Shine Like Stars It's a Win-Win (Philippians 1:12-30)

What does it look like to live a life worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ? It means living in such a way that shows Jesus is worth something to you. It looks like walking with, loving with, and doing life with those who are different than you, because Christ binds you together. It looks like striving together to make Christ known because Christ motivates you. It looks like standing with courage against all
oppressors, because Christ secures you. To live is Christ. To Die is gain. Have you found Christ worth living for, dying for, worth casting all away for? That is what it means to live a life worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To live is Christ. To die is gain. It’s a win-win!

Transcript

Have you ever stopped to think about what determines whether or not you had a good day? Or whether or not you followed Jesus well that day? What’s your benchmark? Tell me if anything of this sounds familiar… Was I productive today? Did people treat me kindly today? Did I beat that temptation today? Where’s the focus? Me. It’s a subtle thing we hardly notice, but it's everywhere—this current of individualism and self-focus that runs so deep in our culture that we don’t even realize we're swimming in it. But in Philippians 1, Paul offers a radical re-centering. His standard for a good day? Not his comfort. Not his reputation. Not even his personal spiritual “high.” His benchmark is far different: Is the gospel advancing? Are the people God has given me to serve growing in their faith? That's what made his heart sing.

Paul’s bottom line? Your walk of faith is not just about you and Jesus. It’s not me, myself, and I focused. It's so much bigger than that. It's about Christ, His gospel, His people. Paul famously says here, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Now look at the context. He’s not saying, “All right, Jesus and me, let's grit our teeth and survive this crazy world.” His goal is not self-survival. His goal is not even self-fulfillment. His goal is others. Gospel. Kingdom growth. Listen to him: “But it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” His joy, his whole perspective, is tied to the people the Lord has called him to serve. That changes everything. When Paul says “to live is Christ,” he’s saying, “If the Lord woke me up today, it’s because there are people He’s given me to love and encourage with the gospel.” The deep, holy reality we cannot afford to forget in the rush of our busy lives: our ability to live at all—physically, spiritually, in every breath and every heartbeat—is not a result of our willpower or our goodness. It’s only because of the grace of God poured out on us through Jesus Christ. The gospel is the great game-changer.

We often talk about living for Jesus, but do we stop to think about what that means? To live for Christ is to acknowledge that we only live because He died for us. And He didn’t just die for us. He lived for us first. He walked through every temptation, every hardship, every moment of human suffering, carrying the totality of our sin, and He did it perfectly—something none of us could ever do. Then He willingly laid down His life, not for His own sin, but for ours. For yours. For mine. His death was no random tragedy. It was the plan. The plan to erase our guilt, to wipe clean every stain of our sin, and to reconcile us to a holy God. In Him, we find our forgiveness, our peace, our freedom. But He didn’t stay dead. He rose from the grave, declaring to the universe: Death is defeated. The victory is won. And now, because of that, we can live—truly live—today.

Do you realize this? You wake up with breath in your lungs not because you’re strong, but because God, in His infinite mercy, has chosen to give you another day to share in His victory. Your baptismal identity is secure, not because of anything you’ve done, but because of everything Jesus did. So when Paul says, “For to me, to live is Christ,” he’s saying,” All of this—the breath in my lungs, the joy in my heart, the suffering I endure—it’s because of Jesus, the one who loved me and gave Himself for me.” The gospel is to wake up and remember that your life, your breath, your every moment, is a direct gift from the hands of the one who conquered death. And living for Him doesn’t mean beating yourself up and trying to be good enough. It means resting in the wonder of His finished work. It means trusting that, because He lives, you live—not just to survive, but to thrive in His grace, sharing it, breathing it out into the world around you. The gospel redefines everything about you. It shifts the focus away from self and turns our eyes to the Savior. It removes the pressure of trying to measure up on our own and invites us to rest in His unshakable love. And from that place of rest, we get to live with purpose—purpose rooted in Him and grounded in His gospel. “To live is Christ” is the radical truth that reorients everything about lifestyle. Our days are not just about us getting by or accumulating comfort or success. Our days are about God’s gospel advancing. And as it does, we find the most profound joy—the kind of joy that only comes when our lives are lived for something bigger than ourselves. 

Because here’s the thing: the model many American Christians have inherited—maybe without even realizing it—is very “me and Jesus,” consumeristic Christianity. “I’ll go to this church because it feels good for me right now. I'll stay as long as it fills me spiritually. If it stops doing that, I’ll move on.” But the body of Christ doesn't work like that. Paul here is assuming there’s a deep connection within the body of believers. He’s assuming commitment, mutual prayer, mutual service. To live is Christ is to live for the body of Christ. Imagine waking up tomorrow and the first thought on your mind being: “God, thank You for giving me breath today. Who have You given me to love? Who in my church family needs prayer? Who can I encourage?” Imagine if we all lived like that. It sounds overwhelming at first, but it’s really not! Simple things. Pulling up our church directory on your phone or getting a printed one from the church office. Pray for 10–11 names a day. And as you pray, you’ll find yourself wondering: “What are they going through?” “How can I specifically encourage them?” And then all of a sudden, you're not just attending church anymore. You’re living church. You're experiencing that beautiful, sometimes messy, bond of being family in Christ.

Paul shows us what that looks like in real time. He’s writing these words under house arrest. Not exactly the most comfortable situation. But he’s not sitting there sulking. He’s rejoicing because the gospel is advancing. Think about that. If you or I were locked up, unfairly treated, facing potential execution, how easy it would be to spiral into self-pity. But Paul says, “Guess what? The palace guards are hearing about Jesus. And because of my chains, other believers are getting bolder. The gospel’s moving forward. So even if I’m stuck here, I’m praising God.” See, his standard for whether it was a good day wasn’t “Am I comfortable?” or “Do I feel good about myself today?” It was, “Is Jesus being proclaimed?” That’s why he can even rejoice when people preach Christ out of bad motives. Some people were trying to make life harder for Paul by preaching the gospel competitively, trying to show him up. (Talk about adding insult to injury.) But Paul says, “Still, Christ is being preached. And because of that, I rejoice.” Imagine having that perspective. You wake up and the day goes instantly goes sideways: car trouble, conflict at work, your body aches, someone gossips about you. You pause and ask: Is the gospel still advancing today? If yes, then it’s still a good day. In fact, it might even be one of the best. Because here’s the hidden reality: the gospel often advances most powerfully through suffering.

Paul doesn’t shy away from that! He says, “It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.” Suffering isn’t a detour. It’s part of the Christian adventure. If you’re following Jesus, suffering for the sake of the gospel isn’t an accident—it’s a gift. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. That doesn’t mean you slap on a fake smile. It means you see suffering through a new lens: as an opportunity for the gospel to shine even brighter. Because when people see Christians holding onto hope in the middle of pain, when they see a church family loving each other fiercely through trials, when they see believers choosing joy even when life hurts—that’s when the world notices. That’s when doors swing wide open for the message of Christ. This all because we’ve been adopted into God’s family through faith. This is something only God can do. NOT what Pastor Jonny can do! He’s bringing these souls to us!

Maybe some of you know what it’s like to be adopted into a family. At first, it can be awkward, painfully so. You don’t know all the inside jokes. You don’t automatically feel at home. But over time, as that family keeps on loving you and loving you, even when you’re hard to love, something changes. You realize: These are my people. That’s what God is building here. A family. A forever family. And you are a part of it. You are called not just to be loved, but to love others into it. And guess what? It’s messy sometimes. People don’t always act the way you want them to. Church isn't always as polished as you might like. But if we keep the gospel the focus—if we filter everything through “Is this advancing the good news of Jesus?”—then everything else shrinks back to its proper size. Petty things that have ripped churches apart—the color of the carpet, what kind of seating we should have, where the piano is placed, what side the pastor parts his hair (okay, maybe not that one)—suddenly seem ridiculous when we’re chasing after souls together. The more unified we are in the gospel of truth, the more we treasure the joy that we have in Jesus alone. Paul says it beautifully: “Stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.” 

Contending together. Standing shoulder to shoulder. Fighting for each other’s faith. Not fighting each other. Imagine what that would look like in our church. Every meeting. Every ministry. Every Sunday gathering. Every conversation. The question on our hearts wouldn’t be, “Is this what I like?” but “Is this what will help the gospel go forward?” And if it is? Then we jump in with both feet. Not because it’s perfect. Not because it’s easy. But because the King of heaven has called us to be part of His mission. And He’s placed us together in this specific family for such a time as this. Paul lived that way even under house arrest. Instead of retreating into self-pity, he shared Jesus with the guards chained to him. He encouraged visitors. He wrote letters that would outlive empires. Because he knew: God has put me here for the gospel. Wherever you are right now—your home, your workplace, your school, your friend group—you are there for the same reason. It’s no accident. The Lord woke you up today so the gospel could move through you. Maybe you don’t know exactly how yet. That’s okay. Neither did Paul. He didn’t have a blueprint for how prison ministry would work. But he trusted that if God put him there, God would make it count. He’ll make it count for you, too.

So when you wake up tomorrow, don’t just ask, “God, help me have a good day.”
Ask, “God, help me advance Your gospel today.” Don’t just ask, “How can I be happy?”
Ask, “How can I love my church family today? How can I love the future church family members You’re calling in through your Word?” Don’t just ask, “How can I avoid suffering?” Ask, “How can I show Christ especially when life hurts?” Because if Christ is your life, (which he is!) then everything is gospel opportunity. If Christ is your life, then even suffering is gain. If Christ is your life, then your best days are still ahead—no matter what today looks like, because we know the eternal Day will be ours. Amen.