Calvary Bible Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan

When I was growing up, my parents had a grandfather clock that stood just to your left as you came in the front door. You could hear the deep tick-tock of its pendulum from every corner of the house. Inscribed above the dial was a Latin phrase: Tempus Fugit. Time Flies. That expression didn’t mean much to me. Time couldn’t move fast enough back then, but now my perspective is different.

Last Tuesday morning my son, Matt, left for a week of summer camp at Camp Barakel. I’m not a real emotional type, but it was a funny feeling to watch my son going off on his own for a week. The realization struck me that as a nine year old, he is now half way to adulthood. Time flies.

It seems that with each passing generation our world grows more and more time conscious. When God created our world, He established day and night. That was about as specific as time keeping needed to be. Those first human beings lived for hundreds of years. Sometime around the life of Abraham, the Sumerians developed a system to count seconds and minutes. Later around the time of the Exodus, the Egyptians created the sun dial to keep track of time. Today atomic clocks keep track of time using a radioactive element that cycles over 9 million times per second.

We have super precise time mechanisms, but we still have only 24 hours every day to work with. We all live with this constant tension. How much can I accomplish today?  What is truly worth investing our time in? Those questions dog us day in and day out, and the closer we get to the end of our life the more pressing they become as we look back at time that seems to be squandered.

For the past three weeks, we have been considering how it is possible to have a life full of joy. For many of us, however, the endless march of time leads more to stress and anxiety than joy. That makes it all the more surprising then to find the Apostle Paul speaking of joy in his letter to the Philippians.

If there was ever a focused person who sought to use his time for God, it was Paul. Paul seems to be one of those people who can’t sit still. The book of Acts tells us of his journeys from city to city, preaching the gospel and establishing churches throughout the Roman Empire. In most locations, Paul only stayed for a few weeks. In Romans, Paul tells of his ambition to preach the gospel where it had never been preached before (Rom 15:20). He wanted to go to Rome and then move further west to Spain. But those plans were seemingly derailed. As Paul writes Philippians, however, he is being held as a prisoner in Rome awaiting his trial before the Emperor.

Paul hadn’t really done anything worthy of imprisonment. Paul had been arrested by the Romans as a way to preserve his life when he was attacked by Jews in Jerusalem who were angered by his message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul should have been released, but the Roman governor in Palestine held him, apparently waiting for a bribe that never came. Finally, when a new governor came, Paul appealed his case to Caesar and he was sent to Rome.

The Roman Emperor at this time was a man named Nero. Most historians view the early years of his reign as generally good and beneficial to the Empire. Rumors were rampant of his personal moral debauchery, but initially he ruled well under the oversight of his mother. In AD 62, however, Nero’s mother died, and historians believe that Nero had her assassinated. At this point Nero’s reign took a major turn; he gained a reputation for being power hungry and ruthless. A notorious example of his corruption occurred in AD 64. A terrible fire swept through the city of Rome, and many Romans believed that Nero was to blame. They accused him of having the fire set so that he could rebuild the city according to his own tastes. We do not know whether Nero was responsible, but we do know that to save himself he blamed the fire upon Christians and initiated an intense period of persecution.

It may have been right around the time that Nero’s mother died, that Paul arrived in Rome. He was to stand trial before this maniacal Emperor or more likely one of his corrupt accomplices. Would they recognize Paul’s innocence and set him free? Or would they use him as a scapegoat for their political problems in Palestine? Paul didn’t know for sure, but as he awaited his trial and wrote this letter to the Philippians, his thoughts turned to time. How much time did he have left? Would he die in Rome or would he be set free to carry on his ministry? Even beyond that, how much more time would he have until the real trial—the day when Jesus Christ would return?

If I were in Paul’s place, those thoughts would weigh heavy on my heart, but Paul found joy. In Philippians 1:18-26 he writes, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.” Paul doesn’t seemed to be burdened or stressed by the passing of time. He found joy in living life on God’s schedule.

God’s perspective on time is different from ours. Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:8, “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” God is eternal. He always has been, and He always will be. We get the sense from what Peter says here that for God, all of history is laid out before Him like a timeline.

Even though God stands outside of time as we know it, He has chosen to be involved in the details of our lives. Psalm 37:23-24 states, “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.”  I think Paul deeply embraced this truth. He found joy in knowing that God was directing his steps, even when they seemed contrary to Paul’s desires and plans. Paul believed that to such a degree that it even affected his outlook on life and death. Paul knew his trial before Nero would be a crossroads. He would live or he would die, and Paul found joy in both.

The same can be true in our lives. We can discover peace and security by living life on God’s time, trusting his direction of our steps, even down to whether we live or die.  As we examine Paul’s words then, we explore his joy in death and his joy in life.

1. The Joy of Christian Death

Paul makes one of the most profound statements in the Bible here in Philippians 1:21. To live is Christ, to die is gain. What does he mean when he says, “to die is gain”?  We find out in verse 23 when Paul speaks of his desire to depart and be with Christ. But what does that mean?

Jesus himself spoke of this concept while on the cross. Do you remember the story? Luke tells it this way: One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:39-43).

This brief conversation teaches us so much. First, you don’t have to be a spiritual giant to face death with joy. This man was a criminal. He had been sentenced to death, and in the last few hours of his life he comes into contact with Jesus. In Matthew’s account, it even sounds like this criminal was initially mocking Jesus, but Luke tells us that his heart changed. He acknowledges his personal guilt from his sin. He acknowledges the righteousness of Jesus. Then he expresses his faith in Jesus’ coming kingdom. He didn’t have the opportunity to show any lasting change in his life. He wasn’t baptized. He didn’t go to church. He didn’t serve anyone or do any good deeds. All he had going for him was a simple change of heart to trust in Jesus. But that was enough for Jesus to assure him of entering Paradise. This repentant criminal had the same hope and joy that the Apostle Paul did.

Second, in Paradise all suffering will cease. This word “paradise” that Jesus used in speaking to the criminal is unusual. It is only used on three occasions in the New Testament. Outside of the Bible, the word was used to speak of a garden. But a paradise-garden takes on special meaning in the Bible. That is what we find in Genesis 1&2 before Adam and Eve fall into sin. They lived in a garden in which everything was very good. There was no suffering or death. Similarly, in the book of Revelation Jesus promises, “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God” (Rev 2:7). Our hope is that we will experience that perfect existence.

Third, the best part about Paradise is that God is there. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are all present in Paradise. Jesus makes that clear to the criminal.  He says, “Today you shall be with Me.” Many religions have envisioned places of eternal reward and places of eternal punishment. This is not unique to Christianity. Other religions, however, generally emphasize material abundance and physical pleasure in their concept of Paradise. The Bible repeatedly shows us that the best part of paradise is the presence of God.
Psalm 16:11 says, “You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

In Psalm 73:25-26, as the psalmist prays to God, he says, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

In John 14:3, Jesus says, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

Revelation 21:3 states, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.”

Fourth, believers go to Paradise immediately upon death. Some Christians are uncertain of this. Some have suggested that our souls remain in some kind of sleep until Christ returns. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that people go to purgatory to finish paying off their sins. Such views cause many people to fear death, but neither view is acceptable in light of Jesus’ words to the criminal. Jesus emphatically says that the criminal will be with Jesus “today.”

Do you understand then, why Paul would say it is much better to depart and be with Christ? For the Christian, death will be our escape from suffering and sin into the presence of Jesus. From that perspective, death is a joyful event to look forward to.

This joy gave Paul incredible boldness. He knew that if his trial before Nero resulted in death, Christ would be exalted, so he determined to be as bold and forthright as he could. That has been the pattern of many Christians down through the ages.

Roughly 200 years after Paul, another Christian leader named John Chrysostom was bold when it came to condemning sin. On one occasion he was called before the Emperor, whom he had offended.  He threatened Chrysostom with exile unless he apologized. Chrysostom replied, “You cannot exile me because this world is my father's house.” “I will kill you,” said the Emperor.  “No, you cannot, because my life is hid with Christ in God.”  “I will take away your treasures.”  “No, you cannot, for my treasure is in heaven and my heart is there.” The Emperor was furious at this point.  “I will drive you away from man and you shall have no friend left.”  “No, you cannot, for I have a friend in heaven from whom you cannot separate me...  “I defy you; for there is nothing that you can do to hurt me!”

Such a view of death is forgeign to us today.  We live in a world that greatly fears death. You see it in the way we approach health care. We spend millions and millions of dollars to preserve the lives of people who in previous generations would have died. Don’t misunderstand me. I believe that modern medicine is a great blessing, but I think many medical decisions today are motivated by our fear of death. If we believe in the hope of the gospel, isn’t there a time when recognize that it’s OK to die? I’m not minimizing the grief and loss we feel when we lose someone we love. But for the person who dies, in every case, we can say with Paul that it is much better to depart and be with Christ.

When we understand the biblical hope of Paradise the question isn’t, “How can anyone find joy in death?” The real question is,  “What motivation is there to keep living?” If Paul really desired to depart and be with Christ, why didn’t he do it? 

Although Christian death is joyful, suicide is not an option for a Christian. Paul says that he is hard pressed—he is torn between life and death. So along with understanding the joy of Christian death, we must also understand the joy of Christian life.

2. The Joy of Christian Life

Remember the other half of Paul’s statement: before he said, “To die is gain,” he said, “To live is Christ.” What does Paul mean by this? In verse 22, he says, “But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me.” Then down in verses 24-25 he says, “To remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith.” The joy of Christian life is wrapped up in ministering to people.

First, the joy of the Christian life is found in our dependence upon one another. One of the fundamental concepts of the Christian life is that God gives each Christian a spiritual gift. In 1 Corinthians 12:7 Paul says, “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  As Paul develops the concept in that chapter, he envisions the church as a human body with various parts depending upon all the other parts for survival.

Paul actually lived out this interdependence.  When he wrote to the Romans he said, “For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine” (Rom 1:11-12). Even though he was an apostle he recognized that as much as the Christians in Rome would benefit from his visit, so he would benefit from their ministry to him.

Paul saw that continuing to live and minister was “necessary” for these people in Philippi. In the same way, there are people in the church who need you to serve and use your gifts in the way that God has uniquely created you. 

Second, the joy of the Christian life is found in being the representative of Jesus Christ in someone else’s life. In 1 Peter 4:10 Peter says, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Peter goes on to speak of two broad categories of gifts: speaking gifts and serving gifts. I think it’s safe to say that every spiritual gift fits within one of these categories. The amazing point here is that these spiritual gifts are channels of God’s grace. God’s grace should be overflowing from us.  As we have experienced it, it then spills out into the lives of people around us. I think this is what Paul had in mind when he said, “To live is Christ.” He was enthralled with the idea that he got to represent Jesus Christ.

Third, the joy of the Christian life is found in the fruit of transformed lives. Sometimes I think we water down the idea of spiritual gifts to refer to any task that is done in the church. Romans 12 does mention gifts like serving, giving, and showing mercy, but I believe that these gifts are still focused on channeling the grace of God in such a way that Christians grow in their faith.

Here in Philippians, Paul speaks about continuing with them for their progress and joy in the faith. That is a good description of what happens when we use our spiritual gifts. People progress in their faith. They deepen their understanding of God.  They grow in their devotion to him.  They become more obedient and more faithful.  And we cannot miss this… when we minister to people like this it gives them joy.

What reason do we have for living?  Why don’t we all just give up and wait for God to take us to Paradise? It is because God has created you to fulfill a unique role in the body of Christ. He has designed a way for you to bear fruit – not just fruit in your own character, but fruit through your ministry in the lives of other people. Every day God gives you is another opportunity to fulfill His purpose for you.

Conclusion

As we began I mentioned that clock in my parents house. The sound of that clock sticks in my mind as a constant reminder that time is ticking away. I don’t know how long God has planned for me to live. Neither do you. My question for you this morning is, “How are you using your time? Are you focused on a lot of priorities that really may not matter for eternity?” That happens to all of us.