We
make our choices and then our choices make us.
We
are shaped not only in terms of our calendar but in terms of our character. I
think we are all aware that we can make our choices but we cannot choose our
consequences. Slowly but surely we
become what we choose. The most difficult choices in life are not those that
are between black and white or good and evil- those may not be easy but they
are clear. If we choose the wrong way at least we know what we are doing. The
most excruciating and challenging choices are between two good things. We often
have to choose between what is good and what is better and both may be
desirable choices. Then we are faced with a dilemma: what is better, and what
is best?
The
problem is that we cannot really make those choices until we make the most
significant choice, and that is “What is life all about?” What am I
really committed to IN life and what do I want OUT OF Life? I want to look in
this exposition how the apostle Paul dealt with this question when dealing with
a life and death circumstance
Phil. 1:19 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.
Phil. 1:20 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. 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Paul was not writing from some little idyllic spot- he was writing
from house arrest in a prison in Rome.. This was likely written during his
first imprisonment. His life was
literally on the line. As he faces
that crisis, he writes words that literally ooze with life! If we grab hold of what he writes
here we are well on our way towards entering into what the
Christian life is all about! I
want to challenge you not to just read these verses and be informed by them. I
want us to come eye to eye with some choices about who we are and what living
means to us. We want to enter into the reality of the full and abundant life
Christ has for us.
Paul has been apprising the Philippians of his chains and his
reason for rejoicing in the fact that Christ is being exalted even in this
circumstance. He is giving some perspective on the situation to people who love
him. You learn a lot about Paul when you read “despite the chains,
despite the critics who attack me, despite the crisis I am in, Christ is being
magnified”. This is what living is all about.
Then I want you to notice that in verses 19-21 Paul walks us
through some things that are very important for us to understand.
1:19.
" 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.
Paul
continues his reason for "rejoicing" in this verse. This is the
secret of resilience in his life. "For" connects back to the
immediately proceeding statement--."yes, and I will rejoice. (18b) It
seems that this statement is also what Paul is referring to by
"this." Thus he is saying that his resolve to continue rejoicing
regardless of circumstances ("I will rejoice" is not a prophetic
prediction, but a personal resolve) will be one of the factors that will lead
to his "salvation" or "deliverance."
Psychologists
have done studies of people who are stress resistant or resilient. They are confident. They are characterized by challenge. They have a sense of control. They believe that they
have resources to meet the challenge.They are committed. As you think of Paul in these circumstances you see
the same things.Verse 19 relates back to verse 12 in a special way “ I
want you to know brothers that what has happened to me has really served to
advance the gospel. This brought Paul resilience.
God
is not just concerned with what happens through us though. He is also concerned
with what happens TO us. It not only turns out for the progress of the gospel,
it will “turn out for my deliverance”.
The
great question at this is defining what kind of "salvation" (or
"deliverance") Paul had in mind. The word which is usually translated
"salvation" (soteeria) means "deliverance, rescue, preservation,
etc." and is always determined by its context. In other words, the word
"save" means nothing apart from the question "from what?"
Clearly Paul is not talking about salvation from sin
here. Some say this refers to deliverance from jail. While many have seen this
passage as referring to Paul's "deliverance" from prison, the
surrounding verses do not seem to confirm this very well. The next verse
implies that Paul may very well die. Another way to interpret this
"salvation" which seems to make good sense in this context is
salvation from dishonoring God in difficult circumstances, or vindication. Job said “Though He slay me yet
shall I hope in Him. I will surely
defend my ways to His face.indeed this will turn out for my deliverance, for no
godless may would dare come before
Him.” This may be what Paul is meaning here, and it fits the context
well.
I
cannot prove it, but this might be Paul speaking of his sanctification in life,
moving Him toward Christlikeness. I can rejoice if I know the circumstances
will make me more Christlike! God will not waste this suffering! Difficult
times are not a detour in the program of God’s plan for your life. There
are times when that is all we have to hold onto.
"For
me," says Paul, "real 'deliverance' (or 'salvation') will consist of
magnifying Christ whether I live or die. For this, I will need your prayers and
the help of God's Spirit."
This
happens in an interesting way. This would come about also as the result of:
·
THEIR PRAYERS--"through your prayers . . . " The word
Paul uses for "prayers" (deesis) emphasizes specific petitions. We see here Paul's clear recognition of
dependency upon their prayers. Paul
is no Lone Ranger here. He needs the prayers of those he writes to.
"God
could have chosen to do His work on this earth in any fashion He wanted, but He
chose in His sovereignty to do it in response to prayer."( C. S. LEWIS)
·
CHRIST'S SPIRIT--"and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus
Christ." I love the word “help” in this verse. It is very much
a picture word in the Greek language. The Greeks would put on plays and a rich
man would be the patron- he would pay for the whole chorus. The word used for
“help” is also translated "supply" (epichoreegias) in another version. It was used to
describe the lavish outfitting and supplying of a chorus at the public feast.
The thought is that no expense was spared in order that a top notch performance
might be achieved. He provided everything needed and even more. In the same way
God is not stingy with His Spirit. Our courage will not fail and our resources
won’t run out.
Do
you have a spiritual resilience or do you worry? When you focus on Christ then
there is a confidence that comes. Paul not only had a spiritual confidence, he has the challenge of a great ambition. That’s verse 20. Many of
us have memorized verse 21 and we have missed verse 20.
1:20 “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.”
The
NASB has it "according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing
I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ
will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death."
Paul
seems to have invented the word translated “eagerly expect”-
(apokaradokia) it speaks of one up
on the tiptoes craning their neck like a little boy peeking through a fence to
see the circus or trying to get a glimpse of the Christmas presents under the
tree.It speaks not of apprehension
but of great expectation.
The
word ashamed has a very interesting use in the Greek. It does not mean
embarrassed in Biblical thought- to be ashamed is to be disappointed in a
trust- to be put to shame because you trusted in something that didn’t
hold true. Like the guy in the investment commercial that invests heavily on tip he overheard at
a party from someone who later tells him “Good. For they are the only
company able to meet the stringent demands of the Martians of Vector
Nebula” He was put to shame, holding the consequences because he
didn’t know his source.
Then
Paul describes here the commitment that his confidence is based upon- the
performance he is aiming for through the "lavish supply" of Christ's
Spirit. His "body" is the theatre and the production is "the
magnifying of Christ--whether by life or death." "According"
(kata) ties this verse back to vs. 19 and indicates that vs. 20 is "in
accord" with vs. 19. This helps further substantiate that the
"salvation" of vs. 19 is described here in vs. 20.
What
Paul's attention was riveted upon is described in the rest of this verse: we
are the Light of the World.
(1)
The lamp not be put under a basket (Mtt. 5:15) "that in nothing I shall be
ashamed."
(2)
The lamp be put on a lampstand that it may give light to all who are in the
house (Mtt. 5:15) "but that with all boldness (parreesia--'openness') as
always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body whether by life or by
death." There is also a note of determination- with all boldness as
always.” A T. S. Eliot poem declares that
"this is the way the world ends:
not with a bang but with a whimper” . Not so with the apostle
Paul!
Paul's
passion in life can be well summed up from this verse: ALL OF CHRIST THROUGH
ALL OF ME AT ALL TIMES IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. Note what the purpose of the
lavish supply of Christ's Spirit is for--the magnifying (lit.- enlarging) of
Himself. This is the supreme ambition of Paul’s heart.
This
weak frail body in chains in Rome is the arena in which Christ will literally
be enlarged.A telescope brings the object we are looking at closer to us and at
the same time fills our field of vision.Paul wants his body to be a
telescope pointed at Jesus Christ
for those who cannot see Him. All around Paul will see Christ!
Paul
says” If by life, God will it! If by death – God will it- either
way they are going to see Christ In ME! I am going to exalt Him!” This is
why a man accomplished so much for Christ. Paul said his bodily presence was
contemptible- but it became the place where Christ was exalted.
Most
of us live with too small an ambition. I want to be exalted I want people to
think well of me and Paul- to use Thoreau's phrase in "sucking the marrow
out of life" said "I live in this body so that Christ can be made
visible. Paul said at the Areopagus at Mars Hill " In Him we live and move
and have our being" Acts 17:28. He puts this all together in the next
marvelous verse.
1:21.
"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Paul
now continues ("for") the life-death motif found at the end of vs.
20. Probably no verse better summarizes Paul's life (except perhaps Gal. 2:20)
than this. While still on earth, Paul saw life as inextricably bound up in
Christ.
(1)
He Was Hopelessly Addicted To The Presence Of Christ - Phil. 3:8-10.
(2)
He Was Desperately Dependent Upon The Power Of Christ - Gal. 2:20. Rom. 15:18.
(3)
He Was Utterly Abandoned To The Program Of Christ - Col. 1:28,29.
(4)
He Was Passionately
Jealous For The Person Of Christ - Col. 1:14-l9, Rom. 15:17,18.
Woody
Allen was asked- "What makes life worth living?" And he answered :
"Five things :Groucho Marx,
the second movement of Mozart's Jupiter symphony; Louie Armstrong's recording of
"Potato Head Blues" ; Flaubert's " A Sentimental Education"
and Cézanne's painting "Still Life of Apples and Pears."
It
seems to me there is more to life than Potato Head Blues. BUT- How do we fill
in the blank: "For me to live is ?" Some questions which help answer
this are:
(1)
Where do I tend to spend spare time and money? Mtt. 6:21
(2)
What objects or persons give emotional delight as I mentally brood over them?
(3)
Where do my thoughts flow in spare time?
(4)
To what or whom do I turn during times of emotional upheaval or crisis?
Obviously,
very few of us are at the of spiritual maturity described here by Paul,
who had no problem filling in the blank, but that should not keep us from
striving to fill in the blank with CHRIST, alone.
Our
hope of glory is not heaven itself, but the one who is there, the one who
indwells us in present reality. So many people dwell on the pie in the sky ,
bye and bye of their longing to go to where the streets are paved with gold and
there will be no more suffering. I say to you that that is a small ambition
compared to knowing Christ Himself. Jesus said that "This is eternal life
, that they know the Father." That is what makes life worth living:
knowing, loving and serving Jesus. Knowing Christ satisfies my mind. To love
him satisfies my heart. To serve Christ satisfies my will.
Paul
goes on to state that death is the entrance to "gain," not the exit
from living. These are not the words of someone weary of life. One reason we do
not desire death more is that we do not understand it the way Paul did. Paul is not writing out of a
context of decrepitude or the ravages of disease. It isn’t that life is
not too terrible to bear- it is that death is so attractive to him. George
McDonald said that if we knew as much about heaven as Christ does we would clap
every time a Christian dies. There is another side of death that Paul talks
about the sorrow of missing loved ones- Paul is realistic about the
sense of loss. We'll look at that again later.
Remember the stupid old beer commercial that
said we had to grab all the gusto we could get? The REAL gusto is in living for the one who doesn't only let
you go around once. With Him when you come to the end you are just beginning to
pass out of the Shadowlands into the land of reality. But if Christ is not your
Savior, then death is an eternal loss for you-- the king of terrors- all of
eternity separated from God!- under the judgment of God and all that means. You
can only say "to die is gain" if you can first say "to live is
Christ!"
There
is a close connection between the first half of this verse and the second. The
more fully our life is bound up in the person and program of Christ, the
greater "our gain" in heaven. II Cor. 4:17,18.
At
the end of WW2 an American newspaper correspondent wrote these words:
Today Shanghai is burning and I am burning too
But there's no death so real as the death inside of
you.
Some men die by shrapnel and some go down in flames
But mot men die inch by inch, playing little games.
What
about you? What is life to you and what is death to you? For me to live is _______________ ($, pleasure, popularity, power.) If
you substitute any word for Christ, then you must change the second phrase to:
“To die is loss.” Let's see what the prospect of life meant to Paul…
Phil. 1:22 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!
Phil. 1:23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart
and be with Christ, which is better by far;
Phil. 1:24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain
in the body.
Phil. 1:25 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,
Phil. 1:26 so that through my being with you again your joy
in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.
As
I have implied, Philippians 1:19-26 is a very important declaration of faith-
Paul is facing a stand before Nero and quite literally it will be thumbs up or
thumbs down on his life. So he is thinking very deeply and profoundly about
whether he is going to live or die. This is a life or death passage and Paul is
wrestling with a dilemma. We can read the passage and misread it. We could read
it like he is a kind of Hamlet: To Be or not to Be- that is the question”
debating back and forth on whether he would go on living. Whatever choice he is
facing , you will, not it is agonizing- he puts it that way in verse 23. We
back up and think: what’s going on here? Paul isn’t contemplating
suicide and we know that Rome is the authority in charge of whether he should
live or die.
The
answer I think is that while the question of life or death is the apparent
issue, another issue lies in a deeper realm and it is one we all have to grapple with every day of our life.
“Do I live on the basis of personal desire (even if it is death) or do I
live on the basis of divine
direction?” When you couch the question that way all of a sudden it
becomes relevant to me no mater what my life’s situation is. Am I going
to live with my desire as Lord or with Jesus Christ as Lord?
Let’s
notice the dilemma Paul faces and watch him work through it but keep in mind
the question of what rules OUR decisions.
1:22.
"But if I live on in the flesh. this will mean fruit from my labor; yet
what I shall choose I cannot tell."
Paul
expands upon the options of life or death. If he continues his sojourn on
earth--"But if I live on in the flesh"--then he sees it as an
opportunity to bear more fruit through ministry. Again we see Paul's strict
single-mindedness--he saw himself as an instrument for the unleashing of God's
glory as long as time permitted. He speaks of our bodies as a "vessel s of clay" in 2 Corinthians 4 which God places His
glory in to be on display. The
display would come by the living and unleashing of power in this life through
us. However, this unleashing would be a costly process--"fruit from my
labor"--and the prospect of leaving the battlefront and going home was
appealing indeed. So appealing, in fact, that he adds, "yet what I shall
choose, I cannot tell (lit.--I don't know)."
1:23.
"For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be
with Christ, which is far better."
The
dilemma of going home or staying on the battlefield is further explained. Paul
notes that he is "hard-pressed" (sunecho--"to hem in on both sides")
in what to choose. There are cogent reasons for either option. He describes
first his strong desire for going home. The word he uses for "desire"
(epithumias) is so strong that it is the same word translated elsewhere
"lust." In fact, this is only one of the two times Paul uses this
word in its noun form in a positive sense (I Thess. 2:17 being the other). Thus
we see one of the "lusts of a godly man's heart"--to be with Christ.
In a very real sense Paul yearned for death in order that his union with Christ
might be tasted and savored to the full. Other Christians through the ages have
also felt this same strong stirring in their breasts. This passage will show us several things about death.
A.
Death is a Departure.
A bank in Binghamton, New York, had some flowers sent to a
competitor who had recently moved into a new building. There was a mixup at the
flower shop, and the card sent with the arrangement read, “With our
deepest sympathy.” The florist, who was greatly embarrassed, apologized.
But he was even more embarrassed when he realized that the card intended for
the bank was attached to a floral arrangement sent to a funeral home in honor
of a deceased person. That card read, “Congratulations on you new
location!” This is only funny if the new location was a better one!
The
sense of the absence of a departed loved one is overwhelming, but that is not
what is spoken of here. The word for "depart" (analusai) means to
"unloose" or "undo"; and was used of a ship being loosed
from its moorings and the sailor
is allowed to sail back home. If God was finished unloading cargo
through the apostle's life then Paul was keen to get back HOME. Get the sense
of the joy here! The reason is clearly given--" . . . and be with Christ,
which is far better." This phrase should literally be translated,
"much more better"; which intensifies the personal benefit he would
experience. Indeed the joys and glories of heaven will thoroughly obliterate
the heartaches and sorrows of earth in comparison. Rom. 8:17,18.
B.
Death holds the assurance of going
home.
On
May 15 1984 someone dear to me
died, though I never met him personally, I have seen him at conferences and
listened to his tapes: Francis Schaeffer.
Listen to what his wife
Edith, whom I HAVE met , writes.
" It was 4 o'clock in the morning,
precisely, that a soft last breath
was taken and he was absent. That absence was so sharp and precise. Absent. As
for his presence with the Lord, I had to turn to my Bible to know that. I only
know that a person is present with the Lord because the Bible tells us so.The
inerrant Bible became more important to me than ever before. My husband fought
for truth and for the truth of the inspiration of the bible, the inerrancy of
the Bible, all the days that I
knew him. Through my 52 years of knowing him but never have I
been more impressed with the wonder of having a trustworthy message from God,
an unshakeable word from God than right then. I feel very sorry for people who have to be hoping
without any assurance because they don't know what portion of the Bible is myth
and what portion might possibly be trusted."
"In
Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures
forevermore." Ps. 16:11.
C.
Death is also fellowship with Christ.
If
you have someone in heaven it is no longer a mystical place- it is very
practical. I am with Christ personally! Have you ever been to a conference and
come back and said "You know who I was with this weekend? And then you
sort of brag that you saw someone from a distance- you were in the same place
they were. That's not how it's going to be in heaven. For the believer, death
means entering into the glorious, intimate, personal presence of Christ. In the upper room Jesus said He will
take us to His side! To be absent from the body is to be present with Christ!
The
18th-century Bible commentator Matthew Henry expressed this confidence in words
he hoped would be read after his death by anyone who might unduly mourn his
passing. He wrote: “Would you like to know where I am? I am at home in my
Father’s house, in the mansions prepared for me here. I am where I want
to be—no longer on the stormy sea, but in God’s safe, quiet harbor.
My sowing time is done and I am reaping; my joy is as the joy of harvest. Would
you like to know what I am doing? I see God, not as through a glass darkly, but
face to face. I am engaged in the sweet enjoyment of my precious Redeemer. I am
singing hallelujahs to Him who sits upon the throne, and I am constantly
praising Him. Would you know what blessed company I keep? It is better than the
best on earth. Here are the holy angels and the spirits of just men made
perfect. I am with many of my old acquaintances with whom I worked and prayed,
and who have come here before me. Lastly, would you know how long this will
continue? It is a dawn that never fades! After millions and millions of ages,
it will be as fresh as it is now. Therefore, weep not for me!” -
D.
Death is better than life.
Paul's
grammar gets a little loose at this point- he says literally it is "more
better by much"! We are home
in a way that can never be true of anyplace on earth. Rev .14: 13 says
"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." NOTE THAT ALL THE
FOREGOING IS ONLY TRUE OF THOSE WHO ARE THE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE!
Do
you understand what Moody said on his deathbed, "Earth is receding Heaven
is calling- this is my coronation day!" Or the passage in Pilgrim's
Progress that I love so much- Mr. Valiant for Truth is dying and he is stepping
into the river and he keeps shouting " Oh death where is your sting, Oh
grave where is your victory? And then Bunyan just puts it thus:" And so he
passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side." Scripture talks about an abundant
entrance prepared for us. Heaven gets excited when one whom Christ has redeemed
with His blood comes home!
In
balance, Paul writes in Philippians 2:27 that if Epaphraditis died, he would
have sorrow on sorrow.Scripture is marvelously realistic. Oswald Chambers said
" It is a farce to make nothing of death It is no part of faith to pretend
insensitivity to sorrow. That is stoic humbug, an enemy of the Spirit of Jesus
Christ because it leads to heartlessness and hypocrisy." People who are
left behind have sorrow on sorrow.
We don't weep like those who have no hope. Weeping is the language of
the soul and the Son of God sanctified grieving in John 11 :35, even though he
knew he was going to raise Lazarus in a few moments. Death is the last enemy,
though destingered and crushed at the resurrection- part of the fallenness of
life- it is unnatural.
1:24.
"Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you."
In
verse 1:22 life took on a different meaning for Paul- if he was to live it
takes on the prospect of fruitful labor.Here in verse 24 it means the
opportunity of effective ministry. This is a call away from the marking of time
so many Christians do on this earth.. As the old Imperials song "Trumpet of Jesus" said
" His melody of Love calls you to be great when marking time was all you
thought you could do!" We
accomplish greatness by serving others- meeting needs in their lives. Paul
explains why he should prolong his journey here on earth. Paul is confident God
will use him no matter what life's circumstances are. Paul is willing to temporarily forestall his desire (going
home to be with Christ) in order to fulfill their need.
|
We
think in terms of |
Jesus
desires for us to think of |
|
Privilege |
Servanthood |
|
Reward |
Responsibility |
|
Desire |
Direction
from Him |
|
Release |
Recommitment |
George
Whitefield said ,"I can do that for Jesus on earth which I cannot do in
heaven, I mean being made instrumental in bringing weary, heavy laden sinners
to find rest in his blood and righteousness. If our savior were to offer either
to take me now or to let me stay only to take one sinner more, I would desire
to stay to take the sinner with me."
If
we get to heaven and see that we have chosen the good over the more necessary
we will see that we have gotten out of step with the Spirit of God who left the
more desirable to do the more necessary. In the consumerism of modern
evangelicalism, we need to think of these things. Remember the questions I
posed at the beginning of this exposition? “What is life all
about?” What am I really committed to IN life and what do I want OUT OF
Life?
In
a very real sense the Christian is caught between two worlds. He yearns for the
eternal rest while thrust into the fierce conflict between good and evil.
Heaven becomes a passion for us (as opposed to a mere desire) only when earth
is stripped of her glamour and seen in proper perspective: a battlefield upon
which the eternal souls of men are being fought over.
1:25.
"And being confident (convinced) of this, I know that I shall remain and
continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith."
This
verse and the next talk about the things Paul is going to be committed to if
the Lord keeps him "in the body", and it is instructive for us as
well. The purpose for his "remaining in the flesh" is now given. He
says he will "remain" (meno--abide' remain) and "continue
with" (sumparameno--remain alongside to help) them for a specific purpose.
He seeks to aid in the furtherance of their spiritual progress and joy. This
comes not from a prophetic revelation, but from an inner conviction. The word
for "progress" (prokopeen--to cut forward) was last used in 1:12 in
referring to the progress of the gospel- now he speaks of the progress of
believers. Paul was committed to evangelism and discipleship, as well as their
joy in the faith.
The
phrase "joy of faith" might equally be translated "joy from
faith" which would fit in nicely with this book. Like Paul, their joy was
not to be rooted in favorable circumstances but in an unfaltering Lord. It was
an indispensable ingredient that was the fruit of the Christian life. It was
just as important to him that they advance in joy as it was for them to advance
in knowledge!
Here
is a description of a follower of King Charles in the English Civil War- about
a man who sold his property and given it to the cause. He and other members of his family had
given their lives, and here was the epitaph on his tomb: He served his king
with a constant, dangerous and expensive loyalty." I want that to be my
epitaph.
1:26.
"that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my
coming to you again."
Paul
desires that their rejoicing (or boasting) not be in his work, but "in
Jesus Christ," Who alone is the One responsible for Paul's coming to them
again and for any ministry which occurs. Paul's joy and desire was that they
enjoy God more, and that God enjoy
more praise through his ministry. This is the very same reason we need
to invest in each other and other people.
For
the Christian, death is good. It's an enemy, but Christ's work of atonement has
changed it. But more than that , Life is good! Not because it is a place where
I can exercise my desires, but a place to seize my opportunities to glorify God
and see my life used in the service of others. So how am I making my choices?
What rules me?