Philippians 1_21-24 Home Is Where The Heart Is

Philippians 1:21-24

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

Intro: Philippians is one of Paul’s prison epistles. The prison epistles are books written by Paul when he was imprisoned in Rome. Paul was incarcerated in what is called the Mamertine Prison. In Paul’s day the prison was known as the Tullianum.

The Tullianum was constructed sometime around 640 BC. In the beginning, the Tullianum was a cistern built underground to collect water which flowed from an artesian well. By the time Paul was kept here, the artesian well was located on the second, or lowest level of the prison. The lower level, where condemned prisoners were kept, can still be visited today.

The lower level lies some twelve feet underground. The room is six and one-half feet high, thirty feet long, and twenty-two feet wide. The lower level of the prison had a hole in the ceiling of the second level through which prisoners were lowered into the prison. Those who were imprisoned in this room were only kept there a short time until they were executed, or they were simply left there to starve to death.

Ancient Roman prisons did not function like prisons today. In Paul’s day, prisons were not used for longterm incarcerations. Justice in the Roman world was meted out swiftly. Wealthy people were usually kept under house arrest, while the poor were usually executed, or sent to work in prison camps.

We do not know if Paul was kept on the lowest level of the Mamertine Prison, he may have been kept on the first, or upper lever. What we do know is Paul was kept there pending his trial before Caesar. We also know Paul was eventually executed there.

Why am I giving you all this information? I have shared this information with you today because Paul’s circumstances when he wrote this book sets the context for what He writes to the Philippians.

The passage we have taken for our text today exposes the dilemma Paul faced in prison. The Mamertine Prison was not a pleasant place. It was a dark, wretched, filthy place. The ancient historian Sallust described its appearance as, “…disgusting and vile by reason of the filth, the darkness and the stench.”

While Paul languishes in prison, he wants to be a blessing to the church of God. He indicates this desire in verses 24-26. But, in verse 23, Paul shows us where is heart really is. While he knows he will stay on earth to continue to serve the Lord and His church, Paul’s heart is focused on Heaven. Simply stated, Paul wants to go to his heavenly home to be with Jesus Christ his Savior.

As Paul writes the words we will study today, he exposes the condition of his heart. His heart is on Heaven. His heart is on home.

Through his words, Paul shows us that he took to heart the message of Jesus regarding the focus of our hope and desire. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” Matthew 6:19–21.

In the book of Colossians Paul challenges the believers there to set their hearts on Heaven. He said, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory,” Colossians 3:1–4.

It seems Paul practiced what he preached. It is always refreshing when a person lives out what he challenges others to do.

I want to preach from verse 23 today. I want to preach on the subject Home Is Where The Heart Is. Paul’s heart was on Heaven. Heaven is where our hearts should be as well. Do you remember, what Jesus said? He said, “…where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” Matthew 6:21.

Let’s examine Paul’s words and learn from him where our true focus in life should be. I want to point out the feelings which gripped Paul’s heart as he writes these words. Home Is Where The Heart Is, and Paul’s heart was on home. His focus was on Heaven.

Allow this passage to challenge your heart today. Allow this passage to show you where your heart should be. Home Is Where The Heart Is. Notice the feelings in Paul’s heart as he writes about home.

I. PAUL FELT HEAVINESS

The first emotion Paul describes is that of heaviness. Paul says, “…I am in a strait betwixt two…” Let’s take a moment to dissect Paul’s words.

The word “strait” means “to be compressed, or pressed together with the hand”.

It was used to describe a city surrounded and besieged by enemies. A city surrounded by an enemy is a city in deep trouble. There is no way to obtain more supplies. They face the potential of attack and starvation.

It was used to speak of a narrow body of water. Ships are in greater danger when they sail though narrow passages. The waves are rougher there. The danger is greater there. The ship’s crew navigates the narrow passage with the knowledge that an error in judgment, or a rogue wave could cause the ship to be destroyed.

It was used to speak of prisoners being held in custody. A prisoner is confined to his prison. He has no freedom to move about as he wishes. He is trapped in a situation from which he cannot escape.

It was used to speak of mental constriction, of being pressed hard by the urgency of one’s circumstances. It refers to a time in life when ones choices seem impossible. The person suffering this kind of mental confusion feels trapped.

While Paul is a prisoner trapped in a horrible prison, he is also a man who is navigating treacherous waters. In my view, this is the idea Paul has in mind. Paul is telling us his mind is in a state of confusion. Paul writes, “…I am in a strait betwixt two”. Paul is a man hemmed in by two conflicting realities.

On one hand, there is the knowledge he is needed here, verses 24-26. Paul knows he has been given a supernatural understanding of divine truth. Paul knows the church needs him to continue to write, teach, and preach the words of God. Paul feels the pressure, the urgency, of what the Lord has called him to do. Paul wants to be a blessing to God’s people, and he can only do that if he stays in this world.

On the other hand, Paul feels a strong pull from Heaven. Paul is in a dark, damp, dank, infamous Roman prison. Paul is restricted in his movements. He is not free to come and go as he pleases. Paul knows he is facing possible execution. Paul would love to be free to go out and serve the churches, but he can’t. Because of his living condition, and because of the restrictions on his ministry, Paul wants out. Paul feels a strong pull from Heaven. Paul knows he is needed here, but he wants to go home.

What Paul felt is a common emotion to those who know the Lord. When a sinner come to Jesus for salvation, the sinner becomes a child of God. They become a citizen of Heaven, Philippians 3:20. They receive God’s promise of a home in Heaven when they leave this world. They also experience a strong, sometimes overwhelming, desire to leave this world to go be with the Lord. Yet, they are stuck here in this world. They are in a world where they are “strangers and pilgrims”, 1 Peter 2:11. They live in a world filled with sin, strife, storms, suffering, and sadness. Like Paul, every child of God wants to go home.

We long to leave this world behind.

We long to leave the flesh and its wicked lusts behind.

We long to be free from all the troubles, trial, and torments of this life.

We long to go home.

Do you feel that heaviness from time to time?

Do you feel like a prisoner trapped in your body in an alien world from which you cannot escape?

Are you sometimes overwhelmed with a desire to go to Heaven?

If the answer to any of those questions is yes, you know how Paul felt. You know how I feel sometimes. I am ready to leave this world, but I know I will stay here until the Lord sets me free. Sometimes that knowledge is hard to accept.

If you are saved, a desire to leave this world for Heaven will cause you to hunger for Heaven.

If you never think about going to Heaven, I doubt you are saved.

I. Paul Felt Heaviness

II. PAUL FELT HUNGER

Paul labored under the heavy burden of laboring here, even when his heart was set on home. Paul was willing to stay as long as the Lord wanted him to, but he was ready to go to Heaven at any time. Paul tells us he had “…a desire to depart…”. Let’s explore that phrase for a moment.

The word “desire” is usually translated “lust” in the New Testament. It is most often used in a negative sense. The word means “to fall on a thing with a strong desire to possess it”. It speaks of having a “passion for something one doesn’t possess”. Imagine a wild animal falling on its prey and consuming it in its hunger. Paul felt a strong hunger for a specific thing.

Paul’s wanted to “depart”. Paul isn’t talking just about getting out of prison. He isn’t talking about taking a vacation. When Paul uses the word “depart”, he is taking about his death. Paul desired the day of his death, because he knew when he died, he would go to be with Jesus.

When Paul looked ahead to his own death, he did not view his death as a horrible monster to be avoided. Paul looked at death as a friend to be embraced. There was no fear in Paul’s heart where dead was concerned. To him, death was the ultimate release. When Paul died, he would finally be free.

He would be free from his prison.

He would be free from his flesh.

He would be free from his body.

He would be free from his enemies.

He would be free from his burdens.

He would be free from his sorrows.

He would finally, fully, and eternally be free.

When Paul uses the word “depart”, he is using a word filled with meaning. I have shared this with you in the past, but it bears repeating today. Let me remind you of how that word was used in Paul’s culture.

The word means “to break up; dissolve; depart.” It was used in ancient society in several ways.

It Was A Military Term - It was used of soldiers taking down their tents. This is a glorious picture of Christian death. When we leave this world, all we really do is fold up this tent of flesh and go to be with Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:1-8.

It Was A Sailor’s Term - It meant to loosen a ship and set sail. That is what happens when a Christians comes to the end of the way. We loose from the moorings of this world and sail off the glory to meet Jesus.

It Was A Farmer’s Term - It was used to refer to taking the yoke off oxen at the end of the work day. What a picture for the child of God! One day our work will be finished and the yoke of service will be removed from our necks and we will enter His rest.

It Was Traveler’s Term - It was used by travelers to speak of putting the horses into the barn at the end of a long journey. Again, this speaks volumes about us as Christians. We travel through this world in all kinds of situations and circumstances. One day the journey will end and we will be at home with the Lord.

It Was A Political Term - It was used to speak of setting prisoners at liberty. Perhaps this was the image Paul was intending to convey by using this word. After all, we are prisoners in these bodies and in this world until God cuts the golden thread and allows us to come home. The day will come when God will open our prison doors and we will be free.

Paul’s ultimate desire was for more than simple freedom. Paul’s ultimate desire was “to be with Christ”. Paul wants to be with Jesus Christ. Why did Paul love Jesus so much? There are many answers to that question.

Jesus loved Paul.

Jesus died for Paul.

Jesus rose again for Paul.

Jesus came for Paul on the road to Damascus.

Jesus saved Paul.

Jesus changed Paul.

Jesus put Paul into the Lord’s work here on earth.

Jesus walked with Paul.

Jesus used Paul.

Jesus blessed Paul.

Jesus was the ultimate “desire” of Paul’s heart. Ill. Philippians 3:4-11.

When the Lord saves a soul, He places a similar hunger in the heart of His redeemed saints. At least He has in mine. I want to see Him. I want to be with Him. I want to leave this world behind and go to Heaven to be with my Lord. If you are saved, there is a hunger for Jesus in your heart as well.

Heaven will be filled with many wonderful sights and sounds. I have read about the mansions God has prepared for us to dwell in.

I have read about the jasper walls, the pearl gates, and the golden street.

I have read about the crystal river.

I have read about how we will be reunited with departed loved one.

I have read about how we will see the great saints mentioned in the Bible.

I have read about the myriads of angels who live in Heaven.

I have read about the wonders of Heaven.

Every glory of Heaven will fade into insignificance when we see Jesus Christ. Can you imagine the scene? The redeemed of all the ages will be gathered in our Lord’s glorious presence to worship Him forever.

We will be with Him, and we will be like Him. John said, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is,” 1 John 3:2.

Gone will be hinderances of this flesh.

Gone will be our fleshly minds which are so prone to wander away from Him.

Gone will be the trials and situations which cloud our minds.

Gone will be our timid worship.

Gone will be our distracted minds.

Gone will be all the impediments and hindrances of this world.

For the first time, we will be in Christ’s presence, in perfect bodies, with perfect knowledge, perfect desires, perfect love, and we will worship Him like we never believed possible. What a glorious day that will be!

Paul understood that and he wanted to be with Jesus. No wonder he was hungry for Heaven. I know I am. I hope you are. Praise the Lord, one day soon, we are going home!

I. Paul Felt Heaviness

II. Paul Felt Hunger

III. PAUL FELT HOPE

Paul had a problem: he wanted to go home to Heaven, but he was forced to live here. Yet, even while Paul lived in the present, he had hope for the future.

Paul looks down the road into an uncertain earthly future. At the end of that road Paul saw a place called Heaven. In verse 23, Paul tells us being with Jesus in Heaven “is far better”. Once again, let’s explore the final phrase in this verse.

The phrase “far better” means “far and away the best”. Paul knew a lot about living in this world.

Paul intimately understood the things this world views as good.

He knew what it was like to have a good education.

He knew what it was like to have money.

He knew what it was like to have power.

He knew what it was like to be popular.

He knew what it was like to be respected, feared, and admired.

Paul intimately understood the things this world views as evil.

He knew what it was like to be hated.

He knew what it was like to suffer.

He knew what it was like to be thrown in prison.

He knew what it was like to be beaten.

He knew what it was to be stoned.

Paul knew more than his share of suffering, sorrow, loss, and pain, 2 Corinthians 11:22-28.

Paul intimately understood things this world will never understand.

He knew what it was like to be chosen by God to carry the Gospel to the Gentiles

He knew what it was like to have God use him to write books of the Bible.

He knew what it was like to walk in closeness to the God Who saved his soul.

Paul knew heavenly realities few other men have ever known.

When Paul weighed all the benefits, burdens, and blessings of this life together, he confessed that being with Jesus will be “far and away better” than anything he experienced in this world.

Paul had hope when his life ended. He knew where he was going when he died.

He knew he would be in the presence of the Lord, 2 Corinthians 5:8.

He knew he would return to the Heaven he had visited once before, but had not been allowed to talk about, 2 Corinthians 12:1-4.

He knew he would go to a place where mortality and corruption would be replaced with the perfection of being made like Jesus, 1 Corinthians 15:49-57.

Paul knew he was going home, and home would be “far and away better” than any experience in this world.

I don’t know a lot about Heaven, but I know enough to know I want to be there. I have the same hope Paul possessed, and so do you, if you are saved.

Let me take a moment to review some of the glories of glory.

Revelation 21 gives us a little insight into what the New Jerusalem will be like when we get there. There will be pearl gates, golden streets, foundations made of rare gems, angels, loved ones, saints from all the ages, God Himself, Jesus Himself, the Holy Spirit Himself, plus more wonders we can never imagine.

While Heaven will be “far and away better” because of what will be there, it will also be “far and away better” because of what will not be there.

There will be no sorrow there: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away,” Revelation 21:4.

There will be no sin there: “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life,” Revelation 21:27.

There will be no Satan there: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever,” Revelation 20:10.

This last one makes me sad, but there will be no sinners there: “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life,” Revelation 21:27.

Heaven will be a wonderful place. Praise God, all the saints of God will join Jesus in the presence the Father when this life ends. Just before He went to the cross, Jesus said: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also,” John 14:1–3.

I’m looking forward to leaving this world to enter His world. How about you?

Conc: Paul wanted to leave here and go there. Being with Jesus was the primary desire of his heart. It our desires reveal our heart, and they do, what do your desires say about you?

What is your driving passion in life? In Philippians 1:21, Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”. For Paul, life was about Jesus, no more, no less. He wanted to please Jesus here, and he was looking forward to being with Jesus when this life ended. Our desires should match Paul’s desires.

Perhaps your desires to be with Jesus and to serve Him have grown a bit weaker lately. Did you know the Lord will forgive you and restore you, 1 John 1:9.

Perhaps you know you are not ready to meet the Lord. You know when you die you will not go to Heaven, you will go to Hell. If that describes you, please come to Jesus. He will save you and He will start you on a path that will lead to a new eternal destination.

You know what you need and what you need right now is to obey the Lord.

I’m ready to go home! How about you?

Let’s learn to so live that we too can say, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain”, and I have “a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better”.