Philippians 1:19-26 - Two Good Options

She has said she'd rather be in that wheelchair knowing Jesus than on her feet without him.

That's not resignation.

That's surrender.

Paul makes that same move in his letter.

Writing from a Roman prison with his life on the line.

And he wants the Philippians and us to give all of our lives to Christ and to honor him in all of our lives.

Because real joy emanates from your life when you live all in for Christ.

Paul was in prison and was about to be tried before Caesar's tribunal.

The outcome could be his release, or it could be his conviction and execution.

Yet Paul shares a very positive missionary report in verses 12 to 18 that Pastor Micah preached on two weeks ago.

Paul rejoices over circumstances that you and I would consider to be quite distressing.

Roman prisons were detention centers holding prisoners pending their trial to be executed or to be released.

Conditions were very harsh.

Prisoners often took their own lives in those harsh conditions.

Paul's situation might have been a little bit better, being that he was under house arrest, under military guards, and allowed to have visitors to see him while awaiting trial.

Paul reports that his imprisonment advanced the gospel.

The whole imperial guard stationed at the prison and the whole imperial household, as well as the staff, learned that Paul was in chains because he said he was in Christ.

In Christ.

Paul proclaimed the gospel.

In fact, we learned that some had given their lives to Christ.

And at the end of Paul's letter to the Philippians in chapter 4, verse 22, Paul writes, All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar's household.

Let me say here a brief word about being in Christ before I get further along in the message.

We'll see a lot of this phrase in Christ, with Christ, through Christ, into Christ, in not only the book of Philippians, but Ephesians and the other epistles that Paul wrote.

Being in Christ is central to Paul's understanding of how God applies Christ's redemptive work to believers.

Briefly, we can think of being in Christ in three ways.

It's participating in the life, the suffering, the mission, the death, the burial, resurrection, ascension of Jesus Christ.

It can be also understood of Christ encompassing a believer's life, the entire life of a believer.

Christ's lordship extending over a believer's behavior.

A believer cannot live in the world, being worldly, and yet claim to be in Christ.

There's no it's only one way or the other.

And a third way to understand being in Christ is that believers are joined into a new community of believers, serving Christ, serving each other, to build the church and to expand Christ's kingdom.

So going back to Paul's missionary report, Paul is also reporting that because of his imprisonment, other brothers have been stimulated to preach the message of Jesus Christ.

Even though some of them preached with the attitude of causing more harm to Paul while he was in prison.

Yet, Paul says in verse 18, what doesn't matter?

Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed.

And in this, I rejoice.

Paul was overjoyed to see his master's message be spread.

Paul's letter to the Philippians is a pearl necklace of joy.

We're still in chapter one.

And yet other messages we've heard in this series have highlighted joy or rejoicing.

This book is filled with it.

Tonight, we're going to look at another pearl of joy in this joy-filled necklace.

And with it are three determinations that Paul has that brings him into more reasons to be joyful.

So turn with me now to verse 19.

I'm actually going to begin because the thought I think begins at the end of verse 18.

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, because I know this will lead to my salvation through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything.

But that now, as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

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

Now, if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me.

And I don't know which one I should choose.

I am torn between the two.

I long to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

But to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.

So that because of my coming to you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound.

Heavenly Father, open our eyes, that we may see wondrous things from your word.

And may we not only see, but may we learn the truths from your word and live in response to them so that we deepen our union with Christ.

Amen.

Paul's main point here is that real joy emanates from your life when you live all in for Christ.

Real joy emanates from your life when you live all in for Christ.

Well, how do you live all in for Christ?

Well, we'll see this in three instructions that Paul has from this passage.

Real joy emanates from your life when you, first of all, anchor your confidence in Christ.

Anchor your confidence in Christ.

Secondly, allow Christ to redefine life and death.

Allow Christ to redefine life and death.

And thirdly, advance the spiritual growth of others.

Advance the spiritual growth of others.

The first point.

Real joy emanates from your life when you anchor your confidence in Christ.

Paul's joy and his confidence were two expressions of the same attitude that Paul had.

We see this in verses this last part of 18 through verse 20.

It says, Yes, and I will continue to rejoice because I know this will lead to my salvation through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now and as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

To capture Paul's reason for rejoicing in our passage this evening, we need to understand two words that Paul uses here.

What is the this, and what does Paul mean by salvation?

The this refers to something as we look backwards in the text.

And it's likely referring to the whole content of verses 12 to 18.

Paul's imprisonment, the advancement of the gospel, the mixed motive kind of preaching, and then Paul's joy himself.

So all of that, all of these things Paul is saying will lead to his salvation.

But what does that mean?

What does the salvation mean?

Some of our English translations, if you're using the ESV or the NIV or the New Ling Living Translation, those translations use the word deliverance.

The CSB, our text, uses the word salvation.

But the deliverance is another word that can be used to translate that Greek word.

But it helps to know that the phrase this will lead to my salvation actually is an allusion to Job chapter 13, verse 16.

Job 13:16

It's uh Paul would have known this, but his readers probably did not, because they were primarily Gentiles.

But for Paul, he knew that Job, what Job said in his defense to his accusers, was to turn out for his salvation, meaning vindication, not eternal salvation.

Since Job was not in doubt about his standing before God in this sense, it's about vindication.

Well, given Paul's allusion to Job, the word translated salvation would probably be understood as vindication or deliverance because of Paul's complete obedience to God as he endured imprisonment.

We need to understand one more word here, the word courage in verse 20.

This word carries the connotation of being outspoken in speech, bold in speaking, in public, as in a courtroom.

Taken together, the vindication that Paul is referring to is likely to be the outcome of his upcoming trial.

Paul will speak the message of Jesus Christ boldly and shamelessly before Caesar's tribunal.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for salvation.

Romans 1:16.

Romans 1:16

So salvation is not Paul predicting his release from prison.

It's Paul's expressing confidence that despite whatever verdict human judges hand down, whether conviction and execution or his release, there's a higher court where the outcome of his case has already been determined.

Paul is vindicated in the presence of the Lord.

The Lord whom he serves.

And the Lord in whom he has anchored his confidence.

And you too are part of that eternal vindication.

All the things that trouble your soul and cause your suffering will not stand in victory over you.

Eternity will ring with your shouts of triumph in Christ.

The Lord who delivers you will bring you into an everlasting glory through Christ Jesus.

Real joy emanates from your life when you anchor your confidence in Christ.

Real joy also radiates from your life when you allow Christ to redefine life and death.

So what did Paul's redefined life and death look like?

Well, that's in verses 21 to 24.

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

Now, if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me.

And I don't know which one I should choose.

I am torn between the two.

I long to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

But to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

Paul is laying bare his soul in these verses.

He's speaking out loud to himself, practically.

For Paul, living is about serving Christ, sharing the gospel, nurturing believers into a deeper trust in the Lord.

Dying is about being with Christ, going to be in his presence.

Paul saw that even death, the worst of life circumstances, was an opportunity for him to share in Christ's sufferings and to know Christ more fully.

Philippians 3, 10.

My goal, and this is what Paul is saying, my goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death.

And later on in chapter 1, in verse 29, Paul says, For it has been granted to you on Christ's behalf, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.

It's one thing.

Yes, we are to believe in Christ, but we are also called to suffer for him.

In fact, the word granted comes from the word grace.

It's a gift to suffer for Christ.

Paul wanted so completely to glorify Christ that everything about his existence pointed people to Jesus and death to him, men, being with Christ, achieving his ultimate goal of being completely united with Christ.

Let's take a moment to consider how Christ redefined life and death for Paul.

Do you remember what Paul did as a young man and who Paul was before Christ captured his heart on the road to Damascus?

Paul said this of himself.

I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man.

Some translations say violent man.

That's 1 Timothy 1, 13.

And Paul said this about himself before King Agrippa in Acts 26.

In fact, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

I actually did this in Jerusalem and I locked up many of the saints in prison since I had received authority for that from the chief priests.

When they were put to death, I was in agreement against them.

In all the synagogues, I often punished them and tried to make them blaspheme.

Since I was terribly enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.

What changed Paul?

It was Christ's resurrection.

Christ's resurrection fundamentally turned Paul's life around and gave him a new understanding of what life and death is.

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ transferred Paul's identity from Adam into that of Christ.

He understood his ministry as following the pattern of Christ's death and resurrection.

To think as Paul did, to live as Christ and to die is gained is radical.

Changing your identity and purpose in every dimension in life.

It's not simply a spiritual feeling.

No, it's a full reshaping of a believer's reason for existing.

There is a reordering of your priorities.

You once lived for yourself.

Now your lives are redirected to the one who died for you and rose again.

2 Corinthians 5, 14 and 15.

There's a redefining of suffering and death, as we just talked about.

Believers carry the death of Christ in their bodies so that the life of Christ can shine through them.

2 Corinthians 4, 10 and 11.

And there's a new citizenship that's established.

Our citizenship is in heaven.

Philippians 3.20.

Being united with Christ, believers are raised with Christ and seek the heavenly realms where Christ sits enthroned.

Colossians 2, 1 to 4.

Reordering your priorities, redefining what life and death is, and establishing a new citizenship in heaven.

All these things lead to living under the authority of Jesus Christ.

This transforms how a believer thinks inside.

And especially how a believer conducts himself or herself.

Once Christ took hold of Paul, his entire existence was wrapped in Jesus Christ.

With Christ holding first priority and Christ determining all other priorities.

So real joy emanates from your life when you anchor your confidence in Christ.

Real joy flows through you when you allow Christ to redefine your life and death.

And thirdly, real joy can emanate from your life further by advancing the spiritual growth of others.

Advancing the spiritual growth of others.

And we see this in verses 25 and 26.

Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.

So that because of my coming to you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound.

Death would bring Paul into the presence of Christ.

A joy indeed.

And release would bring Paul into furthering God's purposes for him to foster the life of Christ in others.

A place of usefulness and an outcome of joy, too.

Paul concluded in his internal deliberation by expressing his confidence in knowing that he will remain alive because it was more necessary for the sake of the Philippian believers.

Paul made clear that he had ministry plans for the Philippians.

Paul's joy was prioritizing Christ to be honored and glorified through the Philippians.

This was over his own desire to die and be with Christ.

An essential part of being a fruitful witness for Christ must include a genuine concern for the spiritual growth of others.

It might cause you to sacrifice your own plans, your desires, so that the sake of others can be prioritized.

And so that Christ would be honored and glorified.

So, friends, I want to ask you three questions.

Answer them in the quietness of your heart right now.

One are you able to say today that you are resting and rejoicing in a settled, a settled confidence in Christ in whatever circumstances you are in.

Two, has Christ redefined your life such that, especially in times of adversity and uncertainty, you can say, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

And three.

With the life you have remaining, are you investing in people for the progress and joy in the faith?

If you can say yes to each of the questions, be thankful that Christ has redefined your existence for his glory.

Your union with Christ has reordered your priorities, redefined what suffering and death means.

And establish yourself with a new citizenship in heaven.

All this is transforming the way you think and behave.

And this brings joy not only to you, but it brings honor to Christ.

Pursue Christ to the very end.

Give thanks to Jesus Christ.

If you answered no to at least one question, your life circumstances might be eating away at your joy.

You might have trusted in Christ, but have not fully given your life to him.

And as a result, you don't really know what joy in Christ is.

Or you might still be wandering through life without Jesus Christ.

Your life might seem to be empty because what or who you devote yourself to ends up not satisfying you or your needs.

You might be anxious about the future and wonder whether you have any meaning in life and hope for the future.

So, friends, do this.

The time is now.

Trust fully in Jesus Christ, that he can bring meaning to your life as you navigate through life's circumstances.

And you may find that you too can have a settled confidence to weather life's storms.

Let Christ redefine your life and death.

Then you will have hope for the future and secure a real joy for yourself, which will lead you to help others find meaning in life through Jesus Christ.

Johnny Erickson Tata's joy came back.

Not because her body healed, since it never did, but when she gave all of her life to Christ.

Johnny's joy clearly was not rooted in her circumstances.

It was rooted in the work of Jesus Christ, who loved her and gave himself for her.

Johnny was imprisoned within her quadruple body.

Yet it became a platform for proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.

And the joy of the Lord became her strength.

Johnny then prioritized the spiritual benefit of others over her own personal preference.

She has spent decades to this day pursuing joy in ministering to people with disabilities.

And she describes her joy now as deeper because Christ became the center of her life.

Johnny is a living example of what Paul's life has taught us in this passage.

Real joy emanates from your life when you live all in for Christ.

And how do you do that?

Anchor your confidence in Christ.

Allow Christ to redefine life and death for you.

And advance the spiritual growth of others.

Let's pray.

Father, how easy it is for our life circumstances to cause our hearts to become scattered and distracted from knowing you.

Unite each and every heart here to fear your name and to deepen our union with Christ.

Cause us to live our lives to honor and glorify you in every aspect of life and to find rest in a confident joy in Christ alone.

Amen.