Rejoicing in the Advance of the Gospel

Has anyone ever tried to help you and you were not thankful for their help? You just were not thankful because their help or the way they wanted to help did not line up with your goals at that moment.

You see this pretty often with babies and toddlers….we are experiencing this right now as we have an 11 month old…and for the most part he is really happy…but it you wipe His face….oh that is a declaration of war…if you want to lay him on his back to change him, he will counter by trying to turn himself into a pretzel….and if you want to stop him from rolling headfirst down the stairs…well, that is seen as an act of betrayal of the highest order. But as parents, we know what is more important, what is necessary, what will actually be best for him.

And so what we are seeking to teach him, even at this age is to be thankful for these things…be thankful that mommy or daddy, or your brother or sister is serving you…is helping you get clean, or be safe….but in order for our little guy to be thankful…he is going to have to see that the goal of the person who is serving Him is better than His goal of doing whatever he wants. That will take some time.

I think that often describes us with our relationship with God…the Lord is working to do something good and necessary… in and through us but, we often struggle being thankful because our goals are not aligned….

-He is completing the good work He started in us, and He is working to advance the gospel…

- He is helping us to prioritize gospel partnerships, to remember His amazing work in our lives, and to pray in a Christ focused way…

- and the reality is, we all need to grow in being thankful…believing that God our heavenly father actually knows what is best for us…and what is best for us revolves around the good news…the Gospel….

And so our annual theme is Growing in Gospel Gratitude.

As we continue studying the book of Philippians we are going to see that we grow in gospel gratitude by being focused on and excited by the spread of the gospel…

• The spread of the gospel even and especially through our circumstances, through ministering to the people God places around us, and by courageously influencing others to have that same gospel focus.

So this morning we will focus on Gospel gratitude by Rejoicing in the Advance of the Gospel

So please turn in your bibles to Philippians 1:12–14…that is on page 154 in the bible under the seat in front of you. (consider reading 1:1-14)

12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,

13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else,

14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

With our time this morning let’s consider….

3 key perspectives that help you rejoice in the advance of the Gospel.

I. View your circumstances as a platform for gospel ministry

I really appreciate how last week Pastor Green encouraged us to not simply pray based on our feelings or our circumstances, but to pray for our love to abound in real knowledge and all discernment so we can live authentic lives for the Lord….

just like we don’t want our circumstances to completely govern our prayer life…we also don’t want our circumstances to be the beginning and end of our focus….as we read Paul’s words…we want to see our circumstances like he did…as a platform by which we can launch gospel ministry from.

To do that we need to…

Consider the high platform of trials and suffering

Philippians 1:12 — 12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,

The reality is that suffering causes people to pay attention.

1. Have you noticed the news focuses on tragedy…there are some feel good stories, but mostly it is what has happened that is bad that people tune in for.

1. But it is more than just morbid curiosity…our hearts often are snapped out of desire for ease and entertainment when there is something of real significance going on….

1. I remember when I was in college I went to a bible conference…There was a testimony at this conference that shook me to the core. A mom came up to the platform and carefully placed 4 pairs of shoes on the edge of the stage… and she then shared about her whole family, husband and 3 kids being killed by a drunk driver. I am a tough young college student, just balling my eyes out thinking about this mom and her great loss… but what impacted me the most was her focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ. She begin talking about the salvation testimonies of her kids and her husband, and she began to talk about the drunk driver who survived, and how he did not know the Lord and was in a tailspin because of what he did…she lamented the loss of life of her family…but she was mostly concerned about the eternal destination of the driver, as well as other people who drive down the interstate each day…I was drawn in by her loss, but I was refocused and challenged by her to think about the importance of sharing the gospel with people who do not know the Lord.

I will never forget that testimony. And it challenges me to think about how trials and suffering and incredible loss ultimately point to the importance of the good news of Jesus Christ…the only one who can truly comfort us in loss, and the one who suffered for us in our place.

In addition…To rejoice in the gospel, you must constantly…

Embrace being part of something bigger than yourself

Paul affirms what is most important is the Gospel…it is bigger than all of us…because it is the hope of all of us…he says in…

1 Corinthians 15:1–6 — 1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;

What looked like a tragedy, was actually a great victory….and we see that all over scripture…it is helpful to….

1. 1. Consider the reversal examples from scripture

1. what seems negative/defeat often is what God uses for good/victory.

1. The Fall of Adam and Eve is the basis for God to provide grace and mercy

1. The Flood, we marvel at God’s justice and God’s provision of the ark

1. Abraham sacrificing his son, but ultimately trusting God is over life and death...and the Lord provides a sacrifice in Isaac’s place.

1. Joseph being sold into slavery...yet God used it for good to bring food and deliverance to God’s people

1. Ruth enduring a famine, loss of her husband, and living as a foreigner showing what it looks like to honor the Lord and ultimately be a part of the messianic line.

1. Israel being sent into captivity to humble them and turn their hearts back to God

1. Jesus allowing Lazareth to die to demonstrate His resurrecting power

1. The mustard seed that starts out small and become huge

1. The base things of the world to shame the wise

1. Paul’s Chains are his keycard to the Palace

1. And of course…Jesus dying to defeat death

You know how in a good story there are usually 3 acts…and act 2 is usually where there is a setback or loss or failure…and that sets up act 3 to be especially powerful…whether it is overcoming something, a redemption, or victory that was initially hopeless….

God’s great plan is the advance of the Gospel…His true story of redemption is the greatest story ever told…and things will look dark but that simply allows the light of our God to shine all the brighter in victory.

Well a good story doesn’t just have a good plot…it has great characters that are dynamic and change and grow…but in God’s great plan, these are real people…

• The advance of the gospel is about real people being rescued, redeemed, reconciled, saved from the wrath of God.

If we are going to rejoice in the advance of the gospel we must…

II. See the people God has sovereignly placed around you in a Christ centered way.

The advance of the gospel is all about more people being introduced to the claims of Christ…Who He is and what He did…

Consider the opportunity of the Praetorian Guard

Philippians 1:13 — 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else,

The word praetorium means headquarters or household…and over time it came to mean the governors residence….

When Rome was a republic a leader on campaign would create a praetorium of staff and bodyguards…as Rome shifted to emperors instead of a republic, these groups shifted to the emperors protective force and even military, political and judicial advisors. Through Rome’s history the number of soldiers in the praetorium guard fluctuated from 4,000 to 16,000 and settled back down to a standard of 10,000 men.

The Praetorian guard were high ranking and/or elite soldiers, the personal protective force of the Roman emperor. You are not just going to run into these guys walking down the road where they tell you to carry their shield for a while. They had a great level of power, wealth and influence until Constantine disbanded them in AD 312

So how do you minster to these guys…well Paul who is a Roman citizen who was in prison appeals to Caesar and by the sovereign plan of God, Paul is moved to Rome, placed on house arrest to be guarded with at least one of these soldiers guarding him each day, each on a 4 hour shift

Acts 28:16 — 16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

Even though Paul was in Chains. He testified to these powerful soldiers that He was actually in chains for Christ…he was not under control of Rome but He was a bond servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So he shared the good news with them about the true Lord… one day at a time, one shift at a time, one person at a time, and the cause of Christ gets spread through 10,000 guards…that my friends is a prison ministry.

But it does not stop there…these praetorium guards interact with a lot of other people, and Paul is able to have visitors and write letters…His Gospel Ministry actually increases…

So as we get excited about the advance of the gospel we should…

Marvel at the exponential impact of “Everyone else”

We don’t exactly know who “everyone else” is…but most likely it is everyone else who is also in the emperors residence, other imperial officials…

But what we know is the gospel is spreading, and not just informationally, but people in this house are being saved…Paul ends the letter with

Philippians 4:22 — 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.

There are saints now, believers, in Caesars household…that is something to rejoice in…that is something to write home about…or write to the Philippians about…That would totally reframe Paul’s imprisonment and the Philippians suffering.

It is amazing that by the grace of God, and the circumstances of Paul… people that Paul does not have access to are hearing about the cause of Christ and it is impacting people well beyond Paul’s reach…

In fact, the Gospel is reaching People Paul has never met like the Colossians, and Paul writes to them with this great excitement about the impact of another Roman city being impacted by the Gospel. He says in…

Colossians 1:3–6 — 3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth;

That is Gospel gratitude, that is what rejoicing in the advance of the gospel looks like…giving thanks to God when you hear about the faith of others in Christ Jesus…rejoicing when people hear the word of truth…focused on how the gospel is constantly bearing fruit and increasing.

You may not be on house arrest and able to share the gospel of Christ with your guard…but you are often put into situations where you are rubbing shoulders with people that God sovereignly placed you close to…

Doesn’t God bring you in contact with people each week that are not a part of your plan…you child swallows a Lego and you meet the ER staff…a person in Icey snow plows over your mailbox…or rear ends you…..You are chosen for jury duty….The questions is…in light of Philippians 1…are you ready to meet some new people this year that you would not choose…and

…will you take the time to get to know them, and help them get to know Christ….

Maybe you are here, and this is all new to you, and someone has been sharing the Gospel of Christ with you….I pray that it will bear fruit in your life…that you will respond to the gospel, admit your sin and place your hope for eternal life in Christ, and in Christ alone.

If you have questions about how to be reconciled to God…we would love to talk with you about that.

If you have recently trusted Christ, or you know someone who has become a Christian…it is good to share that news…as we are still encouraged that the gospel is still bearing fruit and increasing…

In fact, the gospel bearing fruit is so important it can shift our focus from a fear of man, and shift our focus from protecting ourselves with apathy, to boldly sharing the good news with people who need Jesus’ eternal protection.

As we think about Paul’s testimony…

III. Be aware that your testimony can impact many others to testify.

But, know that talking about the Gospel and how God has worked in your life…

Begins with trusting in the Lord

Philippians 1:14 — 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

This is probably around 62 AD, around the time of Nero, but before his persecutions are starting to really ramp up after the great fire of 64, but even so it is difficult for a Roman citizen to view Caesar as Lord, when Jesus Christ is the Lord of all…

So the Philippians and other Christians are suffering along with Paul…but the brethren are trusting in the Lord, even though Paul is in prison, and even thought things are heating up for Christians.

Paul is having a great impact inside the walls…but who is sharing the gospel outside the walls…well other followers of Christ are stepping up…it is not just a one man show….well Paul knows the bible best so let’s have Paul share the gospel with this guy…

It is most of the brethren now acting with courage to speak the word of God.

But as in Rome, so each culture over time tends to reject God, and so those who testify to Him being the only Lord, and the one all people need to bow the knee to, in all areas of their life, including sexually…well that is not always going to be well received.

If you are going to share the gospel, you are going to have to trust the Lord…and that is also going to require courage.

When you testify to who Christ is and what He did…just like Paul that…

Points others to the source of courage

Courage is not about how strong you are, or how good you are…courage is about your relationship with the one who is all powerful and in control of all things…it is about obeying Him and what He says in His word…that is what courage looks like.

A great example of courage in the bible is Joshua…

In most of our ABFs we are studying through the book of Joshua…we learn that Joshua is leading the nation of Israel to cross the mighty Jordan river, and drive out nations bigger and stronger than they are, to then receive the Promised Land the Lord has given them.

God encourages His people by saying…

Joshua 1:6–9 — 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. 8 “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. 9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

The source of their strength, the source of their courage is God being with them, and their focus on the word of God and trusting in What He says to do…well that is where their courage comes from…it does not come from yourself and your desire to do what you want to do…true courage is tied to trusting in and obeying what God says.

And God has commanded us to proclaim Christ, to make disciples, to share the good news…to advance the gospel…

That takes community…That is why being connected to the body of Christ is so important….we impact each other, we see how one another endures trials, or proclaims Christ even when it is difficult, and it encourages us to do the same…we need that kind of body life encouragement…we need to know each others stories and How God is bearing gospel fruit in each of our lives…so we can rejoice together.

One of my fav things in ABF is when we have prayer time and someone shares a neighbor or co worker or family member they are reaching out to and they ask the rest of the class to pray as they seek to share the Gospel…it reminds me how important community is to fulfilling the great commission.

…if you would like to get more connected…if you want to know how to get into an ABF or small group, I would love to help you do that…

(for 9:30) I teach one that starts at 11:05 in the Band Room. We meet by the coffee and head in there at 11:05….and Chester Bankes and his team teaches one that meets in the music suite…So the band room and the music suite…BTW..you do not need to have any musical abilities to come to either of these ABFs.

Also I have a Facebook group for the 9:30 service to help us get to know each other better, to encourage each other based on what we learned from the word each Sunday, to pray for each other, to help us get to know new people…so if you want to join that group just let me know or search Facebook for the group - Faith Church East - 9:30 a.m. Service

So even though we point others to where to get courage…well, when you jump off a waterfall…someone has to go first…and the more people in a community who take steps of courage for Christ…the more it helps the community …

when you proclaim Christ...it…

Helps others overcome man centered fear

We all struggle with the fear of man to some degree…Matt 10:28 reminds us…

Matthew 10:28 — 28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

At this point you and I are not fearing for our lives…but there is increasing pressure on Christians to not stand up for what the Bible says…not stand up that only Jesus is the way, the truth, the life and that no one comes to the Father but through Him….as it says in Acts that…

Acts 4:12 — 12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

The bottom line is that we can’t love people and share the gospel with people if we are afraid of what they think of us, or what they might do to us…

1 John 4:18–19 — 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us.

As we rejoice in the advance of the Gospel…we rejoice that more and more people can repent of their sins, and turn to the one who truly loves them…

We can rejoice each time a person has placed their trust in Jesus knowing that person has been rescued from hell and is now reconciled to the Father and is now our brother and sister in Christ.

We rejoice with each person who is born again, we rejoice that the family is God is growing….we rejoice that we get to be a part of the Gospel Advancing in Lafayette, West Lafayette, Indiana, the US and even through the whole world…

Let’s pray that we continue to rejoice in the advance of the Gospel

Pray

Lord help us to delight in the gospel and delight in people hearing and responding to the gospel …help us to…

1. View our circumstances as a platform for gospel ministry
2. See the people God you have sovereignly placed around us in a Christ centered way.
   1. Help each of here in the auditorium seek to share the gospel with at least one person in the next few weeks.
3. Help us to see how our testimony can impact many others to testify.
   1. Help us be strong and courageous as we want to trust your word…help us care more about people who are far from you than we care about ourselves…help us love them like you loved us….