The Bible Binge: The Unifying Gospel and its Mission (Philippians 1:21-30) (Table)

Pros and Cons

Joseph Priestly was a British scientist, inventor, and theologian who lived in the 1700’s at the time of our nation’s founding. One of his best friends was Benjamin Franklin… the two of them were known to discuss experiments using kites… the kind Franklin used to demonstrate that lightning was a form of electricity. Priestly himself figured out how to supercharge water with air bubbles… the father of carbonated water, what we now use in our soft drinks. Priestly is also part of another first. Priestly had some unknown decision to make and he discussed this with Franklin. Franklin told him to take a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle of it, and on the one side, write down all the positives of his potential decision. On the other side, write down all the negatives of his potential decision. At the top of the left column he was to write “Pro”. On the right column he was to write “Con”. Franklin and Priestly’s exercise is the first documented instance of the Pros and Cons lists that are drawn up every day all over the world as people make decisions.

At the heart of today’s Bible Binge text is a Pros and Cons list. You heard it read moments ago.

Philippians 1:21 “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Why is Paul drawing up this kind of list? And why is he bringing this up with this church in a place called Philippi?

We’ve arrived at the book of Philippians in our Bible Binge journey. We are bingeing the Bible in 2024. Through the Bible to the end of the year. Here’s an overview of the first part of the letter of Philippians.

Bible Project Video

The Book of Philippians: The Unifying Gospel and its Mission

In summary, here’s the book of Philippians:

Written by Paul

Paul is in Prison

Encouragement to continue Gospel Saturation

In their personal lives

In the city of Philippi

Around the world

Gospel saturation threatened by disunity (Euodia and Syntyche)

In these verses that we just read, we see Paul’s delight and joy in seeing how the Gospel is saturating personal lives, the city, and the world. In the past couple of years, both here and at the Table we’ve talked about how we’re made for more.. bringing more Jesus in more areas of our lives… where we live, work, live, and play. This is what Paul is doing here in the book of Philippians.

But he’s doing this because there is a crisis in this church. They have been partners with Paul in the gospel. But you get the sense that that’s about to end. Two ladies can’t get along and it is affecting church unity and threatens the gospel partnership they have with Paul. Euodia and Syntyche apparently were instrumental in the proliferation of the gospel throughout Philippi. We don’t know what happened, but apparently, they can not longer get along, and Paul is looking at a situation in which gospel ministry could be derailed because they can’t get along and it’s affecting the whole church. After all, who doesn’t take sides when there’s a good fight to be had?

Paul orients their thinking back to the gospel. There’s this gospel poem in the middle of the book, one of the most beautiful poems or songs found in our Bibles. In fact, a lot of our liturgy has the words of this poem or song sprinkled throughout. That poem is pure gospel… who Jesus is and what he has done for us. We aren’t going to look at that tonight because we want to see just what that Gospel is supposed to be doing in that congregation. Paul points them to that gospel because Paul sees that it’s going to be that Gospel that unifies them so that they can saturate their city and the world with the gospel. That’s Paul’s goal in this letter.

What Causes Gospel Saturation?

So… what causes Gospel saturation. We are quickly going to look at 4 things in this passage Paul highlights:

What causes Gospel Saturation?

Partnership in the Gospel

Speaking the Gospel

Suffering in the Gospel

The Gospel

The first is Partnership in the Gospel. Paul reminds this church that they have been partners with him in ministry. Here’s what he says:

Philippians 1:3–5,27 “I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you...because of your partnership in the gospel..You are standing firm in one spirit, in one accord, contending together for the faith of the gospel.”

Contending together for the faith of the gospel. Paul shares his heart. He loves the fact that they love Jesus and have been partners with him in making sure that more of Jesus is where they live, work, and play.

The second thing that causes Gospel saturation is Speaking the Gospel. It’s not just Paul speaking the gospel, but the church as well. In verse 26 he says..

Philippians 1:26 Paul desires that their “boasting in Christ Jesus may abound.”

Earlier, he talks about preaching the Gospel and speaking the Word of Christ. The word he uses here, “boasting” has the same idea.. boasting in Jesus is talking in away that highlights who Jesus is in the gospel of forgiveness, life, and salvation. That kind of boasting fills life with more of Jesus… where we live, work, learn, and play.

Then a biggie here in Philippians. Gospel saturation happens through Suffering in the Gospel. This takes up a major piece of what Paul is saying in his letter. Paul is in prison. But that hasn’t stop the gospel from expanding its footprint.

Philippians 1:12–13 “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is because I am in Christ.”

Paul says suffering spreads the gospel. And he expects them to suffer with him in the saturation of the Gospel everywhere.

No letter of Paul uses the word “gospel” more. And when Paul uses that word, he is including in its DNA the activity of proclaiming that Gospel. Speaking that gospel. The Gospel uses words… Paul’s words, the church’s words… to saturate all of life and all of the world with Jesus.

And… because there is boasting and speaking the gospel and there’s partnership in the gospel, it soon becomes quite apparent that it’s the Gospel itself, saturating all of life with Jesus. The Good News of Jesus is alive and doing its work of salvation and forgiveness as they suffer, as they speak, as they partner with Paul in the gospel. And to that end, Paul says,

Philippians 1:21 “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

This is what they need to hear in crisis. Paul isn’t going to stand there and say “Why can’t we just all get along?” And he isn’t going to say, “you all need to get your act together”. No, Paul is going to double down on the gospel. And he’s using his own perspective and circumstance to double down. This spat between two sisters in Christ is small potatoes to what Paul is facing. Paul is facing potential execution.

We tend to get this verse sideways. For one thing, we place this in a priority structure that doesn’t belong here. To live IS Christ is taken to say that we make Christ the priority. This the way this is read too often, and quite frankly is how I understood it most of my life. How many of you have made Christ the priority in your life this week? Nope. Neither have I. Christ is the only priority whether I make him a priority or not.

“To live is Christ”. I think we also come to that verse and we think that Paul really wants to die. He admits he’d be better off. As if dying is an escape. And don’t get me wrong… life with Jesus does beat life in prison. He says to be with Christ is far better. Oh yeah… heaven beats living here in this mess. That’s how we read “with Christ”.

But we also come to this verse thinking that Paul is drafting his list of pros and cons. In fact, he does go back and forth:

Philippians 1:22–24 “Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ—which is far better—but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.”

Departing with Christ. That’s a pro. Remaining in the flesh almost sounds like a con. Here’s the contrast Paul has set up. almost like he is weighing them against each other. Die… that’s better. Live.. it’s what I need to do. But here’s the thing. This makes Paul the arbiter of the values. Paul is center stage… he’s the one placing value on one thing or another.

Look at what Paul says. To live IS Christ. To die is gain… why?? Because I GET CHRIST himself… which is simply an eternal extension of “living is Christ”. To die is Christ. Paul has Christ either way because at the end of the day, Paul gets christ whether he lives or dies. Yes, this is pros and pros instead of pros and cons. Die: I get Jesus. Live: I get Jesus.

Martin Luther put the verse this way:

“To me, Christ is gain in life and in death.”

You see, whatever happens in life or death, Jesus is the goal. Jesus is the prize. Jesus is what we need. And why? Because Jesus has made us his own. Jesus is to be gained in life or death because Jesus has gained us in His death so that He could live with us. Jesus gains us in life or death which is why we gain him in life or death. The One who loves us more than anyone else loves us.

What does it mean then that to live is Christ?

“Living is Christ” is understanding that all of life is bound up with life in Jesus and that’s all we know. More of Jesus in more of life where we live, learn, work, and play because we simply don’t know anything else. And life is bound up with Jesus because Jesus has bound his life to us. Jesus is life because Jesus inserts himself into our lives… because Jesus had made us His life. Are you kidding me? Jesus is always about forgiving me and giving me life, His life. If all of life is Jesus because Jesus makes it so, then how does it not spill over into all areas of life?

This then, is Paul’s answer for all the disunity he is hearing about, especially among two women who can’t get along. The best way for them to be unified is to find themselves at the cross in need of Jesus… together. At the cross they will find their unity. At the cross they will find their mission.

At the cross, they will once again confess and believe that to live is Christ and to die is gain. The Gospel unifies as Christ is understood to be the point of life, especially against the backdrop of suffering. Paul wants them to share in his sufferings in the gospel because the gospel unifies like nothing else. You want unity? Go to the cross and then find ways to bring the gospel, the Good News of Who Jesus Is and What He Has Done FOR US into the lives of people who are suffering.

Where there is suffering, there is opportunity for the gospel. And there is suffering everywhere. We are not up to this task. But Jesus is. Feel like failure? Me too. Feel like you can’t begin to see the beauty of the gospel of Jesus in your suffering? Yeah, me too. We’re sinners. Did you know that Jesus only uses sinners to saturate our lives and the lives of others with the gospel?

This is how Los Fresnos will be saturated with the gospel. To live is Christ. That means Jesus has you. And that simple message of the gospel is what others need to hear in their moment of need. Say it with me: Jesus Has You. Next time you hear of someone suffering, say it out loud: Jesus has you. To live is Christ is to be had by Jesus and to speak that same love and grace to others in their need: Jesus has you.

Let’s Pray.

The Table

This is Jesus’ gain for us. This Table.

Benediction