The reading today is from Philippians 1, 1 to 26.
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are
at Philippi and with the overseers and deacons, grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all
making my prayer with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion
at the day of Jesus Christ.
It is right for me to feel this way about you all because I hold you in my heart for you
are all partakers with me of grace.
Both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel.
For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with affection of Christ Jesus.
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment
so that you may approve what is excellent.
And so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel
so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment
is for Christ.
Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill.
The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defence of the gospel.
The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.
What then?
Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope
that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now, as always, Christ will be honoured 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 live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me,
yet which I shall choose, I cannot tell.
I am hard-pressed between the two.
My desire is to depart and be with Christ,
for that is far better.
But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.
Convinced of this,
I know that I will remain and continue with you all
for your progress and joy in the faith,
so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus
because of my coming to you again.
Thanks, Alan.
The title of the sermon this morning is
Three Catch Cries for a New Year.
I was speaking with John Hollier and he suggested they should be Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.
But after our shambolic performance at the MCG the last couple of days,
I don't think that's fitting,
so we'll go for three catch cries.
They'll be from the Book of Philippians.
If you're one of the children who's normally in Grace Kids in primary school
and you can come and tell me at the end of the service this morning
what those three catch cries are,
that means you've been listening very, very carefully
and I may have your choice of some M&Ms or a strawberry cloud
or a sour worm or something.
Some lollies anyway.
So, yeah, so kids, listen out,
but what are the three catch cries can you tell me?
Can you tell me?
If you're someone who's in youth group in high school,
you need to work a bit harder for your reward.
That is, in my first catch cry,
I have three sub points about halfway through
and one of them is...
I've got to remember what they are now.
Well, maybe I've forgotten what they are,
but you can tell me what they are, right?
One of them is the wellspring of something,
one of them is the bedrock of something,
and, you know, you can tell me what the three are,
so you need to be listing out for those
because they're not on your outlines.
You'll have to write them down and try and remember them.
Okay.
Well, let's get into it.
Now, according to a survey done by finder.com.au,
71% of Aussies, that's 15.5 million people,
will make a New Year's resolution for 2026.
71% of us.
And though you're much more likely to make a New Year's resolution
if you're young.
So 88% of Gen Z will make a New Year's resolution,
but only 39% of baby boomers.
Maybe the baby boomers are tired of making New Year's resolutions
and not keeping them.
But 71% of us.
And the top four most popular New Year's resolutions for Aussies
all concern physical health.
Number one, improve fitness.
Number two, eat more healthily.
Number three, lose weight.
Number four, sleep more.
And then number five is travel overseas.
Are you one of the 15 million?
You know, maybe you have a New Year's resolution or two.
Is your resolution among the top five?
Well, if so, I have some disappointing news for you.
That 80% of New Year's resolutions fail by February.
What that means is,
if you've been paying attention to those statistics,
and I think if I've got my maths right,
that means each year more Aussies fail to keep New Year's resolutions
than fail to make them.
Well, today from Philippians chapter one,
this is our final sermon for 2025.
It's also, in a way, our first for 2026,
because we're beginning a new series that will carry us through to February.
That is, carry us through to about the time
all those New Year's resolutions are failing.
This portion of God's word will give us something better
than resolutions to carry into the new year.
What we'll see this morning are three catch cries for all God's people.
I say they're catch cries for all God's people
because that's how Paul addresses this letter,
at least to the Philippians.
In Philippians chapter one, verse one,
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi,
with the overseers and deacons.
This is a letter Paul wrote for all believers,
all the saints in Philippi, not just for the leaders,
but neither excluding the leaders, the overseers and the deacons.
It's for them too.
The message of this letter was for all.
And these three catch cries we're going to see from chapter one
are better than New Year's resolutions
because their power comes,
the power of these catch cries comes not from our own discipline
and constancy, which is rather unreliable,
but from the goodness and faithfulness of God.
Now, I was talking with Gareth at church on Christmas Day.
We were having a chat.
And he knew I was preaching on this passage
because he was preparing the kids' talk.
And he suggested that this passage was too long for me to preach,
which I think was more a comment about my preaching
than about the passage per se.
But I think we might be able to manage it
if we focus on these three catch cries
because each of them takes us to the heart
of one of the three main sections of this passage.
So for each of these sections,
we'll begin with the catch cry
and then we'll use that as a springboard
to get into the section as a whole.
So first catch cry for us to take into 26
from verses 3 to 11 is this.
We are all partakers together of grace.
Now, as usual, Paul begins one of his letters
with thanksgiving and prayer.
But look with me at verse 7.
In the ESV, it's right in the middle of the verse.
If you have another version,
you probably find this phrase at the end of the verse.
But there in verse 7, Paul says to the Philippians,
you are all partakers with me of grace.
Or to express it another way, he says to them,
you all share together with me
in the grace of God.
You all share together with me in the grace of God.
And that is true of every Christian.
Indeed, you could say that is what it means
to be a Christian.
A Christian is someone who shares in the grace of God.
If you're someone that is who trusts in
and who follows Jesus,
then God's kindness,
his generosity,
his favour,
his blessing,
his joy,
it's all yours.
You share in it.
It belongs to you.
And if you're not yet a Christian,
if you're someone here who is exploring
or thinking about God
and about Christianity,
if you're not yet a Christian,
then I want you to know
this is what Jesus offers you.
A share in God's grace,
all of his goodness.
You, Christian,
can wake up each morning
and say to yourself,
the goodness of God is mine.
The grace of God is mine.
I share in it.
And that is true,
that is true of you,
no matter what else is going on in your life.
No matter what your circumstances,
it was true of Paul,
in prison in Rome.
It was true,
or perhaps elsewhere,
but let's go with Rome.
It was true of the Philippians,
threatened by opponents in their own city.
And it's true of you,
whatever your circumstances,
as you face a new year.
You might face a new year with anticipation.
You might face it with dread.
But if you are someone who loves Jesus
and trusts in him,
this is true of you.
You share in the grace of God.
Your sins are forgiven
and that cannot be taken away.
You can call God your father
and that cannot be taken away.
You have the gift of God's spirit.
You have an inheritance in heaven.
God is always working for your good
and none of these things can be taken from you.
You share in God's grace.
Not because you deserve it,
not because any of us deserve it,
but because God freely gives it.
And that one thought,
that catch cry,
ripples throughout Paul's thanksgiving and prayer
in this first section.
Let me show three ways.
Firstly,
knowing that we share together in grace
is the wellspring of affection and joy.
Sharing together in grace
is the wellspring of affection and joy.
Look at verses seven and eight together.
Paul says to the Philippians,
it's right for me to feel this way about you all
because I hold you in my heart.
Now, what's Paul talking about here
when he says it's right for me
to feel this way about you all?
Well, he's referring in part
to his thankfulness and joy,
which he mentions in verse three and four.
He says, verse three,
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
always in every prayer of mine for all of you,
making my prayer with joy.
And now in verse seven,
he says,
it's right for me to feel this way about you all,
this thankfulness,
this joy,
because I hold you in my heart.
Why?
For you are all partakers with me of grace,
both in my imprisonment
and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.
It's because the Philippians share with Paul
in God's grace
that Paul says it's right,
it's just,
it's fitting
that he should hold them in his heart.
It's fitting that he should be
filled with thankfulness and joy
on their account
because together with Paul,
they share in God's grace.
And this is the basis of Paul's affection for them too.
We see that in verse eight.
Verse eight,
for God is my witness,
how I yearn for you
with all the affection of Christ Jesus.
Paul loved his brothers and sisters in Philippi.
He felt affection for them.
He longed to be with them.
You can see
from Paul's precise words in verse seven
that it mattered to the apostle
not only that in which we share,
that is God's grace,
the thing we share in,
but it also mattered to Paul
that we share in it together.
You are all partakers with me,
Paul says,
of grace.
See,
sharing in something unimaginably,
as unimaginably good as God's grace
is reason enough
for affection and joy
and thankfulness
between believers
and on behalf of one another.
Think of it,
think of
two groups of
exuberant fans
of a sports team
that has just won the grand final
or maybe the fourth test.
And they
see one another
on a train
or a tram
on the way home
from the sports ground
and they recognise
the team colours
and maybe the accents
and they've never met before.
Their names are unknown
and yet they recognise
one another
and they cheer
and they laugh
and they sing the team song
or the national anthem
and they retell
the most memorable moments
of the match.
They're so elated,
these fans,
sports fans,
so elated
that they cannot possibly
feel badly
toward one another
for they share
in the same victory.
And if that's
the camaraderie
and euphoria
over something fleeting,
over something
that doesn't last,
well how much more fitting
is thankfulness
and mutual joy
and affection
that these
are the mark
of those
who share together
in the grace
of God.
We share together
in
infinite riches,
the infinite riches
of God's grace
and that's a basis
for affection
and joy.
But there's more.
Not only
is being partakers,
fellow partakers
in grace
the wellspring
of affection
and joy,
it's also
the bedrock
of assurance.
The bedrock
of assurance.
Look at verse 6.
For God is my witness,
oh sorry,
that's verse 8,
verse 6,
and I am sure
of this
that he
who began
a good work
in you
will bring it
to completion
at the day
of Jesus Christ.
Paul was convinced
that God
would continue
his work
in the Philippians
until the day
Christ returns.
He was certain
they would persevere.
He was certain
they would press
on as believers
until the end.
How could
Paul be so sure
about the Philippians'
future?
Were the Philippians
super-Christians?
Was it because
they were more tough,
more resilient
than anyone else?
Well again,
follow the logic
through.
I'm sure of this,
Paul says,
that he who began
a good work
in you
will bring it
to completion
at the day
of Jesus Christ?
How so?
Verse 7,
it's right for me
to feel this way
about you
because I hold you
in my heart
for you are all
partakers
with me
of grace.
It's right for me
to feel this way
about you.
Right to feel
what way
about the Philippians?
Well part of
how Paul feels
about the Philippians
is his confidence,
his certainty
that God
would complete
his work
in them.
And again,
the basis
of this
is what Paul
says in verse 7
that it is
because they
are partakers
with Paul
of grace.
To put this
another way,
how was Paul
so confident
for the Philippians?
Well his confidence
was in God
himself.
It's God
who began
the work.
It's God
who would
complete the work.
because of course
God will complete
what he has begun
because we share
in his grace.
What would grace
be if it carried
us only halfway
there?
So Paul
was confident
for the Philippians
but he was
confident
in God
and in his
grace.
Sharing in grace
is the bedrock
of assurance.
And thirdly
and finally
in this section
being partakers
together
in grace
is the root
of our
fruitfulness.
It's the root
of our
fruitfulness.
Look again
at verse 6.
Paul says there
I'm sure of this
that he who
began a good
work in you
will bring it
to completion
at the day
of Jesus
Christ
or perhaps
better
will bring it
to completion
until the day
of Jesus
Christ.
There's a sense
of God
carrying it
on throughout
that whole
time frame.
But what
is the good
work which
God will
complete
and perfect
until the
day of
Jesus Christ?
Well in part
it's our
faith and our
salvation as
I've just
implied.
But if we
look in the
context in
verse 5
Paul has
just been
thanking God
for the
Philippians
partnership
in the
gospel from
the first
day until
now.
So they
were not
only Paul's
partners in
the blessings
of the
gospel sharing
in the
blessings that
come from
God's
grace.
They were
also partners
with Paul in
the proclamation
of the gospel
in evangelism.
Now later on in
Philippians in
chapter 4 we
learn at least
one way they
did this was
by giving
financially to
support Paul's
evangelistic
mission to
the nations.
They had done
that in the
past.
Indeed they
had done it
Paul says
from the first
day ever since
they first
became Christians.
Christians they
had shared with
Paul in his
mission.
They had done
it again
recently sending
another gift to
Paul to meet
his needs even
as he was in
prison awaiting
trial.
But Paul was
confident that
God's grace
would continue
to make them
fruitful in
love and
righteousness and
good deeds.
Hence his
prayer for them
in verse 9 to
11.
We won't look
at all of it
but his prayer
concludes in
verse 11 that
they will be
filled with the
fruit of
righteousness
that comes
through Jesus
Christ to the
glory and
praise of
God.
They would be
filled but it
would be through
Jesus and so
the glory would
be to God.
It's grace,
it's a gift,
it's God's
work, it's
fruit, fruit
which grows on
us but which
comes from
him.
Trust that he
will do it,
that sharing
in his grace
will be for
you the
root of
fruitfulness,
that there'll
be fruit,
he'll do it,
there'll be
fruit in your
life,
fruit of
evangelistic
fruit, fruit
of righteousness,
of holiness
and godliness,
he will do it
even for you,
even for the
person sitting
next to you.
And so
partaking of
God's grace
is the
wellspring of
joy and
affection,
it's the
bedrock of
our assurance
and it's the
root of our
fruitfulness.
What a catch
cry to carry
into 2026.
How much
better than a
new year's
resolution which
depends on us.
We are all
partakers together
of grace.
That is what it
means to be a
Christian, we
share in the
grace of God.
Well the
second catch
cry of this
chapter from
verse 12 to
18 is this,
what has
happened has
actually served
to advance the
gospel.
That comes from
verse 12,
verse 12 Paul
writes to the
Philippians,
I want you to
know brothers
that what has
happened to me
has really
served to
advance the
gospel.
Now what has
happened to me
Paul is there
referring to his
imprisonment as
verse 13 makes
clear.
There are three
main candidates
for which
imprisonment this
was, Paul was
imprisoned multiple
times.
It may have been
his imprisonment in
Caesarea from
AD 57 to 59, we
can read about that
imprisonment in Acts
chapters 23 to 26.
It may be his
imprisonment in Rome
around AD 60 to 62,
we read about that in
Acts 28.
It may be an earlier
imprisonment in
Ephesus, we don't
have any direct
evidence of that but
it may have
occurred in the
mid-50s.
I'm not going to go
into the arguments for
or against each of
these locations.
In my view, Rome
best fits the
evidence and I'm
going to treat it as
if he's in prison in
Rome but if it's in
one of the other
places it doesn't
really change the
meaning of the book
we have before us.
In any case, Paul
is under arrest,
he's in custody,
he's chained,
he's facing trial,
the threat of
execution hovers
over him and all
of that must have
seemed like a major
setback for the
cause of the
gospel of Jesus
Christ.
Well, Paul says
what seemed like a
setback was actually
a step forward.
I want you to know,
brothers, that what
has happened to me
has really served
to advance the
gospel.
Don't be discouraged,
he says to the
Philippians, take
heart.
He assures them,
not just I'm okay
but the gospel is
okay, the cause of
Christ is okay.
Now, how could that
be?
How could this be the
case?
Because this was
Paul, right?
Paul, the one who
had been appointed by
Jesus Christ himself
as the apostle to the
nations, languishing
in chains in Rome.
This is Paul, the
travelling missionary
who had been deprived
of his liberty and
freedom of movement,
now stuck in place.
This was Paul, the
church planter, the
pioneer.
He planned to carry
the gospel even further
west to Spain.
But now here he is in
Rome, a city the gospel
had already reached even
before Paul got there.
You know, things had
certainly not worked out
as Paul himself had
planned and hoped.
But now, Paul says,
this apparent retreat
was in fact an advance.
How so?
Well, in two ways.
First, in the
opportunity it afforded
Paul and secondly, in
the way Paul's
imprisonment inspired
others.
So first look at verse
13.
It's really served to
advance the gospel,
verse 13, so that it
has become known
throughout the whole
imperial guard and to
all the rest that my
imprisonment is for
Christ.
In Acts chapter 28, we
read that Paul in Rome
was allowed to stay by
himself in his own
sort of rented
quarters, but with a
soldier who guarded
him.
And that during the two
years he spent there,
Paul continued to
proclaim Jesus with
boldness and without
hindrance to any who
visited him.
Now, presumably, you
know, there's a soldier
with Paul guarding him.
Presumably, there wasn't
just one guard who lived
permanently with Paul.
What seems more likely,
and verse 13 would tend
to corroborate this, is
that various soldiers of
the imperial guard, the
praetorian, rotated on
shifts, keeping watch
over Paul.
And that created
opportunities for Paul to
share the gospel with
them.
I mean, they're stuck
with him.
What are they going to
talk about?
Why he's in chains?
Why not start there?
Even if Paul didn't get
to share the gospel with
them directly, they may
well have been listening
in as Paul shared the
gospel with others who
visited him.
Certainly, given Paul's
relatively high status as
a prisoner by this time,
it's no surprise that
over time, the entire
imperial guard and all
the rest learned the
reason for his
confinement.
At the end of the
letter, Philippians 4,
verse 22, Paul passes on
to the Philippians that the
believing members of
Caesar's household send
their greetings to the
Philippians.
So Paul's imprisonment
created opportunity for,
you know, his lengthy
imprisonment.
It led directly to the
spread of the gospel at
least among some portions
of Rome's civil and military
administration.
Paul's imprisonment gave
Paul opportunities for the
gospel, but there's a
second way in which it
served to advance the
gospel, and that is in how
it inspired other believers.
Look at verse 14.
And most of the brothers,
having become confident in
the Lord by my
imprisonment, are much more
bold to speak the word
without fear.
Now, that's a seemingly
strange comment to make,
isn't it?
How could Paul's
imprisonment lead to
others being confident
and preaching the gospel
without fear?
Wouldn't it be the
reverse?
You know, Paul's in
prison.
Paul's been arrested, so
maybe I could be arrested
too, so I better shut my
mouth.
But it doesn't work that
way.
It had the opposite
effect.
Most of the brothers were
apparently more impacted by
the example of Paul's
courage than by his
confinement, fear of his
confinement like his.
Actually, Paul goes on to
explain it was a mixed bag of
people who had stepped up
their evangelistic efforts
around the city of Rome.
Verse 15, some indeed
preach Christ from envy and
rivalry, but others from
goodwill.
The latter do it out of love,
knowing that I'm put here for
the defence of the gospel.
The former proclaimed Christ
out of rivalry, not
sincerely, but thinking to
afflict me in my
imprisonment.
See, there are those who
were sincerely motivated.
They loved Paul.
They shared his desire to see
the gospel advance, and so
they were emboldened to
preach Christ.
There are others who are
motivated by rivalry, who
envied Paul and who
imagined that by making more
noise about Jesus in Rome,
they might stir up some
trouble for him, they might
cause him some problems.
Isn't that a very sad state of
affairs, actually, that second
group?
That there might be people who
preach Christ in order to
bring trouble on another
believer.
And yet it's, you know, it's
an accurate and damning
appraisal of the human heart,
isn't it, that sin can be so
insidious that it's possible
even, that even in the most
noble of activities, preaching
Christ, we can be motivated by the
most base of desires, envy and
malice.
But listen to Paul.
Paul offers his own remarkable
commentary on this situation,
considering these two groups
preaching Christ.
Verse 18, what then?
Only that in every way, whether in
pretense or in truth, Christ is
proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
You know, what a testimony to the
heart of the apostle here.
If I were in his situation, you
know, even if I could somehow
stoically endure the physical
ordeal and confinement of my
imprisonment, I can't imagine
responding to the activities of
those rivals with anything other
than outrage and self-righteous
indignation.
You know, their intentions were so
mean and warped.
But Paul's not concerned about his
own status or his own well-being
or his own vindication.
He just wants people to hear
about Jesus.
That mattered more to him than
anything.
As long as more and more people
were hearing about Jesus, it
didn't matter how it was
happening.
That was enough for Paul to
rejoice.
He didn't care what it cost him
personally.
He just wanted people to hear
about Jesus, about their Lord and
Saviour.
And in writing to the
Philippians in this way, Paul
clearly expected them to share his
value system.
Now, I want you to know, brothers,
Paul begins in verse 12.
He expects his words in this section
to comfort the Philippians, to
reassure them.
But they can only comfort and
reassure the Philippians if they did
share his value system, or at least
if these words of Paul would help them
change their perspective.
Now, the Philippians loved Paul, and
so they had reason for anxiety and
grief because of the troubles he was
facing.
But Paul expects that what matters
most to the Philippians will not be
Paul's well-being, but the same thing
that matters to Paul, that more and
more people hear about Christ.
And when it comes to people hearing
about Jesus, God loves to turn setbacks
into opportunities.
John Piper, in his book, Let the
Nations Be Glad, tells numerous stories
from the last two centuries of how
suffering and seeming setbacks have
served to advance the gospel.
Here's one of them, which Piper takes
from a book by Bill and Amy Stearns.
In the 1930s, the Japanese invaded
North Korea and thousands of Koreans
fled.
And many of the Koreans who fled settled
around Vladivostok.
And then in the late 30s and early 40s,
Joseph Stalin began developing Vladivostok
as a weapons manufacturing centre.
But he deemed that the Koreans who were
living in the region, in the area, they
were a security risk.
And so he relocated them throughout the
Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin.
Relocated them to five different areas
of the Soviet Union.
One of those areas was Tashkent, where
these group of Koreans were settled among
a staunchly Muslim population, the Uzbeks.
Now, the Uzbeks are a large people group which
had for hundreds of years violently resisted any
Western efforts to introduce Christianity.
But when these Koreans were moved in to live
amongst them, they welcomed them because of their
industry and kindness.
And within a few decades, this community of Koreans
had integrated with Uzbek cultural life.
Among the Koreans were pockets of Christian believers.
He began bringing Uzbek and Kazakh friends to Christ.
And so on June the 2nd, 1990, the first open-air
Christian meeting in the history of Soviet Central Asia
was held in the capital of Kazakhstan.
Through the labours of these Korean believers.
Now, consider the hardships that those Korean
believers faced.
First displaced from their homeland.
Then again, forcibly relocated by Stalin.
And placed among a foreign culture and a foreign
people.
And yet God used that to bring the gospel to an
unreached people group.
Actually, a people group that is still largely unreached
today.
But the work has begun.
God turns setbacks, apparent setbacks, into steps
forward.
Now, what will 2026 bring for you?
What will 2026 bring for me?
What will it bring for us as a church?
What will it bring for the missionaries we support?
Now, if you've been here as part of this church for a while,
long enough to hear about the missionary support, and I'm
speaking about the others, not about myself and the AFES
team here.
But if you've been here long enough to hear about the
missionary support, you will know the hardships and the
obstacles and the apparent setbacks that each of them are
facing.
And have faced in recent years.
What will 2026 bring them and us?
There may be griefs and trials and obstacles and setbacks.
Don't be surprised.
But let us carry this catch cry into 2026.
What has happened has actually served to advance the gospel.
God's mission won't fail.
His plan won't fail.
Let's be open to unexpected twists in the mission of God.
Let us be ready to see in our weakness, Christ's strength.
In our defeat, Christ's triumph.
And let us learn to prize the cause of Christ more than we
prize our own comfort.
You know, what could be better, however much it cost us, what
could be better than that more and more people hear of Jesus?
And in a similar vein, let's carry into 2026 our third and final
catch cry from this passage.
For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
That statement comes from verse 21.
Verse 21.
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Now, why does Paul say this?
Paul says this because he's confronted with those very two, there's those two
very real possibilities, life and death.
He's a prisoner.
He's awaiting trial.
His imprisonment could end in either way.
It could end in his condemnation and execution, his death.
Or it could end in his acquittal and his release.
Life.
And he weighs up.
These two alternatives are before him.
And in verse 22, he weighs them up.
He says, verse 22, if I am to live in the flesh, that will mean fruitful labor for me.
Yet which I shall choose, I cannot tell.
I'm hard pressed between the two.
My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.
Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,
so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus because of my coming to you again.
Paul considers these two alternatives, life and death.
He desires to depart and be with Christ, better by far, Paul says.
But he knows that if he stays in the flesh, that will mean fruitful labor.
Now, I was reading this passage with some uni students earlier this month.
And I asked them, I want to ask you the same question.
What do you think about verse 21?
In particular, do you think that verse 21 is as true for you as it was for Paul?
Is that a true statement for your life?
For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
I asked these uni students that question and they answered in the affirmative.
They said, yes, it is.
What do you think?
Just ponder that for a moment.
Is verse 21 true of your life?
Is it a catch cry that you could hang over your life?
Now, I pushed the uni students I was reading the Bible with.
I want to push you a bit too.
Do you really believe it's as true for you as it is for Paul?
Let me offer three reasons why it might not be as true for you as it is for Paul.
Reason number one, Paul himself says at the start of verse 21,
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Could it be that Paul's just sharing his own personal opinion here?
This is how Paul feels.
It may not apply to us.
Second reason, Paul says, to me, to live is Christ.
And that if he went on living, it would mean fruitful labour for him.
Well, of course it would for Paul.
Paul was an apostle.
So, of course, life meant fruitful labour for him.
He'd been appointed to preach Christ.
Of course he could say to live is Christ.
His entire life was about Jesus and making Jesus known.
Specifically called to that.
What about you?
Are you an apostle?
Sure, Paul's life was all about Christ, but is mine?
Is yours?
Third reason it might not apply to us the way it applies to Paul.
Paul says, to me, to die is gain.
Because when he died, he would depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
This is one of four verses, I think, in the New Testament that is talking about the intermediate state between our death and resurrection,
where we go to be with Christ.
We can talk about that later if you want to.
But he anticipates that when he dies, he'll go to be with Christ.
And, of course, that's far better for Paul.
I mean, after all, Paul was a prisoner.
Paul had enemies.
He had opponents.
He had rivals who were out to trouble him.
He'd been beaten.
He'd been stoned.
He'd been shipwrecked.
He'd been hungry, cold, in danger, persecuted.
Life for Paul was one misery after another.
One suffering after another.
But me?
I have a very pleasant life.
I live in a comfortable house.
I have a beautiful wife.
I have four amazing kids.
I have a wider family that, for the most part, gets on incredibly well and where people love and respect one another.
I enjoy good physical health.
I have leisure time.
I have hobbies and interests I enjoy.
I mean, of course, Paul would say to die is gain because his life was horrible.
But could I say it?
I mean, are those words equally true of me?
Wouldn't I rather say to die is loss?
But what do you think?
Is verse 21 equally as true for you or equally as true for me as it is for the Apostle Paul?
Is it true that for you to live is Christ and to die is gain?
Do you really believe that verse is true for you?
And if you do, why?
Why do you believe it?
Perhaps you remember the words of our Lord.
Then he said to them all,
Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world and yet lose or forfeit their very self?
For me, to live is Christ.
To die is gain.
And if that is true for you too, ordinary disciple,
if it's true for you,
is that a catch cry you're willing to carry into 2026?
For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.
If this is your catch cry for 2026,
then you'll have the same prayer and ambition as Paul
and the same hope as Paul.
See, look, the last couple of verses we'll look at, verse 19 and 20.
Paul says,
Yes, and I will rejoice,
for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
this will turn out for my deliverance, my salvation.
Now, when we first read verse 19,
what is the deliverance?
What is it that Paul expects in answer to the Philippians' prayers?
We might, our first thought might be,
he expects to be released from prison.
But that's not actually what he's talking about.
I know this will turn out for my deliverance,
verse 20,
The deliverance, the salvation that Paul anticipates is that he will not be ashamed,
but that Christ will be honoured in his body,
by whatever means, whether by life or by death.
That's salvation for Paul,
to be someone who is unashamed of Christ,
someone in whom Christ is glorified.
His ambition, his prayer, his expectation, his hope,
is for the magnification and exaltation of his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,
in Paul's body,
by whatever means the Lord may choose,
however the Lord may do it.
And if you're serious that this is your catch cry for 2026,
to live is Christ and to die is gain,
then you are saying to the Lord,
Lord Jesus,
may you be magnified in my body,
in my life,
by whatever means and whatever path you choose.
may you be magnified in my body,
whether in health or in sickness,
whether in life or in death,
whether in prosperity or in poverty,
whether in honour or dishonour,
whether in comfort or in adversity,
whether in laughter or in sorrow.
whatever you will,
Lord,
I will receive from your hand.
Only may you be honoured in my body.
And when the days of my mortal life draw to a close,
receive me to be with you forever.
For I know that whether my days are spent
among the splendour of kings
or in the dust of the destitute,
whatever I enjoy,
whatever I suffer,
to be with you is better by far.
So, Heavenly Father,
engrave these words as the cry of our heart.
We are partakers together of your grace.
whatever happens,
may it really serve to advance the gospel.
To me,
to live is Christ
and to die is gain.
Engrave these words on our hearts.
We ask this through Jesus and in his name.
All glory and praise be to you.
Amen.
Thank you.