Living for Christ & Dying for Christ
Isaiah 55: 6-9; Philippians 1: 20c-24, 27a; Matthew 20: 1-16
Fr. Nelson Lobo OFM Cap
When the Apostle Paul originally wrote the letter to the church of Phillipi, he was in prison – under house arrest in Rome – chained to a Roman soldier as his guard. Paul was a prisoner and yet this entire letter is about joy. It is filled with the words “joy” and “rejoicing”. The Christian life is meant to imitate Christ in all circumstances. You see, God has a purpose for life – for His glory. For Paul, life was not about getting things. For Paul, life was about pointing others to God. For him life was all about Jesus. It was about giving God the glory for everything. For good times, because they are a blessing. For bad times, too, because God uses them to make us stronger and wiser.
God has a purpose for each of our lives. He did not play dice when he created us. The purpose is to bring honour and glory to our God through our Christian way of living. In order to live our faith faithfully sometimes persecution and death even becomes part of our faith journey. St. Paul is the best example. So, St. Paul tells that…
SOMETIMES CHAINS ARE NEEDED TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL.
Paul certainly could have written an entire book to the Philippians about his hardships but he sums them up by calling them “the things that happened to me.” (Also read Acts 21:17-28:31). Paul was chained to a Roman guard 24/7. The shifts changed every 6 hours. So, Paul was able to witness to at least four men a day. Don’t you imagine it had an effect on these guys to know that he was in prison for preaching and yet to see him, full of joy, still telling others about Christ? You might say “Well that worked in Paul’s day but we don’t face the same type of persecution.” You would be right for the most part. But persecution does exist today in many countries in various forms.
SOMETIMES DEATH IS NEEDED TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL
It’s a real possibility that Paul’s imprisonment will end in death. The death sentence hasn’t been passed, but it’s possible. Now this has got to be the most frightening of all Paul’s problems. Anything else he could get over. He’s in prison – well, maybe he’ll be let free eventually. People are rubbishing him – well, he can tell people the truth sometime. But death – well, there’s no reversing that, is there. So how does he respond to the possibility of dying? Verse 20 says: I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
So Paul’s not even worried about death. In fact, he’s more worried about letting Jesus down. Whatever happens, whether in life or death, he wants Jesus to be honoured. You know what this means? It means Paul would rather die than let Jesus down. Someone beautifully said, “Life without Christ is a hopeless end, but with Christ, it’s an endless hope.” There is always hope in Christ: hope of a better day, a better life, and a better everything. So, what do we learn today? Paul gives important advice for victory in this war against the enemy.
CONSISTENCY IN LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
- 27a “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel.”
Story: Some convicted drunken drivers in the Florida Panhandle were ordered to put bumper stickers on their cars asking, “How’s my driving? … The judge wants to know!” The judge said, “We want to influence people to correct their behavior rather than just use this as sort of a monitoring system.” The application for us is: HOW’S MY LIVING? And the world is watching. Our conduct should be worthy of the gospel.
The story is told that Alexander the Great once met a lazy, good-for-nothing soldier in his army and asked his name. The soldier replied, “Alexander, sir.” Alexander the Great then said, “Either change your name or change your ways.” It’s possible that Christ could say these words to some of us today. Consistent living for Christ is needed in order to overcome the enemy.
Dr. James Boice once said, “We do not have a strong church today nor do we have many strong Christians… We have forgotten what God is like and what He promises to do for those who trust Him. Ask the average Christian to talk about God. After getting past the expected answers you will find that his god is a little god of vacillating sentiments…” That’s the sad reality of today. If our faith is weak, how can we live and die for Christ?
A small boy riding a bus home from Sunday school was very proud of the card he had received, which had a picture and a caption that read: “Have Faith in God.” Then to his dismay the card slipped from his hand and fluttered out the window. “Stop the bus!” he cried. “I’ve lost my ‘faith in God!’” The driver pulled the bus to a stop, and as the lad climbed out and went to retrieve his card, one of the adult riders smiled and made a comment about the innocence of youth. A more perceptive adult observed, “All of us would be better off if we were that concerned about our faith.”
Conclusion: Our final inheritance is not here it’s in heaven. It’s only beyond the gates of death that we even hear the precious words of our Lord “Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of your Lord” Matt 25:21. If for me to Live is Christ then to die is gain. If for me to live is money, to die is a loss, If for me to live is pleasure, to die is a loss, if for me to live is self, to die is a loss, if for me to live is ambition, to die is a loss, if for me to live is sin, to die is a loss. if for me to live is this world, to die is a loss. But if for me to live is Christ to Die is gain.