Having a spouse is helpful. One way my wife has been helping me over the years is by exposing me to different perspectives. In other words, we’ve had plenty of disagreements. We debate where we should spend our money and how we should spend our time together. We even disagree about where we should live. My wife prefers living in a house. I prefer living in a condominium unit. Why do we have different preferences? Because we’ve had different experiences growing up. My wife grew up in a house in the province. She’s had plenty of fond memories there with her family and friends. I also lived in a house when I was a kid. But whenever I recall that time, one bad memory sticks out. I was in first grade and was coming home from school. As soon as I arrived, I saw a police car outside our house and police officers inside. I looked around and saw my younger brother. His face was in shock. A thief broke into our house and destroyed the filing cabinet in my parents’ bedroom looking for jewelry. Thankfully, the thief didn’t hurt my brother. But all my brother could do was hide under his bed.
Some years later, our family moved into a condo. One thing stood out to me as we were living there. Everywhere I looked inside our compound, I saw security guards. Words can’t describe how much peace and relief that gave me. I no longer had to worry as much as I did before that someone might break into our home and hurt my family.
We have security guards in this church. They serve a very important function. They give the members of our church a sense of security and relief. Why is this important? Because we all want security. We all want to feel secure that the things and people we value the most will not be harmed. In Christ, we also receive security. But what kind of security does the Christian life offer us? Today’s passage will teach us two truths about our security in Christ.
Truth #1: Our security comes from God.
“Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for 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.” (Philippians 1:18b-19)
Paul was just talking about his imprisonment. People were persecuting him for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some of us don’t enjoy sharing the gospel of Jesus to the world. Why? We want to avoid persecution. We know people will oppose us if we preach the gospel. Some people will attack us for heralding Christ. Paul knows this more than any of us. He experienced persecution. And yet, what was Paul’s attitude during his time of tribulation? “I will continue to rejoice.” Paul still found reasons to be joyful. How is this possible? It is because of this: “for I know.” Paul knows something. He has assurance in his knowledge. He is secure in his knowledge. What does Paul know? What is he assured of? Where does his security come from? It comes from knowing that “what has happened to [him] will turn out for [his] deliverance.” Paul has assurance that he will be delivered.
Later, we will discuss what kind of salvation or deliverance Paul is describing here. But for now, I want us to notice the source of Paul’s security here in verse 19. How will Paul receive this deliverance? He will receive it “through [their] prayers” and through “the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” This deliverance that Paul is describing comes from God. If we are in Christ, and if we pursue the mission of Christ, God will be the one who will protect us. He is the one who will give us true security.
I have five siblings. My parents worked hard to provide for all of us. When my father went for a job interview in a company, the interviewers asked him, “We have plenty of qualified candidates. Why should we hire you?” His answer: “I have six children.” Everyone understands what it means to be a father. To be a father is to do whatever it takes to provide for your family. If you are a child of God in Christ, then you have a heavenly Father who loves you and will do everything to provide for you. This is where our security comes from. Our security does not come from our achievements. It does not come from our hard work. It does not come from the generosity of other people around us. If we are in Christ, and if we follow Christ with all our hearts, then we have the Sovereign God in heaven as our Abba Father. We know he cares for us and will not let us fall. Our security comes from the love of our Father in heaven.
This is the first truth that today’s passage is teaching us today. Our security comes from God. We don’t rely on our family and friends for our ultimate security. We don’t rely on ourselves and our abilities. Our ultimate security comes from the love of our Almighty God. But what exactly is the kind of security that we receive from God? Is it a security that assures us we will be healed from all our sicknesses and live a long life? Is it a security that assures us of eternal life? The next truth that we will learn from this passage will answer this question.
Truth #2: Our security is knowing that we will fulfill our mission.
“I 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.” (Philippians 1:20)
It is not obvious here in our English translation. But in the original Greek text, verses 19 and 20 are connected. Paul is describing here in verse 20 the kind of deliverance or salvation he was just talking about in the previous verse. In verse 19, Paul is sure that “what has happened to [him] will turn out for [his] deliverance.” He is sure that he will be rescued. But what kind of rescuing will he receive? He explains: “that I will in no way be ashamed.”
When we talk about salvation in church, we often think about two things. (1) Going to heaven, or (2) receiving health, wealth, and prosperity. In this passage, Paul is talking about neither of these two are the kind of deliverances. Rather, this is the kind of deliverance Paul expects from God: “that I will in no way be ashamed.”
Remember what Paul has been talking about in the previous verses (vv. 15-18)? Some preachers have been preaching Christ out of selfish ambition. They are competing with Paul. They want to make him feel ashamed that they are bringing more souls to Christ during his imprisonment. Paul is not afraid of being ridiculed in society. He is not ashamed of being poor, imprisoned, attacked, or slandered. Paul has devoted his entire life to one thing. If Paul is going to be ashamed of anything, he would be ashamed of this: that he cannot glorify Christ. That is the context of Paul’s shame. Paul’s imprisonment appears to be keeping him from fulfilling his life’s mission.
And yet, Paul believes he will be rescued even from this “shame.” God called Paul to preach the gospel. And Paul is certain that God will enable him to fulfill this mission. That’s why he wrote, “I 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.” Even though Paul is in prison and can’t preach Christ openly, he has complete assurance from the Lord that his God-given mission will be fulfilled.
Someone might ask, “Is this true? Is Paul really talking about this kind of deliverance? Is he really not hoping and praying that he would be delivered from prison?” Look at the end of verse 20: “whether by life or by death.” Paul doesn’t care at all whether he lives or dies. So how could he care about being rescued from prison? The kind of rescuing Paul is longing for is not to be rescued from the pain of imprisonment. Paul’s only ambition is to magnify Christ.
Other folks might wonder, “Maybe Paul is talking about eternal life. Maybe he is referring to his assurance of salvation. Perhaps that’s why he says ‘whether by life or by death.’ Because even if he dies, since he believes in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, it’s okay. Either way, he’s going to heaven in the end.” Although that is true, and that kind of security should embolden us to preach Christ all the more, that is not the kind of security Paul is talking about here. Notice what Paul wrote. The kind of assurance that Paul is celebrating in this text is “that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body.” Paul is not seeking to be rescued from suffering. If you are in Christ, then we all will experience that eternal happiness in heaven. Paul is not talking about that kind of deliverance in this passage. Rather, he is talking about being rescued from meaningless suffering. Paul celebrates the assurance that his suffering fulfills a greater purpose. This is the assurance Paul celebrates. This is the true security we have as Christians if we follow Christ. Our security is knowing that we will fulfill our mission.
There are many parents here with us today. You don’t need me preaching this to you because you know this already. You know that there is more to life than just living and dying. How do you know this? Because you know that if it is a choice between you and your children, you will choose your children over yourself. Even if it means that you will suffer, if it is for the sake of a greater purpose, i.e., the well-being of your children, you will make the ultimate sacrifice.
Paul lived for a purpose greater than himself. His ambition is not to glorify himself or to seek pleasure and security for his earthly life. His highest ambition is to glorify the name of Jesus Christ and to make him known to the ends of the earth. Therefore, the security that Paul receives from God in his time of imprisonment is not the promise of freedom or material blessing. His hope is not in knowing that he will be saved forever in eternity. He knows that, of course, but that is not what he is talking about here in verse 20. The kind of deliverance that Paul celebrates is that, whether he lives or dies, he will surely fulfill his mission: to glorify Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
What are the two truths about the security that we can have in Christ if we follow him? First, our security comes from God. Second, our security is knowing that we will fulfill our mission. Yes, we are also secure in knowing that we will be with our God in heaven when we die. That is a glorious truth worth celebrating. But Paul is celebrating a different kind of security—knowing that if we live for Christ in this life, everything we do for him matters for eternity. This promise is so crucial. Why? There are so many false preachers in the world who will tell you that, if you follow Christ, then you will have material blessings. You will become rich. You won’t ever get sick. If you follow Christ, then everything in this life will go well for you. This is not true. You know how I know it’s not true? Because of experience.
One of my biggest inspirations in life was my uncle. My uncle was the senior pastor of the church where I grew up. He didn’t just preach Christ every week. He truly lived for Jesus. The most blessed times I’ve had during my childhood were visiting him and his family in their home and seeing how my uncle treated his wife and kid. Although they weren’t as well off as my parents were, they were truly blessed. My uncle is the reason why I never dreaded becoming a pastor, even though I knew I would never become rich through this vocation.
About twelve years ago, my uncle passed away. He was 54 years old. He died of cancer. We prayed earnestly that God would save him from his sickness. He didn’t recover. He passed away. And all I could think about at that time was this: how could God allow his servant to suffer and die this way? So many people in the world deserve to die much more than my uncle did. My uncle was serving the Lord and preaching the gospel. Why did God have to take him?
This is why, when some preachers say that, “If you follow Christ, everything will go well with you,” I don’t believe them. When preachers say, just ask God with all your heart, and he will give you whatever you want, I don’t believe them. They are misinterpreting the passages they are quoting and are just using them as proof text. How do I know this? Because I know from experience that if you follow Christ with all your heart, you may become rich, or you may become poor. You may get well from your sickness through a miracle, or you may not get well. If you follow Christ, you may live a long life, or you may die young. God does not promise us material blessings in this present earthly life. We get all of those blessings later in the life to come. What he does promise us in this life is this: whether we live or die in this life, if we follow Christ, “Christ will be exalted” in our bodies. If we devote our lives to follow Christ, then our suffering in this life will never be in vain. By the grace of God, we will fulfil our glorious purpose.
My uncle passed away about twelve years ago. During his funeral, so many people went to pay their respect. We couldn’t even fit in one floor, so some of us had to stay on another floor while service was happening. So many people shared stories of how their lives have been influenced by my uncle’s life and ministry, and how he has shared with them the love of Christ. I realized then and there that is the kind of life I want to live. I may not become the richest person. I may not live the longest life. But I want my life to count, in the same way that my uncle’s life counted. I want to share Christ with as many people as I can. The Lord promises that, if we devote our lives to him and if we follow Christ, then he will use us for his glory.