Philippians 1:12-18
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As we come to our passage today please know that at the end of the service I will say something about the Corona Virus and Sunday worship. I’ll share just a few common sense thoughts on the matter.
Turn in your Bible to and Heb 10:32
Let’s pray for our sermon today and pray for the challenges we face with the virus.
Pray for: Our national leaders, for those who are sick and will get sick, for trust in God, to respond with trust/faith and not anxiety, God would help us minister to any who get sick. Have an outward look. Serve others and trust the Lord.
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice,
Video
Transition - There are those who are suffering for their faith all over the word.
-We believe that 11 Christians around the world die every day for their faith.
-Some reports show that there are more Christians persecuted today than in any other time in the World’s history.
Big Idea is this: Jesus is worth suffering for.
Transition - the good news is this
Persecution propels the Gospel forward, vs 12-13
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.
What has happened to Paul?
-He was under house arrest in Rome waiting to be tried before the Emperor.
-He could not leave his house, He was bound in chains, and Paul was being watched by guards 24/7.
-He did not know what day he would be tried and he might be put to death.
-Before this imprisonment in Rome Paul gives a brief account of what he has already experienced in his journey with Christ.
24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
Paul had been through a lot.
II cor 11:24-
Now Paul is in prison in Rome. He is facing potential death.
If this were you and me we would have a tendency to feel defeated. Not knowing what the next day might bring we would go inward, fight depression and discouragement. Maybe Paul struggled with these things.
However, we see that this persecution, this imprisonment caused Paul to have to answer a question. This is a question you have to answer as well.
Is Jesus who He says He is? and Is Jesus worth suffering and dying for?
For us today the questions are more like,
Is Jesus worth giving up my entire life for? Is Jesus worth giving up friendship and family for? Is Jesus worth giving up promotion or popularity for?
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
Paul answered both these questions with a resounding “Yes”.
Paul answered both these questions with a resounding “Yes”.
Yes, Jesus is who He says He is. Yes, Jesus is worth suffering and dying for.
How do we know?
Paul was under house arrest in Rome. This meant that he rented a house and Roman Guards came and stayed with him. Paul was in chains. There was no phone, Netflix or internet to distract you.
What do you do all day stuck in your house with guards?
-At some point you have conversation.
-Paul isn’t going to have empty conversation about the Chariot races at Circus Maximus. Paul is going to find a way to share the Gospel.
A few guards come in for their assigned rotation.
Paul is going to strike up conversation. He is going to look for every opportunity to talk about spiritual things and share the Gospel.
Paul was so vigorous to share the Gospel that verse 13 read...
13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.
Paul’s imprisonment became known to the whole Imperial Guard (Praetorian Guard)
The Imperial Guard was made up of 9,000 soldiers.
We challenge you to be praying for and sharing Jesus with your 1.
Paul did not just have 1 person he had purposed to share Jesus with. He had whoever was assigned to him as guards that day.
As different guards were assigned to stay with him at the house they heard the Gospel. Don’t you know that Paul told his testimony, the stories about Jesus, Jesus death and resurrection, the miracles that took place in his life and even theologically what the Gospel meant.
Paul had a captive audience. His soldiers weren’t going anywhere.
Paul believed that Jesus was who he said he was and that Jesus was worth dying for. Paul was not going to face possible execution in despair.
Paul was determined to face the end of His life pressing into the mission that God called Him to.
Paul beleived that Jesus was who He said He is.:
The Son of God, The creator of the World, The one who has power over all things, the one who paid for sin on the cross, who rose again the 3rd day, who has power over life, death and even Corona Virus.
Because Paul believed that Jesus was who He said He was, Paul was willing to suffer the loss of all things. Paul would rather gain Christ and share about Christ than anything else.
Paul believed that Jesus was worth it.
Do you believe that Jesus is worth following, even and especially when life gets hard and when persecution comes?
-Paul believed that Jesus was worth it.
-Look at
32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
???Jesus is worth persecution. Jesus is worth suffering. Jesus is worth following when life becomes impossible.
II. Persecution propels the church forward vs 14
14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
Persecution is fuel for the church. It propels the church forward.
Hebrews 10:32-
Example Church in China -
Would you allow me to give an illustration about China.
When I say China people get a negative thought. If you have never been to a communist country or a country that has been an enemy of the U.S. in their past let me encourage you with this thought.
You need to separate in your heart the oppressive government from the every day common people who without choice live under these regimes.
My experience being China and other countries who had harsh rulers was this. Both the unbelievers and beleivers in these countries that I have met and been in their homes are so loving, kind welcoming and gracious to Americans that they put our Southern American Christians to shame.
These hard governments do not represent the kind hearts of many of their people.
As an example, What we see in China is that as the government has persecuted the church, the church has grown. It is believed today that out of 1.4 billion people there are 234 million Christians in China out of 1.4 billion people. 234 Million is more people than are registered with the communist party. 234 million is 17% of the population and it is growing. The more the church in China has been persecuted the more it grows.
It is believed that by the year 2050 (30 years from now) that there will be more missionaries being sent from China to do missions in other nations than any other country in the world.
In Paul’s day persecution caused the church to step up and to share the Gospel more.
They saw Paul’s boldness in the face of persecution. This inspired them to boldly stand up for Jesus.
The author of Hebrews says this about believers who had been persecuted.
32 But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, 33 sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. 35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
Example from general revelation.
Example Concentric circles.
-Middle of the bullseye is when our stress level is low, comfortable. Little growth in our life.
-3rd circle is high stress and more extreme anxiety. This is more of “My hair is on fire.” kind of stress. This happens in life, but is super unhealthy to live long periods of time in this. Lots of fight or flight response in this area. It is very difficult to grow and change in this super intense stress time. Focus is just surviving.
-2nd circle, middle circle is when we have stress, but not over our head stress that drowns us. The more we push ourself our of comfort (the middle of the bullseye) onto this middle area, the more we tend to grow.
Illustrate - If you are going to grow professionally in your job and you are at ease and very comfortable (You are in the bullseye, you have to set goals, challenge yourself and get yourself into the middle circle to grow.
Spiritually, If you are in the bullseye, comfortable, floating along - you have to push yourself with goals and challenges to grow.
Persecution yanks you out of the middle place of comfort into an area of stress to grow.
Persecution forces us to trust God more. Persecution forces us into a significant prayer time. Persecution forces us to relly and depend on each other.
Persecution is the fuel for the church.
Persecution propels the church forward.
Transition - finally in our passage we see that
III. The Gospel is about God’s Greatness (not the motivation or personality of man).
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice,
phil 1:
In Paul’s day there were those who shared the Gospel boldly out of love.
Like in any environment there were people who were jealous of Paul or who didn’t like Paul. In this case Christians who didn’t like Paul.
They shared the Gospel and preached the Gospel so they could take Paul’s position of leadership while he was away, or get others attention, for popularity.
In Bible times all education was private and cost you. Some would share the Gospel if someone would pay them.
-What do we see from Paul? Humility. The attitude that - It’s not about me. Just as important we see Paul’s real motivation.
What was His motivation? That the Gospel would go out. That God would be lifted up. That people would be saved. It wasn’t about Him.
Paul knew that the Gospel carries with it the power to change lives.
The Gospel doesn’t need help.
To Believers, To lift God up
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
For Paul the Gospel wasn’t about personalities, but about God’s greatness being declared.
Transition - And what is this greatness.
Gospel
That your sins were paid for through persecution.
Jesus went to the cross not only an innocent man, but a sinless man.
Jesus execution was a persecution from the Jews that hated Him because people were turning to faith in Him, The Son of God.
says this about Jesus.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Is 53:4-
Jesus took on sin and the wrath of God and paid for it by giving his life as a sacrifice for sin.
If you are not a Christ follower, Jesus offers you the free gift of forgiveness.
He asks that you place our full faith in Him, to turn from you sin and follow Him.
Will you do that right now?
To the believer, the Christ follower:
Jesus did not run from persecution. He knew that God brings good out of persecution.
Maybe you are afraid to stand up for Jesus because you are afraid of the persecution that comes with following Him.
Know this you standing up for Jesus is worth it ....
He is worthy of persecution ...
By living for Jesus when life is difficult propels others around you closer to Him.
9 “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them.
II cor 11:24-
24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.