To Live is Christ (Pt.1)-- It's Possible: Philippians 1:18b-21

Prayer

Good morning church, let’s go to the Lord in prayer before we open up God’s word together.

Alright, well you can be seated for me this morning, and if you have your Bible’s please go ahead and turn with me to Philippians.

This is week 4 in our new series of Philippians, and I’m sure youre looking forward to finally getting out of chapter 1 of this little letter, but not so fast my friend.

Becuase today we are coming to a screeching halt!

Instead of moving through today’s text like a Blue Angel Flyby, we are going to slow way down, and look at the same passage of Scripture over the next 3 weeks!

Because the goal here isn’t speed, its depth.

Not information, but transformation

Not to come once a week and nibble on the crumbs of God’s Word, but to approach the buffet of Scripture and learn to feast on the riches found within.

So we’re going to slow way down, and I pray that we feast together.

So what is this text.

If you have your Bible let’s read Phil 1:18-21

Philippians 1:18–26 ESV

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, 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. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

That’s the text we will look at over the next 3 weeks, but today I want to hone in on the first 3 verses.

Context

Rejoice

Our text today is a continuation from our text last week.

If you remember, Paul’s imprisonment, due to the absolute sovereignty of God, had been used to advance the kingdom of God.

The imperial guard is aware that Paul’s imprisonment is for Christ, but more importantly

Christians were encouraged by Paul’s example, and were emboldened to continue speaking the word of the gospel without fear.

and some did it with pure motives, but others did it with selfish ambition and ego.

With the great Mega Church Personality Paul locked away, they thought… maybe I can step into the vacated shoes of cult personality.

But Paul says, “Those motives are impure, but I don’t care ultimately because whether in pretense or in truth the Gospel of Jesus Christ is still proclaimed,

“and in that I rejoice (vs. 18).

So as he looks to his present circumstances, and how it has furthered the preaching of Christ, and he rejoices!

But here at the end of verse 18 his focus shifts.

He now looks towards the future and says, “Yes, and I will rejoice.”

Here he’s referencing a future rejoicing.

So what is it that Paul will rejoice in. The answer is in vs. 20.

that alongisde their prayers and the supply of the spirit, he eagerly expects and confidently hopes that now as always Christ will be honored!

His rejoicing is due to his confidence that CHRIST WILL BE HONORED.

The HONORING will happen. Its a fact. It’s sure. 100%. Without a doubt. Christ will be honored.

But the means of the honoring is very much uncertain. How this honoring will be accomplished is unclear.

But what’s remarkeable ya’ll, is that it didn’t matter to Paul!

Whether by life or by death (vs20)… He doesn’t care about what means are utilized!

Becuase he isn’t preoccupied with his fate, only consumed with a singular desire that whatever happens may result in His Master being Honored!

And he writes, “this is my hope.” Paul’s hope is that Christ would be honored.

Now listen, we must not confuse the biblical concept of hope with our watered down version.

We use hope in sayings such as, “I hope it doesn’t rain.”

Lately I’ve been saying “I hope that Michigan’s national championship gets vacated...” Right? We all do. It’s what God wants.

But that’s the wrong impression of hope.

Biblical hope is synonymous with certain expectation.

In fact, it is always coupled with eager expectation which is exactly what he says, “It is my eager expectation and hope...”

Eager Expectation denotes an acute anticipation. It’s like a craning of the neck to catch a glimpse of what lies ahead.

An unwillingness to blink, becuase he doesn’t want to miss it.

He can’t wait to see how God will be most honored, whether by his life or his death.

What he’s saying here is PROFOUND. As Paul sits in prison awaiting his verdict of either release and life, or conviction and death, he knows that either option will result in CHRIST being HONORED.

And he says, and in that I rejoice.

Honor

Church, there is no purer desire—than that the whole of your life would enhance the glory of Jesus Christ, the one who alone is worthy of it all.

To represent him well, in your living and in your dying.

To care exclusively for HIs fame and esteem, not your own.

To decease so much, that He may increase all the more.

That word honor means to enlarge. To magnify.

That our lives and our deaths would show all the dimensions of his goodness and his greatness.

I was tempted to compare this singular passion of Paul’s to a magnifying glass.

but that would be misleading.

Because a magnifying glass makes a small image, appear larger.

Right, thats what a magnifying glass does…

But Jesus’ greatness isn’t simply an appearance of being large.... it’s actually LARGE.

He is the all knowing, all powerful, Creator. In him we live and move and have our being. He isn’t served by human hands as though he needs anything, since he gives to all mankind life and breathe and everything!

There is nothing that you or I could do to magnify Him in that sense. For He is utterly Magnificient.

Instead, when we consider using our lives and our deaths to HONOR CHRIST, I want you to think about the Moon.

Moon

You see, aside from giving all you boating enthusiasts tides, the moon also gives us light. Beautiful light. Peaceful light.

But the moon doesn’t make its own light. Right?

I see blank stares. Okay, i get it many of us haven’t had science class in a while.

What does it do?

it just reflects the light from the Sun.

So when we consider HONORING JESUS here’s how the analogy works.

Jesus is the sun! He alone is the source of all beauty, and warmth, and light… The sun doesn’t need our help to give light.

Just as Jesus doesn’t need our help magnifying his magnificence.

But we can be the moon.

We can reflect his goodness, and grace, and love and beauty as JESUS beams on us.

And that’s Paul’s singular desire. That the sum of his life, including his death, would reflect JESUS.

And this passion is Summarized in that beautiful line found in verse 21.

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

That was Paul’s all-consuming passion.

That every breath of his life, every minute and every moment, whether in his living or in his dying… That he would reflect Christ. That Christ would be honored.

That for Him To Live is Christ

Church, can you say the same?

I wresteled with that question this week… and I must honestly say that my answer is no.

Some days maybe. Some moments for sure.

But a singular, all-consuming passion for Christ and Christ alone to be honored in every minute and moment of my life. No.

At this point that isn’t true for me.

But I do believe it’s possible.

I believe a life lived like the moon is attainable. Not just for Paul, but for all of us. In fact, as I survey Scripture I believe it is why he called you and saved you, so that you may be a Christian!

Christian means “Little Christ”.

That when people see your life, they see the life of Jesus.

they see the Sun reflected in the moon.

But the question is how? How do we grow in our capacity to Honor Jesus? That to LIVE is Christ.

Well that’s what we’re going to look at over the next 3 weeks.

And the first thing I’d like to say is that

The ability to say and mean “to live is Christ”, begins with a personal, resounding, life altering experience with Grace.

It’s Personal

Everybody begins somewhere, and that includes the Apostle Paul.

You see, I think it’s really tempting to read such radical statements of abandonment for Jesus, and kind of assume that this type of sold out life is reserved for some elite special forces category of Christian.

Like some Green Beret’s for Jesus who meditate and pray and fast and pursue some monastic lifestyle.

And consequently we assume, well that can’t be for me. Because I’m not elite, I’m just ordinary.

I could never be like Paul.

But listen, every journey has a beginning.

Paul’s journey to become the moon began at the exact same place as mine, and the exact same places as yours if you’re a Christian.

At some point in your life, you had absolutely 0 vision or desire to honor Christ in your life.

I know it’s true for me. I was consumed by thoughts of selfish ambition, and vain glory. Only concerned with how I could make a name for me, myself, and I.

And it was the exact same for the Apostle Paul.

Paul recounts his beginning a handful of times throughout the New Testament but let me read a few for you.

To the church in Galatia he writes, Galatians 1:14–16 “And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me,

He says that he was on the fast track of religious promotion, making a name for himself all across Judaism… UNTIL GOD CALLED HIM BY GRACE AND WAS PLEASED TO REVEAL JESUS TO HIM.

To the Corinthians he writes, 1 Corinthians 15:9–10 “For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.

He was busy. Out grinding. Making a name for himself by killing Christians… UNTIL THE GRACE OF GOD MADE HIM WHAT HE IS TODAY!

To young Timothy he writes, 1 Timothy 1:14–16 “and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy...

Paul, the chief of sinners… UNTIL THE GRACE OF GOD OVERFLOWED FOR HIM.

You see, Paul’s Passion of Honoring Christ, wasn’t always there ya’ll

In fact, the opposite was true for him.

But it all changed, with a personal, resounding, life altering experience with Grace.

So let me ask you…have you had one? Have you experienced the Grace of God in the provision of Jesus Christ?

Becuase it has to be personal ya’ll.

It cannot be a result of your heritage, or who you associate with, or what church you attend, or how much Scripture you know.

It must be a personal encounter of His Grace.

So, is there a period or time in your life that you can point to and clearly dileniate when Jesus’s grace overflowed to you.

A time where you became aware of the free gift of salvation by grace, purchased for you by His love and His mercy,

An encounter with grace where Jesus Christ became the personal savior and Lord of your life.

A time where like Paul you said, “That’s it. I have now been crucified with Christ. From now on it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the very life that I live here on earth I will live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me!”

Have you? Have you personally experienced and responded to the Grace of God in the provision of Jesus Christ?

Becuase, it has to be personal.

Paul writes, “For to me…” to live is Christ

Can you say the same?

This was a personal resolution by the Apostle Paul, and everybody likewise must experience and respond to grace personally.

So, how can we have a life like the moon? How can I make my singular passion to honor Christ at all times?

It begins with a Personal encounter and response to grace.

But it also has to be Progressive

Now I’m not talking about some social reform, or liberal idea.

When I say progressive I mean that your ability to Reflect Jesus in all your life is taking place gradually, step by step.

It’s Progressive

In this is where we need to buckle up.

Becuase what’s sad is that for a wide swath of American Christians where it began is also where it stalled.

We encounter grace, and place faith in Christ, and are genuinely joyful for the eternal salvation he has provided.

Right, we make it PERSONAL.

But whether its due to faulty thinking, or fleshy desires, or false teaching, we reduce this newfound Life In Christ to “being saved”

Here’s what I mean:

We boast in our acceptance of Christ, yet our lives are void of an allegience to Christ.

We believe we are saved, yet our lives are absent of sanctification.

We love that we are purchased, but we haven’t a hint of true spiritual power.

We have a religion where we trust in God, but no following of Christ.

Church, I believe this is the PRIMARY reason that many of us cannot say, “FOR TO ME to LIVE IS CHRIST.” because we have reduced it to FOR to ME to LIVE is believing in Christ.”

But if your belief has not progressively altered your behavior, or if your acceptance has not led to total allegiance, or if your fellowship with Him has not let to a following of HIM, then listen closely…

You may only value Christ for what he has done for you, not for Christ Himself.

It’s like loving the gifts, and spurning the giver.

Or seeking his hands, not his face.

Oh man… I told you to buckle up.

Listen, this is what Paul in Galatians calls nullifying the grace of God. (Gal 2:20), or in Corinithians he says that many receive the grace of God in vain.

It’s when we are informed by grace, but not transformed by it.

It’s when Grace is received superficially.

Receiving the grace of God in vain pertains not so much to salvation, but to the loss of potential blessings related to following Jesus.”

In other words, people can be truly saved. They have genuinely received the gospel and believed it, but they have failed to progress in their relationship with Jesus.

It’s when Profession isn’t supported by Practice.

For a long time the church throughout differnt times have categorized this all to common phenomenon differently.

This is what Bonoeffer in the 1930s called Cheap Grace

Cheap grace he says is a doctrine, without devotion.

Cheap grace is the preaching of forgivness, but no requirement of repentance.

Cheap grace is a salvation without discipleship.

It’s what John McArthur in the 1970s called Carnal Christianity

The idea that you can be saved, without becoming obedient or holy.

It’s Faith without Following.

It’s salvation sold as fire insurance.

It’s what Teachers today call the Prosperity Gospel, and it is so popular and appealing.

Don’t think that Prosperity thinking is just out there in the mega-churches with pastors flying jets.

It has infiltriated every single one of us to some degree, because it plays to our culture and plays to our fleshly desires.

It’s appealing becuase it doesn’t ask us to change.

It’s receiving Christ without carrying the Cross.

It gives us salvation, all along allowing what we desire, what we do, and how we live go on uninterrupted.

Because God is so gracious that he has saved me, and wants to bless me so that I can be happy.

And we’ve been so deceived.

So instead of adopting a sold out christianity that says, “MY LIFE exists to HONOR HIM.”

We stall and slip into a comfortable christianity that says, “HIS LIFE exists to HONOR ME.”

We’ve flipped it. Believing that Jesus just wants to bless me, and benefit me, and save me.

And you’re not wrong! Just incomplete!

But the truth is he blesses, and benefits, and saves… so that you can progress to enlarge him, magnify him, and reflect Him.

For to me to live is Christ has to be Personal.

But it can’t stop there. It must also be progressive, taking place gradually, step by step.

We should all look a little more like the Sun, and naturally honor Jesus today than when we first began.

This takes place progressively. For all of us. Including Paul, as he later writes in Philippians 3:12–13 “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,”

So that’s point #2, It’s Progressive.

But here’s our last one for the day. #3

It’s Practical.

It’s Practical

This life as the moon, living to honor and reflect Jesus, is unbelievably practical ya’ll.

To Live is Christ isn’t some abstract, metaphysical, hyper spiritual, pie in the sky hubabaloo.

It is unebelievably practical. Or a better way to say it is that

To Live is Christ is incarnational.

The Incarnation refers to the act of God who is Spirit, and distant, and hidden from our sight--- putting on flesh in the person of Jesus, and dwelling among us.

As the message paraphrase reads, “The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood We saw the glory with our own eyes,”

I love that… God in the person of Jesus moved into the neighborhood.

He isn’t aloof and distant.

He didn’t scoff and say, “Oh these earthlings, they will never be able to ascend to the metaphysical elevation required to know me.”

NO, he moved into the neighborhood.

When Jesus wanted to teach us about following him, he didn’t paint unrelateable pictures of heavenly realities.

No he talked about seeds, and fields,

baking bread, and knocking on neighbors doors.

Sheep, and wolves, and pearls and talents.

All things that are intimately familiar to his audience. To be relateable. To be practical.

Yet somehow along the way, we’ve been deceived into making living for Jesus all about eternity, and transcendence and philosophical and abstact.

But it was never intended to be that.

As Jesus lived incarnationally and taught practically, we too are reflect him practically.

Let me give you 2 ways that it’s practical & they are found directly in our text.

First “To Live is Christ” takes place in Practical Time.

notice what Paul says, “NOW AS ALWAYS” (vs. 20).

Not some future day when I’ll fly away, but here, now. as Always.

You see we are so guilty of Compartmentalizing our time aren’t we.

Meaning, that living for Jesus takes place in specific set aside times, and in specific set aside places.

We come to church, sing the songs, listen to the teaching of the Word, and think oh man that was some good Jesus time.

Or we honor him with our quiet time, and praying before a meal.

Reducing Living is Christ to some part-time deal.

Clark Kent some moment, and super spiritual man another.

But that’s totally the wrong view.

To Live is Christ takes place in physical time, NOW AND ALWAYS

That every moment of my life is under the allengiance of his lordship.

Every second, every hour intended to live for His honor.

During my commute, I honor him with my thoughts and my middle fingers.

During my performance review, I honor him with my attitudes and responses.

During my me time, I honor him with what I watch.

During my running time, I honor him with what I listen to.

Church, To Live is Christ is practical, because it takes place in practical time— now and always.

But it is also unbeliveably practical, becuase it occurs with our Physical Bodies.

To Live is Christ, takes place with my physical body.

Look at what Paul says there in vs. 20, “Not as always Christ will be HONORed… in my body.

Here’s what this means… it means that just like we’re guilty of compartmentalizing

It means we are guilty of spiritualizing

Somewhere along the way we have created an image in our imagination that following Jesus takes place in some mystic, transcendent experience like a vision or hearing some audible word from God.

And if we don’t experience that, we believe we aren’t spiritual.

But to Live is Christ doesn’t take place apart from the physical.

There is no seperation of sacred and secular.

No difference of spiritual and physical.

All of life is sacred. All of my life is spiritual.

This type of divided living would have been foreign to Paul.

If you went up to Paul, and said, “Tell me about your spirtual life?” You’d get a letter. No doubt.

He’d just look at you dumbfounded and say, “You mean MY LIFE.”All my life.”

You see, like Jesus, Paul understood that most of life happens in the mundane.

Taking place in ordinary moments, experincing ordinary matters.

Shopping, and parenting, and going to school, and eating dinner, and commuting to work.

But here’s the secret, its practical because we can bring our passion to reflect Jesus into these ordinary moments!

It isn’t limited to just our prayer life, or evangelism, or worship songs.

Honoring Jesus is practical, becuase it takes place wherever you are, and includes whatever you do.

So it isn’t as much, adding spiritual things to your lives.

As much as it is an invitation to live your lives WITH Jesus.

Let me give you an example:

God is patiently progressing me in this truth.

You see, I can’t tell you how many times over the last year that I have yearned to sit across a table with somebody, share a cup of coffee, and vent the burdens and weight of this beautiful thing called Pastoral Ministry.

And listen, I believe there’s a place for safe, gospel friendships, but lately when I have that longing I’ve sensed Jesus whisper… “Why not me? Why not share it with me?”

And as I wrestle with that question, which is really a rebuke and an invitation, I’ve come to the realization that because I can’t physically see Jesus I have believed that can’t live my life and my calling with Jesus. And because how I feel doesn’t tend to be very “spiritual” I’m believed that he probably doesn’t want to hear it anyway.

But that’s so untrue. It couldn’t be further from the truth.

Becuase my life lived for His honor is practical.

Taking place in all of time, wherever we are.

Don’t fall prey to the false belief that life can be divided, or compartmentzlied, or spiritualized.

Jesus came that you may have life, and life abundantly. That isn’t some other worldly life only reserved for eternity. It’s here and now. So begin to learn what it means to live life WITH Him… in every moment and every matter.

Conclusion

To Live is Christ is a way of life that is unbelievably practical, always progressive, and must be personal

But it isn’t easy. It isn’t soft. But rather extremely costly.

It will require sacfice of every single allegiance other than Jesus Christ.

It requires cutting things out of our lives that compete with HIm, and keep us from honoring him.

Becuase the singular ambition is to be able to say “For me to live is CHRIST...”

not “CHRIST & and Career.”— Because what is your life if you lose your job.

not “CHRIST & my family.”— Because what is your life if God forbid something happens and those relationships come to an end.

not “CHRIST & my possessions.”— Because wheat is your life if you lose those?

No, we cannot live to Honor Jesus, and honor self.

There is no and.

So be warned, it’s Practical, progressive, and personal, but it is costly.

Oh, but it’s worth it.

In fact, it’s as if a man found a treasure hidden in a field then in his joy he goes and sellas all that he has and buys the whole field.

Becuase I believe Jesus meant it when he said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life, or divide his life, or try to add me to his life, will lose it…BUT whoever loses his life for my sake, will save it.”

Let me pray.