Birds Sing In The Dark | Philippians 1:15-30

Takeaway Verse: Philippians 1:18

But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.

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Transcription:

Purposely. Your life. God’s purpose. Listen at onpurposely.com.

Welcome to The Bible For Busy People. I’m Erica Parkerson. This is the place where we meet up to read half a chapter of God’s word together and remember how loved we are. Jesus extends an amazing invitation to us in the Bible. He says, come to me and I will give you rest. This is us RSVPing, “Yes” to that invitation. So, take a deep breath and let’s get started.

Erica Parkerson: The name of today’s podcast is Birds Sing In The Dark. Yes. Even jail birds. The apostle Paul wrote the book of Philippians, which is actually a letter from jail. He was imprisoned for his faith in Jesus, and he was writing to encourage the Christians in the church in Philippi to keep ongoing. And he had a piece of advice that we’re going to dive into in moments, but first let’s give our time to the Lord. Father, we just come to you in the name of Jesus, and we pray that you would open our eyes and our hearts to what you want us to see and understand in your word today. In Jesus name, amen.

Okay. Yesterday we covered the first half of Philippians chapter one. Today, you and I are gonna dive into the second half of Philippians chapter one, and we’re gonna pick it up in verse 15. Here we go. Some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry, Paul, writes. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me for, they know the Lord brought me here to defend the good news.

Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition. Not sincerely intending to make my chains more painful to me. But whether or not their motives are pure, the fact remains, here comes our takeaway verse, that the message about Christ is being preached. So, I rejoice.

Here’s our takeaway: and I will continue to rejoice. This is what you and I are called to do. For, I know that as you pray for me, and as the spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will all turn out for my deliverance. For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that causes me shame, but that I will always be bold for Christ as I have been in the past. And that my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or die, this is a powerful part. For to me, living is for Christ and dying is even better. Yet, if I live, that means fruitful service for Christ, I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires. Sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go and be with Christ. That would be far better for me, but it is better for you that I live. I am convinced of this. So, I will continue with you so that you will grow and experience the joy of your faith. Then, when I return to you, you will have even more reason to boast about what Christ Jesus has done for me. But whatever happens to me, you must live in a manner worthy of the good news about Christ, as citizens of heaven. Then whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing side by side, fighting together for the good news. Don’t be intimidated by your enemies. This will be assigned to them that they’re going to be destroyed. That you are going to be saved even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ, but also the privilege of suffering for Him.

We are in this fight together. You have seen me suffer for him in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of this great struggle. Paul is still in chains, but he is preaching encouragement to the Philippians who are going through their own set of trials. And his advice is to continue to rejoice. Back to our takeaway verse, which we find in verse 18 in this chapter. I want to tell you the story of a woman named Joni Eareckson Tada. When she was 18, she was in a diving accident, and she was paralyzed. And at first it was really, really hard. But ever since that terrible day, the Lord Jesus has been with Joni strengthening her in her faith.

And Joni started a ministry called wheels for the world. And now there are people all around the world who used to crawl on their hands and feet to get to certain places, and now they have wheelchairs, and they have dignity. And that is because Joni chose to continue to rejoice even in her chains. Yes, her body is chained to that wheelchair, but her spirit is not. She continues to rejoice. And Joni’s example, and Paul’s example says to me that you and I can continue to rejoice. So, until we meet up again tomorrow in Philippians chapter two, remember you are loved.

Thank you so much for listening to The Bible For Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcast, to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life. Find more podcasts that will recharge you at onpurposely.com.