Philippians 1:18-26 To Live is Christ!

Philippians 1:18-26  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.  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. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  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!  I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.  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, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.  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.  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.  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  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!  I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.  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, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me. 

All of us has a row to hoe and plant in God's garden.  We are given a certain amount of time to live.  When that row ends and our time of planting is complete, our lives of productivity are over.  Some are given a long row, many years; others are given a very short row.  In the field God has prepared for us, we should be profitable, using the time and resources God has given us.  The wages are the same whether we have a long row or a short row: eternal life.  If we fail to understand that we have work to do, that life is not just about us, but about others, we will stand in the middle of the field without any work or effort on our part.  In today's verses from Philippians, Paul indicates as long as he is alive, he has work to do; and he says, as long as he lives, his life in the body will mean fruitful labor for me.  His work was fruitful for it was a life meant to reveal Jesus Christ to those that God had given to him, regardless of his circumstances.  For him, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  For Paul and every Christian, there is no other life than the one God wants us to live.  We cannot stop halfway down the row because of the vicissitudes or the cares of life: we persevere to the end.  Jesus said, But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.  (Matthew 24:13 KJV)  We should look out for the welfare of others, bringing joy to those who have no joy, means to those who have no means, life to those who are dead in trespasses and sin.  As believers, we reveal the image of God to those who seek him and to the lost.  We should tend diligently to our row of responsibilities in life by faith in our Lord.  Paul said at this present time he was to remain on this earth for the purpose of God, and that purpose was so that the progress and joy in the faith of the church would overflow because of his ministry.  Paul was committed to his calling.  As he once told Timothy: And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.  That is why I am suffering as I am.  Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.  (2 Timothy 1:11-12) 

What is your purpose and calling from God in life?  How many seeds of joy or support or encouragement are you planting?  How are you furthering the plans of God in other people's lives?  Or is your life wrapped around self: your will, your desires, your life?  We are all susceptible to the life of self-fullfillment as our primary purpose for living.  We can protect the self, indulge and cater to ourselves, but the product of such a self-oriented life is usually disappointment, bewilderment, and depression.  The cardinal question is not answered: Why am I here?  We have climbed high mountains, we have explored beautiful countries, we have intwined ourselves with nature, we have drunk deeply of every exotic experience we could find, but still the nagging question exists: Why are we here?  What is this explosion of biological energy that we call life?  Are we just a surge of energy like the flash of a camera's lightbulb, then nothingness, a dissipated life, gone forever without of a trace?  Is that the meaning of existence?  Many people find this reality comforting, believing inert elements became full of life, an awareness.  They live a life, trying to get the most from this nanosecond flash.  At the end of such emptiness, we all say: Bring in the clowns; there ought to be clowns.  Life is no more than a split second awareness, a lightning bolt.  But this is not scriptural; it is not Christian.  The Bible indicates that our lives are not our own; we were meant to live them for our Lord.  The depth of awareness that you feel right now as you read this breakfast is a breakthrough that will go on forever in the Spirit, for God has given you eternal life.  As we walk this earth, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit and the constant power of his presence.  As Jesus said, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.  (Acts 1:7)  This is our calling, our reason to live. 

This pure light of heaven that is radiating from you right now should brighten the world, for Jesus is the light of the world.  The brightness from your life should expose the darkness and deadness of sin in the world.  We are the light of the world.  Jesus made this clear as He walked with his disciples: You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  (Matthew 5:14-16  As we walk through life, we should be as farmers in the field.  We should be providing good soil, planting, watering, even weeding.  We should make our part of the garden as productive and beautiful as we can for the glory of God.  Christians should be gardening with hope, joy, peace, kindness, love, support, and all that is within us. The Spirit of God and his likeness should be seen in us, in our actions and demeanor.  We should be planting gladness in a difficult world full of violence, hurt, and pain.   As flesh, we have the same concerns and foibles as everyone else.  But as we read in Paul's letter to the church in Galatia: Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  (Galatians 5:24-25)  The Spirit desires to plant, to bring many to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and his righteousness.  Paul knew his life's mission was to reveal Christ to a sick and dying world.  Our mission is the same.  God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  (1 John 4:16)  Let us bring God and his wonderful love to the world as we progress down our row of life, planting seeds of righteousness.         

Philippians 1:12-18 Rejoice, Christ Is Preached!

Philippians 1:12-18  Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.  As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.  Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.  It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.  The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.  The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.  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.

We see in the above scripture that Paul rejoiced even though some in the church said and did things that were diametrically against him, his ministry, and his authority as the spiritual father of many churches.  Paul rejoiced, for regardless of the motives whether false or true, Christ is preached.  Paul had the same faith as Jesus when Jesus told John not to stop a man who was driving out demons in Jesus' name, but he was not one of their group.  Jesus accepted this man's work, saying, whoever is not against us is for us.   (See Mark 9:39-40)  Paul knew the purity of the message was that Jesus saves, heals, restores, rescues, provides, and loves.  He knew as John knew: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  (John 5:11-12)  Paul was not just fighting flesh with the Word, he was fighting the principalities of the air, even Satan himself.  He knew these spirits, demons, did not want the name of Jesus spread throughout the world.  But the name of Jesus is greater than the world.  The wonderful name of Jesus heals, restores, rescues, provides, and loves.  This powerful name above all names brings fear into all the principalities of the kingdom of darkness because the name of Jesus means their kingdom will eventually end.  The name of Jesus reveals that judgment, and a concomitant eternal punishment awaits them.  The demons of the world that encourage hatred, arguments, conflicts, wars, and all that is evil would be eliminated from man's existence because of the name of Jesus.  Paul knew this fact about the Son of God's power.  For Jesus is the light, and the darkness does not want light, for it knows its reign will disappear.  John wrote: This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  (John 3:19)

How often do we in the flesh forget the primary message of God: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)  We say these words, but in all situations, we are not guided and governed by them.  This message was always in the hearts of Jesus' apostles.  They risked their lives for this message.  They left their families to spread this message; instead, we oftentimes make this message all about ourselves, focusing upon making our lives more comfortable and happy.  When Paul talks about those who stirred up trouble for him and his ministry, he talks about their motivations: they were those who would preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, and selfish ambition.  Their focus was earthly, not heavenly.  They were trying to win the world: their affections and goals were still bound by the principalities of the air.  They were still under the authority of the dark kingdom.  Why?  Because these kinds of attacks are just the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit.  The troublemakers actions hurt the purity of the gospel and the call of Christ.  Such behaviors strayed from God's plans and the name of Jesus to fleshly exploits, ambitions, and power.  But Paul says, regardless, the name of Jesus is still more powerful than their selfish intentions.  He knew Jesus, he talked to Jesus.  Jesus directed Paul to Damascus when He called him:  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.  “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  (Acts 9:4-6)  Paul became a mighty force for the kingdom of light.  He understood that eternal life exists for all people who put their trust in the powerful name of Jesus.  As we read in God's Word: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’”  (Romans 14:11)  Through Christ alone comes eternal life.  There are no other avenues to life forever except through Jesus Christ and his shed blood.  We sing: What can take away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.  This is gospel truth, God's truth! 

Fellow breakfast members, is eternal life through Jesus Christ your focus, or do your eyes stray to the fascinations and cares of this world and how they affect you personally?  Are you thinking more often of the ups and downs of life, human relationships, attainments, and desires that elude your grasp.  Paul was in prison, yet he wrote the book of Philippians, a book about joy and rejoicing in the Lord, a theme he repeats throughout this letter to the Philippians.  When he says that Christ is preached regardless of people's motivations, he says, And because of this I rejoice.  Even though he was attacked outwardly by being in prison and inwardly by leaders in the church, he still rejoices in all things.  His life was focused on eternal life, not on temporal setbacks or personal suffering.  He knew, as other followers of Christ knew, that this life is temporary, a wisp of smoke, soon to dissipate.  James wrote: What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  (James 4:14)  Similarly, we hear from Peter: “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.”  (1 Peter 1:24-25)  The grave will hold our earthly remains, but our spirits will be with God if we endure to the end, claiming the name of Jesus.  For his power has broken the chains of the grave, of death.  We who are alive IN CHRIST ARE ETERNAL BEINGS SET APART FOREVER.  This world is not our home.  Therefore, we should live so that Christ is preached through our lives.  As Paul rejoiced because even his enemies were preaching Christ, let us rejoice that our lives are preaching the message of eternal life.  We are equipped to be his witnesses: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  (Acts 1:8)  Today, may each of us at this breakfast table refocus our attention on the Light of the world, the Light of our lives, and may we follow the words of our Lord: In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  (Matthew 5:16)    

Philippians 1:9-11 Fruit of Righteousness

Philippians 1:9-11  And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ — to the glory and praise of God. 

Paul desired that we who are IN CHRIST might abound more and more in love so that we might live lives that are pure and blameless.  John wrote: God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  (1 John 4:16)  Jesus defined God's love as an active force or a condition that extends even to his enemies.  This divine force would motivate people to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  This is the love of a heavenly Father who causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  (Matthew 5:44-45)  He displays his love on all humans by allowing them to survive and to thrive by giving them the rain and the sun.  He loves his creation.  Christ in his Sermon on the Mount asks his followers to have such love for all humanity.  Our love should be as God's love: pure, blameless, filled with the fruit of righteousness.  Of course this fruit of righteousness can only truly come through the abiding presence of Jesus Christ in us.  Jesus said that He must go away so that He might send the Holy Spirit to each believer.  As a human, Jesus Christ could only be with a small number of people as he walked this earth.  Those in his presence could be comforted by him, taught by him, healed by him, nurtured by him.  He could be their advocate before the Father.  At that time, his influence was focused on the children of Israel, not the world.  But later, after Pentecost, the whole world would be exposed to his power and authority through the indwelling Holy Spirit.  All would be able to hear his voice, deep inside them, for the Holy Spirit was sent to fill every believer, everyone who put his or her trust in Jesus Christ as Savior.  Jesus is now actively present in every believer regardless of his or her geographical location.  The fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ is our inheritance as believers.  

Christians should be fully engaged with God's Spirit in our lives.  Jesus told his disciples they needed the power of the Holy Spirit, and He told them to go and wait until the Holy Spirit came upon them: Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. . .  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.  (Acts 1:4-5 & 8)  We need the fruit of righteousness that the Holy Spirit brings to work actively within us, not the inertness of the dead flesh.  If we live for the flesh, we are still dead in our actions.  The world will be too much in us, and our lives will be unfruitful, unloving.  Rather than going into the deeper things of the Word based on loving as God loves, we will still be dependent on doctrines based on the foundational positions of knowing Christ, following Christ, and being in God.  All of which are good, but repetition of these basic beliefs does not necessarily lead to maturity in our Christian walk.  Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.  (Hebrews 6:1-2)  The abiding Spirit in our lives will endorse the foundational elements of knowing Christ and having eternal life, but the Spirit asks us to display the image of God to the world, to those who do not love us or want to hear.  As Christ puts it, If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them.  (Luke 6:32)  Jesus goes on to say, there is no credit in merely doing good to those who can repay you, but when you are kind to those who cannot repay you, you are acting as your Father in heaven would act, and He is pleased with you.

We read Paul's admonition while studying Galatians: Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  (Galatians 5:25)  The Holy Spirit contains the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.  The fruit of the Spirit also listed in Galatians 5 consists of 9 basic characteristics: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  This is the personality, the essence of God: Christ in us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  We cannot separate the fruit into its elements.  This fruit is a whole, with one aspect comes all the fruit.  The fruit of the Spirit is contrary to the sinful nature of mankind.  Sometimes we are kind, gentle, and so on, but we do not always display these characteristics.  When we do not, we miss the image of God in our lives.  Now, what is not like God?  We are not like God when we judge another man's servant or do not love others as we love ourselves or when we display the antonyms of the nine characteristics of the Holy Spirit.  Having the opposite of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in our lives shows we are out of step with the Spirit.  Hatred, anger, greed, selfishness, and the like lead to wars, conflicts, arguments, judgments, gossiping, and all that is against God.  They are destructive, definitely not the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.  Jesus died for the whole world.  He died for a world that hated him; He died for his enemies; He died for Jews and Gentiles.  He asks us to have this same Spirit of love active in our lives when we turn to him as our Savior.  He wants our lives to be his and not ours.  We are not God and we do not comprehend the things of God, but we can be filled with the Holy Spirit and come to know him.  He alone has the right to judge for He knows all, but we are to be his servants, displaying his long patience with the world.  He desires that no one will face eternal judgement, that no one will miss out on his love.  We are to display Christ's love for the world, his fruit of righteousness.  What is the fruit of righteousness?  We were lost and now we are saved.  We were dead and now we are alive.  We are now confident: But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.  And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.  (Romans 8:10-11) 

Philippians 1:7-8 Such Love, Such Wondrous Love!

Philippians 1:7-8  It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.  God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

After telling his Christian brothers and sisters in Galatia that he thanks God for them whenever he thinks of them and he prays for them with joy, Paul now goes on to say he has them in his heart whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel.  The reason for his deep and abiding relationship with these people is stated clearly in Paul's next words: all of you share in God’s grace with me.  All believers have experienced the feelings and ties of love we have for fellow Christians that often surpass the familial bonds we have for some of our blood relations.  As Paul understands so well, it is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that binds believers together in love.  We might have relatives we care about deeply and who care about us, but we have brothers and sisters in the Lord we know would gladly fast and pray for our needs, who would sit beside us until the end.  Christians can trust fully in this love, for it is the love of Jesus and the love of the Father.  Love for believers does not diminish our love for family, but we praise God for the love He has bestowed upon us for one another.  When Jesus spoke to his followers, He said, As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love.  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.  (John 15:9-14)  Paul was an apostle of the Lord Jesus, and he walked in the Spirit, obeying the voice of the Spirit, who was speaking words of hope and life in his ear.  This is why he would say as we read last week, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.  (Philippians 1:4)  He was experiencing the joy that comes when we walk in the light and love of the Lord.

In today's verses, Paul goes on to say, God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.  He wants the church to know his love for them is based on more than mere human emotions of concern and devotion.  He loves them with the love of the Lord: this means he would willingly give everything for them.  They are part of him, his joy in life.  When he is away from them, he prays for their spiritual well-being, and he longs to be with them again.  He is proud of their growth in the Lord as a father is proud of his children when they choose right over wrong.  Paul says to these lovers of Christ that he has them in his heart, not merely on his mind or in his memory.  He does not only have fond memories of the believers in Philippi: he loves them dearly with the love of the Lord.  This is a love relationship that stays alive in Paul because he keeps it alive through his warm, loving remembrance, his earnest prayers, and his desire to see them again.  Paul truly expresses a love for others we would want to possess.  John describes this love so well: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  (1 John 3:1-2)  As a child of God, Paul is an example to the church and to the world of the love God has lavished upon the body of Christ, his church.  Without a doubt, this love cannot be understood, cannot be replicated, outside the church, for this love is of God.  Such love, such wondrous love, comes from the Father, through the Son, to the believers who call upon his name for salvation.  We know Christ is the Rock of our salvation: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.  (Acts 4:12)  Many people have expressed the great feeling of being loved and loving others when they experienced the joy of their salvation.  Only the saving grace of God brings such love.

As we read these scriptures, our hearts well up with the joy of the Lord.  We all remember times when we experienced the love of the Lord, times when we prayed for others with God's great love and mercy.  What a privilege it is, regardless of our human situation, to experience the love and peace of the Lord.  No matter what is going on in life, we can walk in the promises of the Lord, knowing He is with us and will sustain and help us.  The writer of Hebrews gives us hope by saying, God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?”  (Hebrews 13:5-6)  Understanding the love of the Lord and his faithfulness to us gives us security to go forth in his name, doing what He has called us to do without fear or anxiety about what we might face in the process.  Paul wanted the church to know God was at work in their lives and would finish the process of refining them.  Paul also wanted the people to know how much he loved them and cared for them.  He wanted them to know they were special and on his mind.  This should prompt us to let others know they are of value to us, important to us.  When was the last time you stopped to encourage a friend by telling that person, I am so thankful to the Lord that I have you in my heart.  Could you tell a friend, I care for you with the affection of Christ Jesus?  You might have to explain that was what Paul said to the Philippians, so you would not feel weird.  You might have to change the wording a bit, but you get the idea.  We should build others up in the love of the Lord.  We need to be more intentional in sharing God's love and kindness.  Remember what Paul said to the Romans about how we come to the Lord: Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?  (Romans 2:4)  We must value what God values.  He could judge us, but He does not.  He could turn away from us, but He turns toward us with his grace.  Every one of us has turned his or her own way, but God sent his Son to pay the price for our sins.  His kindness leads us to repent.  May we share such a love with those who need it.