Joy in Life and Death in Jesus

Intro

There’s a lot of different ways you can die today.

Heart disease = 635,260

Cancer = 598,038

Accidents = 161,374

Respiratory disease = 154,596

Stroke = 142,142

Alzheimer’s disease = 116,103

Diabetes = 80,058

Influenza/Pneumonia = 51,537

Kidney disease = 50,046

Suicide = 44,965

Taken from: https://www.healthline.com/health/leading-causes-of-death

2020 = 1,300,000 deaths of people 15-24 years old

18.5 Sold out SoFi Stadiums

More than the population of Rhode Island (1.058 million)

More than the population of Delaware (967,679)

More than double the population of Vermont (624,340)

Psalm 90:10 “10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.”

Psalm 90:12 “12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

Are you ready?

Body

Last we left Paul, he was rejoicing even as his enemies were trying to incite jealousy and bitterness in his soul, and as we pick up our passage for tonight, he’s doubling-down on the rejoicing.

1:18b “Yes, and I will rejoice...”

1:19 “for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance”

Prayers of the saints: 2 Corinthians 1:8-11

The help of the Spirit: John 14:16; 14:26; 15:26; 16:7

Job 13:16 “16 This will be my salvation, that the godless shall not come before him.”

It seems that there was to be a trial sometime soon, and Paul was looking forward to the outcome

He wouldn’t be like Joseph, left in prison and forgotten about for years

And Paul expresses a confidence that this trial would result in his deliverance...

Judging by the context of this whole passage, it seems Paul intended “deliverance” to mean actual freedom

Things were breaking in such a way that he was confident they wouldn’t be able to hold him there for long

But he was still at least entertaining the thought that the deliverance would come through another means...

1:20 “as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but with full confidence now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.”

Romans 8:19 “19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.”

This verse represents Paul’s true confidence

He’s pretty sure he will be set free, but he’s confident that whatever happens to him, Christ will be honored.

Paul was confident in his circumstances because he was confident in his integrity before the Lord.

He was not in prison for something he had done wrong

Romans 8:28-29 was true for Paul while he awaited his release

Daniel 3

This is a mindset that is foreign to us until it is formed in us, and this is why Paul appealed not only to the prayers of the saints but also the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Mark 13:11 “11 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.”

This is a mindset that can only come from the Lord and by his grace. This is what true peace looks like in this world. It’s not a resigned fatalism or passivity. Rather, it’s a full trust in Jesus and a resolve to do all we can to glorify him until and in the day we die.

P1: Build a Faith that Gives Real Peace (vv. 19-20)

Illustrate: We talked last week about Jim Elliot and his fellow missionary partners who gave their lives in service to Jesus.

They had this kind of faith.

Hugh Latimer & Nicholas Ridley

“On October 16, 1555, after spending 8 months in a tower cell, Latimer and Ridley met at an Oxford stake. With Latimer in a frock and cap, and Ridley in his bishop’s gown, the two men talked and prayed together before a smith lashed them to the wood. Ridley was the first to strengthen his friend. ‘Be of good heart, brother, for God will either assuage the fury of the flame, or else strengthen us to abide it.’ As the bundle of stick caught fire beneath them, Latimer had his turn. Raising his voice so Ridley could hear, he cried, ‘Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.’” (https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-british-candle)

This is a peace which makes little sense to those who do not know the God of Latimer and Ridley or Paul.

This is a peace that realizes that even in our death, our desire is for Christ to be exalted and God to be glorified.

This is a peace that is not bound to the circumstances you find yourselves in.

This is a peace that produces joy in the heart of the apostle as he addresses the Philippians from the floor of his prison cell.

Does this mean I have to die a martyr’s death? No

Does this mean I have to suffer physically? No

Does this mean I have to have a memorable death or be well-known in life? No

But it may mean those things. It may mean death, suffering, and maybe in such a manner as to cause the world to stop and take notice.

The question is, are you building a confidence in Jesus like Paul had that produces a peace that passes understanding?

Job 19:25–26 ESV

25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,

It means you are faithful in all contexts and circumstances to what God has called you to.

END P1

This confident peace is expressed so succinctly in one of the most famous verses in this book:

1:21 “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Paul’s confidence in God’s promises both temporally and eternally made his imprisonment a win-win situation for him.

He explains more in verse 22.

1:22 “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.”

Remember the greeting in this letter: “Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus...”

Paul knew that if his deliverance was to come in the form of his release from prison, he would be right back on the mission field planting new churches and strengthening ones that he had planted in the past.

Romans 1:1–6 ESV

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

Philippians 3:1-14 (TURN AND READ)

This is what Paul meant by “fruitful labor.”

It wasn’t that he would accomplish his goals and make his dreams come true

It wasn’t that he would be successful in the eyes of the world

It was that Jesus would be honored in his life.

1 Corinthians 7:32–35 ESV

32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

If he wasn’t useful to Jesus, he wanted to be with Jesus. That’s why death would be gain!

Acts 20:24 ESV

24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

I mentioned that the first point involved a perspective that has to be wrought in us by the Spirit, this point perhaps even more. Especially as y’all sit here on the threshold of the rest of your lives, with dreams and ambitions and hopes and desires that all appear within reach. Do you want Jesus more? Do you want to be with him more? Do you want your life to make him happy even if it may not make you happy?

P2: Build a Faith that Longs for Jesus (vv. 21-24)

1:22b-23 “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.”

being squeezed on either side so as to only be able to move forward

Do you desire to be with Jesus right now more than anything else?

Marriage

Moving out

Having a family

Planting a new church

Illustrate:

Bishop John Hooper is another of the Marian Martyrs:

“Therefore, ye that may send to the weak brethren, pray them that they trouble me not with such reports of recantations as they do. For I have hitherto left all things of the world, and suffered great pains and imprisonment, and, I thank God I am as ready to suffer death, as a mortal man may be.”

Shortly before his execution, a friend came to visit him in his prison cell, and we have their exchange preserved for us:

Kingston - “I am sorry to see you in this case; for as I understand you have come here to die. But, alas, consider that life is sweet, and death is bitter. Therefore, seeing life may be had, desire to live; for life hereafter may do good.”

Hooper - “True it is, Master Kingston, that death is bitter and life is sweet: but, alas, consider that the death to come is more bitter, and the life to come is more sweet. Therefore, for the desire and love I have to the one, and the terror and fear of the other, I do not so much regard this death, nor esteem this life, but have settled myself, through the strength of God’s holy Spirit, patiently to pass through the torments and extremities of the fire now prepared for me, rather than to deny the truth of his word; desiring you, and others, in the meantime, to commend me to God’s mercy in your prayers.”

This is so incredibly moving and encouraging and convicting and challenging and motivating and compelling and stirring, and I can’t but pray that God would give me more of this faith and this desire to be with Jesus in heaven!

Hebrews 11:36–38 ESV

36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

What are you doing to live a life this world is not worthy of?

What are you doing to live ready to die?

If you want to be able to say with Paul, “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” let me suggest that you develop a loose grip on the things of this world.

CT: Only one life, twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.

END P2

As much as Paul desired to be with Jesus, he was convinced that the Lord still had work for him to do on earth before that time.

1:24-26 “But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.”

To remain (meno) and to continue with you (parameno)

Progress = advancement (prokope)

1 Timothy 4:13-16 “13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

Paul has a conviction that there was still work for him to do among the Philippians for their sanctification and joy in the gospel.

Romans 1:1–6 ESV

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

“to bring about the obedience of faith.”

So that what? They could boast in Paul or that Paul could get credit?

No.

1:26 “so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus...”

In other words, Paul wanted the result of his life and ministry among the Philippians to result in Jesus getting the glory and honor and credit and exaltation.

In the last point we looked at the vertical component of our lives (to live is Christ), and now we look at the horizontal component. Christian, your life should have a sanctifying impact on the lives of others in your midst so that they love Jesus more because of knowing you!

P3: Build a Faith that Sanctifies Others (vv. 25-26)

Last weekend in main we heard a message on the importance of our being committed to the local church, and this is one of the key reasons.

You can’t have a faith that sanctifies others if you aren’t committed, involved, plugged-in, engaged, serving in a local church.

Y’all can encourage one another, y’all can encourage me in my progress and joy in the faith.

Bring the word into your conversations with one another

Encourage one another with the promises of God

Speak the truth in love to one another when a brother or sister is in sin

1 Thess 5:14 “14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”

Celebrate one another’s victories by giving God the glory

Pray for each other sincerely and earnestly

Report answers to prayer to one another

Remind each other of the gospel

Memorize Scripture together

Send each other worship songs

Serve together (AWANA)

Your earthly life (however long you may have left) is more about other people than it is about you. It was for Paul, it was for Bishop Hooper, it is for me, and it is for you if you are following Jesus.

“For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

END P3

Conclusion:

Are you at the place Paul was to be able to say I will rejoice because I am confident that Christ will be honored in me whether by life or by death? Can you say tonight, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain?” Are you able to say that you desire to depart and be with Jesus for that is far better?

Prayer: Teach us to number our days and make good use of them. Teach us what it means that to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Application Question:

Read Philippians 4:4-7. How does the passage we studied tonight help you better understand this text?

Read Philippians 1:23. How can we cultivate a greater longing to be with Jesus and a greater disillusionment with the treasures and trappings of this world?

How have you experienced the blessings of other brothers and sisters encouraging you in the progress and joy of your faith?

How is your life presently serving your brothers and sisters in the progress and joy of their faith?