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From Philippians 1:21-26: What does a “good life” look like? What matters most in this life? In this message, we see a clear picture of what a “good life” really looks like.
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What does a “good life” look like?
Philosophers have tried to answer this question throughout history. And ordinary people like you and me have probably spent some time thinking about that question.
Religions of all shapes and sizes try to answer this question.
What does a “good life” look like?
Is it escaping the suffering of this world and stopping the cycle of karma and reincarnation like Hindus believe?
Is it creating your own reality and seeing all suffering as an illusion and stepping into your own god-ness like New Agers believe?
Is it to achieve spiritual enlightenment through self-discipline and meditation, leading to Nirvana like Buddhists believe?
Is it to repeat creeds, recite prayers in Arabic, give to the needy, fast, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca to show your faithfulness so you’ll maybe enter paradise at death like Muslims believe?
Is it to get a nice paying job, buy a nice house, to pursue happiness, and to raise a good family like many Americans believe?
Or does the “good life” look like something different than all these?
The Truly Good Life
Today, as we dive into the book of Philippians, we are going to see what the “good life” really does look like. We’re going to see what life is really about and what really matters.
So if you have a Bible, go ahead and turn to Philippians 1.
Philippians—Barriers Destroyed
What we’ve seen so far in this series, and we’re not even finished with chapter 1 yet, is that the gospel has barrier-breaking power.
Every barrier that has come against it, that barrier has been destroyed.
Whether it’s sexism, classism, racism, or even its messenger being locked up, the gospel continues to advance and continues to make its way into people’s lives and into new spaces in society.
And now we’re going to see how the gospel interacts with one of the biggest barriers we could fathom in death.
Death. It’s a thing that all of us are going to face. It’s a thing that all of us will deal with because none of us are going to make it out of this thing alive.
Or… Maybe there’s more to it than that.
I think this is such a God-thing that we are in this passage on this day. With so many losses that have happened in the last week within our church family, this passage in Philippians is a perfect one for us to be in.
So let’s get to work.
Philippians 1:21-26
21 For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. 23 I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ—which is far better— 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that, because of my coming to you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound.
Now, remember last week. Paul just got done saying how his eager expectation, his greatest desire, his hope is that he would not be ashamed about anything—he’s imprisoned, he’s in chains because of his devotion to Christ—but that he would, instead, with all courage, honor Christ in his body whether that’s through life or death.
This is a courageous kind of guy, right?
He’s in chains because of Christ. He’s got people coming against him and trying to make his imprisonment more difficult for him. I mean, he’s got all the reasons, all the justification to be like woe is me and to fall into despair. But instead, we see Paul encouraging this church, praying for them, being super grateful to God for them, and encouraging them that what God began in them, He is going to see it through.
And all the while, he is rejoicing. Why? Because the gospel is advancing. The gospel is advancing while he is in chains through the leaders who are preaching even more boldly because of his circumstances. It’s advancing through the imperial guard.
And now Paul is saying, hey, I don’t know what is coming for me, but I do know this…
Philippians 1:21
21 For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
He’s saying, I’ve got my life plan worked out. I know what both of these plans look like and either way, I’m good.
What does it mean to have Christ be your life?
What does the “good life” look like? Here it is… Watch this…
Paul is saying that the good life is Christ.
But here’s the thing: your life can’t be Christ until you are dead to yourself.
Think about it… If Christ is your life, that means you are not your life. Something else is not your life. Someone else is not your life.
Your motivation, your goal, your purpose, your calling, your passion, your enjoyment, your satisfaction, your chief end, your means, your success, your measuring stick, your thriving, your best life… It’s Christ.
It’s Christ.
To live is Christ.
But we won’t live that life until…
But the thing is, we won’t live that kind of life until we’ve been awakened to who we really are and who Jesus really is.
Jesus didn’t come to make broken people good. He came to bring dead people to life.
Because without Christ, each one of us are spiritually dead. We are without hope.
But with Christ? Yes, Christ came to make us fully alive and that’s what He does when we surrender to Him.
Until we’ve surrendered to Him and have realized just how great a gift it is that He would put on flesh, dwell among us, live a perfect life, take our place on the cross, bear the weight of our sin even though he never even knew sin, and give himself over to death so that He rise again on the third day, defeating the stronghold of death for our sake, we won’t be able to live that kind of life.
To live is Christ.
“This life isn’t mine”
It’s getting to the point where we see that this life we live, this body we have, this mind we have, this spirit we have, this strength we have, none of it is mine.
It’s saying “this life isn’t mine!”
My Life vs Christ is my life
We’re talking about a dramatic shift from what is normal here.
Before I began following Jesus, my decisions were predicated on what would benefit me for my own sake.
Do I want to do this?
Is it good for me?
But after I began following Jesus, my decisions had to go through a different filter.
Does Jesus want me to do this?
Does this glorify Jesus?
Is it good for others?
Friends, do you see the difference?
The Key to Living the “Good Life”
The key to living the good life or, maybe we can call it “abundant life” is this:
Abundant life is found in the daily moments of choosing Christ over self.
He sits on the throne. What He says goes.
Abundant life is found when we choose Christ over stuff, over possessions, over status, over everything else.
Because putting Christ first puts everything else into its proper place of priority.
Paul Found Joy in Jesus, Not…
Paul found joy in Jesus, not in being a man, not in being rich or poor, not in being a Jew, not in having an easy time, and not even in life itself. Paul’s joy was found in Jesus.
And this is the practical implication of the gospel destroying all those societal barriers. Because those barriers become personal for us.
We can feel certain ways about ourselves, either positively or negatively based on our sex, based on our status, based on our race, based on our circumstances, and even based on life itself.
These things can be points of pride. They can be points of fear. They can be points of division in our own hearts toward others.
And what we see is that Jesus invades all those things and says that He alone is the sufficient one to find satisfaction in.
Questions we begin to ask ourselves in order to live the “good Life”
And then we begin to ask ourselves two questions that calibrate us toward whether or not we are living the truly “good life.”
Does my life magnify Jesus?
Am I so satisfied in Jesus that everything else is secondary?
To live is Christ. That’s what that means. To magnify Jesus and to find all our desires satisfied in Him so that He is pre-eminent in our lives.
To live is Christ, To Die is Gain
But there’s a second part of this verse, right?
To live is Christ, to die is gain.
Death is a gain when your life is Christ.
That’s such good news. That means that when a follower of Jesus passes away, that’s not the end of their story. It’s simply a scene change.
Because to die is to be with Christ.
To dies is to gain a new life void of pain, suffering, tears, and sorrow.
Death is a gain. It yields a high return.
Paul could look at life, he could look at death, and he could determine that death was a gain even above the life he lived. Why?
Because when Christ invades your life, death becomes a doorway to eternal life.
That’s what it becomes. Just a doorway to walk into a place that is even better than where you left.
Philippians 1:22-24
22 Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. 23 I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ—which is far better— 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
This is interesting.
Paul ponders his reward and yet still comes back to serving the Philippians
He’s saying, there’s this choice before me. To continue living and working for Christ and for your sake or to go and be with Christ—which is far better, by the way.
And do you see where he lands with that?
Even though it would be far better for him to go and be with Christ, to die and gain new life, he focuses on them and their faith.
He sees them lacking something and he believes that his work with them isn’t finished yet.
Philippians 1:25-26
25 Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that, because of my coming to you again, your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound.
Paul could see that they still weren’t where they needed to be.
He wanted them to reach the point that he reached where even though he is dealing with suffering, he can make his boast in this life be Christ Jesus, nothing more. He wanted them to experience a joy in their faith that they hadn’t reached quite yet.
And so he was convinced that his life would continue to go on because he saw himself as a tool for God’s glory and people’s good.
So what does a “good life” look like?
It looks like being so overcome by the love of Christ that we make our entire lives be about Him.
Honoring Him. Serving Him. Loving Him. Surrendering to Him.
It looks like having a single-minded passion on Christ alone.
To live is Christ.
Let’s make that really practical.
Jesus people serve people.
Paul looked at the continuing of his life resulting in what?
In verse 22, Paul says that if he continues to live that would mean fruitful work for him.
And he spends the rest of what we just read unpacking what that fruitful work would be, namely, helping the Philippians experience more joy in Jesus and to make their boast in life be even more Christ Jesus and Him alone.
In other words, he wanted to serve them so that their faith would grow.
He wanted to serve them so that their joy in Jesus would increase.
How could we do that?
So that begs the question: how can we do that?
Well, I’ll say it again: Jesus people serve people.
So that begs the question, who are you serving?
How are you serving others?
How are you being Christ to others? Because if Christ is your life then that is who you will embody with other people.
Let’s make this really, really practical.
There are some different ministries and teams that I’d love to see get started, but in order for those to happen, we need people to step up and serve.
So if you aren’t involved in a ministry team here at FCC and you see that to live is Christ and you also see that Christ was a servant of all which means you see that Jesus people serve people, and you would like to live into who you are in Jesus by stepping up and serving, then send me an email at brandon[at]fccfamily.com and I’d love to talk to you about where you could get involved.
Jesus people serve people.
Death isn’t the end of the story
But that’s not all Paul is saying here in this passage. He’s also saying that death isn’t the end of the story.
To live is Christ, to die is gain.
When Christ is your life, death is simply a scene change in an eternal story.
This is what Jesus did… Lived. Died. Gained you.
And you know what… We can look at Paul and think: wow, what a guy!
But you know what? Paul has never saved anyone.
He’s just someone who was empowered by the Holy Spirit to live the Jesus life just like you and me have the opportunity to do.
You see, the life Paul lived was simply a following after his Savior, Jesus.
Because you know what?
To live is Christ, to die is gain.
That’s what Jesus did.
He came and lived a perfect life. He served people. He rescued people. He taught people. He loved people.
And then He was crucified on a cross, dying a criminal’s death, but what appeared to be a defeat was the vehicle for the greatest victory in the Cosmos.
When Christ was crucified, things went nuts.
The earth shook, rocks were split, and the veil on the Temple keeping the Holy of Holies closed was torn from top to bottom.
When Christ was crucified, he shook, split, and tore the old order of things. The order of things that ended in us remaining in our sin without hope of being saved.
But He inaugurated something brand new when He rose from the grave. And you know what? Through His death and resurrection, He received a gain.
You.
Me.
That’s what He did all of that for. You. Me. Anyone and everyone who would surrender to Him.
To live is Christ, to die is gain.
That’s what Jesus did. He lived. And through His death, He gained you. He gained me. That is, if you’ve surrendered to Him.
Because that’s the story He saved us through and that’s the story He calls us to.
Thomas Chisholm, in his hymn, Living for Jesus, wrote:
Living for Jesus who died in my place,
Bearing on Calv’ry my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading, and give Him my all.
My friends, we can rejoice that when Christ is your life, death is simply a scene change in an eternal story.
Not because of anything we’ve done, but because of His own purpose and grace.
Surrender and Serve
So today, surrender to Him.
If you don’t know Him, turn to Him. He’ll meet you. He doesn’t expect you to put your life together before you come to Him. That’s His department. He knows you can’t do it and that’s why He came. His death presented Him with a gain. And that can be you if you surrender to Him.
And if you’re not actively serving Him, remember, Jesus people serve people so what’s holding you back?
To live is Christ, to die is gain.
Join the adventure. It’s worth it.
