Philippians for Beginners, this is lesson
number three, Paul's Condition and we're going to cover Philippians 1:12-26. So in 60-62 AD while in a Roman prison
Paul writes a letter to the church at the city of Philippi, a group for which
he had much affection. He's thankful not only for the support that they have
provided him over the years but also for their continued faith and progress in
Christ. He's a preacher he's a minister he wants the church to grow and to
develop so he's glad when he hears of their progress. In this letter he's going
to encourage them to mature in Christ and he's going to provide them with six
examples of Christian maturity that they can emulate in their own lives. Before
getting to this, the thick meaty part of this epistle however Paul
will inform them of his own present condition and circumstances, after all
it's a letter, he's sending a letter and so he greets them and does
all that praise for them and then he wants to tell him a little bit about
what's going on with him before he gets into the main part of his teaching.
And so we begin with chapter one verse 12 he says, "Now I want you to know,
brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of
the gospel," So here Paul describes both the bad and the good of his situation
and you're going to see, the good and the bad and the good and the bad,
he goes through what's good and what's bad about what's happening to him
and that's where he begins explaining not only where about how he begins
explaining his current situation. So he starts with the bad, he assumes that his
readers are aware of the circumstances of his imprisonment and its injustice. I
mean think about it he was arrested for no cause, he was kept in prison without
any charges being laid against him, he was transferred to Rome as a criminal
and he was put in jail for an additional two years waiting for his hearing. So now
we're talking about almost four years in prison no crime no like he did nothing.
So all of this he refers to as his "condition" I'm sure you're aware of
my "condition" that's the bad. However it's not all bad there's some
good, it says despite what could have limited the progress of the gospel,
think about it he is the apostle to the Gentiles, he is the major individual
who's going around planting churches in the Roman Empire this was his task this
was the ministry he was given by Christ and so now he's been in jail for almost
four years so he's saying despite my "circumstances" that I'm
limited I can't be out there preaching and establishing
churches so on and so forth nevertheless he said the gospel
somehow just keeps on going. So it's not all bad okay
the gospel prospers nevertheless, why? Well because God is the one that
gives it power, God is the one that pushes the gospel on,
we're servants. So then he says there was the bad there was the
good here now the bad again in verse 13 he says, "so that my imprisonment and the
cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard
and everyone else," While he's in the rented house that he had only one guard
and that was changed daily, we read about that in Acts 28:16. So at the
beginning when he was brought to Rome he was put in a rented quarters because
something like house arrest and there was just one guard that was on
a rotation guarding him, some believe however according to this passage
here that he was then transferred to the guard room of the praetorian
guard whose offices were located in the Emperor's Palace. So the closer he
got to his trial date they switched them they took him out of the house arrest
and they put him in the jail where the court was, which was more jail than
apartment okay that's the point here. This would explain his contact with and
his influence on the praetorian guard as they witnessed and heard the discussions
and the prayers and the teachings of Paul and those who visited and stayed
with him and talked about these things among themselves, you know the guys
guarding you they're hearing what you're saying, you're not
necessarily a dangerous criminal you're not there because you murdered somebody
or something like that you're kind of a political guy, people talk people share
and so as the guards watched and learned and listened and conversed somehow they
brought that message and shared with others. So the bad was that he was
transferred into a less comfortable jail but there was good in
this, the fact that Paul was to appear in what Linskey the commentator says, he
called it the Supreme Court of the world in order to explain and defend the
gospel and his role in preaching it. Think about that for a second, this was
no ordinary courtroom and he was not going to be in front of just any old
judge, he was going to be in front of the emperor, the most powerful person in the
entire world and the people that were going to be in that courtroom they
weren't the rabble they weren't you know the peasants the people who were in that
courtroom listening were the high and the mighty of the Roman Empire, think
about that for a second, so Paul gets to go and explain the gospel and defend the
gospel and proclaim the gospel to the most powerful people in the
Roman Empire that's a good thing that's an opportunity that he could not
have managed himself. You think he could have gone to Rome and knocked
on the door and said excuse me I'd like to have a visit with the Emperor?
He was a nobody as far as that was concerned and so all things worked in
such a way to bring him right there in front face to face with the most
powerful people in the Roman Empire; and of course this particular thing had been
spoken of by Jesus Himself right, in Luke 12 Jesus said, "When they" speaking to his
Apostles he says, "When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and
the authorities, do not worry about how or what you were to speak in your
defense, or what you are to say;" And so Paul now is going to be in front of the
rulers and the authorities and he has the promise from Jesus don't worry about
what you're going to say I'll be there with you. In Luke 21:12-13 again
Jesus says, "But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you"
speaking of the Apostles "and will persecute you, delivering you to the
synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name's
sake. It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony." Whoa hang on a second,
here's Jesus telling the Apostles exactly what Paul will do, he's
brought to prison and then in front of the authorities, to do what? To proclaim
the gospel to that person and then once again in Acts 9:13-14 Ananias he's the
one that preached the gospel to Paul okay so Ananias is talking to the Lord
the Lord is saying I want you to go and preach the gospel to this Saul
guy and Ananias Saul you want me to go to him this guy's killing Christians. So
this is what this is about so, "But Ananias answered, 'Lord, I have
heard from many about this man," meaning Saul, "how much harm he did to
Your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind
all who will call on Your name.'" Listen to what Jesus says, "But the Lord said to him,
'Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before
the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he
must suffer for My name's sake.'" So nothing like this and no one like Paul
had ever appeared before Caesar, this was to be an event and it had those involved
talking about what would happen this was a big deal.
This included the praetorian guard. A little bit about this this group this
very special group of guards: they were the Emperor's guard personal guard the
imperial guard, this guard consisted of nine cohorts with a
thousand men in each cohort according to Tacitus, Roman historian,
each man was hand-picked you didn't volunteer you were chosen and had to be
of Italian birth no foreigners, they received double pay and special
privileges, each soldier ranked as a Centurion when serving with regular
Legion, so when they were dispatched to go with the legions the rank was
Centurion they were over a hundred people automatically, and of course they
wielded great influence in the state. So through the guards involvement and
interest the information about Paul and the gospel spread throughout this elite
section of the Roman military and beyond to the citizens of Rome because
these people had families, they had wives they had children, they had relatives. So this
is the progress that Paul speaks of and as he will mention later rejoices in, are
you kidding he thought he was in jail he thought he was done he thought
the gospel has been blocked and then he finds out how much influence
he's having. God always shows us that through our weakness He shows His
strength, when we are weak He shows how strong He is. So
that was the bad that the idea that he was in prison so on and so
forth. So and then the good the good was that things were happening anyways, and
then another good thing is happening verse 14 he says, "and that most of the
brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to
speak the word of God without fear." So another good thing is happening, his
continued proclamation of the gospel despite his imprisonment along with the
interest in his case by no less than the elite Praetorian Guard emboldened other
Christians to speak out. So it seems that as the trial drew near Paul's
vindication and freedom appeared to be assured. The fact that Paul would be
released and the gospel not outlawed as a result of this gave the many
Christians in Rome the courage to proclaim the gospel publicly and to do
so without the fear that they would be arrested for it. I mean think about it,
your religious leaders in jail and he's in jail for what he's been saying how
much courage does that give you to share the gospel with your neighbor or maybe
start a study group or a prayer group? Uhuh, people are hiding out people
are laying low, but as the news of Paul's impending freedom is coming out the fact
that even the elite military knows about the gospel some of them may even be
converted gives courage to ordinary Christians throughout the city
well yeah looks like he's gonna make it looks like he's not going to be executed, and our religion will not be outlawed so
it gave them fresh courage to get out there and share their faith and be
more bold if you wish. So if Paul pled his case for the gospel successfully
before Caesar and was then freed they could confidently begin to preach
publicly without fear of persecution from the Roman government. So that was
like a good thing okay all these things God is just working all these things
okay. Then he goes from a good thing to a bad thing in verse 15 he says, "Some,
to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but
some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing
that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel, the former proclaim Christ
out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me
to distress in my imprisonment." So among the Gentiles among the Romans
there's some good news that many of them are receiving the gospel,
talking about it and so on and so forth. Now within the church among Christians
there's bad news in the sense that there's trouble taking place and he
describes it here, he turns his attention from the guards as I said and the trial
he believes and will go in his favor to the reaction of believers and how his
imprisonment has affected them and he describes two groups who are involved in
similar pursuits but they have different motivations. One group he says in verse
14 who have been motivated by Paul's imprisonment and the interest in the
gospel that it has caused this has enabled them to become more courageous
in their preaching to their neighbors and to others in the city, they're
motivated by their love for Paul as their teacher and their example for
Christ, think about it your leader's there man if he can do this, if he can be
proved in prison and be bold and so and so for surely I can do this surely I
can do something. Their motives Paul says are pure preaching from
good will and that the reason that they preach is to save souls and not to
make personal gain, they're not in it for the money, they're not in it for any type
of power they just want to share the gospel save souls, they, these people here
that are preaching with a good motivation, they see the situation
through the eyes of faith Paul is not just some other prisoner
but he's part of God's planned to bring the gospel to the
entire world they get this they see this they're part of this. So some people
are simply sharing the faith because it's the thing to do it's the
right thing it's the loving thing to do. Another group in the church is preaching
out of envy, the other group that Paul refers to is also preaching the gospel
but they have a different motivation and goal in mind; the motivation here is envy
and strife. Envy of Paul's success and renown despite his imprisonment. I mean
at this point Paul is the most famous Christian in the Roman Empire there are
a lot of Christians and there are a lot of churches but he is probably the most
famous one, he's the one that gets all the talk all the attention because he's
at the pinnacle of power I don't mean apostolic power he's
that he's in Rome he's in prison he's going to go before the Emperor
everybody's talking about Paul okay. So their motivation should be love of lost
souls or the desire to serve God but these men
Paul says want to compete with Paul in order to get into the limelight, they
want some attention for themselves. It seems that their objective was not to
convert the loss but to somehow create envy and jealousy and division in Paul's
heart. They thought that Paul would react to their success as they were reacting
to his, in other words they were jealous of his success and they figured if
they'd succeed Paul would be jealous of them, the difference being that Paul was
in jail and they were free. Paul doesn't denounce or even rebuke them
that's the interesting thing he simply describes their true actions,
they're motivated by selfish ambition selfish ambition carrying only for
oneself without regard to other people that's selfish ambition and their envy
of Paul's success causes them to desire his failure and suffering. I mean
these guys are a piece of work poor Paul's in jail and they want to get his head and make him miserable
make him feel jealous or envious because they may be getting to be as famous as
he is maybe you know converting as many people as he's converted who knows,
sinful people have been around since the very beginning who knows how
sin demonstrates itself in a person's character. So these people want
the gospel to succeed and they want souls converted to Christ but they want
the credit and the renowned for this success to come to them, not to Paul. So
that's a bad thing, we've been going a good thing a bad thing
a good thing about it so that's a bad thing that's taking place in the church.
Another good thing verse 18 he says, "What then? Only that in every way, whether
in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed and in this I rejoice. Yes,
and I will rejoice." So Paul explains what could be a very discouraging situation:
that some believers are preaching the gospel in order to provoke him to
jealousy while he's in jail, that could be a very negative thing. He describes
what this matter looks like and here's the key, he describes what this matter
looks like through the eyes of faith and through the lens of faith what seems
like disorder and acting with improper motives becomes an opportunity to
rejoice. The word planted here the gospel being preached never returns empty,
Isaiah 55:11. He recognizes that if the gospel is preached no matter who's
preaching it it'll produce results. So a person with a pure heart completely
out of love preaches the message there'll be a return; a person preaching
it because they want to make money and they want to be you know but they're
preaching the gospel itself it'll bring results, it always brings results Paul
says. And he says I'm happy for that. He understood this so
that through the eyes of faith he could and did rejoice despite these negative
circumstances. So what these guys are preaching they're trying to
play with my head they're trying to get into me trying to make
me feel bad who cares? People are believing in Jesus, people are
being converted, that's what's important. In verse 19 he says, "For I know that this
will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the
Spirit of Jesus Christ." Paul also considers his upcoming trial through the
eyes of faith, he's confident that he will not be condemned but rather be set
free. And he's confident for two reasons: one, he depends on their prayers on his
behalf and he's confident that the Lord will provide him with the words and
explanations and the proper responses as well as the clear mindedness and
confidence he'll need to face the highest court in the empire. I don't know
about you but I'd get a little nervous. It's not like going before the
the city traffic court because you've been speeding and you get there
and if you've ever been to court for even a traffic ticket
it's a little a little nerve-racking right you get there in front of the
judge, we got you were doing 112 and a 40 zone or something,
how do you plead you only have one word to say guilty you know, well you know
you're just going to plead guilty and then go pay your fine, it's still pretty
nerve-wracking. Could you imagine being in front of the Supreme Court defending
your faith your beliefs the outcome being either you're freed or they cut
your head off, I'd be a little nervous. But Paul is saying I know the
Philippians I know you're praying for me that gives me strength and I know the
Lord has promised all of us that He would give us the words He'd give us
what we needed to say in a difficult situation and I believe it's not just
if you're in front of the Supreme Court like he was I think He
gives you the words and the things in the difficult situation to all of us
when we face those times where we need to confess our faith or whatever
act according to His will. So he trusts that Jesus will deliver on the promise
made to all the Apostles when before kings and judges and then in verse 20,
"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 my death." So his goal in facing the
judges in court is not simply to be set free from prison his goal isn't I want
a no not guilty verdict that's not his goal. Whether he's set free
or not his higher goal, again seen through the eyes of faith, is that he not
say or do anything that will undermine the gospel or dishonor Christ. They can
go ahead and cut off my head but I want to make sure that I've not said anything
that will undermine the preaching of the gospel or that will dishonor Christ in
anyway. On the contrary, his goal is that whether he is set free or found guilty
and sentence death in either case Jesus will be exalted, Jesus will be honored
and recognized. So this higher ideal above living or dying can only be seen
through the eyes of faith. Now that Paul is updated the Philippians about the
condition of his ministry he's going to move on to describe the dilemma he
faces because of the condition he finds himself in okay. So let's see although
these two verses here are usually separated by some kind of header in most
Bibles these two verses actually go together to form one thought so verse 21
he says, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." So in verse 20 Paul states
that whether he lives or dies he wants to honor Christ okay we just talked
about that in verse 21 here he completes the thought by declaring that remaining
alive continues his complete devotion to Christ and dying sends him to
his reward in Christ; one way or another it's all about the Lord Jesus. So in
either situation Christ will be the main focus of his existence whether he
continues to live and serve here or he dies and goes to be with Christ,
either way. This realization however presents Paul with a dilemma which he
goes on to explain, so let's read it first he says, "But if I'm 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." And so despite his dire circumstances, remember
I said four years in prison, possible execution, he sees his situation in a
totally positive light no matter what happens: first if he is freed well then
he looks forward to being active in ministry, he'll be in the capital of the
world Rome where there has been great interest in the gospel even at the
highest level, in Philippians 4:22 we'll read a little later on he talks
about Caesar's household, so there was the praetorian guard the elite guard they
were talking about him and he says even into Caesar's household Caesar's servants
and assistants and so on and so forth even they were exposed to the gospel
okay. So he says there's a lot of work to do, in other words the seed has been
planted people are talking if I'm set free I've got a lot of follow-up to do
I've got a lot of follow-up work to do a lot of opportunities okay. In addition to
this there are many Jews who have been converted when he first arrived, Acts 28:24,
not to mention the many Christians already in Rome. So there's lots of
people out there he wants to see he wants to get up there and preach. Now
this is speculation on my part okay but after having been in prison for four
years he may have been anxious to minister directly to churches instead
of writing them brief letters, after all the Philippian letter just a
couple of pages long. He was aware of the opportunities and
challenges in ministry that awaited him should he be released from prison and as
an apostle he'd naturally be excited about what could be done, let's get
out there things are happening. He then mentions the other option
possibly facing him and that's execution. However he does not refer to it in
negative or gruesome terms like death by crucifixion or wild animals or some
other painful method to kill somebody publicly, his reference to execution
simply states that its results, again seen from the eyes of faith, are positive.
Should Paul be executed it would mean a different kind of freedom, his spirit
would be released from his body and his life would be released from the prison
of his flesh to be eternally with Christ. So the choices: I'm set free and serve
Christ, I'm set free by death I'm with Christ. Now being set free to be
with Christ he said this would be his personal desire because it would be
better for him very much better for him. This then is the dilemma, his desire to
remain and continue his apostolate ministry or to be with Christ in heaven.
He acknowledges that he desires to do both with his departure to be with
Christ being the greater of the two options. He then describes the way he has
settled the matter in his own heart, he says being with Christ in heaven would
serve him best the end of work the end of his suffering and the end of all the
demands of ministry, however remaining would serve the church best and he knew
in his heart that this was necessary. So we read verse 25 and 26
he says, "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." So Paul says that he is
convinced that remaining and ministering to them to grow and encourage their
faith is more necessary and thus this is what's going to take place. This is not a
prophecy here Paul is merely stating that when regarding the two options
he's convinced as far as a faithful experienced Apostle can be sure, that
remaining to serve the church is the better option for now. He even looks
ahead and describes the situation when he would finally be released and
be physically among them once again. His presence will
strengthen their faith, his presence will bring them joy, his presence will enable
them to be even bolder in proclaiming the gospel. So Paul describes his present
condition and future hope of release to encourage the Philippians to envision a
time when he will once again be with them and the positive spiritual impact
that they will have on them, that his being with them will have on
the church. So in the following verses Paul will begin the major thrust of his
epistle and that is an encouragement for the Philippians to pursue greater
maturity in Christ. So that's this has all been the preamble here
the introductory material how are they doing, I want to pray for you, this is how
I'm doing, here's my dilemma, do I stay do I go you, this is all preamble. The next
section is really the heart of the Philippian letter, the six examples of
Christian maturity and we're going to start that next time. A couple of
lessons just practical lessons from the material we've covered this morning:
lesson number one, Christians should see life through the eyes of faith.
Paul saw his situation through eyes of faith and in doing so could understand
what really was happening. I mean he could have said, here I am in jail they'd
falsely accused I've been here almost four years it's just not fair you know
and I'm a good man and I'm a Christian and ever hurt nobody you know, I mean he
could have done, that's what I would have done. I mean crying for my mama. Without faith his condition made no sense and it would
have been very discouraging, he's in jail without formal charges, he
did everything right and was succeeding in his work and all of this
interrupted by false accusations and corrupt politicians, it's just not fair. I can
imagine him saying he didn't but I imagine him saying well here you
chose me to go to the Gentiles and to established churches now you're wasting
four years of my life by putting me in jail on false charge you know I mean. Through the eyes of faith however Paul
could see God working through his situation to make progress that he
himself could not have imagined. If somebody would said to him well you're
gonna be evangelizing the praetorian guard, are you kidding me I can't even
get within 10 feet of one of the praetorian guard, no way, these guys have
way above where I am at. If somebody said yeah and you'll be preaching and
explaining the gospel to the emperor of Rome, naaa. But through the eyes of faith Paul could
see how God had managed the situation in such a way to do exactly that thing.
One prayer we often neglect to make when things don't go our way or we
suffer setbacks and trials and obstacles is the one asking God to help us see
things with the eyes of faith. This view from God's perspective may not change
the situation itself but it can change us and usually brings with it a sense of
peace and courage. If we see what God sees then we're in line with His vision
and His will and this knowledge is what enables us to persevere with a peaceful
and a confident spirit, I get what God is doing here, I'm beginning to see what
He's accomplishing with me, again may not change the situation but it sure
changes your head. Only two lessons: how Christians choose between right and
right, not between right and wrong between right and right.
Choosing between right and wrong is not always easy because knowing the right
thing and doing the right thing is not always the same, at least we have many
ways to discern right from wrong even though our flesh is weak at times and
following through, it's like I know the right thing to do and I know
the wrong thing to do and I want to do the right thing but my flesh is a little
weak I succeed maybe 50% of the time whatever, but we
kind of know how to choose between right and wrong we kind of know that. But in
these passages Paul is deliberating between two things which are right:
serving the church, that's right in the name of Jesus, or being with Jesus, well
that's also right to spiritually good and right things. A lot of times in our
lives who are faced with two things and both of them are right, how do we choose
then? And so the measure that Paul uses to decide which he should do if the
decision and power were his is the following: he asks himself in both
options where do I rank, and Paul's answer to that was simple leaving to
be with Christ served him first and foremost, remaining to minister and serve
Christ here served the church serve the lost and serve himself last in that
order this was the way that he chose and that he would rejoice with these he
ministered to and comfort the one in whose name he served. In other
words where his interests were last that's what he chose. It's not the only
way to help you decide between two seemingly right or good things but it
needs to be considered first, see where you rank in the things that you are
choosing. This is one way of seeing things through the eyes of faith. Good
things that seek the kingdom that serve those we love and other people that
stationed us where we have to rely on God those are options usually seen
through the eyes of faith, the flesh will always do what takes care of number one,
the flesh will always do it takes care of number one. So options that put us
first, that serve mainly our interests and tend to lessen our ability to seek
the kingdom usually serve our flesh and have not been viewed from the eyes of
faith, they may be good options but they're not the best option, and my
prayer many times is Lord show me my best option my best option not
just the options that will serve but the best option that'll serve You
and me and my family and others in the church, show me that option. And
usually He does. All right well there we go, next week we really do start into the meat of the matter, the six
examples of Christian maturity. All right thank you very much, that's our
lesson for today.
