Resurrection Lutheran Church, St Catharines

Dear “saints in Christ Jesus...,

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:1, 2).

 

 

Beginning today, we have a series of Epistle Readings that work through St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, which he wrote to respond to their concern for him when they found out that he was in prison. St. Paul took the opportunity to teach them about the place of suffering in the life of the Christian.

 

It continues to be a relevant topic because suffering always seems to be like an alien invasion into life. There is built into us the realization that we are meant to live and to live free from suffering. So when any kind of suffering (illness, grief, anxiety, or persecution) comes upon us, we know that something is not right, something needs to be done about it, we are in need of relief.

 

That is what drives us to reach out to those who are suffering. We want to do something for them to bring relief or to share their burden. We know how much it hurts to suffer and it even pains us to see others suffering. So the Christians in Philippi reached out to St. Paul when they heard that he had been arrested, was in prison, and people were seeking to have him condemned, and sentenced to death.

 

What seems most confounding and out of place is that God’s children suffer. If any should be sheltered, protected, even immune to suffering, it should be the children of God who have Him as their shield and defender. So suffering is also a challenge to our faith. It can cause us to doubt God’s love and care for us and the promises that He has given to us of salvation and everlasting life. St. Paul’s response to the concern of the Christians in Philippi was an opportunity for him to reassure them that his suffering did not mean that God had abandoned him or any of his people. God was still with him and still at work in and through him.

 

Throughout the Epistle to the Philippians, St. Paul addresses the challenge of suffering in the life of the Christian. As he suffered in prison and as the Christians in Philippi were anxious about him in his suffering, he wrote to them about (1) how suffering serves for the advance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; (2) that we each need to work out our salvation in light of the humble suffering of Jesus; (3) that we can press on through suffering in the righteousness that we have in Jesus; and (4) therefore also rejoice in our salvation even while we are suffering. We will take a closer look at these points in turn over the next few weeks. Today, we consider St. Paul’s reflection that suffering serves for the advance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Yes, there can be some good things that come out of suffering. The world and our sinful nature are loathe to admit it, but it is true. There is room for improvement both in society and in us as individuals, and suffering can play a part in that. Just think about the raising of children. Discipline is necessary. We learn through suffering that is imposed as a consequence for bad or dangerous behaviour. We learn not to touch hot things because we have suffered a burn. We learn not to pull the dog’s ears because we get bit. We learn not to jump on the furniture when we are made to sit on a hard wooden chair, and we learn not to make a mess when we are forced to work to clean up.

 

There are also physical benefits to suffering. If we put our muscles through painful, strength training then we become physically stronger. If we force ourselves to exercise every day, our bodies become more resistant to disease. If we deny our bodies sweets and desserts and limit what we eat, we can prevent the health issues that accompany being overweight.

 

And because suffering is also felt in the mind and in the emotions, why should we be surprised if suffering also has spiritual benefits, too? The spiritual discipline of fasting is meant not just to discipline the body to endure its cravings, but also to discipline the soul in order to endure those times of spiritual affliction when we are attacked by temptations to sin and despair.

 

St. Paul had noticed throughout his time of imprisonment that the suffering inflicted upon him was also proving beneficial for others, not in a physical way, but in a spiritual way. Those who were daily witnesses of his suffering and the hope that he maintained while suffering, were seeing the effect of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in action, and they could not stop the effect it was having on them. The captive had an audience. Paul in prison had daily interactions with those from whom he could not escape.

 

It became known throughout the Praetorian Guard that Paul was a prisoner because of his confession of Jesus as the Christ of God. This man was in chains because he preached about Jesus being risen from the dead, and therefore the long-awaited Messiah of the Jews and the Saviour of the world.

 

And it was not only the guards who were hearing this message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because Paul remained bold to preach about salvation in Jesus Christ even if it meant that he be arrested and put on trial, other Christian preachers were also emboldened to speak boldly and not go silent when threatened by persecution, oppression, or violence.

 

This was not just because other Christian preachers thought they should be just like Paul. But it was because they saw that the very Gospel that they preached could overcome the oppression and violence that may be inflicted upon them. There could still be faith, hope, and love even when facing opposition, even when put in prison, even if condemned by the world, even in the last struggle with death.

 

The life and salvation that we have through the death and resurrection of Jesus conquers all that the world can do to us. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). “What can man do to me?” (Psalm 56:11; 118:6; Hebrews 13:6). Sinful men did all they could to our Lord Jesus Christ and He rose victorious from the dead, lives, and reigns to all eternity. “Whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1).

 

And this is not just word fodder for sermons. It is the Holy Spirit giving life and strength to live in our mortal bodies with confidence and trust in God our Father. When Christians are persecuted or suffer in any way, the suffering and victory of Christ is proclaimed in our lives. Christ is honoured as we faithfully trust in His deliverance and salvation while we are at our lowest, our weakest, our most helpless. “For when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

 

The suffering we bear in our bodies with confidence in the resurrection of these same bodies preaches a sermon louder than words. On the one hand, if we are relieved of our suffering, then we join in thanksgiving to our gracious God; and on the other hand, if we die in our suffering, then we praise the God “who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:21).

 

And so Paul was not overly concerned whether he would be released from prison, or executed in one of the many gruesome ways that were available to his oppressors. As we read his own words in this epistle we see that Paul was content not to have the choice of life or death himself, but that the merciful Lord Jesus would make the choice, and that it would prove beneficial either way. It would advance the Gospel one way or the other.

 

“To live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21a), that is, it is to continue on in the earthly ministry of Christ, imitating His life and preaching His Word to a world that was in need of the hope and peace that Paul could exhibit while in chains. The Holy Spirit would continue to shine forth the light of the Gospel, as Paul would continue to write epistles, and if released to visit the Christian churches he had founded, and to travel even farther throughout the inhabited world to bring the Good News of salvation to others, as the Lord would extend the kingdom of God to the ends of the earth.

 

“And to die is gain” (1:21b), that is, the body would be laid to rest in peace awaiting the day of the glorious resurrection, and the soul would be carried by the angels into the presence of God to bask in the direct glory and love of God and to praise Him even in the interim before the day of the resurrection of the flesh. There is nothing in this life as glorious as that. There is nothing in this life as peaceful as that. There is nothing in this life as wondrous as that. To die is not just better, but far better. And yet, Paul did not grasp for that option. He left his deliverance in the hands of Jesus Christ His Saviour. Even knowing that it would be far better for him to depart and be with Christ in glory, he submitted to the will of the one to whom we pray, “Thy will be done.”

 

Although we recognize that suffering and death are alien invasions into the life that has been given to us by God (the tragic consequences of sin), the victory that we have through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ redeems even human suffering to be of benefit to the Christian and to the advance of the Gospel. We have the example of the suffering of St. Paul in prison, and the direction of his words of exhortation to those who were concerned for him in his suffering.

 

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27). Stand firm in the hope that you have in Jesus Christ. That faith that “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28) is the work of the Holy Spirit in you through the message of the victory of Christ over suffering and death. Be constant and steadfast in the knowledge that God is accomplishing something wondrous in you and through you even when you are suffering. People take notice (and so should you) of the hope and peace and calm that you have when you leave all things to God’s direction.

 

It is never easy to suffer. It is never pleasant to suffer or to watch someone else suffer. We should never glory in our suffering, but we should see Jesus and His glory there. We should be reminded of His suffering for us and for all upon the cross. We should be reminded of His glorious victory and His resurrection from the dead. We should take to heart the promises that He has given to us of our deliverance and resurrection, and contemplate the mystery that “it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29).

 

 

“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with your Spirit” (Philippians 4:23).