Why?

 

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 4 JULY 2021 – MR IAN BOOTH

PHILIPPIANS 1 VERSES 12 – 19

 

Why is a big question.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  Many people standing at the side of the grave will ask “why is my loved one taken, so young in life?”  A teenager not allowed to go places will ask why.  There is no answer that pacifies the enquirer.  We see that question was on the mind of the Philippian church.  Why has Paul been in prison for so long?  Why is he being held?  Why doesn’t God let him go free?  The first time Paul was in Philippi he was only there for a short period of time.  At night God sent an earthquake and opened the doors of the prison house Paul and Silas were being held in.  The Philippian jailer took them home, fed and washed their wounds.  Now 2 years later he is still in prison.  Why is he being so restricted in his ministry?  In verses 12 and 13 Paul tries to answer that why question.  Maybe the question why is on your mind today.  Why has this pandemic happened?  Why is our worship held back?  God has allowed this to happen – “it is for the furtherance of the gospel.”  We all believe this morning in the sovereignty of God.  We believe God is in control of all events.  What is happening is being allowed of God.  I am not saying God sent it but he has allowed it for a purpose.  The Lord has done it for a reason.  Perhaps we have become too comfortable.  For the Philippian church Paul told them “I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.”  God gives us opportunities to speak to people in all sorts of circumstances.  We need to watch for every opportunity.  Think of the passion of the apostle Paul – to reach out to men and women and to preach the gospel.  On that day on the Damascus road God had given him a vision for preaching the gospel.  The heartbeat of Paul was that he might make Christ known to others.  He was willing to die for the gospel.  He had a reputation for being hostile to the church at one time.  “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain.”  Paul said “I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live … for Christ who died for me and gave his life for me.”  What motivates you today?  That drives you out to knock doors, to give out leaflets?  Surely it has to be to support the gospel.  What do you live for?  What takes up your time and thinking?  I don’t have a passion for computers and social media in general but look at how it has been effective in spreading the gospel recently.  The gospel has got to be our main focus, got to be that overwhelming desire, that others would have a response to the gospel.  Paul’s passion was for the gospel.  Do we have that passion to reach our loved ones for the gospel?  Is that we would come out of this lockdown with that same passion?  In the book of Acts and Paul’s letters you can see something of the passion of Paul reaching out to his day and his generation.  Paul cannot reach our generation today.  We have that job to do.  We can see something of Paul’s passion by the things he sacrificed.  Philippians 3 verse 4 he counted it all as rubbish in order to gain something of Christ.  Paul gave of his reputation but he sacrificed time and energy.  He shared with many people in different places – why – because of his love for the gospel.  He knew what it was to have nothing.  The times when he had everything and others had nothing.    He was willing to travel to places where the gospel had never been preached.  It is easy for a stranger to come to a place where people want to hear the gospel but Paul went to places where people didn’t want to hear the gospel but needed to hear it.  Paul carried the gospel to the uttermost parts of his world.  “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me there is no sacrifice too great for me to make for him.” C T Studd.  Maybe you have given of your time and energy.  What motivates you today in order that the gospel might be spread?  Paul had one focus in mind – Jesus’ sacrifice.  What have we sacrificed that our generation might hear the gospel?  The things Paul sacrificed.

 

The things Paul said.  Paul made great statements – Acts 21 verse 13 “What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”  Romans 15 verse 20 “Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation.”  Perhaps we have promised to go and do the utmost to spread the gospel for Christ yet later we excuse ourselves from telling our neighbours. 

The things Paul suffered.  2 Corinthians 11 verses 23 – 28.  What Paul suffered was unbelievable.  Paul continued to return to places where he hadn’t been welcomed before.  He still went and preached the gospel because that was his passion in life.  It did not matter what men thought or said, it didn’t matter to him.  Paul was unafraid to speak the gospel.  In these words we see not only his passion.  He was also submitted.  Paul came to that understanding when he was in prison.  That is where God was using him.  Paul sees these things as an opportunity to glorify God, to reach out with the gospel.  Do we see this pandemic to get out and reach others with the gospel?  Progressing, going forward?  We do not find him complaining.  He was submitted to God.  God has a better plan for your life and mine.  He knows the end from the beginning.  He knows the steps we take, the way we should go.  Today we are frustrated with our churches not being able to gather together.  The gospel is still going forward by the internet, Facebook, other social media.  In fact the gospel is reaching more today than ever before.  People are listening on the far side of the world today.  They are hearing the gospel today.  The pandemic has given us opportunities.  People are asking questions – God is still blessing the church today.  We should be thankful today.  The gospel is going out today.  In Acts 3 when there was a great persecution in the church the people were scattered abroad.  God used that opportunity to spread the gospel.  They went everywhere preaching the gospel.  God will not ever stop it happening.  We see it not only in scripture.  John Bunyan preached but he was put into prison.  He used that opportunity to preach in the prison and the people outside gathered to hear him preach.  From there he wrote the book “Pilgrim’s Progress”.  If Paul had not been in prison we would never have all these letters today.  Paul says in verse 18 that he not only preached the gospel but loved the gospel.  In all his ministry the gospel was going forth.  He is sharing the gospel in the palace.  Philippians 4 verses 21 and 21 “of Caesar’s household”.  If Paul had never appealed to go to him we would never have heard the gospel today.  Think of the centurions who accompanied him.  Soldiers were chained to him.  He presented his case to King Agrippa.  He preached unto him righteousness and the judgment to come.  Remember all heaven rejoiceth over one sinner that repenteth.  Even though Paul is bound God is not bound.  Verse 13 he is rejoicing that others are preaching the gospel too.  Verse 18 he is rejoicing  that Christ is being preached.  You and I may not agree with other peoples preaching but we have to rejoice in the fact that the gospel is being preached by the grace of God.  Faith alone in Christ.  Paul is rejoicing at every opportunity he was being given.  The gospel is still going out despite the pandemic.  There are men and women watching our lives.  We have got to be living out the gospel.  People were watching Paul and others became bold because they were watching Paul in prison.  Surely God could use us to reach out to our neighbours.  Are we sharing the gospel today?