“Living As If God Is In Control”
Key Scripture:
Philippians 1
I’m very excited about this new series we begin today. We will look at Paul’s letter to the Philippians and discover a joyful community living together in times of testing.
In these next four weeks, we will look at each one of the chapters in Paul’s letter. This letter shows us a community learning how to live together; with one another—and in God’s presence—during difficult times.
And this is a great place to start, recognizing that God’s people will always face times of trials and testing.
Trials and testing started in the early church, which faced times of trial and testing during the Roman Empire
It continues today in places like China and Iran, or even places most of us barely could find on a map like Sri Lanka
Wherever Christians are persecuted, God’s people will always be confronted with difficulties.
Now, you may think, “Those places or events are centuries or continents away. What does this have to do with me?”
Times of trial and testing do not only happen on the large social scale. They also happen on the individual and personal scale, to people like you and me. We should take note of this. Near the end of his ministry the Apostle Paul said, “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12)
Paul learned this lesson during his time in Philippi and years later when the Philippians came to his aid while he was in prison. That’s what the Book of Philippians will help us to understand.
For background- The Book of Acts (in chapter 16) records the roots of the church in Philippi. As you follow along in this sermon series, you can read that part of Acts and see how God used Paul to start a brand-new work in this city that had never before heard the gospel.
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. In the first decades of this new Philippian church, they experienced both success and difficulties.
Have you ever thought about that possibility? We can experience difficulties even during times of success.
Some might be tempted to think that the presence of difficulties means they are somehow living outside of the will of God. But that’s not necessarily true.
Sometimes Christians can be right where God puts them,
doing exactly what God has asked them to do
and still face persecution, opposition, misunderstanding, and suspicion.
This is true at a larger social level and also at an interpersonal level.
I again would encourage you in the next week to read Acts 16 as it will set the scene for much of what we will be talking about.
Acts 16 shares the story of how Paul and Silas found themselves in prison there for sharing the good news in the city of Philippi.
We should keep this story from Acts in mind as we look at the letter to the Philippians, because it reminds us that we will go through trials.
And this phrase is important: we will “go through” trials.
Trials are made to be gone through: we will not remain in them. Trials are made to go through because our God is bigger than any trouble man can dream up.
Perhaps you are facing some sort of personal trial today. It could be at work, or in a relationship, or have something to do with your finances, or illness, or you may even be a person who has suffered violence for the sake of the gospel.
Part of the good news is that even as we experience trials, we can have the confidence that we will pass through the trouble. God will not abandon us and leave us stuck in our difficulties. In fact, one type of Christian maturity is our ability to rejoice even when things are not going our way.
We can rejoice merely in the fact that we are in the center of God’s will.
Another thing to consider
Even if the trouble is of our own making because we’ve acted foolishly, it’s still true: trials were made to go through—not to remain in! Even if my trial is the result of my own stupidity and sinfulness, I can rest assured that I’m at the center of His love.
God doesn’t abandon His people when they are in trouble.
That’s all introduction
Now, when we get to Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, 10 years have transpired since the account in Acts 16. Some things have definitely changed. The church in Philippi is prospering and healthy. They are not only a thriving community in their home city, they are a community that looks after the welfare of others, people far away who may be in some kind of need.
And Paul is one of those other people! Because this much has not changed: Paul finds himself imprisoned again, this time in Rome. The Philippian church has sent a gift of money and a member of their church to help him, because prisoners had to provide for their own means even though they were in prison.
And there, from his chains, Paul writes a letter to acknowledge and thank them for their gift, to send back the brother they had sent to minister to his needs, and to teach them about the connection between Christian joy and suffering.
Paul is writing this letter from inside prison. He is encouraging those outside of prison! This letter is a model for how to live during tough times. Over the next four weeks we will see:
• We can learn how to live as if God is in control.
• We can learn how to live as servants.
• We can learn how to live a life of loss.
• And we can learn how to live a life generous friendship.
Let’s look today at the first chapter of Philippians, and learn to live as if God is in control.
We are going to break this up a little and take it a few verses at a time.
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Prayer
1. Prayer and Persecution
Early on in chapter 1, Paul prays for his friends back in Philippi. Isn’t this amazing and wonderful? Someone far away, who is in difficult circumstances like prison, can still pray for others.
Don’t be fooled: whatever difficulties or trials you face cannot keep you from thinking of others and praying for others!
Key’s to success in trials- Prayer for others will elevate your gaze off of your own troubles and see things through God’s eyes.
Paul has learned this, and continues his effective ministry even though his body is held captive. He prays for the people and he instructs the church in Philippi.
What does he pray? It’s there in verses 9-11, in chapter 1. He prays that the church in Philippi will be able to discern
what is best for them,
that they would be pure and blameless,
and that they would be filled with the good fruit that is in keeping with a proper relationship with Jesus Christ.
I read the bible sometimes and think, “God, why did you allow a such a man that is blessed with so many gifts like Paul to waste 1/3 of his ministry career in prison?
The Gospel could have spread to entire known world in those 10-12 years if you had just let him go.”
God told me in prayer that indeed Paul would have spread the Gospel the entire known world of his time, but that would have wasted the front part of his life- studying and becoming the worlds foremost expert in the Old Testament- making him the perfect person to lay the foundation for what we call the New Testament today.
What God showed me in that is that HE has a plan, and nothing you have gone through, nor will go through will be wasted.
That brings us to our next point-
2. God’s Priorities
In chapter 1, after praying for the well-being of the people in Philippi, Paul switches to teaching in verses 12 through 18. He wants us to learn how to live as if God is in control.
We do this by taking God’s view of things and by taking on God’s priorities.
15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Paul tells the Philippians that although there are people outside of prison who are trying to make life worse for Paul while inside prison, Paul is actually pleased with the way things are.
That doesn’t seem right. Today there are whole ministries or organization who think it’s their calling to tear down other organizations and ministries. Even a brief internet search of any famous Christian preacher will show 3 organizations who think he or she is the devil.
It wasn’t any different in Paul’s day.
In bible times, there were also people who were preaching the gospel from false motives. You would think Paul would be upset, or at the very least critical. But he is not.
Paul says that his situation is turning out for the advancement of the gospel. We might say that Paul is “Gospel-Centric.” He rejoices that the good news is being preached whether from good motives for ill motives. The gospel is more important than his reputation or his personal comfort.
He understands his imprisonment is for the sake of the gospel and does not ask, “Why is this happening to me?” Instead he understands that God is in control.
Former president George W Bush said “If people don’t care who gets the credit, great things can be accomplished”
That was Paul’s heart- that Christ be preached.
When we have this heart, it is easy to say or agree with the idea that God is in control.
But the result of saying God is in control is that I am NOT in control.
It’s actually liberating to realize that we are not in control.
This is a joyful submission to the will of God. God is in control even beyond the nasty motives other people. This is how Paul viewed his circumstances.
Paul simply rejoices that God’s priorities are being accomplished.
How about us?
Could we find joy in the middle of our difficulties or trials if we had the assurance that God’s priorities were happening?
This is a call to a deeper maturity in Christ. It is a call to the kind of maturity that acknowledges the fact that our comfort and our safety are not the highest good in the earth.
I know that flies in the face of the modern prosperity Gospel, but that is biblical and historical Christianity.
The truth is God’s kingdom is the highest priority, and Paul demonstrates that his priorities align with God’s priorities.
When our priorities align with God’s priorities, the result is peace and joy no matter the circumstance we find ourselves in.
Whether we are in prison or free we can experience peace and joy. Whether relationships, or work, or finances are going well or are going poorly, we can find peace and joy when we align our priorities with God’s priorities.
The 3rd thing we can learn about God being in control is-
3. Trust God for the Outcome
In verses 19 through 26, Paul says something very unusual and a little mysterious. He says that what has happened will turn out for his deliverance.
In other words, Paul’s faith that God is in control is expressed in terms of outcomes, not events.
The events did not look promising for Paul. But Paul looks beyond the events toward the outcome and he concludes that the outcome will be glorious for God’s Kingdom and Plan.
Whether in his day or in ours, here are the verifiable facts: sorrow, sickness, and suffering are at large in the world. But God shows His glory by bringing outcomes that are greater than any sorrow, any sickness, or any suffering.
For example, Tertullian, one of the early fathers of the church (who also lived during a time of persecution), said, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.” Like Paul, Tertullian was able to look beyond the immediate events. He was filled with confidence that God would use even difficult events like the death of Christians to do something wonderful.
This is part of the glory of God: in the middle of people’s weakness and wickedness, God is in the world working his wisdom for our good, and for the good of generations to come.
I ask you this morning- Do you believe this? The answer will tell you your depth of maturity in the faith.
In verse 21 Paul says this-
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Paul was not even concerned about his own personal outcome. He says, “I can die and be with Jesus or I can live, which will mean even more fruitful ministry later in my life.”
Paul does not see his life is something to be preserved, but rather as something to be spent in the service of God’s kingdom.
This is part of the teaching in this chapter.
It asks us-
How do we look at our lives?
Why should we be afraid of death?
Death only means that we would be with Jesus. The sooner, the better! Or if we live, our lives are an opportunity co-labor with God to bring blessings to others!
The last thing I want to talk about today might be the hardest for us to swallow about God being in control
4. “Receiving Suffering”
In verses 27 through 30, the Bible teaches us we can learn how to live as if God is in control by receiving and suffering as something that is sometimes granted by God to the community of faith.
Please hear me: no one should go looking for suffering.
No one should bring harm to themselves or act foolishly or irresponsibly.
Instead, we order our lives in the way God teaches us to. But if suffering comes as a result of our way of life, and if our way of life is pleasing to God, we should learn how to submit to the will of God even in suffering.
Paul tells us- 27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.
In these last verses, Paul teaches us the value of community. That we go through whatever happens to us together.
It's an expression not only of our individual confidence, but our confidence as one people. Nearly any pastor can tell you that churches grow stronger spiritually and bond during times of trouble. It is a community dynamic: the church comes together when things are tough. Paul actually says that the Philippians’ unified, bold response to difficulties is a sign of the kingdom of God being made manifest among them!
Maybe we should ask ourselves, why wait until tough times to draw together?
Why wait until tragedy strikes to show our love and care for those around us?
Why wait until things are bad in order to show the love of God?
We can be a church that lives in the community and demonstrates community right now, even in the moments of peace and prosperity.
This is the great lesson of Philippians chapter 1: individually—and as a community—we can demonstrate that God is in control by living as if God is in control.
Prayer that
Our actions become the message.
Our lives—individually and corporately—become the Good News.
We can demonstrate to the watching world that we confidently believe God is in control.
