Philippians 1:19-26 – “Longing for Heaven, ready for less”
By James Galbraith
First Baptist Church, Port Alberni
September 24, 2006
Text – TNIV
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.
21For 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.
ILLUSTRATION
Professional golfer Paul Azinger was diagnosed with cancer at age 33. He had just won a PGA championship and had ten tournament victories to his credit. He wrote, "A genuine feeling of fear came over me. I could die from cancer. Then another reality hit me even harder. I’m going to die eventually anyway, whether from cancer or something else. It’s just a question of when. Everything I had accomplished in golf became meaningless to me. All I wanted to do was live."
Then he remembered something that Larry Moody, who teaches a Bible study on the tour, had said to him. "Zinger, we’re not in the land of the living going to the land of the dying. We’re in the land of the dying trying to get to the land of the living."
Golfer Paul Azinger recovered from chemotherapy and returned to the PGA tour. He’s done pretty well. But that bout with cancer deepened his perspective. He wrote, "I’ve made a lot of money since I’ve been on the tour, and I’ve won a lot of tournaments, but that happiness is always temporary. The only way you will ever have true contentment is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I’m not saying that nothing ever bothers me and I don’t have problems, but I feel like I’ve found the answer to the six-foot hole."
Contributed by Todd Randolph
Review
The Apostle Paul is in the middle of sharing with the Philippians about his current situation. He has shared that as far as his work goes, everything is great!
His imprisonment has not hindered the spread of the gospel in anyway. On the contrary, it has opened doors that otherwise would have remained closed to him.
The Emperor’s own troops are hearing the gospel,
the Christians in Rome are getting more involved in spreading the word and,
even though motives are suspect with some preachers,
the Gospel is getting preached.
Introduction
Paul now moves into how he as a person is faring under the pressure of captivity and his upcoming trial. He, too, is facing a life and death battle, because if his upcoming trial goes poorly he could be executed.
It is a very personal passage - we see him refer to himself 20 times within 8 verses. He talks about everything - how he feels, what he wants to live for, who he cares about, his mental condition as he awaits his trial.
There are only a few passages in the entire Bible that parallel Paul’s openness in this paragraph. Through it all, he maintains his focus on Christ and the church in Philippi.
In each of the three thoughts in this passage, both Christ and the Philippians are central to what he has to say and how he has to say it.
PART ONE - PAUL’S HEART FOR CHRIST
We start in verse 18, because for some odd reason, the church leader that spilt the Bible up into verses centuries ago put the beginning sentence of this paragraph into verse 18.
The last half of vs.18 really is the first part of the paragraph we’re looking at today.
Paul is rejoicing in the spreading of the gospel, and now he moves into his own predicament by affirming that he will still rejoice, no matter what happens to him.
Paul is not the type to have written this to appease the worries of others - he is truly rejoicing at what he is facing. He sees so much opportunity here to have Christ be made known, and since that is what he’s been living for he’s welcoming the upcoming trial.
He continues by sharing that he is not alone in his trial,
but that the Philippians and the Holy Spirit are with him, too.
READ VERSE 19 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.
He is affirming that the prayers of the Philippians are having an effect. Perhaps the Philippians were showing signs of helplessness in not being able to get Paul out of jail.
Perhaps they needed to be reminded that despite the distance between they prayer can bridge the gap and make a difference.
Whatever the case, Paul is certain that the words they share with God are directly helping him in his ordeal.
Paul then shares that “the Spirit of Jesus Christ” is also helping him.
This Spirit is the Holy Spirit, given by Jesus to those who follow him.
Paul refers to him in this way to acknowledge both his work and the Saviour who brings him into our lives. The two work so very closely that it can become very hard to tell who is what doing what and where.
A basic rule of thumb to follow is that Jesus,
when he saves our souls, leaves us with the Holy Spirit to help us live Christian lives.
When we pray, it is the Holy Spirit who works in our lives, giving us strength, wisdom, patience, etc.
All of this is under the influence of God the Father, our Creator.
All three are part of our lives, our faiths, and our futures.
The three work so closely together that just when you have a glimpse of one, you end up looking at one of the others. And that’s not a bad thing, as long as you remember that the bottom line is that when you pray, God will hear and help.
What comes out in this verse is that the prayers and the help of the Spirit are intimately related. They work together to build Paul up and prepare him for what is before him. When people pray, God does act!
These prayers and the help of the Holy Spirit are meant to lead to one thing - Paul’s deliverance from his current situation.
There’s two facets to this –
his salvation from imprisonment and
his vindication that what he stood for is right.
The great thing about his situation is that he will be delivered, or saved, whether he wins or loses the trial ahead.
If he wins, his release from prison will give him his freedom and it will also show that the message he preaches has integrity.
If he is loses, his execution will lead to the fulfillment of his salvation and his vindication will be in will be his joining Christ in heaven.
He’s in a win-win situation, and he’s just waiting to see how it all unfolds.
The next verse reveals his driving hope.
READ VERSE TWENTY - 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
He is anticipating the upcoming trial with an eagerness to see Christ honoured.
He’s like the kid who is about to play the final playoff game of hockey.
He’s been taught how to skate by his dad,
and he wants so badly to win this game for him.
He makes sure that the skates are on tight, the blades clean and sharp,
the gear in all the right places.
He tightens up all the straps and heads out on the ice.
Confident, yet the excitement is accompanied by an fervent hope that he will not fail in his mission. There’s just enough anxiety that it shows itself as a blip on the edge of the radar screen, but its a by-product of the positive, driving confidence and hope.
There’s a lot that’s gone into the young man making it this far,
and he wants to make sure that he himself is at 110% of his game.
This is Paul, preparing himself for the trial. He’s come a long way, and he’s ready to give it his all. He’s ready to win and be released, but he’s also ready to die for what he works for so hard. Innocent or guilty, may Christ be honoured.
PART TWO - PAUL’S DESIRED OUTCOME
Having steeled himself for the trail, Paul now reveals to the Philippians a look at the deepest desire of his heart - to be with Christ.
READ VERSE 21-23 - 21For 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;
Paul wants to be with his Saviour.
To live means to continue on serving him to the fullest.
This is what is meant by “to live is Christ”.
It also means that he will be following the example of Christ by giving himself to others.
If he lives, he will live because there are others who need to know about Christ.
There will be churches who need his help in staying on the straight and narrow.
There will be many chances to serve Christ.
The fruitful labour is the work he has been so heavily involved in.
He’s willing to stick at it not to glorify himself, but to keep bringing in a good harvest.
However, in his view, to die is to advance, for he will be with Christ.
If he dies, he will depart and be with the Saviour he has worked for so hard.
Some of us get so wrapped up in the business of living that we forget about the glory of dying as a Christian!
Of course, Paul does not have a death wish in the current understanding of the word.
Someone who says they want to die usually is reacting to a sense of hopelessness and desperation. They are unable to cope with their situation and they want escape into anything else. Their wish to die is based on a unwillingness to face reality, to simply live.
Paul, on the other hand, sees death as the bridge to ultimate living - being with Christ. He’s ready to walk over that bridge if the trial takes him there.
However, he’s thoroughly ready to keep on living as he is now, serving Christ. His heart is so in love with Christ that he sees being with him as a better alternative to serving him.
He says so himself - I DESIRE TO DEPART, WHICH IS BETTER BY FAR…
But deep down he knows that if his time on Earth is not meant to be over he will have to put off the reunion and stick to the relationship a little while longer. He hints at the probable outcome of his trial in verse 24.
READ VERSE 2424 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
He’s anticipating he will be released because he sees a need for the Philippian church to have him back with them. Later in this letter he will speak more on this, for now he is simply reminding himself and the reader that there is still work to do.
So in his heart of hearts he really does want to be with Christ. However, it looks like he’s going have to wait. He has started to predict that he will end up back with the Philippians. This becomes crystal-clear in the last two verses:
PART THREE - HIS ANTICIPATED OUTCOME
READ VERSE 25-2625 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.
He ‘s pretty certain that the trial will result in his release. Traditional history has Paul being imprisoned in Rome for two years before being released in 63 AD.
His release is the end of a five year period of incarceration that has brought him from Israel to the heart of the Empire.
His original charge had been over a ruckus that broke out when he preached the gospel. Those who were opposed to the gospel had demanded his head, declaring him to be a trouble maker.
Paul, as a Roman citizen, had appealed to Caesar to prove that he had done nothing wrong in preaching the word. In doing this, he was beginning a process much like those who appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.
He spent five years in this process - five years of freedom lost because he was standing up for his right to share the gospel.
What is he going to do when he gets out? He will be back with the Philippians again.
The first part of this thought is a pledge - I WILL CONTINUE ON WITH ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR PROGRESS AND JOY IN THE FAITH -.
HE wants to be a part of their growth as Christians,
and to help them enjoy the fullness of the faith they had already achieved.
This is the balance - to strive for growth but to also rejoice in what we have become so far. It’s a dynamic process where each trade off and help the other –
thanking God for what He’s done helps us grow closer to him,
and growing closer to Him helps us to better see who and what we are.
He’s also quite confident that him coming back to them will be a good thing for the Philippians. When he returns, it will be both:
a cause for celebration and
a time of reunion and renewal for the church.
They will be blessed by his first hand accounts of what happened, as well as by his words of teaching and wisdom.
That he will rejoice to is left unsaid, but when we look at the closeness of these two parties it is safe to assume that Paul’s joy, too, will overflow on account of them.
IN CONCLUSION,
We learned much about Paul in this passage, and we can also learn a lot from him.
1. WE SEE SOMEONE WHO IS WILLING TO BE HELPED.
He may seem like the Biblical equivalent of Superman, but right from the start we see that he’s thanking the Philippians for their help.
He has given thanks for their financial help and now he gives thanks for their prayers. They are a vital link to his ability to withstand the pressures that he’s facing.
Are we open to help, or do we push people away when they offer it?
Are we afraid to take help because we’ll be perceived as weak and needy?
We hear a lot about help these days, and in some way we all give it. But when we need it are we open to it?
I ALSO SEE A CHRISTIAN WHO HAS NOT LOST SIGHT OF HEAVEN.
He’s fully aware of his current situation; there is no detachment from the “real world”. But His heart is on Heaven and being with his Savior.
Look at his words –
TO DIE IS GAIN … I DESIRE TO DEPART, WHICH IS BETTER BY FAR
For him, Heaven isn’t just a hope or dream, it is the real world, and he wants to be there!
Heaven is usually the farthest thing from our minds.
Understandably so, we’re busy people, and busyness does not allow for much consideration of what we call ”the afterlife”.
Paul was a busy person too, however, so how did he manage to be so “heavenly minded”?
He saw Earth through Heaven, rather than the other way around.
Later on he’ll describe Christians as those whose “citizenship is in Heaven”.
Keeping life in this perspective allowed him to work hard and minister hard,
knowing that his actions all worked toward a glorious finale.
How do we do that? One day, one issue, one person at a time.
Here’s an idea : Why not try asking ourselves, when we’re about to do something, or buy something, or say something, “what does this mean, in the light of forever?”
Doing that all the time may be a bit clumsy,
but imagine what a difference it could make in what we live for,
and what we consider important.
FINALLY, I SEE A CHRISTIAN THAT IS READY TO SERVE ON GOD’S TERMS, AND NOT JUST HIS OWN.
Our society is very “consumer-conscious”. We shop around for the best deal, and that includes what church we go to and what role we’re going to play in that church.
This is a process that can help us determine what is best for us, and that’s great.
Unfortunately, it is also a process that can also push out of our lives options that may not be as attractive, but are closer to what God would have us do.
It’s not easy to do the harder thing, but Paul was ready for it.
He knew that they are times when being an obedient servant
is more important than being a discerning shopper.
However, he didn’t ignore the options before him;
he simply let God choose what options he should go with.
He was longing for Heaven, but ready for less.
Can we say the same?
