Unchained – To Live is Christ and To Die…Is Gain? – Sermon – Pastor Dave Page

Point #1: The Power of Paul’s Perspective (Philippians 1:19-21)

Before opening up this passage further, we need to remember the context in which Paul wrote these words.  Paul is under house arrest in Rome prior to a possible trial before Caesar Nero. This fact alone speaks volumes about the heart of Paul; although circumstances beyond his control were seemingly against him, Paul was eager and bursting with his holy anticipation of how God would be glorified regardless of his personal outcome – an outflowing of the joy he knew in his relationship with Jesus Christ – we discussed that last week. Paul’s wholehearted commitment to honour Christ in every situation shows up here too in how he sought to approach both potential outcomes – living and dying – and that’s where one of the most beloved verses in scripture comes from Paul – verse 21 , Paul explicitly chooses his perspective:

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain”.

Here Paul knowingly declares what many of us confess unknowingly – to often, our lives are based around things other than Christ. We fail to recognize Him as our source of true life and contentment. Paul, as we see repeatedly in his life as an apostle,  boldly refused to deny that as truth, instead exchanging the desires of his own fleshly pursuits for a full life of devotion to Jesus Christ.

Maybe you’ve had some experience with this ?

Have the promises of the world, the promises of earthly success filled you up or let you down ?? Think about this with us.

How many times have we come to know someone working in a career they once thought would fulfill them but no longer does, yet they continue to cling to their job due to fear of something else?

Paul’s own example helps us to understand the power of choosing our perspective and then being willing to trade all of that for a sole devotion to Jesus. That took real courage in Paul’s day and so it does in our day as well. So much so that it causes us to wonder how, how can Paul make a choice like that? How could I ever make a choice like that ?

What gave Paul the ability to look past a difficult situation and see potential gain in even something his own culture deemed disadvantageous? – Following ‘The Way’ – Jesus.

That answer, my friends, lies in the hard-fought lesson Paul learned through years of suffering. Simply put, he came to understand that in the times he had stopped trusting the Lord and His plan, instead valuing his own efforts over any other means of success –  Through repeatedly being broken down and built up, Paul came to realize that, even in the midst of great difficulty, he could have confidence that God was actively working within every second, and that making the choice to accept His plans would result in true joy.

Every single moment  for Paul was an opportunity to be further conformed to the image of Christ, so hardship was not something to be feared or shied away from but embraced for the benefit it brought.

Now, you might be saying to yourself “what does any of this have to do with the idea of dying….or more specifically “to live is Christ and to die is gain”?

Well, quite simply, Paul’s newfound perspective was large enough to encompass even the unknown, thus giving room for eternal gain even in the midst of suffering. I actually think Paul began to trade fear and anxiety about his circumstances with curiosity and even anticipation.

I wonder how you’re going to use me in this situation Lord??

The scriptures never tell us that Paul utters these words but I have to think they or something like them would have crossed his mind often!!

So when Paul wrote these words, ” to live is Christ and to die is gain”,  he was making a statement about how his new worldview altered his thoughts on his own mortality. He saw death for what it truly was – an exit from one place to enter a greater one. Just as stepping out of a small boat into a larger ocean full of unknown wonders brings adventure and anticipation, stepping out of this world and into the Kingdom of Heaven should give us the same feelings. Of course, this change in attitude doesn’t mean Paul became flippant towards death and recklessly carefree about life – rather, it allowed him to see things from a much larger picture, where life gained a deeper meaning and death no longer meant separation from God.

Instead of viewing his mortality as weakness, this fresh view allowed Paul to recognize the power of his mortality, and even the possibility for gain! And Paul chose to use that perspective to it’s fullest!

Imagine you’ve just stepped onto the deck of a cruise ship, having traded in your rowboat for a larger, stronger one. You take in the sights and sounds of the wide-open expanse ahead of you, feeling only joy as you anticipate the journey that lies before you. The edge of familiarity, uncertainty, and adventure run through each breath, readying you for the experiences that await you down the path that lies before you in the ocean ahead. Suddenly, you sense shame and guilt, maybe even fear, creeping back in as you remember the ultimate destiny of this cruise. And though the thought of leaving a known world behind stabs into your heart, you are surprised to discover comfort rather than pain; for you trust in the purpose of the mission, agreeing that it is better for you to go forth than sit idle and grieve. With knowledge of this ever-present assurance, tears of sorrow turn joyful, fear is replaced by faith, and grief gives way to glorification.

John Piper, in his book, “Future Grace”, reprinted a letter by Carl Lundquist, former president of Bethel College and Seminary. In 1988, the doctors told him he had a rare form of cancer which invaded the skin over his entire body and ended his life three years later. He wrote this letter the day after he heard the news of his cancer:

That day in the hospital room, I picked up my Bible when the doctor had left. I turned to the joy verses of Philippians, thinking one might stand out. But what leaped from the pages was Paul’s testimony in chapter one,

“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 death.

For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

I discovered that a verse I had lived by in good health also was a verse that I could live by in ill health. To live – Christ, to die – gain. But by life or by death, it’s all right either way … So I simply trust that [God] in His own way will carry out for me His will which I know alone is good and acceptable and perfect. By life or by death. Hallelujah!