Philippians 1:12-18

Introduction

Read Philippians 1:12-18

Philippians 1:12–18 ESV

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. Yes, and I will rejoice,

What factors cause others to lose their joy in ministry or place of service?

Explanation

Philippians 1:12–13 ESV

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.

Paul is not upset about his predicament - he knows that he can leverage the place he finds himself to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We are called to serve the gospel. Our lives are not our own once we have been bought by Christ.

This is why I pray when I am in the hospital that we would be a WITNESS for Jesus. Even in the hardest moments, no ESPECIALLY in the hardest moments of our lives, Jesus uses us to proclaim himself.

Every moment is an invitation to share Jesus - with that mindset, we cannot lose!

QUESTION: How do we cultivate a heart that suffers well?

We must practice gratitude.

We must humble ourselves.

Philippians 1:14 ESV

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.

Boldness is contagious.

ILLUSTRATION: Share a story about my bolstered faith.

You can cause a ripple effect in your boldness, even in great difficulty.

In China, you are not considered worthy to pastor until you have been to prison. Until you have suffered, you cannot preach.

You can speak without fear. We spend so much time talking about the fear that we have forgotten that we don’t have to fear in speaking about the gospel.

Alvin Reid, evangelism professor // “God, give me today (1) an opportunity to speak with someone about Jesus; (2) the wisdom to see it; and (3) the courage to take it.”

You will have an opportunity.

You need the wisdom to see it.

You must have the courage to take it.

What is the hardest for you to find? The opportunity, the wisdom to see it, or the courage to take it.

Philippians 1:15–16 ESV

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.

This is a pastoral issue in this text. We can preach Christ from alternative motivations. What are some of those motivations?

Money

Prestige

The Praise of Man

We must preach out of love - it must be our sole motivator. What motivates you?

Beware of jealousy and envy in ministry.

I have told you before - there are all types of pastors, but the pastors who do the most damage to a local church are insecure pastors.

The same is true of our own lives.

Philippians 1:17–18 ESV

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. Yes, and I will rejoice,

Paul has no desire to elevate himself above others.

In fact, he rejoices that the gospel is preached even through envious teachers.

That takes some heart discipline doesn’t it.

We are not in competition with other churches. We are their partners and co-laborers in ministry.

When the gospel is preached, no matter where - we rejoice.

Not every church preaches the gospel - but for the ones that do, we rejoice.

What is more important to Paul - message or motive?

Invitation