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Joy:
Joy in living, serving, suffering
Philippians 1:18-30
Introduction
Have you ever had those times of just
overwhelming joy? Times that there was so
much joy you couldn’t hold back tears.
These times are usually much, much
different then happiness. These times are
never about the kinds of things that are so
often advertised to us. These times, for me,
are not cars, or houses, or really any kind of
stuff.
These times for me are things like:
1. Watching my wife walk down the aisle
at our wedding.
2. Holding each of my kids for the very
first time.
3. Baptizing my oldest son.
4. Doing my son’s wedding a couple
weeks ago and thanking the Lord for
the blessing of a Godly Christian lady
for my son.
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5. My final college payment for my oldest
kid – tears of joy.
Transition: The Apostle has a similar
experience in what brings him Joy or causes
him to rejoice. It’s like he has to say it twice
in verse 18….
Philippians 1:18
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,
(ESV)
Why does Paul rejoice? No matter what
the Gospel wins!! Either it wins personally
in his life, he dies and goes to be with the
Lord, or it wins here on earth and the gospel
is spread through the difficulty he faces in
his life.
Paul rejoices because:
I. We will be delivered.
Philippians 1:19
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for I know that through your prayers and the
help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will
turn out for my deliverance, (ESV)
Means of deliverance:
A. Prayer – Human participation.
B. Spirit – Divine work of God.
Main Point: God in His grace allows us to
participate in what He is doing and what He
is going to accomplish here on earth – what
an incredible invitation – and in this we/Paul
rejoice.
Second reason that Paul rejoices…
II. Right perspective: Life is a
temporary assignment.
Philippians 1:20-26
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
honored in my body, whether by life or by
death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to
die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that
means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I
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shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard
pressed between the two. My desire is to
depart and be with Christ, for that is far
better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more
necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of
this, I know that I will remain and continue
with you all, for your progress and joy in the
faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample
cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my
coming to you again. (ESV)
A. To live is Christ.
1. Fruitful labor (V. 22 - If I am to live
in the flesh, that means fruitful labor
for me.)
a. So, this certainly means fruit in
regard to the church and the
spreading of the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
b. This certainly means spiritual
fruit.
c. But let’s not forget the Biblical
perspective on work.
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d. Work is a God ordained good
thing.
e. We are created by God to work,
produce, and have fruitful labor
as an act of worship.
f. Laziness, consistently pulling
off the resources of others is not
a Biblical framework of a good
use of one’s life – God made us
for “Fruitful Labor” – and this
brings Joy.
2. Good for the church (V. 24 - But to
remain in the flesh is more necessary
on your account.)
a. Paul sees His life in context of
serving His church.
b. How many of us make life
decisions around our church?
c. Paul says, as long as God has me
here, I am here to serve the
church.
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3. Growth of others (V. 25 - Convinced
of this, I know that I will remain and
continue with you all, for your
progress and joy in the faith)
a. Similar to the last point – who in
your life are you investing in for
the gospel.
b. The Great Commission is that
each of us must go and make
Disciples?
c. Who are you discipling?
4. Fame of Jesus (V. 26 - so that in me
you may have ample cause to glory
in Christ Jesus)
a. Ultimately it is about people
turning their attention to Jesus.
b. Who cares if anyone remembers
you?
c. Who cares if anyone remembers
our name, what matters is will our
lives point anyone to remember
Jesus.
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Transition: We need to constantly remind
ourselves that life is a temporary
assignment. We work hard towards the
things that God has called our hand too, and
we keep in mind that…
B. To die is gain (V. 21 – for me to live is
Christ to die is gain)
1. To be with Christ is far better. (V.
23)
BTW: This reminds us that when we die
there is no such thing as soul sleep. Paul
expects to be immediately with Christ, and
for that arrival with Christ to be incredible –
Far better than your best day, or best
moment on earth.
2. Being heavenly minded makes us
more earthly good, because no
matter the difficulty we remind
ourselves the temporary nature of
what we are going through.
Finally, Paul finds his joy in…
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III. Living worthy of the gospel.
Philippians 1:27
Only let your manner of life be worthy of
the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come
and see you or am absent, I may hear of you
that you are standing firm in one spirit, with
one mind striving side by side for the faith
of the gospel, (ESV)
A. Stand firm.
1. Not wavering in your faith.
2. Not wavering in your commitment
to Christ.
3. Not wavering in your commitment
to your local church.
B. Stand in unity.
1. One Spirit and one mind.
2. Working together on the vision
God has given us to spread the
gospel of Jesus.
C. Striving together.
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1. Striving implies hard work.
2. Striving implies working through
hurt feelings or difficulties.
3. I love the way the NIV phrases…
Ephesians 4:3
Make every effort to keep the unity of the
Spirit through the bond of peace. (NIV)
Illustration: Why to we applaud and
celebrate the couple that has stayed married
for 50 years or more – we recognize they
have done the hard work. We recognize the
value of honoring those commitments, and
the incredible impact those commitments
have on others. Work, effort, striving.
Main Point: We need to strive together in a
difficult environment, the elections, masks,
vaccine (People are going to have strong
opinions about getting it or not getting it).
As Christians we need to continually keep
the bigger picture in mind. That we are
striving together for the uplifting of the
gospel.
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Let me ask you something…. Is there
anyone in this church you need to make an
appointment with and have a cup of coffee?
If you are thinking of leaving a church, and
haven’t made the effort to work it out one on
one, guess what? That is on you.
Finally, Paul says…
D. Suffering together.
Philippians 1:29
For it has been granted to you that for the
sake of Christ you should not only believe in
him but also suffer for his sake (ESV)
1. Listen Church we can expect to
suffer as Christians, because we
are Christians.
2. Now that doesn’t build mega-
churches in America – but it is
true.
3. We can and should expect that
there will be difficult times,
because we are Christians and
we should do this together for
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the good of the gospel, and the
glory of Christ.
4. Throughout Church history, the
church has always thrived under
persecution.
Illustration: I read and article this past
week of a Pastor in India, where the police
threatened his son with false criminal
charges if he did not stop preaching the
gospel – that is persecution.
Main Point: We are called to suffer, and
sacrifice for the cause of the gospel. Part of
our lack of Joy in American Christianity, is
that we have closely tied Christianity to the
American dream, and we have forgotten the
Biblical reminder that suffering is a regular
expectation for a Christian.
Conclusion
Sam Wyche – “We are not Cleveland”.
Main Point: He was saying, we are
Bengals fans, we don’t act like Brown’s
fans.
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Joy is found when we live our lives in a
manner worthy of the gospel. Reminding
ourselves that life is a temporary
assignment. Whatever you are going
through is not eternal. To live is Christ, to
die is gain.
We live together in Community. Worthy of
the call of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We
stand firm, we stand in unity together. We
stand ready to suffer if needs be for this
temporary assignment God has given us to
exalt the glory and fame of His son Jesus
Christ.
Pray
Small Group Questions
Philippians 1:18-30
Articles Worth Reading related to this passage:
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/strive-to-be-more-satisfied-in-god
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/even-when-the-worst-happens
Commentary to help you navigate Philippians 1:18-30:
Matthew Henry on Philippians 1.
John Gill on Philippians 1.
Read Philippians 1:18-30 and discuss the text together.
I. What is the theme of this passage?
In this passage Paul speaks of suffering well for the cause of the gospel and the glory of Christ.
His ability to suffer well follows from a deep communion with the Lord. This deep communion
with the Lord is evidenced by his longing to be in eternity with Jesus while understanding that
his earthly ministry is out value to the Philippian believers. Matthew Henry said in his
commentary on this passage:
“We see here the care the apostle takes to prevent their being offended at his sufferings. He was
now a prisoner at Rome; this might be a stumbling-block to those who had received the gospel
by his ministry. They might be tempted to think, If this doctrine were indeed of God, God would
not suffer one who was so active and instrumental in preaching and propagating it to be thrown
by as a despised broken vessel. They might be shy of owning this doctrine, lest they should be
involved in the same trouble themselves. Now to take off the offence of the cross, he expounds
this dark and hard chapter of his sufferings, and makes it very easy and intelligible, and
reconcilable to the wisdom and goodness of God who employed him.”
II. What challenged you in this Scripture?
This is a personal application question.
III. In what ways does this passage help you savor Christ more?
This is a personal application question.
IV. How is this passage calling you to further obedience in your walk with God?
We should greet suffering with God-centered hope. Paul used his suffering as a tool whereby the
gospel was advanced. God is calling you to use your various troubles as a means by which you
declare the Lordship of Christ over your body and circumstances. Therefore do not waste your
suffering.
V. How can this passage of Scripture shape your prayer life?
Our prayers can be shaped significantly by this passage. We can pray and ask the Lord to help us
face troubles well. We can pray and ask that the Lord will make us more eternally minded. That
is to say that we will see our circumstances through the lens of eternity. We can also pray for our
brothers and sisters throughout the world that are presently suffering for the cause of Christ.
VI. What are three practical takeaways from the sermon you listened on this passage?
Small Group Questions Joy In Living, Serving and Suffering
Phil 1:18-30 September 27, 2020
*You do NOT have to answer or discuss every question. Feel free to just pick a few. These are meant to guide you in truth. If you are having trouble answering a question, ask your small group leader to help you. They are committed to helping you develop as an authentic follower of Christ.
The COMMUNITY QUESTION:
1. Name some of your favorite places you’ve visited in the states and in the world.
Into the WORD/APPLICATION:
Here are some suggested sites in order to dive deeper into God's Word: blueletterbible.org, desiringgod.org/articles/all, biblos.com, ccel.org, logos.com, connect.ligonier.org, thegospelcoalition.org/channel/bible-and-theology. 1. Read the scripture verses listed above and discuss the following
questions together. What is the theme of this passage?
2. What challenged you in this Scripture?
3. In what ways does this passage help you savor Christ more?
4. How is this passage calling you to further obedience in your walk with God?
5. How can this passage of Scripture shape your prayer life?
6. What are three practical takeaways from the sermon you listened on this passage?
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Coastal Yorktown | September 27th 2020
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PRAYER & QUESTIONS:
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IN RESPONSE TOTODAY ’ S SERVICE . . .
I’d like to know more about accepting a relationship with Jesus.
I. We will be D E L I V E R E D .
II. R I G H T P E R S P E C T I V E : Life is a temporary
assignment.
A. To L I V E is C H R I S T .
1. F R U I T F U L L A B O R .
2. Good for the C H U R C H .
3. Growth for O T H E R S .
4. F A M E of J E S U S .
B. To D I E is G A I N .
III. Living W O R T H Y of the G O S P E L .
A. S T A N D F I R M .
B. S T A N D in U N I T Y .
C. S T R I V I N G T O G E T H E R .
D. S U F F E R I N G T O G E T H E R .
09.27.20 | PASTOR SHAUN BROWN
Philippians 1 : 18–30
I N L I V I N G , S E R V I N G , S U F F E R I N G
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