to attend an Association Board Meeting. When I wasn't in meetings, I had a large list of errands to run and a short time in which to do them. For things to work out, in my opinion, everything had to go just as I planned and just as I wanted them to go. But they didn't.

Stores didn't have what we wanted, traffic was unbelievably slow, meetings went too long, and what I planned wasn't working out. I got so angry at God, that I told Him He really didn't know what He was doing. Diane will tell you, I got downright angry, surly, sullen, ticked off, and hard to live with. I became a living, breathing, walking, talking roadblock to the Christian faith. Because I lacked the faith to believe that God knew what He was doing.

I woke up in my own bed on Wednesday morning, after we had arrived home on Tuesday night, and realized that everything that I needed to get done on this trip, and everything that was necessary for that trip to be successful had been accomplished. In the long run, I had complained and stewed and murmured for nothing.

Friends, the only way to overcome complaining is to learn to trust God more completely. -God's intentions are always good, -His grace is always sufficient, -and He is always available.

I should have prayed the "serenity prayer" in the middle of my frustrations: "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."

Now, I know all of you are so much better at this than me. So, please help me out. I'm obviously weak in this area. You all need to set an example for me to follow. Because if any of us are going to make a difference for Jesus Christ in the Owens Valley, then none of us can be complainers.

2. Arguing

The second part of our conduct that Paul addresses has to do with arguing. Now, this word in the Greek very specifically refers to public disputes, public reasoning, or thoughts publicly expressed by one person against another person. In other words, if we, in the church, start airing our problems with each other, to people outside the church, we are guaranteed to hurt our chance of making a difference for Jesus Christ in the Owens Valley.

Did you know we address this very thing in our church constitution? In it, we say in the section that I refer to as "house rules", that… "If at any time a person finds him or herself …unable to live in harmony with the rest of the body of believers at Calvary Baptist Church, then that person should not look to disrupt this body, but quietly withdraw from its membership."

That statement is built directly on this word from Paul to the Philippian church. Folks, we Christians have got to get it in our brains that… it's not about me and it's not about now. If you can't agree with what is going on here, then you must find a fellowship of believers with whom you do agree. -No hard feelings. -No bad wishes. -Just make sure that you don't do anything that will stop a non-believer from finding a relationship with Jesus Christ that will save him or her from an eternity in Hell. That's the bottom line.

Friends, if we are going to make a difference for Jesus Christ in the Owens Valley, then we cannot be people who complain or who argue with each other. Those are two vitally important bedrock areas of conduct for a Christian to follow.

III. Our Character

The second area of our lives that Paul address for making a difference has to do with our character. Look at what he says in…

Philippians 2:15a 15 so that you may become blameless and pure…,

In recent years our society has asked the question, "does character really matter?" And a great many people in our society have concluded that character is not really that important as long as a person does his or her job well. I just heard Hillary Clinton in a TV interview this past Tuesday, say, "Character is important, but not nearly as important as whether or not a person can do the job that he or she was elected to do." (Today Show interview with Matt Lauer, 6/10/03)

Friends, that's what the junior senator from New York may think, but that's not what God thinks. To God, character is everything! If we're going to make a difference for Jesus Christ in the Owens Valley, then we must become people of godly character. Paul speaks specifically to two areas of character…

A. Blameless

First, we must be blameless. I've heard people say something like, "I don't care what anyone thinks about me!", haven't you?

But let me tell you, if you're a Christian you had better care!!! People outside the faith are looking for something that will discredit your testimony so they can reject your Savior with a good conscience. Gandhi often said (front of worship folder), "I don't refuse Christianity because of the Christian Scriptures but because of Christians".

In the book of Acts, we read that after Paul shared his story with Felix, the governor of the region, and started talking about his faith…

Acts 24:25 25 As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you."

Now listen to his motives…

Acts 24:26 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.

Felix wasn't looking to necessarily make money from Paul, he was just waiting for Paul to offer a bribe to him, so it would discredit Paul and what he was saying, and alleviate his conviction. Friends, this just points up how important it is for us to be blameless.

B. Pure

Second we must remain pure. "Pure" was a term used to describe wine that wasn't watered down, or a precious metal without any impurities in it.

If the term, "blameless", (that we just looked at), speaks of who we are before men, then purity speaks of who we are before God.

Jesus once called the Pharisees, "whitewashed tombs." Outside they looked white and clean, but inside they were full of dead men's bones. The Bible says, "man looks on outward appearances, but God looks on the heart."

God is very concerned with who you and I are on the inside-at the core of our being-where no one else can see. He is concerned with -the way we think, -what motivates us, and -what we desire.

Just think of Jesus' words in…

Matthew 5:27-28 27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Why do we need to be pure before God if we are going to be difference makers? Because if you're real you'll last.

Illustration: When Billy Graham was just starting out as an evangelist, he preached with Youth for Christ. There was another young man his age who preached with him at these youth rallies. It was said by most people that this other young preacher was a far superior preacher than Billy was. Now, we all know that Billy Graham has gone on to lead thousands upon thousands of people to Christ. But today, not any of us know the other preacher's name. Why? Because he wasn't real at the core of his being. Later, this young man turned away from the faith and has lived as an agnostic.

Friends, if we're going to make a difference for Jesus Christ in the Owens Valley, we must be unmixed, real, and genuine in our character, so what we say and do will make a lasting impact for eternity.

IV. The Context

So, where do our conduct and character have to show? In other words, what's the context? -Inside the walls of the church? Yes! -At youth group? Yes! -At Church Picnics? Yes! -At VBS? Yes! -At Sunday School and Adult Enrichment? Yes! In fact, every time we're at church and with each other our conduct and character should reflect what Paul has been saying. But it doesn't stop there! Paul gives us a greater and more important context in which we are to live our lives with proper conduct and character. He says in the last part of verse 15…

Philippians 2:15b 15 …children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

We are supposed to live this life of proper conduct and character right in the middle of the crooked and depraved generation in which we live.

The word, "crooked" literally means "twisted all out of whack" And the word "depraved" speaks of being "morally bankrupt".

Folks, that's our world right now! If there ever was a twisted and morally bankrupt generation we're in it. And it's right where God wants us to be. These are the people God wants us to reach. These are the very people that God loves and Jesus died for.

I read a book a few years ago written by George W. Truett. In the book was a chapter entitled "The Prayer Jesus Refused to Pray". I was so intrigued by that title, that I read that chapter first. I found out that the author was writing about "the high priestly prayer" of Jesus in John 17. There Jesus prayed…

John 17:14b-16 &18 14 …for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

Friends, it's time that we came to the same understanding of why we are here. -If our ultimate purpose for being here was to worship, then God would have immediately taken us to heaven when we were saved because in heaven worship is perfect. -If our ultimate purpose for being here was to fellowship with each other, God would have immediately transported us to heaven where we could fellowship with all Christians for eternity.

But God has left us here so we would "shine as lights in the world".

Did you know that the Bible never teaches that we are to bring people to church. What it does teach is that you and I are the church, and we are to take the church to the people. As we saw last week, Jesus said,

Acts 1:8 8 …you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

V. Conclusion

Illustration: Several years ago, I saw a documentary about the canal and reservoir system in Los Angeles. Usually, whenever I travel to L.A. and see those concrete canals, they're dry. But the documentary showed that after heavy rains they fill and flow very quickly…like raging rivers.

The program said that every once in a while a person will fall into one of those canals and float helplessly down stream to imminent destruction. Their bodies would be beaten against rocks and other objects further down stream and they would drown.

In the course of the program, they showed a video clip of a man being carried down one of those canals to certain death. -You could see people holding out tree limbs, but he couldn't hang on. -A helicopter lowered a man down on a rope but he couldn't get low enough to reach the drowning man. -Nets were stretched across the water, but the force of the water ripped the nets to shreds. -Not until a rescuer put on a harness and got into the water, grabbed the victim, and dragged him to shore… was the man's life saved.

Friends, that's a perfect picture of how we're going to make a difference for Jesus Christ in the Owens Valley. We must get into the world of a lost person, make contact, and pull them out of Hell by becoming an intentional link in the chain of events that will introduce them to a relationship with our Savior. And one of the key ways we do that is by demonstrating conduct that refrains from complaining and arguing, and having a character that is blameless and pure.

We don't have to meet with a guardian angel to know that we have made a difference in the lives of others. God guarantees it… if we only have the right conduct and character lived out in the context of the folks right here in the Owens Valley.

Amen.