Living for Christ Philippians 1:21
What’s our greatest goal and aim in life? What occupies our minds? If we were to sum up what our life is all about in one word, what would that word be? For the apostle Paul, that word was Christ. In Philippians 1:21 Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
To gain insight into Paul’s words listen to the nuance of this verse in several different versions.
“Christ means everything to me in this life, and when I die I’ll have even more” (GWT)
“To me the only thing important about living is Christ & dying would be profit for me.” (NCV)
“For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better.” (NLT - Tyndale House)
“For living to me means simply "Christ", and if I die I should merely gain more of him.” (Phillips: Touchstone)
“ For, so far as I am concerned, to be living, both as to my very existence and my experience, that is Christ, and to have died, is gain.” (Eerdmans)
When Paul says to live is Christ, what he means is that real life is knowing, loving, serving, glorifying, enjoying, and communing with Christ. What does it mean for us to live as if “to live is Christ”? It means that we live with our first and central aim in life being to know, glorify, and enjoy Christ. It means serving Him and doing all we do for Him. It means setting a watch on our thoughts, words, actions and deeds to ensure that they are glorifying Christ. Paul was motivated to live for Christ by the realization that one day he would be with Christ, the desire to see others come to Christ and an appreciation for the price of his redemption.
I. We should live for Christ knowing that we may stand before Him at any time
A. He may return at any moment
1. John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
2. Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with promises of the second coming of Christ. Someone has reported that there are 1,845 references in the Old Testament alone and a total of 17 books that give it prominence. Of the 260 chapters in the entire New Testament, there are 318 references to Christ's second coming. That averages one out of every 30 verses. Furthermore, 23 of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event. That leaves only four books that do not refer directly to the Second Coming. Interestingly, three of these four books are single-chapter letters which were written to specific persons on a particular subject. - copied
3. 1 John 3:2-3 “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
4. "I think Jesus is coming sooner than most people think … but, of course, most people aren't thinking about it at all." -Bill Gordon, Heartland, Summer 1999, p 10
5. 1 John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.”
6. Luke 12:43 “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”
B. We may be called home at any moment
1. Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment”
2. We all must answer death’s call someday. But we do not know when that call will come. Young, old, rich, poor, wise, foolish, infant, aged, healthy or infirmed; death calls us sooner or later. Most of us receive little warning before it calls.
3. James 4:14 “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
4. The Lord wants us to live all the time as if today would be our last. I believe it was John Wesley who was asked at one time, "What would you do if you knew that tonight you would die?" That great preacher of years gone by said, "I would do exactly what I have scheduled to do." Could we say that?
5. 2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
C. The suddenness of death or of the coming of Christ will not hinder our joy if we have been prepared.
II. We should live for Christ knowing that veneer and inconsistency will never win anyone to Christ.
A. Speaking of His sacrificial death on the cross Jesus Christ said in John 12:32, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” While this was referring to His death it is also applicable to the fact that when Christ is lifted up in our lives and in our church people will be drawn to Him. Conversely no one is drawn to Christ by Christians who are superficial Christians or who live inconsistent lives.
B. 1 Peter 3:1-4 “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel – rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”
C. The World will not accept a Christian that is not Christ-like either! We will not win the world for Christ by miracles, silver tongued oratory, or entertaining programs. We will only win the world for Christ when the world sees bona fide Christianity lived out by us.
D. Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.”
E. If you're going to try to witness to the unbelieving world then your behavior must be genuine, honest, excellent, lovely, winsome, and gracious. We must have a transformed life empowered by the Spirit of Christ, which is visible to the unsaved world. – adapted
F. 1 Peter 2:12 (NASB) “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
G. Sometimes our witness will be spurned
And nothing's left to say;
But if our lives are true to Christ,
His love we will convey. --DJD
III. We should live for Christ knowing the price He paid to make us His own.
A. 1 Corinthians 6:20 “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.”
B. 1 Peter 1:18-19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
C. In the ministry of Jesus Christ we have an example of those who minimize or forget what Christ has done for them in the account story of the ten lepers.
D. Luke 17:12 – 19 “Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well."
E. How often are we like the nine? We might even have gone so far as to say thank you to the Lord. But are we demonstrating that we truly have hearts of gratitude for all He has done for us.
F. In some parts of Mexico hot springs and cold springs are found side by side -- and because of the convenience of this natural phenomenon the women often bring their laundry and boil their clothes in the hot springs and then rinse them in the cold ones. A tourist, who was watching this procedure commented to his Mexican friend and guide: "I imagine that they think old Mother Nature is pretty generous to supply clean hot and cold water here side by side for their free use?" The guide replied, "No senor, there is much grumbling because she supplies no soap." - copied
G. 2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
H. Living for Christ does not make us more justified than we already are; rather, it is our heart’s grateful response to the internal work that the Lord has done in us. The Christian should be known for living a life of gratitude that overflows.
I. Living a life of gratitude means that we go out of our way to serve the Lord.
