Philippians Chapter 1 Verses 19 – 20

· I heard a story about a farmer that was talking to his pastor and this farmer said, “Pastor, I hate buttermilk. It’s gross to me and tastes horrible. And pastor, I would never just eat a bowl full of lard. That’s just disgusting. Oh, and pastor, I don’t much care for raw flour. Nothing appetizing about that to me at all. But pastor, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love some fresh warm biscuits.”

· I like that story maybe because I love food and I love fresh warm fluffy biscuits, but I also love that story because it helps me to settle a bit in my circumstance and trust what God has in mind. Paul says, “For I know…” He knows it. He is settled in his own heart of hearts and mind of minds that “this,” (his current situation), God remains faithful. This word for deliverance in the Geek is “soteria,” meaning quite literally, salvation…

· And Paul says that the prayers of his friend’s matter, “through your prayer,” and the agent of his salvation and hope is “the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” That is an interesting phrase, or better said, an interesting way to say the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit. So how many Spirits are there? Clearly only one. There is only one Holy Spirit. And yet here the Bible calls Him, “the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” Several places in scripture He is called “the Spirit of God,” (such as Romans 8:14, 1 Corinthians 3:16, and even by Jesus in Matthew 12:28). And of course, throughout scripture He is called the Holy Spirit. So, which is He? All of them! How? In some inexplicable out-of-reach humanly possible and reasonable/unreasonable way, God is Three in One. One God eternally existing in Three distinct Persons.

· I want to go back, just for a moment, to the “your prayers matter” statement. Over the years I have heard many perspectives on prayer. How does prayer work? If you have enough faith, God will hear and answer your prayers. If you don’t pray in faith, well, that doesn’t work. On and on and all these odd statements.

· Listen, every Christian should pray. Every Christian should talk to God. Good days, bad days, down days, up days, in huge faith, in total despair, every Christian should pray. And as we talk to God about our issues and needs and whatever is going on, yes, we should pray in faith but not that faith in that God will do what we want. Praying in faith is to be confident in God’s decisions for your situation. That is to pray in faith.

· And so, check this out. Praying in faith is important. But if I pray in confusion, frustration, despair or distraught, that doesn’t make me any less a child of God, saved by grace through faith because of Jesus alone. 1 Peter 3:12 says that the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers.

· So, let’s talk about effective prayer just for a moment. Is it if I have enough faith, if I just believe it enough or want it enough or believe God for it enough, then He will grant me my petitions, heal me, give me, deliver me, answer me to the affirmative? You just can’t go there, people. Number one, that puts the agency of prayer on you rather than on God, and that is just all kinds of a mess. Might as well pray to you!

· Second, there’s a huge issue with that scripturally and His name is Jesus. If those that say if you just had enough faith…, God would (fill in the blank), if they are right then we must conclude that Jesus was somehow faithless in the Garden of Gethsemane. Remember what He prayed? Matthew 26:39 says, “He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

· Great and perfect picture of yes, we need to and ought to pray in faith! I mean we read in Matthew 13:58 that Jesus did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief…, but it is both faith and the will of God that is necessary in terms of outcome.

· One more thing. There’s one more thing that I take on personally when it comes to prayer and I do so because I see it biblically. Three things important to prayer and we’ve covered two. Faith and the will of God and yet I also see a personal responsibility for my own actions to be in alignment with my prayers.

· Check this out. Jesus said to Peter in Luke 22:31-32, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail…” Was Jesus the most effective prayer in all of history? Of course. And yet for the completion of Jesus’ prayer, Peter would need to walk in faith…, which is Peter’s decision. Intense right?

· So, pray, pray a bunch and pray often. And get to the greatest level of confidence by prayer in faith, in submission to God’s will, and do your part. That perspective and no doubt you will have a powerful prayer life… Back to Paul’s perspective as he sees the biscuits through the buttermilk, look at this next statement, incredible and encouraging…

Philippians Chapter 1 Verses 21 – 26

· Does Paul have some sort of death wish? It can read that way but that’s not it at all. He has a life wish. Remember, Paul was somehow and in someway shown what heaven is like. What’s there. What are the sights. The sounds. The environment. And what did he say about it? Virtually nothing. Trying to put a word to it would defile the vision he had it was that amazing.

· He said of this experience in 2 Corinthians 12:4, “I was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which is not lawful for a man to utter…” And that’s all he gave us…, except Philippians 1. He says there in verse 23…, he tells us what heaven is like, and this is the description he uses, “far better.”

· In the Greek he actually says many better betters. So odd. Three words, one for many (polys) and two for better, “mallon,” and “kreisson.” So, is it that he has a death wish? Absolutely not. He just has an advantage that we don’t have. That they didn’t have. He knew what was next.

· Death for the Christian is not so much a departure or an arrival, it’s a door. You simply step through it. From one environment to the next. And for us, it’s a different experience going through a door we don’t know what’s on the other side of… Paul knew. And this hope Paul has we can all know by faith, and through him and through the promises of Jesus, that when we come to the end of this life ourselves, personally, what awaits us is FAR better.

· It’s one of the great hopes of the Christian. Maybe the greatest. That after this very short life is over, eternal life awaits and again, whatever Paul saw, experienced and whatever awaits you and me, if FAR better. Not so for those who reject the Way. That’s what Jesus said He was.

· Not His methods, not His teachings, not His commandments, not His rules, Him. He is the Way. And if the only Way is rejected then what is coming next is not far better but rather it is far worse. And that is something that each person has to wrestle with personally and come to their own conclusion and ultimate decision and truly each person does…

· But Paul says, this is how much love he has for the church, for the saving of souls, he says, I am torn…, go there or stay here. Putting others first is one of the things that makes Paul a man worth his salt… And so, he makes this wonderful statement, “If I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor.” Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…, his aim, goal and non-negotiable, it’s just who he is, is to bring fruit into this darkness. Through what? THROUGH HIS labor… Awesome!