IN THE MIDST OF ADVERSITY
Philippians 1:12-21
Proposition: A person that is in the midst of adversity learns that the Lord is working in their life for good even when there are adverse circumstances being faced.
Objective: My purpose is to challenge people to realize that the Lord is working out His purposes in the difficult times as well as the good times.
INTRODUCTION:
When adversity comes… Questions of every sort are asked. Emotions of every sort are expressed. Explanations are almost as plentiful as the amateur philosophers who are attempting to make sense of things. The “why” questions are the most troubling… People ask, “Why did this happen?” Others want to know, “Why didn’t God prevent this from happening?” Still others chime in, “Why does God allow people to or cause people to suffer?” We should bear in mind that… suffering, pain or distress, is one of the most persistent of all human problems. Even those who experience relatively minor suffering in their own lives are constantly confronted with the suffering of others—within their own families, among their acquaintances, or even in distant lands.
Suffering takes many forms: physical pain, frustrated hopes, depression, isolation, loneliness, grief, anxiety, spiritual crisis, and more. Such unpleasantness comes to good religious people, too. Certainly, the biblical peoples struggled with the presence of suffering in their lives. Just like people today, they sought ways to understand it and cope with it that could include their belief in both God’s power and God’s goodness.
We learn that not only was PAUL "making good out of ill," but GOD is able to "make good out of ill!”
What is our attitude towards problems of life? Is it gloom and doom?
What if Paul had written: “Here I am in prison, a defeated man. After I have given my life for the cause of Christ, look what it has brought me. Those that I thought was my friends who should care about me are taking advantage of the situation and using this as an occasion to further themselves. You ought to see the conditions here as well as the bonds and the suffering I endure. It looks like I could be executed for my faith. I see little or no hope of release. Things as so bad that not even God can help me now.”
Paul gives an interpretation of the events since he had left Philippi. He is more concerned about the Lord’s work than himself. He is in prison and is soon to face trial. He includes a description of his condition and revelation of his thoughts during his imprisonment. He was waiting in prison to be tried by Nero. However, he gave no indication of defeat. His body was bound; his spirit was free. Here is an example of true Christian service. His friends are worried about him because they know all to well that death may be Rome’s judgment against him. But Paul has risen above any anxiety about death and his prison confinement and suffering. The driving passion of his life made everything else, even imprisonment and possible death, seem insignificant. What was that passion? There it is in verse 12. ‘I am made confident in the Lord because of my imprisonment and am much more bold to speak the word without fear.’ ‘So, what then matters - only this – that in every way, whether by pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed.’ Paul knew something that you and I need to know, and in this whole section, especially in that 18th verse, Paul laid down, perhaps inadvertently, some great truths. We can proclaim the gospel anywhere. We are to proclaim the gospel every-where. When the gospel is proclaimed, the Spirit guarantees the harvest. Let’s examine how God is working in our lives as we serve Him. For as Christians, we are proclaimers of the gospel.
I. OBSERVATION: GOD ALLOWS THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO US--Adversity (vvs. 12-14) “The things which happened to me”-- From his own experiences Paul wanted the believers at Philippi to learn an important truth: there are no accidents with God. Instead of Paul’s ministry being curtailed because of his bondage, it was being advanced. Paul was all about the progress of the gospel. So with Jesus setting our priorities through Paul’s ministry, Jesus does not exhaust our way of doing it in Paul’s life and ministry alone.
1. The information (v. 12a) “I want you to know, brethren”-- The Philippians probably had feared that his imprisonment would hinder the spread of the Gospel; he therefore removes this fear. Since the church at Philippi had heard of the apostle’s troubles, he was very desirous that they should have a true and right understanding of them, and especially of the use they had been in his ministry. He wants to encourage the Christians to keep on keeping on in serving the Lord.
2. The improvement (v. 12b) “actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel”— No doubt the Philippians grieved greatly that he was a prisoner, but he assures them that all things have turned to the furtherance of the Gospel. He has been given an opportunity to reach those whom otherwise he never could have had access to share Christ. All that happened did not curtail his ministry. “Advanced” is a pioneer advance that refers to the army engineers who go before the troops to open the way into a new territory.
Illus: Florence Nightingale wrote in her diary when she was 30: “Now Lord, let me think only of Thy will.” Later, she was asked the secret for her life, “Well, I can give only one explanation. I have kept nothing back from God.”
3. The illumination (v. 13) “It has become evident to…all the rest”-- Persecution gives new opportunities for witnessing (v. 13). According to some, in the days of the Emperor Tiberius there were ten thousand soldiers, the very flower of the Roman army, stationed in Rome. The custom was for a prisoner to be chained at the wrist to a soldier. Paul used his contacts with these soldiers and others to win them to Christ. As one guard would relieve another, Paul’s daily witness came to be felt throughout the whole company and in quarters in Rome. Later, in response to the call of duty, these very men would be stationed in distant areas of the far-flung empire and would bear the word of salvation to others. They soon realized that his sole offense was preaching the Gospel. All of his persecution due to sharing about Christ gives Paul many new opportunities for witnessing.
Illus: “Rejoice at what God is going to do instead of complaining about what God did not do.”
4. The influence (v. 14) “And most of the brethren…have become more confident”—His imprisonment is the occasion of the brethren’s confidence. Paul’s confinement was doing what his circumstances outside of the prison could not do. It is very easy to see how Paul’s incarceration could have silenced some saints. And even those who persisted in speaking openly of their faith might have been tempted to choose their words more carefully, so as not to be as direct in their declaration of the Gospel. Paul’s courage in the midst of his suffering for Christ and the Gospel encouraged other saints to be bold in their faith as well.
Illus: A soldier suffered a loss of his arm. When he was questioned about it, “I did not lose it, I gave it.”
Illus: Billy Sunday, an evangelist, had a day off during a revival that he was preaching in New York City, so he thought he’d see the sights. He went down to the Empire State Building, and got on the crowded elevator taking sightseers to the roof. They all stood there in the elevator as people do in elevators, not saying a word, eyes forward. off, so he thought he’d see the sights. He went down to the Empire State Building, and got on the crowded elevator taking sightseers to the roof. They all stood there in the elevator as people do in elevators, not saying a word, eyes forward. Finally, someone broke the silence and said, I wonder if the elevator cable broke, would we go up or down? That’s all Billy Sunday needed. He was off and running. It depends upon the way you’ve been living, he said. And he preached a sermon right there, calling for a decision in the elevator. Now don’t miss the point I’m making. The circumstances of our lives may determine how we share the gospel, but it doesn’t determine whether we share the gospel. Do you get it?
II. OPPOSITION: THEN GOD WORKS IN US DURING TIMES OF ADVERSITY (vvs. 15-18) “I am appointed for the defense of the Gospel”—Trials are the means-- He remained at Rome as an ambassador in a place where he is employed on an important embassy.
1. An attitude (resentment) (v. 15) “Some preach Christ…from envy and strife” “It’s true that some here preach Christ because with me out of the way, they think they’ll step right into the spotlight.” These were leaders in the work before Paul’s arrival who became jealous of the prominence which was his. Instead of asking, "Have you trusted Christ?" they asked, "Whose side are you on--ours or Paul’s?" Their motives were not sincere and their activity was but sham behind which they hid their envy and strife from others and perhaps from themselves. The fact that he was a prisoner demonstrated for them that he was not who he claimed to be. Surely he would triumph in Christ if God were with him. Instead, they said that God had manifested His presence through them. Paul responded by saying what was manifest about him.
Illus: There was a fable that went like this, “A woodpecker was pecking away at trunk of a dead tree. Lighting struck and splintered the tree. The woodpecker flew away unharmed and then looked back as the proud bird said, ‘Look what I did.”
2. An ambition (v. 16) “The former preach Christ from selfish ambition” — The group that preached Christ out of envy and rivalry (v. 15) had selfish ambition (v. 17) as their motive. They purposely wanted to stir up trouble for Paul while he was in bondage. They were probably not Judaizers, as some suppose, because Paul said they were preaching Christ, though insincerely. The Judaizers believed that keeping the Old Testament Law was a means of salvation.
Paul had sternly rebuked them as preachers of “a different gospel” (Gal. 1:6). However, since he did not accuse these in Philippi of presenting “another gospel,” it seems that they were believers who for some unknown reason did not love the apostle or appreciate his work. Though they were doctrinally sound, they promoted themselves.
Illus: A teacher was counseling with a young man training to be a pastor. One sentence of importance that the student remembered was, “I would ask you to make certain that by the time you are ordained you have no ambition but the advancement of the Gospel.”
3. An appointment (v. 17) “I am appointed for the defense of
the Gospel”-- The former group of preachers (1:15a) were guilty of insincerity, particularly toward Paul. That they "preach Christ" and that Paul found no fault with the content of their message shows that their problem was not primarily doctrinal but personal. They were not unbelievers or perverters of Christian truth. They were self-seeking opportunists, promoting themselves at Paul’s expense. Perhaps they had enjoyed some prominence in the church before he arrived, but had been eclipsed since he came to the city. By taking advantage of Paul’s imprisonment, they may have hoped to recover their former popularity. They may have supposed that he would bitterly resent their success (Just as they did his) and his imprisonment would become all the more galling to him. If so, they failed to reckon with the greatness of the man.
4. An affirmation (v. 18) “Christ is preached, and in this I
rejoice”-- Paul’s conclusion, "But what does it matter? … ," reveals his sense of values. The importance of the gospel and its proclamation so outweighed any personal considerations that he would not cloud the issue by insisting on settling personal grievances. He was convinced that "Christ is preached" even by these preachers whose motives were suspect. They must have been faithful to the basic message of Christ. They could not have been Judaizers, at least not in the usual sense of that designation. With Paul, to preach "Christ" meant to proclaim the good news of salvation provided freely by God’s grace through the redemptive work of Christ and received by men through faith without "works of righteousness" of any kind. It is inconceivable that any Judaizing message with its insistence on performance of Jewish rites would be characterized by Paul as preaching "Christ."
Illus: The two great English evangelists, John Wesley & George Whitefield, differed on doctrinal matters. Both of them were mightily used of the Lord. Someone asked Wesley if he expected to see Whitefield in heaven & the evangelist replied, "No, I do not." "Then you do not think Whitefield to be a converted man?" Wesley said, "Of course he is a converted man! But I do not expect to see him in heaven--because he will be so close to the throne of God & I so far away that I will not be able to see him!" Though they differed on some matters, Wesley did not have any envy in his heart, nor did he seek to oppose Whitefield’s ministry.
Illus: A mother whose heart was crushed by a tragedy which happened through no fault of her own, wrote her pastor, "Your advice to stop asking why helped a lot. And your sermon yesterday helped to make us able to say, ’I will,’ and leave it in God’s hands. We will just let Him use even this, till His plan is perfected." And then Mrs. J.S. King added this triumphant expression of a faith purified in the fires of adversity:
The things that happen unto me
Are not by chance I know--
But because my Father’s wisdom
Has willed to have it so.
For the "furtherance of the Gospel"
As a part of His great plan,
God can use our disappointments
And the weaknesses of man.
Give me faith to meet them bravely
Trials I do not understand,
To let God work His will in me--
To trust His guiding hand.
Help me to shine, a clear bright light,
And not to live in vain--
Help me hold forth the Word of life
In triumph over pain.
III. OPPORTUNITY: GOD WORKS THROUGH US DURING TIMES OF ADVERSITY (vvs. 19-21)—The way out of adversity is through it. All this envy and opposition will tend to promote his salvation. He will be delivered by God who will hear their prayers, and who will strengthen and direct him by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Whatever may come, whether his bonds lead to death or life, his trust is that the Spirit will give him such boldness that Christ shall be magnified. There is no anxiety about himself, only that he may glorify Christ. Should he be allowed to live, his life would be for extending the kingdom of Christ, but personally, to die would be gain; a release from sufferings and an entrance upon eternal joys.
1. A dependence (v. 19) “This will turn out for my deliverance”— Paul viewed his deliverance as being accomplished by two means. The first was the effective prayers of the Philippians on his behalf. The second was the support furnished by the Holy Spirit, who is here called "the Spirit of Jesus Christ." These two means were not necessarily unrelated, inasmuch as Paul may have regarded the Philippians’ prayers as being answered by the Spirit’s increased activity on his behalf. We are to depend on God’s generous resources that are ministered by the Holy Spirit. “Supply” means to provide generously and lavishly.
2. A delight (v. 20) “Christ will be magnified”—We magnify Christ by making Him visible to those who could not see him otherwise. Our bodies are “lens” that makes what seems like “a little Christ” look bigger and a “distant” Christ come very close. Through my bodily sufferings Christ shall appear more glorious, and that even if I die. The assurance of blessing is in accordance with Paul’s hope and expectation. "Eager expectation" is a very strong and striking word used for intent watching with head bent or stretched in that direction. It occurs in the papyri of the expectation of peasants about the visit of a high official. Sometimes it takes intentness of that nature to detect the plan which the Master hand is weaving into the pattern of our circumstances. The glory of the outcome will justify all it costs, and to the fulfillment of his part in it Paul looked with steadfast hope. Our lives will magnify the glories of Christ like a telescope magnifies and brings closer to us that which is seen. A telescope brings distant things closer and the microscope makes tiny things look big. The telescope adds nothing to that which was there already; it only makes its grandeur visible to the eyes of man. The believer’s body is a "lens" that makes a "little Christ" look bigger and a "distant Christ" come very close. We magnify Christ by making Him visible to those who could not see Him otherwise. A Christian physician, successful in her career and highly respected by her profession, was relating to a group of friends how she had come to meet Jesus, whose power to save had transformed her life. One of the steps that led her out from the atheism she had boasted was the manner in which a young Christian couple received a great disappointment. "It was a hard thing to tell them," she said. "I knew how they had longed for children to gladden their hearts and home, and now their hopes were blasted. But it was the way they took it that impressed me. I knew that God was real to them. I was haunted by the realization that they had something I did not possess--and I wanted it." Friends of the young couple doubtless offered their sympathy and superficially charged the whole experience off as "one of those things that happen." Perhaps even the husband and wife themselves did not know that in the hour of their anguish God focused the lenses of their heartache in such a way that the glory of Christ’s redeeming love flashed in upon the eye of the unbeliever.
3. A desire (v. 21) “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain”—One goal for life is to honor Christ at the center of life. "For to me" is placed in the emphatic position, stressing the fact that Paul’s own faith was unshaken, regardless of the circumstances. No adverse decision from the court nor the alarm of his friends could alter his firm belief about his present or his future. "To live is Christ." The very essence of Paul’s present life was Christ and all that this entailed. From the theological fact that Paul was identified with Christ in a vital spiritual union (Gal 2:20) issued far-reaching practical implications. Christ had become for him the motive of his actions, the goal of his life and ministry, the source of his strength. "To die" after such a life could only mean "gain." Not only would Paul’s state after death bring gain, inasmuch as he would be with Christ (1:23), but the act itself of dying at the hands of Rome was no tragedy in Paul’s eyes. Such a death would bear added witness to the gospel; it would confirm that Paul’s faith was steadfast to the end and it would serve as the gateway to Christ’s presence.
The consummation of this life is stressed since there was only one pur-pose or goal for his life: to honor Christ as the center of life. This thought differs from what others thought and what might have been expected. Normally, one would say to live is gain and to die is Christ, but Paul reversed them. At death a Christian gains a more intimate relationship with the Lord. The statement "to live is Christ" is magnified by the statement "to die is gain." Thus, "to live is Christ" must mean that Paul so totally wanted to glorify Christ that as long as he lived everything about him was to point people to Christ. Death was a gain because he would see the Lord, enjoy Him and no longer endure the difficulties he was called to bear on earth.
To Live Is Christ
For me to live is Christ!--This is the key
To life, through death of all of self and sin;
The golden Door where I may enter in;
The Blood-stained passport of my liberty.
For me, to live is Christ!--Wrapped in His love,
To know His fellowship and suffering--to take
With Him the Calvary road for other’s sakes;
Yet see the glory shining from above.
For me to live is Christ!--Oh, matchless flow,
Current of Life eternal and divine!
What floods of holy ecstasy are mine!
What joy the soul thus sanctified may know.
O wond’rous Savior, peerless Sacrifice;
Forevermore, for me to live is Christ!
Illus: For me to live is__________and to die is___________
Money---to leave it all behind; fame—to be forgotten; power—to lose it all.
For Paul: “For me to live is not wealth (as for a merchant); nor hard work (as a laborer); nor literature (as a scholar); nor fame (as a soldier); nor glory (as an emperor); but Christ, Christ first, last in the midst, all in all—forever Christ.”
CONCLUSION:
1. Here is a message of comfort for whatever happens.
2. Here is a message of consolation to all:
1). Proclaim Christ regardless—Let us proclaim Him anywhere and everywhere.
2). Let Christ work through your life. When the Gospel is proclaimed, the spirit guarantees the harvest.
3). Magnify Christ without jealously or resentment.
4). Trust Him at all times.
Illus: There was a group of women doing a Bible study on the book of
Malachi. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three, which
says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next study. That week this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him work. She didn’t mention anything about
the reason for her interest in silver beyond sharing her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest in order to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot. Then she thought again about the verse, "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. “She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there
holding the silver in place, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver were left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered,
"Oh that’s easy -- when I see my image in it." If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that you are in God’s hand, He has His eyes on you, and He will keep holding you and watching you until He sees His image in you.
There are people who see no meaning in life. How sad. Where there is no purpose, there is no power. Christ offers us more meaning than our lives can contain; he offers us life pressed down and running over. "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain," wrote St. Paul. For Paul the issue was win/win all the way.
Prepared by: Gerald R. Steffy
6206 N. Hamilton Road, Peoria, IL 61614
Phone: 309-691-3680 E-Mail: grsteffy@yahoo.com
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