Philippians 1:12-30 Is there more to life?

When I was about 17 years old I had a serious breakthrough in my thinking. And I mean this was huge for me. It was like seeing the light of day for the first time. It was like I was a 12-year-old boy again and was opening up my first Christmas gift to find a Lego Star Wars set. It was like eating Swiss chocolate. It was like being stranded on a desert island and finding a satellite telephone and a mini-fridge packed with rocky-road ice cream. It was like visiting Rocky Mountain National Park without any other tourists. And I bet you really want to know what this breakthrough in my thinking was.

Jonathan is currently a Master of Divinity student at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and wants to become an ordained pastor upon graduation. Till then, this blog is in honor of his Dad, the real Pastor Romig. Please do not preach this sermon, but feel free to quote it using proper attribution (aff link). 

When I was 17, I realized… “There’s more to life than video games.” This probably seems obvious to you, but I had a serious desire to play video games. I really liked video games. I tried to free up my schedule so I could play them everyday. When I went to community college I tried to study computer science so I could build a career around video gams. And I even made it a personal goal to find a girlfriend who liked playing video games. I was single for a very long time.

What’s your desire? You probably don’t put your time and effort into video games like I did. But what would you say if you were to fill in the dots? “There’s more to life than…

Maybe you desire nicer jewelry, better golf clubs, to watch television, that prize buck, more money, a better physique, sports. Maybe your desire isn’t so obvious. Maybe you desire to have people say nice things about, to always be right, to have more power, to gossip, to feel secure.

I realized there was more to life than video games by realizing there was something greater than video games. I realized there was something more important and valuable than my desire. I realized the greatness of the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news that he lived a perfect life, died an innocent death, and rose again in victory over sin and death. All who put their hope in him are granted eternal life. I’d been a Christian since I was four but it was not until I realized the gospel was greater than anything I had or was doing that I began to change my life.

The Apostle Paul wrote about the greatness of the gospel in the book of Philippians. He wrote it in about AD 61-62, which was not an easy time. He was suffering on a personal level under Roman house arrest. The Jews and pagans throughout the ancient world were persecuting the believers and in 5-6 years Emperor Nero would begin to murder them by burning them alive. If the believers did not understand the greatness of the gospel, their faith would never survive the trials to come. We too need to understand the greatness of the gospel, whether to believe for the first time, or to have our faith strengthened today. If we can’t see the greatness of the gospel, our gospel is junk. But if the gospel is truly great, it changes how we live and our very desires. Let’s see how Paul explains the greatness of the gospel in Philippians 1:12-30.

How great is the gospel? The gospel is greater than all obstacles (v. 12-18a).

Paul believes the power and message of the gospel is unstoppable. What has happened to the Apostle Paul in verse 12? He’s under house arrest in Rome. If anyone is stoppable, it’s him. But despite his imprisonment the gospel is progressing and moving forward as more and more people believe. By saying the gospel is progressing, Paul paints the image of a warrior moving forward as he overcomes barriers and hazards. It’s like the slow but steady advancement of the allied forces on D-Day as they storm Normandy beach.  It’s a fight but the message of Jesus is overcoming all odds. We believe in something so powerful it plows through all roadblocks.

We see in the passage this gospel advancing in three ways. First, the gospel advances in the face of opposition (v. 13). The whole imperial guard knows that Paul’s imprisonment is not for Caesar, but for Christ (possible 9,000 soldiers). The news goes viral about the crazy man who dares to say that Caesar is not his captor but the crucified Jesus Christ is. Paul is being open and honest about what he believes and because of it the gospel is advancing even against the opposition.

Second, the gospel advances in the face of disunity (v. 14). Instead of the believers fleeing when they see Paul suffer the power of the gospel unites them and they preach Christ crucified. Instead of giving into the temptation to run, the gospel binds them together so they were speaking God’s word, “without fear”(aphobos). They were courageous and united.

Third, the gospel advances in the face of strife (v. 15-17). It’s not that Paul’s opponents were preaching heresy. They didn’t like Paul and were quarrelling with him. Even when Christians don’t like each other, the gospel bears fruit. If we were in this same situation we’d probably try to shut down each other’s ministries. But Paul ends by praising God because the gospel is preached (v. 18).

Our gospel is so great it advances through opposition, disunity, and strife. If we look at people’s actions we’ll only get discouraged. When we see people like Harold Camping promoting poor end-times theology it’s easy to hide our Christianity. When we see the Florida pastor hosting national Quran burning day it seems as if the gospel is in retreat. And when we see Westboro Baptist Church protesting soldier’s funerals with signs that say God hates homosexuals it’s easy to lose hope. We must look at the power of the gospel through God’s eyes. He sees its ultimate victory.

Paul writes in verse 16 that he is put in prison for the defense of the gospel. God has assigned Paul to preach to the Romans. The turmoil could have upset Paul but he recognizes God is in control. Like Paul, we must realize the power of the gospel is not defined by the people who preach it but by the God who gives the message.

The gospel faces opposition everywhere it goes in today’s society. Political correctness says all religions are true. Movies like Avatar tell us to worship tress. TV shows like Community refer to God’s plan as the universe’s plan. The scientist Stephen Hawking declared in May, “There is no heaven or afterlife […]; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”

Despite this opposition God calls us to see the greatness of the gospel. Revelations foretells God’s coming victory. He will rule publically and visibly over the entire universe and we will see his face and his name will be on our forehands (Rev 22:4). The gospel is greater than all obstacles.

Just because the gospel is greater than all obstacles doesn’t mean it’s easy to believe or share. The gospel is greater than all fears (v. 18b-20).

What I love about the Apostle Paul is that he is human. Verse 18b tells us Paul is rejoicing. But it’s not fearless rejoicing. Verse 19 says he has an intense hope and longing for deliverance. He wants out of prison. I know that if I were in Paul’s position, I would hire a really good lawyer. But Paul hires a really good prayer team and trusts in the Spirit. Just as the gospel gives Paul courage, it gives us courage to face life’s fears. Because of the gospel we can face frustrations and hardships and worries in life without fear. But most importantly we can face the gospel without fear.

Paul prays that he will not be ashamed. The guy wrote most of the New Testament, why is he scared? One of my weaknesses I’ve realized is that I’m ashamed of the gospel. You probably think that’s silly because I’m preaching, but I’m safe in this church building. Put me on a wooden box in downtown Estes and I preach like a mime. The gospel has the power to liberate us from these fears. It gives us courage when we should have none.

The church father Ignatius was the Bishop of Antioch. He was killed in the Roman Coliseum anywhere between AD 98-117. On his way to die he wrote to the church in Rome asking them not to interfere. They might have saved Ignatius but the gospel conquered the fear inside him. He wanted to die for Christ. He writes, “May nothing seen or unseen begrudge me making my way to Jesus Christ. Come fire, cross, battling with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, mangling of limbs, crushing of my whole body, cruel tortures of the devil—only let me get to Jesus Christ!”(Letter to Romans 5:3). People have died for this message, and they’ve done so willingly. They’ve been afraid, but the gospel has conquered their fears. God can liberate your fears as well. This doesn’t mean you won’t be afraid to share the gospel, it means you’ll have the courage to conquer that fear because you trust in the Lord.

This liberation from fear comes through the work of the Holy Spirit (v. 19). The Spirit is at work in Paul to give him courage. Because of Paul’s profound trust in the gospel he finishes verse 20 by accepting life or death just as long as God is glorified. This Spirit in Paul is the same Spirit at work in those who believe to give us courage to trust the gospel. There’s no way we can liberate ourselves from this self-conscious faith. We must trust in the Spirit to liberate us from our unbelief. The gospel is far greater than our fears and anxieties. Let it do a good work in you through the power of the Spirit. The gospel is greater than all fears.

The gospel is greater than all obstacles and even fear, but what makes the gospel truly great? The gospel is greater than all death (v. 20-26).

In Paul’s frustration he seeks to honor God whether in life preaching the good news or in death as a martyr. This is the moment he writes one of the most powerful lines in the Bible. Verse 21, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” The original Greek doesn’t have the word for “is” in this sentence. If you translate the Greek literally it reads, “For me to live-Christ, and to die-gain.” But what does this mean? It means… God gives believers this life to share him and the next life to enjoy him face to face. God gives us good work now and great reward later. This earth is a momentary struggle for an everlasting joy. It means, “For me to live-Christ, and to die-gain.”

The Apostle Paul knows this life is good and he gets to preach the gospel but he knows the next life is better. Nobody likes death. Nobody likes going six feet under. But Paul boldly claims that once he dies he will rise forth in glory. And do you know why Paul can say this so confidently? Because Jesus Christ went before him into the ground and rose in glory. The gospel is greater than all death. If you believe you too can say, “For me to live-Christ, and to die-gain.

Verses 21-24 map out Paul’s dilemma between life and death. He wants to stay and labor for Christ. But he wants to die and be with Christ. His purpose is the gospel. This is why he perseveres and presses on (v. 25-26). He wants to grow the Philippians so that they can rejoice in his effort and thus in Christ’s effort (v. 26).This is why we should press onward too. So that we can grow and help others grow. The gospel is greater than our discomforts and desires. It gives us a mission to spread the love of Jesus Christ where God has placed us. And what we have is a powerful message. The gospel is greater than all death.

The day I realized there was more to life than video games was a good day. But I didn’t stop playing video games. I looked at video games, and asked God how he could use me to minister to others while playing them. I used to play online all the time. I’d become one of the leaders in what we in the gaming world call a “clan.” A “clan” is just a fancy way to saying “gathering of nerds.” We had our own website, and I began to write devotionals and post them online for other people in the group to read. I wanted to help my fellow gamers grow and mature in their faith.

I began handing these devotionals out to more and more people. Pretty soon I discovered a love for writing that I’d never known. Since then I’ve gotten published in a couple devotional magazines and written a couple books, neither of which are published or deserve to be published. I also have a website where I share the gospel. Recognizing the greatness of the gospel changed my life. It changed my focus and I began to live for Jesus where God placed me. It wasn’t that I went off and did something crazy. But I did begin to live for a higher purpose where I was. Paul calls the Philippians to do something similar as he closes the passage.

What has the Apostle Paul taught us tonight? He has taught us three things: The gospel is greater than all obstacles. There are no circumstances whether good or bad that will stop the gospel’s advance. The gospel is greater than all fears. It’s greater than life’s fears and the shame we have for the gospel. The Spirit is working in us to liberate us from these fears. The gospel is greater than all death. The gospel gives purpose to life and victory over death. The gospel gives Paul the courage to say, “For me to live-Christ, and to die-gain.” And it gives us the courage to say, “For met to live-Christ, and to die-gain.”

So we can believe the gospel is greater than all obstacles, all fears, and even death. But what are we going to do about it? Are we going to stay where we are? Or are we going to change? I challenge you to do this… Live for the greatness of the gospel.

Live in a way that proclaims the truth of God’s good news. Paul exhorts the Philippians, “Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Remember how I said there’s more to life than video games? Well there’s more to life than you. And there is so much hope in that. Live for the greatness of the gospel. Let the gospel change you. Let the gospel work through you. Let it seep into everything you are.

How does God want you to live for the greatness of the gospel? Ask God today. I doubt he wants you to go to Antarctica, but I doubt he wants you to stay the same. You can live for yourself and your desires. Or you can live for something far greater. Live for the greatness of the gospel.

The gospel knows no obstacles. It knows no fear. It knows no death. The gospel only knows the greatness of Christ and the glories of his salvation. It asks humbly, what can I do to live for God? Live for the greatness of the gospel.

Image By: RebeccaPollard

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