Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The text this morning is from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, the first chapter:
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel... For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 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. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
Thus far the text.
Dear friends in Christ,
Paul is faced with a hard choice in today’s reading. There, he is faced with potential life outside of prison, or certain death coming out of it. Paul really didn’t do anything wrong, at least not according to the letter of Roman law. It’s just that trouble followed him, and, in Paul’s case, that trouble was literally demonic. Seriously. Demons followed him and drove him crazy, some afflicted him from the inside, some persecuted him from the outside. And no matter how you look at it, those demons caused trouble.
Enough trouble, in fact, to draw the attention of the authorities to Paul, a Pharisee by training and a Christian by conversion. And, long story short, they didn’t like it so they arrested him. But, as a Roman citizen by birth, a very high and lofty thing, and very desirable and scary, if you read Acts 22, Paul had the authority to ask to appeal to Caesar face-to-face. No one could deny him, and so they had to send him to Rome, and there he waited for something like 4 or 5 years.
In that waiting, Paul continued to preach and to teach, even some of the Imperial Guard of the Empire, and he continued to work and do what Christ had literally called him to do. And while he was there, he wrote many letters, many of which have made their way into the Scriptures today because of their value to the entire Church on earth. Paul was busy.
So, in Rome, Paul wrote the Epistle to the Philippians, the Church at Philippi, and he laid out his struggles quite plainly. When he goes before Caesar, he can either plead his case in such a way that it makes it clear that he did not break any laws and therefore he should be released. Or, he can choose to not defend himself, and begin to allow Rome to take off his head. He doesn’t know which to do.
Should he stay in this life, serving as a missionary for the name of Jesus Christ, continuing to teach and preach and strengthen the congregations which he and his compatriots started? Or should he die and go to be with Christ?
To live, for Paul, would be fruitful gain. It means that he could continue to work to love and serve his neighbor according to his vocation, his vocation as pastor and Apostle of Christ. He would love and serve his neighbor by telling them about Jesus, telling them that Christ has died also for them, taking their sins away, giving to them forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life.
But, to die, Paul goes to be with Jesus, and no matter how great life is on this side of the Resurrection, being with Jesus is far, far, far better. There is nothing in the world that can compare with seeing Christ face-to-face.
Paul doesn’t want anyone to be bummed about his decision or his situation. What does he say? His imprisonment has worked to advance the Gospel, he rejoices in the lives of the Philippians in Christ. These are good things. Paul is saying that whatever happens, he is content. Paul knows he wants to go and be with the Philippians, and he kinda thinks it may happen, but he knows that it may not happen, and that’s not the worst thing in the world.
Yet, Paul knows there is a face-to-face meeting coming. Whether it is with Caesar only, or Caesar and then Christ, he does not know, but he has to make his decision soon. And so he has laid it out here, even to the Philippians. And they will struggle with Paul, even as we struggle with Paul.
For here, we struggle mostly in this way, that Paul encourages the Philippians, as well as us, to let our manners of life be consistent with the Gospel. We have heard recently that what this really means is to fulfill the Law as Christian disciples of Christ. And what is this fulfillment of the Law? Love. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. And this is hard work.
Does God expect us to do it perfectly? Yes, of course, He does. Yet, He knew we couldn’t, but the Law did need to be obeyed. So, the Father sent His Son into our flesh to obey the Law on our behalf, and to give to us the righteousness that He earned. This Christ is the same one that Paul preached, Paul and your pastors have the same message, telling you that Christ has died also for you, taking your sins away, giving to you forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. This is Paul’s message; it is mine. And it is Christ’s.
And because Christ has died for you, because Christ has forgiven the debt that would send you to hell, because there is now nothing you could do that would be greater than the Savior’s work, we are free to obey the Law without fear of failure. Will you obey it perfectly? No. But, can you still love and serve your neighbor as best you are able and have Christ still say to you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant?” You bet.
You may now have the manner of your lives be worthy of the Gospel. You may love and serve your neighbor as Paul did when he was teaching and preaching while still in chains. You may love and serve your neighbor by obeying your parents and listening to them. You may love and serve your neighbor by studying hard for that test and learning what your teacher is teaching. You may love and serve your neighbor by honoring your employer and making sure that they do as well in their business as possible. You may love and serve your neighbor by changing your child’s dirty diaper. You may love and serve your neighbor by texting your spouse during the day. You may love and serve your neighbor by encouraging them and being there for them when they are depressed. You may love and serve your neighbor in myriad ways, and this is a good manner of life, a manner of life consistent with the Gospel.
You love and serve your neighbor without thinking about it, and why? Because you have been redeemed by Christ. We are His workmanship, created to do good works in Christ Jesus. And the only good works that matter are the good works you do for your neighbor.
But, what does this all have to do with Paul’s struggle of life or death? If he stays in this life, he will continue to do good works, good works that continue to show the glory of Christ to all people. And if he dies, well, that’s just awesome because then he is with Christ.
But if Paul stays, if he lives, he knows this: he will continue to suffer. No matter what, he has been called to suffer. And so have the Philippians. If Paul suffers, then they, too, shall suffer. And suffering for the sake of Christ is not a bad thing; in fact, it’s quite good. We should welcome that suffering because it points us to the very fact that Christ has not abandoned us, nor have we abandoned Christ. We are His. And He is ours. And we serve our neighbor even while we suffer.
Jesus said that there is no greater love than the one who lays His life down for His friends. He’s talking about Himself there. Christ says He lays His life down for the sheep. He lays His life down that He would take it up again. This is great love, and this is the greatest suffering that ever was. Love caused Him to suffer, and suffer greatly. Our God allowed Himself to suffer on our behalf, to die to do a good work of love and service to us.
That’s why we gather in worship each week, to have Christ continue to serve us. He doesn’t need our songs, He doesn’t need our prayers, that’s not why He’s called us here. He’s called us here so that He can serve us. He gives to us His Holy Word. He washes us clean from all our sin. And in the Lord’s Supper, His Holy Meal, He is both the host, welcoming you to the table, and He is the meal, that which you eat and drink. This is our Lord, and this is all because He suffered for you. He gives you gifts He suffered to earn. And we need to take them.
We need to take them because we will suffer, too. Perhaps it will be persecution, or perhaps it’s just feeling estranged from friends and family because you believe differently, or anything in between or outside of that. The Christian life is one of suffering. And we need Christ’s strength to get through. And we have it here, and we should have it here every week, His meal, His baptism, His Word. Christ gives it to us and we should take it.
Paul was suffering, and the only way for him to make his way through his chains, and ultimately to that wooden block outside the city of Rome where an axe fell upon his neck, the only way he made it through in service and love to his neighbor, were these gifts of God. He deserved hell for his sins, yet Christ gave him heaven. And so Christ gives to you. When you struggle, when you sin, when you suffer, when you serve, Christ is here in this place for you. Christ is here to strengthen you, sustain you, serve you.
Paul’s struggle was a good one, and it was hard. But strengthened by Christ, he persevered unto everlasting life. And so, too, shall we. Come, and hear the Word of God. Come, be washed in baptismal waters. Come, eat and drink the Lord. Here, you will find rest and comfort, just as Paul did, because here, in this Church, Christ serves you, making your manner of life good, because He has given to you every good thing and every good work. He has done it all for you, so that you may be with Him forever. Come. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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