To Live is Christ

Intro

This week as we continue our journey through Philippians. we reach one of the most famous and quotable verses in the whole book. Verse 21 when Paul delcares for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. This is a verse when I was in high school and my friends and I were looking for justification to do something really stupid or dangerous we would use this verse as justification. we would say to die is gain and jump off a tall cliff into the river. we would put a spray paint bottle in a fire pit and say well to die is gain and we didnt almost die but we did almost catch my friends house on fire.

a justification for doing dangerous things is obviously not how this verse should be applied, what we are going to see as we break open God’s word today is that for followers of Christ like Paul, the Philippians, and us today, to live is Christ, and to die to is to gain him completely, meaning if you are a believer today you have been put in a win, win situation because of the blood of Jesus. As we read today my prayer is you are encouraged and given a clear direction

Philippians 1:20–26 CSB

My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ—which is far better—but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that, because of my coming to you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound.

Paul makes a bold declaration in these verses when he says Christ will be highly honored in my body, by death or life.

Paul is in the middle of situation that he can’t control he is sitting in prison and as he writes he does not know if his imprisonment will mean his death or not. He can’t control it. But what he can control is that regardless of what happens he can control if Christ is glorified through him or not. And he has chosen that Christ will be glorified in him.

That is the choice that each and every one of us has to make. If you have been saved through the blood of Jesus you have been put in a win win situation regardless of how dark your circumstances are. because as long as your living you have the opportunity to choose to glorify Christ in your body, and even if this trial results in your death you get to fully experience the glory of Jesus in heaven.

1. Glorify Christ Anyway

when you are in difficult situation like Paul was. You are naturally going to question God. but when you question him what questions are you asking. unbeliever and the immature Christian are very likely to question God by asking him why is this happening. its not an unreasonable question but guess what God doesn’t have to and probably wont tell you why what your going through is happening to you. Paul was beaten within one more hit of death 5 times, 3 times he was beaten with rods, three times he was shipwrecked, he was stoned, he was betrayed by jews and Christians alike, he spent 5-6 years collectively in prison. Do you think God told him why every time? No.

any one of those things he went through could have meant death. Instead of asking why is this happening the attitude of Paul and the attitude for each of us needs to be this.

To stand and say regardless of the pain, regardless of the waves, regardless if I stand alone, Christ will be highly honored in my body weather by life or by death.

If you ask God why is this happening you may never get an answer, but if you ask him how can I glorify you in this situation you will always find an answer.

Paul’s joy was never found in his circumstances it was found in the joy that comes in knowing Jesus and making him known.

and what the enemy meant for evil in Paul’s life God turned it for good. He gets arrested in Phillipi, instead of mopping about it and asking God why he starts signing and the jailer and his whole family come to Christ. He gets shipwrecked and stuck on an island for 3 months and instead of sitting on beach he shares the Gospel and according to the tradition of the church in malta it started as a result of Paul’s time there. He gets arrested and instead of being released, he chose to appeal to Ceasar. and because of that guess what. the Roman Empire funded his mission trip to share the Gospel with Caesar. and Paul got to share the Gospel with King Agrippa, countless guards who watched over him, and the most powerful man in the world, before he was put to death.

What type of man are you going to be? what type of woman are you going to be? one who is held captive by your circumstances or one that says Even though theres so much going on that I cant control. I will control what I can control and that is that Christ will be glorified in me.

When we make that choice then it puts us in the same position Paul was in. To live is Christ and to die is gain. as we read Paul is torn between the two of which is better, but I want to make one thing very clear. Paul is not contemplating suicide in any way. He isn’t trying to take the choice into his hands. What he is telling the church in Phillipi is this and we can learn so much from it. He is telling them I don’t know if this imprisonment will lead to my death or not but this is what I do know I have already won because I get Christ either way.

This is the atttude we need as Christians. Here it is summed up

2.Gain Christ Anyway

When we are saved we gain salvation through Jesus. he gives us all we need. Paul isn’t talking about earing your salvation by gaining more Jesus.

For Paul to live is Christ means that his whole life is summed up by progressively abandoning everything else in the interest of gaining more and more of Christ.

The more Paul lived and the more Christ he gained the less the things of the world mattered to him. and the more Jesus mattered to him.

Gaining Christ is another way of expressing the Christians progressive experience of growing and becoming more and more like Jesus. Paul defines his life as gaining Christ and then when he died he viewed it as the ultimate gain.

Did you guys know I know exactly how my life is going to play out. I can look to the future and I can tell you exactly what it is going to look like. Not because I had a vision, used a crystal ball, or asked AI.

Here is how my life will go ready for it?

Right now I have Jesus, As I live over the years I will gain even more of Jesus in me and then when I die I will fully be with Jesus. I am gaining Christ anyway.

I don’t know all the highs, the lows, the twists and turns along the way. the last couple of years things have been thrown at me that I never imagined I would have to deal with. but guess what It hasn’t changed a thing about how I know my life will go. Because right now I have Jesus, as I live I will gain more of Jesus in me, and when I die I will fully be with Jesus. I have had Christ anyway. I have Christ anyway and I will have Christ anyway you can put whatever you want before those two words and it will always be true.

That isn’t reserved just for Paul or just for me because we are ministers it is for every believer.

Because you know that what awaits you in death is even more Jesus. It should eliminate the fear that death naturally holds over you.

For unbelievers uncertantity, danger and fear lie ahead in death. For Christians all our uncertaintiy, danger and fear lie behind. all our certainties and safeties lie ahead in the presence of Christ.

The Message of Philippians b. The Preference for Death

Scripture leaves so much about life after death undescribed, but on this central fact there is no hesitation: the Christian dead are ‘with Christ

as the old song says. No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me. Stop living in fear and start living in faithfulness.

Philippians 1:27–30 CSB

Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, in one accord, contending together for the faith of the gospel, not being frightened in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of destruction for them, but of your salvation—and this is from God. For it has been granted to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are engaged in the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have.

Paul didnt know if he would be able to visit them or not. So he had to prepare them for either situation. and one set of instructions was enough if he was absent or present. That they would live their life worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

He didn’t say here is this long list of things that I need you to do. he’s saying heres one thing and one thing only, because you are a citizen of heaven live a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ. nothing else must distract them from this great objective it is to be their all embracing occupation whether Paul was there or not.

I want to echo the challenge that Paul gave the Philipians to myself and you this morning. which put plainly is this.

3. Display Christ Anyway.

Through your life regardless of sitiuation, location, vocation, display what it means to be citizens of Christ’s kingdom.

The Philippians understood the joy that came from citizenship. Phillipi was a Roman colony and because of that even though they weren’t in Rome the people of Philippi were considered Roman citizens. Their names were on the rolls of Rome. Their position and privledges were the same as Rome itself. Though they lived among the conquered they were given the citizenship of the conquers. They were a homeland in minature.

It was a big deal to be a Roman citizen, just like for us it is a big deal to be an American citizen. we have rights and privledges that most people in the world can only dream of. But as big of a deal being a Roman or American citizen is it pails in comparison to being citizens of heaven.

Phillipi was a colony of the home country. it was meant to be a slice of Rome in Northern Greece. Guess what the same was true of them spiritual as well as us spiritually. Grace has made us citizens of heaven and though we are in a far off land, though we are among the conquered, we are more than conquers through Christ. We are heaven’s colony. How does the Lord’s prayer start? Our father who is in heaven you kingdom come, your will be done, on earth.

How is that going to happen? by heaven’s citizens colonizing the earth.

And we do it by living a life worthy of the gospel. You don’t colonize anything by living like the natives. you do it by living like where your homeland is.

I love America and I am proud to be an American citizen but it is not the most important citizenship to me. and it shouldnt be to you. and If I were to ask you which is more important you would probably say of course your heavenly citizenship is more important. You want to sound like a good Christian so of we would all say that. but what does your life say. are you living like your heavenly citizenship is more important.

Do you live by heaven’s values or America’s values? Do you base your life off of what is normal in heaven or what is normal in America? do you spend your life trying to look like everyone else or do you actively try to look different so that people can see a little taste of what the kingdom of God looks like? Are you living worthy of the citizenship that you were born into when you were born again?

If you have been born again you have citizenship in God’s kingdom and with that come so many incredible privledges. Don’t waste them by choosing to live like those we sent to bring heaven to. Instead show them why being a citizen of heaven is better than being a part of any country, club, or family because Jesus is at the center of it.

Conclusion

Your probably thinking ok I get it I should live like being a citizen of heaven is more important than I do now. How do I do that? Do I stop celebrating 4th of July do I burn my US passport? absolutely not. We do what Paul has already shown us in this passage.

It starts by making the choice that regardless of what is going on around you, predecide that through the power of the Holy Spirit living in you that Christ will be glorified in you in life or death. Because you are in a win win situation and if your a believer you have Christ now, as you live you gain more Christ, and when you die you will gain all of Christ. There is no uncertainty or danger ahead for you if you are in Christ.

there is nothing—no government, no diagnosis, no heartbreak, no betrayal, no depression, no death—that can change the future that is certain for you in Christ.

So glorify Christ in whatever you're facing.

Gain Christ in whatever season you're walking through.

And Display Christ wherever He has placed you.

Because if you belong to Jesus, you are in a win-win situation. To live is Christ. To die is gain. And until that day comes, live worthy of the gospel of the King whose kingdom you belong to.

Church, the challenge today is not to leave here and try harder to be a better citizen of heaven.

The challenge is to settle something in your heart before the next trial comes.

Before the diagnosis comes.

Before the betrayal comes.

Before the uncertainty comes.

Before the next season of suffering comes.

Resolve now what Paul had already resolved:

"Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death."

Make that decision now.

Because when you decide to glorify Christ anyway...

you'll gain Christ anyway.

And when you gain Christ anyway...

you'll display Christ anyway.

Everything flows from that first decision.

I am going to invite you to make that decision today. and I am not going to give you an easy out. I am not going to tell you, you can make this decision from your chair. If it is the cry of your heart this morning that Jesus be glorified in your life regardless of what comes or what it costs. I want you make a stand by coming to this altar. I am deciding today to glorify Jesus in every season and I want people to know so they can hold me accountable to it. come down here and get on your knees.