Philippians 1:12-26 There's Victory in the Gospel of Jesus

In Fiddler on the Roof there is a song, sung by Teyve the milkman that expresses many people’s feelings. Lord who made the lion and the lamb
You decreed I should be what I am
Would it spoil some vast eternal plan
If I were a wealthy Man?

The Apostle Paul had no such concerns. He knew that all of our actions have a place in God’s vast eternal plan; we have been placed here specifically for a purpose. Paul’s purpose in life was to spread the Gospel and he believed that all his circumstances combined to that end.

1. The Victorious Gospel. 1:12-14.

  At this time his situation looked precarious. The Philippians were greatly distressed at the news of Paul's imprisonment. What would happen to the cause of Christ now that the chief apostle was in chains? Paul wrote encouragingly that what might have appeared as a setback was in reality an important advance.

  The circumstances into which Paul had fallen had unexpectedly proved to actively advance the Gospel. The advance had been on two fronts: the Gospel had come to the Praetorian Guard (v. 13), a place where normally it would not reach, and the Christians had been stirred to more fearless witnessing (v. 14). Even the professional soldiers who were guarding Paul could not resist speaking of this remarkable prisoner and the reason for his imprisonment. Soon the entire city (all the rest, ASV) knew that Paul was in chains for the cause of Christ.

  14 “Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.”

  The majority of the brethren were “infected with the contagion of Paul's heroism” (Rainey in ExpB, p. 52). The end result was that they, more fearlessly than ever, dared to speak out the word of God.

2. The Vicious Preachers. 1:15-18.

“Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and rivalry; and some also of good will:” ”The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:”

 How do we deal with vicious preachers who preach the gospel only to hurt us? We leave them to the Lord and thank God that some are being saved through their wrongly motivated ministry

Not everyone preaches out of pure motives but as long as Christ was being preached, Paul rejoiced. The  vicious preachers were a group within the church, who envied Paul's influence, in prison or out of it. They stirred up a quarrelsome spirit within the fellowship and they had increased their missionary activity with a desire to add to the annoyance of the imprisoned apostle. The good will of the others refers to their motives in preaching. They preached out of love. This refers both to their concern for the progress of the Gospel and to their personal attachment to Paul. The preaching of one group arose out of selfish ambition. The meaning of this phrase is “a self-seeking pursuit of political office by unfair means.” Their real interest was to win against Paul and in the process to annoy him in prison. Literally, they wanted to rub Paul the wrong way at a time when he could not do anything about it because of the limitations which had been placed upon him.

  “What then? Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.”

  What was Paul's reaction?

Regardless of the motive, if Christ was being preached, he rejoiced. Even though the Gospel may have been used as a camouflage for personal gain, it was still “the power of God unto salvation.” This is a place I have difficulty coming to. When I hear some tele-evangelists  preach long on hard on moral issues and remember their personal history I have difficulty stomaching it but history is full of people whose personal lives does not live up to their preaching but God continues to save souls when they preach the Gospel.

Preaching the Gospel is a matter of life and death. Phil 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

While the Paul's personal desire was to go home to Christ, the needs of the church convinced him that he would soon be released to continue working for their advancement in the faith.

  His sole aim in living is to glorify Christ. Christ is the supreme end of his life, and he values it only as being devoted to Christ’s honour. His sole aim in living is to glorify Christ. Paul’s aim was not honour, learning, gold or pleasure; it was, to glorify the Lord Jesus. This was the single purpose of his soul; a purpose to which he devoted himself with as much singleness of purpose as others did to the pursuit of gold, or the pursuit of pleasure or amusement.

It was Paul’s purpose to know as much of Christ as it was possible to know. He wanted to become as fully acquainted as he could with Christ’s character,  His plans, and with the claims and influences of what faith in Christ really meant.

  It was Paul’s purpose to imitate Christ and to make Him the model of his life. It was Paul’s desire that His Spirit should reign in his heart and that the same desires should drive him as drove the Lord Jesus. It was Paul’s purpose in life to make Christ known, as far as possible, among mankind. To this, Paul seriously gave his life, and devoted his great talents. His aim was to make Christ known, to those to whom Jesus was still a stranger. Paul dedicated his life to this; and no one has ever been more successful at introducing strangers to Jesus than Paul was.

  It was also Paul’s purpose to enjoy Christ. He drew his comforts from Christ and he found his happiness in communion with him. It was in communion with the Saviour, and in endeavouring to please him that Paul experienced most joy. His aim was not honour, learning, gold or pleasure; his aim was, to glorify the Lord Jesus. Paul never had occasion to regret this course. It produced no sadness when he looked back over his life. He never felt that he had wasted his life and when the time came to die he did not wish that he had followed a different course.

  If it was Paul's duty to live this way, it is no less that of every Christian. There was nothing in his case that made it his duty to “live unto Christ,” which does not apply to every sincere Christian on earth When he comes to die, no believer will ever regret that he has lived unto Christ; but how many will regret that this has not been the aim and purpose of their lives?             

  “And to die is gain”. The word gain means profit or advantage; and the meaning is, there would be an advantage in dying above that of living. Important benefits would result to him personally, should he die; and the only reason why he should wish at all to live was, that he might be the means of benefiting others. How would it be gain to die?

What advantages did Paul see in death and what are there for us?

It will be gain for every Christian to die.  

  (1) We will then be freed from sin. Here sin is the source of perpetual humiliation and sorrow; in heaven we will sin no more.

(2) We will be freed from doubts. Here the best of us are liable to doubts about our personal faith, and some experience many an anxious moment about this. In heaven, doubt will be known no more.

(3) We will be freed from temptation. Here, no one knows when he may be tempted, nor how powerful the temptation may be. In heaven, there will be no allurement to lead us astray; there will nothing that will induce us to sin; and no heart to yield to them, if there were.

(4) W will be delivered from all our enemies. From those who slanderer us and from those who persecute us. Here the Christian is constantly liable to have his motives called in question, or to be met with lies and slander. There, there will be none to do him injustice; all will rejoice in the belief that he is pure,

  (5 ) We will be delivered from suffering. Here we are constantly liable to it. Our health fails, we lose our minds and our friends die,. There, there shall be no separation of friends, no sickness, and no tears.

(6) We will be delivered from death. Here, death is always near. There, death will be known no more. No face will ever turn pale, and no knees tremble, at its approach. In all heaven there will never be a funeral procession, nor will the soil there ever open its bosom to furnish a grave.

(7) To all this may be added the fact, that the Christian will be surrounded by his best friends. We will be reunited with those whom we loved on earth and we will be associated with the angels of light. We will be admitted to the immediate presence of our Saviour and our God. Why should a Christian be afraid to die? That hour, when it comes will be the hour of our deliverance, and we will rejoice that we are going home. Does the prisoner dread the hour when the doors of his prison are to open. and he can return to his family and friends? Does the exile in a foreign land dread the hour when he shall cross the ocean to where he may embrace the friends of his youth? Does the sick man dread the hour which restores him to health. Does the afflicted dread the arrival of the hour of comfort? Why then should the Christian dread the hour which will restore his health strength and vitality and allow him to see his Saviour face to face?