Philippians 1:12-18
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewNotes
Transcript
Today, we will be looking at the unstoppable progress of the Gospel so that you might follow the Gospel attitude of Paul.
Today, we will be looking at the unstoppable progress of the Gospel so that you might follow the Gospel attitude of Paul.
This incidence of negative emotions is particularly high among Gen Z, which reports rates of anxiety, stress, sadness and loneliness at least seven percentage points higher than those of millennials, Gen X, baby boomers and the Silent Generation. - Gallup study WFF, 2023
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice,
1) Paul’s Imprisonment
1) Paul’s Imprisonment
Why this should be bad news
Pain of imprisonment
Shame of imprisonment
Paul seemingly cannot preach
Wansink, Chained in Christ, 31–83
They were also tortured, including being placed in chains (e.g., 1:7; cf. Col 4:18; Rom. 43), stocks, racking (stretching the limbs in stocks), scourging designed to break the prisoner (e.g., Ep. 15.4–6), the use of claws for ripping flesh, whips, racks, metal plates, fighting wild beasts or gladiators in the arena and amphitheater, burning with hot plates or tar, castration, and more. Prison was considered shameful, and suicide was common due to despair and shame, to avoid a worse fate, and to stop the state taking property. Sleep was hard to come by, with prisoners usually sleeping where they were chained.
13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.
It is likely that Paul was chained to a guard in 4-6 hour shifts, and continued much of his normal Christian activity
Philippians Commentary
This verse, then, is ironic. Paul is in the heart of the Roman Empire, in the emperor’s own camp, a prisoner of war seemingly held captive to the might of Rome. However, in effect, he is a kind of Trojan horse (Houlden, 58), working from the inside out, with the emperor’s own men turning to the God he proclaims. He is like a computer virus in the Roman Empire’s mainframe, “infecting” it from the inside out, the kingdom of God working its redemption in the heart of the empire.
2) Gospel preachers with bad motives
2) Gospel preachers with bad motives
Can I describe one of the most frustrating feelings in life?
Maybe this has happened to you, have you ever been mistreated or hurt by someone who has good social skills
Look at Paul’s response
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.
3) Gospel preachers with good motives
3) Gospel preachers with good motives
Story Time:
Adoniram Judson
Summary:
General Discusion
Missionary who left England in 1813 to live in Burma which is near India, to translate the bible and plant churches in a place with zero Christians
Burma at the time was hostile to outsiders, and other missionaries warned him not to go there
He went anyway, at age 24 with his wife Ann who was 23.
Suffering
Leaving all family and friends that he knew forever
Pains of learning a new language and translating
Heat, disease, malaria, snakes, scorpion, living in a hut
Story: About 10 years into his journey, he was arrested on false charges for being a supposed spy for England. He was put into a prison, were he was tortured both by the bugs, disease, lack of food, and the guards. When he was put in prison, his wife Ann was pregnant with his daughter Maria. He was in prison for 17 months, causing both him, his wife, and his baby to suffer from malnutrition. Just a few months after his release, because of the conditions, his wife and his one year old died. Over his lifetime, he only left Burma once, and lost 7 out of his 13 children. It is recounted that he suffered severe depression because of what he went through.
Why did he go through this? Because like Paul, he understood the unstoppable progress of the Gospel. I pray that we would follow in the footsteps of these people. I pray that you today would set aside your own feelings, comfort, or wants and live to be apart of the progress of the Gospel.
Application
Application
Be Gospel focused and not You focused
Rejoice in Pain and in Betrayal because of the Gospel