Philippians 1:12-18 Joy Through Adversity

turn Bibles to Philippians 1

Last time I taught

we saw that God’s work continues in us

from salvation to the day we are with Jesus (v.1-11)

Now we will see God’s work in Paul

overcome adversity

which will encourage us in that

God can use us anywhere

that God is not stopped by any obstacles

that He can will work in our lives

even through adversity.

and that he may use us in ways we wouldn't normally expect

In this section here we see that

Paul in prison is rejoicing over the gospel being furthered

Prison is not a usual place to find joy

but as Paul was a witness to his prison guards

the believers around became confident

to preach the gospel

while some preached the gospel for good motivations

others preached with bad motivations

However Paul was seeing how his imprisonment

was being used in the furtherance of the gospel

and he is in that prison rejoicing over it

Today we will see that we also can rejoice

in seeing God’s work being done.

Lets pray

Heavenly Father thank you for today.

That we get to be here,

to hear from Your Word.

Please remove any distractions,

and prepare us for Your Word

To start lets look at the first and last verse

as it frames what this is all about

Philippians 1:12 NKJV

12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,

verse 12 talks about how his imprisonment has

turned out for the furtherance of the gospel.

then our last verse we will look at says in verse 18

Philippians 1:18 NKJV

18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

here it talks about that Christ is preached and in this I rejoice

Showing us that in this section

Paul is rejoicing over the furtherance of the gospel

while in the face adversity.

Paul will show us in 2 main ways

in the verses between.

how the gospel is being furthered:

The gospel being furthered by:

1. Paul’s witness to palace guards and others (v.13)

2. Believers confidence in preaching gospel (v.14-18)

And so as Paul is in prison seeing this furthering

take place he rejoicing!

giving him joy through adversity.

So today we will see

what has been going on with Paul in prison

and how its been turning out for the furtherance of the gospel

through these 2 ways

and that it is giving Paul joy through adversity.

PAUL’S ADVERSITY (v.12)

Lets look at verse 12 again:

Philippians 1:12 NKJV

12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,

I love that word “actually” here

it conveys a sense of surprise and paradox.

because you would think that Paul

the great evangelist..

preacher of the gospel throughout the world

that if he is thrown in prison

you could contain the spreading of the gospel

This guy in preaching the gospel has overcome

persecutions with beatings, threats

oppositions with religious leaders

Cultural and language barriers

with encountering people from different beliefs and practices

Hebrew and greek cultures, as well as with the people in the city of Lystra

personal struggles - with his thorn in the flesh, and conflicts with others

spiritual warfare

Paul overcame all these things in spreading the gospel.

So maybe if you can just contain the guy in prison

you can stop him.

Paul says.... “actually”

Instead..... the gospel is being furthered.

and Paul’s adversity here isn't just being in prison

but while he was in prison in a few verses we will see that

there were believers that were trying to cause Paul harm

but Paul is having joy through it all!

and is rejoicing for

the gospel is actually is being furthered.

despite his imprisonment

so how is this possible?

well the greek word for “furthered” in verse 12

gives us a hint

the Greek word is “prokope” (“pro-koh-pay”)

means to make progress or advance.

and not just in moving ahead

but doing so against obstacles.

like an explorer hacking a path through trees and brush

its like a “blazing a trail”

and so Paul's imprisonment was "blazing a trail"

for the spreading of the Gospel

Now lets look at the two ways the gospel is being furthered

that is causing Paul to rejoice in prison

slide:

TWO WAYS THE GOSPEL IS BEING FURTHERED (v.13-18)

the first way the gospel is being furthered is by…

1. Paul’s witness to palace guards and others (v.13)

Philippians 1:13 NKJV

13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;

The whole palace guard wasn't

Just aware of who Paul is

but why Paul was there...

The palace guards

were an elite unit of soldiers handpicked from thousands

these guys were some of the toughest, smartest, and dedicated

they were to be feared.

they were to be respected

as they defended and protected

an Empire consumed with pagan

evil practices.

Now it doesn't exactly say that

Paul was directly preaching the gospel to them

but it wouldn't be a far reach to assume

he took advantage of a captive audience

and he was preaching the gospel to them

plus most commentaries make that assumption

especially because he was probably chained to them

in 4 hour rotations.

… what else would Paul be talking about?

but what we do know is that

it was evident / visible / clear

they definitely knew Paul was in chains because of Jesus.

and no doubt Paul loved that

they knew why he was there.

They weren't just aware of Paul

but they knew what he was about

What do people who know us

know about us?

do they know what we are about?

In our own lives...

Do the people around us

know what we are all about?

It was evident to the palace guards that Paul

was in chains because of Jesus

Whether it was evident to them through

testimony, Pauls words, attitude, or actions

or all of it

They knew what Paul was about.

There was no questions about it.

What we are about is seen in the way

we talk, our attitude, and the things we do.

Is our faith in Jesus evident in our words, attitudes, and actions?

Do people truly know what we are all about?

Is it evident to people that we are about Jesus?

Does what our friends, family, co workers,

or neighbors know about us,

point people to Jesus?

These palace guards knew why Paul was in chains

but

Do the people in our lives know why we go to church?

Well it wasn't just the palace guards

that knew what Paul was about

it says in verse 13

Philippians 1:13 (NKJV)

13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;

Little is known about who exactly Paul is referring to here

but these were people in Rome.

who somehow some way

have heard about

who Paul was and what he was about.

Showing us that our witness is crucial to everyone

We shouldn't just be concerned about our witness

to some people and not to others.

because we all need Jesus!

the common person, the politician, the police officer, the neighbor

we should be a witness of Jesus to everyone around us.

the position that someone holds doesn't

change the fact that we need Jesus

Be open to what God may want you to say to someone

Be open to what God may want you to do for someone

but like with Paul may it be

That it is evident we are about Jesus

without question.

and so through Paul’s imprisonment

as he was a light to the whole palace guard, and all the rest

of Jesus

which leads us to the second way the gospel is furthered

causing Paul to rejoice

the second way the gospel is being furthered is by

show next slide

2. Believers confidence in preaching gospel (v.14-18)

Philippians 1:14 NKJV

14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

So the church saw Paul go into prison for the gospel

and is now known by the whole palace guards

of his witness of Jesus

this will set an example for the early church that

will face great persecutions later

to stand for Jesus

so the church got confident

in Pauls chains

that if Paul can do it so can they

That God is working in Paul

in persecutions and now in prison

They can see that God will

continue to work in them

even when they also

face persecutions and prisons

Which gave them confidence that

no matter what

God is at work

In Paul’s last letter he says

2 Timothy 2:8–9 NKJV

8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.

go back to slide 2.

The gospel is going to be continuing to advance despite opposition

The gospel is going to continue to advance despite persecution

it is not going away

it is not changing

The gospel is not conforming to laws

The gospel doesn't adjust to culture.

The gospel is unchanged from 2k years ago and it still continues

The question is what are you doing with it.

“hide it under a bushel no!… im going to let it shine”

so may we also grow in confidence!

in boldness to preach the gospel

that is the power of God to salvation

knowing that the gospel cant be stopped

and even if they try to stop us

like they tried to stop Paul

they can never stop the gospel

it is unchained

so the church became more and more confident

to preach the gospel

especially while they are free to

go preach the gospel

and while this may be convicting.

Because we should be using our freedom

in spreading the gospel!

this is not here to condemn us at all.

it is to give us confidence

may we also gain confidence preaching the gospel

seeing his boldness, his faithfulness, his fire

knowing that the gospel cant be stopped

and so that is how

God was using Paul

in furthering the gospel

despite being in prison

Where Paul had joy seeing how

God was using him

through His adversity

Now as we mentioned before his adversity wasn't just being in prison

but also that

some of these believers were preaching Christ with bad motivations

read v.15-18

Believers preaching gospel with good and bad motivation (v.15-18)

Philippians 1:15–18 NKJV

15 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: 16 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; 17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

Here we see that there were some preaching the gospel

in two different kinds of motivations

and how Paul is rejoicing through it all

Some (brethren) were preaching the Gospel:

1. Out of envy, strife (v.15), selfish ambition, not sincerely, to add affliction (v.16), and in pretense (v.18).

These people weren't heretics, or Judaizers

like we read about in other NT books

They were preaching the gospel.

but had impure motives

These individuals were hoping to cause

Paul distress and suffering by preaching the gospel

But failed…

they cant steal Paul’s joy.

because it says in verse 18 that

he is rejoicing that Christ is being preached

and while we should also be careful

of our own motivations

that it is not to harm one another

we should learn from Paul that

when the gospel is preached we rejoice!

that despite bad motives

even though…

it was towards harming him

he rejoices that Christ is just being preached.

Which is an example of being sacrificial

especially for us trying to move the gospel forward

There may be moments where

it may hurt,

you may suffer

you may feel alone

Yes you may get stabbed in the back

but does this move the gospel forward?

Even though these people were preaching the gospel

to harm Paul

he was rejoicing

because he cared more for the gospel!

so he wasnt trying to stop them

he didnt fight them

he moved past their wrongdoing

for the continuance of the gospel.

rejoicing

but he was also rejoicing because through their confidence

Some were preaching the gospel:

2. Out of goodwill (v.15), love (v.17), & truth (v.18)

Goodwill - means to take good pleasure in doing something, or to have a desire to do something.

Are we preaching Christ out of a desire

for people to be saved?

What a question to ask

Do we really desire for people to be saved?

There is a real Heaven and Hell.

This Bible is alive and real.

There is eternal life

And eternal suffering

I cant tell you exactly how God feels

when he looks down at this world

But I know that when He looked at this broken world

it caused Him to come down and die for us.

As He looks down

He see the results of sin

He sees the hungry, the sick, the dying,

People depressed, anxious, hopeless.

He looks down and see people lost in sin,

Some have ruined their life as a consequence of their own sin

People guilty, carrying the weight of all their mistakes

God loves them!

Which is why He sent Jesus

To pay the price for our sins

To have eternal life,

by trusting in Him!

people need to hear the gospel

Which is why Paul says in verse 18

Philippians 1:18 NKJV

18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

may we rejoice at when the gospel is preached!

next slide

Joy Through Adversity

So here is Paul in prison

being used by God to further the gospel

and he is rejoicing over it

This guy is in prison

and he has people

trying to harm him

Now… Paul easily could have

whined and complained

saying “why me God…

not only am I thrown in prison

but even some of the believers are trying harm me”

easily he could have felt alone…

betrayed by his own brothers

while he is the one suffering in prison

Shouldn't his brothers be supporting him?

Shouldn't they be thankful for the work God has done through Paul?

The Philippians support to Paul probably meant so much to him.

since he wasn't getting it from some of the brothers

but we got to know that our joy shouldn't

be based on our situations

or based on how people are treating you

If Jesus is perfect and He was betrayed, and killed.

If Paul was treated the way he was

even by the believers

We shouldn't expect that

when we do God’s work

things are going to go well

and everyone will love you.

In fact, we may get burned by those

who should be loving you

we may find ourselves in a difficult situations

facing adversity, facing trials after trials.

Have you ever seen a believer rise above

what they were facing with joy?

One of the first times I saw this

I was on a missionary trip to Honduras

we were preaching the gospel,

feeding hungry children

and providing medical care to the communities we went.

Honduras is already a poor country

but we went to a place the citizen’s there called

“the dump”

as we drove through

the dirt roads

it was a poverty I hadnt seen before

tin roofs

really skinny people

and so we hosted a church service there

and these believers showed up

with a joy

i still have never seen so many people full of joy

and while I thought I was there to give them something

I saw that they had something I didnt.

They had joy in Christ.

They didnt have happiness based on their quality of life

but joy in Jesus

this is what Paul had here.

his quality of life

the way people treated him

didnt matter

well I went home after that trip

and said

I need you Jesus

I want that joy!

and He gave it to me.

maybe share..

to where

when I saw the most evil thing in world

when i my cute baby boy lifeless

I still had joy

It doesn't mean that life is easy

it doesn't mean things wont be hard

but God will be with you

that He will give you a peace that surpasses understanding

and a joy that makes no sense that you have

but you do

Now I rejoice every time

I get to see my suffering

used by God to reach others

Like how Paul

received joy through his adversity

as he was used by God

to reach others

even in prison

Joy is not based on us,

or

our circumstances

or the way we are treated

it is in Christ.

where our hope comes from

That how Paul here

is able to have joy through his adversities

as he is thrown in prison

with people trying to harm him

and he is over there rejoicing

in the the gospel being furthered.

When Jesus is our source of joy

we also will have joy through adversity

as worship team comes forward

I want to encourage you

to make Jesus is your source of joy.

because if you havent faced adversity yet

you will.

and when you do its

easy to panic

and try to take control

what God is in control of

when you need to be looking to Jesus

where there is hope

in God Who knows the end to the beginning.

and while he doesnt promise you Heaven on Earth

He does promise to be with you.

and so when you are in a place of difficulty

turn to Jesus

and you will find Him with you

Paul had Jesus with him

and so do we

Lets pray

Pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Paul and his example he gives us of having joy through adversity. He was able to have to joy because of You. And we can have have joy because of You!

Romans 15:13 NKJV

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Joy of the Lord is your Strength.!