Introduction
As
Christmas approaches, my wife and I are eagerly waiting for our girls to come
home from college for Christmas break. It’s really hard for them to be so far
away from home even knowing that they are faithfully pursuing the path that God
has set before them. Nevertheless, “home” isn’t the same until we are finally
all together. So there is a deep longing to be reunited that we all anticipate
during the many days that we are apart. I got to thinking about that this
holiday and how so many people are separated from their loved ones and won’t
see them again because they have been separated by death. I always consider it
an honor when someone shares with me their story of loss and as I grow older, I
find it happens more and more often. I have had the privilege of listening to
and crying with those who desperately miss that person who has passed on. For
most of those people there is a common refrain—“Someday, we’ll be together
again and then everything will be right.” The words are words of hope but the
tears and sadness revealed something else; something deeper inside; a longing
that cannot be satisfied in this life. For these people and for many others who
haven’t lost someone they love yet have endured a life of unthinkable pain and
suffering; they want to rest; they want their bodies to be whole again or for
once; they are lonely; they are frustrated; they are angry; they are confused;
they are hurt; they are sad. Simply put, they are Homesick. Not surprisingly, they all realize that God still has a
purpose for their lives and they bravely press on until God calls them home. I
wonder if Paul was feeling this way as he sat in a cold, dark, Roman prison.
Paul saw friends and fellow believers killed; was constantly battling heresies;
always seemed to be defending his teaching and authority; endured countless hardships,
trials and tribulations along the way, and now he sits in prison for his
efforts. You couldn’t really blame him could you if he was just a little Homesick?
Subject Text
Philippians 1:18c-26
18cYes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what
has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
20I 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 by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for
me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with
Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with
all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will
overflow on account of me.
Context
As
I stated previously, Paul is writing his letter to the church in Philippi while
his was under arrest in a Roman prison. The church in Philippi was planted by
Paul during his second missionary journey (Acts 16:11-40). There is no reason
to insist that there was one specific reason why Paul issued this letter. Paul
wanted the believers in Philippi to know his circumstances and his attitude
with regard to those circumstances. Even though we know that this particular
Roman imprisonment would not be the end for Paul, Paul didn’t know that for
certain. For all Paul knew, he could have been put to death at any moment.
However, Paul’s discourse didn’t dwell very long on his imprisonment. Instead,
Paul was ever the pastor. He thanked and encouraged the Philippians for their
prayers and warned them against false teachings and false teachers. Paul
encourages them to follow his example when it comes to trying to earn God’s
favor and to imitate Christ’s humility. Finally, Paul instructed them on the
joy in serving, the joy in believing and the joy in giving.
Text Analysis
It
seems clear that vv.18c-19 are transition verses from the previous verses since
Paul refers to the continuing act of rejoicing. Therefore, we must quickly look
at the previous verses to properly understand our Subject Text and see why Paul is rejoicing in the first place. In
vv. 12-18b Paul is explaining how his imprisonment has actually served to
advance the Gospel message instead of impede it. Paul explains that his dire
circumstances have served to embolden some to preach the Gospel “more
courageously and fearlessly.” He admits that some of those who preach the
Gospel do so for purely selfish reasons. Nevertheless, Paul reminds the people
that as long as the Gospel is preached, the motives of the preachers are
irrelevant. The important thing, according to Paul, is that “Christ is
preached.” This is the reason Paul was rejoicing to begin with. He continues to
rejoice in .vv. 18c-19 because he knows that a precious gift awaits him
regardless of the outcome of his current incarceration—salvation. Paul affirms
the efficacy of Philippian believers’ prayers on his behalf and the power of
Christ’s Spirit to sustain him. It can be a bit confusing when Paul refers to
the “Spirit of Jesus Christ.” What Spirit is this? Is this a different Spirit
than the Holy Spirit? Well, it’s just a matter of semantics really. “The Spirit
for Paul has been constitutively stamped with the character of Christ. Christ
by his resurrection entered wholly upon the realm of the Spirit (Rom 1:4; cf. 8:11)…the
Spirit is now experienced as the power of the risen Christ—the Spirit now
cannot be experienced apart from Christ…The more formless and impersonal power
which characterized the Spirit in the old age has been given sharper definition
and personality. It is because the Spirit has taken the shape of Christ that
the character of Christ can and must serve as the basic criterion whereby the
Spirit’s activity may be discerned; only that which makes the individual or
church more like Christ can claim fully to be an expression of the Spirit of
Christ.”[1]
I
don’t know about you but I’ve often wondered how I would respond if given an
ultimatum between affirming my faith and saving my own life. The answer is easy
sitting here at my desk, safe and sound. But I know that for some of you, this
ultimatum is an everyday part of your lives. I am impressed and inspired by
your courage and continued faithfulness. If I am ever faced with such an
ultimatum, I hope I can demonstrate that same level of courage and
faithfulness. I think this is what Paul was hoping for as well in v. 20. You
see, what we say we believe is only relevant insofar as it is manifest in our
lives and then particularly in times of oppression, persecution, pain, and
suffering. “Since his detention has served to advance God’s purposes, Paul is
content with enduring the privations of imprisonment. The only temporal
assurance he requires is that Chris will be honored in him whether he continues
living or is executed.”[2]
If you had to create a ministry slogan for Paul, it might
have to be v. 21. Of course we know what Paul means by this but to avoid any
confusion for his readers, he goes on to explain in vv. 22-24. Paul knows in v.
22 that as long as he lives, he will continue to have the opportunity to serve
Christ by providing instructions on faithful Christian living for believers and
giving unbelievers the opportunity to come to know Christ as well. However,
Paul also recognizes in v. 23 that death will bring him the great reward of at
last being with Christ. Nevertheless, Paul is prepared to forego what he wants in
v. 24 in order to benefit the believers in Philippi who needed him. “The
apostle is thus ‘hemmed in on both sides’ since the choice before him is a
genuine dilemma, like the pressure of opposing forces. For Paul it is no mere
weighing of academic possibilities but a choice between what is better for him
personally and what is more necessary for the congregation…Paul, however, is
guided by other than personal desires. His epithumian
[Gk. Desire, Longing, Yearning] gives way to necessity, and his pastoral
concern shines through as he considers the need of the congregation. Later he
will urge his readers to consider the good of others (2:4). Here he sets the
example himself.”[3]
There’s
no indication that Paul has received advance word about his release but v. 25
appears to indicate that he anticipates a favorable judgment. More likely, Paul
has received a divine impression that his mission was not yet complete. “As an
apostle, ‘part of the divine plan of salvation is committed to him, and its
seriousness consists in the fact that he cannot evade it.’ ‘Necessity,’
therefore, characterizes Paul’s apostolic office. Need determines the direction
his life is to take. In this instance the need of the Philippian church
constitutes the divine call for Paul to go on living, a call to which he cannot
say no and which he accepts with cheerfulness…For Paul was never uncertain
about his fate. He was, however, uncertain about which choice to make, had he
the chance to make it, whether to depart of to stay, to live or to die. He
wanted the one equally as much as the other. Therefore, it must be repeated,
Paul did not make the choice—he could not make the choice. God made it for him.
Caught up in God’s redemptive plan, which is marked by healing and wholeness,
Paul was certain that he would stay and stand fast alongside his friends.”[4]
Paul
is convinced in v. 26 that the Philippian believers’ joy will continue to grow
and in fact “overflow” on account of his care and ministry. I have experienced
what Paul is trying to say here. There is certainly a joy associated with our
initial acceptance of Christ. However, there is a deep and abiding joy
associated with constantly learning more and more about Him. I have had pastors
in my life who have been instrumental in this way. However, it was my Seminary
professors who each served to infuse the joy of knowing and learning about
Christ more deeply in me. I can only hope that I can do a little of that for
all of you through this ministry. We fall in love through our initial knowledge
of Christ but we forge a love affair by building upon that initial knowledge
and maturing in our Christian walk. “Paul considered the welfare of fellow
Christians more important than his desire to go to heaven. By enduring on
earth, he could assist their spiritual growth and joy in the Christian faith. This
joy is not from circumstances but from a relationship with Christ Jesus, the
source of true joy for believers.”[5]
Application
Of course, I’d like to think I would make the same choice
as did Paul and I’m sure you probably hope you would as well. However, I have
to be honest with you, there are days when it’s hard; days when I’ve had enough
of this life; days when I don’t think I can endure one more disappointment,
setback, or heartbreak. On those days, I desire to be with Christ; to be able
to talk with Him face-to-face; to eat a meal with Him; to just be with Him. I
know that there are some of you out there who are living a life of pain and
suffering—either, physically, emotionally or spiritually. Your body is broken;
your mind is broken; your spirit is broken; or your heart is broken. Perhaps
you’ve lost someone close to you and you miss them so much that all you can
think about is what it would be like to be with them again; see their face
again; hear their voice again; feel their touch again. Yet God is not yet done
with his plan for your life; God’s plan for you as a wife, or husband, or
mother, or father, or sibling, or friend, or neighbor. Therefore, you are
convinced of the need to press on in spite of your pain and suffering. Nevertheless,
the longing deep within you remains a dull ache that persists. On some days the
longing is quiet but on other days it screams for the need to be fulfilled. If
someone asked you to describe the longing with just one word, I wonder if the
description might be, Homesick. Unfortunately,
there’s no use trying to cure the sickness in this life because there’s only
one cure; one consolation for our pain, suffering and/or loss—going home. However,
until that day comes, pray unceasingly for one another and seek the guidance of
the Holy Spirit (The Spirit of Christ) who has been given to you as a helper
and comforter (Jn 14:26—“Counselor” NIV84; “Comforter” Amp. Bible; “Advocate”
NIV11; “Helper” ESV; “Companion” CEB)
Finally,
I will be praying for you as well as a fellow traveler fully aware that there
are days in all our lives when we long to be with Christ yet know it is best
for us to remain here and continue living in faithful obedience to Christ. We
know that our longing to be with Christ will have to await its fulfillment
another day. Until then, we must be content to be Homesick. Take a couple of minutes to listen to the story from the music
group MercyMe that inspired their song titled Homesick and let the words of the song speak the words that may be
in your heart as well.
[1] Colin
Brown, gen. ed., New International
Dictionary of the New Testament Theology, Vol. 3, (Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), p. 703.
[2] David
A. deSilva, An Introduction to the New
Testament—Contexts, Methods & Ministry Formation, (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 2004), p. 664.
[3] Peter
T. O’Brien, The Epistle to the
Philippians—The New International Greek Testament Commentary, (Grand
Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1991), pp. 128; 131.
[4] Gerald
F. Hawthorne and Ralph P. Martin, Philippians—Word
Biblical Commentary, (Nashville, TN: Word Biblical Commentary, 2004), p. 62.
[5] Max
Anders, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians
& Colossians, (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 1999), p. 210.
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