Paul’s Fearless Witness and Sacrificial Love
Philippians 1:18-26
Throughout the Bible God gives us examples of people who obey God. Like Abraham, who by faith left his home for a country he knew nothing about. Or Esther, who risked her life to save the people of Israel. Or David, who refused to seek revenge against Saul, even though Saul tried to kill him.
But too often we miss the point of these examples. Too often we think the point is to make us try harder in our own strength to be like Abraham, or Esther. But that’s not the point. That’s not why God gives us examples in the Bible. So what is the point? To see the point let’s turn to Philippians chapter 1.
If you need a Bible go ahead and raise your hand, and we will bring one to you. Philippians 1 is on page 980 in the Bibles we are passing out.
Take a look at the overview of chapter 1 which I put in your notes. Paul has two main concerns, at least in chapter 1. One is to help his readers live in loving unity, and the other is to help them be more bold in talking to other people about Jesus.
And in verses 12 to 26 Paul gives himself as an example of living in loving unity with others, and of being bold in talking about Jesus. So what is the point of this example? The previous verses show us that the point is NOT to make us try harder in our own strength to be like Paul.
In verses 3-8 Paul says he thanks God for how they have labored to advance the gospel. But the fact that he thanks GOD for this shows that it’s GOD’s power which enabled them to do this. And that’s exactly what Paul says in verse 6 -- “and I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” So the point of verses 3-8 is to show them that it is GOD’s power which will help them obey. Isn’t that encouraging?
That’s also Paul’s point in verses 9-11. Here Paul says he prays and asks God to help them abound in love for each other and for the lost. But the fact that he asks GOD to do this shows that they should not rely on their OWN power to do this, but be encouraged that GOD’s power will enable them to do this. And isn’t THAT encouraging?
And those two sections show how Paul wants us to understand the examples of obedience Paul describes in verses 12-26. We saw last week in verses 12-18 how Paul fearlessly preached the gospel while in prison, and how when some preached the gospel to make him jealous, he forgave them. And this week in verses 18-26 we will see two more examples.
But the foundation Paul lays in verses 3-11 shows that the point of Paul’s examples is to show us what GOD’s power is able to do in us -- so we will be encouraged, and trust him, and pursue obedience, knowing that he will do it.
So with that in mind let’s dig into the two examples Paul gives in verses 18-26. First, in 18-21 Paul describes how he is fearless when facing death. The first half of verse 18 belongs to the previous example. The next example starts with the second half of verse 18. So let’s start there –
18 … Yes, and I will rejoice,
19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,
20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
So Paul is in prison, chained 24 hours a day to a Roman soldier, facing a trial in which he might be sentenced to death. And yet at the end of verse 18 he says that he will rejoice. So why does Paul rejoice?
Notice that word “for” at the beginning of verse 19. That shows that in verse 19 Paul explains why he will rejoice. Look again at what he says –
19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,
What does that mean? That word “deliverance” could make you think Paul is rejoicing because he thinks he will soon be delivered from prison.
But that can’t be what Paul means. Because in verses 20 and 21 he continues to explain why he has this joy, and it’s not because he will be released from prison. It’s because he knows that whether he is released from prison or not, God will enable him to courageously honor Christ.
Read verses 20-21 again –
20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
So Paul’s joy is not that he will be released. His joy is that whether he is released or whether he is killed, he knows that because of their prayers God will enable him to be faithful to Christ. So that word “deliverance” does not mean deliverance from prison, but it means the final deliverance of being welcomed into God’s presence forever.
So the reason Paul knows he will rejoice, is because he knows that through their prayers, and God answering their prayers and working in Paul’s heart by the Spirit’s power, God will enable him to courageously be faithful to Christ whether he lives or dies.
And the reason Paul shares his example with his readers is because they were letting the possibility of persecution make them afraid of telling people about Jesus. So Paul tells them how God will enable him to be fearless, so they will know that God will do the same for them.
But notice also WHERE this fearlessness comes from. You might look in your own heart, and not see any fearlessness there. But the good news is that fearlessness does not come from our own hearts. It comes from what Paul says in verse 21 – “for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Fearlessness comes from knowing Christ. What made Paul fearless was not who Paul is, but who Christ is. What made Paul fearless was that Jesus Christ is so real, so beautiful, so glorious -- that Jesus Christ was his life. And not only was Jesus Christ his life, he knew that Jesus had forgiven his sins and had conquered the power of death so that death would only bring him more joy in Christ. So Paul’s fearlessness should not leave us in awe of Paul, but of Jesus.
Jesus Christ is so majestic that he will satisfy your entire life and give you even more at death. So nothing should hold us back from talking about Jesus, not even death.
When Jim Elliott was in his 20s, he joined with a couple other young guys to take the good news of Jesus to the Auca Indians in South America. Jim knew the risks, because these Indians had recently killed oil engineers who were exploring their territory. But Jim went anyway. Why? Because as he wrote in his journal before he went, “he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” And what is it that he knew he could not lose? Jesus Christ. And what is it Jim had that was worth death? Jesus Christ.
So if you are fearful about telling people about Jesus, don’t despair. And don’t look within yourself to try to stir up courage. Look at Jesus. Learn about Jesus. Walk with Jesus. As you do that the Holy Spirit will change your heart and you will become fearless.
So that’s Paul’s first example. Then, second, in 22-26 Paul describes how he gladly chooses what benefits others. Paul just said that Christ gives so much life, and offers so much gain in death, that he is willing to live or die to honor Christ. But now he tells his readers that he struggles with knowing which option he would prefer – life, which means continuing with them, or death, which means being with Christ.
Read verses 22-26 –
22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.
23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.
25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,
26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
So Paul is hard-pressed between two options. In verse 23 he says that his desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. Jesus Christ is such an all-satisfying treasure that Paul thought nothing of leaving this world, because it would mean beholding Jesus Christ face-to-face.
But in verse 24 he says that for Paul to remain in the flesh is more necessary for them. He knows that if he continues to live, he will be able to visit the church at Philippi and encourage and strengthen them. So in verses 22-24 Paul is not sure whether he will live or die, and which option he would choose.
But then something seems to change between verses 24 and 25. Because suddenly as he writes verse 25 he is convinced that he will be released from prison and be able to come and see them. Read verse 25 again –
25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith…
So why did Paul all of a sudden become convinced that he would be released from prison? Bible scholars have lots of different opinions. But what makes most sense is that as Paul wrote in verse 24 – that for him to stay alive would be better for the believers in Philippi – the Holy Spirit stirred his heart so he knew that’s exactly what God was going to do.
Picture Paul writing this letter. He writes verse 23 – “My desire is to depart and be with Christ for that is better.” Then he pauses – Oh, I want to be with Jesus. Then he writes verse 24 -- “But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.” Then he pauses. Hmmmm. Yes, Lord. Yes. Okay. I think God’s telling me I’m going to stay. And then he writes verse 25 -- “Convinced of this I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith.
So that’s my explanation for the change in verse 25. But whether that’s right or not, Paul’s point is to give himself as an example of how much God will enable them to love each other.
See, Paul knew God could have his life go in two different directions. God could call him to die for Christ, which would be far better, because he would be face-to-face with Jesus. Or God could call him to continue his ministry, which would bring great benefit to those in Philippi.
And Paul was willing to let go of the far better option. Why? It’s because God gave him a heart of sacrificial love – a heart whose greatest joy was to bring others joy -- so they could see Christ That’s what Paul says in verse 26. Read verses 25-26 together –
25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,
26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
Paul thought of what would happen in their hearts when they saw him after he’d been released from prison. He knew this would cause them to glory in Christ Jesus, to rejoice in Christ Jesus, to love Christ Jesus.
And Paul’s greatest joy was to bring others joy – so they could see Christ. So when he thought of them glorifying Christ – he was glad to continue ministry here on earth as long as God wanted him to.
Do you have this kind of love? Is your greatest joy to bring others joy so they can see Christ? To bring your neighbor dinner for their joy – so they can see Christ? To stay up late talking to someone in your home group to bring them joy so they can see Christ? Paul is an example of that kind of love.
And the reason Paul shares this example with us, is so we will understand that God will give us this kind of love as well. As you get to know Jesus Christ, God will give you such joy in Christ, that you will want to give others joy in Christ. And as a result, we will pursue lives of sacrificial love, just like Paul did.
Questions?
I have good news. If you’re not a bold witness for Christ, or don’t love others sacrificially, Paul’s example shows us how God can change our hearts to make us into bold witnesses and help us load sacrificially.
So be encouraged, pray for his heart changing work, set your eyes on Jesus whose glory changes our hearts -- and watch what he does.