I recall the day when my wife and I were leaving to spend a few days at Forrest Hills Resort in Dahlonega, GA. We were just about to walk out the door to start our trip when Dianna's father informed her of a bad traffic accident that took place on I-75 just south of Chattanooga. There was a really bad fog that morning which caused a pileup of close to 130 cars. That was the exact route we were going to take, but the wreck was now a major roadblock to our plans. Looking at a map, we determined we could get to our destination by going through Huntsville and Scottsboro, AL, Rome, GA and eventually on to our resort. It was a longer route to take, but it would have to suffice because of the accident. Later that day we made it to the resort, proving that regardless of a roadblock, the progress was still made.
In the first chapter of Philippians in verses twelve through twenty, Paul shows us that the gospel progressed despite some roadblocks in its way. The text for our lesson reads in this way:
"I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death" (Phil. 1:12-20).
The first roadblock we see is The Manacles of Prison.
If you were taking a survey to see where an effective evangelizing ground would be, how many of us would say prison? I doubt very many would want to go there to preach the gospel! Whether you think about the types of people who are incarcerated there, being chained to a guard (in Paul's case), the fact that you can't travel around to different places, etc., it doesn't seem like prison would be the prime place to spread the gospel.
Paul didn't look at it that way. Paul viewed prison not as an obstacle but an opportunity. He shares this in two senses. First it was an opportunity for him. He says "...it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ" (Phil. 1:13). Warren Wiersbe says that Paul was chained to a guard twenty-four hours a day, and the shifts changed every six hours (68). From his perspective he had six hours to talk about the gospel with that guard, and then he got to do it all over again when the shift changed with a completely different guard. These manacles which had taken away his freedom in one sense had not taken away his opportunities for the gospel. One of the worst places to be was one of the greatest possibilities for Paul to preach. Second it was an opportunity for others. He states "...most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear" (Phil. 1:14). His imprisonment had fostered a fervor among the Christians as evidenced by the increased boldness in their preaching. Again, Paul viewed this as an opportunity. It not only affected him, but it affected others in the church as well. Paul portrayed a positive perspective on persecution in prison. The roadblock of prison's manacles would not hinder the gospel.
Bad things do happen to good people, as we see over and over again in the Bible. However, it's how these good people respond to those circumstances that determines what the outcome of the situation will be. Paul could have very easily gotten discouraged and given up, but he gives us an example of how to make good things happen out of a bad situation. "I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13) is a statement that Paul makes later in this letter, showing his positive attitude no matter what comes his way. Even from the example of Job, we have the statement: "Though he slay me, I will hope in him..." (Job 13:15). We can do much with this kind of attitude in life.
The second roadblock from this text is The Motives of Preachers.
There are lots of different things people do with bad motives; believe it or not, it even happens with preachers. Whether it's fame or fortune there are preachers who proclaim God's Word for the wrong reasons. Paul talked about preachers and their motives. In this text he said there are preachers with the wrong motives, as some were doing it from "envy and rivalry" (15) and "not sincerely" (17) trying to bother Paul in some way while he was in prison. However, there were also those who were preaching with good motives, such as "good will" (15) and "out of love" (16). These preachers have the proper perspective of being a servant of God by the attitudes they have in their preaching.
Paul was not going to be bothered by the bad motives of those preaching the gospel because the end result was the same. The message of Christ was still being proclaimed despite what was behind it all. This gave him reasons to rejoice (18). In the case of Christianity, motives have no bearing on results. Bad motives are not the same things as bad doctrine. The doctrine of Christ is right, even though the motives may be bad. That does not change the message. I have seen movies where two people fell in love because of a bet the man made that he could get the woman to fall in love with him. Regardless of the motive, the outcome was the same from the recipients. This passage does not give us the right to have bad motives, but rather it shows what God can do through people despite their motives.
Paul revealed to the Thessalonian Christians that his motives were pure in regard to his proclamation of the gospel to them (1 Thess. 2:3-6). There are people who have the wrong reasons for doing things, and we need to know that motives do matter for us personally. Prov. 16:2 says: "All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit." Maybe you have had improper motives for some things you've recently done. God knows what they are even though the people who were at the receiving ends of these things do not.
The third roadblock listed is The Mortality of Paul.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was confident that his death could not stop the struggle for equal rights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.). The wheels had already been in motion long enough when he was assassinated that the civil rights movement would carry on with or without him. Paul made this clear when he wrote that certain things were not dependent upon his life or death. The first was his deliverance. An obvious question is whether Paul is talking about physical or spiritual deliverance. It seems there is at least a chance he is talking about both, as he does allude to life and death not being hindrances either way. Paul was confident in his deliverance regardless of his mortality. The second was the exaltation of Christ. Whether Paul was alive or dead, it didn't matter, Christ would still be honored, exalted or magnified. One of the quotes from Star Wars Episode IV is given by the character Obi-Wan Kenobi: "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine." The principle is evident here that death does not stop a good cause. Paul had this is mind when it came to the exaltation of Christ.
One of the simple truths here is that nobody is indispensable. It doesn't matter how popular a preacher is, he can be replaced. Even though some preachers are more effective than others, God will still find a way to further his cause when certain preachers are gone. As much of a bulwark in the faith Paul was, the gospel would continue to progress regardless of his mortality. Jesus even said to Peter: "...I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it" (Mt. 16:18). The death of the greatest preacher who ever walked the face of this earth would not even stop the gospel plan; it actually became the centerpiece.
Physical roadblocks have a definite parallel to spiritual roadblocks; the roadblock doesn't mean what is blocked cannot be reached. Paul showed us in this passage that the gospel progressed regardless of roadblocks. Despite the manacles of prison, the motives of preachers and the mortality of Paul, the gospel cause was furthered for Christ. You've probably heard of certain things being done all in the name of progress. Those situations are referencing things being done to achieve progress. The case with the gospel is different as Paul showed it progressed despite the obstacles that were in its way. God doesn't let roadblocks stop his progress!
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