Scripture reading: Philippians 1:12-17.

Sermon text: Philippians 1:18-30.

Introduction

Death strikes a family. Disease cripples someone we love. The nation suffers a devastating blow, leaving a once proud people wondering what will happen next.

People have always asked the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” We believe that if the universe were really just, the bad would get theirs, while nothing bad would ever happen to good people.

Yet, bad things still happen to good people. Bad things happen to Christians, the people with a relationship with the Creator of all we know, seen and unseen.

St. Paul probably wondered sometimes why it seemed he was always on the wrong side of events. Troubled seemed to follow him everywhere: Shipwreck, beatings, stonings, and arrests. St. Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians while under house arrest in Rome, waiting to make his case before Nero. If anyone had a reason to ask the question about bad things in life, St. Paul certainly qualified.

St. Paul could have asked the question about bad things happening, but when you read the passages today, you see another side to the story. In spite of his circumstances, you see joy permeating the words we read today. St. Paul had learned a great lesson in his faith. For St. Paul, the question was not whether bad things happen to good people. St. Paul had learned to ask another question: What will God do to use bad things to accomplish great acts for His people and His creation. As we read the passage today, we should see the truth of our faith: Everything works for God to those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Sermon

As we read last week, St. Paul had written to the Philippians,  “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Today, we read how God can use terrible events in life to bring the good work to completion.

St. Paul opened this passage by updating the Philippians on his circumstances. Most of us would expect him to find little comfort in his situation; after all, even house arrest in Rome brought its troubles. St. Paul could not leave his home to attend worship or to provide for himself. Remember that St. Paul was a tentmaker by trade, but first-century Rome had little use for tents.

Instead, we find St. Paul describing a near-miraculous ministry. For one thing, St. Paul’s guards spread his story throughout the “imperial guard.” The word translated “palace” in the KJV and “imperial guard” in the ESV is the Greek word “praetorium,” or the Praetorian Guard. The Praetorians guarded the emperor and played a crucial role in Roman politics. St. Paul’s circumstances had led to the gospel’s  proclamation to this important group of Roman soldiers in the capital itself.

Also, St. Paul’s imprisonment did not go unnoticed by the Roman churches. When we read the letter of St. Paul to the Romans, we see that he wrote of his intention to visit the Roman believers on his way to Spain (Romans 15). Now, St. Paul found himself in Rome, but under arrest. Therefore, he could not visit the churches to encourage and teach them. This didn’t slow down God’s plan for St. Paul in Rome. The churches sent their leaders to his house to learn from him. St. Paul could tell the Philippians that “most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

Unfortunately, not everyone in the churches was happy to see St. Paul and benefit from his ministry. Some used his example out of “envy and rivalry.” Some of these Christians wanted to demonstrate their own prowess for ministry. Some wanted to show other Christians their superiority to the Apostle himself. Some, St. Paul said, “proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.” Of course, it’s always easier to proclaim the gospel when you’re not confined to your home!

Fortunately, others used St. Paul’s example of courage to spread the gospel out of love for the Apostle. These believers realized that if God could use St. Paul when he was under house arrest, He could use them in their circumstances as well. These believers also realized that God was protecting St. Paul even in his imprisonment and took comfort from the fact that God could accomplish great things in all events.

Regardless of the motivation of the new preachers, St. Paul could say, “Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.” Regardless of why, St. Paul cared about the result. “Christ is proclaimed.” Does your life proclaim Christ to the people around you?

As he saw the results of his time in Rome, St. Paul could rejoice, but he also remembered why he found himself in the empire’s capital city. Regardless of the spread of the gospel, St. Paul still had a meeting with the emperor himself. Remember that every Roman citizen had the right to appeal his arrest to the emperor in person, a right St. Paul had exercised after his arrest in Jerusalem and detainment in Caesarea (Acts 25).

This right brought immense responsibility. Nero had started his reign on good terms with the Romans, but as time passed his personality became increasingly erratic. If the citizen somehow upset the emperor, his guilt or innocence mattered little to Nero.

As St. Paul remembered this fact, he asked the Philippians to pray for him. “I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this 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.” St. Paul knew he was innocent and, that if justice were served, Nero would release him; he would walk from the imperial palace a free man. St. Paul wanted to accomplish more. St. Paul wanted to “honor” Christ, “whether by life or by death.” St. Paul desired to praise Christ when this time of his life ended, either in release or in death.

In this light, St. Paul told the Philippians a great truth of our faith. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” What did he mean by this? How can living be “Christ?” How can it be “gain” to die?

First, we need to understand the phrase, “to live is Christ.” For St. Paul, his faith molded his life; his identity as a human revolved around his identity in Christ. Every thought that flew through the Apostle’s mind involved bringing glory to Christ. He tried to insure that every action brought glory to Christ. St. Paul constantly sought to immerse his very being into his identity through his personal relationship with Jesus Christ, his Lord and Redeemer.

This bring us to the next part of the phrase: “to die is gain.” Think about what our relationship with God in Christ brings to us. We have no fear of death, because Christ has conquered death for us. We have no fear of judgment, because Christ serves as our Advocate before God, interceding on our behalf (cf. 1 John 2). We have a home in heaven (John 14), a new immortal body (1 Corinthians 15), and will enjoy the pure presence of God (Revelation 21). Doesn’t this sound like gain to you?

This certainly sounded better to St. Paul than what he faced in Rome! Even first century Rome, the capital of the greatest empire known to humanity at this time, paled in comparison to what awaited him at his death!

Yet, in spite of the benefits of death, St. Paul also knew that God could work even greater in his life: “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.” This posed a quandary: “which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two.” The eternal joys awaiting him drew him toward leaving this life: “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”

However, St. Paul selflessly realized another great truth: “to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.” St. Paul cared greatly about the Philippian church; he was, in some way, their spiritual father. Because he recognized their need for him, St. Paul knew what he must choose: “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.” The Philippians had prayed for his release, and St. Paul knew that his release would increase their faith and strengthen their prayer life before God. Therefore, St. Paul had also prayed for his release and received confirmation from God that Nero would free him.

St. Paul expected more from the Philippians than faithful prayer. Answered prayers prove that God hears us and works on our behalf. However, salvation is about more than prayer. Salvation concerns every facet of our lives. St. Paul expected the Philippians to demonstrate their salvation in their lifestyles: “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents.” What does this include? Does St. Paul tell us what God expects of us?

St. Paul wanted the Philippians of his day — and us today — to live “worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Remember that Jesus gave everything for us: He left heaven and its splendors, accepted mortality in a human body, and suffered a gruesome death for us. What have we done to show we’re worth this immense sacrifice? St. Paul wanted the Philippians to live such godly lives that he would hear of their reputation for godliness.

Note that much of this reputation would involve their communal lives within the context of congregational participation. St. Paul wanted to hear that they were “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents.” The verbs in this passage are plural; they all refer to living in relationship with God and with one another. He wanted to hear they were “standing firm with one spirit;” he wanted them to remain united in love with one another. He wanted to hear they were “with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel;” they were to work together to spread the gospel in their communities. Their communal life would demonstrate itself in their confidence in the gospel: “not frightened in anything by your opponents.” The people had seen St. Paul stand against his opponents in the gospel. If they stood together against their opponents, each member would contribute his strength to cover another’s weakness.

This still holds true. Christians cannot expect to grow spiritually without congregational participation. We must come together to worship, pray, study, and rejoice. A solitary Christian will never reach his full spiritual potential.

What about the opposition? The Philippians’ confidence in the face of opposition would provide “a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.” Believers’ confidence will bring discomfort to unbelievers; they will be reminded of their missing relationship with God. The Philippians could not expect unbelievers to ignore their evident condemnation; they should expect suffering for the sake of Christ. St. Paul had suffered for the gospel, and the Philippians could expect to suffer as well.

Suffering for the gospel remains a hallmark of our faith today. the twentieth century witnessed more martyrs for the gospel than the other 19 centuries of Christianity combined. Even today, believers throughout the world continue to suffer for their faith. Yet, they suffer willingly and joyously for their faith, knowing that Christ has considered them worthy of suffering for Him as He suffered for them.

I believe this passage continues to speak to us today.

First, we must live in community. Every believer must join with other believers to strengthen one another and help each other live the salvation lifestyle. We must encourage one another as we rejoice in God’s provision. Every believer needs other believers to hold us accountable in worship and to encourage us in our faith.

Secondly, we should expect suffering in life. This teaching flies in the faith of the “prosperity gospel” popular in much of America today. Life as a human has meant suffering since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, and Christianity brings no exemption. In fact, since Christianity stands in visible opposition to many of the standards upheld by the secular world, we should expect suffering for our faith. However, Christ suffered for us; we should rejoice that He considers us worthy to suffer for Him.

Lastly, I believe St. Paul expects us to remain firm in our faith. St. Paul clearly believed that death would bring him far more relief and joy than living in this world. However, for the sake of the Philippians, he prayed that God might deliver him. We, too, must remain firm in our faith. We, too, must selflessly live for others. We, too, must bring joy to others and to build a reputation of selflessness. We, too, must demonstrate our faith through our interaction with others. We, too, demonstrate that we have confessed Jesus as Lord by putting others before ourselves.

Next week, we’ll learn more about Jesus’ example of suffering and sacrifice for us. This week, live so that others will rejoice in His calling in your life. Stand firm in your faith, and let your example encourage others to live for Christ as well.