It’s All About Christ

Text – Philippians 1:21-25 (read vv. 15-25)

¹⁵ It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. ¹⁶ The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷ The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. ¹⁸ But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. ²⁰ I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. ²² If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴ but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.” Philippians 1:15-25 (NIV)

INTRODUCTION

Beloved, we are living in a time where it seems like everything goes! We used to say any THING goes, but man has taken things to another level. Apparently you can choose your own gender; you can even choose your own type of species you want to be recognized as. You can also choose to let your child decide what gender they want to be recognized as when they are ready to make their decision.

As far as voting for our political leaders, it doesn’t seem to matter to the majority of registered voters what type of morals and/or ethics they possess, because if they choose to disrespect woman, the mentally challenged, our disabled veteran’s, God (even though they pledge allegiance to god; I guess the god they pledge their allegiance to condones this behavior, because they are being voted into office.

Then there is religion. I don’t think the problem is that we allow the freedom of religion in our country, but with all of the different behaviors being exhibited, one has to wonder what types of religions are being practiced, how many people are practicing them, and do they condone the behaviors that are being so widely accepted in society? This may also raise the question: “Are those who say they are of a certain religion really faithfully practicing that religion?”(Expound).

Christianity is no exception when it comes to having those who are merely perpetrating to be Christians. Even in the early days of the church there were those who infiltrated the church for reasons that were not truly for the cause of Christ. So having these perpetrators exposed in the word of GOD way back then, should be preparing us for what we are experiencing today. Our text today shows us that those who are pretending to be Christians are doing so for a variety of reasons, but Believers should not let this worry them because:

IT IS ALL ABOUT CHRIST!

POINTS – 

• “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.” (v.15) – This is definitely satanic. Satan’s purpose is destroy the church (expound). When we see so-called Christian “Pastors and Preachers,” falling by the wayside, are you asking yourself the question: “ARE THEY JUST BECOMING FALSE, OR ARE THEY JUST NOW BEING EXPOSED?” (Expound).
• “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached.” (v.18) – Don’t overlook what is being said here. Paul is pointing out that those who have chosen to go out and preach Christ from the wrong motives are still preaching Christ. This is what we have to take note of. This reminds me of when Jesus shared an important point to His Disciples:

“⁴⁹ “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.” ⁵⁰ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.” Luke 9:49-50 (NIV)

Though this man was not with the rest of the Disciples, because he was still proclaiming Christ, he was still with them. What we as followers of Christ have to be able to know, is whether or not those who are being accused and found to be false are truly false or not. We need to know if they are lifting up Christ or someone (thing) else! 

• “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” (v.20) – Paul realized that by living for Christ he has placed himself in the position that being put to death was almost eminent. He was sharing with brethren that he would not be overcome by fear but that he would remain strong in his faith. He was praying that if was put to death for preaching Christ, or if was allowed to continue to preach Christ; Christ be lifted up!
• “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.” (Vv. 21-25) – Paul found himself torn between what HE personally wanted and what he knew was needed. The only reason Paul, or any Believer would find him/herself wrestling here is because of their passion for preaching Christ (expound). Paul loved preaching about Christ; he felt like this was indeed his most reasonable service (Romans 12:1) (expound). Paul also pointed out that if were to die and go to be with the Lord, this is the ultimate desire for every Believer (expound).

CONCLUSION – 

Paul is showing us a number of valuable lessons in this passage. One, make sure that it is Christ preached by those who profess to be of the faith. Two, take pleasure in remembering what the Lord has commanded YOU to do. Three, be willing to die for the cause of Christ; knowing that ultimately you will be with Him. And fourthly, always remember that is always all about Christ!