Gospel Optimism (Final draft)

I. Introduction:

A. Glass half empty?

Q: Would you describe yourself as optimistic or pessimistic?

Q: If I were to reach under the podium and pull out a decanter of water that was filled to the midway point would you say that it’s half-empty or half-full?

Q: When trials come your way — how do you view them?

Are they obstacles or are they opportunities?

B. Obstacles are Opportunities

KEY: This morning in our text we see that obstacles are opportunities.

This morning, we will see that God has designed trials to produce character and that in order to see them for this purpose you must have new eyes and a renewed mind.

C. The Power of Gospel Thinking

No — this is not a sermon about the power of positive thinking.

This isn’t a rehash of some nonsense about manifesting victory and selling you on the power of positive thinking and the pitfalls of negative thinking.

This is a sermon on the power of Gospel thinking and the effect that the Gospel has on your life RIGHT NOW.

Not in the past covering your sins or in the future securing seat in heaven with Christ.

But in the trenches. In the right here and the right now.

And if you’re someone who struggles with pessimism (like me) then I think this sermon will be especially beneficial for you.

II. Exegesis:

A. Obstacles are Opportunities

Philippians 1:12–13 “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.”

KEY: Paul wants the Philippians to know that what looks like an obstacle is actually and opportunity.

Or: Kids — what looks like a roadblock is after a ramp.

The obstacle, is imprisonment.

The opportunity is preaching Christ.

Look at the text again: Philippians 1:12–13 “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.”

Key: In Paul’s mind he has been taken off of one mission field and placed on another.

Taken from preaching Christ to one people, now he’s preaching Christ to another.

The people he’s preaching to? The actual imperial guard of Caesar.

History Brofessor:

The Imperial Guard (or Praetorium) were the elite military unit of the Roman Empire.

They were the secret hand that moved Rome through various leaders.

In fact: The Imperial Guard was responsible for the overthrow, abandonment, or murder of 15 out of the first 48 emperors of Rome (Arnold Blumberg).

In Rome, they were the only ones legally sanctioned to carry weapons, and often held political offices or used power to steer political influence.

They were powerful, influential, well-compensated, well-organized, and well-equipped.

They were the private army and guard of Caesar and were not officially disbanded until 312 A.D. by Constantine the First.

So, is it a big deal that Paul that through his imprisonment he’s received the opportunity to directly minister to these men?

Absolutely it is.

Through his imprisonment, Paul can now preach Christ to what we would call an “unreached people group”.

KEY: Paul is telling the Philippians “what you don’t understand is I’m not locked in here with them. They’re locked in here with me.”

KEY: This penitentiary is pulpit.

Here is the opportunity to share the Gospel with the most powerful men in Rome who serve and protect the most powerful man in Rome.

The potential is unthinkable.

More than that not just the imperial guard, but “all the rest”.

Word is spreading that Paul is there for Christ.

B. The Power of Gospel Thinking (1)

This is the power of Gospel Thinking.

That an obstacle is truly an opportunity.

This kind of thinking is the result of renewed mind through sanctification.

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Philippians 1:12-13 is a primse example of Romans 12:2.

Paul’s mind isn’t conformed to the world but renewed.

This is how he’s able to discern what the will of God is.

This is how he’s able to see what is good, acceptable and perfect.

And what God’s will is for him to preach Christ to the praetorium guard.

O that we would think like this and that by God’s grace we would begin to think like this.

We pray that God would sanctify us and usually we have our actions in mind.

But sin issues are always heart issues.

And mind issues stem from heart issues.

But the beauty of sanctification is that it God who sanctifies us COMPLETELY.

And that includes are mind.

Q: Ask yourself do you view obstacles as opportunities?

Q: Do you give up at the first sign of trouble?

Q: If you were in Paul’s shoes would you have this attitude or would you sulk?

Q: Have you asked God to sanctify your mind?

C. Results:

Philippians 1:14 “And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

Notice the two fruits of Paul’s imprisonment:

(1) The whole Imperial Guard and more know that Paul is there because of Christ.

(2) Most of the brothers have become confident in the Lord to preach Christ more boldly.

He does not say: I’ve converted Tiberius, Junius, Marcus, and Lucius.

He just says that the gospel is advancing and they know he’s there because of Christ.

But he does say that because of his imprisonment, the brothers have become more confident to preach Christ.

KEY: It’s as though he’s saying: “because the brothers have seen me preach Christ to the praetorians in prison, the brothers are reinvigorated to preach Christ more boldly to the people.

KEY: it’s important how you suffer.

KEY Application: Because we’re all watching you.

The brothers were watching Paul and they saw how he responded to being imprisoned.

They were watching to see how he suffered.

And how he suffered had a PROFOUND effect upon them.

Brothers and sisters we are all watching you and how you suffer can have a profound effect upon us.

Brothers and sisters there is validity to the axiom: “more is caught than taught”.

We should not live in fear of man, but we should live in awareness that our brothers and sisters are watching us and learning from us.

Q: How do you suffer through job loss?

Q: How do you suffer through child loss?

Q: How do you suffer through disease and sickness?

Q: How do you suffer through difficult seasons of parenting?

How you suffer can be a great encouragement to the body of Christ.

So how can I suffer well?

KEY: By renewing your mind and seeing obstacles as opportunities for the gospel.

Adults:

Sickness or Disease:

It doesn’t matter if you have disease like cancer or niche illness no one has ever heard of — people get sick.

How you suffer can be an encouragement to your brothers and sisters to endure.

Parents:

Difficult seasons with children come and go and how you react and discipline can be a model for younger parents.

Older Singles:

How you live in the interim before marriage can serve as profound example to young teens.

Married Couples:

How you navigate the ups and downs of life together can be prove to be a template for young marrieds.

Kids:

You have no idea how influential you really are.

Do you know how much you inspire your parents?

Kids with brothers and sisters, do you know how much you can influence your siblings?

Like it or not, whether they admit or not — they are watching you.

How you respond to discipline, disappointment, and suffering can have a profound effect on them.

Returning to our text, we would do well to remember that the brothers who preach are not the only people in view but so are the Philippians.

They too are suffering, and this encouragement is for them.

What’s happening to Paul is obstacle turned opportunity for the gospel and so are the sufferings of the Philippians.

Reading this report from Paul will encourage them too.

D. Pretense and Preachers

Philippians 1:15–18 “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,”

Paul ends the last paragraph talking about brothers who have began to preach Christ without fear and shifted now to talk about two different kinds of preachers.

Group 1:

Group 1 Preachers — preach christ from envy and rivalry. They preach Christ from self-ambition and insincerely. They preach Christ under the pretense of being faithful, but really they are trying to spite Paul.

(A) Preach Christ from envy

Envy (Greek — Phthonno):

Sense: spite or resentment toward success or possessions of others

This same word is used in these verses:

Mark 15:10 “For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.”

Galatians 5:19–21 “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Titus 3:3 “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.”

1 Peter 2:1 “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.”

Envy (as we see from this brief survey) is a persistent problem.

Envy needs to be put off and put away because the envious life is no way to live.

And if it’s no way to live, it’s certainly no way to preach.

Yet, Group 1 Preachers are preaching out of ENVY because they want Paul’s popularity without the persecution.

They do not preach because they love — they preach because they’re jealous.

(B) Preach Christ from rivalry

Rivalry (Greek - Eris): Strife or contention

Sense: bitter conflict

This is the only time in the NT when it’s specifically used for “rivalry” but it’s used for “strife” in the following:

Romans 1:29 “They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,”

1 Corinthians 3:2–3 “I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?”

Key: Rivalry is the fruit of envy.

These preachers are envious of Paul so they preach not for revival but for rivalry.

(C) Preach Christ from selfish ambition and (d) not sincerely

Paul says that these preachers preach from selfish ambition and not sincerely.

Paul says these preachers preach “not sincerely”

the sense of the word means free from secondary motivations.

Therefore — Paul exposes that these preachers have other motivations than Christ’s kingdom.

These preachers are not concerned with the cause of Christ but their own influence.

These preachers are concerned with building a following, not disciples of Christ.

One of their motivations is to spite or hurt Paul.

He says, “The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.”

(E) Preach Christ under pretense

Finally, we can conclude that this group of preachers preach under pretense.

Do you know what pretense is?

Pretense means: an attempt to make something that is not the case appear true

or more simply it’s a false display meant to conceal something.

Illustration: Perhaps you’ve been feeling depressed, so you fake a smile to everyone you meet to give the pretense that your happy.

Or maybe, in your marriage you fight and scream at each other constantly, only give the pretense of a happy marriage when you host other families for a dinner.

These preachers have put on the pretense that they are faithful pastors, but they’re concealing their motivations and intent.

Group 2:

(A) Preach Christ from goodwill

“Some preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill.”

These preachers have good intentions and the benefits of the brothers in mind.

They preach Christ because they know that He is the only Savior and King and Redeemer that can save people from their sins.

Their intention is build Christ’s kingdom by preaching Christ and His gospel.

And this comes from a place of love.

(B) Preach Christ out of love

“The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am here for the defense of the Gospel.”

Group 2 preachers preach Christ out of love because they know the stakes are high.

Persecution is on the menu, and that may be what comes out of the kitchen even if they didn’t order it.

But also, Christians can be hurtful.

The job is to preach Christ and offend every self-preserving, sinful sensibility that fallen people have.

The job is to continue to preach Christ to those who have believed in Christ, because sin’s dominion has been destroyed but it’s indwelling has yet to be obliterated.

This kind of preaching must come from a place of love.

(C) Preach Christ in truth

If group one preaches Christ in pretense then group 2 preach Christ in truth.

Meaning: These guys are the real deal.

They aren’t like group one that put on a uniform and grab their crook to give the pretense that they’re shepherds.

These guys are true workers and servants of the Kingdom preaching Christ.

E. Two Different sermons?

Maybe you’re listening to all of this and thinking: “this sounds like two different sermons jammed into one”

This sermon feels like what “Life’s Been Good” by Joe Walsh sounds like.

But actually, Paul’s conclusion in verse 18 is what ties these two paragraphs together.

Philippians 1:18 “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’s conclusion is that whether group one or two is preaching as long as Christ is proclaimed he’s going to rejoice.

I’m sorry — WHAT?

How can you rejoice when there are literally people preaching Christ to spite you?

This is your brain on Christ.

This is the renewed mind.

Paul isn’t interested in competition and he doesn’t care about who preaches more — he just wants Christ preached.

To be clear: the problem with the first group isn’t the preaching — it’s the preachers.

They preach Christ — just for the wrong reasons.

it’s not the message, it’s the intention.

Paul, clearly has no problem with their message.

He rejoices that Christ is preached no matter what.

KEY: Even now, hearing about the character of these people in group one — our brains immediately think obstacle and Paul corrects us into seeing it as opportunity.

Regardless of whose preaching, if Christ is being preached — Paul rejoices.

III: Application:

Application wise your brain is probably already sparking with ideas for how to apply this.

Or maybe you’re not sure how it happens.

Well this kind of thinking doesn’t come from willpower, but through sanctification by the Spirit through Union with Christ.

You begin to see obstacles as opportunities for the advancement of gospel when through union with Christ you have a renewed mind and new eyes.

A. Union with Christ gives us new minds.

First — Union with Christ provides the renewing of your minds by the Spirit.

Union with Christ gives you the power of Gospel thinking.

The renewed mind now stops considering themselves the most important thing in the universe and considers the interest of others as more important.

B. Sanctification gives us new eyes.

IV: Christ:

A. Take the Pressure Off

So now maybe you’re feeling the pressure.

You’re saying “oh I’m gonna do this and that and it’s going to make this and that better” etc.

Maybe you’re feeling a little daunted.

Let me just take the pressure off for you and tell you that you’re not perfect, and you’re going to get it wrong.

You’re going to miss these opportunities, and you’re going to blow it, and then you’re going to find yourself awake 2am on a random night thinking about how much you dropped the ball and how much you’ve sinned.

In short: You’re going to get it wrong.

The bad news is that all have fallen short of God’s standard.

But the good news is that Christ has died for all of your sins.

He is greater than Paul and although Paul is a model he’s not the archetype — Christ is.

B. Christ is the ultimate model

What happened to Christ served to advance the Gospel.

Christ didn’t care about the competition.

Christ has no competition.

But also Christ only thought rightly and saw every Gospel opportunity.

Christ

C. Assurance for believers

C. Warning to unbelievers