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From Philippians 1:12-20: What’s your greatest desire in life? Paul had an eager expectation for something very specific. If we want to live into the life God is calling us to, we’ll adopt that same expectation, that same desire.
Short Clip
What is your greatest desire?
When you step back and look at your life, your actions, your dreams, your aspirations, what does all that point toward?
Maybe your greatest desire is to have a happy, healthy family. You know, the hallmark picture of family dinner with everyone smiling and laughing, and enjoying each other. Family. Maybe that’s your greatest desire.
Or maybe while you’d admit having a happy, healthy family is a very noble desire and maybe you’d even aspire to want that to be your greatest desire, but if you’re honest, after considering your actions and your dreams, your goals and your life, maybe your greatest desire is money. You want to have resources. And the interesting thing about this desire is that it can be your greatest desire whether you’re well-off financially or whether you’re struggling to keep your head above water.
Or maybe you’re a little simpler than that, at least in your mind. Maybe your greatest desire is to simply have a good reputation. To be thought of positively. To be respected in your industry or in the community. You might notice that when someone doesn’t think well of you it eats you up and when someone is positive toward you it brings you so much happiness that it often feels like your feelings are dictated by others more than anything else.
Or maybe, after considering the pattern and common thread throughout your life, you’d say that avoiding pain and experiencing more comfort is your greatest desire. You know, you want to avoid stress so you don’t take the promotion. You want to avoid conflict so you avoid a friendship. You want to avoid pain so you choose not to change even though you know your health requires it.
Or maybe none of those resonate and you see that your greatest desire is to have fun. You want life to be an adventure of happiness and that is the lens you look at things through and make decisions through. Is it fun? Will it be fun? If yes, then the answers’ yes. If no, well there you go.
These are insufficient “greatest desires”
No matter where you and I land on these greatest desires, one thing we cannot miss is how fleeting they all are.
If any of these things sit at the pre-eminent place in our hearts, we’re going to be in for a world of hurt because these aims will never fully satisfy. In fact, they are all destined to be let downs eventually.
But there is a better way, a better option.
As we dive into the book of Philippians, we’re going to see the greatest aim we can have in life and how having our greatest desire formed by Jesus changes everything for the better.
Philippians: Finding Joy in a Discouraging World
Last week we began our series in Philippians and we got to see the origin story of the Philippian church and how the gospel had disrupted social barriers like sexism, classism, and racism. We saw how deeply Paul adores this church in Philippi and how he wants to encourage them even though he himself is in chains.
And at the end, we read what Paul was praying for the Philippian church and I challenged us all to make Paul’s prayer our prayer.
This is what he said he was praying for (Philippians 1:9-11):
9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
He wanted them to be able to approve the things that are superior and be pure and blameless in the day of Christ Jesus.
Now, he didn’t dive into specifics on what these superior things were that he was referring to, but as we move through this letter, I think we’re going to see what he had in mind.
So, if you have a Bible, turn to Philippians, chapter 1. And by the way, a few of you have asked me what Bible translation I have been using. I’ll mix it up at various times, but most of the time I’ve been using the CSB, the Christian Standard Bible. It’s a newer translation, it’s an accurate and easy-to-read translation that I have been liking a lot.
So let’s dive in.
Philippians 1:12-20 — Two Questions
12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is because I am in Christ. 14 Most of the brothers have gained confidence in the Lord from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the word fearlessly. 15 To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will. 16 These preach out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment. 18 What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice 19 because I know this will lead to my salvation through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 20 My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
As we move through this passage, there are two questions I want us to consider throughout.
The one I’ve already asked you, but now we’re going to ask Paul: what’s your greatest desire?
Here’s the second question: what’s the default narrative you believe and live in?
What’s your greatest desire? And what’s the default narrative, the meta-story, the big story you believe and live in?
Because we all have desires and we all operate and live inside of the stories we believe.
There’s no way around it.
And this is a good thing. It’s a gift from God that we are people who have desires and live inside of stories.
The problem comes in when we get our desires wrong and when we believe and live in false stories.
So let’s see how this plays out.
Philippians 1:12-13
12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is because I am in Christ.
What does the gospel do? It advances.
Any barrier that comes against it, the gospel destroys it.
As we’ve already seen: sexism? Jewish men would thank God that they weren’t women. Being a woman wasn’t a positive thing in the first-century world. But guess who God rescued first in Philippi? Lydia. A woman.
Classism? Jewish men would thank God that they weren’t slaves. But guess who God rescued second in Philippi? A slave girl who was possessed by an evil spirit.
Racism? Jewish men would thank God that they weren’t gentiles. But guess who God rescued third in Philippi? A gentile prison guard.
What does the gospel do? It advances.
Even when its messengers are in chains, it advances.
So let’s throw in some persecution.
You know, ever since God became flesh and dwelt among us, there has been a concerted effort to persecute Jesus, to silence Jesus, both when he was here on earth, and ever since he ascended to heaven after he “peaced out” from the grave.
You know what happened after Jesus was born and King Herod found out that a baby was being called the King, right?
He went on a baby killing rampage.
The story of Jesus is filled with persecution. It’s filled with threats. It’s filled with danger. It’s filled with scheming against Him.
But you know what?
No matter what the devil threw at Him, Jesus kept advancing.
And when the devil thought that he had Jesus right where he wanted, Jesus flipped it on Him.
Yeah, devil. I’m hanging on this cross. You convinced Judas to cross me. But guess what. I’m crossing you back because while you think you’re about to silence me, while you think you’re about to get rid of me, ohhhh, I’m just getting started. I’m about to come behind your lines and shake everything you think you’ve got up. I’m flipping it. What you thought was going to be my demise is the vehicle for my greatest victory. I’m on this cross because I am giving myself up for all people. You think persecuting me is going to slow me down? You’ve got another thing coming. That’s where I do my greatest work.
Paul was seeing that story continue. He was seeing himself in that story as he was following his King.
Like my King, you want to imprison me? You want to put me in chains?
Bring it on.
But get your popcorn ready.
God’s about to do some work.
Strap your seatbelt on.
The gospel is going to advance.
Why? Because the gospel flourishes under persecution. It’s like spreading gasoline on an already blazing fire. The powers that be in this world never seem to understand that.
God uses your hardships
Do you see what Paul says?
“What has happened to me has actually advanced the gospel.”
In other words, God doesn’t just work all things together for good for those who love Him in spite of these things, but through these things. He doesn’t avoid them, he works through them.
The difficulty Paul was facing, God was using.
He wasn’t making a work-around for Paul’s problem. He was making Paul’s problem the vehicle for the solution.
New in-roads
And watch what happened BECAUSE of Paul’s placement.
The imperial guard was getting a daily appointment with the apostle to the gentiles. The imperial guard, the military folks who directly served the most powerful man in the world, the Roman Emperor, were getting a daily appointment with the gospel.
Paul’s imprisonment was bringing a conversation about Christ directly to the people who were the lever-pullers of power.
Paul wasn’t just some prisoner in chains because of some crime. He’s saying that everyone was realizing that Paul was in chains because he was in Christ.
On Radio: “Faith helps you get through the ups and downs of life”
I was listening to the radio this past week and the host was talking to a Christian celebrity about her new podcast about faith and she said something that was totally innocent and not something that I’m even saying is wrong…
She was talking about her new podcast and how it is all about talking to other celebrities about their faith. She interviews people of all religions and it’s probably a really interesting podcast. But she said something that stuck out to me.
She said that she is talking to people and asking them about their faith and how it helps them get through the ups and downs of life.
And again, there’s nothing wrong with that. Because I know Jesus helps me get through the ups and downs of life.
But I think that statement can serve as a glimpse of how a lot of people view their faith.
A lot of people view their faith as some utilitarian endeavor. In other words, they look at what they can get out of the deal. The focus stays on themselves and that’s it.
My faith makes me feel good. It helps me get through hard times. It helps me be a better person.
And contrast that with how Paul’s faith was working out for him.
His devotion to Christ put him in chains under the imperial guard of the Roman Empire.
Not a situation you want to be in.
But Paul knew what was most important. He knew the story he believed was true.
But for Paul, what was most important to him wasn’t his own comfort or his own freedom. The gospel being advanced was far greater of a concern for him than anything that would happen to him.
He saw himself as an instrument of God to be used by God in whatever way God saw fit.
He knew that he was living inside of a bigger story than just his own little appearance on the film strip.
The gospel was being advanced. And he was a part of that.
Philippians 1:14-17
14 Most of the brothers have gained confidence in the Lord from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the word fearlessly. 15 To be sure, some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will. 16 These preach out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17 the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking that they will cause me trouble in my imprisonment.
Paul seems to be very aware of what is happening among a couple different groups of people because of his imprisonment.
For some, they are being even more emboldened to preach the good news of Jesus. They see Paul and his chains and that doesn’t diminish their resolve, it strengthens it.
Romans Controlling through fear
The Romans were masters of controlling populations through fear tactics.
Make no mistake, Jews and any other nations who were conquered by Rome would have been used to walking down their main roads and seeing rotting corpses on Roman crosses. They would have known the stench. And fear would have been infused into their veins.
If they messed with Rome, they would know exactly what would happen to them.
And for a group of Christians to know what was happening to Paul BECAUSE of following Christ, they could have shrunk back.
But that’s not how the gospel works.
Remember, the gospel advances even in the midst of persecution. That’s a barrier that doesn’t stay standing against the gospel.
So when these Christians see their leader in chains because of his devotion to Christ, they respond with even more boldness to share the good news of Christ.
Notice the other group, though
But do you see the other group that Paul acknowledges? There was, apparently, a group of Christian preachers and leaders who maybe saw the leadership vacuum that may have happened with Paul imprisoned and tried to grab that power and keep Paul in chains so they could remain in positions of influence.
We don’t really know the nature of these envious and rivalrous preachers of Christ, but we do know that Paul even looked at them and could see that the gospel was being advanced even in spite of their motivations.
But I love Paul’s response to this group.
Philippians 1:18-20
18 What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice 19 because I know this will lead to my salvation through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. 20 My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all courage, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
Identity — not being held hostage
Many of us have a meta-narrative that we live by. It’s a sad one.
It’s called the story of insecurity.
You see, Paul’s identity wasn’t being held hostage by these people who were trying to cause him harm in his imprisonment.
But too many of us, if we were real and raw for a moment, have allowed our identity to be kidnapped and held hostage by the opinions of other people.
We are devastated when someone doesn’t like us or speaks down against us.
We are over the moon when we are liked and we race in the rat wheel of trying to please people so that we can get more adoration and be liked more.
But that’s a dangerous plot line because that story doesn’t end well.
Identity — informed by who God says you are
Paul had a different meta-narrative that he lived by and that we should adopt. It’s a beautiful one.
It’s called the story of imago dei. It’s called the story of you were made in the image of God. You are His child. You are His son. You are His daughter. You are His. You were fearfully and wonderfully made — knitted together by the master artist.
That changes the way you walk.
Paul rejoiced — his salvation
And with all this going on, Paul could rejoice because the fullness of his salvation was getting closer and closer.
With every passing moment, he was inching closer and closer to the climax of his story when he would meet God face-to-face and receive the gift of grace—his salvation.
He knew that as the Philippian church was praying for him and as the Holy Spirit was comforting him, empowering him, and leading him, he could keep walking the good walk with Jesus.
He knew that God would help him. He knew that the Philippians would pray for him.
That’s the kind of peace that passes all understanding. When you KNOW that what God began in you will be finished by His hand, that gives you a different storyline to live in. That gives you a different desire to yearn for.
That changes everything.
Paul wanted to honor Christ
Even in the midst of imprisonment, Paul’s greatest desire, his eager expectation was to honor Christ in his body by life or death. Either way, he wanted to honor Christ in his body.
He didn’t want to dishonor him. He wanted to honor him.
He knew that a trial before Caesar could be in his future. He knew that death could be close.
And with those two things on his mind, Paul wasn’t concerned about whether or not he would die. His concern was that Christ would be lifted up through him.
That’s called living by the gospel story and yearning for the gospel desire.
What happened to Paul?
Anyone looking at Paul’s situation and seeing what he endured for Jesus has to be beckoned to ask, what happened to Paul?
Jesus happened to Paul.
Paul went from one of the biggest persecutors of the church to being the apostle to the gentiles, planting churches all across the Roman world.
Jesus transformed Paul’s life.
Jesus gave him new desires. Jesus showed Paul that He Himself is on the throne and that the only path forward was to surrender to Him.
Jesus became Paul’s greatest desire.
But not only that. Jesus became Paul’s meta-narrative. Jesus became Paul’s story.
What was Paul called to? Whatever Jesus said.
Would Paul suffer? Jesus did.
Would Paul have a mission? Jesus did.
Would Paul be tested? Jesus was.
Would Paul be ridiculed and even hated? Jesus was.
You see, when Jesus enters your life, He becomes your life. When Jesus enters your story, he becomes your story. When Jesus enters your desires, He becomes your desire.
That’s what Jesus does. He invades. He advances.
That’s what can happen to us.
And that’s exactly what can happen to us.
Jesus went to the cross for you. He died for you. He defeated death for you. He has given you a WAY to become children of the God of the Universe.
He’s given us a gift that we can unwrap. And the way we unwrap the gift is by surrendering to Him completely.
It looks like trusting Him with everything, absolutely everything, turning away from the sin you’ve been entangled in, and going down in the waters of baptism to be joined with Jesus in his death and rise up to be joined with Jesus in his resurrection.
Jesus is everything.
He ought to be our greatest desire and He ought to be the meta-narrative we live by.
Young people
Young people, the only thing that matters in this life above all else is Jesus.
It’s not whether he likes you. It’s not whether she replies to your DM.
It’s not whether people like you or not.
It’s not whether you’re in the in crowd or not.
The only thing that matters in this life above all else is Jesus.
And when you walk with Jesus, guess what happens. You become unstoppable. You become attractive. You become unbreakable. Why? Because you’re walking with the King of kings. And you know what? He walks with swagger.
Single people
Single people, the countless questions people have for you on whether or not you’ve found the one, you don’t need to pay attention to that.
The Bible says singleness, in many ways, is even better than marriage because you can be even more devoted to serving God.
Single people, if you’ve found Jesus, you’ve found the one. So the next time someone asks you if you’ve found the one, you can moonwalk on by and let ‘em know that you have.
Married people
Married people, the best thing you can do for your spouse is put them in second place.
Put Jesus in first place and love Him more than you love your spouse. And guess what will happen. Your marriage will be better than you ever thought possible.
If you’re not careful, your marriage can trip you up because guess what, your spouse can become an idol.
Put your spouse in second place.
Parents
Parents, don’t worship your kids. Worship Jesus and show your kids how following Jesus is an active, difficult, and passionate endeavor.
Teach your kids about Jesus.
Don’t let them be discipled by the world before they’re discipled by you.
Because make no mistake. If you’re not taking it upon yourself to make your kids into disciples of Jesus, this culture will gladly make them into disciples of everything but Jesus.
People dealing with hardship
People dealing with hardship, Jesus is using what you’re going through.
Believe that and be ready to be used by Him. And know that He is with you.
If you’ve surrendered your life to Him, He’s in you while you deal with what you’re going through. He hasn’t left you.
You might feel alone, but that’s not because you are. He’s with you. He said He will never leave you or forsake you. So if you feel like you’re running around looking for Him, stop and realize that you never lost Him. He’s been with you the whole time.
My Story — Jesus Changed My Desires and My Story
(From Greed to Grace // From Achiever to Grace)
My friends, I may be your pastor, but before any of that, I am a person who was rescued by Jesus.
I was hard-charging and trying to build a business that would allow me to have absolutely whatever I wanted in this life when Jesus grabbed me.
I was an achiever, addicted to success and addicted to winning when Jesus grabbed me.
But I’m so grateful that Jesus grabbed me out of my greed and brought me into His grace.
I’m so grateful that Jesus grabbed me out of my achiever addiction and brought me into His grace.
My friends, Jesus has changed my desires. He changed everything about me. He gave me new desires. Desires to see my life be a living expression of worship to Him whether I’m a pastor or not.
Jesus changed my story. He took me out of the puny little story that I was trying to write on my own and He moved me into His story of how He is reconciling the world to Himself.
And He can do that to you too.
Surrender to Christ
If you’re here and you’ve never surrendered your life to Christ, I believe that the Holy Spirit may just be pulling on your heart. He may just be nudging you to surrender to Him.
Because make no mistake. You, friend, are of infinite worth to Him.
When He sacrificed Himself on the cross to pay for the sins of the world, do you know who He had in mind? You.
In a moment, I’m going to be in the front row as we sing in worship to God and if you’ve never been rescued by Jesus, if you’ve never surrendered to Him, if you’ve never experienced the absolute freedom that is in Jesus Christ, I want to you to come talk to me.
The time is now. Don’t wait. Let Jesus radically transform your life.
He’ll change everything about you. The promise is for you, not just the person next to you. Jesus loves you.
Search My Heart
And for those of us who have surrendered to Jesus and have been walking with Him, I want to challenge you today to ask God to search your heart. To ask Him to show you whether or not your greatest desire is to honor Christ above all else whether by life or death.
And if it’s not, ask God to give that desire to you and to show you what things you’re letting in the way of that.
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Will you let Him?
