Beloved friends, we welcome you to the special study in the epistle of Paul, written to the Philippians. We greet you in his blessed name, the name of our Savior, continuing in chapter one. We would now begin the consideration from verses twelve through twenty. For after the words of love and exhortation, Paul now begins to speak of himself. and refer to his circumstances, but without any murmuring or complaint. Though he was a prisoner in Rome, he now begins to reveal that Christ was the controlling principle and the purpose of his Christian testimony. Christ was in the very center of his present conditions. In verse twelve, the beloved apostle states, what seemed to appear to be against him, had turned out to the furtherance of the gospel. Long before he wrote to the saints in Rome, We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, in Romans A, twenty-eight. Now in our chapter of Philippians he tells the practical truth of that statement. Praise the Lord that even his imprisonment had made known in the midst of the Roman army of Caesar, and in other places the great gospel which he loved to preach. Why, even in the household of Caesar, though Paul was a prisoner there, some found Christ, which you may know in chapter four and verse twenty-two. I wonder how that made the devil feel. But then as we read on in verses fourteen through seventeen, we learn more of his imprisonment than even through learning of his imprisonment, others began to preach the gospel more than ever. Some loved the apostle, but there were some who were preachers, were envious of him, his God-given apostleship. And perhaps they may have felt rather glad that he could no longer circulate and preach. and that his ministry was now restricted. So they themselves could be more prominent. They may have been selfish, gratefully seizing this opportunity for personal honor, jealous of the Apostle's great gifts and his spiritual power. But as verse six states to us, sixteen rather, they had hoped it would add more affliction to his circumstances. But Paul goes on to say in verse seventeen, Thank God there was some that preached faithfully in complete sympathy with the apostles' defense of the gospel. Now what did all this mean? Well, whether it was by envy or strife, whether it was in loving fellowship with Paul the prisoner of the Lord, he rises above it, not self-controlled, but Christ-controlled. And he goes on to say, What then? Notwithstanding, though some are against me, even of my fellow preachers, and others are with me, they're notwithstanding in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and I therein do rejoice, and will rejoice. Verse eighteen. My beloved there was in the Apostle Paul the earnest, and the pure desire for the proclamation of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. His own personal glory was completely out of sight. Though some were envious of this great servant of God, yet as long as they preached the gospel of Christ, he rejoiced. Others who loved him and were sympathetic in his sufferings for the gospel's sake and preached the same gospel of Christ, So the faithful servant of God said unselfishly, What does it matter? Christ is preached, and I do therein rejoice, and I will rejoice. His heart was filled with joy, knowing, though in prison, yet the worthy name of Christ was being proclaimed as the Savior to the lost world. When we come to verse nineteen, it reveals his confidence in the prayers of the Philippian saints who loved him. I know that this shall turn, my circumstances will turn to my salvation through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Now this was not a prayer for the salvation and deliverance of his soul, but a deliverance from prison. For the word salvation has a wider connotation than merely and only salvation from sin. For any form of danger that a Christian may face, Salvation has the meaning for that danger to be delivered from it. And the Philippians were praying for Paul's deliverance from prison. And not only did Paul depend upon their prayers, but also that they would be answered by the supply of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. This is not as some unfortunately would teach, and do teach, the baptism of the Spirit, or even a new baptism of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit, let me be faithful to the state. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer. Read Ephesians one-thirteen. Read Romans eight-nine. And when the heart of the believer is fixed upon Christ and controlled by him, the supply of the Holy Spirit will not be lacking. Therefore, as far as Paul was concerned, his earnest expectation and his hope was that he would be ashamed in nothing, that he would be the victor in and over all these circumstances. Now why? Well, read on. Take his words in in verse twenty, that with all boldness, as always, so now Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether he be by life or by death. My beloved, Let us meditate carefully over these words. Do they not reveal to us the great burning desire of this saint of God to have Christ control him in life and also in death? Do you remember the words of the Lord Jesus in John chapter sixteen in verse fourteen? Concerning the Holy Spirit's purpose in the life of a believer, Four words the Lord Jesus said are enough to notice, if you will, what the Lord Jesus said about the Spirit of God in you, my fellow believer, and in me. What is his purpose? What is his desire? What is his work? Listen to the words of Jesus. He shall glorify me. The Holy Spirit upon the earth, dwelling in each believer, as but one great glorious purpose to glorify Christ in and through that believer. Humbly but sadly, I must confess there are some dear Christians who seek to magnify the Holy Spirit Himself, often doing it above Christ. But the Holy Spirit does not seek His own glory. He seeks the glory of Christ. Listen again to the words of Paul. Listen prayerfully. that Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. Paul teaches faithfully that his heart and his mind were in perfect harmony with the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He teaches faithfully more than any other writer in the epistles, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Study it carefully. He practiced it. How? magnifying Christ by life and even willing to do it in death, which he did. Now, my fellow believer, is this true of you and me? This is through the true, genuine, spiritual, Christian experience of joy that is deeper than all outward excitement could ever be. But listen to a personal application for the believer in Christ today. My beloved, let us search our own heart. My fellow believer are you, and am I possessing the same desire that whether by life or death Christ shall be magnified in my body? Don't forget that Paul wrote to the Corinthians who were not magnifying Christ nor even the Holy Spirit. Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which you have of God. Therefore glorify God in your body. What a blessed purpose to glorify Christ and Him alone. But may I speak some words to my fellow listener who might be without Christ. Oh, my beloved friend, here is an opportunity for a life that can be lived for a better purpose than without Christ. An eternal purpose. That is unequal. But you must have Christ as your Savior. There is nothing to be ashamed in being a Christian. There is much to be ashamed if I'm not. Do not look at other Christians for your pattern, my dear friend. Even Christians, unfortunately, they are subject to failure. But here is the one person alone you should turn your heart to who has never failed. and he never will. He is your very creator, yet the very God. Yet in order to save your precious soul from hell, he went to the cross of Calvary for you. And he took your sins and their punishment upon the cross. None other could do it. No angel, no man. Turn your gaze away from every man, woman, boy, and girl, or any other being. Will you turn your gaze by faith on Christ and Him alone? I cannot and I will not commend any other person, my beloved unsaved friend to you, for your Savior, none but Christ. Will you receive Him by faith? Take the word faith, F-A-I-T-H. Make an acrostic of this word out of each letter. F-A-I-T-H. Let the letter F stand for forsaking. Let the letter A stand for the word all. Let the letter I stand for the word I. And the letter T stand for the word take. And the letter H. stand for the word him. Let me repeat it. Forsaking all, I take him. Religion, philosophy, churches, organizations, preachers, name all you wish, can never save you. My unsaved friend, you need Christ and him alone. And in its precious name, tis my deepest joy and greatest delight to commend Christ to be your Savior. Will you receive him? Beloved and blessed Father, we pray that Christ will be magnified, whether by life and death in all of us who are believers, and that he will be received as the Savior of sinners by someone today. Amen.