Now returning again to the book of Philippians, to chapter 1. I'd like to take a little bit of time this morning to look at the verses 19 through to 26. Though if I were to choose a text, something to fix in our minds has been The subject of our message this morning, I will choose verse 21. For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Father, we pray thee for help now, both in the preaching and in the hearing of thy truth. May thy Holy Spirit give help. May that needed grace be given to us. May we be those who benefit even from the word of God to stay. Draw us after our Savior. Bind us to Him with those cords of love. And may we be fully sold out unto the Lamb of God. These things we ask in the Savior's name. Amen. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. I was writing through a book earlier in the week and I came up with really a discussion upon what makes people successful and I was struck with a statement that said that all successful people have a clear purpose in life. In other words, they have a compelling reason to get out of bed every morning, and that driving purpose keeps them on track and makes them ultimately successful in the things that they set out to do. And I suppose by that standard, the Apostle Paul might be considered one of the most successful people who ever lived. He had a purpose that was so clear and so definite and so profound that it permeated everything he said, everything he did, everywhere he went, was based upon this compulsion that was forced upon him, if you like. It was what drove him forward. It's what set him out on missionary adventures. It's what gave him hope, even in the darkest moments of his life. And I suppose we might call this passage before us, Paul's secret to success. It's what kept him going, even when he finds himself in a Roman jail. For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If you want Paul's secret of success, there it is in a single sentence. For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. I suspect that many of us learned this verse as children, perhaps in Sunday school, perhaps at our mother's knee. We've heard it, we've recited it, we've memorised it over and over again, and it's well that we should. Because this is a verse that reveals to us why Paul did what he did. Why he said what he said. Why he went where he went. How he found the strength to endure, even in times of incredible hardship. So, let me ask you a question. Let's have a quiz. Don't need a show of hands, don't need any answers shouted out. But how would you complete the sentence? Just answer it in your own heart. How would I complete this sentence? For me to live is... What? What is it that you live for? For me to live is what? What word or phrase would be put into that blank? I suppose if you were an athlete, you might say, for me to live is to win the race. Or if you were a businessman, you might say, for me to live is to make my first million. Maybe as parents we say, for me to live is my children. I live for my children. Politicians might say, I live to win the next election. The lawyer might say, I live to win the next big case. The list of possibilities to answer that question is almost endless. And don't miss the point, no one leaves that sentence blank. Everyone finishes it with something. For me to live is what? What is it that compels, motivates, drives us? How do we finish that sentence? If we do not fill the sentence with Christ, what do we put there? These verses 19 through 26 really is Paul's philosophy for life. And what's quite remarkable is that it's written by a man who's in a Roman jail, most likely chained to a soldier 24 hours a day. He's there awaiting trial for his life with no certainty that he'll ever be set free again. And yet as we go through the passage I want to challenge you to compare your philosophy of life with Paul's and see how they stack up one against the other. So, there are a few things I want to draw your attention to. The first of them being this Paul's confidence. His confidence. Look at verse What they are notwithstanding in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and this is what he says, and I therein do rejoice and will rejoice, for I know that this shall turn to my salvation. through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death." What confidence permeates these words. And yet the question comes to mind, how could he possibly be so happy? He's in jail. He's awaiting trial before Caesar. In all likelihood he'll be put to death. He certainly has no advance warning as to what will happen next, and yet he says, I rejoice and will rejoice. I will continue to rejoice. And what is he rejoicing in? Well, we look at verse 19, he says, For I know that this shall turn to my salvation. And we perhaps might think that he expects to be released. That's not what he's talking about. He's not thinking about getting out of jail. He's not thinking about being released from his bonds. He's considering that God will vindicate him. than whether he finds himself in chains or as a free man, that he knows that God knows the truth. He's convinced that all of these things that are happening to him will turn out for his benefit. We love that verse in Romans 8 verse 28 where Paul said on another occasion that we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. And so Paul, now in prison, has a chance to prove that he really means what he says. And there in the prison cell, he rejoices and will rejoice because God is in control. And he is assured of the prayers of his friends, there in verse 19, through your prayers, and he is convinced that he has a supply of grace from the Spirit of God working on his behalf. And what is it that he is praying for? Well, in verse 20 he tells us, he is the content of his prayers, that of nothing I shall be ashamed. Lord, never let me do anything that will bring shame either upon myself or upon the cause of Christ." Well, this is what he prayed, that he might be filled with boldness, that he won't lose his courage, that he won't back down, that he not turn away and recant the gospel in order to be set free. Let me maintain this course with boldness. And he's praying that Christ might be magnified. That the things that I do bring glory upon Christ. And the closer they look at me, may I be like a magnifying glass. May I reveal Christ to them. That Christ may be magnified in my body. Notice the last phrase. Whether it be by life or by death. Here's the key to Paul's amazing success. He's not afraid to die. So many of us worry about the future and what might happen. What if there's an accident? What if some dreaded disease befalls me? Of all the fears that grip the heart of man, surely there's none greater than the fear of death. Now as Christians we are all able to say, I'm not afraid to die. And yet at the first sign of sickness we're ringing the doctor's office and looking for a prescription to take us out of that sickness. That's right and proper, life is precious. Yet somehow Paul has been completely delivered from that inner dread of what might happen tomorrow. He's come to the place in his life where he's fully convinced that the only thing that matters is the Lord Jesus Christ. that he is magnified in my life. And it doesn't matter whether he's magnified by my living or by my dying, as long as Christ is magnified. To come to such a position actually has some benefits for the believer. Matthew Henry commented, That when we are in such a position as Paul is in, where we are happy for Christ to be magnifying whether we live or die, he says that frees us to focus on the things that really matter. By losing that fear of death, we are free to focus on the things that really matter. He says we are indifferent then to our personal feats. and we will become utterly consumed with doing God's will. I'm going to give you five names and I suspect that you'll know at least two of them. But all five really should be known to us. Nate Saint, Roger Uderham, Ed McCulley, Peter Fleming and Jim Elliott. In 1955, those five young men, all of them under the age of 35, gathered in Ecuador. They gathered with a vision of reaching a tribe of Indians called the Ocas. The name Oca actually means savage, and it was given to them by the other tribes. that surrounded them, who lived deep in the rain forests of Ecuador. Now no one had ever presented the Gospel to these Auka Indians before, but these five missionary men, all highly trained and deeply devoted to God, began to pray for that remote tribe. And they began to pray about ways of how they might make contact with them and bring the Gospel to them. And in September of 1955 they began to fly over their village and they lowered a pot down into the village filled with gifts for the Aucklandians. And eventually they took the gifts and they replaced them with simple gifts of their own. Come the following year, in January 1956, they decided that it was now time to make contact with the tribe in person, and so after much prayer they established a base camp on a sandy beach on a nearby river. On the 8th of January 1956, around 3.30 in the afternoon, they were speared to death by those Indians that they had come to witness to. They were fearful that they had come to hurt them and so they attacked first. And the news of their death shocked many in the Christian world. And many people wondered how these young men with so much promise and ability that their lives could be wasted in that way. Sometime later, when Jim Elliott's journals, he kept a daily journal, they were published and they were found to contain the sentence, He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. And the Apostle Paul would have agreed with Jemima. That once you decide and realise that your life will not last forever, that you're now free to invest it in a cause greater than yourself. And so, in giving up what you cannot keep, in the end you gain what you cannot lose. And that's what Paul means here. when he says that whether by life or by death, whether by life or by death, that Christ be magnified. So we see his confidence. But we also have a confession here. For me to live is Christ and to die is Gideon. Here's Paul's personal mission statement When we fully understand this, then we'll understand how Paul could turn the whole world upside down, preaching Christ everywhere he went. When James Montgomery Wise came to this verse in his exposition in the book of Philippians, he commented that this is really a definition of what a Christian is. This is a definition of a Christian. For me to live is Christ's. and to die is gain. You see, the Christian understands that Christ is his life. Everything that he has, everything that he hopes to be, is wrapped up in the Lord Jesus Christ. So he lives for Christ in this world, and when death comes or Christ returns, then it's absent from the body and present with the Lord. To live is Christ, to die is gain. Christ is the essence of our life, the model of our life, the aim of our life, the comfort of our life, the reward of our life. As Christians, we are His and He is ours. When you think of all of the prepositions that Paul uses in his letters to speak about our relationship to the Saviour, he describes us as being in Christ and living for Christ. And we're saved by Christ. And all things are possible through Christ. And all things are from Him and to Him. He is the beginning, the middle, the end of all that we are. He's the Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end. He's the A to the Z and every letter in between. Paul, how can you survive? Paul, how can you thrive in a Roman jail? That's easy. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. To die is gain. You know what's interesting about that word gain? It's a monetary term. It means to make a profit. He's going to get a profit on his investment. So instead of complaining about being in jail, he rejoices even now in his chains. Because a life that has been invested in Christ will have a profit. There will be gain attached to it. There will be a day of reward coming. Paul is filled with such confidence in Christ. And even should death await him, he knows that death won't merely put him in the cemetery, it will usher him into the very presence of the Lord. Truly that would be gain for him. Alexander McLaren, he was a contemporary of Charles Spurgeon, he gives the following answers as to why death is gain for the Christian. Why is death gained for the Christians? Number one, we lose everything that we don't need. We lose the world, the flesh, the devil, we lose our trials and troubles, our tears, our fears, our weaknesses, they're all left behind. When death comes for the Christian, we lose the things that we do not need. Secondly, we keep the things that matter. Our personality, our identity, our knowledge of all that's good. And then he says we gain things that we've never had before. We gain entrance into heaven. We join the company of the saints. We rejoice with the angels in the presence of God and before Christ himself. The Christian doesn't fear death. It's merely the vehicle that brings us home to heaven. I came across an interesting thought some time ago, and I was reminded of it again when I was preparing this message, that the Christian is immortal until his work on earth has died. Think about that for a minute. Death cannot touch you until God is finished working in you and through you. You cannot die and you will not die until the appointed moment comes that God has ordained. And then you go home to heaven. And so in some sense every Christian life is a complete life. Pontius Pilate, when he saw that the Lord Jesus wouldn't answer him, said, Knowest not that I have power to crucify thee and power to release thee? Do you not know that I have power to put you to death, or to set you free? And the Lord Jesus turned to him and said, I could have no power at all, except it were given thee from above. And a few hours later, hanging upon the cross, the Lord Jesus cried out, It is finished. Not I am finished, but it is finished. The work that God had given him to do was finished. You see, he knew that he would not and could not die before that appointed time when he had completed the work that the Father had given him to do. And now that it was done, it is finished, he gave up the ghost. He was on this earth until the work was completed. It's the same thought that Paul uses in 2 Timothy when he says, I have finished my course. He knew that the time of his death, the location of it, the circumstances of it, is all in God's hands. Many years ago there was an evangelist by the name of John Rice. He was preaching in a little town in Dallas, Texas, and that was his custom. He preached hard against sin and especially against the bootleggers that were bringing illegal liquor into that small town. And eventually, the powers that be decided that this pesky evangelist must be silenced, And they sent him a message that said either you stop preaching or we will kill you. And his response was to laugh. He says you cannot threaten me with heaven. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. There is however a conflict in these words. Paul says in verse 22, But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour. Yet what I shall choose I know not, for I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for beauty. Already willing to die and looking forward to that life, that eternity with Christ, For him, death would simply be like the ship pulling up anchor and setting sail for a new destination. It's like the army striking down their camp, breaking up their tents and moving to a new location. Paul understood that death for the Christian was simply a change of address. But in the meantime, he's willing to remain if he can make a difference in the lives of those around him. He says, I'm caught between two. To be with Christ, which is far better, or to remain here with you, which is needful for the church. To invest my time and efforts there. Our life on earth is only a short time. Very soon it will vanish away. But how will we invest the time that we have? Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance of the joy of faith, that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by the coming to you again." Paul had concluded that he was not going to die just yet. but that he be spurred a little longer so that he might minister a little more. And even though his preference was to be with Christ, which was far better, he's willing even to set aside his own personal preferences for the good of others. There are certain benefits, of course, to this. He will continue to experience Christ's presence in his life. There's a promise then of a fruitful labour for the Lord. There's an opportunity to help the Philippians develop and grow spiritually. Paul says, I can't lose either way. If I die, it's gain for me. If I live, it's gain for you. How can you stop a man like that? You can't. Try to kill him and he'll die with a smile on his face. Put him in prison and he'll preach to the guards. Jail him at midnight and he'll start singing hymns. Run him out of town, he'll just go to the next one and start a new church. Stole him and he'll pick up the rocks and build a church building with it. Can't stop a man like Paul, whether he lives or dies, whether he's in prison, whether he's free. For me to live is Christ. That brings us back to our five young men who gave their lives, seeking to reach the Auck Indians. At the time it seemed to be such a tragedy with no redeeming value to it at all. But with hindsight, do you know what happened as a result of the death of those five young men? Over the next number of years, thousands of young men entered Bible college and missionary training, spurred on and encouraged and challenged by their martyrs' death. The Indian Bible schools in Ecuador were filled to overflowing with natives desiring to bring God's word and to spread it amongst their neighbouring tribes. Rachel Saint and Elizabeth Elliot, the widows of Nate Saint and Jim Elliot, actually finally moved into that awkward village and began the process of Bible translation. Nine years later, two of the tribesmen that had speared their husbands to death were baptised with faith in Christ. A flourishing church was established not only amongst the Hawke Indians but amongst the neighbouring tribes also. In 1995 Steve St, the son of Nate St, actually moved to be amongst the Hawke Indians at their request to bring the Gospel of Christ to them. You see their legacy is this, that more people entered the mission field and more people as a result were reached with the Gospel through their death. than what would ever have been reached through their life. It's been well said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Those young men had no idea of the thousands of lives that they would touch by their death on a sandy beach in a remote jungle. They only knew that God had called them to that particular place at that particular time and that they must obey. Now supposing we had an opportunity to speak to those men today and ask them the question, was it worth it? What do you think they would say? I think we know what their answer would be. It's the same answer that was given by Paul That our desire was only to magnify Christ and to reach the world for him, and whether we do that by our life or by our death, it makes no difference to us. That's what Paul is saying. That's what those young men would have said today. Whether in living or dying, as long as Christ is glorified, we will be content. One final story for you. Reverend Harris sent me a book just before Christmas from John G Patton. He was a missionary to the South Pacific, to the New Hebrides, and he had felt the call of God to leave his ministry in Glasgow, Scotland, to go to the New Hebrides as a missionary. And in those days missionary ventures were greeted with A great deal of disdain and opposition, largely in part because of the danger that was attached to preaching the Gospel to people that were considered to be uncivilised. And then the elderly gentleman came to John Patton and told him, if you go to the New Hebrides you'll be eaten by cannibals. And he turned and he says, Mr Dixon. What was his name, Mr Dixon? since you are of advanced years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave and to be eaten by worms. He says, I confess to you that if I can but live and die serving and honouring the Lord Jesus Christ, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or eaten by worms. And in the great day of my resurrection, my body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer. Only one life will soon be passed. and only what's done for Christ will last. For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. The application is really rather simple. Do the things that Christ has called you to do. Do them with all your heart, serving with every fibre of your being. Trust God for the unseen tomorrow. And when day comes, as it must for each and every one of us, may it be great gain, as we are brought into the presence of the Seeker. But it's all said and done, there are really only two philosophies for life. You can say with the Apostle Paul, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Or you can say with the world, for me to live is self, and to die is loss. I trust that you will stand with Paul today and seek to be all that you can be for the glory of the seed, to live your life in such a way that you'll spread the message of the gospel everywhere you go. That you'll be an encouragement and a help to other believers in Christ. You'll be a means of spreading the gospel to those that are without. That your life truly will be spent in the service of Him who loved you and gave Himself for you. That your life really will be gained. And that your death, your death may it be triumphant in its ascendancy up unto Christ. unto the eternal reward that he has for his children. For me to live is Christ to die is gain. May the Lord help us to live out those principles in the great glory of his name. Let us pray. Father, we ask that thy word may be written upon our hearts this morning. May we, even as we go our way in just a little while, continue to ponder upon that motive and mottos of Paul to live for the glory of Christ in anticipation of the game to come. These things we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.