Joy Grounded In The Eternal

INTRODUCTION

Read Philippians 1:12-18

Philippians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Chapter 4: The Joy of Ministry—Part 1: In Spite of Trouble and Detractors (Philippians 1:12–18)

One of the surest measures of a Christian’s spiritual maturity is what it takes to rob him of his Spirit-bestowed joy… The only certain cause for loss of joy in a believer’s life is sin, which corrupts his fellowship with the Lord, who is the source of joy… Anything other than sin—no matter how difficult, painful, or disappointing—need not take away the believer’s joy

As we have already explored, by the time Paul wrote this letter to the church at Philippi he had experienced hardships of every sort.

He is a prisoner in Rome!

BUT he realized that his imprisonment was a means to further the gospel.

To further the gospel in a city that he longed to bring the gospel to

Read Romans 1:9-15

Paul’s imprisonment was ultimately an answer to prayer.

How frequently do we get caught up in the difficulty of a situation that we fail to see the opportunities that lie before us?

How often do we focus on relieving our own misery that we are blind to the opportunity for the gospel?

JOY IN CHRIST, DESPITE THE TRIALS

verses 12-14

What has happened to me…

Paul was not blind to his trials or delusional to believe they had not happened.

It is a very unhealthy position for a Christian to not acknowledge their hardships or grieve when the moment is right.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 LSB

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven

my imprisonment is for Christ…

Paul realized that God was working through him for the sake of the gospel.

Acts 9:15–16 ESV

he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.

Far from lamenting, resenting, or complaining about his hardships, Paul acknowledged them as an unavoidable element of ministry.

In his own eyes, they were but a small cost that he was more than willing to pay, because God used those trials as a means for furthering the progress of the gospel.

And most of the brothers…are much more bold to speak the word without fear…

Paul’s testimony and joy in Christ, despite being in prison, gave others the confidence to stand up for the truth

Have you considered the influence you can have on an individual?

Sure, we can point to major players in history and see how they influenced people (for good or bad)

Martin Luther

George Washington

Charles Darwin

Adolf Hitler

Not many people know Dan Gill

For some people, he is their tax guru

For others, he is a great accountant

For me, he is a major influence and Godly example

JOY IN THE PROCLAMATION OF CHRIST, DESPITE THE MOTIVATION

verses 15-18

some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry…

While it is of great importance that we are wary of false teachers, we must not be so quick to dismiss the gospel message from those we may not be fully in agreement with.

Denominations are an unfortunate divide in the Church, but we must examine whether they preach and teach the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

For Paul, the problem was not in those preachers’ theology but in their motives

Not in what they preached but in why they preached it.

On top of his imprisonment, there were some people who were preaching Christ in a way to try and hurt Paul.

They were preaching out of selfishness and not out of selflessness, like Paul.

The only thing that mattered to Paul was that the Gospel was being preached, and did not take into account any personal attacks on him