Finding Joy in the Face of Outrage (2)
Philippians: A Letter of Encouragement • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Finding Joy in the Face of Outrage
Philippians 1:18-20
I. Introduction
A. Steve Feltham – Loch Ness Monster – 32 years of searching since 1991. He left his job and sold his home to pursue Nessie. So far has been one sighting. If this man will sacrifice so much for something that doesn’t exist, what will we do for the one who does exist?
B. Christian theology is always counter-culture and will always be difficult, but we are called to live with joy
II. Whatever the circumstances, I honor Christ (18b-20)
A. Exegesis
1. Yes, and I will rejoice
a) These words come from Paul in imprisonment for the gospel
b) There are some who are preaching against Paul
c) This is an era of outrage as Paul preaches salvation by grace through faith – this was against the priests and the Pharisees
2. Two sources of strength for Paul
a) The prayers of other believers
b) The Spirit of Jesus Christ
3. This is the basis of strength for all believers
4. Based on these two things Paul believes His situation will turn out for His deliverance
5. Paul has full confidence that he will not be ashamed
a) Illustration – Paul is saying this while in prison – something most would have been ashamed of. Can you imagine being arrested and put in jail? Some of you probably can. But it is probably not something that you would say you were proud of. I would be mortified if a mug shot of me were made public. Yet. Paul knows why He is there, and he knows that it was doing the right thing that put him there. Therefore, he will not be ashamed. Seeing Dave Frensley’s mug shot
b) There is nothing to be ashamed of if what you proclaim is true
c) In the end, there will be a vindication of the truth of Christ, we need only stand strong until then
6. The results of his courage
a) Christ will be honored in his body
b) Whether in life or death
c) Paul can’t go wrong whether they kill him or let him live as God is sovereignly working through his situation to use all of it for his glory
B. Application
1. Is God working in the best of times only, or also when we are at our lowest: hurt, shamed, mocked?
2. We trust in God and his salvation and we have nothing to fear as we stand strong in his truth
3. Our courage comes through prayer and the Holy Spirit
a) We must be a people of prayer
b) We must also be a people who trust in God’s sovereign plan
c) Whether we live or die, as long as we are living under His truth and for His glory, we have something to look forward to: we will be victorious!
d) We will find joy, even in our persecution, if we are living for Jesus
III. To Live Is Christ, but to die is gain (21-24)
A. Exegesis
1. Paul in his persecution knew that those who were against him may very well win
2. He is heading toward Rome where the reality of his death is a possibility
a) It is at these times when we could easily give in to the outrage: we give up or give in
3. For Paul, since denying Christ is not an option, there are still two viable options
a) To live
(1) This is Christ – More living in the person of Christ and for His glory
(2) It means fruitful labor to Paul – More opportunities to help others know Christ and more opportunities to glorify his Savior
b) To die is gain –
(1) An even greater option of beginning eternity with Christ
(2) For any truthful believer we acknowledge that we will die some day and our hope is eternal life in Christ. At the same time we fear death and avoid it at all cost
(3) For Paul, death was a welcome option because it fulfilled his ultimate hope, the presence of Christ
(4) To Paul this far better
B. Application
1. This is a classic win/win situation
a) SO often in sales people would debate buying. There would be a positive side and a negative side to buying. As a salesman you would try to find a way to make it in to a win/win, turning the negative in to the positive. Yes, you are spending $5K more, but think of the money you will save in the end
2. For Paul, the win/win, wasn’t just rhetoric or salesmanship. It was literal
3. It didn’t matter what the rest of the world thought or how they treated him because to live is Christ and to die is gain
4. We need not worry when the outrage comes against us because to live is Christ and to die is to gain
IV. While you’re still here, Focus your life on Christ (25-27)
A. Exegesis
1. Paul assumes that most likely he will continue to live on and minister to people
2. The end goal was to see people continue in their faith – Paul rejoices in seeing the kingdom continue to grow
3. They will have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus because of His coming to them again
4. His desire is that their life would be worthy of the gospel of Christ – HE desires to see them grow in their faith
5. His desire is to see them stand firm in one spirit, one mind, striving together for the gospel
B. Application
1. Tribalism – Much outrage comes from tribalism – we all identify with those we perceive are in our tribe while we vilify those we perceive to be in another tribe
2. Biblically speaking people are in one of two groups: lost or saved
3. We are called to love both tribes
4. Paul has a focus on the gospel that keeps him from being concerned about those who would oppose Him
5. His identity is in Christ and Christ is His focus – He is not concerned by the ones who disagree or would call him down
6. Likewise, when our identity is in Christ, there is nothing they can say against us
a) I am a bigger sinner than they could know – They can’t hurt me by screaming my wrongs
b) I am more righteous than they could understand – I am eternally forgiven and whatever wrongs they could scream at me are redeemed in Christ Jesus
V. Be Courageous because of Christ (28-30)
A. Exegesis
1. Not frightened in anything by your opponents – There is no fear for those who are in Jesus
2. The steadfastness of the church becomes a sign
a) Of their destruction
(1) The outrage comes from those who have not found the peace of Christ
(2) The world is often outraged when it does not understand the glory of Christ and the truth we find in Him
(3) The world is outraged that we believe all life is precious because it means that they will have to give up their own desires if that be true
(4) The world is outraged when we call what God’s word says is sin, sin. Nonetheless, we find our hope in Christ
b) And of your salvation
(1) If we were just like the world it would simply mean that there was no change in us and no redemption – And that from God
(2) Changed lives and perspective is always an illustration of the change of the Holy Spirit
3. As a believer we will both believe and suffer for His sake – it is confirmation of salvation
4. Paul suffered it and so will all true believers
B. Application
1. We must not fear speaking the truth to an outraged culture
2. One thing is sure, if we don’t know one will
3. We must begin conversations with people, ask questions, dare to engage and love people who are lost and dying
4. We must not back down from fear of an outraged culture
VI. Conclusion
A. The meaningless life of an atheist – Greta Christina
B. Our greatest joy is available to us only because of the world’s greatest outrage – Jesus died for you!
C. What is outrageous is the death of one man for your sins and mine, yet He bore it for us so that we could be forgiven
Lori Loughlin – Aunt Becky, Hallmark movie darling one week and criminal the next. How do you turn on Aunt Becky? She did something wrong and I don’t want to minimize that, but I am amazed at how quickly we can go from love to hate in this culture. While what she did was wrong, what would they find if they investigated you? In many cases, it need only be your Christian faith and biblical views. While scary, we are called to live with Joy even as we are called to live counter-culturally
Man Dedicates Life to Search for Loch Ness Monster
The legend of the Loch Ness Monster is one that has both intrigued and disappointed thousands over the past century. One man, however, has remained a resilient sentinel at the lake for over twenty-five years, refusing to give in to disappointment. Steve Feltham arrived at Loch Ness over a quarter of a century ago, having quit his job and sold his house in order to purchase a habitable van and "pursue his passion." A short documentary was filmed about the man who holds the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous search at Loch Ness, in which he addresses his seemingly absurd commitment. "The reason I sit here and I try to solve this mystery is because that is what makes my heart sing," he says in the film. "My life gives me freedom, adventure, unpredictability...it's a dream come true."
Potential Preaching Angles: Sometimes we need to be reminded that following Jesus has never involved the easy, comfortable life society seems to think. Unlike Feltham's quest, following Jesus involves submitting to his Lordship and joining a community of people who are bringing Jesus to all the nations, But like Feltham, we are on a quest that has all the "freedom, adventure, [and] unpredictability" we could ever dream of.
Source: Ed Mazza "Meet the Man Who Gave Up Everything to Hunt the Loch Ness Monster," The Huffington Post (2-08-17).
The Meaningless Life of an Atheist
Freelance writer Greta Christina, published often in feminist and adult magazines, is brutally honest regarding her dilemma about dying. As an atheist, she realizes she has a problem with facing death and disbelieving in an afterlife. Writing in a magazine popular with skeptics called the Skeptical Inquirer, she admits:
Death can be an appalling thing to think about. Not just frightening, not just painful. It can be paralyzing. The fact that your life span is an infinitesimally tiny fragment in the life of the universe, that there is, at the very least, a strong possibility that when you die, you disappear completely and forever, and that in 500 years nobody will remember you and in five billion years Earth will fall into the Sunthis can be a profound and defining truth about your existence that you reflexively repulse, that you flinch away from and refuse to accept or even think about, consistently pushing it to the back of your mind whenever it sneaks up for fear that if you allow it to sit in your mind even for a minute, it will swallow everything else. It can make everything you do, and anything anyone else does, seem meaningless, trivial to the point of absurdity. It can make you feel erased, wipe out joy, make your life seem like ashes in your hands.
She does find some hope, however. "What matters is that we get to be alive. We get to be conscious. We get to be connected with each other and with the world, and we get to be aware of that connection and to spend a few years mucking around in its possibilities. We get to have a slice of time and space that's ours."
Source: Greta Christina, "Comforting Thoughts about Death That Have Nothing To Do With God", Skeptical Inquirer (March/April 2005), pp 50-51
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