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Parodying Kipling, someone once said, "If you
can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs, you clearly
haven't grasped the gravity of the situation."
It must be admitted that the Christian outlook is a peculiar one. The
Christian declares:
And we know that in all things God works
for the good of all those who love him, who have been called according
to his purpose (Ro.8:28 NIV)
The AV says, "all things work together
for good" and that is what people hear
and imagine Christians believe but, as John Stott points out in his
commentary on Romans (BST), it is self-evident that all things do not
automatically work themselves together into a pattern for good. Rather,
Christians know that in all things, good or bad, the Sovereign Will
of God won't be frustrated because "in all things God works for good".
It is God's Sovereignty that prevails every time "for those that love
him, who have been called according to his purpose". And, of course,
even for those who don't love him God's Sovereignty prevails because
the Bible tells us that,
At the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philip.2:10)
Paul wants the believers at Philippi to realise this great truth, that
whatever the circumstances God works for good. He begins with his own
circumstances which have resulted in, a) a clear witness throughout
the palace and, b) encouragement to others to speak the word courageously
and fearlessly (v.v. 12-15)
He then turns his attention to what is happening in his absence, i.e.
"some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry,
but others out of good will". Paul's response
is to declare, "But what does it matter?
Th important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives
or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice" (15-18)
Paul isn't being complacent here. He was never one to avoid controversy
as we see in Acts 15:36. Rather, these things are out of his hands so
he writes that he knows what is going on and trusts that, whether for
good motives or bad, Christ is preached and "in
all things God works for Good". The important
thing is that Christ is preached.
It is a truth we learn with time and experience that a church that has
no problems is a dead church. Even this model church of Philippi, a
church that, as we have seen, brought Paul so much joy and was the springboard
for so much work in Europe, even here there were problems. Perhaps we
should say especially here because where God is moving and his people
are following there will be opposition.
The same is true in all our lives. Our circumstances can sometimes cause
us to wonder whether God can bring any good from such unpromising material.
On the subject of trials C. S. Lewis said:
"The great thing, if one can, is to stop
regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's own or
real life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions
are precisely one's real life - the life God is sending one day by day."
Paul took this view and wrote to his friends:
I eagerly expect and hope that I will
in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as
always Christ will be exalted in my body whether by life or by death
(v20)
I am reminded of how Paul continued his letter to the saints in Rome:
For I am convinced that neither death
nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future,
nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus
our Lord (Ro.8:37-39)
In light of these things what do you eagerly expect and hope for this
week? The interruptions are our lives so let's eagerly expect and hope
that God will use our lives such that Christ will be exalted - whether
by life or by death.
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