Sermon for MHBC (3 October 2021). You can listen on Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, or our website. Live at 11:00am on Sundays. Also available as a podcast here or by searching “Monument Heights Baptist Church” in your favorite podcast app.
I have to tell you that this sermon has been especially difficult to write. They almost always are, but this one addresses a struggle that I’ve felt for most of my adult life and I’ve felt it more acutely over the last year.
In our text Paul is wrestling with life and death. I want to be completely candid with you. This wrestling with the potentiality of impending death and the hope that he has in Christ is a subject that rarely leaves my mind. There’s hardly a day that goes by that I’m not impacted by this thinking, and I don’t mean in a good way. I mean this is probably my greatest struggle. Frankly, this text comforts and haunts me simultaneously. So I want you to hear my heart and struggle this morning as we work through this passage. I make no claims to have this figured out and God forbid that this sermon would be perceived as a trite exercise in meaningless platitudes. The simple fact is that the sort of thing Paul is dealing with here terrifies me. It makes me want to hide and escape.
You may say, “Aren’t you a pastor? Shouldn’t you have this figured out?” Perhaps I should, but unfortunately that’s not who I am and that has not been my life or ministry experience. Every single funeral I’m involved in makes me feel like the air has been sucked out of the room. At times I despair so deeply that I wonder why I was ever born. So when I say this text has been a struggle, I also want you to know that I believe there is some critical truth about what it means to live in this world and to ultimately face death.
Before we begin with the end of v. 18, let me remind you of Paul’s situation. He’s in prison. I think he’s likely in Rome, but Ephesus is another possibility. And his fate is uncertain. In fact, we might even say that things don’t look good. But look what he says at the end of v. 18: Yes, and I will rejoice.
Now that’s some situation to be rejoicing in and his intent is to continue rejoicing. Why does he say this? It’s because he has confidence, and I really think this is the key to the whole passage. Paul has an unwavering confidence in Jesus Christ. That only comes from, as we will see in the passage, a close and intimate communion with Christ; it only comes from a life that is singularly focused on the gospel of Christ as we saw last week; it only comes from a live that is lived for and in Christ.
Look at the connection in v. 19: for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance. Here’s the basis for his rejoicing—“I know” (that’s his confidence) “that this will turn out for my deliverance.” Note that this word deliverance is the same word that is often translated salvation. So we have to make an interpretative decision here. Is Paul talking about his immediate deliverance from prison and execution? Or, is he talking about his ultimate deliverance in Christ? Unsurprisingly, interpreters are divided on this. Based on what he says in the next verses, I’m inclined to think that he is confident that in life or in death he is absolutely and unshakingly secure.[1]
But that doesn’t mean he is exempt from wrestling through the present moment. He says two things will ensure his deliverance: (1) the prayers of the Philippians believers and (2) the help of the Spirit. Let’s talk about prayer. Does he mean that every prayer will necessarily mean a good outcome in the present circumstances? I don’t think so. But notice that doesn’t mean the prayers are pointless. On the contrary, the prayers are essential and necessary. But let’s also entertain the possibility that Paul is talking about his deliverance from prison and death. Then, he has told us that these prayers are useful for that purpose. So we can take heart in our prayers. I get discouraged sometimes. I’ve prayed for a whole lot of people who haven’t been delivered from present trials. I’ve prayed fervently for lives to be spared and those lives were not spared. On the other hand, I’ve seen the seemingly impossible happen. I don’t think we will ever understand how the Lord allows our prayers to participate within His orchestration of the world. What is clear is that prayer is one means by which God intervenes in our world.
The second factor is the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. This is, of course, a reference to the Holy Spirit. Paul says he will receive a supply or a provision from the Holy Spirit.[2] Whatever Paul is lacking for the moment the Spirit will provide for him. If he needs courage, it will be provided. If he needs endurance, it will be provided. The Spirit will enable him to be faithful under the present circumstances.
That provision is explained more in v. 20: 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. Here seems to be good indication that the idea of deliverance back in v. 19 isn’t just physical deliverance. Paul’s ultimate aim is to be faithful in his life till the end. The prayers of the saints and the aid of the Spirit will ensure his faithfulness so that he will not be ashamed, but instead he will honor Christ.
Now before we move on, I want to talk about Paul’s confidence. In v. 19 when he says, “I know that this will turn out for my deliverance,” we hear an echo to Job’s words in Job 13:16. There Job says, “This will turn out for my salvation/deliverance.” We are no doubt familiar with Job’s situation, but he expressed confidence in the Lord even if things continued to go poorly for him. By using nearly identical language, Paul is echoing Job in a way that taps into the rich history of that story and helps us to see Paul’s trust in the Lord in this difficult moment.[3] Paul has immersed himself in the truths of the God of the OT and here he expresses his confidence in that very God.
Now returning to v. 20, we see Paul’s aim—for Christ to be honored or magnified in life or in death. He expounds on that in v. 21: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Many of us are familiar with this verse, but let’s make sure we give it its full impact. To live is Christ. To die is gain. Yes, he said gain. Put another way, there are advantages to death. Such a statement sort of takes my breath away. That’s a big claim. There’s a lot riding on this. To die is gain. I’m not sure many of us can say that with sincerity and without fear. Such is Paul’s confidence in the Lord. Again, this is only possible through deep communion with Christ.
He continues to explain in the following verses. Verse 22: If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. Again, life is all about serving Christ—what he calls fruitful labor here. And notice Paul is actually conflicted. Which I shall choose I cannot tell.
Listen how he goes on in v. 23: I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. For me the choice between death and life is pretty simple. Not so for Paul. It’s a difficult decision. And even more than that, he actually prefers death. Look what he says. My desire is to depart and be with Christ. Why? For that is far better.
I remember the first time I really grasped what Paul was saying here. Departure from this life is superior to remaining in this life. Being with Christ, in the presence of Christ, is far better than this life. It’s not just that that would be OK. It’s that it exceeds the experience of this life. For most humans, death is the scariest thing we can imagine. Someone has said somewhere that humans are unique in our consciousness of our existence and eventual death. This is the sort of thing we all have to reckon with and yet it’s also the sort of thing that can easily and understandably drive a person crazy.
But Paul is giving us the Christian way of seeing things here. We may enjoy things about this life. We may even have some fears. But nothing can surpass being with Christ. That is far better than anything we could ever hope for or imagine. I find this nearly impossible to accept. Frankly, I don’t like it. It’s overwhelming. It hurts to think about, so realize I’m not shaming you with this. As I told you in the beginning, I’m haunted by this passage. I’m haunted by my weak faith, my doubts, my fears, and my inability to say what Paul says here.
But I’m convinced the secret is Paul’s deep communion with Christ. To live is Christ. This doesn’t happen overnight. Paul knows the Lord and walks with the Lord. He loves the Lord and has a deep intimacy with the Lord, so he can say, “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”
Yet, he realizes there is work to be done. Verse 24: But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Now vv. 25–26: Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. He is convinced that he will be released from prison because the Philippians need him. Their faith will be strengthened by his presence. And all of this will lead to the glory of Christ Jesus. That’s Paul’s aim. To live is Christ. And it’s only out of that perspective that life is Christ that someone can say, “To die is gain.”
I imagine we all have fears. I’ve already confessed that I have some severe ones. We can’t really make those fears go away. But we can learn from Paul. And when I say that, please understand that I’m not telling you that you just need to buck up and say, “Death is advantageous and awesome.” Not at all. I can’t say that in honesty right now. I think that is jumping ahead of ourselves. And Paul wouldn’t necessarily say that death is a good thing. After all, he refers to death as the last enemy to be defeated (1 Cor 15).
We start by cultivating a deep relationship with Christ. We spend time communing with Him, relying on Him, seeking Him with every means at our disposal. The Christian claim is that Christ is alive, which means He is still fully human, so I’m talking about communing with a living person. I’m not even talking about reading the Bible more or praying more, though all of those are important, necessary, and indispensable in this quest. The main thing I’m talking about is seeking to commune with the living Christ, because the key is first being able to say, “To live is Christ.” Only then can we ever utter the words “to die is gain.”
[1] See Calvin’s commentary where he cites Rom 8:28 in his comments.
[2] LSJ s. v. ἐπιχορηγία.
[3] See Hays, Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul, pp. 23–29.