This Sunday, we continue our study of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Last Sunday, we looked at the love that the Apostle had for the church there and how he had great confidence, affection, and expectations for them. He was overjoyed at the fact that they had taken up the task of proclaiming the gospel. Towards the end of our text for last week, Paul even began to tell them some ways that they were to go about proclaiming the gospel. So, after Paul has finished with his thanksgiving prayer and his encouraging of the Christians there in their proclaiming of the gospel, he moves on to tell them some of what has happened in his own efforts to advance the gospel.
To understand completely the words of the Apostle as they are found here in Philippians, and really any Pauline letter for that matter, we must have an understanding of who Paul is and what he has endured. We read here in our text, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” So, our first question naturally comes to us in our asking, “What has happened to Paul?” Well, let’s go back to the beginning, with his conversion, which took place somewhere between 33 and 36 AD. Shortly thereafter he was nearly killed in Damascus. Only three years after becoming a Christian Paul traveled to Jerusalem in order to spread the gospel. From 46-48 Paul embarked on his 1st missionary journey. He went from Antioch to Cyprus to Southern Asia Minor and back to Antioch. From 49-52 he undertook his 2nd missionary journey. During this 2nd journey, Paul made his first visit to Philippi, and was imprisoned there with Silas. He escaped this situation when an earthquake hit and allowed one of the prison walls to collapse. This is the story of the Philippian jailer in Acts 16, who upon witnessing these events, immediately devoted his life to following the teachings of Jesus. Paul’s 3rd and final missionary journey began only one year after returning from his 2nd journey. In 60 AD he made a trip to Rome. On this trip to Rome is where Paul was imprisoned once again, and it is here, many have suggested, that Paul writes his letter to the Philippians that we are looking at today. It is also where he wrote his second letter to Timothy, as well as many other letters. In all, Paul’s travels after his conversion total up to be an estimated 14,000 miles. Remind you that this is on foot. This would be the equivalent of us stepping out the doors of the church and walking from the front steps of the church all the way to the Superdome in New Orleans and back almost 123 times. Some of you are saying, “Yeah but he spent so of the time on a boat.” I don’t know if you have ever been out on a sailboat, or even a boat with no power, but the effect that the waves on have on you after some time is not very pleasurable. He didn’t have a nice Mastercraft 300 horsepower to cut through the caps and swells out in the open water. So you see even Paul’s time on a boat was not a break from the hardships of travel.
Now add in the fact that Paul’s travels often took him to some less than desirable locations. Very few times when Paul arrived at places where a church was already established did he find it to be peaceful. It was never a time of relaxation. Usually there was some conflict within the church that Paul himself had to address. So, after traveling all the way to see these churches, instead of rest, that was when the real work started. There is also the “thorn in the flesh” mentioned in 2 Cor. 12, which is most likely a physical disability Paul gained during his ministry. Add to that the continuous persecution, beatings, and aforementioned imprisonments along the way and you start to get the picture. Paul managed to squeeze all of this into about a 30 year period.
So we take in all of this information about the hardships that Paul endured and where we expect to find bitterness and resentment. Where we expect to see at the least a sense of the all-to-familiar “that’s not fair” or “I deserve better” attitude, we find something drastically different. Paul says that what has happened to him, all of the trials and pain has actually been a good thing. They have all advanced the gospel. And this is the first thing that we are to keep in mind from today’s text, is that things are not always what we imagine, but there is good in them. In other words, there is a good that can and does come from Christian suffering. I’m sure that when Paul felt called to go on his missionary journeys, he wasn’t envisioning prison stents and beatings, but was thinking only about proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. You know, the profession or calling of ministry is quite diverse. You have some, like myself, who are called to minister in your average, every day, run-of-the-mill Bible-believing churches. You have others who are called to minister in mega-churches. Churches that are so large that the ministers there are almost more CEO’s of the gospel than anything else. And then you have missionaries; men and women who voluntarily put themselves in some less than desirable places and situations. Some of whom would make outstanding pastors. They could make for themselves and their families great livings preaching here in the US, but that isn’t their calling. They work hard just to afford the basic needs in a foreign country. They have no time for themselves, but are constantly tending to the needs of others. And they love it, they yearn for it. Their want to proclaim the Word is all they need to keep going. How much better would we be, would the Church be, would the world be, if we all had the heart of missionaries and all that drove us was the gospel. Maybe our view of our own Christian suffering would be much more like that of Paul’s, instead of the “that’s not fair” or “I deserve better” attitudes.
As we continue on in our text we find Paul’s words, “so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.” Here, Paul is showing us the impact that we can have on someone without our even knowing it. We can be a witness for and to those around us. My Bible, which is an ESV translation, uses the phrase imperial guard, some of yours may use the term praetorium. Still others may translate it as the King James does with the term “palace”. Well, what Paul is referring to here is the praetorian guard, or the official bodyguards of the emperor, which took care of the imperial prisoners. So picture now, Paul is imprisoned; chained to a Roman guard. The only time he isn’t chained to someone is when they are switching duties or when they were transporting him. Instead of Paul seeing this as a burden, he views it as an opportunity to witness to those who are forced to be in contact with him. Paul doesn’t view it as he who must be tied to the guards, but it is they who must be tied to him. This presents him with a wonderful opportunity to evangelize. He doesn’t complain, he doesn’t gripe. We don’t even really know if he ever prayed for God to free him. We know that he wanted to visit other Christians outside of prison, but for the most part, Paul was content to stay in prison and witness to those around him. He knew that God had placed those people around him for a reason and he was going to proclaim the gospel to them all.
Think about our own lives. How in our modern society so often we have been chained down. Whether it is by a world that uses the media to keep us from proclaiming the gospel or by a superior at work who is more concerned with not facing any lawsuits than he is staying true to his Christian beliefs, how often we feel confined in our faith. Think about someone who is stuck at home because of an illness either to themselves or to a family member. Think about someone who just isn’t at the point in their life where they can afford to spent vast amounts of time away from home. Yesterday, Amy and I along with many family and friends celebrated Ashby’s birthday. We had our little girl 3 years ago today. As you can imagine, our social outings have become less and less frequent, especially when you add in that Thomas was born only 21 months later. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t given an opportunity to witness to those around us. True, we may not be out there speaking with as many people as we used to, which in turn presents us few opportunities to share the gospel with those around us. But what we can do is show those around us what it looks like to have a Christian marriage and raise children in a Christian home. As I surveyed the room yesterday trying to be the social host, I noticed that there were so many people in that room that we wouldn’t have had the close relationship that we currently enjoy if not for our children. You see, no matter what your situation, even if it isn’t what you would prefer; God provides opportunities for us to witness to others. In all that we do, we are to glorify God regardless of the situation.
Now, let’s look at Paul’s final words here: “And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” This is simple. Paul’s not there, so someone has to step up. Someone has to carry the load so to speak. We spoke about this in the women’s Bible study on Monday night. When Paul first converted to Christianity, when he first became a Christian, there was a lull in the persecution of Gentiles. The reason for this being that Paul was the primary persecutor. He was one of the main figures leading the charge to persecute Gentiles. Take him out of the equation and there is going to be some drop-off. We said that it was like what the technology giant Apple is going through. With the recent loss of Steve Jobs there is going to be some drop in the output that the company has been known for. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t brilliant and capable men and women who will do great things at the company, but it will take some time for them to step into those leadership roles. In the end, there will be more people doing great things at Apple and the company may even be better for it. This church has known that same feeling. Nearly 2 years without a pastor; many of you have had to step into leadership roles that quite simply you weren’t too thrilled to assume. Many of you have lead studies, taught classes, and volunteered your time and your energy because there simply wasn’t someone in place. And the result is a stronger body. Just as the Christians during Paul’s time could not sit back and rely upon him being the only one to spread the gospel anymore, this church could not and would not sit and let many of the programs and activities of this church become absent. I mentioned to you last time that I saw a lot of First Presbyterian in the Philippian church, or the Philippian church in First Presbyterian however you may want to phrase it. Because of the pastoral absence that this church family has weathered over the past few years, this congregation is strong for it. This congregation is filled with workers. It is filled with those who want to see nothing more than God’s Word proclaimed to the farthest corners of the world. It is just one more way in which I know that God has worked to prepare us for the great things that are to come in the life of this church.
So, as my dad would ask of any sermon that he hears, “so what?” How does this text help me today? I know that it is about suffering, but what can I take and use in my life today. Well, I would say that you haven’t been listening if you are asking this question. But, if you don’t remember anything else from today then remember this: God uses Christian suffering to accomplish His will. Take comfort in the fact that if you are going through a period of suffering that God IS using you. He hasn’t forgotten you. In fact, you are closer to Him than ever. Whether God uses your suffering to place you where He wants you to be, uses you as a witness for someone around you, or uses your suffering as a time for growth; God IS using you. Know that without a doubt, God uses Christian suffering.
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