Summer 2016 Walking Through Philippians

Transcription

1 Summer 2016 Walking Through Philippians Sermon Transcript July 10, 2016 For Me To Live Is Christ Philippians 1:12-26 This message from the Bible was addressed originally to the people of Wethersfield Evangelical Free Church on July 10, 2016 at 511 Maple Street, Wethersfield, CT, by Dr. Scott W. Solberg. This is a transcription that bears the strength and weaknesses of oral delivery. It is not meant to be a polished essay. An audio copy of the sermon on CD is available by request at (860) An audio version of this sermon may also be found on the church website at 1

2 Sermon Text Philippians 1: I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 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. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. 2

3 Introduction Our circumstances in life change. It is part of life. The older we get, the more we discover how little control we have over our circumstances. Some changes in life we welcome and we view positively. At the same time, other circumstances in life can bring a new set of challenges and unexpected difficulties, forming a new reality for us. When you go to the doctor, you could get a good report or a bad report. Either way, it can change your circumstances. You can go into the office tomorrow and be given a promotion or you could be given a diminished role in the company. Family circumstances change quite naturally as children grow. With each new addition to the family and with each loss in a family, the family dynamic is altered. Relationships are organic things that change over time; some deepen and some come with painful experiences. Culture even seems to be in constant flux. Many benefits come with the advances that are made in technology and at the same time, the needle on our moral compass seems to be ever moving and that creates a change in our circumstances. All of life is marked by things that happen that are out of our control. Stephen Covey suggests that there are two kinds of reactions you can have to this reality of life. He suggests that you can either be reactive to the changing circumstances in your life or you can be proactive. To be reactive means that your circumstances are what define you and control you. The person who is reactive to the changing circumstances in life can be often heard using the phrase, If only I had..... If only I had a boss who wasn t so difficult to work for. If only I had my degree. If only I could have more time for myself. 1 In other words, our circumstances end up defining us and controlling our outlook on life. And it is very easy to feel like your circumstances have this kind of control over your life. On the other hand, it is the proactive person who is not defined by the changing circumstances in life. Covey would suggest that the proactive person is marked with character and that quality of character does not change with the changing circumstances. It is the quality of being. No matter the circumstance, I can be faithful. I can be loving. I can be wise. His point is that if we work on who we are, we can have influence for good no matter what our circumstances may be. The difficult and challenging circumstance may remain, but we can bring a measure of good to it. I find it interesting how our passage begins this morning. In Philippians 1:12 Paul begins, I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me... That is a 3

4 perfect description of circumstances. Circumstances are the things of life that happen to us. They are the things of life that are out of our control. The NASB translates this verse like this, Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances... If you recall from last week, this is the reason Paul is writing this letter to the church in Philippi. They were aware of Paul s circumstances. They knew Paul was a prisoner in Rome and they had a very close relationship with Paul and so they were naturally quite concerned for him. They expressed their concern by sending one of their own, Epaphroditus, to travel 800 miles with a gift from them and to serve Paul during this time of need. Part of the reason Paul wrote this letter to the church at Philippi is to let them know how he is doing considering his current difficult circumstances. And so he writes, I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me... When you go to Acts 21-28, you discover what has happened to Paul. After he finished his third missionary journey, he decided to go back to Jerusalem. Several times, prophetically, he was warned against doing so, indicating that his life would be in danger if he did. Sure enough, shortly after arriving in Jerusalem, some of his adversaries saw him and brought accusations against him and he was arrested. The Roman officials of the region, heard Paul s case and the case against brought against him, and they quickly realized that this was nothing but a religious dispute. Nonetheless, there was an attempt on Paul s life and he was somewhat protected by remaining in custody for two years in Caesarea. The Roman officials didn t know how to handle this hot political issue and so they just kept him in prison. But exercising his rights as a Roman citizen, Paul made his appeal to stand before Caesar and so he was finally sent to Rome. This is where the book of Acts ends and this is where Paul happens to be when writing this letter. Here is what we know about Paul s circumstances at the time of writing Philippians. He appears to be under some kind of house arrest. It says in Acts 28:16 that he was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier that guarded him. From the rest of Acts 28 we learn that people were free to come and go in visiting Paul. Even though Paul was not free to come and go as he pleased, he had a steady stream of people coming to see him. Here is how the book of Acts ends. It says of Paul, He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. In other words, his changing circumstances didn t change who he was and nor did it change what he did. And so he writes to the Philippians, I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me [my circumstances] has really served to advance the gospel. 4

5 I find this to be a fascinating testimony. Think about it. I think when Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians, he was coming to the end of his two years of house arrest in Rome. Prior to this, he had already spent two years imprisoned for his faith in Caesarea. At the very least, he was confined for a total of four years. That is a long time. This is what has happened to him. This has been his circumstance for these past four years. And yet, you get the sense that Paul was able to live above his circumstances. There was something beyond his circumstances that was defining him. There was something bigger in his life than his circumstances. There was a constant in Paul s life that anchored him through the shifting currents of life. What is it that defines your life? Who are you? What are you about? Paul answers that question in Philippians 1:21 with what many consider to be his life purpose statement. In other words, this is what is it all about for Paul no matter what his circumstance in life happens to be. Paul says, For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. So no matter what the circumstance in my life may be and no matter what changes come into my life tomorrow, it doesn t change my purpose in life. My life is about living for Jesus Christ. This transcends every circumstance in my life. There are three statements that Paul makes in this passage that shape his life no matter what circumstance he may be facing. Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.... As always, Christ will be honored in my body... For to me to live is Christ. Christ is proclaimed. Christ is honored. For to me to live is Christ. Christ is the constant in our life and this is true of me no matter what my circumstance happens to be. Christ is Proclaimed Paul begins in verse 12 by assuring the Philippians that the circumstances that have transpired in his life over the last four years have actually served to advance the gospel. I wonder if this was a concern they had for Paul. They knew his passion and his calling to proclaim Jesus throughout the known world to the Gentiles. We saw last week that often the Philippians had partnered with Paul in supporting his missionary endeavors. When you read the book of Acts, you discover that Paul is constantly on the move. When Paul wrote his letter to the Romans he tells them of his ambition to go to Spain. Why Spain? He says in Romans 15:20, I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named. I call Paul the Star Trek Apostle; boldly going where no one has gone before! And now here is this missionary who is constantly looking for the next place to go to proclaim Christ but now he has been sitting imprisoned for the last four years. Is he depressed? Is he defeated? Is he discouraged? 5

6 Possibly, those were things that he wrestled with from time to time. He is human. And yet at the same time, his circumstances did not alter his calling. Ironically, his imprisonment has served to advance the gospel. How so? There are two ways the gospel has advanced through Paul s imprisonment. He says in verse 13, it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. We already saw from Acts 28 that while Paul was under house arrest, there was a guard who was present at all times. That poor guard didn t stand a chance if he was on duty watching Paul. We get the sense from Acts 28 that even though Paul was under house arrest, people were free to come and go and Paul taught them from the Scriptures. So whether through listening in through what Paul was teaching his guests or through direct conversation with the guard, one by one, the imperial guard is being exposed to the gospel of Christ. I find it fascinating that when Paul closes his letter to the Philippians in Philippians 4:22 he extends his final greetings, All the saints greet you, especially those in Caesar s household. I can t help but think that Paul would never have had such access into the halls of power had he not been imprisoned these two years in Rome. Trust God with where he has you. He also said that others have become bold to also proclaim Christ because of his example. Don t forget why Paul is in prison. He was arrested in Jerusalem for proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah. Paul knew what it was that landed him in prison. He says in Acts 24:21 as he stood before the Roman Governor, Felix, It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day. Before he was sent to Rome, he had audience with King Agrippa who listened to Paul and then said to Paul in front of everyone who was there, Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind. But Paul is undeterred because he had a life changing encounter with the risen Christ. And so here he is in Roman confinement because of the gospel, and he still is proclaiming Jesus to whoever comes to visit him. The result of his example is that others are encouraged to do the same. He writes in verse 14, And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. So when they leave the presence of Paul, they go out and proclaim Christ wherever they go. He set them an example. Now you get the impression from verses 15-18, that part of the difficulty of Paul s current circumstance was perhaps a clash of personalities among brothers in Christ. He says in verse 15, some preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will... The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. So you get the sense that added to the frustration of being 6

7 imprisoned are some difficult and challenge relationships among brothers in Christ. We are not sure what the exact issue was. We do know from other New Testament writings that Paul was not known for being eloquent in speech and as a result some people looked down on him. There is a description of what Paul may have looked like from an apocryphal book called Acts of Paul and Thecla. Thecla was supposedly a woman who was a follower of Paul. Here Paul is described as a man small in size, bald-headed, bowlegged, well built, with eye brows meeting, and a long nose. 2 To this day, depictions of Paul picture him with a long nose, but the unibrow has been removed. The Scriptures do portray him as having weak eyes. So perhaps because of his physical stature or his lack of eloquent speech, Paul s authority came under question and some rivalry immerged among some ambitious disciples of Paul. I am sure that was hurtful and was a challenge for Paul. He said that whatever they are doing they did so to afflict him in his imprisonment. Their actions added salt to the wound of his imprisonment. Whatever it was, these personality conflicts got under his skin. And yet, I love what he says. In spite of these personality conflicts he says in verse 18, What then? Only that in in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. For a man always on the move and wanting to get to Spain to preach the gospel, I am sure he was frustrated by his confinement in prison for four years. As people were coming to him, he invested himself into strategic relationships, only to have some of them turn on him. I am sure he felt as though he had been stabbed in the back by those he once instructed. It is not to say that these circumstances didn t hurt Paul or frustrate Paul. But at the end of the day, what trumps these circumstances is that Christ is being proclaimed and this is where he finds his joy. During this time, he wrote this letter, Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon. To this day, God uses these letters inspired by the Spirit of God to proclaim Christ and to bring about changed lives. What does it mean to proclaim Christ? At the very core of what we proclaim is Christ crucified for the forgiveness of our sins and buried and risen from the dead. It is very simply put in 2 Timothy 2:8, Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel. The reason we are to proclaim Jesus Christ is because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. I read the story this week of Gavin Peacock. He was born in London and was the son of a professional soccer player. By that age of 16, following in his father s footsteps, he signed his first professional soccer contract. In spite of early success, he was struggling with his sense of purpose. At the age of 18, he happened to attend an evening service at a Methodist church. He didn t remember anything the pastor said, but he accepted an 7

8 invitation to join the young adult group at the pastor s house after the service. He said he was struck by how they talked about Jesus and they talked as if they knew God. He kept coming back. Here is what he writes, I began to hear the gospel for the first time. I realized that my biggest problem wasn t whether I met the disapproval of the 20,000- strong crowd on Saturday; my biggest problem was my sin and the disapproval of almighty God. I realized that the biggest obstacle to happiness was that soccer was king instead of Jesus, who provided a perfect righteousness for me. I realized what Augustine had expressed many years before in his Confessions, You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in you. Over time, my eyes were opened through the Sunday meeting, and I turned, repented, and believed the gospel. My heart still burned for soccer, but it burned for Christ more. 3 He had a successful soccer career. He became a known TV soccer analyst in England. He left it all and is now a pastor in Calgary, Canada. Out of that little Methodist church emerged this story. This is why Paul rejoices in the proclamation of the gospel. It has the power to change lives. You may not be able to control your circumstances. But your circumstances are nothing more than the platform God has given you to proclaim Christ. You may not like everything about your circumstances. That is fine. I understand that. But it is where God currently has you. And as a result of your circumstances, God has brought certain people into your life and so wherever we go, we proclaim Christ. That is our joy! The gospel is the power for salvation to everyone who believes. May whatever has happened to you, serve to advance the gospel. Christ is Honored The second thing Paul reveals about living with his current circumstances is that his desire would be that Christ be honored by the way he lives within his circumstances. He says in verse 20, 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. No matter the outcome, he wants to be faithful. You can t control your circumstances, but you can control how you respond in them. This is what it means to be proactive. It is a be statement. Paul wants to be faithful, no matter what happens. In verse 19, Paul thanks them for their prayers and he says with confidence that he is convinced God will use their prayers for his deliverance. I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance. Paul is very sincere in his thanks for their prayers. He depends on them and he believes 8

9 that these prayers are effectual and that they will lead to his deliverance. Now he is not necessarily saying that their prayers will result in a get out of jail free card. Though as you read further, that is his hunch. Rather he is saying, I will either be released and set free or God will take me home. Either way, your prayers are sustaining me and at the end of the day, 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. He is entrusting his circumstances to God s will and he simply wants to honor Christ by being faithful in his circumstances. James Boice was the pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. In 2000 he was diagnosed with liver cancer. The last time he stepped into the pulpit in front of his congregation, he thanked them for their prayers; much like Paul was thanking the Philippians for praying for him. As you can imagine, those prayers were very much appreciated as they journeyed through his battle with cancer. He said, some of asked him, how should we pray for you? Here is what he said, A relevant question, I guess, when you pray is, pray for what? Should you pray for a miracle? Well, you re free to do that, of course. My general impression is that the God who is able to do miracles and he certainly can is also able to keep you from getting the problem in the first place... I would say pray for the glory of God. If you think of God glorifying himself in history and you say, where in all of history has God most glorified himself? He did it at the cross of Jesus Christ, and it wasn t by delivering Jesus from the cross, though he could have. Jesus said, Don t you think I could call down from my Father ten legions of angels for my defense? But he didn't do that. And yet that s where God is most glorified. 4 He went on to say that God is in control and God s will is good and perfect. At the end of the day, his heart s desire was that he would practice what he has so often preached down through the years and that he would trust God and honor God in his body. No matter what your circumstance may be, through the prayers of God s people and through the supernatural strength that comes from the Spirit of God, we have the strength to be faithful. We honor God in our circumstances when we continue trusting God, worshiping God, loving God, serving God, rejoicing in God, resting in God and seeking first the kingdom of God. This transcends our circumstances and it guards our hearts. May Christ be honored in our bodies, whether by life of by death. To Live Is Christ Paul ends this passage with that wonderful purpose statement for life, For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. He even goes on to confess that he is not sure which 9

10 outcome he would prefer. He recognizes that if he stays on in the body, it will be better for them and lead to more fruitful labor. However, he confesses in verse 23, I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. Some have suggested that the gain that would come with Paul s martyrdom is not just his personal gain of being with God, but as we know from the story of the early church, the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the early church. In other words, even his death would be used of God to advance the cause of Christ in this world. So what happened to Paul? Most likely, Paul was released from this imprisonment and he ended up making a fourth missionary journey, a trip to Spain. During this time, he wrote 1 Timothy and Titus and it is here where he mentions places that he had been that were not mentioned in the book of Acts. He eventually came back to Rome at the time when Nero was the emperor. Like many other Christians who lived under the reign of Nero, Paul was rounded up again, only this time he would not be released. During this time, Paul was beheaded and Peter was also killed by Nero. The last letter we have from the pen of Paul is 2 Timothy. He wrote this when he was in prison for the final time. It is a completely different tone than what we have here in Philippians. In our passage in Philippians, Paul has a hunch that he will be delivered and set free. In verse 25 he says rather confidently, Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith. But in 2 Timothy 4, with certainty of his pending death, he writes, For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. He has honored God in his body, whether by life or by death. What does Paul mean when he says, for to me to live is Christ? What he means is that he will serve God as long as he has breath. And serving God is not confined by our circumstances. You can serve God in any circumstance. He says in verse 24, 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. To live for Christ is simply taking on the form of a servant and serving the people in your life. It is being a steward of your gifts and contributing to the good of the body. When you serve and when you steward your gifts, you benefit others. In every circumstance of life, you can take the posture of a servant. Next week, you will hear that familiar verse from Philippians 2, Have the same mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. And what is that attitude we are to have that Jesus had? We are to become servants of one another. In every circumstance you can steward your gifts. In every circumstance, you can live for Christ. 10

11 Conclusion I know that some of the changes that come in life are not always pleasant. But it many cases, we can t control the changing circumstances of life. But we can control how we respond to them. Our focus is Christ. No matter what the circumstance, we proclaim Christ because the gospel is the power of God to change lives. We honor Christ with our bodies by living faithfully by the strength we get from the prayers of God s people. We live for Christ, by serving the people in our lives and stewarding the gifts God has given us for the benefit of others. It brings us back to the affirmations I have encouraged you to rehearse and pray on a daily basis. They set the tone for your day no matter where you are or what your situation happens to be. Take them this week and simply rehearse them and turn them into a prayer. They apply to every circumstance. Loving God (Matthew 22:34-40) I am a son/daughter of God and I will find my rest in God s love for me (Zeph. 3:17) I exist to love God with everything I am and will seek first the kingdom of God, trusting God to meet all of my needs (Matthew 6:33) Loving Others (Matthew 22:34-40) I am a servant. I will seek to put the needs of others before myself. (Philippians 2:4) Based on my identity in Christ as one loved by God, I will recognize my capacity to loves others as I myself have been loved by God. (Romans 12:3) As You Go, Making Disciples (Matthew 28:18-20) I am a steward. My mission as a disciple of Jesus Christ is to use my gifts within the body of Christ to assist the church in the mission of making disciples. This is the outworking of my loving devotion to Christ and His Church. (Eph. 4:11-12) I will be a witness who shares with others the comfort that I myself have received from God through Jesus Christ. (Acts 1:8) 1 Stephen Covey Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (New York: Free Press, 2004) 89 2 Ra McGlaughlin Physical Description of Paul file/ Gavin Peacock Soccer Was My God in Christianity Today July/August Dr. James Montgomery Boice, Final Message at Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA by Dr. Scott Solberg - All rights reserved 11

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