"… for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance." - Philippians 1:19
Main Readings: Romans 8 18-39 & Philippians 1 12-26
Related Reading: 2 Timothy 2 8-10 & Psalm 44 1-3 & Psalm 138
Paul says (v.19) ‘what has happened to me will turn out…’ The dictionary says that to ‘turn out’ means ‘to happen in a particular way, or to have a particular result.’ What particular result was Paul predicting? - ‘my deliverance.’ Really!? Verse 14 reminds us, he’s in ‘chains’. His arm’s currently attached to a Roman guard. Even drinking a cuppa tea wouldn’t be straightforward. Yet he’s sure how it’s all gunna turn out.
Paul’s facing a trial by Caesar Nero. Nero is the infamous Roman Emperor who descended into madness. If you were on trial and the judge was clearly mad, would you be confident of a particular result? And yet Paul speaks so confidently - it will turn out predictably. It will turn out well. How?
Well, I’ve an illustration. In 1985, Alexey Pajitnov created one of the most famous video games of all time – Tetris. Tetris is a game of turning out. It appears so simple. There are just 7 different pieces in play. 7 shapes. They fall from the top of the screen, one at a time. The game ends when those blocks pile up and reach the top of the screen. You must stop that happening. Your job as the player is to turn the dropping pieces - move and turn them in such a way that full horizontal lines of blocks are created. When a full line’s made, it disappears! And all the other blocks drop down further. So simple. Except it isn’t.
Cos, it quickly gets out of control. I know what shape of piece I want next. But I don’t get it. And my snail-brain doesn’t work quick enough to anticipate what might be coming. And everything starts building up. And the pressure takes its toll. And game over!
But it’s so different in the hands of a master. Last year, a 13-year-old boy called Willis Gibson did what many thought was impossible. He completed the final level – level 157. That’s only 156 levels further than I got! But watching his masterful hand doing the turning is so different to watching mine. In the hand of the skilful, it’s amazing. They can anticipate what’s coming further down the line. They can plan for everything to keep slotting in place. And they do.
But what’s this got to do with the game of life. Cos, there are few skilful players in the game of life. We live in a broken world. The pieces are broken. The players are broken. Rarely do things slot smoothly in place for any length of time. For many of us it often feels like the next move could be game over! How can we have confidence about the future? Well, Paul here is pushing believers-in-Christ towards confidence. But Paul’s confidence isn’t in his own ability to play the situation he’s in. Not in his hand. He’s confident… because he’s… in the hand of God.
Paul’s arm chained. His reach limited. God’s isn’t! And although Paul’s destiny may look to be in the hand of the most powerful madman on earth - it’s not. His destiny’s held by the infinite wisdom and power and love of heaven. There’s a more powerful hand in play here. Paul’s life’s gunna turn out as God moves and turns. Paul’s life is now ‘in Christ.’ And when your life is there, God’s hand is turning. Always turning. And Paul wants the Philippians to know.
That’s how this section begins – verse 12 – ‘Now I want you to know… that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.’ ‘Actually…’ - his language infers that the way it’s turned out was ‘actually’ different to what we’d maybe guess at. And contrary to the way the Philippians probably thought. Because it’s evident as we get further into Philippians, that this letter isn’t the first between Paul and those Christians. Paul is responding to a previous enquiry from them. They’d expected something to happen. They want confirmation that it has happened.
Cos they already knew that Paul was captive in Rome. What did they expect to happen? They expected he’d now be free. Cos they’d seen it before. In Acts 16, that’s how it turned out. Paul arrived in Philippi and preached Christ. Many believed and were saved. Then Paul got thrown in prison. How did that turn out? It went amazing! The foundations of the prison were shaken. By? An earthquake… in God’s hand. The jailor seeing what happened threw himself before Paul. And after a short conversation was convinced to threw himself on God’s mercy. Freely available to all who believe that Christ alone can save.
Paul was quickly freed from prison and quickly resumed his mission of preaching Christ. That’s how it turned out. Surely that’s how it would always turn out. Paul’d get into sticky situations. God’s hand would quickly deliver him from that sticky situation. But no, that’s not how it’d worked. It’s a lesson for the Philippians. And for us.
Paul’s imprisoned in Rome. And, this time, he hasn’t been quickly freed. But the Philippians have written to him - seeking confirmation that Paul is now free again and that God’s word is advancing. And Paul wants them to know. No, I’m still in prison. But yes, God’s word is advancing.
In what way? Well, verse 13 shows one way. It’s so easy for us to assess the events our lives and think that there’s only one way to view them. Verse 13 shows us different. Paul was chained to a Roman soldier. We probably think, ‘that’s not ideal. He can’t go anywhere. He can’t get away. He can’t continue to witness to his Saviour.’ We focus on Paul’s problem. But how does God see this situation. He sees Paul’s problem. But he also sees the bigger problem of the man attached to Paul.
See that soldier. A man without God and without hope. He’s also chained. His arm’s attached to another. But it’s a man who won’t stop talking about Jesus. How good is that for him? It’s ideal. And Paul tells us the result. The name of Christ had now been heard by the whole palace guard.
Is that the way we’d play it if we were in control of the pieces in the game of life? I doubt it. I’d’ve had Paul arriving here as a free man - speaking in some great Roman auditorium. But God’s hand turned differently. And it ‘actually served to advance the gospel.’ Who’d’ve thought?!
And what about verse 14? The affect on the believers already in Rome. It’s evident that some of them were struggling. They lacked the confidence to talk openly about Christ. How would I deal with that? I’d have Paul arriving in Rome and freely speaking about Jesus and it all going smooth. That would build up their confidence! But God ‘actually’ removes Paul’s freedom. He does the opposite. Cos it has the opposite effect of what I’d expect.
The believers in Rome weren’t speaking up about Christ because they feared opposition. They were worried about how that would turn out. But now, they’d observed Paul’s life. They’d seen - despite opposition – the hand of God, and the power of Christ, in action. They’d seen how effective Paul still was, come what may. And they were more ready to say about their own lives – ‘come what may.’ They became ‘confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.’ They were ready to do the speaking out. Because they were now confident that God would do the turning out.
What a wonderful picture of Christian development! Growth. But we’re living in a broken world made up of broken pieces. And verse 15 shows some really broken thinking. Some in Christ’s church were preaching Christ, motivated by envy and rivalry. How utterly perverse! And verse 17 says it was done ‘out of selfish ambition’. What on earth is going on?
Verse 16 gives us a clue. Some were different. They were right. They were preaching motivated by love. They loved Christ. And they loved his people. They loved Paul. They weren’t dissing Christ’s servant. They’d seen God’s hand turning out in Paul’s life in prison. As Paul says they knew ‘that I am put here for the defence of the gospel.’ They saw God’s big picture. And God’s big hand. And they put their hand to the task of assisting Paul.
But the others were different. Paul says, in verse 17, they were insincere - ‘supposing… they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.’ These just didn’t get it. It’s like they saw Paul being left in prison as a sign that God had left him. So, they were dissing Paul. They were criticising his life choices and attacking his character. What would Paul do?
What a lesson for us?! In verse 18, we see Paul’s beautiful response. Paul says, ‘I rejoice.’ Would I do that? No, not without the help of God’s word, to highlight a better way. No way!
Why does Paul rejoice? He rejoices that Christ was being preached. It’s like those who were saying stuff inaccurately about Paul, were at the same time preaching accurately about Christ. And to Paul, that mattered most. If Paul’s joy was based upon his own reputation, he’d’ve been downright miserable by now. But he isn’t. Verse 18 says, ‘But what does it matter?’ - So what! Can we be like this? Paul’s priority is not self-promotion but Christ-promotion. And it makes such a difference.
Paul’s focus is not personal advantage. But gospel advance. And he sees God’s hand turning things out, so that the good news about Jesus is being heard. If Paul’d focused on what was negative to him personally, he’d’ve been crying! But he was rejoicing! And at the end of verse 18, ‘Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.’ Again, how can he be so confident? Cos, he had the key.
When I get home of an evening my front door is locked. It’s secure. All day, no-one has got in. As things stand, I can’t get in. But I’m supremely confident that I will. Cos, I’ve got the key. I turn that key. The door unlocks. Opens. In I go. Paul was confident. Look at the beginning of verse 19 and then the end. ‘For I know that…’ It’s certain – I’m supremely confident. Of what? ‘what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.’ How’s it gunna happen. The key – that’s the middle part of verse 19. ‘Through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.’
It's awesome. That’s how Paul was confident of deliverance. He knew that these people were praying. He knew how much the turning of God’s hand waits for the turning of our hearts in prayer. Prayer. And he knew that God was listening. He knew that God would supply the Spirit of Christ to get Paul through. And to deliver him.
But Paul didn’t know what form that deliverance would take. He knew it was certain. But he didn’t know the exact size or shape of the pieces in God’s hand. And it leads to this wonderful section in verses 20 – 27, where Paul seems to weigh up the possibilities for deliverance. In verse 22, he says, ‘What shall I choose? I do not know!’ Which is great, cos the choice wasn’t his! In the same way that it often isn’t ours.
What do we do when we’re faced with a challenging situation. I’m prone to catastrophising – that’s where you think of the worse thing that can happen and assume it will. This passage is so helpful to me. Not because Paul avoids thinking about the worst. But the way that he grasps it. It’s like he picks it up and embraces it like the best-ever comfort blanket!
He's got the threat of execution hanging over him. That’s his starting point. The worst thing ever – Game Over - death. And he deals with that in a way that seems to deal with everything else too. Cos death is scary. Don’t be thinking that you’re somehow a poor Christian cos you find death scary. It just is. The ending of life here, can be a most painful process. But it isn’t the end. As verse 23 says, for those who believe in Christ, it’s the start of something ‘which is better by far’. Something that will never be over – Infinite life.
Paul looks beyond the devastating door of death. He sees it open – on a never-ending future in the presence of Christ. The worst thing that can happen, will bring the best thing ever. And it helps him deal with the other possiblities. And think clearly. And rightly. And not just in a way that just focusses just on him. But with Christ thinking. And Church focus.
He knows that he’s still needed. He seems convinced that his church work is not yet done. In God’s hand of turning, Paul’s game goes on. As God’s chosen instrument he will still be used to move the broken pieces of the current church puzzle. The Philippians still need him. That’s why he says in verse 24, ‘it is more necessary for you that I remain (here).’ It’s why he reaches his conclusion in verse 25 – ‘Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.’ If God’s hand turns out deliverance in such a way that Paul’s released, what does he want to achieve in church life? Progress and joy in the faith. That’s not selfish ambition – that’s ambition for Christ’s people. Paul’s such an example to us. But let’s not boast about Paul. That wasn’t his ambition.
That’s why verse 26 says what it does. He doesn’t want the Philippians to get this wrong. If I am ‘with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.’ Paul doesn’t want them to take pride in Paul and boast about what he’s been doing for Christ. Rather, he wants them to boast in Christ. Cos of what he’s done for Paul and what God’s hand has worked through Paul. And through their prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
When Paul writes these words, he isn’t yet a free man. But he sure sounds like one. Such is his confidence in God’s wonder-working hand through Christ, that before he’s actually delivered, he already sounds delivered. He seems freer than most people can dream of.
So often, as Christians, we’re found praying about difficult life circumstances. Either in our own lives or in the lives of those around us - particularly our brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s so easy to think that what’s really needed is God’s hand of deliverance from a situation. When what is ‘actually’ needed is God’s hand of deliverance in a situation. His gift of Spirit enabling. And patience. And peace. And joy still in Christ. That’s often what we most, most need. And ‘actually’ that’s the heart of the Good News about Christ - what we most, most needed he was most willing to give.
Ongoing life deliverances for the Christian will take a variety of sizes and shapes. As God’s hand turns among the broken players and broken pieces of a broken world. But all our deliverances are linked to one winning move.
At the cross it all looked like game over – like everything was stacked up wrong! God had sent his Christ – his promised Son - into the world to deliver people. But it seemed the deliverer couldn’t deliver. Other hands had triumphed - ‘crucified and killed by the hands of… men’ (Acts 2 23 ESV). They were in the hand of the Devil. Wickedness appeared to’ve won the day. But when God’s hand raised Jesus from the dead on the third day - how did it turn out? For our deliverance.
As Acts 2 23 tells us. Christ ‘was handed over… by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge.’ The hand of God the Father was turned against God the Son. Our sin and death handed to Jesus. His reward of new life handed to us.
If we’ve put our trust in Jesus to save us, then God’s still got our lives in hand. His word constantly encourages us to live in the light of his precious promises. It encourages us time and again to take hold of joy and peace in believing. Why the repetition? Cos when we’re up to our elbows in stickiness and sweat of daily life, joy and peace are easy to let slip. We struggle cos we’re not sure how today or tomorrow will turn out. We just don’t know. But he does. He’s got it in hand.
If you’re in Christ, I can’t promise you the fine detail of your life tomorrow. I can’t tell you exactly how it’ll turn out. But I believe you have reason to have the same confidence that Paul did. Don’t take my word for it - do take God’s word for it.