Live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ (Phil 1b)

Live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ

Philippians 1:12-30

Key verse 1:27a,29

The people in Nepal have been suffering from strong earthquakes. Many of them have lost their loved ones. Every 12 seconds a child under 5 dies of starvation. One father was dispatched to Iraq as a combat soldier and then came back dead months later. One woman just got married and then found out that she had cancer. A while ago, one of the neighbors in College Park Woods committed a suicide. For the last two decades, my mother has suffered pains on her spine, neck, knees, wrists, and head due to all kinds of diseases she has. Do you know what I am talking about? I am talking about suffering. They say that life is suffering. I agree in some sense. No one lives without suffering. As soon as we are born, we have to go through all kinds of sufferings. Why do we suffer? Simply put, it is because we live in the cursed world due to our sins. But we often wonder why Christians suffer alike. We still suffer from sickness, job problem, financial problem, schoolwork, and conflicts with people. How come God allows us to suffer? That is a very difficult question to answer. I do not think anyone can answer that question perfectly. The Bible says that we Christians are not exempt from suffering. Instead, it teaches us the significance of suffering and how to transform it to glory. Today’s passage deals with suffering, particularly how we Christians should take and deal with suffering. Apostle Paul was one who suffered more than anyone else. What did he say about his suffering? What is the significance of our suffering in Christ? I pray that God may strengthen you and me to overcome our sufferings and live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Now Paul became a prisoner and was chained in prison. The Philippians were concerned about his welfare. And they themselves were going through opposition while Paul was absent. So, in the previous passage Paul encouraged them by showing his thanks, affection and prayer for the Philippians. In today’s passage, he testifies about how his chains have served to advance the gospel and wants to share his joy with them. Then, he took this as opportunity to share how he views his chains in light of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Then, he encourages them to join him in the suffering for Christ, struggling together for the gospel.

Paul’s chains have served to advance the gospel

¹² Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. ¹³ As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. ¹⁴ And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

Let’s think about Paul who was in chains. According to tradition, Paul was held in the Mamertine prison in Rome, which was murky and underground. We don’t know whether or not he was really imprisoned there. But he was sure chained by iron shackles for two years. (Acts 28:30) Palace guards observed him 24/7. He had no freedom to go out or to do something normal people could do. What could he do in such a place? Almost noting. It was a far cry from what he might have expected. He had a great vision for Rome but he ended up with chains. What if you were confined in such a place for two years? In this kind of situation, ordinary people will lose motivation, hope and then give up everything. One missionary went to a third world country with a great vision. But the weather was so hot that he had to stay inside home most of his time. There was no McDonalds and no Internet. Most of all, he was so lonely when he got sick. So, he wondered, “Why am I here?” Paul might have had the same question. He might have felt frustration, powerlessness, and loneliness. Some people wondered what Paul could do in such a place. Some even joked around him.

Even in such a difficult situation, however, Paul found a small opportunity to preach the gospel. He could not go out to preach but the palace guards came to him by their turns and stayed with him all day long. Paul seized this opportunity to preach the gospel to them. Some of them came to believe in Jesus and through their mouths the gospel began to spread in Caesar’s household (4:22) and then more people in Rome came to believe. Now the people came to realize that Paul was not a criminal but he was there for Christ. Now Paul’s prison became a Bible center and more people visited him to hear from him. What about the brothers? Probably, they had been discouraged and really concerned about him. At the same time, they were frightened by those who opposed Paul. But hearing what was happening in Paul’s prison, they became confident in the Lord and preached the gospel more boldly and without fear. Paul had never imagined he could preach the gospel in such a way. As a result, his chains rather served to advance the gospel.

About six years ago when MC went to Belize just after his retirement, not many people thought that he would be successful. As soon as he got there, he suffered from sand flies, hot weather, loneliness, and spiritual lethargy. And the country was so small that there are only thousands of college students in total. In a sense, he was chained by such things and could not do much for the campus mission. But as we heard from SC last Sunday, God has raised some Bible students regardless of their chains and seven of them attended the Central American conference in April. Six years ago, they were just foreigners but now the people know that they are there for Christ.

We may feel that we are in chains in preaching the gospel because of our lack of knowledge, our busy schedule, our weaknesses, and so on. However, God uses our chains more than our ability to advance the gospel. We may be chained but God’s word is not chained. (2 Tim 2:10) By saying this, Paul wanted to encourage the Philippians so that they might be confident in the gospel.

¹⁵ It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.¹⁶ The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.¹⁷ The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 

It was great news that many people were encouraged to preach the gospel, being inspired by Paul’s chains. However, not everyone preached to the gospel with a good motive. Some preached sincerely out of love and goodwill, knowing that Paul was chained for the defense of the gospel. However, some others preached out of envy, rivalry, and selfish ambition. Probably, they wanted to be recognized while Paul was absent. Some rivals and opponents thought that their preaching would add more troubles to Paul as if he had been worried about his decreasing influence while he was in prison. But what did Paul say?

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.

Paul did not care even though they preached out of wrong motives. It was because Christ was preached after all, which was what really mattered to him. Whether from false motives or true, as long as Christ was preached, Paul rejoiced. He had no personal rivalry or bitterness with someone who was against him. He had no his own agenda or ambition. He was happy if the gospel was preached no matter who did. He was a Christ-centered man.

We could be more interested in how many people “I” bring to God. But we should be more interested in how many more people “we” preach together and should be happy with the work of God through other coworkers and other ministries. Preaching the gospel is not our own ambition or business but it is God’s desire and business.

Paul desires to exalt Christ through his suffering

So far, Paul had testified how his chains had served to advance the gospel. By doing so, he wanted to encourage the Philippians who worried about his welfare. But now the question was what would happen to him? He was waiting for trial. He could be proved not guilty and released to live. What if he continued to be in chains for many more years for his trial? What if he were sentenced guilty? His future was uncertain and unstable. It actually was a matter of life or death. Who would not be distressed at the moment of life or death? What if Paul were sentenced to death? Would he still rejoice? Let’s see what he said about his chains?

“Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” 

He said that he would rejoice continually whether he would live or die. Why? It was because he was sure that his chains would turn out for his deliverance anyway because of the Philippians’ prayer for him and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. He was sure that his chains would not end in vain but turn out for his deliverance. So he rejoiced. What was the deliverance he talked about, then?

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. ²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

The Greek text and many other English translations begin verse 20 with “According to my eager expectation and hope” or something like that so that it explains what he meant by “his deliverance.” What he eagerly expected and hoped was the exaltation of Christ in his body. And he considered the exaltation of Christ in his body as his deliverance whether he would be released to live or die. Paul was sure that his chains would turn out to be the exaltation of Christ in his body and so he rejoiced.

What does it mean to exalt Christ in the body? It means to magnify and honor Christ no matter what would happen to him, whether live or die. In other words, his desire and hope was to exalt Christ through his suffering. He implied that suffering was essential to exalt Christ. However, suffering comes with pain and fear. He could die there and lose everything he had accomplished. The sting of death afflicted him. That was why he prayed to have sufficient courage to suffer for Christ. If not, he could not exalt Christ, which he thought would be a great shame to him. Yet, he knew that the Spirit of Christ would help him so that Christ would be exalted through his suffering. That would vindicate his chains and eventually he would be with Christ, which would complete his salvation. As such, whether to live or to die was not his concern. His concern was how to exalt Christ whether by life or by death. If he would live, he could live more for the sake of Christ. If he would die, he would be with Jesus (23). So he said, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” What mattered to him was whether or not he could exalt Christ in his body; that was, his suffering.

Here we can learn how much Paul desired to honor Christ. I believe that all of us here want to exalt Jesus our Lord. How can we do that? I believe that Christ is exalted best and truly honored through when we suffer for Christ. When we suffer, we have the fear of death – the fear that we would disappear and perish forever. Paul suffered not only from his imprisonment but also from flogging, stoning, persecution, rejection, and dangers. He constantly faced the power of death. He was worried about losing all the churches he had pioneered. However, the more he suffered the more he rejoiced. Why? Through suffering and the power of death, he saw the life of Jesus in him and experienced the power of Jesus, who suffered and died and rose from the dead.

God grants us chains so that we will know the power of death and thus the depth of Jesus’ suffering and his resurrection power. Paul knew that he was participating in Jesus’ suffering through his chains and so Jesus would be exalted. So Paul said in 2 Cor 4:10, “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” And he rejoiced in that.

One of our missionaries suffered from cancer. She was overwhelmed by the power of death. Her family members suffered together. She was gripped by fear. Each day was agonizing. She thought that was it. But in her suffering she saw hope in Jesus and experienced the power of Jesus’ resurrection. She came to desire more for Jesus and thankfully God healed her. After that experience, she could better serve God and her mission. While hearing her life testimony, I saw true peace and power in her life for Jesus and we all praised God. This is what our Lord wants us to have through our suffering.

To exalt Christ in our body means to participate in his suffering and thus reveal his resurrection power. People suffer for life. But we believers suffer for Christ. Our suffering for Jesus is not just painful but meaningful in that God uses it to reveal the glory of Jesus and grow our faith in him. We all have chains. But we believers are not chained. Rather, we can rejoice more because God uses our chains to reveal the life and power of Christ. This is a most profound secret of Christian life and it eventually makes us powerful, fruitful, mature and joyful in our suffering. The more we suffer for Christ, the more Christ will be exalted and that is our joy, isn’t it? That was why Paul’s earnest desire was to have more of Jesus’ suffering and thus the power of his resurrection. In Philippians 3:10-11, he confessed,

“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”

²² 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! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴ but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

There were two choices for Paul – to live or to die. Either way Paul said he was fine. To live in the body continually meant more opportunities to preach Christ and thus more fruit for him. To die meant the freedom from his suffering with Christ. Yet, he was convinced that it would be necessary and better for him to live for the sake of the Philippians so that they could grow more in faith in Christ. Paul wanted to choose suffering again for the gospel of Christ and for the sake of the Philippians.

Live a life worthy of the Gospel

Lastly, based on what he had said so far, Paul urged the Philippians to live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ.

²⁷ Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel ²⁸ without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 

“Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” means to live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ. In other words, it is to live as Jesus lived. It is to suffer as he suffered. It is inevitable to fight against the world and the persecution and fear the world gives. We don’t know exactly what opposition the Philippians were going through. But it must have been a serious matter. So, Paul encouraged the Philippians to stand firm side and side and strive together for the faith of the gospel, which is Jesus’ suffering and death and his resurrection. They must not be compromised or frightened by any opposing people. Instead, they should firmly and gladly suffer for Christ. If so, they would come to their salvation and their enemy would be destroyed.

²⁹ For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him,³⁰ since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Here Paul used the word struggle (Argon), which was used for an athletic contest or a conflict and fight between gladiators. Likewise, our struggle for the faith of the gospel is tough, hard, and severe, but glorious because our suffering is Jesus’ suffering and so we will be victorious as he is. In that sense, our suffering is a privilege God grants us.

Romans 8:17 reads, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

We all suffer. Life itself is suffering. But there are two kinds of sufferings. One is for our life. One is for Christ. Suffering for our life leads us to death. But suffering for Christ leads us to death and then life. We Christians are called for suffering for Christ. Jesus Christ himself suffered and died on the cross and then rose from the dead. Participating in his death and life is a life worthy of the gospel of Christ. 

Therefore we Christians rejoice in our suffering. Our concern should not be on how to get jobs, how to avoid commitment, or how to save ourselves. We cannot avoid suffering anyway. Instead, we should take such sufferings for Christ. Look for a way to exalt our Lord through our suffering rather than how to save yourselves. If you do so, you will experience the power of Jesus’ resurrection and see the glory of God. Some might say, “Still I don’t want to suffer.” But if you do not suffer for Jesus, you have little to do with him.  

We Christians are not those who avoid suffering but those who suffer and even die for Jesus. Suffering for Jesus is the way of life. So Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

Since the outset of our ministry, we have experienced sufferings within and without. Particularly, LL and RL have suffered more than anyone here. Their first grandson was born premature and suffered a heart problem. He had a slim chance to survive. They faced a financial crisis and many more troubles. Yet, they suffered for Christ, putting the work of God first. I see their joy in their suffering. I pray that we all may suffer for Christ not for our life.

Today, I wear a suit one of my friends gave, which he got from his relative who was dead last year. Usually, Koreans do not wear clothes that belonged to a dead person. But I am in Christ. My desire is to live as a dead man for Christ so that I may have his life in me and experience the power of his resurrection. I complain that I am so busy with work and this ministry. May God forgive my sin and help me rejoice in participating in Jesus’ suffering. I also pray that all our Bible students may suffer so that Christ may be exalted high in our ministry. May God help us all struggle together in one spirit for the gospel of Jesus.

Let’s read the key verses together.

²⁷ Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ…²⁹ For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.”

By David Yun