A Vision of the Old Rugged Cross

As we continue to journey together and pray that God will reveal to us His vision for First Baptist Church, there is an image that comes to mind that will not go away. It is an image for me, for First Baptist Church, and I believe ultimately it is a vision for all who call themselves Christ-followers. It is the vision of the old rugged cross! And upon this vision we must cling or lose everything that is true and right. At the old rugged cross we find our birth place and our final resting place! This is a vision of life!

As the first stanza of the classic hymn with the same name declares, "On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame; and I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain" (George Bennard, The Old Rugged Cross, 1913). The old rugged cross is not beautiful or ornamental because upon this emblem of suffering and shame Jesus Christ, the Son of God, once and for all reconciled all of humanity to God the Father. The beauty we find in this divine vision is not of the blood-stained nail-pierced wood itself, but of the blood-stained nail-pierced body of the Lamb of God who willingly placed Himself on the old rugged cross for me and you! Jesus Christ took my sin and yours upon Himself and in that moment of faith when we asked Him to forgive our sins and accept us as His children He without hesitation gave us new life; life eternal! As the fourth stanza of Bennard's The Old Rugged Cross proclaims, "To that old rugged cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear; then he'll call me some day to my home far away, where his glory forever I'll share." What a beautiful vision to behold!

This is a vision that I want to characterize and define my life and the life of our church community! And that is why the image of the old rugged cross is the centerpiece of our new logo that we will use to communicate who and why we exists as First Baptist Church in New Castle, Indiana. In our logo, you will see that there are four people of different colors who are holding hands forming a circle hanging upon the old rugged cross. This is the vision of our unity within our diversity centered and dependent upon the old rugged cross. I believe that the overarching vision for First Baptist Church is that we are to be a house of reconciliation for our region and beyond. We are to be Kingdom-builders! We are to be a church community where people are reconciled to God and to each other through faith in Jesus Christ. With that said, everything we do must pass the test of the old rugged cross. Does this activity, event, program, business item, transaction, decision, etc. facilitate our vision to be a house of reconciliation? Is this conversation or activity a movement towards restoration and reconciliation? We must be intentional with our time, our talents, and our treasures!

My challenge to you and to all who are called to be a part of God's mission to the nations through FBC is to pray for God to reveal to you how He has gifted and equipped you to join us and get on board with the ministry of reconciliation. We are praying for men and women, boys and girls, who are ready to declare, "I once was blind, but now I can see." Who are ready to declare, "I too am a sinner, but I have been saved by grace and let me tell you about that grace!"

May our unity be dependent on the old rugged cross of Jesus Christ! May our unity be lived out in a shared vision to make His glory known to the nations! One relationship at a time!

"The Hard Work of Unity!" (Philippians 1:15-18a)

"The Hard Work of Unity!"

Captivated by Christ: An expositional sermon series on Paul's Letter to the Church in Philippi (message #7)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

May 30, 2010

Our Scripture lesson this morning demonstrates how Paul handles a divided faith community. A faith community divided at the heart-level of the preachers. Paul is describing the situation in Rome to the Philippians, but he is also teaching them (and us through the Holy Spirit) how they should respond when a similar situation occurs.

Jonathan P. to read the word of God from Philippians 1:15-18a (NIV): ¹⁵It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. ¹⁶The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. ¹⁸But 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. [Prayer]

The reality is that this situation has fallen upon the church from the day that Paul recognized it in Rome in 61 AD to the present moment throughout the world, including Henry County, Indiana. Let's learn from Paul and apply three lessons on how we can engage the hard work of unity in our community.

First, WE WORK TOWARDS UNITY WHEN OUR MOTIVATION IS LOVE!

The context of our Scripture lesson is verse 14, "Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly." Paul then continues in verse 15-16, "It is true that some preach Christ out of envy [phthonon] and rivalry, but others out of goodwill [eudokian]. The latter do so in love [agape], knowing [eidotes] that I am put [keimai] here for the defense [apologia] of the gospel" (Philippians 1:15-16).

I'm shocked! Some of the preachers are acting more like politicians than shepherds! (ok…not really! J) The word of God was being spoken more courageously and fearlessly, but unfortunately some of that effort was for self-gain! We see here, already in the first century church, the contrast between 'careerism' and 'calling' within the preaching ranks!

It is very important for me to point out to you that Paul is not saying that either group is heretical or preaching a false Christ. When Paul deals with heretical preachers you know it! What we are dealing with is not the spirit of falsehood, but the spirit of division being fueled by wrong motivations!

We will address the first group (the politician-preachers) and their motivations in the next teaching point so let's first examine what Paul says are the motives of those who preach Christ with goodwill (the shepherds).

The Greek word translated goodwill is eudokian whose biblical usage is coupled with the Hebrew word rason which refers to the good pleasure of God; the divine good pleasure or the will of God. One group of preachers preach for their own glory, the latter group of preachers preach for the pleasure/will of God.

In verse 16, Paul emphasizes the pure motivation of these preachers; they preach Christ out of love, agape! This is a word that we have studied multiple times now between our studies of 1 John and Philippians. Agape is the purest sense of love that both characterizes who God is and all that flows from God—a selfless sacrificial love that is generous at all times. God is love! We love because God first loved us! For God so loved the world, that He gave… this is agape!

As Spirit-filled born-again followers of Jesus Christ, because the living God who is love lives in us, then our motivation at its deepest place should be love. Because we are filled with the One who is love, if we do not have love there is no evidence of God's indwelling presence!

Paul teaches in the very famous love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."

Paul is pointing out that you could have clear manifestations of the Spirit in your life and ministry (the gifts of languages or angelic tongues, the gifts of prophecy, wisdom, and knowledge, the gifts of faith or generosity), but if you do not have the very character of God in you in how you utilize them then those gifts are worth nothing!

If we are to work towards unity together, then our motivation must be God's love—a love that does not seek its own profit or reward. This brings us into further discussing the former preachers who are preaching out of rivalry and envy.

The second teaching point is, WE WORK TOWARDS UNITY WHEN WE HAVE A SINGLE FOCUS!

Philippians 1:17 describes, "The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition [eritheia], not sincerely, supposing [oiomenoi] that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains."

I intentionally made this teaching point into a positive action item for us, but based on our Scripture lesson I could have easily stated, "We work towards unity when we are not a double-minded people!" These are double-minded preachers! Their public lives war with their private lives and their tongues with their thoughts! Yes, they were preaching Jesus Christ, but at war with their love for God was the motivation of their own hearts which completely taints the sincerity of their preaching!

Friends, self-deception runs deep and is a cancer that breeds division in the name of Jesus Christ! Proverbs 4:23 teaches us, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

If we are to have unity within the body of Christ then we cannot be torn between love and selfish gain. Our message is tainted when there is any other motive than love! UNITY IS HARD WORK FROM THE INSIDE OUT!!!!

In verse 15, we read that their motives were envy and rivalry towards Paul. The Greek word phthonon means more than envy, this words connotes that these preachers did not simply want what Paul had (his apostolic status and authority in the church), they desired to destroy Paul's credibility so that they could gain what they want (sounds like the playground at elementary school and continued antics in junior & senior high and unfortunately into adult life!).

Paired with the Greek word epis which means strife, discord, or contention we get a picture of preachers powerfully proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ tainted with some really negative words about Paul and his status as a prisoner. Yes, they were proclaiming Christ and for that Paul rejoiced, but they were double minded seeking their own selfish gain!

This picture is further clarified in verse 17 where Paul describes them as having a "selfish ambition" utilizing the Greek word eritheia. This word has in its sight a person who worked for pay; a careerist. This is a man who is out for office to magnify himself. The word conjures images of a politician canvassing for office. I guess thousands of years ago this image had negative connotations (unlike todayJ) because this word points to self-seeking and selfish ambition where as the motive was to advance oneself to an extent that their perceived well-intentioned ends justified the means.

Paul is not putting on a reactive smear campaign. In fact, he doesn't spill much ink at all over this topic, although I am sure he is personally disturbed by this kind of presumptuous behavior. No, Paul is reporting what is happening and will later build upon this contrast to orient the followers of Jesus Christ to always respond with the same attitude of Jesus Christ.

Leading into the famous Christ Hymn of Philippians 2, Paul further emphasizes how we should live as Christ-followers in a fallen world, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:3-4).

Paul is modeling for us and calling us to respond to divisive people with the one singular motivation through and in which we are to do all things, we are to love them!

In 1 Corinthians 13:5, Paul teaches this about God's love [agape], "It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."

I can only imagine how deeply Paul was tested in his own convictions to live out what he preached! Only by the grace of God because of the Holy Spirit who lives in us! Paul did not fixate on their selfish motives, rather he returned everyone to the reason for our unity in the first place. Paul lifted the matter beyond personalities and methodologies to the single focus of Jesus Christ!

That moves us to our last teaching point: WE WORK TOWARDS UNITY WHEN JESUS CHRIST IS PARAMOUNT!

Our Scripture lesson ends with verse 18, "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" (Philippians 1:18a).

There is no unity when there is no unity in the truth!

We must have unity on the truth of Jesus Christ even though there is great diversity within who we are as Christ-followers! The gospel of Jesus Christ is our great ordering principle! All of us are in process; Christ is paramount! Let's keep our eyes on the One and not on the others!

Because here is the deep reality of what God is building amongst the raw material of our lives. From Ephesians 2:19-21 Paul exclaims, "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord."

The imagery of "joined together" is of a master mason fitting stone after stone together, shaping each stone so that we fit together in perfect alignment built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ being the cornerstone! Everything is dependent upon Jesus Christ!

God is using us to build the temple, but do not lose focus that the temple will not stand without the chief cornerstone. Our commUnity is dependent on Jesus!

Paul later makes the same point, but instead of using a building image, he uses the body image. In Ephesians 4:15-16, Paul teaches, "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

We are the body, but do not lose focus that the body will not live without the Head, which is Jesus Christ! The body of Christ is dependent on Jesus!

True unity can only be built upon the One who is the Head of the body and the cornerstone of the temple of God! We must know who our unity is built upon and not presume that it can be found in any other way!

Paul states that the preachers who preached to God's good pleasure knew [eidotes] that he was put [keimai] in jail for the defense of the gospel. That word keimai has its original usage as a military term and means being under orders; Paul was put in jail as under orders issued by God. It was God's will for him to be where he was!

The faithful preachers whose motives were love knew Paul's apostolic authority and that his imprisonment was part of God's plan so they purposed their ministries to be in partnership with Paul's, not at odds. They worked for unity in hard circumstances trusting God's perfect will!

On the other hand, the preachers with selfish ambition presumed [oiomenoi] that Paul's imprisonment was a shameful thing and purposed their ministries to be opposed to Paul's. Why? Because they could not see God's good will in the face of difficult circumstances!

Difficult circumstances will come! Suffering is a part of the life of a Christ-follower in this life! We must purpose ourselves that God is working for our good pleasure in the midst of our difficulties and seek unity!

If we want unity we must stop presuming and start focusing ourselves in what we know is true! We cannot presume to know the future; we must make decisions based off of what we do know! Let me tell you what we need to hang on to for our very lives: We can know the paramount importance of knowing Jesus Christ! If you do not yet know Jesus Christ, then today you can know Him personally!

Paul witnesses in Philippians 3:8, "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ."

Unity amongst Christ-followers must start at the heart level for each of us! The healing of the disease of division has to be achieved in spite of our imperfect sanctification on this side of heaven! The mandate of our unified fellowship is centered on the person and gospel of Jesus Christ and not on the secondary issues of church polity, worship expressions, generational music preferences, building design, or leader personalities.

For too long we have justified the disease of division in the forms of denominationalism, different services catering to music preferences (in the name of unity of course…everyone's happy!), and the limited concept of the body of Christ as the local congregation rather than the congregation of saints located within one geographical location. God is calling us to embark upon the hard work of unity, not only within our own church, but in our region.

Christ-followers of Henry County, God is calling us to be the house of reconciliation so that the world may know of the miracle of grace lived out through our unity within our diversity!

IT'S AMAZING WHAT GOD WILL DO IN AND THROUGH US IF WE CARE NOT WHO GETS THE CREDIT BUT THAT ONLY GOD GETS THE GLORY!

Pentecost Sunday 2010

"Becoming the Gift!"

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

May 23, 2010

Today, we are taking a break from our sermon series on Paul's letter to the Philippians to celebrate Pentecost Sunday. We set apart this day as special in the church calendar because there wouldn't be the church if it were not for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the followers of Jesus Christ on Pentecost Sunday in 32 AD.

According to the Book of Deuteronomy, the Old Covenant established three major annual feasts for the people of God to celebrate their covenant relationship with God and commemorate God's faithfulness to them throughout the generations. The first was Passover, or the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The second was Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks also known as the Day of the First fruits. And the third was the Feast of Booths or the Feast of the Ingathering.

The name in Greek (pentekostos) means 'fiftieth' because this annual feast was fifty days after the presentation of the first sheaf to be reaped of the barley harvest. That is the fiftieth day from the first Sunday after Passover. For this feast, every Jewish male was required to travel to Jerusalem and give a gift to the LORD as he was able according to the blessings that the LORD had given. This was a feast with its intention to remind the people of God to give back to God a gift out of the great gift of provision that He has already provided.

With that background of Pentecost, let's read the historical narrative of what happened on the Pentecost Sunday that ushered in the age of the Church, the Body of Christ. Our Scripture lesson this morning is found in the Book of Acts 2:1-13.

¹When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ²Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. ⁵Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? ⁸Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" ¹²Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" ¹³Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."

Prayer

On this Day of First Fruits, Pentecost, God gave the wonderful gift of His power and presence; and the age of the church was ushered in. As the church, the body of Christ, we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ to the world! We are to be an extension of His love, His mercy, His compassion, to a hurting world spiraling more and more out of control in these end times. Through Pentecost we have become the gift to this world because God puts flesh on the Spirit through us and we in turn represent God to the world.

Let us learn from our Scripture lesson how we become this gift. First, WE BECOME THE GIFT TO OTHERS WHEN WE WAIT ON GOD'S TIMING!

The first verse of our Scripture lesson states, "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place" (Acts 2:1).

Why were the followers of Jesus Christ gathered together on the day of Pentecost?

Because Jesus told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for God to send them the gift of the Holy Spirit, as promised to them. They were being obedient! So they gathered together to pray and study and support one another.

We read this in Acts 1:4-5, "On one occasion, while he [Jesus] was eating with them, he gave them this command: 'Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'"

After his resurrection, Jesus Christ appeared and taught His disciples many things about the Kingdom of God for forty days. He ministered to His followers until He ascended to the right hand of the Father. Jesus has given them the great commission and He has told them the scope of the work they were to do. This hand-picked group of ragamuffens were to be Jesus' witnesses to the nations, but first and foremost He clearly instructed them this one next step: go to Jerusalem and wait!

And that is what these first followers of Jesus Christ did for 10 days! They waited day after day, but they did not wait in vain. Friends, this is one of the hardest life lessons to learn; the importance of waiting on God. When we are waiting on God to move in our lives; to answer our heartfelt prayers; to fulfill His promises; we are never waiting in vain when we are waiting well.

Psalm 27:14 states, "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."

For us to be the hands and feet of Christ to our community, we must trust God's timing and wait with faith and courage. We must be strong and take heart!

Even when we feel that God has called us to do big things for Him, the first step is to wait on His timing! Do not rush ahead! God does not see time as we do. He uses it to prepare us and shape us to be His hands and feet; to be His gift to others!

Next, WE BECOME THE GIFT TO OTHERS WHEN WE ENCOUNTER GOD'S POWER!

Acts 2:2-3 records, "Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them."

It is recorded in later Jewish traditions that the day of Pentecost was reckoned to be the anniversary of when God gave Moses the Law on Mt. Sinai in Exodus. At Mt. Sinai, we see the physical demonstration of God's presence and power through the natural elements—smoke, thunder, and lightening.

Moses and the Hebrews saw the physical manifestation of God's presence and power on Mt. Sinai after God rescued them from Egyptian slavery through the ten plagues culminating in the blood of the Passover lamb.

In Acts 2:2-3, on this first Christian Pentecost, we see physical manifestations of God's presence and power after these first followers of Jesus Christ had been rescued from the slavery of their sin by the blood of Jesus Christ, the perfect Passover Lamb.

From Passover to Pentecost, we see God's power at work to save us from our sins! First and for a time through the Old Covenant and now once and for all through the New Covenant established through the blood of Jesus Christ.

It is in a personal encounter with this same power that we can be saved; it is the Spirit of God that passes us from death to life…that we are born of the Spirit.

John 3:5-8 states, "Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

The reality of our spiritual condition prior to encountering the power of God through faith in Jesus Christ is not that we are a bit off course or that we are sick. No! God makes it very clear in Scripture that we are dead in our sin. The wage of even just one sin is death and death is what we are entitled to, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ through the power of the Spirit of God. Without being born again through the Spirit we are dried up dead bones! Listen to this powerful prophetic image form Ezekiel 7.

"The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me [Prophet Ezekiel] out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. Then he [the LORD] said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD'" (Ezekiel 7:1, 4-6).

This is the physical image of our spiritual condition! Read the entire chapter of Ezekiel 7 and watch the valley of bones come to life as God breath's upon the dry bones. I pray that God will breathe over you today and receive this new life. That leads us to our final point…

WE BECOME THE GIFT TO OTHERS WHEN WE ARE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT!

To truly be the gifts that God has intended us to be we must be Spirit-filled conduits of God's blessings! It is His presence in us that makes us the gift!

Acts 2:4-13 finishes,"All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. ⁵Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? ⁸Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" ¹²Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, 'What does this mean?' ¹³Some, however, made fun of them and said, 'They have had too much wine.'"

In response to the amazement and perplexity of those who heard them speaking in all the known tongues of language, Paul gave the first Spirit-filled apostolic sermon which ended with this invitation in Acts 2:38, "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, 3000 people accepted Jesus Christ and were baptized. The revolution had begun through a small band of loyal and committed followers who had one thing the whole world needed for life: the breath of God; the Holy Spirit!

In Acts 1:8, before Jesus' ascended to the right hand of the Father, He said this about the coming gift of the Holy Spirit, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

We receive the Holy Spirit, the gift of God, so that upon being filled with the Holy Spirit we become the gift of God to others by witnessing to the gift!

What is the gift we bring witness to? The gift is not a what, but a who! The gift is Jesus Christ!

Paul described Jesus Christ as the indescribable gift in 2 Corinthians 9:15. He stated, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

More than the oxygen we breathe, we need the love of God through Jesus Christ! More than our next meal, we need the Spirit of God in our hearts! This is our greatest need: to be forgiven of our sins and reconciled to God!

We become the gift to others because we become the incarnate ministers of the message of reconciliation through the living and abiding presence of God. We are the gift as witnesses to the nations of God's power!

Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God."

The Holy Spirit filled the Church on Pentecost Sunday; the Day of First Fruits! This is the Feast faithful God-followers were commanded to bring back to God a gift in accordance with the rich provision He has given you in His harvest.

Are your hands empty? What gifts are you going to bring to God in response to the life He has given you?

Lip service; spare change found in the wallet; a compartmentalized life; lukewarm religion; half-hearted obedience; one day a week…

Don't short God; YOU are the gift! Give Him everything; your time, your talents, and your treasures. He is calling for every area of your heart, mind, and life to be a witness of His redeeming work in your life!

Response time.

Facing Difficult Circumstances! (Philippians 1:12-14)

"Facing Difficult Circumstances!"

Captivated by Christ: An expositional sermon series on Paul's Letter to the Church in Philippi (message #6)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

May 16, 2010

Philippians 1:12-14 (NIV): "Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really 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. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly."

The Apostle Paul has concluded the introduction of his letter and begins the body of his letter to the Philippians. Paul is giving an accurate account of his situation and what is happening because of His witness for Christ. More so than studying this simply as a historical account, we can learn so much from Paul's words about what faithful discipleship looks like in the face of difficult circumstances.

How do we live as Christ-followers in the face of all that is difficult, painful, and disappointing in our lives?

Open your sermon notes and let's dive into our teaching time, first: TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE FACE OF DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES WE MUST LEAVE THE PATH OF SELF-PITY!

Paul begins in verse 12, "Now I want you to know, brothers [adelphoi = brothers and sisters], that what has happened to me has really served to advance [prokopen] the gospel."

What has happened to Paul that has served to advance the gospel? When Paul wrote this letter he was under house arrest in Rome chained to an elite Roman guard where he awaited trial by Caesar because he could not receive a fair trial in Jerusalem. Paul had been beaten, flogged, shipwrecked, he had gone without food and sleep, abandoned, hunted, plotted against, jailed and persecuted all for defending the Christian faith.

Paul has suffered a great amount for the gospel of Jesus Christ, but he does not allow himself to get stuck in a victim mentality. Rather, Paul emphasizes not his circumstances or his sufferings, but rather all that has happened to him has advanced the gospel. The Greek word that Paul uses in the original language is prokopen and its context of usage is in an army advancing. Specifically, it means to clear away the obstacles that would hinder a military advance.

Paul is saying that his imprisonment and his sufferings for Christ have not hindered the gospel, but they have allowed the gospel to advance forward; to penetrate deeper into enemy territory!

Paul does not boast about his imprisonment, rather Paul is praising God for how God is using the difficult circumstances of his life to do what he could not have done by his own strength or with his own planning!

If we are going to witness the glory of God in our circumstances, then we must let him use the difficult circumstances! The wonderful truth is that we are never alone in our circumstances; God is with us calling us to Him, and in our response to His presence He advances the gospel! Listen for His invitation!

What gets in the way of the gospel advancing in our difficult circumstances? We do! We fall into the rut of self-pity focused upon our circumstances and how they make us feel. Self-pity is a negative spiral that takes our eyes off of our God and takes our eyes off of our witness to God's glory, and we get stuck! We not only get stuck, but the harder we try to get out, the deeper we sink into the muddy rut and in that place of spinning our wheels we lose our focus, our attitude, and our witness!

Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 6:3-5, "We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger."

The first step to facing difficult circumstances is to remember whose you are in the midst of difficult circumstances: we are children of God and we belong to a God who is bigger than our circumstances! Our witnesses and ministries as Christ-followers are not forged in the days of comfort and ease, but in the days of adversity and pain in the midst of the challenges of everyday life.

So do not let your eyes turn inwards and fall into the path of self-pity. As the Bible declares in Hebrews 12:2, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

The truth is that difficult life circumstances are the reality of living in a fallen world; a world that crucified the living God. The question is who are you going to point people to in the face of your difficult circumstances?

That leads us to our second teaching point: TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE FACE OF DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES WE MUST SHARE ABOUT JESUS CHRIST MORE THAN WE TALK ABOUT OUR CIRCUMSTANCES!

In verses 13 and 14, Paul now explains two ways that the gospel has advanced because of his imprisonment. We are going to learn the historical context as well as see how this applies to our lives today.

In verse 13 Paul explains, "As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard [praitorion] and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ."

What is the historical context for Paul's situation?

It is recorded for us in Acts 28:16-31. Let me read to you the beginning and end of this historical account of Paul's imprisonment. "When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him. ...For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 28:16, 30-31).

Every day for 2 years a Roman soldier was chained to Paul to guard him. Not just any guard, but one of the 9000 elite soldiers assigned to Caesar in Rome; they were the palace guard known as the Praetorian Guard.

How did Paul spend his time over these 2 years? What did he do with his captured audience?

We get an idea of what Paul did from his prayer request in Ephesians 6:19-20, "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."

And that is what Paul did: one guard at a time he shared about Jesus Christ more than he talked about his own circumstances! One visitor at a time he talked about Jesus Christ more than he talked about his own circumstances!

And that made Paul different from every other prisoner that was awaiting trial by Caesar. And these elite guards knew character when they saw it and they told their fellow soldiers and the word got around to the entire palace guard: The Prisoner Paul was in chains for Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the one who did miracles and raised people from the dead, he was crucified and rose from the dead 3 days later. The One these people call kurios (LORD), a title in the Roman Empire reserved only for Caesar. And his followers are willing to die for this Lord and stand strong in their faith and conviction even facing their own death trial!

Paul's witness to Jesus Christ spread throughout the most influential soldiers and statesman of the time; this was the hub of power and prestige in Paul's world! All because God used difficult circumstances to bring Paul to a place of great influence and Paul responded!

Paul had a choice how to respond to his difficult circumstances; we each do! How are you responding?

And that brings us to our third teaching point, TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE FACE OF DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES WE MUST TRUST IN GOD'S PLAN FOR EACH OF OUR CIRCUMSTANCES!

In verse 14, Paul describes the second way that his imprisonment advanced the gospel.

He records, "Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged [pepoithotas] to speak the word of God more [perissoteros] courageously and fearlessly" (Philippians 1:14).

There is one modification to our English translation that I feel compelled to highlight to you from the original language; the clause "in the Lord" should not modify adelphoi [brothers and sisters]. It should modify the Greek word pepoithotas which means to convince or persuade and is used connote confidence.

And a point of interest: the Greek word perissoteros is the adverb form of the verb we learned last week (perriseuo) which we saw its rich usage in verse 9 (your love may overflow with knowledge and insight). The Christ-followers in Rome have been given confidence in the Lord to speak the word (the gospel) with an overflowing courage and fearlessness.

What do we learn from Paul's testimony? Our attitudes and actions are contagious! When we live out our faith in difficult circumstances, whether we realize it or not, we motivate and encourage other people to do the same!

Suffering is not always a consequence of sin or the absence of a good and loving God or the sign of evil's presence. In the reality of difficult situations, God is still in control and we must trust that He is with us.

Don't be so quick to pray difficult circumstances away; they may be just the situation God has brought forth to advance His Kingdom and bring glory to His Name through the way you respond!

This reality is captured ever so clearly in the context of one of the favorite Scriptures to quote. Many quote Jeremiah 29:11, but I want to read it to you in its context. This is God's message through the Prophet Jeremiah to God's chosen people who were currently in exile in Babylonian captivity. A message to the people to make the most of their circumstances, to not listen to false prophets, and to trust God's plan: "This is what the LORD says: 'When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:10-11).

Brothers and sisters, we can trust God and yes we can trust Him in the face of difficult circumstances, because we know that He knows! He knows His plan for our lives and those plans are to prosper His people, not to harm us and we live in the reality and fulfillment of God's plans to give us a hope and a future. We are the bride of Christ; the children of God; the sons and daughters of the King!

And we have this promise that allows us to face difficult circumstances with trust. Found in Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

How are you facing the difficult circumstances of your life?

Don't face them alone! I invite you today to ask Jesus Christ into your life. If you do this then I do not guarantee you a life of ease and comfort, but I guarantee that in your difficult circumstances you will never be alone. The God who made you and loves you will be present to you and work for good all that you are going through. If you will trust Him!

Are you willing to put your trust in God today and trust Him in the midst of your difficult circumstances from this day moving forward?