Good morning. Alright, we're going to be in
Philippians chapter 1. Philippians chapter 1, verses
19 through 26. Now what we have here, brethren,
is we see the boldness that Christ creates in his saints. so that
we have a work to do in the Lord. In the time of His choosing,
by His Spirit, dividing severally to every man as He will, we have
fruit to bear in the Lord. And it's according to as He purposes
it in Himself for us to do and to labor in Him. In your labor,
when you experience opposition against you, when you experience
persecution, when it's a trial and a difficult labor, don't
be afraid and don't shy back. Paul who wrote Philippians also
wrote to the Corinthians saying, watch ye, stand fast in the faith,
quit you like men, be strong. And quit you like men, he's saying
be brave, be brave, don't be afraid, don't be afraid. And
you have this picture of a soldier for Christ, one who's standing
firm and doing their duty, doing what they are called to do. But the next verse that he wrote
to the Corinthians there was, let all your things be done with
charity. And that's such a beautiful picture,
because it shows the fierceness of the warfare that we're in.
And yet, we are to fight this battle with love. and you think
about it, as you grow, as the Lord grows us and he teaches
us, we see, we understand the depth of the depravity and the
darkness that men and women are bound in. When you see just how
long it takes those grave clothes to fall off of you and that love
that we naturally have for this world to be diminished and broken
and and the veil that was over our own hearts and our minds. And so as we understand that,
it teaches us a patience to labor with others that we care about
or that we don't know if they are the lost sheep of Christ.
So we're to labor in love for them and not to give in too quickly,
not to just Just to to be quiet in the face of opposition So
he says if they won't hear and if they mistreat you and if they
say things that are hurtful and harmful Don't don't be afraid
and don't don't don't necessarily close your mouth, but stand fast
in the faith Don't you turn away from Christ you be brave and
be strong Now in this passage, we see our brother Paul, he's
in chains for Christ's sake, for preaching the gospel of Christ,
for preaching the truth, and for making known the gospel of
salvation to men, he's in chains and he's now in prison. And yet, we see the boldness
that the Spirit gives to Paul in the face of this opposition.
So here he is, he's facing death, and yet he's standing firm in
his confirmation and defense of the gospel of Christ. And
he wrote also to the Corinthians, he said, O death, where is thy
sting? O grave, where is thy victory? But thanks be to God which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved
brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work
of the Lord." See, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For
as much as you know, your labor is not in vain in the Lord. It's not going to be in vain.
And so I asked, was Paul's labor, was him being locked up and in
chains, was his labor therefore in vain? He said, well, I don't
really know if his labor was in vain. Well, let me ask, did
the gospel cease to go forward? Well, I don't know if the gospel
ceased to go forward. But what are we preaching here?
The Lord Jesus Christ, almost 2,000 years later, we're still
exalting and lifting up Christ, the salvation which God has provided
so that you know Paul's labor was not in vain. And that's an
encouragement to us as we're struggling, as we're going through
trials and opposition, we see that the labor that the Lord
has given to us to do, to serve Him, to serve one another in
love, and to declare this gospel and send it forth into the world,
it's not going to be in vain, even though this world hates
it. And there seems to be so much opposition to it, you may
be encouraged that it's not in vain. The Lord's using it. The
Gospel's going forth and it's reaching his people and it's
calling them out of darkness and bringing them into the light
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul understood, and we are to
understand as well, that all things work together for good
to them that love God. To them who are the called according
to his purpose. So that Paul A little later,
when writing to the Philippians in the same letter, he would
say, So he's encouraging us unto being bold and faithful in the
face of danger and opposition. So in this passage, we see here
this confidence, this fruit of boldness which the Lord, which
the Spirit, puts in the heart of his servants, his faithful
servants whom he makes faithful. And in seeing Paul, we too may
take heart that even in the face of death, we can be confident,
if that's what we're called to do, to lay down our lives, because
we're called to lay down our lives as it is in sacrifice and
in service to the Lord. So if we're called to lay down
our lives and to shed our own blood in service to the Lord,
we know it's not in vain. This is all according to the
will and the purpose of God. So we can be bold in our labor,
trusting that whatever the Lord has for us to do, we can be confident
it's all bearing fruit unto the praise and glory of his name."
And that's a great comfort. So our title is, With All Boldness. With All Boldness. So let's look
first at the confidence that we have in Christ. Do you remember
Paul's prayer for the Philippians, if you look in chapter 1 there
in verses 9 and 10, we see his prayer was that your love may
abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. And that
word judgment could also mean sense. So as we're growing in
the knowledge of what Christ has done, as we're growing in
this sense of what Christ has really accomplished for us, and
now his death and burial and resurrection has accomplished
life in us, how he's broken us and canceled the power of sin
in us, that we see and understand, I too was bound under the veil
of darkness following the prince of the power of the air and doing
what he wanted me to do according to his will and his pleasure,
taking captive his people at his will. Christ has delivered
me from that. I never could have saved myself
and brought myself out of that darkness. And Paul goes on in
verse 10 saying that ye may approve things that are excellent, that
ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.
So what Paul is saying is, as you grow in this knowledge and
you understand what the Lord is doing in sending forth this
gospel, and delivering his people out of darkness, bringing them
into the kingdom of light, he's saying, understand these things,
that you can approve those things that are excellent, and that
you may, in the face of opposition, be sincere when you're speaking
to others, we're not trying to twist anyone's arm, we're not
trying to cause others to do a work in the flesh, but then
also that even though we are opposed in these things, that
we not take offense, that you not be offended until Christ
should return, that we not depart from the faith. And so the thing
is that this understanding of what the Lord is doing and how
he works this, it's the foundation for our understanding in every
trial that we go through, that whatever the trial is that you're
going through, whatever difficulty or hardship You understand that
your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Just keep looking to
Him, trust Him, and serve Him. You don't have to be afraid or
fearful. So we find here, now in verse
19 of our text, We see that Paul's confidence is in his salvation.
He says, verse 19, Now, Paul seems to be confident of his
release, but he doesn't say release, and he doesn't say deliverance.
He says salvation. salvation, and he's confident
that through their prayer, and through the supply of the Holy
Spirit, that it's going to be to his salvation. In other words,
that Christ is going to keep him faithful to Christ. He's not going to be ashamed
of what he believes and what he holds to. He will be kept,
even in the face of certain death, he's going to be kept faithful
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, it may mean his deliverance
and release from prison. It may be, and you'll see that
he does think he's going to be released from prison. We'll look
at those verses in a moment, but it could be a release from
prison, and that wouldn't be without precedence that happened
to Peter. Turn over to Acts 12. Now Paul, if you remember, Paul
was sought out by Barnabas. Barnabas found Paul and brought
him back there to Jerusalem. So Paul is with Barnabas in Jerusalem
at the time of Peter's imprisonment. And Herod had killed James, the
brother of John, and killed him with the sword. And so he saw,
hey, this pleased the Jews well, so he seizes Peter and puts Peter
in prison. And it says in Acts 12, verse
4, And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison and
delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him. In other
words, these weren't your average security guards. These were Roman
soldiers that were trained and were specifically there to hold
prisoners. This was their job. They were
good at it. They knew what they were doing. And he intended,
after Easter, to bring him forth to the people. Peter, therefore,
was kept in prison, but, look here, prayer was made without
ceasing of the church unto God for him, for Peter's deliverance. And then, I'm not going to read
it all, but that night an angel appeared in the prison with him,
and he released him of the cuffs, and he had him put on his cloak,
and then he opened up each of the locked doors until he was
escorted out of the prison being delivered of his prison. And
it says, verse 11, Acts 12, 11, when Peter was come to himself,
he said, now he's outside, now I know of a surety that the Lord
hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand
of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. And
when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary,
the mother of John, whose surname was Mark. This is John Mark,
whose gospel we're now reading, the Gospel of Mark, which we'll
see next hour. Where many were gathered together,
praying. Now, they didn't believe that
Peter had been delivered. He comes to the door, he's knocking
on the door, and a servant girl goes down, sees it's Peter, is
all happy, doesn't open the door, runs upstairs, tells everybody
Peter's here. They don't believe him. They
come downstairs and they see, verse 16, Peter continued knocking,
and when they had opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.
But he, beckoning unto them with a hand to hold their peace, declared
unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he
said, Go show these things unto James, the brother of Christ,
and to the brethren. And he departed and went into
another place. Now, I didn't read it, but I
would encourage you who don't believe that this Jesus of Nazareth
is the Christ, I would encourage you to go back there and read
this because these men didn't let Peter go. There wasn't a
bribe given to these men and they let him go. As we see in
verse 18, it says, the next day there was no small stir among
the soldiers what was become of Peter. And when Herod had
sought for him and found him not, he examined the keepers
and commanded that they should be put to death." That was a
very common thing that when you were responsible as a Roman soldier
for a prisoner, they would put you to death if you lost the
prisoner, because obviously they would gladly take silver or gold
to release you. So to stop the bribing going
on that was initially done, they learned, well, if we just put
the soldiers to death who were responsible for them, that's
going to stop them releasing prisoners. And that'll be the
end of it, because either your life is not worth dying for the
silver and the gold. So that way we know that this
wasn't just something where they bribed Peter and he was released.
This is of the Lord. The Lord released Peter. So,
the word of God grew and multiplied, verse 24 and verse 25, and Barnabas
and Saul, see there's Paul, returned from Jerusalem when they had
fulfilled their ministry and took with them John, whose surname
was Mark. So, Peter, Paul was there, he
saw how the Lord's able to release a man from prison if he's there. And he does say in verses 24,
back in Philippians 1, Philippians 1, verse 24 and 26 of our text,
he says, nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful
for you, and having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and
continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith.
that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for
me by my coming to you again." But we'll see a little later
that that verse 19, when he says salvation, he's talking about
being kept faithful in the Lord, not necessarily his release from
prison just yet. All right, so for us, when persecution
arises or trouble comes our way, we ought not to fear or to shrink
back, but to stand firm in Christ, because even if we perish, it's
not going to be until we've borne the fruit that Christ has purposed
for us to bear. It will be all in accordance
with His will and His word, as it says, for we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them." So we're going to bring
forth fruit unto his praise and his glory. And so we know that
whatever it is, Christ who loves us, who laid down His life, who
shed His blood to cleanse you of your sin and to deliver you
out of chains of darkness, He's going to stand with you. He's
going to fix in you that boldness and that confidence in Him to
keep looking to Him. And He'll keep you unto that
day of salvation and He'll stand with you. And it reminds me of
Stephen, who was faithful to the Lord unto the end, the first
martyr after Christ was crucified, who said, Behold, I see the heavens
open, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. So
Christ, he'll be there with you. And then it says, Stephen's eyes,
he fell asleep in the Lord. He closed his eyes in sleep.
And the Lord kept him faithful to the end. So the Lord will
stand with you. Let's look at the second point,
the groan of the believer. Next we consider Paul contemplating
this. This tries every believer at
some point in Philippians 1, 22 and 23. Philippians 1.22 But
if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor. Yet
what I shall choose I want not, or I know not. For I am in a
strait between two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ,
which is far better. So notice Paul first qualifies
when he says, if I live, he qualifies it, if I live in the flesh, because
whether we live or die in the Lord, we're alive in Christ. We're still alive in him. The early church didn't even
call it death. They called it sleep. They called
it sleep. When Christ was speaking of Lazarus,
he was the first one to speak of of it in this way but in john
11 11 christ said our friend lazarus sleepeth but i go that
i may awake him out of sleep and his disciples said lord if
he's sleeping because he's sick it's good for him to sleep don't
don't wake him up so christ said unto them plainly lazarus is
dead and so that that understanding that that We're not, we don't
die in the Lord. We only sleep in the Lord. And
this life here in the flesh, we're just awake, if you will,
awake in the flesh at this time, but we'll awake in his likeness.
And Paul said it this way when writing to the Thessalonians
5, 9, and 10. He said, for God hath not appointed
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation. See, wrath is that eternal death
in hell, that is that separation from God in hell for all eternity. That's death. That's true death.
But he's appointed us to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. who die for us, that whether
we wake or sleep, see, whether we're awake in the flesh or asleep,
we should live together with him. And so Paul is confident,
as we saw in verse 19, he's confident of his salvation in Christ. whether he's awake, whether he's
released from prison, or if he's asleep in Christ, whether he
dies for his hope and his confidence in Christ. He says it doesn't
matter. Either way, we're living unto Christ. We live unto him. So we don't need to fear death. A believer confident in Christ
doesn't need to be afraid of death or worry that, have I done
enough? Do I need to do something more?
Because Our confidence to begin with isn't in this flesh. We
already know the Spirit teaches us that it's not the works of
this flesh that saves us. It's to His glory and His praise
because it's His blood that was shed to cleanse us of sins and
to make us His own. He purchased us. Whether we feel
like it or not, if our hope is fixed in Christ, if we have no
other hope or confidence in His flesh, but we know that He's
salvation, The confidence is in Christ, not in our works or
what we have done for ourselves. And so we see and know that Christ
did this work. He shed his blood to make us
righteous before God. And there's nothing more for
us to do. Christ has done all the work.
And so Paul here even understands that if he's alive in Christ,
if he's awake in Christ, then it's his labor. If he's going
to be released from prison, it's his labor. He's just going back
to do what the Lord has called him to do, which is preach the
gospel. And so it's a labor in Christ. He said in Galatians 2.20, he
said, I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. So that's where the fruit of
Our labor comes from it. It's Christ living in you. So
it's not even your flesh that's doing the labor. Any good that
you do, it's by Christ in you. It's that good work which he
started in you and is bringing forth fruit unto his praise and
glory. And he says, in the life which
I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God
who loved me and gave himself for me. In other words, I live
by that fruit that comes as a result of the faithfulness of Christ. It's never of our flesh. All
that the Lord works in us is of the seed of Christ. It's of
that good work which he's begun in us. That labor is of Christ
in us. He's working that out. So when
you think about what Paul is saying is that I'm thinking it
would be great to be with the Lord, but I'm willing to be in
the flesh and to labor among you. It would have been easier
for Paul to die. It would have been much easier
for him to die. The man labored very, very in
very difficult circumstances, he labored much harder than others. In Acts 9, 15, and 16, we're
told at the conversion of Paul that the Lord said, he's a chosen
vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings
and the children of Israel for I will show him how great things
he must suffer for my name's sake." So Paul knew that to stay
in the flesh it was going to be further suffering in the flesh. And he wrote to the church of
Corinth reminding them, well, we know that he was whipped and
beaten more, he was shipwrecked, he was beaten with rods, he was
thrown in a prison more than any of the other apostles. He
said that he He knew what it was to be naked and to be cold,
to be hungry, to be thirsty. He sacrificed, he gave up all
those things to serve the Lord. He had stature and position and
authority as a Pharisee who learned under the feet of Gamaliel, yet
he departed from that because Christ was revealed to him. and
he couldn't deny it, that he saw that Christ is righteousness,
Christ is salvation, not my works that save me, not religious things. And he said to the Corinthians,
I am the least of the apostles, that I am not meet to be called
an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God, which he did,
but by the grace of God I am what I am, and by his grace which
was bestowed upon me, was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly
than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with
me." So we see that's the fruit of his labor. And he's saying,
I did labor, and we are to labor, and to see that we're called
to this, to labor in the Lord, and yet always confessing, it's
not for my justification, it's not for my sanctification, it's
not for my salvation, It's because I am Christ. He died for me. He's purchased me. I'm not trying
to earn salvation. I am saved and I'm thankful for
that. And so that's what Paul is saying. I labored more abundantly than
they all, but he didn't have confidence in his flesh. He was
just thankful that the Lord called him out of darkness and put him
in this service. We're to understand when Paul
says in verse 23, I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ,
which is far better, it means that he's going to continue that
suffering in the flesh. He's going to continue to worry
for the churches and pray for the churches and he's going to
labor among the churches. Even so, he says, what I shall
choose I know not. And you think about that, most
people would have apostatized by then. They got beat down with
rods and whipped and mistreated and hated by their countrymen.
You would think that he would have left this if it was just
in the flesh, because he got nothing out of it. He wasn't
made wealthy by it at all. He just went around hungering
and thirsting. and going to jail and being put
in prison and spit upon. He was stoned once and they left
him for dead, but he continued in it. So he was made willing
to labor among his brethren. And he said, You think about
what he said to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 13, 7, and 8. He said, love beareth all things,
love believeth all things, love hopeth all things, love endureth
all things, love never faileth. He knew what he was delaying.
When he said, I'm willing to labor more among you brethren
rather than go with the Lord, he knew what he was saying. He was putting off that peace
and that rest and that comfort in the Lord Jesus Christ. He
said in Romans 8, 22 through 23, He said, We know that the
whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And
not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits
of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting
for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. So Paul's
ready to lay down and sleep in the Lord and to wake up on that
resurrection morning and see his Savior and Lord face to face,
to see the beauty of holiness right there before him and he
himself accepted in righteousness, the righteousness that Christ
has given to him. And he says, verse 25, listen
to this, but if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience
wait for it. And he's saying, I'm willing
to be more patient. I'm willing to wait for it a
little longer that I may labor among you brethren for your good.
for your benefit. That's love, brethren. He could
have said, Lord, please take me. Take me now. I'm ready to
go. Let him put me to death. But
he said, no, I'm willing to be patient. And it wasn't because
he was worried or because he had any doubts or second guessing
or didn't think he was ready enough. He was willing to put
off that glory and that rest in Christ for us, brethren, because
it's for them and for us that we should know him and know him
in truth. And so when he said, this I pray
that, in verse nine, this I pray that your love may abound, yet
more and more knowledge in an all judgment, he's saying, I
want this for you too, brethren. I want you to see what Christ
has done and to give you that same heart for Christ and for
his people that we would labor, that this gospel goes forth and
reaches his people and calls them out of that, that thick
mist of darkness that we're in. It's a labor. The Lord has done
it purposefully that way. He could just immediately turn
our hearts and bring us out, but he's purposed it this way
so that we understand that's how evil and how wicked wickedness
and sin is in our own hearts, and that's what's keeping the
others bound in that chain of darkness, so that we continue
to labor, and understand it's a labor, just as Christ our Savior
labored to purge us of our sin. It wasn't an easy thing. He labored
in purging us of our sin. He bore the wrath of God to put
that sin away, and it was not an easy thing, but that through
this, you know, Paul was even brought to say, I can do all
things through Christ which strengthens me. And where did he write that?
What letter was that written in? That's also to the Philippians. You can just see this. He's so
encouraged and so bold in the Lord. And even though he's in
prison, he just sees how the Lord is not stopped in sending
forth his gospel. Nothing's going to stop his word.
So be encouraged and labor. with with him in this Likewise
he says in Romans 8 26 and 27 likewise the spirit also help
with our infirmities For we know not what we should pray for as
we all but the spirit itself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered and he that searcheth the hearts
knoweth what is the mind of the spirit because he maketh intercession
for the saints according to the will of God so It's that love,
that power that He works in us. It's all part of that good fruit
that Christ is bearing in us that makes us willing to labor
in this way. All right, let's move on quickly. Look at back
in Philippians 1, verses 20 and 21. Paul, as you know, just in
verse 19 had been speaking of his salvation. He says, I know
that this is going to be to my salvation in Christ. And he says,
verse 20, according to my earnest expectation and my hope that
in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as
always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether
it be by life or by death, for to me to live is Christ and to
die is gain. in any of it. Because I know
that the Lord's will is being done. I know that this gospel
is going forth and it's not being stopped by the works and the
hatred and the darkness of man. It's going forth and it's conquering.
So he's saying, if I live, I'll continue to preach Christ. And
if I die, I'll be with Christ, so I'm not going to be ashamed
in any of this." And that's what he means when he says, for to
me to live is Christ and to die is game. And so I wanted you
to see that in the context of this letter, the boldness that
he works in us and fixes in us to live and die in the Lord Jesus
Christ. It's just that him saying that
is just enriched with the fruit of the boldness that Christ gives
to his servants, that he works in them. So we may stand boldly
in Christ. And that's what this whole letter
is about, is being bold in the Lord Jesus Christ. I remember
when I was in college, I used to go up to people all the time
and tell them about Christ. I would come up behind people.
I always parked in the back lot, so I had a long way to walk after
class. I would see people walking, and
I'd go up to them and say, what do you think of Christ? I'd always
go up to them, and I didn't even know what I was talking about,
honestly. There were times where I said things that were right
and good, and I look back at them now, But it wasn't because
I knew what I was talking about. I had no idea. I was just made
bold at that time. And I learned, though, every
time I opened my mouth, I was opening myself up to ridicule. And people said horrible things
to me. And not only that, but they just
said things I never even thought about that made me question everything.
And I was all fearful. And I began to learn, you know,
it's just better if I shut my mouth and don't say anything
at all. But the Lord had mercy on me and did show me the gospel. He did teach me the gospel. He
did show me what Christ actually accomplished for me, because
I didn't even really understand. I just was speaking of things
I didn't really know what I was talking about. But he did show
me. And as he showed me that truth,
and he gave me that knowledge and that sense, that judgment
of what he accomplished for me in truth, then he made me bold
again to have a heart and a willingness to go and labor and serve among
the brethren and to whatever he wants. That's what I'm willing
to do. And so we preach this gospel
and we support this gospel and send this gospel forth knowing
that the Lord, he's not going to be stopped. Though we are
stopped in the flesh, the Lord will send that gospel forth and
he'll reach his people, and so be confident in the Lord, not
in the flesh, but in the Lord, be confident, know that your
labor is not in vain, because in nothing, he said, we shall
we be ashamed, not in anything, we're not gonna be ashamed, but
with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified
in our body, whether it be by life or by death, for to his
saints to live is Christ and to die, his gain. And I pray
the Lord will just encourage us in his word. Let's pray. Our gracious Lord, we thank you,
Father, for your spirit and for the fruit of Christ which you
bear in us. Lord, let our work and our labor
not be of this flesh, because then it will be in vain. But
Lord, if it be by your spirit, Lord, you will have it go forth
and accomplish the purpose for which you sent it. We pray, Lord,
that we would see your work and your boldness in us, Lord, that
you are true to your word and you are faithful to your saints
whom you've called out of darkness into the glorious light of your
Son. We pray that you continue to use us, those people here,
Lord, to send forth your gospel into a dark world and that you
would call out your sheep and bring them to the fold of Christ. We pray this in Jesus' name,
our Lord and Savior. Amen.