I warned you guys as we started this church a number of weeks ago, and some of you who know me already know that I'm a bit of a movie buff. And from time to time, I've been known to quote movie lines in conversation. That's a fun thing to do with friends. Maybe you have that habit as well. And so I want to do a little bit of a quiz with you guys and see if you can identify some famous movie lines that you may hear quoted by others from time to time. The first one being, and I really hope you guys get this one because we're starting off with a softball, is I am your father. Anybody know that one? Star Wars, right? Very good. All right. That was the warm-up. That was the warm-up. Okay, next. This one will be a little harder. I'll be your Huckleberry. Tombstone. Very good. Yeah, that was fast. That was quick on the draw right there. There you go. Okay. Another good one, we're going to need a bigger boat. Jaws, ah, you didn't want to lose to that one, okay? And then a personal favorite of my wife's, nobody puts baby in a corner. Dirty dancing. And then for all those a little bit younger in the room, do you want to build a snowman? Anybody? Right? Frozen. Very good. So there are many famous lines. I could have gone on and on. We could have done a whole Sunday morning of just movie lines, to be honest. But there are many famous lines in Hollywood, and the same is true of scripture. that there are certain scriptures that are well known and well spoken of and often quoted. And as I consider the book of Philippians, the passage that we're going to look at today has probably the most quoted or memorized or memorable verse in the entire book. It is Philippians 121 where Paul says, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I were to say that, many of you were to know that this is from Philippians. These words, they jump off the page as we read them in just a moment, even though it is such a simple phrase. So simple, so profound, so moving. As I was studying this whole section of scripture and particularly that verse, verse 21, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain, one commentator had this to say about this verse as it pertains to Paul and this letter. He says that these words are the foundation, the center, purpose, direction, power, and the meaning of Paul's life in Christ. This in many ways was his anthem, his motto. And it's one that I hope that after we give it greater contemplation this morning, we can adopt for ourselves. That each one of us, as we leave this place this morning, will have in our hearts this attitude, for me to live as Christ, and to die is my gain. And so those will be our two points this morning as we open up to Philippians. Philippians chapter one, if you have Bibles, I would encourage you to open them up and keep them open in your lap as you are able. If you don't have a Bible or a digital copy, we do have some Bibles in the back. We would encourage you to go grab a copy for yourself. We're going to be in Philippians 1, reading the last portion of verse 18 and going to verse 26. So beginning right above verse 19, Paul writes, excuse me, I almost forgot, would you please stand for the reading of God's word? Paul writes, yes, and I will rejoice. For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, this will turn out for my deliverance. As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but with full courage, now as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose, I cannot tell. I am hard-pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. So there's a lot that could be said about this passage, but I really I'm attempting to limit myself primarily to those words, to live is Christ and to die is gain. We're going to be looking at each one of these, to live is Christ, in our first point. And there's going to be four sub points under this of what does it mean to live is Christ? And then we'll consider what it means to have the attitude and understanding that as a Christian, to die is our gain. There'll be three sub points under that. But let us start with this first, to live is Christ. I'll remind you of the context of what is going on here in this epistle to the Philippians. If you've been here with us the previous weeks, you know that this is the Apostle Paul writing to the Philippian church from jail. He's under house arrest, having preached the gospel in Jerusalem, having been arrested by the Romans, having been sent back to Rome and is now chained to a guard in the hopes that this would stop his ministry. But as we found out, all it did was go on to embolden his ministry and bolster it. But yet Paul's future is uncertain. He does not know how much time he has and he's living with this reminder of, I may have many days left, I may be released, I may be in prison, or I may be executed at any moment. And yet he is of great courage and of great joy because of this attitude that he has represented so well here in this section. To live is Christ and to die is gain. We see that Paul is expecting a greater deliverance. He talks about deliverance and some people have debated what deliverance Paul is truly expecting. Is he expecting to be released? Or is this maybe the greater deliverance of vindication in salvation that although he's being jailed and treated like a criminal, he'll ultimately be vindicated as he goes to be with Christ. The latter is probably more true than the other. But nevertheless, Paul is joyful in these circumstances because of his attitude that his whole life was dedicated to living for Christ. And my hope is that is what our dedication before the Lord will be as a result of our faith in Christ as well. And so we must ask ourselves, what does it mean to utter the phrase, to live as Christ? And so I have four sub points. We'll be jumping around to some other scriptures, some other writings of Paul as he fleshes out some of these ideas in a little bit more detail. But the first thing that I think is important to note as we consider what it is to live is Christ, is to first understand what it is to be made spiritually alive. We cannot utter this statement to live as Christ without first having tasted of God's salvation that is only made available through the gospel, through believing in Jesus, through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. So I want to share from some of the scriptures that Paul writes in other places, like Ephesians, of what is our natural state before God apart from faith. Ephesians 2, four through five, gives us a very clear picture. This again is Paul writing, and he says this, but God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace, you have been saved. See, what many of us may not realize is that before coming to faith in Christ, you were dead. Yes, your body may have been breathing, but spiritually, you were dead. You were dead in your trespasses and sins. You had no relationship with God. You're not even warm to the idea of having a relationship with God. God needed to do a work in your heart through his spirit to make you alive. Spiritually alive. Alive together in Christ. And this is a pure act of grace from God. This is not from anything that you did. There is no means by which you deserved such an action. It is a free gift of grace from God. And what a gift it is to be made spiritually alive, to finally see God as he is, as the good and wonderful creator and sustainer of all things, and to put your faith and trust in him. Scripture speaks of this idea of being separated from God as death. Often it's not just Paul. You may be familiar with the story of the prodigal son that Jesus tells in Luke chapter 15. The son who forsakes his father, who chooses to live a life in rebellion and debauchery and sin. who comes to a moment of repentance and returns to his father and his father receives him. And I want you to note one of the things that the father says about this son as he returns. This is Luke 15 verse 24. For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found and they began to celebrate. to be separated from our father, though we may have breath in our lungs, though there may be blood in our veins, is to be dead, is to be separated from the most important relationship, the relationship that you and I were created to have. And so life becomes meaningless apart from it. It's as if we are already physically dead. And so salvation is often talked about as new life from going to death to life. Or, as another familiar passage may talk about, about being born again. John 3, 3. Jesus replied, very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. Before we can ever utter the words, to live is Christ, we need to experience the new life that God offers us through Jesus, by the gospel, in faith. We need to be made spiritually alive to these things. And I recognize that some of us in this room may think we're alive, when we're actually dead. Because you are still lost in your trespasses and sin without any hope Well, let me offer you that hope today. That your sins can be forgiven. That your relationship with God can begin and be restored. That you could go from being dead to be made alive and experience the meaning and purpose and love and joy that can only be found in a relationship with our God. And it's by faith that this happens. Faith in the message of the gospel. That Jesus, who was God, became a man. That he lived a life without any sin, and chose freely of himself to bear your sin on that cross. That it wasn't just the physical suffering of Christ, although horrific it may have been, the spiritual suffering of him taking God's wrath in his body and making atonement, full payment for your sin on your behalf, to where there is no more wrath left over for your sin. He died, he was in the grave, and he rose again, vindicated that he was indeed God, that he was indeed our Savior, that your sins truly are forgiven in him. He ascended into heaven and is one day coming again soon to make all things new. And we believe that message. We are given new life. God's spirit comes into your heart and you are now made alive once again. And so if the Lord is working in your heart today, to be able to utter the phrase, to live as Christ, then come to Christ for salvation, be made spiritually alive. That is the first thing that I see is necessary in order for us to understand this phrase, to live is Christ. Secondly, to live as Christ is to die to sin. that this old life that we have, it was characterized, it was marked, it was controlled by sin and by our desire to sin. There's nothing we could do to have changed ourselves, to change our desires, but yet because we are now made spiritually alive, because now God's spirit dwells within us, we are able to walk in righteousness and the power of the Spirit. That we can put to death the old ways of our life. This is what Romans 6, 11 through 12 speaks of. Again, this is the Apostle Paul writing. He says in the same way, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. See, prior to Christ, sin reigned. Sin was your king, sin was your master, and it was all you could do to follow that master. But yet, now that you've been made alive, you can put to death that master in your life through God's spirit. that you can live for Jesus, with Jesus. Paul speaks of it again this way in Galatians chapter two, verse 20. He says, I've been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. When you trust in Jesus, Christ comes and lives in you, and he will manifest himself through his spirit in a number of ways. When we come to faith and we have this attitude, I'm putting to death my old way of life, and I'm choosing to walk in newness of life, following my new, wonderful, glorious, loving master, who is Jesus. Our lives as a result of the new life in Christ are now characterized by growing righteousness, that we are made more like him. We are not made perfect, not until he comes again or we go to be with him. We are growing in sanctification, growing in righteousness, and this, again, is a grace of God. It is a work of God, not of yourself. And it's a sign, it's an evidence, it's fruit of what it is to genuinely have been made alive in Christ. That this obedience, it's not required for salvation, but it is a byproduct of your salvation. That as someone who's been made alive in Christ Jesus, you will bear what the Bible calls as good fruits, works of righteousness. You will begin to resemble Jesus the longer you walk with him. And so to live as Christ is to die to sin, to turn from our sin and to turn to our Savior more and more each and every day. Thirdly, to live as Christ is to die once again, but to die to the things of this world. We not only have sin to battle against, but we have this world to battle against. And the things of this world would lead us astray. Many of us are living for things that are other than Christ. that we may not call sin, but our pursuits of the world, be it success, recognition, relationship, belonging, pleasure. These are worldly things that apart from Christ, many people are living for. Paul himself was one of them. He had a lot of things going for him with regards to worldly standards. He was born in the right family. He went to the right school. He chose the right profession. He was rising in recognition and authority and power with regards to Judaism. But when he was confronted with following Jesus, he turned from all those things and said, none of them matter. In fact, they are rubbish. They are worthless in comparison to Christ. We'll talk more about this later in our study of Philippians, but this is exactly what Paul says later in Philippians chapter three, verses four through eight. Paul says, though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also, if anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more. Circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. as to the law of Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law, blameless. He had everything going for him in this world with regards to worldly standards. But verse seven, but whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ. You see, Paul understood that there was nothing in this world, no treasure, no recognition, no glory, no pleasure, that could compare with what He has in Christ. That for Him, Christ was everything, so much so that He was willing to give up everything else for the sake of knowing and serving Him more. So to live as Christ is to be made spiritually alive, it's to die to sin, it's to die to the world, and then here in this passage we also hear Paul say, to live as Christ is more fruitful labor. Verse 22. Paul, as he's wondering, am I gonna live, am I gonna die? Which one is better, to be with Christ or to be here with you? And he says this, he says, if I am to live, in verse 22, in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And Paul is rejoicing in this. Not many of us rejoice about more labor, more things to do. But for Paul, it was a joy to serve Christ in his flesh here on this earth. To not only serve Christ, but to love his bride, which is the church. That there was joy in being poured out for these things. For enduring suffering and persecution and all kinds of lack here on this earth, but there was joy in the labor that God was giving him. Verses 25 and 26 here in Philippians says, Paul had confidence that at the end of the day, it was not his time to go to be with the Lord, but that God still had more things for him to do. namely to serve his church, the Philippians being one of those very local churches. Talked about last week how Paul's imprisonment would be two years. But those two years were not a vacation or a suspension from fruitful labor. In fact, those were abundant years of labor for Paul as he wrote to the Philippians, as he ministered there in Rome, and as he did countless other things. And as a result, God bore fruit in his ministry and brought joy not only to Paul, but to the church. He was used by God in the Philippian church. He was used by God to serve every church and every Christian, and this is the fruitful labor that he gave himself to. Colossians 1, 28 and 29 talks about this labor. saying that he is the one we proclaim, proclaiming Christ, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. This was what he was laboring for. To present everyone fully mature in Christ to this, and I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. So Paul is contending, Paul is straining, but he's also seeing the power of God, of Christ, work in him to do these things. And you and I are no different. If we are to say to live as Christ, it's not only to be made spiritually alive, it's not just to die to sin, it's not just to forsake the things of this world, but it's to commit ourselves to the fruitful labor that God would have us do while we are here in the flesh. We often think that this is the role of Paul, of the apostles, of the pastors, that they are the laborers, they are the workers. No, we all are. In fact, more so you than us. We are the equipers. We are the coaches. We are those who deploy you for ministry. Look at Ephesians 4, 11 through 12. Paul, again, writing, It says, so Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and the teachers to equip his people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up. You were created to live for Christ and to engage in fruitful labors. to serve his church, to grow his kingdom, to present others fully mature in Christ, to reach new people with the gospel, to bring him glory through your faithful obedience, that others may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. To live as Christ is fruitful labor. And this, my friends, is a joy. It is a joy. It is a joy to be made alive in Christ. It is a joy to finally be able to turn from sin, to forsake the things of the world that promise joy, but do not give lasting joy, and to be engaged in the fruitful works of ministry. This is what gives us happiness, enjoyment, pleasure, to serve God, to be with God, to love God, and to love His people. And this type of joy, not only do we get to experience it, but it's infectious. That you can be infected with this type of joy when you live this out in this way. It inspires others, it moves others, and the opposite is true as well. When you live for sin, when you live for worldly things, when you are not alive in Christ, when you're not engaged in ministry, You're missing the great joy that God has prepared for you. Maybe you've experienced this in social settings. You've been around people who seem to have it all. and they wanna tell you how they have it all. They wanna tell you about their fancy things, new car, new house, all these worldly things that promise happiness, that promise joy. Maybe hear them talking about all the sinful pleasures that they so proudly partake in because they bring so much joy and satisfaction in their life. And maybe you get to hear about all their success and whatever profession that they have chosen to live in. I've been in those conversations. I've been in those social settings. And let me just tell you, they look miserable. That you could see that what they're speaking of is ultimately leaving them empty. And it doesn't produce life in me in those conversations as they share all these things either. One of two things happen, either in my weakness and in my flesh I become envious and jealous of all the things that they have that I don't, or I pity them. I'm sad for them. Maybe I see their arrogance or their pride and it's not fulfilling. But yet the opposite has been true. I have known some wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ who don't have much. with regards to worldly possession, who don't have much with regard to fame or success, yet they have Christ and they serve his church. And let me tell you, being around those people is a great encouragement to me. If you ask me who do I want to sit down and have coffee with for an hour, I'm taking that person every time. Because they encourage me to find my joy, my purpose, my life, And that's here what Paul is doing, that despite his meager circumstances, being imprisoned, being without, facing death, His hope is that he's imparting some of the joy that he has found with Christ to these Philippians, that they may press on, that they may be encouraged by him. This is why he writes in verse 25 and 26, convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ because of my coming to you again. You see, living for Christ not only brings you joy, but gives others ample cause to glory in Christ as well along with you. That joy that we have in Christ is indeed infectious. And so as we consider these four things, what it is to live as Christ, let me ask you this, what are you living for? What are you living for? Many of us may still be living for the things of this world. We may still be looking for that sense of power and authority. For enough money to finally make us happy. Not just meet our needs, but make us happy. That recognition, that success, that pleasure, that relationship. What are you living for? For honest, many of us still may be living for sinful things. for the things of this world. We need to forsake those. We need to put those to death and turn to Christ and live for him. My assumption is that many of us are actually living for what may be considered good things. That for me, my greatest purpose in life is to be a good father, to be a good husband, to be a good ministry leader, These things in and of themselves are not bad, but they are not ultimately what we should be living for. We should be living for Christ. Put things in their proper order. One of the greatest idols and hindrances that I see within the church amongst believers are these good things. Family, marriage, good, but not ultimate. Live for Christ. And when you do that, you'll be meeting all those obligations better than you ever could by yourself. What are we living for? Let us live for Christ. But now let's turn to this idea that Paul shares. To die is gain. It must have been so frustrating to be Paul's captors, to be Paul's persecutors, because nothing works. Threaten him to stop preaching the good news, he doesn't listen. Persecute him, counts it a joy to suffer for Christ. Lock him up, finds a way to convert his captors. Threaten him with death and he says, oh please, how wonderful that would be to be with my Lord and Savior. That there was nothing that could deter this man because his faith was grounded in Christ. That he was going to spend every waking moment, whether in jail or not, whether persecuted or not, living for Christ. That even if you threatened him with death, he could rejoice because he saw that as his gain. Verse 23, he says, I'm hard-pressed between the two. My desires depart to be with Christ, for that is far better. It's terrible grammar in English, but a lot of commentators, when they were looking at how to translate this from the Greek, if you were to take a literal wooden translation, it would say it would be much more better to be with Christ. And so, how can we have this attitude that Paul has here? To die is gain. First, to die as gain is beneficial to us because it frees us from the brokenness of this world. I don't know if you're like me, but I get weary at times of how broken this world can actually be. If you don't know how broken it is, just turn on any news channel anywhere and you will see brokenness everywhere. You may not even have to turn on the TV. There may be brokenness in your own home, brokenness in your workplace. This isn't just physical suffering or evil things. Sometimes it's just the reality of death, disease, and decay. Every birthday is less fun because it's just a reminder that things are breaking down. They're not working like they should, or at least not like they used to. And the hope that we have is that God's gonna make all things new. That when we die, this brokenness that we have to trudge through life, it's done. And that it's good and right to groan for these things, to long for these things. It's not just us, it's all of creation that desires for restoration, for God to make things new. Romans 8. Verses 20 through 23, Paul speaks of all of creation crying out for the brokenness to be fixed. He says, for the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves have the first fruits of the spirit grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship and redemption of our bodies. To die is to be free of this brokenness. God won't fully consummate all things until Christ comes again, but yet we would get a shortcut to the front of the line to go and be with him now. Our ultimate hope is that God will make all things new, that all the evil, all the suffering, all the brokenness in this world will be made right. This is the great hope that we see in Revelation as it paints the picture of the new creation that we await in Christ. Revelation 21, three through four says, And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Look, God's dwelling place is now among the people that he will dwell with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. For the older things has passed away. Do you groan along with me and all of God's people and all God's creation to see this brokenness restored? This is why to die is gain, because it brings an end to our longing. To die is gain is also to be free from the struggle of sin. To be free from the struggle of sin. God has given us great power, great ability through his spirit to resist sin, to walk in newness of life, but this side of heaven, it will forever be a struggle. And I grow weary of that struggle from time to time. And I long for the day in which that struggle will end, where I will not have to strive to choose what is good. It'll just be. This struggle is true, I believe, of every born-again Christian still battling against the sinful flesh, but wanting to yield to the spirit in our life. Paul so well pictures this struggle in Romans 7, 15 and 19. Maybe you'll resonate with this. Paul says, I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do. If I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. And it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do what I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing. This is the struggle that we face. that our sinful flesh will always lead us. Though our desire is to serve the Lord, we will battle with sin. And that battle is tiresome, and to be with Christ often seems so much better. Lastly, to die is gain. And this is most important of all. To die is gain, is to be with Christ. To be with Him. He is with us now. We have fellowship with Him, we have communion through His Spirit, but to die is to actually be with Him. in the truest sense of the word. There are many scriptures that I can put here, but let me encourage you with just these four. 2 Corinthians 5, 8, we are confident, I say, and prefer to be away from the body and home with the Lord. Now there'll be a time when we'll be with the Lord, both body and soul, in the new creation, but when you die, instantly, you are with the Lord. present in front of you tangibly. 1 Corinthians 13, 12, famous chapter about love, but look with me in verse 12. It says, for now we see only a reflection as in a mirror. Then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. You will see Jesus face to face. This was the same hope, not just in the New Testament, but the Old Testament as well, to be with God. As Adam and Eve were with God, walking in the garden, Job cried out in the midst of his suffering. Job 19, 26 to 27, he says, and after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh, I will see God. I myself will see him with my own eyes, I and not another, how my heart yearns within me for this. We know this promise to be true that we will be with Jesus in death immediately because this was the promise that Jesus himself gave to one of the criminals on the cross. Jesus answered him, truly I tell you today you will be with me in paradise. There was no delay. To be away from the body is to be home with the Lord. There's no temporary waiting area, there's no purgatory. If you are in Christ, if you have trusted in Christ, to die is your gain because you go to be with Him and there is nothing better than to be with Christ. You know, some people like to think of heaven as just doing your favorite activities all day long. We know that's probably not true, not that we won't have things to do, but we'll be less concerned with doing those things than being with Christ our Savior. Some people find their greatest hope in heaven to be reunited with loved ones, and yes, you very likely will be, that will not be the best part of heaven. It'll be to be reunited with your Savior. Being with Jesus is better than everything, which is why to die is seen as our ultimate gain because we get to be with Christ. And there is power in understanding this and living this out. If you have the idea to live as Christ and to die as gain, then there is nothing here on this earth that can stop you from serving Christ. No threat, no persecution, no obstacle can turn you away from that. Because every moment you're living for him, and as you live for him, if those come against you to tell you to stop, you know that what they do to harm you is actually for your good, because you get to be with him. If you've ever had a chance, I find great encouragement, maybe sound weird to some of you, but to read about some of the martyrs of the faith and the great boldness that they had, not only to live for Christ, but to die for him as well. Because so many of them saw it as their ultimate gain. And I think the most moving story of martyrdom in church history that I can think of is by a man named Polycarp. Early church father and Christian was killed because of his faith in Christ and his refusal to pray to Caesar or hail Caesar. I wanna read for you the account of his martyrdom. Ultimately, he was accused of being an atheist. That's kind of an interesting thing for Christians back in the ancient day to be accused of, but that's what they were. They were atheists. They believed in only one God, instead of the multitude of gods that the Romans and the pagans did. And so, Polycarp was brought before the Roman guards, and the account of his martyrdom reads as such. When the crowd heard that Polycarp had been captured, there was an uproar. The pro-council asked him whether he was Polycarp. On hearing that he was, he tried to persuade him to apostatize, saying, have respect for your old age. He was 86 years old. Swear by the fortune of Caesar, repent and say, down with the atheist. Polycarp looked grimly at the wicked heathen multitude in the stadium, and gesturing toward them, he said, down with the atheists? Swear, urged the procounsel. Reproach Christ and I will set you free. And Polycarp's response is, Eighty-six years have I served him, Polycarp declared, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my king and my savior? The procouncil further goes on to threaten him. He says, I have wild animals here, the procouncil said. I will throw you to them if you do not repent. Call them, Polycarp replied. It is unthinkable for me to repent from what is good to turn to what is evil. I will be glad, though, to be changed from evil to righteousness. If you despise the animals, I will have you burned. Polycarp responds, you threaten me with fire which burns for an hour and then is extinguished, but know nothing of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment reserved for the ungodly. Why are you raiding? Bring on whatever you want. Church history has it that he was indeed burned. alive and yet made not a sound. How frustrating that must have been for that pro council to offer the most wicked and horrendous threats that he could think of and only have Polycarp respond rather lackluster. Because he saw his death as his ultimate gain. 1 Corinthians 15, 55 and 58. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, he gives the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm, let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor to the Lord is not in vain. If you can view death as your gain to be with Christ, then nothing can move you. Nothing can move you. So the question is, are you able to view death in this way? It's a strange thing. By no means should we pursue our death in reckless ways or self-harm by any means. We are to continue on in fruitful labor for as long as the Lord would have us. But yet, do we long to be with Christ? Do we see it as being far better than remaining here in the flesh? Are there things in this world that you view as better than Christ? Things that you wish to continue on and to live for? In some ways, it's appropriate to feel that struggle. Paul longed to live for the good things of serving Christ in his church. He was hard-pressed between the two. But if we're honest, sometimes what we're hard-pressed between is not choosing to serve the Lord or to go be with the Lord. It's selfish means of, I just want to be here a little bit longer. There's more that life has to offer me before I'm ready to spend forever with you. You know what those things are called? Idols. things that you're more devoted to than devoted to the Lord. If you think that there is something worth staying here longer for that would bring you more joy, more fulfillment than what Christ has to offer you in eternity, then you have an idol. To be with Christ is much more better. And when you are not afraid to die for Christ, then you'll truly be able to live for him. But if we have this attitude that to die is our gain, then we will be better equipped to serve him with our life. Because he is our ultimate, he is our everything, he is what is best. So as we conclude, to live as Christ for things we made spiritually alive to die to sin, to die to the things of the world, and to commit ourselves to fruitful labor while here on this earth, while also knowing that to die is our gain. It is our gain because we will be free from brokenness, free from sin, but most of all, we will be with Jesus. would we be able to make that our greatest life motto? The thing that we are able to quote most often for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Let me close in prayer. Father, I pray that your spirit would do a work in the hearts of the believers gathered here today in such a way that we truly could have this attitude that Paul expressed, to live is Christ, to be made spiritually alive, to turn from sin, to turn from the things of this world, and to serve you and your bride, the church. Lord, if there's anything in our life that we are slow and reluctant to surrender before you, would you lead us in your spirit to bring those before you now in quiet prayer? Father, I ask that we would also have the mind of to die as our gain because it is to be with you, that the things that we would long for most were to be with you or to see you come again and make all things new. More than milestones in our life, more than success in this world, more than fame, more than money, more than pleasure, that we would want you, Jesus, most of all. And if you can put that deep in our heart through your Spirit, Or would you use it to help us not just die well, but to live well for you? Knowing that all of it is for you, Jesus. It's only by your Spirit that these things are possible. And so, Lord, we pray that you would do it. In the name of Jesus, amen.