Rejoice in the Gospel

The nineteenth sunday after pentecost

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

Philippians 1:12-18a

¹² Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. ¹³ As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. ¹⁴ And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. ¹⁵ It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. ¹⁶ The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷ The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. ¹⁸ But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. (NIV)

Motivation matters.  It’s why a loss to a college football player may be a devastating blow, whereas a loss to an NFL player may not affect him nearly as much.  The college player will leave it all out on the field and do everything he can to get a win, because he’s motivated to make it to the next level.  But the NFL player has already made it.  He gets paid the big bucks whether he wins or loses, so he may not be as motivated as the college player is to give it his all.  The finished product in art class for the high school student trying to get into the Art Institute is probably going to be of a little higher quality than the student just handing something in because he wants to pass the class.  The one student is motivated to put together an impressive portfolio in hopes of her art being recognized, while the other just wants to graduate.  The employee who is motivated to eventually take on an upper management position within the company is more likely to do the extra little things above and beyond what is expected than the employee who is happy just to punch in & out each day and receive a paycheck for showing up.

The same applies to us as Christians.  Motivation matters as we live out our Christian faith.  It matters, not as far as our salvation is concerned; rather, it matters because motivation separates the good that we do now from the “good” that we did before coming to faith.  The unbelieving, unconverted heart was prompted to do good out of obligation, slavery, or self-serving motives.  But now the new heart in each of us is characterized by a peace-filled cheerfulness that delights in doing good.  I give because Christ invites me to, not because he demands it.  I serve because I want to, not because I have to be coerced or strong-armed into it.  I put others before self, not because I hope they’ll return the favor sometime, but because Christ put me first.  God longs to see good deeds that spring from a gospel-motivated spirit, not a law-leaning attitude, so yes, motivation matters.

Except for when motivation doesn’t matter.  If you listen again to what Paul wrote to the Philippians, see if it doesn’t sound just a little bit like that is what he’s saying, that motivation doesn’t matter.  “The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice” (v.17,18a).  “But what does it matter” Paul writes, “the important thing is that…Christ is preached.”  So it doesn’t matter where a person’s heart is?  It doesn’t matter that his reasons for proclaiming Christ may not at all be gospel-motivated?  And, Paul doesn’t just say that he tolerates such misguided preaching, but that he rejoices in it! Paul says it doesn’t matter why a person preaches Christ, so long as Christ is preached.  When that happens, no matter why it happens, Paul rejoices.

Now let’s assume that Paul hasn’t lost it or that he isn’t speaking out of his mind for just a minute.  Let’s try to understand where he’s coming from when he’s writing these words.  Philippians is one of those letters we refer to as a “prison epistle.”  In other words, as Paul was writing this letter from Rome, he wasn’t writing it as a free man.  He knew that the members of the mission congregations he had started and served were concerned about him.  They had heard about his trial and wondered how things were progressing.  Based on the degree of optimism that is clearly evident throughout the entire book of Philippians, one would assume Paul’s trial was going quite well.  And while that was the case, it is very clear that Paul’s optimism had less to do with his personal situation in regard to the false charges brought against him, and much more to do with the joy that stemmed from gospel ministry.

Even as a prisoner, Paul gives reasons to rejoice.  He wrote, “Now I want you to know brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly” (v.12-24).  Prison didn’t depress Paul, because he was overwhelmingly convinced that his status as a prisoner was directly related to God’s greater goal of advancing the gospel, the good news about Jesus.  It wasn’t just Paul the prisoner who went to Rome, but the gospel that went to Rome.  That was how Paul saw it, and that joy overshadowed the otherwise gloomy reality of being a prisoner.  Paul saw reason to rejoice in his chains, because for him they were symbolic of the gospel spreading and advancing throughout the world.

Not only that, but Paul’s prison situation spurred on others to carry the baton of gospel ministry and speak even more boldly about the news of deliverance from death and forgiveness for life and salvation in Jesus.  The enemies of the cross have always underestimated how God uses persecution against his church to light a fire in the belly of his followers.  Imprisoning a highly respected and beloved pastor like Paul did not silence the church, but stirred it up and prompted it to passionately proclaim Christ all the more.  Timidity gave way to a new boldness.  Fear was replaced with lion-like courage.  Yes, the gospel was at work in the hearts of believers, and gospel motivation begat gospel proclamation.  There was reason to rejoice!

But now we return to that matter of motivation, because as much as the gospel was being proclaimed, it wasn’t always for the right reasons.  The motivation of some was disingenuous.  Sometimes, in some places, preachers and teachers had an agenda.  They had selfish motives and reasons for proclaiming the gospel.  Some had seen what effect it had on people when Paul preached it, and sought to take advantage of the persuasive power of the gospel in some way or another.  Others recognized that with Paul in chains, now was a chance to make a name for themselves.  Still others simply saw it as an opportunity to make money.  No matter what the reasons, at least in certain situations, they weren’t pure.

Should we think that everyone today who claims to speak authoritatively on the Word of God is driven by the proper motivation?  When we see preachers imprisoned and the reputations of certain televangelists tarnished by multiple accusations of impropriety of one sort or another, we wonder about the motives behind their ministry.  We see the face of the latest preaching personality plastered everywhere, and it doesn’t seem to fall in line with the humility to which Jesus calls us.  We may not be able to see into hearts to determine who’s in it for the “right reasons,” but the sad reality is that sometimes that isn’t even necessary because the misguided motivation is all too evident for many to see.

And even when we may not see it in others, we don’t have to look very far, for it’s also right there in each of us from time to time.  Parents help their children learn memory work for our school, not because God’s Word is living and active, and the single best thing we can share with our children, but because it’s another assignment that needs to get done for a good grade.  We find ourselves debating with another person about what God’s Word says, not because we’re concerned with upholding the truth and contending for that person’s soul, but because we want to show the other person how wrong he is.  Our motives can be every bit as crooked as those of the individuals Paul was writing about.  In some cases our hearts reflect a worldly motivation similar to that of the Jesus-peddling pretenders of Paul’s day.  We can be every bit as guilty of the exact same sin. 

But still Paul would rejoice.  How?  Why?  Because it’s not about the Motivation; it’s about the Means.  That is to say, the motivation of the one mouthing the Word of God does not make the Word of God effective or ineffective.  So whether it is a televangelist who is trying to preach his way into your pocketbook (and by thy way, not all televangelists are evil people!) or a simple-minded pastor who cares deeply about your soul, if both proclaim the death and Resurrection of Jesus as the only way of salvation, then the ears of those in either audience have just heard the life-changing message of the gospel!  The Holy Spirit can work through the message of the deceitful charlatan or the dedicated shepherd.  It’s not about the motivation; it’s about the means.

That’s the beauty of the means of grace in Word and Sacrament.  God gives us the tools to use, but he’s the one who accomplishes the work through them.  He simply calls his church to make sure the tools aren’t lying by idly on the workbench.  Whether those tools are in the hands of an apprentice or an expert, they can still get the job done, because the Holy Spirit is the One doing all the work.  Paul knew that about the gospel, and that’s why he was rejoicing.  Even in chains.  Even as others tried to imitate his work of preaching for completely selfish and impure reasons.  He rejoiced because the tools, the means, were being used.  And he knew the Lord would still work through them. 

We can rejoice in the gospel today for the same reason.  God’s grace to us in Christ Jesus isn’t rendered null and void just because the messenger didn’t have pure intentions when he spoke.  God’s assurance of forgiveness does not become invalid even if the person speaking that forgiveness doesn’t truly believe it.  The Word always works, regardless of why that Word is being passed along.  It’s not about the motivation; it’s about the means.  And God’s Means of Grace do not disappoint.  May we again be reminded of that as we have the blessed privilege of receiving his forgiveness in his body and blood this morning in the Lord’s Supper.  May we rejoice in that gospel, and may we confidently speak it to one another and to those whose ears have not yet heard it. Amen.

 

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)