Pawned – Part 4

gained from, not that God lacks
anything, but we suggested that there were three glorious blessings
that were brought about by Paul’s circumstances, difficult as they
were. And in order to get into that, I want to go all the way
back to verse 12. We’ll course through the passage in its entirety,
and then we’ll review some of those circumstances that Paul
experienced. Let’s pick up in verse 12, if
you would, of chapter 1. 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 cause 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, to be
sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but 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 from 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 as 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 writing to the Philippians
to encourage their hearts to put to rest any fears that they
might have, not only for him imprisoned there in Rome, but
for the cause of the Gospel. Was the Gospel too in chains? Was the ministry of Christ bound
up in a prison, as it were? And Paul writes, and in one sentence
dispels all of that. And he tells them that my circumstances,
which included all of that – the chains, the imprisonment, the
trials – my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress
of the Gospel. He says that all of these things
that have happened to me have actually benefited the work of
Christ. His arrest in Jerusalem, His
trial there, the transfer to Rome, the shipwreck, the imprisonment,
being chained to guards under house arrest, All of that, Paul
says, had turned out for the greater progress of the gospel.
The trail was being blazed. The gospel was advancing. His truth indeed was marching
on. Paul says it’s better. It’s better. Paul went on to say that in addition
to what he says about his trials and afflictions in 2 Corinthians,
where he calls all of those difficult things momentary light affliction. He says here that those things
that he’s experiencing, those circumstances, are actually benefiting
God Himself. God Himself is enjoying the fruit
of what Paul is enduring because of these God-given circumstances. We’ll review just briefly at
the several that we’ve looked at thus far. I suggested at the
outset that God realizes three glorious blessings that are brought
about by Paul’s circumstance. First of all, that Paul’s sacrifice
led to God’s gain in the cause of Christ. The cause of Christ
was actually being advanced, not hindered. Look at verse 12
again. 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 cause of Christ has become
well known. Paul said that it isn’t just
the fact that he was a prisoner, but that he was a prisoner in
the cause of Christ. He was a Christian. And that
that was leading to the greater knowledge of the Gospel itself. He says not only throughout the
whole Praetorian Guard, but to everyone else. To these 10,000
soldiers that alternately took turns attending to him in various
ways, the Gospel first spread through them and then through
the rest of the city. The great city of Rome was being
touched with the Gospel and it started with the Apostle, this
lone Apostle chained to various guards And it began to disseminate
through the city. When he says to everyone else,
we were left with a question. Do our life circumstances and
how we handle them point others to the cross? Is the cause of
Christ, is the advance of the Gospel, because of our own lives
and because of whatever God-given circumstances we face, leading
to the greater cause of Christ. We looked at a second blessing
that God is enjoying. Paul’s sacrifice led to God’s
gain, not only in the cause of Christ, but in the proclamation
of Christ. Look at verse 14. where he says
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.
In essence, what Paul’s example did was ignite them with enthusiasm
to go and proclaim Christ with new vigor. If you look through
that passage again, look at how many times this idea is put forth. In verse 14, he says that they
have far more courage to speak the Word of God without fear.
Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ from envy and strife,
but some from goodwill. Look at verse 17. The former
proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition. Verse 18. What then? Only that in every
way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed.
And so the proclamation of Christ is in direct focus here in this
little section. Paul was excited. And we looked
at those players, if you will, those preachers of the gospel.
We don’t know exactly who they were, but my conclusion was they
must have been Christians because Paul is happy with their message,
even if he’s displeased with their motives. Most of the brethren. trusting in the Lord because
of my imprisonment, fanned by the flames of my imprisonment,
have gone out and taken the gospel throughout the city. We looked at the motives of some
less than noble. As I’ve suggested, I think they’re
believers because Paul finally concludes that he rejoiced in
what it was they were proclaiming. And how can they really name
the name of Christ without truly being saved? Granted, even in
our own day and age, there are those with less than noble motives
and hearts. There is competitiveness even
in the scope of the church and the ministry of the church and
the cause and work of Christ. Paul finally, in his evaluation,
looks at these with less than pure motives and he says, it
really doesn’t matter to me because Christ is being proclaimed. It doesn’t matter that they intend
to cause me distress, not harm necessarily, just trouble. Maybe they thought that they
could fan the flames of jealousy in Paul’s heart. Paul says that’s
not the case. That’s not going to happen. Christ
is who I’m interested in. His glory, the advance of His
cause, His kingdom. That’s what I’m interested in.
Paul says, what then? Only that in every way Christ
is proclaimed and in this I rejoice. We come finally to the third
glorious blessing that Paul’s circumstances brought about.
Paul’s sacrifice led to God’s gain, not only in the cause of
Christ and in the proclamation of Christ, but Paul details here
that Paul’s sacrifice led to God’s gain in the exaltation
of Christ. And for that, I want to go back
and reread verse 19 as we begin to focus in on what Paul is saying
here. Paul said, 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, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by
life or by death, or to me, to live is Christ and to die is
gain. The ultimate thought here of
this passage is that Paul desired nothing more, nothing beyond
the exaltation of Christ. To see Christ magnified, Christ
lifted up, Christ glorified was Paul’s ultimate goal. That’s
all he really ultimately cared about. And that’s why it made
it so easy for him to, as it were, be pawned. That’s why it
made it easy for him to yield up himself in a living sacrifice. If Christ would be glorified,
so be it. Go back to verse 19. When Paul says, for I know that
this shall turn out for my deliverance, there are several questions that
must be attended to. First of all, what is the connection?
What is he referring to? What is this for this referring
to? He basically is telling us why
he will rejoice. He will benefit ultimately. And
Christ will be exalted. That’s why he is led to this
joy that even as the entire epistle sustains. He was completely convinced.
That the trouble that these envious preachers were bringing about
for him would ultimately work for his good. And we’ll come
back to that thought near the end as we sew up these ideas. But part of the whole solution
to this puzzle that he presents, beginning in verse 19 and ending
in verse 21, is what exactly is this deliverance that he speaks
of? Depending on your translation, You may or may not be even led
to even more befuddlement because some of the older translations
have that great and grand theological word salvation. And it is taken
from the word, the Greek word that points to salvation. And
you actually had a great many commentators, in fact, perhaps
even the bulk of them, that somehow said that somehow this related
to Paul’s own salvation. Which is an interesting position
to take because Paul stakes then his salvation essentially on
the prayers of the Philippians, which is interesting. The idea
explains goes like this. The word includes in its widest
reference the whole process of saving mercy. In the life of
the Christian, it points now to his lifelong preservation
in Christ. And here, the probable reference
is to the final glory, to the attainment of which all gifts
of grace contribute. Essentially, what he says is
this is referring to salvation with a capital S of which every
little part of the Christian’s life is woven. Another said it more simply,
that it refers not to his release from prison. That’s not the salvation
that he’s speaking of, but it’s used here in its widest New Testament
sense, not merely a future salvation, but of the whole saving and sanctifying
work of Christ in the believer. Which is a little bit narrow.
To say that every time a word is ever used in Scripture, it
must be being used in the same exact way every time is really
absurd. It’s really absurd to say that
Paul here is speaking of his salvation and pleading for the
Philippians to pray and to continue to pray for him so that he might
attain to that salvation is inaccurate to say the least. The word isn’t. here used in
its ordinary sense. It’s not talking about primary
or his ultimate salvation, but merely talking about safety. He knows that this will turn
out, and that’s why I like the new translation better. It turns
out for his deliverance. It’ll turn out for his safety.
In a sense, we use it all the time. He or she or it or this
device or this pill or this vitamin was my salvation. We misuse the word all the time
in that sense, but Paul isn’t wrong here to do that. In a very
real sense, this was a salvation to him. Not the ultimate salvation. The problem was Paul’s detractors
there in Rome. Remember, they sought to stir
up some kind of distress for him in prison. But Paul says
that ultimately this is all going to turn out for his salvation,
if you will, or deliverance. I believe that what he refers
to there could be his release from prison. He thinks that this
is all going to turn out, perhaps, to his release. That’s at least
a possibility. The word salvation here, at least
in this context, can’t be talking about eternal life. Probably
the idea of well-being. These things are going to work
out. It’s all going to be okay is what he’s telling the Philippians.
I’m going to be delivered. One said it this way. The apostle
is quite sure that his present circumstances will turn out for
his good. By this, he does not necessarily
mean an expected release from prison, for he is taking into
account the possibility of his death. Paul only gives expression
to the conviction that everything must work for the good for him,
for his salvation. For his release from prison may
be included, but not necessarily, which brings up an interesting
point. For Paul, deliverance had nothing to do with whether
he was released or not. For Paul, glorifying God was
his ultimate goal and he was going to do that whether he lived
or whether he died. For him, that’s what he’s talking
about. His deliverance was glorifying Christ. His deliverance was honoring
God no matter what people did to him. This imprisonment, he
says, with all of its difficulties and all of its troubles and trials that it brought
on him, ultimately would bring about Paul’s best welfare, his
highest good, the fact that Christ would be magnified whether Paul
was in prison or Paul was released or Paul was put to death. Paul
says, that’s my deliverance. That’s my, if you will, with
a small s, salvation. That either way, I could care
less about my life, he says. But look at the means. I’m going
to look at three of them. Look at the means of deliverance
here for Paul. knowing that that is the background.
We’re not talking about salvation in the grand sense. We’re talking
about His circumstance and His deliverance out of that circumstance
one way or the other. V. 19, “…for I know that this shall
turn out for my deliverance through your prayers.” That’s the first
means. Prayer. Literally, through the intercession
of the Philippian church, Paul says, I’m going to be delivered.
That’s why this can’t pertain to salvation. What happens if maybe several
people in the church don’t hold Paul up for God to give him grace? Does Paul lose his salvation
then? Does Paul not persevere because a few faithless people
in the church failed to show faithfulness to him? The thought
is absurd, as I suggested earlier. Paul thought. He conceived of
the Philippian church, and he tells them so here, of actually
aiding in the supply of the Spirit of God on his behalf. They went
to God, and God answered by a supply that came directly from the Holy
Spirit. It is an incredible thought,
and a humbling thought, and a convicting thought all at once. to think
that we can participate, that we can go to the throne of grace,
plead for someone else on their behalf, and that God in His graciousness
answers and gives them the supply that they need. I say that it’s humbling. When
other people tell me that they pray for me, there is nothing
more than that. Nothing more. It is humbling
to know that somebody else prays for you, isn’t it? That they
went to the throne of God and they asked God for something
for you. But I also said, Not only is
it humbling, it’s convicting. Because how little, how much
grace is in that storehouse that you never asked for? How much
grace is there for each one of your fellow believers, even here
this morning, that went unasked for by you? It’s an amazing thought
that Paul puts forth here. This whole deal is going to turn
out for my deliverance because you prayed.” That’s what Paul
says. It’s going to be better off for God. God’s kingdom and
cause is going to be advanced because you prayed for grace
for me. And in that, you immediately
see what a high value the Apostle Paul places here on intercessory
prayer. He could have ignored this so
easily. He could have gone immediately to the Spirit, and what the Spirit
does, and His purpose and cause in Christ, and the glorification
of Christ, which is ultimately for you. He could have gone immediately
to answer the causes, and He says, look Philippian church.
This whole thing, the whole success of this is tied directly to the
throne of grace which is on your knees. Such is the case for this
church. This church goes nowhere without
grace. This church goes nowhere without
the saints and without God’s people leading to Him. John Calvin said it this way,
he who depends for help on the prayers of the saints ultimately
relies on the promise of God. In other words, when God’s people
do what God has already asked them to do in going before the
throne of grace to ask for that which God knows they already
need, they in essence are living out their faith by prayer. When
they go to God and ask, they’re doing what God has already instructed
them to do. And they’re showing great faith
because they acknowledge the needs of their grace. This envy, this strife, whatever
it is that Paul is going through, was actually going to account
for his well-being because the Philippians were on their knees
on his behalf. in their prayers, securing for
him a greater supply of God’s grace. One Puritan said it this
way, How sweet and helpful such a friendship as this! The Apostle
prayed for his converts, and they for him, and thus both were
richly blessed. Prayer is the grandest of all
the powers which we have of helping each other. I mean, if you just paused on
that one statement, this would change all of our prayer meetings
from here to eternity. I mean, don’t you go to the prayer
meetings? I mean, I know you all do. And
bless your hearts when you share. I know that you got to share.
But listen the next time that you’re in the average prayer
meeting. We spend more time talking about how I might fix or counsel
or suggest or I might know somebody that could solve your problem
than we do praying. It drives me crazy. We spend
more time talking about prayer than we do praying. I’ve often
suggested, why don’t we just immediately start praying? You
know, it’s okay to open your eyes during prayer and write.
Go ahead and take down the prayer request. God will overlook that. Prayer is the grandest of all
the powers which we have of helping each other. So let’s get together
and talk about prayer. That’s not what Paul says. He goes on and says, to believe
this heartily and operatively is the greatest evidence that
is in a man’s soul. The powers of the unseen world
have triumphed over those of the seen. That’s the problem
is that most of us don’t really believe that prayer does a bit
of good. My counsel is far better. My ideas, this connection that
I’ve got, What we really need to do is not pray. We need to
network. And the more we talk about this,
the sooner you’re going to find your help. Isn’t that really
what we think? Paul believed in the validity
of the efficacy of their prayers of the Philippian
church. that their prayers, their pleading
before God was going to bring down a blessing of grace upon
him that he would not have had otherwise. Isn’t that astounding?
You know, there are several sections in Scripture that really just
get me. Number one, it’s when Christ
prays, because of all the people that ever walked the earth, you
would think that, you know, Jesus, did Jesus really need to pray?
I mean, here He is, God of gods, taking on human flesh, and yet
Jesus regularly took time to seek out a place, a quiet place
to pray. But the one that comes in a very
close second is the Apostle Paul. who regularly asks for prayer
and here, in a very clear case, acknowledges the necessity of
it on his behalf. How much more do I need your
prayer? How much more do we need your
prayers in the shepherding of this flock? That’s why I told
you it’s the most humble thing and the greatest gift that anybody
can do is to say that, you know what? I went to the throne of
grace for you today. And I asked God to give you some
more of that grace. Paul did it regularly, as I said,
2 Thessalonians 3. Finally, brethren, pray for us. And it wasn’t just a selfish
prayer, you know. Pray for us that the Word of
the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified just also as
it did with you. Philemon 22, at the same time,
prepare me a lodging for I hope that through your prayers, I
will be given to you. Paul does the same thing there.
He says that in a very real sense, my life is in your hands. You
can pray for me or not. 2 Corinthians 1.11 You joining
with us in helping us through your prayers so that thanks may
be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed
upon us through the prayers of many. These are astounding thoughts. That’s why I call this a privileged
partnership. We are partners in the work of
Christ. And if you can do nothing else, you can pray. And if you
do nothing else but pray, you’ve done the most glorious of the
work. Paul relied on the prayers of
the church. He knew the power, the necessity
of prayer. One pastor characterized the
opposite When he talked about the lack
of prayer in the church today, and he said this, get this. He
said, beyond doubt, my brethren, the feebleness of this conviction
among Christians, that is the conviction to pray and to pray
for the work of the ministry, pray for the pastors and shepherds
of the church, to pray for the advance of the gospel. The feebleness
of this conviction among Christians is the great cause that the church
is so impure. so dead in spirit, and that in
this 19th century of the Gospel, the world still so deplorable
in extent lies in darkness and wickedness. He says, were a cloud
of ardent intercessory prayer to rise from the hearts of God’s
people, it would break in so abundant a shower of blessing
that the church would be like a watered garden. You all know
my favorite book, Revival and Revivalism, one of my favorites. What they were trying to do was
determine, now, what exactly did they do to bring about this
revival? You can hear in the title that
there are revivals, true works of God, and there is revivalism.
An idea fostered by the ideas and efforts of men that brings
about some kind of numerical growth in the church that is
as dead as a rock. But in that, Ian Murray looks
and he says, you know what? In the final analysis, it was
a work of the Spirit of God brought on by prayer. It was the prayer
of God’s people. And he goes on to say the same
sermons taught to the same people at different times did different
things. And it was due to the prayer
of God’s people. Paul goes on. He acknowledges
so graciously and so clearly the prayer, the prayer work of
the Philippian church that leads to the provision of God. Look
at verse 19. I know that this shall turn out
for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of
the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The Spirit is going to give him
a fresh supply of grace. He’s talking about the Holy Spirit
here. So we have intercession on the
human side and grace or the supply of this divine spirit on the
divine side. That’s what Paul needed. The Holy Spirit is what’s referred
to here. supplying, giving, providing
that universally needed assistance that only He could give. Jesus
said when He departed that I will send you the Helper. And this
is exactly the circumstance that Jesus envisioned there. Needy
saints desiring and needing the Spirit’s guidance and strength
and provision. I want to read a quote from one
saint that’s pointed to this great provision that is given
here. He said, this divine agent, it is he who clears away the
mists of prejudice. It’s the same spirit that began
its work on you when you had a darkened heart and no knowledge
of Christ. It is he who clears away the
mists of prejudice, enabling the sinner to see clearly the
terrible truth of his guilt and danger. It is he who opens the
eyes to the forgiving grace of God in Christ. It is he who sheds
peace and love over the heart. And in the regenerate soul, he
dwells, not occasionally as an uncertain lodger, now here, now
there, but as a permanent abiding place, a home where he loves
to make beautiful and happy. Spiritual wisdom and strength
and joy are all from Him. Only through Him, therefore,
are men taught rightly to estimate the respective importance of
things, seen and unseen, so that on the one hand, prosperity shall
not puff them up or lead them to seek their rest in the enjoyments
of this world. And on the other hand, adversity
shall not unduly depress them as if all that is valuable were
withdrawn. That’s exactly what Paul prays.
That’s exactly what Paul acknowledges is coming to him because of the
prayers of the Philippian church, is that same Spirit that began
to work in him is contributing continued supplies of grace so
that he can endure regardless of circumstances. And I know that’s true personally,
so there’s no way that we could have survived these last three,
ten years without the prayer of God’s people. There’s no way.
People ask me how I do it. I have no idea outside of the
answer before us on the page. The supply of the Spirit of God. We’re talking about the means
of deliverance. How is it that Paul is being
delivered? Whatever that means yet. Not
only prayer and provision, but purpose. And I want you to go
back to verse 19 once again and read it as it flows. 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.
He says that part of his deliverance is his mindset that is on a fixed
purpose. That he is not going to be shamed. He’s not going to hang his head
in shame. He’s not going to be shamed for
the message that he brings. This earnest expectation, it
is watching with the most intense gaze. It means to have the head
turned and intent watching. And what it points to is this
patient watching and looking for something until it happens. Paul wasn’t hoping with fingers
crossed that this might happen. As one described it, it was an
intense, almost painful longing. Joyful and confident tone so
often noticed in this epistle came not from the absence of
yearning for the freedom and activity, but from victory over
such longings through faith. In other words, Paul says, you
know what? My whole purpose is wrapped up
in being delivered from this whole situation. And it did not necessarily mean
his release from prison. This hope, he says, that I shall
not be put to shame in anything. Paul wasn’t ashamed of being
a prisoner. Paul wasn’t ashamed of preaching
the Gospel. Paul wasn’t ashamed of the cross. He believed that all of these
things enabled him to glorify and magnify his Savior, and that shame had no rightful place in
his life. Shame was in stark contrast to
boldness. The one who’s ashamed is a coward
in Paul’s mind. Paul says he’s not about to be
ashamed of anything. He’s not going to be brought
to disgrace, said one, by the frustration of his efforts, the
disappointment of his hopes, because his hopes are going to
be realized regardless of what happens to him. One described it in these words. In nothing, says the apostle,
shall I feel ashamed? He should preserve his trust
and confidence. No feeling of disgrace or disappointment
should creep in over him. He should maintain his steadfastness
of spirit, not hang his head like one who had come short of
his goals or had been the victim of vain expectations. His state
of mind was such that no emotion of shame could come near him. As if his life had been a failure,
for if he should live, Christ would be glorified. And if he
should die, Christ would be glorified. It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter. Paul goes on and says, Look at
verse 20, if you would, according to my earnest expectation and
hope that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that
Christ shall be exalted. That’s the simple conclusion
to his words. But that with all boldness, Christ
shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by
life or by death, Christ shall be exalted. That was his goal.
That’s why he says this deliverance is so assured. Christ is going to be exalted.
He’s going to be so manifested that others are going to come
to know Christ and praise Christ because of my circumstances. Christ shall be exalted, he says,
with all boldness, first of all. It just points to that free and
continued preaching that Paul had engaged in from the very
start, not only from the very start of his ministry in Rome,
but from the very start of his ministry period. Paul would not
stop. He said he said it this way,
well, if I do not preach the gospel, the spirit was going
to continue to equip him with more and more grace with his
unfailing courage so that he could be completely outspoken
and proclaim Christ with all clarity, no matter what, until
the day he died. Christ shall be exalted with
all boldness, even now, as always. Paul had already seen it to be
so. That experience of life, the testimony of Scripture gave
him great confidence to press on and continue, knowing full
well that God does not change. He’s not going to abandon me
now. Christ shall even now, as always,
be exalted. But he goes on. Christ shall
even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or
by death. In his afflicted, imprisoned
body, Christ will be magnified. That’s what he tells the Philippian
church. That’s what he says is entirely possible that these
circumstances, even if taken to their extreme. That’s Paul’s
deliverance. Paul’s deliverance is that he
doesn’t care whether he lives or dies as long as Christ is
glorified. One said it this way. In the
earthly and bodily existence of the apostle, whether it was
life or death, whether he experiences acquittal and new opportunities
for service or conviction and death, either way, Christ is
glorified. Christ will be magnified, even
though Paul would refuse to modify or soften his preaching. He would continue to proclaim
the gospel with all boldness and Christ being magnified in
spite of the opposition is nothing new to him. It was always that
way. It had always been so. And Paul had great confidence
that it would only continue. So either way, it was all the
same to Paul, whether he lived or died, magnifying Christ was
secured either way. If he lived, if he could work
for Christ, so be it. If his life were cut short, so
be it. Christ would be glorified either way in the courage of
his martyrdom or in the continuance of his ministry. And that’s what
leads him to sum up with those just incredible words of verse
21. For to me, to live is Christ
and to die is gain. Years ago when I first, well,
after years of being a Christian, I had taken German, so I desired
to get a German Bible and I got a German Bible and I was reading
and this one passage just gripped me in the German. It literally
is Christ is life and death is profit. I mean, that’s how simple
the German has it. For to me, Christ is life and
death is profit. And in a sense here, Paul was
torn. And he begins this thing to go
and depart and be with Christ. That’s great to stay here and
remain with you and to preach. That’s good. But it’s this paradox
and he’s torn. It’s a dilemma. It’s a dilemma
of blessings. But here in this little sentence,
he says that living is so full of Christ, so caught up and occupied
with Him that the word Christ literally sums up life itself.
This is an awesome thought. For Paul, Life itself is summed
up as being in Christ. Christ was His inspiration. Christ
was His goal. Christ was His end. Christ was
His Savior. Trusting, loving, preaching,
following, obeying Him. Everything started and ended
with Christ. One said it this way, life is
but another name for Christ and his whole being and activities
are the Lord’s. If he traveled, it was on Christ’s
errand. If he suffered, it was in Christ’s
service. When he spoke, his theme was
Christ. And when he wrote, Christ filled his letters. One Puritan wrote, whether we
think of its source or its nourishment or its objects, we see everywhere
the Savior. The Apostle means that his supports,
his joys, his aims in life are all exhibited, all summed up
in one word, Christ. If we ask what is his spring
of happiness and of his patience, what is the secret of his abounding
energy, what is the object of his supreme love, the purpose
to which he devotes his mental and bodily powers, the one word
answers all the questions. Christ. When Paul said to me
to live as Christ, he spoke of his faith in Christ. He knew
and rested in the knowledge that God gave eternal life. Paul’s faith
in Christ regarded that great Savior not
only as a Savior, but also as a helper And so, Paul was constantly
crying out to Him. One said it this way, Without Christ, in whom alone
God is so known, that the knowledge gives peace and impels to devotion,
we have no adequate object of life.” Did you get that? What is life without Christ? It’s an aimless, hopeless existence. Without Him, our highest energies
remain unexercised. Without Him, our grandest capacities
unsatisfied. Without Him, the thought and
love and purpose of an immortal spring up and are exercised with
no conscious, noble bearing on immortality. And they only tend
to waste and perish. All of our efforts outside of
Christ are vain and empty. And you say, well, there you
have it. You’ve succeeded in preaching a sermon that has no
bearing on me because this was only the Apostle Paul. I’m not
in jail. There is no guard chained to
my hand. This doesn’t apply to me. Or does it? I would ask you what your purpose
is, because I know what Paul’s was. Paul’s purpose was to glorify
God at any account. Isn’t that supposed to be our
chief end? To glorify God and enjoy Him
forever? And that if God’s glory is our
ultimate goal, our ultimate purpose, then can we not glorify God in
any and all circumstance? Should we not proclaim Christ
in and through any circumstance and magnify the cause of Christ?
Cannot and should not Christ be glorified in all? Father God, we humble ourselves
before us. Before you and before your throne
and Lord God, we thank you and praise you for this reminder
of. This great saint was but a pattern
for us. Who modeled that high view of
prayer, the high view of the grace of God, And the high view
and goal of exalting Christ. Lord, may it be said of us. To
live was Christ. To die was gain. We thank you
and praise you in Jesus name. Amen.