Introduction:
A. Life can often be complicated and confusing! – How is that for an understatement?
1. In his famous “Peanuts” cartoon, Charles Shultz marvelously captured that reality of life.
2. In one cartoon, Lucy was front and center, delivering one of her characteristic lectures.
3. She said, “Charlie Brown, life is a lot like a deck chair. Some place it so that they can see where they are going. Others place it where they can see where they have been. And some place it so they can see where they are at the present. On the cruise ship of life, Charlie Brown, which way is your deck chair facing?”
4. Charlie Brown sighs, and says, “I can’t even get mine unfolded!”
B. I am sure that more than a few of us can identify with Charlie Brown.
1. Life can be complicated and confusing.
2. We can get stuck focusing on the past, or the future, or the present, and lose our perspective.
C. The Apostle Paul didn’t have that problem, or at least he didn’t have that problem when he wrote the letter to the Philippians.
1. Perhaps, Paul struggled with having the right perspective, priorities and principles before he became a Christian.
2. But after he came to know Christ, he indeed found someone to live and die for.
3. In the verses from Philippians chapter one that we will examine today, we see Paul sharing his basic life principle.
4. This principle gave him his purpose and meaning in life.
5. This principle guided his every choice and in the end gave him comfort in death.
6. Let’s spend some time examining Philippians 1:19-26, in order to better understand the kind of life perspective that will give us joy for the journey.
Let’s begin by noticing…
I. Paul’s Confidence (1:19-20)
A. Paul wrote: 19 Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. (Phil. 1:19-20)
1. Paul showed such faith and confidence here in these verses.
a. Paul had already proclaimed that through his chains Christ had been made known, and because of his critics Christ had been preached.
b. Now he confidently asserted that through his crisis Christ would be exalted; magnified.
2. Paul was also confident that all of this would turn out for his deliverance (as the NIV and many other versions translate it).
a. The Greek word translated “deliverance” can also be translated salvation, safety or preservation.
b. The “deliverance” that Paul was confident of could include one or all of the following:
1. He could mean his safety, in which case Paul was saying that he believed he would be released from his imprisonment.
2. He could mean his salvation, in which case Paul was saying that God would reward him according to his faithfulness while suffering for Christ sake.
3. Or Paul could have used “deliverance” in the sense of general well-being no matter the outcome.
3. Regardless of the way Paul meant his deliverance, he was confident that it would lead to the the exaltation of Christ, and this was based on two significant factors.
a. One factor was the supportive prayers of Paul’s friends.
1. I love the fact that Paul was humble enough to realize that he needed the prayers of others and I love the fact that Paul believed in the power of prayer!
b. The second factor that Paul depended upon was the support of the Holy Spirit.
1. Paul knew that the Holy Spirit was and is there to empower and to help.
2. Paul knew that he could not make it without the Spirit, and neither can we!
B. Ultimately, then we see that Paul’s confidence was in the Lord.
1. He was confident that God would work everything out for his deliverance.
2. He was confident that God would give him the courage to magnify Christ, even in death.
3. He was confident that God would answer the prayers of his friends on his behalf.
4. And Paul was confident of the help of God the Holy Spirit.
5. We can have that same kind of confidence when we know and trust the Lord and the indwelling Spirit of God.
Second, let’s notice…
II. Paul’s Conviction (1:21)
A. Paul wrote: For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21)
1. This is one of the shortest and simplest texts in the NT, and yet it is one of the deepest and most significant verses.
2. This brief statement is a summary of Paul’s life principle – it is his deepest conviction.
3. Paul’s basic life focus and philosophy was: when you live for Christ, death is a victory.
4. Let’s spend a minute on each of those two parts of this short sentence.
B. First of all, Paul said: “To live is Christ.”
1. What we need to realize is that everyone is living for something or someone.
2. Every person who has lived in the past, who is living in the present, or who will live in the future fills in the blank in this sentence: “For me to live is ______________.”
3. What are some of the words you have used to fill in that blank?
4. There are certainly many options available to us.
a. If you are in the NBA or NFL, then you might say, “For me to live is basketball/football.”
b. If you are a professional musician, then you might say, “For me to live is music.”
c. Bill Gates might say, “For me to live is Microsoft.”
d. Mark Zuckerberg might say, “For me to live is Facebook.”
e. A teenager might say, “For me to live is my boyfriend/girlfriend, or homecoming.”
f. A parent or grandparent might say, “For me to live is my children/grandchildren.”
g. See, the list of possibilities is endless – we can live for self, fun, sex, money, career, you name it.
5. But we must not miss the point – no one leaves this sentence blank.
a. Everyone finishes the sentence with something or someone.
6. What would it look like for a person to say, “to live is Christ”?
a. It means that a person’s whole life is wrapped up in living for Christ.
b. Living for Christ is their purpose and their focus.
c. Christ is the inspiration and the model and the strength for their life.
d. And Christ is also the reward of their life – there is no greater reward than knowing Christ in this life and then more fully through eternity.
e. And so, for Christians, our goal should be to strive to live in Christ, for Christ, by Christ, and through Christ.
7. But if we don’t strive to finish the sentence with Christ and Christ alone, then the second statement ends up drastically different.
C. Paul said, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
1. If we fill in the blank with anything other than Christ, consider how that changes the outcome.
a. If for us, to live is money, then to die is loss.
b. If for us, to live is career, then to die is loss.
c. If for us to live for pleasure, or weekends, or fishing, or anything else and to die is loss.
d. Do you see how that if we live for anything other than Christ, then to die is loss.
3. Everything else that we might live for other than Christ is tied to this world, and to die is to leave it in this world, and so to die is loss.
2. How is death a “gain” for the Christian?
a. Famous preacher Alexander MacLaren answered that question this way:
1. In death, we lose everything we don’t need – we lose the world, the flesh, and the devil. We lose our trials, our troubles, our tears, our fears and our weaknesses.
2. In death, we keep everything that matters – we keep our personality, our identity, and our knowledge of all that is good.
3. in death, we gain what we never had before – we gain heaven, the angels, the people of God, and most importantly, the presence of God.
3. Ultimately, when we understand that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” then we have no fear of death.
a. Many years ago, a Southern evangelist, named Dr. John Rice, preached in a meeting in Waxahachie, Texas, just south of Dallas.
1. Dr. Rice preached hard against sin, especially against the bootleggers bringing illegal liquor into that small Texas town.
2. The powers that be decided that this pesky evangelist needed to be silenced.
3. So they sent a message to Dr. Rice saying, “Stop preaching against us or we will kill you!”
4. Dr. Rice’s response was, “You can’t threaten me with heaven!” “Go ahead and kill me, you will be doing me a favor for I know where I am going!”
4. To live is Christ and to die is gain.
a. But Paul’s simple, straightforward life principle left him in a dilemma.
Finally, let’s notice…
III. Paul’s Conflict (1:22-26)
A. Paul wrote: 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me. (Phil. 1:22-26)
1. What a wonderful and solid faith Paul had.
2. In Paul’s mind, death’s gain is “better by far.”
3. If it had been up to Paul to choose, he would have chosen to die and go be with Christ.
4. Some people want to die because they hate this life, but for Paul it was more about looking forward to life with Christ in heaven.
B. Paul’s conflict was that although he wanted to go be with Christ, he realized that he was still needed in this world.
1. This is a good example of Paul’s selflessness.
a. He was willing to postpone going to heaven to help the church to grow.
b. You might remember his passion for his Jewish heritage, and he even said that he was willing to be cursed and cut off from Christ if it would save his lost Jewish brothers (Rom. 9:1-3).
c. That would be quite the sacrifice, indeed!
2. Paul didn’t say any of this to imply that the ultimate choice of living or dying was in his own hands.
a. He understood that the choice and control of his life or death were in God’s hands.
b. But if the choice were his, it would be a hard one for him.
3. Nevertheless, being convinced of what was necessary for the church, Paul was confident that his earthly life would continue.
a. Many of us shudder at the thought of dying because of the loss of the joy and pleasure of earthly life.
b. Paul, however, desired to continue this earthly life only to be able to continue his “fruitful labor” for the Lord and His church.
c. Henry James said, “The best use for your life is to invest it in something that will outlast it.”
d. Many times people invest their time and energy in things that won’t last 2 weeks, or 2 years, much less outlast their earthly life.
e. We must keep in mind that only two things in this world will last forever and they are the Word of God and people – everything else will vanish away.
C. Let me finish up this section by pointing out Paul’s positive view of death.
1. I have already pointed out that Paul said that death was a gain, and is better by far, but Paul also described death as a “departing.”
2. Paul said, “I desire to depart and be with Christ.” (vs. 23)
3. This word “depart” was used in many illustrative ways in Paul’s time:
a. Soldiers used it to “take down your tent and move on.”
b. Sailors used it to “loosen a ship and sail on.”
c. Prisoners used it to describe “being set free from prison.”
d. Farmers used it to “unyoke the oxen after a day of work.”
4. Those are wonderful pictures of a Christian view of death – moving our tent from here to heaven, setting sail for another world, being freed from the bondage of the physical, and laying aside the burdens of our earthly work.
5. I like the story about the former president John Quincy Adams.
a. When he was 80 years old a friend asked him, “Well, how is John Quincy Adams?”
b. Adams replied, “John Quincy Adams is quite well, thank you. But the house where he lives is becoming dilapidated. It is tottering. Time and the seasons have nearly destroyed it, and it is becoming quite uninhabitable. I shall move out of it soon. But John Quincy Adams is quite well, thank you.”
6. John Quincy Adams understood what Paul was talking about when he wrote 2 Cor. 5:1-10: 1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
7. Life and death are both a part of this life and can be used to God’s glory and our reward.
a. To live is Christ and to die is gain.
b. How blessed and helped we are when we understand these life principles and when we have truly found something and someone to live for and die for.
Conclusion:
A. I want to end with a story from the life of a man named James Rich.
1. James was proud of the job he done restoring the 1972 Piper Seneca, with its overhauled twin engines and smart new paint job.
2. So early on the morning of February 17, 1994, James crawled behind the controls of the small plane at an airport near Louisville, Kentucky to take it on its inaugural flight.
3. Rich’s plan was to make a 30-minute flight to Crossville, Tennessee to show off his plane to a friend who was the airport manager there.
4. He took off down the runway, climbed to 3500 feet, and put the plane on autopilot.
5. Rich had been up most of the night before finishing the last touches on the plane’s restoration, and before he knew it, he had dosed off.
6. His little nap went for three hours and when he woke up, he noticed he was over water.
7. Rich’s initial thought was “I must be over a lake,” but then he noticed that the water extended to the horizon in all directions.
8. James Rich found himself in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico – 188 miles west of Clearwater, Fl. and 190 miles south of Panama City, Fl.
9. Rich didn’t panic until he looked at his gas gauge and it was on empty!
10. Fortunately, he had enough time to radio an S.O.S., giving them his exact location before the plane made a nose dive for the Gulf of Mexico.
11. His fully restored, vintage plane sank out of sight in 45 seconds, but within 15 minutes he was pulled to safety by a rescue helicopter.
B. James Rich’s harrowing experience reminds all of us to stay alert about the direction of our lives.
1. It is all too easy to live life on autopilot, unaware that we are far off course.
2. Life can pass by so quickly and the fact that we are getting somewhere fast will be of small consolation if our landing site is off.
3. There may be no rescue for us when our life comes to a crashing halt.
4. There is only one way to live so that we can face life and death with peace, courage and joy.
5. That one way to live is to live for Christ.
6. Solomon, the OT wise king summarized it this way: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Eccl. 12:13b)
7. Jesus put it this way: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:24)
C. I pray that all of us can have Paul’s conviction that to live is Christ and to die is gain.
1. I pray that all of us can have Paul’s confidence that God is in control and that we are in His hands.
2. And if we have Paul’s conviction and his confidence, then we will likely share his conflict as well – we would rather go be with the Lord, but we know that God has work for us to do here.
3. That kind of conviction, confidence and conflict leads to courage and peace and joy for the journey.
Resources:
Joy is Found in Living with the Proper Perspective, Sermon by John Hamby, SermonCentral.com
“The Life that Wins” Sermon by Ray Pritchard, http://www.keepbelieving.com
