Paul’s Chains
Philippians 1:12-18
Lat week we talked about Paul’s heart, today we are going to talk about Paul’s troubles. We’re going to see that people cannot stop the spread of the gospel through persecution. In fact God uses attempts to thwart his purpose to actually strengthen what He wants to do. Today Paul wants us to know that we can use any negative situation to our advantage when we are focused on God’s will.
It is not persecution by our enemies that causes the Christian mission to stall, but as in the story of the Ethiopians, it is apathy among God’s people that brings the spread of the Gospel to a halt. … Let’s look at how:
I. Paul’s Problems Bring Blessings (vv 12-14)
A. They Advance the Gospel
Paul says that his imprisonment has actually served to advance the Gospel. Talk about looking at the glass half full. You know, there is tremendous indirect pressure for us to be negative in this culture. We are a “yah, but” culture. We start a new job and are all excited and optimistic, only to hear from a coworker, “yah, but just wait, in a couple weeks you’ll be like the rest of us”. Our culture doesn’t appreciate enthusiasm except maybe in sports.
God is also a “yah, but” God. Only His goes like this: we complain, complain, complain, make excuses, and God says “yah, but I gave you my Spirit, are you using the power I have given you?”
We can’t seem to stand someone who is positive in seemingly negative situations. We even have an official term for it, “Pollyanna syndrome”. Now this term came from people seeing themselves in an inaccurately positive light. But we have extended it to include people who choose positive thoughts over negative. In essence we have become a society that discourages freedom of thought, that “if such and such happens, this is how you have to think”. Young children aren’t like this, they have to be taught to think as society wants them to.
So much positive thinking has been labeled as “unrealistic” or even insensitive. Now maybe you don’t want to go to a funeral and be happily dancing around saying how wonderful it is that so and so went to heaven. But at the same time isn’t it really our own self-centeredness that causes us to mourn instead of celebrate.
It is OK to think positive, realistic thoughts based on God’s promises, and His spirit, even when circumstances are not so great. Others may not like it, only because deep down they wish they could do the same. Being this way is another positive Christian witness that goes against cultural norms.
Antidepressant # 3: Depressed and anxious people often use the past to color the present and future. But they usually use the negative aspects of the past. This often causes them to withdraw from the world, so bad things aren’t as likely to happen.
Many bad things have happened to all of us, but usually they end up having a positive purpose of learning something, bringing people together, changing our course, or developing character traits. We must use these memories when things are going badly to realize that God has a purpose behind everything and will ultimately use the experience for our good or someone else’s if we persevere. Acknowledge that it looks bad now but be encouraging that God will use it in a positive way eventually.
I don’t think Job really appreciated losing his family, his wealth, and his health either. But he wouldn’t stop praising God and in the end he got more than he ever had before. That won’t happen to everybody, but the point is that we must find a way to rejoice and praise God in the midst of the valley, trusting that He will do what Romans 8:28 says. That he will work everything out for good for those who love him.
In the first chapter of Philippians, and we will see it throughout the book, I think Paul is making the effort to show that the way we think, and how we choose to perceive something is what influences our feelings. And, that we have a choice about this, therefore having a choice about how we feel.
God gave us a mind, he will renew it through the Holy Spirit if we ask him to, and he wants us to experience his joy and inner peace. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled (or depressed), do not be afraid (or anxious).”
Well he also gives us instructions. Remember in Luke 10 he sends out the 72 to go into the harvest field and tell the world that the Kingdom of God is near, to heal the sick, and even to pronounce judgment. And the 72 returned with joy. Jesus then, full of joy through the Holy Spirit says: “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome the enemy; nothing will harm you. However do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
In other words, our joy should come from the simple fact that we are saved, not because of our circumstances or what we do in this life. Joy comes from hope and real love that casts out all fear. The first two fruit of the spirit are love and joy. 1 Peter 1:8 says “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls”. Are we filled with this joy simply because of that?
B. Pauls’ Problems Advertise His Imprisonment
Paul wasn’t enjoying prison, and didn’t want to be there, but Paul rejoiced because everyone knew that he was there for Christ, and it turned out to be a witness that actually helped the Gospel move forward. It reached people He would not have reached otherwise. Paul wasn’t happy to be in prison, but he was happy about the effect it was having on his mission for God. We see his selflessness again.
The Philippians would readily understand this as it was in Philippi earlier, that Paul’s brief imprisonment caused the famous conversion of the prison guard. And now the Gospel reaches the whole imperial guard as they took turns guarding the prisoner, and “all the rest”. God found a way to spread the news of Paul’s imprisonment to everyone in Rome. I guess you could say there was a “chain reaction”.
II. Paul’s Enemies Help Him (vv 14-17)
A. His Enemies Make the Christians Bolder
Paul says most of the brothers have become bolder and more confident in the Lord. Early Christians actually enjoyed the possibility of persecution and being a martyr. There was a sense of adventure in being a Christian and having a cause that they believed in. This is one of the big differences between them and us in the western world today.
We seem to either not believe that the Gospel is worth it, we don’t know it well enough, or we are afraid of embarrassment and persecution. That our lives may be messed up if we take a real stand. Either way it reflects a lack of faith in one way or another. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”
Look, I am not on the street corner preaching the gospel either, I have also been brought up in this culture where comfort and self-interest is in the forefront. But we should not have the privilege of questioning why God isn’t showing himself in more dramatic ways in our culture, if we aren’t willing to show ourselves in a more dramatic way.
Before the Holy Spirit was given to all believers, God did act more visibly in the world. Since the Holy Spirit was given through Christ’s death and resurrection, we are to be his hands and feet on this earth. Last week we talked about Paul’s heart and the need to love like Paul. But Paul, Christ, and the early Christians were also bold and fearless.
There has been an incredible pressure over the last several decades for churches and Christians to be only loving and tolerant. We have allowed the culture to dictate how we should be. The culture is happy to have us feed the poor, provide for the less fortunate, but very few inside or outside the church have promoted that we become more assertive about saving the world with the Gospel.
Do we see that this is the most loving thing we can do? If the culture doesn’t change, it is doomed. If people don’t accept the Gospel, they are doomed. We are walking each day through a living graveyard and I am ashamed to say that I, we don’t seem to care too much. At least our behavior suggests that.
What does Paul mean by the defense of the Gospel? He uses military words that acknowledge the spiritual battle for souls. Kevin showed us how real this is a couple of weeks ago. I heard it said that the western church has given up its role as an army, and has simply become a hospital. We are called to be both, and Paul is a great example for us. He was a prisoner of war. … Then we see that:
B. His Enemies Also Continue His Work
Paul was so successful that many of the Judaizers in Rome were jealous. So they took advantage of Paul’s imprisonment for selfish gain and popularity. But they did it using Paul’s message. Could you imagine if the church was so successful here, because it proclaimed Christ, that the rest of the world would want to copy us?
Those who preached out of competition with Paul are still proclaiming Christ even if their motives are wrong. They are trying to take advantage of Paul’s reputation and take his place while he is in prison. What an honor!
Hear what Beecher says about Paul’s enemies preaching Christ: “The rising sun in the morning brings ten thousand noxious insects to life, brings miasma from the morass, and sets disease flying through the land; nevertheless, in spite of malaria, and in spite of all venemous insects that then begin to move, and in spite of all mischiefs which waking men begin to perform, it is infinitely better that the sun should rise, and that these evils should take place, than that it should be everlastingly dark.”
God uses everyone, and everything, including our enemies to ensure His plan gets carried out.
III. Paul’s Purpose is Clear (v. 18)
God’s purpose cannot be stopped. He especially uses things that His enemies believe will stop Him, against them, because He knows what they will try. Just like Joseph in Gen 50 where he says to his brothers who sold him into slavery, “you meant it for evil but God meant it for good”.
The passage we study today shows that nothing can arrest the Gospel. In fact Paul’s arrest which was intended to do so, actually served to do the opposite. Paul certainly didn’t expect that this is how he would have his impact in Rome, but he sees that the fulfillment of God’s purpose is far more important than his expectations of how it should be done.
Paul says that no matter how Christ is proclaimed, he rejoices. Notice he is not saying he doesn’t care how church is done. I am afraid in many churches nowadays that Christ is not being proclaimed, and I don’t think Paul would rejoice in that even if there were 2000 people in that church.
So how do we continue fulfilling Paul’s and ultimately God’s purpose to publicly proclaim Christ? I am committed to doing so from the pulpit, but what does that look like out there from Monday to Saturday?
There may be a clue in Isaiah 58 where he is talking about the Sabbath, but we see it elsewhere when God tells us not to waste time with idle talk.
…if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD,
God does not want us to indulge in idle or self-serving talk. This means He wants our speech to be meaningful, not to waste too much air talking about things that don’t matter. He wants us to proclaim Christ at every opportunity. How many people would be offended by us directly asking if they know the story of Jesus, or saying, did you know that God loves you? I don’t think that would offend many people.
Why shouldn’t we talk about Christ every time we come across someone we don’t know well? Knowing that that interaction may be the opportunity God is giving us to be a part of His great plan? Perhaps the only opportunity for that person to hear the Good News.
Now if you’re like me, you may often have this on your mind, but actually getting it out of your mouth can be another thing. We freeze up, tell ourselves this is not a good time, worry about how they will respond, and so on. Now I would much rather be able to perform a miracle and then field questions, but this hasn’t happened in my life, not that it couldn’t I suppose.
But more than likely, we are just going to have to open our mouths and say it. Say what? Well I researched some conversation starters in this regard and some of them seem pretty reasonable.
Questions like:
Do you believe in God, Jesus?
Do you ever think about God?
What are your thoughts about religion?
Where/How do you find meaning in this life?
What do you think about the story of Jesus?
Who do you think Jesus was?
Do you believe that God loves you?
What do you think happens after we die?
Or you can just come out with statements like:
I believe that God loves you.
Jesus Christ died on the cross so you and me could live forever.
You can find most of these in your bulletin, so I suggest you take your bulletin home and maybe cut that part out to carry with you in your wallet or purse.
I personally like the questions. I was very shy when I was younger and found small talk very threatening. Then I learned that people like to talk about themselves, so I just started asking questions rather than trying to come up with something interesting to say. Usually as the person answers, you find some common ground to continue talking about.
Everyone thinks about meaning in life and spiritual matters, and most are willing to express their views and opinions about these issues. The key is to listen and attempt to understand even if the ideas go against what you believe. Once you have listened to and not judged someone else’s ideas, they will usually give you the same courtesy.
So the trick really is knowing what you really believe and being able to communicate that clearly to another person. Don’t worry about questions you can’t answer. Use that as an opportunity to show humility and find the answer for another time. This is a great way to set up a future conversation, especially in a small town where you’ll likely bump into that person again.
The Romans never held Paul captive, really. He was held captive by Christ and the Gospel. He knew he was free in Christ as we should. What should hold us captive is the fact that people around us are dying and we for the most part are walking right past them as if they were the beaten man on the side of the road. They don’t necessarily need our money, or even a deep relationship with us, they need Christ proclaimed to them.
I heard and many of you probably did as well this week, that we are headed for dire economic times the first half of this year. I never know how these predictions will actually affect each of us, but I do know that money is very important to people, and this could be a real time of opportunity to present people with the Gospel and demonstrate our faith in God’s provision to a lost world.
This week would we pray for opportunities, then maybe try one or two of the questions and see where it leads? I think God wants us to get in the habit of bringing Christ into all our conversations. See what kind of creative ways you and God can do this. God uses all kinds of events and circumstances to forward His mission, and he wants us to use more of our opportunities to share His word.
Benediction from Romans 15:13
