Philippians 1:12-14
~16 min read
SERMON OUTLINE
TRANSCRIPT
hidden page for editing transcriptI greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Our text for today’s message is taken from Philippians 1:12-14.
Whenever we read the Bible, do we read the Bible only with our minds, intellectually, so to speak, or do we read with our hearts in tune? When we read with our hearts in tune, our emotions will naturally be involved. We must be careful not to read the Bible only with the mind and without the emotions to fully understand.
We must learn to put ourselves into the shoes of the Bible characters and try to feel how they have felt when they went through all those circumstances. For example, we may just simply read the passage about Abraham sacrificing Isaac in the book of Genesis. Unless we identify with Abraham’s struggles, we will not understand what it means to potentially lose a son. Ultimately it is on this same basis that we understand what it meant to God when He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to Calvary.
So let us put ourselves into the shoes of the Philippian Christians. It had been at least four years since they had seen Paul. They had heard rumours about the things that had happened to him. They knew about his imprisonment and that he was sick, and they were worried. Perhaps there would be many questions they had running through their minds: Was Paul still in prison? Has he already been sentenced? Has he been martyred for his faith in Jesus Christ? The Philippians had no idea and no way of knowing the answers to all these speculations.
Finally, they receive a letter from Rome written by Paul himself. At last, they knew he was still alive. They must have been very eager to read this letter. But then the first 11 verses of this letter were all referring to the Philippians. What we want to hear is news regarding you, Paul, and you talk only about us, the Philippians. Let’s say your mum is sick and she’s in a very difficult situation, and there’s no way you can get in touch with her. You are so anxious, so worried, and finally you receive a letter from her. And you must be shaking with excitement as you read the contents of her letter. But all she talks about is you: ‘Hope you are well. Have you been eating well? Have you finished all your assignments?’ etc. Well, that is a glimpse of how the Philippians would have felt.
Then finally, the Apostle Paul talked about himself in verses 12 to 14, which is the passage we want to consider for today’s message. Allow me to read for you: "But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear." (Philippians 1:12-14)
So, all the rumours they had heard about Paul were true. After all, he was still in prison, the future was still very uncertain, he could lose his life, and yet he sounded so positive. How could anything good come out of such a devastating situation? Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." Well, the title of our message for today is ‘Are All Things Really Working For Good?’
I. For the advancement of the Gospel
Let us begin with verse 12: "But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel." (Philippians 1:12) In other words, Paul was saying, "I want you to understand this, Philippians. That my circumstances, my imprisonment, the things that have happened to me, turn out to be for the advancement of the gospel."
With just one sentence, Paul explained that his suffering was for the great purposes of God in history. Firstly, we must understand that the things that had happened to Paul were quite different from the things Paul had planned for himself.
Paul was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles, and for years, he had carried the gospel faithfully to various parts of the world. He had travelled to many places: to Syria, Crete, Macedonia, most of modern-day Turkey, and through Greece. And he wanted to visit or to bring the gospel even as far as the West, to Spain. But he decided to return one more time to Jerusalem and stop over for a visit in Rome. So, all these were Paul’s plans for the gospel work. But his plans were not fulfilled. Instead, he found himself to be a prisoner for preaching the gospel and perhaps he would never be free again.
Take a moment and consider this: when all your plans were destroyed, and, on top of that, came the pain and physical suffering, how would you feel? Would you not be devastated? On top of that, especially when your plans were all pertaining to the gospel of Christ, for the glory of God and His kingdom? Have you ever experienced anything like that? You have planned certain things in your life; things seem to be working well; your family has just started attending church; your children have come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ—everything seems to be moving according to plan. Then all of a sudden the situation changes. Something happens and you have to experience intense suffering.
Some years ago we had a preacher from the Philippines, Preacher Dominino, whom some of you would remember very fondly. He visited our church and preached to our young people. Dominino was a former drug addict and God graciously saved him, delivered him from the bondage of drug addiction. Then he felt the call to serve God full-time. He enrolled into the Far Eastern Bible College. He studied very hard and persevered. He was equipped with the knowledge of God’s Word and finally, he graduated. He prayed for a life partner. God provided him with a wife and blessed him with a son. He started a ministry and then went on to start another ministry.
Things seemed to be working perfectly well. And all of a sudden he was stricken with cancer. It was a very rare form of cancer. Subsequently the Lord took him home.
Dear friends, we may be faithfully doing the Lord’s work; something like that may also happen to us, to our family and to our children. Can anything good come out of suffering? When we look at suffering from a worldly perspective, there is absolutely nothing good. But when we look at suffering from a spiritual perspective, then we begin to understand God’s sovereign and eternal purpose.
Suffering may come into our lives for different reasons and purposes. God has different purposes for permitting suffering to come upon us. Some suffering is corrective, especially when we fall into sin - it is intended to get us back on the right track when we have gone astray. As Proverbs 3:11-12 says, "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth."
If you are a son of God, you are a child of God, and you have sinned against God—surely, God will chastise you and that chastisement is corrective. He may allow certain trials to come into your life to correct you.
Another kind of suffering is instructive. It is intended to build us up, to mould us into the person God wants us to be. As 1 Peter 1:6-7 says, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."
But Paul’s suffering was neither corrective nor instructive. It was simply suffering permitted by God for a purpose—that the gospel might be preached to others. That was why Paul said in verse 13, "So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places." (Philippians 1:13)
Here, the word ‘palace’ was a reference to the palace of Caesar. In other words, through his imprisonment, Paul was able to witness the gospel to the guards belonging to Caesar’s palace. Allow me to briefly explain this. In those days, the guards of the palace were the official bodyguards of the emperor. They were called the imperial guards, who were dispersed throughout the city of Rome to keep the general peace as well as to protect the emperor.
At this point, Paul was imprisoned in Rome and he was chained to a Roman imperial guard. Ever since his arrest in Jerusalem, he had always been chained to a guard except for those brief moments whereby he was on board the ship carrying him to Rome. Although Paul was given much freedom, and for a while he lived in a private house and he was allowed to have visitors, but there was always a guard. So, he was now in the care of this guard watching over him, and this guard was also protecting the emperor, belonging to Caesar’s palace.
While Paul was chained to this guard, he could have murmured and complained, ‘This is not fair. I hate the Roman law; I hate the Roman Emperor and this soldier represents the Roman Emperor. I cannot stand the sight of him.’ This negative attitude would surely affect the guard, right? But that was never Paul’s attitude.
Paul knew that he was a soldier for the Lord Jesus Christ and this guard was someone in need of salvation. So, it was his responsibility to evangelise to this guard. And not only to this guard but to the next one who replaced this guard for the second watch and to the one who replaced him for the third watch. There were several batches of guards.
And so in time to come, Paul had been able to preach the gospel to most of the imperial guards—one by one. Take a moment and think of how Paul must have lived his life, even in prison, to have such a great impact on a group of tough soldiers who pledge their allegiance only to one man—the emperor. We do not need a great imaginative mind to comprehend the situation. Not only would the soldiers hear his preaching and teaching; they would also experience firsthand his patience, his endurance, his perseverance, his convictions, his humility and his genuine love as they watched him day by day.
THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANSThe Church at PhilippiThe Church at PhilippiPhilippians 1:1-2
The Joy of A Spirit-Filled Life (Part 1)The Joy of A Spirit-Filled Life (Part 1)Philippians 1:3-5
Elements of True JoyElements of True JoyPhilippians 1:3-6
The Joy of a Spirit-filled Life (Part 2)The Joy of a Spirit-filled Life (Part 2)Philippians 1:6
What are the Things Most Important to Us?What are the Things Most Important to Us?Philippians 1:7-8
Growing in GodlinessGrowing in GodlinessPhilippians 1:9-11
Message 5: Praying for the ChurchMessage 5: Praying for the ChurchPhilippians 1:9-11
Growing in GodlinessGrowing in GodlinessPhilippians 1:9-11
Are All Things Really Working For Good?Are All Things Really Working For Good?Philippians 1:12-14
In Times of AdversityIn Times of AdversityPhilippians 1:12-18
Trouble in the ChurchTrouble in the ChurchPhilippians 1:15-18
For to Me to Live is Christ, to Die is GainFor to Me to Live is Christ, to Die is GainPhilippians 1:19-26
To Live is ChristTo Live is ChristPhilippians 1:19-26
Living Worthy of the GospelLiving Worthy of the GospelPhilippians 1:27-30
Live your life worthy of the GospelLive your life worthy of the GospelPhilippians 1:27-30
The Motivation for Spiritual Unity (Part 1)The Motivation for Spiritual Unity (Part 1)Philippians 2:1-2
Let's Have FellowshipLet's Have FellowshipPhilippians 2:1-4
Essential Principles of Spiritual Unity (Part 2)Essential Principles of Spiritual Unity (Part 2)Philippians 2:3-4
The Ultimate ExampleThe Ultimate ExamplePhilippians 2:5-8
The Ultimate ExampleThe Ultimate ExamplePhilippians 2:5-11
What Is Christmas?What Is Christmas?Philippians 2:6-11
The Greatest NameThe Greatest NamePhilippians 2:9-11
Living a Sanctified LifeLiving a Sanctified LifePhilippians 2:12-13
Work Out Your Own SalvationWork Out Your Own SalvationPhilippians 2:12-18
Moving Forward Not BackwardMoving Forward Not BackwardPhilippians 2:13-14
Stop Murmuring and ComplainingStop Murmuring and ComplainingPhilippians 2:14-16
The Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: PaulThe Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: PaulPhilippians 2:17-18
The Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: TimothyThe Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: TimothyPhilippians 2:19-24
The Importance of Spiritual DiscernmentThe Importance of Spiritual DiscernmentPhilippians 3:1-2
True Believers Worship God in Spirit and in TruthTrue Believers Worship God in Spirit and in TruthPhilippians 3:3, John 4:4-30
Nothing to Boast OfNothing to Boast OfPhilippians 3:3-6
What Is Gain To Me Is LossWhat Is Gain To Me Is LossPhilippians 3:7-9
The Power of Christ's ResurrectionThe Power of Christ's ResurrectionPhilippians 3:10-11
What are Your Spiritual Goals?What are Your Spiritual Goals?Philippians 3:10-11
Pressing Toward The MarkPressing Toward The MarkPhilippians 3:12-14
Pressing Toward the MarkPressing Toward the MarkPhilippians 3:13-14
Morning Devotion 2: God’s High Calling for YouMorning Devotion 2: God’s High Calling for YouPhilippians 3:13-14
How to Know the Will of GodHow to Know the Will of GodPhilippians 3:15
Who Are You Following?Who Are You Following?Philippians 3:16-19
Heavenly Or Earthly MindedHeavenly Or Earthly MindedPhilippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57
How Do You Stand Fast?How Do You Stand Fast?Philippians 4:1
How to Maintain Christian UnityHow to Maintain Christian UnityPhilippians 4:2-3
Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 1]Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 1]Philippians 4:4-7
The Cure for AnxietyThe Cure for AnxietyPhilippians 4:6-7
Message 6: Praying for the TroubledMessage 6: Praying for the TroubledPhilippians 4:6-7
Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 2]Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 2]Philippians 4:8-9
Learning To Be Content [Part 1]Learning To Be Content [Part 1]Philippians 4:10-12
How To Be An Overcoming ChristianHow To Be An Overcoming ChristianPhilippians 4:13
Learning To Be Content [Part 2]Learning To Be Content [Part 2]Philippians 4:13-19
My God Shall Supply All Your NeedsMy God Shall Supply All Your NeedsPhilippians 4:19
Living By Grace and For God's GloryLiving By Grace and For God's GloryPhilippians 4:20-23
