My Imprisonment is for Christ

Life of Joy in Christ - A Study of Philippians

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." (Philippians 1:13, ESV)

1. The Imperial or Praetorian Guard were an elite group of soldiers with an estimated strength of around 10,000 total in all of the Roman empire.

Most of them were concentrated in Rome by Tiberius. These were hand picked men who received double pay and had special privileges. They themselves became so powerful that emperors had to court their favor.

2. It seems to mean the palace of the provincial governor either in Jerusalem or Caesarea and in our verse tonight it talks about the guard over that palace.

Praetorian is a Latin word which the meaning is not certain but it does appear in other New Testament examples (Matt. 27:27; Mark 15:16; John 18:28, 33; 19:9; Acts 23:35)

3. God hand picked these men to watch over His servant Paul and used their influence to spread the Gospel, even into the Palace of Caesar.

(The Greek, "in the whole praetorium") Paul had contact with these men one after another, day after day. Living out the Gospel with patience and joy in such a way that these men were being changed.

“Satan, indeed, has attempted it, and the wicked have thought that it would turn out so, that the gospel would be destroyed; but God has frustrated both the attempts of the former and the expectations of the latter, and that in two ways, for while the gospel was previously obscure and unknown, it has come to be well known, and not only so, but has even been rendered honorable in the Praetorium, no less than in the rest of the city."

John Calvin, Calvin's Commentaries: Philippians, electronic ed., Logos Library System; Calvin's Commentaries (Albany, OR: Ages Software, 1998), Php 1:13.

4. They also knew that he was an innocent man who was different in every way than the people they were used to dealing with.

This Imperial Guard knew that Paul was being held, simply because he preached Christ and for no other reason.

Paul was under constant guard (cf. Acts 28:16, 20). The guards relieved each other. In this way ever so many of them came into contact with this apostle to the Gentiles. They took note of his patience, gentleness, courage, and unswerving loyalty to inner conviction. They were deeply impressed. Yes, even these hardened soldiers, these rude legionaries, who presumably would be the very last to be affected in any way by the gospel, were deeply moved by what they saw and heard and felt in the presence of Paul. They listened to him as he talked to friends who came to visit him, or to his secretary to whom he dictated his letters, or to his judges, or to God in prayer, or even to themselves. It is not difficult to imagine that at first they listened with a measure of disdain or hardly listened at all. But after a while they became interested, and then … enthusiastic. And what they learned they began to spread. “We are guarding a very remarkable prisoner,” they would say, “and we are firmly convinced that his imprisonment is not for any crime he has committed but solely for his connection with the Christ whom he proclaims.” And so the news spread, from guard to guard, to the families of the guards, to Caesar’s household (see on Phil. 4:22), and thus to “all the rest,” the inhabitants of Rome, in general. Paul’s case and, even better, Christ’s cause, became “the talk of the town.” That meant progress for the gospel, for the real issue was being clarified.

William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, vol. 5, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of Philippians, Accompanying Biblical Text Is Author's Translation., New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001), 69.

5. Paul counted his life as nothing except that it would be used to further the Gospel. He is prepared to serve God in life or glorify him in death.

The emblem of the Old American Baptist Missionary Union was an ox standing between a plough and an altar, with the motto, “Ready for either,”—Ready to spend and be spent in labor, or to be a sacrifice, whichever the Lord pleases. This is the attitude of the Apostle Paul and should be our attitude.

6. Paul's imprisonment was expected to destroy him and his ministry but instead it just increased and spread throughout the whole Roman empire.

This is much like what happened to a young man named Joseph. "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." (Genesis 50:20, ESV)

7. Paul was literally "in chains for Christ" and was using every opportunity he had to spread the Gospel.

God's providence does not always look like we think it should. In fact after looking at men like Paul and Joseph we have to ask ourselves - Can I see God's providence in my pain? In my circumstances? In my life?

8. It is clear that God had opened a door of opportunity here for the Apostle Paul and he used it for all it was worth.

Tonight we need to ask ourselves - has God opened a door of opportunity for me? If so, am I using it for His glory and others good? "for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries." (1 Corinthians 16:9, ESV) "At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—" (Colossians 4:3, ESV)

9. Again, I want us to see Paul's devotion and self-forgetfulness. This unexpected opportunity to witness to the very Imperial Guard and he doesn't waste a moment of it.

And as we will see next week it has an affect on the unconfined brethren as well. Where you might have expected discouragement because of the apostle's bondage, there was great boldness in the spread of the gospel. If Paul could do it inside prison, can't we do it outside of prison? Or is the Lord going to have to put us in some drastic circumstance to wake us from our slumbering?

10. Tonight, let us examine our motives and excitement for the Gospel. Can we say with Paul "my imprisonment is for Christ?"

11. We know what the effect and motive and glory of Paul's chains are in its final stages. "To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household." (Philippians 4:20-22, ESV)

12. "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." (Philippians 3:7-21, ESV)

Application

Adoration - Adoring God for who He is and what He had done, is doing and is going to do. He is Sovereign and in complete control.

Confession - Confessing our fears and times we have looked into our pain, our circumstances without asking God what are we to learn here.

Thanksgiving - Praising Him for His providence in Paul & Josephs lives and our lives as well. All the times He has made a way where there was no way. All the times He turned our destruction into our salvation.

Supplication - Asking God to intervene into our circumstances, a family member or friends life and draw them to Himself.