Rev. David Holwick ZG PHILIPPIANS
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
October 8, 2017
Philippians 1:20-26
NOTHING TO LOSE
I. How do you feel about death?
A. Most people don't want to die.
1) Death is tragic.
A group of Silicon Valley billionaires is financing
research into stem cells and genetics.
They want to reverse the aging process and expect that
humans can potentially live for thousands of years.
And not just existing, but living fully.
Playing tennis and climbing mountains.
A number of Hollywood stars have followed this movement.
Ray Kurzweil is an average guys who wants to eradicate
natural aging and death.
If plans don't advance as quickly as he expects and he ends
up dying, he will be frozen in liquid nitrogen to be
reawakened once science has figured out immortality.
He notices that people get upset when they hear of someone
who dies young.
Why not rage at the death of anyone?
Kurzweil says, "It's a common philosophical position that
death gives meaning to life, but death is a great robber
of meaning.
"It robs us of love.
It is a complete loss of ourselves.
It is a tragedy."
#65883
2) We focus on this life.
a) In a culture of youth, death leaves a flat note.
b) We don't want to give much thought to what happens
after life ends.
c) Even sermons on heaven have decreased in frequency.
d) As one preacher puts it, our focus is on "Having Your
Best Life Now."
B. One persistent problem - death still happens.
1) No one has avoided it yet, except for a handful of Bible
characters.
a) Even Jesus didn't avoid it, since he really died before
he rose on Easter.
b) Just two Bible characters, Enoch and Elijah, avoided
death altogether.
2) Unless Jesus comes back very quickly, you will die like
billions of other humans have.
C. Paul's insight.
1) Paul thought he might face death any day.
a) That was a realistic assessment on his part, not
fatalism.
2) He gives insight into how we should face death, and life.
a) Christians win either way.
b) Do you have this confidence? Really?
II. Death is wonderful!
A. The Bible does not always portray death in a positive light.
1) The Old Testament presents an incomplete picture.
a) Death seems to separate us from God. Isaiah 38:18-19
For the grave cannot praise you,
death cannot sing your praise;
those who go down to the pit
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
b) Living dogs are better off than dead kings. Eccl 9:4
Anyone who is among the living has hope --
even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
2) Death has always been a great unknown.
a) It is a unique, one-time experience for each of us.
1> No one comes back to give hints.
2> Near-Death-Experiences are "near" but not "there."
b) The Bible doesn't give much support for ghosts.
1> Jesus is the only one who came back to visit the
living, and only for 40 days.
2> ("Ghost of Samuel" through the witch of Endor?)
B. Only the dead know for sure.
1) They just can't get the answer back to us.
In the dedication of her book "Spook" Mary Roach writes,
"To my parents, wherever they are, or aren't."
An interviewer asked her, are you willing to say they are
somewhere, or they aren't?
She answered, "If I had to put my money on it, and I had to
decide one way or the other, I would put my money on,
they aren't anywhere.
But that's really depressing.
My mother believed.
My mother absolutely had faith that when she died that she
was going to heaven.
And even if she's wrong, she doesn't know she's wrong.
So, she went through her whole life with a calmness and a
peace of mind that I'll never have.
The people who believe, win.
The skeptics lose."
#64224
2) Do Christians have anything more than wishful thinking?
III. The Apostle Paul actually preferred death. 1:23
A. Death is more than just the ending of pain and uncertainty.
1) For Paul, it means a closer union with Jesus.
a) This life involves a few intense moments with Jesus.
b) Have you ever had a truly spiritual experience with
him?
1> Some might mention their conversion, baptism,
during devotions...
2) Heaven will be continuously intense.
a) We will be made morally perfect.
b) Our minds will fully grasp the wonder and knowledge
of God.
1 Corinthians 13:12 says,
"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror;
then we shall see face to face.
Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,
even as I am fully known."
B. When do we actually go to heaven?
1) Some believe your soul remains with your body until the
future resurrection.
a) This is often called "soul sleep."
2) Philippians 1 supports the idea that we go immediately
to be in the presence of God when we die.
a) Otherwise, there would be no advantage in dying right
now.
b) 2 Corinthians 5:6 reinforces this:
"Therefore we are always confident and know that as
long as we are at home in the body we are away
from the Lord."
C. Christians should have a sense of joy about death.
1) Death still hurts, and it is appropriate to grieve.
2) But Christians have a very special hope that puts our grief
in a new context.
1 Thessalonians 4:13 says,
"We do not want you to be uninformed about those who
sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the
rest of mankind, who have no hope."
a) People of faith know that we will see our loved ones
beyond the grave.
b) Our future experiences with them will make this current
life seem like nothing.
3) This is not a trifle of consolation after a miserable life.
a) Critics often call this "pie in the sky."
b) The Bible calls it the clear promise of God.
IV. Life can be almost as good as heaven. 1:22
A. To live is Christ.
1) Paul had a relationship with Jesus right now.
2) He could experience it with every breath, just as can we.
3) Your relationship with God makes all the difference.
Pastor Mark Driscoll once said:
"If you are a Christian, this life is as close to hell
as you will ever experience.
And if you are a non-Christian, this life is as close
to heaven as you will ever experience."
"For the Christian, this life is as bad as it can
possibly be.
And for the non-Christian, this life is as good as it
could possibly get."
Sermon #65909
B. Life means opportunities to serve and love.
1) Paul yearned for heaven, but he knew he was needed on earth.
a) He knows the Philippians need him. 1:24
b) His release would be a great encouragement to them! 1:26
2) Therefore he feels God will keep him alive. 1:25
C. Everyone needs a reason to live.
1) Apollo astronauts and let-down after landing on moon.
It is not uncommon to find people without a reason for
living.
They simply exist until they can bear it no longer, or
they fill their emptiness with meaningless pursuits.
Other people have reasons for living, but no resources for
living.
Once they attain to their reason for living they are left
disappointed or strangely empty.
Many astronauts in America's space program experienced this.
Jim Irwin said his whole life revolved around the mission
to land on the Moon.
He was one of the 12 humans who have actually walked on
the Moon.
Yet once the mission was completed, he experienced a severe
depression.
He concluded that the only lasting reason for living had to
be found in God, and so he became a Christian.
Two other astronauts who went on the Moon also became
believers and are involved in Christian ministries.
#4298
V. How should Christians face life and death issues?
A. Be positive about death.
1) If you are afraid of it, seek spiritual strength.
2) The Bible contains many passages on hope.
3) Have confidence that you are a genuine Christian.
a) Be firm in the doctrine of grace - Jesus paid it all.
b) Be consistent in character - are you living a Christian
life that is moral and consistent?
B. Some Christians are in a different situation.
Our culture disregards death, and this has an impact on
Christians.
It causes us to clutch our possessions more tightly.
We trust the security material things give us and avoid risking
our lives for the service of God.
Many Iranian believers, on the other hand, have learned Paul's
perspective on death, and they, like him, provide an example
for Western believers.
Mehdi Dibaj, for example, was imprisoned by the government of
Iran in 1984 on charges of "apostasy," since he had
converted from Islam to Christianity.
The penalty for this crime according to Islamic law was death.
Mehdi languished in prison for ten years before his case came
to trial.
When it did, his written statement of defense was a simple and
straightforward affirmation of commitment to Jesus Christ.
The last few lines of that defense contain this remarkable
paragraph:
[Jesus Christ] is our Savior and he is the Son of God.
To know him means to know eternal life.
I, a useless sinner, have believed in him and all his words
and miracles recorded in the gospel.
I have committed my life into his hands.
Life for me is an opportunity to serve him, and death is a
better opportunity to be with Christ.
Therefore I am not only satisfied to be in prison for the
honor of his holy name, but am ready to give my life for
the sake of Jesus my Lord...
On December 12, 1993, the court before whom this defense was
made sentenced Mehdi to death.
Then, under intense pressure from people in the West who knew of
the case, including the U.S. State Department, the Iranians
released him in January 1994.
Seven months later, he was found dead "under suspicious
circumstances" in a Teheran park.
He was the third Christian murdered in Iran after his release
from prison.
#4299
1) Is your faith strong enough to die for?
C. In America we must have a better attitude toward living.
1) Paul's secret was focusing on others.
a) Life seem pointless? Live for others. see Rom 14:7-8
1> Many people are depressed because they center on
themselves.
2> Do something new in a community setting.
b) Paul saw his life as being a source of joy to others.
1> (Are people filled with joy because of you??)
2) We choose life because others need us.
a) Meaning of life is not just whether we are happy or not.
D. What is your guiding motivation?
1) "For me, to live is..." -- what??
a) Realistically, how would you fill in the blank?
b) Assess your priorities.
2) Paul had confidence because he had Jesus.
a) His goal was that Jesus be exalted in him.
b) I hope you have that same conviction.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 4298 “Apollo Astronauts Find God,” from an old sermon by Rev. David
Holwick; May 27, 1984; original source is unknown.
# 4299 “An Iranian Martyr,” by Frank Thielman, The NIV Application
Commentary: Philippians (1995), page 89.
#64224 “Dead People Know,” by Mary Roach, National Public Radio:
Radiolab interview, August 10, 2009; <link>.
#65883 “Death Is a Tragedy,” by Tad Friend, The New Yorker magazine,
April 3, 2017; page 67. Adapted from Tad Friend's article,
"The God Pill."
Sermon #65909 “The Rebel’s Guide To Joy In Death,” by Pastor Mark Driscoll,
October 28, 2007; Mark Driscoll Ministries; <link>.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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