The Unchained Gospel: Sermon Summary Notes, Sept 15th

If you were faced with difficult circumstances, difficult people and an uncertain future (including possible execution) how would you respond? This Sunday we'll see how the apostle Paul responds, and why.

You can download sermon summary notes in English here.

Or you can read them below:

The Unchained Gospel

Philippians 1:12-26

The Philippians are worried about Paul – he’s in prison after all. But rather than be worried about him, Paul wants them to share in his joy.

Difficult Circumstances

Paul has faced and is facing difficult circumstances. But Paul sees these as a God-ordained calling. This is where God has put him. But it is not just God’s doing, it is also God’s strategy for the advance of the gospel. It is advancing through the Imperial Guard, and through the witness of others who have been embolded through Paul’s example.

But this required Paul to talk: to himself, and to others, that he was in prison for Christ, and that God had a purpose in his sufferings.

Difficult People

It wasn’t just difficult circumstances that Paul faced, he also faced difficult people, who were preaching about Jesus in a way that made Paul’s life more difficult. And yet we don’t really know anything about them: because Paul doesn’t tell us: he doesn’t rubbish their reputations, as they do his. He is rejoicing because Christ is being preached.

But how can Paul live like this? How can he face the difficulties of life and see what God is doing through it all, in a way that causes him to rejoice and respond with grace?

A Certain Future

Whilst some things about the future are uncertain, Paul is certain about other things:

Firstly, he knows that help is coming. The Spirit will give him what he needs through the prayers of the Philippians. This should tell us clearly that we need the Spirit and one another!

Secondly, Paul knows that whether he lives or dies, Christ will be magnified. Jesus will get the glory whether Paul gets released and keeps on preaching, or whether he is executed and gets declared not guilty before God.

Thirdly, Paul knows that Christ is better than life. Paul has found the ultimate treasure, so whether he lives or dies, he wins!

But why does Paul go into such detail about his own inner conflict: his desire to go to Jesus, against his need to stay for their benefit?

An Example to Follow

The Philippians are beginning to face conflicts amongst themselves. So Paul gives them an example in his own life of choosing what is best for others over his own desires: of doing what is to others’ advantage rather than just pursuing what he wants. And that is what Christ did for us. That is the gospel.

And we can put others’ interests (our spouse, Christian brothers and sisters, even those we disagree with), ahead of our own when we know that Jesus is the ultimate treasure, and that he so loved us that he put our interests first, even when we were his enemies.