Living with Eternity in Mind

As I was preparing for this morning’s sermon on Philippians 1, I kept thinking about the dramatic change that took place in the lives of Jesus’ disciples. Something drastic happens in the hearts of these men. On Easter Sunday we studied the events of Holy week, about how Jesus’ closest friends- the disciples- reacted when Jesus was arrested, beaten, and crucified. Instead of standing by the man they called Messiah- the disciples fled, lied, and hid. They were terrified that soldiers would come for them next. (long pause) And yet, a few weeks later, in the book of Acts, we find these same men boldly facing persecution and death for the sake of Jesus. So what happened? Something incredible must have happened to transform these men from cowards to fearless proclaimers.

What happened is these men encountered the resurrected Jesus. Over and over again the eye witness accounts recorded in the New Testament reveal that those who encounter the resurrected Jesus are remarkably transformed.

As we shared last week, Paul was not originally one of Jesus’ followers, in fact, he was a devote Jew who persecuted the early Christians until he had his own encounter with the risen Christ. He was never the same. Instead of hunting down and killing Christians, he became one of them, spreading the good news about Jesus’ resurrection throughout the known world. However, this meant that Paul went from persecutor to being the persecuted. He had rocks thrown at him. He endured being beaten and whipped all for the sake of Jesus.

Last week as we began to explore Paul’s letter to the Philippian Christians we found him writing from prison in Rome awaiting trial before Caesar. At that time Nero was emperor and he was notoriously ruthless in his persecution of the followers of Christ. However, Paul, instead of writing that he is simply enduring his situation, tells the Philippians that those unwanted circumstances are actually serving a purpose. His imprisonment is advancing the gospel and even the prestigious imperial guard are hearing his testimony about Christ. In the midst of his suffering Paul chooses to be joyful. In short, Paul encountered Jesus and he was never the same. Even today, an encounter with Jesus changes lives. Why? There are several answers to that profound question. This morning we are going to continue our study on Philippians 1, where the apostle Paul provides perhaps two of the most meaningful answers to that question.

• First we see that Paul’s encounter with Jesus shaped the way he viewed death

• and second it changed the way he viewed his life.

Read with me the first part of our text for today in Philippians 1:18b-26:

Philippians 1:18b–26 ESV

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, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored 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 live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

As Paul writes these words, his future is uncertain. His impending trial casts long shadows over Paul’s thoughts. When he stands before Caesar will he share the truth about the gospel well? Will the emperor hear him out? Will he be killed or released? However, Paul is not brooding here. The circumstances of his immediate future may be uncertain, on another level, however, his future is entirely certain. As verse 20 states, “whether by life or by death,” Christ is exalted and no matter what the future holds for him, he will not be deprived of his joy.

Friends, I cannot overstate the importance of the truth revealed in this passage. It shows that Paul’s encounter with the resurrected Jesus changed his view of death and life! Life and death- death and life, profound topics to say the least.

Let’s start with death. So point number one this morning is this:

1. Paul’s encounter with the resurrected Jesus changed his view of death!

In verse 19, Paul states that whatever his future holds it will turn out for his deliverance or soteria. This Greek word means “salvation” and it conveys the sense of rescue from God’s wrath on the final day of Judgement. So the deliverance that Paul is talking about is not physical release from the chains that bind him but instead the deliverance of his soul.

As Clarence Hall declares, “The resurrection of Jesus changes the face of death for all His people. Death is no longer a prison, but a passage into God’s presence. Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there You can nail it to a cross, wrap it in winding sheets and shut it up in a tomb, but it will rise!” Paul has seen the risen savior, his deliverance, so he can now say in verse 21, “to die is gain,” because his desire is to depart and be with Christ. For Paul, death is no longer a prison but a passage into God’s presence.

Take note of the word depart in verse 23. The Greek word here is analusai (analuo’) it means “to break up,” “to unloose,” or “to undo.” In his sermon, “Living on Earth; Longing for Heaven,” pastor Skip Heitzig explains that in Paul’s day, this word was used by two groups of people: sailors and soldiers. Sailors used the word “analusai” when they were going to leave one port and sail to another port. Heitzig explains, “they would pull up the rope off the moorings, they would bring in the anchor and they would move form one port to the next.” I think that is what Paul has in mind here as he considers his future there is a desire in Paul to just pull up his anchors from this life and set sail for Heaven’s beautiful shores. Heitzig continues by explaining that soldiers also used the word “analusai.” While out fighting or traveling, soldiers would camp out. They would use “analusai” to indicate when it was time to move from one campsite to another or to go back home. How symbolic. You know, our lives are like that, we are just camping out here and one day it will be time to go to our real home- heaven.

I used to go camping. When I was younger I enjoyed camping but only for short periods of time. If you have ever been camping, you’ll know what I mean. The first night you just want sit by the campfire and enjoy the stars and breath the fresh air. But after a while, all you can smell is the smoke of the fire, and you start to smell a bit rank. The sand you enjoyed squishing between your toes that first day starts to get absolutely everywhere. By day two or three, I just longed to depart for home. Heitzig asserts,

“This Earth is a campground, not much more than that. Our permanent home will be in Heaven and one day it will be time for us to break up the camp, put away the tent, and move on.”

When comparing this life to camping he states,

“I’ve had my tent for years, you ought to see it, it still works, but you can tell it’s old. The threads are coming undone. The flaps are not flapping right… And that’s a good description of our body. This morning, when I got up and got ready for church, I looked in the mirror, and saw the tent, and I saw the threads and the flaps, I go yeah, its not flapping quite right. I thought that’s a tent right there I’m looking at. It’s about done. It’s been well used, but it’s just a tent… The problem is we live in these tents that are just temporary, but we are so preoccupied with our tents. ‘How does my tent look?’ Well, it’s OK for a tent, but don’t be surprised when the tent doesn’t look the same next year, and the year after, and the year after. We get so preoccupied with our ten, the color of our threads, is the tent too big or too small, that we forget that it’s just a tent. It is just a temporary abode.”

In Philippians 1:23 Paul is saying there’s going to be a departure. I am going to pull up the rope and set sail. I am going to break up the camp and move to my real home. But that is not all Paul is saying in this verse. For Paul death is more than just a departure with a pleasant destination. Death is a reunion. Not just a reunion with deceased family and friends, although that will take place in Heaven. No, Paul says, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ.” Death is a step into the presence of God. Paul uses the Greek language here to build meaning upon meaning with his phrase “for that is far better.” The Greek escalates and in English it comes across as ,”much more way big betterest.” So that may be bad English but it was excellent Greek. Far better. It is far better when our God ordained time comes, to depart and be with Jesus.

Earlier, I jumped over verse 21 and 22. Let’s return to them now. Paul writes,

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.”

Friends, this is not a fatalist discussion. You may remember the scene in Shakespeare’s play where Hamlet moodily ponders, “to be or not to be.” Basically, what Hamlet is brooding over is whether or not he should keep on living or kill himself. In these verses, Paul is not contemplating ending his life. What he is saying is that as he faces the possibility of death- of martyrdom, he is confident in that his joy will continue, even if he is executed. Paul knows that if he is killed he will depart for heaven and be reunited with his beloved friend and savior. As John Piper tells us, for Paul,

“Christ is more valuable than all that life on this earth can give. Paul explains later in Philippians 3:8, ‘I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.’ So Christ is more precious, more valuable, more satisfying than all that life on this earth can give… This is why Paul says in verse 21 that to die is gain. You add up all the losses that death will cost you (your family, your job, your dream retirement, the friends you leave behind, your favorite bodily pleasures) — you add up all these losses, and then you replace them only with death and Christ.”

When Paul did that he joyfully said, “gain!” (pause).

These verses also highlight our second point this morning.

2. Paul’s encounter with the resurrected Jesus changed the way he viewed his life.

The title of this series on Philippians is “The Reason We Live” because in his letter to the Philippians, Paul answers the age old question, “why do I live” or “what is life’s purpose?” The answer to that question is found in verses 20-22,

“It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored 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 live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.”

Notice the adverb fruitful in verse 22.

Paul’s purpose, the reason for his life, is fruitful labor. There are thousands of ways people find to be fruitful but

Paul’s highlights of fruitfulness

1. Proclaiming the good news about Jesus is fruitful.

2. Helping others to grow in their faith is fruitful.

Read with me verses 24-25,

“But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith.” It is fruitful to help others experience God’s love and to fulfill Christ’s command to “love one another.”

Throughout the New Testament we can see Paul living a purpose driven life. His life has meaning: advancing the gospel, planting churches, mentoring leaders, helping others to become more like Christ. Paul’s life is full of meaning as he loves God and loves others.

Right about now you may be thinking, But pastor Kimo, Paul was an apostle, I’m just a _______ , you fill in the blank…

Paul is not the only one who is called to live a fruitful life. Read with me Philippians 1:27

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.”

In this passage, Paul admonishes the Christians in Philippi to live purpose driven lives. He wants them to be fruitful, as he is fruitful. He wants them to become like Christ in character and in love. He wants them to “strive side by side” as they advance the gospel.

In his commentary on Philippians, Frank Thielman explains,

“We should also keep in mind the breathtakingly comprehensive nature of Paul’s devotion to the gospel and to the Christ proclaimed in it. Every major feature of his life at the time when he wrote the letter— his physical comfort, the opinions others have about him, his position with respect to the secular authorities, and the question of whether he lives or dies— are molded by his commitment to the advancement of the gospel. Paul expects the Philippians to have the same perspective— their progress and joy in the faith, he implies in verse 24, should mirror his.

Why is advancing the gospel so vitally important to Paul? As he explains in 2 Timothy 2:4-6,

“God our Savior, desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.”

And later in Romans 5:21 he explains, “as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

All who believe in Jesus receive eternal life. That is why Paul is willing to sacrifice everything to help others learn that truth. The truth that sin does not need to dictate where you go when you die nor does it have to control your life.

Telling others about Jesus is of eternal importance for each person who hears the truth and believes. Paul pours his life into advancing the gospel because unlike the things of this world, heaven is eternal.

The culture of the Western world with its elevation of personal freedom and individual rights above virtually every other ideal, does not provide a friendly environment for the development of the notions that Paul expresses here…

“To live is Christ, to die is gain.”

Friends, we must reevaluate our world view.

What does death hold for you? It’s coming- slowly for some, swiftly for others. What does it hold for you? If you have encountered the resurrected Jesus, if you have given your life to Christ, than you can be assured that when your God-given time comes, death is but a departure from this tent to your real home, it is a step into the glorious presence of your loving savior.

Moreover, friends we must reevaluate our lives. What do you live for? What is your life’s purpose?

So many of us are preoccupied with our tents. This world and life we are living is just a temporary pit stop. The things this world values do not last: fame, fortune, a bigger house, a nicer car, better vacations, greater thrills, more stuff… if you live to chase after these things, you’ll know that it never quite seems to be enough. The kind of joy that Paul talks about in Philippians 1, is illusive always just out of reach.

I am reminded of the famous poem “Ozymandias,” by Percy Bysshe Shelley. It reads:

“I met a traveler from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunk-less legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Poor Ozymandias, you thought that your fame and power would last forever. You thought that the works of your hands would stand against the rages of time. But no, you are just a man and the sands of time have covered and laid waste to your so called legacy.

Friends, are you like Ozymandias? Are you pouring all of your energy, time, and talent into building temporary things that will soon fade. Or does your life mean something more?

God wants us, in our coming and our going, in our work place, and at home to live fruitful lives. Our top priority must be to love like Christ and to share that love with the world around us. Like Paul, God has a purpose for your life. You may not always see it, but when you let Him, God will give your life meaning.

In the year 1854, a 17-year-old boy was working in a shoe shop in Detroit. He didn't know Christ and had no interest in matters of spirituality or religion. But, he had been forced to go to Sunday school, like a lot of kids before and after him. One day, his Sunday school teacher went to the shoe shop where this boy was working. The Sunday school teacher’s name was Edward Kimball. Kimball was just an ordinary guy willing to share the love of Jesus with kids. Kimball said to the 17-year-old, “Hey, I’m worried about you. I want to talk.” So, they went into the basement of the shoe store, where the Sunday school teacher led the young man to Christ. The 17-year-old boy’s name was Dwight Lyman Moody.

D.L Moody went on to become one of the greatest evangelists in the world, sharing the gospel with over 100 million people.

Sunday School teacher Edward Kimball was fruitful. Did he know the legacy he was creating? I doubt it. But history reveals the full and powerful picture.

· Sunday School teacher Edward Kimball helped lead D L. Moody to Christ

· Moody shared Jesus with J. Wilbur Chapman who became an evangelist. Chapman shared Christ with Billy Sunday.

· Billy Sunday became an evangelist, sharing Jesus with over 1.5 million people. One of these was Mordecai Ham.

· Mordecai Ham became an evangelist and one day a young man wandered into his tent meeting and accepted Jesus as his savior. That young man was Billy Graham.

· Billy Graham went on to share the gospel with 210 million people.

Edward Kimball’s story reminds us to never underestimate the influence you can have on the world by sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with just one life.

Let us say with Paul: “To live is Christ, to die is gain.” Let us pray.