for one. Last week we looked at verses 12 to 18, which are something of Paul's present situation. Remember that Paul writes to the church in Philippi while he's in his first Roman imprisonment. So the book of Acts ends in Acts chapter 28 in the years AD 60 to 62, the two-year imprisonment for the apostle Paul there. in Rome, that's how the book ends, and then he writes Ephesians, he writes Philippians, he writes Colossians, and he writes Philemon while he's in the prison.
So we call those prison epistles. And the book of Philippians is similar, obviously, to those other prison epistles. There's even more familiarity, more of a love, more of an affection Not that it's absent in Ephesians, for instance, but some have thought that Ephesians was more even of a circular letter. I mean, there are personal references in there, but not like we find here in Philippi.
Same with Colossians. There are personal references there. There's certainly some connection, obviously, but there's something about Philippians where Paul really opens up his heart to these brethren. So what he does in verses 12 to 18 is give an account or a report of what's going on in his present situation.
So notice in verse 12, I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me, that means his imprisonment, the fact that he is in bondage, he is in chains, he says, have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. And now he's going to explain how that can be. I mean, Paul's in prison. Obviously he's there. because he was perceived to be a threat to the Jews and to the Roman Empire.
So the idea being, throw him into prison and he can no longer be a threat. We can silence him, we can shut him up, we can cause him to not be heard with that message of Jesus the Messiah. So notice what he says, verse 13, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard and to all the rest that my chains are in Christ. The palace guard was about 9,000 soldiers.
This does not mean that Paul was handcuffed to each and every one of them, but it's circulated amongst that Praetorian guard that Paul the Apostle was there not for the crime of murder, not for tax evasion, not for insurrection, but he was there for preaching the gospel of a man called Jesus. So the palace guard hears that. But it's not only effective for the palace guard. Notice what happens to the church according to verse 14.
And most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Sometimes a whiff of persecution can actually be a benefit and a boon to the people of God. When we see what's at stake, when we see what the perceived or potential threat is, we man up. We become men of God, courageous and wanting to engage for our Savior.
And that's what happens there. Then notice that Paul goes on to say that not everybody who preached was necessarily doing it at a proper motive. He says, some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife. Again, they're not preaching Christ incorrectly.
They're preaching Christ with bad motives. Paul, nevertheless, rejoices that they're preaching Christ. And probably the bad motives are owing to some sort of rivalry that these people had with the Apostle Paul. Or perhaps they were ashamed.
This fellow's in prison. He can no longer be trusted. We're not really sure why he's there. So they had that kind of a motivation.
So some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, some also from goodwill. The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains. Horrible people. I mean, Paul's in prison.
If they can make it even worse, they're going to make it even worse. That's terrible. But the latter, out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then?
Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. So Paul doesn't care about their bad motives. As long as they get the gospel right, as long as they preach the truth of the cross, as long as they call sinners to repentance and faith, Paul has not got some delicate, sensitive ego where he feels badly because not everybody in the world loves him. He doesn't care.
As long as the gospels preach, that's the main thing. So in that section, it is a progress report concerning his present situation. Now, what we're going to consider tonight is the future prospect of the apostle in verses 19 to 26. And again, a letter that we would expect from a man who loves a people the way that Paul does with this people, and the way that this people loves this apostle.
So let's read 19 to 26, I'll pray, and then we'll look at this material. For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed. But with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor. Yet what I shall choose, I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.
And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith. that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for the written and inspired word of the living and true God.
We thank you for this section in Paul's letter to the church at Philippi. We pray that you give us ears to hear and hearts to receive these things, May we be encouraged and may we see Paul as an example to be followed, as certainly he wanted the church in Philippi to continue to man up and to continue to be faithful soldiers in the service of our blessed Master and King. We ask again that you would forgive us for all sin and everything that darkens our minds and hearts. Guide us now by that Spirit of truth who gave us the word, and we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Introduction
Well, as we come to his anticipation concerning the future, I think there's three sections that we find in this particular sub-unit. First, the expectation of the Apostle in verses 19 and 20. Secondly, the conviction of the Apostle in verses 21 to 23. And then finally, the anticipation of the Apostle in verses 24 to 26.
Again, this is what we would expect from a man who's in prison, who's looking at the options. He doesn't have a crystal ball. He doesn't have an absolute conviction one way or the other what's going to happen to him. There is the possibility that he could be executed. there is the possibility that he could be released.
So he's musing on those two things, not in the position of the sovereign master and captain of his life, who's going to deign to choose what it is that is best in his own interests. But he's looking at these options, I think ultimately, to magnify and glorify Christ, and as well to set the Philippians' hearts at ease. Whatever happens to me, he's saying to them, Don't fret. If I live, that means good things.
If I die, that means better things. So please don't fret about me. So
The Apostle's Expectation
let's look first at the expectation of the Apostle in verses 19 and 20.
Deliverance and Vindication
Note the deliverance in verse 19. Bit of a Interesting statement that he makes. Notice in verse 19, this is essentially Job 13, 16 from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. This is what you'll find in Job 13, 16, at least this first part.
For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. In Job 13, it's, and this shall turn to me for salvation. Now, when we look at that word deliverance, it is the word salvation. And some might be inclined to think that Paul's salvation, Paul's position with God, depends upon his time in prison, depends upon his performance, depends upon how it is he sustains his ministry.
I don't think that's what's in view here. When he says, I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, it doesn't have to do with his salvation. It has to do with his deliverance or even his vindication in a whole host of ways. It could be the deliverance of Paul from imprisonment.
This is going to turn out okay. He has that confident hope and expectation according to verses 25 and 26. So we might interpret it that way. It could also mean the vindication of Paul from the pettiness of his rivals.
Those men described in the former section that have this ill will toward the apostle, that preach Christ out of bad motives. Basically, Paul is saying, I know this is all going to turn out for my vindication. It's not the case that I'm here because I'm an evildoer, I'm a mafioso, or a don, or whatever. I think ultimately, though, it's the vindication of Paul before the tribunal of God.
Again, not in a salvific sense, but in the sense that he has accomplished what Christ had called him to faithfully. Paul makes that sort of an overarching concern in terms of gospel ministry. In fact, he says as much in 1 Corinthians 4, too. He says, moreover, it is required of stewards, after having just said, consider us as stewards of the mysteries of Christ.
What is necessary for the stewards of the mysteries of Christ? That one be found faithful. So as Paul's in a prison cell with probably lots of time and a pen and paper and the Holy Spirit to guide him, he's thinking, he's contemplating, he's musing, he's reflecting. And he understands that up until this point, he has carried out successfully the mission that was given to him by our Lord Jesus Christ.
In other words, he's got a clear conscience before God Most High. So I would suggest that this turning out from my deliverance or vindication through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ could be freedom from jail, but it could also be, again, that clear conscience before God that Paul had successfully and faithfully carried out his ministry. But then notice
Prayer and the Spirit of Christ
he acknowledges the means of prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit. I love this about Paul. Paul doesn't think that he's God's gift to the church. Paul knows that Christ is God's gift to the church.
Paul knows that he is simply a steward of the mysteries of Christ. He knows that he is a bond servant. He knows that he is a prisoner of Christ Jesus the Lord. So with reference to Paul, he's not a one-man show.
He's not the celebrity guy that bounces into town occasionally, preaches one of the best of his three sermons, and then bounces into another town, and people write blog posts about how wonderful he is. No, he understands the prayers of the saints in Philippi and the power of the Spirit of Christ by which eventually he may be released or by which he'll stand before God being vindicated because of the ministry that he has carried out faithfully according to the purpose and plan and the mind of his blessed Savior. It is a wonderful emphasis. The church in Philippi had been praying for Paul, Paul knew that the church in Philippi had been praying for him.
It'll turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ. Turn to Acts chapter 12, where we have an instance of the church at prayer for a man in prison. Acts chapter 12. While you're turning there, I'll just give you a quote from a commentator that I think nails chapter 12.
This man says, the chapter 12 opens with James dead, Peter in prison, and Herod triumphing. It closes with Herod dead, Peter free, and the word of God triumphing. Such is the power of God to overthrow hostile human plans and to establish his own in their place. Tyrants may be permitted for a time to boast and bluster, oppressing the church and hindering the gospel, but they will not last.
In the end, their empire will be broken and their pride abased. That's John Stott. I think he nails Acts chapter 12 in a way that few have seen. But notice in 12.5, Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.
And of course, we know how the story turns out. Peter gets out. There's a jailbreak. Peter's free.
The Geneva Bible explains, the prayers of the godly overturn the counsel of tyrants, obtain angels of God, break the prison, unloose chains, put Satan to flight, and preserve the church. That is a good emphasis, brethren. When we gather from 9.30 to 10.30 every other Sunday morning, or from that time of around 7.30 to 7.50-ish on Wednesday night to pray and to intercede for the voice of the martyrs and the various churches that we are in communion with and the various concerns within the life and context of our church, that is a vital means of grace that God has blessed the church with having. It is something to be utilized.
It's a privilege to be enjoyed. It's a privilege to be seized upon and taken upon and go to that throne of grace boldly. So Paul in this prison cell is confident, not because he's the mighty apostle Paul, but because the church in Philippi is praying for him. But not only is the church in Philippi praying for him, he's got the Spirit of Jesus Christ on his side.
My deliverance is connected, not to me and how great I am. My deliverance is connected to the church's prayers and to the Spirit's power. And then he calls the Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ. I think he's underscoring Trinitarian relations there.
We see in Romans 8, 9 to 11, the Spirit is called the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. Yet not two spirits, one spirit. One true and living God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Christ motif is Trinitarian language to underscore something of the relations and distinctions amongst the persons of our blessed God.
So Paul is not confident that this is going to turn out okay because Paul's great. Paul's confident in his God. Paul's confident in his God's church. Paul's confident in his God's spirit to vindicate him, to deliver him, whether it be from the temporal shackles that he presently finds himself in, or on that day when he stands before God most high, not to be saved, but to be demonstrated as having been faithful, to hear that well done, good and faithful servant.
Boldness and the Magnifying of Christ
Note the expectation of the apostle according to verse 20, still looking at verses 19 to 20. He says, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. The absence of shame to the apostle. I would suspect this connects directly to his time in prison.
I mean, when you're a little boy growing up in the Roman Empire and you've been trained at the feet of the Rabbi Gamaliel, probably prison is not in your thoughts in terms of a happy, fulfilled life. I'm sure prison back then wasn't looked upon any more favorably than prison today. So sitting in a prison cell, as I said, you probably got a lot of time to muse, to reflect, to think through, could I have done something differently? I mean, we've got the record in the book of Acts.
We've got his presentation before each of the civil governors. We see how he was treated by the Jews. No, he shouldn't have done anything differently. And that's what he's musing on.
I have no cause to be ashamed. Paul's not claiming perfection. Paul's not claiming sinlessness. Paul is not claiming divinity.
Paul is claiming faithfulness. Again, notice what he says. According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed. But with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
I would suggest that Paul can say what he says in this Roman prison cell in this particular context because he has made it his aim to live that way prior to this time. Look at 2 Timothy chapter 4. 2 Timothy chapter 4. I've preached this before with this particular emphasis and I'm going to repeat it. 2 Timothy chapter 4 at verse 8 or verse 7. I'm sorry, verse 6.
Keep them guessing. If you can't convince them, confuse them. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. See, in Philippi, the letter to the Philippians, there's a possibility.
He knows he could die, but according to 25 and 26, he's pretty confident he's not going to die. He's pretty confident that he's going to live on in the flesh and there will be additional fruit. That's not the tenor in 2 Timothy. He knows it's that.
He's going to die. This is mid to late 60s, just before mid 60s. Paul's going to die. The empire is nuts.
Nero's nuts. It's not looking good. And he knows it. There's no, yeah, if I get out, there's going to be fruit from my ministry.
No. Bring the cloak that I left in Troas. Bring the books, especially the parchments. I want you to move guys strategically in the various parts of the empire to be faithful and ready.
He knows he's not getting out, and this is sort of that swan song statement. Verse 6, I'm already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race.
I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me on that day and not to me only, but also to all who have loved His appearing." The only way that Paul could have ever uttered verse seven in the 11th hour was living that way in hours one to 10. The only way that you and I are going to be able to stand, or sit, or be in prison, or be in a deathbed, or whatever the particular eventuality may be, gulags, whatever, concentration camps, the only way we'll ever be able to say, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, is if we're doing it now. If we're not faithful now, we're not going to have that confidence then.
What an impetus to live well for the Savior, so that we can die well for the Savior. Again, it's not living well and dying well by which we are saved. We're saved because Jesus lived well. We're saved because Jesus died well.
We're saved by grace through faith in Jesus. But having been saved by that Jesus, don't you want to live for the glory of God? Don't you want to be able to say, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race.
I have kept the faith. There's a crown of righteousness laid up for me. He can say that in the 11th hour because he lived it in hours 1 to 10. I think that's the emphasis here in Philippians chapter 1 at verse 20.
Turn back to the book of Acts. Acts chapter 20. Acts chapter 20. This is that sort of first pastor's conference where he is in Miletus, he calls or sends to Ephesus and has the elders of the church come there so he can address them.
Notice what he says. specifically Acts 20 at verse 22. And see now I go bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. We don't know that, do we? I mean, we get a little freaked out seeing, you know, the things going on in the world around us, the various odd duck things that are happening in terms of, you know, machinations and plots and politics and ethical perversity.
The Spirit tells Paul, this means direct, special revelation. the way that God spoke to Moses, the way that God spoke to the prophets, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. I'm not sure how I'd take that from the Holy Spirit, to be quite candid with you. Oh, great. Let me just go there with gusto and joy.
Bring on the worst. Look at Paul's response, verse 24, but none of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to myself so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Look at 2 Timothy 1, 2 Timothy 1. Again, just illustrating what I think is going on in this prison cell when Paul is writing to the Philippians, talking about the reality that he may die, talking about the reality that he may live, but understanding that whatever his situation or his lot is, he has striven to be faithful and to not be ashamed in the work of the gospel ministry." Notice in 2 Timothy 1.8, he exhorts Timothy, Notice that, he's telling Timothy not to be ashamed.
Perhaps those guys in Philippians chapter 1 and that previous subsection, they were ashamed of Paul. He shouldn't be in prison. He's the mighty apostle. Paul, he shouldn't be there.
So Paul's writing to Timothy in his second Roman imprisonment, not Timothy's, but Paul's, and he's telling Timothy, don't be ashamed. We're on the right side here. We're doing the right thing here. It's not bad that I'm in prison.
I'm in prison because I'm being faithful to the ministry that God has committed to me. Notice in verse 12, for this reason I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed. for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I have committed to him until that day." It's that mindset, present with the Apostle in this first Roman imprisonment, that he's expressing to the church in Philippi in Philippians chapter 1. He is saying, I have an earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed.
And then he makes this glorious statement. But with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. Brothers, I just, and sisters, I want to reiterate, he is not saying he is sinless. He's not saying that he is perfect.
He's not saying that he has no struggles whatsoever in life. But he is saying that he is faithful. And look at the faithfulness expressed by this brother. Look at this.
Could any of us ever say something to this degree? But with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. With reference to magnifying Christ, Paul does not think for a moment that he can make Christ better. There's no betterment to be had for Christ.
Perfect doesn't get better. Perfect doesn't get worse. One of the beautiful perfections of perfect is that it doesn't change. Perfect is perfect.
So when Paul speaks about Christ being magnified in his body, whether he lives or he dies, he's not talking about essentially improving the glory of Jesus, but manifesting it, demonstrating it, declaring it, and revealing it. In other words, if Paul is released, Christ is magnified. Why? Because Paul is going to go out and preach Christ.
If Paul is not released and he has his head chopped off by the civil government, Christ is magnified. Why? Because Paul had his head chopped off, not because he was an embezzler, not because he was a terrorist, not because he was an insurrectionist, but because he was a servant of Jesus Christ the Lord. What does that do?
It causes the rest of us to magnify Jesus Christ the Lord. When we read of those brethren in Acts chapter 5, who having been scourged, having been beaten, having had their backs opened up, and then they leave that place and they're rejoicing? They're rejoicing? That is counterintuitive, brethren.
If I had my back opened, I'd want salve. I'd want ointment. I would be whining. I would want ice.
I'd want whatever you could put on it to alleviate the pain. You know what they're doing? They're rejoicing because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus Christ. Paul is saying that if I live on in the body, Christ is going to be magnified.
If I die, Christ is going to be magnified. And how does Paul know that? Because that's always been the way that Paul has lived. As always.
Even so now. He has no doubt whatsoever that whatever the circumstances bring, Christ is going to be magnified. It is a wonderful posture that he assumes. It is a wonderful disposition that he has by the grace of God, through the church of Christ, and through the power of the spirit of Christ.
It is wonderful. Notice, he has this boldness that Christ will be magnified. And he has this boldness that Christ is going to be magnified, whether by life or by death. In my body, whether by life or by death, Paul's service to Christ was total in its orientation.
Everything about Paul was in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. Great place for an apostle to be. Great place for a pastor to be. Great place for all of the people of God to be.
Understanding the ability that we bear to shine the light of glory upon our blessed Savior in the way that we live and in the way that we die. And then notice,
The Apostle's Conviction
that brings us to the conviction of the apostle. We're not going to finish the whole section tonight, so you don't have to worry. You'll get to bed sometime. But we want to finish verses 21 to 23.
I think this is the heart and soul of what I want to bring out here. So notice, end of verse 20, So now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. As if he's anticipating the question, what do you mean? What do you mean by that?
Christ is going to be magnified in your body whether you live or you die? Could you explain that? Okay, verse 21. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
The live here is the life in the body of verse 20.
To Live Is Christ
For to me, to live is Christ. I would suggest that emphasizes the present, current union that Paul has with the Savior. He's been saved by grace. He's been justified freely.
His sins are forgiven. He's received that imputed righteousness, received by faith alone. He has union with Jesus. So, for to me to live is Christ, he says.
This is a convention that I think we're kind of all familiar with. Fishing is the life. I just love bowling. It's living.
It's that which you really enjoy, right? You might like baking sourdough. I mentioned that this morning. I don't have some secret yearning for sourdough.
Honestly, I don't know where sourdough came from, but let's employ it again. You may have the best sourdough, and that may be life. It's whatever makes you happy. It's whatever fulfills you.
It's whatever brings you satisfaction. It's what brings you joy. Again, it's not wrong to fish. It's not wrong to bake sourdough.
It's not wrong to fix cars. It's not wrong to play ball. It's not wrong to bowl. But when you are able to say, for to me to live is Christ, union with Christ is everything.
That's what I mean. If you're asking the question, what does it mean that Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life? Consider the apostle Paul, for him to say, for to me to live is Christ, is an amazing statement. See, we don't just have Paul parachute into the scriptures as an apostle.
I say that because Elijah the Tishbite kind of just parachutes into the end of the text. You got all these horrible kings in 1 Kings 16, and just wretched one after another, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, 1 Kings chapter 17, and then there was Elijah the Tishbite. We don't get anything of backstory. He was a humble brother.
He had a farm. He had a wife. He had a few little Elijahs. We don't get that.
He's just dropped right into the text, and I think the emphasis is, when evil flourishes, according to 1 Kings chapter 16, God has his man, and he's going to send him to rebuke them and to set things in order in the kingdom. We don't have that with Paul. He doesn't just parachute in as an apostle. We know what he was.
We know Saul of Tarsus. We know he had papers to extradite believers that were gathered together in Damascus in Syria. He had marching orders to go and lay his hands on men and women, to take them from their places of worship, take them back to Jerusalem so that they could be punished according to the laws of the land in which the Christians were looked at as blasphemers. We know the story.
He tried to persecute the church. He tried to destroy it. He says, I was more zealous than all of my contemporaries. I was the one that was animated with this drive and desire and design to eradicate these Christians from the face of the earth and to get rid of this knowledge of Jesus the Nazarene.
So Christ comes to him on that road to Damascus and radically revolutionizes his life. In fact,
Paul's Religious Resume Counted Loss
Paul tells us as much in Philippians chapter 3. You can turn there. When Paul says, for to me to live is Christ, this is an amazing statement on the part of a man who at one time wanted to exterminate Christ and everything that Christ had his hands on. Notice in Philippians chapter 3 verse 2, Though I also might have confidence in the flesh.
If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so. Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. What he is doing right here in offering us up his religious resume is showing us that even the most accomplished religious man could not be accepted by God. That's what his purpose is.
If ever there was somebody that could commend themselves to God based on their resume, it was me, he says. I ticked all the boxes. Everything in the checklist for religiosity in the first century. Everything.
That's what he's saying. I had the potential to have confidence in the flesh. In fact, prior to that Damascus Road experience, I'm sure he had that confidence in the flesh. I'm a pretty great guy.
I've done a lot of great things. I've got a wonderful resume. Notice what he says in verse 7. But what things were gained to me, These I have counted loss for Christ, yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.
So everything that at one time was profit is now loss. Everything that presently should be profit is loss. I don't want any of that stuff. I don't want any of that attainment or that religiosity.
Some suggest that Paul lost everything. Paul lost reputation. Paul lost occupation. Paul lost everything.
But we know he didn't. And that's not what he's saying here. He's not saying, I lost all this and I gave it up for Jesus. I gladly gave up all this for Jesus.
For to me to live is Christ, he says. So notice again, verse eight. Yet indeed, I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish. that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith."
The Gospel of Imputed Righteousness
That is the sum and substance of Paul's gospel, the sum and substance of Paul's message. Paul is a very clear teacher of truth. And Paul's truth, we do that today, my truth, his truth, Paul's truth actually matters. And Paul's truth is quite simple.
God's holy. God is righteous. God is pure. As the prophet said, his eye is too pure to approve of any evil whatsoever.
But Paul goes on to tell us that man is sinful. Man is wretched. Man is wicked. Man's heart is foul.
It's polluted. In fact, spiritually speaking, man's not even alive. He's dead in his trespasses and sins. Well, if you're following Paul at this point, you're going to conclude that this isn't good news.
God's holy and I'm a wretch. How am I ever going to stand in his presence? Well, the good news is that God's Son takes on our humanity, lives a life of perfect obedience to the law of His Father, and then goes to the cross and dies, not as an example, but as a substitute, as penal substitutionary atonement, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And of course, because death had no dominion over him, he's raised the third day, he ascends on high, he sits now enthroned at the Father's right hand.
So basically, sinners, you and I, dead in our trespasses and sins, by the grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray, comes to the preaching of the Word, opens the heart, causes us to see God's holiness, causes us to see our sinfulness, and then causes us to see Christ's beauty. So when we believe on Jesus, we get the benefits of Jesus' death. He's the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. It's blood atonement.
The blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses us from all sin. So we're forgiven. We're wiped clean. We are now able to stand in the presence of God in that respect.
But we also need a righteousness. We need to have a positive movement toward God. Of course, we don't because we're wretches, but Jesus did and does because he's the Son of God who took on our humanity. The 33 years of Christ's righteous life are not simply an example for us.
They are actually for us. We need that righteousness. We need to stand in the presence of God, cleansed in His blood, clothed in His righteousness. Look at what Paul says in 3.9.
This is his emphasis. and be found in him not having my own righteousness, which is from the law." That stuff he just described in verses 2 to 6, that religious resume, the Pharisee, the tribe of Benjamin, the circumcision on the eighth day, the zeal persecuting the church. I had all of that, but notice what verse 9 says. I am gaining Christ, be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. That's how Paul has life.
It is Christ. This is the emphasis. It's a union passage.
To Die Is Gain
But then he points forward to the glory that he will have in his death. And we'll stop here. We're not going to even go past 21. But in 21, notice how he ends that verse.
What does he mean by that? Well, in his current life, everything about his orientation is in Christ. If he dies, how is that gain? Simple, he gets more Christ.
Right? What's Jesus say to that thief on the cross? Today, you shall be with me in paradise. What's Paul say in 2 Corinthians 5?
To be absent from the body is to be what? Present with the Lord. So Paul says, for me to live is Christ. Right now, presently, union with Christ in a Roman prison cell.
But if I die, I get more Christ. I get to go be where He is. I get to be near Him, in proximity. Not that union with Him presently spiritually is bad, but to have more Christ.
This is why He says, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Now brethren, that's a powerful statement. It's a powerful way to approach death. Death is scary.
Death is supposed to be scary because death is unnatural. Death is the wages of sin. It wasn't the case in the original creation or God's intention in creation for death and dying. That's a consequence of sin and rebellion.
It is the murky waters that we don't know a lot about and it certainly strikes fear into our hearts. But as God's people, we have this knowledge that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So that whether we live or we die, Christ is magnified in our bodies. If we live on, we faithfully serve Him.
If we die, we're in His presence. We join the voices of the multitudes there that cry out, salvation belongs to the Lord and to the Lamb who sits upon the throne. The Apostle Paul understood that in life or in death, his only hope and his comfort was the Lord Jesus Christ. That shaped him, that moved him, that affected him, that benefited him, it stabilized him and it steadied him.
When he's in a Roman imprisonment, possibly facing death, he is not wondering, oh, what's it gonna be like? He says, and he knows that if I die, I gain more Jesus. What do you do with Paul? If you're his persecutor, you're his punisher, you're tasked, you've got him on your desk, you've got a few files in your inbox, and you're the guy that has to make life miserable for Paul.
Roman soldiers were good at making life miserable for prisoners and such. How do you threaten Paul? We're gonna let you go. Great, I get Christ.
We're gonna kill you. Great, I get more Christ. The man cannot be kept down. The man cannot be hindered.
The man cannot be stopped or swayed. Why? Because he's great? No, because his Savior is great.
The way of, verse 21, the way for any of us to be able to say, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain, is to look unto Jesus in faith. That's what Paul does. That's what Paul did. He looked to Christ in faith, he received the forgiveness of sins, and he received that righteousness.
He gained Christ. And for him, that was everything. For us who have him, that is everything. And may God indeed increase our hearts and the supply of the Spirit of Christ so that we can live like Paul, so that we can die like Paul.
Magnifying. the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for these wonderful words of this man that you use so mightily for the good of the church. We thank you for the Savior that he served and that Savior that is ours. And may we say it with absolute conviction, for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. May you be glorified in our lives, may you be glorified in the salvation of more and more sinners, may you indeed bring many to a saving knowledge of our blessed Lord Jesus.
Go with us, watch over us in this coming week, look with favor upon all of your people and their various needs, and we pray in Jesus' name, amen.