A Change in Perspective

King James Version (Chapter 1)

18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. 19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Recap

This is the next sermon in our series from Philippians. Previously, we have discussed the type of letter Paul was writing to the believers in Philippi. It is a letter written to dear friends to thank them for their support, their dedication to the Gospel, and to encourage them in difficult circumstances. Paul gives them a brief synopsis of what is happening during his imprisonment and how that imprisonment has emboldened the believers in Rome to preach the Gospel. In that preaching, whether in pretense or in truth, Paul finds great joy.

Today we are going to see why Paul has such great joy even though he is in prison.

Introduction

How do you look at your life and death? What lens or outlook do you have? Is life a joy for you or is it vanity as the writer of Ecclesiastes states? Like many things in life it is all a matter of perspective, of how we look at things and think about them.

For humans there are two main perspectives of looking at life and death. One perspective is held by those that deny God and are unredeemed. Invictus, written by William Ernest Henley.

Out of the night that covers me,      Black as the Pit from pole to pole,    I thank whatever gods may be      For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance    I have not winced nor cried aloud.    Under the bludgeonings of chance      My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears      Looms but the Horror of the shade,  And yet the menace of the years      Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,      How charged with punishments the scroll,    I am the master of my fate:   I am the captain of my soul.

We might approach life with this attitude and fear death but comfort ourselves that there is nothing after death so no big deal. Or we approach life and death as Bertrand Russel, a humanistic philosopher and well-known atheist states it.

A Long March Through the Night

The life of man is a long march through the night, surrounded by invisible foes, tortured by weariness and pain, toward a goal that few can hope to reach and where none can tarry long. One by one as they march our comrades vanish from our sight, seized by the silent orders of omnipotent death. Brief and powerless is man’s life. On him and all his race the slow, sure doom falls, pitiless and dark. Blind to good and evil, reckless of destruction, omnipotent matter rolls on its relentless way. For man, condemned today to lose his dearest, tomorrow himself to pass through the gates of darkness, it remains only to cherish, ere yet the blow falls, the lofty thoughts than ennoble his little day.

Bertrand Russell[1]

[1]Galaxie Software. (2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.

Those two ways of looking at life and death are the ends of a spectrum used by the unredeemed to try and make sense of what looks like a meaningless journey.

For those in Christ, we no longer have to look at life and death in that manner. We have a different perspective to avail ourselves of that brings hope, joy, meaning, courage, and assurance.

A little girl whose baby brother had just died asked her mother where baby had gone. “To be with Jesus,” replied the mother. A few days later, talking to a friend, the mother said, “I am so grieved to have lost my baby.” The little girl heard her, and, remembering what her mother had told her, looked up into her and asked, “Mother, is a thing lost when you know where it is?”

“No, of course not.” “Well, then, how can baby be lost when he has gone to be with Jesus?” Her mother never forgot this. It was the truth.

—Junior King’s Business[1]

[1] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 309). Bible Communications, Inc.

Our perspective of life and death is radically affected by who we follow. Are we followers and slaves of Satan or are we servants and adopted children of God? When you consider life and death - what perspective colors your perception?

Joy

Paul ended the passage we covered in our last sermon proclaiming joy in the fact that the Gospel was preached. Philippians 1:15-18 “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 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,”

In verses 18b through 20 Paul proclaims his joy in:

His sure deliverance through the prayers of the Philippians and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

He expects not to be ashamed of Christ.

Christ will be honored whether he is executed or is released.

The Greek word used for deliverance is soteria. In the KJV it is translated “salvation.” Indeed it has both meanings depending on the context. We know from Acts that Paul’s eternal salvation has been accomplished. But Paul expresses joy in knowing that others are praying for him and the Spirit of Jesus (the Holy Spirit) is helping and supporting him. He fully expects these causes will lead to his “deliverance” from prison.

Paul also expresses his expectation and hope that he will not be ashamed. That is, ashamed of Christ and the Gospel. Shame is a tool of Satan to cause us to be timid and shrink back. He brings our past back to mind and causes to grieve and be ashamed of the times we have sinned even though we are no longer defined by our sin. Paul knows the Holy Spirit does not cause shame and does not use shame.

Romans 5:5 “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Ultimately, through the prayers of other believers and the help and support of the Holy Spirit, Paul will be courageous and Christ will be honored in his life as well as in his death. This courage is not something Paul has developed on his own. Paul could be bold, rash, hot-headed, arrogant as well as eloquent, thoughtful, brilliant. But the courage he needed to face the many ups and downs of his life could only come through faith in Jesus. Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”

Given the circumstances of his imprisonment and, indeed, the circumstances of his journey to Rome, how can Paul be joyful? He can be joyful because his perspective has radically changed from the eyes of man to the eyes of God.

A Dilemma

Paul’s life as a believer is guided by a single thought. Philippians 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Or, as it says in Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” As a child of God, Paul knows that both his life and death are no longer for his own use. Life and death now belong to God and are to be used for His purposes.

Though Paul knows this, and knows that God’s purpose will be accomplished, he presents what we would call a “thought experiment.” Speaking as if it was his choice, Paul describes his dilemma. If he stays in this world he knows his life can be used for fruitful labor. If he dies, he know he will be with Christ. He appears to be caught between a rock and a hard place. Philippians 1:23-24 “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.” I especially like the KJV, “I am in a straight, betwixt two.” What should I choose?

Don’t we find ourselves in that same dilemma many times? Knowing that while we are here our work is not finished but, so many times, desiring to be with Christ and out of this mess? I believe the Philippians were in the same position. They may have lost hope and courage because of the persecution they were facing or were going to face. They may have done as Peter and looked at the waves of chaos surrounding them and they were going under.

Our desire personally is to depart and be with Christ for that is far better for us. But Paul points out that it is not what is better for us that is our driving force. For him to remain is better for the Philippians. In other words, what is better for us is trumped by what God has for us to accomplish.

This is the life of one that claims Jesus as their Savior. Perfectly exemplified in a passage we will talk about later - Philippians 2:4-8 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Resolution

Paul’s seeming dilemma is not really a dilemma at all. Paul knows life and death are not his choice but they are fixed by God. He also knows that he belongs to Christ both in life and in death. Therefore, his perspective is no longer that of a man with no hope but his perspective is that of God and eternity. He is convinced that his presence here not only means God still needs him to work for the kingdom and when his time here is done he will depart to be with Christ. Philippians 1:25-26 “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.”

His continued work in this life is not for his own benefit and glory. It is for the growth and joy in faith of the Philippians. It is for the glory of Jesus Christ because Paul has been delivered. It is for the preaching of the Gospel and continued work for the Kingdom.

As he says in 2 Corinthians 5:6-9 “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.”

Application

It is a fact that most of us will experience both life and death. Indeed, while some of us have lived more years than others we are all one last breath away from the grave. Has our perspective shifted so that we can say with Paul 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.” Do you look at life and death through the lens of eternity? Have you determined that joy, courage, and conviction are not found in this brief life but in the power and support of the eternal Holy Spirit?

There is a modern Christian song that was very popular at one point called, “Open the Eyes of my Heart.” The chorus was “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. I want to see you.” If you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit you have seen him. You have seen him in the words of Scripture; you have seen him in the changed lives of fellow Christians, you have seen him in the overflowing love we show to the world around. And you will see him in person after death.

Our prayer should be, “Open my eyes that I would see others as you see them. Open my eyes to opportunities to serve them. Open my eyes to the joy that is found in living and dying for you. Open my eyes to understand, as Paul did, that as long as I am drawing breath in this world I am your ambassador.”

Conclusion

Our perspective, our way of looking at life and death, is truly affected by our relationship with God. For those who are under God’s wrath and actively suppressing the knowledge of God life appears meaningless. The only meaning that any life can have is the meaning that you give it. There is nothing after death but dust. Life is nothing but a blind, mechanistic struggle for the survival of the human race. Once you are gone it will only take one or two generations before you are forgotten forever.

For the redeemed, life has a purpose with eternal meaning. God seeks to have a relationship with us and has provided the means to have that relationship. We have hope and joy in life because we have assurance of our home after death. We know the eternal creator; we have placed our faith and trust in the life, death, and resurrection of the eternal Savior; we are now indwelt by the eternal Holy Spirit. One day we will live forever with the Triune God.

The message we bring as ambassadors, in order for others to see what we see and live what we live, is the Gospel. Recognizing that we are sinners and enemies of God. Understanding that the only way for sinful man to be in the presence of a holy God is through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Once we have placed our faith in Jesus’ work on our behalf we live our lives through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit conforming us to the likeness of Jesus. God, and only God, can change our perspective. Does your perspective need to change today?