JOY COMES FROM THE RIGHT FOCUS
PHILIPPIANS 1:12-14 NOW I WANT YOU TO KNOW, BRETHREN, THAT MY CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE TURNED OUT FOR THE GREATER PROGRESS OF THE GOSPEL, 13 SO THAT MY IMPRISONMENT IN THE CAUSE OF CHRIST HAS BECOME WELL KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE PRAETORIAN GUARD AND TO EVERYONE ELSE, 14 AND THAT MOST OF THE BRETHREN, TRUSTING IN THE LORD BECAUSE OF MY IMPRISONMENT, HAVE FAR MORE COURAGE TO SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD WITHOUT FEAR.
PROPOSITION: IN A MULTI FACETED WORLD, WE NEED TO MAINTAIN OUR FOCUS.
INTRODUCTION: AS WE CONTINUE OUR SERIES IN THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS, WE WANT TO KEEP OUR FOCUS CLEAR – OUR FOCUS IS JOY! ONE OF THE REASONS WE LOSE JOY IS THAT WE LOSE FOCUS. WE START TO HONE IN ON THE WRONG THINGS, WE CHOOSE A NEGATIVE WAY OF LOOKING AT A SITUATION, OR WE ALLOW A VALUE SYSTEM DIFFERENT THAT ONE THAT SHOULD BE OURS AS A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST TO GUIDE OUR CONCLUSIONS ON ISSUES.
TRANSITION: IN AN EFFORT TO KEEP US FOCUSED ON THE RIGHT THINGS, I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT PAUL’S FOCUS AS HE VIEWS HIS SITUATION.
I. FOCUS ON REALITY
a. VERSE 12 – “ I WANT YOU TO KNOW”
i. WHAT IS IMPORTANT
ii. “I WANT YOU TO GET THIS”
b. PAUL HAS DETERMINED THAT HIS CIRCUMSTANCES ARE IMPORTANT FOR THE PHILIPPIAN CHURCH TO BE AWARE OF
i. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THEM THE WAY HE DOES
ii. HE WANTS THEM TO NOT ONLY KNOW BUT TO ALSO UNDERSTAND
c. UNDERSTANDING PAUL’S CIRCUMSTANCES
i. PAUL’S PASSION IS THE GOSPEL
ACTS 20:24 "BUT I DO NOT CONSIDER MY LIFE OF ANY ACCOUNT AS DEAR TO MYSELF, SO THAT I MAY FINISH MY COURSE AND THE MINISTRY WHICH I RECEIVED FROM THE LORD JESUS, TO TESTIFY SOLEMNLY OF THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD.
1. ANYTHING THAT WAS FOR THE GOSPEL; PAUL WAS IN FAVOR OF!
ii. PAUL VIEWED HIS CIRCUMSTANCES THROUGH THE IMPACT THEY HAD ON THE GOSPEL
iii. PAUL’S CONCLUSION WAS THAT HIS SITUATION WAS GOOD FOR THE GOSPEL
1. PAUL SAW THAT THE EVIL TOWARDS HIM WAS ACTUALLY GOOD FOR THE GOSPEL
iv. PAUL USES THE WORD PROGRESS
1. THE GREEK WORD IS PROKOPE
a. MOVING FORWARD AGAINST GREAT OBSTACLES
b. USED OF SOMEONE WHO IS HACKING A PATH THROUGH THE BRUSH
i. SLOW PROGRESS FOR THEM
ii. EASIER PROGRESS FOR OTHERS
v. SCRIPTURE TESTIFIES TO EVIL WORKING OUT FOR GOOD
GENESIS 50:20 "AS FOR YOU, YOU MEANT EVIL AGAINST ME, BUT GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD IN ORDER TO BRING ABOUT THIS PRESENT RESULT, TO PRESERVE MANY PEOPLE ALIVE.
ROMANS 8:28-29 AND WE KNOW THAT GOD CAUSES ALL THINGS TO WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD, TO THOSE WHO ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. 29 FOR THOSE WHOM HE FOREKNEW, HE ALSO PREDESTINED TO BECOME CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, SO THAT HE WOULD BE THE FIRSTBORN AMONG MANY BRETHREN;
EPHESIANS 2:10 FOR WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS FOR GOOD WORKS, WHICH GOD PREPARED BEFOREHAND SO THAT WE WOULD WALK IN THEM.
vi. GOD HAD EVEN USED SATAN TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSES
1. IN THE TESTING OF JOB
2. IN THE DEATH OF CHRIST
vii. PAUL HAD OFTEN SPOKEN OF WHAT HE HAD BEEN THROUGH FOR THE GOSPEL
1 CORINTHIANS 16:9 FOR A WIDE DOOR FOR EFFECTIVE SERVICE HAS OPENED TO ME, AND THERE ARE MANY ADVERSARIES.
1 THESSALONIANS 2:2 BUT AFTER WE HAD ALREADY SUFFERED AND BEEN MISTREATED IN PHILIPPI, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAD THE BOLDNESS IN OUR GOD TO SPEAK TO YOU THE GOSPEL OF GOD AMID MUCH OPPOSITION.
d. GOD HAS ALLOWED SUFFERING FOR MANY REASONS
i. TO CORRECT US
PROVERBS 3:11-12 MY SON, DO NOT REJECT THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD OR LOATHE HIS REPROOF,
12 FOR WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE REPROVES, EVEN AS A FATHER CORRECTS THE SON IN WHOM HE DELIGHTS.
ii. TO INSTRUCT US
1 PETER 1:6-7 IN THIS YOU GREATLY REJOICE, EVEN THOUGH NOW FOR A LITTLE WHILE, IF NECESSARY, YOU HAVE BEEN DISTRESSED BY VARIOUS TRIALS, 7 SO THAT THE PROOF OF YOUR FAITH, BEING MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD WHICH IS PERISHABLE, EVEN THOUGH TESTED BY FIRE, MAY BE FOUND TO RESULT IN PRAISE AND GLORY AND HONOR AT THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST;
iii. AND IN THE CASE OF PAUL – TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL
ILLUSTRATION: JOHN BUNYAN'S PREACHING WAS SO POPULAR AND POWERFUL, AND SO UNACCEPTABLE TO LEADERS IN THE SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY CHURCH OF ENGLAND, THAT HE WAS JAILED IN ORDER TO SILENCE HIM. REFUSING TO BE SILENT, HE BEGAN TO PREACH IN THE JAIL COURTYARD. HE NOT ONLY HAD A LARGE AUDIENCE OF PRISONERS, BUT ALSO HUNDREDS OF THE CITIZENS OF BEDFORD AND THE SURROUNDING AREA WOULD COME TO THE PRISON DAILY AND STAND OUTSIDE TO HEAR HIM EXPOUND SCRIPTURE. HE WAS SILENCED VERBALLY BY BEING PLACED DEEP INSIDE THE JAIL AND FORBIDDEN TO PREACH AT ALL. YET IN THAT SILENCE, HE SPOKE LOUDEST OF ALL AND TO MORE PEOPLE THAN HE COULD HAVE IMAGINED. IT WAS DURING THAT TIME THAT HE WROTE THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS, THE GREAT CHRISTIAN CLASSIC THAT HAS MINISTERED THE GOSPEL TO TENS OF MILLIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. FOR SEVERAL CENTURIES, IT WAS THE MOST WIDELY READ AND TRANSLATED BOOK IN THE WORLD AFTER THE BIBLE. BUNYAN'S OPPONENTS WERE ABLE TO STOP HIS PREACHING FOR A FEW YEARS, BUT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO STOP HIS MINISTRY. INSTEAD, THEY PROVIDED OPPORTUNITY FOR IT TO BE EXTENDED FROM DEEP WITHIN A JAIL IN THE SMALL TOWN OF BEDFORD TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.
ONE OF THE GREATEST JOY KILLERS IN OUR LIFE IS WHEN WE DO NOT SEE THINGS IN LIGHT OF ETERNITY AND DO NOT ACCEPT THE ULTIMATE GOOD THAT GOD HAS AS THE RESULT FOR WHAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH
II. FOCUS ON ACTIVITY
a. PAUL MADE A CONSCIOUS CHOICE OF FOCUS
i. HE DETERMINED TO FOCUS ON THE PRESENT
ii. HE DETERMINED NOT TO FOCUS ON WHAT HE COULD NOT CHANGE
b. IN GENERAL, PAUL FOCUSED ON WHAT HE COULD DO WHILE UNDER HOUSE ARREST
c. PAUL COULD RECEIVE VISITORS
i. PAUL HAD A MINISTRY TO EVERYONE WHO VISITED HIM!
ii. PAUL HAD A WITNESS IN EVERYONE WHO VISITED HIM WHEN THEY LEFT.
d. PAUL COULD TALK WITH THOSE WHO GUARDED HIM
i. ATTACHED BY AN 18” CHAIN THAT WAS NEVER REMOVED FROM THE PRISONER
ii. PRISONER AND GUARD WERE ALWAYS TOGETHER
iii. THOSE WHO GUARDED PAUL WERE THE HANDPICKED GUARDS OF THE EMPEROR
e. PAUL COULD CHOOSE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT HIS SITUATION OR USE HIS SITUATION AS AN OPPORTUNITY
i. PAUL CHOSE THE LATTER
f. THE RESULTS OF PAUL’S CHOICE
i. EVERYONE UNDERSTOOD THE REASON FOR HIS IMPRISONMENT
1. NOT FOR BREAKING THE LAW
2. FOR THE CAUSE OF CHRIST
ii. THE TESTIMONY OF PAUL REMAINED INTACT
1. IN THE HOUSE
2. IN THE COMMUNITY
3. IN THE PALACE
iii. THE ACTIONS OF PAUL ALLOWED OTHERS TO SEE THE GOSPEL IN A NEW AND FRESH LIGHT
1. ITS POWER DID NOT VARY WITH THE CIRCUMSTANCES
2. THE RESULT WAS PROGRESS OUTSIDE THE CHURCH
IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE DO NOT CEASE TO BE A TESTIMONY FOR CHRIST. OUR ACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES REFLECT OUR RELATIONSHIP TO OUR SAVIOR.
JOY COMES FROM SEEING OUR SITUATIONS AS OPPORTUNITIES GOD HAS PUT BEFORE US AND NOT HINDRANCES TO HOBBLE US.
III. FOCUS ON PRODUCTIVITY
a. IN OTHER WORDS, WAS THERE ANY POSITIVE EFFECT FOR THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST AS A RESULT OF PAUL’S CONFINEMENT
b. WE ALREADY SPOKE ABOUT THE EFFECT PAUL HIMSELF WAS HAVING
c. WHAT WE NEED TO SEE IS THAT PAUL ALSO HAD AN EFFECT ON OTHERS
d. OTHER BELIEVERS WERE
i. HAVING A GREATER CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD
ii. HAVING A GREAT COURAGE TO SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD
iii. CONQUERING THE FEARS THEY HAVE HAD REGARDING THEIR FAITH
e. WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE NOT ONLY HAVE A TESTIMONY TO OTHERS REGARDING OUR SITUATIONS BUT ALSO AND EFFECT ON OTHERS AS WELL
f. THE STRUGGLE OF PAUL EMPOWERED OTHER BELIEVERS IN THEIR FAITH!
FOCUSING ON THE RIGHT THINGS ALLOWS US TO HAVE FAITH CONFIDENCE AND PATIENCE THAT GOD IS TRULY AT WORK IN OUR LIVES AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS THROUGH US. WHEN WE CAN SENSE THE WORK OF GOD, THEN WE CAN HAVE JOY. WE SENSE THE WORK OF GOD FIRST WHEN WE CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON THE RIGHT HTINGS!
