The Great Believer
Snap shots of a church 3
Philippians 1:20-26
An image of a healthy Believer who strives for greatness as a spiritual athlete
For the church to examine itself and see where it needs to improve
Greatness in the sense of being the best he could be for Jesus. It was not a selfish desire.
Intro
Great Athletes
Lance Armstrong
Racing then cancer vowed to comeback and he won 7 tour de France races
Taryne Mowatt
Arizona softball star Taryne Mowatt won female athlete of the year and female college athlete honors. She pitched every inning, including eight complete games and threw more than 1,000 pitches in six days, to lead the Wildcats to the NCAA championship.
D. an image of a Great Christian Believer
If a man has ever lived a life of commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ, it was Paul.
Remember, he was in prison facing a capital crime with his deliverance looking almost hopeless.
Death was staring him in the face..
Athletes become great when they make a total commitment to their sport.
They fully understand the need to do what is best for their bodies.
Their commitments become a matter of life and death.
The committed athlete enjoys a challenge but is always pressing for even greater challenges.
Greatness comes to an athlete who is willing to sacrifice everything.
It is easy to settle for a marginal life. Most people do. But God has a better plan for His people: greatness—the kind that comes only through a life of commitment!
We will see what Paul’s commitment is coming up
20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
1. the great Christian believer has only one great expectation and hope—to magnify Christ in his body.
The athlete has one expectation that is to be the best, they have a goal they want to reach.
1. Note the words "eagerly expect" (apokaradokian ).
It is turning the eyes away from everything else and focusing upon one object and one object alone.
It is total concentration upon a person's desire.
2. The one hope of most prisoners would be release from prison
But note Paul's "earnest expectation and hope": to magnify Christ in his body. Paul's mind was not upon his terrible plight and circumstances;
it was upon Christ—upon magnifying Christ in his body.
Paul had totally committed himself to magnifying Christ.
And there was only one place where Christ could be magnified and seen: that was in his body.
The only place that men can see Jesus Christ living is in the body or life of a person.
He could not be seen unless Paul and others allowed Christ to magnify Himself
through their bodies. Paul knew this; therefore, he gave his body to Jesus Christ.
3. Note the reference to "by life, or by death." Paul was facing death.
What ever it took to have Christ magnified. Life or death.
This is what Paul meant: he did not want to be ashamed when he stood before Christ. He loved Christ with all of his heart, for Christ had done so much for him. He wanted Christ to be honored both in his life and in his death.
Above all, he did not want to be ashamed when he stood before his wonderful Lord
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
2. the great Christian believer has one great commitment in life and death—Jesus Christ. Paul declares two phenomenal statements:
for the athlete the only reason to live is to play the sport.
1. First, "To me to live is Christ." What did he mean by this? He meant at least five things.
a. He presented his body as a living sacrifice to Jesus Christ.
b. He struggled to yield the parts of his body—every member of his body—to Christ as a tool for righteousness.
c. He struggled to control his mind—to control every thought and to focus every thought upon Jesus Christ and the great virtues of life.
d. He committed himself to work for love and justice within all of society.
e. He gave his life—every moment of it—to reach and minister to as many people as possible during his journey upon earth.
Thought 1. What does life mean to you? Why are you living? What is your great purpose in life?
Are you living for money and possessions (clothes, houses, cars, property)? If so, what do you do in a few years when you die—if you escape accident or disease? What do you do if you lose it? When that day comes—and it is coming, there is nothing in heaven or earth that can stop it—if you have lived for money, what good will it do you?
Are you living for comfort (a good job, a nice place to live, plenty to eat, and enough money to do what you desire now and at retirement)? If so, what happens when disease or accident or tragedy strikes or old age comes? And one or the other is coming. It cannot be stopped. If you have lived for comfort, what good will it do you?
Are you living for a position? If so, what do you do when you are edged out, removed, demoted, transferred, by-passed, face disease or accident? What good will position do you?
Are you living for family? If so, what do you do when the family has transferred, moved away, or when the various family members die? And it happens to everyone of us. What good will family do you when you face Christ?
Are you living for recognition, honor, popularity, recreation, gratification, sensuality—whatever? What do you do when you face the crises of life and then in the end come face to face with death? At that moment if not before, what good will anything on this earth do you?
2. This brings us to the second point of Paul. He declares that "to die is gain." He knew better than to base his life upon these things. He knew that everything upon earth was aging and passing away including man himself.
22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
3. the great Christian believer has one great dilemma to live or to depart and be with Christ.
The great athlete struggles with when to retire. We see many instances of them regretting their decision and they try to return
The word "depart" (analusai ) is descriptive. It has a twofold meaning that speaks to the believer's heart.
1. It means to break up; to loosen as in breaking camp and loosening the ropes of the tent. It is the picture of breaking loose; packing up; and moving on to a new location.
The same picture is true of the believer when he departs this life. He is not ceasing to exist; he is simply breaking loose and moving on to a new campsite, in fact, a perfect campsite.
2. It means to loosen the moorings of a ship, weigh anchor, and set sail for another port.
Again, the believer does not cease to exist, he simply loosens the moorings of this life, pulls the anchor up, and sets sail for God's eternal presence.
Paul was thinking that it was better to be with Jesus
The natural mind wonders and questions how a person in his right mind could ever want to go ahead and die.
the genuine believer does not die; he never tastes death. He is transferred into the presence of Christ.
the believer is transported into the perfect world of God which is named heaven. The believer is perfected—never again to experience pain, suffering, sin, corruption, infirmity, weakness, deformity, disappointment, fear, loss, or death. He will be perfected to work for Christ throughout the new heavens and earth, and he will serve and worship Christ for ever and ever.
The promises of God to the believer are phenomenal; they just explode the human mind. It is for this reason that the believer can declare: "To die is gain."
25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.
4. the great Christian believer has one great willingness—to serve sacrificially.
Athlete gives back to the sport
This is an interesting statement by Paul. Sitting there in prison waiting for the trial which would determine whether he lived or died, something happened to Paul. Paul became convinced that he would be found innocent of the false charges and released from prison.
But note why: it was not for his sake and enjoyment of life, but so that he could continue to minister.
The point to see is Paul's heart—how it longed to reach people for Christ and to meet the needs of a world that reels under the weight of desperation.
Go back to the beginning