Philippians 1:19-30 (RSV)
1:19 Yes, & I shall rejoice. For I know that through your prayers & the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 1:20 as it is my eager expectation & hope that I shall not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, & to die is gain. 1:22 If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 1:23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart & be with Christ, for that is far better. 1:24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 1:25 Convinced of this, I know that I shall remain & continue with you all, for your progress & joy in the faith, 1:26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. 1:27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come & see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 1:28 & not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear omen to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, & that from God. 1:29 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, 1:30 engaged in the same conflict which you saw & now hear to be mine.
There was a seamstress, a member of the Dexter Ave. Baptist church, a devoted Christ follower, who believed that Jesus had something to teach a segregated world about love, justice & community. One morning in December of 1955, a bus driver told her she must vacate her seat & move to the back of the bus because she was an African American & a white person needed the seat. In one of the most courageous choices of the 20th century, she didn’t move. And she started a revolution. The next Monday night 10,000 followers of Christ gathered together at her church to pray & to ask God, "What do we do next?"
Because of that choice, a revolution started that wasn’t easy; it had a high cost; many were beaten; many were imprisoned; some even died. But it changed the conscience of a nation. It didn’t change it enough, but it changed it. All because a mild-mannered, soft-spoken, Christian seamstress had the courage to sit in the front of the bus with dignity.
The expounders of many of the great new ideas of history were frequently considered on the lunatic fringe for some or all of their lives. If one stands up & is counted, from time to time one may get knocked down. But remember this: a man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good. (Thomas J. Watson, Jr., Chairman of Board, IBM)
Last week we learned from Paul How to find joy in the midst of difficult & heavy circumstances. The secret is to live for a noble cause that is higher than one’s own self. Also, the secret is to remember that God loves us & is in control of all that happens to us.
This Sunday the theme of our passage is: The focus of Paul’s life while writing the letter to the Philippians:
1. He focused on exalting Christ—holding Him in high honor either by his life or by his death. (Vss. 19-21)
2. He focused on ministering to the Philippian believers for their spiritual progress & joy (Vss. 22-26)
3. Finally, he focused on encouraging the Philippians to live a lifestyle that was consistent with God’s high calling. (Vss. 27-30)
a. A life of unity with a single purpose.
b. A life a courage in the face of opposition.
c. A life of suffering because of the nature of
the spiritual conflict we as Christians must
endure.
If we choose to concentrate on exalting Christ we can expect to find supernatural boldness in fruitful ministry -- one that will glorify Christ & effectively impact others. But it takes courage on our part just as Paul needed courage to face the Roman legal authorities who had the power to give him life or sentence him to death.
The focus of Paul’s life while writing the letter to the Philippians was on exalting Christ—holding Him in high honor either by his life or by his death. (Vss. 19-21)
In vs. 19 Paul joyfully expects to be released from prison & to win his case. Why? 1. because of the prayers of the Philippians. 2. Bec. of the provision of the Holy Spirit. But first, in vs. 20 we see that he must stand before an earthly judge who will adjudicate his case. Paul isn’t so much concerned with the outcome of the trial. Paul’s concern is that he have the courage to present himself in a manner that greatly Holds Christ in high honor.
Paul explains his views on life & death: his reason for his earthly existence is honoring Christ & spreading the gospel. His concept of death is that it will be better than life on this planet.
If he is released from imprisonment, then the gospel ministry will continue to be fruitful. But if he had his druthers, he would want to be in heaven with Christ.
Yet there is still a mission for him to fulfill on earth – to minister to the Philippians – for the progress of their faith, that their joy might increase & that they would take pride in Jesus Christ.
In vs. 19 Paul is expecting release in the near future. Paul writes this verse with Job 13:16-18 in mind: “This will be my salvation, that a godless man shall not come before Him. 17 Listen carefully to my words, & let my declaration be in your ears. 18 Behold, I have prepared my case; I know that I shall be vindicated.”
“Salvation” often meant physical “deliverance,” sometimes from prison, & in this context it seems to have this meaning. “The word in the original for “help” gives us our English word “chorus.” Whenever a Greek city was going to put on a special festival, someone had to pay for the singers & dancers. The donation called had to be a lavish one, & so this word came to mean ‘to provide generously & lavishly.’ Therefore, Paul was not depending upon his own meager resources; he was depending on the generous resources of God, ministered by the Holy Spirit.” Why would we attempt to do great things in our own limited power when we have at our disposal that power of the Almighty God of the Universe?
Just an aside, to give us a little background of this letter—let’s put Paul’s writing into context. The citizens of Philippi were Roman citizens & as such enjoyed certain legal protections. But Paul’s fate in court as a Christian who was also a Roman citizen would set a legal precedent that could affect their own legal standing, so they would have more than one reason for concern about how his case turned out. Paul’s day in court would be a test case for treatment of Roman Christians.
But what is Paul concerned about? In Vs. 20 Paul is apprehensive, even frightened that he will deny the Lord under the stress of all his hardships. Since his focus was that “Christ would be honored, whether by life or by death” Paul has a deep desire & hope to present a courageous defense in service to his Lord in his person: & it matters not whether he lives or dies.
He remarks “as it is my eager expectation & hope that I shall not be at all ashamed.” Losing face to the oriental mind is the worst possible dishonor. What would be worse is for Paul to break under the duress of persecution & suffering & do what Peter did: deny his Lord.
If he lives, it will be for the service of Christ, if he dies, then his readiness to endure death & his calm courage in the face of it will be a powerful testimony to the worthiness of Christ Jesus. But if he dies He is saying “I’m ready to die.”
As I read this passage, I can’t help but to think, “If we’re not ready to die, then we’re not ready to live.” We see some startling things nowadays printed on T-shirts. One said, "Don’t take life seriously. It’s not permanent."
Remember, Paul had a purpose: Only the consciousness of a purpose that is mightier than any man & worthy of all men can strengthen & inspire & give meaning to our souls. (Walter Lippmann)
Vs 21. If life meant for Paul wealth, power, self-gratification, then death would loom in front of him with terror. To the Jewish mind of his time, non-existence was certainly one of the most terrible ideas conceivable. But instead Paul calls it gain. His life on earth is all for the service of Christ—the advancement of the gospel. But death would be even better because then he could be with Christ because his earthly life was lived for His sake. Death means for Paul & for us life much fuller than we have now. O.T. writers did not usually take this position, even some became depressed enough to desire to die, or in Job’s case even to wish that he had never lived.
Death is especially a great loss to a carnal, worldly person, bec. he loses all his earthly comforts & all his hopes; but to a true believer it’s to our benefit or profit bec. it’s the end of all our weakness & misery. Passing on to the other side of eternity will deliver us from all the evils of life.
The apostle’s difficulty was not between living in this world & living in heaven; Let’s face it: btw. these 2 there’s no comparison; but btw. serving Christ in this world & enjoying him in another. Not between 2 evil things, but btw. 2 good things; living for Christ & being with him. But Paul wanted to go home. Are we ready to go home?
The focus of Paul’s life while writing the letter to the Philippians was on ministering to the Philippian believers for their spiritual progress & joy (Vss. 22-26)
In vs. 22. Paul is arguing that death holds no terror for him. But he doesn’t want the Philippians to worry that life is the pits for him—on the contrary, it’s best for Paul & for the Philippians that he remain on earth. But what would his preference be? He’s caught in a personal dilemma. He says “which I shall choose I don’t know.”
Vs. 23. Paul finds himself in a dilemma. When we have to make an important decision, it’s commonplace to feel stuck, to feel unsure. But it would be gain, it would be far better to be with Christ. Paul says that he “Has a desire to depart, & to be with Christ.” This statement appears to be a metaphor taken from the commander of a vessel, in a foreign port, who feels a strong desire, to set sail, & get to his own country & family.
Paul “has a desire to depart, & to be with Christ which is far better.” Much more better. From the original, it can be seen at once that these words are very emphatic.
Vs. 24. So what does he choose? It’s characteristic of Paul that the 1st thing that strikes him is the needs of others. True courage is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.
Vs. 25. Paul still lives by his purpose in life—the advancement of the gospel & the benefit of his flock. “Convinced of this, I know that I shall remain & continue with you all, for your progress & joy in the faith” He’s convinced that it’s necessary that he should live longer, for the spreading & defense of the Gospel. He is also persuaded that he will be set free. This was in fact the case, after having been 2 years in bonds at Rome, scholars are reasonably certain that he was released.
Vs. 26. Thus, Paul looks forward to joining the Philippians. Emperor Nero was not particularly interested in legal questions, & in A.D. 62 he freed Jewish hostages that the governor Felix had previously sent him. Paul was very likely released at this time. Finally, Paul speaks here of wanting their “joy in Christ Jesus (lit. their ‘boasting’) to overflow.” For all of us as Christians our greatest joy & pride & boasting should be in Christ Jesus.
The focus of Paul’s life while writing the letter to the Philippians was on encouraging the Philippians to live a lifestyle that was consistent with God’s high calling. (Vss. 27-30)
1. A life of unity with a single purpose.
2. A life a courage in the face of opposition
3. A life of suffering because of the nature of
the spiritual conflict we as Christians must
endure.
Vs. 27. Paul may come back again to Philippi or he may not. What matters, he stresses, is that they live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. In all ages—& not least today—the greatest hindrance to the advance of the gospel has been the inconsistency of Christians. The gospel has its greatest influence when the lives of courageous Christians live it out, & that gives us our special responsibility. The Greek translated “let your manner of life” is the one from which our word ‘politics’ comes & the word often conveys the idea of fulfilling one’s duty as citizen. In Philippi, Roman citizenship was prized, but the Philippian Christians had the higher responsibility to live as heavenly citizens.
Vs. 28 speaks of the reliance on the power of God as the way to avoid being frightened by those who oppose them. The word used here is used of startled horses; I’m no cowboy but I’ve seen horses when they are scared up and they run like the wind. ‘never be scared’ is Moffatt’s translation. Furthermore, their fearlessness will show their enemies that Christians are not fortified by merely human courage, & so to oppose them is to fight against God Himself & to take the path that leads to destruction.
The important principle here is: “Don’t be intimidated by your opponents when you have a vision from the Lord.” "You took a big risk," somebody once told a
visionary: “But it would have been a greater risk to do nothing” replied the person with a vision. William Carey once said: “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.” That’s precisely what we must do here at Immanuel Baptist Church. This church will not die from a lack of vision: to use an old Naval term, “not on my watch it won’t.”
Paul says: “In nothing terrified by your adversaries” This tells me that the Church at Philippi was then under persecution. We can learn from this that we
need not be terrified by our enemies; they can do nothing to us that God will not turn to our eternal advantage. Satan is our enemy & he will not win. Not on our watch he won’t.
Vs. 29: Behind the words “it has been granted” is the thought of a gift of grace, as for Christians it is a privilege to believe but also (by that strange contradiction of the world’s standards) to suffer for Christ. Joy is the advancement of the gospel & suffering has it’s value. My dad used to say that adversity is often the best teacher. The world sees suffering in a different light. Suffering is to be avoided at all costs. We live in a society that values above all things comfort, hedonism,
good times, happiness (happenstance). But suffering builds character—something that is becoming increasingly scarce in our culture. Paul is saying
“look at me. I am suffering but it has meaning & purpose bec. it is for the furtherance of the gospel.”
Let me interject by saying that suffering is not always a result of sin. A common belief in Jewish culture was that calamity or suffering was the result of some great sin. But God uses our suffering to teach us about faith & to glorify God. We live in a fallen world where good behavior is not always rewarded & bad
behavior not always punished. Therefore, innocent people sometimes suffer. If God took suffering away whenever we asked, we would follow him for comfort
& convenience, not out of love & devotion. Regardless of the reasons for our suffering, Jesus has the power to help us deal with it. When you suffer from a
disease, tragedy, or disability, try not to ask, “Why did this happen to me?” or “What did I do wrong?” Instead, we must ask God to give us strength for the trial & a clearer perspective on what’s happening.
Finally in Vs. 30 the Greek word translated for “engaged” -- “engaged in the same conflict which you saw & now hear to be mine.” is the word from which we have ‘athlete’; behind the word conflict here is the word that gives us ‘agony’
Conclusion: The calling of the Philippian Christians, & ours, is to engage ourselves like athletes in that toil, struggle & agony that marked the apostle’s life. But we must be courageous & dare to dream; dare to have a vision—& then proceed with it in spite of our fears. John Wayne once said: “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” And having a vision is part of being courageous--maybe the hardest part, because if you’re courageous you’re probably smart enough to know all the reasons why you should be discouraged.
Christianity is a missionary religion, courageously converting, advancing, aggressive, encompassing the world; a non-missionary church is in the throes of death. Indeed, the lack of vision & purpose is almost the greatest tragedy a person or an organization may encounter. We must not be afraid to sit in the front of the bus. We must dare to take a risk that demands a courageous faith on our part. Let’s not be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.
