September 14, 2007

KEEPING LIFE SIMPLE

Philippians 1:12-26

Life has a way of getting very, very complicated. You didn’t need me to tell you that. You already knew that, didn’t you? With those complications comes stress, pressure, anxiety, and a list that goes on and on.

The Apostle Paul was no stranger to life’s complications. In fact, life was very complicated for Paul when he was writing his letter to the believers in Philippi. Let me just recount Paul’s circumstances when he wrote the letter. Maybe you can relate to them.

1. Paul was in chains.

Three times in the passage before us he refers to his bonds or his chains. He is under arrest. Most scholars believe this imprisonment corresponds with his imprisonment in Rome described in Acts 28. His conditions there, at least at the beginning are described as a kind of house arrest. He had his own rented house and people were able to come and visit him. Whether he remained in that situation or was actually moved to a prison cell as his trial drew near, we do not know. We do know that he was still a prisoner. He was not free to come and go as he pleased.

We all value our freedom, don’t we? Maybe you can relate to Paul’s situation. Maybe you are caught in a situation that is beyond your control and you can’t get out. You are stuck, a prisoner of circumstances, just as Paul was a prisoner of Rome.

2. Paul was facing a trial with an uncertain outcome.

He wasn’t just serving out a sentence, waiting to be released. He was waiting for his case to be heard. He had appealed to Caesar. Now he must await Caesar’s timing to hear the case. He did not know what the result would be. It could be an immediate release. It could be a long prison sentence. He could even be executed.

Uncertainty is one of the most difficult things in life to deal with. Sometimes we almost welcome bad news, just to put the waiting, the uncertainty behind us. Maybe you are facing uncertainty in your life in some area. Maybe you are waiting for the results of a medical test. Maybe you are waiting for the results of a job interview or an immigration application, or facing a significant uncertainty in some other area of your life.

3. There was jealousy and tension between Paul and some of the believers in Rome.

There were some of the brothers in the Lord who were preaching out of selfish ambition and jealousy, actually hoping to further aggravate Paul in his imprisonment. This kind of tension, jealousy and ill will is a heavy load to carry.

I spent two years in a counseling ministry in California, working mostly with missionaries and pastors. For many of them, the heaviest burdens they carried and the deepest scars they wore had been inflicted by other Christians; often other missionaries or pastors. Those kinds of wounds and misunderstandings hurt. Maybe you’re carrying those kinds of scars, that kind of tension and misunderstanding. It can come from colleagues at work. It can come from within your own family. It can even come from your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Those were the circumstances Paul was facing as he wrote this letter we are studying. Life was complicated! But as I read through this letter, I find that for Paul, life really wasn’t complicated. It was simple. Oh, the details were complicated. But Paul had the big picture well and truly focused. And that big picture was really very simple.

So, my question is, what can we learn from Paul that will help us put the big picture of our lives in focus? Because if we have the big picture in focus and the big picture is simple, then we will have the right perspective for dealing with the complications.

Listen for the big picture as Paul speaks to us in his own words: (Read Philippians 1:12-26)

As I analyzed Paul’s words carefully over the course of this week, it finally sank in. For Paul, life was simple because he knew the answer to two basic questions. The first is: What is my life for? The second question is: What comes after? It seems to me that if we have a clear answer to those two questions, then suddenly life becomes very simple.

What is my life for?

Paul’s answer to that question is found in verse 21: For to me to live is Christ

For Paul, life was all about Christ. From the life changing day on the Damascus road when he was confronted by the risen Lord, Jesus was front and center in his life. All else was secondary. Knowing him, walking with him, obeying him, serving him. For to me to live is Christ. This central commitment to Christ expressed itself in certain other passions which come out clearly in this paragraph.

Paul was passionate about the spread of the Gospel of Christ. Because of that, literally any circumstance which would lead to the Gospel going forward was a cause for joy for Paul. Look at what he says in verse 12: Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.

He goes on to explain that this is true in a couple different ways. First, from verse 13: it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. It doesn’t take much reading between the lines to figure out what happened here. As an important prisoner, Paul had guards. Whether they were actually chained to him, or simply kept watch on him and the people who came and went, they heard and saw what was going on. Every four hours, the shift of guards would have rotated. Soon all the guards in the regiment have had their turn. And when they watched and listened, what did they hear? They heard Paul speaking freely and boldly about the Gospel.

I firmly believe it went even further than that. I can imagine the quiet times when there were no visitors. I can picture Paul engaging the guard in conversation, and for Paul, every conversation was ultimately a conversation about Christ, because that was his life purpose. So as a result, the whole palace guard knew about Paul, and they knew why he was in prison. We also know that his witness had a result. Flip over to Philippians 4:22. All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. Paul’s witness for Christ had penetrated the very household of the emperor! Paul had opportunities to share Christ while under arrest that he would never have had as a traveling evangelist. He recognized those opportunities, he took those opportunities and he rejoiced in the fruit that came from those opportunities.

But his imprisonment had the effect of spreading the Gospel in another way as well. Look at verse 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. I am not quite sure how this worked. We might have expected that his imprisonment would make the other Christians more cautious. But it has had the opposite effect. Maybe Paul’s case has caught the public’s attention. Maybe lots of people are talking about him and his upcoming trial, so as a result, Christians are coming out more openly to share the good news.

It is here that Paul introduces the fact that some of the Christians are doing it out of wrong motives. (Read 1:15-17) It is difficult to figure out who they were or what they were thinking. But what is important here is Paul’s response in verse 18: But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached and because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.

We need to proceed carefully here. I don’t think Paul is saying that motives don’t matter. On numerous other occasions, the Bible challenges us to consider our motives and tells us that God’s knows and judges the motives of the heart. What Paul is saying here is that even though their motives are wrong and he may be troubled by that and these unnamed believers will certainly be held accountable for their wrong motives, at the same time Paul can rejoice in the simple fact that the Gospel message is being spread abroad. Rather than brooding over any personal sense of grievance, or fretting over other people’s motives, which he cannot ultimately control, he chooses to rejoice in the positive outcome of the Gospel being spread. The important thing is that Christ is preached…and because of this I rejoice.

So when Paul said, “for to me to live is Christ”, one effect of that was whatever personal circumstances he faced, he looked for and took the opportunities which were there for sharing the Good News about Christ. We can do the same. Whether in a prison cell, or a hospital bed, or an airport transit lounge when a flight is delayed, or in a crowded apartment, look around for those divine appointments to share the Gospel. They may be nearer than you think! Instead of chafing about his loss of freedom, Paul sat down next to his guard and started to share the Gospel.

Paul was passionate about encouraging Christians and helping them grow spiritually. This was another of Paul’s passions which followed closely on the heels of his desire to share the Gospel. Throughout Paul’s missionary journeys, you can see him moving back and forth between two priorities. He would pioneer in new territory and share the Gospel where it had never been shared. Then he would travel back through those territories to check on the churches and the new Christians he had left behind and encourage them to press on to maturity.

We see this here as Paul assesses what he expects the outcome of his trial to be, and his own personal feelings about it. (Read v. 24-26) I especially like that expression “I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.” He weighed life’s circumstances in terms of opportunities to encourage other Christians to grow in their faith.

I believe that also grew out Paul’s fundamental commitment: “for to me to live is Christ.” Do we share this same passion?  Just as we can look around at life’s circumstances for opportunities to spread the Gospel message, so we can look around in our life situation to find opportunities to encourage other Christians to bring them joy and help them grow in their faith.

There is one more passion of Paul’s life which comes out in this section of Scripture. Paul was passionate about exalting Christ. We find this in verse 20: I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

The word “exalted” means literally to be magnified or made large. It was Paul’s desire in every situation and in every circumstance to act in such a way that Christ would be exalted. This one especially helps us keep life simple. In all of life’s complications, there is one simple priority. How can I reflect the glory of Christ in this situation? And friends, we don’t need a big stage or a bright spotlight or an assembled audience to do that. We can do that anywhere and everywhere. What a simple commitment and a simple prayer: “Oh Lord, help me magnify you in this situation.”

I believe these three passions help us flesh out what Paul meant when he said “For to me to live is Christ…” They help us answer the question: What is life for? A passion for the spread of the Gospel of Christ, a deep desire to encourage other believers toward maturity, and a longing to exalt Christ in every circumstance. What would happen if you and I were to reduce all of our life’s complexities into those three priorities? How would it affect our perspective on life? How would if affect our relationships? How would it influence the way we spend our time, our effort, our money? How would it impact our prayer lives? For to me to live is Christ.

But let’s go back to the Apostle Paul. He is awaiting trial in Caesar’s court. One possible outcome of that trial might be the death penalty; execution. That brings us to the second question we need the answer to: What comes after? What then, Paul?

Listen to his words: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. We’ve been looking at Paul’s life purpose. Here we see his attitude toward death. He did not fear it. In fact, quite the opposite; he says he would welcome it! If he were to choose selfishly, he would choose death over life. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two; I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. (v.22-24)

Those verses describe the Christian view of death and eternity in a nutshell. For the Christian, to die is gain. For the Christian to die means “to depart and be with Christ.”  The word for “depart” is an interesting one. Soldiers used it to mean “to take down your tent and move on.” Sailors used it meaning to loose the ship’s mooring ropes before setting sail. So death is a departure, a leaving. But for the believer, it is also a destination: “To be with Christ, …which is better by far.”

It is sometimes said, “You are not really ready to life until you are ready to die.” I think there is a lot of truth in that statement. Can we truly answer the question, “What is life for?” until we know the answer to the question, “What comes after?” Surely the answers to these two questions will be intricately entwined in our hearts, minds, and emotions. Only when we are confident of what comes after death will we be free to truly invest our life in the things which really matter.

Richard Baxter penned these words to express this same perspective:

Lord, it belongs not to my care

Whether I die or live.

To love and serve thee is my share

And this thy grace must give.

If life be long I will be glad

That I may long obey.

If short, then why should I be sad

To rise to endless day?

So, life can get pretty complicated. Paul’s life certainly was. But at the same time, it was really pretty simple. As Paul weighed his options, the possible outcomes of his trial, he knew the answer to the first question. He knew what life was for. “If I remain in the body will mean an opportunity to continue my labor and to bear fruit for the kingdom of God, and a chance to work for Christ. That’s a good thing. I want that.” But what if the verdict goes against him? Paul also knew the answer to the question: What comes after? “For me,” he said, “That simply means going immediately into the presence of the Lord, to be with Christ. That’s even better!”

At the end of the day, for us as Christians, if we know the answer to those two questions it is all really pretty simple.

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

By the way, I said it was simple. I never said it was easy! We’ll talk more about that next week.

I would be remiss if I closed this sermon without saying something very simple and very basic. If you remove Christ from Paul’s statement, then you no longer know the answer to either of the basic questions. You do not know “what life is for.” And you cannot know with any sense of comfort “what comes after.” Only Christ puts the pieces of life, death and eternity together.