Christ Was Preached - Philippians 1:12-18b
Christ Was Preached - Philippians 1:12-18b
By Pastor Lee Hemen
March 1, 2009 AM
What do you do to advance the gospel in the world around you? It seems that every day Paul looked at what he was going to do that day to see how he could do just that. When you read his letters you also get the idea that Paul looked to see how his future plans advanced the gospel as well. And, as we look at Paul's life, as reflected in his letters and the book of Acts, we discover that advancing the gospel for him meant far more than what a lot of comfortable American Christians think it does!
There are those who actually believe that just by thinking about Jesus or having a holy thought, that this is advancing the gospel. There are those who allow others to take the risks, while they sit safely at home, and these too think that this is advancing the gospel. We have come to believe that any holy thing we do, whether it is giving a few bucks, a quick prayer, or having happy thoughts about Jesus is advancing the gospel. We discover that Paul was sitting in a prison cell because he dared preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, Paul related that this “advanced the gospel” because Christ was preached. Let’s discover what Paul knew…
READ: Philippians 1:12-18b
There are many ways to “preach Christ,” but all of them center and focus on the main message: Jesus is the only means of salvation. Over the course of history we find men and women who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in their witness of this gospel message. Paul is one such individual. When we look at his life, we find that Paul was willing to suffer any loss of personal dignity, comfort, or freedom in order to have Christ preached. In fact, we find that…
I. Christ was preached in chains! (Vv. 12-14)
1. The testimony of our lives in Christ should be that we shared the gospel! Paul wanted to sooth any fears on the part of the Philippians for himself or how he might be suffering. This is why he related, “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” He knew their concern would be for him, but his concern was always for the “advancement of the gospel.” Paul could excitedly relate that what he desired was actually coming true: “As a result,” he writes, “it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.” Can you imagine that? Paul’s own captors were listening to the gospel message because of his chains! What a difference between Paul and many who claim Christ in our day and age! We tend to be more concerned about what others would think about us rather than sharing the only hope of eternal salvation with someone else! But notice that Paul also related that “Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” WOW! Paul’s example not only caused his captors to want to know about Jesus, it caused his fellow believers to share their faith as well! The “chains” a believer wears because of their faith in Jesus Christ should always inspire other believers to share their faith and nonbelievers to come to know the Lord! Each link forged should reflect things like “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” A judgmental spirit has no place in the church of the Lord. Christ should be preached in chains!
EXAMPLE: When folks look at your life, what do they see? Do they see the chains of your own making or the chains you wear because of advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ? I am reminded of the old Charles Dickens story “A Christmas Carol,” where Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by Jacob Marley, his old business partner, who comes to Scrooge shackled and bound by chains of his own making. Each link he forged in life was through greed and selfishness. His whole life was focused for the wrong motives and he was suffering because of it. Paul’s chains were a means whereby the gospel message was shared. I am also reminded of an old Monty Python skit where the Knights of the Round Table on their quest for the Holy Grail meet a fierce little white rabbit. They think it will be easily killed but it turns out to be quite a fighter and these “bold” knights run away as fast as they can. This is kind of like how some Christians also portray themselves to their fellow believers and the world. Kind of like harmless little bunnies, yet when folks get to know them, they discover just how mean and ornery this sweet little “holy hand grenade” of a Christian truly is and all they want to do is “run away, run away!” Is this the verdict of the chains you wear for Christ today? I pray not.
It is interesting why people do what they do. A whole study has been founded called psychology in order for us to understand human nature and why we do what we do. Some folks do things for personal recognition, for the feelings it gives them or out of a sense of duty, and there are still others who do what they do out of pure vanity, meanness, or selfishness. As far as preaching the gospel message, Paul did not care what people’s motives were as long as the message of the gospel got out! We discover that…
II. Christ was preached out of envy and goodwill! (Vv. 15-18b)
1. The main thing in life is the gospel message being preached! Paul was a realist. While some of the folks brought him grief, the gospel brought him joy! He wrote that while “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry,” there were “others” who did it “out of goodwill.” Can you imagine that? There were those who actually claimed Jesus who were preaching the gospel out of “envy and rivalry” with Paul? They felt that they needed to be in competition with Paul or that they understood more than Paul did about Jesus! Paul understood what motivated folks and he realized that “The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.” I wonder how many guards would have listened to Paul if he had continually complained to them about his competition or if he continually called them “carnal pagan heathens”? Never forget that Jesus told the sin-weary world, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) Paul knew that “The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.” Paul understood that there will always be those who do not appreciate their leaders and are jealous of them. Rather than being supportive, they sought to thwart Paul and the church of Jesus, but it did not work. Paul dismisses them by writing, “But what does it matter?” Paul knew that these people’s true motives would be found out and that “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached!”
EXAMPLE: There is a difference between being judgmental or judging someone’s life in Christ. A pastor mentor of mine once asked me a very clarifying question after I had became frustrated with another brother in the Lord, “Do you want him to be what you desire or what God desires?” He went on to explain that “If he becomes what you desire, then aren’t you kind of like a mad scientist who wants to implant his will on an unsuspecting subject, rather than a loving God who desires only the best?” I protested that this is exactly what I wanted as well! He responded by saying, “What if what you desire is not what God thinks is best? Your task is not to mold people into what you think God desires, it is to help them see what God truly does desire.” Paul realized that there were those who preached the gospel for different reasons, and he would go toe-to-toe with some of them over their ulterior motives, but he wanted the Philippians to rejoice in the all important fact that Jesus was preached, whether out of envy or goodwill! What is your desire?
Conclusion:
What do you do to advance the gospel in the world around you? Paul preached Christ in chains and he rejoiced that Jesus was preached out of envy or goodwill.
---
This article is the copyrighted 2009 © property of Lee Hemen and may not be copied or reproduced in any way shape or form without using the full text of this entire article, and getting the permission of its author.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
March 1, 2009 AM
What do you do to advance the gospel in the world around you? It seems that every day Paul looked at what he was going to do that day to see how he could do just that. When you read his letters you also get the idea that Paul looked to see how his future plans advanced the gospel as well. And, as we look at Paul's life, as reflected in his letters and the book of Acts, we discover that advancing the gospel for him meant far more than what a lot of comfortable American Christians think it does!
There are those who actually believe that just by thinking about Jesus or having a holy thought, that this is advancing the gospel. There are those who allow others to take the risks, while they sit safely at home, and these too think that this is advancing the gospel. We have come to believe that any holy thing we do, whether it is giving a few bucks, a quick prayer, or having happy thoughts about Jesus is advancing the gospel. We discover that Paul was sitting in a prison cell because he dared preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, Paul related that this “advanced the gospel” because Christ was preached. Let’s discover what Paul knew…
READ: Philippians 1:12-18b
There are many ways to “preach Christ,” but all of them center and focus on the main message: Jesus is the only means of salvation. Over the course of history we find men and women who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in their witness of this gospel message. Paul is one such individual. When we look at his life, we find that Paul was willing to suffer any loss of personal dignity, comfort, or freedom in order to have Christ preached. In fact, we find that…
I. Christ was preached in chains! (Vv. 12-14)
1. The testimony of our lives in Christ should be that we shared the gospel! Paul wanted to sooth any fears on the part of the Philippians for himself or how he might be suffering. This is why he related, “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” He knew their concern would be for him, but his concern was always for the “advancement of the gospel.” Paul could excitedly relate that what he desired was actually coming true: “As a result,” he writes, “it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.” Can you imagine that? Paul’s own captors were listening to the gospel message because of his chains! What a difference between Paul and many who claim Christ in our day and age! We tend to be more concerned about what others would think about us rather than sharing the only hope of eternal salvation with someone else! But notice that Paul also related that “Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” WOW! Paul’s example not only caused his captors to want to know about Jesus, it caused his fellow believers to share their faith as well! The “chains” a believer wears because of their faith in Jesus Christ should always inspire other believers to share their faith and nonbelievers to come to know the Lord! Each link forged should reflect things like “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” A judgmental spirit has no place in the church of the Lord. Christ should be preached in chains!
EXAMPLE: When folks look at your life, what do they see? Do they see the chains of your own making or the chains you wear because of advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ? I am reminded of the old Charles Dickens story “A Christmas Carol,” where Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by Jacob Marley, his old business partner, who comes to Scrooge shackled and bound by chains of his own making. Each link he forged in life was through greed and selfishness. His whole life was focused for the wrong motives and he was suffering because of it. Paul’s chains were a means whereby the gospel message was shared. I am also reminded of an old Monty Python skit where the Knights of the Round Table on their quest for the Holy Grail meet a fierce little white rabbit. They think it will be easily killed but it turns out to be quite a fighter and these “bold” knights run away as fast as they can. This is kind of like how some Christians also portray themselves to their fellow believers and the world. Kind of like harmless little bunnies, yet when folks get to know them, they discover just how mean and ornery this sweet little “holy hand grenade” of a Christian truly is and all they want to do is “run away, run away!” Is this the verdict of the chains you wear for Christ today? I pray not.
It is interesting why people do what they do. A whole study has been founded called psychology in order for us to understand human nature and why we do what we do. Some folks do things for personal recognition, for the feelings it gives them or out of a sense of duty, and there are still others who do what they do out of pure vanity, meanness, or selfishness. As far as preaching the gospel message, Paul did not care what people’s motives were as long as the message of the gospel got out! We discover that…
II. Christ was preached out of envy and goodwill! (Vv. 15-18b)
1. The main thing in life is the gospel message being preached! Paul was a realist. While some of the folks brought him grief, the gospel brought him joy! He wrote that while “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry,” there were “others” who did it “out of goodwill.” Can you imagine that? There were those who actually claimed Jesus who were preaching the gospel out of “envy and rivalry” with Paul? They felt that they needed to be in competition with Paul or that they understood more than Paul did about Jesus! Paul understood what motivated folks and he realized that “The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.” I wonder how many guards would have listened to Paul if he had continually complained to them about his competition or if he continually called them “carnal pagan heathens”? Never forget that Jesus told the sin-weary world, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) Paul knew that “The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.” Paul understood that there will always be those who do not appreciate their leaders and are jealous of them. Rather than being supportive, they sought to thwart Paul and the church of Jesus, but it did not work. Paul dismisses them by writing, “But what does it matter?” Paul knew that these people’s true motives would be found out and that “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached!”
EXAMPLE: There is a difference between being judgmental or judging someone’s life in Christ. A pastor mentor of mine once asked me a very clarifying question after I had became frustrated with another brother in the Lord, “Do you want him to be what you desire or what God desires?” He went on to explain that “If he becomes what you desire, then aren’t you kind of like a mad scientist who wants to implant his will on an unsuspecting subject, rather than a loving God who desires only the best?” I protested that this is exactly what I wanted as well! He responded by saying, “What if what you desire is not what God thinks is best? Your task is not to mold people into what you think God desires, it is to help them see what God truly does desire.” Paul realized that there were those who preached the gospel for different reasons, and he would go toe-to-toe with some of them over their ulterior motives, but he wanted the Philippians to rejoice in the all important fact that Jesus was preached, whether out of envy or goodwill! What is your desire?
Conclusion:
What do you do to advance the gospel in the world around you? Paul preached Christ in chains and he rejoiced that Jesus was preached out of envy or goodwill.
---
This article is the copyrighted 2009 © property of Lee Hemen and may not be copied or reproduced in any way shape or form without using the full text of this entire article, and getting the permission of its author.
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