Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little,
When we arrive safely because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess,
We have lost our thirst for the waters of life.
Having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity.
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery,
Where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes,
And to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.
That prayer is attributed to the great explorer, Sir Francis Drake. In sentiment, that could have been a prayer of the Apostle Paul. Paul saw himself as a pioneer for Jesus Christ, one who was taking the good news about Jesus where no one had gone before.
Sometimes we get so mired in our own circumstances, struggling to get somewhere on time, struggling in relationships, struggling with finances, struggling with health problems, that we miss the big picture of what life can be about in God’s kingdom.
Paul gives us a glimpse of that big picture in Philippians 1:12-30. In these verses Paul teaches us how to plug into the power of joy despite our circumstances. I believe the key to unlocking that joy is found in having the right task, the right relationship, and the right destination in our lives.
Let’s read together from Philippians 1. Listen for God’s word to you…
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
The first thing I’d like to point out from this passage is the idea that we can plug into the power of joy despite our circumstances by living to advance the good news. The spreading of the good news about Jesus was the “right task” that Paul had as his top priority in life.
When Paul refers to “what has happened to him” he is probably talking about his imprisonment in Rome. He says that this imprisonment has served to advance the Gospel. The Greek word that Paul uses for advance was used of engineers who would go out and clear a path for an army to follow. Paul saw his circumstances as clearing a path for the advance of the good news about Jesus.
Can you imagine looking at your circumstances that way? If we did look at our lives that way, it might change our perspective on suffering, and we might find joy even amidst difficulty.
As many of you know, Corrie ten Boom, was a lovely Dutch lady who survived a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. She had been placed there, along with her family, because they had harbored Jews in their home during the war. Corrie and her sister Betsie taught a Bible study in their barracks. Can you imagine? Corrie and her sister Betsie discovered joy even in that horrible situation because their focus was on offering the good news of Jesus to others.
I believe that by God’s grace we too can choose joy despite our circumstances. It all depends upon our focus and sense of purpose in life.
How did Paul’s circumstances advance the good news? He says that because of his imprisonment “it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.” While Paul was under house arrest in Rome he was under the watchful eye of the praetorian guard. This was an elite group of 9 or 10,000 military men hand-picked to guard the emperor and other important officials of the Roman government. And they were guarding Paul! He always had one of these men guarding him, and every time the shift changed Paul had a new man whom he could tell about Jesus.
Do you ever feel like you are chained to your circumstances? Paul literally was. But he saw it as an opportunity for Jesus. He says that because of his chains most of the Christians in Rome have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. As somebody once said, “One man with courage makes a majority.” Paul had courage. He wasn’t afraid to face death. He had nothing to lose and nothing to prove, so he proclaimed Jesus boldly in every situation.
Paul mentions that some Christians in Rome are preaching Christ out of envy and rivalry. This may seem amazing, but it happens in our time too. Many preachers view themselves as being in competition with one another. That’s how some in Paul’s day viewed their relationship to the great apostle. So, they thought they would make Paul jealous by preaching while he was limited by his chains. But Paul, rather than being jealous, rejoiced that the good news was going forth.
I am reminded of the words of Jesus in Mark 8:35, “Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live.” (The Living Bible) Paul knew what it meant to really live.
A second thing I see in this passage is that we can plug into the power of joy despite our circumstances by living to lift Christ up. Paul discovered through his many sufferings the great truth that he could exalt, that he could lift Jesus up, in any and every situation. Because Paul put his relationship with Jesus first in his life, he was able to choose joy in every circumstance, because he knew that nothing and no one could take away his relationship with Christ.
Listen again to what Paul says…
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
How would you fill in the blank? “For me, to live is __________.” I believe that how we fill in that blank will determine whether we experience joy. If we put anything else in the blank other than Jesus, we will not know lasting joy, and death will not be gain. Even if we put good things in that blank, it just won’t work in the end. Some people say, “For me to live is my family.” But family does not give lasting joy. Others say, “For me, to live is my job.” But even the greatest job in the world does not give joy 100% of the time. Still others say, “For me, to live is golf!” Well, you get the idea. The only lasting joy is found in living for Jesus. As somebody once said, “Life is what you are alive to.” And if you are alive to Jesus, then even death will be a plus, not a minus.
It is interesting to note how different people face death. I think people generally die the same way that they live. By that I mean that if you live for Christ and with Christ, then you will die with Christ and with hope and even joy. But if you live for yourself, then you will die alone and in despair.
In 1920, Sigmund Freud lost through death a young and beautiful daughter. He wrote that he wondered when his time would come, and he wished it would be soon. “I do not know what more there is today,” he wrote. “It is such a paralyzing event, which can stir no afterthoughts when one is not a believer…” Freud later died by lethal injection after a long battle with cancer of the jaw.
By contrast, Paul says: “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Only the believer in Jesus can truly say that and mean it. If we want to experience joy despite our circumstances, then we must live for Christ. That is the “right relationship” we all need.
This leads to a third point I see in Paul’s words, that is that we can plug into the power of joy despite our circumstances by living as citizens of heaven.
I don’t believe we can have a sense of destiny, purpose, and joy in life without having the right destination as our goal. Paul writes in verse 27, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” The words, “conduct yourselves”, literally mean: “act as citizens”. The Philippians understood earthly citizenship. They were Roman citizens because Philippi was a Roman colony. The Philippians had all the rights and privileges of being citizens of Rome. They even dressed like Romans.
But in Philippians 3:20 Paul tells them they are citizens of an even greater kingdom; the Philippian Christians, Paul says, are “citizens of heaven”. Paul uses citizenship as a metaphor for belonging to Christ. Furthermore, in Philippians 1:27-30, Paul mentions 4 marks of the heavenly citizen. I invite you to examine each of these marks with me…
The first mark of the heavenly citizen is steadfastness. Paul says, “whatever happens”—that is whether he is released from prison or whether he is sentenced to execution— “whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm…” Above all else, Paul wanted the Philippians to persevere.
In 1992, Beth Anne DeCiantis attempted to qualify for the Olympic Trials marathon. To do that she had to complete a 26-mile, 385-yard race in under two hours and forty-five minutes.
Beth started the race strong but began having problems around mile 23. Still, she reached the final straightaway in two hours and forty-three minutes. Two hundred yards from the finish she stumbled and fell. She had trouble standing up again. But the crowd yelled, “Get up!” and she did, with less than a minute to go.
Then, five yards short of the finish line, with ten seconds to go, she fell again. She began to crawl. And with the crowd cheering her on, she crossed the finish line on her hands and knees. Her time was two hours, 44 minutes, and 57 seconds.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” The first mark of the citizen of heaven is steadfastness.
The second mark of a heavenly citizen is solidarity. We will be talking more about unity next Sunday as we get into Philippians 2. But Paul at this point introduces the topic of solidarity by saying: “stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.”
The mark of a heavenly citizen, the mark of a true Christian, is that he or she stands in unity with other true Christians. This unity, this solidarity, is essential to the success of the church.
The story is told of a young man who was on the crew team at his school. Every afternoon they would practice together as a team. On one afternoon as this young man made his way down to the river he was absolutely elated. He couldn’t wait to get out on the river and give it all he had for his team. But after practice he walked back to the dorms with a fellow crew member feeling absolutely dejected. He said to his friend, “I don’t understand. I was giving it all I had, rowing as hard as I could this afternoon, and it seemed like we were going nowhere.” His team-mate responded, “That’s funny. I wasn’t pulling at all, and I felt we were doing splendidly!”
To be a successful team of Christians requires the same thing that being a successful crew team requires—solidarity. It requires unity and commitment on the part of every member of the team. If we are citizens of heaven, then solidarity will mark our lives.
The third mark of the heavenly citizen is security. Paul says, “Without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.”
The New Testament is clear throughout, if we commit our lives to following Jesus Christ, there will be opposition. To follow Jesus necessarily involves going against the flow of this world.
But Paul says that we don’t have to be afraid or startled by those who oppose us. As 1 John 4:18 says, “Perfect love casts out fear.” The perfect love of Jesus, filling our hearts, displaces fear because we know that Jesus is watching over and protecting us. Everything that happens to us is sifted through his loving hands. He will give us the grace and strength to handle any obstacles in life.
However, it is important to note that the kind of security Jesus provides does not preclude suffering in this life. The fourth mark of the heavenly citizen is suffering. Paul says, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had and now hear that I still have.”
Sheldon Kopp once wrote, “Life can be counted on to provide all the pain that any of us might need.”
The question is not if we will suffer in this life. The question is: will we suffer with Jesus or without him? And will we choose joy amidst our suffering or not?
An American pastor was leading a worship service while on a short-term mission trip to the island of Tobago. The service was held in a leper colony. A woman who had been facing away from the pulpit suddenly turned around. Her nose and ears were greatly disfigured by leprosy. The woman lifted a fingerless hand in the air and asked, “Can we sing Count Your Many Blessings?”
Overcome with emotion, the pastor left the service. He was followed by a team member who said, “I guess you will never be able to sing that song again.”
The pastor replied, “I will, but I will never sing it the same way again.”
If a woman in those circumstances could choose joy in Jesus, maybe we can too by God’s grace.
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