A Sufferer’s Perspective – part 2 (Philippians 1:19-26)
A Sufferer’s Perspective (Part 2)
Philippians 1:12-30 (19-26)
September 29, 2013
As you know we are studying Paul’s letter to the Philippians.
It is a highly encouraging letter that Paul chose to pen to them.
This church had been faithful to help Paul even though they had limited resources
And Paul is writing back a letter rooted in gratitude to them.
Because they were a church of simple means and because they were a church that faced opposition, and because Paul was currently in prison…
We knew it wouldn’t take long before the concept of suffering arose.
Christians suffer in this life.
• We suffer the natural consequences of a fallen world.
• And we suffer the hatred that the world has for Christ.
When Paul wrote to the Colossians he wrote:
Colossians 1:24 “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.”
Paul is not saying there that in some way Christ didn’t suffer enough,
Or that His redemptive work is incomplete or lacking.
Instead Paul is pointing out that the world still has hostility toward Christ,
But since He is out of physical reach,
The world turns their hostility toward Christ’s people.
Paul said, I face this hostility, and I suffer my fair share for Christ.
And that is just reality.
The world hates Christ, but if they can’t get to Him, they come after us.
This will be depicted even greater in the end.
Revelation 12:13-17 “And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
That of course was the enemy seeking to attack Israel,
But when God supernaturally protected her,
He just took the next best thing.
That is always the enemy – that is always the world.
Since they can’t touch Christ, they now turn to us.
That means a believer has to know how to handle suffering.
We are certainly going to face it.
We need to know how to handle it.
Last week
#1 FIND A REASON TO REJOICE
Philippians 1:12-18
James 1:2 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,”
You may not naturally feel joyful, but we aren’t talking about a natural feeling. We are talking about a spiritual decision.
Find a reason to rejoice.
And Paul found three.
1) The Opportunity his suffering had presented
He wrote in verse 13, “my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else…”
Paul’s suffering had opened the unique door of
Allowing him to witness to the secret service of Rome.
The end result is even that by the end of the letter
Believers from Caesar’s own household are greeting the Philippians.
He rejoiced because his suffering led to other’s salvation.
2) The Encouragement his suffering provided
He wrote in verse 14 “most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.”
New believers…
Timid believers…
Scared believers…
Saw how Paul endured his suffering and it encouraged them.
Through Paul they saw first hand that God does sustain His children,
That God is still in control, and that all thing do work together for good.
And this encouraged them to step out
And boldly proclaim the gospel as well.
And that is the third reason Paul found to rejoice.
3) The Motivation his suffering produced
Paul stating in verse 18, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.”
Paul could rejoice in the fact that despite his circumstances, despite his suffering, the cause of Christ had not suffered.
• People were still being saved…
• Believers were still being encouraged…
• The gospel was still being preached…
And to that Paul said, “and in this I rejoice.”
• Maybe the beds were hard…
• Maybe the food was bad…
• Maybe the chain was tight…
• Maybe the company was foul…
• Maybe the room was dark…
• Maybe the smell was awful…
But if they are, we’ll never know it
Because Paul didn’t write about those things.
He wasn’t writing to move the Philippians to some sort “Paul Pity-Party”
He was writing to make sure the Philippians could see
What a great God they served.
And that is tremendous perspective from a suffering believer.
FIND A REASON TO REJOICE.
Well tonight we move on to the second part of this sermon.
We have another perspective in suffering that is commendable.
Paul gives us another attitude
By which we approach the things that are hard.
First, we find a reason to rejoice.
#2 FIND A REASON TO ENDURE
Philippians 1:19-26
And we have to do this when we suffer don’t we?
If all you do is look at your circumstances they can drag you down in a hurry.
You have to look past those and find a reason to endure.
Many have approached hardships like cancer treatments and endured them,
Not for their own longevity, but for the sake of their family or loved ones.
That is the same type of mindset we are talking about here.
Only here we aren’t just talking about common human suffering like sicknesses and hardship, but those spiritual persecutions
We face on behalf of Christ.
In the realm of common physical suffering you may or may not have a choice but to endure.
Many times your only option is either endurance or death.
And that makes it a little easier to endure.
But in the realm of Christian persecution it is really quite different.
For in that realm, often times endurance leads to death,
Whereas quitting brings instant relief.
So a Christian in the midst of persecution
Really has to find a reason to endure in their spiritual convictions,
Especially if they are going to face death for it.
• You must find a reason to continue forward.
• You must find a reason to continue to proclaim the gospel.
• You must find a reason to continue to stick your finger in the eye of the enemy
That is what Paul did.
First he found a reason to rejoice, now he finds a reason to endure.
And just like in the first point, here there are three.
1) CERTAIN VICTORY (19)
We really could put the end of verse 18 with this statement.
“Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.”
So this verse is really both a reason to rejoice
And a reason to endure all rolled up into one.
And that reason is certain victory.
Paul says “I know that this will turn out for my deliverance”
I don’t have a doubt in my mind where this is all heading.
I know I will be delivered.
Now, before you jump to conclusions and assume that Paul means he will be acquitted and released you need wait a minute.
• You will see down in verse 20 that Paul still doesn’t know if he is going to live or die.
“but with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”
• Later in verse 22 he says, “But IF I am to live on in the flesh…”
The point is that Paul is certain of his victory,
But he is not talking about a guaranteed release from prison.
He doesn’t know if he’ll be acquitted or condemned.
He doesn’t know if he’ll be released or executed.
But that has nothing to do with his confidence.
Despite the circumstances he is facing
He still knows that the end result will be “my deliverance”
I’ll either be delivered from death or through death,
But either way I’ll be delivered.
That is another way of saying, “I’m going to win either way”
And incidentally there is no reason why every believer
Can’t have this exact same perspective in the midst of suffering.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
We quote those all the time.
We know God knows what He is doing.
We know God won’t fail.
Take Job in the midst of his trials.
Job 19:25-26 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. “Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God;”
I mean really?
How does death hurt someone who has a room prepared in heaven?
Paul could not lose.
He would be victorious.
And so it only makes sense to endure.
If you’re carrying the ball and you’ve broken through the line and you are on your way to the end zone, it doesn’t make sense to stop now.
And Paul understood that.
I’ll endure because I know I’m going to win.
Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
And that is where Paul is.
He knows he will be victorious.
Now I also want you to see the strength
That will help him endure to the victory.
“this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,”
Yes God is sovereign, yes God is in control
But don’t let that belief drive you from the benefit of prayer.
You say, “Well if God is sovereign and already decreed His plan, then why pray? I sure don’t want to mess it up.”
Look, I don’t know how the two work together, but they do.
God is sovereign, but prayer still works.
James 5:16b “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
And somehow, perhaps in a way we’ll never fully understand
Paul knew that the prayers of the Philippians would help him in his battle.
Paul wrote something similar to the Corinthians that I think is very insightful.
2 Corinthians 1:8-11 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.”
I don’t know how prayer helps…
But Paul was certain it did.
And this is evident in his life, not only in that he asked for prayer,
But in the fact that he so faithfully prayed for others.
We already saw that in the first part of this book.
Paul always prayed for the Philippians,
And in turn he knows that their prayer
Will work a significant part in him excelling in victory.
And their prayers were not the only thing that helped him
“your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.”
We’ve talked about Him quite a lot recently.
It is the Spirit who comforts, it is the Spirit who helps, it is the Spirit who empowers.
And because of the Spirit and the prayers of the Philippians
Paul knew that he would remain faithful and thus achieve victory.
There was no reason to stop now.
There was no reason to give up the fight.
He was going to win.
Don’t quit now, victory is certain.
So the first reason Paul endured was certain victory
2) CHRIST’S GLORY (20-21)
Here we find specifically
What Paul wanted to accomplish in his faithfulness.
He wasn’t just faithful for faithful’s sake.
• He had a purpose.
• He had a reason for wanting to continue on.
That reason was that he wanted Christ to be exalted.
“according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”
I can’t quit because Christ doesn’t get exalted if I quit.
Christ isn’t glorified if I stop.
It didn’t matter to Paul if it was life or death,
But only that Christ was glorified.
(21) “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
You can’t say it any better than that.
If I live, it is only for Christ.
If I die, well then victory is here sooner than we thought.
His blood pumped Jesus, 24/7
Romans 14:8-9 “for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”
It’s all about the glory of Christ.
It’s all about how He is viewed.
And Christ’s glory was enough motivation for Paul to endure.
I’m sure he could have looked at the chain, or the emperor,
Or the angry Jews and thought, “I’ll just quit”.
But that doesn’t make Christ look very good.
So Paul endured, if for no other reason, than to glorify Christ.
And listen, this must be our motivation.
• Can you endure your suffering if Christ is using your suffering for
His glory?
• He suffered for your benefit, can you not suffer for His?
We go through life and think that Christ owes us
All this comfort and all this ease and all this prosperity.
Christ is on mission to save this world from sin.
In this mission we have signed up for active duty.
The soldier should not be surprised
If his life is placed in danger for the sake of victory.
Paul wasn’t surprised.
He endured for the cause of glorifying Christ.
This was the same motivation Jesus gave to Peter.
John 21:18-22 “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!” Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
Of course this was right after the infamous “Peter, do you love Me?” conversation.
And Jesus tells Peter that his love
Will end in a death he won’t be that excited about dying.
And notice John said this
“signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.”
Have you thought about that?
Hopefully you desire to live a life that glorifies God,
Do you desire to die a death that glorifies Him?
Jesus outlined for Peter a death that would glorify God.
Now the interesting is that Peter wants to know if he is in this alone,
Or if the other disciples get the same treatment.
So Peter asks about John’s death.
To which Jesus responds, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
What does John’s lot have to do with yours?
This isn’t about who gets which path.
This isn’t about who gets which mission.
This is about whether or not you are truly giving your life for Me
To use however I desire.
IF WE HAVE, THEN THAT IS WHY WE ENDURE.
Such a commitment necessitates that when suffering comes we endure.
That is why Paul endured.
• He knew he had certain victory
• He knew Christ was being glorified.
Let me give you the third reason he found to endure
3) CHURCH’S BENEFIT (21-26)
Now before we get to the explicit stating of the reason
We are first allowed to see the inward struggle that Paul is facing.
(22-24) “But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.”
Paul did not know if he was to live or die in this affliction.
That is to say he didn’t know if it was God’s will for him to live,
Or God’s will for him to die.
But here Paul gives some insight as to his own desires on the matter.
On one hand I can “live on in the flesh”
And “this will mean fruitful labor for me;”
That is to say, if God chooses to leave me here, I know what that means. It means more labor.
And it also means God still intends to use my life on this earth.
If God chose to leave him here,
There would be NO RETIREMENT,
There would be NO QUITTING.
It would simply mean he had NOT YET FINISHED his task.
One the other hand was this desire “to depart and be with Christ”
And Paul makes no bones about it – “for that is very much better”
Of course it is.
• No more flesh
• No more sin
• No more suffering
• No more pain
• No more labor
Revelation 14:13 “And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
Isaiah 57:1-2 “The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil, He enters into peace; They rest in their beds, Each one who walked in his upright way.”
Why wouldn’t it be better to go and be with Christ?
Death would actually be a promotion.
HOWEVER
“to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.”
Paul says it would be better for me to die and go be with Jesus,
But it wouldn’t be better for you.
There is still work that needs to be done in your church.
I have not yet finished my task with you.
(25-26) “Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”
And there is the answer.
“I will remain and continue”
WHY?
“for your progress and joy in the faith”
I want your faith to grow and be encouraged,
And I want Christ to be glorified when I come to you again.
What was his reasoning for endurance?
The church.
They still needed him.
They still needed what he had to offer.
And so, he chose to endure.
And that is the type of perspective that is required when we suffer.
When persecution comes, or even daily hardships,
Then find a reason to rejoice.
It may not be instantly obvious, but it is there.
Look for it and find a reason to rejoice.
• It may be the opportunities you’ve had through this to share your faith.
• It may be the encouragement your endurance has for others
• It may be the fact that the kingdom marches on
Whatever it is, find a reason to rejoice
And then find a reason to endure
For Paul it was that
• He was certain that he would be victorious.
Why quit if you know you’re going to win.
• His endurance would glorify Christ
• The Church still needed him around.
That is why you endure.
SO YOU’RE SUFFERING.
• Then open your eyes and see why you need to endure.
• See why you need to keep going.
• Find motivation beyond your current situation and press on.
That is how you handle suffering as a Christian.
AND ONE QUICK PROMISE
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
