The Advance of the Gospel (Phil 1:12-18a)

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The Advance of the Gospel (Phil 1:12-18)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, July 9, 2023.

We have been preaching through Philippians. In Philippians we have the apostle Paul writing from prison. Listen to what Joni Eareckson Tada shares:

I’m not like Paul; I’m not in prison—far from it! But I can identify with the bolts and bars of a prison cell. This wheelchair is made of a lot of metal, and in a way it’s confining. I suppose that’s why so many prisoners write me. My testimony has encouraged them, and they look at my bolts and bars and understand.

Even though I know nothing of the kind of imprisonment the apostle Paul went through, I do know I like his attitude. In the Scripture for today he basically says, “Okay, so I’m in chains? My bolts and bars help me spread the Good News. Every time they chain me to another guard, he gets an earful of the gospel. And my imprisonment helps others to become bold.”

I’ve read letters from prisoners who say the same thing. “Okay, so I’m behind bars? It’s a chance for me to draw closer to Christ.” I can say the same thing. “Okay, so I’m in a wheelchair? These bolts and bars give me a chance to spread the Good News to anyone who experiences confinement and limitations.”

What are your chains? Maybe you feel manacled to the kitchen sink. Maybe you feel chained to your desk, with just enough slack to reach the rest room and coffeemaker. Maybe you feel imprisoned in a difficult marriage. Goodness, we all can name the bolts and bars that confine us. Look at today’s verse again. Has what happened to you served to advance Christ’s gospel? It should. It’s the locale from which God wants to work.

Help me today, Lord Jesus, to rejoice in the confinements of my life. Enable me to see my circumstances as boundaries you have erected to work within.[1]

My theme today is:

The Gospel advances and for that Paul rejoices.

  1. The gospel cannot be stopped (Phil. 1:12-14).
    1. 1:12-14: 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.
    2. Okay, so we are in the beginning of Philippians.
    3. Paul has been praying for them, and now he is moving on from the prayer.
    4. Paul begins saying that what has happened to him has advanced the gospel.
    5. One source shares: This verse [verse 12] is a topic sentence for all that follows through verse 26. Whenever Paul wrote, “I want you to know,” he introduced something important (cf. 2 Cor. 13:6; 2 Tim. 3:1).[3]
    6. Notice that he calls them “brothers”.
    7. He is talking in family language.
    8. He is saying, I want you to know “brothers.” This could be translated “brothers and sisters.”
    9. He is saying, don’t worry about what I have gone through because it has advanced the gospel.
    10. HE had been shipwrecked (Acts 27 and Acts 28; he was bitten by a viper).
    11. He had gone through a lot. Yet, he is not saying “my bed is hard.” He is talking about the advance of the Gospel. See also 2 Cor. 11 and all that he has endured.
    12. How are we doing with this?
    13. Do we care most about the advance of the gospel?
    14. In verse 13 he talked about witnessing to the whole praetorian guard. Those guards switched shifts every 3-4 hours. Paul talked about Jesus so much that the whole praetorian guard knew that his imprisonment was for Christ.
    15. ESV SB: The Latin word praetorium could refer to a governor’s residence and by extension those living in the residence. Those who believe that Paul wrote from Caesarea would understand the word in that sense here (see Acts 23:35). However, the word could also refer to the special guard of the emperor in Rome, as the translation above suggests. [4]
    16. This group of guards were like the navy seals of their day.
    17. IVP: No army was allowed in Italy, but the Praetorian Guard consisted of about thirteen to fourteen thousand free Italian soldiers. They were the emperor’s elite bodyguard under the praetorian prefect. Viewed as clients of the emperor (thus part of his household), they were kept loyal with the highest pay in the Roman military; they were also kept loyal by the leadership of a prefect who could never legally become emperor (being a knight rather than a senator).[5]
    18. In Phil 4:22 Paul says that all the brethren greet you, especially those in Caesar’s household. How would they know? He talked about them.
    19. Two groups of people heard of his imprisonment: The praetorian guard and everyone else.
    20. One source shares: “The soldier to whom he was chained day-to-day might have been in Nero’s body-guard yesterday; his comrade who next relieved guard upon the prisoner, might have been one of the executioners of Octavia [Nero’s wife], and might have carried her head to Poppaea [Nero’s mistress] a few weeks before.”80[6]
    21. Look at verse 14: Most of the brothers are more confident about the Lord, but why? Because of his imprisonment.
    22. They are much bolder to speak the Word without fear.
    23. The “Word” would be the gospel.
    24. They think if Paul can do it, so can they.
    25. They are more confident and they are confident in the Lord.
    26. Are we confident in the Lord?
  • Are we confident in the Lord even in difficult times?
  1. Paul rejoices that Christ is proclaimed (Phil. 1:15-18a).
    1. 1:15-18a: 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.
    2. Grammatically, this is a chiasm.
    3. Paul starts with the people who preach out of envy (verse 15).
    4. Then others who preach out of love (verse 16).
    5. Then comes back to those who preach out of envy (verse 17).
    6. A Chiasm is a grammatical device used to emphasize what is in the middle. What is in the middle here? It is emphasizing those that preach Christ out of love.
    7. So, look at verse 15: Some are preaching Christ, proclaiming the gospel, out of envy.
    8. Notice in this passage Paul is happy as long as the gospel is preached, but they are not preaching bad doctrine. This may be different if the doctrine was wrong. In Galatians he confronts bad doctrine. Here it is their motives.
    9. Why are they preaching Christ out of envy or rivalry? I wonder if they are envious of him. I wonder if they are competing (see 1 Cor. 1:12ff). Verse 17 does seem to show that it has something to do with Paul.
    10. In verse 16 we see that others are preaching out of love. That is what we want. They love Paul. They know that he is there for defending the gospel.
    11. In verse 17, we see that those who are envious are selfish. They want to afflict Paul.
    12. The beginning of verse 18: even if the motives are wrong Christ is preached and that is what matters.
    13. Whether in pretense, which means false motives, hypocrites, or pure motives Christ is preached.
    14. Paul rejoices.
    15. This verse goes into the next section so we will talk more about verse 18 next Sunday.
  • Applications:
    1. Do we use what happens to us to advance the Gospel? That car trouble, hospital visit, or whatever else may be God’s providence to advance the gospel.
    2. Paul is in jail…
    3. Things are not as coincidental as we think. Can we see everything for the advance of the gospel? In 2013 I had many things to do, and I had it scheduled in my head. The senior’s group of the church went to a Christmas tree show in Akron and I was going along. We then had lunch at the Hartville Kitchen. I then planned to visit someone in the hospital. As is usual my schedule did not allow enough time. I was leaving the hospital about an hour later than I had hoped. I was walking down the stairs and I saw the hospital chaplain. I knew him and knew some things that he was going through. I asked him about them. We talked awhile and prayed. I don’t believe it was a coincidence that I was leaving the hospital later than I wanted to. I think I had my schedule for me, and God had His schedule for me. God made my schedule fall in line with His schedule.
    4. Are we willing to speak the word of God without fear? Do we pray about this (verse 14)?
    5. Do we care more about what others think or what God thinks?
    6. Do we seek to build up or tear down?
    7. Do our actions during difficult times encourage others to be bolder in their faith?
    8. Can we stop being envious of others (verses 15 and 17)? Can we just be happy to serve and proclaim the gospel? Can we pray about that? Can we pray that God helps our motives to be pure and teaches us humility?
    9. Can we proclaim Christ out of love (verse 16)? We love others and we want them to know Jesus.

One source shares:

Verses 12–18 present Paul as a positive model for all believers. Rather than valuing his own comfort, reputation, and freedom above all else, he put the advancement of God’s plan first. He discerned what was best (v. 10). He could maintain a truly joyful attitude, even in unpleasant circumstances, because he derived his joy from seeing God glorified, rather than from seeing himself exalted. His behavior in prison had been pure and blameless (cf. v. 10).[7]

Carrot, egg, coffee beans

  • CARROT: First, what happens when we put a carrot in hot boiling water? That’s right it turns soft like this carrot I have here. It is no longer hard but soft.
  • EGG: Now what happens when an egg is boiled in water? That’s right it has the opposite effect of the carrot. While this egg is fragile and will break if dropped, this egg now has a hard shell and is less fragile.
  • COFFEE BEANS: Does anyone know what happens when we boil coffee beans? The beans not only change the color of the water but also spreads a delicious aroma.
  • APPLICATION: So here is how each of us are either like the carrot, egg or coffee beans.
  • The boiling water symbolizes problems and trials in our life.
  • The carrots, eggs, and coffee beans symbolize our different reactions to these problems or pressures.
  • The soft carrots represent people who grumble, complain, and pity themselves when faced with problems.
  • The hardened eggs represent those who become stubborn, rebellious, and angry at God during tribulations.
  • But the coffee beans represent people who obey and trust God, changing the atmosphere around them while spreading the fragrance of Christ.
  • So see, God offers each of us faith that is greater than any problems we may face. It doesn’t matter how big or small the problem is but what is important is how we react to the problem.
  • Our faith determines how we will respond as we meet the challenges of daily life — as a carrot, a hard-boiled egg, or a coffee bean.
  • God wants to use us like coffee beans when we face difficulties. Paul is in prison and he rejoices for the spread of the gospel. Let’s do the same.

Prayer

[1] Taken from More Precious than Silver By Joni Eareckson Tada; Copyright © 1998

Published in Print by Zondervan, Grand Rapids

75 Martin, p. 67.

[2] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Php 1:12.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2281.

[5] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Php 1:13.

80 Conybeare, p. 734.

[6] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Php 1:13.

[7] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Php 1:18.

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