Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

My wife likes puzzles.

For her birthday, which is today, I thought about getting her the world’s hardest puzzle.

Because I’m a terrible husband.

The world’s hardest puzzle is a 600 piece puzzle with no picture.

It’s blank.

And every piece is cut different.

Very few people finish it because there is no reference for what it is supposed to look like.

A good example can make all the difference.

Thankfully this morning you and I have a good example set before us in our text.

If you haven’t been with us lately we are studying God’s Word in Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

The passage is Philippians 1:18-26.

And in our passage this morning we are given a very clear example for what a faithful, courageous follower of Jesus looks like.

Our goal this morning is to look at Paul’s example and examine ourselves in light of it.

So we’ll look at Pauls Help, Paul’s Hope, Paul’s Courage, and Paul’s Labor.

First...

I. Paul’s Help (18b-19)

Philippians 1:18-19 “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, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,”

First, I want us to notice what Paul does when he’s in trouble.

Look at what Paul says he takes hope in when he is in trouble.

If you weren’t with us last week let me tell you that Paul is writing to the Philippians under house arrest.

Hes’ chained to guards 24/7.

He’s living in Rome paying rent while he awaits to hear about what’s going to happen to him.

And the possibility—the real possibility is that he will die, that he will be executed.

And in this very real circumstance Paul says that “I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ [the Holy Spirit]” that I will be delivered.

These are the things that Paul goes to when he’s in trouble.

In the face of of life we must seek prayer and the help of God.

Often our “go to” is to first respond to the problems of life with what we can do.

We think the best option is to see what we can provide, what we can finagle, with our own power and resources.

And if that falls apart then we go to the spiritual things like prayer and the Holy Spirit as a “last ditch effort”.

That phrase, “last ditch effort” refers to trench warfare in World War I.

It meant the last line of defense when facing the enemy.

And we need to notice the discrepency here.

Paul’s first line of defense is often our last line of defense.

Friends, I think we’ve got it backwards.

Let me encourage you that when the trials of life come your way train your heart to pray, seek prayer, and go to God for your help.

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Does God lie church?

God is what?

(our refuge and strength, a very present help) When? (when we’re in trouble)

Let’s take the example that Paul sets for us and when trouble comes around let’s go to our best defense and offense and pray.

One of our goals this year at Covenant Life is that we’d be a praying church not just a church that prays.

Friends if you pray every time trouble comes your way our curch is going to be filled with praying people that believe in the power of their God.

Is there work trouble?

School trouble?

Marriage trouble, child trouble, car trouble, body trouble, sin trouble, double trouble?

In all and every circumstance trust not your own power and your own abilities above God.

But instead go to God first knowing that He is our best help in any kind of trouble.

We don’t waste our time when prayer is our first response: we honor our God and are taking the wisest course of action.

Transition: So we are seeing what Paul does when he is in trouble and we want to do that too.

Now let’s notice in these first two verses where Paul’s confidence lies.

II.

Paul’s Hope (18-21)

Let’s look again at the text.

Philippians 1:18-19 “ Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,”

Let’s keep reading in verses 20-21.

Philippians 1:20-21 “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.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Paul is confident that he will be delivered whether he lives or dies.

And this is so important because we are talking about confidence in the gospel.

How can the prospect of death be comfort to Paul?

Confidence in the truth of the gospel frames Paul’s life—no matter what happens—whether he lives or dies—he wins.

Paul has confidence in the sure hope of deliverance in Christ Jesus.

Paul believes the gospel.

He believes that nothing in life can take away his gospel hope.

He runs his race in life knowing that whenever it is finished by whatever circumstance that eternity with Christ is waiting for him.

And this gives him courage.

There is no better hope for us to trust in than gospel hope.

It’s better than your 401k or your best laid plans.

The gospel lets us know that God is for us.

Because he loves us despite us.

The gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ tells us...

We were dead in our sin.

And we were rebels in our sin.

The gospel starts with a true and horrific reality.

Our sin is not cute and light.

It is very serious.

Romans 6:23 says that our sin pays out death.

Look around at this world and know that it is our sin—human sin—my sin and yours—that has destroyed this world.

Even creation was corrupted by our sin.

Romans 8:19 “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” Creation itself is like, “Jesus come back!”

What does that mean?

In a very real sense the earthquake that recently happened in Turkey that has claimed 20,000 lives is a result of human sin.

And I don’t mean that those people were sinners and that’s why the earthquake happened—like they deserved it—I mean that earthquakes were not part of God’s original design—everything that brings death in this world is a result of humanity fracturing this world with sin.

Sin is a serious problem that ruins everything.

The worst thing it does is that it condemns us before God.

And God would be completely righteous friends, completely righteous in his judgment to condemn every person ever born as a law breaker becasue that is who we are.

We all have gone astray, we all have transgressed the law.

Now here’s the good part!

But instead his desire to love us and share his glory with us has never waned from the moment Adam and Eve fell.

The very first thing that God did was share the gospel.

In Genesis 3:15 he says I’ll send a seed of the woman that will crush the head of the serpent.

He will destroy the work of the devil that was done here today.

And as God set out to make good on that promise he called a people to himself who would be his light in the nations and through them he would announce over and over again in many types and shadows this coming messiah who would save God’s people from their sins.

This seed of the woman!

And then He came!

Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled every prophecy about the messiah and revealed himself to be the spotless lamb of God.