Philippians 1:12-26
Notes
Transcript
Intro/Background
This morning we are going to continue our journey through the epistle to the Philippians
If you ever miss a study, you can always go back and watch them
On our Facebook page - search for Calvary Christian Fellowship Eagle if you don’t already follow us
You can go to our website and click on the Media tab
And now, you can also find us on YouTube as we’ve launched a brand new YouTube channel
We’re slowly getting our archives on there, so you’ll notice that each week there are a few more sermons you can go back and watch.
Facebook & website have the whole service, worship, announcements, & teaching
YouTube is just the message
Intro/story/etc...
Verse 12
Quick recap on “the things which happened” to Paul
Acts 21-28.
At the end of Paul’s third missionary journey, he winds up in Jerusalem, and one day he takes a group of men to the temple there.
They were minding their own business, but a group of Jews see him and grab him and start this riot. They hated Paul, he was a traitor to them.
Remember that Paul used to be Saul, and Saul was a Pharisee - one of the religious leaders of Israel. He had persecuted the early church (he famously participated in the death of Stephen in Acts 7.
Paul’s conversion to Christianity, and then him becoming the foremost apostle for the faith, enraged the Jews.
They wanted to kill him
Rome had a fortress right there next to the temple, called the Antonio Fortress. And the soldiers that were there see this commotion going on at the temple, so they go down to stop whatever is happening
The guard was going to scourge Paul for causing this trouble, but Paul tells them he is a Roman citizen, and if you remember our introduction to this book, you couldn’t beat a Roman citizen w/o a trial.
In the meantime, the Jews, with the blessing of the Sanhedrin Council (the Jewish Supreme Court @ that time) had hatched this plot to ambush and murder Paul
Word gets back to the commander of the garrison in Jerusalem, and they did not want a riot on their hands, so they take Paul up north to the coast to Caesarea Philippi, the Roman headquarters in the middle east
Paul would go on to stand trial before the governor Felix, then King Aggripa, and eventually Paul would appeal to Caesar himself
So they start the long journey from the Mediterranean coast in Israel to Rome
Along the way, Paul goes through a massive storm, they are shipwrecked on the island of Malta, he gets bitten by a snake, it’s not an easy trip!
But he eventually makes it to Rome where he has to serve under house arrest for 2+ years, chained to a Roman soldier 24/7.
Paul was waiting to stand trial before Caesar Nero. If you know anything about Caesar Nero, you know he was a crazy man. There was a fear that Paul could be executed for his faith - Nero definitely wasn’t afraid to kill Christians en masse.
So Paul has gone through all of this, not b/c he did anything wrong, but b/c he was a minister of the gospel of Jesus, and he writes that God had a purposed for all of what happened
Paul had wanted to visit Rome to encourage the church and preach the gospel at some point in his life.
In the book of Romans, which was written before he was arrested, Paul tells the church there that he wants to come visit .
But I’m sure the circumstances surrounding that visit looked much different in Paul’s mind than what reality turned out.
I doubt he envisioned visiting them as a prisoner, confined to his house, chained to a Roman soldier
But Paul realized that what had happened actually allowed for the furtherance of the gospel
In fact vs 13 says...
Verse 13
Paul’s imprisonment had allowed him to share the gospel with the palace guard
The palace guard was known as the Praetorium
The Praetorium was the headquarters of the emperor’s bodyguards
These guys were the best of the best, the elite guard who protected Caesar himself
They were responsible for guarding Paul, they would take 6 hour shifts
Could you imagine being a soldier chained to Paul, you would have heard the gospel non-stop!
Paul said the gospel was furthered.
At the end of the book, in Chapter 4, Paul would say
22 All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar’s household.
Guards were getting saved! God was doing a work
And Paul says that his chains were in Christ
They weren’t in Rome, they weren’t by the Jews, they weren’t as a religious prisoner, they were in Christ
I would wager that Paul would have never been able to witness to the elite Praetorium guard unless he was in the situation he was in
God knew that those guards needed the gospel preached to them in a certain way.
They would see Paul’s faith lived out. His message in this epistle is joy, and I know that’s not just what Paul wrote about, that’s what he lived.
I’m sure he prayed for those soldiers, served them. His speech was different than what they were used to.
So seeing how Christ genuinely affected and positively impacted Paul’s life opened them up to the gospel
And some of them started to get saved!
Where are you in life right now?
Wherever you are, if you are walking with Jesus, you are there in Christ, just as Paul was in chains in Christ
This isn’t you’ve been walking in sin and the consequences of sin has gotten you in a tough spot. God still wants to deliver you from that and then make beauty from ashes
But if you are living for the Lord, seeking His will, your situation will be b/c that’s where Jesus wants you to be
“Why am I in this job right now? Why do I have this person as a boss, I can’t stand it!”
“Why am so lonely? I just want a husband/a wife to make me complete”
“Why is being a stay-at-home mom so hard? Is runny noses and Paw Patrol all I was destined for in life??”
God has you there for a purpose
You start to think like that - God has me here for a reason - it’ll radically change how you live in that situation.
You’ll have a sense of purpose. You’ll have a joy that God has a work for you to do. You’ll have perseverance when it gets tough or lonely
The other affect Paul’s imprisonment had was that it emboldened other believers
Verse 14
Paul’s boldness to preach the gospel to Caesar Nero’s bodyguards gave them confidence to be bold in their own faith
I know I always get so encouraged when I hear stories of how God is moving and working in or through the life of another believer.
There’s something about it that gets me fired up and excited to do the same in my own faith
That’s what church should be to each of us
We shouldn’t compartmentalize our faith from the rest of the week - carving out this chunk of time on Sunday for God, this time for me, this time for my boss, etc.
Church should stir you up to go live out your faith during the week
Verses 15-18
Paul noticed that as the local church was stirred up by the impact he was having in that city, there were a couple of different motives for why people were bold in sharing the gospel
He says that some were preaching Christ “from envy and strife” - they were doing it selfishly vs 16 says
They saw how Paul was being used by the Lord and they were jealous or their pride took over and they wanted to have an impact that was as big as Paul’s
They weren’t doing their service for the Lord, they were doing it for themselves
Today, it’s the attitude of
“My small group isn’t as big as their small group, I need my group to be bigger!”
or “I can do that ministry/that thing better than them! God is using them, and they’re dumb, imagine how He could use someone like me”
“Why isn’t my church bigger than their church?!?”
So we take on the work of God but we do it out of envy or competition or selfishness
Paul said that others were sharing Jesus “from goodwill” and out of love
That’s the heart that God really wants us to have in our service to Him
He says that either way, he was thankful that the gospel was going out
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
God will not let His word return void. His word is living & active, so even if it comes from someone with a selfish intent, God can still use His word to work on a heart
Verses 19-21
Remember that Paul was waiting to go on trial before Caesar and he wasn’t sure if he was going to live or if he was going to die for his faith
Vs. 19 shows us he felt that he was going to be released
The word for “know” is “to perceive”
Paul had this feeling, probably by the comfort of the Holy Spirit speaking to his heart, that he was going to be released
Paul would stand before Caesar Nero two different times in his life
The first time would be for this imprisonment. Paul would be released by Caesar
I heard a pastor conjecture that maybe the Praetorium guard had an influence on their boss’ decision??
Paul would stand before Nero again a few years later and eventually be martyred for his faith
Even though he has this feeling that he is going to live, Paul still wrestles with what his death would mean
To live is Christ, to die is gain
If Paul were to live, his live would continue to revolve around Jesus - to live means that life is all about knowing Jesus and serving Him
But death would be a gain b/c he would get to go to heaven and be with Christ
Death is a gain for the believer, for the person who has surrendered their life and put their faith and trust in Jesus
We know that heaven is a place where there will be no more pain, no more suffering, no more tears.
It’s a place where sin will be gone
We know that God is preparing a place for us to dwell, a house not made with hands
It’s a place that we get to worship God for all eternity with our brothers and sisters in the Lord
One where we will see Jesus face to face and continue to learn more and more about Him.
Paul had a taste of heaven that he had experienced
2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.
Many scholars think this happened when Paul was stoned and left for dead in the city of Lystra in Acts 14.
Paul got this glimpse of heaven, and he didn’t write a book about it or go on a speaking tour or cash in on his fame, he says it was so wonderful and glorious that it would be a disservice for me to try and use human words to describe it.
Heaven is a place that we can hope in
But you will only be able to say, “for me, to die is gain,” if you are able to say, “to live is Christ”
If you have not surrendered your life to Jesus and accepted Him as your Savior, you do not have the hope of heaven.
The Bible is clear, only those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus will go to heaven
It’s not even by works of righteousness which we may try and pull off, it’s only by accepting the forgiveness of sins that Jesus has to offer
If you’re here this morning and you have never accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, let today be that day
For the Christian though, sometimes we can get to a place where yes, you have surrendered your life to Him and yes, you are going to heaven one day, but to live is not Christ - life doesn’t revolve around Jesus, it revolves around living for the world
This is a dumb story but I remember when I was in middle school, Star Wars Episode 1 came out - the Phantom Menace came out. I was a MAJOR Star Wars nerd and I was so excited that they had this prequel trilogy coming out.
At the same time, the church in America had rapture fever. The Left Behind novels were at the peak of their popularity and Christians were excited that Jesus was coming back.
And I remember that I didn’t want the rapture to happen until after the 3rd Star Wars movie came out - like I said, SO. DUMB.
But in a simple way, I had this attitude of the world being more important to me than the things of Jesus, so to die was not gain at that point, to die was a bummer. That’s because to live was not Christ - life didn’t revolve around Him.
Paul even speaks to this in vs. 20 that his “earnest expectation and hope” were in Jesus.
Where is your earnest expectation and hope?
Is it in becoming a successful business owner?
Or to have $3-4M in the bank one day to retire comfortably?
Is your hope in a good thing, to be a good mom or dad; to be a good husband or wife?
Our earnest expectation and hope, to live, should be in Christ.
More than anything else, life revolves around Jesus.
Verses 22-24
The struggle between life and death continues here for Paul
To die or depart would mean he would get to be with Jesus, which is far better than anything this world can offer
It’s interesting that he uses the word “depart” in vs 23
Another translation of that word is “to break up” as in to break up camp
Camping is great, I love it.
When it’s time to break down camp and go home, while I might be sad that the camping trip is over, there is always a bigger part of me that is looking forward to going back home. I get to sleep in my own bed, I get to shower and brush my teeth finally.
What, you’re supposed to brush your teeth when you camp?
Home is not at the campsite, home is at home. The campsite is just a temporary place
Paul was a tent-maker. Sometimes he’d have enough funds from churches that would support him, other times he’d work bi-vocationally, having a job while he was doing the ministry.
His job was to make tents, so he understood this idea very well.
1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
This life, our bodies, they’re just tents.
Tents are kinda flimsy. They take constant care and attention to make sure they don’t fall apart or blow away in the wind.
They’re uncomfortable sometimes, they can get smelly and gross.
And they deteriorate over time
But a tent is not a house. God has a building, a house, not made with hands, one that is eternal, prepared for us in heaven.
Our citizenship, where our home really is, is in heaven.
Paul would write about that later in this epistle
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Death is just breaking up camp and heading home.
He says that to live though means that the word of the ministry can continue through his life
There would be more fruit, more people would hear the gospel, more would get discipled
Paul would go on to write 3 more books of the Bible - 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus
He would continue to share his faith and lead others to salvation.
Church history says he probably went to Spain and shared the gospel there
God was not done with Paul - He still had a work for him to do
God will not call us home until He accomplishes the work He wants to in and through our lives
This should give us hope. We don’t have to fear dying.
You might not be afraid of what death will bring since it brings heaven to the believer, but you might be afraid of dying.
I know there are Christians who walk around fearful b/c of this
They’re worried that this thing is going to get them, or they’re going to get sick off of that, or one of their organs is going to give up, or they’ll get cancer, or whatever it may be.
That doesn’t mean we don’t take care of our tents. “I can eat 3 bowls of ice cream every day b/c God will take me home when He needs me.”
He’ll probably take you home a bit earlier b/c your arteries will be too clogged up to share the gospel with others....
We should take care of ourselves and eat well and exercise and everything
But, we don’t need to walk around fearful of dying. God knows the exact day, the exact moment and the exact way He is going to take you home
I’m not trying to be morbid about this, but I want to give you hope.
We can take comfort in that fact, we can trust that God has a good work for you, and that when He’s used you for that work, then you get to be with Him which is far better
Verses 25-26
Here’s that insight that Paul had again, he was confident that Caesar wasn’t going to kill him and that he had more ministry ahead of him.
He says that if he is released, the Philippian church will rejoice b/c they’ll get to see him again
So as we close, I want to ask you a question - for you, can you say that to live is Christ?
That your life revolves around Him
That no matter what happens, whether good or bad, whether you are on a mission trip or thrown in prison for your faith, that it’s b/c of Jesus
And that His plan for you is for a reason. He has a work for you to do. He wants to share His gospel through you and to reach the lost.
He wants to encourage the church through you
He wants others to rejoice in their faith b/c of you
And you can live in confidence, knowing that every moment up until you break camp, is planned out, and that one day you have the hope of heaven waiting for you
Or would you say that to live is the world, or to live is yourself?
The things of the world are more important to you than the things of Jesus
Your life revolves around pleasing or satisfying yourself
If that’s you, resolve in your heart today to make life revolve around Jesus
He wants that, He wants to be close to you.
So much so that He died just so He could adopt you into His family
He has a good work for you to do
We’re going to pray, and if you need to give your life to the Lord, do that today.
Heaven only is for the man or woman who has surrounded their life up to Jesus
If you are a believer but life doesn’t revolve around Christ, make that commitment in your heart today that you want things to be different
If you’re struggling trusting God in an area or situation, wondering why God has you there or fearful about what’s down the road, give that to Him, trust Him that He has a plan
Pray & Close