Philippians 1: Stanly Community Church

Transcription

1 Serving the Lord in this world is a privilege, and by God s grace a Christian can faithfully represent heaven s kingdom on earth. Yet the believer s deepest desire is actually to be in heaven with Christ and to be free of the constant struggle with the flesh, the world and the devil. Even so, love for the Lord, His people, and His purpose each provide a powerful reason to remain in our present service. As an apostle of Jesus Christ, Paul was committed to his calling. He loved the Lord, and he loved the Church. He understood God s plans for the heavenly kingdom, and he wanted nothing more than to do his part in bringing glory to God on earth. Still, the apostle longed for the joy of heaven where he could devote everything to glorifying His Lord and Savior without earthly distractions. Like everyone who knows and serves the true and living God, he had a continual conflict in his soul a conflict between his desire to do the Lord s will on earth and his desire to actually be with Christ. Paul expressed this conflict to the Philippian Christians who shared his commitment to God s purpose for the Church. In 1:19-26 of his letter, he explains his hope for further ministry opportunity as well as his struggle with desiring both to serve Christ here and also to be with Him in heaven. He likewise expresses his confidence that God probably wanted him to serve the Church on earth at least a little while longer. All-in-all, Paul had a reason to remain. 1

2 A Reason to Remain (1:19-26) Paul s Hope (vv ) Being imprisoned in Rome, Paul could have easily become discouraged. However, in his experience as the Lord s servant, he had learned that God was at work in even the most difficult of situations (1:12-18). In fact, the apostle had come to realize that the things which happened actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel (v. 12). God had allowed the circumstances which led to Paul s arrest and his journey to the very heart of Roman culture. Now he had a unique opportunity to represent Christ that otherwise would not have presented itself. With that perspective, there was no reason to lose hope. He had all confidence in the sovereign God whom he served, and he intended to serve Him with every ounce of his being and with every moment of his time on earth. Because his motivation was to glorify God, Paul gave himself to the ministry of preaching the gospel and teaching Scripture. He understood not only his own obligation as an ambassador for Christ but the absolute necessity of strengthening the Church to be the same. He knew the Gospel to be the very power of God to bring people to salvation (Rom. 1:16). And he also knew that the whole counsel of Scripture was necessary for the believer to mature in faith and represent the Lord effectively (Acts 20:18-35; Eph. 4:11-16). He was committed to the ministry, and he knew God had enabled him and used him to this point. 2

3 So the apostle s view of the future was simply one of trust in God to provide an opportunity for ministry for as long as was necessary. He knew that his present situation would eventually turn out for [his] deliverance (v. 19; i.e. his well-being or escape ). In other words, he would not be imprisoned in Rome forever. Yes, God was using him in that place for the time being, but what came after that, Paul did not know specifically. What he did know was that through the prayers [of the Philippians and other believers] and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ he would be able to faithfully complete his mission in Rome. It is God the Holy Spirit who indwells every true believer. He guides their hearts to pray according to God s will (Rom. 8:26-27), and He equips and strengthens all for the task at hand (Jn. 14: 26; 15:26, 27; Acts 1:8). Paul was absolutely sure of God s ability to sanctify His children and use them for His glory, and he realized the Spirit s role in that process. Both Paul and other believers were expressing through prayer their desire for his release from prison. They obviously did not want him to suffer unjustly as a prisoner, but they primarily wanted him to be free to minister for the good of the Church. However, Paul desired the Lord s will above everything else, even if that meant his death. Here he encourages the Philippians to see things the same way. 3

4 He says in verse 20: according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. As the term, earnest expectation suggests, Paul was eagerly looking forward to what God would do. And his hope was that he would not in any way dishonor Christ ( in nothing I shall be ashamed ) as he boldly gave himself for the Lord s service and glory. Even if God s will was that Paul die in prison or be executed for the sake of the Gospel, the apostle did not care as long as Christ was magnified in [his] body. That is, for as long as he was physically in this world to represent the Lord, he wanted Christ to be exalted through him even to his last breath! That should be the sincere desire and prayer of everyone who professes faith in Christ the hope of every true Christian. If we really know and love the Lord, then we can have no greater expectation or hope than that He would use us for His glory in whatever way He chooses. That is exactly how our Lord Jesus viewed His own ministry (Jn. 12:23-28). Therefore, Jesus teaches us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him (Matt. 16:24). Paul s Struggle (vv ) Whether on earth or in heaven, Paul was content to serve Christ. However, he naturally longed to be with the Lord in His heavenly home (Jn. 14:1-4; Phil. 3:20). And so he had that inner struggle which we noted earlier a conflict between his desire to do the Lord s work on earth and his desire to serve Christ in the paradise of heaven. 4

5 But either way, Paul s life was all about his relationship with Jesus Christ. That is why he could sincerely say, For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (v. 21). You see, Paul s reason for existing was to know Christ in intimate, unhindered fellowship and to do His will at all personal cost. He loved and revered the Lord that much. Everything else about his existence paled in comparison. Whether he was on earth or in heaven, it was all about His Lord and Savior. To die physically would simply mean that the apostle would only experience his relationship with God more fully. In heaven, he could serve His Lord without the hindrances that come with living in a fallen world. However, as glorious as that would be especially after all the persecution and hardship that Paul faced in his ministry he was honestly willing to remain and do the Lord s work. He notes this in verse 22 where he says, But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor. Paul did not want to stay in this world for his own personal gain, pleasure, goals, etc. His only gain was the pleasure he received from fulfilling the goal Jesus Christ set for him to complete his ministry (1:1) and bear the fruits of righteousness (1:9-11) as a faithful servant in the image and likeness of Christ (Phil. 2:5-11). That motivated everything he did. 5

6 So Paul could say, yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two; having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you (vv. 22b-24). Since his greatest desire was to glorify God by doing His will, Paul was glad for the Lord to choose the place of his service. He truly could not say that he desired one location over the other because location was not the issue. Yes, to be with Christ is far better, and every Christian longs to experience the fullness of eternal life in the Lord s presence. But love for Him drives us to yield our desires to His will, and if God still needed him to minister to the Church, that is where he wanted to be. Thus the struggle is constant as long as long as the Lord allows us to remain in this world. While our spirit is redeemed, and we have genuine desires for the rest that awaits us in heaven, we continue to battle the weakness of our fleshly bodies in which we must remain if we represent the Lord on earth (Matt. 26:41). We also must contend daily with the temptations that the sinful world system provides and that Satan utilizes in his fight against the kingdom of God (Eph. 6:12). Paul s Confidence (vv ) In light of all this, Paul s comments in the closing verses of this passage reveal a strong conviction that God will always do what is best for all involved. The apostle understood that the only reason he was still on earth was to point people toward salvation in Christ and teach believers how to serve Him faithfully. 6

7 In verse 25 he says, And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith. Paul s confidence was not some revelation from God that he would be released from prison and go on serving the Church. Rather, it was a strong conviction ( I know ) that God would continue using him to minister to the Church because they still needed to mature and be better established in the faith. It was indeed more needful (v. 24) for the Philippians and other churches that they have someone to help them in their progress and joy of faith. The Church was still in its infancy, and the New Testament Scripture was not yet completed. As we now know, Paul rightly perceived that God still had more use for him. He was eventually released from prison and did minister for several more years before being martyred (ca. A.D. 67). Interestingly, the word, progress (Gr. - prokope), was sometimes used of those who went before an army to blaze the trail and prepare for their military advance. The idea here is that, if Paul could continue to lead them, the Church would have more time to mature and, therefore, be more successful in its mission. And as he says, the more their faith matured, the more their joy in Christ would increase. The more we know the Lord and His will, the more we trust Him and find joy in His will. Paul had this joy of faith, and he wanted the Church to be firmly established in it. 7

8 Paul was confident that, if released, the fruit of his own ministry would play a part in the rejoicing of the Philippians in Jesus Christ (v. 26). That is to say, if he was set free and allowed to remain on earth, he could return to Philippi ( my coming to you again ). If that was the case, he assured them that he was committed to helping them mature. He was fully convinced that his ministry to them would be fruitful and that their faith and joy would increase not because of his own abilities but because it was the Lord working through him. Although every true Christian longs to be in heaven with the Lord, they are nonetheless committed to serving Him on earth for as long as He deems necessary. The inherent tension between those two desires keeps us grounded and focused. And while we do not seek persecution or hardship, we know that God sometimes places us in those situations for His purposes. Our responsibility is to be faithful to share the Gospel and help other Christians mature in their faith. And we are to trust God to use us in ways that bring Him the most glory. After all, that is our only reason to remain in this world. 8