Gospel Advance

Philippians  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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Despite Paul being in prisoned the gospel must advance!

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Intro:

Have you ever thought about your citizenship? For me this question is unique in that I was born in another country. Here I have my passport…if you don’t own one I’d encourage you to get one…my reason being is that it signifies that you are gospel ready…if the Lord calls you to go on a mission trip or perhaps is calling you to full-time missions you will need one of these…when we have one of these we are in essence saying to God I’m ready to go wherever you lead…
One of the unique things about my passport is that in place of birth it says Austria yet it’s a US Passport. Abbie is the same as it says Hungary. The way it works in Austria is you take on the citizenship of your father. Now some ask if I’d thought about doing dual citizenship and applying for an Austrian passport and I have but one of their stipulations for citizenship is civil duty…a year of serving in the military…i’ve never wanted to put my life on pause for a year to fulfill that requirement.
When I go through passport control it isn’t unusual for someone to ask me about being born in Austria. It’s actually usually a great way to kind of break the ice with the generally serious border control workers…so what does this all have to do with what we are studying today? Well just like a passport shows people are citizenship our faith shows the world that we are truly not citizens of Bridge City, or citizens of the great state of Texas, or even the United States…our true identity is as citizens of the kingdom…that is once we place our faith in Christ we belong to God’s kingdom and our time on earth is just buying time before we spend eternity in heaven which is our permanent residency.
So with all that being said let’s dive into the book of Philippians which has a central theme of being Joyful Citizens of the Kingdom and today we will focus on the Gospel Advance that Paul focused his own life on and the role that the Philippian Church has played in advancing the gospel.

Background on Philippians:

Since we are starting this new book let’s take just a minute or two to think through some of the background of this book. This is one of Paul’s prison epistles as he wrote it from prison, most likely Rome, which Luke records in Acts 28:30 “He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him,” The date most scholars agree on is between AD 60-62.
The city of Philippi was an important city in the Roman Empire. It was most famous for being the battleground “in which Antony and Octavian emerged victorious over Brutus and Cassius (the assassins of Julius Caesar) in 42 BC. Octavian later defeated Antony (31 BC), rebuilt Philippi, and gave it the ius italicum (Italian Right), the highest privilege a colony could obtain.”
“The site was situated in a very fertile region 8 miles from the Aegean Sea and enjoyed an abundance of springs and of gold. Philippi became part of the Roman Empire in 168 BC and prospered due to its strategic location along the Via Egnatia (the main land route between Rome and the East). The Acts narrative reveals that the church in Philippi was the first church Paul planted in Europe, c. AD 49–50 (Acts 16:6–40).
The church of Philippi held a special place in Paul’s heart. It was the first church he founded in Europe and if you remember the story in Acts 16 we see that the first convert was Lydia a seller of purple goods who continued to have a prominent role in the church and in supporting Paul’s ministry.
You might recall that Paul and Silas were inprisoned there and that God miraculously delivered them and through that were able to share the gospel to the jailer who responded in faith. After establishing the church it is believed that Paul visited the church a few times and maintained a close connection to the church as missions partners in the advancement of the gospel. This letter is a thank you card of sorts as Epaphroditus was sent with a gift to visit Paul and has no returned to Philippi with this thank you letter in hand.
So let’s read today’s passage…
Philippians 1:1–26 ESV
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 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.

1. Gospel Partnerships v. 1-11

Right off the bat we see an important aspect of Paul’s ministry which is a foundation of humility. It’s reminiscent of when we studied James who opened up by calling himself a servant, instead of name dropping the fact that he’s the half-brother of Jesus. Paul writes on behalf of himself and Timothy and uses the term servants of Christ Jesus to introduce themselves.
He could have easily insisted on being called an apostle, but instead he sets the tone by emphasizing his desire to serve and that his ultimate identity is in Christ Jesus instead of a title. It also shows that he considers himself connected to the brothers and sisters in Philippi through this common identity in Christ and desiring to be servants for his kingdom.
Once Paul gets through the usual greeting of a letter he quickly moves into thanking the Philippian church for their gospel partnership. You can see from the language Paul uses…”making my prayer with joy”…”I hold you in my heart”…”I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus”…it’s clear that there is a special bond between Paul and this church.
We are blessed as Liberty Baptist Church to get to partner with people in the same way…you heard the update from Daniel about how God is working in Seattle as the Mountain Church is getting ready to host their first worship service in their new building….praise God that we get to partner with them in a similar way to how the Philippians came along side Paul & Timothy’s ministry by supporting them financially and by sending them people to support them (Epaphroditus was sent to Paul and nearly died traveling…he also would have carried this letter back). It should be a joy to partner with Daniel and the Mountain Church in the same way and I hope we are able to send a team his way.
We also support Kidz Connect in Belize and are thankful for the ministry that is taking place there. Beyond that as an SBC Church we support the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the International Mission Board (IMB) through our gifts to the Cooperative Program which enables missionaries around the world to spread the gospel.
I’d love for ya’ll to meet my good friends Ricky and Ross, and their national partner Nash who are doing amazing work in Cardiff, Wales. I had the privilege of going there last October and I was absolutely blown away by what God is doing there in Cardiff. 3 church plants and just a beautiful spirit of how God is moving through this little movement of churches. We also have been emphasizing the SBTC Texas Missions Offering and it’s so moving to read about and know that our giving is empowering this various ministries.
So what can we learn from Paul and his relationship with the Philippians church? Gospel partnerships are vital to ministry and we should seek to support the work of those spreading the gospel. We can do this through the local church. It’s one of the reasons I love being part of the SBC. We are best when we partner together for the sake of the gospel. How can you be involved?
Give- SBTC “Reach Texas Offering”, Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, give to our missions partners The Mountain Church & Kidz Connect
Go- My goal is to get a team to go partner w/Daniel & The Mountain Church in Seattle…Kidz Connect in Belize, perhaps partnering with my friends in Cardiff
Pray- IMB has a great prayer emphasis…our emphasis on Sundays & Lottie Moon & Annie Armstrong…our TeamKid kids are learning about missionaries and praying for them
Write notes of encouragement- one of my favorite things while in Ukraine was getting notes and care packages from churches & families
Along with partnering, a key idea is reminding ourselves of the security we experience because of the gospel, that is our salvation is secure…“The God-Centered Security of Our Salvation” As Paul focuses on this in verse 6 … we would do well to remind ourselves often of this.
Let us rejoice in the God-centered security of our salvation; it is his work from the first day to the last (Phil. 1:5–6). As Markus Bockmuehl points out, Christian assurance rests not in the Christian-ness of our Christianity but in “the God-ness of God.”1 If the power to save does not come from us, then the paralyzing pressure to save ourselves need not oppress us. Assurance of salvation rests not in how strong our grip is on our Father’s hand but in how strong his grip is on us.”
ESV Expository Commentary: Ephesians–Philemon

2. Progress of the Gospel v. 12-26

Paul spends a lot of time speaking about the gospel. In fact he uses the term 60 times in the New Testament and we will get a heavy dose of it here in Philippians (9 times)…but it begs the question what is the Gospel?
Romans 1:16 ESV
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Aspects we learn: it has power & it is for everyone
1 Corinthians 15:1–5 ESV
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
Aspects we learn: the gospel is saving us…it includes Christ’s death, burial, & resurrection
Acts 3:18–19 ESV
But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
Aspect we learn: the gospel includes mankind responding through repentance
Acts 13:38–39 ESV
Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
Aspect we learn: we experience forgiveness of sin through the gospel
“Like the other apostles, Paul was perfectly able to present the core truths of the gospel in a variety of ways. But the important thing to understand is that there were in fact some core truths of the gospel, and from the sermons and letters preserved to us we have a very good idea of what those core truths were—and are. In Romans, in 1 Corinthians, in the sermons of Acts, and throughout the New Testament, the earliest Christians structured their declaration of the good news around a few critical truths.
First the bad news: God is your Judge, and you have sinned against him. And then the gospel: but Jesus has died so that sinners may be forgiven of their sins if they will repent and believe in him.”
-What Is the Gospel? By Greg Gilbert
In verses 12-26 Paul shifts from thanking the Philippian Church for their partnership in the gospel to updating them on the progress of the gospel.
This is significant because of Paul’s location…it shows that the Philippian church didn’t abandon Paul, even though being imprisoned would have been a black eye in their culture, and because you would have thought being in prison would have been a pretty significant hindrance to the gospel spreading. Many Christians didn’t agree with Paul going to Jerusalem, with their logic being he would be arrested and because if he was arrested in Rome they worried persecution would spread. Yet, even when some were bitter towards him, Paul contends that even his difficulties has lead to the spread of the gospel…Roman guard responded to gospel and other believers where emboldened to share…

Two Quick Observations on Paul & the Gospel:

Suffering was expected
Key Verse Philippians 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
This was the reality for the early church & true for many believers today around the world
What is the gospel worth to you? What are you willing to sacrifice?
The Gospel is powerful to spread even in difficult circumstances
“The fact that he closes the letter with a greeting from “Caesar’s household” (4:22) testifies to the power of the gospel over the most powerful family in the world. Paul is in prison at the sovereign bidding of King Jesus so that the gospel would push past the defenses of a seemingly impenetrable group of people—the whole imperial guard (elite Roman soldiers under the direct command of Caesar).”
“Paul’s heart is bound up with the advance of the gospel, not his own interests. He is preoccupied with Christ’s name, not his own. ” Even though some appeared to preach to make a name for themselves, Paul was more concerned with Christ being proclaimed it’s a all about the gospel and the power it has despite man’s intent
Job 13:16 “This will be my salvation, that the godless shall not come before him.” & Philippians 1:19 “for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,” Paul is echoing the words of Job trusting that though he’s falsely imprisoned he would be found innocent by God & greater than that his salvation is secure in Christ

Application:

We have to be all about the gospel. Our sermons should be drenched in the gospel, our outreach strategy should center on the gospel, the material we choose should be all about the gospel (by the way our Sunday School class is appropriately using The Gospel Project).
The gospel is what we preach & live out as Christians
But what must tie us together as Christians is this passion for the gospel, this fellowship in the gospel.
D. A. Carson
The pastor who wants to keep his church full of people should first of all preach the gospel. Then he should preach the gospel keeping the following three adverbs in his mind: earnestly, interestingly, and fully.
Charles Spurgeon

Closing:

Have you responded to the gospel? If so what are you waiting for
Are you living your life out worthy of the gospel?
“The singular passion of a faithful Christian minister is to make much of the name of Christ. John the Baptist was content to let his name and influence decrease; his joy was completely bound up with the increasing fame of Jesus (John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”” )
So if I looked at your passport what would it say about your citizenship? If God’s Kingdom is your citizenship than is the gospel that something you remind yourself of often? Are you sharing it with others? Are you willing to sacrifice for it .
“Even as the angry vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him....Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness....And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on his. When he tells us to love our enemies, he gives along with the command, the love itself.
-Corrie Ten Boom (Hiding Place WWII Concentration Camp Survivor)
Let’s Pray…
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