A Life Worthy of the Gospel (Part 1)
Text: Philippians 1:12-26
Core Idea: A life worthy of the gospel is a life that is lived for Christ – advancing the gospel as we trust in God’s providence. May we endeavor to live this way as we immerse ourselves in the gospel that gives us the power to live this way.
INTRODUCTION
Good evening, Lighthouse. Hope you had a great day. If you have your Bibles, please turn to Philippians 1:12-26. Now, in order to better appreciate this passage, let me take some time to briefly remind you of the context of this letter again. From Acts 16, we learn that Paul and Silas spent several days in Philippi – sharing the gospel. Luke tells us that the Lord opened people’s hearts to respond to Paul’s message – and a church was planted. And it was this particular church that became near and dear to Paul’s heart. You see, he was very fond of them – and they, in turn, were very fond of him. So, even after Paul left, they stayed in touch with one another – giving updates and sharing encouragement. Now, one thing we need to keep in mind is that Philippi was a Roman colony in ancient Macedonia – full of retired soldiers and known for its patriotic nationalism. Then it’s not surprising to see that a great persecution broke out against the believers there – many were offended by the fact that these Christians were claiming that Jesus was the true King of the world, not Caesar. But despite these threats and oppositions, they remained faithful to the Lord – growing as disciples of Jesus Christ. Now, during this time, they heard that Paul had been put into prison in Rome and there was a rumor that Paul may be executed – understandably, they became quite concerned. So, they sent a messenger (Epaphroditus) to give him a financial gift and other supplies that he may need to take care of himself. Then the letter of Philippians was Paul’s way of thanking them and reminding them of the gospel he so faithfully preached to them. Then with this in mind, let me read you the passage for us.
12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 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. 15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 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. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
The theme of our retreat is A LIFE WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL. We chose this because we wanted to remind ourselves that the gospel isn’t just the starting point for the believers but the very foundation, motivation, and power to all that we do – which means that it’s not enough just to know, it ought to transform everything about us. In fact, this is one of the reasons why we started going through the Gospel of Mark – out of our desire to know the gospel, to be moved by the gospel, and to work out its implications so that we can be shaped by it individually but also collectively as a church. Then think of this retreat as an extension of that journey – the only difference is that we’ll be looking at Paul’s example and Paul’s teaching in this letter to learn what it means to live a life worthy of the gospel. Three things:
· A LIFE THAT AIMS TO ADVANCE THE GOSPEL
· A LIFE THAT TRUSTS IN GOD’S PROVIDENCE
· A LIFE THAT EXISTS FOR CHRIST
1) A LIFE THAT AIMS TO ADVANCE THE GOSPEL
Imagine with me for a moment that you were present when this letter was first read to the Philippian church. You must have been deeply concerned for Paul – waiting for Epaphroditus to return so that you could receive an update about him. So, when Epaphroditus came back with a letter from Paul, you could just imagine the anticipation that grew in the church. They had just listened to Paul’s warm greeting and his heartfelt prayer for them. Paul thanked God for their generosity, for their faithfulness – and he expressed his confidence that God will “carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6) the life-transforming work that He started in them. It was clear that Paul had this deep affection for them. Then in verse 12, they finally come to Paul’s personal update that they’ve been eagerly waiting for.
Verse 12. “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.” This must have shocked them because they must have assumed that his mission of advancing the gospel was hindered, interrupted by his imprisonment – he was confined, restricted, chained. But here was Paul – confident that this has actually served to advance the gospel. He even said this in verse 18: “And because of this I rejoice.” He was joyful not necessarily because he was in prison but because he was in prison for the Lord – for the advancement of the gospel. This is remarkable because it implies that Paul’s passion for the advance of the gospel made all the difference even when he suffered for the gospel. His life’s aim was to advance the gospel – nothing else mattered. This becomes more evident when we see that Paul didn’t provide them with any detail about his personal experience in prison. There was no detail of his arrest, the condition of his imprisonment, his impending trial, or the threat of execution. There was absolutely no trace of complaining or self-pity in his writing. Not too long ago, I was organizing my emails and I found the email conversation that I had with my mom when I was in Kenya in 2007. I was there for three months – teaching English and math on weekdays and visiting different villages to share the gospel on the weekends. And this is what I wrote in one of the emails: “Mom, it was so cold in Eldoret (which is a town in Northern Kenya). I thought it wouldn’t be cold in Africa, but I thought I was going to freeze to death. I was shivering all night. Finally, I’m going back to Nairobi (the capital city of Kenya – I think I sent this at the end of the trip). (This is what I really wrote.) I can’t wait to have galbi, bossam, jokbal, fried chicken, sushi, jjambbong… (I listed all the food I wanted to eat). I’ll be home in a few days. See you soon, mom. Love you.” The whole email was all about me – which goes to show that if I was in Paul’s shoes, I would’ve provided you with all the details about how difficult it was and how harsh they were treating me. I wouldn’t have hesitated to make it about me. But we find no such detail here because that’s not what Paul wanted them to know, because those details weren’t his priority, because those details didn’t reflect his passion. For Paul, the most important thing that he wanted the church in Philippi to know was the fact that his imprisonment resulted in the advance of the gospel – that’s what mattered to him the most. He wanted the Philippians to know this so that they would be strengthened and not frightened as they suffered for the gospel.
Now, Paul gave them two pieces of evidence that the gospel was truly advancing. First, the gospel was advancing among his captors. Verse 13, “As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.” The palace guards were the elites of the Roman soldiers who served as personal bodyguards for Caesar. No doubt, they were intimidating – but they didn’t intimidate Paul. So, imagine this with me. These guards were always with Paul. In one sense, it meant that Paul had no privacy – he was always being watched. But this also meant that the guards had no choice but to listen to Paul preach the gospel for hours – do you see how our perspective can make a huge difference in the way one experiences an event? And that’s exactly what he did. And through his obedience, the gospel advanced to unexpected places. Philippians 4:22 says, “All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.” Can you imagine what their reaction would’ve been like to hear this? How encouraging would this have been for them? The gospel had even penetrated the house of Caesar. Of course, we’re not sure if they were slaves, servants, government officials, or family members of Caesar – but what mattered was that there were people around Caesar who had been transformed by the gospel. This was the evidence that though Paul was confined, the message of the gospel wasn’t confined.
The second piece of evidence – verse 14, “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.” Ironically, the chains that confined Paul became a means of liberating the church in Rome from the fear they had in proclaiming the gospel. In other words, the result of his imprisonment was a fresh outbreak of evangelism through the church in Rome – it gave them the courage to proclaim the gospel. Brothers and sisters, we need to be inspired by Paul’s example as well. G. Walter Hansen writes, “Many words can be spoken in human discourse without slightest risk or need for courage but speaking this particular word, a Christ-centred word, always requires courage.” Isn’t this true? We can talk about sports, food, celebrities, movies, work, relationships with anyone without any fear. But if the conversation moves to religion or we have an opportunity to share the gospel, all of a sudden, we’ll sense this reluctance in our hearts – this fear that restricts us, that tempts us to be silent. “What if I don’t have all the answers? What if I say the wrong thing and mislead them or make a fool out of myself? What if they see through me and find out that I don’t have it altogether?” If this is you, if you lack courage today, I invite you to come before Him and just acknowledge your need. Humbly admit that you’re scared. Then pray for courage so that through our obedience, the gospel will advance.
Now, in verse 14, did you notice that Paul said, “Most of the brothers and sisters” not “all”? Here’s why he said this, verse 15, “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.” You see, most of the people loved Paul, and together, they endeavored to proclaim the gospel faithfully. But there was a small group of people who ministered out of selfish ambition which was actually adding more affliction to Paul. Then who were these people? Now, to our shock, they were Christians, and they really preached the gospel. You see, if Paul thought that they were false teachers, he wouldn’t have hesitated to go after them. For example, Paul said in Philippians 3:2, “Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.” Other times, he wasn’t afraid to call them out – but he didn’t do that here. In fact, he even affirmed their message – that they were preaching the gospel. But what distinguished them from others was their attitude toward Paul. Again, what’s surprising for me is that Paul didn’t provide us with any details beyond this – we’re left to speculate. I’ll be honest – I want to know more. I want to know why they envied Paul. I want to know how they added to Paul’s affliction. I want to be angry for him. But Paul was wiser than me – he probably knew that it wouldn’t have served us to know. Instead, this is how Paul responded to his opponents, verse 18, “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. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.” That was his response. How could he say this? Because he was a man of single passion: to see the gospel advance.
What does this mean for us? This text is clearly asking us two questions. First, “Are you truly passionate about the advance of the gospel? Is this what you aim to achieve in your life?” Don Carson wrote, “Paul’s example is impressive and clear: Put the advance of the gospel at the center of your aspirations. Our own comfort, our bruised feelings, our reputations, our misunderstood motives – all of these are insignificant in comparison with the advance and splendor of the gospel. As Christians, we are called to put the advance of the gospel at the very center of our aspirations. What are your aspirations? To make money? To get married? To travel? To see your grandchildren grow up? To find a new job? To retire early? None of these is to be despised. But the question is whether these aspirations become so devouring that the Christian’s central aspiration is squeezed to the periphery or choked out of existence entirely.” My prayer is that the advance of the gospel will be the ultimate passion and priority of our lives – the aspiration of our hearts.
The second question that’s related to the first is this: “How is the gospel being advanced through my life right now?” Through your work, through your marriage, through your parenting, through your suffering and trials, through your successes or failures, through your life, how is the gospel being advanced right now? Think about it: if Paul’s ambition was for comfort, financial prosperity, or even the advance of his reputation, then imprisonment would have been horrible. But Paul’s ambition was to preach Christ for the gospel to advance – which is why he was able to remain faithful in all circumstances. What circumstance are you in right now? In one sense, you could view that as horrible. But can this be an opportunity to advance the gospel somehow? Then may this be true for us as well – that we will endeavor with everything we have to advance the gospel always.
2) A LIFE THAT TRUSTS IN GOD’S PROVIDENCE
We live to advance the gospel – trusting in God’s providence. Verse 12, “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.” Think about the nuance of his words here. Paul was saying that what has happened to him has actually, believe it or not, I know it doesn’t seem like it but, served to advance the gospel. In other words, to everyone’s surprise, the things that people thought would frustrate God’s plan were actually a way for Him to carry out His purposes. Now, how was Paul able to say that? Because he believed in God’s providence. Pastor John Piper defines providence this way: “The providence of God is His purposeful sovereignty by which He will be completely successful in the achievement of His ultimate goal for the universe.” To put it simply, it’s a belief that God’s hidden hand is always and at all times at work in ordinary and day-to-day events of our life in order to accomplish His good will. This was the guiding principle for Paul which is why he was able to say, “I’m not a victim of my circumstances. In fact, these circumstances, as awful as they seem, actually haven’t been a hindrance to my work but rather a vehicle for it because God has been working to bring all things together.” Now, one obvious example of this is the guards. Isn’t it interesting that these guards had no choice but to listen to the most influential, persuasive, and effective evangelist of all time preach the gospel to them? These guards heard the gospel because Paul was in chains.
This reminded me of the story of Jim Elliot. Many of you know that he was a missionary to Ecuador. But did you know that he was determined to enter the mission field from a young age? And because of his conviction, he was intentional in all that he did. He joined a wrestling team in order to have the strength to do the work of God overseas. He studied the Bible at a seminary in order to share the gospel effectively. He studied Greek to be able to translate the Bible into any foreign language. He left home to live with a retired missionary family to learn more about living in a different culture. He was a man of prayer. And because he believed that romantic relationships were a distraction, he rejected a few girls who were interested in him by quoting from 2 Timothy 2:4, which says, “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.” He was determined. And finally, after the training was done, along with a few other men, went into the jungle in Ecuador. He was only 25. Four years into his ministry, there was an opportunity to meet the Huaorani people and Jim didn’t hesitate. He knew that this was a God-given opportunity. But when Jim and three other men entered the village, these people killed them on the spot. Now, when we hear this kind of story, we can’t help but be in shock. “Why would God allow that to happen? Jim spent all his life preparing for missions – he would’ve been so effective in bringing so many people to God. But just after four years of ministry, he was brutally killed. What a waste!” But the story continued – Elisabeth Elliot, Jim’s wife, went back to the Huaorani people and began to minister to them in love. And when they found out that she was Jim’s wife, and that she had forgiven them, and that she wanted to serve them, their walls came down and many came to Christ.
Now, I want to make one thing clear: God is not the cause of all these horrible things. Suffering happens because we live in a broken world. However, no matter what, God can turn all things into something good and something amazing. Paul writes in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Many of us are familiar with this verse – but do you truly believe this? Have you worked out its implications for your life? Are you fighting to believe that even in your own situation, God is working for your good – according to His purpose? Only when this truth comes alive are we able to devote our lives to advancing the gospel. Then brothers and sisters, let us continue to trust in His sovereignty. Let’s fight to believe that He is sovereign in our lives – that He will never waste our circumstances. That’s what it means to live a life worthy of the gospel – trusting in God’s providence.
3) A LIFE THAT EXISTS FOR CHRIST
Verse 20, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Here, Paul makes it very clear that his life was ultimately about Christ and His glory because everything that he has ever thought life to be was now found in his relationship with Christ. He was basically saying, “For me, life is all about Christ. It’s about knowing, loving, serving, glorifying, enjoying, and communing with Christ. It’s about making His name known” – which explains why he was so determined to advance the gospel. At the core of it was his love for Christ. Then it makes sense why he believes that dying would be gain – it’s because he gets to be with Christ for eternity. Notice the train of his thought here: Dying for Jesus was not the true sacrifice for Paul. Rather, true sacrifice was for him to stay alive to serve others. This wasn’t like, “Lord, life is hard. Just take me home now!” kind of confession – he had this deep love for the Lord and the people. This is why he was genuinely torn between these two options. Verse 22, “If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” If he was executed, it meant that he’ll be with Jesus – which would be great for him. But if he was released, it meant that he could keep working to advance the gospel and plant more churches around the world – which would be better for other people. Commentators say that these few verses are interesting because Paul usually writes eloquent Greek – but here, there were a lot of fragments and broken syntax, which may imply that Paul was in great anguish. Paul was riled up as he wrote these verses.
Then before we move further, let me ask you, “What are you living for? What is it that makes your life worthwhile to live? What’s one thing that makes you feel accepted, approved, worth it? What’s that thing that you crave – the thing that you want to provide for your family the most? Stability? Comfort?” Here’s another way to think about this: “What is your worst nightmare? What is the worst scenario in your life that can cause you to lose the will to live?” Maybe it’s being completely humiliated at work or seen as incompetent. Or being jobless, unemployed. Or feeling like a failure. Maybe it’s having not enough money in your bank account. Not being able to drive the car that your friends or your neighbors are driving. Not being able to freely do whatever you want, whenever you want. Maybe it’s not having the kind of family that you always hoped for – or not being able to have kids. Not having a spouse. Feeling like you’re unloved for the rest of your life. Maybe losing someone most important to you. Feeling like everyone is moving on perfectly according to their plan while you’re still stuck.
Paul’s answer to those questions was this: for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. He was essentially saying, “In Christ, I have been radically decentered in my own life. In Christ, I’ve been knocked off the throne of my own life. At the centre, there’s somebody else and His name is Jesus Christ.” You see, this radical decentering of our own lives is the key to living that life where we can find joy even in the face of great suffering. It’s only when we can say, “For me to live is Christ” is when we can say, “To die is gain.” Then brothers and sisters, do you truly believe that Christ is better? Is Christ really what your life is about, what you’re after? I pray that the Spirit will work in you, humble you, lead you so that this would be true in your life. I pray that Christ will be the most cherished, the most satisfying reality of your lives because only then will we fully devote ourselves to His praise and glory.
Now, how do we know if our lives truly exist for Christ? There are many ways to affirm this but listen to what Paul says. Verse 25, “Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.” This is very important to point out because living a life for Christ led Paul to live a life for the good of others. In other words, when you treasure Christ, you begin to treasure others. Living for Christ always leads to our concern for progress and joy in the faith of others. We will intentionally serve, encourage, pray, and come alongside others in their weakness and sin to lead them to become more like Christ. Then let me ask you, “Are you concerned about the progress and joy in the faith of those around you? How are you serving them? How are you leading them? How are you discipling them? How are you treasuring them?” May we find ways to treasure one another here at Lighthouse.
Then let me end with this thought. How is Paul able to confess that to live is Christ and to die is gain in the face of suffering, in the face of death, and in the face of enemies? He was the one devoted to killing Christians – oppose Christ with everything he had. What changed? How did it change? Because he met Someone. You see, this Man was betrayed and falsely accused by His own too. And this Man was unjustly imprisoned though He did no wrong. This Man endured untold humiliation and unspeakable suffering at the hands of His enemies. This Man didn’t face the prospect of possible death – this Man was nailed to a Roman cross. This Man in the darkest moment of human history, walked into the darkness of the grave – crying out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Now, when it seemed like it was over, hopeless, that’s when we discovered that God was not done. That even in this darkest moment, God had a greater purpose. He was at work (orchestrating every single detail of those days) so that this Man’s death wasn’t a defeat but a solution to bring salvation to the whole world. The death that sealed the guilt of the human race before God became the death that atoned for the guilt of the human race before God. And the Bible tells us that this Man is Jesus Christ. And when Paul realized that Christ died for him, he was never the same again. Brothers and sisters, have you experienced this grace for yourself? Have you seen Jesus coming after you in love? Have you seen the eternal Son of God breathe His last because of His love for you? If you’ve seen that, you’ll have this purpose that suffering can’t take away, you’ll have this love that will free you from yourself, and you’ll have this hope that will transform not only your life but even your death.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, a life worthy of the gospel is a life that is lived for Christ – advancing the gospel as we trust in God’s providence. Then may we endeavor to live this way as we immerse ourselves in the gospel for this alone gives us the power to live this way.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Are you truly passionate about the advance of the gospel? How can we cultivate and develop a greater and deeper gospel ambition like Paul in our lives, actions, and prayers? How can we actively pursue gospel advance wherever God has placed us today?
2) What does it mean to trust in God’s providence in your life today?
3) How is your relationship with Christ today? How can you deepen your love for Him so that you’ll be able to say with joy, “To live is Christ and to die is gain”?