Life worth dying for
Philippians chapter 1:13-1:30
Introduction-
Last week
we looked at being in Christ
And Christ being in you.
That the joy we seek and the joy we have is not based upon your circumstances, or what success you have at the moment.
We saw that there are many fair-weather Christians that will serve God as long as everything is going their way.
We are great starters but poor finishers.
Colossians 3:3
“For you have died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
So as we continue in the series “living for Christ” –
My question for you is simple-
Is what you have in your relationship with Christ worth dying for?
How important is it to you?
Background again-
Paul was in prison and he is speaking to the church at Philippi to tell them that in spite of what was happening to him, that the gospel of Christ is advancing and what he has is real.
Philippians 1:13-1:30
Read (v12-14)
Stop a minute- Paul makes it clear that he is imprisoned not because he is guilty of a crime, but because of his stand for the gospel.
Read (v14-23)
Let that sink in- those that preach God’s word and live God’s word have to recognize that even having the right motive could land them in trouble with those of this world.
Some are preaching for selfish gain.
Some are not serious and do not take the urgency of receiving Christ as Lord of their lives.
Some stir up trouble and dissension.
(v18) “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, wither from false motives or true, Christ is preached.”
Catch this- this is important.
The message can be true, even though some are doing it for the wrong motives.
If God can use a donkey to bring a word, he certainly can use a person with wrong motive to being the word to someone.
I am very careful how I said that.
Continuing v20-21-read
Key verse- “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Paul’s joy was found in Christ-even in prison, even in bad circumstances.
Paul’s life had meaning because of Christ.
That wither he lives or dies, the most precious things to Paul was his relationship with Jesus Christ.
To be found with Christ, means we have to be in Christ, and for Christ to dwell in us, we have to be a believer filled with the Holy Spirit of God.
Believers struggle not because God is not faithful, but because we put our faith and trust in everything but God.
Finishing up the text- (v22-30)
Prayer
Let us grab these nuggets of truth that we might live our lives as an example of Christ living in us.
We have to live like we are dying. If we knew we were going to die soon, would that not change our priorities on how we would live our lives?
Your perspective would change- guaranteed!
Illustration-
President Ronald Reagan was once challenged by a college student who said it was impossible for Reagan’s generation to understand his. your generation grew up in a different world, the student said, today we have television, jet planes, space travel, nuclear energy, computers. Taking advantage of a pause in the student’s litany, Reagan said, “your right, we didn’t have those things when we were young, we invented them.”
Perspective
“To live is Christ, to die is gain.”
How many people believe that and live it out everyday in their lives.
Jim Elliott
“He is no fool to give up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
We will passionately pursue what is important to us!
Full devotion to Christ or full devotion to self.
Paul says- “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
I want you to see something here, to the apostle Paul, it was a win-win. If he lived, he was going to live for Christ. If he died, he was secure in Christ to know that that would be even better- it was gain.
He stood with Jesus
His priority was Jesus
Jesus was first thing and the last thing and everything in between.
Shakesphere-“To be or not to be, that is the question
Paul discovered and we need to discover that to be or not to be is not the right question- to be, to be is the right answer!
From eternal perspective- he can’t lose- dying was actually better because it meant that he would be with Jesus forever!
How many can say that!
Do you have that kind of excitement for Jesus?
Has the joy of Jesus captured you?
Would you be willing to die for your faith?
Having the ability to determine the things that matter/ divine perspective.
They fought against false teachings. We have that today, but a bigger problem is sorting out right from wrong and deciding are we going to do what is acceptable to the world or do what is pleasing to the Lord.
Romans 2:19-
“if you are convinced that you are a guide for the bind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth, you then, who teaches others, do you teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?”
Paul is eager to show us that whatever his present circumstances, the gospel is advancing and Christ is being preached. Moreover, he is convinced that whatever might happen to him as a result of his trial, Christ is going to be exalted.
So that is the first nugget-
We need to decide if we are going to be all-in.
if we are going to be all in, our life should show it.
The gospel progresses through Paul’s imprisonment, and the gospel will be lived out in our lives if we let God work in and through the trials that happen in our lives.
Paul’s chain’s, are an aspect of living in union with Christ. Paul considered his sufferings as in no way inconsistent with what it means to be in Christ.
The second nugget of truth affects all of us who desire to live our lives for Christ.
It is found in (v27) “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
NIV bible translates conduct yourself fails to capture the full force of what Paul is saying- in the Greek it meant to” live out your citizenship.”
It means to do more than your civil duty, it means to walk as a citizen of heaven.
We are individually and corporately told to stand firm and walk as we know to walk. One person (human spirit) with one spirit (Holy Spirit) in the faith of the gospel.
(v28) without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.
The Greek tells us to not be “intimidated” or “act like horses startled into a stampede”
Do not allow anyone to throw you into a panic about your faith.
The last nugget is found in v22
“If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.”
Each one of us has a calling to the gospel being spread where God has placed us and the up-building of His church.
It has been said that “we are not in the land of the living going to the land of the dying, were in the land of the dying trying to get to the land of the living.”
Christianity is not a stagnant faith- it is not a sit and wait faith, it is a go and do faith once we focus on Jesus and ourselves.
Illustration-
Someone said life is like a cafeteria, as one goes through he may pick and choose whatever he wants, but whatever he chooses must be paid for at the end of the live.
If we say that we are all in, we should be committed to the cause of Christ.
We will see fruit from our labor. I didn’t say that- God said it.
The great con of the world is that we must live for self.
The fact of Christianity is that we live for others like Christ.
Where would we be if Christ lived the philosophy of the world?
Closing-
C.S. Lewis says we have 2 choices- (1)believe Jesus is who He claims to be or (2)Jesus is a liar.
For the people who believe He is who He says He is, there must be a difference in our lives.
Christ changed Paul’s life, from self centered to Christ-centered and people-centered.
Does your conduct reflect your faith?
Poem
You are writing a gospel
A chapter each day.
By the deeds that you do
And the things that you say.
Men read what you write
Be it faithful or true
Just what is the gospel
According to you?
Life without Christ is not living, and at the end of your life without Christ, you will have nothing!
