SPEAKER_00: Good morning, First Baptist Wimberly.
SPEAKER_00: This is Mike Gibbons.
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Friday.
SPEAKER_00: I am really enjoying the beginning of our study in Philippians.
SPEAKER_00: This week we are going to be looking at Philippians 1, verses 12 through 18.
SPEAKER_00: Let me read verses 15 through 17.
SPEAKER_00: Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.
SPEAKER_00: The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.
SPEAKER_00: So what's going on here?
SPEAKER_00: Paul is imprisoned, and he has a group of preachers that are speaking against him.
SPEAKER_00: And these preachers are vicious in their attacks.
SPEAKER_00: They are thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment, says Paul.
SPEAKER_00: They are slandering his character and discrediting his motives to gain a following.
SPEAKER_00: Every one of us faces assaults by others who want to steal our joy.
SPEAKER_00: I know you know what I'm talking about.
SPEAKER_00: When they walk in the room, they just suck the joy right out of the room and right out of you.
SPEAKER_00: It may be a coworker, it could be someone in your small group's Bible study, it could be someone in your family.
SPEAKER_00: But this is why we must remain riveted in our focus on Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Look at how Paul responds.
SPEAKER_00: He says he has constant joy.
SPEAKER_00: In verse 18, he says what really matters is not that he is found innocent or exonerated, but that the name of Christ is exalted.
SPEAKER_00: Even in prison, when others are turning against him, when his good name is being slandered, Paul is rejoicing in the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: The priority for Paul is always the magnification of Christ.
SPEAKER_00: For Paul, it matters little what happens to him or what is said about him as long as the Lord is glorified.
SPEAKER_00: So here's the question I'm asking myself today.
SPEAKER_00: Do I rejoice in the midst of my suffering when the name of Christ is being advanced?
SPEAKER_00: Or do I care more about my reputation or the reputation of my Redeemer?
SPEAKER_00: We have to recognize that our life is not about comfort, but about Christ being made known.
SPEAKER_00: This is Mike Gibbons, and I love being your pastor.