Three buddies were discussing death and one asked the group: “what would you like people to say about you at your funeral?” the first man responded, “I’d like them to say, “he was a great humanitarian who cared about his community.” The friend who initiated the conversation replied, “I’d like them to say, “he was a great husband and father who was an example for many to follow.” They nodded in agreement and looked at the third buddy who had been silent till now. Without hesitation he concluded, “I’d like them to say, “Look he’s moving!!”
Now if we are all honest, we would probably like to hear the third response as well. Death is something that many are afraid of in some way, and would concur with Woody Allen who said, “It’s not that I’m afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”
However death is something that we will all have to be there when it happens. But it is true we are afraid of death.
Sarah Winchester’s husband had acquired a fortune by manufacturing and selling rifles. After he died in 1918, she moved to San Jose, California. Because of here grief and her long time interest in spiritism, Sarah sought out a medium to contact her husband. The medium told her, “as long as you keep building your home, you will never face death.” Sarah believed the spiritist, so she bought an unfinished 17- room mansion and started to expand it. The project continued until she died at the age of 85. It cost 5 million dollars at a time when workmen earned 50 cents a day.
The mansion had 150 rooms, 13 bathrooms, 2000 doors, 47 fireplaces, and 10000 windows. Mrs. Winchester left enough material so that they could continue building for another 80 years. Today that house stands as more than a tourist attraction. It is a silent witness to the dread of death that holds missions of people in bondage.
Today we are going to listen to the words of a man who was facing death. His name of course was Paul. Paul was a preacher and missionary who was on trial for proclaiming his faith. When all was said and done, Paul would either be pronounced innocent and released or judged guilty and beheaded. Facing his own finality, Paul expressed his feelings.
He would like to live life with no regrets. “Live Life without any Regrets!” That kind of sounds like a slogan on some commercial doesn’t it? We hear this type of message a lot today...... Don’t be sold short...... don’t miss anything.... Live outside the boundaries..... Go for the gusto...... Don’t settle for 2nd best..... and on and on it could go...
There’s something inside of us that God put there, that encourages us to Live Life to the fullest.... there’s something inside of us that says “I want to live so when I’m done I will know that I accomplished something with my life.”
Let me make sure you understand that living life with no regrets doesn’t mean that we won’t make mistakes along the way... In fact, if you are living life and not making any mistakes along the way... then your hardly living at all.
Now, we don’t want to keep making the same mistakes... we want to learn and grow from mistakes and let God continue to grow us as we live all out for Him.
This morning I want to encourage you, and to challenge you to be like the Apostle Paul... Live Life with No Regrets.... Live your life for Christ 100%.
All through our life our perspectives change. There was a time when we may have thought the best thing in the world was riding our bikes over ramps and around the neighborhood. A time when people over 40 seemed very old. A time perhaps when you thought your parents were not only very ignorant but extremely out of touch with reality.
But things don’t real change over the years, bikes are still bikes, people over 40 are still over 40, but what changes is our perspective, the way in which we look at things. This morning I would like us to consider our perspective on life and death. What does life mean to you? What does death mean to you? What is your perspective on these things? Today I want to challenge you all to began to look at life from a different perspective, one that you are probably familiar with, but perhaps have moved from.
To do this let’s look at some words of Paul as we continue our study into the book of Philippians. Turn with me to chapter 1 verse 19-30. Here we see the perspective that Paul had on death and life, and I would suggest that this is the perspective we all need to have on death and life.
Here in Philippians 1:19-30 it says, “1”
As I said, there is no such thing as a sure thing. After all, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
“There’s no such thing as a sure thing.” In our heart of hearts, we might concur. And that is why Paul’s words this morning are so shocking. His sentiment and hope stands in complete contrast of our often negative, cynical outlook on life. In fact, the apostle states in all confidence that CHRISTIANS HAVE A SURE THING. He goes on to outline that certainty. He tells us that we have a sure thing In Life, and we have a sure thing even In Death.
In Life
The Christians in Philippi must have wondered what was going on. They knew that Paul was under house arrest. What’s worse they wondered how this would all effect them. The apostle was in prison facing the possibility of a death penalty. Would people even bother listening to the gospel if their best-known and most eloquent supporter – Paul – was a prisoner?
The truth is that Paul’s imprisonment actually became a tool in God’s hands. God worked through Paul’s stay in Rome to advance the gospel. We talked last week that the Palace Guard was specifically assigned to guard Paul. As Paul awaited his trial in Rome, he became acquainted with many of the soldiers of the palace guard.
These soldiers began to realize that Paul was no ordinary prisoner, and certainly not a criminal. It became clear that Paul was simply a prisoner because of his connection to Jesus Christ. His only crime was that he proclaimed the gospel.
The guard members spoke about Paul’s case with each other, with their families, and with others in Rome. As a result, the gospel of Christ was being shared. Paul’s case became “front page news.” It was the talk of Rome.
Paul realized something as he sat in prison. He could have felt sorry for himself, doubted God’s love and guidance, or he could have taken advantage of the opportunity to make a friend and share the name of Jesus. Paul realized he had a sure thing. And he knew God had given it to him. Paul trusted that the Lord would provide for all of his needs in life. It’s as he wrote to the Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Now it’s fairly certain that you and I won’t ever be thrown in prison because we are Christians, but God promises us a sure thing. The sure thing is that he will give us opportunities to share our faith with people in our lives. That means the Lord might even put us in unsavory places to accomplish his goal. He might put you in line at the unemployment office, so that you might talk with someone there who needs the hope of Christ. He might put you in the hospital because a nurse, a doctor, or a fellow-patient could benefit from your confidence in Jesus as your Savior.
The Lord might put a co-worker in your office that loudly proclaims his unbelief in God, just so you have an opportunity to give a reason for the hope you have. He may put you teens in a class with a teacher that you don’t like, so that you can have the opportunity to share with a fellow student.
So, we need to know and realize that God will provide a sure thing in life for us!
Next we look at a sure thing In Death
Paul wasn’t sure what would happen whether he would be released from prison or put to death. Yet, that didn’t matter to him. In the end, he trusted that God would provide a sure thing. Paul knew he was a new creation by God’s grace. In baptism he had put on Christ. He lived everyday in the knowledge of forgiveness – his sins were covered with Jesus’ blood. Paul drew his strength for daily living from Christ Jesus. His constant desire was to know Jesus more deeply and to serve him more completely.
If our lives are rooted in Christ, then we’ll share the apostle’s view on death. It’s true that we all love this life with its blessings and opportunities, but we will look forward to heaven as flawless joy – a place where we can worship and serve God perfectly. It’s a matter of focus. And it doesn’t involve focusing on ourselves, but on what God desires. Even if the apostle Paul made it out of prison he was going to continue to give himself away for others. His vision was focused on others, not himself. Self-focused people have the most difficult time letting go of this life.
Howard Hughes is an example of this. He never gave himself to a cause bigger than himself, and his death reflected it. Howard Hughes was worth 2.5 billion dollars at his death, he was the richest man in the United States. Yet, he died alone. Not a single acquaintance or relative mourned his death. The only honor he received was a moment of silence in his Las Vegas casinos. Time magazine put it this way: "Howard Hughes’ death was commemorated in Las Vegas by a minute of silence. Casinos fell silent. Housewives stood uncomfortable clutching their paper cups full of coins at the slot machines, the blackjack games paused, and at the crap tables the stickmen cradled the dice in the crook of their wooden wands. Then a pit boss looked at his watch, leaned forward and whispered, "O.K., roll the dice. He’s had his minute."
Too often we fear death because we’re too focused on ourselves. When we focus on ourselves, we take our eyes off of God. And our faith suffers. We are led to doubt that God has a sure thing in mind for us. Death is simply the doorstop Christ uses to prop open the gates of heaven. We don’t need to fear it. We can embrace it. And even in our death we can give God the glory.
There was a woman who had been diagnosed with cancer and had been given 3 months to live. Her doctor told her to start making preparations to die. So she contacted her pastor and had him come over to discuss things. She told him about the songs that she wanted sung, what Scripture lessons she’d like to be read. There was one more thing she wanted. The woman explained, “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”
She explained, “In all my years of attending church dinners my favorite was when whoever was clearing the dishes would lean over and say ‘you can keep your fork.’ That was my favorite part because I knew something better was coming. It wouldn’t be Jell-O or pudding. It would be cake or pie; something with substance. So I want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want you to tell them, “Something better is coming, so keep your fork too. Trust in Jesus, even in the face of death.”
Whether we live or die, we have a sure thing. Paul believed that. He urged the Philippians to believe it too. We have a sure thing today as well. It might not be the stock market, the bank account, or even the prospect of job security. The sun won’t always shine on our vacation. Our favorite sports team won’t always win. Yet, we have a sure thing in Christ. We will be faced with opportunity after opportunity to give God all the glory in this life and in the life to come. And that’s a sure thing!
What I would like to do now is to look through some of these verses.
In verse 20 we read about the rigors that the imprisonment of Paul brought to him. Also we see the shame that being jailed had a possibility of destroying his faith. However it didn’t.
In verses 21-26 Paul invites us into his innermost being. Here in verse 21 he says, “1”
Perhaps one of these is more appropriate for us today: "For me to live is money and to die is to leave it all behind." Or, "For me to live is fame and to die is to be forgotten." Or maybe, "For me to live is power and to die is to lose it all." Go ahead and fill in the blanks. For me to live is _______ and to die is _______."
Each one of here needs to be able to say today that, "For me to live is Christ".
He needs to be everything to us. And when we can say with Paul for "me to live is Christ" then and only then can we say with that "for me to die is gain." Paul knew that his relationship with Christ would not cease at his death. He would not have to give up Christ when he died. Death for Paul would be the end of suffering, the end of the chains, the end of the beatings, and abuse. Death for Paul would be a glorious promotion.
Paul says I want to go and be with Christ, what joy it would be. He is hard pressed to decide to go and be with Christ or stay and be with those in that time.
In verse 23 Paul says that he is torn between the two and that they are equally as strong.
We live in a culture that thinks of physical death with such dread that society’s highest goal is the postponement of death as long as possible. Yet, Paul was uncertain what the best choice would be.
Today we don’t see it as much where someone has to choose to die and be with Christ or live and stay here with us.
It is a test all of us would hope to pass, but none of us really wants to take. A masked gunman pointed his gun at a Christian and asked, “do you believe in God?” She knew that if she said yes, she would pay with her life, but being unfaithful to her God was not an option to her. With what would be her last words she said, “Yes I believe in God.” As you may have guessed this is the story of Cassie Bernall and the shooting at Columbine High School. Cassie was a 17 year old junior who remained faithful to God and chose to be that way no matter what the consequences were.
A lot of stories are told of people who died for their faith. These stories are meant to encourage and inspire us to be stronger in our own faith. We are often asked if we are willing to die for Christ. However, perhaps the real question needs to be, “Will you live for Him?”
Richard Wombrandt was a pastor in Moscow during the rise of Communism in Russia when the government called a meeting of pastors. All pastors and their wives gathered, waiting in a room for the meeting to start. Finally a large group of armed soldiers and Communist leaders came into the room. The main Communist leader stood in front of the line of soldiers and announced, “Pastors, Communism is the same as Christianity.” He then said, “You will repeat that with me.” The armed soldiers moved in closer and all of the pastors repeated it- except for Wombrandt. The main communist leader repeated himself louder this time. “Communism is the same as Christianity.” The rest of the pastors repeated the phrase even louder, but Wombrandt just sat there silent.
Wombrandt’s wife said to him, “Stand up and do something about this.” He replied, “But I might never see you again.” Her response was wise and courageous, “I would rather not have a husband than a husband who is ashamed of Christ.” Bravely he stood up and said, “No! Communism is not the same as Christianity.” Because he stood up for what he believed, he went to jail for seven years, time he would later refer to as the most glorious years of his life. That truly is living for Christ.
In Verse 26 Paul speaks of being with them again. The best interpretation of this is that he hoped to be released from prison and be able to return to them. Other interpretations see it as the ultimate union of them at the second- coming, but most lean on the first idea.
Thus, Paul looks forward to joining the Philippians. Emperor Nero was not particularly interested in legal questions, and in A.D. 62 he freed Jewish hostages that the governor Felix had previously sent him. Paul was very likely released at this time.
Paul lived a life of “No Regrets.” At the end of his life he wanted to die and not regret things.
In the movie, CASUALTIES OF WAR, Michael J Fox plays a young American soldier fighting in a war. In the film, he finds himself caught up in a conflict other than the war itself. The rest of the soldiers in his patrol have joined together and have decided to kidnap a young native girl.
With the exception of the soldier played by Fox, all the men join in the raping and torturing of this young girl.
Fox does everything he can to rescue the girl and to convince the other men to stop what they are doing, but he does not succeed. Finally, the other men kill the young girl. Fox reports the incident to the lieutenant, but he doesn't do anything about it. He doesn't care. Then he reports it to the Captain, but he doesn't do anything about it, because he doesn't care. Near the end of the film, Fox witnesses the death of a newly arrived soldier. Standing over the body of that young man, he tells another soldier, "Any one of us could die at any second. And because of that, we
act as if what we do doesn't matter, that we can act anyway we want to, even like animals, and it doesn't matter, because we won't have to live with it. But I'm thinking that the opposite is true. That because we could die at any moment, it is very important how we act. That it matters a great deal how we live, even if we die soon. So we ought to be real careful how we live."
"Casualties of War is a movie that on the surface is about the Vietnam War, but on a deeper level, it is about how we conduct ourselves in the midst of conflict.
Paul was in the middle of a conflict as well. Paul’s conflict was that he was in prison. And in closing, in verses 27-30 Paul tells us how to live with no regrets even through conflict.
In verses 27-30 it says, “1”
The focus of Paul’s life while writing the letter to the Philippians was on encouraging the Philippians to live a lifestyle that was consistent with God’s high calling.
Now as I looked to find the meaning of the word conduct I found that it means to live in a particular way. What Paul is saying is to live in a way that is worthy of Christ. Then I though to see what the word worthy meant. The word worthy frequently has the meaning of fitting, or in accord with. This is especially evident when meaning the use of right manners.
So Paul wants us to live in a way that is fitting of Jesus. And that my friends is the only way to live a life with “no regrets”.
Now what about you? What is your perspective on live and death? Is it similar to Paul’s? Or do have to change that perspective?
Paul says that, “To live is Christ”, and I say that must begin with you making him your personal Savior. You need to trust in him to take away your sins and to give you eternal life. You need to turn your life over to Jesus. You need to live Christ. And when you have done this, when you have made Him your personal Savior, then and only then can you say with Paul, “To die is gain”
Let’s pray
Invitation
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