International Gospel Hour

Jeff Archey: For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. The conviction of the Apostle Paul, that is our study today here from the International Gospel Hour. Stay with us.

J. Webb: Hi, this is J. Webb for International Gospel Hour. Welcome to our broadcast today. For over 90 years, Churches of Christ have proclaimed God's word through our broadcasts. Just ahead is another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archie of International Gospel Hour. Let's begin.

Jeff Archey: Well, thank you for your kind words to our J. Webb and greetings and hello everyone. Great having you with us today for our studies here from the International Gospel Hour and we want to begin our study with something to consider. It would be very hard pressed and I'm sure there's probably someone out there that would prefer a home in hell over a home in heaven. Now, if you were to ask them, when you die, do you want to go to heaven? They would probably say yes, but does their life reflect that aim? You know, thinking about heaven is still not a guarantee that one will be there.

Now, it is the obedience of one to the will of God Almighty that one is saved through his beautiful grace. Let's support this with two teachings that bring this forth. Both are from the Sermon on the Mount. Let's go to Matthew 7. In verses 13 and 14, Jesus said, enter by the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it.

Jesus lets us know we have a choice. And some are going to choose destruction more than heaven, which is absolutely stunning when you think about it, friends. How about Matthew 7 beginning with verse 24? Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on that house and it did not fall for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand and the rain descended and the floods came, the winds blew and beat on that house and it fell and great was its fall.

Thus, friends, early in his earthly ministry, Jesus taught of heaven and its importance to hear and to do God's will and to see that is the best choice, the only choice when you get down to it. Now, we opened our study with the words of the Apostle Paul within the context of Philippians 1:20 through 23. We mentioned verse 21 as we began, but let's put the context around it. Beginning with Philippians 1:20, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit for my labor. Yet what I shall choose, I cannot tell for I am hard pressed between the two. Having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Oh, friends, what hope, what living, what dying. Notice Paul said for to me. So let's take that and apply as for to all. Let's begin our study in a moment. We'll be back in well, a little over 20 seconds.

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Jeff Archey: For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain because of the hope that Paul had, he made that statement. We go back to Philippians 1:20, the earnest expectation and hope. And when you and I dig into that word expectation in the original language, we we know that that word is great. It's a it's a Greek word that means watching with an outstretched head, a a strained expectancy, an eager longing to to look out. It's like akin to a child that will keep looking out the window for his or her father to come home from work.

Or sometimes we will look outside and lean forward, kind of looking to the left or looking to the right, something that we it's it's much it it's an eagerness, friends, if you will. Then when you dig in a little bit more, it means an absorption if you will. Uh, an abstraction and an absorption and I credit uh Lightfoot with this definition. Hear me out. Abstraction from anything else that might engage the attention. You're not you're not paying attention to anything else. Absorption in the object expressed or expected till it's realized. You you've got that great that great expectation.

I mean, that's all that you grasp, that you look for, Paul's hope and that kept him going here and would keep him going there. You know, the Hebrew writer said in Hebrews 11 in verse 16, but now they desire a better country that is an heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for he has prepared for them a city. Those wonderful, wonderful people of faith. Don't you just love Paul's definition, that outstretched neck, that heart of hope that you're longing for something and that keeps the focus on the person who to them living is Christ, but to die is gain.

For to me, Paul said, to live is Christ and to die is gain because second, he knew this world was not permanent. He said, I want to be with Christ which is far better. Let's go back to our Hebrew text for a moment. Once again, Hebrews 11 in verse 16, they desire a better country and heavenly. And Hebrews 13 verse 14, here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. What's the old hymn, this world is not my home. I'm just a passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door and I can't live in this world anymore or we have no desire to live here. Don't we just love Paul's conviction? He said to be with Christ which is far better. And Paul was also the one who confidently said to those Christians in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 15 in verse 57, but thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. And I think of the words near the end of his life in 2 Timothy 4 in verse 7, I have fought a good fight.

I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. You see, Paul knew this world was not permanent. He knew there was something better ahead. And to read of his life through the scriptures and to read of how Paul continued pressing onward even to the very end when he lost his life in Rome, yet how he converted many within the household of Caesar. Let's remain in our lesson text of Philippians 1:20 through 23 as we are launching from verse 21, Paul said for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain because his citizenship was toward heaven.

I take us back to that verse 21, four simple words, to die is gain, something better. But later in Philippians chapter 3, Paul had something to say in verses 20 and 21. He says to the Christians, for our citizenship is in heaven from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself. Our citizenship is in heaven. Friends, I want to share something of interest to you.

If you dig into that word citizenship in the original language, it's a word actually where we get the English word politics. Our politics, if you will, is in heaven. We think of Jesus who is our candidate, the captain of our salvation, Hebrews 2 in verse 10, our Savior and let's allow that party to be Christianity that is named after Christ and let us allow our platform to be the word of God. See, Paul had a focus toward heaven. His citizenship was there. He longed to go home. You know, friends, I want what Paul had, don't you?

When I think about Paul's faith in God, when I think about his repentance and change that we read about in Acts 9, and yes, friends, his baptism into Christ, Acts 22 in verse 16, that's how Paul was able to call on the name of the Lord. And when one simply does what Paul did, his for to me is sufficient and should be for to all or for to us. How grateful we are that we can change our lives to where we can say to live is Christ and to die is gain. What hope, what confidence.

Friends, we realize you may not have that hope or confidence. You may want to study these things a little further. That's why we're always offering tools of study to help you in your study of the word of God and to help you in any way that we can here. I'm going to defer once again to our J. Webb. Here is our free Bible course by mail. We love for you to try it if you haven't before and if you are interested in these studies, we want to make them available to you. Here is our J.

Webb with those details and I will come back and wrap up our broadcast. Okay, Chuck, offer number one here, please. Offer number one and let's wrap it up for the week. Thank you for your help always and thankful we can get these out. I'm going to keep trying to to keep us going and uh with everything going on and I know we'll talk soon if we haven't talked already. Take care. We love you both. Uh, you and Celia, pray things continue well and hello to Liam and Sarah. Friends, how blessed we are to take the Bible, to look at this text of Philippians 1:20 through 23, to learn more of the Apostle Paul's life that we may pattern our lives after his life.

As he said in 1 Corinthians 11 in verse 1, be followers of me as I also am of Christ. And let's continue our studies together at another time. Friends, thank you always for joining me here on the International Gospel Hour broadcast. I'm Jeff Archie and as always, keep listening.

J. Webb: Thank you for listening to our broadcast today and we hope you continue onward with your search and study of God's word. Please join us next time and visit our website at internationalgospelhour.com.