Philippians, the book of Philippians, of course, is a lovely little letter that was sent by Paul to the Philippian church. Now, remember that Paul founded this church. Anybody remember the date? A.D. 49, A.D. 49, thereabouts. And at the time of the writing of this letter, it's about 13 years later, and Paul is incarcerated in Rome, you remember. He is under arrest, house arrest, and is in chains. He is being watched by a Roman guard, apparently, 24 hours a day. Some think that he was actually chained to the guard at all times. So at the time of the writing of this epistle, Paul is in full suffering mode. But what is striking about this epistle is the joy that is in the heart of Paul, despite his circumstances. Now, Paul is not distraught, as you would think that he might be. He is not discouraged. He is not disenchanted. But essentially, he is jumping up and down and rejoicing in the wonderful provenance of God, which has turned his bonds into the advancement of the gospel. It says in verse 12 of chapter one, but I would he should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather under the furtherance of the gospel. Now, this letter of Paul to the Philippians is certainly a letter of joy. Most people will tell you that the book of Philippians is about joy, and it certainly is. But if we stop there, I think that we missed the point. The point is that Paul has joy because of the furtherance of the gospel. There was one preeminent goal in the heart of Paul, and that was the advancement of Jesus Christ. Paul was single-minded. In that regard, nothing much really mattered to him. But that that was his calling in life. And like Peter, when Paul heard the call of Christ to the gospel ministry, he dove off the boat of worldly security and into the troubling waters of full time gospel service. Paul considered himself set aside to the gospel. You might remember in Romans one one, Paul said, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. And he later said in 1 Corinthians 9.16, Woe is me if I preach not the gospel. Paul's specific office was the apostle to the Gentiles. And his whole purpose in life was to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. His purpose was not to live a comfortable life. His purpose was not to have a secure salary or a retirement plan, but his purpose was only to preach the gospel and the advancement of the gospel was the source of his joy. Now, Paul was not too much concerned about his own circumstances. He was not too concerned about his suffering or his own personal freedom, even. But his joy in life was invested in the providential spread of the gospel. Now, this morning, I want to consider this gospel, which is which so captivated the mind and the heart and the life of the Apostle Paul. And we learn from our text this morning, first of all, that the gospel is to be a project shared by the whole church. Take a look at Philippians one, verses three through five. Paul says, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy for your fellowship in the gospel. Now, the idea behind the word fellowship is not so much cookies and doughnuts as we talked about last week, but it is participation and sharing. Paul is thanking God that the Philippian church has jumped in as willing partners in the gospel work. Not only did they carry on the gospel work in their own church, but they sent aid and comfort to Paul so that Paul's gospel work would flourish. Now, many people have the idea that gospel work is solely the work of the clergy, and they show up every so often to watch the clergy engage in the gospel ministry. And sadly, many churches have adopted the philosophy that gospel ministry is performed by the clergy and that the laity merely observe and enjoy the benefits of it. But in a true church, every member of the congregation has a sense of his or her own responsibility in the gospel. We are individually and collectively engaged in the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ. By our new nature, we have implanted in us a love of the gospel. And by our association with Christ's church, we gladly share in the propagation of the gospel. Now, when a church loses sight of this chief duty of advancing the gospel, then it loses its grasp on its true mission. The church is here for the chief purpose of carrying on the work of Christ on the earth. The church is here for Christ and for the gospel of Christ, and all other work pales in insignificance compared to this great work. The church is not primarily a social organization. The church does not exist primarily so that we can have coffee and doughnuts with good people. It is not primarily a benevolent organization. The church is not here primarily to feed the poor and to fund charities, but the church is here to further the gospel of Jesus Christ, protecting and defending and confirming and advancing the gospel of Christ is the full time work of every Christian and of every church. When the church loses sight of this gospel mission, then the church will slip into darkness and will deteriorate into something other than a church of Jesus Christ. And when churches everywhere lose sight of this single importance of the gospel mission, then the world will slip into darkness. It is the church that is the salt of the earth. Not the church which has long ago departed from the gospel, but the church which has exalted the gospel, the church which clings to the word of God as though it is life itself. That is the salt of the earth. It seems that there are not many churches left in the world who cherish the word of God as though it is everything. There is tacit reference here and there to the scriptures. The preacher makes a nod to the scriptures, a Bible reference here and there, but then the philosophies of the world are set forth and the doctrines of the Bible are set at naught. And the church deteriorates into an organization which has every other goal except the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So let it be known that the church is to see itself as sharing in the great work of Jesus Christ, and that is the furtherance of his gospel. But also see from our text this morning that the gospel is to be defended. It says in Philippians 117, I am set for the defense of the gospel. We need to understand that the gospel of Christ is under attack. It is under attack by the forces of evil. There is a great spiritual warfare going on just outside the scope of our senses. It is very real and it is very dangerous. Paul said in Ephesians 6, 12, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. These rulers of darkness are vying for the souls of men, and one of their chief strategies is to destroy the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation in Romans 1.16, and therefore, the gospel is under attack. If the gospel of Christ can be watered down, If it can be changed and modified so that there is no good news after all, if it can be cast into the background, if it can be subverted to the reasonings of men, if it can be hidden away on dusty bookshelves, if it can be kept out of the churches, if it can be kept out of the preacher's sermons, if it can be kept out of the teacher's notes, then the battle is won. And so it is the duty of the church to keep the Word of God front and center. It is our duty to defend it against attack, to keep worldly wisdom separate from God's wisdom. When vain philosophies come knocking on the church doors, it is our duty to turn them away. The doctrines of men must not find their way into the church, and certainly they should not get anywhere near our pulpit. The stakes are too high and the cost is too dear and the enemy is too evil to allow him a foothold in the church. And so we as a church are charged with the duty of defending God's word against attack. Is there any greater responsibility than this? Now, men have been charged with defending cities and they have given their lives for that. Men have died defending their families. They have even died in the defense of worthy principles. But what more worthy cause is there than the eternal gospel of Jesus Christ? And what more responsible position is there than to be the custodian and the protector and the defender of the very word of God and the very cause of Christ? And so we see that the gospel is to be defended, but we also see in our text that the gospel is a high priority in the purposes of God. Take a look at Philippians chapter one and verse 12. And it says, But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather under the furtherance of the gospel. Now, as human beings, even as Christians, we don't always know what the highest priorities are in the plan of God. We like to think that we know sometimes, but our knowledge is so far removed from his that we can't possibly know all of the purposes of God and the exact priorities of God. In our selfish minds, we often think of ourselves as being the center of the universe. And we think that all things were created for our benefit. And we suppose that the thing that is most important in the universe is our comfort and our happiness. If a thousand men must suffer for my comfort, then so be it. If someone must be poor so that I can be rich, then let it be. because I am the highest priority of all, but not so according to God's word. It says in Colossians 1.16, for by him, that is, by Christ, were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, Whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by Him." And what are the next three words? "...and for Him." Every created thing is for Jesus Christ. It is all for His benefit. And therefore, His interests fall ever so far above mine. The priorities of God are aligned for Christ's benefit, not mine. In fact, I have no position of priority in the purposes of God except for Christ's benefit. I am here for Him and for Him only. All things, it says, were created by Him and for Him. Now, in our text, we find that God's plans for the gospel were a higher priority than the comfort of Paul. It says, the things which happened unto me, that is, his imprisonment and beatings and various afflictions, have fallen out rather under the furtherance of the gospel. Christians of all time have been called on to suffer hardship for the gospel. Why is that? It is because the gospel is of highest priority in the plan of God. Men have been crucified for the sake of the gospel. Men have been burned at the stake for the sake of the gospel. Men have suffered loss of family for the sake of the gospel. Men have lost their homes and their jobs for the sake of the gospel. And this is because in the high priorities of God, the gospel cannot be compromised. The gospel must stand against every adversity. The gospel must withstand every challenge. The gospel stands side by side with the very glory of God and with Jesus Christ Himself as the most important thing. in the universe, and so understand that in the church of Jesus Christ, the gospel stands in a high and honored position. But also see in our text for this morning that the gospel is to be advanced. Take a look at Philippians 1.12, and it says, The things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel, The gospel or the word of God is not only something to be defended at home, but it is also something to be put forth into the world. You see, if you are in a war, you engage in both defense and offense, and both are necessary. Jesus told his disciples, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Not only do we defend the gospel in the safety and in the privacy of our churches, but also we strap to our sides and carry it forward into hostile territory. The gospel goes out into the world and it does its mighty work. And when we pull the word of God from its sheath, it is very powerful. It says in Hebrews 4.12, for the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword. And so as a church, don't merely think of the gospel as always being under attack by the evil forces, but think of it also as being the competent aggressor in the world. And this we see because the sufferings of Paul fell out under the furtherance of the gospel. But also we notice from our text this morning that the gospel is to be universally offered. It says in Philippians 1.13, so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places. Now, whoever was chained to Paul on any given day got a good dose of the gospel. Paul had no concern that these were men because the gospel is for male and female. He had no concern that these were Roman men because the gospel is for Jew and Gentile. He didn't care that they were wicked men because Jesus came to call sinners to repentance. He didn't care that these men were compelled by a chain to hear the gospel, for the gospel is both for free men and slaves, you see. Look what Paul said in Romans 115. He said, I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise. So as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. Now, some say that because we believe in the great doctrines of election and sovereign grace, that we don't believe in the universal proclamation of the gospel. Let me just say to you this morning that nothing could be farther from the truth. We believe that the scriptures teach a free and full offer of the gospel to every creature. This is why Paul preached Christ in the prison. This is why Paul preached Christ in the synagogues. This is why Paul preached Christ by the riverside. This is why Paul preached Christ in the streets and in the temple and in the houses. This is why he preached in Asia Minor and in Macedonia and in Rome. It is because the gospel is to be preached universally. The universal preaching of the gospel is the divine mechanism of reaching the elect in all parts of the world. God has ordained it and he has commanded it. And therefore, we do it. But also, I would like for you to see that the gospel is to be spoken boldly. Look at Philippians 1.14. It says, And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Now, this would seem to mean in our context that we are not to allow the threat of suffering To keep us from speaking the gospel missionaries in areas that are hostile to the gospel can relate to this verse. They understand what it means to risk physical abuse by preaching the gospel. But the gospel is to go out even in dangerous territory, and so we are to lay aside our fear of persecution in advancing the cause of the gospel. But also notice that the gospel is sometimes preached by men with evil motives. Take a look at Philippians chapter 1 verses 15 through 17. And it says there some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife and some also of goodwill. The one preached Christ of contention not sincerely supposing to add affliction to my bonds. But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. It appears that when Paul was confined in prison, that some who held themselves out to be preachers. Looked on this as an occasion to gain ground in the church, and it says that they preached out of envy. That is, they envied the position of Paul in the church. They wanted to climb the ladder of authority among the churches. They viewed Paul's imprisonment as an opportunity to move up. Now that Paul was out of the picture, perhaps there was now room for another apostle in the church or at least another great preacher. And so they preached with an eye to advancement in the church. It also appears that these preacher men were secretly pleased that Paul was laid up in prison This was their opportunity for self-advancement, and in their hearts they were pleased with Paul's afflictions. In fact, they sought to add to his afflictions, it says, by their preaching. This was their deep-seated motive. They wanted the higher seat in the church, and they wanted Paul out of that higher seat, and they took some pleasure in occupying that seat. while Paul was chained up under house arrest. And then I would have you notice the general tenor of the ministry of such men. You will notice that their ministry was characterized in verse 15 by strife. That is, everywhere they went, there was conflict and quarreling. These kind of preachers, those who are motivated by self-interest, are often recognizable by the spirit of contention that they bring with them. It says in verse 16, the one that is the one that preaches out of envy. The one preached Christ, even with contention. Now, when we have such a preacher, there will be a spirit of contention from the pulpit and there will be a spirit of contention in the deacons meetings. And this spirit of contention will spill out into the church hallways and this spirit of strife and contention will spread out into the whole congregation. And soon you will not have a united church. You will not have a loving church, but you will have a fighting church. And all of this can be caused by a preacher motivated by envy. Our text says that such a preacher is preaching insincerely. In verse 16, if he is more interested in the advancement of his own causes than for the cause of Christ, then he is insincere. If his goal is his own career, then he is insincere. Many pastors view their present churches as stepping stones to bigger churches and more recognition and bigger salaries, and such a preacher it would seem is insincere. So when you have the spirit of strife and contention in the church, what does that tell you? It could be that the preacher is motivated by envy and by a desire for self advancement. Perhaps he is motivated by a desire to control all things so that he can have that feeling of self importance. So let's always watch as a church for these things. Watch for strife and contention. And if they are coming from the far side of the pulpit, that is this side of the pulpit, then it might be time to have a little talk with the preacher. Our text would indicate that there are some preachers who preach with good motives. In Philippians 115, it says some indeed indeed preach Christ, even of strife and envy and some also of good will. How pleasant it is to the church when it has a preacher who preaches Christ with goodwill in his heart, it is a soothing salve indeed when the gospel is preached sincerely and I take it that. When the gospel is preached in this way that it will foster the opposite of strife and contention. The fighting spirit will not come from the pulpit. It will not be evident in the deacon's meetings. There will be no spirit of contention seeping into the hallways and spreading to the congregation. Notice the spirit in which the gospel is preached by the sincere preacher in verse 17. It says in verse 17, the one preached Christ of contention, not sincerely, Supposing to add affliction to my bonds, but the other of what? Of love. This spirit that comes from the pulpit should be very evident to the congregation. It is the difference between night and day. It is the difference between strife and peace. It is the difference between noisy contention and quiet unity. And it is ultimately the difference between love of self and love of others. It is a very sad thing that there should be men who profess the gospel, especially men who preach the gospel, who are governed by such principles as envy, strife and contention. I would expect that as we progress through the more degenerate ages of the church, that there will be more and more of such insincere preachers. But it is a very glad thing that God still has those who preach the gospel with sincere hearts. It is a very soothing thing to the church when grace flows from the pulpit instead of hurt, when peace flows instead of strife, when the sincerity of the gospel is evident instead of the insincerity of the preacher. And I want you to know that the proper role of the preacher and of the pastor is the role of a servant. He is not to lord over the people, as the Bible says, but to serve under them. The pastor is first the servant of Christ, as Paul said, and he must fall in line under the command of the great general of the army. But the pastor is also the servant of the people. in that he is sent to serve them and to take care of their spiritual needs. It seems to me that the pastor must see himself as the master of none and the servant of all. And his goal is not to exalt himself, but to exalt the gospel of Jesus Christ. And then in our text this morning, we see that the substance of the gospel is none other than Christ himself, You will notice that Paul calls preaching the gospel, preaching Christ in verse 15, 16, and 18. Christ truly is the sum and substance of the gospel. The gospel is not worldly philosophy. It is not self-improvement. It is not social engineering, but the gospel is the story of how Jesus Christ has provided a way of salvation for fallen sinners. Man's greatest need is to be reconciled to an offended God. And this is the message of the Bible. You may go to college to learn how to be a doctor or a nurse or an accountant, but I would highly recommend that you go to the College of the Scriptures to learn how to be saved. And when you go there, you will learn of Christ. The Old Testament says Christ is coming. The Gospels say Christ is here and the epistles say here is what Christ has done for you. You see, the religions of the world will tell you that to be saved, you must do something or you must reform yourself. But the Bible tells you that to be saved, you must believe in what someone else has done. The Bible everywhere proves that man cannot be saved by his own works. Israel irrefutably proved it over and over. In the Old Testament, a system of works, like the Mosaic law system, can never result in salvation. There is no other way to be saved but by sheer grace, that is, by the work and effort of another. God must give you salvation freely, and He does so on the basis of the great work of Jesus Christ. There are some essentials which you must believe regarding Jesus Christ in order to be saved. It is imperative that you know that Jesus was God Himself. Jesus was not a mere man. He was not an angel. He was not a created being in any way. But He was and is the eternal God. He is the one who we have offended by our sins. We have sinned against Him. It says in John 1.1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. But then you must also believe that the Word of God became a real human being. For it says a few verses later in John 1.14, and the Word was made flesh." This is an essential of the gospel because God became flesh in order to live a perfect and acceptable life on our behalf. He came as our substitute and lived in our place. We couldn't do it, so He came and did it for us. but it was also necessary that he come as a man so that he could pay a man's penalty for sin. He stood in my place and bore the wrath of God on my behalf." Never let anyone tell you that Jesus was not a human being, because if He wasn't a human being, then we are all still in our sins. So you must believe that He was God and you must believe that He became a man. You must also believe that Jesus died in your place and that he bore your sins in his body on the tree. We call this the atonement. His death was infinitely sufficient because of the infinite worth of his person. But his death must be applied to you by the power of the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit convinces you of the value of the death of Christ, not in general, but as to you, then you will cast all of your confidence in Him and Him alone, and you will be saved. But there is another essential of the gospel. You must believe that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. This act of resurrection was an act which confirmed the Father's acceptance, you see, of the work of Jesus Christ. And by the resurrection, all those who are in Christ by faith are accepted. You see how the sum and substance of the gospel is this man, Jesus Christ. And so Paul said to preach the gospel is to preach Christ. Let me just say that when you take the gospel of Jesus Christ, you take all of the gospel or you take nothing at all. You don't take the parts of the gospel that you like and reject the parts that you don't like. Participation in the gospel is not like going to the grocery store to buy groceries. You don't say, I'll take three dollars of the gospel, please give me the part about heaven. but I don't think I'll buy the part about suffering. I'll take that bundle of blessings, but I don't think I'll try that bag of persecutions. And I don't think I will buy that part of the gospel that asks me to really hate covetousness and lust. I don't think I want that part of the gospel that requires me to love my enemies and to deny myself. I don't think I want that part of the gospel that says, go ye into all the world. I kind of like it here with the comforts of home, so just ring me up for three dollars worth of the gospel, please. If it is your intent to have only three dollars worth of the gospel, then you shall have none of it at all. You don't take a part of Christ. but you take all of Christ. And the message of our text is that we must put the gospel of Christ first. And when you come to Christ with that attitude, then you come to Christ even in your sufferings. It says in Philippians 1.18, we'll close with this, what then, notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, And I therein do rejoice, yea, and I will rejoice." Those words were spoken by a man that was sitting in prison, chained to a Roman guard that probably didn't get enough to eat or drink, had no privacy. His liberty was taken away. He couldn't do what he wanted to do. And he said, because of the gospel, I rejoice. You see, Paul took all of the gospel, whatever comes my way. Let it come on. Take all.