Sermon 27
Sermon at Wonersh by John Metcalfe on March 5, 2006
Series – Hostile World
Standing Firm
“Lord,
may the words of my mouth, and the thoughts of all our hearts, be now and
always acceptable in your sight. Amen"
I just read about a chap who had his annual physical examination at the
doctor’s and he was sitting waiting for the initial report. After a few minutes the doctor came in with a
handful of charts and papers and said: “There’s
no reason why you can’t live a perfectly normal life … as long as you don’t try
to enjoy it!”
What does
"happiness" mean to you?
Perhaps it evokes a vision of unwrapping gifts on Christmas morning,
strolling hand in hand with the one you love on Valentine's Day, lying on a
In contrast to
happiness is joy. Joy runs deeper and stronger – joy is
the quiet, confident assurance of God's love and presence in our lives. I think of a submarine cruising through the
depths of the sea while a wild storm rages on the surface. Happiness
depends on happenings, but joy depends
on the presence of Jesus Christ.
Paul’s letter to his friends at
A Bishop recently lamented the fact that when Peter and Paul travelled about they caused riots and were thrown into prison, but wherever he goes they just invite him to open garden fetes. Peter and Paul were met with stones, and he gets invited to tea. Paul's priority was introducing people to Jesus Christ, and it constantly landed him in hot water.
That’s why he
wanted to visit
To most of us, that would have felt like a series of disasters. How on earth could Paul's imprisonment possibly serve the cause of Christ? But it did! In verse 12, Paul says: "what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel". The word Paul uses for "advance" is a military term, used to describe the way army engineers pioneered a way forward into new territory ahead of the main body of troops. Instead of finding himself limited or confined in prison, Paul’s saying that his difficult circumstances actually opened up new possibilities for ministry.
In the same way, God wants us to trust Him to fulfil the plans that He has for us. And sometimes he arranges circumstances so that we can’t do anything else but trust Him. In Paul's case, God used three unusual tools to advance the gospel – his chains, his critics, and his crisis. First of all:
1. Paul's
Chains (1:12-14)
The Romans thought the chains on Paul's wrists would restrict him ... but instead they released him. In another letter that Paul wrote from prison to Timothy, he said, "I am suffering for the gospel even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained (2 Timothy 2:9).” Paul didn’t complain about his chains, instead he used the opportunity.
So how could being chained up 24 hours a day advance the gospel? First, Paul was chained to a Roman guard. The shifts changed every six hours, so Paul had contact with four different soldiers every day. There were 9,000 soldiers in the Imperial Guard, so news of this unusual prisoner would have spread. Can you imagine being chained to Paul, a man who prayed without ceasing, a man who couldn't stop talking about Jesus, a man who was always writing letters to church's and individual Christians. Imagine what it would have been like chained to such a man for six long hours? Paul couldn't get out, so God brought the audience to Paul – a captive audience. Interestingly, those pagan Roman soldiers got to read the letters of the New Testament even before the churches got them.
But it wasn't
just Paul that the guards would meet.
Life was very bleak in prison without family or friends to visit and
bring food and clothes. Paul was a
stranger in
All this made me think about the excuses we make about our chains? “If only I were younger, older, single, married.... if only I could get out of this dead end job, if only I could find a job.... if only I had another £5,000 a year, if only lived in a different neighbourhood... if only I had a more supportive partner.... then I could really serve God.” No matter what our chains might be, we should realise that God can always make use of them … and us. The first tool that God used was Paul's chains - now for the second, his critics:
2. Paul's
Critics 1:15-19
When ever
Christians speak out, criticism always follows.
And the hardest criticisms often come from other Christians. That’s not new – and it happens today. Some critics were sincere, and others tried
to make Paul's life more difficult.
Perhaps they were embarrassed by Paul being in prison. Perhaps they criticised Paul for not keeping
all their Jewish rituals and traditions.
But Paul was only concerned that Christ was preached – and because of
this he rejoiced. Paul shared in the
work of making Christ known in
3. Paul's
Crisis 1:20-30
Because of
Paul's chains Christ was "known"
(1:13); and because of Paul's critics, Christ was "preached" (1:18). But because of Paul's crisis, Christ was
"exalted" (1:20). Paul probably knew that he might be found
guilty and be executed at his impending trial.
But he had nothing to be ashamed of, and was convinced that he could be both
a loyal citizen of
We’re all familiar with telescopes – a telescope enlarges distant objects, and brings clarity and precision – they bring the stars closer. We should all be telescopes? We’re here to bring Jesus closer to His people. To the average person, Jesus is a distant figure who lived 2000 years ago, and the image of the Church is probably just as dated. But when our non-Christian friends watch us go through a crisis, they will see Jesus magnified, and He’ll be brought so much closer. It’s often only when we experience a difficulty or suffer a tragedy that we find supernatural strength through Jesus and the difference between the Christian and the non-Christian stands out.
Paul wasn’t afraid of life or death! Either way he wanted to magnify Jesus Christ: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul wasn’t worrying about his trial or the possibility of being executed. He had no fear of what the Romans could do to him, because he’d died to his own ambitions already. Jesus had taken Paul's judgement on himself when He died on the cross. In verse 23, Paul describes death simply as "departing", and it was used in at least three ways,
i) It was a word used by soldiers on the move who carried all their supplies with them. The word meant "to take down your tent and move on." What a picture of Christian death. The tent we live in is taken down at death, and we go home to God in heaven. A soldier on the move.
ii) The word "departure" is also used to describes a prisoner being set free. Paul knew he would be set free one way or another – freed by the sentence "not guilty" to serve Christ on earth, or freed by the sentence "guilty" to serve Christ in heaven. A soldier on the move, and a prisoner set free. And thirdly
iii) it describes the farmer who unyokes his oxen – freed from burden. The prospect of death and being with Christ would release Paul from his burdens, his earthly work completed. A soldier on the move, a prisoner set free, an ox unyoked. That’s why he says "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (1:21).
Paul's chains, Paul's critics, Paul's crisis. They were unusual tools for God to use to advance the Gospel? But God did use those tools in Paul’s hands to do just that – advance the gospel. Are you ready to use the tools that God has put into your hands to advance the gospel? Let’s read the first sentence of verse 27 together: “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
And now let’s close with a prayer:
“Loving Lord Jesus, we’ve seen how Paul rejoiced in you, whatever his situation, he used it to your advantage … and you used him to advance the gospel. Lord we offer you ourselves so that you may also use us in your service. We pray that despite our chains, we may still be useful to you. We ask for the faith that we too may be able to pray: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Jesus, help us to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Amen”
John Metcalfe