Sermon Tone Analysis

Tonight we arrive at what is probably the most well-known verse in the entire book of Philippians and that is Philippians 1:21.

I could say this every week as we travel through Philippians but the section of Scripture that we are going through tonight is so encouraging.

Even in the midst of global pandemics, tensions and war in Europe, inflation, and more uncertainties than I could list, there is something so sweet to the soul within the passage of Scripture that we are going to look at this evening.

The passage is Philippians 1:19-30 and we will break these verses up into three main sections: verses 19-20, verses 21-26, and 27-the end of the chapter but depending on time we may end up pushing that to next week.

Our main theme for tonight is the comfort that comes from the hand of a sovereign God and the sure victory that we have as God’s people.

C.T. Studd sign- In my office, there is a sign hanging above my window that I really do look at every single day and reflect on.

It’s a quote from a poem by a missionary named C.T. Studd and it reads, “Only one life ‘twill soon be past.

Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

That’s really the message of what we are going to read about tonight here at the end of Philippians 1.

Our lives are like a vapor, they’re here today and gone tomorrow.

One day our lives will be over, your life will be over, and what will matter more than anything?

What is the one thing that will have truly cosmic and eternal significance?

The things that you did for Christ.

My favorite stanza in Studd’s poem reads, “Only one life ‘twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.

And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be if the lamp of my life has been burned out for thee.”

That was the prayer and hope of the Apostle Paul and that is the prayer and hope of my life.

I want each and every one of us in here to live a life with the sole purpose of magnifying Jesus Christ.

In our lives or in our deaths, our pursuit should be Christ glorified and the joy of our lives should be knowing that whether we live or whether we die, we are a witness to the majesty of our Lord and Savior.

Let’s pray and then we will dive into verses 19 and 20.

The Comfort of God’s Sovereignty (Philippians 1:19-20)

Paul writes,

Two weeks ago we ended with verse 18 which said, “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.”

Paul here is elaborating on the reasoning behind his rejoicing and it connects to two important factors: the prayers of the saints and the spirit of Christ.

Don’t belittle the power of prayer as the people of God.

Prayer is a powerful tool when it is lined up with the spirit of Christ.

Mary, Queen of Scots once said that she “feared the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.”

Far too often we think of prayer as ineffective.

We think of it as a one way letter that doesn’t lead to much of anything.

We think of it as a talk with ourselves or a message to blocked ears or an uninterested party.

Prayer is without a doubt one of the most powerful tools in the Christian’s entire arsenal.

Prayer moves mountains, it puts armies to flight, it causes the world to change.

Prayer matters.

As much as we could talk about prayer tonight from just this one verse, that’s not the main thing that I want us to look at it.

There’s two things that we will discuss briefly in these two verses and that is Paul’s deliverance and why he is able to receive such comfort from this deliverance.

What is the deliverance that Paul is talking about in verse 19?

The deliverance that Paul is certain of is not deliverance from prison or even death.

Paul is not saying that he is certain that he will not be killed for the sake of Christ.

How do we know this?

Look at the end of verse 20: he acknowledges the reality that he could be killed by saying, “Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.”

Paul clearly thinks that martyrdom may be an option.

If Paul is not certain whether he will live or die, be imprisoned or free, what does he mean then when he says that he knows through the prayers of the saints and the help of the Spirit that this will all turn out for his deliverance?

This is where it pays to have a little bit of knowledge on the original language of Scripture.

I love the ESV translation of Scripture, I think that it is probably the most accurate translation that we have but I think there is a minor issue with translating the word deliverance in verse 19.

I’m not saying that the ESV is wrong in translating it in this way because the Greek form that is used here can mean deliverance.

The word that Paul uses here in the original Greek is the word, “soteria” which is where we get our word salvation.

I think that if we want to read verse 19 as accurately as possible, we need to read it as, “For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my salvation.”

The salvation that Paul has in mind is not being saved from prison or saved from martyrdom, what he has in mind is that through the prayers of the saints and the help of the Spirit of Christ, Paul will ultimately reach his final salvation.

Paul is looking at salvation as three-fold: he was saved by Christ (past), he is saved by Christ here and now (present), and he will one day in the future be saved fully by Christ.

How does anyone make it to Heaven?

Through the work and spirit of Christ!

Paul is saying to the Philippians, “Guys, the circumstances that I am in are hard, the race is long, the fight is difficult, but I know that as long as you are praying for me and the Spirit of God is at work, I can persevere to the end.

Nothing’s gonna stop me from taking that step into eternity as long as God sees to it that it will happen.”

This leads us to our next point: the comfort of God’s sovereignty.

Paul knows that his imprisonment will work towards his salvation because he sees the sovereignty of God behind every action.

We talked about this 2 weeks ago.

When men and women understand that God is sovereign over all, believers can walk into the furnace of affliction with supreme confidence in the fact that whether they live or whether they die, they belong to Christ and nothing can separate them from that reality.

Paul understands that if God is sovereign over big things, He is sovereign over the little things.

It’s sad that so many of us can say that we trust God with our eternal lives but we don’t trust Him with our physical lives here and now.

I’ll be honest with you, I cannot think of anything sweeter than knowing that my God holds all things in His hands and nothing escapes His notice.

I found nothing more beautiful than knowing that death cannot touch me until God allows it.

When death comes, and it comes for all, God is not surprised by its arrival.

Paul firmly believes that the Gospel will shine forth whether he lives or whether he dies and this is the greatest joy that he has in life.

As we see through the history of the Church, Paul continues to impact lives even though he has been dead and buried for a long time.

Paul’s magnification of Christ’s glory is the reason that he gets up in the morning.

David Strain writes,

When you make much of Christ, when the true dimensions of His greatness are clearly seen by you, it will place everything else in your life, your every circumstance and trial, into its correct proportion.

Trials will be permanently unable to rob you of joy.

Christ and His exaltation will be your goal and delight.

He will be your joy, never your circumstances.

Paul says in Romans 14:8

There is nothing in all creation that can separate you from the love of Jesus Christ.

God is ours whether we are awake or asleep.

If death could not hold Christ, death will not be able to hold those that belong to Christ.

When you leave here today, leave knowing that the greater you magnify Christ, the greater your joy will be.

If your greatest joy in life is Christ magnified, even death will just be the door that you walk through to that which you desire more than anything.

When Philip Melanchthon, one of Martin Luther’s closest friends, was on his deathbed, his son-in-law asked him if he needed anything and Melanchthon’s only response was, “Nothing but heaven.”

Would he have benefited from having his health restored?

Sure.

But did he need that?

No.

Because all he needed was that which awaited him in Heaven.

Let’s turn now to Philippians 1:21-26.

The Sure Victory of God’s People (Philippians 1:21-26)

This shows us the sure victory of God’s people.

Paul’s entire life is summarized in his devotion to Jesus Christ.

His very reason for breathing is Christ, his reason to get up in the morning is Christ, his reason to go through persecution, imprisonment, and martyrdom is Christ.

Christ is at the center of Paul’s very life.

If you take Christ out of Christianity, you are left with nothing of any value whatsoever.

Paul is stuck in a difficult spot because he desires to stay alive because he sees the gains that can come from it but his greatest desire is to depart and be with Christ.

Paul sees his death as gain, as profit, not because he’s suicidal or has a death wish but because he recognizes that death is the doorway into eternal life.

Death is the last hurdle to pass.

For Paul, death is not a tragedy, it’s a triumph because Christ has triumphed over death by death and because Christ is raised in victory, the people of God will be raised in victory.

Death is gain because Paul knows that as soon as his eyes close for the last time in this life, his eyes will gaze upon that which he longed for all of his earthly life.

He will behold Christ.

He will stand before His throne and see He that his entire life was devoted to.

Understand that we as Christians are incredibly rational people.

We don’t deny the existence of suffering and death.

We know very well that suffering and death happen.