Philippians 1:18–30
This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.
Well, for those of you who are visiting, again, welcome. We're glad you're here. I'm not Greg Gilbert. I'm not the senior pastor. I'm just one of the associate pastors. And Greg's on sabbatical for the summer, so you're stuck with me for the next three weeks. And if you've been a member of Third for a couple of years, you might remember that I've been slowly marching through the book of Philippians, a letter that Paul wrote. So go ahead and turn in your Bibles to page 980. You can find the letter to the Philippians there. I'll go ahead and introduce the book again briefly since it's been a little bit since I preached the last sermon. Philippi was a city in northern Greece or Macedonia and Philippians is a letter that Paul wrote to this church around AD 60, so 30 years or so after Jesus had been crucified and resurrected. And the church of Philippi was started by Paul about 10 years before that, so AD 50. So he started the church, A.D. 50. He's writing to them 10 years later. The church of Philippi was started
by Paul. He had met this woman named Lydia, and she had believed the gospel. He then met a demon-possessed slave girl, and she was converted. But the girl's owner was unhappy, and so Paul at that point got thrown in prison. And then God miraculously rescued Paul from prison, and when the jailer thought that they had escaped, he's about to kill himself. He draws his sword, he's going to kill himself. But Paul yells out, we're still here, don't kill yourself. And so then the jailer was converted as well. And that's the start of this church in Philippi. Paul was writing to this church about 10 years later from another prison cell, though this time he's likely in the city of Rome. There were a number of reasons why Paul wanted to write to this just young 10-year-old church. The church had sent him a financial gift. We'll read about that in chapter 4. He wanted to thank them for their support, but the church was also under threat. It was under threat from opponents without, under threat from
disunity inside the church, and so Paul wrote to the church to thank them, to counter heresy that was coming at them from outside the church, and to remind them that the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, who humbled himself by taking on flesh. And the overarching message of Philippians is a message of joy in that gospel. It's that gospel that brought Paul and the Philippians together in the first place. It's that gospel that unites them. It's that gospel that informs and motivates their daily lives. It's the gospel that gives them hope for the future. So Paul urges the Philippians to unite in the gospel. Rejoice in the things that matter the most. It's a message that we need to hear today. Rejoice in the Lord and stand firm in the gospel. Let's read our text this morning, Philippians 1, 18 through 30.
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 and 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'm 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. 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, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake.
engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had, and now here that I still have. Here's the main idea of our passage this morning. Live a life worthy of the gospel. That's it. Short and sweet. Live a life worthy of the gospel. It's verse 27. Verse 27 is not only the main idea of this passage, but of the whole letter of the Philippians. Live a life worthy of the gospel. We're going to break this down into two points. Number one, the gospel makes us humble.
The gospel makes us humble. The gospel should make us humble. In verses 18 through 26, we get a rare glimpse into Paul's inner mind. You'll remember Paul is in prison in Rome. He's writing to the Philippians. And he's near the end of his life. He's getting older. He doesn't know what awaits him on earth. And as he's sitting there in prison, he's debating in his own mind what would be better?
To live, to continue on, or to die? To be clear, that was a real possibility. Paul could die in prison. He could be sentenced to death. Look at verse 21. To live is Christ. What does that mean? To live is Christ. That's a weird phrase. Thankfully, we don't have to wait very long because in verse 22, he says exactly what he means.
to live for Paul, that means fruitful Christian labor. That is Paul's life purpose. As he lives, he is planting churches, he's spreading the gospel, he's strengthening churches, fruitful labor. But, right, that's on the one hand, living is fruitful labor, it's Christ. But on the other hand, to die is gain. Many of you might be thinking, how is dying gain?
Dying is loss. Dying is pain. Dying is scary. Maybe you or a loved one, you're nearing the end of your life today. Maybe you've received a diagnosis. Maybe a loved one has just passed away. Paul, how can you say that death is gain? Well, for Paul, and for us, death is not the end.
If you're a Christian, death is not the end. If you're not a Christian, then you should be afraid of death. No matter how much we try to ignore God and his word, God has made it very plain. The wages of sin is death. And if you refuse to repent of your sin and turn toward God, then you will face everlasting death and condemnation from God. If you're hearing me today and you haven't put your faith in Christ, don't wait any longer.
You don't know what tomorrow holds. Repent. Turn away from your sin and trust in God. And if you do that, then like Paul, death is not something to be afraid of anymore. Of course, it still hurts. Death isn't fun. But for Christians, the sting of death has been pulled out by the root. It's been taken away. Death and the grave have been defeated by our strong Savior. Death is now a doorway that we walk through to meet our Savior.
Look at verse 23. My desire is to depart, that is to die, and be with Christ, for that is far better. You see, once you've passed beyond the veil of death, you will be free. Free from pain, free from sin, free from suffering. Departing to be with the Lord is not something to be afraid of. we will be with him face to face. Departing to be with the Lord is the great hope of the Christian life. And that seems to be tipping the scales in Paul's mind. Remember, he's running this equation.
What would be better, to live, to continue on, or to die and be with the Lord? And it seems like that's his desire. That's what he wants. And yet for Paul, that's not the end of the equation. You see, for Paul, the gospel has made him humble. What do I mean by that? Well, often I think we think about humility as thinking less about ourselves. You know, we need to remember that we are dust. We are a worm compared to God.
And while that's true, I don't think that gets at the heart of what true humility really is. No, true humility is thinking about yourself less. Did you catch that? It's not thinking less about who you are. It's thinking about yourself less. Humility isn't going around all the time thinking about how bad you are. If you're constantly focused on how bad you are and how you don't measure up, constantly comparing yourself to others, you're actually still in pride.
You're still completely focused on yourself. Humility fundamentally is thinking about yourself less, as in not as much. When your mind and your affections are focused on God and on others, those are the first two commandments, to love God and to love your neighbor. When you focus on those things, then you're moving away from pride and towards humility. And that's the last piece of the equation that Paul is running in his mind.
Dying is to depart and be with God. And that's better than remaining for fruitful labor in Paul's mind. But because Paul puts one more thing in the equation, the needs of others, the scale all of a sudden tips towards remaining on earth. Read verses 24 and 25 with me. 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. To be clear, Paul does not know what's going to happen to him. Look back at verse 20. With full courage, now as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. No, Paul doesn't know what's going to happen to him, but he's saying in this thought experiment about what would be better, living or dying, he decides that living will be better because of the needs of others.
That's the deciding factor, and that is humility. So, how do the needs of others factor into your decision making? do you set aside time for others? Do you set aside time for hospitality? How often do you have people into your home? Maybe you're in a season where you think, I'm just too busy. I've got too much going on. I've got my job. I've got a family. I've got other responsibilities. That may be true. Maybe you are busy. I get it. But you still have to eat.
So invite someone over for a meal. It might take a little more planning, a little more work. You have to text some people, but it's worth it. Have people over for a meal. Start with once a month. Put it in the calendar. I know that many of you do this weekly or even multiple times a week. There's no standard, but it's worth it for you to invite other people into your home. And it's worth it for them to be a part of your life. It's worth it for that family with young kids to have that young couple over or that single person over. That's often what discipleship looks like. Sure, they'll be there while you're putting the kids down to bed, but they'll be watching you, learning from you. They'll see you as you tuck your kids in and pray for them.
Inviting people into your life so that they can see how you live, that's part of discipleship. Do you leave margin in your schedule to meet with other Christians who need discipleship, like we all do. One of the most encouraging things that I've heard about recently is college students, students from UofL, Boyce, whatever, they're meeting with high schoolers in the youth group. College students are taking time out of their fun-filled schedule to hang out with high schoolers and talk about life and read the Bible with them. Praise the Lord for that.
at VBS recently, there were dozens of college students who gave up every night of the week just to hang out with the kids from this church and to teach them about Jesus. That's amazing. Praise the Lord. And that's not all. There are retired men and women who spend time with young people in our church, with college students and young adults. We don't have many gray hairs in here, but some of us are joining the ranks. I would encourage each and every one of you, think about your schedule, plan it out, find time in your schedule, and prioritize discipleship with people in our church. What about the unofficial email thread? For those of you who are members of Third Avenue and have not yet unsubscribed, do you leave margin in your schedule to read the unofficial emails? I'm well aware that the list is used for a variety of different things, but one of the most
important ways that that list is used is for people to share prayer requests. They share their prayer request. Have you ever sent a prayer request to the unofficial email thread? If you have, then you know exactly how encouraging it is to receive those responses back, to know that the church is praying for you. And that's not all. Of course, there's people are laying needs out before the church on that email list. People are putting their needs before you. I've joked about it, but one day I'm going to compile a list of some of those needs, and I'm going to write about it and call it Need Met. I love seeing that email come back. Need Met. I need a ride to the hospital.
Need Met. I need help with this or that thing that I'm trying to figure out how to do. Need Met. I'm moving across town. I need help at the last minute to pack up my things. Need Met. Praise God for that unofficial email thread. Read those emails. Look for ways to meet the needs of others here at Third Avenue. If you've unsubscribed, don't worry. You can email us. We can resubscribe you, okay? Read these emails.
Hear about the needs of others in our church and look to meet those needs. The gospel makes us humble. And at the heart of the gospel message is Jesus Christ. he's the one who saw our great need like sheep without a shepherd and Jesus left his heavenly throne and he came down to live as one of us in the dirt he laid down his very life for us when Jesus died on the cross he met our most important need he took upon himself the judgment that we deserve for our sin.
The gospel message should humble us. And living in light of the gospels means factoring in the needs of others into your life. Point two, point two. We need to stand firm, united together in the gospel. This is what Paul is talking about in verses 27 through 30. We need to stand firm, united together in the gospel.
Paul urges the Philippians to stand firm in the gospel, even in the midst of opposition and suffering. When you place your faith in Jesus and you are united to him, it's not just you and Jesus. You are made a citizen of the kingdom of God. if you were here recently when Greg was preaching about this series on the church, then you'll recall that every local church is an assembly that is an embassy of God's kingdom here on earth. And like an embassy in a foreign land, we are embassies, ambassadors for Jesus here on earth. Remember, Paul's not writing this letter to individual Christians. He's writing this to a local church and the word that Paul uses there in verse 27 that gets translated let your manner of life look at that in verse 27 let your manner of life there's probably there might even be a footnote
in your bible that's better translated as behave as citizens behave as citizens this word would have made sense to the Philippians because they were citizens they weren't citizens of Philippi they actually held the honor title of Roman citizens, a high calling with high rewards. But that's not what Paul is talking about here when he says behave as citizens. Christians have a dual citizenship. We are citizens of earthly kingdoms, but more importantly, we are citizens of heaven, an even higher calling. That's one reason, by the way, that we don't have an American flag anywhere in here. We don't have any earthly kingdom flags because we don't represent an earthly kingdom. We represent a heavenly kingdom. Like Paul says later in chapter 3 verse 20, our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
As citizens of heaven, Paul urges us to stand together for the sake of the gospel. In the face of opposition and suffering. Yes, you will face opposition and suffering in this world. And in the midst of that, we are called to behave as citizens of heaven, standing firm in the gospel. But the opposition wants us to be divided. The opposition wants us to be conform to the image of the world. Sometimes the opposition is from humans here on earth.
The Philippians were facing that in chapter 3. Whether the opposition has a face or not, we know ultimately that behind that, there is a face. And you know who that is, right? It's not the Republicans. It's not the Libs. It's not Russia or China. No, it's Satan. Satan is our main opponent. And he does not want us to live together as the body of Christ, united in the gospel.
He wants us divided, sinning, and following the course of this world into hell. Satan wants to destroy your faith. He is your opponent. He wants to destroy this church. And he knows what he's doing. He knows how to destroy the church. He knows how to destroy your faith. It's always through sin, isn't it? In order to stand firm in the gospel, we need to be on guard against sin.
Patterns of sin typically start with a small compromise. We find a way to justify it, whatever it is. Deep down, we know it's wrong, but we come up with a way to justify it. When you feel that temptation to sin, what thoughts fill your head? Satan has been at this game for a very long time, and he knows what he's doing. He might start out with some simple thoughts like this. No one will find out.
No one is watching. You deserve this. Oh, come on, it's not that bad. God wants you to be happy, live a little. Come on, you know you're going to end up sinning anyways, just get it over with. Just this once, then I'll stop. Constantly twisting the truth.
Satan will use whatever it takes to get you to cave. what lie does he whisper to you? Maybe it's a little more sophisticated. Maybe you've memorized some scripture. Maybe you know some doctrine to combat sin, combat Satan, and that's good. That's a great start. But Satan knows scripture too. He even used scripture to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. Has Satan ever tempted you by twisting scripture or doctrine?
Having learned some of the important theological doctrines, are you drawing false inferences from them? False ideas, this doctrine leads to this, therefore this. What about the doctrine of grace? Knowing that God will forgive you when you sin in the future, do you presume upon God's grace and then use it as a reason to sin? If so, you're making a false inference. God's grace in the future is meant to lead you to repentance, to keep you from sinning, not to motivate you to sin more. Presuming upon the grace of God and using it as an excuse to sin demonstrates that you are very confused about the grace of God. What about the doctrine of perseverance? This is a doctrine that's in our statement of faith, a very important doctrine, but one that can be twisted just a little by Satan. You've learned that God will bring
that work to completion, the work that he began in you. It's right here in Philippians chapter 1. Does knowing this doctrine lead you to idleness and give you an excuse to sin? It shouldn't. You see, there's two sides to this doctrine. Yes, God will bring to completion the work that he began in you if you are truly a believer. But it's only those who persevere to the end who thereby prove that they were believers in the first place.
Only then do we know that God brought about a work of completion. Listen to Jesus' words in Matthew 24. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. but the one who endures to the end will be saved. You see, you can't use the doctrine of perseverance as a kind of once saved, always saved conclusion. You can't make a shipwreck of your faith all the while banking on the fact that at one time you said a prayer or said that you believed. No, if you wander down the path of destruction and end up renouncing Christ, you're not proving that God is somehow unfaithful. You're just showing that you were never a believer in the first place.
We have to stand firm until the end. So how are we able to stand firm in the midst of opposition? Three things, briefly. Three things that we see here in these verses, 27 through 30. Number one, we do it together, side by side. Look at verse 27 again. 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.
You see, we're in this together. We encourage one another. You're not in this alone. You've been saved into a kingdom, into a family. And as the body of Christ, we pray for one another. We meet each other's needs. We stand together in the gospel. We are in this together. You're not alone. So don't live like you're alone. You don't have to pretend that everything is okay to fit in here.
Do you need help? Are you going through a difficult time right now? Please, talk to someone. Everyone has something they're going through. At times, some have something worse than others, but we're in this together. Remember our church covenant. Remember the promises that we've made to one another. We will walk together in brotherly love. We will exercise a Christian care and watchfulness over each other. We won't forsake the congregation.
We will pray for one another. We will participate in each other's joys. We will bear each other's burdens and sorrows. We're in this together. Second, how we stand firm. We're able to stand firm because God is the one who gives us the gift of faith in the first place. Faith in God is not something that you have to muster up from within yourself. It's a gift from God. Look at verse 29.
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him, and stop right there, but it's right there. It's granted to you that you should believe in him. Faith is a gift from God. This is even more clear in Ephesians chapter 2. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. We can be confident in our salvation because we have a strong Savior, not because we are strong. Being confident in salvation is not pride because our confidence is not in us. It's in Jesus. And we can stand firm in the midst of suffering and opposition because we know that God is working in us, causing us to stand firm, giving us faith. Third, and finally, we stand, we're able to stand firm knowing that our suffering
is actually a gift to us from God. What? Hold on. I was tracking there for a minute. You lost me there. Suffering is a gift from God? How can that be? How can suffering be a gift? And how can it come from God? Verse 29, we read part of it, but don't neglect the second half. It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake.
There it is, right there. Suffering is also a gift from God. Suffering doesn't feel like a gift, does it? Suffering feels more like a curse. That's the reality that we live in. But Romans 8 is a promise that we can hold on to. Romans 8, 15 through 17. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, Abba, Father.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. That's the pattern revealed in Scripture. First suffering, then glory. And of course, that's what we see in the life of Jesus, our Savior.
We know that suffering will come. No disciple is greater than his master. If the master suffered, then so will the disciple. And yet, we are still caught off guard when we suffer. Why do we have to suffer? Romans 5 I think gives us at least one answer Romans 5 2 through 5 through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God not only that but we rejoice in our sufferings knowing that suffering produces endurance Endurance produces character.
And character produces hope. And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts. Suffering is meant to lead Christians to a deeper faith and reliance on God. It forces us into that position. Have you experienced that in your own life? Or have you seen that in the lives of others? Of course, on the other hand, for nominal Christians, Christians who are Christians in name only, for them, suffering leads them to fall away because they don't actually love God.
They only love the things that God gives to them. And when suffering comes, then comes the disillusionment. Why? Why do I, why have I lost these things? How you suffer serves as a witness to the watching world. The suffering we face, ultimately, it comes from the hand of God. And yet, we know that Satan wants to use suffering in your life for the complete opposite reason. Read the book of Job.
God is in control of it all, and yet Satan is right there, and he wants you to curse God. He wants you to curse him, while God wants us to rely on him even more. God might also use suffering in your life in order to bring others to faith in Jesus. Some people who watch you suffer well for the gospel will actually become Christians through your faith. When I visited our sister Melody Abel in the hospital, one of the first things that she wanted to tell me about was the hospital staff and that she had shared the gospel with them and she wanted me to pray for them. Praise the Lord for our sister. Are you in the midst of suffering right now?
Are you wrestling with questions? Do you have doubts about how suffering is being used in your life. Suffering is a regular part of life in a fallen world because we follow a Savior who suffered. But remember, we are not suffering alone. You're not alone in your suffering. Your brothers and sisters, they're eager to listen. They're eager to mourn with you and to help if needed. And most importantly, God is with you. God will never leave you or forsake you. Pray that God would use the suffering in your life to cause the gospel to spread. Our God is sovereign, and he intends suffering for our good and for the spread of the gospel. But what's the result of all this?
Standing firm in the gospel side by side, in the midst of opposition and suffering, well, it's a sign to our opponent of his destruction and our salvation. Satan is watching and waiting. He knows his time is short. And when we stand firm, it's a sign of his coming destruction. So let's stand firm together in the gospel for the glory of God. Let's pray.
Our Father in heaven, we thank you this morning for giving us the gift of faith, for giving us eyes to see and ears to hear. God, we pray this morning that you would help us as a church, as Third Avenue Baptist Church, to stand firm in the gospel without wavering. Help us to love one another well. Help us to bear each other's burdens and sorrows and to continue on the road to heaven. We pray all this in Jesus's name. Amen.