Philippians 1:18-19; Perseverance and Prayer ~ 20230917 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

09/17 Philippians 1:18-19; Perseverance and Prayer Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20230917_philippians-1_18-19.mp3

Paul gives the Philippians, who partnered with him in the advance of the gospel throughout his ministry, news about his current circumstances. They knew he was in prison. They had sent Epaphroditus, one of their own, to minister to his needs in prison, and Epaphroditus had almost died. Paul sent him back to them with this letter. He tells them:

Philippians 1:12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 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. 15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Paul wants to encourage them with God’s sovereignty over his circumstances. His situation provided him with a unique opportunity to advance the gospel among the Roman soldiers of Caesar’s Praetorian guard; and word spread beyond the soldiers to the whole community that the Messiah was who he lived for, and who he was willing to die for. Because of his chains, the believers in Rome became super-abundantly emboldened to speak the word without fear. Believers, ordinary average believers like you and me, were talking about Jesus, speaking the good news to people around them. The gospel was advancing.

But there were mixed motives among those who proclaimed Christ. Some, confident in the kind purposes of God, knowing that God had appointed Paul to defend the gospel, and motivated by love, in sincerity and truth, preached Christ. But some, out of envy and rivalry, motivated by selfish ambition, in pretense, insincerely proclaimed Christ, hoping to add affliction to his chains.

Paul doesn’t detail his circumstances, or explain why some thought preaching the gospel would add pressure to his bonds.

Sin is sin. Envy, rivalry, selfish ambition, is sin. Paul does not celebrate the impure motives of brothers who are out to build themselves up by causing harm to him. I’m sure this hurt. It hurts when people are insincere, when people are malicious, when people do things they know will cause problems for you.

Paul rejoices that Christ is preached despite mixed and even overtly sinful motives. Paul rejoices in spite of the motives of those who are against him. Paul is able to humble himself and take the added pressure from his haters and choose to rejoice in the fact that the name of Christ, the good news of Jesus crucified for sinners, is advancing.

Salvation, Temporal or Eternal?

In the middle of verse 18 he affirms ‘Yes, and I will rejoice’, and he gives the reason for his rejoicing; ‘for’. How could Paul rejoice that Christ is preached if even with impure motives? For I know that this will work out for my deliverance. The word deliverance here is [σωτηρία], salvation or rescue. Salvation from what? Is he talking about release from prison? Or is it bigger than that?

In the coming verses he expresses a level of uncertainty about the outcome of his own circumstances, life or death; so is he here expressing confidence in his release from prison? We can understand the Philippians praying for his release, but we would expect something other than ‘the supply of the Spirit’ to effect that release; maybe something like ‘God granting him favor with the emperor’? And if he is hardpressed to choose between continuing in this life and departing to be with Christ, which is far better (v.23-24), saying that release from prison is his ‘eager expectation and hope’ seems strong on only one side of that issue. It seems impossible to square this idea of salvation as assurance of release from prison with Christ being honored in my body by life or by death. I think it will become clear as we walk through this passage, that Paul’s view is bigger than mere temporary deliverance from prison; he has in mind here his own eternal salvation.

But that understanding raises questions of its own. How can Paul’s salvation be dependent on or affected by the prayers of the Philippians? I thought salvation was a present possession of the believer, not something we hope for in the future?

Salvation Past, Present, Future

We need to understand Paul’s conception of salvation to make sense of this. Paul says in Romans 1

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Salvation is for everyone who believes in Jesus, who died to secure the forgiveness of our sins and rose again for our justification.

Paul in Ephesians 2 points to salvation as a present possession for the believer; ‘by grace you have been saved’ (Eph.2:5,8).

But in 1 Corinthians he describes believers as those who are being saved by the gospel (1Cor.1:18; 15:1-2). In Philippians 2 he tells believers to ‘work out your own salvation’ as if salvation were an ongoing process in our lives.

He tells the Thessalonians to put on the hope of salvation like a helmet, because God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1Thes.5:8-9). This makes it sound like salvation is something we hope for, something coming to us in the future that we have not yet attained. Peter puts it this way:

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ... 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Is salvation the present possession of believers in Jesus, is it something that is currently happening to us, or is it something that we look forward to that will come to us in the future? The Bible says ‘Yes!’ We have been saved, we are being saved, and one day we will be finally and forever saved.

God has caused us to be born again, but that it to a living hope, to an inheritance that is kept in heaven for us, and we are now being kept by God’s power through our faith for that salvation that will one day be revealed in the last time. In the verses between 1 Peter 1:5 and 8 he talks about rejoicing in the necessary trials that prove the genuineness of our faith, that ultimately bring glory to God.

A Jew would be disappointed if we limited salvation only to forgiveness of sins. That is certainly part of it, a massive and beautiful part of it, as the whole sacrificial system of the Old Testament pointed to. But salvation is moving toward a glorious future; it must include rescue from enemies, vindication, final and forever freedom and rescue by our glorious coming King, being brought in to his glorious kingdom.

Paul tells the Thessalonians:

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God chose you to be saved, through your belief in Jesus and through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. And it is to an ultimate purpose; obtaining the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul talks about this as justification, sanctification, glorification; three stages in our salvation.

This is the bigger context of salvation when Paul says ‘I know that this will turn out for my deliverance or my salvation’.

Job 13:16

Paul here is quoting the Old Testament when he says this. His words ‘I know that this will turn out for my salvation’ is a direct quote from the Greek translation of Job 13:16. Job’s ‘comforters’; his ‘friends’ had come to console him, but what they did was accuse him, try to pin his suffering on some secret sin or fault that he refused to confess, to establish his guilt in order to justify God for causing Job’s suffering. Job calls them ‘worthless physicians’ (13:4) and accuses them of speaking deceitfully and showing partiality (13:7-8). Then Job says:

Job 13:15 ​Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face. 16 This will be my salvation… 18 Behold, I have prepared my case; I know that I shall be in the right.

Whether Job lives or dies, he is confident that ‘this will turn out for my salvation’; he will be vindicated in the end. Paul resonates with Job, as his own brothers treat him as their enemy, seek to increase his suffering by preaching the very gospel he loves.

This

Philippians 1:18 ...Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,

Paul says ‘this’ will turn out for my salvation. What is the ‘this’? This refers back to what he said before; everything that happened to him, what he wanted them to know. Not the gritty details of his imprisonment, but that this, the things that happened to him have turned out to advance the gospel, among Caesar’s guard, among all the rest, that which happened to him has emboldened most of the brothers to preach Christ, and in all of this Paul rejoices, even if some do it out of envy and rivalry and selfish ambition. The fact in ‘this’ Paul rejoices, that despite motives Paul rejoices that Christ is preached, the fact that Paul can rejoice that the good news about Jesus is proclaimed even when by it people are seeking his personal harm, the fact that Paul cares more about the reputation of Jesus than that of Paul, the fact that he is willing to suffer harm from those he calls ‘brothers’, even willing to rejoice in it, demonstrates that God has re-oriented Paul’s priorities. Paul’s rejoicing in the advance of the gospel even in the midst of persecution and rejection by brothers who are out to destroy him is evidence of the transformation that has happened to Paul. It seems that Paul is looking at his own heart and seeing something supernatural happening. In a circumstance where bitterness, resentment, desire for revenge, self-justification and vindication would naturally grow, instead he sees the fruit of joy in the advance of the gospel blossom in his own heart. As he said ‘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’, so Paul can say as he looks at the transformation taking place in his own heart and attitudes, ‘I am confident that he who began a good work in me will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ’. I know that this will turn out to my salvation. Evidence of fruit demonstrates genuineness of root.

Through Your Prayers

Two clauses modify his statement ‘this will work out for my salvation’; through your prayers, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. This seems amazing to us, that the Apostle Paul would lean on the prayers of the people who were under his authority. But in Romans 15:30 and 2 Corinthians 1:11 and Ephesians 6:19-20 and Colossians 4:3 and 1 Thessalonians 5:25 and 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 and Philemon :22 Paul asks for prayer.

Romans 15:30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,

Paul understood the importance of people praying for him, and he was not ashamed to ask the believers to pray for him. Paul understood his own dependence on the prayers of others, that prayer is powerful, and he needed it. His attitude of joy in spite of circumstances was due in some part to the faithful gospel partnership in prayer of the Philippians for him. ‘I know that this will turn out for my salvation through your prayers’.

Through the Supply of the Spirit

And the full supply of the Spirit who is sent by Jesus Christ. Jesus said

John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Paul taught that every genuine believer in Jesus Christ receives and is sealed with and indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Gal.3:2; Rom.8:9,11; 1Cor.3:16; 2Cor.1:22; Eph.1:13-14). But Paul also exhorted believers to ‘be being filled with the Spirit (Eph.5:18). Paul seems to make a connection between their prayers for him and the Spirit’s abundant supply to fully equip him with transformed attitudes and emotions and desires. Paul himself prayed for the Thessalonians,

2 Thessalonians 2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

He asked the Ephesians

Ephesians 6:19 and [pray] also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Paul knew he was utterly dependent on the Spirit’s supply to live this Christian life. Paul had ‘believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ’ (Gal.2:16). He was confident that those whom God justified, he will without fail bring them on to be glorified (Rom.8:30). And he knew that these present trials would turn out for his salvation by the sanctification of the Spirit and through the prayers of the believers. So...

Ephesians 6:18 pray[ing] at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

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2023.09.17 Sermon Notes

Philippians 1:18-19; Perseverance and Prayer

some brothers preached Christ out of impure motives

Philippians 1:15, 17-18

Salvation:

past (justification) Romans 1:16; Ephesians 2:5,8

present (sanctification) 1 Corinthians 1:18; 15:1-2

future (glorification) 1 Thessalonians 5:8-10; Romans 8:30

1 Peter 1:3-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14;

‘I know that this will turn out for my salvation’

Job 13:15-16

-through your prayers

Philippians 1:19; Romans 15:30; 2 Corinthians 1:11; Ephesians 6:19-20; Colossians 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2; Philemon 1:22

-and through the full supply of the Spirit

John 14:16-17; Galatians 3:2; Romans 8:9,11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; 5:18

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org