Introduction

I want to give an encouraging sermon on why Satan's kingdom is no match for a vibrant Christianity." Satan's kingdom will overrun a compromised Christianity, but it is no match for a vibrant uncompromising Christianity.

A lot of Christians are discouraged over the way paganism has taken over America - and actually, taken over most of the formerly Christian nations of the West. It's quite astounding. And yet, the Bible would say that it is not a mystery at all as to why this has been the case, and the book of Judges illustrates it. The Christianity of the West has abandoned the virile Christian worldview that it used to have. It has allowed pagans to disciple their children for twelve+ years, and so it is no surprise that the last two generations have adopted many of the presuppositions of paganism. But that may very well be changing. A number of reports show that there is a significant move back to traditional Christianity among the Gen-X and Millennial generations - especially young men. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

What I want to point out is that in most culture wars that have been studied in history, it has usually been a tiny minority with a passion for their ideas that has set the course for a nation. For example, various estimates show that it was somewhere between 4% and 9.2% of Americans that actually fought in the army with Washington – and yet they won.

Unfortunately, the passionate culture changers of our generation have not been the Christians for the most part; they have been a different minority - the LGBTQ crowd, the socialists, and other humanistic culture changers. I mean, think of the incredible change that the homosexual lobby has produced in our nation. Though they were only a tiny, tiny, minority, they have changed almost every facet of our society. If Christians would be as dedicated as them, we could be far more effective than the homosexual lobby has been.

And just to illustrate that - if you look at the history of country after country that was Christianized during the first thousand years after the resurrection of Christ, you find tiny (but passionate) minorities of Christians who ended up Christianizing entire countries. It can be done. And if you want an an encouraging book along those lines, read George Grant's book, Third Time Around. Re-Christianizing America can be done. Whenever Christians have been stirred up in their souls to lay all on the altar for God, incredible changes have happened - and have happened fairly quickly. But with the pathetic worldview of Christian pro-lifers today (who actually oppose any bills that treat abortion as murder), it is no wonder that the abortion industry has won the current battle.

Well, this paragraph in Philippians 3 explains why there has been a retreat in our generation and why Paul's generation was taking over the world. Though the Roman pagan leaders were passionate in their hatred for Christ, they lost the battle. Christianity had invaded Caesar's household within Paul's lifetime. Within a few years of Paul's death there were entire cities that were Christianized and even entire tribes that had become Christian. By the early 200's AD, Tertullian told one pagan, "We are but of yesterday, and yet we already fill your cities, islands, camps, your palace, senate and forum; we have left to you only your temples."¹ Tertullian was saying that the Christians were taking over the entire Roman empire. The saints were indeed possessing the nations of the earth for Jesus. Malta got converted along with several other cities. Ethiopia became Christian, then Armenia. The historian, Schaff, says that "in less than 300 years from the death of St. John the whole population of the Roman empire which then represented the civilized world was nominally Christianized."² There was still a lot of work to do, but great progress had been made. And this paragraph explains why. Pagans really do not have a sustainable ethics, worldview, or vision for the future. They don't! Sadly, the same is true of most Christians today. If Christians would uncompromisingly follow Paul's lead, they could once again Christianize America. I'm convinced of it. Anyway, with that introduction, let's dive into the text.

Paul as an example (v. 17 - note that Philippi already had several of Paul's writings in their possession by this time)

Verse 17 says, "Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern." Other translations bring it out more clearly, but all commentaries agree that he is saying, "Imitate me, and imitate those who have followed the same pattern that I have set for you." Following the right leaders can make a huge difference for individuals, families, and churches. In past sermons we already saw the patterns of leadership that were set by Christ, Timothy, and Epaphroditus. And in AD 61 when this epistle was written) the church of Philippi already had most of Paul's writings in their possession.³ So when Paul encourages them to follow his example as a pattern for living, thinking, and viewing the future, they have plenty of material that showed Paul as a pattern. Of course, Paul had lived with them for a while too, right? Let me briefly introduce the pattern that Paul had given by this time with the views of modern evangelical leaders that most of the church seems to be following. That contrast should explain a lot.

1. First, I have numerous Scriptures written by Paul calling for Christians to have faith that Christ is currently King over all (1 Tim. 1:17; 6:15) and is invincibly advancing His kingdom throughout the world (Eph. 2:21; 4:15ff; Col. 2:19; 2 Thes. 1:3). For example, in Ephesians 1:19-21, he wants their eyes to be opened to the incredible riches that they have to fulfill God's commission. God has not short-changed them. In fact, Paul says that they have every reason to have faith since God has given them: "the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." He is saying that the same exceeding greatness of Christ's power is available to them right now. That's a pretty encouraging perspective. In contrast, Cornelius Vanderwaal (a Reformed A-millennialist) states, the "church has no right to take an optimistic, triumphalistic attitude."⁴ And Jack Van Impe says, "This present world is rapidly coming to an end. It is on an irreversible collision course with destiny."⁵ In his books he paints an incredibly pessimistic view of the future where things will progressively get more and more evil until the church is almost extinguished the closer we get to the Second Coming. And Lehman Strauss says, "I can see no bright prospects... for the earth and its inhabitants."⁶ Such quotes from Christian leaders could be multiplied. It's no wonder that their followers lack any motivation to make a difference. Who wants to take on a task that you know is doomed to fail? It would be a waste of effort. And I say, "Listen to Paul, not them. Paul says that it makes a big difference which leaders you take note of."
2. Second, in Romans 15 Paul had already spoken of the Scriptures giving us hope for the future, and he quotes Isaiah 11 as the basis for that hope. And wow! Isaiah 11 is an incredible basis for hope. It is a chapter that speaks of Christ's kingdom not only converting the world, but also extending so much that "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (v. 9). It speaks of Christ converting all nations (including Israel and Assyria - v. 16), and even turning fierce animals into tame animals (vv. 6-9), and all of that happening within history (vv. 1-12). In contrast to this hope in history, Salem Kirben speaks of the only hope for planet earth being after the return of Jesus. He claims, "what future do any of us have" prior to His return?⁷ His answer is, "None. We have no hope except for the hope of the Second Coming." No wonder followers of such leaders are passive. He has robbed them of hope. I say, "Listen to Paul, not to Salem Kirben."
3. Third, in 2 Timothy 3:16 Paul gives his perspective that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." It's sufficient to provide solutions to every problem we may face. In contrast, leaders like John F. Walvoord state, "Christians have no immediate solution to the problems of our day."⁸ Well, why would followers of Walvoord even bother to try to bring solutions to political, moral, racial, and other problems we see in America? They are robbed of motivation. There is a book that was first printed in 2023, with a new edition published this year (2025) called, Stop Trying To Be Successful: The Seemingly Illogical and Sometimes Baffling Call of God. In that book, Pete Portal says, "I am deeply convinced that the Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self" (p. 45). Wow! What kind of Christianity is that? Henry Nouwen claims that Jesus came to die, not to change the world.⁹ If such leaders are your pattern for living, then you will not be motivated to do away with abortion, make sex change surgeries on children illegal, or clean up any of the mess in America that is a direct result of Christians escaping from its culture wars rather than engaging in them with a law and a Gospel that is sufficient. The church has ceased to be salty, and Christ said that we are therefore fit to be spit out of His mouth. Christ has started over again many times with a faithful remnant, and I believe He is doing so today. There are some very encouraging signs across America. I believe we are at a tipping point.

Recognizing enemies of the kingdom (vv. 18-19)

Are there huge enemies in this world that hate Christ with a passion? Obviously there are. Paul talks about them in verses 18-19. But even Paul's discussion of those enemies shows that though they were mortal enemies, they were not invincible. Now, there has been debate on whether these enemies are in the church or outside the church, and whether they are the Talmudists or not. He has dealt with Talmudism earlier. But for many reasons I agree with those who say that these are enemies from paganism - outside the church. They point out that the sins mentioned do not fit the Talmudists at all, and the fact that there were "many" of them does not comport with other statements about the church at Philippi. I won't get into all the reasons they give, but I believe these are pagan enemies outside of the church. But those external enemies were having a bad influence on some of the Christians at Philippi.

How important is it to recognize them and expose them? (v. 18)

And the first thing Paul does is to expose them, and to point out that they were dangerous to the church in verse 18. He says, "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ." Paul was not shy of pointing out the problems in the culture. Earlier he had pointed out enemies in the church, and now he is pointing out enemies outside the church. Modern Christians are shy of doing either because they don't want to be labeled as being guilty of hate speech, intolerance, being unloving, or unkind. But without such antithesis, we will never win the culture wars. Abortionists (and the parents who killed the babies) must be labeled as murderers according to Scripture, plain and simple. Can murderers be forgiven? Of course - if they repent and put their faith in Jesus. But it is critical that churches once again recognize that the world is at enmity with Christ and begin to expose it. It is crazy when Christians send their children to government schools them be discipled by these enemies of the cross - yet that is exactly what Christians have been doing for all of my lifetime and my parent's lifetime. No wonder the church doesn't look much different from the world.

But the point is that it is important to accurately label everything in culture that is contrary to Christ so that Christians can recognize the real enemies that need to be overcome. The solution to contamination from the world is not to retreat from the world as Henri Nouwen calls us to do.¹⁰ Neither embracing the world nor retreating from the world is the strategy of Paul. He calls us to confront the world (with tears, yes - because we are compassionate and don't want the world to go to hell in a handbasket). But we must engage in the culture wars of today with both the laws of the Bible as well as the grace of the Bible. That's imitating Paul.

What are some characteristics of these enemies? (vv. 19-20)

But lets look at why the world is really not as invincible as modern evangelical leaders make it out to be. After all, Jesus told His disciples to have faith and to "be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). 1 John 4:4 tells the church, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." Amen! 1 John 5:4-5 says, "For whoever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" According to that passage, even a newbie Christian has the resources to overcome the world - if he has faith in God's promises. So let's examine why the world is not invincible to a vibrant Christianity.

A disastrous teleology or destiny (v. 19a)

First, everyone in the world has a a disastrous teleology - which is just a fancy word that means trajectory, future, or destiny. The first phrase in verse 19 says, "whose end [that's the Greek word τέλος, from which we get teleology, and τέλος means result, outcome, trajectory, purpose, goal, or future; you could translate it, "whose trajectory"] is destruction..." If you don't believe in God, all that the future holds for you is a destructive lifestyle and eventually death. Think of the path of destruction left by drugs, porn, illicit sex, gambling, DEI, and other unhealthy lifestyles. It's not attractive; it's disastrous. That's why these enemies don't want you to be future-oriented; they want you focused on present pleasures and ignoring the destructive outcome. They certainly do not have a glorious afterlife that can motivate them with passion. Not at all. If other present-oriented motivations are removed (such as riches, comforts, pleasure, honor, etc.), then the wind is taken out of their sails. But whether in this life or the next, it never pays to go contrary to God's law. Their trajectory is a destructive trajectory. But they are blind to it because they are present-oriented.

Self-indulgence (v. 19b)

Second, the world is motivated by self-indulgence. The next phrase gives one manifestation of that indulgence, saying, "whose god is their belly." If your highest desire in life is to satisfy the desires of your flesh, it might motivate you to get involved in politics to get more of the same. But when push comes to shove and winning might require sacrifices of comfort, loss of riches, loss of pleasure, and perhaps even the loss of life, they will be demotivated and they are no match for a Christian who is driven by an eternal perspective and who is willing to sacrifice comforts for his Lord Jesus.

Shameful glory (v. 19c)

The next description is "whose glory is in their shame." We are seeing that all around us in America - people who glory in shameful conduct - bragging about every imaginable abomination and trying to push those abominations onto the whole population. But those who glory in their shame eventually begin to receive opposition from those who have suffered from their shameful conduct. And as I have already said, we are getting to that tipping point in America. Even pagans are beginning to wake up to the disastrous results of the woke movement and are beginning to oppose it. All it would take is for the church to take to the streets in opposing this shameful conduct and our numbers would overrun their numbers quickly. In any case, homosexuality and every other abominable sub-culture in America produces disease, pain, bodily damage, unproductivity, and eventual death. It's a self-defeating worldview. It can continue for a long time if unopposed, but faced with Christians who follow Paul's vision, it has no future. It has no future.

An earth-bound vision (v. 19d)

The last description of the world is that it has an earth-bound vision - "who set their mind on earthly things." Sure people will gravitate to politics to gain more and more of these earthly things, but earthly things fade, can be taken away, and/or eventually leave people feeling empty and hopeless. No wonder so many of the LGBTQ crowd are coming to Christ under ministries that reach out to them - like Jeff Durbin's ministry is experiencing.

Embracing the heavenly victory (vv. 20-21)

But let's contrast that limited, present-oriented, destructive, and hopeless worldview with the heavenly victory that Paul calls the church to embrace. Notice the "Therefore" in chapter 4:1 that calls upon the Christians in Philippi to therefore stand fast in the Lord. These verses are connected to that “therefore.” Well, these last verses of chapter 3 give us the framework by which we can stand fast. The Christian faith produces patience and an ability to stand firm as soldiers of the cross.

Awesome citizenship rights (v. 20a) - what we have right now

First, we have awesome citizenship rights. Verse 20 says, "For our citizenship is in heaven." We are part of the kingdom of heaven which the Old Testament prophesied would come down to earth and penetrate every square inch of planet earth. And that's exactly the imagery we see in the book of Revelation - an image of the kingdom of heaven coming down and invading earth. Satan has already been cast out of heaven, and Christ's goal is to eventually cast all demons out of the earth.

But equally important is that it means we are citizens of a kingdom which cannot be shaken, which is eternal, which is holy, and which has answers in the Bible and in Christ's grace. It is an awesome citizenship. And since Christ is the King of the Universe, we fix our eyes on what Jesus wants for planet earth, not on what humans down here below say is possible for planet earth. It makes a huge difference on how we act in this world. If your highest citizenship is your American citizenship, you might be willing to compromise. (In fact, it is almost guaranteed that you will compromise.) But if your citizenship is in heaven, then you will not settle for anything less than pleasing Jesus, the King of the universe. Your ultimate allegiance is to Him, not an American party.

An awesome teleology (vv. 20b-21) - what we can look forward to at the end of history

Second, we have an awesome teleology or view of the future. In other words, our trajectory is a very exciting one. To put in in a nutshell, it is a Postmillennial teleology. The rest of this passage gives us great optimism for the future. When your future produces hope, it energizes. Consider each of Paul's points on this.

A glorious Second Coming (v. 20b)

In the second part of verse 20 Paul wants us to consider the final point of world history at the Second Coming. He says, "from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ..." Our view of history is linear, where everything in history is contributing to the final goal. Or to use a metaphor, everything in history is a part of God's chess game that is moving towards God's final goal. This means that nothing in life is arbitary, haphazard, or out of control. Now, it might seem like it is at times (just like some apparent losses of chess pieces in a chess game may seem like bad moves), but God is a master chess player, and everything in history is moving inexorably toward that final goal of the Second Coming. And even His losses of chess pieces are strategic losses to guarantee His final win. The Second Coming is not simply the beginning of good things. It is the culmination over time of everything He purchased in His life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. The more driven we are by God’s purposes for our future, the more we want to change ourselves, our world, improve both, and discover new ways to do so. Hinduism is a worldview that has no linear view of history, no hope, and thus no motivation to change things. Your worldview makes a huge difference. And one essential feature of our worldview is that it is linear with everything moving toward a final goal. By the way, Marxism has a linear view that energizes people too. It's problem is that its final goal is a lie, its methods are disastrous, and the outcomes are disastrous. Everything about Marxism is destructive. So even though it does motivate people, eventually they are disillusioned.

A future transformed body (v. 21a)

OK. The first phrase in verse 21 shows us that so comprehensive is Christ's heavenly kingdom that it will eventually conquer death - which Paul elsewhere defines as the last enemy to be subdued beneath Christ's feet. So verse 21 goes on to say, "who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body..." When you have that vision, death does not seem so horrible. Nor does loss of limbs, beatings, pain, and suffering in this body. We can look forward to a glorious body just like that of Jesus' resurrection body. That motivates us to keep on keeping on even in the face of death.

An awesome future for planet earth - the gradual subduing of all things to Himself (v. 21b)

But the last clause of verse 21 shows what happens in-between the "now" and "the endpoint" of history. It says, "according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." The same power that will eventually transform our bodies in the resurrection (and that has to be an incredible power) is even now working to subdue everything on planet earth to Himself. Paul didn't need to go into details of how this would all happen since the Philippians already had the Old Testament, three Gospels, and ten epistles before this letter to the Philippians was even written. This is just a summary of what he has written before. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 15, which was written six years earlier. This is just one of those many passages that speak of God using His people to subdue all things to Jesus. Though the whole chapter is a commentary that expands on the teleology of these verses, I will only be reading verses 20-28. 1 Corinthians 15:20-28.

1Cor. 15:20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

Notice that everything except God is destined to eventually be put under Jesus' feet. That's pretty comprehensive. Death is the last enemy to be put under His feet. Well, since that happens at the Second Coming, simple logic tells us that everything else in history that opposes Jesus is destined to become reconciled to Christ and submit to His rule prior to the Second Coming. If that is not an energizing and encouraging vision, I don't know what is.

And Philippians 3:21 says that these Philippians needed to have that same confidence during their lives that Christ is able to subdue all things to Himself. Why else would we even try to influence this world if that were not the case? And they needed to have the confidence that the exact same power which will transform our bodies at the end of history is already working in and through them to subdue all things to Himself. That is an awesome teleology; it's a winning teleology that will sustain us. When the church once again embraces these principles, there is no way that Satan's kingdom will be a match for it; no way; absolutely no way.

Conclusion - don't fear Christ's enemies; your faith contributes to the growth of Christ's kingdom

So let me conclude by saying that we need not fear the huge obstacles to the Christianization of America and every other nation on planet earth. Now - if the church of our generation lacks Paul's vision and his faith, God might bypass our generation. After all, He has plenty of time. But Christ's plan must happen no matter how long it takes. This passage calls us to not fear Christ's enemies. They lack the powerful worldview and vision that Paul had given to the Philippians. Paul's vision was so honored by God, that Philippians 4:22 gives greetings from the believers in Caesar's household. Rome itself was beginning to crumble to the Gospel because Paul's faith contributed to the growth of Christ's kingdom. And I have the faith to ask God to give restitution to Jesus for the Western nations that have been stolen from His kingdom. God's justice (as expressed in His law-Word) demands four-fold restitution when repentance is not immediate. Well, it has not been immediate. So I am convinced that this region of the world will eventually be at least four times more consistently Christian than it ever was before. Believe it and work for it. Though we are weak instruments, all that matters is that we are willing instruments in the hands of the Almighty. Amen?