Philippians 1:12-18

Introduction

Half Empty/Half Full

Half Empty- Complained to Half Full before?

Paul is making something out of nothing in our passage

Writing from the walls of a Roman Prison, chained to a wall and only got food from outsiders

If anyone has reason to complain its him

Everything he witnesses and experience is through the lense of the work of Christ

Main Point: God will use anyone and anything to spread the gospel

God Uses Our Circumstances

V 12-13 “12 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.”

Paul’s writing to a church that is concerned about his well being

Paul himself is still unsure as to whether he will live or die

Yet that Glass half full comes out and we see that Paul’s circumstances are something he has begun to rejoice

Imperial Guard is coming to know Christ

Notice that he does not deny suffering, but acknowledges it

When we endure hardship, what is our posture?

Debbie downer

Complain about anything and everything and begrudgingly endure

Or do we see it as an opportunity

I don’t like that I’m here, but while I’m here I’m going to make the most of it

God Uses Our Endurance

V 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”

Paul is reaching the people who are near him with his circumstances, but what about those he doesn’t see or talk to?

He is encouraging them simply by how he suffers well

We are still being encouraged by his suffering today

When i think of endurance, I think of those who are suffering from chronic illness

ADHD and Logan story

Growing up with Pollard

Diagnosis

mentoring Logan

People are watching how we suffer. We can be an encouragemnt to both believers and non believers that that suffering in light of Christ, gives us endurance

“While other worldviews lead us to sit in the midst of life’s joys, foreseeing the coming sorrows, Christianity empowers its people to sit in the midst of this world’s sorrows, tasting the coming joy.” - Tim Keller

God Uses Our Faults

V 15-18 “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.”

People are seeing Pauls Imprisonment as an opportunity to grow their name and platform

Paul distinguishes two groups: Those who grieve his suffering and those who rejoice at it

Both are advancing the gospel but for different reasons

We might have prideful intentions

Paul rejoices that regardless of intention, true Christ is being preached

Is our concern less with playing the morality police and more with rejoicing in the name of Christ being preached?

Quick intervention about correct doctrine vs correct motivation

Takeaways:

Believer: Suffer well. Less asking of why am I here and more of what can I do with what I’ve been given

Nonbeliever: Make your suffering have purpose. WE live in light of this earthly suffering is as bad as it gets.