Phil 1:12-30
Listen Link: www.lcepc.org then look for “sermons” tab.
Have you ever had a bad day? Have you ever lived through very difficult circumstances? Sure, we all have. But what you have experienced, certainly I will say that what I have experienced, is probably very mild compared to what Paul endured. And yet he is the one who said, “Whatever happens, stand firm. It’s worth it.” What encouragement does he give? Is there any evidence that Paul knows what he is talking about? All he says in this letter is, “I am in chains.” But there is so much more to this story!
Most likely Paul was writing from prison in Rome, the one we read about in Acts 28. But the whole drama of how he got there starts in Acts 21. Seven chapters in the Book of Acts describe the things that happened after Paul completed his third missionary journey and returned to Jerusalem. I think it’s important to summarize those events here because it will add meaning to what Paul means by stand firm.
The drama started once he got to Jerusalem. He was advised by the believers there to engage in a Jewish ritual at the temple to show everyone that he was not really telling everybody to stop following the Laws of Moses. It didn’t work. While he was in the temple, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple and immediately assumed the worst. They stirred up a crowd that soon tried to execute Paul on the spot. But the Romans intervened, to maintain law and order.
Before they took him away, he asked the Roman guard for permission to speak to the crowd. That being granted, Paul gave his defense. He had surprised the Roman soldier by speaking to him in Greek. When he turned to his Jewish audience he spoke in Aramaic. That caused them to listen. The heard him give his personal testimony but became enraged again when he mentioned his ministry to the Gentiles. You get the idea that they were sort of racists against Gentiles?
After that the only thing that saved Paul’s skin was when he told the commander that he was a Roman Citizen. The Romans were now legally obligated to treat him decently and to protect him from the Jewish mob. To deal with the situation, the Roman commander called the Jewish Sanhedrin together to see what they would say about Paul. Paul immediately discerned that it wasn’t going to be a fair trial, so, he played upon their factions and announced his faith in the resurrection of the dead, a matter that sharply divided the Pharisees and Sadducees who immediately started arguing about that. The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to bring him into the barracks.
So much anger and chaos! How would you feel if you were the subject of that conversation and turmoil? If Paul was troubled, God himself comforted him, saying that night, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” That may have been comforting. But Paul had no idea how he was going to get to Rome! Before dawn there was more drama. Some of the Jews had hatched a plot to assassinate Paul, but Paul’s nephew warned Paul and the guards. And the Romans were obligated by law to protect Roman citizens, so they whisked him away under guard at night and took him to Caesarea, where he would be kept under guard in Herod’s palace and later examined by the Roman governor, Felix.
After another hearing with the Jews and their false charges, Paul stayed in Herod’s palace under guard for 2 years, while Felix hoped Paul would bribe his way out of jail! He was safe, but unjustly imprisoned! When the next governor came along, it was his turn to figure out what to do with Paul. But the Jews were ahead of him. Still bearing this grudge after two years, they asked to have him transferred to Jerusalem, but planned to have him killed along the way.
Paul knew it was still not safe to go back to Jerusalem, so he appealed to Caesar as his best chance to get a fair hearing. That’s what ultimately sent him off to Rome, even though Festus and Agrippa knew that he really was innocent. Next came the dangerous journey to Rome that included a terrible storm that lasted two weeks. They had no control of the ship and this leg of the journey ended in a shipwreck! But in the midst of that, with God’s encouragement Paul took charge, and no lives were lost because they followed his instructions!
Still what a long list and long time of harrowing experiences! Paul could have avoided all that. He could have gotten back to a comfortable lifestyle, very easily, if he just would have given up on the gospel, renounced Christ and went back to being a normal Pharisee, keeping the Mosaic Law as all the Jews wanted him to do. Then he could have stayed home instead of enduring dangerous travel. He could have been loved and admired as a rabbi teaching in a synagogue with his fellow Jews, instead of being hated for preaching Jesus.
But, from prison in Rome, we know that Paul did not act to avoid all that, even though he did act in his own best interest too. And instead of complaining about all his suffering, a little before the passage we read, in verses 12-14, Paul wrote to his friends in Philippi, “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”
Can any of us say that? Are any of us more bold about our faith because we admire Paul’s courage to live it out in his day? I must admit it challenges me! I think about Andrew Brunson again. He went to Turkey to preach the gospel, not to end up in jail. He did know it was risky, but he bravely went for love of the Turks, to help them believe. But he ended up in jail, just like Paul. And we know from his own testimony that Andrew did not, and could not, make light of his suffering, only that God sustained him after all. Now these two lives make me wonder whether I have really been moved enough by God’s love for me to risk everything for the cause of Christ. I wonder sometimes whether my faith is truly authentic, since my life with it has been so easy compared to these heroes. Don’t you?
Before I answer that, I want to go on quoting Paul. Picking up in verses 15-18, “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”
That’s Paul’s response to, not just a bad day, but truly a long string of unfortunate events triggered by unfair and unjust people. And it all happened because Paul, living by faith responded to God’s call to go and preach the gospel. So then, based on all that experience coupled with complete trust in God’s sovereignty, Paul tells his audience, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.”
“Whatever happens…” That kind of lets me off the hook for not going through the kind of suffering others have gone through for the sake of the gospel. We all are called to share the gospel, and for some what happens as a result is real and obvious persecution and suffering, as with our brothers and sisters, even today, who live in muslim or hindu dominated countries in the Eastern hemisphere. Here where I live, “whatever happens” as a result of my ministry is a lot less harrowing.
When I conduct myself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, does anyone even notice? And does it even matter whether they do or not? I think there’s a lot that God keeps me from knowing because being faithful is all about integrity, not results. There is a pastor I like named Michael Frost, who tells us that all Christians ought to live questionable lives. What he means by that is, that as you live for Jesus, your humility and generosity and otherish ways might occasionally cause someone to ask, why do you do that, or why are you like that? That opens the door for you to share the gospel, because they asked.
And that is the way gospel missionary work is done in muslim nations. But there, the person asking might end up reporting you to the authorities! But still, Paul specifically traveled to preach, to talk to people, to speak up and share the gospel. We get the feeling he was like a door-to-door salesman. It makes me wonder if, even as a pastor, am I still too shy to do the work of an evangelist as I should.
However, Paul always went first to the synagogue, to speak with his fellow Jews. And there is only one place where Paul says he went “house to house” with the gospel. Acts 20:20 says, “You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.” He was speaking there to people he already knew, and about houses to which he had probably been invited. So, even though I am still challenged by the boldness of Paul and I think rightly so, I think I can also say that I have answered the call, by living the life of a pastor. But that’s me. All of you also have to wrestle with these issues as we work together and seek new ways to effectively communicate the gospel in our environment.
Did you notice that Paul stresses the unity of the church community and their mission together? Whatever happens, as long as we conduct ourselves together in a manner worthy of the gospel, we win. Christ’s victory over sin and death will be our shared experience. Paul said, “Stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.” It reminds me of that old saying, “safety in numbers.” That points to another reason why there is wisdom in being part of a fellowship or attending church. The result should be a togetherness of shared ministry that is more effective than any so-called lone ranger Christian could manage.
Further, Paul says that our unwavering faith and solidarity “is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.” The image I get is of a fortress, assailed with mighty weaponry for a time, and then when the smoke clears, the walls are still there, not a mark on them, no sign of the futile attack. Seeing that result, the ones who launched the assault would have good reason to conclude that they can’t win.
Paul says this based on his own personal experience, his own confidence in Christ. As he has seen for himself, the steadfastness of the Christians, despite persecution, is a “sign” to the persecutors, that they will be destroyed. But since God loves his enemies, the type of “destruction” He is really hoping for, and we should work toward, is the destruction of the enmity and conflict between people, not the destruction of the people who bring it.
Nevertheless, our strength does not mean we will not suffer. Paul assumes they will. So, we should assume we will, more, or less, depending upon whatever happens. And we do know that all the early churches were attacked and persecuted for their faith. For, as Paul goes on to say, “it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.”
So, the challenge to our faith remains. In what ways can it be said we are suffering for the gospel? Sure, we all have a bad day sometimes. We have all occasionally lived through very difficult circumstances. But how many of us can say it was because of Christ? We know that our modern American culture is largely anti-Christian. And we receive that as persecution. But nobody here in Lake City is trying to shut down churches. They are trying to enforce the misunderstood separation of church and state. I remember the back lash over the Facebook posting about the football team praying for Harper. But all most of us suffered from that was indignation and frustration. Bravo to Kim Blaszak though! She really took the heat for defending that post.
But for as long as we are free to conduct our ministry and seek opportunities to share the gospel, let us carry on as boldly as we know how. Whatever happens, let us conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, we will also be able to say, to live is Christ! If we are to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for us. Let us boldly continue together with all of the Body of Christ for progress and joy in the faith. Amen.
Listen Link: www.lcepc.org then look for “sermons” tab.
Have you ever had a bad day? Have you ever lived through very difficult circumstances? Sure, we all have. But what you have experienced, certainly I will say that what I have experienced, is probably very mild compared to what Paul endured. And yet he is the one who said, “Whatever happens, stand firm. It’s worth it.” What encouragement does he give? Is there any evidence that Paul knows what he is talking about? All he says in this letter is, “I am in chains.” But there is so much more to this story!
Most likely Paul was writing from prison in Rome, the one we read about in Acts 28. But the whole drama of how he got there starts in Acts 21. Seven chapters in the Book of Acts describe the things that happened after Paul completed his third missionary journey and returned to Jerusalem. I think it’s important to summarize those events here because it will add meaning to what Paul means by stand firm.
The drama started once he got to Jerusalem. He was advised by the believers there to engage in a Jewish ritual at the temple to show everyone that he was not really telling everybody to stop following the Laws of Moses. It didn’t work. While he was in the temple, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple and immediately assumed the worst. They stirred up a crowd that soon tried to execute Paul on the spot. But the Romans intervened, to maintain law and order.
Before they took him away, he asked the Roman guard for permission to speak to the crowd. That being granted, Paul gave his defense. He had surprised the Roman soldier by speaking to him in Greek. When he turned to his Jewish audience he spoke in Aramaic. That caused them to listen. The heard him give his personal testimony but became enraged again when he mentioned his ministry to the Gentiles. You get the idea that they were sort of racists against Gentiles?
After that the only thing that saved Paul’s skin was when he told the commander that he was a Roman Citizen. The Romans were now legally obligated to treat him decently and to protect him from the Jewish mob. To deal with the situation, the Roman commander called the Jewish Sanhedrin together to see what they would say about Paul. Paul immediately discerned that it wasn’t going to be a fair trial, so, he played upon their factions and announced his faith in the resurrection of the dead, a matter that sharply divided the Pharisees and Sadducees who immediately started arguing about that. The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to bring him into the barracks.
So much anger and chaos! How would you feel if you were the subject of that conversation and turmoil? If Paul was troubled, God himself comforted him, saying that night, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” That may have been comforting. But Paul had no idea how he was going to get to Rome! Before dawn there was more drama. Some of the Jews had hatched a plot to assassinate Paul, but Paul’s nephew warned Paul and the guards. And the Romans were obligated by law to protect Roman citizens, so they whisked him away under guard at night and took him to Caesarea, where he would be kept under guard in Herod’s palace and later examined by the Roman governor, Felix.
After another hearing with the Jews and their false charges, Paul stayed in Herod’s palace under guard for 2 years, while Felix hoped Paul would bribe his way out of jail! He was safe, but unjustly imprisoned! When the next governor came along, it was his turn to figure out what to do with Paul. But the Jews were ahead of him. Still bearing this grudge after two years, they asked to have him transferred to Jerusalem, but planned to have him killed along the way.
Paul knew it was still not safe to go back to Jerusalem, so he appealed to Caesar as his best chance to get a fair hearing. That’s what ultimately sent him off to Rome, even though Festus and Agrippa knew that he really was innocent. Next came the dangerous journey to Rome that included a terrible storm that lasted two weeks. They had no control of the ship and this leg of the journey ended in a shipwreck! But in the midst of that, with God’s encouragement Paul took charge, and no lives were lost because they followed his instructions!
Still what a long list and long time of harrowing experiences! Paul could have avoided all that. He could have gotten back to a comfortable lifestyle, very easily, if he just would have given up on the gospel, renounced Christ and went back to being a normal Pharisee, keeping the Mosaic Law as all the Jews wanted him to do. Then he could have stayed home instead of enduring dangerous travel. He could have been loved and admired as a rabbi teaching in a synagogue with his fellow Jews, instead of being hated for preaching Jesus.
But, from prison in Rome, we know that Paul did not act to avoid all that, even though he did act in his own best interest too. And instead of complaining about all his suffering, a little before the passage we read, in verses 12-14, Paul wrote to his friends in Philippi, “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”
Can any of us say that? Are any of us more bold about our faith because we admire Paul’s courage to live it out in his day? I must admit it challenges me! I think about Andrew Brunson again. He went to Turkey to preach the gospel, not to end up in jail. He did know it was risky, but he bravely went for love of the Turks, to help them believe. But he ended up in jail, just like Paul. And we know from his own testimony that Andrew did not, and could not, make light of his suffering, only that God sustained him after all. Now these two lives make me wonder whether I have really been moved enough by God’s love for me to risk everything for the cause of Christ. I wonder sometimes whether my faith is truly authentic, since my life with it has been so easy compared to these heroes. Don’t you?
Before I answer that, I want to go on quoting Paul. Picking up in verses 15-18, “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”
That’s Paul’s response to, not just a bad day, but truly a long string of unfortunate events triggered by unfair and unjust people. And it all happened because Paul, living by faith responded to God’s call to go and preach the gospel. So then, based on all that experience coupled with complete trust in God’s sovereignty, Paul tells his audience, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.”
“Whatever happens…” That kind of lets me off the hook for not going through the kind of suffering others have gone through for the sake of the gospel. We all are called to share the gospel, and for some what happens as a result is real and obvious persecution and suffering, as with our brothers and sisters, even today, who live in muslim or hindu dominated countries in the Eastern hemisphere. Here where I live, “whatever happens” as a result of my ministry is a lot less harrowing.
When I conduct myself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, does anyone even notice? And does it even matter whether they do or not? I think there’s a lot that God keeps me from knowing because being faithful is all about integrity, not results. There is a pastor I like named Michael Frost, who tells us that all Christians ought to live questionable lives. What he means by that is, that as you live for Jesus, your humility and generosity and otherish ways might occasionally cause someone to ask, why do you do that, or why are you like that? That opens the door for you to share the gospel, because they asked.
And that is the way gospel missionary work is done in muslim nations. But there, the person asking might end up reporting you to the authorities! But still, Paul specifically traveled to preach, to talk to people, to speak up and share the gospel. We get the feeling he was like a door-to-door salesman. It makes me wonder if, even as a pastor, am I still too shy to do the work of an evangelist as I should.
However, Paul always went first to the synagogue, to speak with his fellow Jews. And there is only one place where Paul says he went “house to house” with the gospel. Acts 20:20 says, “You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.” He was speaking there to people he already knew, and about houses to which he had probably been invited. So, even though I am still challenged by the boldness of Paul and I think rightly so, I think I can also say that I have answered the call, by living the life of a pastor. But that’s me. All of you also have to wrestle with these issues as we work together and seek new ways to effectively communicate the gospel in our environment.
Did you notice that Paul stresses the unity of the church community and their mission together? Whatever happens, as long as we conduct ourselves together in a manner worthy of the gospel, we win. Christ’s victory over sin and death will be our shared experience. Paul said, “Stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.” It reminds me of that old saying, “safety in numbers.” That points to another reason why there is wisdom in being part of a fellowship or attending church. The result should be a togetherness of shared ministry that is more effective than any so-called lone ranger Christian could manage.
Further, Paul says that our unwavering faith and solidarity “is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.” The image I get is of a fortress, assailed with mighty weaponry for a time, and then when the smoke clears, the walls are still there, not a mark on them, no sign of the futile attack. Seeing that result, the ones who launched the assault would have good reason to conclude that they can’t win.
Paul says this based on his own personal experience, his own confidence in Christ. As he has seen for himself, the steadfastness of the Christians, despite persecution, is a “sign” to the persecutors, that they will be destroyed. But since God loves his enemies, the type of “destruction” He is really hoping for, and we should work toward, is the destruction of the enmity and conflict between people, not the destruction of the people who bring it.
Nevertheless, our strength does not mean we will not suffer. Paul assumes they will. So, we should assume we will, more, or less, depending upon whatever happens. And we do know that all the early churches were attacked and persecuted for their faith. For, as Paul goes on to say, “it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.”
So, the challenge to our faith remains. In what ways can it be said we are suffering for the gospel? Sure, we all have a bad day sometimes. We have all occasionally lived through very difficult circumstances. But how many of us can say it was because of Christ? We know that our modern American culture is largely anti-Christian. And we receive that as persecution. But nobody here in Lake City is trying to shut down churches. They are trying to enforce the misunderstood separation of church and state. I remember the back lash over the Facebook posting about the football team praying for Harper. But all most of us suffered from that was indignation and frustration. Bravo to Kim Blaszak though! She really took the heat for defending that post.
But for as long as we are free to conduct our ministry and seek opportunities to share the gospel, let us carry on as boldly as we know how. Whatever happens, let us conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, we will also be able to say, to live is Christ! If we are to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for us. Let us boldly continue together with all of the Body of Christ for progress and joy in the faith. Amen.
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