Philippians 1:18-26
Please turn in your copy of the
scriptures to the New Testament book of Philippians. Our reading
today is Philippians 1, verse 18, the end of it, through verse
26. Remember in our study of Philippians
that Paul is writing from a Roman imprisonment. He’s been in, at
least by the end of his imprisonment, it will have been about four
years since he upset the Jewish court in Jerusalem. He took,
along with some of the other brothers, from missionary journeys
took an offering to Jerusalem. And his fellow countrymen, his
fellow Jewish brothers and sisters stirred up a riot against him
because they said he brought Gentiles into the forbidden courts
of the temple. And so he has appealed to Caesar.
He spent time in prison. He’s been at Caesarea. He’s traveled
by ship. We read at the end of Acts about
all his shipwrecks and all the troubles he went through. And
now he’s been in Rome for some time ministering the gospel. Now there are a couple things
in the introduction to Philippians that he’s going to say to them.
A couple weeks ago we understood that the false motives or the
bad motives of other preachers, though they proclaimed Christ,
was actually, in Paul’s view, for the purpose of advancing
the gospel. He sees God’s good hand in men’s bad motives. But
today he’s going to speak about how His imprisonment is actually
working out for the sake of the gospel. So let us hear from God’s
word. As we read from the apostle Paul, he says, yes, and I will
rejoice for I know that through your prayers and the help of
the spirit of Jesus Christ, this or his imprisonment will turn
out for my deliverance. as it is my eager expectation
and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full
courage now, as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether
by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ,
and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh,
that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which shall I choose? I cannot tell. I am hard pressed
between the two. My desire is to depart and to
be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the
flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I
know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress
and joy in the faith so that in me you may have ample cause
to glory in Christ Jesus because of my coming to you again. Pray with me. Our great God,
we do not take these next moments lightly, for they are moments
where we encounter you, the living God, and you speak to us. You
speak to us by your word and by your spirit. You encourage
and lift up our hearts again towards heaven. You convict us
of our sin. You confront us of our of our
ease. You convince and you convert
sinners unto salvation in the Lord Jesus. So Lord, we take
this not lightly, so come and be pleased to open our eyes that
we might see, unstop our ears that we might hear, open up our
hearts wide to receive not the words of men, but the very words
of almighty God, so that we might live faithfully, we might trust
Jesus, and we might give you all the praise and glory, this
we pray in the strong name of Jesus, the mighty one, amen.
I know that from time to time I think of scenarios in my head. What would I do if, and I know
you do this too, what would I do if I were a movie star? Or what
would I do if I were a hero that everyone in the world loved and
revered? Or what would I do if I were
president? Or what would I do if, we fill in the blank and
we create an alternate life for ourselves And we make ourselves
the hero. We make ourselves the center of the story. We do that
in our heads and minds. But do we ever think about what
would I do in hardship? What would I do if the going
got really tough? What would I do if I were like
Paul and I were in prison and it had been four years since
I had experienced freedom? Do we ever think of situations
like that? Well, this little section of
Philippians is going to help us think about what ought to
be our attitudes, what ought to be our actions and what ought
to be the desired outcomes when we face hardships of any kind. Now, we know from the Bible.
We know that hardships come. We live in a world that is filled
with sin. Since Adam and Eve declared their
rebellion against God and God cursed the world and he cursed
mankind. Life has been hard. It’s been
full of thorns and thistles and pain and childbearing, marriage
and other relationships have their difficulties. Cultivating
the earth and making it prosper for our own provision is difficult.
God told us that he promised us that he expects that us to
know that. Now, thanks be to God for Christ,
who, as we sing of so often at Christmas, he comes to make his
blessings known as far as the curse is found. He is coming
to turn back that darkness. He’s coming to repair the ruin
that sin has caused on this lost world. Yet until he comes and
makes all things new at his second coming, we still live under the
difficulties and the harshness and the dark realities of life
in this world. We live with busted relationships,
with cells going haywire in our bodies. We live with decay. We
live with crime. We live with selfish ambition
and deceitfulness. and all kinds of other difficulties
that come our way. And here in the life of the Apostle
Paul, we see that a man who is righteous, not only in God’s
sight, but a man who is from the world standards, a very faithful
man in his daily living. We see him in prison for the
sake of the gospel. And it’s been maybe about four
years since he has had his freedom. And the Apostle Paul doesn’t
have to imagine he’s in this situation. This is not an imaginary
setting for him like we might put in our minds. This is his
way of life. This is his situation and has
been for some time. And over and over in the letters
of the Apostle Paul, when he speaks of his imprisonment, he
says, I may be in chains. but the gospel is not bound. And he speaks of the gospel rushing
forth in all kinds of ways. And it’s a good reminder to us
that we need to have the right perspective, the right metrics,
the right way of measuring a situation. For we might look at a situation
from the world standpoint and we might evaluate it based on
those standards. And we may come to a completely
different conclusion than God intends for us to see. And that’s
the spiritual blessing we have in seeing into the life of the
Apostle Paul. It’s a wonderful thing to see
that he has a wonderful attitude about his situation and the things
that God is able to accomplish in him for the glory of Christ
and for the good of others, including and especially those at the church
at Philippi. There are multiple ways to look
at a situation. But here the Apostle Paul shows
us that we must see that God is at work. So first, let’s look
at the Apostle’s attitude in this situation. We see it all
throughout this passage of scripture. We read words like, I rejoice,
I know, I desire, I am convinced, I am hard pressed. His attitude
is one of, I’m gonna make the gospel and Christ-centered most
of this tough situation. Now, how would we spend our time
in jail? We would be like they show on the cartoons or on the
television where we have our little calendar and we’re counting
down the days till our sentence is completed and we’re out of
jail. We would send spend our time in the prison library looking
up other cases and deciding to write a manifesto on our unjust
treatment and how how unjustly people have been toward us. We
would be introspective. We would look inward and we would,
as the saying goes, we would look at our own navels and we
would say, woe to me, poor me. We would be self-centered and
we would waste four years of our lives. I mean, be honest,
right? We might pick up our Gideon’s
Bible in the corner and read it a time or two or attend a
Bible study, but for the most part, we might be self-centered. But here we have the Apostle
Paul showing a wonderful attitude. I rejoice. I know that this situation
will work out for the good of others and the glory of God. I know the truth. I am confident
in the things that I believe. I desire to serve others and
the glory of Almighty God. And then at the very center of
this passage, after he’s telling a group of people something that
is very countercultural, something that is very counter human centeredness,
he says, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. What a wonderful attitude the
Apostle Paul has. Wouldn’t it be great if his attitude
was contagious? If we could just rub up against
the shoulders of somebody like the Apostle Paul and have that
same attitude of rejoicing in our suffering, of taking opportunity
in hardship, of seeing opportunities to proclaim Christ in the midst
of what to others may be opportunities to look inwardly and to think
how poor and pitiful we might be because of our situation.
The apostle has the right attitude to live as Christ and to die
as gain. You know, it’s like walking a
tightrope. It’s a hard way to walk and to live. But thanks
be to God that he gives us when we come to Christ, his Holy Spirit
to help us to think right and to feel right and to understand
his word rightly. Oh, yes, those sinful inclinations
come in. We weary, we despair, we We see the glass as half empty
instead of half full. All those things are true. But
here the Apostle Paul gives us a wonderful example of godliness. His desires aren’t selfish, though
I’m sure he complains. I’m sure the chains have rubbed
his skin raw. I’m sure the prison conditions
aren’t great. I’m sure the food is terrible. I’m sure he is chained
to some praetorian guards who wear nice cologne and some who
have the wonderful malodorous aroma of sweat and hard work.
I’m sure that you could go on and on and on about the difficulties. But he says, for me to live is
Christ and to die is gain. You see, his attitude is one
that sees the bigger picture. His attitude is one that sees
God is at work. And Paul is a player who plays
a very small part in the grander scheme of Almighty God’s work
of redemption. And so his attitude is one that
expects great things from Almighty God. Now let’s look secondly
at some of the actions in the passage. What does the Apostle
Paul do? What do others do? What does
the Trinity, the triune God do in this situation? Now, Before
we dig into these actions, I want us to think very carefully about
how sometimes we may look at a situation through worldly eyes
and we may treat a situation with indifference. We may not
treat the situation with the weight and the gravity and the
respect and the honor it deserves. I remember some years ago accompanying
a young fellow from my youth group into the courtroom. He
had done something stupid. I think Frank called his teacher
at school and said something he shouldn’t have said. Well,
caller ID and an angry teacher and next thing he was in a courtroom.
So I agreed to go with his family. This was in Iredell County, I
believe in Mooresville. And we went in the courtroom
and the judge stood up as he walked in. Everybody stood all
rise and all the rest. And the judge very plainly said
this is a court of law. This is my court of law. I am
the judge. You obey my rules in this room,
and if you don’t want to obey my rules, then you get out.”
Well, that sent chills through the room. The joking was put
aside. The chitchat was hushed. And
he basically said this, you’ll speak to me in this way, you’ll
address me in that way, you’ll be quick, you’ll be to the point,
and we’ll get in and out, and we’ll take care of justice. You
knew from the way he set the tone that that was a serious
place with serious business and that he, the judge, the one who
owned and controlled that room, meant business. And I want to
suggest to us that sometimes, because everything in life has
just become haphazard and normal, We don’t think about what is
sacred. We don’t think about what is
holy. We don’t think about what is
precious and true and beautiful and good and near and dear to
us. Everything to us is sort of even. We go to the movies. We go to
the store. We go to the gas station. We
drive here. We drive there. We watch TV. We lay on the bed
and watch Netflix. We go to church and it’s all
kind of even. But we need to remember that
some things that we do are lesser and other things greater. And
we need to understand that there is a reality behind the actions
that we do. Going to church and going to
Walmart are two different things. There’s for sure two different
cultural experiences, but one is a mundane trip to the grocery. And the other is entrance into
the presence of almighty God with the people of God gathered
on his day that we might worship. And you see, the apostle Paul
thinks this way and he believes two very significant things,
spiritual unseen things about what will take place for his
deliverance, for his salvation. And he says two things. One,
I am confident that this will work out for my deliverance because
you Philippians are praying for me. And then he speaks of another
reality that is an unseen reality. The spirit of Jesus will help
me. Now, two things there are critical
for our spiritual lives. One is that we are a praying
people. We had these ladies stand up here just a few moments ago
and speak of their trip to, not to Philippi, they’re not going
to Philippi, to Wales and Scotland. They need our prayers. They need
our partnership. They need the spiritual undergirding
of our prayers and our petitions before Almighty God that God
may grant them safety and success. And I want to suggest to you
that it’s why our Sunday evening prayer meeting is very important.
What if the Apostle Paul couldn’t make this statement? What if
he couldn’t say that he knew the Philippians were praying?
What if he couldn’t say that he knew that his salvation was
going to be partly possible because of praying people? You see, it’s
important for us to be praying for our brother Andrew Brunson,
who’s in prison for the sake of the gospel in Pakistan or
Turkey. Wouldn’t you think he might have
more confidence, confidence like Paul, if he knew the churches
of Jesus Christ in North America are praying for him? And wouldn’t
you have that same confidence knowing that if you were set
apart and sent that there are people praying, not just saying
they’re praying, but really praying for the outcome of the gospel
to be glorious for the good of others and the glory of Almighty
God. They’re praying people and he
knows it and he relies on it and he depends on it. It’s not
that somebody is going to come with a hacksaw and cut the prison
bars and get him out. I mean, that would be helpful.
It’s not that the food will get better or that his chains will
quit chasing his arm. He knows that the Philippians
are praying as he’s taught them to pray for the glory of God
to be made known to the Romans and for the good of others to
be the great blessing and outcome of his imprisonment. But he also
speaks of the spirit of Christ. Remember when Jesus was leaving
this earth and he said to his disciples, don’t be troubled,
don’t be weary. I may be leaving, but it is so
that the spirit or the helper will come. And you understand
this little phrase from Paul better because of what Jesus
says. I am going to be delivered because of the help of the Spirit
of Christ. And so when we are in hardship
or in danger or in sickness or in our normal mundane labors
of life, it is the prayers of the people and the help of the
Spirit of Christ that will see us through. And it’s why praying
is important. And it’s why relying on the third
person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit of Christ, is so vitally
important for each of us. The apostle even goes on to say,
this gives me full courage. This gives me full courage to
know that whatever I do, wherever I stand, whatever judge I face,
and he’s going to face Caesar and he’s going to face God Almighty. And in both ways, he has courage
because of the help of the spirit of Christ. Now, the apostle Paul
will get in a very bad situation at the end of one of his letters.
He writes that all have left my side. All his human friends,
all his human companions have left his side, but not Jesus. Jesus has stood by him. And so,
dear friends, brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus, when the going
gets tough, yes, the prayers of the people will help you.
But we remember our Heidelberg catechism. That we both body
and soul belong to our faithful savior, Jesus Christ, who has
bought us with his precious blood. He has redeemed us from all things
and not a hair from our head can fall without it being his
holy will. And so we see the apostle Paul
in his attitude, expecting great things in his actions, wanting
to do great things. He has the resources of heaven,
the prayers of the people. But there’s a third thing for
us to consider, and that is the outcome. What is the outcome
that is desired in this situation? Well, sometimes we have lesser
desires and greater desires. Our lesser desires may be the
things of this world. We want to eat well. We want
to have some decent clothes on our back, a nice piece of shelter
over our heads, the right transportation, the right education, the right
tools in our toolbox to live life in this world. Those are
good things. But we need to remember that there are greater things.
And the two great things that Jesus teaches us over and over
in the Bible that ought to be on the forefront of our minds
and our hearts are these, the glory of God and the good of
others. I mean, seek first the kingdom and all these things
will add up. God will feed you. He’ll clothe you. He’ll get you
where you need to go from point A to point B. Don’t worry about
those things. Seek first the kingdom. By loving God, and seeking
his glory and loving others and making sure they have all the
good they need. And so the apostle Paul, he speaks
of several greater things. And one of the greater things
he speaks of is his own deliverance. Like Job, he is confident that
God will save him. Now, we have to ask the question,
is Paul in this passage confident that he’ll be saved from Caesar?
I mean, Caesar, after all, is a pretty imposing character.
He was the ruler of the greatest kingdom on the face of the earth.
He would have been a lot like Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in
the Old Testament stories. He was a big and bad king who
could give you life or death. And the apostle knew that. So
was the apostle speaking of his deliverance from Caesar? Probably
not. Was the apostle speaking of his
deliverance from the God of the universe, who by no means will
clear the guilt of the children of iniquity, except through Jesus. That’s what Paul is speaking
of. His salvation, his outcome is not getting out of jail, but
that would be nice. His outcome is not feeling better for he
had plenty of tummy troubles and other things. His desired
outcome was that he would be delivered
ultimately safely into heaven and that he would not bring shame
on the name of Christ for his chains of imprisonment were seen
to be signs of shame. But his desire was that Christ
would be honored. His desire was that he would
be able to continually labor fruitfully in the vineyard of
God’s kingdom. You see, his desire is that he
can preach the gospel, proclaim the good news, and help men and
women and boys and girls not only come to faith in Jesus,
but grow in their faith in Jesus. Oh, he would love to be free.
He would love to travel. And he even speaks of his desire
to get out of prison and come back to Philippi and labor in
that congregation. He wants to come personally.
But you see, the outcome he desires is ultimately his salvation.
Oh, for sure. He’d love to be free of the worldly
difficulties, just like we’d be love to be free of our sicknesses
and our heartaches and our difficulties. But you see, we have to be like
Paul and think bigger. Oh, yes, we want local and worldly
deliverance. And God sometimes gives that.
But we want, most importantly, ultimate deliverance. We want
to be before the face of God forever. heaven where there is
no sickness, there is no death, there are no tears, but only
joy and light and the presence of almighty God. So let me ask
you this. If you were in prison, what would
be your attitude? If you were in prison, what would
be your actions or the actions of those who love you on your
behalf? And what would your desired outcome be? Would it be like
Paul, the glory of God and the spiritual everlasting good of
others? Let us pray. Our great God, we
thank you for this word from your holy scripture. We thank
you that it is relevant. Many years ago to the church
at Philippi, but it is extremely relevant to us this day because
because it is your word. It is your word to your people.
It is your life giving word to your church. Oh Lord, we pray
that our attitudes, our actions, and our desired outcomes in life
would be pleasing in your sight. And we pray that you would grant
us success as we endeavor to labor in the vineyard of the
gospel, proclaiming the good news of salvation to men and
women and boys and girls, to all nations, even to the ends
of the earth and to the end of the ages. Until Jesus comes again,
help us in this. We ask and pray in Jesus’ name,
amen. Let us respond to God’s goodness
in his word as we Sing number 368, the old hymn, all for Jesus.