
The Advance of Christian Joy
How Do You Respond to Suffering?
Take a minute – and try to think about a time in your life when things took a turn in the wrong direction. It might be an injury you had, or maybe someone broke off a serious relationship with you, or you lost a job – any sort of painful, unpleasant experience that threatens your joy. When that trial came – and you couldn’t simply control it or erase it and make it go away – how did you respond?
In a group this size, I’m sure we could identify a variety of ways that we’ve responded. Some of you have probably responded with anger – and in your impulsive anger, you’ve probably said or done things you regret. Others of you have maybe responded with impatience and irritation – you’ve been quick to complain. Maybe you’ve wallowed in self-pity – you’ve withdrawn from people, and you’ve fixated on your own feelings and problems – that’s a common way to respond. Others of us have maybe tried to escape those feelings by turning to drugs or various types of distractions. Many others of us have responded to hardship by trying to harden our hearts – to become unfeeling and numb so that the pain doesn’t hurt us as bad. There are many different ways – unhelpful ways – that people respond to the pain and suffering of a broken world.
And it can be tempting for us to think that our pain or suffering makes it okay for us to go down one of these roads. “I’m angry because my best friend ditched me.” Or “I’m irritable because I’m tired and stressed.” But when your best friend ditches you, you don’t have to be angry. When you’re tired and stressed, no one is forcing you to be bitter and irritable. You are responsible for how you respond to the circumstances of your life. So what does it mean for us to respond well – to respond in faith – to respond in a way that’s consistent with our identity as Christians? What does this look like?
This morning, this is one of the questions we’ll wrestle with as we continue our series through a part of the Bible called Philippians. And we’ll take time to consider the trials and sufferings experienced by a Christian man named Paul, and how he responded to them. So if you have your Bibles, please turn with me to Philippians (if you haven’t already). I’ll be reading Philippians, chapter 1, verses 12 through 18. But before I read the text for us, let’s ask God to make his word clear for us. Let’s pray together:
[Pray and Read Text]
Paul’s Persistent Joy
The Paul who wrote this letter – he was one of Jesus’s special messengers – he had a special commission to proclaim a message of good news. He taught that people could receive forgiveness and everlasting life and favor with God through faith in Jesus, the Christ – God’s chosen one. Paul was the one who first took this good news – the gospel – to an ancient city called Philippi. And a number of people there believed his message. That was how the Philippian church got started. And even though Paul eventually moved on from there to start churches in other places, the Christians in Philippi continued to work together with him, and to support his ministry.
And in the verses I just read, Paul’s giving something of an update on his life and ministry. And seems pretty clear in this update that Paul wants the Philippian church to be encouraged and emboldened to advance the gospel message, regardless of what obstacles might rise. And this is key take home message for us, too. We should recognize with joy that the obstacles that threaten to hold back the gospel of Christ may actually be opportunities for the good news to advance further.
We’re going to see how Paul lays out this point, first, by considering the suffering and opposition he faced; second, by considering the progress and power of the gospel; and third, by considering the confidence and joy that rightly belong to the Christian faith.
Suffering and Opposition
So first, consider what the text has to say about the suffering and opposition Paul was experiencing. In verse 12, Paul says, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” Now, Paul doesn’t really go into detail here, in the book of Philippians, to explain everything that’s happened to him. But Paul is aware that the Philippian church has heard reports of the things that have happened over the last few years of his life.
And you can read about these events at the end of Acts – from Chapters 21 to 28. I’d encourage you to read the full account – but in summary, Paul had been attacked by a mob in Jerusalem, and put in prison by Roman soldiers. An assassination attempt was almost made on Paul’s life, but the word got out about it, and Paul was transferred to a different prison which was safer. That being said, Paul was detained in that prison for two years, even though he hadn’t been convicted of any particular crime. Eventually the decision was made for him to make an appeal before the Roman emperor – so he was sent by ship to Rome. But along the way Paul and the whole crew were shipwrecked on an island, and Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake, which he miraculously survived. Eventually he made it to Rome, where Paul was kept in chains, under house arrest, in a place that Paul himself was expected to pay for. These are the sorts of things Paul’s talking about when he refers to the things that have happened to him in verse 12.
And it’s important to understand, while Paul is writing this letter, he’s still experiencing this imprisonment. He’s still experiencing the psychological and emotional burden of being under house arrest there in Rome. It would have been an incredibly lonely situation. There was no chance of him moving from city to city, proclaiming the gospel, strengthening the churches, visiting with those he loved. That must have been hard. And being deprived of the freedom to get about – to the grocery store, to a friend’s house, whatever – it must have been discouraging and dehumanizing. He couldn’t earn an income. He was likely dependent on whatever gifts he received from the churches to pay for his basic needs – to get food and water. It’s not totally clear how consistent that was. And Paul was likely tempted with self-pity, and a sense of worthlessness, and with despondency and anger, and all the other things we’d be tempted with if we were in that situation.
It would be one thing if Paul just had to deal with this for a few hours, or maybe for a few days. That would be manageable. But there’s something about being subjected to the same pains and frustrating conditions – minute after minute, week after week, year after year – that’s a lot harder to manage. It just wears on you, like salt rusting out the frame of a car. Paul’s imprisonment would have been this sort of daily grind – tedious, restrictive, demoralizing.
But the text tells us there was more Paul was dealing with. In addition to the whole prison situation, Paul had another setback on his radar. Which again, if you’re just dealing with one issue at a time, it’s more manageable. But if you have a headache, plus a flat tire, plus an appointment you’re running late for, plus any number of other things you’re stressed out about – whenever you have more than one issue you’re dealing with, there’s a cumulative pressure that makes everything feel harder. And Paul tells us about this extra setback he’s been facing in verse 15. Paul says that there are some people who have started preaching Christ from envy and rivalry. And verse 17 explains that this is rather problematic for Paul, because they’ve been preaching “Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict [Paul] in [his] imprisonment.”
Now, the text doesn’t tell us much more than this. But these preachers seem to be envious of Paul’s authority, or jealous of the love that certain people have for him, and they want to advance themselves at Paul’s expense. It’s not 100% clear how the people are hoping Paul will be afflicted. Maybe they expect that their preaching will make Rome less friendly toward Paul. Maybe they expect that their preaching will pull Paul’s supporters away from him. But in any case, Paul is being thrown under the bus, here.
Now, this sort of behavior wouldn’t be all that surprising if these were pagans or heretics or unbelievers. You’d probably expect that that people in one of these categories would get jealous of Paul’s popularity and try to afflict Paul in his imprisonment. But if you go back and read verses 14 and 15 carefully, Paul seems to be referring to these envious, selfish preaching rivals as brothers. Because 14 tells us, “that most of the brothers… are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” And then in verse 15, he says, “Some” which seems to mean some of the brothers “indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry.” So these rivals and detractors from Paul, tragically, seem to have been fellow Christians!
And I think you can imagine how painful it would have been for Paul. This would have been salt in his wounds. This would have felt like betrayal. These brothers in Christ, they should have been the ones that Paul could count on(!) – to encourage Paul, and support him, and extend love to him. But instead these guys just want to stir up trouble and make his life difficult.
So I hope you understand the significance of all this. We sometimes have a misunderstanding about the early Church – that back then, everyone got along, everyone loved each other, everything was perfect. But Paul makes it very clear to us that this was not the case. He personally knew what it was like to be hurt by people in the church. He knew what it felt like to be betrayed by other Christians. He knew what the Philippian church was going through, with fellow believers having conflict with each other. This isn’t a new problem. The human heart was sick with sin then. And it’s just as sick now.
But interestingly, Paul doesn’t write this letter to try to get sympathy from the people there in Philippi. In these verses, he isn’t saying, “Woe is me! My life is miserable!” – even though that’s probably what we’d sound like if this is what our life was like.
Progress and Power
Instead, Paul is writing because he wants the Philippian church to realize, despite all the obstacles and setbacks, the good news about Christ is advancing. He wants to tell them about the progress and the power of the gospel, which is my second point – Progress and Power.
Paul draws attention to the progress and power of the gospel in verse 12. He really wants his brothers to know that all those things that have happened to him have served to advance the gospel. Even though Paul has been in chains, God’s Word hasn’t been. It’s been spreading. In verse 13, Paul is pleased to report that “it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard that my imprisonment is for Christ.”
And we can understand how this happened when we understand the unique way that Paul was held in custody during his imprisonment in Rome. He was kept under house arrest. At all times, there was a Roman soldier stationed there to guard him, as Acts 28:16 tells us. And the practice at that time was for prisoners under house arrest to be chained to the Roman soldier – so the prisoner couldn’t run out into the streets and escape, or whatever. But this provided a unique opportunity for Paul. He always had a conversation partner. He always had someone nearby who he could tell about Christ. And it wasn’t the same Roman soldier 24/7 – they cycled through – there were shifts. And over time, the word got around. The whole imperial guard was talking about this unique prisoner, and his fascination with Jesus Christ, and the hope of resurrection from the dead.
The very thing that appeared to be a dead end for Paul’s ministry – being confined in a building, as a prisoner waiting for trial – Paul recognized it as an opportunity. Because Paul seems to realize here – if he hadn’t been under house arrest, he wouldn’t have had these extended opportunities with the imperial guard. But now the imperial guard knows the gospel message. There’s no indication that they’ve received the message – not yet, at least – but more and more people are learning about this message – that in Jesus Christ, there is a way for us to know God, and to be forgiven for our wrongs against him, and to be raised from death to have eternal life in his kingdom.
But Paul notes here – the gospel is advancing, not just because the imperial guard is learning about what the good news is. But they’re learning from Paul what the good news is worth. It’s becoming known throughout the whole imperial guard – and to all the rest, to various other people – that his imprisonment is for Christ. They’re seeing, through Paul, that Jesus is worth going to prison for. He loves Jesus Christ more than his earthly freedoms – more than his own comfort and convenience – more than self-advancement and wealth. The imperial guard can’t help but notice, that Paul is truly convinced that the gospel message is real.
And Paul is encouraged, because it isn’t just the imperial guards who have been noticing, but his fellow Christians have been noticing. Paul points out another way he’s been seeing the progress and power of the gospel in verse 14: “Most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
You’d ordinarily expect that Paul being a prisoner would have the opposite effect. You’d expect the brothers – these other Christians in Rome – you’d expect them to be intimidated into silence. This is certainly something many Christians in America are tempted into. Or you’d expect that some of these people in the church – since many of them were newly introduced to Christianity – you might think they’d decide that Jesus and the church weren’t worth the cost.
But instead, Paul’s imprisonment has prompted these young boys in Christ to grow into men. Just a short time earlier, they lacked confidence. They were timid and unsure of themselves. But now the brothers, having become bold in the Lord by Paul’s imprisonment, are speaking the word – they’re speaking the gospel message – without fear.
It’s worth noting, the boldness of these brothers isn’t just an attribute of Paul they were trying to copy. They weren’t thinking, “If Paul can be brave, I can be brave like him.” That’s not what’s happening here. Instead, the boldness of these brothers was rooted in the Lord. Paul’s ongoing reliance on the Lord Jesus Christ has helped the brothers to see that Jesus is faithful. Jesus is powerful. Jesus is enough. And this is stirring these brothers up – some who are faithful preachers, and others who are selfish – they’re all being stirred up to proclaim Christ.
And so Paul is pleased – not because of the selfish ambition what was happening – but he’s pleased that people are talking about Christ. Even though some of the preachers had wrong motives, they had the right message. And Paul has an incredible humility to say, “I’m not concerned about what happens to me! As long as the word about Jesus Christ is getting out, that’s what matters! That’s what I care about.”
Now, of course, it would have been great for Paul to have his freedom to go out and speak – to keep traveling around the Mediterranean and planting churches. But he’s realizes, he’s just one man! And now, as a result of his imprisonment, more is happening than he could have ever done alone. His chains have emboldened many new heralds to go out and to trumpet the good news. For as costly and unpleasant as Paul’s imprisonment was, he saw it as a necessary step for the encouragement and up-building of the church. What initially looked like a dead end was actually an on-ramp for the interstate.
And it’s helpful for us to keep this perspective in mind. There are all kinds of trials we might face as individuals – hospitalizations, depression, abuse, unexpected funerals. Our world will continue to face outbreaks of disease, developments of new technology, war, new social movements, natural disasters – and sometimes these developments will look like a setback. Don’t be surprised if Christians are thrown in jail, churches are burned down, or oppressive new governments gain control – this has repeatedly happened in the history of the world. Yet even with all the wicked ragings of the hearts of men, and the relentless attacks of the devil, no power of Hell or scheme of man has been able to hold back the advance of the good news. The word of God will not fail us.
Confidence and Joy
And it’s right that this would bring incredible confidence and joy – which is the last point I want to give attention to: confidence and joy.
Paul’s words here are stuffed with so much confidence and joy, it’s like a really full peanut butter and jelly sandwich, where the jelly’s starting to ooze out around the edges. He wants to assure the Philippian church, even though he’s under house arrest, all is well. The good news is still good. And God is still God.
And Paul’s speaking the way he is, here, because he wants other people to share in his joy – to have this same, deep-rooted delight in Christ. Paul wants the Philippians to hold on to their confidence and joy in the gospel – even when they’re being attacked by opponents – even when they have brothers and sisters being motivated by selfish ambition and rivalry. Paul knew exactly what the Philippian church was going through. He had experienced the same things – likely with much greater intensity. And Paul wants to demonstrate, for them and for us, that when the circumstances of day to day life stink, we can still have joy.
In fact, for the Christian, living with a steady, secure joyfulness is the most right, most reasonable response to the Christian message. At the end of verse 18, when Paul summarizes his personal response to the ups and downs of his life by saying that he rejoices, Paul hasn’t lost his mind. And Paul isn’t just putting on a show, or behaving in a hyper-spiritual, over-the-top kind of way. Paul is simply and genuinely living out of the conviction that the good news is true.
There’s a new world coming – a new, perfect world, where God and mankind will no longer be separated by human sin, and where every hint of evil and decay will be absent, forever. And God has opened up this new world to us by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to carry our sin to the cross, and to put it to death, and to give us a new Spirit and new life. And Paul wants the imperial guard to see, and the Philippian church to see, and he wants us to see that Christ’s work is real. Our security in Christ means that we don’t have to be bent out of shape when we get put behind bars, or when our friends abandon us, or when the stock market plunges, or when our political heroes don’t win the day – because the good news is still good. And God is still God.
Yes, you may have all kinds of really hard situations that you’re facing. But you don’t have to panic, as though your whole future is at risk. You don’t have to respond with anger or revenge, when people do you wrong – as though it’s up to you, and only you, to set everything in the world right again. In Christ, you don’t have to be a slave to your feelings, addictions, and desires – you don’t have to keep turning back into other unhealthy ways of coping when life is hard.
Instead, you can respond to these things by finding your confidence and joy in the Lord. I think it would be unhelpful here to imagine that Paul had an easy time being joyful all the time. In 2 Corinthians 1:8, Paul makes it plain that in another season of his life, he was “…so utterly burdened beyond [his] strength that [h]e despaired of life itself.” Having joy in Christ isn’t something that just accidentally happens to people – it’s not just a feel-good emotion that ebbs and flows. But in our text, you’ll notice that Paul rejoices – he is rejoicing – because he’s reflecting on what God has done – what God is doing. And this means that Paul’s joy is connected to God’s truth. It isn’t just a whimsical, irrational joy. But it’s an observant joy – an educated joy.
Sometimes it will require effort for us to bring to mind who God is and what’s done. Sometimes our attention will be so taken over by the pain and angst of life, that it will be nearly impossible to think about anything else. But in those moments, don’t forget about the good news. Don’t push God and his promises away, as though they’re irrelevant. Instead, bring them closer. Fight to rest on them more. Because the Lord is the surest foundation for our confidence and joy.
No earthly tragedy or trial can overwhelm God, or prevent him from keeping his promises. In fact, when God brings us into some sort of hardship, he might be giving you and I an opportunity – an opportunity for our faith to triumph over darkness – an opportunity to prove that our joy is in God rather than the fleeting pleasures of the world – an opportunity to get the good news out to a new person in a new place. At the very least, it may be an opportunity for the good news deeper into our own hearts. In any case, we can be confident that he hasn’t abandoned us. And we can have joy that he loves us, and that he’s still at work for the good of his people.
So when suffering comes, be resolved to keep your head up. Look for how God is working. Look for the opportunities he might be opening for you to proclaim the grace of Jesus, or to prove how good and satisfying he is. And rest in his promises with confidence. Rejoice in knowing that the gospel will not fail. Because the good news is still good. And God is still God.