For the Furtherance of the Gospel

Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi... I thank my God upon every remembrance of you... being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ... But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel... For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:1-21)

When Paul was on lockdown, his most fruitful work was just beginning—and the same God is at work in us today.

A Detour to Philippians in a Season of Lockdown

Because of everything going on in the world, we're taking a detour from our study in Deuteronomy. Last week we looked at Philippians 4 and the God of peace who gives us a peace that surpasses all understanding through trying circumstances. There is a lot of anxiety right now—people are worried not just about the coronavirus but about its effects on the economy, their jobs, and their income. If you missed that message, you can find it archived at lifeinconnection.com.

This week I want to move from Philippians 4 to Philippians 1. A little background helps. Paul wrote this letter some 2,000 years ago while he was effectively on lockdown himself—under house arrest in Rome. You can relate to Paul, because we have been confined to our homes as well.

A Church That Met at Home

Not only was Paul in a situation similar to ours, but the church he wrote to in Philippi didn't have a building to gather in every week—they met together in their homes. What you're doing right now, gathering for church in your home, is very similar to what the Philippians did 2,000 years ago. I'm pretty sure that if Paul had access to Zoom or YouTube Live or FaceTime, he would have used those technologies to encourage the church just as we're doing now.

So you may feel a little bound up at home, unable to go very far, with some of your liberties taken away and your immediate future feeling uncertain. Paul was in a very similar situation. As we look at this text, I think there are encouraging things God wants to minister to our hearts.

Three Encouragements From the Text

First, though we may feel bound, the Word of God is not bound. God is doing a great work through His church right now. There are far more churches reaching the world through online mediums than there were just three weeks ago. Last Sunday I read articles that the church in the world nearly broke the internet—so many people went online to watch their churches livestreamed that it slowed everything down. Though we may be chained, the Word of God is not.

Second, the uncertain and challenging circumstances we find ourselves in can actually turn out for the furtherance of the gospel. That's what Paul learned in prison.

Third, in our moments of uncertainty we need to remember that we have a certain and secure hope in Jesus Christ. Our hope is not in the things of this world but in God.

Paul's Greeting and Pattern of Prayer

Thirteen of the New Testament books were written by Paul, and every one begins with this greeting from verse 2: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This was a standard greeting in the early church, used even by John and Peter. So I greet you the same way this morning: through all we are going through, may God's grace and peace be multiplied to you.

In verse 3 Paul says, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. That has certainly been true of myself, the other pastors, the staff, the elders, and our prayer team over these last weeks. I'd encourage you to develop the same pattern. It seems Paul had established a habit: when people came to his mind, he would stop and lift them up to the Lord.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Paul gives a small but weighty command: pray without ceasing. One way to step toward that is, when someone randomly comes to your mind, pause for even three or ten seconds and lift them up to the Lord. I would suggest it's not so random that those people come to mind. Develop that pattern during this time and you'll be a little closer to fulfilling that command.

Point One: God Is Doing a Good Work by Our Prayers

In verse 6 Paul says, being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. He prayed with confidence in the working of God. This brings me to my first point: we can be confident that God is doing a good work by our prayers.

Am I the only one who has felt a little frustrated and stir-crazy during this lockdown? I'm one of those people who constantly feels he needs to be doing something, accomplishing something. With school on hold and my four kids home, the whole dynamic of our household has changed, and so much of what was on my calendar has been put on hold. It's been challenging—I can feel a little ineffective.

But Paul had learned an important lesson 2,000 years ago. He was an extremely high-capacity leader, a type-A, get-it-done personality. For fifteen years he had traveled the known world—Philippi, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Rome—preaching the gospel and planting churches. Then about three years before this letter, he was arrested for his faith. What amazes me is that some of his most impactful, long-term work was accomplished while on lockdown. The letters to Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, Timothy, and Titus were all written while Paul was imprisoned.

The Specifics of Paul's Prayer

What did Paul actually pray? In verse 9: And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness.

He prays five things. First, that they would abound in love. Jesus said the world would know we are His disciples by our love for one another. That's my prayer for myself, for those I serve with, and for the whole church. Second, that they would grow in knowledge and understanding, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Third, that they would come to know what really matters.

I've been thinking about the good things coming out of this crisis. Normally when someone asks how I'm doing, I say, "I'm busy." We feel pressure to always be busy. Now suddenly we're not, and all the things we thought were exceedingly important—politics, sports, the things people get bound up in—have been put on hold. Baseball's opening day stopped; the Summer Olympics are postponed. This is a strange time we'll talk about for years. But it gives us a chance to consider what really matters. I read an article in the Wall Street Journal this morning suggesting this may lead some people back to faith and to the church, which is certainly my prayer.

Fourth, Paul prays they would become more pure and sincere—a simplicity and genuineness, without fluff or fakery. Fifth, that their lives would produce the fruits of righteousness. If you ever wonder how to pray for the people in your life, follow this pattern in Philippians 1.

Point Two and Three: God's Work In Us, for His Glory

Paul prays all this would happen for the glory and praise of God. This brings me to point two: oftentimes God's greatest work is that which He accomplishes in us, and not that which He accomplishes by us. We tend to think of God working through what He uses us to do, but often His greatest work is the transformation He does within us, conforming us into the likeness of His children. During this forced Sabbath, stop and ask: Lord, is there something You want to teach me, something You want to do in me?

Point three: God's work in us will result in greater glory and praise to His name. When God makes you more loving, kind, genuine, patient, and righteous, He gets the glory. In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, self-control. Where do these come from? From God. When people see them in our lives, it brings Him glory and praise.

Point Four: The Things That Happened to Paul

In verse 12 Paul says, I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. A few years earlier, Paul had been in Jerusalem when a riot broke out and he was arrested. A group of Jewish men took an oath not to eat until they killed him, so the Romans shipped him to Caesarea, where he stayed for a couple of years awaiting trial. All of those distressing circumstances, Paul says, turned out for the gospel.

Verse 13: it became evident to the whole palace guard and to all the rest that his chains were in Christ—not for any real crime, but because he followed Jesus. And the brethren, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. One of my prayers for our church in this season is that it would stir us to be bolder in sharing our faith—even as simple as sending this video to a friend or inviting them to watch with you.

This brings me to point four: sometimes God's work is furthered more through challenging circumstances than in easygoing times. This can be hard, because I'd rather things be easy. But the work God wants to accomplish in and through us is often furthered more through challenge. We must remember God understands what He is doing even when we don't understand the details. Paul had gained perspective—even when some who called themselves Christians tried to make his imprisonment harder (verses 15-18), he could say, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and in that I rejoice.

Point Five: Eternal Glory Awaits

Paul wraps up in verses 19-21: For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ... whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Paul had the right heavenly perspective. If he lived, he would live as an ambassador for Jesus, boldly sharing the gospel. If he died, that would be gain, because he would be with the Lord.

This brings me to my fifth and final point: the temporary challenges in the life of the Christian are a reminder that eternal glory awaits. If you have put your trust in Jesus, He has promised you will be with Him forever in a new heaven and new earth—to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord. Our ultimate hope and joy is not in this life. The challenges we face, even if they lasted a lifetime, are always temporary.

In Romans 8:18 Paul says, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. And in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

An Invitation to Believe

So look beyond all the things happening in Washington, Sacramento, the CDC, the World Health Organization—look to the things that are unseen and eternal. For the Christian who has received the free gift of forgiveness and salvation, we look forward to eternal glory.

I have to speak for a moment to those who may not yet have put their trust in Jesus. I encourage you to believe on Him and call out to Him in prayer—prayer is simply speaking to God. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you through His Word by His Holy Spirit, and to reveal the truth of the gospel: that Jesus, the perfect God-man, died on the cross in your place to bear your sin and shame, was buried, and three days later rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sent His followers into all the world to proclaim salvation from sin and death through Him. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might receive the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

If you'd like to receive Him today, pray with me right now where you are. And if you're already a believer, pray for those who are hearing this and not yet trusting Jesus:

Dear Jesus, I ask that You would come into my life, that You would forgive me of my sin, and help me to follow You by faith and to trust You with my life. Save me from my sin and help me to follow You. In Jesus' name.

Closing Prayer

God, I pray right now for anybody listening to our live broadcast or watching this months from now on the archive. We pray that You would do a great work in our nation and in our world, as literally thousands of churches that have never reached out online are now reaching our culture where it is today. Most certainly, if the Apostle Paul were alive today, he would be doing Zoom meetings and YouTube Live and all these things. So use Your church to share the good news with those who have yet to hear.

Bring a great awakening, not just in the United States but throughout the whole world. There are people in every place who need to hear the gospel. Draw people to Yourself and do a work, because we are confident of this very thing—that You are working in this world and will be faithful to complete that work until the day You return. And until You return, help Your church to be faithful in following You. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.