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REJOICE IN THE LORD: PAUL’S PRISON LETTER TO THE PHILIPPIANS
(2) REJOICING BEHIND BARS (PHIL. 1:12-30)
This morning, as we continue our series on Philippians, we come to the second half of
Philippians chapter 1 –
And Paul’s meditations on the role of suffering in the Christian life.
Before we look at what Paul has to say about it, we need to acknowledge that he was not the
only Christian to ponder the place of suffering in the lives of people who follow Jesus Christ.
Throughout the history of the church, men and women have asked big questions about it –
And in more recent times, there have been many writers, theologians and ordinary
believers who have sought to make sense of why God allows suffering in our world and in
our lives.
One such writer is the American journalist and broadcaster Philip Yancey.
A few years ago, he brought out a book entitled Disappointment with God, which deals with
some core questions Christians and others may have about suffering and its relationship to the
God of the Bible.
I have to confess – I’ve not read this book...
Though everything I have read by Philip Yancey has been thoughtful and helpful to
me.
I mention the book, because I read about one of its first editions when it was published.
On the back cover, there was a large yellow sticker placed there by the book’s publishers,
offering a ‘money-back guarantee’ –
If you weren’t completely satisfied with the book, you could write to them and you
could receive a full refund.
That sticker sent a slightly odd message to the reader of Yancey’s book:
It’s ok to be disappointed with God – but the publishers were determined that their
readers wouldn’t be disappointed with their book.
Modern-day consumers just don’t stand for that sort of disappointment...
Disappointed with God –
I wonder if Philip Yancey’s title resonates with you at all.
In my experience, a lot of people – both Christian and non-Christian – express a sense of
disappointment with God in their lives.
They are disappointed with God – with Jesus – with the church.
The Christian life is just too hard –
And for many, it just isn’t worth the struggle!
The culture in which we live assumes that suffering and struggle are bad things –
And that if we’re experiencing either of them, then we must be doing something
wrong...
Christians in the West have bought into this mindset in a big way.
Walk around any Christian bookshop, and you will find books all about how to live the
triumphant Christian life.
Triumphant over sin – triumphant over illness –
Triumphant in relationships – in family life, the workplace, church life...
You’ll find books that promise us that, if we can just unleash our potential as Christians, then
we can enjoy a life free of suffering – free of struggle –
The life God wants us to live.
These books view suffering and struggle as evils the Christian can do without –
They presume they are always contrary to God’s plan and purposes for our lives.
BUT – then we come to the second half of Philippians chapter 1 –
And Paul’s words bring us up short!
They stop us in our tracks on the way to the bookshop!
The huge and uncomfortable question they ask of us is this:
Does God want me to live a trouble-free life?
Does God want me to live a life free of suffering?
Is that God’s purpose for my life?
Let me just read for us vv.29-30 again.
Read aloud.
Paul describes suffering for Christ here as a gift from God –
On a par with believing in Christ.
What on earth does he mean by that?
What possible good could come out of our sufferings, that God would include it as a sign of
his grace?
There are other reasons why Paul’s words here might confuse us.
A meditation on the gift of suffering should feel horribly out of place in this letter –
We saw last week – Philippians is Paul’s letter on joy in the Christian life!
At first glance, a letter on joy like this one shouldn’t look out of place on the shelves of that
Christian bookshop I just mentioned –
Alongside books on leading the triumphant Christian life...
BUT – when we look closer,
Actually, it’s not a great surprise that Paul meditates on suffering here.
We also saw last week that Paul is writing this letter from prison in Rome.
He’s been imprisoned elsewhere for at least 3 years – and his Roman imprisonment
would last at least 2 years.
Paul was ‘in chains’ as he wrote this letter – he was denied his freedom and facing possible
execution –
So, in fact it’s not surprising that Paul should meditate on suffering in this letter.
What is surprising – is what Paul says about it!
According to Paul –
Suffering for Christ is a vital part of following Christ – and God uses experiences of
suffering to bring about his good purposes in our lives and in our world.
Now – I don’t want to be glib or trite about suffering here this morning –
But neither did Paul!
In Philippians 1, we are reading insights God had given to Paul – at tremendous personal cost
to Paul!
Let’s be clear –
Paul was no masochist!
Neither was he a Buddhist, trying to suggest to us that suffering is just an illusion, a feeling
that truly spiritual people should be able to switch off.
No – for Paul, suffering for Christ – was just that: suffering!
It hurt!
We can be left in no doubt from the warmth and affection of Paul’s opening prayer for the
Philippians that if he’d had the choice, he would be free from his prison in Rome –
And he’d be with his Philippian friends again!
Paul was a driven and gifted evangelist and planter of churches –
He would never have chosen to spend 5 years of the prime of his life in chains –
Unable to travel the Gentile world with the good news of Jesus Christ.
In Philippians 1, we are reading insights into the Christian life and the purposes of God that
have been hard-won –
Who knows the questions and doubts Paul would have wrestled with during those
years in prison?
What we do have today is Paul’s remarkable perspective on suffering in the Christian life –
And it’s a perspective we can all learn from!
If you’re a Christian here this morning – you need to hear Paul on this!
You need to be prepared for suffering and struggle when they come – because Paul is
convinced: they will come!
Maybe you’ve already experienced great suffering as you’ve followed Jesus – maybe you’re
in the middle of a time of great struggle today.
You can listen to Paul here on the place of suffering in the Christian life – he knows
what he’s talking about.
Or maybe you’re not a Christian here this morning –
Well, you need to hear this too!
There’s no point considering becoming a Christian without first being clear what is involved
in following Jesus –
And Paul is clear here: contrary to some modern-day presentations of the gospel,
following Jesus will involve struggle and times of suffering for him.
So – let’s look at this passage together now.
We’ve already acknowledged that for many modern-day Christians, experiences of suffering
can be hard for us to understand.
Is this really God’s will for me?
Have I somehow stepped out of God’s purposes for my life? Is that why I’m
experiencing a time of frustration and opposition?
Well, it seems from v.12 that the Philippian Christians shared a lot of those questions when it
came to Paul’s imprisonment.
They couldn’t help thinking of Paul’s imprisonment as a tragedy –
Even a disaster!
With Paul in prison, the early church was missing its foremost evangelist –
So surely the spread of the gospel across the Gentile world was suffering as a result?
Perhaps some believers even thought that the devil had somehow arranged this imprisonment,
to put a stop to Paul’s ministry –
And now they are afraid that the devil was winning...!
But Paul writes to reassure them –
His time in prison was not a disaster – quite the opposite in fact:
Read v.12.
Here is Paul’s key insight into the place of suffering in God’s good purposes:

Suffering for Christ helps to advance the gospel
In the world – and in our lives!
Look at v.12 again with me.
See how Paul phrases himself here?
He describes his imprisonment as ‘what has happened to me’.
Paul hadn’t planned to spend 5 years in prison – it’s not what he would have chosen to
happen –
But it had happened!
And God had graciously enabled Paul to see something of his good purposes in Paul’s
time in prison.
And rather than hindering the spread of the gospel – Paul’s time in prison has actually helped
the spread of the gospel!
Read v.13.
The palace guard in Rome – known as the Praetorian guard – numbered between 13,000 and
14,000 soldiers.
As a free man, Paul could never have won himself such a large audience of Roman soldiers –
But because of Paul’s chains, huge numbers of Roman soldiers were hearing about
Jesus Christ!
Paul would probably have been chained to a Roman soldier at all times as part of his house
arrest –
And it’s not difficult to imagine what Paul might have done with that arrangement...
First thing in the morning, a member of the palace guard begins his shift with Paul – and
locks Paul’s chains to himself.
“Hello, I’m Paul,” the prisoner says. “What’s your name?”
The soldier gives his name and possibly rank.
“And where do you come from?”
The soldier tells him.
“Have you travelled far across the empire? Where were you stationed last?”
The soldier tells him.
“Oh, Thessalonica? I know the place well! I spent a great few weeks there a few years
ago...!”
The soldier asks what Paul was doing there.
“I was telling people all about a man called Jesus Christ. He’s the Son of God, you see, and
he died and rose again so we could have peace with the living God.”
And the soldier’s shift with Paul would continue...
Twelve hours later, the soldier’s shift is over –
He unlocks himself from Paul and hands over to another soldier, who dutifully locks
Paul’s chains to himself.
“Hello, I’m Paul,” the prisoner says. “What’s your name?” ...
v.13 – ‘it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard that I am in chains for
Christ.’
As a prisoner, Paul had what was literally a captive audience of Roman soldiers to hear about
the gospel of Jesus Christ –
And Paul used it!
It was only as a prisoner that Paul had access to the palace guard –
And he recognised God’s hand in that.
13,000 soldiers – all of whom needed to hear about the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Paul wouldn’t have chosen this opportunity –
But he was determined to make the most of it!
Paul was convinced that his imprisonment was actually a sign of God’s grace towards those
Roman soldiers!
And Paul’s chains didn’t just bless the palace guard...!
Read v.14.
Paul also made an enormous impact on the believers in Rome!
Acts 28 tells us that while in prison, Paul ‘welcomed all who came to see him’ –
And that would have included his ‘brothers in the Lord’ in Rome.
Paul could personally encourage these believers that the word of Christ was trustworthy and
powerful!
He could share his own experiences of God giving him the courage to share the gospel of
Christ with people –
And the very fact that Paul was willing to be a prisoner for Christ – to lose his
freedom for the sake of Jesus – would have had an enormous impact on every believer who
saw him.
Paul wanted the Philippians to know:
God was using his imprisonment to share the gospel with huge numbers of Roman
soldiers –
And God was encouraging large numbers of believers in Rome to spread the word of
God courageously and fearlessly, thanks to Paul.
God was using Paul’s sufferings in prison to advance the spread of the gospel in the world!
And God still uses the suffering of his people to advance the gospel in our world today.
You only have to glance over the history of Christian mission to see that.
For example, the American missionary Jim Elliot and four others were speared to death by
the Huaorani Indians in Ecuador as they sought to share the gospel with them in January
1956.
The result?
Thousands of other Christians were so moved by their sacrifice that they ‘were
encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly’ –
Both those who remained at home, and those who followed Elliot into the mission
field.
And within a few years, large numbers of the Huaorani Indians themselves became Christians
–
So impressed were they by the price Elliot and his companions were willing to pay to
tell them about Christ.
And Jim Elliot is not the only missionary who through his suffering, advanced the gospel in
this world:
Just think of David Brainerd – Hudson Taylor – CT Studd.
All of them suffered for Christ – and their suffering had an enormous impact on both
the people they worked amongst and the following generations of Christians who followed
them.
Our world is not interested simply in hearing words about Jesus –
But when people see followers of Jesus willing to suffer to make him known, they
will sit up and pay attention.
For Paul, his suffering helped validate his message –
And Christians who suffer for Christ have the same effect today.
God uses the suffering of his people to open the eyes of the world to the truth of the gospel.
That was Paul’s experience in prison in Rome – and it has been the experience of
countless others throughout history, right up to the present day.
And suffering for Christ does not just advance the gospel in our world –
It also advances the spread of the gospel in the lives of individual believers.

Suffering for Christ helps to advance the gospel
o In the world
o In our lives
According to Paul, suffering for Christ is not just the preserve of apostles and missionaries –
No, we are all called to suffer for Christ if we’re Christians!
And it wasn’t that Paul’s sufferings were a special case and that luckily some good came out
of them –
No, in vv.29-30 Paul argues that ‘suffering for Christ’ is, amazingly, a sign of God’s
grace to every Christian!
Suffering for Christ is a vital part of following Christ –
And God will often bring about his good purposes in our lives through experiences of
suffering.
In fact, the shocking thing about the New Testament is that again and again it argues that
without God’s people experiencing some measure of suffering, opposition or frustration in
their lives –
There would be very little rejoicing in the Lord in our lives!
Suffering for Christ leads to a deeper knowledge of Christ and his grace –
And results in a more Christ-like and compassionate nature in a Christian, that will
simply not develop without that experience of suffering.
Let’s finish by looking at some of Paul’s insights into how God uses times of suffering and
frustration in the Christian life to advance
 our understanding of
 and joy in the gospel of Jesus Christ!
God’s grace in our suffering
First of all, Paul learnt that:
 Through suffering, we are forced to trust not in ourselves, but in God’s sovereignty
Reading over the book of Acts and Paul’s letters in the New Testament, it’s clear:
Paul was a remarkably gifted man.
And there are places in his letters where he alludes to some struggles with pride as a result.
How did God help Paul overcome his tendency towards pride?
Paul is absolutely clear – through allowing Paul to go through times of suffering in
his life!
Sitting in prison in Rome, Paul was forced to see something that became more and more
precious to him in his life:
Paul was not the measure of all things!
It wasn’t all about Paul – it was all about Christ!
In prison, Paul was forced to face up to his limitations.
He wasn’t allowed to travel round Rome, sharing the gospel with people –
That was now the job of the Roman Christians – and Paul had to learn to rejoice in
that!
There may well have been times when Paul thought he could have done it more effectively –
But he was forced to trust God that he knew what he was doing, and that God had
good purposes in Paul’s imprisonment.
Paul’s chains taught him humility in a profound way –
And forced him to place his life into God’s hands, rather than believing that Paul was
somehow master of his own destiny.
And if we’re honest, don’t we see that it’s the same with us?
Experiences of suffering and struggle force us to trust in God’s sovereignty, rather than in
ourselves –
Because events feel so far beyond our control!
Often, God uses experiences of suffering to draw people to himself in the first place.
I can think of many Christians I’ve met over the years who have come to trust in Jesus
because of an experience of suffering in their lives –
During a period of illness –
Or after the death of a loved one.
They were confronted with their own limitations – and were struck by how much they needed
God in their lives –
And so they came to trust in Christ.
But God’s gift of suffering doesn’t end at someone’s conversion!
We are all naturally proud people –
And when things are good in our lives, our first instinct is not to thank God – but to
claim glory for ourselves.
So God allows his people to experience opposition – hardship – frustration, as we follow him
–
To show us just how much we need to rely on God in our lives!
Look at v. 30 again.
The life of the Christian is a struggle –
And it’s meant to be!
We struggle with our own sinful hearts –
We struggle with living in a world that is hostile to God and thinks we’re mad to
follow Christ –
We struggle against the devil and his attacks on us.
If you’ve experienced struggle in your life as a Christian –
If you’re experiencing struggle today –
Then, it’s not because you’re somehow ‘doing it wrong’...
It may well be the sign that God is doing something very important in your life!
That God, in his grace, wants to show you more of his faithfulness and grace towards you
during this period of struggle!
And let’s be clear –
When Paul talks about ‘suffering for Christ’, he’s not just talking about suffering in a
dramatic, spectacular way.
Paul’s time in prison did not involve him being tortured every day No doubt, some of the toughest times were the times of isolation – and even boredom.
And for many of us, the hardest thing about rejoicing in knowing Jesus is when our lives just
seem to be a little dull –
When life seems mundane and unexciting.
‘Suffering for Christ’ includes times of frustration –
Times when we feel as if we will never grow in our love for Christ –
Times when our hearts just seem cold towards him.
It can include the struggles we have to remain faithful to Christ, while dealing with family
responsibilities –
With pressures at work –
With the ups and downs of our own emotions.
The Christian life is a struggle –
And Paul says: it’s meant to be!
Because in this struggle, we are forced to stop trusting in ourselves –
And to start trusting in the sovereign God who has good purposes for us in the midst
of our struggles!
Secondly, and paradoxically –

Through suffering, we learn more of God’s goodness to us
In vv.18-26, Paul contemplates his future.
Paul’s trial before Caesar will either result in his freedom –
Or in his execution.
But either way, Paul has become convinced of God’s goodness towards him.
v.21 is the record of Paul’s amazing perspective on life and death from prison:
‘For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.’
Can you see Paul’s confidence in God’s sovereignty and goodness here?
What Paul isn’t saying is simply –
“I want to die and go to heaven.”
Neither is he saying –
“I need to live to do great things for Jesus!”
Through his suffering, Paul has learnt that either life or death will ultimately be for Paul’s
good!
If Paul lives, he will live with Christ –
And his knowledge and experience of Christ’s love and patience with him will grow.
If Paul dies, then he will be ‘with Christ’ –
Which is ‘better by far’ (v.23), but which is no less assured if he goes on living for
another 20 years...!
As a church, we should pray for Paul’s amazing perspective on life and death to shape our
lives – and lead us to worship God and delight in him!
Life for the Christian is a struggle –
And it can only be lived in full dependence on Christ and his grace towards us.
As a church, we should pray that our lives are rooted in Christ, so we can say with Paul –
For us, to live is Christ!
And as we depend on him, we will find him more and more to be the loving priest and king
who is compassionate with us –
Patient with us –
Gracious towards us!
And because our lives are in Christ’s hands, death doesn’t have to frighten us!
If we die before Christ returns, we will be with Christ in heaven –
And then, once Christ returns, we will receive resurrection bodies and be with him in
the glorious new creation!
‘To die’, for the Christian, ‘is gain’ –
Thanks to Christ, our future is assured!
Amazingly, for the Christian, either life or death is for our good –
And so we can rejoice in God’s goodness to us!
Paul’s final perspective on God’s grace in our suffering draws together the first two:

Through suffering, we gain a deeper knowledge of Christ, who suffered for us
God’s good purposes in our suffering ultimately settle on his desire that we grow in our
knowledge of his Son, Jesus Christ –
And in the process, we ourselves are transformed and made more like him.
Next week, we’re going to see what imitating Christ should look like in our life as a church –
But for now, Paul leaves us with a rallying call:
Read v.27 – ‘Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel
of Christ.’
‘Whatever happens...’
Paul knows that every Christian is different – and he doesn’t claim to know what will
happen either to himself or to the Philippian Christians.
And similarly, none of us knows what the future holds for our lives.
Some of us may go on to suffer greatly for Christ –
While others may feel as if we’ve been spared any significant suffering in our lives.
Our lives are not ultimately in our hands – they are in the hands of the sovereign God.
What is in our control, however, is how we live the life God has given to us.
And Paul urges us here –
Live your lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ!
And what does that mean?
Clearly, it doesn’t mean: ‘Live a morally upright life’ –
‘live a religious life’ –
‘somehow, earn your salvation!’
That would be precisely to deny the gospel of Christ!
What Paul is getting at here is quite different.
In your life – whatever happens –
Whether freedom or frustration – whether sickness or health – in good times and in
bad –
Trust in Christ – and him alone!
And as you suffer and struggle for him, you will grasp in a deeper way Christ’s suffering
and struggle for you – to win your salvation!
We follow a crucified Lord –
And so, if we truly want to know him and find joy in him, then we must also suffer
for him.
When that suffering comes, it’s possible for us to react with bitterness – with resentment.
It’s possible for us to react by walking away from Christ.
But Paul urges the Philippians – and us – to react differently!
‘The gospel of Christ’ is centred on the cross of Christ –
On the Son of God who submitted himself to his Father and underwent enormous
suffering, so we could have peace with God and joy in knowing him.
Live in a manner worthy of that gospel –
Worthy of that Christ!
Entrust yourself to God – whatever happens to you!
Hold on to the promise that God’s purposes for you are good – whether in life or in death!
And as you struggle with frustration and suffering, ask Jesus to show you more of himself –
And how he suffered for us, so that you can pick up your cross and follow him!
Read v.12.
Suffering for Christ advances the gospel in our world –
When Christians are prepared to suffer for their faith in Christ, people are forced to sit
up and pay attention.
In suffering for Christ, we demonstrate Christ’s character to a watching world!
And suffering for Christ advances the gospel in our hearts – and paradoxically can increase
our joy in knowing Christ!


As we experience Christ’s compassion for us as we suffer for him –
As we begin to understand more fully the preciousness of his mercy on us as we
struggle to live for him –

As we learn, with Christ, to look beyond our suffering to the joy set before us and the
final end of suffering in the new creation – and so trust in his good purposes for us
here.
Read v.29 –
Suffering is a sign of God’s grace towards us.
Let’s pray that we can trust in his good purposes for us when we suffer –
And rely on his grace towards us.
Some words from the eighteenth-century hymn-writer William Cowper:
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.