Advancement of the Gospel

Introduction: ‌As we continue with our Worship of the Lord this morning, I want to invite you to open your Bibles to Philippians 1:12-18 with me as we study God’s Word together. Keep in mind, as we are studying this word this morning.... this is God’s word to you. I never want us to forget this. This is not just a book that is to make us feel good.... or even to challenge us...... NO. At the end of the Day…this book is the very word of God…and we need to make it our aim to understand the words that are being said so that we can apply the Word to our lives and be changed by God. That is the Aim this morning. We want to Hear from God so that we can go and do the things that God wants us to do.... all for His Glory....empowered by His Holy Spirit in us.

With that being said, before we read together, let’s pause, quiet our hearts before the Lord, and ask Him to open our eyes and hearts to His word this morning.

Let’s Pray together.

As we continue on with our Study of the book of Philippians, hear the Word of the Lord this morning....

‌12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. (Philippians 1:12-18a).

Before we dive into this text this morning, let's remember a few very important points that make this passage of Scripture a little more clear to us.

We have to remember who the author is. Paul is the one who is writing this letter. And what we looked at so far is that Paul was not always someone who had walked with the Lord. In fact, if you look at Paul’s life throughout the NT, Paul was at one time a person who was set on destroying the Church. He was putting people to death for their belief in Christ. He wanted nothing to do with “those people.” He thought that Christians were false witnesses to the one True God....that was until Christ met Him on the Road as Paul was going to arrest some believers.

‌You see, Paul had this life-altering encounter with Christ. When Paul encountered Christ....his life was never the same. Paul goes from trying to destroy the church to being one who is traveling around telling others about this Jesus that he had met. Paul goes from murderer to preacher.

‌And one of the places where Paul had preached in was the town of Phillipi. While Paul was there, God worked in the hearts of some people, and they came to place their faith and trust in Christ....and as we have been saying.... this group was not a squeaking clean group. They were a little rough. Under normal circumstances....these people would probably never get along.... but God, by His grace, calls them together and forms a little Church.

God is good at taking the things that are looked at by the world as outcast and rejects....and He takes them and redeems them. He puts the body together....not us. Christ builds His church.... and He was using His servant Paul to get the message to the masses.

Body: ‌But I want you to notice something here in text.... Paul is doing God’s will for His life.... he is out preaching....and where does that land him?

‌Remember, as Paul is writing this letter to this church that he helped start....he is not writing from the comforts of a cabin out in the woods with beautiful scenery. He is not writing from a 5 star hotel with an ocean view......NO. Paul is writing this letter from PRISON. Why is he in Prison, he is in prison for Preaching the Gospel. He was right in the middle of God’s will.... and yet, he ends up in Jail.

I don’t know about you....but if that were me.....I would be like God..... are you serious, right now? I mean come on! I was doing everything that you asked me to do. I was walking in obedience. I was telling other people about your Son.... why did you allow this to happen to me?

Would you feel that way?

From this passage, it seems like maybe the Philippians maybe had some similar questions going through their minds, or maybe Paul just knows the human condition that well, that as he starts of this letter he address the issue that is on everyone’s mind.....

‌

Look at verses 12-13 with me.

‌12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ (Philippians 1:12-13).

‌

Paul’s imprisonment Advanced The Gospel.

‌

Paul does not see him being in Prison as a deterrent from God’s mission or will for his life. NO. Instead… what we find Paul saying that was has actually happened to him is that the preaching of the Gospel has not slowed down.... it has only made it advance. The Gospel message is continuing to go out to others.

‌

This happened so much that Paul could say.....that it had become known throughout the whole imperial guard.....and some people estimate this could be up to like 9000 guards.....that Paul’s imprisonment was for Christ.

‌

I want you to picture this… as this was often the case.... when you were someone who was in the custody of Rome..... you were chained to a guard for a 6-hour shift.. then you would get a new guard. This would seem like a really good way of keeping the apostle Paul shut-up..... but it seems like Paul only took this as an opportunity to tell them about Christ. He did not look at the chains as a bad thing. They couldn’t get away from Him. Paul had a captive audience....they had to listen to him.

‌

And we know what Paul was like in Prison. We get this picture of when Paul planted the Church at Philippi....he was thrown in jail there....and what did he do? We see Paul and Silas singing songs of praise to God until midnight. Can you imagine what the people thought about Paul? This guys is nuttery than a fruit cake. He is off his rocker.

‌

I have no reason to believe that Paul was any different when he was here in prison at the time of writing this letter. And it is very likely that as Paul shared the Gospel with those guards....and those guards saw how Paul was in imprison....they began to tell each other about him. You could imagine the stories spreading about this guy named Paul who is locked up for telling others about Christ…and how he is just different.

‌

This is how Paul can say....look guys.... don’t feel bad for me....what has happened to me.....my being in prison.... this really has served to advance the Gospel.

‌

I want to show you something really cool too. When you think about Rome in the 1st century. They were known for their power, wealth, and brutality. And here we have Paul sharing the Gospel with them.... what could be the outcome....

‌

Hold your place here in chapter 1 and turn back to chapter 4 with me.... Look down at the very end of the chapter....verses 21-23

‌21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. (Philippians 4:21-23).

‌

Do you see what the text says there? Paul tells the Philippians that all of the saints…that is to say.... all of the Christians who Paul knows there in Rome sends this church their greetings....but notice what else it says..... “especially those of Caesar’s household.”

‌

Apparently, while Paul was in prison sharing the Gospel....some people came to know Christ.... people who actually belonged to Caesar’s household. Remember, the Romans thought that Caesar was King. Caesar was Lord. Caesar was god.....but yet.... as Paul preached Christ....they came to know the true King of Kings…and Lord of Lords.

‌

God’s grace is for everyone and anyone. No one is to be excluded from this message.

‌

But it was not only Paul’s preaching that was advancing the Gospel message.... look down at verse 14

‌14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear (Philippians 1:14).

‌

You would think that just the opposite would happen, right? Like, if persecution were to break out…people were starting to be thrown in jail or prison for speaking about Jesus Christ.... you would think that would cause people to take a step back and really reconsider if they should tell anyone. The natural thought process here is....throwing Christians in jail for telling others will certainly make them stop. But that is not the case. That does not happen.

‌

In fact, what Paul tells us in this verse is that the brothers become more confident in the Lord by Paul’s imprisonment.....and now they are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

‌

This is mind-blowing. This is a plan that has backfired. No one saw this coming.

‌

And what is amazing.... is that this is even true today....and has been true throughout all of Church History.

‌

One early church father had said, “The Blood of Martyrs is the seed of the Church”, meaning that when those who are killed for their faith…they shed their blood.... God uses those times to grow the church. Right now, in places where persecution is the highest, places like China and Iran....places where people are arrested, beaten, their houses burned down, where they are even being put to death…. In places where following Christ and telling others about Jesus could literally cost you EVERYTHING...Christianity is growing. The Gospel is continuing to spread.

‌

Or you can think of missionaries…those who literally put everything on the line to go and get the Gospel to hard-to-reach places. Think of the story of Jim Elliott who served as a missionary in Ecuador. Jim and his team of 4 other missionaries, and their families, had the goal of reaching the Waodani tribe.

‌

As they sought to do ministry among them, On January 8, 1956, while attempting to make contact Jim and four other missionaries were speared to death; slain by those they came to minister to.

‌

You could look at this story and think....what a waste. Here are these men, who are trying to do the right thing....and it cost them their lives. What good was that?

‌

But, this is not the end of the story. Not only was their deaths reported throughout the world....The deaths of the men galvanized the missionary effort in the United States, sparking an outpouring of funding for evangelization efforts around the world. Several years after the death of the men, the widow of Jim Elliot, Elisabeth, and the sister of Nate Saint, Rachel, returned to Ecuador as missionaries with the Summer Institute of Linguistics (now SIL International) to live among the Huaorani. This eventually led to the conversion of many, including some of those involved in the killing.

‌

Do you see what God can do out of a situation that looks so bleak? God takes these things and redeems them.

‌

Jim Elliott once said....He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose- Jim Elliott

‌

This is what is driving the apostle Paul as he is in prison. He knows that although Satan and his enemies are trying to slow down the progression of the Gospel..... God is taking those things and using them as a fire for His people. When God’s people understand that living life for Him is so much more important than what this world has to offer… then we get a new perspective. The things that we are going through as opportunities for God to advance the gospel through you.

‌

Now, Paul knows that not everyone who is proclaiming the Gospel is doing so with the right motive. Look down at verses 15-17.

‌15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment (Philippians 1:15-17).

‌

I want to point out something from the get-go here. Both groups, those who are preaching out of goodwill and those who are not, both groups are preaching the Gospel…like the true Gospel. If they were not, Paul would address the issue…but it is surprising here that he doesn't do that. He does not correct theology or their understanding.... The only thing Paul talks about here is motive.

‌

We have two groups: 1. those who are preaching the Gospel out of envy and rivalry. 2. Those who are preaching the Gospel out of Love.

‌

We are not told much about this group that is preaching the Gospel out of selfish ambition…but you can imagine how this might play out. We see churches fight against each other all the time. We see churches act as if they are in competition with one another.... like we are running some kind of business here.

‌

That is not the case.... but Paul had to deal with the same issues. These people could have thought.... with Paul out of the way....they now could climb the ladder, so to speak, and gain more influence..... they wanted to gain more followers. So, they are looking at Paul in Prison and they think that this is going to turn out for their benefit and reward. Maybe they will get put on the list of fastest-growing churches. Maybe they will be asked to come and speak at larger gatherings. Maybe people will start talking about them more. They think that maybe people will forget all about Paul and start moving on. They are hoping to get one more mark in their evangelistic belt, so to speak. That is group 1.

‌

Then there is this other group....and these brothers and proclaiming the gospel out of love. This is love for Christ and love for people. Knowing that this really has nothing to do with them, or Paul, but rather it has everything to do with Christ.

‌

How would you respond to this kind of treatment?

‌

How would you respond knowing that there are people out there who are purposefully trying to cause you pain and heartache?

‌

I don't know about you, but I would be very upset. I would want to have a word with these people… if you know what I am saying.

‌

But look at Paul’s response here....

‌18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice (Philippians 1:18).

‌

Paul Rejoices That The Gospel Is Being Shared.

‌

What kind of response is that? Paul is literally like, whatever the case is....that does not matter to me....like I don't care if they have true of false motives.... Jesus Christ is being proclaimed…and in that I rejoice.

‌

This is Paul’s great motivator here. He is not concerned with what has happened to him. He is not concerned that there are people who are out in the world who are trying to cause him more pain by bragging that they are able to proclaim the Gospel and he is stuck in Jail.....No.

Paul had only one aspiration in life: to make sure that the Gospel is proclaimed.

‌

Conclusion:

‌I want to bring clarity to this passage for us this morning. Sometimes we can get so used to certain language that we forget what words or concepts mean. Christians are really bad about this. Those who are really in any kind of specialized field can be bad about this.

‌

This would happen when I worked at State Farm. If I were to talk to a customer about SFPP, they would look at him like I had three heads or something. And all that is State Farm Payment Plan.  Its their monthly bill.  I knew that. My co-workers knew that....but the people we were trying to help… did not always know the lengo.

The same is true today. Paul uses a word throughout this passage.... in fact, there are at least 7 references to in these 6 verses, that if we are not careful, we will just brush over because we are familiar with the language.... but there are those with whom we are trying to help or minister too, who may not be used to this language. And this is so foundational to our faith, that I want to highlight it and then ask a question. Paul talks a lot about the Gospel in this passage. So, let's ask the question....

‌

What Is The Gospel?

‌

Paul says that his imprisonment is advancing the Gospel. That his imprisonment is because of Christ…meaning he is put in prison for preaching the Gospel. People have become more bold to speak the word…that is a reference to the Gospel. Some are preaching out of envy and others from good will…that is a reference to the Gospel…and Paul is rejoicing because at least the Gospel is being proclaimed.

‌

But nowhere in this text are we told what that means....and for those who have been in church know what this means.... but listen to me… if someone would have said to me when I was growing up.... Do you know the Gospel? I would have had 0 idea on what in the world they were talking about. I had no idea of the Bible or what it taught. And we cannot assume that people in our context do.

‌

So, we need to ask the question.... when Paul is talking about the Gospel....what in the world is He talking about? This gets to the foundation of what it means to be a Christian. The Gospel is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions of the world.

‌

Here are the basics of what is meant by the word Gospel… or Christ is proclaimed.

‌

Let’s Start from the beginning:

‌

God’s Design.

‌From the beginning, God created a world that was to work perfectly and in harmony. It was a world without pain and suffering. And God made each of us with a purpose- to worship Him and have a relationship with Him.

‌

Now, we know that the world does not work the way that it is supposed to. All of us can tell that something is completely wrong.

‌

Sin.

‌Sin is the willful rebellion against God’s created order. God had told us how to live life and how things go best… be we looked at our creator… right in His face…and have told HIM NO. We will live life however we want. We will do what we think is best.

‌

And listen to me… all of us are guilty of this. We have all lied. We have all stolen. We have all failed to put God first in our lives.

‌

This is what Sin is. It is going against God’s way in the world. And because of our sin.... we are separated from God in this life.... and we will ultimately be separated from Him in the Life that is to come. Meaning, sin brings death. It is why we have physical death in this world… and we are all born spiritually dead. You and I, because of our sin, deserve the wrath of God.

‌

Brokenness.

‌Sin leads us to a place of brokenness. We see this all around us and in our own lives. When we realize that life is not working, we begin to look for a way out. We turn to a number of different things to fix the problem…but the truth is… nothing is ever going to fix the brokenness that you feel. Our brokenness is to help us see that we need something better.

‌

Gospel.

‌I know that we are explaining the Gospel, and now here we are using the Word… Gospel…but bear with me, okay. The Word Gospel literally means good news. What we have talked about so far is pretty defeating news. You and I are separated from God and unable to do anything about it. You and I, because of our sin deserve to go to Hell and suffered the just wrath of God. That is not good news.... but there is good news.

‌

Once you and I understand where we actually stand with God, we are able to understand what Jesus really did on the cross.

‌

God did not leave us in our sin. Instead, because of God’s love for us… He sent Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago, to come and die for our sins. Jesus came to rescue you. Jesus took your sin, your shame, your guilt, and the wrath of God for you. Then He was raised 3 days later, defeating sin and death. It is only through Jesus that we are rescued and restored back to God.

‌

Repent & Believe.

‌Simply hearing this news is not enough. We have to come to God, admit our brokenness. We have to admit to God that we are unable to save ourselves and correct our sins. We have to admit to God that we have to be saved. We must ask God to forgive us of our sins....and then turn away from them as we turn to Jesus and give our lives to Him.

‌

The Bible says that if we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts… then we will be saved.

‌

We are given new life. Christ makes us new.

‌

Recover & Pursue.

‌We get to have a relationship with God through Christ. We find our purpose in a fallen, messed-up, world. We get to pursue God’s design for our lives. That does not mean we will walk perfectly, but we get to live with God....both in this life and forever in the life that is to come.

‌

This is what Paul is talking about when he says that he rejoices because Christ is being proclaimed. This is what we mean when we talk about the Gospel. The Gospel is about How God is saving a bunch of rebellious sinners through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the Gospel.

‌

Here is what Jesus says to you…

‌28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

‌

Listen to me. Two points of application this morning.

‌

Come To Christ.

‌If you have not given your life to Christ. You are still in your sins..... you do not have to be any longer. Christ calls you to come. Christ calls you to repent and believe on Him today. You do not have to wait any longer. Come to Him now.

‌

For those of you who have been walking with the Lord for a little while, I want to challenge you from the text this morning....

‌Make getting this Gospel out to others your aspiration.

‌

No matter what you are going through, I want you to see that God can take your circumstance and use it to advance the Gospel.

‌

Let this be our aim. Let this be our goal. Let’s preach Christ without fear.

‌Let’s Pray together.

Invitation:

As Phil comes up here to lead us in song this morning, before we partake of the Lord’s super.... I want to invite some of our deacons to go ahead and come up this morning.

‌

Listen to me, I do want you to walk away this morning without doing business with the Lord.

‌

If God has been speaking to your heart this morning and you need to give your life to Him, I want to invite you to come. Come during this last song. Come talk to me, or one of the deacons....or someone else will meet you here. But don't hold off. Give you life to Christ today.

‌

And maybe you have been waking with the Lord and God has been speaking to you about something in your own life.... I invite you too… come. Come and lay it down before Christ.

‌

We do not gather here just to sit back. We gather here to be changed. Let God change you this morning. I invite you to come as we sing.

‌

‌

‌

‌

‌