Philippians 1:21

Philippians chapter 1, and we'll read from verse number 21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Just God will bless his word.

I don't think anyone would disagree with me. I think we all agree that Paul lived for Christ. I've looked at this epistle and I'll write over this.

Chapter 1, living for Christ. Chapter 2, likeness to Christ. Chapter 4, leaning on Christ.

And chapter 3, looking for Christ, living for Christ. What did it mean for Paul? What will it mean for you? For to me, the me is emphatic. Paul is expressing his own personal understanding and his own personal conviction.

That day on the Damascus Road when he got his eyes lifted up as we've heard about, and he lifted them higher than Lot and even higher than Abraham, and he lifted them higher and higher and higher until he saw there isn't Christ. And it's a kind of glory of Christ's presence. The effulgence of the glory of God.

That outshining of God's nature and essence. And as he looked in that, his eyes were blinded. For three days he saw nothing.

And he just dwelt on Christ and the risen Christ and the glory of Christ. And from that moment when his eyes were shut, they were shut to all the world around him. For three days the world defeshed him, the devil.

And they were shut out of Paul's thinking. And all he could think about was Christ, there isn't Christ. And he formed a conviction.

And he started his journey for heaven in the light of the presence of Christ. And he lived all through his lifetime in the light of the presence of Christ. As he comes near the end of the journey, he looks forward to being in the presence of the one who is Christ.

He formed his own conviction. He says, for to me, living Christ, for to me, this is my conviction, this is my understanding, this is why I'm here, every breath I breathe, all the fiber of my being, my very existence, Christ. For to me, living Christ, dying or having died, gain.

The word gain is 12 times in the New Testament. It always means more of the same. Paul had a relationship with Christ.

He had communion with Christ. He had fellowship with Christ. For Paul to die was more of the same.

An unhindered relationship, an unhindered communion, an unhindered fellowship with the risen Christ. No more marred by sinful nature. No more marred by circumstances.

No more marred by weaknesses and failures down here. No, just again, more, more, more of fellowship and communion, relationship with Christ. For to me, my conviction is living Christ, dying more of the same, a fullness, a richness, something far greater.

If we go over to chapter 3, we see there, Paul, he says, those things that were gained to me, I counted loss for Christ. The right of circumcision, the race in which he was, his religion, his record of persecuting the church, his righteous life, he counted them all but done. All those things that were gained.

You know, the Jew was astute. He was a man who knew what it was to know profit and gain materially. It's well documented.

But Paul gathers them all up and says, they're just but done. I count them but refuge for Christ. And I asked a young person, older believer, who are you living for? We've heard about a lot.

He chose the well-watered plains. They will soon turn to ruin in the wilderness of ashes and dust. This world is a wilderness wide.

Take a look at it. Look at it after having looked at Christ, and you'll see the world differently. That's what Paul did.

We could have looked at the other verses, but I'll just leave that with you. For to me, young person, form conviction. Get alone with Christ.

Look at him and then look at the world around you and put Christ first. What did it mean for Paul? It meant sacrifice. It meant suffering.

It meant a service. We could have looked at Paul the penman. Think of all the books that he wrote.

We could think of Galatians and how he exalts grace above law. We could look at the book of Ephesians and how he tells us of that inheritance and how our position is with Christ in the heavenlies. He lifts us high above this world.

We could look at the epistle to the Romans and how he sets forth the righteousness of God. We could go on and go on. Paul the penman.

Paul the preacher and how he preaches. Who does he preach? He preaches Christ. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which they could not be justified from the law of Moses.

Preaching peace by Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all. We could look at Paul the preacher. We could look at Paul the partner.

You know, he was able to work with other men. He could work with a Barnabas and a Silas and a Timotheus and a Titus. He was a versatile man.

We could look at Paul the prisoner. Why? For Christ. Paul's long since in heaven.

He's enjoying the presence of Christ. He enjoyed it here, but he's enjoying it now in a fuller, richer way. For to me.

To live. Living. Christ.

Dying. For having died. Paul has died.

It's gain. Take a look at us. Look at the person beside you.

Look at the person in front of you. We'll all soon be gone. For you will it be gain.

I was going to look at the citizenship that we have in time. I'm glad I didn't give our brother the calendar. Maybe I should have given it.

For to me. Oh, young person, form a conviction. I can pass on my conviction.

But you have to form your own. Listen to what Paul says again. For to me.

I've given up the world for Christ. Have you lost anything, Paul? Oh, no. It's gain.

It's much more of the same. Oh, the unsullied presence of Christ. There is more.

In all its beauty. In all its glory. In all its majesty.

Oh, I'm going to get more and more and more of it. Let me live for Christ. In dying.

Let me gain.