SCRIPTURE:

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death. ” (Philippians 1:20, NIV)

EXPOSITION:

 Observations:

 What Paul does not want:

1. Paul's expectation and hope is that he will in no way be ashamed.

 What Paul wants:

1. Paul's expectation and hope is to have sufficient courage.

2. Paul wants Christ to be exalted in his body now as always whether by life or death.

 Interpretation:

It becomes significant knowing that Paul is shackled up in chains when we read these verses. 

 1. 'In no way be ashamed' could refer to the Gospel of Christ, Paul has been talking about a lot. His expectation and hope is that whatever he is facing, he could stand up to the Gospel. No matter what others think of the Gospel, Paul does not want to be ashamed of the Gospel. Paul never wants to lay the blame on God or the Gospel for what he is faced with and does not want to be ashamed of the Gospel. He knows the Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

 2. 'now as always' could refer to Paul being a prisoner as opposed to being free and preaching the Gospel. Yet, in both circumstances Paul's expectation and hope is that "Christ will be exalted in his body whether by life or by death" Paul has his mind focused on Christ rather than allowing his current circumstances to shift his focus from the Lord. Either way whether he is allowed to live or die, He wants Christ to be exalted.

 I ASK YOU NOW:

I do not know many of you and I do not know what you are faced with right now. You could be facing a lot that there can be a temptation to be ashamed of the Gospel.

I ask you now dear friend, what is courage to you?

If your instructors teach you something different from what you have known to be the Truth all your life, you can have a temptation to be ashamed of the Gospel?

 If you have grown in a family where Christ was constantly preached and you brought that experience with you to college but you hear people say this is the 90's and the Bible is outdated, you can be tempted to be ashamed of the gospel?

If things are going haywire in your life but you expected the Gospel of Christ to give you a smooth ride in life, you can be tempted to be ashamed of the gospel?

If your friends ridicule you for what you believe, and you put more emphasis on what others think about you or what your circumstances show, you can be tempted to be ashamed of the Gospel?

You may have experienced all these situations or maybe some of them but whatever situation you are faced with, please do not be ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for the Salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

I know when things go wrong in our lives sometimes it is so easy to blame God and be upset with the Gospel. I know I have done that. This usually happens when we take our mind of Christ and our mind is focused on the problems we face.

 The devil knows each of our weaknesses to the 'T' and he is going to try to exploit those weaknesses to make us falter. No matter what Paul was facing he wanted Christ to be exalted in his body and that should be our aim too. It is not just when things just go our way do we need to turn to Christ but always.

I know it is not easy when we are facing pain and sorrow. The pain and sorrow can engulf us to the point that we may just want to give up, drink our problems away, or hit the bed to sleep our problems away (I have hit the bed so many times), but the solution is not in those methods. Jesus knows what we face and will be with us through the trials and tribulations.

When we realize that we are so loved, so special, and so precious to Jesus, we can face whatever comes our way, knowing even when we are disciplined, God will bring us through. I also believe when we ask God forgiveness for the wrongs we have done and have truly repented of what we have done, there are so many times His mercy upon our lives overshadows the consequences we might have faced. Please dwell on Christ rather than the circumstances in your life! We can have courage knowing Christ our understanding Redeemer always guides us! Amen!

Christ Our Understanding Redeemer Always Guides Eternally! (C.O.U.R.A.G.E)

PRAYER:

Prayer: Dear Lord we come to you right now. We thank you how much you love us and care for us. We thank you that you know every circumstance we face, every pain and sorrow that engulfs us, every disappointment that comes our way. You know the times we just want to give up but you come to give us courage to go on. Thank you so much Jesus. Thank you that you have called us by name, we are yours, you call us precious in your sight. Thank you so much Jesus. We come to you to give us strength to bear through every hardship we face. We can come to you because you are Lord and there is no other. Please Lord let us never be ashamed of your Gospel. I thank you Jesus. I pray for everyone who is hurting and confused. I pray for those who feel like they have lost direction in their life. I pray that you will come and fill them with your loving Spirit and power, guiding them every step of the way. Thank you so much Jesus! Please forgive us our sins and wipe our slates clean. I thank you Lord for doing that even when our sins are red as crimson and washing us white as freshly fallen snow. Thank you for being so patient with us and forgiving us so many times even to the point your mercy overshadows the discipline we deserved to face. We give ourselves to you and ask you to be in control of our lives as we have confessed that we have sinned. I thank you Jesus for being our Lord and Personal Savior, for living in us, and hearing all our prayers. I thank you for being our understanding Redeemer always guiding us which gives us courage. In Your Name we pray Jesus, thanking you and praising you for everything! Amen!