The Advancement of the Gospel
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Philippians 1:12-18 is where we find ourselves this evening. As we noted the last time that we were together, the book of Philippians is a remarkable book and one of the reasons that it is remarkable is the joyous tones that are implemented throughout its chapters. We talked briefly about the circumstances that the Apostle Paul found himself in as he composed this letter to a church that he loved very dearly. It is worth noting that Paul loved all the churches that he wrote to and all the churches that he started but there is something particularly noteworthy about the love that he has for the church in Philippi. At the time of writing this, Paul is currently imprisoned in Rome and this is likely the same imprisonment that he finds himself in at the end of the book of Acts. What is astonishing to many is that during this time in prison, Paul is experiencing what very well may be the most productive years of his ministry. Despite being confined in prison, Paul is astonished at the advancement of the Gospel and that is what we are going to talk about tonight: Nothing, nothing on earth or hell below, nothing can stop the advancement of the Gospel. Let’s open up in prayer and then we will dive into Philippians 1:12-18.
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice,
The Far Reaches of the Gospel (V. 12-14)
The Far Reaches of the Gospel (V. 12-14)
Let’s focus on those first three verses, 12-14. If you were to leave at this very second, what I am about to say to you is probably the most important thing that you will hear tonight but don’t tune out from everything else after this: God is able to take any circumstance, good, bad, and everything in between and use it for His glory and for the greater proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is nothing in all creation that will stop the Lord from making sure that the Word of God is proclaimed. Now let’s understand one thing: Paul likely did not see this coming. While he may have known that some success would come from his imprisonment, he likely did not realize this much success would come from his imprisonment. Paul is writing to the church in Philippi because he has heard that they were worried about him. Typically those in a 1st century Roman prison would not be coming out anytime soon, or at all. Paul is gracious for their concern for him but he immediately turns around and says, “Guys, you don’t understand, this has turned out for the greatest good of the Gospel!” How so? Because the Gospel is reaching out into places that it likely would not have reached had it not been for Paul’s imprisonment. The church of Philippi, a city that was 600 miles away from Rome has heard of Paul’s imprisonment on behalf of the Gospel. Notice three areas that Paul says the Gospel has reached as a result of his imprisonment:
The Whole Imperial Guard (Acts 28:16)
The first group that Paul mentions is the whole imperial guard. Acts 28:16 says,
And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.
Paul at this time is under house arrest and like we saw, he has a Roman guard watching his every move. Now even if Paul is not under the same exact circumstances by the time he is writing Philippians 1, even if by this point he is taken from house arrest and thrown into a dungeon somewhere, he is still having his every move watched. Paul has appealed to Caesar and Paul will get that appointment and because Paul has called upon the Roman emperor to hear Paul’s testimony, Paul is an important court case. As Paul is imprisoned, there is no doubt that he is sharing the Gospel with those that are watching him. Paul explicitly mentions that the whole imperial guard knows that he is imprisoned because of the Gospel. Paul is not imprisoned for war crimes, he isn’t there because he is plotting a rebellion, the entire purpose for Paul’s imprisonment lies on his allegiance to Christ and Christ alone. For these imperial guards to hear the Gospel is incredible. Who else would be able to get so close to these intimidating men? Talk about having a captive audience too! These guards were not allowed to abandon or leave alone the prisoner that they were guarding. If something happened to the prisoner while they were under the watch of these guards, the guards would face the same punishment that the prisoner would face, maybe even worse. A Roman soldier who failed in his duty would be executed and not only would he be put to death, his entire family would be put to death as well. How perfect of a moment is this for Paul?
The Rest (Philippians 4:22)
Paul then mentions a second group of people and you may not have noticed it at first but right after Paul mentions the imperial guard, he says in verse 13, “and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.” Who are the rest? When you get to the end of Acts 28, there are a number of people that come to Paul. Acts 28:30-31 says,
He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
But is this the rest that Paul has in mind? Maybe but I think an important clue is how he connects the rest to the imperial guard. I think in Paul’s mind, he is referring to someone that would have a clear connection to these soldiers. So, who would that be? Read Philippians 4:21-22
Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.
“Especially those of Caesar’s household.” The Gospel hasn’t just reached the guards, its reached Caesar’s house. It’s in the ears of those that live in the emperors home. How did it get there? Paul’s imprisonment on behalf of the Gospel.
The Boldness of the Brothers
Let’s look at one last group of people. The Gospel isn’t just reaching in where Paul is at, it’s reaching out. Philippians 1:14 says,
And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
One man on fire for the Gospel has put countless others on fire for the very same cause. Paul’s imprisonment doesn’t deter people from spreading the Gospel, it kick starts it. These brothers that Paul speaks of have seen the success of Paul’s imprisonment and go out boldly to proclaim the truths of the Gospel without fear! We’ll speak about this more when we come to verses 15-17.
Successful Suffering
Successful Suffering
Paul is an example of successful suffering. What we see happening in the life of Paul is that God is using the bad for the greater good. In the eyes of the world, the imprisonment of the greatest missionary to ever walk the earth looks like a grand defeat but in the eyes of the sovereign God of all creation, it is that which is needed the most. B.B. Warfield once said,
“In the infinite wisdom of the Lord of all the earth, each event falls with exact precision into its proper place in this unfolding of his eternal plan.”
The things that seem to hurt us the most, the circumstances that we find ourselves in, can ultimately be used to bring many before the cross of Christ. Our suffering may ultimately be the tool that brings others to Christ and I pray that we would all learn to suffer well. May we all see our circumstances in life through the same lens as the Apostle Paul!
Josef Tson Example: Tson was a pastor in Romania while the country was under Communist control and it was illegal for him to preach the Gospel. Tson retold the story of how at one point he was being interrogated by six officers. Tson said, “What is taking place here is not an encounter between you and me. This is an encounter between my God and me. . . . My God is teaching me a lesson [through you]. I do not know what it is. Maybe he wants to teach me several lessons. I only know, sirs, that you will do to me only what God wants you to do—and you will not go one inch further—because you are only an instrument of my God. Every day I saw those six pompous men as nothing more than my Father’s puppets!” Tson would later say, “During an early interrogation I had told an officer who was threatening to kill me, “Sir, let me explain how I see this issue. Your supreme weapon is killing. My supreme weapon is dying. Here is how it works. You know that my sermons on tape have spread all over the country. If you kill me, those sermons will be sprinkled with my blood. Everyone will know I died for my preaching. And everyone who has a tape will pick it up and say, ‘I’d better listen again to what this man preached, because he really meant it; he sealed it with his life.’ So, sir, my sermons will speak ten times louder than before. I will actually rejoice in this supreme victory if you kill me.” After I said this, the interrogator sent me home. Another officer who was interrogating a pastor friend of mine told him, “We know that Mr. Tson would love to be a martyr, but we are not that foolish to fulfill his wish.” I stopped to consider the meaning of that statement. I remembered how for many years, I had been afraid of dying. I had kept a low profile. Because I wanted badly to live, I had wasted my life in inactivity. But now that I had placed my life on the altar and decided I was ready to die for the Gospel, they were telling me they would not kill me! I could go wherever I wanted in the country and preach whatever I wanted, knowing I was safe. As long as I tried to save my life, I was losing it. Now that I was willing to lose it, I found it.”
I love reading that. The supreme weapon of Christianity is found in our spilt blood. Our faithfulness unto death is one of the greatest testimonies of a life changed by the Gospel.
James Montgomery Boice writes,
“Paul’s suffering was neither corrective nor instructive. It was simply a suffering permitted by God so that the gospel might be spread to others.”
Gospel Boldness (V. 15-17)
Gospel Boldness (V. 15-17)
When we recognize that the Gospel cannot be stopped, we as the people of God are inspired with a newfound boldness to proclaim that Gospel. Let’s reread Philippians 1:14-17
And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.
Despite the chains of Paul, the Gospel is not bound. Our present circumstances ultimately never serve as a hindrance to the Gospel when those circumstances are orchestrated by God. Nothing in all creation can stop the spread of the Gospel. From generation to generation, Christ will always have someone to proclaim His Word. Jesus says in Matthew 16:18, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Not only will hell not be able to slow down the Gospel, death itself will not be able to. The very message of the Gospel is centered upon the death of death through the death and resurrection of Christ! When one brave proclaimer of the Gospel is struck down in martyrdom or passes away naturally, God always has someone waiting in the wings. When Moses died, Joshua picked up the reigns. When Elijah died, Elisha carried on the work of the prophet, when Paul died, Timothy carried on, when Luther died, Melanchthon preached on, when Calvin died, Beza proclaimed the Word, when Spurgeon died, Lloyd-Jones was not far behind, God’s work goes on! No one is irreplaceable so to speak. God always has someone ready to pick up where the previous person left off. So I ask, is that person you? Are you the bold proclaimer that God has waiting in the wing? I know one day that I will die and that’s ok but I am not God’s gift to the world. God is not lucky to have me, I’m lucky to have Him. I am a sinner saved by pure grace and that grace has planted within me a desire to proclaim the Gospel for all the remaining years that God will allow me to have. How I wish one of you would take this and run with it. How I wish one of you would take this seriously and be the one waiting in the wing, waiting for the time when God says, “Take this Gospel and run with it.” One of the greatest blessings that you or I can receive in this life is to suffer for our Lord and Savior. Matt Chandler writes,
“From Paul’s perspective, in the light of the Gospel, everything must serve the purpose of the glory of Christ, so it isn’t therefore a tragedy that Paul’s in prison being persecuted within or unjustly maligned without. No, it is a privilege. Paul considers it a blessing to be considered worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ.”
There’s two types of people that Paul speaks of: Those that proclaim the Gospel for unrighteous reasons and those that do it out of love. The bitter irony for the enemies of Paul is that despite their best efforts, the Gospel is still being proclaimed. It seems that even though some of these people hated Paul, the doctrine that they were teaching was still correct. A.T. Robertson said,
“One may wonder that God should bless at all the message of men with such a spirit. But after all we should be glad that our own wrong motives do not wholly hinder the reception of whatever truth is preached to men. The power is from God and not from the preacher, in God’s message and not in the preacher’s heart.”
God is even able to take false motives and use them to proclaim the truths of the Gospel. Paul sees his circumstances and even his opponents as an absolute win! Later in verse 18, Paul says that even though their motives are wrong, what’s it matter when the Gospel is proclaimed? So, we see two groups of people that proclaim the Gospel and I have to ask, which group are you in?
Proclaimers from good will and love?
Do you share the Gospel because you love others? Do you share the Gospel because you see the great need of your neighbor? Do you testify to the truths of Christ because you know the stark reality of what happens to those who do not come to faith in Christ?
Proclaimers out of selfish ambition?
Do you share the Gospel out of spite? Do you tell others about Jesus in order to “stick it to the man”? Do you share the Gospel because you have enemies? Do you not share the Gospel with your enemies because deep down you don’t want them to know about it? God forbid that ever be said of any one of you! Even the worst of men need the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Vladimir Putin doesn’t need an assassin in his bed room, he needs a theologian with a proper understanding of the Gospel. I recently heard Steven Lawson preach on Romans 9:13, “As it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” Lawson said I understand why the verse says this. I understood why Esau was hated. The man was a murderer, an idolater, a sinful man. That makes sense. But what doesn’t make sense is why Jacob was loved. Jacob was an imperfect father, he was a thief and trickster, why was Jacob loved? Because God in His sovereignty set His eyes on Jacob, saw past the imperfections, saw him as an example of divine and electing love, and brought him from death to life. When it comes to those who need the Gospel, it’s never an issue of why should someone like that be saved. The moment that pops into your head, you need to ask yourself, why should I be saved? What is it in me that is worth saving? The answer is nothing but praise be to God that He offers salvation. You are not more deserving of the Gospel than anyone else. There is a third group worth mentioning:
Not a Proclaimer at all?
Do you not proclaim the Gospel at all? I find it hard to believe that so many of us are willing to claim the name Christian but have no desire to declare the name of Christ. Have we not seen through Paul’s testimony that God is able to use anything in our lives for his glory? Good or bad, it doesn’t matter! Your circumstances should not dictate your willingness to share the Gospel. Are we afraid of telling others about Christ? Are we nervous about what others may think or do to us? We shouldn’t be! Why? Because God’s Word will accomplish exactly what God wills for it to accomplish, regardless of our circumstances! John Calvin said,
“It were indeed a dreadful spectacle, and such as might tend rather to dishearten us, did we see nothing but the cruelty and rage of the persecutors. When, however, we see at the same time the hand of the Lord, which makes his people unconquerable, under the infirmity of the Cross, and causes them to triumph, relying upon this, we ought to venture farther than we had been accustomed, having now a pledge of our victory in the persons of our brethren. The knowledge of this ought to overcome our fears, that we may speak boldly in the midst of dangers.”
And I Will Rejoice (V. 18).
And I Will Rejoice (V. 18).
Finally let’s look at Paul’s attitude towards his circumstances, his opponents, and his fellow brothers in the faith. Philippians 1:18 says,
Philippians 1:18 (ESV)
What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice,
I don’t want to spend too much time on this but I want to challenge you all with this: is the proclamation of Christ that which we rejoice the most in? Because when Christ is our all and all, our joy and crown, our joy in Him will not depend on the circumstances of our lives. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. The entire purpose of our existence is that we would delight in our Savior. The greatest joy that you can have in this life is found in Jesus Christ and it is a joy that cannot be removed from us. Jonathan Edwards said,
“God's purpose for my life was that I have a passion for God's glory and that I have a passion for my joy in that glory, and that these two are one passion.”
This is seen in the life of Paul. Paul’s greatest joy, his passion in life, centered on the glory of God. Notice the past and future oriented focus of Paul’s rejoicing. It isn’t bound to circumstance or the changing of the winds. He says, “whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.” This has already happened. Christ has already been proclaimed through the actions of these individuals and Paul rejoices that it happened. Not only did it happen, it was still happening. Paul presently rejoices. But notice too what Paul says at the end of verse 18, “Yes, and I will rejoice.” Paul has, is, and will continue to rejoice. Why? Because he continues to see his greatest joy proclaimed: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No matter what comes in your life, you can still say, “Yes, and I will rejoice.” True joy in Christ never fades away. True joy in Christ lives because Christ lives. One of the clearest marks of the Christian is joy. I’ll finish with this quote from Donald Grey Barnhouse,
“When righteousness strikes deep into our being and enters the sanctuary where peace may dwell, the springs of joy pour forth a flood. Joy is the first outward mark of the presence of Christ in a man. If a believer is not joyful, it is almost certain that he does not possess the peace of God, and one may even doubt whether he has righteousness. Joy must not be confused with mirth; the latter is effervescent, but joy is the steady tenor of our being. When all is chaos on the surface, deep down there is joy.”
When all is chaos, deep down there is joy. This is the mark of every believer in Christ who has their eyes set solely on their Savior. Let’s pray.