Philippians (Lesson 13)

A man sits in jail and asks for prayer, but not the kind most of us would request first. We walk through Philippians 1:20 and hear Paul’s aim with startling clarity: “that in nothing I shall be ashamed… so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.” That single line reframes everything about suffering, fear, and what a faithful Christian life is meant to display. If the gospel is true, then even pressure becomes a platform.

We dig into Paul’s “earnest expectation and hope,” connecting it to the Bible’s language of redemption and the believer’s future with Jesus Christ. Then we tackle a pointed warning: trying to lock down dates, whether for the rapture or for our own lifespan, can backfire spiritually. Living like the Lord could come today is not hype, it’s a steady fuel for perseverance, holiness, and finishing well without shame.

From there, we get uncomfortably practical about what it means for Christ to be magnified. Does my style, my speech, and my everyday conduct make Jesus easier to see, or does it make people focus on me? We also turn to Daniel 3 and the “but if not” courage of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, then land on the heart exposing test from Philippians 1:21: “For me to live is __ and to die is __.” Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Church Website — BibleBaptistDeLand.com

Ministry Website — JamesWKnox.org 

YouTube Channel — YouTube.com/JamesWKnoxSermons

Sermon Audio — SermonAudio.com/BibleBaptistDeLand

Web Store — Store.JamesWKnox.org

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

Welcome And Broadcast Purpose

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Here we go again from the day, and I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, and I welcome you once again to the Preaching of the Cross Radio Broadcast. Very, very happy that you have tuned in today. You know, as we sit behind these microphones, those of us that preach by way of radio, we do so by faith, trusting that God will provide and direct an audience our way. We really don't know. We just uh speak uh somewhat uncertainly, but do so with hope and confidence that there will be those who will benefit from the time spent preparing and presenting these lessons and the fact that you have turned in today, tuned in today, turned in, tuned in today, is an answer to our prayers and a confirmation that God has indeed chosen

A Preacher’s Prayer From Jail

SPEAKER_01 1:35

to bless this work and these efforts. We are studying the Bible book of Philippians. We have made our way to chapter one and verse number twenty today. We are considering the prayer request of a preacher in jail. He has asked that the people pray for his deliverance, but more so he has asked that the people pray that the gospel might be furthered, whether he lives or dies, whether he is turned loose or kept in captivity, his main concern is that people come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, in this portion we have at hand today, there are those famous words, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. And absolutely that is a fact, but not a fact that every one of us has yet learned to put into practice in our life. So remember, as we started at verse 20, which is the key to let us know that the salvation we're talking about in verse 19 is salvation from death, not the salvation of our so of our soul. He's already a saved man, but he's praying for salvation, salvation from the consequences of his imprisonment. So verse 20 says, 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.

Earnest Expectation And Christian Hope

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Now we have three things in this verse that are all worthy of our consideration today. First his earnest expectation and hope, second, his desire that his faith does not waver before the realization of that earnest expectation and hope, and then thirdly, that Jesus Christ, who lives in his body, would be magnified. Okay, first of all, what is his expectation and hope? What is his expectation and hope? Romans eight verse nineteen says this for the earnest expectation of the creature see that? See that? The earnest expectation of the creature, they're expecting something, waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to it, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. So what is Paul's earnest expectation and his hope? It is God getting him out of his mortal body. What did he say? Absent from the body and present with the Lord. What did he say? To live is Christ, to die is gained. What did he say? To depart and be with Christ which is far better. Now every saved Christian, every saved Christian has a biblical expectation of leaving this body and entering into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not everyone holds that as their earnest expectation. Not everyone longs for the day and the hour when they leave this veil of tears and enter into that place of everlasting joy, but that is the future destination of all who are saved. Romans five says in verse number three, Romans five verse three, and not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. How do these two link together? I don't want to be ashamed because I quit on God before I die. I don't want to be ashamed because I quit on Jesus before he came and got me out of this body. So what is the great guarantee against that shame? Live

Why Date Setting Kills Urgency

SPEAKER_01 7:25

every day in the earnest expectation that today the blessed hope is going to be fulfilled. You know all these men have shamed and embarrassed themselves through the years by trying to set dates for the rapture. If somebody told me the date for the rapture was a year from now, and they could prove it from the Bible, then I've got three hundred and sixty-four days of no real motivation to live right. Now wait a minute, you say well, you know I'm telling I'm telling you the earnest expectation of a hope is a strong insurance against getting cold on God and stopping instead of continuing to run the race. If you can prove from the Bible that the rapture is going to be 20 years from now, please don't tell me. I'm looking for it today. Today. When I get up tomorrow, I'm going to look for it tomorrow. I need to look for it tomorrow because it helps keep me motivated to be serious about doing something for God today, because it might be the last day I've got to go before I leave to be with Jesus. Now I could, I could die today. It could be my last day on earth. I don't know when I'm going to die. Now, if I did, if I did, who's to say that it would not have a hurtful effect upon my Christian life rather than a beneficial effect on my Christian life? What if I only had two days left to live? Can I be certain I would live them fully for Jesus and not perhaps get sidetracked by the sadness or the confusion or the fear of facing death? You say, Well, a Christian wouldn't do that. You don't know what you'd do. I don't know what I'd do. And if you knew that you weren't going to die for another fifty years, would it be possible, is it possible that that could cause you to become a little lax and a little careless in the way you live for the Lord? I'm saying if you could prove from the Bible, if you could prove from the Bible the day and hour of the Lord's return or the day and hour of your death, it is not in any way, shape, or form a guarantee that you would do more for Jesus. In fact, it could well have the opposite effect. So the Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit through Paul encourages every one of us to live every single day, earnestly expecting the Lord to come because he might for us all or for each of us individually. And that's a great

Making Christ Look Bigger

SPEAKER_01 10:50

motivating power. Then in verse 20, he says that Christ should be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. Now, if you like marking your Bible, in verse 15, because of his chains, Christ was known. Verse 18, because of his critics, Christ was preached. In verse 20, because of his troubles, Christ was magnified. Now magnifying glass is an interesting thing. It just makes it look bigger and allows the object to be more clearly defined. If you put a hair, a piece of hair, just pull one out of your head, and put it in a microscope and look at it, that hair doesn't get any bigger, but it sure looks bigger. You can see it more clearly. You can sure get the details from it. Do you know what what the Holy Spirit said? Christ is in the believer. But I want you to pray that he will be magnified in the believer. That is, that he will look bigger, that he will be seen more clearly, that the details of Christ will be more evident to the people who look at the believer. That's what he's praying for. Now that's a great verse for a preacher to just kind of pull aside and hammer on some of those little pet things. But before we go to arguing about clothing styles, quite honestly, is what you're wearing going to cause Christ to be magnified in the eyes of people looking at you or cause Christ to be diminished? Well what should it be? I could get eight tattoos and still go to heaven. I could stick rings all in my face and still go to heaven. I could spike my hair and spray paint it maroon and still go to heaven. But is that going to cause people to magnify Jesus Christ? Or is it just going to draw more attention to in conversation about me? Young ladies, maybe in this generation I have to draw you a picture about modesty and immodesty. But the fact of the matter is, your clothing should cause somebody to wow Jesus, not wow you. The idea is Christ being magnified. I don't have a verse in the Bible about cussing. I don't have a verse in the Bible about the list of dirty words that people ought not to say. But does that language cause Jesus Christ to be seen more clearly? Or does it tend to cloud the picture so that people aren't sure if I am even a Christian or not? Look, I am not under law. I don't have rules and regulations. I don't have a list of things I have to do or not do, but if my heart is right with God, I want to live and act so that you are seeing Jesus Christ more clearly. That's what the Holy Spirit said to the Apostle Paul. I want Christ to be magnified. I don't want people to spend their time occupied with my questionable behavior. I want people to see Jesus Christ more clearly because of the life that I am living. Then he says in verse number 20, Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. Now I'm going to die. I want to die like a Christian.

Shadrach Meshach And Abednego’s Stand

SPEAKER_01 15:05

I'm going to die. I want to live like a Christian in the meantime. Let me show you a great example of this. It's found in Daniel chapter number three. Daniel chapter three. The story of the three Hebrew boys, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mel, whose names were changed by the Babylonian king to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Now most of you know the story. Nebuchadnezzar, he's the one world ruler. He set up an image of himself, and everybody was required to fall down and worship that image or die. Well, the Bible says in Daniel 3.12, there are certain Jews that would not fall down and worship. Verse 13, Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring these three Hebrew boys to stand before him. And they do. In verse 14, Nebuchadnezzar said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods nor worship the golden image which I have set up? And then he gives them a chance. Verse 15, he said, If you'll fall down and worship my idol, I'll let you go, and if you don't, I'm going to throw you into the fiery furnace. In verse 16, here's what we read. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. They didn't even have to think about it. If it be so, our God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O King. But if not, if he doesn't get us out of the furnace, be it known to thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. You know what they just said? God can deliver us. God might not deliver us. But either way, we are not in your hand, we are in God's hands. If God gets us out of the furnace, we walk away and you don't control us. If you throw us in the furnace and our bodies burn up, our souls walk away and you don't control us. King, you don't understand. Whether we live or whether we die, we belong to God and we are going to serve God. That's exactly what Paul is asking the Christians at Philippi to pray when they pray for him. He said, Pray for me that I'll stand like those Hebrew boys. And whether they cut my head off in this prison or turn me loose, I won't sell out my God. I like that. I like that. I hear people all the time say, Brother James, there's persecution coming. You know, there's persecution coming in America. They'll persecute the church. I'm not sure why they'd have to persecute the church. It's not doing anything to cause them much trouble, but uh people say, you know, they're building concentration camps and they're gonna round up all the Christians if they're standing for the Lord. And well, okay, maybe so. Maybe so. It's happened other places, it might happen in America. Here's what

For Me To Live Is Christ

SPEAKER_01 18:50

I want to know. If you're not living for Jesus now, why would you live for Jesus then? And if you are living for Jesus now, what would make you think you wouldn't keep living for Jesus then? But however this thing plays out, we should be praying one for another that in our life or by our death we would live in such a way that Jesus Christ will get honor and glory as a result, as a consequence, as an outworking of the way that we stand and live for Him. That's how it ought to be. Okay, verse 21. For me, for me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. That's why I couldn't talk that way. Whether you talk that way or not, it's so. There is no real living apart from Christ, and whether you want to die today or don't want to die today, if you're saved, you will gain in the day of your death. Now, if you want to know where you stand, all you've got to do is honestly, from your heart, fill in these two blanks. For me to live is blank, and for me to die is blank. What are you living for? Money? Comfort? Popularity? Nothing? Christ. Come on, honestly now, honestly, for me to live is and to die is what? Dreadful? Fearful? Uncertain? Hell? Where are you today? Where do you stand? The Apostle Paul could say, for me to live is Christ. I may have to make tents. I may get enough support from the churches. I may go to jail. I may go free. I may eat a big meal at Sister So and so's house, or I may go hungry. But I am still living for Jesus Christ. That's what I'm about. And to die, why, it's all on the plus side. You know, if you're the average worldling, for me to live is just a blank. I mean, think about it. Eight, nine, ten hours a day watching TV. You know why? Because they got to check in on somebody else's life because they don't have one of their own. For me to live as Christ and to die is gain. Are you saved? Are you washed in the blood? Do you have the Holy Spirit? Are you part of a wonderful body of Christ? On your way to a place called heaven? Man, you say life couldn't be any better, but it can. It can. This is just the earnest. This is just the down payment. This is just a little taste to hold us over till we get there. In heaven. The music will be better than anything you've ever heard. The singing will be better than anything you've ever heard. The fellowship will be better than anything you've ever heard. The environment will be better than anything you've ever heard. You'll feel better than you've ever felt in your life. You'll be stronger than you've ever been in your life. You'll be happier than you've ever been in your life. Everything about heaven is better than anything about earth. And a lot of listen, a lot about this earth is good. I enjoy my life down

Why A Christian Gains In Death

SPEAKER_01 22:35

here. I enjoy the wonders of God's creation. I enjoy fellowship with God's people. But this is nothing, this is nothing compared to what God has waiting for us on the other side. Now verse 22 says, But if I live in the flesh, that is in this body, this is the fruit of my labor. Yet what I shall choose, I what not. Said, I don't know, I'm not I'm not sure. It's a toss-up. There's part of me that really enjoys life down here and honestly doesn't want to leave it, but there's part of me that knows one second after I leave this world, I'll be wondering why I ever thought about staying. I am in a straight betwixt two, having a desire to part and be with Christ, which is far better. He didn't just say better, he said far better. Better would have been good enough, but it's far better to depart and to be with Christ. And so his desire, his desire was to stay for the benefit of others, and his desire was to leave for his own benefit, and he wasn't sure which one to choose. You know, the first real wave of worldwide missions after the days of the early church were the Moravians, and their symbol was tremendous. It was an ox standing between a burning altar and a plow. That symbol was whether we live to serve or die in sacrifice makes no difference. We are gods. Here

Torn Between Serving And Departing

SPEAKER_01 24:55

we are, Lord, hook us up to the yoke, or cut us up and burn us on the altar, we are yours, do what you will. That's Paul's testimony in Philippians one. Would to God it was all our testimonies. Depart and be with Christ. Second Timothy four, six. For I am now ready to be offered. The time of my departure is at hand. You're sitting in the airport. What are you waiting for? You're waiting to depart, to leave that place and go somewhere else. You you check your the monitor, you check your watch, and you're concerned with the time of your departure. And the desire was not just to depart, but to depart and be, think about it, to depart and be with Christ. Incredible. Incredible. No wonder he could say it's far better. Why? Not just because of where he was going, but of who he was going to meet when he got there. Now I've got to stop here. I've got a couple of minutes left, but if I don't stop here, if I start on this departing to be with Christ, I'll get cut off in mid-thought because there's there's just too much to say about

Resources Website And Sign Off

SPEAKER_01 26:40

that phrase. So we'll have to leave off here for the time being. Now don't don't go away yet. Don't go away just yet. We have available to you dozens of books and thousands, maybe four or five thousand hours of recorded sermons and Bible studies. We have them old style on cassette tape. You say, who listened to that anymore? We send materials to 140 plus countries, and a lot of those people are using what you used to use. And then we have um have them on the modern uh in the modern formats as well, mp3 and and all these other uh things that have come along that I can't keep up with. But it's all available to you, posted, uh listed on our website. That web address is simply Jamesnox.com. So come by for a visit, JamesNox.com, which is an odd kind of thing, because you really can't come by and you really can't visit, but just stop into the website. And then our mailing address, if you want to contact us that way, our mailing address is 872 Glenwood Road. 872 Glenwood Road, and that's in D-Land, Florida. D-E-L-A-N-D. And the zip code number is 32720. 32720. That mailing address is in the United States of America. This program is heard at many different times over many different radio stations. The announcer will be on in just a moment to let you know when this program will be heard again over this radio station. And we hope that at that time you and a friend that you invite to listen with you will join us for the preaching of the cross radio broadcast. Until then, I'm Brother James. May the Lord richly bless you.

SPEAKER_00 28:34

And I think that's a good one.