Suffering with a Purpose: Finding Joy in Trials

Bible Passage: Philippians 1:12-18

Summary:

In Philippians 1:12-18, Paul shares how his imprisonment has advanced the gospel, demonstrating that suffering can lead to unexpected blessings and growth in faith.

Application:

This passage encourages Christians to view their struggles not as setbacks but as opportunities for God’s work to be revealed. Recognizing that suffering can have a divine purpose helps believers to endure hardships with a sense of hope and faith.

How this passage points to Christ:

In the larger narrative of Scripture, Christ embodies the ultimate suffering that leads to redemption. Paul's situation mirrors Christ's suffering; through them both, we find that God transforms pain into purpose, highlighting the importance of suffering in the Christian faith.

Introduction

Today, we will be in Philippians, in the very first chapter. We will be discussing the notion of suffering.

Suffering is one of the few experiences that every human being shares, and yet it is one of the least understood aspects of the Christian life—especially in the modern church. We do not struggle to believe that suffering exists. What we struggle with is how to interpret it.

When suffering enters our lives, our instincts are almost automatic. We assume something has gone wrong. We ask whether we have failed, whether God is displeased, whether we took a wrong turn somewhere along the way. Even sincere Christians often interpret suffering as interruption—something standing in the way of God’s plans rather than something that could possibly serve them.

We live in a cultural moment that has trained us to expect comfort, stability, and progress. Success is often taken as a sign of blessing, while hardship is quietly treated as a problem to be solved or avoided. And without realizing it, those assumptions can shape how we read our lives far more than Scripture does.

But the Bible does not share our instincts. Scripture does not present suffering as unusual in the life of faith, nor does it treat hardship as evidence that God has stepped back. Again and again, we see God accomplishing His purposes through circumstances that look like loss, delay, or defeat. Yet knowing that in theory… and… trusting it in the middle of suffering are two very different things.

The question before us, then, is not whether suffering is painful—it is. The real question is how a Christian is meant to understand suffering when it comes. How do we interpret hardship in a way that is faithful to God and honest about our pain?

That question is not answered by philosophy or optimism. It is answered by God’s Word. And this morning, we hear from a man who writes not from comfort, but from chains. The apostle Paul does not write to explain why he is suffering. He writes to teach the church how to understand suffering through confidence in God’s purposes.

Hear now the Word of the Lord from Philippians 1:12–18.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

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.

Prayer:

Lord, we thank you for these inspired words that aim to change the way that we look at our suffering. We know that there are many in here that suffer in silence and believe that they are in utter hopelessness. Lord, I present them to you and I ask that your Holy Spirit open their hearts to your word, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.

i. Hook:

Paul writes to the Philippians from prison. He is not speculating about suffering; he is living inside of it. So, what is striking is not that Paul suffers, but instead, how he interprets his suffering.

He doesn’t ask for sympathy.

He doesn’t defend himself.

He doesn’t explain what went wrong.

Instead, he reframes his circumstances entirely. He takes what appears to be a setback and offers it to the church as a pattern—a way of thinking about suffering in the Christian life.

That is what I would like to present to you today.

Paul’s imprisonment becomes a paradigm, not because suffering is good in itself, but because God’s purposes are always good, even when His ways are hard. Paul teaches the church to interpret suffering not by how it feels, but by what God is doing through it.

In this passage, Paul walks the Philippians through his chains so that they might learn how to read their own lives more faithfully. He shows them that suffering does not signal the absence of God’s purposes, but often becomes the very means by which those purposes advance.

1. Division 1

Philippians 1:12 “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,”

i. Explanation

Paul begins by addressing what he knows the Philippians are thinking. From their perspective, his imprisonment must appear catastrophic. The apostle to the Gentiles is confined. The preacher of the gospel is restricted. The man God has used so powerfully is now chained.

So Paul speaks directly into their concern:

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance God’s purposes.”

Paul does not deny that suffering has occurred. He does not pretend that imprisonment is insignificant. But he refuses to interpret his circumstances the way the Philippians might instinctively do. Instead of seeing his chains as an obstacle to God’s work, Paul insists they have become a means by which God’s purposes are advancing.

Paul is teaching the church that interpretation matters. The same circumstance can be read either as failure or as faithfulness, depending on whether we interpret it through fear or through confidence in God’s purposes.

ii. Illustration

Imagine watching a military campaign where a commander is suddenly captured. From the outside, it looks like defeat. Surely the mission has failed. And yet, unknown to observers, that capture places the commander inside enemy territory, opening doors that were previously sealed. What looked like loss becomes strategic advancement.

Paul wants the Philippians to understand that his chains have placed him precisely where God intends him to be.

iii. Argumentation

Paul’s confidence is rooted in a robust doctrine of God’s sovereignty. God’s purposes do not depend on ideal circumstances. They are not fragile. Scripture consistently testifies that God advances His redemptive plan through weakness, opposition, and apparent defeat.

To assume that suffering halts God’s purposes is to think too small about God. Paul’s theology does not allow him to believe that chains can frustrate divine intent. God is not reacting to Paul’s imprisonment; He is ruling through it.

Application

When suffering enters our lives, our instinct is to assume something has gone wrong. Paul teaches us to resist that instinct. Instead of immediately asking, “Why is this happening to me?” we must learn to ask, “What might God be doing through this?”

Again, Paul is telling us that his imprisonment caused the advance of the gospel.

Trusting God’s purposes does not remove pain, but it does give pain meaning. Paul invites us to interpret suffering not as wasted time, but as purposeful under God’s hand.

2. Division 2

Philippians 1:13 “so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.”

i. Explanation

Paul now explains how his suffering has served God’s purposes. He writes that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard that his chains are “in Christ.”

Paul’s imprisonment has made something unmistakably clear. His suffering is not random. It is not the result of personal failure. It is bound up with his allegiance to Christ. His chains testify to his union with Christ.

Paul’s wording is important. He does not say his chains are merely for Christ. He says they are in Christ. His suffering is an expression of what it means for him to belong to Jesus.

ii. Illustration

Pressure reveals foundations. When a structure is tested, its true strength becomes visible. In the same way, suffering exposes what a person truly values. When comfort is stripped away, what remains comes into view.

Paul’s response to imprisonment revealed Christ to those watching him. His chains became a living testimony.

iii. Argumentation

This guards us from a shallow view of the Christian life. Union with Christ does not guarantee comfort. It guarantees belonging. To be “in Christ” is to share in His life, His mission, and at times His sufferings.

Paul understands that faithful endurance under trial is one of the most powerful forms of Christian witness. His suffering interprets the gospel for others before his preaching ever does.

iv. Application

What does your response to suffering reveal about what you treasure most? Faithful endurance under trial speaks loudly to a watching world. When we suffer with hope, patience, and trust, God uses our lives to display the worth of Christ.

3. Division 3

Philippians 1:14–17 “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.”

i. Explanation

Paul now shifts his attention from unbelievers watching from the outside to believers responding from within the church. He writes, “And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

This is not the outcome we would naturally expect. We might assume that Paul’s imprisonment would terrify the church. If this is what happens to faithful apostles, surely silence would be the safer option. But Paul tells us the opposite happened. His chains produced confidence, not cowardice. His suffering strengthened the church’s resolve rather than weakening it.

Seeing Paul endure suffering faithfully gave courage to others. His obedience under pressure became a visible reminder that Christ is worth proclaiming, even when the cost is high.

Yet Paul is remarkably honest. He acknowledges that not everyone preaching Christ is doing so with pure motives. Some preach out of love, knowing that Paul has been appointed for the defense of the gospel. Others preach from envy and selfish ambition, hoping to elevate themselves and perhaps even increase Paul’s distress.

Paul does not idealize the church. He tells the truth about it.

ii. Illustration

Church history repeatedly shows this pattern. Faithfulness under pressure often becomes a catalyst for courage in others. One believer’s endurance becomes the spark that ignites boldness throughout the community—even when motives vary.

iii. Argumentation

Paul’s response is remarkable. He does not excuse sinful motives, but neither does he allow them to overshadow God’s purposes. The effectiveness of the gospel does not depend on the purity of the preacher’s heart, but on the truth of the message proclaimed.

God’s purposes are not threatened by human weakness. He advances His work even through flawed servants.

iv. Application

Our faithfulness affects others more than we realize. When suffering comes, will we withdraw or remain obedient? Paul challenges us to speak boldly, trusting that God works through imperfect people and imperfect situations.

4. Division 4

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,”

i. Explanation

Paul now brings everything he has said to a single, clarifying conclusion. After speaking about his chains, the advance of God’s purposes, the emboldening of the church, and even the mixed motives of some preachers, Paul asks a simple question: “What then?” In other words, what conclusion should be drawn from all of this?

His answer is striking: “Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed—and in this I rejoice.”

Paul does not deny that some motives are sinful. He does not excuse selfish ambition. But he refuses to allow those realities to displace what matters most. Christ is being proclaimed, and that fact governs his response.

Notice what Paul does not say. He does not say, “I rejoice because my circumstances are improving.” He does not say, “I rejoice because my reputation is secure.” He rejoices because God’s purposes are being fulfilled through the proclamation of Christ.

Paul’s joy is not circumstantial. It is theological. It flows from seeing God’s purposes unfold, even when those purposes come at great personal cost.

ii. Illustration

There is a kind of joy that depends entirely on how life is going. When circumstances are favorable, that joy is present. When circumstances shift, it disappears. But there is another kind of joy—a deeper joy—that remains even when everything else is shaken.

It is the difference between a light resting on a fragile table and a light fixed into the foundation of a building. When the table is bumped, the light falls. But when the light is anchored to the foundation, it remains steady regardless of what happens around it.

Paul’s joy is anchored in the foundation of God’s purposes, not in the instability of his circumstances.

iii. Argumentation

Paul’s joy is not denial of pain, nor is it emotional detachment. Paul is not indifferent to suffering. He is interpreting it rightly. Because Christ is central to his life, the fulfillment of God’s purposes matters more to him than personal comfort, recognition, or vindication.

This kind of joy is only possible when priorities are rightly ordered. If self is central, suffering destroys joy. If comfort is central, hardship extinguishes joy. But when Christ is central, suffering cannot ultimately rob joy—it can only refine it.

Paul’s joy is rooted in confidence that God’s purposes are good, wise, and trustworthy, even when those purposes lead through chains.

iv. Application

This presses a searching question upon us: where does our joy come from? Is it rooted in ease, stability, and control—or is it rooted in Christ?

If our joy depends on circumstances going our way, suffering will inevitably crush it. But if our joy is anchored in Christ and in the fulfillment of God’s purposes, then even hardship cannot destroy it.

Paul invites us to a deeper joy—not a joy that ignores suffering, but a joy that sees beyond it. A joy that rests in the confidence that God is at work, Christ is being honored, and nothing endured in faith is wasted.

And what could be work that God is doing in your life? For Paul, it was advancing the spread of the gospel. That may not be the case for us. For us, it can look a bit different. The purpose can be that God is doing in you may be bringing you closer to Him because you have been straying from Him. It could be killing some persistent sin in your life. It could be reconciling a broken relationship. Or it can be to build you up for the encouragement of others. This should give us hope in our suffering.

Conclusion

Paul’s suffering ultimately points us beyond Paul. He has offered his chains as a paradigm—not because suffering is good in itself, but because God’s purposes are good, even when His ways lead through suffering. And now, at the end of this passage, we are meant to lift our eyes higher still.

This idea should not be surprising to us, as Christianity itself is founded on suffering—not accidental suffering, not meaningless suffering, but purposeful suffering. At the very center of our faith stands a suffering Savior.

Jesus Christ is the Suffering Servant. He was not swept up in events beyond His control. He was not defeated by circumstance. The cross did not happen because God’s plan failed; it happened because God’s plan was being fulfilled. What looked like loss was victory. What looked like weakness was power. What looked like defeat was salvation.

Our salvation rests not on our strength, our endurance, or our faithfulness. It rests on Christ’s obedience unto death. He suffered in our place and for our sin. He bore the weight of judgment so that sinners might be forgiven. The greatest good God has ever accomplished in the world came through the deepest suffering the world has ever seen.

That changes how we understand our own suffering.

Because Christ suffered for us, suffering is no longer meaningless for us. That does not make it easy. It does not make it painless. But it does make it purposeful. God’s purposes are never absent—even when they are hidden from our sight.

When suffering comes, the Christian does not interpret it as abandonment. We interpret it through the cross. We remember that the God who ordained the suffering of His Son for our salvation can be trusted with the suffering of His children for their good.

And this is where hope enters. Because the suffering Servant did not remain in the grave. The cross was followed by resurrection. Death did not have the final word. Joy came through sorrow, and life came through death.

So when suffering enters your life—and it will—you are not asked to pretend it does not hurt. You are invited to trust the God whose purposes are wiser than your understanding and more loving than your fears. You are invited to rest in Christ, to cling to Him, and to believe that nothing endured in faith is wasted.

The God who brings life from death, joy from sorrow, and salvation through suffering is the same God who holds you now. And because of Christ, you can trust Him—even in the chains.

Prayer

Lord, we thank you that you give purpose to the worst part of our lives. Thank you for this pattern that you have given us through the life of Paul. Lord, we ask that your Holy Spirit enable us to live out this pattern. That we see your purposes in our lives being fulfilled. And that in our suffering, we can rejoice. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Benediction

Go, as you go, when you go, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. May the God of peace strengthen you to stand firm and rejoice in Him in every circumstance, to live confidently that nothing endured in faith is wasted. Amen.