Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

How many of you have read through the book of Philippians in the past?

Chances are all of you can recite Philippians 4:13 or at least you’ve heard of it a time or two but believe it or not, Philippians is more than just that 1 verse!

In the book of Philippians we see Paul hits on several important themes.

Themes like being humble, giving thanks, proclaiming the Gospel, suffering, letting our lights shine as Christians, living for Christ, and being faithful servants to our King.

The most obvious theme in the book, though, is the theme of joy.

Do you know where Paul was at whenever he wrote this letter?

Roman prison.

Do you know why he was in Roman prison?

Because he was preaching the Gospel and causing civil unrest throughout the Roman empire.

Literally, the Gospel got him thrown into jail.

You and I like to avoid punishments as humans and this is natural.

You don’t want to break a rule if you know it’ll get you in trouble at school or with the law.

Plus, if you do happen to get in trouble you probably aren’t happy about it.

If you got caught breaking a rule at school and you had to spend the next school day in ISS without your friends you’d probably be a little bit upset.

Yet, we see in Philippians that Paul is in prison for going against Roman law but he’s not upset… In fact, he’s joyful.

Philippians is only 104 verses and the Greek word for rejoice/joy shows up 16 times.

How was Paul able to be so full of joy in Roman prison?

Because Paul was full of Jesus and He was focused on his Kingdom mission, not his temporary circumstances and oppositions.

The Washington Post reported nearly 2 years ago that over 1/3 of Americans now show signs of clinical anxiety due to the lockdown caused by COVID19.

In the 2 years since COVID first came to Southwest Missouri it seems like more and more people are anxious and worried about all sorts of things and understandably so! I’ve had people at the church where I’m blessed to pastor at talk to me about how they’re still nervous about their health and their anxious about how things are going to work out in our country and all around the world due to recent events.

Whether it be anxiousness about a job, health, having to do school differently than in the past, or being confused/concerned about how things are going in our country/around the world - how many of you have been nervous about something over the last 2 years?

I’ve been there!

My wife and I have a little boy whose about a year and a half old, the last 2 years have been stressful!

In a season of stress and in an age of anxiety, the book of Philippians stands out with a timeless message that brings peace, hope, and joy to our weary souls.

As we study this book this weekend, my prayer for all of us is that we would take these truths to our heart and be encouraged to be people of joy regardless of our circumstances.

That we would echo the mentality of Paul that we’ll encounter tonight that the Gospel is worth whatever cost that comes out way.

That to live is Christ and to die is gain.

This is the Gospel way - let’s begin tonight by reading the first 20 verses of Philippians chapter 1

Is the Gospel Worth Suffering For?

How many of you have ever experienced suffering or any shape or size?

We don’t like to suffer as humans and often we want to avoid it at all costs.

As we began this evening looking at the context of this letter, Paul is in Roman prison.

He’s suffering.

Prison at this point in time wasn’t what we think of as prison.

He didn’t get to make his phone call and eat in the prison cafeteria before being led back to his jail cell… Paul was essentially under house arrest which might not sound that bad in 2022 where we have YouTube, Netflix, social media, and iPhones… But back then house arrest would often included being kept in chains around the clock.

Often having a personal guard around you all the time.

Only being able to eat what people sent to you (if your family liked you they’d send you chick-fil-a, if not then you got whatever you could afford with whatever money you had when you came) and having to use your own money this entire time.

This was a person who was presently suffering in prison.

Paul would go on to talk about all the ways in which he suffered in 2 Corinthians 11 as we find this

This was a man who knew what it meant to suffer for the Gospel and he believes that his current imprisonment is actually advancing the Gospel cause as Philippians 1:12 shares with us!

Because of his circumstances, Paul was able to share the Gospel to the Roman guards who were forced to watch him.

Can you imagine being one of those guards?

It’s midnight and it’s time to change guards and the new guard comes into Paul’s house and Paul immediately starts telling him about the Gospel!

Even though he was experiencing persecution for the Gospel, he wasn’t frustrated and he certainly didn’t stop doing what he was doing.

Instead he proclaimed the Gospel and he wrote to encourage the Philippian church to do the same!

God often changes our attitudes in difficult times rather than our circumstances themselves - Charles Spurgeon, arguably the best preacher of the last 150 years, struggled deeply with depression.

He had bouts where he couldn’t sleep and was simply discouraged.

God never took that away from him and brought about a deliverance from that circumstance, but God did change his attitude.

Spurgeon, though his depression was real, is wellknown for this saying, “I’ve learned to kiss the waves that throw me upon the Rock of Ages.”

What do you think he meant by that?

He meant that even suffering - even depression - even anxiety - even weakness can be used for God’s ultimate glory and for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

That makes zero sense from a human perspective, just as rejoicing from prison makes no sense in our brain… Yet, that’s what the Gospel free’s us to do.

We can kiss the waves, even if they are terrifying and tall, because we know that our God holds us and that He will finish the work that He began.

Think about that truth for a moment

Think of some of the theological truths that this shares with us:

Who started this work?

God

What does this mean?

Our salvation isn’t something that we can boast about, He saved us, not the other way around

Who finishes this work?

God

Our salvation is not up to our perfect obedience or in limbo - He will hold us fast

Now, think of some of the reassurance that this can bring to your life:

Whenever you’re tempted to despair because of your sin, you know that Jesus’ blood is sufficient for whatever wrong you’ve done

Whenever you’re in a difficult situation in life, you know that He is with you and won’t abandon you

For Paul the situation is simple: God is in control, God has me here for a reason, God has people in my sphere of influence that need to hear the Gospel, Christ is being proclaimed, therefore I must rejoice!

Even in times of suffering, this was his mindset!

The next time that you find yourself struggling and even suffering for your faith in Jesus Christ, remember to have this type of mindset/focus and proclaim the Gospel for God’s glory and for the good of others.

Lottie Moon once said to fellow China missionary Hudson Taylor, “Surely there can be no deeper joy than that of saving souls.”

Let’s keep reading and finish out Philippians 1

Is the Gospel Worth Dying For?

How many of you have heard the song, “Christ Our Hope in Life and Death?” Nathan Murfin is your Worship Pastor so I’m sure you’ve heard it more than a few times!

Do you know the backstory behind that song?

It’s based off the Heidelberg Catechism which asks and answers this question: What is your only comfort in life and in death?

Answer: That I am not my own but belong, body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ!

This Catechism came about a little more than 1500 years after Paul’s death but I think Paul would say amen to that answer.

Paul, we read in these verses, is willing to die for the Gospel - not only that, but he believes that death would be a gain for him!

Think of the wonderful things this life has to offer.

How many of you have been to Colorado and seen the Rocky Mountains?

They take your breath away!

How many of you have been to the beach before?

Equally breathtaking!

Has anyone been to the Grand Canyon? Have you seen stars like Canis Majoris that are thousands of times bigger than our sun?

Life is awesome - it’s a gift.

Yet this present world cannot compare to the eternal world awaiting those of us who are in Christ Jesus.

In the world to come there won’t be cancer, sickness, betrayal, disease, and heartbreak because there will be no more sin.

Can you imagine what that will be like?

Of course, if you’re a Christian, you can’t wait for that to become your reality.

But there can be a human temptation to want to wait as long as we can so that we can satisfy ourselves with all that this world has to offer first.

I’ll be ready after I go to this place.

After I finish my degree.

After I get married and have a family.

After this after that.

Those are good things!

But the best that this world has to offer pales in comparison to what is awaiting us as Christians.

So many of our non-Christian friends get hung up here.

Think of someone who doesn’t know Jesus, if you were to go up to them and ask if they’d rather have heaven (perfection, satisfaction, and genuine fulfillment) or hell, which would they choose?

Sure someone might be playing you and say hell but everyone in their right mind would say heaven over hell because that’s just the obvious answer whenever you truly get to know the options… Here’s where many fluctuate: Do you want heaven or earth?

In our world people want the best this world has to offer and we think that by pursuing the latest and greatest thing that we’ll finally be satisfied.