Joy in Suffering
Philippians 1:18-26 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored 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 live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Apostle Paul experienced much personal suffering. At one point, in response to those who were boasting of their human credentials, Paul shared with the Corinthians the extent to which he personally suffered for Christ and his work.“Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one--I am talking like a madman--with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11:23-28)It was not Paul’s nature to speak this way but he did so to illustrate the absurdity of his detractor’s boasting. If they thought earthly credentials were the measure of one’s worth - he had them all beat. As comprehensive as this list might seem, we must remember that Paul’s ministry continued for a decade after his writing to the Corinthians. Over ten years later, Paul would write to Timothy:
“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” (2 Timothy 2:8-10)
Paul suffered greatly for Jesus Christ, and did so while labouring for those who belonged to Christ (his elect). The striking thing about Paul’s life however, is not the fact that he suffered (2 Tim 3:12), but that while suffering, he maintained an unshakeable joy (Php 1:18).Joy Through a Surrendered Life
Philippians 1:18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,
Because Paul’s ultimate priority was to see Jesus Christ glorified, he could rejoice amid suffering. Although his personal struggles certainly affected his own comfort, he could see beyond his own priorities to the priority of the gospel. If the gospel was advancing, and Christ was being preached, Paul would continue to rejoice.Beyond this however, Paul had an overarching attitude which brought all of life’s troubles into perspective. Armed with this attitude he could withstand any earthly testing.
Philippians 1:20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
Paul had a confident expectation that his present circumstances would not lead to his defeat or shame. This was not a naïve expectation or cheap hope that he would one day be acquitted of his crimes and freed from his Roman captors. Not at all. Paul’s confidence that he would not in anyway be ashamed was born out of the fact that he had already given his life, including his earthly comfort and any personal priorities over to the Lord Jesus Christ, to be used for his glory.Philippians 1:20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.Paul’s deepest desire and highest joy was in seeing Jesus Christ honoured. Paul could rejoice while suffering, because he was confident that through his own Spirit-enabled faithfulness, Jesus Christ would be honoured in his life, or even through his death. For Paul, even death became a means to honour Christ and so the prospect of death became a reason for him to rejoice.Through the Apostle Paul’s example, we learn that a key to possessing an indomitable joy is in surrendering one’s life and death to be used for Christ’s glory. When death becomes a reason for rejoicing, suffering loses all of it’s power to steal joy.The above is an excerpt from Pastor Rick's study through the book of Philippians