Life & Death and the Gospel

Well, good morning. I want to begin with a story.

It was January of 1988, and me and some of my freshman friends, we were still called freshmen back then,

first-year students were on a mid-year break, cross-country skiing in Vermont.

And we stood at the top of a hill.

And if you have ever been cross-country skiing, you will know that this is not a happy place to be

at the top of a hill, because it's hard to go downhill.

I had grown up cross-country skiing, so it wasn't as scary for me.

But for my friends, they looked down this 100-yard hill.

It was not a massive hill.

This 100-yard slope, and thought, we're going to die.

And in my youthful exuberance and great spiritual immaturity, I said, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

You know, when you're 18, it's really easy to say things like that flippantly, isn't it?

Now, past 50, it's a lot more weighty to say something like that, isn't it?

The fear of death is something I've come to see as a very real power in our world and in our life.

So I was studying about this this week.

I actually came across a book, The Worm at the Core, on the role of death in life.

And in this book, three researchers, psychologists and sociologists,

studied the effect of death and the fear of death on people's lives.

Synopsis of this book described it this way.

The fear of death and the desire to transcend it inspire us to buy expensive cars,

crave fame, put our health at risk, and disguise our animal nature.

The fear of death can also prompt judges to dole out harsher punishments,

make children react negatively to people different from themselves,

and inflame intolerance and violence.

It's a fascinating story.

If you want to go, you can search them up on NPR.

I can give you the link later.

It's fascinating what they found as they tried to study how,

when people expressed a fear of death,

how it actually affected the way that they lived.

It prompted reckless living, harshness towards others,

prejudice, selfish ambition, as well as fear, isolation, and a desire for control.

Death casts its shadow over all of life.

It is the one certainty no one is exempt from.

Maybe you've felt this recently in your own life.

Maybe you are mourning the loss of a loved one who's died.

And maybe the fear of your own death,

or of someone you love,

has had a pull on your heart.

Maybe you have, or as I remember in the early days of the pandemic,

where I found it hard not to walk around viewing my neighbors as these clouds of death.

Do you remember that at the beginning of the pandemic,

when we viewed everyone around us as having this 10-foot radius of, like, deadly germs?

And you're really annoyed at the person who went the wrong way in the grocery store aisle

when the arrows pointed the other way.

I viewed them as things I needed to avoid,

because I wanted to avoid death at all costs.

And maybe some of you have studied so much to think,

this pandemic is nothing.

I have to cross a street.

I have to get into a car.

I have to eat food.

There are so many things that could kill me every day.

Fear of death is reasonable.

Good heavens.

So wherever you're at in this spectrum,

the reality of death and the fear of death is, I believe,

something that's common to us all.

How do you think it shapes you?

As we look at our passage this morning in the book of Philippians,

we're going to look at how the Apostle Paul thinks about this.

We're going to think about how he viewed life and death

through the lens of the gospel and how he lived it out.

So if you want to turn with me in the book of Philippians,

we're in Philippians chapter 1.

Philippians 1 · chapter mention

We're going to be looking at verses 18 through 26.

Philippians 1, verse 18 through 26.

Philippians 1:18–26

We're going to read it, and then we're going to look at it together.

So we'll start.

If you're in the ESV, it has the break.

We're just going to read the last sentence of verse 18.

Paul writes this.

Yes, and I will rejoice.

For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

this will turn out for my deliverance,

as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not at all be ashamed,

but that with full courage, now as always,

Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

If I'm to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.

Yet which shall I choose?

I cannot tell.

I am hard-pressed between the two.

My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

And convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all

for your progress and joy in the faith,

so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus

because of my coming to you again.

Let's pray.

Ask for God's help as we look into His Word together.

Lord, we do ask you this morning that you would be with us as we look into your Word.

Lord, help us to receive the truth of this Word.

We pray that your Spirit would apply it to our hearts and to our minds and to our wills.

Lord, we pray that you would give us alertness this morning,

and I pray that you would give me clarity of speech,

that I might speak the words that you would have me speak.

Lord, so that we might together sit under your Word this morning.

We pray these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So remember the context of Philippians.

Paul is in prison.

He has been in prison for his preaching of the Gospel.

He is awaiting a trial,

and he knows that the outcome might be his execution.

And he is in reflecting on these things,

that he shares how the Gospel is shaping his view of life and death.

And there are two things that as he thinks about himself as a Gospel citizen,

living out his calling in this world,

he says two things in this passage.

Gospel citizens are not afraid to die,

and Gospel citizens have lots to live for.

So let's look at these things in this order.

Gospel citizens are not afraid to die is the first point.

You see this hanging off of verse 21,

which is kind of the center of this.

For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain,

and we're going to take those in reverse order.

So Paul says, I am not afraid to die.

When you start off in verses 18 and 19,

Paul's in prison.

He's facing maybe a death sentence.

And how does he start?

I will rejoice, for I am confident.

I have eager expectation and hope.

His attitude is not one of dread in his circumstances,

but one of confidence.

What is his confidence in?

It's in God.

It's that God is sovereign in the circumstance,

and that God, his life is in God's hands.

And so he starts with this perspective of confidence in God.

How does he have that confidence?

Well, because as verse 21 says,

even death, which feels to most of us like the worst thing that could happen,

even death would be gain.

He says, I know I'm going to this trial,

and it could go either way.

But you know what?

How bad could it be?

If I die, what happens?

If I die, I gain something.

I get to go and be with Christ.

Paul's entire perspective is shaped by the truth of the gospel

that many of us here this morning know and profess to believe,

that Jesus Christ came to rescue us from sin and death and judgment.

Jesus Christ came in through his life,

and particularly in his death for us,

he died a death for us,

so that we might not die,

but live when we have faith in him.

This is the passage we read earlier in John 11.

And Jesus comes to Martha and says,

why are you weeping for your brother?

Because I am here.

I am the resurrection and the life.

And if you believe in me,

even though you die,

you will yet live.

You will have this eternal life.

For the hope of what God has done for us in Christ

is that because of what Jesus has done,

when we are connected to him by faith,

we have both forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life.

So that even if we die,

we will not die.

But we will be living with God forever.

This is the great hope of the Christian gospel.

And Paul applies it to his circumstance,

and he says,

what's the worst thing that can happen to me?

It's gain.

Because I'll go and be with Jesus.

He does not only say that it's gain,

but he says it's actually better.

Look with me at verse 23.

22 through 24 is fascinating

because Paul lets us in on the internal ruminations.

Like, what do you think, guys?

Should I go or should I stay?

If I go, do you know what I get?

I get something better than anything I could get on this earth.

I get to be with Jesus.

This is his greatest treasure.

And the word depart here is this really cool word.

It's used in some context to talk about a ship

that's leaving its moorings and heading out into open water.

Think about a ship that's tied up to a dock.

It's got anchors in the water

and ropes that are connecting it to the dock

so that it doesn't run away.

But when it departs,

it loses all of those things

and it picks up the sail

and the wind fills the sails

as it heads out to the open water.

And Paul says,

that's what I'm doing.

My life is going to be like heading out

into the open water

of eternal life

in the presence of Jesus.

And that's all I want.

That's the best thing

that could ever happen to me.

So he says,

no more anchors,

no more ropes,

no more chains,

but to worship him.

Now there's an important theological point here

that I want to spend just a minute on

because Paul has an immediate hope.

He says,

if I die,

I will be in the presence.

I will be with Christ.

Theologians have wrestled with the timeline

of what happens when we die

and what it really looks like.

The question of the intermediate state

between now

when we are physically living

and the eternal state

when we will live forever

in some context,

in some shape related to God or not,

under his judgment

or in his presence.

There's this intermediary step

that the Bible seems to picture.

And Paul gives us a pretty strong clue here

about what that looks like.

We may make mistakes.

We might think that

that in-between time

might be just a soul sleep

where we're unconscious.

But Paul says,

no,

I'm going to go and be with Jesus.

There's some of us

who might think

that in this in-between time

that there might be opportunity

for ongoing spiritual progress.

I'm becoming more sanctified

or I'm getting rid of,

I'm purging my life

of the rest of my sin.

This is part of the idea

of what purgatory is.

But again,

Paul says,

no,

this is not

what it looks like.

And finally,

some might think,

and this might be

the greatest temptation

for some of us,

is to think that actually

this is what the final state

looks like.

That when we die,

we go and be with God

in some spiritual form.

And that's all there is.

But instead,

the hope of the gospel

is that one day

there will be a resurrection

and our souls will be reunited

with a resurrected body.

And that the picture

at the end of history,

the end of redemption,

is that we will live

in a physical world

with God

that He has made new

and is without sin.

And what a glorious place

that will be.

So for Paul,

this is a great hope.

The great hope

that if I die right now,

I am going to be with Jesus

and my soul

will have fellowship

with Him.

Now,

this is not for Paul

a death wish.

He does not have

a morbid fascination

with the afterlife,

nor is he an escapist

that simply says,

this suffering is too great.

I just wish it would end.

He's not denying

that death is an enemy

and a great trial.

He talks about,

in chapter 2,

verse 27,

we'll see this

as it relates

to his co-worker Epaphras,

that if he had died,

it would have brought sorrow

upon sorrow for him.

So he's not saying

death is nothing,

but he is saying

that death instead

for a believer

will be a gateway.

It is not lost,

but it is gain.

And when God

brings it to our lives,

it will be better

than here.

So one commentator says,

when the Christian dies,

all the uncertainties

and dangers of life

are behind,

and all the certainties

and safeties

lie ahead

in the presence

of Jesus Christ.

to die is gain.

Can you say that

for yourself?

I remember wrestling

with this question

as my first wife

battled cancer.

We wrestled with

these thoughts together

because we wanted

her to stay.

We had hopes,

we had dreams,

we had kids,

but we also knew

that her life

was in God's hands.

As we went ahead,

we took every day

to worship God

and to serve,

and I saw her

increasingly say,

for me to live

is Christ.

As long as I get

to stay,

that will be

a glorious thing,

but to die

is gain,

and I will go

and be with Jesus.

Jesus.

Maybe this

is a pertinent word

for us today

as we think about

navigating the pandemic

in our world today.

It's very easy

for the fear of death

to have taken

a great root

in our hearts.

Now,

there is place

for reasonable precautions,

and there's place

for discussion

about what reasonable

precautions are.

But for a Christian,

we must not navigate

those discussions

out of fear of dying.

Have we allowed fear

to take up residence

in our heart?

Has it shaped

our response

to this pandemic

in unhealthy ways?

Mask or no mask?

Vaccine or no vaccine?

No vaccine?

Is fear controlling you?

Paul would say,

for a believer,

we must allow

the hope of the gospel

and the truth

that to die

is gain

to uproot

that fear

in our hearts.

Now,

here's a hard truth.

If you have not

trusted in Christ

this morning

for your salvation,

then your fear

of death

is real.

You fear death

because your soul

knows that you

are not right

with God.

Every human heart

knows it.

It is why

as humanity

we fear death

so much

and why it controls

us so much.

But Jesus

invites you

into the world

that Paul displays,

the world

of the gospel

where death

is not

the last word,

but death

is a gateway

to glory.

where death

is an enemy

but it is

a defeated one

and where

there is a hope

and a promise

of eternal life

with our creator

and our God

and our redeemer

and our savior.

Jesus invites you.

He has risen

from the dead,

trampling over death

by his death.

Because of his death

and resurrection,

death has lost

its sting

and he invites you

today.

Come believe

in this gospel

and be free

of death

and be free

of the fear

of death.

Paul doesn't just say

to die is gain.

He also says

for me to live

is Christ.

There are lots

of reasons

to live

for Paul

and by that

he means

staying here

on earth

in the flesh.

one of the

really interesting

things about

this passage

is he thinks

about his future

is that it seems

pretty sure

that Paul's confident

that God's going

to release him.

Verse 20,

verse 26

and you can look

at chapter 2,

verse 27.

Paul is expecting

to see the Philippians

again.

He is saying

I expect to see you.

Now he says this

under God's sovereignty

because he's already said

I don't know

what the outcome's

going to be

but he says

I actually have

this great hope

and expectation

that this is going

to happen

but my desire

is not simply

that I would escape

from prison.

My desire

is that this would

turn out

for my deliverance

and that word

could have a lot

of different

it might refer

to his salvation

like whatever happens

this is going to turn

out for my eternal salvation

because I know

the gospel

but it also could mean

vindication

that what's going

to happen

the outcome

of this trial

is going to vindicate

the hope

of the gospel

and if I die

people will see me

dying for Christ

and they will know him

more because of it

but if I live

it will be so that

I can go and continue

my gospel ministry

that I will continue

to honor Christ

by letting other people know.

This is what verse 22 says

look at it with me

verse 22

if I'm to live in the flesh

that means fruitful labor

for me.

Paul's life has been

all about ministry

we saw that last week

in verses 12 through 18

Paul wanted everyone

to know Christ

he didn't even care

if other people

were doing it

for bad motives

and ways that were

trying to hurt Paul

he said if Christ

is being known

that's my greatest desire

in this life

and so for Paul

that's his whole

his whole focus

as long as I am here

may more and more people

come to know

the Jesus

that I know

and the hope

of the gospel

that I have believed

in and proclaimed

that Christ

would be glorified

in others.

See for Paul

as he says

to live is Christ

he's not talking

about being freed

so that he can retire

you know

put his feet up

at the baths

in Ephesus

and you know

drink juleps

he's gonna

he's gonna continue

in this hard work

of ministry

and it's not

so that he can

thumb his nose

at the rival

at his rivals

and say

see

God loves me

more than he loves you

Paul isn't concerned

about those things

at all

Paul's greatest hope

is that the Philippians

would be growing

in faith

this is what it says

in verse 25

look with me

it says

convinced of this

I know that I will remain

and continue

for your

with you all

for your progress

and joy

in the faith

so that in me

you may have

ample cause

to glory

in Christ Jesus

Paul says

oh Lord

if you let me stay

and set me free

may it be

so that other people

will give praise

to you

for the fruit

of the gospel

in my life

and in the lives

of those around me

you know

I've had the privilege

over the years

of meeting

lots of people

who've served

Christ

in some of these ways

one person

who I think of

in particular

John Hinkson

is a member

of our

of our congregation

and his

mother and father

grew up as missionaries

in Eastern Europe

they went into

Eastern Europe

before the wall fell

John tells great stories

of that

but his mother

who is

I don't know

how old she is

she's got to be

close to 90

but

and she is still going

she is a picture

of Paul

for me to live

is Christ

and she has

a condo

in California

and she has

an apartment

in London

and she has

an apartment

in Russia

where they serve

for many many years

and everywhere

she goes

she's finding people

to open the word

of God with

to let Christ

be known

to encourage them

in their faith

the believers

in Russia

that she has

invested in

have become leaders

in the church

in those places

and when she comes

she's a great

encouragement

and I think

of what Paul

says here

and I see

her life

as an example

of someone

who has said

to live is Christ

and to die is gain

and that lived out

this life of ministry

to other people

her perseverance

is an example

to many

because of her faith

in Jesus

and friends

we need to recognize

that it is not

without cost

because to live

as Christ

means walking

the path

that Jesus walked

and Jesus path

was not one

from greater

and greater

victory and glory

it was one

of suffering

it was one

that walked

to the cross

in humble service

with the desire

only to please

the Father

and to bless

the world

another commentator

Gordon Fee

says this

too often

for us

it is

for me

to live

is Christ

plus work

and leisure

and accumulating

wealth

and relationships

and if the truth

were known

all too often

the plus factor

has become

our primary passion

for me to live

is my work

etc

both our progress

and our joy

regarding the gospel

are altogether

contingent

on whether or not

Christ

is our primary

singular passion

this is an

infinitely greater

option

than the great

than the self

gratification

which dominates

our culture

how do you

finish that sentence

for me to live

is my job

my studies

my family

my success

my reputation

my earthly

comfort

for Paul

to live

is Christ

this is the

greater option

that is before

us

and as we're

encouraged

by fee

is Christ

our primary

and our singular

passion

do we long

above all things

to know him

more

do we long

above all things

to make him

known

with the people

around us

are we pursuing

this as a church

in our fellowship

with one another

connecting with

one another

and spurring

one another

on in our

faith

are we thinking

about how

in our family

lives

that our

primary goal

is that we

would know

Christ

more and

more

as husbands

and wives

as parents

as children

as roommates

are we thinking

about how we

can make Christ

known to the

people in our

world

the people

that we

rub shoulders

with

the people

that we

study

with

the people

that we

work

with

the people

that we

play with

it all

flows from

beholding Christ

as Paul did

as we continue

on in the book

of Philippians

Paul will lift

up Christ

in chapter 2

as the one

who left

the comforts

of heaven

to be our

savior

to lay down

his life

for us

humbling

himself

even to death

on a cross

and now

he is raised

to this place

of highest

exaltation

would we

not consider

him

this is the

one for

in chapter 3

Paul says

I count all

things as

loss

for the sake

of knowing

Christ

and being

found in

him

when we

see Christ

this way

then we

can say

to live

is Christ

to die

his gain

so we

can sing

what we

just sang

a few

minutes ago

with every

breath I

long to

follow Jesus

for he

has said

that he

will bring

me home

and day

by day

I know

he will

renew me

until I

stand with

joy

before the

throne

to this

I hold

my hope

is only

Jesus

all the

glory

evermore

to him

and when

the race

is complete

still my

lips shall

repeat

yet not

I

but through

Christ

in me

friends

when we

have this

when we

see Christ

like this

the fear

of death

fades into

the background

we live

with an

assurance

of hope

that death

is not

our end

and with

a clear

eyed vision

that as long

as we are

here

we have

Christ

to follow

and to serve

and to glorify

so that others

may know

him as we

have come

to know

him

let's pray

together

oh lord

who is

sufficient

for these

things

oh lord

have mercy

on us

who are so

easily

distracted

whose love

so often

grows cold

towards you

how often

we esteem

many other

things

as greater

than you

oh lord

work in our

hearts

uproot

in us

a fear

of death

so that we

might live

for you

for as long

as you give

us life

and so that

we might

die with

hope and

eager expectation

of glory

with you

we pray

this in

Jesus name

amen

for you

see you