To Live Is Christ; To Die, Gain!

”To Live Is Christ; To Die, Gain!” (Philippians 1:21-26)

Introduction: Last week we saw Paul’s attitude towards the Gospel. His main concern in life was that the message of Christ and of His kingdom would go forth by whatever lawful means possible, even if it was through the preaching of men who had sinful motives. We also saw that because the progress of the Gospel was what the heart of the apostle was beating for, that Paul was content in whatever circumstances he was in, if and only if the Gospel would continue to be advanced by them. Paul was in prison, and was content to remain there if Christ was exalted by it. Paul’s life was totally hidden in Christ, not merely as a refuge from the coming wrath of God, but in that his own desires and aspirations in life were completely swallowed up by his love and devotion to Christ. He was no longer concerned for his own things, but for those of his Sovereign Lord. That is why he was confident that he would not be put to shame in anything, but could say with absolute assurance, ”BUT THAT WITH ALL BOLDNESS, CHRIST SHALL EVEN NOW, AS ALWAYS, BE EXALTED IN MY BODY, WHETHER BY LIFE OR BY DEATH.” To live or to die did not matter to Paul, as long as Christ was exalted. Continuing in this thought, Paul now reveals his heart on the matter more fully. His purpose for even existing is summarized in this section by the first sentence, ”FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST, AND TO DIE IS GAIN.” Why did Paul have within himself the desire to see Christ glorified by his life or by his death, and why didn’t he simply live his life for his own ends? It was because Christ was the reason for which he lived. There was no question in Paul’s mind whatsoever as to his priority in life. It was not his interests versus Christ’s; it was not his priorities versus those of his Lord, but it was Christ’s first and only Christ’s. If he was to be granted more days in this life to live, then he would live them for Christ and Christ alone. And if he was to die, then as a faithful servant of the risen Lord, he would go to be with Him forever. And what this text is teaching us this morning is this,

The Christian’s life is so united with his Lord’s, that to live is to live for Christ alone, and to die is to experience the fullest fellowship with Him.

I.

First I Want You to See that for the Christian, Christ Is Everything in Life. A. Paul’s Purpose in His Life Was that He Might Truly Be the Servant of Christ. ”TO LIVE IS CHRIST.” 1 . I don’t think that anyone would deny that Paul is an example to us of the right heart and motives in the Christian life. a. Paul’s example was not perfect. Paul sinned as the rest of mankind, continually in word, thought and deed. b. But yet, Paul did not hesitate to commend himself to his readers as an example. ”BE IMITATORS OF ME,” Paul said to the church at Corinth, but only ”AS I ALSO AM OF CHRIST” ( 1 Cor. 11 :1 ). c. We are not to imitate Paul for any other reason

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than that he himself sought to be like Him. And whenever we see Christ-like qualities in any of our brethren, we are bound to imitate them. d. And this especially applies to what the apostle models for us this morning. 2.

3.

Paul was in prison and was debating within himself whether it would be better to live on in the flesh or to die and to be with Christ. a. Paul was in literal torment about this decision. ti) We are not told that the apostle actually had this choice to make. tii) Rather, we are to understand that both were very real possibilities, and Paul is not sure which he would choose if the choice were up to him. b.

If he remained in the body, then this would mean fruitful labor for him. ti) God had blessed his labors in the past among the Gentiles, and he had every reason to believe that God would continue to use him in the future. tii) Paul did not believe in bearing sparse fruit, but abundant. Like our farmers around us, he wanted to see as much fruit being yielded by his life and labors as possible.

c.

If he remained then he would be able to continue to minister to the church at Philippi. which ministry they needed. ”YET TO REMAIN ON IN THE FLESH IS MORE NECESSARY FOR YOUR SAKE.” ti) Paul always put the concerns of the churches ahead of his own needs. In his second epistle to the church at Corinth, he wrote, ”APART FROM SUCH EXTERNAL THINGS [those things which he suffered in his body for the Gospel1 THERE IS THE DAILY PRESSURE UPON ME OF CONCERN FOR ALL THE CHURCHES. WHO IS WEAK WITHOUT MY BEING WEAK? WHO IS LEAD INTO SIN WITHOUT MY INTENSE CONCERN?” ( 2 Cor. 11 : 28-291. tii) He loved them so much that they were constantly on his heart. tiii) When they were weak, he bore their weakness with them. When they were lead into sin, he was deeply concerned for their welfare. tiv) Paul wanted them to continue to progress in their growth in the likeness of Christ, for stagnation is a sign of deep spiritual problems, possibly even spiritual death. tv) As long as they were healthy, they would continue to grow and bear fruit.

And convinced that the Philippians had need of him, he was confident that the Lord would allow him to continue with them for their ”PROGRESS AND JOY IN THE FAITH.”

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B.

a. Paul was willing to have his departure delayed that he might continue to help the sheep of Christ. b. If Christ was well pleased with what his life was being used for, then he was content to remain. c. It was for Christ’s approbation that Paul always 1abored. The Lord Calls You this Morning to Live for Christ Alone. 1 . To be a Christian means that you have died to yourself in order to follow Christ. ”I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH

CHRIST; mn IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME; mn THE LIFE WHICH I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESH I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF a n , WHO L o v m ME, mn DELIVERED HIMSELF UP FOR ME” (Gal. 2 : 2 0 ) . a. We often say that we have picked up the cross to follow Christ, but do we even understand what this means? b. It means that our lives are no longer our own. When we came to Christ and embraced Him by faith, and turned from our sins, we actually abandoned ownership of ourselves. c. It is like selling something that you own. Once it is sold, it is no longer under your ownership but belongs to another, and that person can then do whatever he wants with what is now his. d. In the same way, you are no longer the authority of your own life, but Christ has the sovereignty. e. It is like entering the military where you willingly subject yourself to the authority of your superior officer. His will has the supremacy over yours. 2.

And now you are to live as those who have given yourselves entirely to His service. a. You are to live for Him as though you had been raised from the dead for that very purpose. ti) ”THEREFORE DO NOT LET SIN REIGN IN YOUR MORTAL BODY THAT YOU SHOULD OBEY ITS LUSTS, AND DO NOT GO ON PRESENTING THE MEMBERS OF YOUR BODY TO SIN AS INSTRUMENTS OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS; BUT PRESENT YOURSELVES TO GOD AS THOSE ALIVE FROM THE DEAD, AND YOUR MEMBERS AS INSTRUMENTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS TO GOD” (Rom. 6:12-13). tii) One who is dead has no interests in this life, but is dead to his own things. tiii) Having been brought to life by Him, you are to serve Him alone on this earth. b.

Therefore, you are not to concern yourselves with your own things, but with those of Christ. ti) Have you made plans for your life which have left Christ out of the picture? tii) When you set goals for yourself, are the concerns of Christ at the head of the list? tiii) Are you doing what pleases you and telling yourself at the same time that this is God’s will, when you really know that it isn’t? tiv) Did you really die to your own desires when you came to Christ, or are you very much

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alive and at the helm of your own ship? c.

You are to labor and bring forth fruit for the glory of God and His Christ alone. ti) Everything you do, even in the most mundane

things in life, are to be done for the glory of God. ”WHETHER, THEN, YOU EAT OR DRINK OR WHATEVER YOU DO, DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD” (1 Cor. 10:31). tii) When you go to work during the week, you should do it with all your might as unto the Lord. ”SLAVES, BE OBEDIENT TO THOSE WHO ARE YOUR MASTERS, ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING, IN THE SINCERITY OF YOUR HEART, AS TO CHRIST; NOT BY WAY OF EYESERVICE, AS MENPLEASERS, BUT AS SLAVES OF CHRIST, DOING THE WILL OF GOD FROM THE HEART. WITH GOOD WILL RENDER SERVICE, AS TO THE LORD, AND NOT TO MEN, KNOWING THAT WHATEVER GOOD THING EACH ONE DOES, THIS HE WILL RECEIVE BACK FROM THE LORD, WHETHER SLAVE OR FREE” (Eph. 6:5-8). tiii) Those of you who are employers, know that God has ordained the work of your employees as the means to provide for their families, and so pay them a decent wage so that that end will be accomplished. ”BEHOLD, THE PAY OF THE LABORERS WHO MOWED YOUR FIELDS, AND WHICH HAS BEEN WITHHELD BY YOU, CRIES OUT AGAINST YOU; AND THE OUTCRY OF THOSE WHO DID THE HARVESTING HAS REACHED THE EARS OF THE LORD OF SABAOTH” (James 5 : 4 ) . t iv) Husbands, you are to love your wives for Christ’s sake. You are not to be driven to love her only when you feel like it, but because it is what your Lord commands you, ”HUSBANDS, LOVE YOUR WIVES, JUST AS CHRIST ALSO LOVED THE CHURCH AND GAVE HIMSELF UP FOR HER” (Eph. 5 : 2 5 ) . tV) Wives, you are to be submissive to your husbands not only when they are respectable, but even when they are not, for God’s glory, ”WIVES, BE SUBJECT TO YOUR OWN HUSBANDS, AS TO THE LORD. FOR THE HUSBAND IS THE HEAD OF THE WIFE, AS CHRIST ALSO IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH, HE HIMSELF BEING THE SAVIOR OF THE BODY” (5:22-23). tvi 1 And children, you are to honor and to obey your parents, not only because they give you food, clothing, shelter, protection and love, but because this is what the Lord commands you to do for His glory, ”CHILDREN, OBEY YOUR PARENTS IN THE LORD, FOR THIS IS RIGHT. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER (WHICH IS THE FIRST COMMANDMENT WITH A PROMISE), THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH” (Eph. 6:1-3).

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tviil

tviiil

tixl

You are to honor and obey them always, not because the world calls this day ”Mother’s Day,” but because that is what your Lord commands you. In short, everything you do must be because you believe it to tend most to the glory of God. If you are doing anything which cannot be subsumed under His glory, then you must seriously consider putting an end to it. It is worthless in the sight of God.

11. Secondly, I Want You Know and Be Convinced that for the Christian to Depart from this World Is Not a Loss, but a Tremendous Gain. A. Far from Viewing Death as His Greatest Enemy, Paul Actually Longed for It. 1 . When Paul was reasoning in his mind about these things, he didn’t know which to choose. a. He was halting between two opinions, but not the choice of one which was good and one which was sinful, but between two goods. b. To remain meant fruitful labor for him, but to depart meant direct fellowship with Christ. c. It is like the choice that a loving wife would have to face if she were called to go and be with her husband who was far away, and had to leave her beloved children at home (Wilson 31-32). d. She would be torn between her desire to be with both of them, and so it was with Paul. 2. Paul was hard-pressed by these two considerations, because he realized that to die and to be with Christ was better. a. Far from being an inferior state, it was far superior. ti) Paul here stacks up the modifiers. tiil To depart and to be with Christ is not only better, it is much better. tiiil It is not only much better, but it is very much better . t ivl Paul could not have believed in some sort of soul-sleep, for then his choice would be obvious: he would remain and continue to store up treasure in heaven while he lived. tVl But he knew that to be absent from the body was to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8l. tvi l As our Shorter Catechism #37 says, ”THE SOULS OF BELIEVERS ARE AT THEIR DEATH MADE PERFECT IN HOLINESS, AND DO IMMEDIATELY PASS INTO GLORY; AND THEIR BODIES, BEING STILL UNITED TO CHRIST, DO REST IN THEIR GRAVES, TILL THE RESURRECTION.” tviil To leave this world and to be with Christ was very much better than to remain in it. b.

Yet he was content to submit his life to the Lord’s will, even if it meant staying a few years longer

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in the body, that is, in this world. ti) Paul was released for a short time and later

imprisoned again. It was in his second Roman imprisonment that he was executed for his faith. (iii) But even then, his attitude was the same. He says in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, ”FOR I AM ALREADY BEING POURED OUT AS A DRINK OFFERING, AND THE TIME OF MY DEPARTURE HAS COME. I HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT, I HAVE FINISHED THE COURSE, I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH; IN THE FUTURE THERE IS LAID UP FOR ME THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHICH THE LORD, THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE, WILL AWARD TO ME ON THAT DAY; AND NOT ONLY TO ME, BUT ALSO TO ALL WHO HAVE LOVED HIS APPEARING.” The Lord Is Saying to You as Well this Morning, that if You Are in Christ, then Death Holds the Greatest Blessings that You Have Yet Experienced and You Ought to Look Forward to It as Well. 1 . Many do not hold the same opinion as the apostle that to depart and to be with Christ is better. a. Generally speaking, most Christians are so afraid of death that they will spend any amount of money and go through any amount of medical procedures to prolong their lives even for a few more days. b. It is true that if our illness is treatable, and our lives will be prolonged by treatment, that we ought to receive it if we can. C. But if we are only prolonging our death, we ought not to do so. d. Sometimes our attitude toward death is just as fearful as the unbeliever. e. We fear death; we don’t want to think about it; we bury its possibility from our minds. f. And we seek to remove those who are facing it far from us so that we won’t have to be reminded of what awaits us. (ii)

B.

2.

But if we really love Christ and believe His promises, shouldn’t we have the same attitude as Paul? a. For the Christian, the greatest object of His love is really in heaven. ti) When Stephen was being stoned, he gazed steadfastly into heaven to behold the face of his beloved Savior standing to receive him (Acts 7:55). (ii) David said, ”AS FOR ME, I SHALL BEHOLD THY FACE IN RIGHTEOUSNESS; I WILL BE SATISFIED WITH THY LIKENESS WHEN I AWAKE” (Ps. 17:151. (iii) John Frith, a close friend and associate of William Tyndale, when faced with a decision to return to England where he would most certainly die, was encouraged by knowing that he would obtain a better resurrection. b.

The Christian continually longs for heaven because Christ is there, and death is but the crossing over

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from this world to be with Him. 3.

Christian, you are to live this life in service to your Lord, longing for the day when you will be with Him. a. Physical life on this earth is temporary and this has always been God’s plan. b. Therefore, you should be content with nothing less than the giving of yourself fully unto Christ while you are here. c. And even if Christ should call you to die of some disease, or to give your life in martyrdom, or to simply live out your life to the extent of your years, you should never fear the end of this life. d. Death is but the release from this world into the next. Death is the leaving of partial fellowship with Christ and His Spirit, to full fellowship. e. Death is the leaving behind of all sorrow and pain, and entering into fullness of joy and peace. f. Christian, do not fear death. Christ died to overcome it, so that you might say, ”0 DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? 0 DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? THE STING OF DEATH IS SIN, AND THE POWER OF SIN IS THE LAW; BUT THANKS BE TO am, WHO GIVES us THE VICTORY THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST” ( 1 Cor. 15:55-57).

If you love Christ, you will want to be with Him. If He is your greatest desire, then you will long for Him. Christian serve Him with all your might, and when His purposes are finished for you in this life, then joyfully depart into His arms forevermore. h. And let this verse of Scripture be your controlling purpose in life and in death, ”FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST, AND TO DIE IS GAIN!” Amen.

g.