Philippians 1:12-26

Bringing the sermon home:

Though Paul was bound in chains, the Word of God was not bound (2 Tim 2:9)! Not only did the gospel continue to spread, but Paul’s imprisonment actually helped it to spread throughout the imperial guard, and even some of Caesar’s own household believed (4:22). Also, Paul’s perseverance in the face of suffering and possible death attested to the truth of the gospel and emboldened other Christians to loudly proclaim it to others.

You may never know all of the reasons that God has permitted certain trials in your life, but you can be confident that, if you belong to Christ, He intends to magnify the truth of His gospel through your response to those trials. With the settled conviction (1) that God is in control of our circumstances, and (2) that glory awaits us on the other side of death, we can joyfully say that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain”.

Like Paul, may these convictions move us to live for the glory of God and for the good of others, namely, for their “progress and joy in the faith” (v. 25).

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. (Genesis 50:20)

(See follow-up article here.)