March 7

A Message Worth Bottling

Philippians 1

The Main Thing is that the main thing remains the main thing. Not sure who it was who first said that, but it’s probably a quote from one of those MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT types. Who comes in and charges you thousands of dollars to tell you what’s wrong with your business.

And it’s good advice. The most important thing you can do is make sure that the MOST IMPORTANT THING stays right in focus. And doesn’t get pushed aside by LESS IMPORTANT things.

Like the POST OFFICE. Anyone else remember the days when you could walk into the post office and buy a stamp and post a letter? These days you’ve got to line up behind the guy who wants to buy a birthday card, and the little girl who wants a pencil sharpener. The POST OFFICE used to be for POSTING THINGS. Now it’s turned into a Stationery Shop. Which is okay if you happen to like stationery shops. Which I do. But it’s like they’ve forgotten the main game. POSTING. Putting stuff in the mail. The MAIN THING is no longer the MAIN THING.

But the classic case, and this is a true story, the classic case is the British Bus company. Who hired a time and motion expert, who told them that the MOST IMPORTANT THING was to STICK TO THE TIMETABLE. Like glue. Stick to the timetable. No exceptions. Which this bus company took very seriously. So they brought in a rule for their drivers; if you’re running behind time, you DON’T STOP FOR PASSENGERS. And so all around London, there were these half empty buses driving around. Refusing to stop for queues of passengers. Imagine it. You’re on your way to work, waiting for the bus. You can see it coming, nobody in it – and the driver just flies past. Gives you a wave as he looks at his watch. And he smiles. Catching up two minutes, because he’s not going to stop for passengers.

Trouble is, the MAIN THING hadn’t remained the main thing, had it. Because the MAIN THING when you’re a bus company, it ISN’T THE TIMETABLE. It’s MOVING PASSENGERS. Doesn’t matter how well you’re running to time, if you’re not taking any passengers, then you’re not doing the job. You’ve lost the plot.

Now ask yourself this; what’s the Apostle Paul going to say if you ask him to put his finger on the MAIN THING for him? And the main thing for US?

You get to see the answer here in Philippians chapter 1. Especially in the first few verses where he tells his friends in Philippi what he’s been PRAYING.

Now remember, this is a letter. The Apostle Paul, who last week we saw whipped and in chains in the city of Philippi; the place he’d gone TO PREACH THE GOSPEL… with Timothy, he’s writing, he says there in verse 1, to ALL THE SAINTS in Christ Jesus at Philippi, along with their overseers and deacons. All the Christians there. And their leaders. And I guess as he writes he’s thinking of people like Lydia who he stayed with, the wholesale fabric dealer; and the prison officer and his family… the sort of REAL PEOPLE we met last week as we looked at the book of Acts. This is a letter to THEM.

And as Paul looks back to the time he spent in Philippi, if you look at what he says you’ll see that there’s one thing that’s always in focus. There’s a MAIN THING in Paul’s thinking that always remains the MAIN THING. And comes through over and over again.

So have a look at the opening words of his prayer. And see if you think you can spot it. See, Paul’s in BUSINESS. Not a sole proprietor sort of business. Not a corporation. He’s in PARTNERSHIP. He’s PART OF A TEAM. And as he looks back to his days in Philippi, the thing he appreciates most is their PARTNERSHIP WITH HIM. And their partnership, if you look at the words in verse 5, their partnership isn’t just a vague partnership without a focus. It’s a partnership IN SOMETHING.

Read what he says. Pick it up in verse 3. He says, "I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy, BECAUSE OF YOUR PARTNERSHIP IN THE GOSPEL, from the first day until now. Paul and these Philippians are in BUSINESS TOGETHER. And the business they’re in, it’s the BUSINESS OF THE GOSPEL. And Paul says it’s a partnership that goes way back to the time he was first with them. And it’s still going when he writes them the letter. Partners in THE GOSPEL. And he says he’s confident that it’s going to KEEP BEING THAT WAY… right to the end.

Now in a few minutes I want to track through chapter 1 here and look at the number of times Paul TALKS ABOUT the gospel. How it shapes everything he says and does. Verse 7, verse 12 – run your eye through and pick up the word. GOSPEL. GOSPEL. Over and over. It’s there again in verse 12. And verse 16. Where he says he’s in chains for the DEFENSE OF THE GOSPEL. And verse 27 – he’s calling the Philippians to live lives WORTHY of the gospel. As they contend for the FAITH OF THE GOSPEL.

But before we go look any further, I want to take a minute to think about what this GOSPEL THING actually is. In a nutshell, it’s a MESSAGE. The Philippians are PARTNERS IN A MESSAGE. And the original greek word that gets translated here as gospel, it means a GOOD MESSAGE. Good news.

There’s been a funny little trend in the computer industry the last couple of years. Where especially APPLE COMPUTERS have picked up on this bit of new testament terminology. And they’ve said they’ve got a GOSPEL. And they’ve even got a guy they call an APPLE MAC EVANGELIST. Which comes from exactly the same word. And so Guy Kawasaki’s job is to go to as many places as he can with the good news of the Apple Mac. And persuade people to change their loyalty.

Well, Paul’s good news is bigger than that. And it’s important that we get a grip on what his good message actually is. He’s got this LABEL for his message; it’s THE GOSPEL. But when it all boils down, what’s he actually got to say?

Can I point out first of all, and it almost seems too obvious to have to say it, for Paul, preaching the gospel means PREACHING CHRIST. You can see that most clearly in verse 18.

Now Paul’s in PRISON. That’s where he’s writing from. Last week we saw him in jail in Philippi. Now he’s moved on. It’s like he’s doing a tour of the middle eastern PENAL SYSTEM. Trying out all the jails he can. He doesn’t say WHICH JAIL he’s writing from. Could be Ephesus. Could be Ceasarea. Could be a few years later in Rome. Paul’s a REPEAT OFFENDER.

And while he’s in there, the sad thing is, he’s got enemies on the OUTSIDE. Who are stirring up more trouble for him; preaching for ENTIRELY WRONG MOTIVES. Trying to get him in even more trouble. Enemies who are saying maybe, DID YOU HEAR WHAT PAUL SAYS? Spreading his message to make MORE TROUBLE. And Paul says, DOESN’T MATTER. As long as the main thing remains the main thing. As long as the GOSPEL gets around. And there’s the essence of it in verse 18. And I want you to look at it there in your bible.

Verse 18. What’s it matter, he says, what’s it matter if they make it harder for ME? Because the main thing is this. Verse 18. "The important thing is that in EVERY WAY, whether from false motives or true, CHRIST IS PREACHED."

See that? The GOSPEL being preached means CHRIST BEING PREACHED. The GOSPEL, the GOOD NEWS, is the announcing of JESUS CHRIST. Think back to Acts. If you were here last week, a simple message. Remember, they said they’re going to Philippi to PREACH THE GOSPEL. And the jailer says to them, "What do I have to do to be saved?" And the answer, the GOSPEL, the GOOD NEWS? "Believe on THE LORD JESUS CHRIST… and you’ll be saved."

The Lord Jesus Christ; who came to GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM. Who offered up a perfect life at the as payment for the SINS OF THE WORLD. And who three days later CAME BACK. Alive. Paul’s message is HIM. And if you doubt that, run your eye back through the chapter and see how many times he’s mentioned. Verse 1. Paul and Timothy, servants of CHRIST JESUS. And he’s writing to all the SAINTS IN CHRIST JESUS. Verse 2. Grace and peace to you from God the Father… AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. This Galilean carpenter, he’s keeping some pretty HIGH COMPANY THERE, isn’t he.

Verse 6, the last day is going to be the DAY OF CHRIST JESUS. Verse 8 it’s the AFFECTION OF CHRIST JESUS. Verse 11, he’s praying they’ll be filled with the righteousness that COMES THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. Every time he opens his mouth, Jesus Christ comes out of it. And not as a swear word. But as the CENTRE OF HIS GOSPEL.

Paul says, the IMPORTANT THING IS THAT IN EVERY WAY, whether from FALSE MOTIVES OR TRUE, CHRIST IS PREACHED. That’s THE GOSPEL. The main thing is that the main thing remains the main thing. And that is, THAT CHRIST IS PREACHED.

Now can I say at this point there are all sorts of ways for us Christians NOT TO DO THAT. I mean, it sounds so obvious, doesn’t it. Like picking up passengers is for buses. Like posting letters is for post offices. And yet we can lose the plot so easily.

The funny thing is, everyone’s got A GOSPEL. But it isn’t necessarily THE gospel. LISTEN TO SOMEONE for a while, you’ll pick what THEIR GOSPEL IS. And there are any number of good sounding things, fine sounding things, that can become YOUR MESSAGE. That aren’t necessarily THE message. Things that sort of creep sideways into the spotlight. Take centre stage. And so we can become people who preach GOD’S LAW. Instead of preaching CHRIST. People who preach MORALITY – instead of preaching Christ. People who preach CHRISTIAN LIVING. Instead of preaching CHRIST HIMSELF. Or perish the though – people who preach PRESBYTERIANISM – instead of Christ. Easy to do, because all of those things are GOOD THINGS. But Paul says, the MAIN THING is that the MAIN THING… REMAINS THE MAIN THING.

Another letter to a different city, he says this. 1 Corinthians 2 verse 4. He says "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except JESUS CHRIST, and him crucified." Jesus Christ, and him crucified. That’s Paul’s gospel. And the Philippians are PARTNERS IN IT.

IMPLICATIONS

GOSPEL OPPOSITION, GOSPEL OPPORTUNITY (v12-19)

Now for Paul, being GOSPEL FOCUSSED, being GOSPEL CENTRED, means the gospel is the measure of everything he does. Everything is measured up according to whether or not it’s a GOSPEL OPPORTUNITY.

Think for a minute how you measure whether you’re HAVING A GOOD DAY or not. What is it for you that makes a good day a good day, or a bad day a bad day. I’ll give you my BAD DAY. I’m half way through writing my sermon and the whole computer freezes up. Lost everything. And it won’t start up again. And I haven’t got a clue what to do with it. The whole morning’s work up in smoke, and the whole afternoon trying to figure out what’s gone wrong. And by the time I get home, you can ask Louise, I’m like a BEAR WITH A SORE HEAD. Ask her later. She won’t have any trouble remembering last Friday. And if you said to me, how was your day, just a little thing like that, a little jolt of electricity in the wrong place at the wrong time, a few scrambled circuits, and I’m growling at the kids and stomping round the house. BAD DAY.

And now look at the apostle Paul. In jail. In chains. He’s having a GREAT TIME. And I want you to see why. I want you to see what he measures it by.

Go back and have a look at verse 12. Because here’s a guy who’s under arrest, who’s in the dungeon in the basement of the local Roman Praetorium, and he says this: "Now I want you to know brothers – from verse 12 – that what has happened to me has really served to ADVANCE THE GOSPEL. As a result, it’s become clear through the whole palace guard and to everyone else, that I’m in CHAINS FOR CHRIST. And he says because of my chains, verse 14, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

Great day. Because number 1, being in chains means he’s got a CAPTIVE AUDIENCE. All those GUARDS. Who can’t get away. Paul says, terrific. A great opportunity. And now the whole Praetorian guard knows why I’m here. I’m here for CHRIST. Paul’s turned GOSPEL ADVERSITY into GOSPEL OPPORTUNITY. And I wonder if we put our minds to it if a bit more often we could do the same. I was talking to a guy the other day, he was telling me he’d been in a CARPARK ACCIDENT. He was backing out, the other guy was backing out, and it was BANG in the middle. The other guy gets out of the car angry. This guy gets out of the car not too happy either. I mean, it’s enough to ruin your day, isn’t it. But as Simon listened to the guy and calmed him down, as Simon went out of his way to be fair and honest, it started turning into a friendship. Which has turned into a GOSPEL OPPORTUNITY. Where Simon’s told the guy what it means to follow Jesus. And invited him along to his church.

How was your day, Simon? Rotten. Ran into this idiot in the carpark; going to cost me a hundred bucks.

How was your day, Simon? TERRIFIC! Ran into this guy in the carpark and got to tell him about JESUS.

Back to the apostle Paul. Great day, reason number 2. Not only does he get to tell his guards THE GOSPEL, but he’s encouraging other Christians as well. And he says that in verse 14. He says, all the other Christian brothers who know I’m here, instead of making them chicken out, it’s put fire in their bellies. And they’re being encouraged to speak out the gospel as well. Read what he says. "Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

Can you see that for Paul, because PREACHING CHRIST is so central, because it’s the MAIN THING for him, the thing that determines whether it’s been a good day or not is whether it’s been a GOOD DAY FOR THE GOSPEL. Gospel opposition – it’s turned into gospel opportunity. And there’s nothing he likes better. In fact, what he says in verse 20 to 27, is that the GOSPEL’S WORTH DYING FOR. And he can’t decide whether it’s better to depart and be with Christ. Or stay here and keep at it. For all he knows, he’s on death row. Not sure how it’s going to go. And he says, DOESN’T MATTER. It’s a win-win situation. Die and be with Jesus. Stay and PREACH JESUS. Friends, let me tell you, we live in a world where most people don’t even have anything worth LIVING FOR… let alone something worth DYING FOR. For Paul, the main thing is THE GOSPEL. An issue bigger than life itself.

GOSPEL SHAPED LIVES

Just one more point I want to touch before we finish. And you can pick it up in the passage in verse 27 to 30. For Paul, the gospel shapes the way he’s prepared to face death. But he says the gospel also needs to shape the way we LIVE LIFE.

For Paul, the Christian life isn’t driven by living with a whole lot of LAWS. It’s not about all the Rs, rules and regulations and religious rituals. What he wants his gospel partners to do is to be living GOSPEL SHAPED LIVES. They’re proclaiming CHRIST. And so they need to be LIVING CHRIST as well. They’re proclaiming God’s GRACE in paying for our SIN with the life of his Son. So they need to be LIVING GENEROUSLY. They’re TALKING FORGIVENESS. So they need to WALK THE TALK. The way Paul puts it is there in verse 27. And it’s easy to get this wrong, isn’t it. He says, "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner WORTHY of the GOSPEL OF CHRIST." In a way that brings HONOUR to our message. And that’s especially going to be demonstrated by their UNITY… which we’ll look at more in the next few weeks. Because it’s a PROBLEM in Philippi. But he says here, if they’re living lives WORTHY of the gospel, it means whether he’s there with them or not, they’ll be standing firm in ONE SPIRIT, they’ll be contending as ONE MAN – for the MAIN THING. United – because the main thing is that the main thing remains the main thing. United as ONE MAN… for the FAITH OF THE GOSPEL. Without being frightened of those who oppose them. Knowing full well they might be called to suffer like Paul is. But knowing it’s WORTH IT.

Can I ask you to think about this stuff. And ask yourself, where do you stand… in terms of your PARTNERSHIP IN THE GOSPEL? You know, some businesses say you have to DIVERSIFY. Get a finger in every pie. Make the PIZZAs as well as the hamburgers. But Paul’s looking for GOSPEL partnerships that are absolutely focussed. That looks for ways to turn GOSPEL OPPOSITION into GOSPEL OPPORTUNITIES. As Gospel partners… living GOSPEL SHAPED LIVES. For you, in your life, for us in OUR CHURCH… can we say that THE MAIN THING – the gospel – lies right at the heart of what we’re doing and why we’re doing it? It’s hard work to make sure the main thing REMAINS THE MAIN THING… because there are all sorts of other things competing for our attention. But we’ve got to work hard at it… keep on keeping focussed. On the fact that we’re messengers with a GOSPEL… the great news of Jesus. That we need to live out. And speak out. No matter what else is on offer. No matter what the opposition.