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Philippians 1:12-18

As always, let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Philippians 1. So, a guy went to prison. And on his first day, he heard somebody yell a number out of one of the cells. He said, “43.” And the whole cell block broke out in laughter. He thought that’s odd. A few moments later, another prisoner yelled out, “75.” And everybody broke out in laughter again. And then “56,” and again, everybody broke out in laughter. So, he turned to his cellmate – a guy who had long been there. He says, “I don’t get it. What’s happening?”

His cellmate says, “Well, we’ve been here so long, and we’ve been telling the same jokes to each other repeatedly that we’ve just numbered them all. So now, all we have to do is yell out a number; we think of that joke, and we laugh.” So, the new inmate says, “Wow, can I try that?” He said, “Sure. Give it a shot.” So, the newbie shouted out “12.” Dead silence. Again, “12.” Dead silence. He says, “What’s up?” And the old guy says, “I guess some guys just can’t tell a joke.”

We’re in Philippians 1:12-18 and we encounter a happy prisoner. Now, that might sound like an oxymoron. Because we don’t normally associate happiness with being in prison. Prison is a place where joy is usually absent. It’s a place where life is unpleasant. It’s a place where dreams go to die.

In fact, this week, I was reading some articles and statistics on prison – as you know, we have a rather active contingent of men that volunteer in prison ministry – and one of the pieces I read said, “Most prisoners are unhappy. And many of them are unhappy all the time. Many contemplate or attempt suicide or self-mutilation. The suicide rate for American prisoners is between 5 to 15 times greater than it is for the general American population.” Now, the reason that I’m sharing that with you is because we are reading the letter of an unusual prisoner. Paul is a joyful prisoner. He’s been locked up for his faith in Christ. Let’s look at our verses this morning, and we’ll see what he has to say.

12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

“Give us, O Lord, steadfast hearts, which no unworthy thought can drag downward, unconquered hearts, which no tribulation can wear out, upright hearts, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O God, understanding to know You, diligence to seek You, wisdom to find You, and faithfulness that may finally embrace You; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Paul is a prisoner in Rome. These are not the best conditions that he has ever been in. Nor is this the happiest place he’s ever been. He’s physically bound, and his ministry is severely restricted. Nevertheless, he’s joyful. Remember, that’s the overarching theme of this book – JOY (Jesus, Others, Yourself). This is a letter oozing with joy. Four chapters, 104 verses, and one of the major themes is joy.

So, he’s a prisoner. He’s incarcerated in a jail, and he’s saying, “Rejoice! Rejoice! I’m glad; rejoice!” Now, either he’s a nutcase, he’s been beat up one too many times and he’s a bit crazy, or, number two, he’s lying through his teeth. He’s putting on a good Christian face: “Christians are supposed to act this way, rejoice, smile.” Which is it?

Well, that leads me to give you a statement that I think encapsulates the whole book. And that’s this: spiritual maturity can be measured by what it takes to steal your joy. What does it take to snuff out the experience of joy in a believer to the point of inciting anger, bitterness, malice, or whatever it would be? Spiritual maturity can be measured by what it takes to steal your joy.

I found an article from Psychology Today that said, “people are unhappy because they view their lives as prisons. Many people feel trapped by aspects of their life, trapped in an unhappy relationship, or trapped in an unfulfilling job. Or they are generally unhappy with their life despite basic needs being met.” So, don’t you find it interesting that Paul is in prison, he’s not licking his wounds, he’s not sending out invitations to a pity party, rather he’s saying “Rejoice, with me.”?

In order to find out why, we need to follow the progress of his thinking in the first three verses. And we’re going to begin with his passion, move on to his problems, and end with his perspective. You have to understand his passion to really understand his problems, because one leads to the other. Then, we’ll end with his perspective.

Paul’s Passion – Godly Passion Is Commendable

The first principle that we see is that godly passion is commendable. Paul had a passion for life, but more importantly, Paul had a passion in life. That’s a rather popular question these days: “What’s your passion in life?” Paul had one. He had a master passion. If you know anything at all about the Apostle Paul, then you know he was a pretty determined guy. He had what we’d call a Type-A personality, highly motivated with a single focus. And generally, people like that are highly successful. They never quit. They never say die. They never give up.

Everyone has a passion. What drives you? What does your mind think about when you’ve got nothing going on – all the activities are gone. What’s the one thing above everything that you want, or seek for, or want to do more than anything else?

For some people it’s a career. For some of you it was your career. Everything else just seems to take a back seat to climbing the corporate ladder. For others it’s power. For others, maybe it’s money. Maybe it’s recognition or fame. Maybe it’s family – creating that perfect home. Maybe it’s fishing. Paul’s passion can be summed up in two words… the gospel. That’s what Paul lived for. It was his passion. How do we know this?

Well, look at verse 5, “because of your partnership in the GOSPEL from the first day until now.” Look at verse 7, “It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the GOSPEL.” Look at verse 12, which we read just a moment ago, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the GOSPEL.” Check out verse 16, “The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the GOSPEL.” Look at verse 27, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the GOSPEL of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the GOSPEL.” And that’s just the first chapter.

If you added up all of the times that Paul mentions the word “gospel” in his writings, it’s 72. “How are you doing Paul?” The gospel. “What’s up, Paul?” The gospel. “What do you want in life, buddy?” The gospel. “What are you doing for lunch?” The gospel. It was just synonymous with who he was. Listen to him in Romans 1:15, “I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.” Did you get that? I’m eager to preach the gospel. That’s what I want. That’s my life’s passion. Listen to Romans 15:20, “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation.”

Why is that his passion? Now, remember, this is the same guy who used to be passionate about snuffing out the fire of the gospel. This is the guy that would imprison Christians. Listen to Acts 8:3, “But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.” And now he’s one of them. This is the guy that got special orders to go to Damascus for the sole purpose of killing and rounding up believers. Why is the thing that he used to hate now his passion? Simple… Because the gospel was the only thing that could change him. Nothing else could change him. In fact, nothing else did change him. Only the gospel. On that Damascus Road, when he saw the Light (literally), and heard the voice (literally), and he received Jesus, his life was never the same.

That’s important. Because until you’ve experienced the gospel’s power, you’ll never have a gospel passion. It’s only people who have seen, and felt, and experienced the power of the gospel in their own lives that it becomes a passion. William Booth, the guy who started the Salvation Army, said, “Some men’s passion is for gold. Some men’s passion is for art. Some men’s passion is for fame. But my passion is for souls.” Do you remember what Paul said in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Paul had seen its power, and now he had its passion. A godly passion is commendable. And that brings us to the second thing we see – Paul’s problems.

Paul’s Problems – Great Problems Are Inevitable

We go from Paul’s passion to Paul’s problems. And a godly passion always invites great problems. Because when you’re passionate about souls, you’re entering a battleground on which Satan has been fighting a long time. He’s got a lot of experience. So, when you say, “I’m passionate about the gospel. I want to preach. I want to save souls.” You’re painting a bullseye on yourself. You’re a target. Satan will be after you. It’s a war he’s been engaged in from the very beginning. So, the Great Commission will always bring great conflict.

In fact, even Jesus said, “they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9). So, here’s Paul. He’s got this passion for the gospel, then he says, in verse 12, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me…” [Stop right there.] Something happened to Paul. He’s making mention of it right here. What happened? Well, here’s where you want to write Acts 21-28 in your Bible. That’s the portion of Scripture that outlines the entire ordeal that Paul went through.

See, after his third missionary journey, he goes back to Jerusalem to try and preach to the Jews. He’s in the temple area with another fellow going through a ceremonial ritual. Some of the Jewish leaders spot Paul. They start a riot, and they attack him. A Roman soldier steps in an arrests Paul – not so much to punish him, but to protect him – takes Paul and has him beaten. Paul pulls out his Roman citizenship card and says, “Not so fast. I’m a Roman citizen. You can’t beat me.”

He’s taken from Jerusalem down the coast to Caesarea, where he spends two years in jail. He goes through three trials in two years. He stands before Felix. He stands before Festus. He stands before Herod Agrippa. And after two years, he finally says, “Enough! I’m done. This judicial process is crazy. I appeal my case to Caesar in Rome.” (Every Roman citizen had that right.)

They put him on a ship. It’s not a Princess Cruise or a Carnival Cruise. It’s a prison cruise. Ever been on one of those? (Is Clinch here today? I’m sure he could tell us about a prison cruise.) Anyway, they put him on this boat. And they send him to Rome. But on the way, the boat gets caught in a storm and sinks and he has to swim to shore. Finally, he gets to Rome and they put him in jail again.

All of that… All of what I just relayed is wrapped up in the phrase “what has happened to me” in verse 12. That’s what he’s referring to. And you got to believe that when you start speaking for Jesus, when you start sharing your faith, when you start encouraging your friends and loved ones to go to church, when you start challenging morals and ethics and values that are inconsistent with the Bible, then problems are going to come.

It may not result in actual, literal, physical imprisonment (although it could in the future) but incarceration will challenge your joy. Restriction of any kind is a challenge to your joy. Confinement of any sort will challenge your joy. Some of you feel chained to a job. It’s sucking the joy right out of you. Some of you may feel chained to a relationship or a set of responsibilities you didn’t sign up for. And because of that your passion is gone. It’s dried up. This is not what you had in mind.

I’m sure that Paul didn’t have all of his backstory in mind when he originally went to Jerusalem. I’m sure you didn’t have all of the difficulty and heartache in mind when you started attending church and your spouse resented you for it. I’m sure you didn’t have visions of trials and problems and setbacks when you took that job. But the person in the cubicle next to you found out you were a Christian, or your boss discovered that you’re not as “cut-throat” as he’d like. You’re too graceful and forgiving and patient and kind, so you get overlooked or you get mocked. Having a godly passion will always invite great problems.

But listen to Paul, because he’s about to say something very revolutionary. And that leads us to Paul’s perspective.

Paul’s Perspective – Good Perspective Is Essential

There’s a single word in verse 12. It’s the word “advance,” or maybe your Bible translates it as “progress” or “furtherance” or “spread.” He says, “[W]hat has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

Back to that word “advance.” The Greek word is prokopé. And prokopé means to advance or to make progress. But it means something very, very unique. It means a forward movement in spite of obstacles. In fact, like so many Greek words, it’s a compound word. It’s made up of the prefix pro (before) and the verb kóptō (chop or cut). It’s a word that was used of pioneers cutting their way through forests and jungles, cutting the undergrowth away, so you could advance. You get the idea. There’s always an obstacle involved.

So, what Paul wants them to know is that all the incarcerations, all the beatings, the mistrials, the further incarceration – none of that has stopped the advance of the gospel. In fact, it did the opposite. It cleared the way. The gospel progressed. And I want you to see how, and then we’ll be done. Look at verse 13. He’s going to give us three ways the gospel advanced in spite of the problems.

First, the gospel advanced via Roman soldiers. Verse 13, “it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard.” The Praetorian Guard was the Secret Service for the emperor. There were about 10,000 of them in the Roman Empire. They were the bodyguards of the emperor and Paul was chained to a guard 24 hours a day in a rented house.

Imagine what that must have been like to be a guard chained to Paul for a 6-hour shift. That’s how it worked. Four guards, each taking a 6-hour shift. In other words, Paul couldn’t eat without being chained. He couldn’t sleep without being chained. He couldn’t… (you know) without being chained. Everything he did, all day (24 hours) was while being chained to a guard.

Can you imagine what it was like to listen to Paul? What do you think Paul brought up during those six hours? Hour 1: the gospel. Hour 2: the gospel. Hour 3: the gospel. Hours 4-6: the gospel, the gospel, the gospel. You couldn’t shut him up. Talk about a captive audience. And lo and behold, some of them got saved. Some of them believed the gospel. You gotta believe this is true. Quickly flip over to Philippians 4:22. As Paul is closing this letter he says, “All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.” (Wink, wink.) Isn’t that great? Some of those soldiers who were unreachable got reached. And there’s only one way . . . by being chained to a Christian.

But there’s a second way the gospel advanced. Go back to verse 13, “so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest…” We’re told in Acts 28 that Paul was under house arrest. House arrest meant that there were certain freedoms the prisoner had. He lived in a house but chained to a soldier 24/7. He couldn’t leave the house. But people could come and visit him. Listen to Acts 28:30-31, “He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”

Here’s the principle. Don’t miss this principle. The longest period of Paul’s incarceration was the greatest period of Paul’s impact. One commentator said, “Paul’s confinement was God’s assignment. That prison became his pulpit.” Here’s what I’m wondering. The next time you’re tempted to think, “Man, I’m stuck with this job. I hate it.” Or you think, “I’m shackled to this desk” or “I’m imprisoned by this person,” you could see it as an opportunity. Not an incarceration, but an opportunity – if, and only if, your passion is the gospel. I’ll guarantee you, if your passion is not the gospel, it’s just an inconvenience to you. It’s just a horrible bitter experience of suffering. On the other hand, with the right perspective, we could see it as a pulpit, as a way to get the gospel out. The gospel advanced via Roman soldier and via Roman citizens.

Finally, the gospel advanced via reluctant saints. Verse 14 says, “And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” That tells me that people in Rome, Christians in Rome, were scared to say anything. They were timid. They were frightened to tell their family and friends and neighbors that they were followers of Jesus Christ. They were afraid and understandably so. Paul ended up in jail. They could too. But in watching and hearing about Paul being so bold and unhindered to soldiers and to people who visited him, they started thinking differently. “If God can use Paul in jail, then God can certainly use me out of jail.” And they became a little bolder.

Instead of seeing those prison guards as a nuisance, or those prison chains as a hindrance, Paul saw them as a furtherance, as an advance, as progress in the gospel. What a perspective.

As I close, let me ask you: “Where are you feeling imprisoned? How might you be imprisoned?” Let me encourage you with the example of Susanna Wesley. Susanna Wesley had 19 children. Do you think she ever felt confined? She was often feeling imprisoned in her own home. But she had two sons, John Wesley and Charles Wesley, who shook the British Isles with the gospel. One a preacher, the other a hymn writer. God used her imprisonment to advance the gospel.

Let me encourage you with the story of J.C. Penny, a Christian businessman, who felt imprisoned by what he did, but decided well, he could give the money away to gospel work. So, get this, he gave away 90% of his income to gospel efforts. He used the confinement of business success, so to speak, to get the gospel out.

Maybe you feel chained to a sick bed. Imprisoned within those four walls. Let me encourage you with the story of Charlotte Elliott, who was an invalid. Charlotte wrote 150 hymns. Some have become very famous. One, in particular, was sung at every crusade that Billy Graham ever gave – Just as I Am. “Just as I am without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me, and that Thou bidst me come to Thee, oh Lamb of God, I come, I come.”

Silly, I know, but perhaps this message is going to be read by a real-life prisoner. I mean our Kairos Prison Ministry will be going back to Tyger River in a few weeks, and who knows. If you’re a literal prisoner, then let me encourage you with the name of a 16th century monk named Martin Luther. He was imprisoned in the Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, Germany and translated the Greek New Testament into German.

Then there’s the story of John Bunyan – a fiery preacher in England. He saw great results, and they arrested him and put him in the Bedfordshire jail. Like Paul, he didn’t stop preaching. He shouted so loud that his voice could be heard over the walls. And people would gather outside the walls to listen to him. So, they put him in solitary confinement deep below in the dungeon. And he wrote Pilgrim’s Progress there – an allegory of the believer’s journey from sinner to saint. Millions of people have been inspired by that book.

Maybe, just maybe, you could be a happy prisoner with a passion to proclaim the gospel. I can’t do anything for your shackles of bad health. Circumstances may restrict you. They do for all of us at some point. Not a sappy prisoner. Not a woe-is-me, life’s-a-bummer kind of prisoner. Not a scrappy prisoner, where you’re fighting and lashing out at people. But joyful – with a perspective to see every situation as an opportunity in some way, shape, or form to preach Christ Jesus. It worked for Paul.