This is Living!

For me to Live is Christ, and to die is gain v.21

Introduction:

Many years ago a Texas oil millionaire specified in his will that He wanted to be buried in his Cadillac. So when the man died, a firm of undertakers prepared to carry out his instructions. They dug an enormous grave, placed the Cadillac on a huge lowering device, dressed the corpse in a sports jacket, put a cigar in his mouth, seated himself at the steering wheel, and set the speedometer at 60 miles per hour. The mourners gathered around the grave as the strange coffin sank into the ground, to the appropriate words of committal, another millionaire, looking at his dead friend with a tear in his eye, said “Man, that’s living!”.

In my opinion there was more emphasis not on the living but on the dying. Nothing could have been more dead than this man. Whenever you do something that gives you pleasure, you express your enjoyment by saying “This is the life”, or “this is living!”

What makes you say that?

What brings you joy in your life?

Take a few minutes to really think about that.

Text:

Philippians 1:12–22 NIV

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 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. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 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!

Phil

Remember how I asked you what makes you say “This is the life?” or “This is living?”

Well Paul said it in prison. He believed in Jesus Christ and had committed his life to Him. “To me,” he said, “to live is Christ”. For Christians this is living.

Life begins with Christ v. 21

Some people say life begins at forty. When would you say life began for you?

The truth is however, that life begins at whatever age one finds Christ as personal Lord and Savior. When we are born again we find real life, new life in Christ. Is that truth for you?

Paul discovered this truth when he met Christ on the Damascus road.

Augustine was born again when he heard the voice of Christ in a quiet garden.

Francis of Assisi started a new life on the day he heard Christ’s voice in a run down church

John Wesley found new life on an evening when Christ spoke to him in a Moravian chapel.

Truly we begin living with Christ!

Born again there’s really been a change in me

Born again just like Jesus said

Born again and all because of Calvary

I’m glad so glad that I’ve been born again!

Oh what a change what a difference!

Living He loved me!

So let us begin at the first part of verse 21.

The first main heading that I want to set before you is, “To Live is Christ.” Notice how this begins, “for to me,” this is put in what we call the emphatic position in a sentence. In other words, it is to draw attention to this. This is very personal for Paul, “For me,” “For me, to live is Christ.” Paul does not have a secondhand experience of Christ. He does not have a secondhand faith. He does not have faith through his parents or through his spouse. Paul can say, “For me, for to me, in the depths of my soul, in the core of my very being.” 

It is a very personal experience. We cannot make heaven on the merits of our nan or pop, mom or dad. We have to personally ask for forgiveness and allow the transformation of salvation to come to us!

He is a personal God!

What Paul is saying is regardless of how anyone else is living, “for me.” Regardless of what my friends are doing, “for to me.” Regardless of those around me, and what they will choose, “for to me.” Regardless of what the world says, “for to me.” Paul says, “For me, this is what is real and authentic and genuine in my life, for to me to live.” Paul is making a distinction here between merely having existence and actually, truly living. When he says, “to live,” he is talking about the very reason and purpose for his life. He is speaking here of that which is supreme in his life.

I’ll tell you the best thing… this is us singing to the uttermost of what God has done for us personally.

Not only is “For me” meaningful here but he then says “to live”.

In other words I get from this Paul is telling us the what the driving force is in his life.

What is imperative in his life. What without, my life would be meaningless and pointless and would be empty.

He is talking about what it really means to live.

What is living for you?

He is not talking about just going through the empty motions of life. He is not talking about being a mechanical robot and just cranking out a day-to-day existence. He means for him to be fully alive in the Lord Jesus Christ, “for me to live.” 

I have said it before church we need to wake up and realize we are not meant to go through the motions of meandering through life. Our life is to exemplify Him!

And to reflect living For Christ as much as we can.

For me to live, Christ.” This is to say, “my whole life is Christ. The sum and the substance of my life is Christ. There is nothing in my life that is outside of living for Christ. Everything in my life is under the lordship of Christ. Christ is the very essence of my being,” that is what Paul is saying, the deepest reality of his soul.

Col. 3:4

Colossians 3:4 NIV

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Gal. 2

Galatians 2:20 NIV

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

There was a time in Paul’s life when he did not live for Christ, just as there was a time in your life when you did not live for Christ. At that time before his conversion, Paul lived for himself.

Paul was lost and perishing. Paul lived for his own reputation. Paul lived for his own cause. Paul lived for his own religiosity, and at that time, Paul lived against Christ. Paul lived without Christ. Paul lived independent of Christ. Paul lived for Paul.

Then he had an experience on the Damascus road that changed it all!

, Paul with letters in hand was en route to apprehend the Christians in Damascus and to bring them back to stand trial in Jerusalem and to be put to death. Never was anyone more determined against Christ than was Paul and with all of his energy, and with all of his might, and with all of his strength, Paul’s intent was to snuff out the name of Christ from the earth, and he did it as one who was religiously blind thinking he was serving God.

Then on that Damascus road, Jesus Christ intervened in his life, and there was a bright light that appeared out of heaven and literally knocked Paul off his horse, and in that moment sovereign grace apprehended the Saul of Tarsus and laid hold of him, and Saul looked up and said, “What would you have me to do, Lord?” In that movement, Paul came under the authority of the sovereign lordship and the absolute deity of Jesus Christ. In that conversion experience Paul undertook, by the Spirit of God, a 180-degree change of direction. Paul had been on the broad road headed for destruction, and suddenly he was transformed by the power of God.

Philippians 3:7–9 NLT

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

Philippians 3:7 NLT

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.

Life is lived in Christ

Dr. Harry P. Stagg retired after many years as the executive secretary of the NEw Mexico Baptist Convention. He had returned to his home in Louisiana after serving in WW1. While serving there he suffered lung damage from exposure to poisonous gas. It looked like he was going to die. But he went to New Mexico and not only did he live but he had a long and strong ministry there. He found a climate he could live in.

Christ provides a climate where Christians live. A daily devotional life and fellowship with other Christians in the church help provide this environment. A coal cannot remain alive burning alone. Neither can a Christian remain alive and growing outside the church.

Philippians 3:7–9 NIV

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, 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 is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

Jesus Christ must be Lord over our lives. He must be number one. He has the right to control the shots. We live where he directs us to live. We do what he directs us to do. We are to do whatever Christ commands. Nothing supersedes Christ in Paul’s life. Everything in his life as well as in ours must yield to Christ. Christ must have first place in our families. He must have first place in our marriages. He must have first place in our professions and careers. He must have first place in our mission and ministry. He must have first place in our intellect, in our time, in our love, in our conversations, in our pleasures, in our eating, in our play.

For Paul, The purpose of his life was Christ. The priority of his life was Christ.

What is yours?

Life is loved for Christ

What is the purpose of your life?

Paul could state that his purpose was to live for Christ.

Too many people drift along without purpose for existence. Life needs some meaning, some goal. Those who aim at nothing usually attain nothing.

Living for Christ makes life worth living. Are you living your full potential in Him?

Are you content with floating along?

I get passionate when I get into the Word of God, when I see the hand of God moving on His people. I am fired up when it comes to doing His work but man oh man Paul was loads more passionate than I could ever be.

Nothing thrilled Paul’s heart more than Christ.

His whole life was enraptured with Christ, to behold the glory of Christ, the beauty of Christ.

What Paul does, he does because Christ leads him, and he is enthusiastically, wholeheartedly for Christ.

He is fired up for Christ.

He is excited for Christ.

In fact, to be a follower of Christ, you cannot love anything or anyone more than Christ.

Matthew 10:37 NIV

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

We must love Christ more than anyone or anything in this world. That is what it means to live for Christ.

We sang this morning I am blessed and I know that I am. I have a beautiful family, loving husband, supportive church. I can go on and on. I need to recognize His place as priority in my life, nothing should come before that.

I need to honor Him with service in my life, how I use my time, in my giving (make giving a priority and not begrudgingly), how I act and exist.

Paul understood that the goal of his Christian life was to be conformed into the image of Christ. He must think like Christ. He must talk like Christ. He must walk like Christ. He must be in submission to the Father like Christ. He must act like Christ. He must react like Christ. Everything in his life must be patterned after Christ.

1 Peter 2:21 NLT

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

The most repeated statement in the Gospels is “Follow Me”.

1 John

1 John 2:6 NIV

Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

In other words, you can tell who is following Christ because they are the ones who are walking according to the pattern of Christ

Conclusion:

When we pull all this together, we clearly see that Christ was not a mere segment of Paul’s life. Christ was not simply a part of the whole, but that Christ himself is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega of Paul’s life and everything in between. Christ was not merely Paul’s life on Sunday, but was his life on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Paul had no other life, but to live for Christ. Everything in his life must be brought under the lordship of Christ. Everything in his life must be brought into alignment with the chief cornerstone, Christ. Everything had to square with Christ. Everything must be in sync with Christ. This is how we are to live our lives, beloved. Christ is everything.

“For me to live is…” how would you fill in the rest of that sentence? If we were to take a pop quiz tonight and we were to pass out blank pieces of paper and a little number three pencil, and you were to write in, “For me to live is…,” what would you put? Would you put “family”? Then to die is loss.  Would you put “church”? Then to die is loss. Would you put “morality and good works”? Then for you to die is loss, and so it would be for me were I could finish that sentence that way. The only way dying is gain is to live solely and exclusively for the person and work of Jesus Christ. Christ must be our purpose, or we do not live at all. Christ must be our priority and our passion, or we have mere empty existence. Christ must be our pattern and our partner, or we live apart from Christ. Christ must be our tower in our persecution, and there are so many other things that we could add. He is our peace, he is our everything. Anything and everything else that would be related to salvation, it is in Christ and Christ alone. 

The last part of that v. 21 says to die is gain.

Notice how he concludes the verse. He says, “and to die is gain.” Please note the inseparable connection in verse 21, “to live is Christ,” then and therefore, “to die is gain.”

How could he say, “to die is gain”? How could he say that when our own human nature and tendency is to protect our own life, is to shield our life from danger and from harm? How could he say to die is gain? The only way he could say that is that he would understand that because of his conversion to Christ, because of his faith in Jesus Christ, then to die would mean he would immediately pass into heaven and there stand before the throne of the Lord Jesus Christ and to be received into his presence. There is no greater gain than this.

The things of the world are mere trinkets that are perishing and passing away compared with the beatific vision. The greatest, most glorious experience that any human soul will ever undertake, it is to behold Christ. It is to see and savor Christ. It is to be in His immediate presence and with glorified eyes and with glorified body to stand faultless before the throne, clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ and to behold the beauty of His glory, the beauty of His majesty.

That is the greatest pleasure, that is the greatest satisfaction. That is the greatest euphoric high. That is the purpose for which we have been created to stand in his presence and to behold him who is King of kings and who is Lord of lords. To be personally converted to Jesus Christ, to be born again by the Spirit of God from above, to be justified by faith is the sole and exclusive passage and way into the immediate presence of Christ.

Sing: Born Again