Pawned

To the Philippians, we find ourselves
once again in chapter one. Instead of being part of the
bulletin, there is an insert that has the passage in its entirety
and then placed there for notes. As you can see, it’s a lengthy
passage. And so, as you might guess, we’ll be in this passage
for several weeks. I once had a pastor and professor
tell me that sermon titles are like jokes. If you have to explain
it, it ain’t any good. Well, with that, I have to give
you at least a heads up, if not an explanation about the sermon
title. Pawned. Even when I gave it to
my wife last night, I had to spell it. And it’s a good thing
I did because this isn’t a sermon necessarily about fishing. So
it wasn’t to be P-O-N-D, but pond. Paul lived a life that could
easily be described as a life that was pond for God. A life that was given in exchange
that God might receive greater glory, greater blessing. And
that’s exactly what the passage before us outlines today. I’m not a chess player, but I
do know that the shortest men on the board are called pawns. And essentially the way that
they function is they are moved into position and sometimes sacrificed. sacrificed for the good of the
game, for the protection of other more important players. In a
very real way, that’s what Paul did. Paul pawned himself. In
baseball, there is called a sacrifice play. Sacrifice bunt, sacrifice
fly. In all the games I’ve never been
to, never once did I see a baseball player put to death because of
the play. It’s not a literal sacrifice,
but it’s a play that enables another runner to advance. And
that’s a very real picture of what Paul was doing. Paul was
giving his life in exchange that the Gospel of God would flourish
and grow regardless of his own circumstances. I want to take you to Philippians
chapter 1, and we’re going to read the passage in its entirely
beginning in verse 12. The sentence is one long sentence
that goes, not literally one sentence, but the thought, the
stream of thought carries us all the way down to verse 21
of chapter 1. As I said, we’ll spend some time
in this passage for the next couple of weeks. But I want to
show you how Paul was pawned and what God got in return. If
you would, let’s look at v. 12. Now, I want you to know,
brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater
progress of the Gospel, so that my imprisonment in the calling
of Christ has become well known throughout the whole Praetorian
Guard and to everyone else. And that most of the brethren,
trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far
more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Some, I’m
sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife. Some also
from goodwill. The latter do it out of love,
knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. The
former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition. rather than
from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every
way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed,
and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice. For I know that
this shall turn out for my deliverance through your prayers, and the
provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest
expectation and hope that I shall not be put to shame in anything,
but that with all boldness Christ shall, even now and always, be
exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me,
to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Paul was pawned. He was in the process of being
exchanged. God benefited literally at Paul’s
expense. What I want to look at this morning
is that God, through Paul, realized at least, as Paul outlines here,
three. But God realized at least three
glorious blessings. that were brought about by Paul’s
circumstances. This morning, we’re just going
to look at one. We’re just going to look at one this morning.
Go back at verse 12 before we look at exactly what God gained. Let’s look at the opening of
this passage just briefly when Paul says, Now, brethren, I want
you to know that my circumstances have turned out for the greater
progress of the gospel. We know from our study at the
outset of this epistle that there was a great and love relationship
between Paul and this church. They were concerned about him
and he was deeply concerned about them. So his circumstances were a very
noteworthy topic to the Philippian church. They did desire to know
deeply how it was with him Literally, the circumstances there being
the things according to me. My things, we might say. What’s
up with me? Repeatedly, in Paul’s epistles,
he addresses his circumstances. He keeps people abreast of what
he was enduring, what he was experiencing. In Ephesians 6.21,
he said, so you may also know my circumstances, how I am doing,
Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the
Lord, will make everything known to you.” Paul recognized, he
realized that people were interested, concerned in his welfare, in
his day-to-day circumstances, and he took it upon him here
even in Holy Scripture to use those precious words to communicate
how it was he was doing. Colossians 4-7, he does the same
thing. To all my affairs, Tychicus,
our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond servant
in the Lord, will bring you information. Paul realized that they were
concerned. Paul realized that they were interested. But when you begin to think,
especially in the Philippian church, of all the things that
had transpired and all the experiences that Paul had had since his departure
from the Philippian church, you can imagine the Philippians being
extremely curious about Paul, about what he was going through.
Think of it. Since the time he parted from
them in Acts chapter 20, He was arrested in Jerusalem and went
into this period of long captivity. Here’s how it shakes out. He
was arrested in Jerusalem. He went through a series of kind
of kangaroo court trials in Jerusalem, eventually transferred to Rome.
He was involved in a shipwreck. He was imprisoned in Rome under
house arrest, chained to guards. All the while, the persecution
of the Jews continued both towards him and towards the church. And
how frustrating would it have been for Paul to not even be
able to be there and help local churches as this onslaught of
the Jews continued? He was involved, not by his own
doing, but involved in a lengthy, protracted wait for a trial.
Even in our own day and age, you know, the right to a speedy
trial when really some of those things they push on for years
and years and years in the court system. But in this dark day
and age, it could go on for years and years and years. People could
literally rot in prison. There was need of a prosecution.
They had a habit of delaying these trials. It was totally
subjective as to whose trial came up and when. Add to that the fact that his
judge was notoriously cruel, Felix, Nero, the Caesar, and Pulpia,
his adulterous wife, a notorious murderer, would be quote-unquote
proselyte who really had God on her terms. That’s whose fate
Paul’s fate rested in their hands. And so there was great uncertainty
in his circumstances. The things according to him.
The things that were happening to him. And yet, he says, He wants to
communicate. Remember, he wanted the Philippians
to know that his circumstances had turned out for the greater
progress of the gospel. He says, you know what? It’s
better that I was arrested. It’s better for God that I was
shipwrecked. It’s better for God that I am
now imprisoned. It’s better for God that I am
sitting on ice here in this cell waiting to be tried who knows
when. It’s better.” That’s what he
says, which is an astounding statement. The greater progress
of the Gospel. You’re talking about the greatest
evangelist the church has ever known. The pastor of the pastor.
It’s better that you’re chained to a guard sitting even under
quote-unquote house arrest. How is that better? Paul was in prison. And the church
was worried about him. But they were also worried about
the spread of the Gospel. They were worried about the ministry.
They were concerned. And that’s why Paul wants at
the very outset of this section to reassure his believers. The gospel had suffered no harm,
the cause of the gospel had suffered no ill fate. Perhaps even we don’t know. But it’s reasonable to assume
that the letter that Epaphroditus brought, the communication that
he brought to Paul from the Philippian church, perhaps even posed some
specific questions. How are you doing? How is the
gospel faring? How is the church in Rome doing
in light of your imprisonment? One said it this way. In the
communication brought to him, they had expressed, no doubt,
anxiety respecting his prospects and fear lest through his being
in bonds, the work of Christ in the metropolis of the world
should in various ways be seriously obstructed.” That’s what they
feared. They feared that because Paul was arrested, now the gospel
and the work of the gospel was going to be inhibited, clamped
down. Perhaps others would be fearful
of suffering the same fate as Paul. Perhaps the church, knowing
that people were now being thrown in jail for preaching Christ,
Perhaps the church began to close down. Maybe even his enemies were rejoicing
over him. Maybe they were gloating at his
arrest. Maybe they were suggesting that his arrest or his struggle
was proof of God’s displeasure with him. And as far as Paul was humanly
possible, He saw it with everything in Him to take away that fear,
to relieve their anxieties, to encourage their hearts, that
not only was the Gospel not struggling, it had turned out for the better.
The greater progress of the Gospel. One pastor suggested that Paul
was very sensitive as to what his converts might think of him,
his circumstances, his work. When the apostle was in prison
for years, his converts would be especially perplexed about
an ambassador in chains, as Paul referred to himself in Ephesians
6.20. It was a contradiction. But it
was a contradiction, if you think of it, not unlike a crucified
Savior. Paul, with great confidence,
was following a crucified Savior that he knew was alive and well,
sitting at the right hand of God. And Paul knew that no earthly
circumstances, no trouble, could even approach that which Christ
had already triumphed. His situation had turned out
for the greater progress of the gospel. It isn’t unlike Paul
to take a positive outlook based on what he knows about God, based
upon God’s work on his behalf. It’s a rare thing. In fact, it’s
a very frequent thing in almost every one of his epistles to
give these glowing reports even in the face of just incredible
odds. To the Thessalonians, he wrote
this. 1 Thessalonians. Let’s just do this. We have time.
Let’s just do a tour. Turn to 1 Thessalonians 2. 1 Thessalonians 2 Where Paul wrote, for you yourselves
know, brethren, that our coming to you is not in vain, but after
we had already suffered. Paul doesn’t ignore it. Paul
doesn’t try to play it down or pretend it didn’t happen. He
tells them exactly what was going on in his life. after we had
already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know.” I
mean, you can’t hide the facts. You can’t hide what it is you’re
going through in your own personal lives. Paul didn’t pretend to
gloss over it. Paul didn’t pretend to ignore
it. Rather, he incorporates it as it is in God’s great plan
of redemption. After we had already suffered
and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness
in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition. Paul got the Thessalonica and
it’s like, OK, here it comes all over again. And yet he wouldn’t
quit. He wouldn’t quit. Look at verse
8. Having so fond an affection for
you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel
of God, but also our own lives, because you had become very dear
to us. For you recall, brethren, our
labor and hardship, how working night and day, so as not to be
a burden to any of you, we proclaim to you the gospel of God.” These
are the Thessalonians who knew well what Paul was experiencing
everywhere that he went. Paul doesn’t downplay it or ignore
it. He realizes that’s part of God’s
call. Turn to 2 Thessalonians 3. Several pages to your right. In 2 Thessalonians 3, Paul again
went to them to again encourage them to again tout the providence
of God that incorporated suffering and difficulty into his life
as part of the ministry. For you yourselves know how you
ought to follow our example because we did not act in an undisciplined
manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying
for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day
so that we would not be a burden to any of you.” Paul doesn’t
ignore his God-given circumstances. He realizes that they’re ordained
by God. Because of the brevity of it,
just take down in your mind 2 Thessalonians 4.7, one verse. We have this
treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness
of the power will be of God and not from ourselves. When he refers
to himself as earth and vessels, in the context there in 2 Corinthians
4, it’s all about suffering and trials and difficulty and heartache. Turn to Ephesians 3. Perhaps
this will sum it up for us. Paul is extolling the blessing
that is his in preaching the manifold grace of God, the mysteries
of Christ here in Ephesians 3. Look at verse 1. For this reason,
I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles,
if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which
was given to me for you… I mean, what a beautiful and
accurate way to look at being placed into ministry. being given
God’s grace, the stewardship of God’s grace given to me for
you, that by revelation there was made known to me the mysteries
I wrote before in brief.” Now, he’s talking about the ministry
and the grand blessing that was his and being placed in it. Skip
down to verse 7. He mentions the gospel in verse
6, of which I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s
grace, which was given to me according to the working of His
power. Same thought. Look at verse 8. To me, the very
least of all saints, this grace was given to preach to Gentiles
the unfathomable riches of Christ. Paul is extolling the greatness
of the ministry. And then, the catechism at verse
13. Look at this. Therefore, I ask
you, do not lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf. For they are your glory. Paul
said, you know what? This struggle, this heartache,
this difficulty, which he doesn’t even go into in Ephesians chapter
3. He’s so focused on the ministry,
but he knows the people are focused on the difficulties that he’s
enduring. This too, in Ephesians, is a prison epistle. The Ephesians
too were concerned about Paul. The Ephesians too needed to have
their own fears and concerns relieved. Colossians, another
prison epistle. Go ahead and turn there. This
will be the last one. In Colossians 1, Paul addresses
the same exact thought. Another prison epistle. Another
body of people concerned for Paul. The gospel was flagging. Maybe it was going to even fail.
Maybe this whole Christianity thing is going to suffer Suppression
to the point of even putting it to death. Colossians 1. Now, I rejoice in my sufferings
for your sake, and in my flesh I do share on behalf of His body,
which is the church, and get this, filling up which is lacking
in Christ’s afflictions. Of this church, I was made a
minister according to the stewardship from God, bestowed on me for
your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching
of the Word of God. Do you see how Paul blends those
two things together? The magnificent blessing that
is preaching Christ and the immense suffering and difficulty and
heartache that comes with it. So often, not like Paul never
talked about himself, but when he did, he didn’t dwell on poor
me, poor mine, poor pitiful circumstances. But it was the Gospel, it was
the cause of Christ that was foremost in Paul’s mind. He was
a servant of Christ. The Gospel was paramount in his
mind. One said it this way, nowhere,
nowhere does Paul commiserate his condition. Does he dwell
on the weight of his chain or deal out invectives against his
foes? He omits the purely personal
and moves to alleviate his reader’s concerns always. Nowhere does
Paul dwell on the hardships of his lot, but always sets before
the reader his hopeful features. Paul had intended to visit Rome
after his work in Asia and Greece was finished, but he had not
expected to be carried there as a prisoner. Yet, this very
circumstance was undoubtedly a help to his work. His acquaintance
with the soldiers came for him in opening at Rome, even to Caesar’s
household, which he would never have been afforded otherwise. No wonder Paul didn’t ignore
his God-given circumstances, but no wonder in referring even
to the most wretched of them, he calls them momentary light
affliction. 2 Corinthians 4.17, he says,
momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight
of glory far beyond all comparison. Paul wasn’t going to be brought
below by his circumstances. Paul wasn’t going to ever say
that poor me, God’s being unfair or life’s being unfair and God
just is ignoring my plight. I mean, who else but Paul could
have written by the Holy Spirit’s directions, Romans 8.28, with
any integrity? We know that God causes all things to work together
for good to those who love God, to those who are called according
to His purpose. He says that these things have
turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. It’s an interesting
word here, the greater progress of the gospel. Other than the
word gospel, those three words are all rolled into one. It’s
a military metaphor. It was used to go before an advancing
troop to remove obstacles, trees, build bridges. They were the
invaders. They would go before the troops
and they would clear out the way. Whatever was in the way,
rocks, stones, boulders, trees, whatever. before an army. In fact, the
opposite of it, there’s another root word or another compound
word with this same root that was used of the opposite of throwing
obstacles into the way of someone. These roadblocks have been set
up by the devil himself to hinder or if possible stop the spread
of the gospel. And Paul said that his circumstance,
the way God was using his very circumstance, was actually clearing
the way for the gospel to grow and spread and flourish. What
happened at Rome has happened throughout the history of the
church. Whenever hostile influences have plagued the church or oppressed
the church, it ultimately led to the church advancing. not declining. I used to hear
Tony Evans say that Christians are like tea bags. They’re best
in hot water. And that has been the truth in
the church for centuries. It’s been the truth in Scripture.
It was so for Joseph. It was so for Israel, and Job,
and Jeremiah, and Daniel. It was so for Peter and John
during Acts 4 facing all opposition. There’s an interesting passage
in the book of Acts where you have a non-believer, a person
who believes in God, a Jew, but not a believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Essentially, he doesn’t tell
us why. Go ahead and turn to Acts 5. In Acts chapter 5, we see the
gospel going forth. People are being saved. The Jews
are upset. The Romans certainly are watchful
of the circumstances. In Acts chapter 5, look at verse
33, where it says, When they heard this, they were cut to
the quick, and they intended to kill them. But a Pharisee
named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the
people, stood up in the council and gave orders to put them all
aside for a short time. And so God’s servants were taken
out. And he said to them, Men of Israel,
take care of what you propose to do with these men. For some
time ago, Thutis rose up, claiming to be somebody, a group of about
400 men joining up with him. But he was killed and all who
followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After this man,
Judas of Galilee, rose up in the days of the census and drew
away some people after him. He too perished and all those
who followed him were scattered. So in the present case, I say
to you, stay away from these men and let them alone. For if
this plan of action is of men, it will be overthrown. But if it is of God, You will
not be able to overthrow them, or else you may even be found
fighting against God.” Galileo’s words were true. Paul was a God. Paul was a servant of God, and
Paul was not going to be stopped as Paul was advancing the cause
of Christ. Paul was pawned. The first thing,
and we may just be able to introduce it this morning. Paul’s sacrifice,
first and foremost, led to God’s gain in the cause of Christ. Led to God’s gain in the cause
of Christ. Look at verse 12. I want you
to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater
progress of the gospel, so that my improvement in the cause of
Christ will become well known throughout the whole Praetorian
Guard and to everyone else. It wasn’t just me. It wasn’t
just that Paul was in jail. There were probably in and around
Paul many who were in prison or under house arrest. There
were many criminals, not unlike our day. Paul’s imprisonment. Paul’s imprisonment was under
Christ. Imprisonment was in Christian.
That’s the point. The cause of Christ’s being in
jail He was professing of this Savior
Christ. What was known about his captivity
was that it was in Christ. It was due to no political sedition. It wasn’t because of a crime. He wasn’t a murderer or some
malignant problem in society. He was a Christian. And as guard after guard would
change places and come in contact with Paul, it became more and
more known that Paul was suffering the fate of being none other
than a Christian. The cause of Christ was being
advanced. We’ll take it up here next time. But I wonder how many of us have
that mindset, that attitude. How many of us really desire
to be spent for God? I can remember hearing when I
was a younger guy, a message that talked about being spent
for God. And so I knew it was perhaps
a Puritan or someone. So I, you know, in this beautiful
day and age of Google, I just went on and Googled the phrase
to be spent for God, to be spent for Christ. And I wondered who
it was that had said it. And I did find out that it was
said of Adoniram Judson, great Baptist missionary. His biographer
said it this way, undoubtedly his greatest contribution to
the people among whom he chose to serve was to spend and be
spent for Christ’s sake. But I soon found out that it
was also said of beloved George Whitefield. George Whitefield, it was said,
never perhaps there was a man whom it could be said so truly
that he spent and was spent for Christ.” And J.C. Ryle said that. J.C. Ryle seized upon it. In fact,
he wrote an entire sermon on being spent for Christ. where
he said, the desire is so strong when it really reigns in a man,
it impels him to make any sacrifice, to go through any trouble, to
deny himself to any amount, to suffer, to work, to labor, to
toil, to spend himself and be spent, even to die, if he can
only please God and honor Christ. J.C. Ryle liked that image, to
be spent for Christ. George Whitfield seized upon
it. He used it in one of his sermons. Thus, it shall be done
to all such who are willing to spend and be spent for Christ
or his disciples. For there is no respect of God
like the image. Charles Spurgeon, Charles Spurgeon,
I mean, not one that actually needed to borrow from anyone.
But he said it as well. He said the man who can live
most completely to God shall be the happiest man even in this
life. He whose heart’s desire is only
to spend and be spent for Christ shall find that he will win a
peaceful state of heart. And this is a foreshadowing of
heaven. J.C. Ryle, George Whitfield, Spurgeon.
Good company. Thomas Watson. Thomas Watson
wrote several articles on it. On the willingness to be spent
for Christ. And so, in essence, through all
my search, even with all the great technology ready at my
fingers, I still don’t know who originated it. Or do we? Even if he didn’t use those words,
we know it was Paul. We know it was Paul by his heart’s
desire who manifested a willingness to spend and to be spent for
Christ. Is that our heart’s desire? Are
we willing to give up all to sacrifice everything, even our
lives, for the sake of the cause. Merciful God, we pause, we bow
before you and we are humbled by this great saint. And his great example to us.
To make the cause of Christ. Paramount. It was so in his own
heart. He was willing to be spent. The
big question for us is that ours. Are we willing to? Be spent for Christ. Or are our
circumstances merely obstacles in the way? Father God, we pray
that this week you would help us to delve into this passage,
even in our own private studies, that your Spirit would go before
us, that you would teach us and challenge us, humble us so that
you may use us for your glory, for the cause of Christ. It’s
in Jesus’ name that we pray, Amen.