Rejoicing in Future Hope

Introduction

Good morning everyone! We will be examining Philippians 1 again so you can go ahead and turn your Bibles there. We’ll be looking at verses 18b through 26. The last time that we left off with Paul, he was speaking to the Philippians about his rejoicing in present distress. He was in chains, bound to guards in his rented quarters in Rome awaiting trial. This of course kept him from his pastoral, and especially missionary, endeavors. He has to rely on others to bring him food and keep him updated on all of the various things that were going on. Despite the unforeseen circumstances, Paul rejoiced by seizing hold of the opportunity given to him to spread the gospel. Even the praetorian guards heard of the gospel.

In Paul’s persecution, he rejoiced so that others took courage from him in chains and went about spreading the gospel without fear. And even when Paul was opposed by those who claim to be Christians, he rejoiced when the truth of Jesus was spoken, even if it was from envy and strife.

The point of the last sermon was how Paul viewed his current circumstances in light of Jesus and rejoiced. He filtered his present circumstance through the lens of Jesus. His comfort and his desires weren’t the things he grounded his joy in. His entire life was dedicated to Jesus, as well as spreading the gospel.

Today, we’ll see how Paul turns from his present circumstances to his future one. And through it, how Paul uses that same ability to filter everything through Jesus to see a future hope. If you look at the text, we have this interesting hinge in verse 18. We left off last time towards the end of the verse where Paul states, “In this I rejoice” speaking of those who spoke the truth of Jesus even from envy and strife. The word “rejoice” in that sentence is in the present tense. Paul was rejoicing currently as he wrote that letter about that present circumstance. Verse 18b transitions to look at the future. It says, “Yes, and I will rejoice.” We see this theme of future orientation carry through the rest of verse 26.

Paul is awaiting trial with Caesar at this point. So his immediate future – the thing looming in his mind – is that trial that would determine whether or not he would be executed for his crime of preaching the gospel.

With that in mind, let’s look at verse 18b through 26:

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.

Paul’s Confidence

I think one way to think of this text is to see the overarching theme of Paul’s confidence in God. He can rejoice while looking to the future because his future hope rested in a God who is all powerful and all reliable. A God who Paul knew was for him and not against him.

This unwavering confidence that Paul had led him to say that he will rejoice. In this text he provides two specific reasons for ability to rejoice in the future. The first is in Philippians 1:19, where he states, “for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance…” The second is in verse 21, where he states, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” These two reasons – his knowledge (for I know) and his devotion (to live is Christ and die is gain) – stand as pillars in this passage, supporting Paul’s confidence and giving him the assurance of his future joy.

With that, I’ll be breaking this text down into three subpoints. The first is of Paul’s knowledge. The second is Paul’s devotion. And lastly, we’ll conclude with Paul’s decision.

Paul’s Knowledge

We start off with our first subpoint which is Paul’s knowledge. Look with me at verses 19-20. Paul states, “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body whether by life or by death.”

What I want us to see with these verses is that Paul is actually saying the same thing in two different ways. He says it in a positive way and in a negative way. He says he knows this will turn out for his deliverance (that’s saying it positively). Then he says he knows that he would not be put to shame (that’s saying it negatively).

Let’s look first at how he says this positively. When I first read this, it struck me as odd that Paul was confident of his deliverance. I interpreted the word deliverance as being prevented from being executed. That he would be delivered from death at the upcoming trial.

The text itself though, tells me that I was wrong. Paul was not talking about being delivered from death. Paul goes on to talk about the possibility of death over and over again in the coming verses. Death was a distinct possibility that Paul hadn’t ruled out yet. So, the word “deliverance” here has to mean something else.

Word for deliverance

The word used for deliverance is soteria, where we get the word soteriology – the doctrine of salvation. This word can be applied to rescue from physical threats or harm. But in the context of Paul’s writings, it often means much more. It often means a salvation from sin’s power, from God’s wrath, or from the physical and eternal end of history.

In this immediate context, Paul is speaking about a deliverance/salvation from denying Jesus. This deliverance is a positive way of saying what he will say next in Philippians 1:20.

I’ll explain that but it brings us to the way Paul says that negatively. Paul says that he would not be put to shame in anything. What Paul is saying is that to be delivered means to not be put to shame.

Ultimately, what Paul is saying positively of deliverance and negatively of not being put to shame is that Christ would be exalted. That is, the shame Paul is speaking of here is the shame or embarrassment over confessing his faith in Jesus in front of Caesar at the trial. To put it positively, Paul was confident he would be delivered from standing before Caesar and denying Jesus! He has written to the Christians in Rome that he was not ashamed of the gospel (Rom. 1:16). Now he will stand before Caesar, in Rome, and he will get the opportunity to follow up that declaration with real action.

Paul says that this deliverance would be according to his “earnest expectation and hope.” That is, that rather than being put to shame, he would exalt Christ in life or death. He was about to stand in front of Caesar, who from a humanly standpoint, had the ability to either exonerate and free Paul, or execute him. And Paul said he was confident – he knew he said – that he would be able to stand strong that day in accordance with his deepest desires to exalt Jesus. Whether that meant life or death for him, that wasn’t the point.

Not rooted in feelings

This knowledge led to his rejoicing because of his future hope of exalting Jesus. Paul’s desire – his hope – is to exalt Jesus. And because he was confident, because he knew, God would help him do that at the trial, Paul said he will rejoice when that happens.

I try to put myself in Paul’s shoes and I just don’t know if I could say “I will rejoice.” I would be fearful and anxious instead of being confident I will rejoice! But we have to remember that Paul was not talking about feelings here. His confidence and knowledge, even his rejoicing, was not rooted in an emotional high. Instead, it’s rooted in his faith. It’s what Hebrews 11:1 calls, “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

To illustrate this, turn with me to 2 Corinthians 1:8-10. Here, Paul is speaking about a near death experience in Asia. Paul’s tone is very different in this passage than in Philippians. He displays a very different emotional range. He says starting in verse 8:

8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; 9 indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; 10 who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us…

We see here a very different attitude towards death. Paul doesn’t seem to have great joy in the face of death here – he tells them of the suffering and hardships in Asia instead. It is a hardship that Paul said burdened him excessively – beyond his strength. And Paul despaired in the midst of it. He even despaired of life, he said. But the point Paul made here was not simply how terrible a time it was for him. Rather, he wanted those in Corinth to know something – to be aware – that he did not trust in himself. Rather, he trusted in God who “raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us.”

Here the word Paul uses for “deliver” is a different Greek word, meaning deliverance from immediate physical danger. The idea though is similar. Paul’s confidence stemmed from God, not from himself. His knowledge that God raises the dead, that he delivers, meant that God will deliver again. Paul couldn’t rely on his own subjective feelings – he relied on the liableness of the One and Only God who raises the dead.

Paul’s emotions ebbed and flowed, like all of us. I can be happy one moment and depressed the next. I can feel like my ministry or my studies or my discipling is going well one moment, and the feel defeated the next. Our feelings are not what we set our hope on. It is on God! Paul’s belief and confidence in God never wavered, even as his emotions may change.

One example of this is when we go to Forrest Home for the Men’s Retreat. Often times many of us come back with a level of a spiritual high. We had spent a few dedicated days with other brothers and sisters and with God, talking about things that are glorifying to Him. We come back feeling elated. But emotional highs can sometimes lead to emotional lows. There’s this dip where you feel how high you were and how low you’ve fallen.

Or here is another example. One of my professors was recently talking about church discipline. And he spoke of how right after someone is excommunicated from a church, the entire congregation usually has this sober conviction that they would never sin again. That they would confess their sins and repent immediately! This emotional conviction isn’t bad – it can be a good thing from time to time to shake us out of our spiritual slumber. But that emotion goes up and down. Our conviction of attempting to live like Jesus, however, should not.

My point here is that we shouldn’t feel defeated if we don’t have that same level of emotional conviction in the face of uncertain futures. Just that we continue to cling to our faith and know God will be faithful. Paul says he will rejoice from a position of faith.

I want us to see something else in these verses too. Paul’s knowledge is not mere intellectual knowledge. His knowledge was rooted in two other things in verse 19. He states “through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.”

Paul knew that his conviction to stand strong wasn’t his own ability. It’s not some works righteousness, based on Paul’s ability to stand strong. Rather, he knew that he needed the Holy Spirit to strengthen him. He also knew that he needed his brothers and sisters to pray for him, flooding him with the power of the Holy Spirit through their appeal to God. Paul wasn’t pulling himself put by his own bootstraps. He knew he needed the community of the saints. He knew he needed God the Spirit to embolden and empower him.

Application questions

In applying this section to us, we should ask ourselves, what do we need deliverance from that we are anticipating? What is causing me anxiety and fear as I look forward to the future? Is it fear of death? What about injustice? Many are feeling they are treated differently because of the color of their skin. What about violence? America is rocked with violence and looting. What about poverty? Many of us are struggling with finances, some significantly more than others. Think about the things you are often anxious about as you look towards the future.

And then we need to ask ourselves, “Am I looking for deliverance from that situation or am I looking for deliverance from not exalting Jesus in my life?” Am I able to respond, “Whether in life or death, Christ will be exalted in my body? Whether suffering injustice or seeing justice served, Christ will be exalted in my body? Whether poor or rich, Christ will be exalted in my body?”

Lastly, we should ask ourselves how much we covet our brothers’ and sisters’ prayers. How much do we ask for prayer when we are unable to stand strong and exalt Jesus in anticipating our future? How many of us see the effectiveness of prayer and actively pray for other members of this body so that they may be able to exalt Jesus as they face an uncertain future?

Paul was certain he would be able to stand firm and exalt Jesus because of God and His character. He was also certain of his brothers and sisters’ prayers and the Spirit’s presence. He knew that God dwelled in him, loved him, and protected him. He knew his brothers and sisters were praying for him, pleading for him, interceding for him. We need to do the same. Then, we can face down an uncertain future with certainty – knowing that whatever happens that Christ will be glorified through us.

Paul’s Devotion

We turn next to Paul’s devotion. We’ve been talking about his knowledge – his firm belief and trust in God through the prayers of the saints and the power of the Spirit. We’ll now turn to the second source of Paul’s confidence: his deep devotion.

Read with me again verses 21 through 23. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better.”

What I want us to see here is Paul’s utter devotion to Jesus. Exalting Jesus is the center, the core, of Paul’s identity and being. He’s confident that whatever happened, he would be delivered as a result because no matter what happened to him all he wanted was to see Jesus glorified. In our day and age, many would look at that type of devotion as fanaticism. Why would this man want to die for the sake of religion? For Paul, it was his very reason for being.

And this confidence – stemming from his devotion to Jesus – plays out in two surprising ways in this passage. The first is that Paul believes life and death is in his command. Or to put it another way, that the outcome of the upcoming trial was Caesar was up to his choice. Notice what Paul says in verse 22, “I do not know which to choose.”

Paul keeps making these ironic reversals in this first chapter. He’s in chains in Rome but he calls himself as slave of Jesus instead. He’s bound to guards and yet it’s the guards that are bound to him as he speaks of Jesus and the gospel. He’s the one who will be tried and Caesar will either execute him or exonerate him and yet he says he doesn’t know whether to choose death or life.

He knew that there was only an appearance of Caesar being in power. In reality, it was actually God who was in control. In facing down Caesar, Paul knew that he had someone even greater to appeal to. He had the King of kings – the Caesar of Caesars – to appeal to. It is God who is sovereign. It is God who was in control of Caesar. Paul’s absolute devotion to God meant that his entire life was a living sacrifice to God. It was for God to do to Paul as He willed.

Which also meant that he could be confident that whatever God willed would also “work together for good, for those who are called according to God’s purpose.”

To put it differently, Paul’s “choice” here wasn’t so much about Paul exerting control, as much it wasn’t about Caesar’s ability to control events. It was about his acknowledgment that God was in control. And Paul was trying to divide the will of God, trying to understand how he could see God bringing about good in either circumstances: life or death. And then – to decide from there what he will choose to pray for. Paul is in essence saying, “Living and dying both have benefits that exalt Jesus. I do not know which I will choose to pray to appeal to God for!”

Boss/work example

Think of it as facing an upcoming meeting with your boss. Things have been tough at work and you recently were written up for something you did. You know that budget is tight and that your position with the company is tenuous. Now your boss wants to talk to you about your future with the company. You’re sitting there, waiting to go in for this meeting. Your boss seems to have the ability to either fire you or keep you. And Paul says, “I do not know which to choose.” God was in control, and whatever His decision is is what will happen.

But here’s an important point. It’s not just a passive “God will do what He wills.” What Paul is walking us through here is deeper than that. It requires more work. Paul was weighing the evidence – we’ll get to that at the conclusion – but he’s looking at these two alternatives and he’s thinking: which one should I choose? Which one brings about God’s glory most? And it is the one that will bring God’s glory most that he will pray for. That he will appeal to God for. That he will choose. In the job situation, it’s not about what you want the most. It’s about looking at the alternatives: keeping your job or losing it, and deciding, which one will you choose to appeal to God for in prayer? And how to decide that is something we will get to.

The second thing that should surprise us about this is that Paul finds death a desirable alternative. And it’s not as if Paul has some death wish. He’s not suicidal here. Paul isn’t so depressed he sees death as an escape. He actually still wants to live! Again, the reason Paul finding death desirable is that it come from a life that is entirely devoted to Jesus. “To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Christ rules, whether Paul lives and exalts him, or dies and exalts Him in his presence forever!

There’s nothing these people can do to him. There’s no decree from Caesar that will affect him eternally. Paul’s life is absolutely devoted to Jesus, and thus the unshakable confidence of Paul leads him to say in Romans 8:37-39, “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul says, “Bring it! Whatever you do to me, Jesus has already conquered death itself. What are you going to do that won’t result in Jesus being magnified? I have already died and now my life is His!” This absolute devotion of Jesus leads to his confidence.

In Galatians 2:20 Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” For Paul, he’s already dead in one sense, because he’s been crucified with Jesus. This life now is a journey, a pilgrim’s progress, towards our true destination.

As 1 Peter 2:11 puts it, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers...” We are foreigners to this land while we journey onward to the Heavenly Kingdom and to live with God forever. To kill Paul – to kill any Christian – means literally to help a Christian arrive at his or her destination sooner. Death isn’t an evil choice Paul had to avoid at all costs. To die is gain.

Because of that, Paul can say, death is actually the desirable path for him. This is so counter-intuitive that I have a hard time grasping it. Do I live like that? Or do I cling to life with all my might, fearing of death creeping up on me? Am I like Paul who can say that death is actually “very much better?”

Application Questions

In applying this, I would ask what is your earnest hope and expectation? When you look at your life and the future trajectory of where it is heading, do you think, “However my life goes, wherever my life leads, my chief end is the exaltation of Jesus.”

Or instead, are looking to something else? Are you looking forward with the hope of getting that college degree, that job promotion, that additional pay increase, getting married someday, having your children become respectable and accomplished adults, or whatever else?

Do you value the possibility of getting married to the person you love more than exalting Jesus? Whether that relationship worked out or not? Do you value your job more?

While all of those goals in themselves are good, we need to keep in mind that simple truth that they should not be our ultimate hope. That we don’t make idols out of good things. As we live life, it’s not “I’ll try and exalt Jesus as I accomplish and get the things that I truly want.” That’s reversed. It’s “My life is about exalting Jesus. I may or may not get all these other things that I want. Whether I do or not, I need to exalt Jesus! Whichever outcome exalts Jesus most is the one I should pray for, not what I want!”

Paul’s Conclusion

I want to conclude by examining Paul’s conclusion. That is, Paul’s decision.

The fact that Paul believes he can choose between life and death, rather than it being Caesar’s choice, should surprise us. The fact that Paul believes death is a favorable alternative, should surprise us. Yet I think that there’s a third aspect that should surprise us. That is, that he saw that death was the favorable alternative. Not only is it a desirable outcome, it was the desirable outcome.

In fact, he believed that death was very much better. And yet, and this is the fourth surprise, Paul made a different decision. He chose life. Paul says in verses 24-26, “…yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”

Paul used the word “convinced” which means to be persuaded. He doesn’t have some special revelation from God that he will in fact survive this trial. Instead, through his reasoning and weighing, he’s convinced of which decision he must appeal to God for. He’s looked at the evidence and found that he would prefer death. That death was “very much better.” But who was it better for? It was better for Paul if he died.

But when Paul stepped back and looked at it from a standpoint of loving others, he saw that him remaining alive for now would be better for the Philippians, amongst others. We see here again Paul’s absolute devotion in life. Paul doesn’t want to stay alive simply because it would be best for him. In fact, Paul felt dying would be best for him. Yet, because Paul’s entire being is devoted to loving God with all his might, soul, and strength – his motivation for life is loving others, as well. So, for Paul, as he faces death, he says in verse 24, “Yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.”

It reminds me of the call to husbands in Ephesians 5:25 where Paul says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” Paul’s call isn’t for all husbands to go out and die for their wives physically. It definitely included that call. But Paul was speaking mainly of a figurative death. Giving oneself up, dying to oneself, isn’t just physical death. Sometimes I think physical death is easier than the daily grind of dying to your wants, desires, and preferences. That day to day dying to yourself for the other person. Choosing, daily, to do that which you don’t want so that you may bring about the good of the other.

Paul’s doing just that here. He’s dying to himself by not asking for death, ironically. While death would be “gain” and “much better,” yet to live was needed for the Philippians and that too is desirable for Paul. In fact, in looking at the evidence Paul believed that that would be what would exalt Jesus the most. And so he chose to appeal to God, knowing that God would bring about that which would bring the most good to His people.

Paul trusted that God will only do that which will glorify Him and be for the benefit of His children. For Paul then, being able to be around to care for God’s flock is what will benefit God’s children and so he’s convinced that this is what God’s will is. In making a decision on what to pray for, Paul concludes that he will appeal – pray for – what God wants not what he wants most. It’s not that being alive wasn’t desirable for Paul, just that the alternative (death) was more so. And yet, it wasn’t up to Paul to choose what he believed he wanted most. In praying and appealing to God, he wanted “God’s will to be done, not his.”

This should bring vividly to mind Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane. Please turn there with me to Matthew 26 and starting in verse 36. In Gethsemane, Jesus faced a similar dilemma. Our Lord knew that He was being betrayed. That Judas had gone to bring soldiers to arrest him and to execute Him. And our Lord knew that all of that rested in God’s hand. Here, Jesus struggled differently than Paul. Jesus was about to face a horrific sentencing – not just the execution of being nailed to a cross alone, but the full wrath of the Father reserved for sinners.

The evangelist Matthew recounts again starting in verse 36:

“36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray. 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.’ 39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will. 40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41 Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ 42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.’ 43 Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.”

In face of taking upon the sins of world, Jesus said “your will be done.” The will of the Father be done. Jesus didn’t pray for what He wanted. He acknowledged what He wanted – that the cup pass from Him. But he discerned the will God and said “your will be done.” In imitating Jesus, Paul acknowledged what he wanted. The Apostle knew that death was desirable. But he also said, “your will be done.” And he chose to appeal to God for life.

All of this, is an example for us. As I spoke about in my last sermon, remember that this letter was written as an occasional letter. Paul wrote this letter to this church for a reason. He wasn’t writing a diary where he put down his pious thought. Instead, what Paul was doing was trying to address specific issues in this specific congregation.

Paul will turn to speak to the Philippians in the very next verse. He says in verse 27, “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel.” In verse 28, “in no way be alarmed by your opponents.” In verse 29 he says, “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” Paul is going to turn from his context, to their context. What he’s been doing has been setting himself up as an example. In speaking about how he responded to his circumstances, Paul was encouraging the Philippians to do the same in their circumstance. Or as he puts it in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”

Paul was opening up his inner struggles so that they could see how a person who is captivated by Christ’s preeminence responds to suffering and relationships with others. The very purpose of Paul speaking about all of his struggles is not for us to marvel at how great Paul was. It is for us to see how great Jesus is! And that He too, can make us not only like Paul, but like Himself.

Earlier when we were speaking of Paul’s deliverance, recall that he said his deliverance was in line with his “earnest expectation and hope.” As I’ve been saying, Paul’s supreme goal in life – the goal that he wants to church in Philippi to emulate – is the goal of promoting the glory of God. This is the goal that Paul wants all Christians to seize. As one writer says, “He was not setting himself apart from the rest of us as an otherworldly ascetic, to be admired from a distance by people whose devotion could not match his. Rather, he wanted to make us all feel his thrill at the privilege of magnifying Christ. This privilege, and nothing less, is what you and I were made for.”

We are all called to what Paul is telling us to do in these verses – to rejoice in everything by seeing how all things are to be to the glory of God in Jesus. Paul, as a good pastor, is explaining his circumstances and then walking the congregation through it. He’s showing them his thought process as a believer whose entire life is grounded in Jesus.

He’s helping them know how to grow in real knowledge and discernment, so that they can approve the things that are excellent in order to that the Philippians may be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ. That they may be filled with the fruit of righteousness.

My point is that we don’t miss all that. It’s actually Paul’s very point. His writing all of this is to provide himself as an example for the Philippians, and therefore for us, to understand how to live a life that is glorifying to God.

Paul has presented himself as an example of one who has put Christ as the chief end of his life. Not only did Paul trust God by rejoicing in his present distress, Paul also rejoiced in a future hope of God delivering him to exalt Jesus and work all things for his good. He’s debated between life or death, wondering which he should choose to appeal to God for in prayer. On the one hand, death meant he was freed from his corrupt body and reached the end of this journey in a foreign land which is ruled by Satan. On the other hand, Paul has been given charge as an Apostle to help others, like the Philippians, as they journey along this road. Staying, at least for now, is necessary for their, Paul concludes.

Paul was “convinced” that he would remain so that his sheep’s faith would progress and their joy would abound. We’ve reached the point in our next sermon where Paul is going to turn to the Philippians themselves, giving them instruction on what to do, based upon the example he just provided for them. He’s shown them how to live a life that is marked by Jesus rather than selfishness.

As we close, I want you think about your troubles right now. Think about the situation you’re in. Think about the problems that you’re facing. And think about where it’s headed. Maybe is a difficult relationship that you’re experiencing and you’re dreading that next encounter. Maybe it’s fear of the coronavirus and the possibility of infection for you or another family member. Maybe its uncertainty about our country and where it’s headed. Maybe it’s your job and how you’re going to make enough money to provide for your family. Maybe it’s whether or not you’ll find the right person to marry. Whatever that is that you’re anxious about, think about that.

Now, how are you reacting to the anticipation? The more we can learn to say with Paul, “To me to live is Christ,” the more that our hearts are set free from self-interest. We become more like Jesus. Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma”

As we leave today, think about how you can make your chief end the exaltation of Jesus. Think about how you can align your earnest hope and expectation to be able proclaiming the name of God. Think about how you can make decisions in light of loving God and loving others, rather than loving yourself. As we look at discerning choices set before us, are we choosing to pray for what we want most, or what will exalt Jesus must? I pray that we all grow in that. I pray that we all covet one another’s prayers in that. And I pray that we all pray for one another to do that better.