Philippians series, 2025
Havasu Christian Church
March 9, 2025
“Paul, the eternal optimist!”
Things that were rationed during WWII. sugar, coffee, processed foods (canned, frozen, etc.), meats and canned fish, and cheese, canned milk, and fats.
Rationed non-food items included tires, cars, bicycles, gasoline, fuel oil and kerosene, solid fuels (like coal), stoves, footwear, and even typewriters!
The whole country suffered, and did their part to help win the war. They did without, so the Military wouldn’t have to!
People gave things up for the greater good of our nation and our world!
Paul has a similar attitude!
Philippians 1:12-20 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,
13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else,
14 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.
15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will;
16 the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;
17 the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.
18 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,
19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
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 death.
- I may be in prison, but God is using my circumstances for His Glory!
- Paul’s “circumstances” are being used by God to share the gospel.”
- Paul is “keeping the main thing, the main thing.”
- The Gospel being shared is what is of the utmost importance!
- It’s more important than his happiness or comfort.
- Paul’s “circumstances” are that he is in prison.
- How does this help share the Gospel?
- He has a “captive audience.”
- Guards can’t go anywhere, and a trustworthy prisoner doesn’t need much guarding! BORING!
- “What shall we talk about then?
- JESUS?
- Why he’s imprisoned has also been made known to everyone else!
- They know he’s being held for his faith!
- That’s a pretty novel thing… people are sure to wonder what’s going on.
- My imprisonment is giving courage to new Christians to not be afraid to speak about Jesus!
- “If Paul isn’t afraid to speak about Jesus while in prison, maybe I ought to be able to share my faith with other people!”
- Paul is an encouragement!
- What a hard way to encourage others!
- But Paul says “it’s worth it!”
2 Corinthians 4:16–18 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
- Paul values the eternal over the temporal, the earthly.
- Christ is being preached!
- Some people are preaching Christ for the wrong reasons.
- I struggled with this a bit.
- Some are preaching Christ because they have “selfish ambition.”
- They want to be leaders?
- They want to be thought of as someone important?
- “Paul may be great, but if he’s all that, why is he in prison???”
- If he was really serving Jesus, wouldn’t he be free?”
- Some are preaching Christ, and thinking they will cause Paul problems while he is in prison.
- How can this be good?
- Apparently, they are still teaching the truth of Jesus, the Messiah.
- They haven’t changed the Word of God to suit their motives.
- Not yet, anyway.
- SOME are sharing the gospel for the right reasons.
- They care about the pagan world around them.
- They see how awful it is to live that way.
- Perhaps they used to live that way themselves.
- They love as Jesus loves.
- Paul just wants the message of Jesus to be delivered… PERIOD!
- If it puts him in prison, SO WHAT!
- If it causes him discomfort, SO WHAT!
- If the actions of others cause him problems, SO WHAT!
- Through your prayers, and the Lord’s deliverance, things will turn out for the best!
- PRAYER MATTERS!
- In Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the Israelites that if he hadn’t prayed for them, God would have wiped them out and started over with him!
- It’s hard to understand how God’s foreknowledge, human free will, and prayer all come together.
- God knows He’s going to change His mind?
- God promises that prayer changes things.
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
- The Lord will deliver!
- the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
- Jesus works things out for us.
- God may give us exactly what we want… But even if it isn’t what we wanted… It’s for our good.
- God may save us from pain in our lives… But even if life is painful… It’s for our good.
- God may spare us from difficulty, but even if things are difficult… it’s for our good.
- God may save our lives, but even if we die… it’s for our good.
- Jesus delivers us!
- If not in this life, then in the next!
- We can have the confidence of Paul.
- If truly put living for Jesus first and foremost in our lives,
- We will never be ashamed!
- Even if the world looks down at us, we KNOW what we are doing is right.
- We should be BOLD!
- Don’t ever try to hide our love for Jesus!
- Don’t ever try to hide our service to Jesus!
- Don’t ever try to hide our dependence on Jesus!
- Don’t ever try to hide our faith in Jesus!
- If I boldly serve Jesus, My life, or my death will give glory to Jesus my Lord!
