Bold To Speak The Word

Q: What does the Bible say about the preaching of the gospel?

The Bible emphasizes that preaching the gospel is the power of God for salvation to all who believe. According to Romans 1:16, Paul states that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, demonstrating its central role in the Christian faith. The Apostle Paul, dedicated to spreading the message of Christ, understood that true preaching is rooted in the proclamation of pardon for sin and grace through Jesus' death. This core message positions the gospel as not merely a call to ethical living but as a divine solution to humanity's sin condition. As Isaiah proclaims, 'How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings' (Isaiah 52:7), the beauty lies in the message of salvation and its ability to transform lives.

Q: How do we know that God's sovereignty is at work in difficult circumstances?

God's sovereignty is demonstrated when adverse situations ultimately lead to the furtherance of the gospel. In Philippians 1:12-14, Paul reassures the church that his imprisonment has led to the furtherance of the gospel, emphasizing that the Lord's sovereign plan prevails even in adversity. Paul recognizes that God can take situations that appear negative, like imprisonment, and use them for His glory, showcasing the effectiveness of the gospel in challenging times. This serves as a powerful reminder of Romans 8:28, which declares that all things work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose, asserting that God's providential hand guides circumstances to achieve His ultimate aims.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to contend for the faith?

Contending for the faith is essential for preserving the true gospel against false teachings. The Apostle Paul underscores the need for Christians to earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3). Given that false teachers can arise within the church, as noted in 2 Peter 2:1, it becomes crucial for believers to have a firm understanding of the gospel to protect against distortions. Paul warns the Galatians that even if an angel preaches any other gospel than what he has preached, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8), underlining the gravity of maintaining doctrinal purity. As stewards of the gospel, Christians are called to uphold and promote the truth of Scriptures, ensuring the message remains untainted for future generations.

We are going to Philippians chapter one and we're going to read from verse 12 down to verse 17. Philippians chapter one and reading from verse 12. This is the word of the Lord. The Apostle Paul is writing and he says, and many of the brethren in the Lord, and many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife, and some also of goodwill. The one preached Christ of contention, not sincerely supposing to add affliction to my bonds, but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. Amen. May the Lord bless to us this reading from his word.

The Apostle Paul was dedicated to the ministry of the gospel and the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. His great goal in life was to make Christ known by preaching the word, the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ. He told the church at Rome that he had been called and separated to this task of preaching. And he knew that the gospel was God's power to save all who believed. He told the Corinthians that the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God, it is the wisdom of God, and it is the glorious gospel of Christ. Paul's goal was to preach the gospel wherever he could.

He has a lovely phrase. He says that he would preach the gospel in the regions beyond. He was always looking to go further. One more region, one more city, one more village. He was looking for the Lord's elect. He was seeking the Lord's lost sheep. And he knew that they'd be discovered, that they would be identified and gathered. under the preaching of the gospel. It's a beautiful picture that is set before us here of the power of the gospel in order to bring the Lord's sheep into his fold.

The gospel is the proclamation of pardon for sin. It is the declaration of grace for sinners and peace with God, in and through the death and the shed blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. That's our message. That is what the Apostle Paul took to the Gentiles.

That is what he preached in the cities wherever he went, in the towns and villages where he traveled. As he went on his missionary journeys, he proclaimed pardon for sin, grace for sinners, and peace with God in and through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. proclamation or the declaration of the gospel is so important to all who believe it, that the very feet of those who are commissioned by God to preach Christ crucified are said to be beautiful. The feet of preachers are said to be beautiful because they carry the message of God's grace and Christ's salvation. to God's people. It's Isaiah, isn't it, who says, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth. And the apostles of Christ were commissioned by the Savior to go into all the world and preach the gospel.

This is what they did. And this is what the apostle Paul was about as well. In time, these men also, having served their generation, committed the gospel into the hands of a new generation of preachers. telling them to be good workmen, dedicated soldiers in the service of their Lord. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 2, and the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." You see how this message was to be carried?

One of the churches, well let me mention it, the Roman Catholic Church, speaks about apostolic succession and apostolic authority being vested in that church. That is so wrong. Here is the apostolic authority. Here is the apostolic power. It is in the gospel. That is where apostolic succession is to be found.

All who preach the gospel that the apostles preached are the successors of the apostles. not some church that claims and takes to itself some role of authority over the lives of men and women. There was but one stipulation that the apostles made when they committed this message into the hands of others, that they were to preach the same gospel, the things that thou hast heard of me. It had to be the same gospel, the true gospel, the gospel of free and sovereign grace. Paul had previously written to the Galatians, Galatians 1, verse 8, and he said this, though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. even during the times of the apostles, imposters were preaching false gospels and error was creeping into the churches.

Peter says, there shall be false teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them. And Jude, another one of the apostles, he writes, I exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness or lust. denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Sadly, damnable heresies are still taught amongst the people of God.

And it is the responsibility of every true believer to be clear as to what the true gospel is and earnestly to contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. Here we see the way in which the gospel takes that central position in the ministry of the apostles and how that same gospel was handed down to successive generations at the behest of the apostles.

Now the church at Philippi had been well taught by the apostle and his fellow evangelists. They had been well taught in gospel truth and in gospel doctrine. Paul testifies that the good work of grace had been begun in them. And Paul valued the fellowship of the Philippians in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. Paul's friends in Philippi.

They had learned that the apostle was in prison and their concern was twofold. They were anxious for his personal well-being. They had an affection for him. They were anxious for his personal well-being and they were troubled about the damaging effect that his confinement would have on the spread of the gospel. Now, to address their first concern, We remarked on this last week.

But to address their first concern, the Philippian believers had sent a gift by their minister Epaphroditus for the apostles' support and for his care in Rome. It shows that they were a practically minded people. They cared and were anxious for the apostles' physical well-being.

Actually, Paul did not accept help from many churches at all. That he did from the Philippian believers showed both his love and confidence in them and their love and confidence in him. They helped to carry Paul's burden. And for this fellowship in the gospel, the apostle Paul gave them his thanks. But the second concern that the Philippians had was for the damaging effect or the dampening effect of Paul's imprisonment on the work and spread of the gospel.

Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem. He had gone to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Passover and Pentecost. He had gone there, and he was arrested. Actually, they tried to assassinate him. The Jews tried to kill him, and he was taken into custody by the Roman guard. and he was secreted out of the city because there was made known a desire to kill him even when he was in custody. He was taken to Caesarea and he had spent two years in prison in Caesarea. and then he had been taken to Rome where he would spend a further two years.

So this was a long period of time that Paul was out of circulation as far as his missionary and preaching activities were concerned. And the church in Philippi knew that if Paul was in prison, He couldn't be preaching. They knew that if he wasn't in prison, that he would have been traveling and preaching. And therefore, the fact that he was detained meant that there was an absence of his ministry in and around those cities where he went to preach.

And they feared that the cause of the gospel and the expansion of the work might be hindered. Their anxiety was that the gospel might not be preached as effectively and powerfully in the absence of the apostle. And it is this concern that Paul is largely addressing in our verses today. What he tells the Philippians is somewhat surprising because While they carried this anxiety, far from curtailing the spread of the gospel, Paul tells them that his arrest, his detention, and the things which were happening to him had, in fact, fallen out, rather, unto the furtherance of the gospel. So that surprisingly, instead of Paul's time in captivity inhibiting the work of grace, as might be expected and as the Philippians imagined, his troubles had actually advanced the work of grace. Paul being in jail led to the spread of the gospel. partly by his being chained to his guards, partly through a new courage and boldness amongst his friends in Rome and perhaps elsewhere, and partly due to, and this is strange, envious rivalry amongst other preachers.

We'll explain about that in a moment or two. But these were the examples that the apostle brought forward in his letter to the Philippians to explain to them that their anxieties were unfounded and that actually the gospel was benefiting as a result of his captivity. Actually, I'm going to add another benefit here that Paul didn't mention. I don't think he mentioned the foremost benefit.

And that's not to criticize Paul at all, because he could not have known the wonderful blessing that he bestowed upon the Church of Jesus Christ in every age, the whole world over. by the epistles he wrote at that time to the churches. Imagine if our Bibles were without Ephesians and Philippians and Colossians and Philemon. Imagine how our Bibles would be so much poorer without these wonderful epistles, Paul's prison epistles. if perhaps Paul had not had time to write them because of his travels.

Do you see how the Holy Spirit works? Do you see how the providence of God is at work in the life of this man? Even in his incarceration, even in his detention, and all of the anxieties and troubles that that would have caused this faithful servant. And the apostle graciously attributed this unexpected furtherance of the gospel to the prayers of his Philippian friends. Despite his present circumstances, he believed himself to be highly blessed. This is a good little application. Let me just have a little aside. But whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, we should look for the silver edge to the cloud. We should look for the brightness of the Lord's goodness in those circumstances. As the Apostle Paul awaited trial, He looked at the circumstances that he was in and he drew satisfaction from the blessings God had given him.

He had the liberty of dwelling in his own hired house. Friends could visit him and hear him preach. We're told in Acts chapter 28 that he was in the continuous custody of a soldier. these soldiers had their shift to work and they came and I don't know how many hours, it's been suggested that it was six hours, they had a watch of six hours where they were physically chained to Paul in his house and then that guard would go off duty and another guard would take his place and he would stay for six hours with the apostle so that the apostle was constantly guarded by these soldiers. But even that was positive. It meant that his captors regularly heard him preaching and were present in all of his conversations with his friends as they came from all over the regions and the provinces and the different churches. They saw what Paul was doing, how he was living and how he trusted the Lord. They regularly heard him preach.

The Apostle Paul preached to the Praetorian Guard. Think about that for a moment. Furthermore, this chain, or as he called it, his bonds in Christ, and not only his chains, but the determination of his Jewish enemies to have him put to death, these things added to his notoriety and they increased the Apostle's fame.

People got to know about Paul and they got to know about his gospel because he was here in Rome under charge of Caesar and being tried. Both Paul and his gospel were now being spoken about in the highest circles of the empire. Paul speaks of his bonds being manifest in the emperor's palace. And he speaks of believers in the household of Caesar. How did they get there?

Was it not by the preaching of the apostle? by Paul's witness in prison and the gospel preaching that he made, God the Holy Spirit was reaching the hearts of God's chosen people in the unlikeliest places. And such is the searching power of free sovereign grace. It doesn't matter where the Lord's sheep are. It doesn't matter where the Lord's elect are. He will find a way of sending that message, sending that gospel, supposing it has to be by an imprisoned pastor in order to bring about the salvation of his people for the glory of Christ. But there was another unforeseen side effect of Paul's captivity.

Remember, in Rome, which is where Paul was in prison, there was already a church. Paul had written to the church at Rome, so we know that there was a congregation there. It doesn't appear as if Paul had begun that congregation, but he had had connection with them, and he had expressed the desire to come to them. Well, I don't think that Paul ever managed as a free man to get to Rome. I can't see that in the New Testament accounts of his travels.

But here he was as a prisoner. And as he awaited the outcome of his trial, the apostle noticed that some, who until now had been timid and cautious, were given more courage to preach the gospel themselves because of Paul's chains. Some within the church at Rome who previously held back were heartened by the apostle's example and themselves proved willing to step up and fill the gap his absence had left. Paul knew the Lord would not leave himself without a witness.

And sometimes it takes boldness in one to challenge and embolden another. Let me give you another example of that, because this is a lovely example. I remember as a youngster thinking about this and realizing what was happening in the mind of these people.

But do you remember the Pharisees, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea? They had been disciples of Christ, but we read, secretly, for fear of the Jews. But these two men, Joseph of Arimathea apparently taking the lead, these two men boldly solicited the body of Christ when he was crucified, so that far from being cowed by the Lord's crucifixion, They were heartened and emboldened by his death. By the Lord's suffering, men who had hitherto been fearful in the time of his ministry were made brave. in the time of his sufferings. That's a beautiful picture, I think, of what the apostle is here discovering amongst the congregation at Jerusalem as well. And we read that Pilate gave them leave when they came and asked for the body of Christ.

And Joseph of Arimathea came, and he took, and he buried the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 100 pound weight. Now that was a lot, but Nicodemus put his money down and he brought all of these sweet-smelling ointments. And Joseph of Arimathea gave up his own grave in the garden, the garden tomb.

And between the pair of them, these men buried the Lord, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 53, verse 9. And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. And so it proved there was a likeness here in Paul or during Paul's incarceration. Many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

And I am sure that that was an important development. Rome was so central, so important. I mean, it was the capital of an empire. So central and important that its influence was felt to the farthest reaches of that empire. And emboldened Roman believers would surely be a great benefit for the spread of the gospel.

Who knows? It may have been some of these very men of whom the Apostle is speaking who came to Britain and to evangelised Europe in the next generation of preachers that were sent out. But the Apostle had noticed something else too. There was another group of preachers who were preaching Christ.

And he tells us that they were doing so out of envy And by this, we're generating strife. Now, when you first read this, it seems strange and counterintuitive. How could this in any way be good or helpful? How could such preaching tend to the furtherance of the gospel? Well, because Christ was still being preached. And despite the perverse reasons, and despite the poor motivation for doing so on the part of these men, Christ was still being preached.

Let me just make a personal observation here. Many strange notions. can cross a preacher's mind. I wish my motives in preaching were always pure, but pride can easily affect a gospel preacher. Don't imagine that it is otherwise. Preachers have battles to fight as well, such as the curse of indwelling sin. There were some men, and it seems to be that this is what Paul is referring to, there were some men who were jealous of Paul and they wished to excel him in prominence. There were some who aspired to gain an advantage in the church, in church leadership, while Paul was in prison. While he's out of the road, we can step in and fill his boots.

There were some ambitious young preachers who became competitive and they wanted to shine like the brightest stars. They wanted to shine in their reputation and in the esteem of the saints and of the churches. And none of these aims were good. None of these motives were good.

But nevertheless, In order to better recommend themselves to the churches, to the Lord's people, they were motivated to preach Christ. Some of these men even provoked trouble, provoked strife by vying against one another to see who could preach Christ best, to see who could preach Christ the most. Hoping to benefit from the Lord's trailblazing and move into the space that Paul had left, these men preached Christ. Imagine being competitive to see who can preach Christ best.

It's an unwholesome motive, and yet the Lord used that in order to send his message out. I was thinking about this as I was preparing and reflecting on this passage, and I wondered if perhaps it's one of the reasons that Paul could tell Timothy in 1 Timothy 5, verse 22, lay hands suddenly on no man. What the apostle is telling Timothy there is this.

Don't be too quick to promote men. Don't be too quick to promote especially young men as preachers and teachers of the word. Don't elevate them into positions of authority too soon when they're immature. Churches send young men away to Bible colleges. Sometimes straight out of school, they end up going away to a Bible college. And these colleges fill them with ideas of being great soul winners and mighty preachers, mighty preachers for the Lord.

I suspect that this is rarely profitable, either for the church or for those individuals. There is such a thing as preaching Christ out of envy and strife. Preaching for personal ambition. And there's a big difference between men who preach professionally, as a career, and those like Paul who can say, necessity is laid upon me. Yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel.

And yet it is that out of this confusion, the gospel was heard. The name of the Lord Jesus was exalted, the cross of Christ was lifted up, and more people heard of salvation by grace than if Paul had been free to continue on his ministry and his missionary journeys.

But despite these questionable preachers, I am glad that Paul could also say there were some who preached out of honourable motives. Paul calls it good will. These were men who knew the gospel of grace in their own souls. And they esteemed Paul highly for his faithfulness in the ministry. They preached to honor the Lord Jesus out of love for him. And they labored to promote and defend the gospel that Paul preached out of love for him. They knew Paul's captivity was not for any crime that he'd committed. They knew he suffered for Christ's sake. And these men of goodwill were ready and determined to stand shoulder to shoulder with the apostle in their mutual love of Jesus Christ and his gospel.

So the Philippians need not be concerned. That is the bottom line. That is the essence of Paul's address here to his friends. You don't need to be concerned that I, Paul, am detained in prison. Paul wasn't concerned. As he surveyed the situation of his captivity and its outcomes, he saw that all things were working together for good. He saw that far from hindering the gospel, the things which happened unto him had fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel. Paul understood the church would be blessed in the midst of persecution and God's gospel would not be constrained, even if it meant being preached by men of low character out of poor motives. Paul knew the power was in the message, not the messenger.

And I think that this passage ought to encourage us all And I'm speaking to myself here, and I know that I'm speaking to some of you as well, because from time to time we share our thoughts on these matters and we end up sometimes depressing one another.

But this passage ought to be an encouragement to us, especially as we grow older and find ourselves wondering about the well-being of the church and the preservation of the true gospel. So let us take Paul's attitude in this matter. Be assured, brothers and sisters, be assured there will always be a witness maintained until the gospel has secured its purpose and accomplished its role. Until Christ's church, every last child of God, has been gathered in. Paul's attitude here, in this opening part of Philippians, Paul's attitude is a fine corrective to the despondency of every age which imagines things are getting worse and worse and soon there will be no witness at all.

Because that's just not true. Did not the Saviour say, I tell you that if these witnesses, if these preachers, if these disciples, if these apostles should not or should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. There will be a testimony and the Lord will ensure that supposing the very stones of the earth have to preach his word.

You and I who believe have been called by the gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are fellow heirs with Christ. We are united to the same body with all believers. We are partakers of God's promise in Christ by the same gospel. There are not two ways to heaven. There is one way of grace by faith in Jesus Christ. And whatever the future holds for the church and whatever the future holds for the preaching of the gospel and whoever is called to preach it, it will accomplish its purpose because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth and therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the just shall live by faith. May the Lord bless these thoughts to us today. Amen.

Bold To Speak The Word

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the preaching of the gospel?

How do we know that God's sovereignty is at work in difficult circumstances?

Why is it important for Christians to contend for the faith?

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About Peter L. Meney

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Bold To Speak The Word

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the preaching of the gospel?

How do we know that God's sovereignty is at work in difficult circumstances?

Why is it important for Christians to contend for the faith?

Sermon Transcript

About Peter L. Meney

Comments

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