Philippians 1:12-18 – “ What truly matters?”
By James Galbraith
First Baptist Church, Port Alberni
September 17, 2006
Text - TNIV
12Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14And 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.
15It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18But 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.
Introduction
Medical missionary Bruce Olson was captured by Columbian communists in October 1988. He was beaten and kept bound most of the time. The soldiers were waiting for a ransom, but the mission wouldn’t pay. Olson endured pain by concentrating on the spirit and doing God’s will in his current situation. He was tortured but able to influence the guerrillas by teaching and healing them.
After a while they even let him conduct worship services. They couldn’t understand how he could pay back evil with good. Olson was able to lead some of them to the Lord. While he was very ill, a bird sang outside, reminding him of how the Motilone Indians sang the Scriptures.
When the soldiers could not break him, they apologized and released him.
Today we are going to look at another Christian who was imprisoned for his faith, and how God used him to do amazing things despite his chains.
Hopefully, we see how God can use us to do great things for him,
no matter where we find ourselves,
when we learn to concentrate on what truly matters.
Review
By this point in the letter Paul has greeted his readers and shared an initial blessing with them, all the while praising God for taking care of him while he is imprisoned.
In doing so, he shares from the depths of his heart how thankful he is to know the people who are the church in the city of Philippi.
His words of gratitude are sincere and his prayer for an ever-growing and deepening love is a model for us to follow as we pray the very best for those God brings into our lives.
Getting the word out
Having shared these introductory thoughts,
he now turns his attention to explaining in more detail his current situation.
If his first words of greeting teach us how to pray for each other,
his next words make me think about what’s really important to me.
His tone is reassuring - he is not complaining of his lack of freedom, living conditions, quality of food or anything else you’d expect a prisoner to be pre-occupied with.
He’s preoccupied with something all right, but it’s not his own suffering,
it’s the fact that the gospel is thriving despite his imprisonment.
He stresses that the good news, non-fiction story of Jesus Christ has not suffered one bit because Paul is locked up - in fact it’s thriving all the more.
His imprisonment has brought him a whole new audience:
the guards of the Emperor himself!
The palace guard mentioned in vs. 13 are the personal troops of the Emperor himself, also known as the Praetorian Guard. These are men who have proven themselves loyal and competent; the emperor would surround himself with such men to protect his own interests in the empire.
One of their tasks was to guard the prisoners who have appealed to the Emperor for a trial. They would take turns in this duty, and they never worked alone, so it would not take long for Paul to be exposed to a good portion of the Emperor’s men.
In addition to guarding the prisoners, they would also report any information they learned from these prisoners back to the Emperor.
Nero had been Emperor in Rome for years now,
and was just beginning to crack down on the Christians in the Empire.
He hadn’t resorted to wholesale slaughter, as he would in his later years, but he would certainly be interested in making good use out of Paul as a known leader of the Christians.
SO, under house arrest and guarded by the Emperor’s troops who would record every word he said, how does Paul react to all this attention?
He takes this opportunity to make his guards a “captive audience” to the good news of Jesus!
It reminds me of Bugs Bunny when he’s up against Yosemite Sam.
Bugs is always trying to get into Sam’s boat, castle, fort or whatever. Invariably, there is a scene where Sam has Bugs backed up against a wall, six-shooters shoved up against his nose so tight that it’s bending upward toward his eyes.
Bugs says something like “Now I’ve got you right where I want you” , knocks the guns aside and plants a big, sloppy kiss right on Sam’s mouth.
Paul, a scholar and tent maker by trade, would not have looked like much up against one of the Emperor’s bodyguards.
This disparity means not a thing, for inside these big, pagan thugs Paul saw a heart that needed Jesus, and Paul shares the story that he’s lived to tell. Not just once either, but so much that “the whole palace guard” knows about the Jewish carpenter who died decades ago.
Now we’re not told how they reacted to the gospel,
but the fact that Paul is still able to write to those outside at least means that they’ve allowed him to continue talking!
It is likely that they responded as people have for two thousand years - some scoff, others politely listen and some turn their lives over to the King of Kings. The New Testament makes a point of showing several different Roman soldiers who come to faith.
Others besides the guard were getting an earful, too. The everyone else in vs. 13 would most likely denote the officials who would have checked in on the prisoner - the cleaners, the clerks, the lawyers - everybody involved with the case. Paul took’em all on the gospel circuit - everybody was important enough to hear the good news.
That’s Paul’s first reassurance to his friends in Philippi - that the gospel is still getting out. His imprisonment is actually exposing him to a lot of people who he would never have a crack at, and the message is not going unheard.
He’s not alone!
His second reassurance is that not only he, but other Christians here as well, are getting the word out!
When I read verse fourteen I think someone standing in a crowded auditorium to begin a standing ovation. At first everybody just looks at the clapper and continues on with their polite applause. If that lone standee gives up and sits back down, the din subsides and the show is over.
However, if he or she persists, someone else usually stands up. This second person inspires a few more around to rise, and in a matter of seconds the crowd on their feet, hands smacking together and hearts in their throats as they cheer on the performer. The attitude is electric, and everybody knows they are a part of something powerful.
Paul, by standing up for the gospel, inspired those Christians in Rome to be all the more fervent with their faith.
Paul’s courage was a rallying call. It turned the polite listeners into zealous preachers - it wakes up the sleepy convert and moves him to put his faith where his mouth is.
I think that every one has a spot that wants to do the right thing. Seeing someone brave in the face of danger inspires us - and when I see someone willing to sacrifice for a cause I take that cause that much more seriously.
So Paul’s got no problem with prison life. In fact, he sees it as an opportunity for the gospel message to penetrate to the heart of the Empire.
Not only has he been exposed to many new fresh opportunities, but he has inspired others to take up the cause of the gospel and that, to Paul, is a good thing.
But in all this good, there is a catch.
Competing for the crowds, NOT!
READ VERSE 15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.
There’s something deliciously modern about this verse. Allow me to explain.
Some people like to think that the church of today is a hollow shell of what it used to be. They portray modern churches as eyeing each other suspiciously from their sacred walls, barely tolerating each other while all strive to entice the other’s membership to their own fortress.
These people talk about returning church life to how it was in the New Testament church like it would solve all these problems. “If only we didn’t have denominations” , “If only we all met together” “if only there was one church”, etc., etc.
There’s only one problem with the line of thinking. It’s based on a false pretence. Anyone who wants the church to be like it was two thousand years ago doesn’t have to go back in time one day - the early church had just as many problems as we do today!
Paul’s in prison for sharing his faith, so some other preachers are looking to horn in on his action! They envy his prominent position in the church and are using this chance to try to cull a few of his sheep. They were competing for listeners as zealously our late-night crusaders do today!
Look at vs. 16 - they are deliberately trying to make life hard for Paul.
It’s bad enough when his captors put the screws on,
but this is how some other Christians are treating him!
What are we to make of this?
First, let’s confirm exactly who these people are. These verses lead directly out of verse 14, so the natural read of the verses is that the subjects are one and the same. The same people in vs. 14 are the preachers talked about in verse 15 and onwards.
Now some are legitimately striving to serve God. They preach out of goodwill, or good intentions. They are preaching where Paul can’t, out of respect for Paul and, of course, the gospel itself. Paul sees this and recognizes it.
However, many are using Paul’s imprisonment to attract attention to themselves. Envious of the attention Paul has received for serving the Lord, they figure that they too can make a name for themselves by getting the word out while Paul’s locked up.
We would like to judge these people for being petty and self-centered, but Paul himself doesn’t let us do this right away. What makes these people different is that Paul himself says they “preach Christ”.
Their motivations are obviously suspect, but the message must be clearly on the up and up. Because of that, Paul takes it easy on them. Compare his words here to chapter three, where Paul describes those who mess around with the actual message:
3:2 - Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.
He’s totally intolerant of those who mess around with the gospel. Those phrases are downright foul. They were directed to those who would try to embellish the gospel with their own ideas - ideas that corrupt the real message.
So if he is gets so mad about the message being corrupted,
why does he treat these rival preachers in chapter one so gently?
Are they not guilty of defaming the gospel with their silly antics?
Don’t they give the church a bad name?
Can’t he see what these type of people do to the church?
Why aren’t they being called dogs, or vultures, or whatever?
Because the true message is getting out, that’s why.
The first time I read this I didn’t like that answer very much, because it did not fit my concept of justice. But to Paul, he sees the bigger picture.
Listen to his exact words:
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.
What does it matter? The word is getting out. But its not right!
- It’s not fair - it’s not the way it’s supposed to be! It’s not….
What does Paul say - THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT IN EVERYWAY, WHETHER FROM FALSE MOTIVES OR TRUE, CHRIST IS PREACHED.
Sometimes we feel called to fight for what is right. In this case, the power of the gospel is so great that it fights for itself and wins the hearts of people.
When it is shared, in its pure form, it can not help but grow and spread and win and thrive. Paul knew that the power of this message could do nothing but grow, as long as it was kept true.
He also knew that most of the rivalry was directed at him, and he simply didn’t care. They can have their crowds, their fans, their reputations, whatever. Let them carve up his carcass, as long as in the process someone in need of gospel food gets fed.
I’m not saying that what these rivals did is right.
These verses never condone the motives of the rivals.
It is always wrong when we take God’s word and use it for our own means.
However, Paul knew when to pick a fight and when to let his opponents hang themselves on their own words.
As long as they stuck to the gospel, let’em at it - people need to hear it.
They will face judgment for their own motivations just like the rest of us. Apparently people were not getting hurt by this kafuffle, or Paul would’ve let them have it - he certainly does in other instances.
The gospel, in its proper form, can fight for itself.
It has changed the hearts of billions to date, and will continue to do so as long as it is preached. It’s power is far beyond those who dare to share it.
SO WHAT DO WE DO WITH THESE WORDS?
First, I see a motivation here to be courageous as a Christian.
Paul’s initial words of assurance motivate me to do more to live as a Christian around those who aren’t - Look at this guy - preaching to those who lock him up! His situation was bleak, and yet he took the time to care about the people who were causing him grief.
I also want to stand up more instead of sitting down and politely applauding the work of others. I certainly can’t do it all, but I know there’s more I can do.
I think most of us are like this, and we just need that one person to take a stand around us for things to start happening.
Well, who’s going stand? Who’s going to be the Paul in prison, setting the tone for those outside to pick up the battle-cry?
I know we’re busy people, and I don’t ever want to “guilt-trip” people into tasks that are simply too much, but still, the questions remains, Who’s going stand?
Secondly, I see here a calling to pick our battles wisely.
Paul saw a bad situation that was affecting him personally. It probably rankled him, but he saw God working through it and backed off. Why?
Because he knew how to pick his battles.
Christians need to stand up for what is right, but we have to be smart about it. I’ve seen “holy wars” declared on many different issues, and many times the call to battle only increases the influence of the enemy!
Paul knew that despite this pettiness, the gospel was still spreading, so he leaves the combatants to battle away while he serves the Lord.
He knew the strength of the message that he carried was more than enough to overcome the silliness of those who may have been serving it.
The final thing I want to point out is how, more than anything else,
the message of Jesus’ love was more important than Paul’s own status, comfort or reputation.
He endures the discomfort of prison, the ridicule of the guards and even the infighting of the rival preachers, all so that more and more people may know that Jesus loves them and wants them.
We can all list off what things are important to us. Family, friends, career. Our faith is probably somewhere on that list. For some, it will be close to the top, and for others, it will be somewhere else.
For Paul, it was first and foremost – it was what sustained him when he was in so much trouble.
We could even say it was what got him into trouble in the first place;
he wouldn’t be in prison if he hadn’t been sharing his faith with others!
And yet he remains faithful in the worst of circumstances, so that more people may know that they have a Saviour and that they can trust him.
Why is this faith so special? Why does Paul give his life to it?
Because he knows that Jesus changes people’s lives! His life has already changed because of his encounter with Jesus, and he wants to see that others can enjoy the same liberating love and forgiveness that Jesus gives them.
Have we encountered Jesus?
Do we know of his unfailing love and limitless forgiveness?
If we don’t, we can. No matter how awful our lives have been, we can be forgiven and welcomed into God’s family of followers. It takes nothing but faith in Jesus, and a commitment to love him and serve him.
If we do know his love, if we know that we are his followers,
let’s work on making the Saviour that loves us more central in our lives.
We may not become instant “Paul’s” over night,
ready to go to prison and beyond for our faith,
but if we trust Jesus and take our faith more seriously,
we can and will see his love touch more and more people around us.
The more we give to our faith, the more we will get out of it.
