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Now, here's today's message from Pastor Skip Heitzig. But at this point, when he first gets to Rome, he is under house arrest. He is chained to a soldier. The chain was about 18 inches long, cuffed around the prisoner, never left the prisoner's wrist. For two years But The guards were working in shifts.
A few hours at a time, then they would uncuff it. A new soldier would. This would prevent. Any kind of a escape, any kind of a breakout, because you're under house arrest. In Acts 28, it says that Paul lived in his own rented house for two years.
He was chained, but he was in a house he had to pay for. And people could come in and visit with him, and he could have Bible studies, and he could encourage the church, and he could do evangelism for those who came, but he couldn't go out, and he was always chained to a soldier. The soldier that he is It is referring to are the Praetorian soldier, the Praetorian guard. There were in Rome at this time about ten thousand. different soldiers in that elite category called the Praetorian Guard.
10,000, originally it was started by Caesar Augustus, and then it just sort of continued as an institution. Praetorian guards were stationed around Rome. All around the city to preserve peace, but also and especially to guard the emperor. They were the elite. Secret Service Force.
And it was the Praetorian guards that guarded Caesar's life.
Well, you can imagine, as we mentioned last week, if you're chained to Paul the Apostle for hours at a time. Yeah, you don't have to really guess what's going to happen, what they're going to hear. They started hearing the gospel. They started hearing the conversations Paul would have with church leaders. Jewish people with people who come to visit him with just The guards.
And many of them came to know the Lord. Those in Caesar's household, his elite forces, were coming to know Christ and growing in their faith in Christ.
So I can just imagine, you know, a soldier at the end of his shift, the other guy comes on, he goes, hey, If you don't mind, I'll take your shift. Paul is just getting into something really juicy here, and I'd like to be here for another few hours. But if you would just Skip ahead to chapter 4. And notice how he closes out this Little epistle to the Philippians. Verse 20 now, to our God and Father be glory forever and ever.
Amen. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar's household.
So Paul has made an impact. In the Praetorian Guard, And in the household, of Caesar Nero himself.
So you can just Hear, can you not, the prayers of some of the church members in Rome before Paul came? To be a prisoner there. Lord, somehow reach Caesar, Nero, even. Lord, nothing's too hard for you. Just send someone to preach the gospel to them.
So God sends Paul. And They become believers and they become part of the epistle. To the Philippians, because they come to know Christ and have a faith in Him because of that.
So it's become evident to the whole palace guard, the Praetorian guard, and to the rest that my chains are in Christ. I'm not chained to them, I'm chained to the will of God, and He has me here. The things that have happened to me have happened for the furtherance of the gospel.
So that's the first. I'm reaching out to them. And verse 14. Most of the brethren in the Lord, these are believers. Having become confident by my chains.
are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Now stop there and think about that. From this verse I Surmise. that the Christians in Rome were skittish. to share their faith. until Paul became a prisoner.
They Didn't want to be too vocal. They didn't want to get arrested. They didn't want to get into trouble. There was already anxiety and tension among. Romans and Christians and Jews and Romans and on and on.
They just didn't want to get in the fray. But then Paul gets arrested and they say, Look at him. He's bold. He's unashamed. He's not afraid to speak to the...
Household of Caesar and the Praetorian guards. And they think: if Paul can do that in chains, I'm out of chains, certainly I can open my mouth a little bit more. and share In the office. at the hospital. with my neighbors.
In an Uber.
Now I know they didn't have that back then, but I'm translating that into modern parlance. If Paul can be that bold while incarcerated, certainly I who have freedom. can be a little more bold in my faith. That's what's happening. Paul's imprisonment was good for the Praetorian Guard, who got the gospel into their lives, changed them.
It was good for the believers in Rome who were a little skittish in evangelism. It propelled them to share their faith. And they're more bold to speak the word without fear. But look at verse 15.
Some When he's now speaking about speaking the word, some indeed preach Christ. even from envy and strife, and some also from good will. The former preach Christ. From selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains. but the latter out of love.
knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that, in every way, whether in pretense or in truth. Christ is preached. And in this I rejoice, yes.
And I will rejoice.
Now, in verse 15, when he says, Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife. Who is he referring to? He's referring to believers.
Now this is sort of a shock to your system because you think, well, who are these people? speaking envy and strife against Paul. These must be pagans, these must be Gnostics, these must be idol-worshipping heretics. No. They're believers.
Because some in verse 15, that little word sum, the antecedent to that is in verse 14, brethren. Most of the brethren in the Lord, these are believers he's talking about. After talking about the brethren in the Lord, he says, some. of these brethren in the Lord, indeed preach Christ from envy and strife. Paul had Detractors Not everybody loved Paul.
Or his ministry or or his success, they were jealous of it. In fact, in Corinth, groups had developed around Certain teachers, do you remember that?
Some say I'm of Paul, others say I'm of Apollos, others say I'm of Cephas, others say I'm of Christ. These were people who gravitated toward Bible teachers. We would say radio or media preachers maybe today and discounted the others. Oh, I really like listening to this guy or that person. And so Even in Corinth and evidently also in Rome, Paul had his detractors.
Paul was brilliant. Theologically astute, very well educated, very successful. And because of that, It invited These kind of problems. Where you have people that are preaching from envy and strife and then others from good will.
Now this shouldn't shock you really. Because Well, what's changed? There are people, there's a lot of different reasons why people go into the ministry. and they're not always noble.
Some people really like to be seen, like to be noticed. I'm important. You really need to listen to what I have to say. I'm a gift from God to you. That's why I love Moses because Moses didn't want to speak, and God said, No, you're the guy I wanted to speak.
Yeah, but I really am not good at this.
Well, that's why I really want you to do this. But some people just, you know, they're filled with strife and their motivation. is well they're pompous Diocrephes was of this sort. If you know your Bibles, in 3 John, the little one-chapter letter of 3 John, John writes about. He said, I was trying to write to the church, but.
Diatrophies who loves the preeminence would not receive us. In other words, Dotrephies is a control freak. And he didn't like us because he couldn't control us. And so he wanted to control the church. And even though I try to write to you guys, he wouldn't have anything because he likes to have the uppermost hand.
He likes the preeminence.
So Paul had to deal with these Kind of people as well, and as I mentioned, also in Corinth.
Now, I don't know what they had against Paul other than he was successful. I don't know why they didn't like his ministry. Same in Corinth. Maybe they thought, well, he's old-fashioned. You know, we like kind of a newer flair, something more relevant than this little bald guy who can't see, who he's been around a while.
We need something fresher and newer. Uh maybe like Apollos, but um Nonetheless, He had his detractors. This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. Your support helps reach people every day with biblical truth that brings clarity, hope, and direction in difficult times. And this month, we'd love to thank you with a timely resource centered on God's power to restore what's broken.
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We'll be right back after this special message from Skip Heitzig about a way you can deepen your understanding of scripture in just 90 days. Learning your Bible matters. I'm committed to teaching God's Word and I want you to understand the depth of Scripture for yourself. That's why I want to invite you to join me in a 90-day through the entire Bible reading challenge using the UVersion Bible app. We call it Jesus People Grow.
So, for 90 days, we're going to read together God's Word. We're going to learn it, receive it. and we're going to let it shape us so that we can also be faithful in sharing good teaching with others.
So join me. Let's learn our Bibles and grow in the Word of God.
Now, here's more from Pastor Skip. I'm even going to venture a guess. Because remember in the book of Job? Job's friends said, Job, the reason you are suffering so much is because there's sin in your life. I'm guessing that some people said the reason Paul keeps getting put into prison and beaten up and going through shipwrecks is their sin in his life.
I'm sure they did that. The prosperity gospel, false gospel, was prevalent even back then.
So Some preach from envy and strife, others some from goodwill. The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not. sincerely supposing to add affliction to my chains, but the latter Out of love. Knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel, I'm in prison not because there's sin in my life, but I'm defending the gospel. I am Um The gospel is on trial.
I'm before Caesar Nero. I was before Agrippa and Festus and Felix, etc., in Caesarea. And I am defending the gospel. for the future. They understand that.
So I love verse 18. He's sort of summing that whole thought up. What then? That is, what is my conclusion about these people?
Some who don't like me and are jealous, and some who do? What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ Preached. And in this I rejoice, yes. And I will rejoice.
This is Paul seeing the big picture. He's in prison. Bad things have happened. While he is in prison, people are bad-mouthing him. He's listening, he's looking at it all, and he makes a determination.
Nothing? And no one are going to steal my joy. I am rejoicing in the Lord, and he writes that's his theme throughout the book, and no one and nothing is going to steal my joy. And when Paul speaks or writes verse 18, What he realizes is that the power is in the message. More than the messenger.
Listen to that again. The power is in the message. more than the messenger.
Some people like the messenger. Oh, I like the way she or he puts things. But what are they putting? What things are they dishing out? The real power isn't the messenger, it's the message.
If somebody is Tampering with the message Go after him. Go after them, Galatians chapter 1. If we or an angel from heaven preach to you another gospel, then what you have received, let him be cursed below the lowest hell. That's the word anathema. That's the translation of that.
Let him be anathema. Anybody preaches a different gospel, I'm going after him. You tamper with the message. I'm going after you. But If you have the message right and you are presenting the true gospel, Even if you as a messenger have impure motives.
I rejoice because The message Is going out. And the message is more important than the messenger. You get it?
So that's his big picture. No one He's going to steal my joy. And even if you've got bad, bitter, angry messengers, if they're saying the true message, I'm good.
Now if they tamper with the message, I'm going to attack them. If they got the message right, but they're goofy and weird and bitter and hostile. At least the gospel is being preached. Isn't that a beautiful way to look at things? It's so freeing to see it that way.
Then you don't have to go on the attack against this preacher and that preacher because they don't like me or like whatever. Just say the gospel is being preached. As long as the gospel is being preached. Then Go for it. Think of Jonah.
God told him to go to Nineveh. He didn't want to go. He hated the Ninevites. He wanted him dead. God said, Well, Jonah, you should like this.
Ministry then. Because I want you to go to Nineveh and tell them 40 days and God's going to judge you.
Now he ran the other direction. God finally got a hold of him. He sends him to Nineveh with a message of judgment. But in giving the message of judgment, you know what happened in Nineveh. Mm-hmm.
They believed and turned and repented and God forgave them. And that's what ticked Jonah off. He said, Oh, he was bitter. I knew you would do that, Lord. I knew you are so loving and so kind and so forgiving that you would dismiss all of the wickedness and you'd give them another chance.
That's why I didn't want to come. Because you're so good.
So here you have this bitter, angry preacher named Jonah. But God honored his word. See, God honors the message. The message is far more important than the messenger. The truth is, all of us messengers are flawed.
It's only the message that is pure.
So get the right message, preach the message. And God said, My word that goes forth out of my mouth will not return to me void. it'll perform that which I have sent it to do.
So. That's his summary there of that whole nonsense. Uh God Be glorified, Christ is preached, and in this I rejoice, and I will rejoice.
So What a way to live Now, before we go on and finish, God willing, the rest of the chapter. Think of your own life for a moment. Think of Things that take your joy away. Think of Paul in prison. Bad things happen to him.
False trials, false accusations, shipwrecks. Preachers who didn't like him, jealous, all that stuff. Think about it. And here he goes: I'm rejoicing. Nothing stealing my joy.
What does it take to steal your joy? For some of you, not much. The guy that pulled out in front of you on the road on Osuna on your way here as you were pulling into the parking lot took your joy away. You're pulling in, it's a Bible study tonight, idiot. Boy, all that joy out the window just like that.
I relate. I can relate. But let me say this and then we'll move on. Maturity. is measured By what it takes to steal your joy.
Christian maturity. is measured by what it takes to steal your joy. Christ has preached. I rejoice. And I will rejoice.
For I know, verse 19, I know this will turn out for my salvation or deliverance. This will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer. And the supply of the Spirit of Christ, according to my earnest expectation. and hope. that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that withal boldness As always.
So now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. I trust that I. I'm going to be delivered from this. God has his hand on me. No matter what, if I'm in jail or I'm out, I'm going to be bold.
I've always been bold in my faith. I'm not going to back down. And So as always, so now also, and I love this. that Christ will be magnified in my body whether by life or by death. The word magnified means to make large or to enlarge or to make great.
But think about this. How great is Christ? Is he pretty great? He's pretty awesome. Right?
He's the preeminent one. How Can you possibly May Christ, who's that great Any greater Through your body. The Christ may be magnified, he says. Whether by life or by death, in my Body.
Well, think about that.
Okay. When you look up on a clear evening and you see the stars up in the Milky Way. You know, because you went to school, you know that those little specks of light are actually large. Bodies, those stars are enormous.
Some of them. Much bigger than the sun. In fact, some of them are twelve Hundred. Times Larger Then our son. Why did they look so small then?
Because they are Far away, so how do you enlarge them? What instrument do you Look at through. A telescope. A telescope takes things that are farther away and magnifies them, enlarges them. Whoa.
It looks or you look at the moon, it's like man, I could touch it. Think of your body, your life, like the telescope. that lets people see Christ. Clearly. Because for most people, Jesus Christ is this.
Enigmatic figure of history, 2,000 years old.
So distant, God is so far away until you show up. And you make him great. By your lifestyle, by your words, by your personality, your temperament, your joy, you have the ability to be for people the telescope that enlarges the character and glory of God.
So just think of that as you read that again. That Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
So that's why you want to present your body every day to, here's my body, Lord. I present it as a living sacrifice. May Christ be magnified, be enlarged, let people see him clearly through my life. Yeah. We're so glad you joined us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig.
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