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

Philippians is. It’s perhaps one of the most encouraging of the epistles written by the apostle Paul. Looking at chapter one, the apostle wants the church in Philippi to understand a number of basic principles. One of those is found in chapter one, verse three. And that is the importance of memory, of remembering the things that people have done for you in Jesus Christ. And Paul says, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Secondly, he is confident. Verse six. And where does his confidence lie? Does it lie in his abilities, in his aptitude, his IQ? No. Instead, we find that he has a confidence, but he is confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of the coming of Christ Jesus. His confidence is in Jesus Christ.

And third, in verse ten, we have seen that he is calling upon christians to have a sincere faith, that the things that you say are the things that you do and the things that you do are the things that you think about, and so that the things that you would think about and say and do are in harmony. But also, he reminds them in verse 14 that because he is in prison during the writing of this letter, that has produced for all of the christians outside of the prison a sense of confidence. And the confidence now is that they can speak boldly about Jesus Christ. And that delights Paul in prison. But he also is aware that there is outside of the prison a group of people who are preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Are they preaching from pure motives?

He tells us in verse 16 that they preach Christ from selfish ambition. There are some who, in verse 15, are preaching Christ out of envy and strife. Now, what is his conclusion about these people? Does he wipe the slate clean and say, have nothing to do with them, become critical of those who are preaching Christ? No, as a matter of fact, he says in verse 18, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached. I rejoice. That’s where we come with the doctrine of the communion of the saints, that the church of Jesus Christ is that place where Christ Jesus is preached, where people talk about Jesus’s death upon the cross of faith, that his death is an atonement for our sin, that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, and that he now sits at the right hand of his father.

Wherever that declaration is made, there we find our brothers and sisters in Christ. And with Paul we should rejoice. One of the most discouraging things in the church is to see so much criticism of this ministry, that church, this pastor, that elder, this layperson. Rather, I think we should take the example of Paul, and we should rejoice. Wherever the name of Christ is truly preached, we come to the text for today’s message, which is verses 19 through 26. If I were to paraphrase and to pull into sharp focus the purpose of these verses, it is to be found in verse 21. Paul’s purpose, his heartbeat, every decision that he made, every person that he had contact with, there was this truth in all of those relations. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Now the phrase to live as Christ sometimes sounds better coming from the lips of the apostle Paul than it does coming from the lips of a Christian in the 20th century. And more specifically, I think it becomes difficult for us to understand what does it mean to live is Christ. Is this just a nice caption over our life for me to live as Christ? But I’ll tell you one thing, business is business, for to me to live as Christ. But I’ll tell you, if you were raising children like mine, it’d be a different story. Or for me to live as Christ. But I certainly can’t treat my neighbor kindly, because if you had a neighbor like my neighbor, well, what does it actually mean for me to live is Christ.

Paul fleshes this out for us, and over these next few minutes, we want to practically understand, what does it mean to live is Christ. And more specifically, is that theme of your life? Can you say, for to me to live is Christ, to die is gain. Well, it seems that in the life of Paul, everything that he did was unto Christ. Whether he awakened in the morning, I think he would say, I’m alive in Christ. When he went off for a day of work, of ministry, I think he said, I’m alive in Christ. When he went out to sit down with friends and to talk, I believe his conclusion was, these friends, I’m alive in Christ. And I talked to them with that sense.

If he watched television, I think he would have watched television in a way that would have said, even as I watch this television, I watch it in a way that would bring joy to Jesus Christ. I think at the end of the day, when the apostle Paul would lay his head down on the pillow, he would say, I now sleep to know that I’m alive in Christ, and that all is to be brought to his glory. Well, Paul gives us some insight in what it means to be alive in Christ. For him to live as Christ we find in verse 19. For I know this will turn out for my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ.

According to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. In psalm 25 two, David says, let me not be ashamed. When Paul says, for me to live as Christ, he says that one of the ingredients that goes into making a life be Christ like. Is that there would be nothing in my life for which I am ashamed. Is there anything in your life for which you are ashamed? The word to be ashamed means a painful feeling of guilt. Is there an event in your life that when you scan these decades that you’ve been alive, one event stands out. Two events, a dozen events for which you feel great guilt, for which you feel ashamed.

Do you think that was true with Adam when he disobeyed the Lord and he sewed his own garments? When the Lord comes, that same Lord that he was able to talk to freely in the garden? Now, having sinned, Adam’s ashamed, and he’s frightened to talk with the Lord. Do you think that was the case with Jonah when he knew that the Lord had called him to one ministry, and instead he gets on a boat and he goes in the opposite direction? Do you think he felt any shame at his disobedience? Certainly Judas must have sensed shame as he pilfered from the bag of the treasury of the disciples. And certainly his shame reached such a level that as he would betray his dear lord, he would go and take his own life.

Do you think Peter felt any shame when three times he would deny the Lord? The apostle Paul says that he wants to live in such a way that in nothing shall I be ashamed. I spoke recently to a young girl. She told me about her situation. The thing that I can’t get out of my mind was the words, I’m so ashamed. I can’t talk to my father. I can’t talk to my mother. I’m so ashamed. You know, it’s true on a human level, that when we have stolen from someone and we have not made restitution with that person and confessed our sin, that I can guarantee one thing about you. You’re ashamed about having stolen. Or if you have broken a trust and someone had asked you to keep this in confidence, you went and you gossiped to anyone who would listen.

One thing I would know about you is that event would bring shame to your memory, or if you have falsely accused someone, or if you have committed adultery, or you have robbed, or you have abused the Sabbath. All of these bring shame. There is a way for us to handle shame guilt. If we would confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, that we would learn that the shame that we feel for any event that may have occurred in our life or will occur as a Christian, we’re called upon to confess before the Lord and to make restitution with our brother or sister. And if you have not confessed, and if you have not gone and made restitution to those who you have abused, then you cannot say with the apostle Paul, I’m not ashamed.

No, as a matter of fact, you would say quite different. I’m very ashamed and I hope that no one will ever find me out. Billy Graham for years has been conducting witnessing programs with laypeople. They have come by the tens of thousands. And one of the questions that has been asked of those people is, why don’t you share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people that you work with people who know you? Do you know the number one answer to that question? It’s not that I don’t know what the gospel is. It’s not, well, I don’t feel equipped to do it. The number one answer, why people do not share their faith routinely is because they believe that there is something in their life which they feel great shame for.

And they are frightened that if I’m in a context of sharing Jesus Christ, someone may find me out. Someone might ask me a question about, well, have you ever stolen, have you ever committed adultery? And they are frightened and so they don’t want to get into a situation where those questions might be answered. But for all those who are Christians and who would love Jesus Christ, there is a way out, and that is confession. To be able to confess these things to the Lord and to know that I’m forgiven in Christ. Yes, I have lied, but Christ has forgiven me. And I’ve gone to my brother and I’ve asked forgiveness and thank God that my conscience is clear. How many christians need the exhortation of the apostle Paul? Do you want to live your life in Christ?

For you to be able to say for me to live as Christ, the first thing that I would encourage you to do by God’s word is to live a life that does not bring shame. And all of those experiences that have brought shame into your life, that you would confess them and make restitution. Paul is able to say in nothing, shall I be ashamed. Well, what does it mean, practically, for me to say to live as Christ? Well, first, that I would not be ashamed. But Paul tells us in the second half of verse 20 that Christ would be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. Now, it’s one thing to say that my whole body brings glory to Jesus Christ, and most people would applaud that statement and say, that’s good, but let me be a little more specific.

Your body is made up of parts. How are the individual parts of your body magnifying? Jesus Christ? The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be healthy, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil; thy whole body shall be full of darkness. Who said that? Jesus Christ. It’s interesting. This week the president’s commission on pornography has been published, and they have made a strong relationship between the printed word and the things that the eye sees and violent acts of crime. Now, there’s great controversy over this commission, but I think that commission is in line with what Jesus taught.

The things that you look at, the magazines that you read, the television programs that you watch, the billboards that catch your eye, all of these things that come in through the gateway of the eye will have an effect upon your internal spirit. Do you mean to say that you could be a Christian, trust in Jesus Christ, and yet be looking at the wrong things, and that would have an effect upon your life? That’s exactly what the apostle Paul is trying to communicate to us. He had learned the secret that his body had to be used to magnify Jesus Christ. And so we find an entire chapter in the book of James talking about what? The tongue. How we use our tongue. Our tongue which can be used to bless God and to curse men. James says, this ought not to be.

And I would ask you, how do you use your tongue? Does it bring glory to Christ or does it bring reproach? That’s the reason. In Romans chapter twelve, we’re told that our minds should be transformed. You know the old statement, gigo? Garbage in, garbage out. Anyone who works with computers knows that they’re only as good as the information that’s fed into them. Well, that’s the way our mind is. What is it that you spend your time feeding into your mind? Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. And ultimately, we are to bring our entire life before Christ. That’s why Paul would say in Romans twelve, present your bodies, a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service? What does it mean for me to live in is Christ well? How is your eyes? How is your tongue?

How’s your mind? Where’s your body? Paul was able to say that his body was able to magnify the Lord. Well, if we would truly be able to say with Paul, for me to live as Christ, that we would have a clean, clear conscience, nothing for which we are ashamed, that our body would be used to magnify Jesus Christ. Third, in verse 21, Paul says, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. He seemed to have a total understanding that everything in life belonged to Christ, that his family belonged to Christ, that the church belonged to Christ, that his ministry, his job belonged to Christ, that any blessings that he would receive, all of these came from Christ. A better translation of this verse is, to me, life is Christ. For me, life is Christ.

I wonder how many of us can say that. Having gone through a couple of graduate degree programs, I know that in the world of academia, it’s easy to say, well, for me, my life is chemistry. For me, my life is to get that PhD. For me, my life is to see my business move ahead. The apostle Paul said nothing like that. For me to live is Christ. It is said of Rockefeller, his pulse rose and fell with the stock market. It was said of J. Paul Getty, the great entrepreneur and billionaire. He never went to bed without giving thanks for compound interest. Isn’t that true that if we really look at our lives, that most of us are thankful for things that are very much related to this world? For us to say for me to live is to see my business succeed.

For me to live is to get a bigger house. Paul says, for me to live is Christ. He says in verse 21, not only for me to live is Christ, but to die is gain. Perhaps this sounds very strange to our ears because it sounds very much like Paul is saying, it would better for me to be dead and to be with Christ, unless there be any confusion. Verse 23, he says, that is far better than being in this world. And so there is a part for a Christian to be able to say, I want to be in heaven with Christ. That that becomes a motivating truth. That we would be able to say, for me to live as Christ and to die is gain.

Do you know how much, in contrast that is to the world’s system, the world which sees death as a monster, a tyrant, that kind of ends everything? That death for the nonchristian, is an appalling event. It’s the end. It’s the loss. Loss of life, loss of green fields, loss of the blue sky, loss of family, loss of business, loss of home, loss of everything. But for the Christian, death is not seen as the loss. But Paul says, it’s a gain. A gain in that we who are impure will be made pure. We who are imperfect will be made perfect. We who are corrupt will be made incorrupt. And that for us to die is gain. John Calvin, at the closing hours of his life, said, my breathing is difficult. I’m about to breathe the last gasp.

But I’m happy to live and die in Jesus Christ. Who is gain to all his children in this life and death. A lady once asked John Wesley, suppose you knew you were going to die at midnight tomorrow night. How would you spend the intervening day? Wesley said, well, I would preach this evening, and I would get up tomorrow morning at 05:00 for I have to preach in Gloucester. And then at noon I’m to preach in Tookesbury. And in the evening, there’s a group of christians who will be waiting for me, and I would talk with them. And there’s my friend Martin, who tomorrow night is expecting me to stay with him. And I’d show up at Martin’s house at about 09:00. I would have prayer with Martin and his family as they’re expecting.

And then at 10:00, as is my usual custom, I would prepare my bed. I would say a prayer. I would lay my head down on the pillow, and I would awake in glory. If you had 24 hours, how would you spend it? Would it make any difference? Or would you spend that 24 hours running to a doctor, looking and hoping for some change, some serum? Or would you trust that to die would be gain? If you and I would be able to say, for me to live as Christ, then there is a part of our life that must understand that death is truly a gain for those who love Jesus Christ. But lest we should have the balance off, Paul says that he is caught. And here is the principle in verse 23. He says, I am hard pressed between the two.

Having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better, but also to remain in the flesh, is more needful for you. So Paul is on this delicate balance. He sees, on the one hand, the great gain that is to be his by being with Christ in heaven. But on the other hand, he knows that the Lord has a work for him to do, and he knows that is needful for the kingdom of Christ. And so Paul spends the days of his life constantly trying to balance these two truths, my ministry in this life and my hope and my joy at the gain of being with Christ in heaven. I think if were to ask Paul, what is it in this life that really draws you?

I think he would have concluded that there is but one thing that I want to put my time into, that ultimately is of value, and that is the church of Jesus Christ. So Paul gave his life in service to the church and in the sharing of the gospel to those who are outside of the church, that they might enter the church. How strange it would sound for Paul to say, I’m most concerned about the rise and fall of the stock market. I am most concerned about how I am dressed. No, Paul seemed to have those things in perspective, and the perspective was for me to live as Christ. To die is gain, but I am needed in this world, and Christ has called me to a ministry, and yet I desire to be in heaven.

And so he lived constantly, trying to balance those two very delicate truths. You see, the apostle Paul knew that Jesus Christ was in this earth through his church. And as long as Paul could be in this world, functioning through the church, ministering, sharing, serving, that’s where Christ was. But he also knew that Christ was present in heaven. And if Christ was in heaven, he wanted to be in heaven. Paul’s affections were not in a place called earth or a place called heaven. His affections were on a person, Jesus Christ. And wherever Jesus Christ is, that’s where Paul wanted to be. And if he’s on earth, then I want to be with Christ. And if I should die, and I know that he’s in heaven, then I want to be in heaven.

My family, back in the turn of the century, my grandfather, who, when he came through Ellis island, was given the name John, and he came many months before my grandmother. He came looking for work. And many immigrants came with the same desire and the same plan, that the husband would come first, find a job, find a home, and then send for the family to come and join them. And I remember my grandmother telling about my grandfather in those many days, weeks, months that passed. And all that she received was a letter. The letter would say, I’m still looking for work. I found a job, but now I’m looking for an apartment. I found an apartment. Everything’s ready.

And my grandmother, once she received that letter, that everything was ready, a job, a home, she came, and she, too, became a citizen, and her name was changed, and the two of them came together as husband and wife. And through all of that time of separation, the thing that my grandmother desired most was to be with her husband wherever he was. That’s where she wanted to be. And so if they stayed in Europe, she would have said, I stay here with my husband, for this is where our family lives. And if he went to America and found a home and said, come, she would go gladly.

The apostle Paul tells us that if you and I would truly want to know Christ, to truly be able to say for me to live as Christ, that we would be able every day of our life, to be able to say, wherever Christ is, that’s where I want to be. That’s where I must be. That you and I, like the apostle Paul, would be able to say as the purpose of our life, for me to live as Christ, to die is gain. Let us pray. Our God and our Father, we come as men and women, knowing the great pull of this world. And Father, we would ask that you would help us to balance this world in relation to the next world.

And Father, that the force that would help us to balance our lives would be Jesus Christ, that our affections would be in the place where Christ is, and Father, that we truly would have consciences that would not be ashamed, that our bodies would seek to magnify Jesus Christ, Father, that our lives would be seen in a way that we could even affirm that to die would be gained to be with Christ. But nevertheless, we are still drawn to the needs of this world, that we might serve this world in the name of Christ. Father, we thank you for these marvellous truths, and we pray that you would help us to place them in our lives that we might truly say, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. We give you thanks and ask for your blessing. In Jesus name, amen.

Thank you for listening to a firm 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, 8543. That’s Princeton Ministries Post Office Box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey, 8543. The Lord bless you and Dr. Smith looks forward to hearing from you. We would like to thank Rones web development company for making this webcast possible. You can find their link at the bottom of our website, princetonministries.org.