A Discontented Homeowner
I’d like to tell you a story about a home-owner who was tired of his house. He’d lived there for many years, and the more he looked around at the house, the years, the neighborhood, the more he wanted to be somewhere else. Can you relate?
His eyes eventually grew critical to the point that he ultimately decided it was time to sell his house and just move on.
So, he hired a realtor to come and look the place over, give him some pointers and begin advertising the home for sale, and at the same time asked her to find a suitable new home for him to purchase.
The realtor took some notes, suggested some of the usual things like basic clean-up of the home, repairing just a few things here and there, and then went back to the office to produce the ads that would run in the paper and online. But before they were sent out, the realtor wanted the owner to approve the ad copy, so she brought a copy of the ads to the home owner for his approval. On arriving to the house, she sat down with the man and read the ad to him, ‘Spacious home in well looked-after condition, no reno’s required here. Bright rooms, with lots of windows, a comfortable living area, solid foundation, good roof; simple yet pleasant garden and lots of open grassy back yard for the family to enjoy. A lovely deck for evenings of entertaining friends or sitting quietly to watch the sun set over the park. Located in a safe, quiet neighborhood with all amenities close by. Come and see for yourself all that this home has to offer. Won’t last long on the market, come quickly. Offered at $—–.’ And she gave the price.
The home owner sat for a second, and then asked, “Could you read it again, but slower?” She did, as the owner soaked up every word about the house. Again, he sat for a second in thought, and then told her not to place the ads. She asked if something was wrong with what she wrote, or if something needed changing. He replied to her, ‘That’s everything I’ve always wanted in a home, I’m going to stay right here.’
Have you ever wished you lived in someone else’s house, or maybe just a different place altogether? Have you ever thought what it would be like to be in the ‘perfect place’? We all have a dream home, a dream location. What is that place to you? To be honest, I don’t know if I have a “perfect place” but I know for a fact some places it isn’t.
But, on a serious note, and ultimately for us as believers, that place is in heaven, with Jesus. And I say that because the apostle Paul thought that too – and this morning we’ll be looking at some more from his letter to the Philippians and reading about what was going on in his life that made him wonder about such things. To lay the foundation for the rest of this message, let's read verses 12-21.
"I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What 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, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as 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. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:12-21 (ESV)
An Expectation
In this second section of Chapter 1, Paul wishes to inform the Philippians about his own current situation, as well as the progress of the gospel witness in Rome. He has no idea what the future holds for him, yet he has an expectation and a desire. And we see this expectation and desire in verse 20. Let’s just hop down there for just a moment:
"as 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." - Philippians 1:20 (ESV)
So what is his expectation?
Whether he lives, or whether he dies – Paul says, “Christ is honored in my body.” And it’s in light of that in which Paul says, “I will rejoice.” He has this great joy in his heart because he knows that no matter what is happening to him or what his circumstances are, that Christ can be magnified. So we see here, truly this single mindset.
A mindset that we can all easily learn from just from this one verse, that mindset of “no matter what my circumstance is, God can be glorified in my life and through my life.”
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 (ESV)
A Recap of Paul's Journey So Far
So the big picture, Paul’s prison is now turned into a place of prayer, like we saw last Sunday, and now into a pulpit for the furtherance of the Gospel. Let’s jump back, and I want you to notice with me in verse 12, Paul says:
"I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel," - Philippians 1:12 (ESV)
See, the Philippians had not seen Paul for some time. It’s been about 4 years, and the Philippians, naturally, are worried about him. They’re concerned. They wanted to know about him. So they sent a messenger, Epaphroditas (who is introduced at the end of Chapter 2), he went to Rome from Philippi with a gift to bring to the apostle. And, as the role of the messenger goes, the church in Philippi was expecting Epaphroditas to send word about how the apostle was doing, about his imprisonment. So you can bet when this letter from Paul arrives from Rome, they would have excitedly opened it up, they would have read, and here’s what’s interesting. In the first 11 verses, given all that we just talked about and the Philippians concern for him, does Paul mention himself?
No.
The only thing he talks about in the first 8 verses is how much he loves the Philippians and how much he thanks God for them. What a blessing they are. Then we get down to verse 9 and he prays for them. This overflowing love, discerning knowledge, that their lives bear the fruit of righteousness by Jesus Christ. So they’re reading this, and have to be thinking, “well that’s great that you love us Paul. Thanks for the kind words. How are you doing?! Are you okay? Discouraged? What’s going on?” Now we come to verse 12. “Okay, now about me – you need to know something. The things which have happened to me…” He summarizes everything that has happened over the last 4 years. If I were writing the letter, I think that my letter would have started with, “Help!” “This is the worst. You wouldn’t believe what’s happened. Am I down in the dumps? Yeah! One could say that…” “In Jesus name, Austin. Bye.”
What’s Paul’s response? “Everything that’s happened to me it’s happened for good.”
Paul first says that the things which have happened unto me – they have served to further the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Isn’t that wonderful?
What are "the things which have happened unto me"?
His arrest in Jerusalem. Remember, he was going to Jerusalem with a gift from the Gentiles in the area of Macedonia (Philippi) and he was taking an offering to Jerusalem. And he was warned that bonds and imprisonment awaited him there. And they begged, “Don’t go! We don’t want anything to happen to you!” His response is, “I’m not only ready to be arrested in Jerusalem, I’m ready to die if that’s God’s will for my life.” Paul was apprehended in the temple and the Jewish leaders screamed at him that he had defiled the temple and brought Gentiles in and there was this arrest of Paul. Paul was placed in prison with no justice as he appeared before different Roman leaders. Being a Roman citizen, he appealed to Ceasar. So he was sent on a boat to Rome. A prisoner. I imagine he never imagined that as a citizen of Rome he would never be going to Rome imprisoned, but God had different plans for his life.
Have you ever noticed that? I would imagine in Paul’s mind, his visit to Rome would include walking in with Timothy and with Luke, and they would walk in, preaching the Gospel. Instead, he arrives in chains. But on the way to Rome, we learn in Acts, that they encountered a terrible storm. And oddly enough their radios were down to get the rescue helicopter.
For days they were driven by the storm. They couldn’t see the sky. Then there’s a shipwreck on the island of Malta and God spares Paul’s life.
You know, the other night, Cassy and I were at our house. Cassy, if you don’t know, provides pet services as we like to call it (it ranks well on Google’s search results), where she walks dogs, drops in, house sits, that sort of thing. So the other night we’re at the house about to eat dinner together, which doesn’t always get to happen, and I open the silverware drawer. We have this bamboo silverware organizer thing, and as I reach for a fork, I see something.
Mold.
And then I feel the edge of the drawer and it’s wet. How could it be wet? So we open the cabinet below it, the walls of that cabinet are wet. I open the cabinet under the sink, and it’s wet. I can’t find a leak. The sink isn’t running, the dishwasher isn’t running, the washing machine isn’t running. But there’s condensation. And it’s humid. But that’s not all.
We look at the floor in our dining room. A faux-hardwood floor, supposedly safe for use in kitchens. At every seem the “wood” is starting to warp upwards. Almost the entire kitchen, the floor is doing this, and starting into the dining area and living room.
One thing after another. And to be honest, that night and into the next day, the word “dejected” would have been a litote. Would have been putting how I felt extremely mildly.
One thing after another.
And Cassy can attest, that during that time, I wasn’t the most upbeat, pleasant person to be around. It really got to me.
Let’s put this in perspective. Paul is shipwrecked as he’s in chains on a boat heading to Rome. But God takes command of Paul’s ship and they wash up onto the shore – and to top all of this off, all of these circumstances, as they’re gathering sticks for a fire, out jumps a viper and fastens to his hand.
One thing after another.
Paul finally makes his way to Rome, and he’s chained to a Roman soldier. So the things that happened unto Paul, as we would observe them, we would say “this is bad, yep, that’s bad, that’s also bad, oh that’s really bad…” And Paul has this attitude, “everything that’s happened, it’s for the good of the Gospel.” Keep this in mind, as I’d like to share this deep theological reference.
"OH!
THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so
but, sadly, it’s true
that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.
You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump,
you’re not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done."
-Dr. Seuss, "Oh, The Places You'll Go!"
In a Lurch, But Not In a Slump
I would argue that Paul is in a lurch. Right? All of those circumstances. One thing after another. Lurch is a good word for that.
Only, the difference here is that Paul’s not in a slump.
Dr. Seuss isn’t quoting Paul saying, “Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.”
I can stand up here this morning and tell you from recent experience with something, by comparison, as trivial as a leak in my kitchen that given Paul’s circumstances, I would have been in a slump. There would have to be some major un-slumping going on.
See, a lot of times, we get disappointed, we get discouraged, or depressed. And here’s my question to all of you, including me, from now on when we get that way.
What are your expectations?
Often, our expectations determine our attitudes. And what do I mean by that? Well, I mean that often times we may find ourselves in circumstances that don’t define our expectations.
“I expected to get a bigger raise. I expected to have kids by now. I expected to be living here, or doing that. I expected to be a missionary, I expected to be a pastor, and none of that has happened.”
I look around, in this post quarter-life crisis everyone is talking about and could think, “Gee, I haven’t really been anywhere. I’ve traveled to Canada, and the Bahamas once. I thought I’d be living somewhere else. I thought I’d have a sick sports-car by now.”
Discouragement and despondence could be right there in a hurry if we don’t examine and manage our expectations.
All Paul’s expectations were that Christ would be glorified in him. And when that’s your expectation, getting put into a slump when you’re in a lurch is awfully difficult. No matter what happens around you, Christ can be glorified. For Paul that was true whether in life or in death. And when that’s your mentality, everything else by comparison seems pretty small.
"Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has. Out of pain and problems have come the sweetest songs, the most pungent poems, the most gripping stories. Out of suffering and tears have come the greatest spirits and the most blessed life."
Billy Graham
What came from Paul’s circumstances was the furtherance of the Gospel. That was Paul’s concern. Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ.
Here’s a bit of trivia here for you. Paul mentions Christ (or Jesus, or Him, Himself, etc.) about 60 times in the 4 chapters of Philippians. Does any of our speech reflect similarly?
I’m not trying to sound accusatory or anything along those lines – just something I want us all to think about this morning.
Three Points for the Furtherance of the Gospel
1. Paul's Chains
So while in prison, there are three things that God uses for the furtherance of the Gospel, and I’d like for us to break them down this morning.
The first is found in Phil. 1:13-14. God used Paul’s chains. Let’s read these together:
"so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear." - Philippians 1:13-14 (ESV)
So you could almost say that God has allowed this restriction on Paul, and all of his goals, ambitions, dreams, and plans have been put on hold. Sound familiar to your life? Has that ever happened? Places you’ll go? Things you’ll do? Sights you’ll see?
The expectation we should have is that God’s will happen in God’s timing, not ours. Right? And I know that it’s easy for me to stand up here and just say that, but to actually do it is something else entirely, right? It requires a shifting in perspective. So here’s a way to think about this, Paul is in chains. And God used them. Is that out of character for God? Not at all. Almost on the contrary.
God used Moses’ staff. He used Gideon’s pitcher. God used David’s sling. He used Balaam’s donkey. So why couldn’t He use Paul’s chains? Why can’t he use our chains? Maybe you’re chained to a leaking kitchen, maybe you’re chained to a cancer diagnosis, maybe you're chained by a job layoff.
I find it comforting that if God can use a donkey, then there’s got to be hope for me.
As believers, we can have our expectations, but it’s God who uses our circumstances for His glory. Do we find anywhere in the book of Philippians a complaint from Paul?
No. And that in and of itself is amazing.
What a great example he is for all of us. His joy in perspective. Similar to Paul seeing his chains as bonds in Christ, we have a pretty recent and modern example of a similar sentiment when John MacArthur of Grace Community Church was facing possible arrest in California over not shutting down his church:
Of course, my biblical hero apart from the Lord Jesus Christ is the Apostle Paul, and when he went into a town he didn’t ask what the hotel was like. He asked what the jail was like because he knew that’s where he was going to spend his time. So I don’t mind being a little apostolic — if they want to tuck me into jail, I’m open for a jail ministry. I’ve done a lot of other ministries and haven’t had the opportunity to do that one. So bring it on.
John MacArthur
An even better way I like to think of this is in 2 Timothy 2:9 where it says,
"for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!" - 2 Timothy 2:9 (ESV)
Prisons, literal or metaphorical cannot bind the Word of God.
Again, back to this question: What are your expectations? Let’s further that, what is your response when your expectations are not met? I can tell you from just this week that this is an area that I’m actively working on.
There’s two things that God actively did with Paul’s chains.
1 - His chains gave him contact with sinners. “…it has become known throughout the whole imperial (or praetorian) guard…” These were the elite of the elite of Roman soldiers, handpicked specifically to serve Caesar. Chained to Paul in shifts, all day every day, for at least two years. Talk about a captive audience.
Change in shift, guard gets handcuffed to Paul. He looks over, and Paul’s smiling, “Hi! I’m Paul. Do you know Jesus?” “Oh, great.” What a place to have a witness. Because of his chains. But what was happening is that these soldiers were getting saved, day after day. You can bet they never saw a prisoner like Paul the Apostle. Whatever your circumstances are, whatever your limitations are, God can use them.
2 - The second thing that God used Paul’s chains for was to give courage to the saints. In verse 14 it says, “most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
They saw the example set by Paul and were emboldened to preach the Gospel. Do you see this, in one circumstance God is both using Paul to witness to the sinners and to give courage to the saints. When they saw Paul in chains, they were given confidence to give the Word without fear. Brothers in Christ. What an incredible thing I could only hope for each and every one of us – that our lives may be an example used by God to encourage others.
Is your response to difficult circumstances rejoicing that God can use them for His glory? Is your response a surrendering of your heart to God’s will? Or is it a hardening of the heart? Do tough times result in bitterness welling up from within?
Here’s what I’m saying, when we’re faced with difficult circumstances, our lives either become a blessing or a stumbling stone.People watch other people. Your children are watching, your friends are watching. “Paul’s in prison, how’s he going to respond?” “Austin’s kitchen is leaking, what’s his response?” “Joe’s car got totaled, how is he going to react?” Does your response inspire others and help embolden them to preach the Gospel? Or do you become a stumbling stone?
2. Paul's Critics
Let’s keep moving through the text and read verses 15-18 together:
"Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What 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..." - Philippians 1:15-18 (ESV)
Notice there are two groups here:
1 - Those who are preaching for wrong motives.
Sad, but true. In the church there can be jealousy and rivalries. Envy in the ministry. When Paul is locked away, then some thing, “Here’s my chance! Finally, I can get some attention! Employee of the month, here I come!” See, even though the message was correct, the motive wasn’t. And their motive was envy, a work of the flesh. Rivalry. These words here are chosen carefully, too. Envy being the inward emotion and rivalry being the outward expression of the emotion.
2 - Those with the right motives for preaching. Good will (v. 15), out of love (v. 16), and out of truth (v. 18). We see this synchronicity of content and motive. Their preaching was true. Again, here’s the amazing thing. Paul’s reaction to both groups.
It’s the same.
“…Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice.”
I’ve been rejoicing, I am rejoicing, and I will continue to rejoice because Christ is proclaimed. When that is your expectation, that Christ be magnified, no matter where we are in life, we can have joy.
"He must increase; but I must decrease.” - John 3:30 (ESV)
Ever heard the phrase, “well, under the circumstances…” Hold it right there. Should we be on top of the circumstances? “I’ve been rejoicing, I am rejoicing, and I will continue to rejoice.” You can’t lose something when all you have is Christ. But here’s the thing, both groups with different motives were teaching the same message. If either group wasn’t, Paul wouldn’t have been rejoicing. The point here is that truth was being preached. It wasn’t that one group’s message was false, and because of that Paul was rejoicing. Does that mean that it’s okay to have the right message with the wrong motive? Absolutely not. Motive matters, but the focus is on the message. The message was Christ and that’s what matters.
How many denominations and organizations are there in the Church today? How many quarrels among the denominations are there? Paul wasn’t into that, he was into Christ being preached. It doesn’t matter who gets the recognition, what matters is that Christ is preached.
Again, “He must increase; but I must decrease.”
3 - Paul's Crisis
Let’s look at the last, but certainly not the least, thing that God used. And that’s Paul’s Crisis. Let’s look at verses 19-21 together:
"for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as 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. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:19-21 (ESV)
Now first I want to point out that when Paul says, “this will turn out for my deliverance” in v. 19, he’s not referring to salvation from sin. He’s referring to his chains, his bonds, his imprisonment. And he knows that this will freedom will happen from:
Through prayer for him
Jesus supplies the strength and power that comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Isn’t that incredible?
Here’s a question, have you ever wondered, or had someone ask you, why do I need to pray if God already knows everything and knows what He’s going to do?
Someone is sick. There’s two options:
They’ll die, God takes them home
They’ll get better
Why pray?
Well first, that’s a horrible attitude.
Paul says that he needs prayer. And that’s because that is God’s divinely appointed means by which He works. God uses the prayers of His people to accomplish His will.
Why?
I don’t know, I’m not Him.
But I do know that God places a desire on my heart, I pray about it, and God answers that prayer. Maybe not the way I want, or in the timing I want, but that’s how it’s worked my entire life. Sometimes the answer is no. And thank goodness for that.
But the point is that we need to pray for those that are suffering in Christ. We need to pray for those that are in prison for Christ. We need to pray for those preaching Christ, we need to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to pray for those that are sick, for those who need encouragement.
Let’s move on to verses 20-21:
"as 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. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." - Philippians 1:20-21 (ESV)
Isn’t that amazing?
Paul is facing by our accounts, a horrible crisis. He says, pray for me. I’ll rely upon the Holy Spirit to enable me.
Because of Paul’s chains, Christ was known.
Because of Paul’s critics, Christ was preached.
Because of Paul’s crisis, Christ was magnified.
Now that we’re on this side of things, no wonder Paul had such joy. Through his circumstances, Christ was known, preached, and magnified.
Joy in perspective.
It doesn’t matter if I get my way. It doesn’t matter if my personal ambition is met. What matters is that Christ is magnified in my body.
The Bucket List
Have you seen the Bucket List? You know, the movie that gave us one of John Mayer’s best songs of all time, in my opinion. But that’s off the subject.
2007 Release Date
Two terminally-ill men
Jack Nicholson
Morgan Freeman
Road trip to do the things they always said they would do before they “kicked the bucket.”
What you may not know, is that before the release of this film, Nicholson was interviewed by Parade magazine. In this interview Jack Nicholson reflected a bit on his own personal life, and there’s a quote from him that I want to share with y’all. He said, “I used to live so freely. The mantra for my generation was ‘Be your own man!’ I always said, ‘Hey, you can have whatever rules you want – I’m going to have mine. I’ll accept the guilt. I’ll pay the check. I’ll do the time.’ I chose my own way. That was my philosophical position well into my fifties. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to adjust.”
But reality, as it tends to do, has a way of getting the attention of even the likes of Jack Nicholson.
And I say that, because later on in the interview he went on to add, “We all want to go on forever, don’t we? We fear the unknown. Everybody goes to that wall, yet nobody knows what’s on the other side. That’s why we fear death.”
Cancer runs in my family. Both sides, including grandparents, and as many of you know, my father. So with that in mind, I’ll say this: If my circumstances are a body full of cancer and I’m to die, give me Jesus. When I come to die, give me Jesus. Again, there’s nothing to lose if all I have is Christ.
Do you think the thought crossed Paul’s mind about being executed for the sake of the gospel? Absolutely. And I think that this phrase also crossed his mind, “So be it.”
What a perfect summary of the Christian life, those 12 words, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Whether I live, whether I die – Christ.
I want to leave you this morning with this:
For anyone to be able to say, “For me to die is gain,” they must be able to say, “For me to live is Christ.”
Marilyn Anderes tells the story of a devoted Christian named Cheryl Stephens. Cheryl was a young mother who struggled with cancer, that was her chains. And as such, she was determined to keep witnessing to others. Cheryl went home to Jesus on Nov. 19, 2003 at age 44. Cheryl’s friends say her desire was to live out Phil. 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
I’d like to share a poem Cheryl wrote in 1984, long before she began her bout with cancer:
“Remember me not for who I was
But for who Jesus was in me.
Remember me not for the things I’ve done
But for the things Jesus did through me.
Remember me not as one who loved
Without remembering that “He first loved me.”
Remember me not as one who gave
But one to whom much was given.
Remember me not as one who spoke of God
But as one who knew God through His Son, Jesus.
Remember me not as one who prayed
But remember the One to whom I prayed.
Remember me not as one who was strong
But as one who cried out to God to be my strength.
Remember me not as one who died
But as one who lives forever because I have believed.
Remember not my life and death
For they will profit you nothing.
But please . . . remember the life and death of Jesus.
For He gave His life that we might live.
He died that we might never have to and He rose again
That we might have eternal life.
Remember not me, but do remember Jesus.”
I pray that we all adapt an attitude such as Paul's, that same expectation and outlook on life, because it's through such a perspective that we find joy.
