All Things - Christ Is What Matters. - Philippians 1:12-26

awesome welcome so glad you're here welcome to the roots community church where it's all about jesus go and grab a seat um i'm so proud of you on this father's day you're here it's 80 degrees outside in washington you never know you never know what you might get um but but you're here and we're grateful and uh today is father's day shout out to the dads that's the weakest shout out to dads i've ever heard don't worry dads i promise they love you shout out to the dads there we go i know father's day and days like it are an interesting day it's a it's a day of celebrating god's grace and providing us um with those in our lives that play that role maybe as your actual uh blood father maybe somebody stepped into that role or maybe maybe it's a hard time for you i also want to recognize that in these days of celebration about people that were in your life or that played an awesome role in your life that also exposes the pain of that not being there and so i want to just recognize that um maybe for you thinking of father's day can be a day of pain maybe a a pain of abuse a pain of abuse or neglect um and i want to just remind you that you have a heavenly father that loves you that is has shown that love through christ to bring you healing and wholeness and reconciliation to himself and that i hope that you would lean into um god during that during that time and so if you have a dad we're good now we're on yeah right perfect timing if you have a dad to celebrate celebrate do it you don't have to not celebrate because there's um difficulty for some others also just be mindful if if you don't i want to just um have you know that you're okay god is with you and you know what there's some men in this room that would step into that role for you maybe even in your adult life um and so uh don't miss out connect and watch how god uses his church to um do a healing work inside your heart oh also we want to celebrate dads today so for any dads that are here on your way out let us know with the connect team that you're a dad and uh we got gift cards for you um it says right on it treat yourself um it's the original house of donuts the new one in lacey um i heard a woman's voice do that so somebody already plans to steal a gift card uh i don't know i don't know what's going on there but uh guys we could just set up a date we'll all go there and just buy the place out that day it'll be awesome um so make sure you grab it on the way out it's just a simple way for us to say we love you we're with you um you're important um and you're important to us as a church you're important to your family and um we want to help you dads you have a huge role to play as god has called you to be the the head of the home and to lead well by serving your family and so we want to get you um connected with other believers that'll help you do that isolation is just a place to go to die like it's not it's not healthy um and so get around other believers and specifically some other men that are also striving to be everything god's called them to be um and we can help coordinate that go to growth track get on a community group let's get connected so let's do this uh let's get into today's message we're in a series going through the book of philippians it's a letter written by the apostle paul to the church in philippi that he started you can find in the book of acts and um he has a heart for this church many of his other letters to churches although he loves them also and similarly have a lot of uh admonishing a rebuke this is a letter of friendship and of love so you won't find as much rebuke instead of instead if i'm much more encouragement and also it appears as though in his own joy he's hoping that his joy will be contagious for a church that he cares for that's worried about him and that is also under some pressure as paul writes this from prison in rome he writes to those that he loves and so this series has simply been called all things primarily for the verse that most people know in philippians um it's on the screen here oh there's the verse in philippian the all things go back one for me to the main screen there we go awesome i can do all things through him who strengthens me and we want to talk about all things and the arrow up and the arrow down on the l's is simply to help us understand what paul's talking about because he says i know i know what it's like to have a lot i know what it's like to have nothing he's not saying i can do whatever i want he's saying no matter what comes i can do it i can persevere i can push on because i'm in christ and he strengthens me in all things and so today we're going to pick up in chapter 1 of philippians and verse 12. and today's message is called christ is what matters knowing him serving him and proclaiming him christ is what matters knowing him serving him and proclaiming him let's read the text together first philippians 1 12-26 and then we'll spend some time in it this evening this is paul coming right after a quick intro and then a prayer for the church at philippi he says now i want you to know brothers and sisters that what has happened to me has actually 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 and because of my chains most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear it is true that some preach christ out of envy and rivalry but others out of good will the latter do so out of love knowing that i am put here for the defense of the gospel the former preached 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 yes and i will continue to rejoice for i know that through your prayers and god's provision of 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 you're boasting in christ jesus will abound on account of me i know that felt like a long piece of text but understand these letters were meant to be read all at once in front of the church so if you think that was long i can do better i love this he comes straight out of prayer and then he he speaks on how his heart is doing where he's at how he views his imprisonment and how those that love him in the church at philippi who know him who are grateful for him for for bringing the gospel to them for starting that church as they're concerned for him he says i rejoice and we see all of these themes already of i can do all things through him who strengthens me paul is excited to see what is happening for the gospel despite his imprisonment or maybe because of his imprisonment the first point if you're taking notes is produced from prison now i want you to know brothers and sisters believers saints that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel what has happened to paul lotz we don't know if this is just specifically the fact that he is in prison at this moment or if it's a larger this is what has happened to me as he has been beaten many times he's been shipwrecked he said all kinds of bad things happen to him for the preaching of the good news of jesus christ and what paul will say now is they know he's in prison and he'll say all this has happened to me that what has happened to me he's in chains has actually served to advance the gospel although from the outside it could seem negative it could seem um depending on your view if you think once you put your faith in jesus everything is just supposed to be easy and good then you see paul in prison you might go like i don't know paul must have done something wrong why is he in prison but if you get a grasp of of the wholeness of scripture that god would even use paul's imprisonment although it was difficult and it was pushed back by opposition in the world the god would even in that do an amazing work through paul so paul would say even this is for the advancement the progress the pushing forth of the gospel that he would be suffering for the good of others can you jump to the genesis 50 verse for me you're awesome joseph in genesis has gone through many trials sold into slavery and thrown imprisoned and falsely accused and he says to his brothers who were the original ones that were going to kill him and then sold him you intended to harm me but god intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done the saving of many lives there's this aspect of understanding god even though prison isn't fun for me right now paul's not saying like this is a joy in and of itself but paul finds joy in what god would do even through his suffering that as he struggles if it means pushing forth the gospel it's worth it to paul paul kind of just paul believes that one apostle chained for the gospel but then producing much ground gained for the gospel is worth it did you hear me paul considers that him one of the apostles imprisoned for the gospel because it's producing ground being taken for the gospel by the gospel he says it's worth it it goes on in the philippians 1 as a result he's going to show us how the gospel has moved forward how the gospel has advanced as a result has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that i am in chains for christ the first thing paul wants them to understand is him being locked up has helped push forth the gospel in this in in rome that those that would be there to watch him the soldiers he's locked up that they'd hear the gospel they'd be continuing to spread until all of the palace guard has heard that the reason that this man is locked up is because of someone named jesus christ he's had the opportunity to tell those that have never heard the gospel about jesus and he's grateful for that even if he had to be chained to the soldier which is how he would have been we see actually in acts 28 and in verse 16 these unbelievers exposed the gospel when we got to rome paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier to guard him and most believe that what that meant was not just that the soldier was outside but that he would have been chained to a soldier if we go on a little further in fact it'd be great to read all of acts 28 to kind of get a picture of this we're just not going to do it today you can it's in your bible acts 28 for two whole years paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him he proclaimed the kingdom of god and taught about the lord jesus christ with all boldness and without hindrance the people were coming to this house he couldn't leave but people were coming to hear him who proclaimed the good news of jesus christ and the kingdom of god just imagine for a moment as he says the the palace guard and everyone else has heard that the reason i'm chained is for the gospel of jesus christ imagine being one of the soldiers that's on duty that one of your rotations is to have to go be with paul and what you do is instead of just sitting at a house with a guy all day people keep showing up and when they show up this guy gets on his soapbox like this guy pulls out the the text that he has or or he's just proclaiming the good news to everybody there and so you're just hearing the gospel over and over think about this and this is just a thought exercise i can't tell you for sure this is what happened but as the soldiers there with him and everybody leaves i can't imagine it's just quiet after that you're stuck with paul he doesn't ever seem to be having the problem of being short on words so you're hearing it proclaimed and also being exposed to it maybe one on one and so paul is excited he's understanding it's a blessing that even though he's in chains people are hearing the gospel and putting their faith in jesus the second can we go back to verse 14 in philippians 1 and because of my change because of my imprisonment most of the brothers and sisters so it doesn't even just say psalm it says most there's a large chunk of the believers have become confident in the lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear paul says my imprisonment has brought the exposure of the gospel to all the soldiers to everyone else kind of around that will come here that the word is being pushed forth and those that are already believe already believers see that i'm boldly proclaiming even though i'm in prison and they've had they have confidence seeing that even his suffering couldn't stop his proclamation bold faith is contagious it is oftentimes when you see a group that is stuck in their faith it only takes one person excited if their faith is genuine and they're just in a plateau when somebody is ready and willing to risk it all and no matter what comes they are are just ready to believe it and live underneath the submission to god's word i'm just going to do it and trust god and see what happens then other believers tend to step up and that's what we see here there is amazing gospel advancement happening proclamation believers embolden to proclaim the gospel as bold faith is contagious all this is produced from paul's imprisonment in him continuing to preach the gospel let's move on motives in ministry hmm it's really easy to uh start with good motives in ministry and to end up about yourself it is why because somebody offends you or or because maybe you're doing well it's going to your head or maybe it doesn't seem to produce the fruit you expected it to and it goes to your heart so it's easy to have good motives even in the start it's also easy to have bad motives in the start but that your heart can get off base even if you know that the truth of the gospel even if the gospel is the thing that you proclaim in fact oftentimes what we can do is become competitive or or compare ministry though we can do it inside of a church or we can do it church to church we know a pastor to pastor and it's tempting to to think that it's about you even when you say it's all about jesus look what paul has to say here it is true that some preach christ out of envy and rivalry but others out of good will i want to point something out to you paul and many other letters will speak about false teachers those are those that say something wrong about who jesus is they deny that jesus christ is lord and he will go after false teachers and false teaching with power and strength because he knows that the outcome of a false gospel is a a non-genuine belief in jesus christ that you need to know who jesus is to put your faith in him and be saved and so he's adamant about confronting false teachings but here this isn't a false teaching this is a false motive they actually preach christ these are those that are around he's saying listen there are those that are preaching christ and they're all preaching the same gospel but some of them are teaching it for different reasons and so some of them out of envy and rivalry rivalry the different teachers and preachers of the word of god would look at each other as a rival instead of a brother that envy would say i desire that what you have you wouldn't have so that's somehow to look at paul and see his influence and and the impact and scope of work and that they would see what he had and they would envy and say like he shouldn't have that and out of rivalry that's competition so some are preaching out of not wanting paul to have the influence that god's given him and others and out of competition paul had to address this in other letters to say like hey some of you are saying i follow apollos and some i follow paul and paul regularly has to say like it's not about peter it's not about apollos it's not about paul it's about jesus but he says here that there are those that are preaching so people are preaching christ some out of a wrong mode of indian rivalry but others out of good will the will to do good the latter do so out of love knowing that i am put here for the defense of the gospel they love paul they love jesus they're proclaiming the good news so that others would be saved but they're not trying to take anything from paul they're not they're they're just trying to add more people to the kingdom they don't see paul as a rival that they have to keep up with or compare themselves to that could happen from the the lead pastor of a church all to any other ministry god might call you to just be aware that you can start with a heart that says god we want you to be glorified and people to be reached and impacted and you to transform them god for your glory and good and their good and then the moment somebody else has a ministry that looks like yours you might go well hold on a second i thought that was my calling i thought that was my thing let me just help free everybody up there's enough people that don't know jesus for all of us that do know jesus to proclaim jesus let's keep moving the former preached christ out of selfish ambition not sincerely supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while i am in chains they somehow think that paul being negatively impacted will benefit them in their ministry they're proclaiming jesus they're saying the right thing and and their hearts off and what's paul's view on this it would be easy for paul to just go after their motives and in no way is paul saying it's okay to have wrong motives but listen to paul they try to stir up trouble for me but what does it matter the important thing is that in every way whether from false motives or true christ is preached paul says he's not saying i want them to have wrong motives he just said they have envy and rivalry and selfish ambition we know those are all negative he he says that all the time but his the important thing to him is people need to hear the truth about jesus so don't shut them up if they're saying the right thing just let them keep saying it we can let god deal with their motives sometimes you're in a space where you're gonna have the relationship and you're gonna help deal with the motives sometimes people are in your life and can help deal with your motives but he says like just let him keep preaching jesus preach jesus preach jesus preach jesus and paul says don't worry about me they might be doing it to hurt me so that they look better on a pedestal don't worry about me just be excited that jesus is being preached i want to be clear again that doesn't mean a false gospel so it doesn't mean you cheer on if if somebody is leading others astray away from the truth and the good news of jesus christ but if that is accurately being preached ask god to move in that to save people unto himself and to continue to transform believers to look more like jesus motives matter to god and yet god still moves through the wrong motives of believers praise god paul goes on and says well just the next point i have is it will be good or it will be for my good it will be for my good the important thing is that in every way whether false motives are true christ is preached and because of this i rejoice yes and i will continue to rejoice for i know that through your prayers and god's provision of the spirit of jesus christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance paul recognizes that he's in prison but he says look it's pushing forth the gospel praise the lord paul recognizes that there are people that aren't excited for him to to continue in the ministry even though they're brothers and sisters in christ and to that he says have him keep keep preaching jesus i rejoice that jesus is being preached and he goes on to say that i know that through your prayers and god's provision of the spirit of jesus christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance i love this for lots of reasons look what paul says he rejoices and he says that through your prayers and the provision that god has given of the spirit of jesus christ these two things he says they're going to strengthen me and take me to my deliverance listen paul believes that the prayers of fellow believers are effectual they have an effect that there is power in the prayer the prayers of believers that's what he says through your prayers and god's provision of the spirit of jesus christ the holy spirit he says that i will see deliverance he believes that the pal the prayers of the at the church of philippi that as they pray for him he believes that means something that does something that helps him to push forward and that's not him just saying it as like hey your encouragement he says your prayers he believes them petitioning god on his behalf matters i just want to point that out sometimes we wrestle through like do my prayers even mean anything paul thought they did and god's provision of the spirit of jesus christ paul says your prayers and god's spirit i believe that what is he he understands that what has happened to him will turn out for his deliverance now understand deliverance here kind of in a couple ways the word deliverance there can also mean vindication or salvation there's some um thoughts on on if he meant delivered from prison or if he delivered before the lord and they say that it almost feels purposely vague as we'll go on in moments to see that paul will say whether i'm set free or i'm sent home i'm good and i believe that your prayers and the spirit that god has given me will bring me to that day he believes that it will be for his good and i'm reminded of another very popular version romans chapter 8 as he wrote to the church in rome before this and we know that in all things god works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose for those god for knew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the first born among many brothers and sisters and those he predestined he also called those he called he also justified those he justified he also glorified paul says the reason i can believe that all things work out for the good of those who love him and they've been called according to his good purpose is because god's going to finish what he started in you that he's going to bring it to completion he already said this to the church in philippi that he was confident that god would bring finish the job he started in them you guys still with me awesome the next and last point don't get too excited it's a long point living to serve christ and dying to see christ 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 i eagerly expect and hope that i will know in no way be ashamed paul says i expect that i'm going to make it all the way to the end without bringing shame i expect that i'm going to do it i hope that i'm going to do it paul understands that it's difficult as as one that would eventually i eagerly expect and hope that i will know 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 that's his expectation and his hope you can see that paul's like it's gonna be hard and i pray that i have the courage the sufficient courage to make it through life or through death to not bring shame on his name but to just glorify him to the end for to me to live is christ and to die is gain he's going to explain that what a powerful verse what we're going to see is him saying to live is christ that means to continue to live he believes that to live is to have a purpose unto christ that he would serve christ because he's still alive that's why he's still alive and to die is gain because he knows that's to see christ so he says like no matter what happens i pray that i have the efficient sufficient courage to hold me to the end that i would not bring shame on jesus but i would serve him until i see him and seeing him is his best if i am to go on living in the body this will mean fruitful labor for me i love paul's heart and mindset paul says whether i live or die and then he says if i do go on living my expectation is god's keeping me living because there's fruitful labor to be done hear that 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 paul just wants to make it clear like all this work i get to do with christ i love to do it i'm serving christ but i can't wait to see him to be with him we'll see this continually throughout this letter he says it's better by far but it is more necessary for you that i remain in the body paul says best thing for me is to stand with jesus best thing for you for me to keep preaching for me to keep serving to do fruitful labor 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 through my being with you again your boasting in christ jesus will abound on account of me paul says to live is christ since i'm alive it must be to serve him what an awesome heart what an awesome mindset what an awesome view and to die is gain if i die it will be to see him when i die it will be to see him but as he's alive you see in the text that his expectation is that because he's alive he will see fruitful labor in his life that others will be it will be better for other believers that he stays alive that he's interested that he if he's alive that it would be for their progress and their joy in the faith and that him remaining and being with them it would make for more boasting in jesus christ that it would abound that jesus would be praised the believers would progress and grow in their faith in their joy that his ministry would be fruitful that's paul's idea of still being alive if i'm gonna still be alive that's his expectation that's his goal that's his plan that's his prayer and he says if that's not going to happen then that's even better then i get to be with jesus i need a worship team to come up so my thoughts to have you consider with this awesome piece of the letter from paul to the church at philippi it's even in my suffering or my struggle am i proclaiming the good news that others would hear about jesus is is my struggle and me persevering by faith through it bringing more confidence to the fellow believers that they would continue to proclaim the good news also i think it's a good thing to remember our own motives in ministry to check those that they're not of selfish ambition envy rivalry but out of good will and out of love that we would encourage those that preach christ proclaim christ that live for christ even if it means that they would have what appears to be a larger impact we'd be excited that god would be using them for the saving of people to himself for the sanctification of believers to look more like jesus the perfecting of the saints and then as far as this last part of to live as christ and die is gain one question just to consider is how excited are you to see jesus listen to paul's heart in that like prison is nothing if people get to know about jesus and no matter the outcome it's either i'm serving christ or i'm seeing christ and that's the better one but if it's good for everybody else i'll stick around i think that's what will happen how excited are you to see jesus and the second one what are you doing now to serve him and support the growth of fellow believers paul says if i'm not going to if i'm not going to be killed for my faith right now it's going to be for fruitful labor it's going to be to progress and to to help fellow believers grow in their faith under the praise that would abound under jesus christ that we would boast in jesus christ and so because he hasn't taken me yet so that i stand before him because i still have breath of my lungs and the ability to serve then that's what i'm here for and how am i being used by god in that way to serve him and to support and to encourage fellow believers in their faith christ is what matters knowing him serving him proclaiming him and i don't know um i don't know how you're here today what you're going through what your thoughts are what your belief is about jesus but the reason that paul makes everything about jesus is because he's so clear in his heart in understanding that god has made a way for us to be right with him through jesus christ and that that's the only way that through jesus there is forgiveness of sins there is reconciliation to god maybe you're here today and you don't even know what i mean when i say that let's talk afterwards i'm not going anywhere maybe god's already put it on your heart you can feel him drawing you to himself because he wants to have a relationship with you and has made a way for that to happen through faith in jesus christ it's the most important thing that'll ever happen in your life is is being made right with your creator it's by nothing you can do on your own in your own strengths but you must believe you can't work your way into heaven you can't work your way to be right with god you can't holy yourself to be holy enough to stand before his holiness but that is a gift given by god that we would be made holy and righteous and reconciled to himself through the finished work of the son jesus christ and the way you receive that is just by believing in jesus christ as lord that's why it mattered so much to paul that prison mattered less that death mattered less that it was just important that it was about jesus and the words that he said and the actions that he had no matter where you're at today um i just pray that god is drawing you to himself and that you would consider a next step in following after god and i don't want to pretend to know what that might be for you maybe god by his spirit is moving in your heart right now to deal with something inside of you and it could be on either way maybe he's reminding you of what he's called you to he's reminding you how he's built you in him and right now he's you're just being encouraged to walk out everything he's called you to praise god maybe right now um sin in your life that has bound you down or holding you back or shame or guilt he's addressing in your heart and you've already put your faith in jesus but you're still clinging to those things and today's the day that he's pointing those things out not to shame you but to heal you he wants to deal with those sins that are trying to destroy you and he's giving you the pull to confess and repent i don't know what it might be for you there's a couple options on the connect cards that are spread out in the room by putting your faith in jesus or wanting more information about connecting to the church and community groups and serving on teams but on the back also says need prayer have any questions this is a way to ask questions you can just stick them in the box on the way out um or again come you can just come talk to me it doesn't have i mean if you're more comfortable dropping the box shop in the box if not i'll be here after we worship in just a moment could you stand your feet want to pray for us god we thank you we thank you for your goodness and your good news god as we have missed it as we have sinned against others against our own bodies against you god as we as we have made ourselves the authority on things if we look to the world to be the authority on things instead of you god i just we repent lord we trust you we believe you we rely on you we depend on you god i thank you that that paul from prison would write this letter that not only was it impacting the palace guard and not only was it encouraging the believers of that time but that we're encouraged now to stand on your truth and proclaim the good news of jesus christ god that when there was no way you made a way lord that there is freedom from from bondage from sin from shame from guilt there is righteousness extended to us in christ jesus let us walk that out not just say it that we would believe and be saved but we would believe in every moment god that it would impact our words and impact our actions god that people would be blessed as we walk out your clear command commands in scripture as we stay in step with your spirit that you will be glorified got everything that i've said today i pray there's been much more than just my words but god that you would move by the power of your spirit god that any words that might have been out of my own creativity or out of myself would just fall on deaf ears but god your word would would penetrate through ears and into hearts and do a mighty and powerful work a transformative work [Music] could help us to be your church that our hearts would be pure help us to love you well to love each other well [Music] to love our neighbor god we love you we praise you and we pray to you in the awesome name of jesus christ and everyone said amen

Channel: The Roots Community Church

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Length: 47min 31sec (2851 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 21 2021