A Win-Win
Situation
Philippians 1:
18b – 26
Introduction
I’ve
mentioned this before…I am preaching through the Book of Philippians on Sunday
mornings. I hesitate to call this a “sermon
series,” because I haven’t gone into it with any predetermined themes. Instead, I prefer to call this a journey
through Philippians. I want to remain
open to what the Bible has to say…and I want to be surprised by what God has to
say to us through Scripture.
One
of the surprising themes in the Book of Philippians is the theme of Joy. While it is probably not accurate to say that
Joy appears in Philippians more than any other book in the New Testament, it is
true that Joy appears more in these four chapters than any other four chapters
in the New Testament. For some reason, Paul
was preoccupied with Joy when he wrote this book.
There
is a temptation for most for most of us to read Paul’s words and make an
assumption. We assume that things MUST
have been going well for Paul when he wrote these words. Perhaps Paul was having the very best year of
his life when he sat down to write to his friends at Philippi. At the very least, surely Paul was having a
very good day…
However,
this is not the case. Paul had been
falsely accused by the Jews in Jerusalem.
He was arrested. The Romans and
Jews were willing to make an example of Paul and rush him to some kind of
punishment. But, Paul made an appeal to
Caesar. Since he was a Roman citizen, he
could not be punished without due process.
So, the Romans shipped him off to Rome where Paul would wait for Caesar
to hear his case.
Of
course, the Romans didn’t set Paul up in a luxury hotel to wait on his
trial. They didn’t even turn him loose
on his own recognizance. No. Paul lived under house arrest. He had to pay rent; he was responsible for
his own financial needs (things like food); and he was chained to a Roman
soldier 24 hours a day. He wasn’t
actually in prison. However, it probably
felt like a prison.
But,
the worst part of house arrest was not that it limited Paul’s freedom to come
and go as he pleased. The worst part was
the uncertainty. No one knew how Caesar
would rule in Paul’s case. It was
possible that Caesar would find Paul “not guilty” and release him. It was also possible that Caesar would find
Paul “guilty” and sentence him to death.
Yet,
in the midst of all this uncertainty, Paul still wrote about Joy to the
Philippians.
Philippians 1: 18b – 26
And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,19 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. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 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! 23I 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.
There
are a couple of ways we can interpret Paul’s words in this passage. It is possible that Paul is writing to the
Christians in Philippi to let them know how he is doing. Or, it is possible that the Christians in
Philippi had gotten word that Paul was in prison and sent a message to find out
how Paul is doing. Either, the
Philippians had inquired about how Paul was doing, or Paul had taken the
initiative to let them know he was OK.
Remember
that Paul is not a free man. He was
waiting for someone else to determine his future. He did not know what the Romans would do with
him. It is fair to say that Paul was
going through a crisis. At the very
least, this was a personal crisis—waiting in chains and not knowing what the
future holds. At worst, this was a
crisis for the Christian faith—this might affect the spread of the Gospel!
People
in the ancient world were a lot like people in our modern world. There were people who would wonder if Paul
really was called by God. After all, if
God had called Paul to preach the Gospel and plant new churches, then God would
have been able to protect Paul from arrest.
Others would use Paul’s arrest as an opportunity to express their doubts
in God. If God were sovereign and
omnipotent, then God could have prevented this crisis. Therefore, Paul’s crisis might suggest that
there is no God.
Paul
had a completely different interpretation of his imprisonment. Even though Paul was no longer able to preach
the Gospel, God was using this crisis to bring about a good result. This doesn’t mean that God caused Paul’s
crisis. It means that God can use bad
circumstances to bring about good results.
God’s Good Purpose
One
of the reasons why Paul can speak about Joy and Rejoicing from his arrest is
the fact that he can see God at work in three ways…
First,
Paul knows that being in chains has given him the unique opportunity to share
his faith with the prison guards and officials.
Instead of being angry at God for allowing him to go to jail, Paul
thought of this as a divine opportunity.
Because of his imprisonment, people get to hear the Gospel who might not
have heard it otherwise.
Second,
Paul knows that being in prison has caused a new generation of preachers and
pastors to take up Paul’s work while he is away. Instead of sitting in chains feeling sorry
for himself, Paul gives thanks to God for raising up new leaders for the
Christian faith.
Third,
Paul has heard reports of something else taking place on the mission
field. Other preachers and missionaries
are using Paul’s imprisonment to make a name for themselves. Before Paul went to jail, he was the most
famous Christian missionary. Other missionaries
did not have the reputation Paul had, and they had not experienced the same
kind of success Paul had. Now, they are
trying to surpass Paul by planting churches while he is away and growing their
reputations. Ironically, Paul sees this
as a good thing. It does not matter what
the preachers’ motives might be…At least the Gospel is being preached.
There
is a part of me that thinks Paul was very fortunate that God allowed him to see
the good being done while Paul was in prison.
It is easier for us to experience suffering when we can see a purpose in
our suffering. When we do not see a
purpose in our sufferings, they are unbearable.
There
is another part of me that thinks Paul was able to see God’s work in his crisis
as a result of Paul’s faith. Paul’s
faith caused him to look for God’s good purpose instead of focusing on his own
troubles.
When
we experience sufferings in life, we have to make a choice. The natural choice is for us to focus on
ourselves…our own pain…loneliness…loss…
The unnatural choice to for us to focus on God…and to think about how
God might be at work in these circumstances…to search for God’s purpose in our
suffering.
What
would happen if we looked at our sufferings through eyes of faith? Of course, this will never be our first
reaction. Our first reaction will always
be survival and self-preservation. But
what will we do next? Paul gives us a
good example. Eventually, Paul was able
to look at his crisis through eyes of faith…searching for the ways God could
use his crisis to accomplish something good.
You
will always find what you are looking for.
If you are looking for a reason to complain and feel sorry for
yourself…you will find it. If you are
looking for the ways God is at work in the midst of your suffering…you will
find it. And, if we look at the crises
of life through the eyes of faith, we will also find a reason to Rejoice. God is at work in all circumstances. God is at work in the crisis.
God’s Salvation
In
verse 19, Paul said something that sounds confusing. He does not know what the future holds for
him. He does not know if his captors
will let him live or die. He does not
know if he will ever get out of chains.
But, he says that what has happened to him will “turn out for his
deliverance.” AND, he writes as if the
final decision is up to him!
The
word “deliverance” makes it sound like Paul thinks he will get out and
everything will be OK. But, when we read
it in context, we discover that Paul might be writing about something bigger
than his deliverance from chains…
Philippians 1: 18b – 21…Yes, and I will continue to
rejoice, 19 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. 21 For to me,
to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Perhaps
“salvation” is a better translation than “deliverance.” Paul is not saying that he is confident that
he will be delivered from chains.
Instead, he is saying he is confident that he will be delivered from his
crisis. Paul knows that he might
experience deliverance in this life or by going to Heaven to be with the
Lord. Either Paul will be delivered by a
prison guard with a key, or he will be delivered by God himself.
I
think this is one more reason why Paul was able to find Joy in his crisis. He knew he had nothing to lose. What was the worst that could happen to Paul?
If
he got out of prison, he would be able to continue his ministry by preaching
the Gospel, planting new churches and encouraging existing churches. There’s nothing wrong with that. If Paul never got out of prison, he would go
to be with his Lord in Heaven. There’s nothing
wrong with that either. Paul was in the
ultimate win-win situation.
This
win-win view of the future is something only available through faith in
Jesus. If Paul goes on living, he will
live his life to the glory of God. If
Paul either dies in chains or is executed, he will die to the glory of
God. He knew that whether he lives or
dies, it will be for the glory of God and for Paul’s salvation.
Life
will give Paul an opportunity to continue to live for the Lord. Death will give Paul release from the pain
and struggle he is experiencing right now…and usher him into the presence of
the Lord.
Through
faith, Paul has found a reason to Rejoice in what has happened in his past, AND
has found a reason to rejoice in what will happen in his future. No crisis could take this Joy away from Paul.
Paul
was able to rejoice in the midst of suffering, because he lived his life for
something bigger than himself. He lived
for Christ…and for Christ alone. He didn’t
have all the distractions that keep us from living for Christ.
Perhaps
this is a silly illustration, but it makes sense to me. I enjoy watching college football. I check the rankings every week to see who
has gone up and who has gone down.
Before I went to bed last night, I turned the TV to ESPN. I wasn’t very interested in the Washington
and Stanford game. All I wanted to do
was read the scroll at the bottom of the screen to see who won and who lost—or to
see if any coaches got fired.
I
enjoy college football. But, that is not
what I live for. If I lived for college
football, then I would have something to live for only four or five months of
the year. The rest of the year, I would
have no purpose. And, I wouldn’t really
be living during the four or five months of the season. I would be sitting back, watching life unfold
before me…with no control over how things turn out.
It
is not enough to live for something other than yourself. We must live for something BIGGER than self.
Conclusion
Perhaps
you have heard the story of a missionary named Jim Elliot. In the 1950’s, Jim Elliot felt called by God
to make contact with a remote people group deep within the nation of
Ecuador. This group lived so isolated
that the only way they could be reached was by aircraft.
Jim
Elliot and his mission team had several friendly encounters with this people
group. But things turned hostile on
January 8, 1956. Ten tribal warriors
attacked the mission team and killed them.
After
his death, Jim Elliot’s widow (Elizabeth Elliot) published two books about his
life and death. In her books, she shared
a quote Jim Elliot had written in his journal seven years before his
death.
“He is no fool
who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”[1]
Life
is something that no one can keep. There
is coming a day when every person will face death. Life will not last forever.
However,
faith in Jesus promises us eternal life that goes beyond the life we now
know. The Resurrection of Jesus is a
promise that we too will experience Resurrection and live eternally with the
Lord. Eternal means that it is something
we can never lose.
Paul
found Joy in his sufferings, because he was willing to give away what he knew
he could not keep. He was willing to
give away his own life for something BIGGER than himself—he was willing to live
for Christ.
Paul
found Joy in his sufferings, because he knew he would gain what he could never
lose. He was willing to die for Christ
or to die IN Christ. He knew he would be
with the Lord forever, and no one—not even Caesar could take that away from
him.
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