WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.800 I've been preaching through the book of Philippians for a long time, not like literally now, but what I mean is that over the years, I've preached through Philippians a lot. 00:00:10.120 --> 00:00:15.099 And I don't think I've ever quite satisfied myself with the sermons that I've preached on Philippians. 00:00:15.140 --> 00:00:17.940 And I am sure that this evening is going to be another one of those cases. 00:00:18.359 --> 00:00:22.740 But I want us to try and work through verses 18 to 26 of chapter one. 00:00:23.459 --> 00:00:31.599 And instead of working through verse by verse, what I want to try and do is give you a picture of what it's all about and then pull out a couple of ways that Paul talks about that. 00:00:31.899 --> 00:00:33.640 And then we'll think about the applications together. 00:00:34.379 --> 00:00:36.179 The book is so dense. 00:00:36.179 --> 00:00:43.399 Every sentence carries so much weight that it's almost impossible for us to fully exhaust it. 00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:46.099 So let me read to you from Philippians chapter one. 00:00:46.899 --> 00:00:50.280 I'm going to read from verse 12 down to verse 26. 00:00:52.740 --> 00:01:00.480 Now, I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 00:01:01.219 --> 00:01:08.579 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I'm in chains for Christ. 00:01:09.599 --> 00:01:18.840 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. 00:01:18.840 --> 00:01:26.000 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:31.859 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 00:01:32.600 --> 00:01:40.659 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I'm in chains. 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:42.040 But what does it matter? 00:01:42.040 --> 00:01:50.180 The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. 00:01:50.920 --> 00:01:52.860 And because of this, I rejoice. 00:01:52.859 --> 00:01:56.480 Yes, and I will continue to rejoice. 00:01:56.920 --> 00:02:06.780 For I know that through your prayers and God's provision, the spirit of Jesus Christ, of the spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 00:02:06.780 --> 00:02:18.240 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now, as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 00:02:18.780 --> 00:02:23.080 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:27.740 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:29.740 Yet what shall I choose? 00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:30.939 I don't know. 00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:32.659 I'm torn between the two. 00:02:32.659 --> 00:02:40.759 I desire to depart, to be with Christ, which is better by far, but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 00:02:41.780 --> 00:02:48.680 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith. 00:02:49.180 --> 00:02:54.859 So through my being with you, again, your boasting in Christ will abound on account of me. 00:02:54.860 --> 00:03:01.800 I want to start off this evening with a simple but profound question. 00:03:02.880 --> 00:03:05.320 What is the purpose of life? 00:03:05.800 --> 00:03:07.080 What is the purpose of life? 00:03:07.600 --> 00:03:09.060 If I was to ask you that, what would you say? 00:03:09.480 --> 00:03:11.120 Maybe you don't like questions like that. 00:03:11.800 --> 00:03:15.960 We've had my nephew staying with us for a little bit and he loves questions like this. 00:03:16.040 --> 00:03:20.300 In fact, he would rather you talked about that than talked about anything else. 00:03:20.300 --> 00:03:25.360 He loves thinking deeply and so we end up with really deep conversations around the dinner table. 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:31.600 But perhaps you're thinking, oh goodness, Steve, please, it's, you know, what is it, 6.50 on a Sunday evening. 00:03:32.020 --> 00:03:34.700 Please don't ask me a complicated philosophy question. 00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:36.620 But run with me for a moment. 00:03:36.780 --> 00:03:38.700 What is the purpose of life? 00:03:39.260 --> 00:03:40.420 What is the purpose of life? 00:03:40.580 --> 00:03:44.680 I don't think actually it's that complicated as a Christian and it's here in our passage. 00:03:44.680 --> 00:03:51.920 So Paul says that for the Christian, there is a great overarching purpose in our life that's unaffected by your age. 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:53.960 It's unaffected by the stage of life that you're in. 00:03:54.379 --> 00:04:00.080 The purpose of your life is to make Jesus look great. 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:03.480 Make Jesus look great. 00:04:03.580 --> 00:04:04.980 That is the purpose of your life. 00:04:05.460 --> 00:04:07.980 Or you might want to put it in more religious sounding words. 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:10.819 The purpose of your life is to glorify him. 00:04:10.819 --> 00:04:17.699 Glorifying God or glorifying Christ is literally going public on his greatness. 00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:20.279 It is making him look great. 00:04:20.620 --> 00:04:25.939 Of course, I don't mean that we are making Jesus look better than he really is. 00:04:26.019 --> 00:04:31.480 What we're doing by making Jesus look great is literally exposing his greatness for others to see. 00:04:32.180 --> 00:04:33.800 That's what I mean by making him look great. 00:04:33.800 --> 00:04:37.600 It's like, look at how great and amazing Jesus is. 00:04:38.400 --> 00:04:39.920 Pointing to it, showing it off. 00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:43.680 Now, before we go any further, let me try and prove that to you from this passage. 00:04:43.980 --> 00:04:50.580 Let me start with the verses that we've read and then I'll move on from there to other bits of Philippians and to a couple of other passages. 00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:53.840 So he says in verse 20, doesn't he? 00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:58.600 That Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 00:04:58.600 --> 00:05:05.800 Literally here, Paul's physical life makes Jesus look mega, look exalted. 00:05:07.660 --> 00:05:09.260 Even when his body dies. 00:05:09.580 --> 00:05:16.220 The point he expands in verse 21 when he says, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. 00:05:16.420 --> 00:05:18.220 Which is probably the most famous verse in the section. 00:05:18.220 --> 00:05:26.200 It means that Christ living for him, being with him, pointing to him is life for Paul and also death. 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:31.280 It's there again in verse 26, although he's not talking about himself here, but about the Philippians. 00:05:31.280 --> 00:05:36.780 When he says that through his ministry, the Philippian church will be able to boast about Jesus. 00:05:36.780 --> 00:05:43.420 So that through my being with you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. 00:05:43.420 --> 00:05:50.780 Your making Jesus look great, your glorifying of Jesus Christ, your boasting in Jesus Christ will abound. 00:05:50.900 --> 00:05:53.300 It will not wither or die down. 00:05:53.400 --> 00:05:58.140 It will grow and expand and abound more and more on account of what Paul has said to them. 00:05:59.420 --> 00:06:01.400 You jump ahead to chapter 2 verse 21. 00:06:01.400 --> 00:06:08.180 You'll see that Paul is sending Timothy to them because Timothy is an outstanding member of his ministry team. 00:06:08.759 --> 00:06:12.259 Why is Timothy an outstanding member of his ministry team? 00:06:12.259 --> 00:06:19.000 Well, chapter 2 verse 21, where everyone else looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 00:06:19.620 --> 00:06:23.759 But Timothy is mostly interested in Jesus Christ. 00:06:24.420 --> 00:06:33.199 Point being, looking to the interests of Jesus Christ, making Jesus look great, glorifying Jesus is the proper way to live. 00:06:34.439 --> 00:06:39.360 In chapter 3 verse 7, he says that he considers everything a loss compared to Christ. 00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:45.100 Christ is his greatest treasure for whose sake he considers everything else rubbish. 00:06:45.420 --> 00:06:46.400 Chapter 3 verse 7. 00:06:46.520 --> 00:06:50.660 But whatever were gains to me, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 00:06:51.340 --> 00:06:52.620 Christ is my greatest treasure. 00:06:53.280 --> 00:06:59.660 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. 00:06:59.660 --> 00:07:02.820 I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ. 00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:12.140 Now, we can say a little more here because it's that making Jesus look great is the central obsession of Paul's life. 00:07:12.139 --> 00:07:19.639 Because Paul is persuaded that making Jesus look great, the glorification of Jesus is the obsession of history itself. 00:07:19.639 --> 00:07:25.879 So if you look at chapter 2 verse 9, you see there that Jesus is going to be given a name that is above every name. 00:07:26.039 --> 00:07:27.479 Or is given a name that is above every name. 00:07:27.800 --> 00:07:36.879 And history is working towards a day when we're told in verse 10 and 11 that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that he is Jesus Christ the Lord. 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:43.240 And therefore, verse 9, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. 00:07:43.319 --> 00:07:47.259 That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. 00:07:47.540 --> 00:07:51.759 And every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 00:07:52.519 --> 00:08:00.439 In other words, he says history is flowing inevitably towards this point where everybody in heaven and on earth and under the earth. 00:08:00.939 --> 00:08:05.939 Everyone alive and dead will acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 00:08:05.939 --> 00:08:10.199 Everyone saying Jesus is great. 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:16.019 It's the same as it was in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 10 that we read together earlier. 00:08:16.259 --> 00:08:22.459 When history is fulfilled and everything is then put under Christ, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, 00:08:22.860 --> 00:08:31.319 which he purposed in Christ to be put in effect when the times reach their fulfillment to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 00:08:31.319 --> 00:08:36.279 Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ exalted, glorified, made to look great. 00:08:36.740 --> 00:08:39.439 1 Corinthians 15, 24 is the same idea. 00:08:39.980 --> 00:08:46.700 Then the end will come when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 00:08:47.139 --> 00:08:50.220 But he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 00:08:50.220 --> 00:08:54.879 The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for he has put everything under his feet. 00:08:55.540 --> 00:09:05.420 History is the putting everything under the rule and the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, destroying every other claim of dominion and authority and power, 00:09:05.899 --> 00:09:13.160 including death itself, submitting to Christ who is all in all, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 00:09:13.159 --> 00:09:19.699 History is working towards this great point when Jesus is revealed as King of kings and Lord of lords. 00:09:19.839 --> 00:09:25.740 And Paul says our lives now find their purpose in acknowledging that great reality. 00:09:27.919 --> 00:09:28.939 Think about it like this. 00:09:29.039 --> 00:09:30.919 I'm not sure that this illustration quite works. 00:09:30.980 --> 00:09:33.219 You can tell me afterwards or just butt in if you like. 00:09:34.299 --> 00:09:38.379 Imagine a great river working its way towards a waterfall. 00:09:38.379 --> 00:09:44.600 The waterfall is one of those great majestic waterfalls that everybody likes to take a picture of. 00:09:44.700 --> 00:09:46.980 It's glorious and incredible. 00:09:47.620 --> 00:09:50.059 Everyone likes to have a selfie in front of it and that sort of thing. 00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:58.379 And so you could say that the purpose of the river is to make the waterfall look great. 00:09:58.379 --> 00:10:02.460 So it flows over the waterfall and makes the waterfall look great. 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:07.059 And then you can say in turn, can't you, that it's not just the river as a whole, 00:10:07.059 --> 00:10:15.199 but each individual water droplet in the river finds its purpose in falling over the waterfall and making the waterfall look great. 00:10:15.299 --> 00:10:17.259 I know that the illustration breaks down a number of different points. 00:10:17.339 --> 00:10:19.879 But anyway, think about it like that. 00:10:19.959 --> 00:10:21.659 History, if you like, is this great river. 00:10:22.379 --> 00:10:24.039 You and I are just simply water droplets. 00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:32.439 And the great culmination of history is the exaltation of Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords 00:10:32.440 --> 00:10:38.820 over God's glorious kingdom and his defeated enemies in judgment and hell. 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:44.680 So there are people that no one can number gathered by his death on the cross in their place, 00:10:44.820 --> 00:10:49.380 dwelling with him as their bridegroom for all eternity in a world transformed by his power. 00:10:50.100 --> 00:10:52.780 This is the end to which history is working, 00:10:52.780 --> 00:11:00.220 where everyone will say and confess that Jesus is Lord, even as a cry of anguish. 00:11:00.220 --> 00:11:02.240 And so history is heading here. 00:11:02.379 --> 00:11:06.660 And the purpose of our lives is to anticipate that day, 00:11:06.820 --> 00:11:11.720 to live today in the light of the fact that there is a day coming when we'll be over the waterfall 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:15.680 and making Jesus look great and joining in with all of history and everything 00:11:15.680 --> 00:11:19.940 and everyone acknowledging that Jesus Christ is Lord. 00:11:20.580 --> 00:11:24.080 Now, I know that the river and the waterfall illustration didn't work very well, 00:11:24.300 --> 00:11:26.700 but let me push it just a little bit harder if I can. 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:32.180 Let me ask you, how can you be a happy water droplet in the river? 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:34.200 It's a dumb question, isn't it? 00:11:34.840 --> 00:11:37.500 But the other way of asking it is, you know, 00:11:37.820 --> 00:11:42.520 that a happy water droplet is one that is excited about the waterfall, right? 00:11:42.560 --> 00:11:44.120 Because they are anticipating, 00:11:44.400 --> 00:11:48.340 I get to be part of this great and glorious display called a waterfall. 00:11:48.740 --> 00:11:51.879 Look at that, I'm going inexorably towards this waterfall. 00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:52.980 What a great thing. 00:11:53.120 --> 00:11:56.179 One who is looking forward to it, talking about it, jumping up and down in excitement. 00:11:56.960 --> 00:11:58.600 And that's it here in this passage. 00:11:59.080 --> 00:12:04.139 So the purpose of Paul's life is to make Jesus look great in anticipation of this day 00:12:04.139 --> 00:12:07.059 when Jesus will be known and revealed as great. 00:12:07.439 --> 00:12:10.320 And he finds his joy in that. 00:12:10.879 --> 00:12:10.899 Okay? 00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:14.700 So the center of the passage, if you wanted to look at the structure of the passage, 00:12:14.700 --> 00:12:17.740 it swings around the end of verse 18. 00:12:18.180 --> 00:12:21.180 And he says, yes, and I will continue to rejoice. 00:12:21.800 --> 00:12:25.140 Everything before that is talking about his present circumstances, 00:12:25.280 --> 00:12:26.900 how he's currently in prison. 00:12:27.220 --> 00:12:30.780 He is working to advance the gospel by sharing it with the palace guard. 00:12:31.100 --> 00:12:34.040 Other people are preaching, some for bad motives, some for good. 00:12:35.340 --> 00:12:38.700 And everything after that is about what he hopes might happen afterwards, 00:12:39.259 --> 00:12:42.560 after he's released and trying to work out whether it's better that he lives or dies. 00:12:42.559 --> 00:12:46.619 And right at the center of the passage, the hinge, if you like, on which it swings is this, 00:12:47.059 --> 00:12:48.759 yes, and I will continue to rejoice. 00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:53.779 In other words, what Paul is saying is, in my present circumstances, 00:12:54.079 --> 00:12:56.659 in whatever my future circumstances might be, 00:12:57.039 --> 00:12:59.299 my purpose is to make Jesus look great. 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:01.979 And that makes me happy, he says. 00:13:02.079 --> 00:13:03.139 That brings me joy. 00:13:06.739 --> 00:13:08.919 The Westminster Catechism puts it like this, doesn't it? 00:13:08.919 --> 00:13:15.659 What is the chief end of man to glorify God and enjoy him forever? 00:13:16.039 --> 00:13:19.459 And that's exactly what Paul is doing here in Philippians chapter 1. 00:13:19.839 --> 00:13:21.399 And that's what stands behind the passage. 00:13:23.579 --> 00:13:24.659 Let me just have a drink. 00:13:26.839 --> 00:13:28.799 Cold coffee is good for a bath, isn't it? 00:13:28.799 --> 00:13:36.359 They charge you extra for cold coffee at Starbucks, so it's got to be a good thing. 00:13:36.539 --> 00:13:36.719 Right. 00:13:37.740 --> 00:13:39.759 So this is what stands behind the passage, right? 00:13:40.620 --> 00:13:46.759 The central purpose in Paul's life, make Jesus look great and find his joy in doing so. 00:13:47.259 --> 00:13:50.839 Now let me show you two things which are about how that works out in practice, 00:13:50.839 --> 00:13:54.099 and then we can think about the applications for us today. 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:54.580 Okay. 00:13:54.580 --> 00:13:55.019 Okay. 00:13:56.080 --> 00:14:00.639 Firstly, notice, and I've written these on your handouts that you can scribble on this. 00:14:01.139 --> 00:14:04.659 The gospel made known makes Jesus look great. 00:14:04.980 --> 00:14:08.460 Okay, so it's all very well saying the purpose of life is to make Jesus look great. 00:14:08.519 --> 00:14:11.940 Well, how does one go about making Jesus look great? 00:14:12.500 --> 00:14:16.500 And Paul says, well, the gospel, the message of the gospel made known, 00:14:16.920 --> 00:14:19.680 is what makes Jesus look great to the world. 00:14:19.980 --> 00:14:21.200 It's an obvious point, isn't it? 00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:26.320 It's the good news of what Jesus Christ has done that exposes his greatness. 00:14:28.160 --> 00:14:31.879 And notice in the passage that that function is almost automatic. 00:14:33.040 --> 00:14:40.700 It's almost that it is almost impossible to explain the gospel without making Jesus look great. 00:14:40.980 --> 00:14:44.460 You cannot explain the gospel truly without making Jesus look great. 00:14:45.040 --> 00:14:48.580 So notice that although Paul is in prison, still the gospel is being declared, 00:14:48.700 --> 00:14:49.920 so Jesus is being exalted. 00:14:49.919 --> 00:14:54.919 So firstly, verse 14, the church members in Rome, where Paul is writing from, 00:14:55.019 --> 00:14:58.779 have become more confident in proclaiming the gospel because of Paul's chains. 00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:00.599 So he considers that a win, right? 00:15:00.620 --> 00:15:04.740 This is a win because I'm in chains and people are growing in confidence and sharing the gospel. 00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:07.759 Preaching the gospel makes Jesus look great. 00:15:07.839 --> 00:15:09.299 And that's making me joyful. 00:15:09.500 --> 00:15:11.799 This is the great purpose of life. 00:15:11.799 --> 00:15:19.979 And it's true, verse 15, even when those who are preaching the gospel are doing so in the hope of getting ahead of Paul while he's in prison. 00:15:20.979 --> 00:15:26.579 So he acknowledges, doesn't he, in verse 15 and following, that some people are not preaching out of noble reasons. 00:15:27.079 --> 00:15:28.579 They're trying to make a name for themselves. 00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:29.819 They're trying to get ahead. 00:15:29.820 --> 00:15:32.140 They're trying to make trouble for Paul. 00:15:32.760 --> 00:15:34.140 Well, what does he say in verse 18? 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:34.860 What does it matter? 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:40.379 The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:41.640 And because of this, I rejoice. 00:15:42.680 --> 00:15:50.260 He's obsessed with the preaching of the gospel because the preaching of the gospel is the thing that makes Christ look great and brings him great joy. 00:15:50.259 --> 00:15:54.960 So he rejoices in the preaching of the gospel, even though it's been done to try and stab him in the back. 00:15:56.279 --> 00:15:59.399 Jesus being made to look great is making him happy. 00:16:00.939 --> 00:16:07.080 Now, of course, it's worth pointing out that these preachers must be sharing the gospel truthfully. 00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:07.819 Right. 00:16:07.919 --> 00:16:14.399 So in other parts of the New Testament, Paul condemns people who change the gospel, even in very small and subtle ways. 00:16:16.279 --> 00:16:19.379 And so he's not that they must be preaching the gospel truly. 00:16:20.539 --> 00:16:25.980 But actually, they're assuming, aren't they, that they can preach the gospel to make themselves look great. 00:16:26.580 --> 00:16:32.039 But there's sort of an irony here, isn't there, that Paul actually goes, no, they're trying to make them, they're trying to get themselves ahead by preaching the gospel. 00:16:32.039 --> 00:16:35.259 But the gospel actually truthfully preached exalts Christ and not them. 00:16:35.460 --> 00:16:37.679 And I'm rejoicing that it exalts Christ and not them. 00:16:39.439 --> 00:16:42.039 It's bad for them to do it for false motives, isn't it? 00:16:42.039 --> 00:16:45.639 But it is good for Christ's glory because he's exalted in the message of the gospel. 00:16:47.319 --> 00:16:50.120 Now, let me just try and put this together in a sentence for us, if I can. 00:16:50.120 --> 00:16:53.100 I'll put it in the negative to try and make it more striking for us. 00:16:53.179 --> 00:16:55.620 I think what Paul is saying here, in effect, is something like this. 00:16:56.440 --> 00:17:00.360 You cannot keep quiet about Jesus and be a happy Christian. 00:17:01.919 --> 00:17:04.880 You cannot keep quiet about Jesus and be a happy Christian. 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:10.160 Because the purpose of our lives as Christians is to make Jesus look great. 00:17:10.420 --> 00:17:13.160 And we cannot make Jesus look great without the gospel. 00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:16.540 And the gospel is a message that needs to be heard. 00:17:16.539 --> 00:17:22.879 We can't make Jesus look great without speaking about the gospel. 00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:29.000 And we cannot be a happy Christian without sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. 00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:32.399 Now, that doesn't mean that we all have to do this in the same way. 00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:32.619 Does it? 00:17:32.619 --> 00:17:34.279 We're not all Billy Graham or Roger Carswell. 00:17:34.339 --> 00:17:35.500 We're not all street evangelists. 00:17:35.559 --> 00:17:36.799 We're not all going to go door to door. 00:17:36.799 --> 00:17:53.240 But the truth is, if you're not sharing Christ in the way that the Lord has made you, whether that's a quiet invitation to church or the sharing of your testimony with a colleague at work or the conversation after church with a visitor or whatever it is, if you're not doing that, you are robbing yourself of joy. 00:17:53.240 --> 00:17:57.660 Because you were made to make Jesus look great. 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:00.500 And Jesus looks great when the gospel is heard. 00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:12.519 So if you want to maximize that joy, not only do you need to speak about Jesus yourself, but you also need to delight in others speaking about him too, even if they're not doing it in quite the way you would. 00:18:14.259 --> 00:18:17.279 Do you know, I think this applies corporately, doesn't it? 00:18:18.180 --> 00:18:23.160 Miserable churches are churches that think that only they preach the gospel rightly. 00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:23.920 Right. 00:18:24.220 --> 00:18:28.180 There are lots of gospel churches in London that do things in slightly different ways to we would. 00:18:28.839 --> 00:18:30.400 But they're preaching the gospel faithfully. 00:18:30.980 --> 00:18:36.700 And if we can pray for them and rejoice in the work that the Lord is doing in them, it will make us happy. 00:18:37.400 --> 00:18:41.240 Because the purpose of our lives is to make Jesus look great. 00:18:41.240 --> 00:18:43.140 Jesus looks great when the gospel is heard. 00:18:43.720 --> 00:18:45.740 And that is what brings us joy. 00:18:46.859 --> 00:18:49.019 Secondly, though, the gospel is made known. 00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:51.480 So the gospel made known makes Jesus look great. 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:54.240 Whether it be believers or unbelievers listening. 00:18:54.599 --> 00:18:54.700 Okay. 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:57.000 Whether it be believers or unbelievers listening. 00:18:57.420 --> 00:19:02.500 I want you to notice here that the gospel doesn't only make Jesus look great as it's heard by unbelievers. 00:19:03.559 --> 00:19:06.900 In other words, he's not just talking about evangelism that makes Jesus look great. 00:19:07.440 --> 00:19:09.140 He is talking about evangelism, isn't he? 00:19:09.140 --> 00:19:15.880 That's what he's talking about in verse 13 when he talks about the gospel becoming clear throughout the whole palace guard. 00:19:16.280 --> 00:19:24.660 Seems as if he has been chained to different guards on some kind of rotation as they swap through their work duty rotor. 00:19:24.660 --> 00:19:28.580 And so that because of the rotation, he has explained the gospel to the whole palace guard. 00:19:29.620 --> 00:19:32.340 And so they all know what he's saying. 00:19:32.440 --> 00:19:34.460 They all know that he's in chains for Christ. 00:19:35.120 --> 00:19:40.800 But then notice at the end when he says that he's confident he's going to live for longer and be released from prison and see them again. 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:47.079 In verse 25, that it will be for their progress and joy in the faith. 00:19:47.879 --> 00:19:53.339 In other words, the gospel doesn't just make Jesus look great as he's introduced to people who have never heard of him before. 00:19:53.339 --> 00:20:05.740 But the gospel makes Jesus look great as he is heard about by those who already believe in him, but are encouraged to keep living for him and make progress in the faith and to grow in joy. 00:20:06.879 --> 00:20:19.259 It seems that Paul's anticipation is that preaching the gospel in Philippi will lead the believers in the church to realize that Jesus is actually quite a lot greater than they first imagined. 00:20:19.259 --> 00:20:29.619 So that they will start boasting about Jesus in new ways as they find contentment, joy, satisfaction, purpose and life itself in Jesus Christ. 00:20:29.940 --> 00:20:38.740 So it's not only that new people are introduced to the gospel, but it's that those who know Christ are growing in their estimation of the greatness of the Lord Jesus. 00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:42.079 That's what we're trying to do, isn't it, as we gather as church. 00:20:42.539 --> 00:20:47.140 We want you, as you walk out these doors at the back, you want me, as I walk out the doors at the back, 00:20:47.140 --> 00:20:52.380 to be walking out with a bigger estimation of who Christ is than when I first came in. 00:20:53.140 --> 00:20:58.180 Jesus is actually more amazing than I thought he was when I arrived this evening. 00:20:59.160 --> 00:21:04.440 His love for me is greater. His work for me is more astounding. His knowledge of me is greater. 00:21:05.320 --> 00:21:09.259 The fact that he will rule over all things is something that I hadn't really thought about before. 00:21:09.740 --> 00:21:14.460 Imagine that everything and all things will be underneath his feet. Jesus is greater. 00:21:14.460 --> 00:21:18.200 Now, of course, it's really obvious when you say it like that, isn't it? 00:21:18.220 --> 00:21:21.360 Because the gospel will continue to make Jesus look great in eternity. 00:21:22.259 --> 00:21:26.240 We will spend eternity delighting in the greatness of Jesus for time without end. 00:21:27.340 --> 00:21:29.920 Jesus has risen and ascended in his physical body. 00:21:30.380 --> 00:21:37.860 He is present in heaven, in the glories of heaven, with marks in his hands and his feet from the atonement that he has provided. 00:21:37.859 --> 00:21:40.019 And we'll be delighting in that. 00:21:41.459 --> 00:21:44.379 And it's not because people are coming to faith in eternity, is it? 00:21:44.439 --> 00:21:49.259 It's because as his children, we are marvelling more and more at what God has done in the person of the Son, 00:21:49.319 --> 00:21:51.279 in the power of the Spirit to bring us to the Father. 00:21:53.619 --> 00:21:56.740 So I can return to those two sentences from earlier and say, you know, 00:21:56.740 --> 00:22:03.059 we cannot keep quiet about Jesus when I'm around my Christian friends and be a happy Christian. 00:22:03.660 --> 00:22:07.680 You know, I can't if I'm keeping quiet about Jesus, I'll be a miserable Christian, 00:22:08.420 --> 00:22:11.420 even whether I'm with my Christian friends or my non-Christian friends. 00:22:11.740 --> 00:22:14.140 If I'm keeping quiet about Jesus, I'll be miserable. 00:22:15.180 --> 00:22:19.819 We cannot make Jesus look great without speaking about the gospel to one another. 00:22:19.819 --> 00:22:25.720 So much so that our joy as a church is a function of our excitement about Jesus, 00:22:26.639 --> 00:22:32.139 about living out this purpose together and making Jesus look great to one another and to the world. 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:38.859 If that's true, if the gospel made known makes Jesus look great, whether it be to believers or unbelievers, 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:44.480 and our opening point was right, that the purpose of Paul's life is to find joy in making Jesus look great, 00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:49.700 then we can say that people hearing the gospel, whether they be Christians or non-Christians, 00:22:50.140 --> 00:22:51.740 is the purpose of Paul's life. 00:22:51.860 --> 00:22:53.460 That's what he lives for. 00:22:53.539 --> 00:22:55.220 That's what he is about. 00:22:55.400 --> 00:22:56.700 That's what this passage is about. 00:22:57.019 --> 00:23:01.500 It is because he is living like that that he can say for him to live as Christ, to die as gain. 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:04.180 If he was living for any other purpose, you know that, don't you? 00:23:04.700 --> 00:23:05.920 You heard this famous thing on this verse. 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:09.460 If you live for anything else, dying is not gain, it's loss. 00:23:10.160 --> 00:23:12.120 It's only if you're living for Christ that dying is gain. 00:23:12.119 --> 00:23:19.519 If you live for education or family or money or career or whatever else it is, dying is loss. 00:23:20.079 --> 00:23:27.359 But if you're living for Christ, for making Christ look great, then dying is gain because you're in his presence, enjoying him. 00:23:28.639 --> 00:23:29.859 So that's what this passage is about. 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:35.159 Paul rejoices that people are hearing the gospel because the gospel made known makes Jesus look great, 00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:37.739 and that is the joyful purpose of his life. 00:23:37.740 --> 00:23:44.120 Now, that hopefully is a reasonably simple explanation of the centre of this passage. 00:23:44.119 --> 00:23:44.179 Thank you. 00:23:44.179 --> 00:23:44.219 Thank you.