Conduct Matters Series

In the book I Surrender, Patrick Morley writes that the church’s integrity problem is in the misconception “that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behavior. It is revival without reformation or repentance.” We are on week three of this series on Philippians, and so far we have been working our way through this introduction. It had become clear through reading this letter that Paul had a deep, deep love for the people of Philippi, because they are his friends, and they have been partnered with him since the very beginning. But despite that deep love and partnership, there was room for them to grow. Despite everything they had going for them, they were in need of growth in the areas of discernment and unity. They definitely had figured out how to love like Jesus! The amount of support that they gave Paul and the other churches was impressive. But they still had some things that they needed to work on. When this letter was written, Paul was under house arrest, and despite the fact that people were taking advantage of that to boost their own popularity, the good news about Jesus was spreading, and rapidly. The gospel was overcoming each and every obstacle that was put in its path. Because the mission was so much bigger than just Paul. But Paul was still under house arrest, and he knew that he might be executed for his faith at any time. So these letters that he was writing, they were deeply personal and written with a certain understanding that he may not be with them for much longer. So these words are important. He is not wasting time, he is telling them what they need to hear. And what they needed to hear is that their conduct matters. Their behavior and decisions matter. They had really added Jesus to their lives, and the love of Jesus was overflowing through them and out into the world! But they still had some things to work on. And so Paul, locked up, reminds them that their conduct matters. And if that was important for Paul to remind them of back then, then it is important for us to recognize and apply as well.

So if you have your bible with you today, I’m reading Philippians 1, verses 19-30: “Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 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. 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. 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. 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. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.”

So lets go back for a minute and read that first few verses again, “Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 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. 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.” This is a famous passage, most people have heard this line by Paul at some point in their life, To live is Christ, and to die is gain. So the first thing I want to point out here is that he says that through their prayers and God’s provision, he will be delivered. This isn’t necessarily talking about his physical release from prison as a sure thing, as we see just down a bit that he says that he hopes he will have courage whether in life or death. What this really is getting at is salvation. Whether the effect of all these prayers and God’s provision will be his release, or whether it will just make his enemies angrier resulting in his death, he is satisfied that the result of it all will be good. He knows that whether he is released, or put to death for his faith in Jesus, he will ultimately be vindicated. Now when he says that he eagerly expects and hopes that he will in no way be ashamed, but will be courageous, this is a reflection of the intensity to which Paul felt the call of God on his life. He is saying, even if he is PUT to death, his only hope is that he will do nothing in the process to embarrass Jesus, and that his life would preach the good news of him until his dying breath. Paul considered this calling to be more important than life itself. His main concern, even in this moment, was to stand up as an advocate of the gospel, to maintain its truth, and to exhibit its spirit. He is so focussed on this, that he is not preoccupied with his own personal fate as much as he is with the outcome that his release or death might have on the church. All he cares about is that whatever happens to him, that it would glorify Jesus. When he speaks of the provision of the Holy Spirit, that word that we translate as provision has a more literal translation of support or help, and it carries the idea or connotation of a ligament supporting parts of the body. This is how he sees the Holy Spirit working in this situation, while he is in prison. No matter what happens, what is most important to him is that his conduct and behaviour would do nothing to embarrass the church and Jesus, but instead that his conduct and behaviour would preach the good news of Jesus until he is either released or put to death. And he believes that through the prayers of the Philippians, and through the support of the Holy Spirit, he will be able to do this task.