Sermon Manuscript

Introduction

Philippians 1:12-18 presents a wonderful text with major recurring themes, and the Lord must want the message to sink especially in today's difficulties that Christians encounter in evangelical campaigns. We have people everywhere who are experiencing difficult things which may make them feel that their efforts in preaching the gospel are fruitless.  The text largely focuses on the advancement of the gospel, the nature of Lord's mission filed, the circumstances likely to be encountered and overcoming them through God's grace.  Paul writes this text to Philippians and shows them how his suffering led to the advancement of the gospel and exhorts the church to come together and advance the gospel.   God can use the suffering of a Christian to progress the spread of His gospel to the world.  The text starts with a Thanksgiving and even prayer which demonstrates that God completes the work He starts, HE desires to see Christian brothers’ love abounds and engulfed in the fruit of His righteousness.  The mission field is not an easy one and Christians have to be ready to encounter challenges. In the midst of such challenges, God will manifest His power to accomplish the work He started in them, and the advancement of the Gospel will proceed despite the prevailing circumstances.  The greatest concern among the Philippians is Paul's welfare and the advancement of God' message amidst horrible situations. The needed an assurance from Him that despite these challenges, the work would continue and thus, the reason for writing the text.  He should them the need to put God first in all situations since the work is His and could not be accomplished through mere human efforts.

 

Body

It's good to imagine the concern of Philippians about Paul, who in turn rushes past pleasantly to focus on his imprisonment. Paul highlights his imprisonment a few times, and there is little information about the sufferings he was undergoing. One may tend to think that there are facing sufferings alone but he or she can rest assured that this servant of God knew suffering as indicated in Acts 21-24;2[1]. Therefore, his reaction to such satiations was never superficial.   If others were to write this text, it would appear very different since they would significantly explain their treatment, their deprivation, pain and emotional turmoil and even detail requests for prayer.  However, Paul chose not to absorb into self-pity or complaints.  The expectations of the Philippians were that the advancement of the Gospel would be hindered by imprisonment of Paul and deeply worried them.   The imprisonment opened new ways and a door or Paul to preach Christ to the individuals around him including the entire imperial guard.  One can imagine the guards who are changing shifts and other captives who made up his active audience.  This represents a different character for Paul showed by his witnessing and spreading of the word wherever he went regardless of the prevailing circumstances.

 

Even in the most unlikely place, Paul found an efficient way of preaching Christ. Rather than of being held back by these chains or being forced by these circumstances to have a negative outlook, Paul used them to inform guards about Christ and thereby to encourage his brothers to continue preaching boldly.  Thus, as the dangers of preaching became more pronounced, their courage to press on increased.  He showed that evangelism is a courageous engagement unlike other endeavors such as politics and sports.  God was using Paul's situations to provide courage and strength for fellow believers in Rome.  Had he considered his imprisonment as an impediment to spreading of the Gospel, Paul would have effortless tried to vindicate his name at Rome.  Rather, he saw that God purposed him to be there and hence, he was not concerned with advocating for his freedom but advancing the gospel. Only God would understand what good can come out of injustice meted on innocent people like Paul and the instigators of these actions cannot understand how He can reach the to them even in their ignorance.

 

Field of God's mission

The important truth is that God's plans cannot be man's plans or ways, and His approach to evangelism may seem insensible to people including the preachers.  The mission field was quite different from what Paul planned or expected as a missionary to Gentiles and an Apostle as seen in his confinement in Roman prison and being chained to a guard.  This shows the nature of God, whose operation time cannot fit humans' schedule and His plans are not normally accomplished according to their plans. For sure most Christians involved in missionary work can attest to such kind of experience whereby their work or missions have not turned out the way they planned.  Once Paul's focus was placed on matters relating to eternal life, God's plan started to unfold quickly. He was now in prison, and not planting churches, and he would be training his successors in the mission. Instead of going out to preach the gospel himself, it s now God's plans that he trains and equips other workers in the field that would go on his behalf.  This is in contrast to the present church activities that are program driven by many bits of advice on how one can share their faith, evangelize and even how to get a person to accept this faith. Paul's mission involved going into places that did not know the gospel and preaching regardless of the prevailing circumstances. In the current society, speaking with all people about Christ especially those who confine you in prison is rarely seen since one is likely to get defensive and work towards their freedom.

 

Paul apparently knew about the sovereignty of God over all creation, but the imprisonment presented a firsthand experience for him.  He understood that the sufferings experienced in the missionary efforts are not a punishment from God but a plan for Him to spread the gospel.  Nobody would have thought that the imperial guards would realize that Paul was being imprisoned for the sake of preaching Christ.  Moreover, no one would have thought that God's plan was for the Gentile guards to be converted, and this implies how God acts in advancing His Gospel.  God's purpose was for the gospel to reach the imperial guards who had contact with the Apostle.  The picture comes clearly to mind. A guard who was chained to Paul was a captive audience, who God viewed as a potential disciple.  Many guards would be converted after getting the Gospel, and these would spread the word to imperial solders. The imperial solders would preach Christ in whichever areas they would be dispatched to the Roman Empire, and these would share the message with the people they met.  This clearly shows that God knew the need for Paul to be in prison at that moment.   Moreover, Paul's sufferings and perseverance served to encourage his brethren to continue with preaching the gospel to the world. They required confidence in the lord in the mission field that was filled with increasing dangers and possibilities of being imprisoned for the sake of God's mission.  While they would have doubted the effectiveness of their efforts, Paul's courage and experience served to remind them that God would be working through their sufferings and accomplish His work.  In evangelism, courage is contagious since when a person sees those around them sharing the message regardless of the hard circumstances, they are encouraged to step up and do the same. For any Christian, there is no reason to stop sharing the message.

 

 The mission field was also complicated by not only opposition from without but from within. While Paul was preaching Christ purely out of conviction and for the defense of the gospel, others were doing so to pursue their interests. Even though they were preaching the gospel of Christ, there was no consistency between their motives and the message.  In this case, Paul does not condiment their preaching or message but their wrong motives.  In fact, they are preaching Christ's gospel, and Paul recognizes them as his brothers.  However, their motivation is envy, selfishness, and rivalry. It is possible that they envied apostolic authority exuded by Paul, questioned such authority and used this chance to plant doubt in believer's mind so that his circumstances appeared as a God's judgment.  It could also be that they desired to more popular than Paul.  He has an important point; despite their selfish and impure motives, the Word is preached, and this Word will accomplish its purpose in spite of the preacher's motives.  However, the apostle is not excusing the preachers' false motives but acknowledging that the importance of spreading the gospel is superior and hence, can work even through fallen individuals.  This should be an encouragement to all Christians. In the text, Christ and gospel (15, 17, 18 and 12, 16 respectively) are mentioned various times, which implies that the basis of any message to be preached should be the two[2].  Not only should Christ be mentioned, but he should also be understood through the message preached at any churches. The message should not be about a "good person" but Christ whose life was perfect and yet died for our sake. It is about a person who took the sins of the world and bore God's wrath that we deserved.   In this text, Paul is not acknowledging the false preachers, but he is showing what should motivate preachers in the missionary field.

 

Christians should think that the only way in which God's work will effectively be accomplished is through a change in circumstances and a good preaching environment.  God's power is not at all related to the false motives or circumstances. Christ can use His power to work through such circumstances to change people's lives. Therefore, believers do not need to change their circumstances for God to work.  Discouraging individuals will always be present, but God's kingdom will continue advancing.

Overcoming circumstances

The basic idea of overcoming difficult circumstances can be seen in the response Paul gives to Philippians concerning his situation.  The brethren at Philippians were aware that the apostle was not in a good situation since he imprisoned.  The response Paul gave was meant to inform them of the situation, but he did not dwell on it. Normally when overcome by difficult circumstances, people will place their focus on them which is the most natural thing to do when inquired by those close to them.  This might involve complaining; sharing sorrows and possibly seeking advice on the way forward. While we need to share with following Christians about the issues we are facing while in the missionary work, Paul presents a better idea of responding to them.  He does not ignore the situation he is in since he states that he wants his fellow believers to be aware of such circumstances (v.s 12)[3].  He is not overcome by his imprisonment or the false preachers who are preaching out of personal interests.  Rather, his focus is on what God was accomplishing in their midst as the gospel was continuing to advance.  If any good or bad circumstances are combined with a godly perception can lead to great joy.  Otherwise, there will be negative actions and attitude that do not favor the missionary work.  To some people, this kind of maturity may seem unattainable, but through living out the various truths, Paul presents can this be successful.  God uses the tough situations and tribulations that Christians encounter to mature them into Godly individuals.  It is typical to think that peace and freedom offer the best environment for preaching the gospel but Paul's response indicates a different truth.  Many people would not persevere in situations that cause suffering, but by the power of God, followers of Christ can see the opportunity to share the gospel in such instances.

 

 Suffering defines the real character of people and especially whether they are genuine Christians. Some people will remain committed as long as everything is well, but amidst suffering, they pay more attention to hardships and hence rarely remain around.  But under the influence of the Holy Spirit, non-believers can genuinely perceive whether we are truly following God with a positive attitude even if such a feeling is hard to harbor amidst difficulties.   One may complain about our environment including the economy, weather, work or government, but we have not been called to do this. We can use Paul's example when faced with such situations and remain positive knowing that in every circumstance, we can get an opportunity to proclaim the Word.  Moreover, people have different responses to suffering as seen when some preachers responded differently to imprisonment of the apostle, with some gaining courage for the mission and others seizing the opportunity to criticize him and increase his suffering.  This is very relevant to the lives of Christians, in that people around them may respond differently to their difficult situations. Some may learn from the good example set while others may criticize or condemn them. A good example is Job's friends' reaction to his suffering.  Christians should not be surprised when this happens.  After understanding that people respond in different ways, one should trust God that His purpose will be accomplished in us.

Rejoicing in hardship

After looking at all things happening due to his chains, Paul praised God and rejoiced. Initially, Paul was longing to be released quickly and that after being vindicated by Christians in the Roman Empire could easily evangelize. His release, he hoped, would mean that they would be allowed to worship legally and hence openly. However, too much time passed and months turned into years as his trial was constantly postponed and thus his languish in chains continued.  Yet, while still in confinement, Paul learned to rejoice in his suffering and take pleasure. He had found sufficient grace from God, and due to this, he rejoiced.  He did not allow the prevailing circumstances or other peoples' efforts aimed at increasing his suffering to bring him down. With the right focus, Paul rejoiced that the proclamation of the gospel was continuing ion account of his chains and irrespective of the motives of the preachers. For sure, his joy would have been complete if everyone's motives were true since that would show the maturity of the preachers to the glory of God.  Even though they had ulterior motives for their preaching efforts, Paul rejoiced that the message was still going out and his reason for stressing the point "yes, and I will rejoice”[4].

 

The decision to be glad about the spreading of the gospel would not wane irrespective of any attacks directed at him and hurt resulting from people who were intent on worsening his circumstances.  His self-effacing attitude was just outstanding as he did not call attention to his suffering and does not even elaborate whatever discomfort he was experiencing.  He is not interested in people's pity and does not seek the attention of the believers, which would turn their focus off the gospel and Christ Himself.   Even when he refers to his chains, he calls the "the chains of Christ," who was his Lord and him a servant[5]. It was his Lord who purposed him to be on that spot at that particular time.   His major concern was that the church at Philippine might be over-anxious.   Paul did not view his suffering as to mean that he had been forgotten by God and did not question God about why that was happening to him.  He saw this as an appointed time set for his service to mankind by preaching the word to those he came into contact with.  

 

This presents an important lesson for all Christians, since the evangelism work or ministry is never about them but God and His glory.  The work of preaching should not draw attention to the preacher but to the Lord since this is His message.  Paul's joy  emanated from the fact that he did not envy those who were preaching outside while he  remained confined and did not follow their example in seeking revenge for the hostility their  towards him.  He had confidence in Christ, and thus would leave their wrong motives to Him for correction.  Christians can adopt the same approach while dealing with people who treat us with cruelty. Moreover, Christ followers should not allow their situations to take away their joy but should overcome them through maintenance of a godly perspective and focusing on what He is accomplishing even amidst trials and tribulations they experience.  We should remember that all things work for good of the people who love God and happen accomplish His purpose, Romans 8:28[6].    When experiencing losses and heartbreaks, Christians may not know how to react or the actions to take. 

 

It is tempting to spend their entire life complaining and seeking pity, or to seek comfort in destructive habits. These actions completely differ from the example shown be Paul.  Christians should not react to suffering like the word does but rejoice in such circumstances knowing that they will not last.  If anything, Christ-followers should seek to understand God's purpose in their suffering and be glad because He has good intention for them in the situations.  God's will may be fulfilled through hardships, but believers' joy is doing the His work regardless of the situation.  Christians can find fulfilling Joy though preaching the gospel if they can have the bigger picture and get over themselves. Just as Paul, nothing should steal out Joy since while human are expendable, Christ's message is not.  Paul's unselfishness was the major source of his joy, and Christians should embrace such an attitude if they are ever to find true joy amidst tribulations.

 

Strengthening others

The text also shows the need believers to use their suffering to strengthen others.  In verse 14-18 Paul focuses on exhorting others through suffering, and he was glad that even in his chains and persecution, other believers were finding the courage and strength to carry on the message of Christ.  He was able to do this by showing little fear and much joy from the fact that others were not being derailed by his situation but found courage from the zeal that Paul had for Christ. This is similar to how the Church's reaction to persecution, where believers scattered in all places and preached Christ‘s message, Acts 8:4[7].   This shows that when one's suffering is approached without fear the strength to continue preaching is increased.  The notion that a person's suffering can lead to the more strength for others faith calls for a new approach towards difficulty circumstances.  Our perseverance can show others how they can overcome and even flourish in related suffering and remain joyful through God's grace. For instance, overcoming marital struggles can set an example for others to follow other than strengthening the marriage.  Showing a strong faith in illness and even death should no longer be about the personal battle, but assisting others to fight through similar issues.   Personal weakness in faith should no longer focus only on individual growth but teach such faith to fellow humans.

 However, this does not mean that one should suffer silent, but rather share their experiences can go a long way in strengthening others to fight on. Paul concern for others did not mean that he was suffering in silence but made his struggle a community issue through which others could learn. Believers should open up about their suffering to encourage others through the entire healing process.  This is why a close relationship with others is important since, without it, it can be uncomfortable to share personal experiences.   Above all, difficulties and sufferings provide an opportunity to teach the love and Grace of God.

 

References

Bible, K. J. V., & Version, N. K. J. (1997). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

 

 

[1] Bible, K. J. V., & Version, N. K. J. (1997). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

 

 

[2] Bible, K. J. V., & Version, N. K. J. (1997). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

 

 

[3] Bible, K. J. V., & Version, N. K. J. (1997). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

 

 

[4] Bible, K. J. V., & Version, N. K. J. (1997). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

 

 

[5] Bible, K. J. V., & Version, N. K. J. (1997). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

 

 

[6] Bible, K. J. V., & Version, N. K. J. (1997). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

 

 

[7] Bible, K. J. V., & Version, N. K. J. (1997). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.