Welcome to a firm foundation presented by Princeton ministries with Dr. Ken Smith. This is Carol Smith, Ken’s wife. Please enjoy.

Place them in our hearts and in our lives in such a way that we would be different because we have come face to face with Jesus. We thank you and ask now that the words of my mouth, the meditations of our hearts, would be acceptable in your sight, for we ask it in Jesus name. Amen. Who is the preacher of the church? Typically, people say, well, it’s the fellow who stands up in front and leads us. That’s the preacher. But let me point my finger at you and say that each of you, in every way, is a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that this church, the ministry of any church, is dependent upon the preaching that occurs out of that congregation.

One of the great errors that’s happened in our own time is to think that churches are dependent upon a great speaker, a great preacher. No, the work of a minister is to add the oil and to give the teaching so that every person in the church who has put their faith in Christ sees that they have been called by God to be a preacher. Don’t be surprised if at the end of the service I call you Reverend, if I call you pastor, and I will certainly call you a preacher. The letter of Philippians is written by Paul from roman prison. Now, just imagine, four years have passed and the people in Philippi have not heard from Paul. On occasion, there are rumors. Some of the rumors were, Paul’s in chains. We’ve heard that he’s in prison. We’ve heard that he’s sick.

And finally, one day, a letter comes addressed to the Philippians. It was written by Paul from prison. Now, it’s not rumors. It is facts. And Paul says, it’s true. I am in chains. I’m in prison. The future is uncertain. But we read in verse twelve of chapter one of the book of Philippians, Paul says, but I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. The first principle that we want to place in being good preachers of the gospel is this principle that if you are going to preach Christ in your life, then you have to be prepared for things to turn out quite differently than the way you are planning for them to turn out. How do you plan and look to the future?

Are you thinking to yourself, well, I’m on the one year plan. I’m on the five year plan. Why, in ten years, I know exactly where I’ll be. I would make a prediction about that plan. In ten years you will come nowhere near that plan. That God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. The apostle Paul was very aware of this principle, for he planned to go to Asia. And if you had stopped and asked him to take out his to do list, what is your plan for the next year? He would say, well, my plan is to go to Asia. God intervened and he said, no, you will not go to Asia. You are going to go to Europe. I am calling you to Macedonia. The first place that you will preach is in the city of Philippi.

Paul later plans to go to Spain. And if you had asked him, what’s your plan? My plan? Spain. But instead he winds up in a roman prison. Instead of the sunlight of Spain, Paul finds himself being falsely accused. He finds that he’s nearly lynched by a religious mob. He’s flogged. He is maliciously represented in a court, until finally he declares, I’m a citizen of Rome. When they hear this, they know that they’re out of jurisdiction and they must send him to Rome. So they put him on a boat, and the boat is wrecked at sea, his life is almost taken. And when he would arrive in Rome, he’s bound with a group of prisoners. And as soon as he arrives in Rome, he is shackled to a roman guard, as was the practice.

And so for every hour that he is under the care of that roman guard, he is handcuffed hour after hour, day after day, week after week, for some two years. Paul, how did it turn out? What was your plan? Well, my plan was hopefully to continue in itineration to share the gospel of Christ. I was planning to go to Spain, but I’m in a roman prison. Paul says, the things which happen to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel. You mean to say that sometimes suffering afflictions are for the accomplishment of the sharing of the gospel? That’s right. But also, before we would focus our attention, I think it’s important to note that there are times when suffering comes into our life that is not for the purpose of the furtherance of the gospel that others might believe.

Sometimes suffering and affliction comes into our life as a correction to us. Sometimes, because of our sin, God reaches down from heaven, and he disciplines us. Proverbs 311 twelve, says, my son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of his correction. For whom the Lord Loveth, he corrected. But sometimes suffering that we face is not for the purpose of correction. It’s not because you have sinned. But it could be for this reason that the Lord is using it for instruction, that this suffering is intended to awaken us to a need which we are unaware of. How often the Lord has put a person who has had great health, great well being, great prosperity, and suddenly the market changes. They go to the doctor and he says, I’m sorry, but there’s a spot. We’re not sure what it is.

And an affliction comes into a person’s life not because they have sinned in some grievous way, but because the Lord is instructing them and changing them to understand how they might show the compassion of Christ to another person. I remember when our baby died. It was amazing how quickly and how soon people would call. What kind of people would call people whose baby had died an affliction to make known the feelings, the needs of other people. Have you ever experienced that form of suffering in your life? One Peter, one six seven says, you are in heaviness through manifold trials, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto the praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Christ Jesus.

Paul is not suffering in a roman prison, either because of correction, nor is he suffering because of instruction. We are told that he is suffering for the furtherance of the gospel. And sometimes the Lord would bring an affliction, a suffering, into your life. And the outcome of that is that other people might learn about Jesus Christ. And so, as a Christian, you have a responsibility as the suffering and affliction would come into your life. Why has this come? Is it to correct me from some sin, to call me away from that sin? Is it to instruct me to understand a new motive, a new purpose in my life? Or is this simply for the purpose of communicating the gospel to another person?

I think one of the more difficult questions that we face is when we face a suffering that very often other people know exactly why you are going through the suffering. You remember Job’s friends. They knew exactly why he was suffering. And with friends like that, who needs enemies? And sometimes that’s the case in the church. Sometimes we have become sophisticated in our biblical knowledge that when a suffering comes to a brother or sister, we are able, with our x ray vision eyes, to be able to look into that person’s heart and to be able to say, I know why this happened. It is because be very careful when you would be the interpreter of another person’s suffering. And if you are going through a suffering, an affliction that is for the purpose of the furtherance of the gospel.

The only reason that the Lord has brought this experience into your life is so that other people might be furthered by the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the great temptations is to believe at that time that you are being chastened by God because of a sin that you had committed before becoming a Christian. How many Christians I know who remember the sin that has been confessed in Christ, and they face an affliction now, and they recall to their mind a sin that Christ has already forgiven them of. And it never occurs to them that this suffering may be for the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And at that moment you begin to think I’m on the wrong road. Is this the right road home, O Lord? The clouds are dark and still. The stony path is sharp and hard.

Each step brings some fresh hill. I thought the way would brighter grow and the sun with warmth would glow, and joyous songs from free hearts flow. Is this the right way home? Yes, child. This very path I trod; the clouds were dark for me. The stony path has hard to tread. Not sight, but faith can see. But at the end, the sun shines bright forever where there is no night, and glad hearts rest from earth’s fierce fight. It is the right road home. If you know that you have not sinned, and if you know that the Lord is not instructing you, and you know that you have faced an affliction for the furtherance of the gospel, then know you’re on the right road. And the Lord is using this for the furthering of his gospel.

If you and I want to be real preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, then verse 13 gives us another principle. Paul says, it has become evident to the whole palace guard and to all the rest that my chains are in Christ. Can you imagine Paul being chained to a roman guard? First hour it’s novel. By the end of the day, a few calluses on your wrists. By the end of a week, you begin to find that guard offensive. By the end of the month, there are guards that you must like and guards that you probably would hate. What did Paul do while he was chained up to this guard? Did he say, woe is me? Did he say to himself; I really despise this guard. I’m going to get even with him. I’m not going to talk with him at all?

Did he say to himself; I’m depressed today. I don’t think I can talk to anyone, so just give me an Excedrin and everything will be fine. Is that what he did? No. We read that it became evident to the entire palace guard and to everyone else, all the rest, that his chains were in Christ. The reason that he was in prison was because of his faithfulness to Jesus Christ. One of the great problems Christians face is the problem of discouragement. Here you are going day by day under some great weight, whether it’s an emotional weight, a financial weight, a family weight, a job weight, but we’re all carrying one form of weight with us or another. And it’s easy to become discouraged. It’s easy to say why this weight was on me yesterday. If you knew me. A month ago, it was still there.
A year ago, I was still dragging this weight around. I’m tired of dragging this weight. There are many Christians who are discouraged. Doctor Park Tucker, minister, was remembering one day about feeling very discouraged, very depressed. Minister of the gospel, he said, I was feeling so depressed and discouraged, my head was down. And then I caught sign on the road. I looked up and it said, why are you walking around half dead? We can bury you for $69.50. It was in the window of a funeral parlor. He said, I was struck. Here I am, a Christian, saying that I have victory in Jesus, and yet everybody who sees me would identify me as a discouraged, depressed, discouraging person. Well, I have good news for you. You can be buried for $69.50. Lift up your head.

There is an old story that is circulating around, it’s been around for years about the devil who put an advertisement one day that he was going to be selling all of the tools of his chest. There was going to be a public auction, and so the people gathered and they looked into his tool chest, but there was one oddly shaped tool, and it had this sign on it, not for sale. Someone asked, what about that one? He said, no, you can buy anything else, but not that one. What is it? He said, why, that is my favorite tool. It’s the tool of discouragement.

And I have found, says the devil, that I’m able to take this oddly shaped tool and find an entrance into the heart of most people, and I’m able to pry open hearts with this tool, and then I’m able to place in that heart the seeds of discouragement. Paul was not discouraged, although every circumstance around him could have been used as a sign of discouragement. Look at my chains. Look at this prison. Do you know what kind of food they serve me in here? I’m discouraged, but that’s not what happened. Paul says that everybody knew, including all those guards who walk with him day after day, that my chains are in Christ Jesus. You and I have chains that are fastened around us. Some of you are tied to a desk all week long for 40 plus hours a week.

And you think to yourself, if I could only be free of this, then I could really minister for Jesus Christ. Some of you mothers of young children are tied to those young children, and you’re at home, and you’re thinking to yourself, if only I could be free of this burden. If only I could be free of this chain that’s tied around my waist. Some people are tied to a sickbed. I think the principle that Paul is teaching is that all of us are tied to something. He was tied to a roman guard in a prison, and he said, even my chains are able to speak about Jesus Christ. If you and I want to be preachers of Jesus Christ, then look at verse 14.

Most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. If you will learn to accept the suffering that God has given you, as Paul accepted that situation and to use it for the accomplishment of good, until such time as the Lord would snap those chains and bring you into some other situation where you will, too, find chains, if you and I would learn that other people are greatly encouraged when they see you in the midst of your chains, living and speaking about Jesus Christ. The brethren, we are told, became confident. Why? Because of the chains of Paul in prison. And they became more bold in being able to speak without fear about the Lord. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the church today were just like the church of the first century?

You ever heard that one? I hear that all of the time. As though the first century church were this shining light, perfect people, as though in that first century church there was no gossip. In that first century church, there was only love and devotion for the things of the Lord. Do you remember the letter to the Corinthians, the letter which Paul composed? He talks to the saints in Corinth. He refers to them as saints, as the recipients of grace, as those who have been enriched by Christ, as those who have received the grace of Christ. And what was going on in that first century church? Well, there was division in the church. There were some who were for Apollos, some for Peter, some for Paul also. There was great carnality. They were not able even to understand what Paul was teaching them.

In that first century church at Corinth, there was a man who was living in fornication, adultery with his stepmother. In that wonderful first century church, we find that Christians were bringing one another into the law courts and facing each other in opposition. We find in that first century church at Corinth that on occasion when communion occurred, people were drunk from the drinking of wine. We find Paul telling us something about the first century church in Rome where he is addressing this letter from. We find that in verse 15 and 16, he says that some indeed preach Christ from envy and strife, some from goodwill. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely supposing to add affliction to my chains. Now, there are some people who look at these verses and say, well, Paul is not talking about Christians here.

Paul is not talking about Christians who are selfish. Paul’s not talking about Christians who are jealous. And they like to say that Paul’s words here are directed at non Christians, the Judaizers of the day. But that’s not a possible explanation of these verses, because we read in Galatians one, seven, nine, Paul lays down this foundation for those who are preaching opposed to Christ. He says, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. And in verses 15 and 16 of Philippians one, Paul never hints that the people who are doing this teaching out of strife and jealousy are not Christians. You mean to say you can preach Christ out of a heart that is full of strife, a heart that’s jealous? That’s right.

The problem that Paul was concerned with was not that they were preaching Antichrist. The problem was they were preaching anti Paul. You say, what does that have to do with me as a Christian in the 21st century? It has to do with a thing that we call the communion of the saints. It has to do with the belief that wherever Jesus Christ is preached, no matter what the motive, as long as the truth of Christ is being preached, you and I, as Christians, have a responsibility to rejoice, to be joyful. Now, what’s the application of that? The application of that is that we live in a world that has been split by various factions of denominations. One of the great errors that can fall upon a Christian is to believe that my interpretation is the key to. To all truth.

And where I do not find a brother in Christ or sister in Christ who dots the I as I dot it, who does not match up doctrinal statement for doctrinal statement, then I have a responsibility to break my fellowship with that Christian, to have nothing to do with them, to be an advocate of my cause, and to oppose a brother who is preaching Jesus Christ. Paul says of those who are preaching out of selfish ambition, they are not preaching sincerely. He says in verse 18, what then am I supposed to do with these people? How am I supposed to behave towards them? He says this in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, whether their motives are right or wrong. Christ is preached and then we ask, well, Paul, what are we supposed to do then?

If we find out that a brother has the wrong motive but is still preaching Christ, Paul, how are we supposed to respond to that? Brother Paul said, I rejoice. I rejoice whenever the name of Jesus Christ is preached. And as Christians and part of our creed, we believe in the communion of the saints. We believe that all those who bear the name of Christian, who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, who know that Christ died on the cross for their sin, who by faith have accepted Christ, who by faith are part of Christ’s family and are able to call Jesus our brother, our friend, wherever such a person is. That is my brother, that is my sister, according to scripture.

I have a responsibility not to become critical of my brothers as though they were my enemies, but to rejoice that the name of Jesus is being preached. FB Meyer said it was easy to pray for the success of G. Campbell Morgan when he was in America. But when he came back to England and took a church near to mine, it was somewhat different. The old Adam in me was inclined to jealousy. As Christians, we need to see our own hearts. That as we would look at other brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ who preach Christ, who know him and have put their faith in him, to know that Satan would seek to pry our heart open and to look at our brothers as though they are our enemies. Paul says, no, rejoice. Rejoice that the name of Christ is preached.

A man went to hear Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and he was sent by one of the great supporters of Spurgeon. And after the service, the man asked, how did you like Mister Spurgeon? He answered, well, I really don’t know much about Mister Spurgeon, but my attention was drawn so closely to the savior of whom he was preaching. Let our attention as Christians not be to Paul, not be to Apollos. Let it not be to John Wesley. Let it not be to John Knox. Let it not be to some person. Let our allegiance be to Jesus Christ, that we too might rejoice everywhere where the name of Christ is preached. Let us pray.

Our God and our Father, we thank thee that Paul, in the midst of his suffering, was able to rejoice and give one of the most hopeful pictures that the scripture has of how we too should rejoice in the midst of the chains that shackle us. Father, we pray that you would help us to see that sometimes afflictions come into our life to further the cause of Jesus Christ. It’s not because of anything we’ve done. It’s not even because of a lesson that the Lord has for us. We may not understand why that affliction has come. Help us, Father, to give you thanks even for the chains that bind us. Help us, too, to see our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Help us to be known as joyful Christians who love the savior and are a sweet aroma in our community, and that we would truly experience that communion of the saints of all those who love Christ, that we might embrace them as our brother to the end. That Christ’s name might be honored. We pray. Amen.

Thank you for listening to affirm foundation presented by Princeton Ministries. This programming is supported by you, the listener. You may go to our website, princetonministries.org, or send your donation to Princeton Ministries Post Office box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 08543. That’s Princeton Ministries, post Office Box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 08543. The Lord bless you and Dr. Smith looks forward to hearing from.