The Big Picture

Introduction

In August of 2017, my dad purchased the two of us tickets to the 2018 PGA championship in St. Louis. We had never been to a professional golf tournament but since one of the biggest events was going to be a few hours away we thought it would be fun to go and watch the pro’s in person and enjoy the weekend together. Fast forward to 2018 and Lindsey and I were gifted these tickets as newlyweds and were able to enjoy a couple days on our honeymoon up in St. Louis. While we were at this tournament there were several big names that I wanted to follow around but none was bigger than Tiger Woods. He had been playing well on Thursday and Friday and on Saturday he was making a charge up the leaderboard. Whenever we entered the gate on Sunday we almost immediately heard a thunderous roar from the valley below - the famous Tiger roar meant that Woods was off and had made an early birdie. Throughout this morning and afternoon we followed this group of golfers alongside about 30,000 others everywhere around the course. The fans would scream and erupt in applause but what stuck with me was that the players remained stoic at almost all times. What Tiger often talked about was having this zone that he would go in to where all of 30,000 fans and their voices would fade into the distance and all that he would see was the ball and the hole. Michael Jordan talked about this same zone that he would often go into on the basketball court as the noise would fade and he would see himself and the basketball alone in the gym. Even though the pressure and distractions were present, the best of the best have this ability to tune out the noise and focus on the task at hand.

Have you ever been in this type of zone before? Maybe you’re doing a hobby or activity that you really enjoy and someone is trying to get your attention and they have to literally grab your arm or get right in your face so that you snap out of the zone that you’re in? There are times in our life where we get so focused on a goal that everything else, big and small, don’t seem to matter all that much. There are other times where we have a goal or an objective and it doesn’t matter how hard we try, we keep on getting distracted. We get distracted by small annoyances and we get distracted by life-changing information. What we see from the life of Jesus and from the life of Paul in his ministry is that our focus has to remain on the finish line even when distractions pop up. Jesus kept His eyes on His purpose - to die on the cross and raise from the grave. His whole ministry is directed toward that end. Paul finds himself in trouble more often than not and distractions pile up on seemingly every side, yet he enters this zone of sorts where all of the noise drowns out and he keeps his eyes fixed on Christ.

Paul has this ability to not allow things like prison, suffering, and opposition to faze him from his goal of sharing the Gospel with others. As we continue our study through the book of Philippians this morning we will see how Paul is able to keep this mindset in the midst of difficulty. Think of yourself this morning as we do this. Where is your focus? Are you focused on the noise that surrounds us or are you focused on your ultimate purpose? Are you looking at the big picture or are you more concerned with your comforts and circumstances? Let’s read this morning how Paul is able to continue to give thanks because of God’s perfect plan

Philippians 1:12–18 CSB

12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is because I am in Christ. 14 Most of the brothers have gained confidence in the Lord from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the word fearlessly. 15 To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will. 16 These preach out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment. 18 What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice

Suffering Exists to Advance the Gospel (12-14)

One of the most frequently asked questions is “why?” Why did this happen? This is the problem of theodicy - the age old question of “Why do bad things happen to good people?” This question predates Christianity as it was initially framed by the Greek philosopher Epicurus in 300 BC who viewed the existence of evil as a surefire contradiction to an all-powerful and all-good God. To many people the existence of evil and suffering serve as evidence that God either does not exist or that God is not worthy to be worshiped. While in the eyes of many non-Christians suffering doesn’t make sense, to anyone who has read their Bible they know that suffering is something to be expected. Why does suffering exist? You’re left with a few different options.

Suffering is random and there is no purpose in it

Suffering sometimes has a purpose

Suffering is purposeful, even if we can’t understand why

So many people view suffering as something that is random and they fail to find meaning and purpose in difficult times. Whenever Jim Elliot and his missionary team were killed by a group of natives in Ecuador the mainstream United States media said that they had wasted their lives and done something foolish. That there was no purpose in this situation. If you know how the story plays out, you know that God brings forth purpose in His perfect time and that their lives were not wasted as eventually the Gospel would be presented to these natives by their relatives years later. Was this random? No. Was there purpose in this suffering? Absolutely! What was the purpose? To advance the Gospel and change lives.

Paul is in jail as he is writing this letter and he is writing this letter to encourage the Christians in Philippi to remain joyful in Christ in the midst of opposition. How on earth can Paul tell them to do that? Who does Paul think that he is? What experience does Paul have with suffering?! He has a PhD in suffering. He’s in prison. He’s suffered emotionally, physically, and economically for the Gospel and this is exactly what Jesus said would happen! This was God’s plan for this man’s life

Acts 9:15–16 CSB

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Is there a purpose in Paul’s suffering? Yes! He’s a part of something far bigger than himself. He’s a part of God’s plan of taking the Gospel to those who have never heard. In our text this morning we see this unfold as Paul shares that his imprisonment has actually advanced the Gospel and the entire prison guard has no heard the good news. If Paul weren’t in prison, the prison guards wouldn’t have heard the Gospel. If Paul were traveling and planting churches, he might have been too busy to write this letter to this struggling church. Paul’s stay in prison was purposeful! His suffering was not random. Further, Paul shares that the reason that he is in prison is because he is in Christ. Why is Paul in jail? Because of the Gospel. If Paul would have followed the rules and been quiet about Jesus then he would have been prosperous, powerful, and protected because of his status and reputation… But he wouldn’t have had peace that only Christ can bring. See, there are times in our life where the thing that God calls us to do will get us persecuted and opposed. Where there will be consequences on this side of things… God’s plan for your life will involve suffering of some sort. Whenever suffering hits, what do you do?

Will you complain? Will you fold in the towel? Will you immediately seek comfort? Will you curse God? In the book of Job we see that Job has nearly everything taken away from him: his family, his animals, and his property. Job’s wife comes up to him after these tragedies with some words that many of us would think but possibly not articulate Job 2:9

Job 2:9 CSB

9 His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!”

Job’s so called friends came up later and tried to get him to admit that he had some secret sin that was causing all of this suffering and that he needed to ask God to forgive him. So often in life we associate suffering with God’s displeasure. We think that the reason that things are tough is because we’ve done something to upset God. The fact of the matter in Scripture is that suffering isn’t always a sign of God’s displeasure, in fact suffering can be a sign of God’s love and mercy. Paul is in prison and suffering… But God will use this suffering in order to save lots soldiers. This is what we see in Scripture, God often uses suffering to bring about salvation! God’s plan for Paul was to suffer greatly for the Gospel and suffer he did. His plan for Peter was much of the same. To the one who says that God doesn’t allow and use suffering, I would say read your Bible! His plan for several of the heroes from the hall of faith in Hebrews 11 included similar things

Hebrews 11:36–38 CSB

36 Others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. 38 The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

If you have a health problem or if you have a past full of suffering, don’t fail to use that for the glory of your God! God has already saved you from death to life - He’s already performed a miracle in your heart… Don’t think that your baggage or suffering or pain is off limits for God to use for good as well. If you are suffering today, use your suffering to advance the Gospel. Don’t freak out or think that this is a mistake or that this is random… You are not where you find yourself at today by accident. You are there by divine appointment! God has a purpose and Paul reminds us that our mentality in such moments should be that of constant joy as we make much of Jesus!

Satisfaction is Found in Christ Alone (15-17)

As we make much of Jesus, there will be obstacles that are thrown our way. Even when we survive the suffering, it seems like at times whenever it rains, it pours. For Paul, he continued to rejoice while in prison because he knew that he was exactly where God wanted him to be. He knew that he had ministry work to do in prison and that lives were being changed. There are times in our lives where we are able to get through a difficult time only to be bombarded with yet another obstacle. This is Paul. While Paul is in prison, there are people who have stepped up and are now prominent preachers in the Roman world. Paul is out of the picture and now it’s their time to shine and gain quite a large following. This is classic jealousy, isn’t it? Whenever Paul was preaching the Gospel, there were people who looked at the crowds and were jealous. They envied Paul and his influence. Charles Spurgeon, the prince of preachers, gained a large following due to his faithful preaching of the Word and calling on people to respond to God’s amazing grace. Spurgeon pastored the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, he taught pastors the in’s and out’s of pastoring and preaching the Word faithfully, he funded massive orphanages in the city, and he wrote books that helped millions of people grow spiritually. In the largest city in the world, Spurgeon was a faithful stalwart of God’s saving grace and had a massive following. Yet, he had his detractors. There were those who grew envious of Spurgeon’s walk, following, and stand on Biblical issues. After years of attack from others in his own denomination during what was called the Downgrade Controversy, Spurgeon suffered intense discouragement and depression. We see this with other faithful Christian leaders in Scripture and throughout the history of the church. People who have been attacked intensely because of their faithful stand on God’s Word and their blessing from God. Whenever an attack comes, it can be easy to turn inward and fight fire with fire. It can be easy to escape suffering only to run straight into the fires of anxiety or depression. One of the temptations that we can run into in this life is we look outside for our safety and satisfaction instead of looking inside!

Paul is stuck in a situation here where he’s still suffering but now he’s being tempted to begin sulking. Some have risen to begin preaching the Gospel not out of goodwill but out of a position of envy and rivalry. There are some who look at Paul being in prison and they rejoice. After all, if this guy is in jail then it’s probably because he’s done something wrong and God is punishing him. These preach from selfish ambition. Others, though, in Paul’s absence step up and proclaim the Gospel out of good will. There is a hole that has opened up and someone needs to step up and do what needs to be done. Some step into this gap out of selfish motives, others step into this gap out of selfless motives. Have you ever found yourself doing something with the wrong motives?

I saw this happen often at SBU as a worker at the fitness center. One of the most popular things at SBU was intramurals as hundreds and hundreds of students and alumni would participate in basketball, soccer, volleyball, flag football, and more. Most of the sports were split into a boys league and a girls league but the dodgeball league was intentionally co-ed. Each team of 6 had to have at least 2 boys and at least 2 girls. This became a perfect opportunity for someone “interested” in someone else to volunteer themselves and play on the same team as this other person. They didn’t join the team because they wanted to play dodgeball or because they were interested in staying fit and active… They joined the team because they wanted to spend an hour or two each week next to their crush. They had the wrong motive… But they still showed up. This is the equivalent to these other teachers. They have the wrong motive - but they still showed up. They’re still preaching the Gospel. They’re still pointing people to Jesus. This is why Paul is able to rejoice in verse 18 - if these people were preaching a false Gospel, Paul wouldn’t have rejoiced because he would’ve called them out as he does Peter and others in the book of Acts. Paul isn’t afraid to name names because as verse 16 says, he is appointed for the defense of the Gospel. Paul’s purpose in life is proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s what he was saved to do and that purpose has led him to jail… But it’s ok for Paul. How could Paul be okay with prison and with these rival preachers emerging from the crowd? Because Paul was satisfied in Christ. Paul didn’t have to have the spotlight to be satisfied. Paul didn’t have to be the star of the show. He didn’t have to have the large following. He didn’t even have to be comfortable along the way… Paul was completely satisfied in Jesus because Jesus was enough.

It’s been said before that, “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.” Would you say that you are satisfied in Christ? Are you the person that will show up only when others are around to notice? Are you like the high school boy in the youth group who would carry 8 chairs whenever a pretty girl is watching (been there!)? Or are you the type of person who will show up and do what you’re called to do even when it’s hard and even when things don’t go according to your plan? Let us take the high road like Paul models here as we find our joy and satisfaction in Christ alone. Don’t look to other people to provide what God alone can bring to your life. Other people will try to rob us of our joy - it could be a co-worker, it could be a so-called friend, it could be another student, it could be another pastor like it was for Paul, or it could even be a family member. Keep your eyes focused on Christ - the giver of eternal joy and hope. He saves. He satisfies. He allows us to, finally, rejoice.

Saints Rejoice when Jesus is Proclaimed (18)

If you are looking horizontally and things aren’t going well, you’ll get regretful… It you’re looking vertically, though, you’ll get rejoiceful. God is still on His throne and we still have reason to give thanks! The big picture of the situation is that whenever the Gospel is proclaimed, we should rejoice. Luke 15 tells us that whenever a single sinner is saved there is a celebration in heaven

Luke 15:10 CSB

10 I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”

Paul doesn’t get up in arms that people are taking advantage of him. He doesn’t throw a fit because his name is being slandered through the mud. Why? Because the name of Jesus is being lifted high and people are being saved. God’s Kingdom is bigger than Paul’s platform. May we never flip those two things in our life. It’s so easy for us to want Jesus to be proclaimed and want ourselves to look good as we do it. It’s easy to want to proclaim the Gospel and get something along the way. But what about whenever the Gospel is proclaimed and lives are changed and we simply watch it happen. Are we still joyful? Hopefully! What about whenever the Gospel is faithfully proclaimed and lives are changed at a church down the street? Do we still rejoice?

A pastor asked this question to his congregation a few years ago: We desperately want revival in our church. But are we content if God brings revival to the church down the street? Paul’s response would be simple: Absolutely, Christ is being proclaimed and in this I rejoice! Yet, our pride can make it so difficult to share in this same joy with the advance of the Gospel. It’s so easy for us to forfeit the big picture in order to stay stuck in our own zone.

This past week during Love Thy Neighbor, we partnered with several other churches in Dent County and worshiped Jesus together in addition to working together in our community to meet physical and spiritual needs. There was involvement from multiple churches. There were worship times where churches came together to lift high the name of Jesus and proclaim His Gospel message. Guys, that’s a picture of how heaven is going to be, isn’t it? People of every nation, tribe, and tongue worshiping the lamb who was slain! If we can’t rejoice that our neighbors are proclaiming the Gospel and that the lost in Dent County are being found, then you will hate heaven.

We’re on the same team as Ephesians 4:1-6 reminds us that there is one God who we all gather to worship faithfully under the Gospel and Lordship of Jesus Christ. It’s easy to lose our focus whenever we look at things from a surface level. We see another person being used by God and that can lead us to become jealous. We see another church being used by God in a mighty way and we can become jealous. So long as they are being faithful to the Gospel, Paul encourages us to rejoice simply that Jesus is being proclaimed. Saints don’t pout… Saints celebrate salvation! We don’t hold a decade long grudge, we don’t have time for that because there’s Gospel work to be done today!

There are 11,000-12,000 people in Dent County who don’t attend church. We have room to expand here at First Baptist, but could we ever fit that many people? Not even close! If we say that every soul matters to the Lord, which all do, then it doesn’t matter if the person is from Guatemala, Moldova, or Salem - they matter to God and we have to do everything within our power to proclaim the Gospel to them and disciple them as Jesus instructs us to do! The fact of the matter is that as we do this, we need more room and even then, we won’t be able to do it by ourselves. We need others to accomplish this immense task of reaching our area with the Gospel and rejoicing as we make a dent in Dent County together… Did you know that the Gospel can unite unlike anything else in this world? As Paul plants churches throughout the Roman empire, many of them are full of people who would never otherwise spend time together. Slaves and masters, former Jews and Gentiles, poor and wealthy, men and women, young and old… What brought these people together? What gave Paul this unlimited joy? What do we proclaim today? The Gospel of Jesus Christ. You and I have the best news of all to share because the Gospel reminds us of who God is and serves as a pillow amidst the storms of this life but also because the Gospel can unite even the strongest of foes and break down even the tallest of walls.

Conclusion

Paul was in his Gospel zone as he is writing this letter. Paul is consumed with the eternal destination and spiritual maturation of these people. He longs for them to continue to proclaim the Gospel. What about us? What is our call to action in light of Philippians 1:12-18?

Bloom where you are planted

Paul was in prison and easily could have used those weeks/months to take a break and recharge for his next season of ministry… But he used the time and opportunity to make much of the Gospel. He shared the Gospel with the prison guards and revival broke out. He continued to encourage churches like Philippi with his letters. He continued to have this infectious joy and annoying hope in Christ that was contagious to anyone near him. He praised God for his circumstances. A tree can’t choose where it is planted… But it can grow. You and I can’t choose all of the situations that we will go through in life. But what we can choose to do is to continue to grow wherever we’re at. We can proclaim Jesus and have joy in Christ in the mountain high and in the valley low. Bloom where you’re planted just like Paul did in prison.

Rejoice in the Lord’s work

Paul could have thrown a fit in prison at what was unfolding. He could have been upset at the fact that people were slandering him and had bad motives as they preached… But to Paul the Gospel message mattered more than the Gospel messenger. God has divine opportunities and conversations for each of us, absolutely, but if God uses someone else to be the person that helps your friend come to know Christ as Lord rejoice in what the Lord has done! Keep on working and doing what the Lord is calling you to do and whenever there is a harvest, rejoice!

Paul will address false teachers in Galatians 1 and he’ll call them out for preaching a false Gospel. We must do the same… But whenever the true Gospel is being proclaimed, let’s rejoice. There is a war being fought but the end is secured in Christ. He has already won. He will return one day. Until then, let’s continue to work as a unified body as we proclaim the Gospel to our Jerusalem, Judea/Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.