Philippians 1:12-18 - Chains of Grace
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
Chains are usually used to restrict the movement of something or someone. Chains are used for bicycles to keep them safe and restrict their movement that might occur with a thief!
Chains to sometimes used to restrain an animal like a dog to keep them from running away or attacking a neighbor.
Chains may also be used to keep people out of certain areas as well like as is the case for this gate.
No matter how we use chains, it is clear that the primary motive behind the use of chains is restriction.
So why entitle this message, ‘Chains of Grace?’ Chains seem to have such a negative connotation.
I have entitled this message, ‘Chains of Grace,’ because Paul’s chains served as a means of grace to the Roman guard and the people of Rome as well as to believers everywhere. What was meant to be a restriction instead turned out to unleash the Gospel throughout the known world in an even bigger way. Our God cannot be restricted. No matter what chains the enemy seeks to put on His people, His plan will prevail.
When God is working, chains actually appear more like this:
There is no limit to what our God can do. As we see in this final picture regarding chains. The Gospel is unchained. There are no bonds that can keep the truth of the Gospel from moving. God’s purpose and plan will prevail.
We will see as we study this great section of Scripture that Paul’s seemingly bleak situation of being in chains served to advance the Gospel and embolden others to move and preach the Gospel throughout the world. We will see how the work of the enemy actually served God’s plan and purpose in advancing the Gospel!
Turn and read with me in Philippians chapter 1 verses 12-18:
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,
Prayer
We are only going to have two points today. These points will discuss how God is working even in the darkest of times. The first is:
I. You Can Know God is Working…Despite Your Situation (12-14)
I. You Can Know God is Working…Despite Your Situation (12-14)
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.
I want you to know. This was a common phrase used in letters that expressed the importance of what was to come next. It is like saying - Hey! Listen up!
He then refers to them as brothers. This term of endearment was a greeting of fellowship. They were fellow Christians along with him.
Next we see him refer to what has happened to him. We know that Paul is writing this letter from prison. What has happened to Paul is that he has been imprisoned for his faith. He has been wrongly treated for his faith in Jesus Christ. The Roman people were supposed to be a people open to the flow of ideas. They were a people who liked to discuss philosophy and religious ideas. Yet, Paul’s preaching of Christ was persecuted. Sounds a little bit like what is going on today in America and throughout the world if you ask me.
I want us to ask ourselves a difficult question. In light of a difficult circumstance and situation, how would we finish this statement in our lives? I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really...
I think many of us, when we are in difficult situations and circumstances may very well complete the sentence in the following ways:
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really.....
...been unfair to me.
…hurt my feelings and made me sad.
…made me doubt my faith.
…made me angry.
…made me want to quit.
Sadly, each of these statements has a common theme. They are ‘me’ centered. So often, when we are presented with difficult circumstances and we have a difficult situation, our first response is to think about ourselves. We may be quick to start a pity party and invite all of our friends. We long for others to let us know how bad we have it and how unfair our situation is. We want our friends to let us know that we never deserved anything like this.
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.
But what does Paul say? He says something completely opposite to what the natural person would say in his situation. He says that what has happened to him has really served to advance the Gospel. Wow. Isn’t that convicting brothers and sisters. Paul isn’t throwing himself a pity party. And frankly - he had more reasons with his circumstances to throw a pity party than most of us do! Yet he focuses in on the advancement of the Gospel.
Paul’s mission wasn’t to make much of himself. His mission wasn’t to become a better him or to become wealthy or become an influencer with his own followers. His mission wasn’t to find his own happiness and his own destiny and follow his heart and accomplish his own dreams. No - his mission was to advance the Gospel.
So when he saw the Gospel advancing - he saw a mission that was being accomplished. May we align our perspective like Paul did. May we have an eternal perspective that is all about God’s glory and the advancement of the Gospel and not a perspective that focuses on ourselves and our comforts.
As we move into verse 13, we see the end of verse 12 that mentions the word advance. This Greek word here is prŏkŏpē (prok-op-ay) which can been advance or progress. This is an interesting word choice as It is actually was often used as a military word and had to do with advancing against obstacles.
Despite the resistance of pagan Rome, the Gospel continued to advance as we see in verse 13. So much so that the entire imperial guard, or praetorium, and all the rest (meaning those in Rome and beyond) knew that Paul was imprisoned on account of Christ.
In verse 13 we get to a unique phrase and need to answer the question, “Who is imperial guard of praetorium?”
The Praetorian Guard
Commentators go back and forth on whether this referred to a place or a group of people. Paul was in chains at this point yet he also was given some liberty as we see in Acts 28:30-31.
30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
Although it appears clear that he had liberty - he was in chains and was on guard:
16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.
20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.”
Whether he was in the official palace prison or in a place near there with guards monitoring him all of the time - it isn’t of utmost importance. Clearly, he was locked down and was being guarded. We know that he likely had 24 hour surveillance as a prisoner here. And because of this - this group of some 10,000 handpicked soldiers of the highest of ranking were around him. The imperial guard, or praetorium, was made up of a group of highly trained and influential soldiers that guarded the emperor and his palace. These men had great influence. And now Paul was being given an opportunity to continue preaching the Gospel around some of the most influential people in Rome!
We are not told how many of these men came to a saving knowledge of Christ, but we do know that they knew why Paul was imprisoned at the time. They knew that he preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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.
Not only did the imperial guard and the those in Rome and beyond hear the Gospel because of his imprisonment, but we see in verse 14 that his imprisonment was also an encouragement and emboldened other believers as well.
I think there is a big problem in the American church today. We don’t seem to think that our struggles may embolden others. We almost seem to view our struggles as anti-Christian and try to hide them. I think we have a tendency to present to other believers that living the Christian life is easy and is so wonderful and happy all of the time. We tend to put on the stained-glass masquerade as the old Casting Crowns song went.
“Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles that hide our pain
But the invitations open
To every heart that's been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade”
Casting Crowns
Brothers and sisters - this life is not always easy. There will be trials. If you follow Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior - you will be attacked by the enemy. You may be hit in many different ways. Paul didn’t hide his struggles. Everyone knew that he was struggling because of the Gospel. He was being persecuted. Yet, he presented his trials as obstacles to be overcome for the glory of God. He kept a perspective of faith throughout his trials.
When we struggle for Christ, may we be real about it as a body of believers. May we ask for prayer and allow the body of Christ to rally around us through our pain and grief and struggle - all the while glorifying God during the storms and the sunshine - knowing that our God is good and that He will take whatever adversity we face and use it for our good and sanctification (Romans 8:28).
Charles Spurgeon gave a wonderful illustration regarding the imprisonment of Paul and what it did for the early church. Some of us may see Paul’s imprisonment and trials as a real hindrance to the spread of the Gospel. Yet we see in verse 14 that it actually emboldened many to go and preach the Gospel. It actually acted as a multiplication factor!
You have sometimes seen a widely spreading oak tree cut down, and you have missed its grateful shadow. Yet afterwards you have discovered that many little trees, which would have been dwarfed beneath its shade, have grown more rapidly in its absence.
In like manner, the removal of some eminent servant of the Lord Jesus Christ has frequently made room for others to spring up, and more than fill his place.
Charles Spurgeon
I pray that we know that God is working despite our situation. No matter how bleak our life might look at the moment, we know that God is still working in it.
You also...
Scripture References: Acts 28:16, 20, 30-31; Romans 8:28
II. You Can Know God is Working…Despite Your Tribulation (15-18)
II. You Can Know God is Working…Despite Your Tribulation (15-18)
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,
We have just seen the difficult situation Paul was in. He was imprisoned and unable to travel and spread the Gospel abroad as he so loved doing. As difficult as that may have been, there was another difficulty that arose. And this was his tribulation.
This tribulation that Paul was facing was that - although many were emboldened by his imprisonment and were preaching the Gospel from a correct heart and motive - there were some that preached the Gospel with ungodly motives. As a leader in the church, he longed to rebuke these sinful men. We see in his letter to Titus:
9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
Paul was a man who did not put up with sin among Christian leaders. He rebuked these unrepentant sinful leaders and encouraged other elders and pastors to do the same. And now here he was suffering this trial and tribulation because he was stuck in prison while these sinful men went about and taught for shameful gain.
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,
Looking at verse 15, we see that these people taught from envy and rivalry.
These two words are similar but hit two different perspectives.
Envy (Greek Phthonos - ph-tho-nos) is a word that is closely related to jealousy.
Envy is wishing that someone didn’t have what they have - while jealousy is wanting what someone else has.
These sinful men despised the influence Paul had. They were jealous of the amount of converts that he had. They wanted to have the influence and status that Paul carried. And this led them to also be rivals of Paul.
Rivalry (Greek eris - err-eese) is to contend with someone in a spirit of enmity or hostility.
These sinful men were preaching the Gospel with bad motives. They wanted to overshadow and diminish Paul’s influence. They wanted to be the important ones. As I studied this section of section of Scripture, I felt the need to ask ourselves a tough question as a church today.
Do we preach or do works out of envy or rivalry? Do we work with the right motives in our own hearts? Are we tribal and wish that our tribe had what another does? Are we excited and joyful when another church of a different denomination sees converts or church growth?
I think that sometimes we may struggle when we see different denominations that may be different than where we are theologically thrive. Yet, for those who are preaching the Gospel (those who are not I dare say I do not envy them other than that God may remove them from their position of influence for His own glory and namesake) - yet for those who are preaching the Gospel - may we be overjoyed when they have a revival or evangelistic outreach that brings about the salvation of lost souls! May we be overjoyed when we see those who are dead resurrected to life by the power of the Gospel through Jesus Christ.
According to Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on Philippians: It is a matter of historic record that the two great English evangelists, John Wesley and George Whitefield, disagreed on doctrinal matters. Both of them were very successful, preaching to thousands of people and seeing multitudes come to Christ. It is reported that somebody asked Wesley if he expected to see Whitefield in heaven, and the evangelist replied, “No, I do not.”
“Then you do not think Whitefield is a converted man?”
“Of course he is a converted man!” Wesley said. “But I do not expect to see him in heaven—because he will be so close to the throne of God and I so far away that I will not be able to see him!” Though he differed with his brother in some matters, Wesley did not have any envy in his heart, nor did he seek to oppose Whitefield’s ministry.
Oh what humility Wesley possessed. May we exercise that humility as well. I pray that we do not fall into struggling with rivalry with one one another. We are one universal church. One body of Christ with many parts. May we stand firm on the truth of God’s Word and disagree respectfully in matters that are debatable. May we stand firm on the Gospel and the Truth of God’s Word. But may we do all of this in humility and love.
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,
Moving back to verse 16 - we see that Paul appreciates those faithful teachers that have love for him and love for Christ. Those teachers that preach out of a heart of humility.
And then in verse 17 he addresses the sinful men who are preaching out of envy and rivalry and now he adds selfish ambition. This word stems from a word that means paid work. It is a word that refers to one who is aiming at gain. It is not focused on the hearers but self focused. And these same sinful men seek to afflict Paul in his imprisonment. He is suffering tribulation and trials because he cannot actively combat this false teaching. He cannot actively defend his reputation that is being maligned by these slanderous men.
So what does Paul do? Complain? Argue? Whine?
No - he puts his perspective again not on himself but on the advancement of the Gospel. In verse 18 we see that he focuses on the fact that even though these sinful men are preaching with wrong motives and are trying to discredit and undermine him - they are proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He rejoices in this very fact!
His primary focus is that Christ is glorified and his focus is not on himself or his own reputation.
Scripture References: Titus 1:9, 2:15
Conclusion
As we come to the end of this section of Scripture:
Don’t misunderstand Paul’s final comments here. Those who preach the Gospel with impure motives can expect no such a reward from Christ. These are wicked and sinful people that deserve punishment if they do not become converted themselves and truly humble themselves before a holy God. If they do not humble themselves, repent (or turn away from their sin) and place their trust in Jesus Christ - the only way to the Father - the sinless God-made-flesh - who died on the cross and rose three days later and now is there with open arms for those who might put their trust in him - if they are not truly converted or born again- they will spend eternity in Hell apart from Jesus Christ.
I pray that no one here falls into this category. I pray that you don’t just intellectually know the Gospel and maybe even have given God a head nod at one point in our life - maybe you even walked up an aisle and made a decision. Yet your life is marked by sinful motives and unrepentance. You continue walking in sin without any conviction. I pray that you make sure that you have truly humbled yourself before our mighty Savior - Jesus Christ and repented of your sins and turned to Him. That you have been born again and given a new heart. If you are not sure if you have done this, I would love to talk with you after the service.
For those who are assured that you are true believers: I pray that you are able to see God working despite your situation and despite your tribulation. I pray that God gives you a perspective like Paul had. Despite the difficulties in your life, hold fast to God and seek that He be glorified.
Prayer
If you would like to learn more about salvation through Jesus Christ or want to obey Jesus by obeying the first commandment of a believer in going through the waters of baptism - please see me after the service.
Have a blessed week.