Submit to God in Christ - Philippians 1:12-21

Introduction/Seeing the Need

Paul made it clear that doing our best daily for Christ is a significant part of what it means to be a faithful disciple. Today’s lesson will give us a chance to consider what “doing our best” in our devotion to Christ means, day after day.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians was written to Christian sin Philippi, a city of Macedonia (northern Greece). Paul founded the church there during his second missionary journey. Philippi was a well-established, prosperous city on a major Roman road, the Via Egnatia, which connected the east and west coasts of the Grecian peninsula.

Philippi had a rich history, of which its inhabitants were proud. Paul wrote this letter while a prisoner. Though some scholars have suggested other possible places and times in Paul’s life, it remains most likely that Paul wrote Philippians while under house arrest in Rome, awaiting trial before Nero. This was during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment of AD 61-63, with another following in AD 67.

For the Philippian Christians those circumstances likely prompted a crisis of faith. Accustomed to taking pride in all things Roman and to looking up to Paul, God’s apostle, they had to come to terms with their hero’s imprisonment at the hands of Rome. But the church had problems in addition to this crisis. Conflict and rivalry had begun to threaten the church’s unity. Paul mentions by name two who were in conflict (,). But the letter’s contents suggest this was an example of a wider problem.

Gospel Advanced -

Philippians 1:12–14 NRSV

I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear.

Reports of Paul’s imprisonment doubtless produced dismay among the Christians in Philippi and elsewhere who have learned of Jesus from Paul. Has God abandoned Paul? Has Paul been unfaithful to God? Or is Paul’s gospel false, his God no god at all, and Paul an imposter?

Paul’s answer is more than just a face-saving strategy. It is more than just making the best of a bad circumstance or looking for the silver lining in a dark cloud. Paul interprets his circumstances according to the gospel of Jesus. As God brought his salvation to the world in the suffering and death of Jesus, so now he extends his salvation into the world through the suffering of Paul. The good news of God goes forward by the same means that it came into existence by faithful, lowly, self-sacrifice for others.

What are some ways our church can better serve leaders who labor under various kinds of restrictions and hindrances? How will it make a difference if at all, if those restrictions and hindrances are self-inflicted?

Paul could already point to tangible expressions of the gospels advance. As a prisoner of the Roman emperor, Paul was guarded day and night by members of the Praetorian Guard, an elite military unit entrusted with the safety of the emperor and other high imperial officials. These highly trained, loyal soldiers were a potent expression of Rome’s power and prestige. This was the last place one would expect the gospel of Jesus, the story of a man whom Rome crucified as a rebel, to spread.

Yet this was the very result of Paul’s imprisonment. It is interesting that Paul says his chains are known throughout the whole palace guard. He thereby emphasizes that the message of Christ is being made known through the life of the messenger. Paul’s captivity reflects Jesus’ own lowliness in arrest, trial, and death. For Paul, the messenger and the message are inseparable.

Under what circumstances should we draw attention to our restrictions vs, downplaying or keeping quiet about them? Why?

Paul explains how his testimony has affected other believers in Rome. Once fearful, they are now confident and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel of God despite dangers and opposition. Paul’s courage renews their own, as they rediscover what it means to follow the Christ who suffered on their behalf. As Paul’s chains have been the means of spreading God’s message to the imperial guards, so has the gospel been unbound among the Christians of Rome.

Christ Preached -

Philippians 1:15–18a NRSV

Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel; the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment. What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,

Not every Christian’s boldness stems from pure motives, however. Some are motivated by selfish desires. They want Paul’s prominence for themselves, or they see Paul as an obstacle to their own ambitions. So with Paul in prison, they preach about Jesus in hope that they will become as well-known and influential as Paul, eclipsing him as a Christian leader.

s. They want Paul’s prominence for themselves, or they see Paul as an obstacle to their own ambitions. So with Paul in prison, they preach about Jesus in hope that they will become as well-known and influential as Paul, eclipsing him as a Christian leader.

Those who preach from envy and rivalry are acting with motives that contradict the message they preach. They preach the selfless Christ, but for selfish reasons. Such inconsistency cannot stand for long. Paul highlights these opponents to warn the Philippian Christians. The envy and strife in their congregation stem from similar motives of selfishness.

What steps can we take to identify and discern threats to church unity?

Paul’s preaching while a prisoner of the Roman Empire demonstrates in the present the power of Christ, who gave himself in death in the past. Paul’s steadfast faithfulness in hardship brings a victory that reflects the victory of Christ in his death and resurrection. True faith in the true gospel creates a love that hardship can challenge but never overcome fully.

Certainly Paul has every right to condemn those who oppose him, we may think. But consider Christ’s response to his own enemies. Falsely accused, he made no defense. Subjected to torture, he prayer for his enemies. Mockingly invited to use his kingly power by which he had saved others to save himself, he stayed on the cross to the end. Paul’s response to his rivals reflects Jesus’ selfless sacrifice.

Paul is unconcerned to restore his reputation or maintain his standing. For him, Christ is everything. The fact that Christ is preached, even if it means shame for Paul, is evidence that the gospel is advancing. Those who preach with impure hearts will doubtlessly stand in judgment before the God who examines the heart. But until that day, the gospel will go forward even in cases of insincere preaching.

Results Considered -

Philippians 1:18b-21

Philippians 1:18b–21 NRSV

What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance. It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

The phrase because of this points to the reason Paul can rejoice. That reason is not his circumstances as such, but the fact that Christ is preached regardless. That reality makes Paul’s situation tolerable to him, even as his ministry circumstances during his missionary journeys have caused him to vacillate from despair “of life itself” to being “not in despair”. Is this true of us as well?

In what ways can you be a greater source of joy to others?

Paul now explains why his joy in Christ will continue even in the most extreme circumstances. Paul is not speaking theoretically, he is in Roman custody, awaiting trial before the emperor. The outcome of the trial may mean his very death. Yet Paul speaks with complete confidence that the outcome of his trial will be deliverance. Further, that deliverance will come because of the Philippian Christians’ prayers to God, and likewise through what God’s Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, will provide.

Paul is viewing deliverance at this point from the perspective of the gospel. By that he does not simply mean deliverance, or salvation, as escaping eternal punishment and experiencing life with God in Heaven at death, though that promise plays a key part in his meaning Rather, deliverance for Paul is the entirety of life as a follower of Christ. Faith in Christ means not just life with Christ after death; it means life with Christ in the present. It means restoration to the life for which God made humans, the life that reflects the very nature of God as revealed in Jesus.

God’s people rely on God’s power for this life as they pray continually for his provision. The Holy Spirit empowers this life, a life like the life of Jesus, God’s true king. The saved life is the God-supplied, Spirit-empowered, Christ-honoring life.

In verse 20 Paul addresses the shame of his imprisonment. Arrest is shameful. Imprisonment is shameful. Execution in the supreme shame. But Paul says he cannot be made ashamed, even though these were his circumstances and perhaps his prospects. Paul’s view of shame and honor have been transformed by the message of Jesus. Jesus willingly accepted the very shame that Paul faces; arrest, trial, and execution.

Yet God vindicated Jesus through that experience, granting him triumph by his resurrection. The same God will vindicate Paul. Nothing can take away the honor that Paul has by his identity with Jesus. In following the way of the cross of Christ, Paul has no shame.

By this bold, faithful proclamation, Paul makes the name of Jesus great. Unlike those who preach for selfish motives, Paul’s life and message are consistent. He proclaims the crucified and risen Christ, and he lives as one who understands that Christ’s way is the way of true life, of salvation. Paul’s courage before the tribunal, not giving in to the fear of what might happen, will reflect Jesus’ own determination. Paul’s confession will be faithful like Jesus’ own confession.

In this way Christ will be exalted by Paul, demonstrating who the world’s king truly is, by shaping his life in Christ’s mold. Thus he will glorify Christ whether in a life of continued ministry or in a death that reflects Christ’s own selfless faithfulness. Focused on Christ, Paul can express joy in even the most extreme circumstances, and he does.

Verse 21 is one of the most widely memorized verses in the Bible. It brings Paul’s discussion of his circumstances to a rousing climax. Its simplicity belies the challenging ideas it presents. To think of death as gain defies human experience. Death marks the failure of our bodies, the end of our activity, the end of our earthly consciousness. It would seem that death can only be gain if life has become utter loss, if life has become living death.

Because Christ died and rose for the sake of humanity, death means something very different for Christ’s followers. By raising Christ from the dead, God demonstrated his unfailing faithfulness to his people. As Christ rules at God’s right hand, he administers that same faithfulness to his suffering followers. Having promised that in losing their lives they will find them, Christ assures his people that even death cannot separate them from his love ().

So to die is gain, as it means experiencing the triumph that Christ brings even in death. That triumph yields what Paul discusses in the following context: to die is to be with Christ, free of the suffering of this age, sharing his triumphant rule in Heaven. That is surely a gain greater than any loss the believer can experience.

Alongside that promise is another statement: to live is Christ. What Paul means by that short pronouncement he goes on to explain in the following context. Paul’s present life reflects Christ’s life as a life of self-giving service for others. Jesus explained to his disciples this implication from his death: their purpose, like their master’s, is to serve all.

Paul describes his life as labor for bearing fruit. Living, for Paul or for any follower of Jesus, is Christ in that it is focused on rendering to others the joyous, selfless service that Jesus rendered to us.

What more needs to happen for you to make your own conviction? How does the fact that death is an enemy, not a friend, influence your response?

Conclusion

Why are some people able to express joy in every circumstance, even the painful ones? It has to do with how God made us and with how, in Christ, he has remade us. We were made not to hold on to our lives but to give them away. When we try to hold on, we run away from our divinely created purpose. We mar our divine image. We destroy our joy. When we learn to let go, we discover again the reason we exist. We find our true selves. We reflect our true king. We find true joy.

Paul found a way to serve others even as a prisoner. He knew that even in the bleakest circumstance, God provided a means for him to glorify Christ in self-giving. How do your circumstances present opportunities for you to serve selflessly? How has the faithful God delivered that joy to you before? Are you ready to discover how he will do so again?

Prayer

O God, help us to be faithful, doing our best for Christ. Where possible, let us also be effective, but let not an absence of visible results dampen our commitment to be Jesus’ disciples. Empower us to give our lives freely for others as we rejoice in your Son who gave his life freely for us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.