We'll Soon Be Done, But Until Then

FEBRUARY 7, 2021 STUDY NOTES PHILIPPIANS 1:22-24 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES WE’LL SOON BE DONE, BUT UNTIL THEN There are 2 songs that go well with the message for today, I used them together to title the message I want you to listen to the first song at the beginning of the message and the second one at the end INTRODUCTION Paul’s mind is concentrating upon two options, which one is the best for him? Which one is the best for others, those that he ministers too? One option is to continue to live and minister to others, in which others would benefit The other is to die and go to be with Christ, in which Paul would benefit Php 1:22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. When Paul says, to “live in the flesh” he is not talking about a path of sin lived in the fallen nature “Flesh” is often used to refer to a life of sin which is in opposition to the spiritual life (Gal 5:16-26) Here Paul refers to his life that he was living in his physical human body, the fact of his physical life We all live our earthly life in a physical body, that is why physical life is not what it used to be As we get older, we are continually reminded of how life in the body is, it is not what it used to be There are other reasons why life upon this earth is not what it used to be, especially today Such as the sinful state of society, ungodly decisions of American government, coronavirus pandemic But things like that are not the comparison Paul has in mind, he is not comparing today with yesterday Paul is comparing our earthly life in the flesh with our future eternal life in heaven Paul knew that if he continued to “live in the flesh,” then God had a purpose for his life He called it “the fruit of my labor,” he knew what the most important purpose of life upon this earth was As Christians, we are to bear fruit on a daily basis for God’s glory, Joh 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. Which is not easy to do because it is so easy to be distracted by worldliness, don’t forget who you are, 1Jn 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. Paul tells us how to overcome the world, Rom 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Love for God is the answer to worldliness, but love must be sincere, it must be genuine, the real thing Christians must love God and hate evil which is all of those things in this world which are against God Christians must hold fast to good which is all the things God gave us through Christ, 1Th 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Good things should be the very nature of the daily Christian life A life of good works is a life that is profitable for all, Tit 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. That verse explains why Paul said, Php 1:24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. Christians can get involved in the world’s good works and neglect God’s good works, Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. God’s good works are those ordained by God for our daily walk of life They can be the same good works the world is involved in if God’s will is accomplished through them Page 1 of 5 Col 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; (We are to bear fruit “in every good work”) The good works of God’s will, are described as the “Fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23 (read it) The big difference between works of the flesh and Spirit-filled works can be easily identified People pride themselves in works of the flesh and desire the praise of man to compliment them Christians desire for Christ to be honored and God glorified through Spirit-filled works The praise of men is not necessary for the Christian to continue “to be fruitful in every good work” Christians must have the motivation and the strength in order to continue to walk in God’s good works Paul explains the source of that motivation and strength, Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Live in the Spirit and you will walk in the Spirit, 1Jn 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. (“So to walk” presents our responsibility as a “Child of God”) Be sure you hear Paul say, “the fruit of my labor,” he knew he had a personal responsibility toward God Be sure you hear and understand that Paul said “labor” which is also found in, Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work (same word) of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: The purpose of saints being perfected is so they can do the “work (labor) of the ministry” One reason many Christians today are not daily involved in ministry is because it is “work” Paul did not say that we are prepared for the “ease” of ministry, ministry requires “work” “Work” is something that most people today want to stay away from, its not in their vocabulary Today many work to get out of work, we are accustomed to having things that do the work for us We are a push button society, we can now push a button and get the work we want done for us We can turn the T.V. on and change channels, start automobiles and open garage doors Food can be cooked, dishes can be washed, just push a button, and get done what you want done Christians would like to push a button and see the world changed and the church grow It will not happen without labor, the ministry has always been work, it will always be work The ministry requires time, effort, action, and labor The opposite of the word translated work is “inactivity” Spiritual inactivity is a major problem throughout churches today Too many Christians are spiritually inactive on a daily-basis, they are spiritually lazy They are on “Spiritual vacation” during the week, active duty is only on Sunday Too many worldly activities keep Christians from being “Spiritually Active” We must be “actively involved” in daily ministry “for the edifying of the body of Christ” “The body of Christ” is the individual Christian united into Christ and unto one another We are united together to do the work of the ministry and when we do the church will grow The fun of fruitful labor is when you see the results of your labor (Read John 15:1-17) Paul says, if I continue to live on earth, I will continue to bring forth fruit But Paul was not sure of God’s choice concerning his life or death, and he was not sure of his choice YET WHAT I SHALL CHOOSE I WOT NOT Paul knew that the decision of whether he lived or died was in the Lord’s hands and not his But Paul was saying, if the choice were left up to me, what would I do? What was his desire? Would his choice be life or death? Which would be best for him and which would be best for others? Paul is going to tell us what he expected in either case, what would be true whether he lived or died Php 1:23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Paul was torn between two desires, the two possibilities presented a difficult decision to make Page 2 of 5 The two possibilities were the life or death he mentioned in verse 21 Which meant remaining on earth to do whatever God wanted him to do or go on to heaven If it was left up to Paul, he wanted to be sure that he made the right choice for the right reason Either choice was a good one, but which one was the best, the best for Paul and the best for others? The answer to that question is why there was such a dilemma For most people today it would be an easy choice because their life is a total earthly life Their choice would be to stay on earth and keep living the way they are living Their desire is to accomplish more earthly possessions before they die, that is what they live for Their heart is set upon earthly possessions, if that is where your heart is you need to hear Jesus, Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Paul’s heart was set upon serving Christ, doing good works, and ministering to others I am sure that Paul thought about the difficulties he faced because he lived for Christ (2 Cor. 11:23-28) Paul was beaten, cast into prison, stoned, and he faced the dangers of persecution every day All of which sounds like a good reason for departing from this life But Paul’s philosophy was like David’s, Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Paul had no fear of living or dying, if he lived his desire would be to continue to live for Christ Paul had another desire and it was a strong desire--HAVING A DESIRE TO DEPART AND TO BE WITH CHRIST The word “desire” refers to a strong passionate desire which is normally used in a negative sense (lust) Here Paul uses it in a positive sense, he longed to see Jesus, which meant that he would have to depart “To depart” referred to physical death, today we speak of physical death in a lot of different ways Such as, he’s gone, no longer here, passed away, and for the Christian, he went to be with the Lord Which is exactly what Paul said, to depart is “to be with Christ,” which was his yearning desire Philippians 1:23 is a very important verse to understand, it presents the truth of a Christians death It answers many a question, such as, will there be an intermediate period such as purgatory? Purgatory is a teaching of the Catholic Church, teaching a place of temporary punishment Where Christians go after death to be cleansed of sins that were not dealt with during their life Christians cannot pay for their sins, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, 1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: Our sins are paid for by the blood of Jesus, 1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Jesus went to the cross so that He “might bring us to God,” which happens immediately upon death Philippians 1:23 also answers the question of soul sleep, a teaching of Seventh day Adventist and others Soul sleep is the belief that after death the soul sleeps until the time of the resurrection and final judgment Scripture reveals that it is the body that will sleep until the time of the return of Christ and the resurrection Paul tells us that the spirit will depart at the time of death and will go immediately “to be with Christ” He presents the same truth in, 2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Jesus made the same promise to the repentant thief who died on the cross next to Jesus, Luk 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Page 3 of 5 Stephen learned that same truth as he was being stoned to death for serving Christ, Act 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, Act 7:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. On several occasions I have stood by the bedside of Christians as they depart and Jesus receives their spirit, Act 7:59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. You can sense that it has taken place, Jesus has come to receive them, which Paul says “is far better” WHICH IS FAR BETTER “Far better” means better beyond all expression, very much better, much better than anything earthly Paul sums it up in four words, “with Christ, far better,” earthly language cannot express how much better Which reminds me of a song, “If it keeps getting better and better, I don’t know what I am going to do?” Paul’s say if you want it to get better, die and go to be with Jesus I read an illustration that someone used in reference to what Paul was saying A friend sent a floral arrangement to a man who was opening up a new business location There was a mix-up, the card attached read, “Rest in peace” and the friend complained to the florist Which answered, then someone was buried with a wreath that said, “Good luck in your new location” When people buy life insurance, they want to know what the death benefits are Scripture tells us of many death benefits for the Christian: Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Psa 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. 2Co 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. David explains it as well as it can be said, we will be with Christ throughout eternity, Psa 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. For Paul death would be far better, but what about others? Php 1:24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. If Paul continued to live, he would continue to minister to others, just as he was doing The purpose of his life upon earth would not change, Paul lived to serve others Paul makes a point that Christians need to hear today, ministry is “needful for you,” for all of us The point is Paul needed to minister and others needed his ministry Many Christians today do not realize the importance of those words, we all need ministry We need to minister to others, and we need others to minister to us Too often the life that many are living is not even good for themselves and certainly not for others A great number of American citizens are living in retirement, which is good To be free from an earthly job should mean more free time for our spiritual job But the church of today is suffering because too many Christians are living in spiritual retirement No where in scripture do we find that Christians are to spiritually retire I have told you the story of the faithful deacon who came to the pastor to turn in his resignation The pastor had prayer with him and thanked God for all of his years of service Then the pastor prayed, Lord, he is through, you can come get him now, are you through serving God? Page 4 of 5 CONCLUSION We are saved to serve God until we die, we must continue to serve God every day that we still live Knowing that God has given us this day, so, what will we do? Will we live for Christ? What is your choice, what are you going to do with the life God has given you today? Paul tells us what we should do, 1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Are you willing to labor for God until you die or until Christ returns to receive you unto himself? What is your answer “Until Then?” According to scripture, We’ll Soon Be Done, but what about Until Then? Listen to the song Page 5 of 5