Sermon Tone Analysis

Philippians 1:12-26

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell © 2006

All afternoon a little boy tried to put together his birthday gift from his father, a Jigsaw puzzle.

Some of the pieces were bright, some dark; some seemed to go together, others just didn’t fit.

Finally, frustrated and exhausted and with nothing to show for his efforts, the boy gathered the pieces, put them in the box, and gave it to his dad.

I can’t do it, he explained.

You try it.

To his amazement, his father assembled the entire puzzle in a few minutes.

You see, he said, I knew what the picture was like all the time.

I saw the picture in the puzzle, but you saw only the pieces.

We often see pieces of our life as having no purpose or meaning.

This is because we don’t see the big picture.

/Paul tells us in Romans 8:28 that God *causes*/* /all things to work together for good./*

Those things are the pieces.

He then tells us /how/ they work together for the good, according to God’s purpose.

That’s the picture.

/Are you frustrated over the circumstances in your life?/ Don’t take them out of God’s hand and try to work it out yourself.

Trust God’s perfect plan.

Last Sunday Richard preached about the */fellowship of the Gospel/* that Paul and the Philippians shared.

Tonight */Paul informs/* them of the */furtherance of the Gospel/*.

He shares with them 3 tools God used to advance His Kingdom.

*/1.

His Chains   2.

His Critics   3.

His Crisis/*

 

*/Firstly we see /* Paul's Chains

 

*Philippians 1:12:* /But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, /

/ /

/Many believers ask God why, when difficulties come their way./

/Perhaps the Philippians wondered why God allowed the apostle Paul to be imprisoned in Rome./

They supported him through prayer and gifts.

They were worried their ministry might have been in vain.

/Paul had faithfully preached the Word.

*So why did all of this happen to Him?

Why was he currently in Rome under house arrest?*/

Paul puts their minds at ease.

He tells them, God is in control.

Verse 12 says that /the *things* that happened to him have turned out for the/ */furtherance of the Gospel/*/./

*/These things/* cover the period starting with his arrest in chapter 21 till his journey to Rome and imprisonment there in chapter 28.

Paul’s life was threatened by the Jews, he was imprisoned for 2 years at Caesarea and shipwrecked on Malta whilst traveling to Rome.

The word translated */furtherance/* *prokoph* means */progress,/* */profit, advancement, to strike forward/*.

Originally the word was used of a pioneer cutting his way through brushwood.

It was a Greek military term referring to the army engineers who went before the troops to open up the way into new territory.

Like the crack troops sent in today to spearhead the attack through the enemy lines.

Paul was God's pioneer opening up new territory; Reaching to the heart of the Empire.

*/From his arrest and imprisonments in Jerusalem, trip to Caesarea then voyage to Rome he kept preaching Christ.

He testified to Jews and Romans both personally and through his various trials and hearings./*

In *Romans 1:8-15* Paul shares his desire to visit Rome and preach Christ.

*/He wanted to go as a Preacher but instead God sent him as a Prisoner./*

/How could his chains be used to open new doors?

/Because Paul knew God was in control.

*/Paul wrote that all things work together for good for them that love God.

Paul lived this verse every day./*

*/ /*

/a.

Chains Provide New Opportunities/

*Philippians 1:13:*/ so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;/

/ /

This wasn’t an */obstacle/* but an */opportunity./*

God gave Paul the opportunity to share Christ with */Caesar's elite guard/*/./

Each day 4 soldiers were appointed to guard Paul.

They were probably chained to him./

/As a result Paul witnessed to the whole guard.

Imagine those poor guards chained to Paul for 6 hours listening to him talk about Jesus Christ.

They couldn't get away; /He had a captive audience/.

*/Who was really bound in this situation?/*

As a result, /the whole palace guard knew that Paul's chains were in Christ./

Church history records that many of these soldiers believed in Christ.

Satan intended to silence Paul in prison.

However God worked through his chains to extend the Kingdom of God.

Paul’s imprisonment was a strategic advance in the kingdom of God because it cleared the way for the gospel to penetrate the Roman military.

He also had contact with */Caesar's household/* and led a number of them to faith in Christ.

In Chapter 4 these believers convey a greeting to the Philippian Church.

The */Jews in Rome/* came to Paul who shared the Gospel with them.

Paul stood trial in the Roman court for the Christian faith.

The */Government of Rome/* itself was studying the Christian doctrines, whilst people everywhere heard about Christianity.

Paul's chains allowed him to take the Gospel to the center of the Roman Empire.

Normally he wouldn’t have had access to these people.

Paul was leading an advance into new territory.

*Acts 28:30-31 says:*/ Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

*Don’t forget that*/ */Paul wrote 5 or 6 of his epistles from prison.

The Word of God is not bound!/*

/ /

My Personal Experience at Fisher & Paykel

 

For anyone who doesn’t know me I love to share the Gospel.

In fact I was serving the Lord as a pastor at Tent Hill Baptist Church until the middle of last year.

But sometimes when you faithfully preach the truth religious people will oppose you.

It happened to Paul in Jerusalem and it happened to me at Tent Hill.

Some folk didn’t like the message so they shot the messenger and I was pushed out.

Instead of preaching the Gospel in Church I am currently making fridges at Fisher and Paykel.

It’s not really what I want to do or where I want to be.

But God has put me there to serve Him in a rough & tough working environment.

Their language is colorful, but they need Christ.

God has opened up many opportunities for me to share my faith at work.

Most of the workers in my section know I am a Christian.

I have had many opportunities to share Christ with the workers.

Sometimes things get mixed up.

I have already been asked in I am a Jehovah’s Witness and a priest.

God has put me there to witness for Him.

/Has the Lord put you somewhere He wants you to witness?

Are you furthering the Gospel at work or school?/

/b.

Church Evangelizes With New Boldness /

 

*Philippians 1:14*/ and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear./

*/Others are always watching how we live./*