Philippians 1:19-20
For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
The glory of God is the purpose of our creation, providence, and redemption. Whether people realize it or not, they are created to glorify God. As believers, we are redeemed to glorify God. We will live our most joyful and fruitful lives when our top and greatest ambition is to glorify God. You know when God is most glorified? When we are in the midst of terrible suffering for him, and yet we bear it not only without any complaining but joyfully. God is more magnified and the gospel spreads more when the world sees believers always joyful, even in the midst of terrible suffering.
We see that truth in the apostle Paul. His life, we can say, is full of suffering from the time he believed in Christ. His own nation wanted to kill him, and even believers and other apostles didn’t believe him initially. Throughout his ministry, Jews continually persecuted him and wanted to kill him. He gives a list of his suffering as medals of apostolic ministry. 2 Corinthians 11:23-28: “I am more: in labors more abundant, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches.”
So much suffering already. His past life was full of suffering. What about the present? Now he is old and weak; will he at least now get some rest and comfort? In his present situation, he is arrested, in a Rome jail, chained to a soldier, and forsaken by all. Outside, many believers are spreading false things about him to add affliction. Looking at his past and present situation, he should be filled with sorrow. But wonder of wonders, though he suffered the most, he was one of the happiest men who lived in this world. He never lost his joy because this man’s perspective was different. The way he sees the past and present gives him full joy. He sees that all the past led to the progress of the gospel, so he is very happy. In the present, though he is in chains, people are preaching with wrong motives to add afflictions to his chains, but he hears Christ is preached correctly, so he is joyful and not worried about the rest.
What about the future? All past is okay, Paul, but your life is in the balance. What about your future, Paul? Very soon, today or tomorrow, Nero may order to cut your head, or you may rot in prison and die your whole life. What is your future perspective?
Think of us; most of our worries are about the future, right? What will happen to us, our jobs, our family, our old age, our children, and their future? Research shows the top major stress factor resulting in disease is worrying about the future, the top reason for difficulty sleeping is future worries, and the top reason for depression. An average person worries 55 minutes per day about the future; that is the average of all people, and some worry for hours. If worry leads to good actions, that’s fine. It’s wrong to live without any worry, but most worries lead to many wrong decisions and wrongs. The main reason for future worries is because of its uncertainty; we don’t know what will happen. Just notice next week; most of our worries are related to the future, which has a negative effect on our life. The whole present is burdened with discouragement, depression, and heavy shoulders, with physical effects from thinking about the future. May God help us to learn how to see our future from this great saint.
Okay, Paul, you are rejoicing in the past and rejoicing in the present, even dancing. We may feel like saying in our culture, “Don’t laugh too much; in the future, you may cry.” Remember, this is a Nero jail. They may torture you. Mad Nero may order to cut your tongue because you preach Christ too much, pluck out your eyes because you read a lot, or cut your hands because you are writing letters. And maybe in the middle of the night, they will shockingly wake you from a sweet sleep, hit you, and take you, suddenly dragging you to the beheading table, placing your head on it, and with one cut, your head is off. Even if all that doesn’t happen, you may just rot in prison. When you think of all this, aren’t you stressed about the future? Don’t you worry about the future? How can you be so worriless?
You know what he says? When I think of all my future, even with all its uncertainty, in verse 18, with bold assurance, more confidence than the past and present, he says at the end of verse 18, “I rejoice now and I shall rejoice in the future.”
He uses the simple future, “I shall, I shall continue to rejoice.” It’s as though he says, “O my dear Philippians, do not be overly anxious that my joy in the Lord will in any way be diminished by the unknown future. When you think of me, whatever news may come to your ears concerning my state, even if you hear that the sensitive flesh of my neck met the sharp Roman steel sword, of this you can be certain, my dear Philippian friends, that my head tumbled from my shoulders, it will be the head of a smiling, rejoicing man. Yes, and I shall continue to rejoice.” No future can take away my inward rest and joy. Wow? In that situation, I say, this is a bold affirmation of continued rejoicing. What confidence for the future? How?
Can you and I say that today? We are not in jail. We are in a much more comfortable position than Paul, but we don’t have this perspective of Paul. Including me, we are so stressed, worried, depressed, and burdened, not only about the future but also about what will happen today after we wake up. A review meeting with the big boss, so stressed about children. Oh, if we could just see our future through Paul’s eyes. I feel like begging, “Oh, Paul, we feel like worms before you. Please teach us. What makes you so joyful even when looking at an uncertain future?”
Let us understand verses 19-20, which give us four reasons for Paul’s joy in the future.
Four Reasons for Paul’s Joy
- His deep knowledge of God’s Word. As soon as he says, “I shall rejoice in all the future,” look at the text, verse 19: “For I know.” “Yes, I shall continue to rejoice.” “Why are you rejoicing seeing a dark future when you don’t know what will happen?” “Because now I know; I have knowledge now.” In other words, his rejoicing is rooted not in some thoughtless, detached mysticism, laughter therapy to reduce stress, or unemotional pagan stoicism that says, “Whatever happens, happens,” or in a cast iron will that says, “Come what may, I’m going to rejoice.” He is not a madman or a hardened man with an iron determination, “I will keep laughing whatever happens; I will not allow that to affect my joy.” No, he has rational, reasonable reasons. He may not know what will come in the future, but he has a present knowledge that makes him rejoice, come what may.
His rejoicing is rooted in a specific theological knowledge. What knowledge? You know this verse, Philippians 1:19, “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance,” is an exact linguistic parallel in the Greek translation of the Old Testament Hebrew. Before Paul, one man said this; Paul just repeated it from his Old Testament knowledge. Who? In Job 13:18, Job says, “I know that this…” Paul, as an Old Testament scholar, drank in the Old Testament. He had a deep knowledge of God’s Word. He would read Job, and in this difficult circumstance, the Holy Spirit uses that knowledge here to repeat Job’s words. In the midst of his suffering, he identified himself with Job’s suffering. He says with Job, “I know.” You read Job, and you will repeatedly see, “I may be suffering now; I don’t know why, or what will happen in the future, but repeatedly Job said, ‘I know, I know my redeemer lives.'” That is what made him face all his suffering, and he was delivered. So Paul, with Job, says, “I know.” This is the confidence of knowing the God we worship. The same Paul said in 2 Timothy, “I know whom I have believed, and He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him.” Romans 8:28, “We know all things work for our good.” So the first reason for his joy is his deep knowledge of God’s Word.
I want to emphasize this to people because today’s Christians, no matter how much we tell them, don’t get this. In our country, it never gets into their heads. I say theology determines our biology. There is an inseparable, close connection between how much we know God and His Word and our experience. Faith and practice, doctrine and experience cannot be separated. This is a very clear example of the intimate connection between experience and doctrine.
What makes Paul rejoice in the midst of such difficulty and a sad future? What is the difference between a joyful and a sad Christian in the midst of difficulty? It is how much they know the God they worship and His Word. We have to use our lazy brains and know God’s Word deeply; otherwise, we cannot be happy in life. Joy in your life doesn’t come from running after churches or preachers who don’t teach you any of God’s Word, just gathering a clapping crowd like a political rally, with an orchestra band playing music and emotional songs, and in the name of preaching, telling superficial nice stories, clapping for dialogues, and deceiving with prosperity preaching to make you feel good. My heart breaks to see people who go to such places just for the crowd, happy for 20 or 30 years, never knowing anything from God’s Word, never growing one inch in God’s knowledge. When one difficulty comes, they are unhinged and cannot face difficulties in real life.
See here, Paul draws a straight line between our joy in life and how much we know God’s Word. In the midst of a life with many difficulties, the knowledge of God’s Word is a living umbilical cord for our joy. We see this taught throughout Scripture. John 15:11: “These things have I spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” Jesus said that knowing the words He has spoken will give you full joy. 1 John 1:4: “We write this to make our joy complete.”
I am not just talking about head knowledge, knowing more and more. James says just hearing and going will not bring a blessing, but those who hear, store it in memory, and hold fast by meditation will be blessed. That is when you really know, and that fills you with joy. The first Psalm says that a blessed man is one who meditates on the law of God day and night.
That is why, brothers and sisters, for the last 17 years in this church and for the next years as long as I am alive here, we will not make you feel emotional, singing devotional songs and waving hands, but we will open God’s Word and help you to grow in your knowledge of God’s Word. “Pastor, don’t you want us to be happy in church?” No.
Because I just don’t want you to be entertained here, happy in church singing, dancing, and solo performances, only to go home and cry, crying when you face difficulties, and not knowing how to face real life. But the knowledge of God’s Word will make you face all circumstances with wisdom and joy. If you don’t want to think and learn God’s Word and just want superficial entertainment and to shake hands, you have so many places. Our country is filled with such churches. Why another one? We started with an iron determination by God’s help to preach God’s Word in season and out of season.
It is not easy. My son says, “You enjoy it; you do it.” Try to do it for one week, and you will know. No, it is a mind-pulling job every week; I struggle to prepare and come. I get regular pressure externally. People say, “Regularly, with your gifts, in a small church, if we do those things, we will become a mega-church.” And even internal pressure, “Oh, pastor, you are explaining too much; you are too doctrinal in your preaching. It is too much for the mind; touch our hearts more. Get more practical and experiential. It is too much thinking; make it emotional, tell jokes, and stories, and make us feel good, not make us think.” “Who says that, pastor?” Many of you say that regularly in the way you listen when I am preaching. Don’t you think I don’t understand your body language? When I try to explain deep truths, you are looking down, turning here and there, seeing the time on your mobile, and listening with disinterest, wondering, “When will he get to the practical part and finish?” “He is explaining such deep truths; I cannot think with him. This is not for me.” That too, just finishing one chapter superficially in one week, or two or three verses, going deep. Only when the application comes do you wake up a little. Inside me, I ask, “Why are you struggling to explain all these deep truths? You can say some things that can make them so eager to listen, make them laugh, jump in their chairs, enjoy church, and clap for you, and then go handshaking and saying, ‘Wonderful sermon.’ Why struggle all week trying to understand Bible verses and explain to such superficial people?” I will tell you there is a big pressure, but it is only the fear of God and the realization that I shouldn’t preach for man’s applause but for God’s that makes me continue to do this. He will judge me one day as a preacher, whether I preached what you wanted to hear or what you should essentially hear from God’s Word for your spiritual health.
Oh, may we learn that unless your mind gets a deeper understanding and grasp of the truths of God’s Word, your life experience and joys will not be deep. A small headache or small things in life are enough to make you break into lamentation. Learn here that even for the great Paul, it was his deep knowledge of God that resulted in continued rejoicing.
His deep knowledge of God’s Word has given him certainty of his deliverance: “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance.”
I know this. What is “this”? The present circumstance—the trouble, the chains, all the preaching with wrong motives spoiling his name, all the difficulties, the whole scenario, the whole thing he’s going through. He says, “I know that this present trouble shall turn out”—in the future tense; it’s going that direction—“shall turn out for my deliverance, for my deliverance.”
Now, what does he mean by this? “This will turn out for my deliverance.” Does Paul believe he will be released? It is not very clear. Every preacher has a different reason. If you read other verses, he has a mixed feeling that he may be released or may not. He doesn’t have a direct revelation from God. Earlier, he had a revelation that he would go to Rome in Acts, “You will testify of me at Rome.” But now he is kind of 50:50; he may or may not be 100% sure. See, even apostles, when they don’t have direct revelation, must be very careful in the matter of guidance.
So what does he mean by, “I know this will lead to deliverance”? The first thing we see is his certainty of his deliverance from his difficult situation and all his dangers. He has appealed to Caesar and will have to stand before Caesar and his big senate for his trial. For a man like Paul, his greatest danger and worry is not that he will die, but that he could deny Christ at such a time. His real fear is that he might, through fleshly cowardice and fear, deny the Lord and not preach what he should and dishonor his Lord.
So he could be thinking of deliverance as being delivered from denying Christ and disgracing the gospel at his trial before Caesar. Though Caesar’s court condemns him, he should be vindicated in the ultimate court, before God, by exalting Christ, even through martyrdom if need be. The only cause for shame for Paul would be not to hear, “Well done, faithful servant,” from Christ when he stood before Him.
Here, I think he means that deliverance is mainly that his difficult situation now is not permanent; this will change soon and pass. His current distress is only temporary. It isn’t going to last. “I will be delivered from it.” That is the main thought. This uncertain situation will become certain. Whether I get released or executed, I have confidence in God that I will have deliverance soon in the future.
Paul’s Trust in Prayer and Dependence on the Holy Spirit
Secondly, we see Paul’s trust in prayers. He is confident of deliverance. What are the means of his deliverance? “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer.” The means of his deliverance is the prayers of the church. This showed that Paul deeply believed in the prayers of the church. Although Paul believed in God’s sovereign work, God’s sovereignty always works through prayers. His purposes are always accomplished through the prayers of his people. Paul believed in prayer. Especially, he believes the prayers of the church are most powerful. That is why he repeatedly asked churches to pray for him. Romans 15:30: “…to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.” Ephesians 6:18-19: “Pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.” You see that in other epistles, pleading for the churches’ prayers.
So we see Paul’s joy is because of his deep knowledge of God’s Word, his trust in prayers, and thirdly, his dependence on the Holy Spirit. “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” So he says the prayers you offer for me will be the means by which I will get a supply of the Holy Spirit. Paul knows that without the Holy Spirit, there is no victory in ministry. “I am fully dependent on the Holy Spirit, and I will get all the supply and help of the Holy Spirit through your prayers.” “Supply” literally means “the bountiful, full, large, and free supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,” meaning all the graces he needs in his situation for deliverance, the supply of courage, comfort, and strength to witness which the Spirit gives.
He says to the Philippians, who loved him so dearly and to whom he was bonded in a very unique way, that he is sure they are regularly praying for him. He trusted that it is through their prayers that God will send him all he needs by the supply of the Holy Spirit. See again how prayers and the Holy Spirit are connected. Prayers have a great effect on God sending the Holy Spirit. God is working out His purposes through the prayers of His church and sending help by the Holy Spirit. Paul’s victory is dependent on the Holy Spirit. The means by which this deliverance will come is the prayer of the Philippians and a supply connected with the ministry of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
So these three things—knowledge of the Word, trust in prayer, and dependence on the Holy Spirit—whatever situation Paul may be in, this makes him not only worriless about the future but also believe that it will bring him deliverance. How practical for us. These are three secrets: the Word, prayer, and the Spirit, which are three weapons of every Christian that not only make us worriless but also give us assured victory. These three always bring victory in any situation.
Paul says, “I am confident…” How hopeful is he of his deliverance? Is this a wishful desire? Is it positive thinking? “If it happens, good; if not, what can I do?” No. Notice the measure of his desire and confidence in this deliverance. This deliverance will come, “according to my earnest expectation and hope.”
The word for “earnest expectation” is a very vivid word. It means “to watch eagerly with the head and the neck stretched out.” Eager, like when you go to pick your son up from a foreign country after ten years. You have not seen him. A mother will eagerly look and expect. It is an “intense, fixed gaze,” straining with the neck as far as you can. And he says, “my hope.” The word for hope is not a general expectation but the measure of assurance of things unseen.
I am happy about all the future, “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance,” not in the air, but through the means of your prayers. “Your prayer will be the means through which the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ will come to me,” not wishful desire, “according to my earnest expectation and hope.”
Assurance of Final Victory
What is the final victory Paul expects? The specific way in which he expects the deliverance to come. How will this deliverance come? Look at it: “That in nothing negative shall I be put to shame, but positive, but that with all boldness, as always.”
What is my earnest expectation and hope? “I will never be put to shame as a believer in Christ but will stand bold.” The Holy Spirit will not leave me lacking in anything. He will not put me to shame in fear, timidity, cowardice, or backing off from this passionate desire for Christ’s glory. Not only negatively, the Holy Spirit will supply everything needed, so I will not be put to shame. But then positively, notice that, “with all boldness,” with free, unfettered speech.
As an apostle of Christ, I will never be put to shame in anything. Christ will never forsake or fail in His promise to me. He’ll always uphold my case, never put me to shame before the world, before His enemies, or before the church. Again, this assurance comes from His many Old Testament promises that those who trust in the Lord, wait for the Lord, look to the Lord, and know the Lord will never be put to shame. “Never be disappointed, but be bold.” “I’ll be as bold as I need to be. I don’t care about death. I’ll never be shamed, so I’ll preach and preach faithfully and not fear death.”
So how does all this make you joyful? Deliverance through the means of prayers, the supply of the Spirit, according to your expectation and hope, you will not be ashamed but will be bold. What will happen? What is the end goal, Paul? The final victory… A marvelous statement comes after this.
“Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.”
Whatever may happen in the future, I know the end goal will be: Christ will be magnified through my body. It will happen in a way that I will not be ashamed but will be bold. It will happen through the means of your prayers and the Holy Spirit’s help. This will be according to my earnest expectation.
The central goal of this man is to understand the final secret of Paul’s joy for all the future. We could read the text this way: “For I know,” and then drop down to verse 20, “Christ shall be magnified through my body.” And if you miss some details in between, get hold of this, then you will understand the main point of the passage. Whether in life or death, Christ will be magnified through my body. I don’t worry about any outcomes in the future. This is of little account to me, whether by life or by death. I expect my deliverance by which Christ will be magnified. Because I know this for sure, that is my life goal, and I know this will surely happen, so when I look at the future, I rejoice, and no one can take away my joy.
He says life or death. He doesn’t know what it is. It might be life. “By life, if I’m freed,” he means, “that’s God’s plan. I’ll preach. I’ll be bold. I’ll build the church, and I’ll magnify Him in the process. And He’ll be exalted in my body.” “If I die, if I’m killed, He’ll still be exalted in my body, for I will have died for His name. I will have died as a testimony to my unwavering faith. I will have died as a trophy of His grace. And I will die to go and in glory forever and ever and ever exalt His name.” So His name will be exalted every way you look at it, either way.
So what he’s saying is, “I don’t really care if I live or die. I don’t care at all. The issue with me is not all my past troubles, the people who want to torture me, and not even my death. The issue with me is, Is the gospel advancing? Is Christ being preached? Is the Lord being magnified?” “I have a body now; it is redeemed by Christ. My only top concern is that Christ is magnified by this body; then I am happy.” “Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.” A tremendous, tremendous man with a tremendous spiritual commitment.
He is a living illustration of Christ’s words: “If you want to be My disciple, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me, and if you’re not willing to do that, you’re not worthy to be My disciple.” I hope you can see there is no one today so completely and selflessly sold out to Jesus Christ as Paul is. Past trials, present attacks, and even future torture or death are nothing to him. A tremendous level of spiritual commitment—in some ways, I would guess, practically unheard of today. We live in a materialistic, self-centered day, a self-serving day, not a self-sacrificing day. People today live for a lot of things. They are not focused on one thing like Paul was, and so the message this morning speaks directly to a very deep need in our lives.
His main focus is not on being released from prison but rather on exalting Christ. Whether he lived or died wasn’t the issue; all that mattered to Paul was that he exalted Christ. That, and that alone, is the ultimate ground of my joy. Christ shall be extolled. Christ shall be proclaimed. Christ shall be praised. For the Apostle Paul, Christ had so crowded out every other consideration in his heart that it was Christ and His gospel. This one focus of his life gave him joy when he looked at all his past, present, and when he looks at the future, he is filled with joy. In Christ, there are no worries for this man: past, present, or future.
Applications
- The first lesson must be very clear: you and I suffer from a disease called anticipatory anxiety—expecting worry. We spend at least one hour daily worrying, which is the cause of much depression, discouragement, and fear of the future. “What will happen to me, my children, my family?” That makes us not only negative and inactive but also takes away our joy and even our witness for Christ in this world filled with worries. May God help us to learn that the only way to overcome worry and be joyful about the future is if we are growing deeper in the knowledge of God’s Word, trusting more and more in prayers, depending on the Holy Spirit’s supply more and more, and having unshakable trust in our final victory. Whatever happens in the future, no one can thwart God’s plan in our lives. The decree of God is that those who trust in Christ will not be put to shame but will be bold, and Christ will be magnified in the bodies of all His people. That will 100% happen, so why worry about the future? Our final victory is guaranteed by the eternal oath and covenant promise of God. Amazing grace. “Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come. Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”
- Here are practical steps to remove worry about the future. a. You have to grow deeper in God’s Word. Make it a discipline to set a determined time to intake God’s Word, daily soaking your mind in His Word more, and reducing thoughts of the world, not allowing worldly worries and ideas to spoil your joy. I see people in our church who use their time going to work, walking, and on their bikes listening to our sermons. They say they are so joyful. I see people who regularly read God’s Word—a Psalm 1 man who meditates on God’s Word day and night. They are so joyful. We have weekly meetings to meditate and share. But others, will you believe God’s Word? You are not joyful because you are not growing deeply in the Word, just hearing it once a week and going. Don’t fight with the infallible Bible. It will not fall; you will break your head by butting against it. Bow and obey. b. Secondly, trust in prayers. Do you trust in the prayers of the church? See, the great apostle Paul saw the united corporate prayer of the church in Philippi. Though it was a weak church planted by him, he believed that through the weak cries of his children, he would get a supply of the Spirit for all the critical needs he would face there in a Roman prison, hundreds of miles away. He sees an inseparable connection. What an amazing and astounding statement concerning the powerful efficacy of prayer.
- The Power of Corporate Prayer: Oh, what a lesson for all of us! As a church, do we truly believe that our prayers can do marvelous things in the lives of others? I spoke last Friday about how dull our prayers are. If we believed that when Brother Vinod or Francis is praying, we would be so earnestly engaged because it is not an individual prayer but the church’s prayer on all our behalf. When he raises that prayer, it is not prayed to a dead stone that cannot hear. The living God in heaven hears, responds, and provides a supply of the Spirit to meet needs. This should teach us that when people ask us to pray, we should never take it lightly. As a church, when we tell people we are praying for them, those members should never take that lightly.
Do we as a people believe that as our brother leads us in prayer, and we, with a symphony of active, spiritual concern, united faith, and desire, pray with him for all the people he prayed for, that if we pray, the Holy Ghost right now will deliver them from their suffering trials and answer those prayers? The apostle Paul believed; New Testament churches believed. They prayed, and Peter was released. Do we? Maybe that accounts for the carelessness some of us manifest during prayer and when attending church prayer meetings. We don’t really believe this truth. Do you really not believe it makes any difference? May God forgive and help us to learn this.
The reason some of you don’t believe in the power of church prayer is because you don’t believe in the power of private prayer. I know many of you don’t; it shows in your commitment to pray regularly for your own happiness and blessing. Trust in prayer. And the greatest and most shameful testimony to our unbelief concerning the efficacy of prayer is the infrequency of our prayers. Prayer can change things. Prayers without faith do nothing. Isn’t that the reason for all our failures and unanswered prayers?
Dependence on the Holy Spirit
Thirdly, do you see from the passage that whatever your situation may be, our greatest need is a supply of the Holy Spirit? Do you depend on the Holy Spirit? Do you believe, like Paul, that the Holy Spirit’s supply is what you need more than anything? As believers and pastors, our greatest need is not others’ money, pity, or help; our greatest need is a greater supply of the Spirit for every need, and that can come only through the prayers of the church. I don’t take your prayers lightly. We should all yearn for the prayers of the church. Nothing impacts our growth more than that. It gives us a greater supply of the Holy Spirit.
The Christian life is impossible to live in the power of the flesh. We must walk by the Spirit every day, depending on Him for His strength. His supply of the Spirit is what gives us the grace to be joyful, read the Bible, pray, live a holy life, and witness.
The Spirit will grant to us whatever is necessary to sustain us. The Holy Spirit, who is the indwelling teacher, the author of Scripture, the comforter, guide, and intercessor, makes us pray. The spirit of prayer, the Spirit of life that gives us life and strength, the Spirit of witness, and the Spirit and source of power will provide what we need. Oh, what a supply of the Spirit! That is one of the secrets of Paul’s life. He speaks from experience. He has gone around the world preaching the Gospel in the midst of persecution, standing before angry nations determined to spill his blood. In that hour, he experienced Christ’s words, “When you are delivered up before councils and governors for My name’s sake, don’t worry about what you will say; the Spirit will give you what to say. The Spirit will comfort you and protect you.” He has experienced in all his travels, trials, and ministry that the Holy Spirit has given him all he needed. That gives him this confidence, this predictability of the Holy Spirit’s grace. “Grace will not disappoint me. There shall be deliverance. Prayer shall be heard. The Spirit will supply all that is needful.”
Whatever the situation may be, the Holy Spirit can provide a “full supply.” I like “full resources” to face and overcome that situation and achieve deliverance. Imagine the full resources of “the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” Jesus Christ said, “I will send the Holy Spirit. He’ll give you everything that you need to make up for My physical presence. He’ll bring all the resources of God to you.” More than anything, it is His fruits we need in our lives more and more: “Love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control.” He will fill you with that. God says He will change the nations. “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord.”
The Secret of Single-Mindedness
Finally, not only should we grow in God’s Word, trust in prayers, and live dependent on the Holy Spirit for all our needs, but the text also shows us that the secret of joy in the Christian life is a single-minded life. The final secret of continued joyfulness, no matter what happens in the future, is a single-minded goal. Jesus said, “If your eye is single, your whole body will be full of light.”
For Paul, joy was not dependent upon personal comfort, personal ease, reputation, notice, or even upon life itself. One thing was the basis of his joy, and that thing was Christ. “If the Gospel of Christ progresses, I will rejoice in all the sufferings of the past. If Christ is proclaimed, even if preachers with evil motives can do 101 things to rub me the wrong way and irritate me, if they are preaching Christ, nothing they do can take my joy away. Hallelujah! Christ is preached. I rejoice.”
Now, the Philippians might say, “We can understand the rationale for rejoicing in the past and present, but, Paul, what about the future? There’s that executioner’s sword hanging over your neck at any moment, at the whim of the Emperor Nero. Paul, suppose you must be executed. What then?” He says, “Whether by life or by death, Christ will be magnified.” “I know this, so even a dark future cannot take away my joy.”
“If I am alive, I will preach Christ with my body. If I die, I’ll go to the executioner’s block with hallelujahs in my heart and upon my lips. My head will be smiling after it is cut off, 100%.”
Do you see the secret to the source of continued joyfulness is single-mindedness? Friends, the reason our joy is so up and down is because our hearts and minds are divided into many pieces. You don’t have a single heart. Your joy is partly in Christ and partly in others, maybe your family, children, or friends. When they upset or anger you, you are completely sad, thinking, “Nobody loves me; everybody hates me. What kind of life is this?” You set your heart on your job, worldly things, material status, or your joy in providential gifts, materials, bank balance, or your job. When something doesn’t work out as you planned, you are all upset.
Maybe we can excuse that in a new Christian, a baby in Christ, but when will we grow up? As Hebrews says, “See the time, you should be men, mature, still a baby.” Isn’t it about time some of you grew up? It’s little babies and little children who cry as though the world came to an end when one of their toys gets broken, or when there are small family problems or job problems. Why? Because your great passion has yet to be that single passion: “Christ will be magnified in my body,” whatever may happen in life. It’s about time some of you grew up. It doesn’t matter as long as Christ is magnified.
We don’t get the Holy Spirit’s joy. You’ve got a divided heart. Changes in relationships with people, changes in circumstances, possessions, changes in health and well-being. Let God allow some affliction to come in His providence; your joy is all gone. Why? Because you’ve yet to learn what the apostle learned. The source of continued joyfulness is Christ, who never changes. In Christ, when you look at the past, there are no worries. When we know He is our real treasure and joy, whatever loss, trial, broken dreams, or losses we experience, all of them have brought us closer to Christ and helped us to know Him more intimately in our own hearts and have given us opportunities to proclaim His Gospel of grace. So I rejoice.
In Christ, when you look at the future, there are no worries. Like Paul, dare to make a prediction. “I shall continue to rejoice.” I don’t know what’s going to happen with my plans, my ambitions, my health, my job, my future, my family, or my children. But because of God’s infallible promise that He will glorify Christ through my body, whether I live or die, I rejoice, even about the future. It is relatively easy to know constant joy when you have that kind of fixation of heart. Do you know that? Do you? Or is there that restlessness?
So may God help us to be determined to live with this single goal: Christ should be glorified in my body, whether I live or die. It is an amazingly comprehensive and practical concept. Nothing sanctifies a man more than this single goal. Christ has to be glorified by our bodies. So, do I exalt Christ or bring shame to His name by our attitudes, our words, and the behavior of our bodies? How do you use your eyes? A lustful glance at a woman or even at a suggestive picture does not exalt Christ. How do you use your ears? Do you listen to music that defiles you or music that exalts Christ? Do you listen to gossip or slander? How do you use your tongue? Your hands? Your feet? Your countenance? Do you use your body in purity or for sensuality? What about your personal appearance? Do you dress to be seductive or to attract attention to yourself? Or, do you exalt Christ with your body or dishonor Him? See how this concept can sanctify our lives.
Oh, may the Lord write this passage upon my heart. May He write it upon all of our hearts, so that we, in our generation, in terms of the contacts we have with a wife and children and mother and father, friends and relatives and classmates and work associates, that they may see in us a spirit manifested in the apostle which was given him by the grace of God.
Some of you have been sitting there this morning saying, “What in the world is that crazy preacher getting all excited about? I haven’t been able to grasp, as a reality for my experience, a word that he’s talked about. That’s sheer nonsense. A guy sitting in a prison, chained to a soldier, possibly going to have his head chopped off in a matter of a few days or weeks. And he talks about being full of joy.” He must either be mentally ill or, in that Rome prison, he’s taken drugs, alcohol, or is addicted to something.
If you think like this, the only reason you think that way is because you have never known anything in this life above animal joys. You don’t know the Gospel of grace. It’s the grace of God in this man that makes him act like he does. It’s not drugs or drink. If you know Christ and the joy He gives, it is the greatest thrill in the world, the greatest addiction in the world.
What are the joys of worldly pleasures, drinks, drugs, fame, music, and songs? Just put a man in prison, make him alone, and he becomes mad. Imagine the power of joy that even there makes him more joyful. Don’t you want that joy? “Solid joys and lasting pleasures none but Zion’s children know.” The joys of the world are like shadows. And just when you think you have your hand on it, it’s gone. That is the world, still running and running, chasing shadows. The world is full of them.
Well, that’s the way some of you are, chasing shadows on your mobile, in a dream, not realizing that none of them will give solid joys and lasting pleasures. None but Zion’s children know them. Do you know why these worldly joys are not so big for you—a famous star, his house, his car, his name—all that is not interesting to Christians? They are not running after that. Because God has opened their eyes and given them higher joys than these, higher, greater joys of heaven, heavenly joys of being a child of God. They have joy when they look at the past; whatever failures, whatever sins they committed, it brings them joy because it all brought them to Christ. Oh, what a wonderful thing to be a Christian in a world full of uncertainty, not knowing what will happen tomorrow. I know that no matter what the future holds, the grace of God will bring the needed deliverance, and Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
God throws these worldly joys as garbage, as bones, as waste for people who will live and go to hell. Do you want to keep chasing shadows? You can have all this joy when you believe in Christ. God Himself extends to you in the Gospel, telling you to take seriously your state as a lost, undone, guilty sinner, and to flee to the only one who is an adequate Savior for sinners.
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 