Sermon Brief
Date Written: July 23, 2011
Date Preached: July 24, 2011
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Series Title: A Series from Philippians
Sermon Title: A Reminder to Remain Faithful
Sermon Text: Philippians 1:12-30 [ESV]
ETS: Paul pointed out that adversity was part of the Christian walk, but to remain faithful thru the difficult times and that they should live lives worthy of Christ…
ESS: Paul’s words remind us that adversity is part of the Christian walk and we are to remain faithful thru difficult times and that we should live lives worthy of Christ…
Objective: So often things don’t go as we think they should and it may seem as if the enemy is winning, but we must remain faithful and show that faith thru living our lives in a worthy manner…
Introduction:
Have you ever had a bad day? Have you ever had a bad week? Have you ever had one of those years? Adversity is part of life and we all have troubled times! In our Scripture verse this week, we see Paul dealing with a very troubling time in his life, and we can see how he formed an attitude to face those troubles and how he patterns what we can do to gain that same attitude…
Please follow along as I read about Paul and this time of adversity in his life… Show verses 12-30 here…I will read
12I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. 27Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
This morning I we are going to take a look at…
1. v.12-20 – The situation at hand… the adversity in Paul’s life
2. v.21-26 – The attitude Paul takes
3. v. 27-30 – The actions that reflect Paul’s attitude
The Situation of Adversity (v.12-20)
Now let’s get a handle on the situation that Paul is in when he is writing this letter to the Philippian church. Paul is in prison and he is evidently receiving reports that there are those on the outside who are attacking Paul for several reasons. What we need to understand is that these were NOT enemies of the church… at least they did not pose as enemies of the church.
These men were actually preachers who were going around proclaiming and preaching Christ. But in their preaching they were using Paul as a preaching punching bag… they would trash him and talk him down! This had to be disheartening to Paul as he knew that he was in the will of God in his service, but from the outside looking in, some may not have seen it that way…
After all Paul had been in trouble on many occasions with the authorities and there were people always following Paul and challenging his ministry. Paul had been thrown into prison on many occasions, he was in prison now…
Paul had been whipped and beaten several times for things he had done… Paul had been accused of inciting riots and many other things and these preachers were using these incidents to talk down about Paul.
We can see in v. 15-17 we see Paul giving a picture of these men…
Show verses 15-17 here…I will read
15Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.
Show verses 15 with highlights here…I will read
15Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry…
These men were preaching out of envy and rivalry. Envy is defined as the resentful attitude or feeling one has for another’s success, possessions, qualities or good fortune!
And let’s face it people we all fall into that trap from time to time. We see someone who seems to be in the spotlight and we trash them… even if it is in our own mind… because we think they didn’t deserve all that success… all that attention… all that glory… all that good fortune! These men were doing the same thing toward Paul…
Paul also uses the word ‘rivalry’ here… that is the Greek word ERIS which can also be translated at contention or strife. This word reveals a sense of competition that had developed in the lives and preaching of these men… they were ‘competing’ against Paul and his tremendous reputation. So to make themselves look and seem more… they had to make Paul look less!
Now this is not any different that our world today. We see this happen all the time in our society as people attack other people because they feel if they take them down a notch that they will feel a bit better… they won’t admit that but it is still the truth.
The sad part about this action on behalf of people is that they attack and blame the presumed failures of others so that they won’t feel that they are a part of what THEY see as a failure… It does not matter what others see or what the truth of the matter is, it is all about what they see and how they can make themselves look better in their own eyes!
These men wanted others to believe that Paul was hurting the witness of Christ because of his actions… they wanted others to think Paul was a failure and to look at THEM! Paul had heard the reports… and I am sure he was very saddened by these reports.
Paul was facing great adversity… in prison and under attack by people who should have been on his side, but the fact of the matter is that we are ALL going to face adversity… my adversity is different than yours but we are all going to face it! The Christian’s adversity is going to be different that those who don’t know Christ… but still we ALL will face adversity in some form…
The key to this is found in our ability remain faithful in times of adversity and we find Paul doing just this during this very difficult time of adversity for him. The evidence of Paul’s faith is found in the ‘good’ that he sees, even when it seems all is going against him.
In. v.12-13 the gospel is advanced and even in Caesar’s house… people were being saved
In v.14 those who supported Paul were strengthened and emboldened by Paul’s condition and NOT depressed… they moved forward!
In v. 18 Paul sees that even those who are preaching Christ and using him as a negative example… it did not matter… Christ was being preached!
In v. 20 Paul saw results that he knew would NOT bring shame upon him or his actions, even though others may not see it that way…
So what can we learn from Paul here? We can know that adversity is a part of life… we can learn to EXPECT adversity! Paul understood this and he countered it by looking for the good in the situation… but that seems hard to do. How can we see the good in a time of adversity?
When adversity comes it is easy for us to focus on the bad that is happening… or that we perceive as bad! I believe that we can see that Paul faced adversity because of his strong faith in Christ and his very focused attitude of service to Christ! We find Paul’s attitude reflected in these next few verses…
The Attitude Toward Adversity (v.18, 21-26)
Show verse 18 here…I will read
18What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,
What is great about this verse is that Paul realized a great truth that all Christians must learn… a truth that all Christian must incorporate into their thinking and their attitude.
That is when we are facing adversity in this world, from those who we believe should be on our side OR those we know are not part of the kingdom… NO matter which… no matter who may bring adversity into our lives… they are NOT the true enemy, but our enemy is Satan and it is his SOLE desire to destroy our witness and chew us up and spit us out, and he will use whatever means he can to do this…
Paul saw this in v.18 and reflects an attitude of gratitude toward the fact that the gospel was being proclaimed! So often we lose sight of our focus and begin to focus on the bad… or what we PERCEIVE as something bad. Those Israelites whom God allowed to be taken into captivity saw nothing but a bad situation, but in time it was proven to them that God was actually saving them from terrible things and delivering them to return…
Paul’s attitude was NOT something HE came up with on his own, but it was a direct result of the love of Christ flowing from within his heart! He says… Show verses 21-23 here…I will read
21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23I am hard pressed between the two.
Show highlighted verse 21 here…I will read
21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Here we find Paul saying, “to live is Christ” which is a statement that tells us of Paul’s focus in life after he met Jesus. His life focus was on Christ and being obedient to the calling of Christ in his life.
Show 2nd highlighted verse 21 here…I will read
21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
He also says, “to die is gain…” and I want you to understand that Paul was not seeking death… he was not looking to die… what Paul was saying here was that he did not fear death, but actually understood that death for the believer brought about a wonderful reunion with our Creator!
Paul struggled between this world and the next, not really knowing what he should choose, but resigned himself to the fact that God was in control and until God chose to bring him home, that he was going to stay and be obedient where God had placed him regardless of the struggle and adversity that he faced.
Paul says, “if I am to live… means fruitful labor” which reveals his focus on serving Christ and walking in obedience. Both being with Christ and serving Christ were intriguing and attractive to Paul, but what we find is that he trusted God fully and his attitude was that he would serve wherever, whenever and however God called him to serve! Paul was excited about LIVING for Christ in this world… just as much as he was excited about BEING with Christ in the next world!
Now let me ask you a question, are you as excited about serving God here in this world as you are about the prospect of walking through those pearly gates onto those streets of gold into the arms of your Savior! So many of us long for heaven so much that we miss out on the joy of the journey here in this world with Christ!
So often all we can see here in this world is that the grass is greener on the other side… whether that be the next life or something else in this life. As Christians, we all have the same thoughts as Paul in regards to being with Jesus… I know that the longer I serve Christ the more I long to be with Him and detest this world, but I don’t not long for or seek after death. I have resigned myself to understand that God is in control and that I must be obedient to his calling until he chooses to call me home!
This was Paul’s attitude… this must be OUR attitude! But life is far more than a mere attitude. Our life in Christ is supposed to be about revealing to the lost of this world the love of Christ, not thru our attitude, but through our actions! And that is just what Paul is speaking about here in these next few verses…
The Action to Overcome Adversity (v.27-30)
Show verses 27-30 here…I will read
27Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
Show partial highlighted verse 27 here…I will read
27Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ…
In these verses Paul is speaking to a specific ‘manner of life’ that the believer is called to live out. He is saying it is about how you live out your faith in this world, despite success or adversity, your actions should reflect your walk in Christ.
Show 2nd partial highlighted verse 27 here…I will read
27Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ,
Paul also uses the phrase ‘be worthy’ which means that your life should exalt Christ and reflect HIS glory shining into your life… He is living in you and you are shining His glory to the world around you… Be the example and servant you are called to become… live OUT your Christian faith!
Show 3rd partial highlighted verse 27 here…I will read
…whether I come and see you or am absent…
In v.27a Paul says, ‘whether I come see you or am absent’ which basically is telling these believers… WHEREVER YOU ARE… WHOMEVER YOU ARE WITH, you are called to serve and walk worthy! For us that means that we are NOT just to come here on Sunday morning and give God glory and pray and worship… but that from Sunday to Sunday and all the times in between we are called to give Him glory, praise and worship! Even during the adversity of this life!
Show 4th partial highlighted verse 27 here…I will read
…that you are standing firm in one spirit…
In that same verse Paul says he wants to hear that these believers in Philippi were ‘standing firm’ with each other. In this phrase Paul is projecting to them a resolve that is grounded in an unshakable faith in Christ! It is an attitude that is fleshed out by actions of standing firm and with each other even thru the adversities of life! This proves to the world that their spirit is faithful to Christ and loving of each other!
Show 5th partial highlighted verse 27 here…I will read
…with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel…
Further in that same verse Paul speaks of them being of ‘one mind, striving side by side’ which is the actions that reveal that firm stance they have in Christ! This is striving side by side in the SAME direction for Christ… to see the gospel of Christ presented and people come to know Christ as Savior…
This action reveals our attitude, but it also provides to the world around us a courage that is willing to stand up in the face of adversity, and say that we are focused on serving Christ above all things!
This action further reveals to those who oppose God that God’s plans will not be foiled by any human effort or frailty… but that we THRU God will prevail…
Finally this action also takes us back to the reality that adversity will always be a part of life, and that we must expect adversity and when we face adversity and suffer for the sake of Christ… we should remember Christ who suffered for us…
Our actions FOR Jesus reveal our attitude that we have in Christ. If we are so weak that we curl up in a spiritual fetal position when adversity comes, it reveals an attitude that we don’t truly believe Jesus will provide OR that what we are doing is not eternally significant or important!
I know when adversity comes… curling up and crying is what most of us want to do, but we must NOT fall prey to our weak flesh. This is exactly what Jesus was speaking about in the Garden of Gethsemane when He was telling the disciples to pray… he knew the adversity that was coming and he told them to pray so that when it came they would be strong… because the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak!
We can talk a good game but when we rely upon ourselves we will fail and falter… Today you may be facing adversity in your life and you want just chunk it all in and run away and hide… you want to curl up and cry… That is the weakness of your flesh speaking… left to your own you will always be there!
But today I want you to know that Jesus is there for you… he is willing and able to strengthen you and give you courage to face whatever the world has to throw at you! Today I call on you to surrender to Him this morning… surrender to Him by accepting His gift of forgiveness and mercy and salvation! 2000 years ago Christ died on the cross for YOU! So that you would not have to face an eternity separated from HIM!
Today, as Bro Ken comes to lead our hymn of invitation, I call on you to come and pray… come and give your heart to Jesus! Come and surrender to Him and accept His forgiveness in your life and become part of His family!
As we stand to sing our hymn of invitation… I call on everyone to come and surrender to Jesus this morning! Would you stand…
