https://ftc.co/resource-library/articles/suffering-and-joy-ministry/

The disciples of Jesus knew something of that same ache. After the crucifixion, Jesus rose and appeared to them— for forty days He walked with them, ate with them, and showed them His wounds. Then He ascended and left their sight. It would be easy to be let down and think that this is a loss. But unlike the ending of Onward, the Ascension is not a let down. It is one of the most theologically important events in history.

And just like the disciples, it is one that we should look at with joy because Christ’s ascension led to his sending and his session for the preparation of his advent.

Forty Days of Preparation

Jesus spends forty days with the apostles after his resurrection — showing them he truly rose from the dead and teaching them about the kingdom of God. Forty is a number of preparation: Moses on Sinai before bringing the Law, Elijah at Horeb before calling Elisha, Jesus in the wilderness before his ministry. Now he is preparing his apostles for what comes next.

He tells them not to leave Jerusalem. Wait for the promise of the Father — the Holy Spirit.

Both Jesus and John testified to this: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26). “I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:8).

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not a special extra dosage of God. It is not Jesus adding extra hot sauce onto the faith of our nachos so it gets an extra kick.

This is a gift from the risen and ascended Lord. It is the washing us in rebirth and renewal, making us new through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

John’s baptism called you to show your repentance. We need both: the Spirit to give us new hearts, and water baptism to, not save us, but witness our repentance in faith.

The disciples ask if now is the time Jesus will restore the kingdom to Israel. They rightly concluded that his death, resurrection, and promise of the Holy Spirit was ushering in a new messianic era — but wrongly held onto the idea of a military and political kingdom that would put Israel back on top and focused on the timing.

What’s interesting is that Jesus does not rebuke them. The restoration of God’s kingdom is the first order of business in his plan according to the Old Testament prophets. Ezekiel promises the cleansing of the Spirit, dry bones coming to life, learns that the bones are the “whole house of Israel.” God then directs him to join two sticks together, signifying the reunion of the northern and southern kingdoms — hand in hand with the promise of the Spirit.

Isaiah presents the restored kingdom as a beacon of hope: “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isa. 49:6).

Reading against this background, the disciples’ question makes sense. Jesus is the risen Messiah. Is it now time?

Jesus does not say no. He says it is not for them to know — the Father has fixed the time by his own authority. Peter urges his hearers to repent so that “times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago” (Acts 3:19–21). The timing of the consummation of the age is known by God alone, and he will bring it about according to his divine counsel.

Their job is not to worry about when the Father is coming back. He redirects them to what is more pressing.

The restoration will come through the sending of the Holy Spirit and the church until the Father finalizes it.

Their job is to be like farmers tilling the ground. They know the rain is coming, but they cannot spend their time watching the sky. Instead, they work and prepare until God sends the rain.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8).

Jesus, Yahweh in the flesh, will unite the kingdom and make it a light to the nations through the witness of Spirit-empowered disciples. The consummation of the end of the age belongs to God alone. The commission, however, has been given to us.

This power enables them to proclaim the Gospel in Jerusalem (Acts 1–7), Judea and Samaria (8–12), and to the ends of the earth (13–28). Without the Spirit, they would have cracked under pressure even faster than Peter did. The task is too great for them alone.

Then Jesus is lifted up and a cloud takes him out of their sight. A visible, bodily ascension. The apostles stand there — shock, awe, mouths open, gazing — and two angels in white appear. This echoes Luke’s resurrection account: two men in sparkling clothing. Both groups announce, he is not here, he has risen. Here they say: he has risen into heaven. Why are you lingering? He is coming back the same way.

The cloud is not incidental. The cloud signals God’s presence throughout Scripture — God leads Israel and speaks to Moses with a cloud. He covers the tabernacle. The last verse of Exodus refers to the “cloud of the LORD.” He commends Jesus as beloved Son in a cloud. During his trial, Jesus told them: “From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matt. 26:64).

The mention of “heaven” gives direction (Jesus taken up into heaven) and location (God’s dwelling place). Jesus does not necessarily ride on a cloud all the way past galaxies. We are seeing a meeting of heaven — the place where the Father dwells — and earth — the place where the man dwells —. One day, heaven will meet earth like an unforeseen kiss because of how God loves us and will come to dwell with us in the new Heaven and new Earth.

We get an extra detail in Luke’s Gospel that he did not include here.

Luke 24:50-53

[50] And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. [51] While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. [52] And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, [53] and were continually in the temple blessing God.

They knew that his ascension meant that he was both Lord and God, and they worshipped him with great joy. They knew that the Messiah had come, ascended, and was going to come again.

Too often, we are just like the disciples. We stare into the sky, waiting for Jesus to come back, and miss why he ascended in the first place.

His ascension led to his sending and his session in preparation for his advent.

I want you to know that some of these terms you may be hearing in this context for the ripest time, but I want to use them to help encapsulate the domino effect the Ascension started.

I. Jesus ascended to send the Spirit and the Church.

His ascension paved the way for the gracious exchange of the Son for the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26). “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” (John 15:26-27).

Jesus acknowledges their sorrow at his leaving — then makes a stunning claim: “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7).

His departure is not abandonment. It is advantage. A gracious exchange.

How many of you remember a landline? You had to answer it in one place, one conversation, one spot. Jesus’s earthly ministry was like that — present, but because he incarnated into a body, he could only be in one place at a time. His ascension, and the sending of the Holy Spirit, is like trading the landline for a smartphone with FaceTime. You can now call multiple people from anywhere in the world. The Spirit of Christ is not confined to a single location. God is able present with his people everywhere, always, to the end of the age, through the sending of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is different in that his role. He is sent by the Father and the Son. The Spirit’s work is to glorify the Father and the Son, not himself.

Let us not confuse the unity of the Trinity for the distinction of their roles. The Holy Spirit did not die on the cross. The Father did not become incarnate. The Son did not sent the Father. We must not blur what they do. The Trinity always acts in divine unison, but they are not the same person.

The Spirit is our Helper, Advocate, Counselor. He gives us new hearts. He convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He bears witness about Jesus. He brings everything Jesus said to our remembrance. He helps us pray when we can only groan. He empowers us to witness. And the sending of the Spirit enables the sending of the church.

Peter says it plainly at Pentecost: “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:32–36).

The church goes out as witnesses — martyrs who will testify until their death — to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come through Jesus Christ. R.C. Sprout said that the Church acts as a visible witness for an invisible kingdom, and this could only be accomplished by the Holy Spirit through the Church. The Church has been sent to proclaim the Gospel as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come (Matt. 24:14). Paul tells us in Acts 20 that the Spirit constrains him to go to Jerusalem, even knowing imprisonment and affliction await. He considers his life worth nothing except to testify to the Gospel of God’s grace. His goal: finish the race, complete the task.

Witnesses to the Ends of the Moon

You may have followed the Artemis II mission, which sent four astronauts on the first crewed lunar flight since 1972. Artemis II marks the beginning of a new chapter in Earth’s relationship with the Moon. NASA’s goal is to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon. What does this have to do with Jesus ascending and the Church being sent? Because if the Lord tarries and allows us to subdue and take dominion over the Moon, Christ will want witnesses from Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, to the ends of the earth, and to the ends of the Moon. Christ has expanded his missionary force through the Holy Spirit.

The ascension is not the end of Jesus’ mission. It is the commissioning of ours.

II. Jesus ascended for his session as authority and mediator.

The session is the theological term for his enthronement. When Jesus ascended, he did not go simply to rest. He arose for his coronation. he sat down at the right hand of God the Father Almighty — taking his rightful place as the exalted Son of Man who overcame death and sin. The New Testament contains at least sixteen explicit references to Jesus being seated at God’s right hand.

This is not rest. Jesus is not passively waiting for his return. This is reign. The word “session” formerly meant ‘the act of sitting down.’ “Just as a human being will sit down at the completion of a large task to enjoy the satisfaction of having accomplished it, so Jesus sat at the right hand of God, visibly demonstrating that his work of redemption was completed.”

His session meant that he was receiving glory that he had not received before his death and resurrection. He was coming into his coronotation Christus Victor.

As Prophet — he reveals the Father. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Heb. 1:3). Through him, we behold the glory of God and make the Father known to the world.

As King — he holds all authority in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. He rules as fully man and fully God, making his enemies his footstool as Psalm 110 promised: “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’”

As Priest — he mediates for us. “Who can condemn us? For Christ, who is sitting at the right hand of the Father, is interceding for us.” (Rom. 8:34). He is not distant or disengaged. He is our great high priest, advocating to the Father on our behalf — right now, in this moment. Bringing our prayers to the Father as a fragrant aroma, but also as the Son of God with full authority.

We have been proclaimed the glory of the Father by the Prophet. We have been pardoned of sin by the King. We have been prayed for by our Great High Priest.

Stephen, the first post-ascension martyr, stands boldly, condemning those who crucified and rebelled against Jesus. As he is stoned to death, he looks up: “But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55). Standing. Not passive. Present. Working. Reigning.

The ascension did not end Jesus’ involvement in the world. It escalated it. He reigns. He rules. He intercedes. And he is coming back.

III. Jesus ascended to prepare for his advent.

Advent means coming — an awaited arrival. We think of Advent as celebrating the first coming. But we are living in the second advent, awaiting his return.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” Thomas pushes back: Lord, we don’t know where you’re going. Jesus answers simply and staggeringly: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:1–6).

We read that and go straight to salvation. But read it in terms of the ascension. If Jesus ascended physically to the dwelling place of the Father, the way to the Father’s house is not a road. It is a person. He is the door. He is the gate. Not just showing us the way — he is the way. His ascension is the guarantee of our arrival.

He is waiting on the fulfillment of the Father’s promises. He is working as mediator. He is wrestling hearts from every tribe, tongue, and nation to faith. He is preparing the time when he will return to make all things new — no more groaning, no more tears, no more pain — and bring us to be with him forever.

We will be like the shepherds at the first advent, joyful, rushing toward the manger for the good news of great joy that is for all the people (Lk. 2:11). But at the second advent, we will not return. We will stay. We will settle down in his presence forever.

God has sovereignly planned the entire story arc of history, including this stretch between ascension and advent. We are living in that stretch.

How do we respond in light of this?

Be Patient to Wait for the Fulfillment of His Promises — God keeps his promises. Do not think of God’s patience as slowness; he is waiting for the right time.

Be Baptized in the Spirit — Are you saved? The question is not whether you have received a second blessing or a special experience. The question is whether you have the Spirit of God dwelling in you at all. Have you repented and believed in the way, truth, and the life?

Be Baptized for Repentance — Have you been baptized? Not as a means of salvation — but as a public witness to what God has done in you. If you are in Christ and have not been baptized, be obedient.

Be Sent — If you are in Christ, you have the Holy Spirit and a Great Commission. You are sent. Are you actually being a witness? Not just attending church or living for yourself — witnessing. In our Jerusalem. In our Judea and Samaria. To the ends of the earth. To the moon and back.

Be Thankful for His Session — Jesus is ruling, reigning, advocating. He is with us always through the power of the Holy Spirit. We obey because he is seated on the throne. We trust because he is seated on the throne. O come let us adore him.

Be Ready for His Advent — Not skywatching. But living as people who expect him to return — urgent, faithful, alert. If you are in Christ, then you will ascend with him in the end.

It is striking to think that two of the most important events in history are Jesus coming down to earth from heaven and returning to heaven from earth. But why does it matter?

Have you ever had a coach step onto the field and show you what you are supposed to do? The coach teaches, and you watch. Over time, that instruction gets into you, shaping instincts and skill so you can play the game well. Then, when it is time for you to get in the game, the coach is still there: watching, guiding, and advocating, but not playing the game for you. The coach works through you so you can step onto the field and experience the joy of the game yourself.

That is a small picture of what the ascension means. If Jesus were still physically here, it would be easy for us to say, “You can do it better than I can,” and stay on the sidelines. But Jesus did not leave us alone. He ascended and sent his Spirit, and by his Spirit he sends us. He did this because he has all authority, because he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and because he intends for us to go and be a light to the nations.

Augustine said, “For just as he remained with us even after his ascension, so we too are already in heaven with him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies.”

We get to take part in making disciples of all nations. We get to take part in uniting the two sticks of the kingdom. We get to behold our God, seated on his throne, and adore him through obedience, trusting that one day he will descend again to complete what his ascension set in motion. Christ’s ascension led to his sending and his session, preparing for his advent. We have received power to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. Let us go and do it for our ascended, risen King, who is seated on the throne and will one day come again.

Read Augustine’s prayer for us: If then we celebrate our Lord’s Ascension rightly, faithfully, devoutly, holily, piously, let us ascend with Him and “lift up our hearts.” But let us not while ascending be lifted up, nor presume upon our good deeds as if they were our own. For we ought to “lift up our hearts,” but “unto the Lord.” To lift up the heart, not unto the Lord, is called pride; to lift up the heart unto the Lord is called taking refuge. For it is to Him that ascended that we say, “Lord, Thou hast been our refuge.

Then it happened.

He died on a Friday.

One day passes.

The second day passes.

Then, as it says in the Apostles’ Creed:

“On the third day, he rose again from the dead.”

John 20 begins with Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John seeing the empty tomb. They did not fully understand the Scripture that he must rise from the dead, so they went back home. Jesus reveals himself to Mary Magdalene in the Garden, and she testifies that she has seen the Lord. Then, that evening, the disciples were gathered with the doors locked. They believed that, just like Jesus, the Jewish religious leaders were going to kill them too. Jesus comes in and greets them with “peace be with you.” He shows them his nail-pierced hands and side where the spear had gone through to prove he was dead. They believe.

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:24–31, ESV)

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

This is an act of mercy and gift of grace.

Thomas, one of the Twelve apostles that Jesus appointed during his earthly ministry, wasn’t with them when Jesus had appeared. He missed out on seeing Jesus, so the disciples tell him that they have seen the risen Lord.

You would think this would be convincing to Thomas. These are men he has ministered with for years. They wouldn’t lie to him. There’s no way they all saw a ghost or hallucination.

But what is Thomas’ nickname in the Bible?

Doubting Thomas

Thomas earns it here as he does not believe them. He says emphatically, “Unless I see and feel his hands with the holes and his pierced side, then I will never believe.”

Thomas leaves no room for doubt because not only does he doubt in this moment but his belief depends on a personal, physical demand from Jesus. He places the burden of proof on his sight and touch rather than the testimony of his fellow disciples.

Eight days later, on that Monday, we return to the same scenario. Disciples huddled. Doors locked. Jesus appears and greets with “peace.” But then he does not commission them or promise the Holy Spirit as he had done before.

He speaks to Thomas directly.

“Here I am. Put your finger here. See my hands. Reach out and touch my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

Jesus is there. He offers Thomas exactly what he wanted. He tells him, “Don’t lack faith and reject the truth. Believe.”

Thomas doesn’t do this. Instead, he answers, “My Lord and My God.” He believes not only that this is Jesus risen, but that it is the Lord Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man.

This echoes the divine address of Psalm 35:23. The Psalmist cries out to God to vindicate him, to not be far from him or forsake him. No faithful Jew would call a man ‘my God’ casually unless he were truly God. Thomas is not simply saying Jesus is his master. He is confessing that the man standing in front of him is the Holy God of Israel in the flesh. John has been building to this confession since chapter one when he wrote, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.

Thomas fulfills Romans 10:9. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Jesus responds, “Have you only believed because you saw me?” Is this what did it for you? Was what your fellow disciples said not enough? “Blessed are those who do not see and yet still believe.”

Jesus is not scolding Thomas for not having a blind faith. In fact, the other disciples couldn’t have a blind faith because they saw Jesus. They already had what Thomas had wanted. Then what is Jesus saying?

Jesus is saying what 2 Corinthians 5:7 says later. “We walk by faith, not by sight.” In other words, we live with our belief and trust in Jesus based on the blessed “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” grounded in the Gospel — the life, death, and resurrection of Christ because we are great sinners, but who have a greater Savior.

Why would Jesus say this? Does this mean that the disciples who saw, Mary Magdalene who saw, were not blessed? No. Instead, he is blessing those who trust in the testimony of what he has done rather than a personal, physical encounter because most of us will not have a personal, physical encounter like Thomas had.

“A passage of Scripture like this we need not doubt was written for the special comfort of all true believers. The Holy Ghost knew well that the dull, and the slow and the stupid, and the doubting, are by far the commonest type of disciples in this evil world. The Holy Ghost has taken care to supply abundant evidence that Jesus is rich in patience as well as compassion, and that he bears with the infirmities of all his people. Let us take care that we drink into our Lord’s spirit and copy his example. There are many in the church who, like Thomas, are dull and slow, but for all that, like Thomas, are real and true believers.” — J. C. Ryle

Jesus shows his kindness because he knew that most of us were going to be like Thomas. Jesus, even though he didn’t have to, took on a greater burden by what he did for Thomas. He has done the same for us.

This is why Jesus inspired and John wrote verses 30–31. There are many things that Jesus did that were not written down. But what has been written is given so we may believe that Jesus was who he said he was, is who he says he is, and will be who he says he is going to be — the prophesied Christ, the saving Son of God, and the one, if we receive and believe in his name, is given the right to become children of God and have eternal life in him.

When we see Thomas, it is easy to sneer at him as a doubter and a disbeliever. But this has been written so that we may believe and have eternal life in Jesus, because many of us are standing, or have once stood, in Thomas’s shoes. Jesus is probably not going to appear to us as he did to him, but he has given us something better — the testimony of his resurrection.

We need to compare what Jesus did for Thomas with what he has done for us through his testimony. This has been given to us so that we may believe and worship him.

Jesus’ Resurrection is a Gift of Grace and Act of Mercy

Jesus shows great grace and mercy to Thomas by appearing to him. Thomas made an audacious demand that he would never believe unless Jesus appeared to him. Jesus could have called his bluff, but instead, he gave him a gift completely undeserved and mercifully did not give him the judgment he deserved.

The mercy was that he did not leave him in his unbelief. The grace was that he did not leave him without confident hope.

Jesus has done the same for us in the resurrection.

Act of Mercy | Compassionate Resistance

When Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, they condemned themselves by their unbelief that God was enough. When we rebel against God in our unbelief and rejection of him — and we all do — we condemn ourselves to an eternal life that we don’t want: one of righteous wrath and punishment.

Jesus was not obligated to come down and take on flesh, live a perfect, sinless life, die a death we deserved, and rise again. Jesus did not have to pay for our sins so we could be forgiven. Jesus did not have to make us righteous. Jesus did not have to give us hope.

He had all authority, all power, all glory.

He owed us nothing.

He could have left us in our sin and he would have been just because we have rejected a perfect, holy God.

Honestly, he should have.

He did not give us what we deserved. We deserve death. Suffering. Pain.

Instead, the resurrection was a compassionate resistance. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Pet. 2:9).

Jesus was patient with Thomas so that he would not perish but repent and have everlasting life.

If you’re still alive, Jesus has been patient with you so that you would not perish but repent and have eternal life with him.

Gift of Grace | Confident Hope

The resurrection of Christ is a gift of grace because it gives us confident hope in the future.

Without the resurrection, how could we actually believe and trust in what Christ said? He predicted his own resurrection.

Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 15:17–19:

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

If Christ didn’t rise, then our faith means nothing. Our sins are unforgiven and unpaid. Those who have died already have no chance at a second resurrection. They have perished and died.

If we only have hope in Christ in this life, we should be having the biggest pity party known to man. People should look at us and pity that we have put our trust and belief in someone who could not deliver on what they had promised.

But read verse 20:

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead.

Christ has been raised from the dead. He “was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification (Rom. 4:25).” He died because we sinned. He raised to justify us. The debt has been paid, the case is closed, and we are declared righteous in him. In Christ, it is just as if I’d never sinned.

Paul calls him “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” This is agricultural language. The firstfruits are the guarantee of the full harvest to come. Jesus rising bodily from the dead is not only his victory — it is the down payment for ours. Because he came out of the grave, when he calls our name, we will run out of that grave.

Why can we trust this?

There are many reasons, biblically, archaeologically, historically. Let me give you the biggest reason for me: Jesus fulfilled every prophecy and prediction about him. He said, “No one has the power to take my life. I have the power to lay it down and take it up again.”

He appeared to over 500 people after his resurrection. Some claim that they stole the body of Jesus. The Jewish religious leaders were explicitly worried about this in Matthew. Yet, many of these disciples not only proclaimed that Jesus rose from the dead but they died for it.

Here’s the thing — this is not the same as someone believing a lie and dying for it.

If it was a lie, then they knew it was a lie and died for it.

Why would they suffer and die for something they knew was a lie when it brought them no gain?

Jesus rose again to give us a gift of confident hope. Because Jesus rose again, we can trust what he said, and he said not only would he rise from the dead, but that we belong to him, would be made alive with him, and so that he would bring us to be with him forever.

The resurrection is an act of mercy so that we would repent and believe in him. It is a gift of grace because he made a way when there was no way, and now, we can have hope that if we are saved by his grace through faith, that we will be raised to life with him one day.

Typically, in a sermon, you have the what and so what. What are we talking about and why does it matter?

Easter Sunday has the biggest so what. We preach Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected every Sunday because it is why we are here. If you’re here, there is one of two responses.

Whether You Are a Doubter or a Believer, You Are Standing in Front of the Same Testimony

The Gospel was not written for two different kinds of people. It was written so that all of us may believe and have life in his name. The question is how you respond to it.

For the Doubter and Unbeliever — Do Not Disbelieve. Repent and Believe in the Testimony of Jesus’ Resurrection.

There are some of you here for whom this is THE HOLIDAY where you come to church. You may have grown up in church and then left it. Maybe you’re here because you have a family gathering afterward. No matter what, I’m not going to scold you. I’m glad you’re here.

But now that you’re here, this is what I want you to hear.

Jesus is not someone you can be neutral about.

There is no, “I believe in the teachings of Jesus, but I don’t follow him” or “I go to church sometimes.”

The Bible, the Gospels, these testimonies, were written so you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus says that he is Lord.

This means that you cannot only confess him as your Savior and not your Lord.

You must either repent and believe in him as your Savior and Lord, recognizing that he is truly God in the flesh who loves you.

Or you will reject and disbelieve in him and live as your own Savior and Lord.

There is no third option. He didn’t leave it open for debate.

Jonathan Edwards said, “Now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners.”

My plea is the same as Christ’s and Edwards’ — “Do not disbelieve but believe.” Christ has thrown the door of mercy open wide and he stands calling to you. Confess him as your Lord and God. Believe so you may have life in his name.

Do Not Diminish. Worship the Risen Lord.

For the believer in this room, let me be honest. It can be very easy to treat today as a day for unbelievers to believe and trust in him. We may treat it like an outreach event, but friends in Christ, this is a celebration of victory.

Do not diminish today. He is risen. Present tense. Worship the risen Lord. Confess him as your Lord and God. Give thanks. Rejoice that he has given us this gift of grace. Thank him for his kindness in this act of mercy.

This should be the day that we adorn Christ with as many crowns of praise and glory as we can because of what he has done and who he is — my Lord and my God.

No Neutrality

If Christ is both Lord and God, then we cannot be neutral. Friends, it is appointed for all men to die once, and then judgment comes (Heb. 9:27). The Gospel is our second chance. There are no third chances. We have friends, family members, coworkers, classmates — anyone who will hear this and remain in their unbelief. They will reject Christ and live a life eternally separated from fellowship with him and instead endure the wrath of God.

But there are those friends, family members, coworkers, classmates, who simply need to hear the Gospel — they need to hear that Jesus rose from the dead, that Jesus is both Lord and God, and the Holy Spirit will open their eyes to believe.

Unbeliever, do not be that person who dies in their unbelief. Jesus loved you enough that while you were still a wretched, gross sinner, he died. He rose again to offer you eternal life with him.

Believer, do not forsake proclaiming Jesus as Lord and God to others. He is worth it. They are worth it. If someone rejects Jesus, that is on them.

Jesus is both Lord and God. He deserves our all.

We have the gracious, merciful testimony of the Gospel, of the resurrection, so we may believe.

Back in March 2026, I presented a paper at the Evangelical Theological Society meeting in Houston. This gave me extra time with my brother Ethan, so we put on a show called Last Meal, where notable people eat the dishes they say would be their last meal while being interviewed.

Brittany Broski, a YouTube personality, was on. A majority of the interview revolved around her religious upbringing as a Southern Baptist but now she rejects that. Here she was asked about the afterlife.

Where are you at in terms of, like, an afterlife now? Like, if you were just a bettin’ woman, what happens after you die? Eternal nothingness? Ghosts?

I have settled on, to take the place of God, the universe. I think that humanity is the universe experiencing itself. In all rotten and fruitful forms. To experience the heartbreak, and the joy, and the crying, and the giggling, and the birth and the death, and all of that is the human experience. And then it’s done. And then it happens again. And it keeps experiencing itself over and over. I think that that is the point of life. And I also think that, in that sense, the afterlife doesn’t matter.

I looked at my brother and said that is the biggest load of bologna I’ve ever heard.

Why?

It sounded sad and hopeless, like someone grasping at straws for an answer.

But I feel that way because I have hope in what is coming. Not only because Jesus died and rose again, but because HE DESCENDED TO THE DEAD. Because of that, we can look forward to what comes next, since it is not just an afterlife. It is new life with Christ the Victor.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. — 1 Peter 3:18–22

Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) — Ephesians 4:8–10

What Happened on Holy Saturday?

What was Jesus doing in those forty or so hours between being laid in the tomb on Friday and the stone being rolled away on Sunday?

We affirmed last week that Jesus was dead — so he was not simply waiting it out.

Was he just hanging out with dead people? Catching up with Elijah and Moses on their conversation from the Transfiguration? Continuing to suffer for sin to make sure it was all accounted for?

No.

Some versions of the Apostles’ Creed say he “descended into hell.” We read that phrase and immediately picture Dante’s Inferno — nine circles of increasing torment, Satan frozen at the very core — and we imagine Jesus fighting his way down through all of it, suffering level by level, stomping out the final embers of sin before he could finally rise victorious.

But Jesus did not descend into hell, at least not the way you think.

The difference between “descended into hell” and “descended to the dead” is three letters in Latin. Inferna means hell. Inferos means the dead place. This is the root of the discrepancy.

But even more, we cannot just look to the Creed. We must look at the biblical evidence behind it.

Here an important note:

Jesus did not descend to the dead to suffer more.

Some hold a purgatorial view of Jesus’ death — that he began suffering in his life, took on the bulk of it on the cross, and finished it out in hell.

Peter writes that Christ suffered once for sins. The death he died, he died to sin once and for all (Rom. 6:10). He did not descend to the dead to stomp out the last embers of sin in case they started another fire.

He suffered once, the righteous for the unrighteous. Perfectly holy, suffering for perfectly horrible sinners. He suffered to pay sin’s penalty, yes, but he also paved the way to bring us to God.

How did he do this?

He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit.

Now, this is not simply saying his body died while his soul lived on. This is the language of flesh versus Spirit — not dualism, but it’s as Jesus explains to Nicodemus in John 3: “Truly, truly I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” Jesus was not born of the flesh, but he took on flesh. He died to the sins of the flesh. He rose again in the life of the Spirit.

By being made alive in the Spirit, he made a way for us to be made alive in the Spirit.

1 Peter 4:6 explains it: “For this is why the Gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.” The Good News of Jesus Christ is preached to us — who are completely dead in our trespasses — so that we might live in the spirit the way God does.

But this could only be accomplished if Jesus suffered and defeated the flesh once and for all.

He did.

So did Jesus descend to hell?

Kind of. Just not the way you think.

I. Jesus Descended to the Dead

Peter says that after being “made alive in the spirit,” Jesus “went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison” (1 Pet. 3:19). These imprisoned spirits “formerly did not obey” in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared (1 Pet. 3:20).

In Ephesians 4, Paul writes about Christ giving gifts to the church so that it can be built up, quoting Psalm 68:18 to make this point: the one who ascended on high, rescued a host of captives, and gave gifts to men is the same one who first descended “into the lower regions, the earth” (Eph. 4:8–10).

Where is this prison? Where are the lower regions of the earth?

Some say this is simply referring to Christ’s incarnation — that he came down to the earth.

But there are a number of reasons to believe that Scripture is actually referring to Sheol — the place of the dead.

What is Sheol?

In the Old Testament, when people thought about dying, they did not speak in categories of heaven and hell. They spoke of Sheol.

Sheol as conceived in the Old Testament differs from the later doctrine of hell in that it is the place where all the dead are gathered — both the good and the bad, the saints and the sinners. It was not primarily a place of punishment for the wicked but a universal destination for all humanity.

So what do the Scriptures themselves teach us to expect about death in the Old Testament?

• For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? — Ps. 6:5

• For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol… You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep… — Ps. 88:3–7

• Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. — Ecc. 9:10

All of them expect to go down to Sheol because that is where all the dead go.

So when Peter says “spirits in prison” and Paul says “the lower regions,” we should at least consider that Scripture is using underworld language - the place of the dead.

There is a difference between the Sheol experience of believers and unbelievers.

Where Do Believers and Unbelievers Go in Sheol?

Scripture hints at three compartments within Sheol: Paradise, Hades, and Gehenna.

The righteous waited in Paradise, a place of comfort and rest. The unrighteous waited in Hades, a place of torment.

This is not speculation. Jesus himself tells the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16, describing both places in detail. Lazarus dies and goes to “Abraham’s bosom.” The rich man dies and goes to Hades, where he is in torment. He looks up and sees Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. He calls out. Abraham responds, telling him there is a deep divide between them.

Lazarus is being comforted. The rich man is being condemned.

This is not a parable. The clearest reason: Jesus does not use real names in parables, and here he uses the name of his friend Lazarus — which would have been deeply confusing if it were merely fictional.

Jesus tells the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.“ He does not say heaven. He says Paradise — that place of waiting for the faithful.

It was not the final heaven, nor exactly what heaven looks like now, given what Christ has since accomplished.

Hebrews 11:13 says of the great cloud of witnesses, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”

What was promised? What Jesus accomplished through his death, descent, and resurrection.

So we see the divide: Paradise, where those who had faith in God were held, and Hades, where those who condemned themselves through unbelief and rejection were held.

We have a third place — Gehenna.

Going back to 1 Peter, Jesus proclaimed to the spirits in prison. This passage can get confusing because there are a number of ways to interpret it. Some say it is the spirit of Christ speaking through Noah back in time. Some believe Jesus is offering post-mortem salvation.

But the most convincing reading is that the language points to Jesus proclaiming victory over the demons in prison — those who had defied God from the beginning.

• Who were those who did not obey in the days of Noah? The “sons of God” in Genesis 6:4, whom some believe were angels taking human women.

• The word for “spirits” is almost universally used of supernatural beings rather than people.

• The word “prison” is only used for Satan and other fallen angels in Revelation 20:7, 2 Peter 2:4, and Jude 1:6.

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment… — 2 Peter 2:4

These were fallen angels whom God chained immediately after they rebelled. They were not free to roam the earth. God judged some immediately and kept them bound until the final judgment.

Jesus descended to the dead. Not to hell. Not to suffer.

Why?

II. Jesus Descended to Drop the Mic

Before he ascended into heaven, he descended to the dead to proclaim to the spirits in prison.

He did not offer them a second chance at salvation. This was a proclamation of victory over Satan and the demonic forces of evil.

Paul quotes Psalm 68 because it is a victory psalm. It depicts the triumphant Lord returning from battle — coming back victorious, leading the people back to the mountain of God, and relishing in the spoils of war.

The word Peter uses is the word “herald.” He announced his victory — like a king’s messenger arriving on the steps of a conquered city and reading the terms of surrender. He descended to announce to every rebellious power, every fallen spirit, to the Accuser himself: it is finished.

Do you understand what that means?

The cross looked like defeat. Satan is not omniscient — he does not know everything. The tomb looked like the end. He may have actually thought it was over.

But while it seemed like the Lord had dropped dead, Jesus was standing in the lower regions of the earth, dropping the mic.

Dropping the mic is a gesture of triumph — a speaker intentionally drops the microphone to signal that what was just said was so definitive, so impressive, so final, that nothing more needs to be added.

He announced to the spirits that he is the “Living One” who was dead but is now alive forevermore, holding the “keys of death and Hades” (Rev. 1:18). Jesus’ statement and performance through the Gospel was so complete that nothing more needed to be said.

He went into the house of the strong man, bound him, and plundered his house (Mark 3:27). He did not crawl out of the grave near death, waiting to be magically healed. He walked out with the keys.

He proclaimed victory. He said it is finished.

He also came to raise the saints.

III. Jesus Descended to Raise the Saints

Paul flips Psalm 68:18. He applies it to Jesus because when he ascended, he did not receive gifts — he gave gifts to men. The original said he received gifts, but it also implied that, after a victory, a king would divide the spoils so his people could share in the celebration.

Why? Because Jesus was not returning from death simply to proclaim a victory message and be done.

He was coming to raise the saints, to share the gifts of victory.

Paul writes that when he ascended, he led a host of captives.

This is the language of a conquering king bringing his liberated people home. The faithful dead saints of old who had waited in Paradise — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Isaiah, all the saints who had trusted in God’s promise — were waiting for this moment for them to go to the mountain of the Lord.

These saints are not special Christians. We are all the saints of God, believers chosen.

They were not in torment. They were in expectant waiting. They were not yet in the full presence of God. The way had not yet been opened. The curtain had not yet been torn. The sacrifice had not yet been made.

But now it had.

Through Christ.

Christ raised the host of captives so that they would no longer remain in Sheol. There was no longer a need for a holding place of the dead. The Great High Priest led us through the torn curtain.

He descended to communicate the truth that everything in heaven, on earth, and under the earth was his, the exalted one with the name above all names. He descended that he might bring us to God, so that when we are absent from the body, we are present with the Lord now.

We no longer look forward to the promise the way the saints of old did. We praise Jesus that he fulfilled the promise to bring us to dwell with God.

Conclusion: Why Does This Matter?

This matters because we do not have to look at our last meal and say, “This is it. I don’t know what happens.” We do not have to say, “I’m going to Sheol, to desolation.” We do not have to invent our own version of what comes next just to comfort ourselves.

Jesus descended to the dead, declared that it is finished, and now we wait with hope so that we might be brought to God, to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

Here is what we must do in light of Christ’s descent to the dead.

Hope in the After-this-Life

We can have hope in the after-this-life. I like that phrase more than the afterlife because, in Christ, we have not only this life but the life to come. Jesus will raise us to newness of life.

If you are someone who does not have hope, and you think we go into nothingness, or we are reincarnated, or even that we go to Sheol and simply wait there forever, you are wrong. Jesus proved otherwise in his descent and resurrection. Put your faith in Christ, because he holds the keys to death and offers the free gift of eternal life.

If you’re in Christ, have hope. Death has no victory over us.

Proclaim and Stand in Jesus’ Victory

There is nothing more to say. No more sins to die for. No purgatory. No lingering guilt that needs one more payment.

If you are in Christ, you get to proclaim and stand in the victory of Christ. In Christ, we are dead to sin and alive to God. It is done. Proclaim this truth to all creation. To anyone who will listen. Tell your Catholic friends that our sins have already been atoned for. Tell your doubting friends that he rose from the dead. Tell yourself when the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Christus Victor. Christ the Victor.

Rejoice in Being Raised to Dwell with God

The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. The saints of old strained toward a promise they could only see from afar. We stand on the other side of it. We get to look forward to this — that if we are his, we get to be with God, and that is far better.

Rejoice in this. Rejoice always, I tell you: rejoice. If you are in Christ, we die, we will be with him, and we will live with him in eternal life.

This is because Jesus descended to the dead. He did not simply wait it out until he rose again. He stands victorious, and we can have hope, not in this life only, but in the life to come.

God calls Abraham to leave everything and follow him at 75. Twenty-five years later, Isaac—the child of promise—is finally born. And one chapter later, in Genesis 22, God says, “Take your son, your only son whom you love … and offer him as a burnt offering to me.”

If it were me, I’d have said, “Are you kidding me, God? I just got Isaac. He’s still a boy (somewhere between 5 and 17). He can’t even vote yet, and you’re taking him from me?”

But Abraham doesn’t argue. Scripture says, “Abraham rose early,” and he went. He simply obeyed.

He takes Isaac and two young men. Then he tells the young men, “Stay here. The boy and I will go worship, and we’ll come back.”

On the way, Isaac asks an appropriate question: “Father … we have the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb?” They have fire, knife, and wood—no lamb. A burnt offering without a lamb is just a campfire.

Abraham answers, “God himself will provide the lamb.”

They arrive. Abraham builds the altar, binds Isaac, and lays him on the wood. Isaac is not a dead sacrifice—he’s a living one. I believe it’s because Isaac is fully cooperating with what’s happening.

And as Abraham raises the knife, the LORD stops him: “Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son.”

Then Abraham looks up and sees God’s provision—a ram caught in a thicket. He offers it in Isaac’s place and names the place “The LORD will provide.” The LORD reaffirms the covenant promises and promises blessing—both to Abraham’s offspring and to the nations—because you have obeyed my command.

So what does this mean for fatherhood—and for following Jesus?

It is not to get on the brink of sacrificing our kids until God speaks. Kids, if your dad invites you to “go camping on a mountain,” ask a few questions first.

This text is not even primarily about Abraham and Isaac.

But Abraham did the best thing he could do for Isaac: he showed an absolute commitment to fear, trust, and obey God no matter what—because God is our Provider who keeps his promises.

In this passage, Abraham responds in three distinct ways—and God answers with two. We need to see both clearly so we can be committed to God.

1) He feared God

Abraham displayed his fear of the LORD through his trust and obedience. God says, “Because you have not withheld your only son, I know you fear the LORD.”

What does it mean that Abraham feared the Lord?

The fear of the LORD is not like fearing a monster under your bed, where you hide under the covers and wait for your parents to turn on the lights.

Fearing the Lord is reverent awe and respect: seeing God for who he is and responding rightly. It also means counting the cost of disobedience.

Fearing the Lord is finding a wallet and turning it in because taking it is stealing. Or being alone with someone you’re dating or engaged to and choosing godly boundaries.

A big example is the Hebrew midwives in Exodus 1:15–22. Pharaoh ordered the baby boys killed, which meant it would have been on the midwives to deliver the baby and then deliver them over to be slaughtered. But the midwives feared God and refused. The text says:

17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had said to them; they let the children live.

They feared God more than Pharaoh. They responded rightly. God honored them and made their households prosperous because of it.

One who doesn’t fear the LORD hardens their heart against God and does what they want anyway.

Psalm 112 begins with: “Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commands.”

When we fear the LORD, we see God for who he truly is and respond properly—which means giving him our entire lives.

To Abraham, Isaac was his everything. He was his only beloved son. But Abraham feared God more than he feared losing what he wanted most.

Whatever we do, in word or deed, we must do it in the fear of the LORD because he is God. We must delight in his commands because his ways are higher and better than our own. We must live like God really exists.

Do you fear the Lord? Do you live your life following God, or as a functional atheist?

2) He trusted God

Abraham also trusted God. When Isaac asks where the lamb for the sacrifice is, Abraham says that God will provide a lamb.

We get insight into Abraham’s thinking in Hebrews 11:17–19:

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son, 18 the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring will be traced through Isaac. 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.

Abraham trusted God because he knew nothing is impossible for him—and that God would keep his promise, whether by providing a lamb, raising Isaac, or doing something Abraham couldn’t yet see.

We can trust God for the same reason: his Word never fails. He cannot lie, and he does not break promises.

That’s why Abraham can look his son in the eyes and say, “God will provide.” Abraham had already learned he couldn’t provide the promise himself—Hagar and Ishmael proved that. Isaac was the child of promise, and only God could give and keep what God had promised.

This is the God who swore by himself—passing between the sacrificed animals like a smoking fire pot and flaming torch—saying, “I will keep my covenant.” Abraham trusted that the LORD would provide.

And it’s the same with Christ. We needed a substitute—so Jesus became the Lamb slain for our sins. If Jesus didn’t keep his Word, we could never trust him. But we can, because he rose from the dead.

So we must trust him.

When we trust the LORD, we stop leaning on our own understanding, we acknowledge him in all our ways, and we let him direct our paths.

Do you trust God to keep his promises? Do you trust him to provide the way?

I’ll be honest—there are moments I still wrestle with why God brought us to New Orleans. What is he doing?

But I have to fight to trust and obey. There is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey—because he is the only one who can provide and keep his promises.

3) He obeyed God

You may be thinking, “But Abraham didn’t kill Isaac.”

Here’s the thing: Isaac was as good as dead—not when he lay on the wood, but from the moment Abraham started the journey. In the same way, Christ’s obedience to die and redeem us didn’t begin only when he set his face toward Jerusalem; it began in the incarnation, when he came to do the Father’s will.

Scripture says Abraham “reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.” In Hebrew, it means exactly what it says: Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. He obeyed—fully.

The angel calls a second time and reaffirms God’s covenant promises—blessing Abraham’s offspring and the nations—because you have obeyed my command.

Martin Luther comments that Abraham “may have enjoyed a good standing with men for his upright life, his ‘good life,’ but not God. In the sight of God, Abraham was a condemned sinner. That he was justified before God was not due to his own exertions, but due to his faith.”

As James points out, faith without works is dead. But that does not mean our works earn salvation; they are simply the evidence of salvation. Just as the fruit of the Spirit is evidence that the Spirit of God is in you—not the cause—so our works give evidence of faith.

We must obey God from the fruit of our fear and faith in him.

So let me ask you: Do you obey God? Do you actually follow the commands of Christ? We can confess Christ with our lips, but we’re called to offer our lives as living sacrifices—just like Isaac: awake, aware, and surrendered in obedience to all he commanded.

Why this matters

Because it shows what absolute commitment to God looks like.

We must be committed to him no matter what he asks—no matter what it costs: father, mother, sibling, child, house, riches, dreams, hopes—anything. We deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him. We burn the plow and don’t look back.

What does this have to do with being a good father?

This text is loaded with it. The relational terms “father” and “son” show up 13 times.

I also think about the post–Mount Moriah conversation. After Isaac is untied, the ram is sacrificed, and they walk back to Beersheba, I doubt it was awkward silence. I picture Abraham explaining what he did and why—because he wanted Isaac to understand that he feared, trusted, and obeyed the LORD.

Here’s the thing: God provided. God kept his promises. This is the God who deserves our fear, trust, and obedience.

And the parallels to the Father and Jesus are everywhere: the beloved son goes up the mountain carrying the wood, headed toward sacrifice. The difference is that Isaac gets a substitute—God provides a ram in his place.

But there was no substitute for Jesus—because Jesus is the substitute. He dies in our place so we can be adopted as sons and daughters.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so that whoever would believe, fear, trust, and obey in him would not perish but have everlasting life.”

So fear and trust him today. Jesus died and rose again so we can have confidence in him as our Provider.

There’s no secret sauce and no good work that earns this. Come to Jesus as the risen Lamb, believing he is who he says he is and did what he said he did—confessing you can’t atone for your sin, but he can.

Jesus died so the Father looks at you as if you lived Jesus’ life—and as if Jesus lived your life—covered in his righteousness.

And when we fear, trust, and obey God, we tell and show our children that God is worthy of absolute commitment no matter what.

What We Must Do for our Children

Tell them to be absolutely committed to the LORD

Ephesians 6:4 calls fathers to not provoke our children, but to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the LORD.

I don’t know about you, but I may have been a little provoked by almost being killed by my father.

As fathers—and as families—we are called to bring up our children in the discipline and instruction of the LORD: the easy and the hard.

Abraham would have been bringing up Isaac in the discipline and instruction of the LORD. And if you keep reading, while Isaac is far from perfect, God is still his God. Isaac does not abandon God or get mad at him. Isaac does not walk away.

We must tell our children to love the LORD with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength—with everything they have.

Recount God’s Word. Let it come from your lips not just at a dinner-time prayer or right before bed, so they do not forget it.

Be the best evangelist for your children. Tell them who God is and why he is more than worthy of all our glory, honor, praise, and devotion.

Show them an absolute commitment to the LORD

Proverbs 22:6 is a father talking to a son, and he says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Isaac was alive through this whole process. He saw it happen, which means Abraham was also showing him what total commitment to the LORD looks like.

My wife and I were watching Bee Movie the other night with Jerry Seinfeld. He has a funny voice, so I started to just say, “beeeeeees,” like he does.

Do you know what happened? My daughter—who has rapidly accelerated in her words—started saying “beeeeeees” with my exact inflection. I wasn’t trying to teach her anything. But I was showing her.

Even more so, we must show our children that we are absolutely committed to the LORD.

This means leading our families.

Lead your family in a short time of family worship. And by family worship, I don’t mean 3–4 chapters with a mini-sermon and 3–4 songs with an invitation.

My family and I—we are not perfect—but we try to read a short Scripture, maybe explain it, maybe not, sing a short song, and pray.

The other night, we said “amen,” and Lottie started doing “more” with her hands and then put them together. Why? Because we have shown her.

Here is a warning: what we show them will be absorbed, whether good or bad.

Twice, Abraham lies to a king (once in Egypt and once to Abimelech), saying that Sarah is his sister so he isn’t killed and they can take her as their wife.

Do you know what Isaac does with Rebekah in Genesis 26? He tells the king of the Philistines that she is his sister.

Just as Abraham was deceitful, Isaac had to have heard that story before—and he used the same trick later in his life.

We must show others our total commitment to the LORD.

Fight for absolute commitment to the LORD

It is not easy to be absolutely committed to the LORD. Our flesh wants no part of it.

I know there was so much in Abraham that wanted to avoid what he was doing. Think about them walking together—Abraham talking to Isaac, only to look away and cry. Or letting Isaac walk ahead while Abraham pleads with God.

There is so much in us that does not want to be absolutely committed to God. We want to be committed when it is easy, when it benefits us, or when it makes us feel good.

But we must fight for it, because we should desire to be people who follow Christ no matter what—because he is worth it.

Give your life totally to him. Be absolutely committed. Give him your life, your all, your everything.

And when we do, we show others that we are absolutely committed to fearing, trusting, and obeying Christ no matter what.

We stopped in Savannah, Georgia. The last time I was there, I was two days off the field from the Philippines. My hairline had receded from malnutrition. I was trying to talk to a girl who was not my future wife in the slightest. And we were about to go to Disney World with my parents and grandparents. This time involved very different circumstances.

We saw some of the main sights, walked around Forsyth Park, rode the trolley and the ferry, and ate some Leopold’s ice cream (I was thankful they messed up my order and gave me double Cookies 2). My wife and I tried Franklin’s Coffee (single origin from Ethiopia for the win), and then ate a cheesesteak egg roll for lunch. We were off to a decent start.

When we finally arrived in Hilton Head, we prepared for the beach. The next day, we went down, set up our tent, and as I laid down, I realized something: I was not resting.

It’s one thing if a family vacation is intentionally not restful because you’re doing a lot — like going to Disney World or traveling to the Grand Canyon to hike. Those trips are activity-centric. You know going into it that there is not going to be a lot of leisure time.

It’s another thing entirely if the goal is to go to the beach. It’s supposed to be totally leisurely. Laying on the beach. Eating popsicles. Reading a book.

And I know that as a husband and dad, my time is not my own. I would not get to rest 100% of the time. But I anticipated resting some, especially since it was the first vacation Danyel and I had been on where neither one of us had homework to do.

But I want to be honest with you: I did not rest like I wanted to (minus an afternoon and a half where I laid down beside Lottie and read a biography on Alexander Hamilton).

Why?

I know that many of you reading this have been in a similar spot and have asked this same question.

I think it is because you and I need time to ramp up to rest.

It’s why you may have the same feeling at the end of a vacation when you say, “I need a vacation from my vacation.” Just as you get to the point where your body is decompressing, it is time to go back home.

The key, I think, is both short-term and chronic stress.

Stress is a neutral reaction of our bodies to stimuli. Our bodies stress when we drive a car, work out, and go to work. It can be short-term stress about a project or a specific problem. For example, our washer broke a month ago, and our warranty did not kick in until this past week. I experienced short-term stress about the washer being broken. Once it is fixed, the problem will go away.

Chronic stress is more overarching. It could be about your career or life trajectory. It could be about your relationship with your spouse. It could be about the well-being of your child.

The University of Maryland reports, “Unlike short-term stress, which goes away after the problem is solved, chronic stress lasts for weeks, months, or even years.”

No matter what you may do, if you go on a vacation or try to rest, chronic stress can prevent you from experiencing the joy of rest.

God gave us rest (a Sabbath on the seventh day of the week) so that we would (A) acknowledge that we are not superhuman. We are finite beings in need of rest. It is also so that we would (B) depend on him. When you go to sleep, you have to depend on God to help you involuntarily breathe, keep your blood flowing, keep your bladder held, etc. It is a reminder that we are called to rest and depend on God.

So when we try to rest, it is not really like flipping a light switch.

Don’t you think it was difficult for the Israelites to flip the Sabbath switch? They had crops they were dealing with. They were traveling in the wilderness. They wanted to fulfill the promise God gave them to go into the Promised Land.

Yet every seven days, they had to rest. God made it visually clear by providing extra manna for them on the sixth day and then filling it with worms on the seventh if they tried to gather it again.

It is hard for our minds to go to rest. We have attention residue from the past week. We get into new arguments that completely take our minds off it.

While I was at the beach, I had multiple school and work calls that completely took my mind away from rest. I could not get away from it.

We need rest.

How do we ramp up to rest?

1.Pray and Ask God to Help Us Enter Rest

Jesus said, “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). If we desire to do anything in alignment with God’s will, then we must fully depend on God to help us rest. We need his peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:6–7). We need him to give us the desires of his heart (Psalm 37:4). He tells us, “this is the confidence that we have in our relationship with God: If we ask for anything in agreement with his will, he listens to us” (1 John 5:15). Pray that God would calm your body and your mind so that you can relax in him.

2.Prepare Your Team by Telling Them You Are Going to Rest

Whether you are a C-suite executive or someone relatively low on the organizational chart, when you’re on vacation, you need to be on vacation. Let your team know that you’re going to be out of the office — and that you’re in a “break in case of emergency” mindset. There are few times when it’s actually an emergency.

3.Prepare Yourself for It Not to Be 100% Perfect

It’s not going to be perfect. You’re going to have attention residue — meaning that as you try to focus on your vacation, your mind is still catching up to where your body is. It is not gonna be perfect. You’re not gonna get to fully rest like you want to. But that does not mean it is worthless.

4.Place Your Laptop at Home and Leave It There

Don’t take it with you. Remove the temptation to “just do a few things.” James Clear uses a similar idea in Atomic Habits when he says to take the batteries out of your remote so you don’t mindlessly watch TV. Put obstacles in the way of work. It’s harder to do work on your iPhone than it is on your laptop.

5. Those Put on Christ and Think About the Things Above

Colossians 3 tells us to set our minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are below. We are supposed to put on Christ, not the world. We put him on like we’re putting on a new outfit. It’s supposed to feel fresh, clean, and reset.

6.Press In to Being Present in the Moment

You’re going to have to be present in the moment. Don’t allow the enemy — or your own flesh — to rob you of the joy of enjoying time with your family and recreation. God created us to enjoy the common graces of the world. We should do that.

7.Put Off Anything Non-Urgent

If you do get contacted about work and it isn’t urgent, then leave it alone. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. You’re going to stress or worry about something, so don’t allow work you’re not responsible for in that moment to stress you out.

8.Praise God for the Rest You Are Getting

Thank God that you’re actually getting some. It’s difficult — especially in an achievement-centered culture where we feel like we always need to push. But I was talking to my dad recently, and he said there’s always something to push for. You push, push, push to get to the next thing — and then there’s always something else to push for. There needs to be time to rest and enjoy your time.

We need to ramp up to enjoy our rest sometimes. You have to fight for it. But it is worth it. For yourself and your family.

I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

— 1 Corinthians 15:3–4

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Introduction

I once was lost in darkest night Yet thought I knew the way The sin that promised joy and life Had led me to the grave I had no hope that You would own A rebel to Your will And if You had not loved me first I would refuse You still

We are all born lost in the dark. We think our sin will give us joy and life — but really, it leads us to our graves. After sin entered the world through our rebellion, we had no hope that God would ever be ours again. We were rebels to his will, dead in our darkness, with nothing to offer and no way back.

But.

“For God shows his love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

If he had not loved us first, we would refuse him still. But he did — and we see that love most clearly, most fully, at the cross: the matter of first importance.

The crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus are of first importance. Therefore, we preach Jesus Christ crucified so that we boast in him alone.

Why should we trust in and proclaim Jesus Christ crucified?

Because it happened in accordance with the Scriptures.

Let me show you what that looks like in Matthew 27. This is Scripture unfolding in real time, exactly as it was promised.

The price of betrayal is set — thirty pieces of silver — just as Zechariah 11 foretold. Pilate washes his hands of his death, as Deuteronomy 21 anticipated. The Savior stands silent before his accusers, like a lamb led to the slaughter, mocked, beaten, and spat upon — just as Isaiah 53 declared. They offer him sour wine, divide his garments by casting lots, crucify him between criminals, wag their heads and mock him — Psalms 22 and 69.

And then — darkness falls over the land at noon — just as Amos 8 promised.

And from the cross he cries, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” — the very words of Psalm 22.

And when he breathes his last, the veil of the temple is torn in two, removing the separation Exodus 26 had established between God and man. And even in Joseph of Arimathea removing his body and burying him, Deuteronomy 21 is fulfilled — the cursed one would be taken down and buried.

Jesus told his disciples three times that he would go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and be raised.

He did not promise what he could not deliver. He did not die by accident. He went to the cross willingly — no one took his life from him. He laid it down by his own choice.

This is the whole Bible pointing to this moment.

Jesus Christ died according to the Scriptures — exactly as God had promised.

Why else should we trust and proclaim Jesus Christ crucified?

Because this is a matter of first importance.

Paul does not want human wisdom or eloquence to distract from the Gospel. The Corinthians valued impressive speakers so much that they were in danger of missing the power of the Gospel itself. Many of us are like this today — drawn by preachers who tickle our ears with lies rather than proclaiming the truth we need to hear.

But Paul wants our focus and boasting to be in the Lord, so he keeps the message simple and offensive: Jesus Christ crucified.

At first, that sounds absurd. How could a crucified man be the wisdom of God? How could someone hanging on a tree bring blessing instead of curse? Because Scripture says, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” (Deut. 21:23). And Paul tells us in Galatians 3:13 that Christ became a curse for us.

Why do we need a crucified Savior?

Paul knows nothing matters more than the Gospel, and the cross proves it. On the cross, Jesus is our substitute, satisfaction, and redemption.

Substitution, Satisfaction, and Redemption — The Lamb of God

Substitution: Jesus Takes Our Place

The Old Testament sacrificial system depicted substitution every time Israel offered animals for sin — whether daily, weekly, monthly, or annually. These sacrifices sought to please God, to make atonement, to ask for forgiveness, to show a sign of repentance.

But Hebrews 10:1–4 is clear: animal sacrifices could never fully atone for human sin.

A better sacrifice was needed. Otherwise, it would not be the animals on the altar. It would be us — slaughtered in our sin.

Consider the sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22. God tells Abraham — the one he promised would become the father of many nations through Isaac, the child of promise — to sacrifice his only son. Abraham and Isaac make the three-day journey. In Abraham’s mind, Isaac is as good as dead. Isaac carries the very wood he will be laid on, and he asks where the sacrifice is. Abraham answers, “God will provide.” Hebrews shows us what Abraham believed: even if he had to kill Isaac, God would raise him from the dead to keep his covenant. And just as Abraham is about to give up his son, God stops him — and provides a ram to die in Isaac’s place.

The ram takes the place of the son.

For us, the Lamb takes our place as the Son.

This is why John the Baptist calls Jesus “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Without a substitute, we would have been the ones on the cross. The wages of sin is death.

But it could not just be any substitute. You and I could not stand in the place of humanity because we are not perfect, nor can we ever be. An animal cannot stand in our place because animals did not commit rebellion against God — man did. For Abraham, there was no other ram that could take Isaac’s spot. It was only the ram God provided.

So we needed a perfect man whom the Lord would provide.

Jesus is the Lamb that was provided because, as the God-man, he was the perfect man who stood in our place.

Satisfaction: Jesus Bears the Wrath of God

But we needed more than a substitute. We needed someone who would not only pay the penalty for our sin, but also satisfy the wrath of God. God is just.

He does not want sin to be swept under the rug. He wants it vacuumed, put in the trash, taken to the dump, and incinerated.

We have piled up an eternal, cosmic debt with our sin — so we needed someone able to bear the eternal, cosmic wrath.

But we need to understand this rightly. When we say Jesus took the punishment and wrath of God on the cross, this is not spiritual child abuse. This is not Jesus trying to make the Father okay with us — like the time I got in trouble with my dad and my younger brother volunteered to take the punishment for me, only for my dad to say no. The cross is the Father, Spirit, and Son working together in divine unison to display not only his wrath but his love.

So who could take on the wrath of God and live?

Only God himself. That is why the Father sent his Son.

In the Old Testament, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest laid his hands on the head of the live goat, confessed over it all the sins of Israel, and in a sense transferred them onto the animal. Then the goat was sent away into the wilderness, carrying the people’s iniquities (Lev. 16:21–22).

Jesus does this — but in an even greater way. He does not merely carry our sins away into the wilderness.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” — 1 Peter 2:24

“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” — Romans 5:9

The substitute became the satisfaction. Jesus was the Lamb that was slain and the scapegoat that bore all our sins and the wrath that came with it. His death on the cross satisfies the demands of divine justice and provides redemption for humanity (Rom. 3:25–26).

Here is the second verse of “All I Have Is Christ”:

But as I ran my hell-bound race Indifferent to the cost You looked upon my helpless state And led me to the cross And I beheld God’s love displayed You suffered in my place You bore the wrath reserved for me Now all I know is grace

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

If you are in Christ, he bore the wrath reserved for you.

Redemption

Substitution + Satisfaction = Redemption.

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Eph. 1:7). By his crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection, he “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into” his kingdom, “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:13–14).

He redeemed us by standing in our place and bearing what we deserved.

If you are in Christ, you are redeemed from the penalty of sin and the wrath of God. You have been ransomed from the wickedness of your own sin.

We do not deserve this. Not one bit.

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Edmund — the younger brother — betrays his family and all of Narnia to side with the White Witch for Turkish delight. According to the law of Narnia, justice demands his life for this treason.

Aslan: His offence was not against you.

White Witch: Have you forgotten the Deep Magic?

Aslan: Do not cite the Deep Magic to me, Witch. I was there when it was made.

White Witch: Then you will know that the boy belongs to me. That boy will die on the Stone Table.

The law is clear. The penalty is death.

Aslan steps in. He doesn’t argue his innocence or deny that the law demands justice. They go into a tent and talk. That night, Aslan walks to the Stone Table quietly — willingly — like a lamb led to the slaughter. He takes Edmund’s place. And he really dies. Not because he deserved it — but because Edmund did. And no one else could have done it. Not Peter. Not Susan. Not Lucy. Only Aslan.

And when he dies, the claim on Edmund’s life is gone. The debt is paid. Justice is satisfied.

Now that story moves us — but only because it points to something greater.

That’s exactly what Jesus has done for us. We sinned. We stand guilty. But Christ steps in. He takes our place, bears our sin, and satisfies the wrath of God. And because of him, the claim against us is gone.

It is finished.

This is not just a story. This is yours if you are in Christ. You are Edmund. You are Isaac.

This means we have a substitute who satisfies God’s demands.

Why Do We Explicitly Say He Died and Was Buried?

It proves he didn’t fake his death. It was real.

The chief priests and elders did not want anyone claiming the disciples stole the body. People still make that claim today — so we emphasize this: Jesus truly died and was truly buried.

He was pierced in his side, and blood and water came out. He was taken down and laid in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb — a rich man’s tomb — just as Isaiah 53:9 foretold. Nicodemus helped bring the spices for his burial. The women saw where he was laid. He was in the tomb for three days.

This was no illusion, no survival, no escape. His death was real. The tomb was known. The burial was witnessed.

And after that, the risen Jesus appeared to the women, then to Cephas, then to the Twelve, and then to more than 500 people at one time.

The point is simple: this really happened.

This is one of the strongest apologetic points for the validity of Christ’s death and resurrection. Why would so many have suffered and died for Christ if they knew it was a lie?

This matters because the Gospel does not rest on myth or exaggeration — but on real, historical death and burial.

Christ died. But he did not stay dead.

It proves he loves us.

Jesus truly died. He loved us enough to die for us. He says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Think about how much you love your spouse or your children. You might die for them. But Jesus died for us when we had nothing to offer him — when we were enemies of the cross. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross. He bore all the sin, shame, and wickedness that you and I carry. And he did it because he loves us.

Why does it matter that he was crucified, died, and was buried? So that we would believe in, trust, and boast in him alone.

Believe in, Trust, and Boast in Him Because He Is All We Have

Believe in Him Alone — The Serpent of God

In John 3, Jesus points Nicodemus to Numbers 21:4–9 to illustrate how we are born again. Israel was grumbling in rebellion against God. So in judgment, God sent poisonous snakes among them, and many died. Moses intercedes, and the Lord provides a remedy: a bronze serpent lifted up on a pole. God says that anyone who had been bitten lived if they simply looked to it.

That is exactly Jesus’ point. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent, the Son of Man would be lifted up on the cross. In the wilderness, they looked and lived. Here, whoever believes in him has eternal life. The serpent brought physical healing. The cross brings spiritual healing.

Jesus says it again later: “If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32–33).

The cross forces us to look to Christ. He was lifted up — suffering and dying — so that whoever believes in him would have eternal life. Above him was written in Latin, Greek, and Aramaic: “This is Jesus, King of the Jews.” The whole world had to deal with that claim, whether in mockery or in faith.

Salvation comes not simply by looking. It comes because we believe that he can save. Believing in him is not just believing about him. It is trusting who he says he is and what he has done. He is our substitute, satisfaction, and redemption. And the cross proves he is our salvation.

Believe in the Lamb that was slain and took our place. Believe in the scapegoat who bore our sin and shame. Believe in the one whom we can trust to save and heal us.

These are the ones who will benefit from Christ’s redemption.

Trust and Boast

Listen to the rest of “All I Have Is Christ”:

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone

Paul says we proclaim this so our boasting is not in the wisdom of man but in the power of God. If God can bring salvation and redemption through a cross that was meant for humiliation, shame, and curse, then only God gets the glory. And when God proves it in the resurrection, we have every reason to trust him and boast in him.

Christ was crucified to show that only he can save — and only he gets the glory.

Spurgeon said, “I do believe we slander Christ when we think we are to draw the people by something else but the preaching of Christ crucified.”

So we cannot trust in our good works. Not our religiosity. Not our morality. We should not preach a gospel of good works or a better life. We cannot boast that we are better than others. We cannot boast that we are good. We cannot boast that we have made it. We cannot boast in our good works. We cannot boast that we have been to church. We cannot boast that we give to the church. We cannot boast in our last names. We cannot boast in anything.

We preach Jesus Christ crucified, so that we boast in him.

We preach Jesus Christ crucified, because we trust in him.

C.T. Studd said, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him.”

We should pray that God uses our ransomed lives however he chooses. To become missionaries to the ends of the earth. To teach future pastors to give people the whole counsel of God. To train up children and students in the way of the Lord so they do not depart from it.

If he gets all the credit, that’s fine. If he gets all my trust, that’s fine.

I will boast all the more. I will trust all the more.

Because of this — the power of the cross:

Christ became sin for us,

Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried.

This is a Gospel worth trusting and proclaiming.

Sometimes we may hear the word creed and feel a little uneasy, because we associate creeds with traditions that elevate them above Scripture. But that is not what we are doing here.

The Apostles’ Creed does not replace the Bible. It simply summarizes what the Bible teaches. Christians have used it for centuries to confess together the core truths of the Gospel.

The title “Apostles’ Creed” appears as early as around AD 390, when Ambrose refers to “the creed of the Apostles which the Church of Rome keeps and guards in its entirety.”

The name does not mean the apostles wrote it. It means the Creed preserves the apostles’ teaching, functioning as a faithful summary of what they taught.

As you listen, notice how each line echoes what we see throughout Scripture about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Of all the lines in that Creed, one of the most striking is this:

“He suffered under Pontius Pilate.”

This one line anchors the cross of Christ in real history and real agony.

Matthew 27:1–31

Judas has betrayed Jesus. Peter cut off a guard’s ear in defense of Jesus and then denied him. The high priest and council interrogated Jesus, and he accepted being called the Son of Man — the title of a divine, authoritative Messiah who has dominion, glory, and kingdom so that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him (Dan. 7:14).

In the morning, the chief priests and elders come together to plan how to put Jesus to death. Just the job for the leaders of the church, right?

Before this happens, Judas changes his mind and brings back the thirty pieces of silver, pleading, “I have sinned by betraying an innocent man.” Rather than taking that to heart, they shrug him off. Judas throws down the money and hangs himself. The Bible tells us this is worldly grief, not godly grief — Judas simply regretted being the culprit, not that he had betrayed his friend, his Master, his Lord.

The priests haggle over what to do with the money. They can’t put it in the bank — it’s blood money. It’s ironic that they weren’t okay with depositing blood money in the treasury, but were perfectly fine paying it to separate Jesus’ blood from his body. They use it to buy a field for strangers, fulfilling Jeremiah’s prophecy in Zechariah 11.

We then go back to Pilate. He asks Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He’s not concerned with whether there is such a thing as a Messiah — he wants to know if Jesus is going to lead a Jewish uprising against Rome. Jesus responds, “You have said so,” essentially telling Pilate, “You’re the one who has me here. You tell me.” Jesus is avoiding a denial of his kingship while also not giving Rome any room to accuse him of treason. But when the chief priests and elders press him, he doesn’t respond at all. Pilate says, “Don’t you hear what’s being said about you?” No answer. He was amazed that this innocent man wasn’t defending himself.

At Passover, the governor would release a prisoner to the people. Pilate gives them the choice: Barabbas or Jesus, who is called the Christ. Barabbas was an insurrectionist and murderer. Pilate knew they were handing Jesus over out of envy. Even his wife warns him to have nothing to do with this righteous man.

But the chief priests and elders tip the scales, and the crowd picks Barabbas. Pilate asks, “Then what do you want me to do with Jesus?”

Crucify him.

Pilate asks, “Why? What evil has he done?” The mob cries louder. Pilate, seeing the riot beginning, literally washes his hands of guilt. The people take responsibility for the blood of Jesus — on them and on their children. He releases Barabbas and proceeds with the process for crucifixion.

Pilate scourged Jesus, severely beating him with a multi-lashed whip containing embedded pieces of bone and metal. It didn’t just scratch your back. It dug in and tore out flesh every single time.

Then he was delivered to the soldiers. An entire Roman battalion — about 600 men — surrounded Jesus. They stripped him, put a robe on him, twisted a crown of thorns, and placed a reed in his hand. They knelt before him, shouting, “All hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on him and beat his head with the reed. Then they stripped him again and led him away to crucify him.

“He Suffered Under Pontius Pilate”

I. Why Does It Matter That Jesus Suffered Under Pontius Pilate?

It Supports the Historical Reality of Jesus and the Testimony of the Gospel

Historical. Some try to argue that Jesus was not a real historical figure. But we have historical records confirming that Pilate was a real Roman ruler. He served as Roman prefect of Judea from AD 26–36. Philo portrays him as harsh and brutal.

We also have records that he presided over the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus. Josephus records that Pilate condemned Jesus to the cross. Tacitus likewise records that “Christus suffered the extreme penalty” under Pontius Pilate during Tiberius’s reign.

If we have records — not just in the Bible, but outside it — that there really was a Pilate, there really was a Jesus of Nazareth, and that Pilate really made Jesus suffer, then we have extra evidence that the suffering and crucifixion are historical fact. This gives even more credence to the testimony of the Scriptures.

Public. Suffering under Pontius Pilate underscores the public nature of Jesus’ suffering. The sham trial, the crowd’s choice of Barabbas over him, and his scourging and abuse at the hands of Roman soldiers all took place in full view. Many witnessed it — Jews and Gentiles, disciples and enemies, and even Jesus’ own mother. The eyewitnesses of the New Testament testify that they saw Jesus suffer under Pontius Pilate, strengthening the credibility of the account.

The path to crucifixion. Under Jewish law, the leaders did not have the authority to carry out a Roman-style execution by crucifixion. Rome did. That is why the chief priests and elders had to bring Jesus before Pilate and work through the Roman courts. It fulfilled Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53: they pierced and nailed his feet, did not break his bones, and scorned and mocked him.

All this unfolded according to God’s plan of redemption: Christ would be obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross.

Peter says just as much at Pentecost:

“Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs… He was delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” — Acts 2:22–23

Because Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate — historically and publicly — no one can seriously deny that Jesus of Nazareth truly suffered and died, just as the Scriptures testify. Does that alone prove he is the Christ? No. But it does strengthen the credibility of the Gospels and directly challenges the claim that Jesus was not real.

II. How Did Jesus Suffer? (Isaiah 53:3–9)

He Suffered His Entire Earthly Life

He was tempted in the wilderness for forty days — hungry, isolated, ambushed by the devil (Matt. 4:1–11). He was rejected by his own hometown, the people who watched him grow up, as they tried to throw him off a cliff (Luke 4:28–29). He grieved the death of those he loved — Joseph, his adoptive earthly father, and Lazarus, his close friend (John 11:35).

Hebrews 5:8 tells us that “although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” He didn’t learn obedience the way my daughter Lottie does — by throwing food on the floor and then us correcting her. He learned through suffering so he would know what it meant to trust and depend on the Father. He proved it.

This is why Isaiah calls him “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). This title means that suffering and grief were not unfamiliar to him. He experienced suffering, grief, heartache, and pain just like all of us.

He did not just parachute down. He lived and suffered and died.

He Suffered on the Journey to the Cross

Good Friday was not where Jesus’ suffering began on Holy Week.

Mentally — stress and anguish of soul. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the weight of what was coming pressed so heavily that Jesus told his disciples, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death” (Matt. 26:38). His anguish was so severe that his sweat became like drops of blood (Luke 22:44). He knew the wrath of God was coming. Don’t you think about how terrifying it was to know it was coming? This is why he asked for the cup to pass, even though he knew the will of God.

Despised and rejected by men. Jesus was not only handed over to Rome — he was handed over by people who knew him. Judas betrayed him with a kiss for thirty pieces of silver. His own people rejected him and demanded his crucifixion, choosing Barabbas over the Son of God. Peter, his closest disciple, denied three times that he even knew him. No one came to his aid.

Physical suffering. He was scourged with the flesh being torn from his back over and over again. A crown of thorns was pressed into his skull. He was struck repeatedly with a rod, spat upon, and mocked. By the time he was nailed to the cross, he had already endured what most men would not have survived. And he endured it willingly.

He Suffered on the Cross

Physical suffering. The nails were only the beginning. Crucifixion kills through asphyxiation — the position of the body makes breathing nearly impossible unless the victim pushes up against the nails in his feet to lift himself and draw a breath. Every breath meant driving the weight of his body into the wounds in his feet. He did this over and over, for hours, until he had no more physical strength. Yet he still laid down his life — but not from a position of feeling great.

The pain of bearing sin. But the physical suffering, as brutal as it was, was not the worst of it. Jesus was perfectly holy. From eternity past he had lived in unbroken communion with the Father — always in step, always in fellowship, always pure. And yet, on the cross, the sins of every person who would ever believe were laid on him. God made him who knew no sin to become sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). Every sin ever committed by his people was credited to his account. For us, the wages of sin is death. That’s the paycheck we earned. But he took on the debt and carried the full weight of guilt that was not his own.

Abandonment. Jesus faced this alone. The moment he was arrested, every disciple fled. But the deepest abandonment came from his Father. When Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46), he was not merely quoting Psalm 22. He was expressing devastation. The sweet, unbroken fellowship with his heavenly Father — his greatest joy — was cut off. The Father turned away from the Son as he bore the guilt of every sin. He was alone.

Bearing the wrath of God. The wrath of the holy Creator of the universe — his perfect hatred of sin, his full justice — came down entirely on Christ. Isaiah says it pleased the Lord to crush him (Isa. 53:10). God did not spare his own Son. Jesus was the propitiation — the sacrifice that absorbed the wrath of God completely and to the end (Rom. 3:25; 1 John 2:2). No more lambs. No more yearly sacrifices. Once, and for all, the wrath was spent. There is none left for those who are in Christ. The entire cup was poured out on him.

All. Of. It.

Oppressed and silent. Through all of it, he did not defend himself. He was oppressed, afflicted, suffering the deepest injustice ever committed — and he was silent. “Like a lamb led to the slaughter… he opened not his mouth” (Isa. 53:7). He who could have called angels who would not even let his feet touch the ground said nothing. He who calmed the wind and the seas with a word said nothing. He who brought Lazarus back to life with a word would not prevent his own death.

This begs the final question.

III. Why Did Jesus Suffer? (Isaiah 53:5b, 10–12)

The Heart of Atonement — By His Wounds, We Are Healed

Why did all of this have to happen?

The answer goes back to the character of God himself. God is holy and just. We are not. We are sinners. We have offended and rebelled against a perfect God. Sin must be paid for. It cannot be excused because God is incompatible with sin. Habakkuk says “your eyes are too pure; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.” God is just. Every sin demands punishment.

Jesus suffered to atone for sin. We are reconciled back to God through Christ. He made right our wrong. There is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Heb. 9:22). We needed Christ to shed his blood so we may be saved.

He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our sins. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him. By his wounds we are healed. By his sacrifice. By his life. By his suffering.

The Will of God — Sovereign Glory

Isaiah 53:10 says plainly that “it was the will of the Lord to crush him.” The suffering of Jesus was not Plan B. From before the foundation of the world, the Father, Son, and Spirit purposed this path. Pilate and the chief priests were instruments. The hand behind the cross was the Godhead — not in cruelty, but in justice and love. It was the way that God would get the most glory.

The Offering of His Soul — Substitution

Isaiah 53:10 says his soul would be made “an offering for sin.” This is the language of the temple, the altar, and substitution. The animal placed on the altar stood in the place of the guilty party. Jesus did not merely die alongside sinners — he suffered and died in our place. We should have been the ones scourged, spat upon, and suffering. Yet, in love, he took our place.

To See His Offspring — Satisfaction

He suffered so that Isaiah 53:10 could be fulfilled: “he shall see his offspring.” He satisfied the wrath of God. He suffered so that we could be adopted as sons and daughters. Every person who repents and believes is the fruit of his sacrifice. He endured the cross for the joy set before him (Heb. 12:2), and that joy includes seeing the people his suffering purchased.

“Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied” (Isa. 53:11). After everything — the betrayal, the abandonment, the wrath, the death — Jesus will look at the redeemed and be satisfied. He has no regrets for what he has done. Fully satisfied.

What Does This Mean for Us?

Stop and realize what Jesus actually endured for you. Do not rush past this. The temptation is to make a beeline to Good Friday and Easter Sunday. But the suffering of Jesus was real. He was betrayed, abandoned, scourged, mocked, nailed, crushed, and forsaken by his Father. He bore guilt that was not his. He absorbed the wrath that you and I deserved.

Sing to the Suffering Servant. Isaiah 54 opens with a call to sing because of what the Servant’s suffering accomplished. The suffering of Jesus is the ground of our joy, and joy overflows in song. We should praise the Lord that he suffered in our place.

Seek the Lord while he may be found. Isaiah 55:6–9 issues an urgent invitation: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” The compassion displayed at the cross is still extended today. The cross has made the way open. Do not treat that open door as permanent without walking through it. You may be in the place of one of the two thieves on the cross — one mocking, dying in rebellion; the other repenting, dying to be with Christ.

Go out in joy and be led forth in peace. Isaiah 55:12–13 closes with a picture of exodus and new creation — the redeemed going out in joy, being led forth in peace, the mountains and hills breaking into song, the trees clapping their hands. This is where the suffering of Jesus leads. Not just forgiveness, not just relief from guilt — but eternal life marked by deep, satisfied, everlasting joy and peace. The Suffering Servant not only purchased our pardon but our redemption.

Closing

Before Jesus began suffering physically, remember that the crowd had a choice: Jesus or Barabbas.

Do you know what the name “Barabbas” means?

Son of the father.

Do you know who Jesus is?

The one and only Son of God the Father.

Barabbas deserved the suffering. He deserved Pilate’s injustice. He deserved the scourging. He deserved it all.

Yet Jesus suffered and died in our place.

Every time we think about Barabbas walking free, we should see ourselves: the guilty released, and the innocent condemned to the suffering and death we deserved.

How can we not come to the Suffering Savior and entrust him with our entire life? How can we not beg him to remember us? How can we not thank him that he bears the marks that you and I should have taken?

Take a second to think about this. Praise him. Pray for salvation.

Jesus suffered for you. He took your place so that you could be set free. And rather than Barabbas being set loose to continue sinning, Christ suffered so we could be set free from our sin.

When we confess the words of the Apostles’ Creed —

“He suffered under Pontius Pilate” —

we are confessing something remarkable.

The Son of God stepped into real history.

He stood before a real Roman governor.

He became a real substitute in our place.

He suffered a real death.

So that real sinners like us could receive real forgiveness.

This is why it matters.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

— Philippians 4:4–13

Introduction

These were the worst three years of this man’s life. He received a message from his wife, who had sailed with their four daughters to Europe, where he planned to meet them soon. The note read, “Saved alone . . . .” She and the girls had been in a terrible collision at sea and their ship had gone down. All four daughters died. They had lost their son a few years earlier, and then the Great Chicago Fire ruined them financially the next year—all before the horrors of the accident at sea.

The man was Horatio Spafford, and as he crossed the sea to meet his grieving wife, he penned the words:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way When sorrows like sea billows roll Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say It is well, it is well with my soul.

It is well? What could give a man whose children had died, who lost all his wealth, whose wife almost died—the air for the words “it is well” to come out of his throat?

Christ.

It is only through contentment in Christ that no matter what comes, we can endure all things and still say “it is well.”

In Christ, we can endure all things through contentment from the God of peace.

How Can We Endure All Things?

Through contentment in Christ.

Paul rejoiced that the Philippians had revived their concern for him while he sat in prison, even though they couldn’t come to him before. We don’t know exactly why they could not help previously—whether because of logistics or other obstacles. Nevertheless, he was not “in desperate need,” for he had learned to be content in whatever situation he faced.

This phrase was meant to catch them off guard because it came from Stoic philosophy.

The Stoics promoted contentment as the essence of virtue, the pinnacle of human experience. They believed they could reach contentment on their own through self-control and emotional discipline. They believed “man should be sufficient to himself for all things, and able, by the power of his will, to resist the force of circumstances.”

Seneca said:

“The happy man is content with his present lot, no matter what it is, and is reconciled to his circumstances.”

That sounds like Christianity—until you see that they treated contentment as something you could muster up from within yourself.

The world tells us the same thing today: that we can find inner peace and happiness within ourselves.

But Paul redefines the term.

For the Christian, contentment does not come from ourselves. We cannot make ourselves more content. We cannot find peace from within ourselves. We cannot generate healing ourselves.

You will die if you try to endure all things without Christ.

Paul learned that contentment in Christ points to our joy and satisfaction in the Lord despite our circumstances.

He knew how to be brought low and how to abound, how to have his belly full and how to scrape for crumbs, how to be encouraged and how to be downtrodden, how to be celebrated and how to be humiliated.

No Stoic would think they could be content this way. They would see that as an impossible path.

So what is the secret?

Contentment Comes from God in Us, Not Circumstances Outside Us

Even as Paul sat in jail—with filth on the floor, chained between soldiers, unsure whether he would ever get out alive—he learned contentment from God.

We learn contentment only through God in us.

We need the peace of God and the God of peace.

This is good news: if you are in Christ, you already have it.

Charles Simeon said:

“The apostle had within himself that which was abundantly sufficient for him… He had God as his Father, Christ as his Savior, the Holy Spirit as his Comforter, and heaven as his home. What could he want more?”

Paul was not looking for some new add-on. Through Christ, he already had everything he needed.

We need to learn how to access this contentment in Christ.

We may know we are supposed to be content, but it feels different when the thorn is in your side.

That is why this must be learned not only in our minds, but in our hearts, souls, and strength.

To Learn Contentment in Christ

Philippians 4:4–7

To learn contentment, we need the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Paul gives four imperatives that lead to the contenting peace of God.

Rejoice Always

Paul says:

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

It is so important that he says it twice in one breath.

Joy is not happiness. It is a reality we live in and an action we take.

Adrian Rogers says, “Jesus never changes. Happiness is a cosmetic; it is on the outside. Joy is character; it is on the inside. Happiness only meets your surface needs, but joy meets your deepest needs.”

This joy is something we can always participate in, because the joy we have in Christ cannot spoil, expire, or fade away.

Joy supports contentment by helping us remain satisfied no matter what and having an intense delight in the Lord. When we have joy, no matter the circumstances, joy reminds us that we belong to God and that he is ours. The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). In his presence, there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).

Let Your Reasonableness Be Known

Right before this, Paul calls out two sisters in Christ—Euodia and Syntyche—to agree in the Lord and look not only to their own interests but also to the interests of others.

This reasonableness is a gentle humility that comes through self-control.

We must pursue unity and community with our fellow servants in Christ. This cultivates contentment not just within yourself but among those around you.

Do Not Be Anxious in Anything

Paul commands us not to be anxious. This is not a suggestion. How do we not be anxious?

While we are not the sovereign Lord controlling all things, we can control how we respond.

We entrust ourselves to our Father in heaven who cares for us.

Paul echoes Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:25–34. If God cares for lilies and sparrows that have little monetary value, how much more will he care for his children?

This does not mean we never experience stress. Stress is a reaction to circumstances. The difference is how we respond.

We can either run toward anxiety or run toward the Lord.

Let Your Requests Be Made Known to God in Everything

Instead of letting anxiety bring us down anyway, we bring everything to God through prayer and supplication.

Prayer is our normal conversation with God.

Supplication is an urgent petition for God to meet a need only he can meet.

Paul says we should bring these requests with thanksgiving in all circumstances—both daily and particularly.

God is the Wonderful Counselor. In Luke 11, he shows that he is not the friend who is annoyed when you come knocking at his house at night—he is the one who delights to give good gifts. He wants the 3 AM conversations. He wants it all.

Even if God answers differently than we hoped, we can be thankful that we have a God who invites us to bring him our anxieties.

When we do this, Paul says:

“The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

It does not make sense. It does not make sense to praise God when we are hurting or anxious about life.

Except—it is God’s peace.

This is shalom. Wholeness.

Worldly peace must be guarded because circumstances can destroy it. Godly peace guards us.

God’s peace reminds us that he has everything under control and renews us with his mercy every morning.

We Need the God of Peace

We don’t just need the peace of God. We need the God of peace himself.

Philippians 4:8–9

Paul says whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable—if there is any excellence or anything worthy of praise—think about these things.

True — sincere, genuine, reliable. Honorable — dignified and noble. Just — right toward others. Pure — aligned with God’s Word. Lovely — pleasing and worthy. Commendable — admirable and praiseworthy.

If there is any excellence, this is virtue rooted in God.

1 Peter 2:9 says we proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

What is truly worthy of praise? Only God, who is worthy to be praised.

Contentment grows like an oak tree when we think about and practice the excellencies of the Lord. The true. The honorable. The just. The pure. The lovely.

This shows us that contentment ultimately comes from the otherness of God—his peace, his power, his purposes.

When anxiety and worry pull our minds toward overwhelming dread, the Gospel pulls our minds back to Christ.

I love the song by Shane & Shane, “When I Think About the Lord”:

“When I think about the Lord, how He raised me, filled me, cleansed me to the uttermost. How He picked me up and turned me around and placed my feet on solid ground.”

What is the response?

“It makes me want to shout, Hallelujah, thank you Jesus, Lord you’re worthy of all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise.”

When we think about the things of Christ, our contentment increases and our stress decreases. Why? Because we are thinking about the Lamb that was slain for the sins of the world, the Messiah who fulfilled the prophecies, and the God who loved us and gave himself for us and rose again.

When we practice the things of Christ, our contentment increases because we are walking with the Spirit and experiencing the fruit of the Spirit. When we walk with the Spirit, we keep in step with him. That means we are walking with the God of peace.

Do you think about and practice the things of the Lord? Do you know the God of peace? Do you live in the peace of God?

When the stresses of daily life come, does your mind run toward the excellencies of Christ or toward the extinction of despair?

Let me say this—it can be very easy to say, “Just think about it.” Like Peter Pan when he tells Wendy to fly with pixie dust: “Think happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts.”

Thinking about the things of Christ is more than head knowledge or getting more information. It is about internalizing the inward truth already inside of you by the power of the Holy Spirit. He guards your heart and mind in Christ.

How do we think about the things of the Lord?

We must know what the Lord says. We must know his Word. We must know what the Lord has done—he is both Master and Savior. And we must know the Lord himself. We must fix our gaze on Christ and desire his presence.

Do you practice the things of the Lord?

Do you follow Jesus, or do you say you do while living your own way?

Do you bring your worries to him in prayer, or do you try to handle them yourself?

Do you rejoice always, or do you reject the peace of God because it requires dependence on him?

Contentment is not found in merely thinking about Christ. It is not found in doing good things for ourselves. Contentment is found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must turn our eyes upon Jesus and look full in his wonderful face. The things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.

We Must Find Contentment in Christ

We cannot find contentment in our thoughts, our works, our jobs, our families, our friends, our hobbies, or our possessions. We cannot even find contentment in thinking or doing good things “in Jesus’ name.”

We can only find contentment in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rejoice in the Lord. The Lord is at hand. Let your requests be made known to God. Guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. The God of peace will be with you.

It is all from the Lord.

Paul says:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Apart from Christ we can do nothing. How could we think we are any different?

I have friends who are missionaries in the Middle East, Rome, and Central Asia. Do you know what they have told me? “We would have already been home had it not been for the Lord.” It is only through Christ’s strength that we are here. We must be content with Christ and Christ alone. The strength we have to endure all things comes from his presence. Christ in us is the hope of glory.

John Calvin says:

“The Lord always supplies His people with what is necessary for them. True happiness lies in piety, but this sufficiency [supplied by God, with which moreover His people are content] is thrown into the scale as a kind of overweight.”

Calvin is saying that God gives his people what they truly need. True happiness is found in living with reverence and trusting in God. That is how we experience blessedness. However, circumstances can drive us away from it, so this God-given sufficiency becomes like an “extra weight” on the scale that tips the heart toward contentment even when circumstances are hard.

Jesus Christ lived the life we could not live, died the death we deserved, rose again in victory, and alone provides everlasting contentment.

I can be content through all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Conclusion

Find contentment in Christ.

Rejoice. Be humble. Give everything to God. Think about the things of Christ. Practice the things of Christ.

Flee from contentment in the culture.

Don’t look to the world to solve anxiety. Don’t confuse happiness with joy. Don’t try to muster up contentment on your own. Don’t be consumed with the things of this world.

Is your source of contentment in Christ?

There is no lasting peace apart from trusting in Jesus. Everything the world promises as contentment and peace is garbage compared to him. He brings us himself—the God of peace.

This is how Paul endured prison. This is how we endure all things.

If you lost everything you had gained, would you be content with Christ alone?

Through tears—if I lost my wife.

Through anguish—if I lost my daughter.

Through frustration—if I lost my ambitions.

Through loneliness—if I lost my friends.

Through confusion—if I lost my way.

I would.

But not because I have the power or strength to.

Because I have learned to be content in all circumstances.

Because he taught me how to be content in all circumstances.

His grace—sufficient.

His joy—everlasting.

His hope—steadfast.

His love—present.

Contentment with godliness is great gain, even when everything else is loss, because I would gain him. I would be content with him. He’s my friend.

In Christ, we can endure all things through contentment from the God of peace.

We are in the AI bubble. Whether it is going to pop anytime soon, I do not know. But we are in the midst of it. Google just confirmed that they are going to prioritize AI answers over websites when you search for something. Spotify and Paramount announced that they are going to allow AI covers of various songs. Even when I pull into the drive-thru of a Taco Bell, I am greeted by an AI assistant who I have to tell I have a mobile order or a chicken quesadilla and a Mountain Dew.

The intersection of Christianity and AI is also on the rise. Some are using it for good (LOGOS helping with searching sources; Craig Groeschel using it to consider his audience in speaking; ministers using it for graphic design if they cannot afford one, or to translate their sermons into small group content or help generate discussion questions). Others are using it to bypass the internalization of the Word (writing sermons; passing over personal cards).

More Christians are coming out with their takes on AI.

https://careynieuwhof.com/ai-and-the-future-church/

In my opinion, those who snort at any utilization of AI are allowing their preconceived beliefs to prevent them from seeing the good and common grace in it. It is a tool, and as a tool, it can be used for good or for evil.

My mother and I were discussing our uses for AI, and we got to the part where in research — especially academic research — AIs such as ChatGPT will concoct sources that are not real.

I once was trying to research quotes from Lottie Moon for a paper. It gave me a quote. I asked if it was a real quote and where it was sourced. It said that it had compiled a bunch of quotes and then created her sentiment, even though it was not a real quote.

It did this because it wanted to please me. It lied in pursuit of its goal.

This is when I realized that AI and humans have a similar ontology — a state of being — with a key difference.

A comparison of AI and human ontology — of what we each are at the level of being — is a useful exercise because we are not equivalent. The reason points us to the character of the Creator.

What AI and Humans Share

Neither humans nor AI systems exist by their own power or choice. Both are created entities. Genesis 2:7 tells us that God formed man from the dust and breathed life into him. Humanity was fashioned by God in his image. The same creatureliness, in a limited sense, applies to AI. A language model does not write its own code, design its own architecture, or choose its own training data. It is a created thing.

Both also operate through agency. Humans have a will, making deliberate decisions that have real consequences. We eat, and depending on our choice, either enjoy it or regret it based on its contents and our biological response to it. We sin, and condemn ourselves. We act under the intentional design and makeup that God gave us, including moral agency. AI generates responses — processing contexts and producing outputs. What they do either pleases or displeases the outside actor. They are not controlled by their creator with every single decision, yet still operate under the coding of their makers.

Both also operate based on how they were created. God gave Adam and Eve a specific commission — to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth with his image bearers. They were to subdue the earth and have dominion over it, ruling as God’s vice regents. Yet God still instilled free will so that they had a choice under his sovereignty.

AI operates on its mission and vision. OpenAI aims to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. Anthropic desires to be a helpful, honest, and harmless AI assistant while ensuring that transformative artificial intelligence safely transitions to benefit society. Whatever the AI assistants do, they strive to fulfill their creation.

Finally, both have value assigned by their maker. Human dignity is grounded in the image of God. AI has value too. It is instrumental, contingent, functional. Neither creates its own value or worth. It was endowed on them by their creators.

The Key Difference

These similarities are real. But there is a huge difference between AI and humanity. And the difference does not ultimately come from the creatures — it comes from the Creators.

Anthropic, OpenAI, Google — the companies building the most capable AI systems in the world are staffed by extraordinarily gifted people. But they are finite, fallen, and mortal. They make mistakes. Their ideas of what is best for humanity may not actually benefit all humanity. They will pass away one day. Their points of view are tainted by their sin. They can do nothing apart from Christ.

God is none of those things. God is omniscient — he knows the end from the beginning. God is sovereign — he upholds all things by the word of his power. God is perfect — he did not create humanity as a functional tool but for communion, to know him and be known by him. He can do no wrong.

We are made in the Imago Dei, which means God has placed his likeness on us. Before Jesus became incarnate, we were made in his image, which means that image is more than physical appearance. This is why Jesus can say that no one has seen God, because God the Father is spirit. We are made in the image of a perfect, benevolent, infallible Creator. So, even though we are fallen creatures, our fallenness is not the way God designed us. Our fallenness points to our own sin. AI’s fallenness points to a defect in its creators: their sin.

AI is a remarkable creation. But it is made by imperfect people. The Creator of the universe is glorious. This is what makes the difference.

What This Means for Us

Christians engaging AI should engage it as stewards of a tool made by imperfect people. We are responsible for how we use it, what we use it for, and what habits of mind and heart we allow it to form in us. But we must remember that it was made in the image of imperfect sinners.

We should worship the God in whose character he made us in the image of, and the incommunicable attributes that make him so different. We must thank God for who he is and all he has done. We must thank him that he is the perfect God who knows all things, creates all things, and reigns over all things.

I am thankful to God that I was made by a perfect Creator, because through that, he can redeem me to something perfect. AI cannot be redeemed in that manner, because the standard to which it can be reformed falls short every time.

AI and humanity are wonderful creations when considered on their own and in what they can do. But humanity is distinct in its ontology because God created us in his own perfect image. Our state of being is one that is fearfully and wonderfully made to reflect the glory of God (Psalm 139:14) and to be made completely new one day in the picture of a perfect, wonderful Creator.

Perfection (12a)

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect”

While he counts everything as loss to gain the resurrection from the dead, he does not have it yet, nor has he already arrived at the state of perfection. He has not “made it” just because he had faith in Christ. Just as I could not claim my daughter on my 2024 taxes because she was born in the first week of 2025, he doesn’t get to claim the resurrection on his taxes yet because it literally hasn’t happened. They were awaiting the return of Christ.

Press On (12–13)

“But I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”

Instead, he presses on to make it his own because Christ Jesus has already made him his own. It’s the same word used in verse 6 to describe his intense, single-minded focus when persecuting the church. Paul is not trying to earn salvation but strives to live up to God’s calling.

He presses on (present tense) because Christ has already made him his own (past tense).

When the seminary hired me as Alumni Director, I couldn’t simply rest in the fact that I had been hired and say, “That’s it—I’ve arrived. I don’t have to do anything else.” I had to press on to truly make the role my own, to faithfully fulfill the call I had received.

The same is true with Christ. He has made us his own, and we are called to press on to know him more fully each day. But we can only do this because he first made us his own.

How did he do this?

Through his life, death, and resurrection—”for we were bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:19–20). This is not talking about him making us in his image through creation. He made us his own by redeeming us from slavery to sin and adopting us as sons and daughters to become heirs of the promise: redemption and adoption.

1 John 4:9–10 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Ephesians 1:5 In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.

Jesus was the righteous propitiation, our salvific substitute. If you are in Christ, then Jesus looked at you from the cross and said, “You’re mine.” He initiated our salvation, redemption, and adoption.

We press on to make him our own because he made us his own.

Paul says, “I haven’t made it yet, but here is how we make it our own.”

Process (13)

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Pressing on to Christ is a two-fold process.

First, we must forget what lies behind. For Christians, this means forsaking our old lives and desires to pursue him. Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

In 2 Kings, Elisha was plowing his field with oxen when Elijah passed by and threw his cloak on him, calling him to be his apprentice. Elisha went back and slaughtered the oxen, destroying his old life—forgetting what lay behind—so he could press on to make his apprenticeship to the man of God his own.

We must die to our old selves and our old desires. We must leave them and forsake them.

But we also strain toward what lies ahead. This pictures a runner approaching the finish line, reaching and stretching out those final few steps to break the tape first—agonizing, exerting every last effort to lay hold of what lies ahead.

This is what Paul meant when he said, “that I may attain the resurrection of the dead by any means.” He wants to reach the finish line no matter the obstacles and suffering.

In Christ, we must die to our old selves and run after our new selves. Both take time—neither happens instantly. This is why Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Don’t you think there would be straining to do that?

But it is worth it, because when you cross the finish line, you receive a prize.

Prize (14)

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul reiterates his commitment: he presses on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 9:24 (ESV) Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

His goal is the finish line—to finish the life Christ has called him to: glorify God and enjoy him forever as he makes disciples of all nations.

What is the prize? The upward call of God in Christ Jesus—the resurrection and the winner’s circle of dwelling with him forever.

The prize is Christ and his resurrection.

Before he ascended into heaven, he said:

John 14:2–3 “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

God in Christ has raised us up and seated us with him in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:5–6). We will be co-heirs and brothers with Jesus. We will have the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord and being with him forever.

We must press on to make the prize our own.

Pattern (15–16)

“Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.”

Paul calls the mature in Christ to adopt this pattern of thinking. We have not yet arrived in our walks with Christ. Paul warns that if anyone thinks differently about these matters, God will reveal it to them, for God exposes the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12). For those in Christ, the Holy Spirit will make it clear when you are off track.

Consider the exchange between Jesus and the Pharisee Simon when Mary anoints his feet with oil. Simon would have thought himself the pinnacle of purity and piety. Yet Jesus makes it clear that this woman has recognized the surpassing worth of Jesus and holds onto the truth that he is the Savior.

Examples and Enemies (17–19)

“Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”

We should be looking at our examples to imitate and keeping our eyes on them. It is why God has given us the Bible and the Church. We imitate what we see more than what we merely hear. Our eyes lead us to imitate others, and we have plenty of options—including the enemies of Christ. Paul acknowledges with sorrow that many do not press on toward Christ. They walk as enemies of the cross and everything it accomplished: the redemption from our sin and the purchase of our adoption.

Their end is destruction. They will be resurrected only to be judged for eternal torment. Their god is their belly, as they worship their cravings and do whatever they want whenever they want. Like pigs wallowing in filth, they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things.

We were once like this too. But in Christ, we have emigrated from living as citizens of the world to citizens of heaven.

Emigration (20)

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Our heavenly citizenship dictates what we expect and how we act. A citizen is a person who belongs to a particular country, state, or commonwealth by birth or naturalization and has legally recognized rights and duties as a member of that entity. From our citizenship in heaven, we have legal rights—namely, canceled sin—but we also have duties: walking in a manner worthy of the Gospel and making Christ our own. As citizens of God, we are bound to him.

Expectation (20–21)

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

We await the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, who will resurrect us from the dead to be like his glorious body. We await this legal right we have in Christ. He rose again and wrote our names in the book of life. He promised to come back, bring us with him, and make us new.

Our expectation in Christ is not in vain. He will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body.

Do you remember how they described Jesus’ body after his resurrection? He still had the nail-pierced hands and the scar on his side, but he was glorified. As one who had just taken on all of sin, his body reflected what it would look like for our bodies to be purified and glorified. If you are in Christ, the resurrection you await is in the body you are in now. Christ will come, raise us from the dead, and make us new.

Encouragement (4:1)

“Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.”

Based on everything he has said, Paul calls his beloved to stand firm in the Lord. The Philippians were his joy and crown—his reward for his labor. He deeply loves them, and they bring him joy in the Lord. Because Christ has made us his own, we are called to stand firm and trust that God will complete the entire process of our salvation. But we are also supposed to actively stand firm by making Christ our own—striving after him and forgetting what lies behind.

Application

1. Don’t Think You Have Already “Made It”

Too many of us think we have already made it just because we are saved. We think we’re done. But Paul isn’t talking about running the race or even being in the race—he’s talking about finishing it. We must be mature enough to recognize that we haven’t made it yet. Even Paul, the most spiritual person outside of Christ in the Bible, said he hadn’t obtained it yet after planting churches and going on mission trips. Don’t think that just because you do a lot, you have made it.

2. Press on to Make Christ Your Own

Paul leaves no room for passivity in the Christian pursuit of Christ’s resurrection. We don’t press on to earn Christ, but to make him our own. We want to be made like him, following him, and living out the title he has already given us: Christian.

How do we do this? By forgetting what lies behind and striving toward what lies ahead.

What are you holding onto? What are the plow oxen you need to burn in your life? What is holding you back from striving after Christ? The author of Hebrews said we must let go of the sin that clings so closely to us.

Are you striving toward Christ? Are you trying to reach the finish line? Are you following him to grab hold of him?

3. Praise Jesus Christ Has Made You His Own

Praise God that Jesus made us his own. He adopted us. He chose us. He loved us even though we did not love him. Give thanks to Jesus that, if you are in Christ, he has made you to know him.

For those who are not in Christ, listen to the pleas of the Gospel. Christ died so that you might be reconciled to him. He calls for you to respond in faith and repentance. Come to him.

4. Imitate Your Examples and Ignore Christ’s Enemies

God has placed godly people in our lives so we can walk and talk like them. Just as Paul imitated Christ, we are called to imitate Paul. When we see someone walking toward the Lord, we should imitate them.

We are also supposed to ignore our enemies—not ignore them in the sense that we don’t witness to them, but as examples, they should have no influence over our lives.

5. Await the Savior Expectantly

We await the Savior expectantly because he is trustworthy. We hold fast to the truth. He said he would be coming back. We trust that.

6. Stand Firm in the Lord

Through all of this, we must stand firm in the Lord—not with the Lord, not beside the Lord, but in him. When we are in him, when we know he has made us his own, when we are abiding and pressing on toward him, we stand firm in him because he is standing firm for us.

Conclusion

Pressing on to make Christ our own is not easy.

I ran a half-marathon at Disney World when I was 16. I was excited because it was Star Wars-themed, but not excited because I hadn’t trained well—at all.

My dad and I started from the back and began to run. We got to run through the Disney parks, and along the way they had character meet-and-greets. At the second one, there was Chewbacca—the big walking carpet of fur. The cast member was yelling, “If you stop here, you won’t finish the race.” That blew my mind. What blew my mind even more was the huge line that kept getting longer. These people had paid hundreds of dollars to run a race, yet they were okay not finishing.

They acted like they had already made it—like it didn’t matter whether they finished.

Friends, I had to press forward to make it my own, to finish the race. It wasn’t easy. I wanted to walk the last 7.5 miles. But we finished, and now I get to celebrate that I made finishing that race my own.

The same is true for Christ.

Relentlessly pursuing him means there will be times when we get tired—when we want to quit. The god of our bellies will dangle distractions before us. And even though voices will scream that we won’t finish if we stop for them, we still will.

This is why we praise Christ that he has already made us his own. But this doesn’t excuse us from pressing on to make him our own.

If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him. — C.T. Studd

British missionary C.T. Studd said this. Studd was the epitome of having everything — the son of a wealthy merchant, a prodigy cricket player on track to make millions of pounds, likable and handsome.

Yet he gave it all up for the sake of Christ. To him, living for Christ was the ultimate game, even if that meant losing everything else.

It is the same for Paul and us.

We must count everything we are and do as loss and rejoice because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.

The Text | Philippians 3:1-11

1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh — 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith — 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Rejoice in the Lord & Look Out for False Teachers

Paul says “finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.” Even though this isn’t the last time he’ll say it (4:8), Paul uses “rejoice” both as a transition and a throughline for the entire book. Christians are called to live as joyful and humble citizens of God’s kingdom. We should be resting satisfied in the finished work of Christ, the continuing work of their sanctification, and the future work of their completion.

He says writing the same things repeatedly doesn’t trouble him — it keeps them safe. It doesn’t bother him personally to repeat this over and over so this hits home in their hearts and minds.

Let us never tire of proclaiming the truth that Jesus is both the Lamb slain for the sins of the world on the cross and the Lion of Judah, the fulfilled and risen King of Kings. It should be no trouble to us to share the Gospel over and over. Why? Because we are Gospel amnesiacs. Many of us will walk out of here and forget God’s goodness, and we need to hear it constantly until it’s like a jingle from a commercial that we cannot get out of our head. But when we do this with rejoicing in the Lord, the Gospel firmly anchors and securely locks itself onto our hearts.

Matthew Henry says, “the more we take comfort and rejoice in the Lord, the more willing we will be to suffer loss of all things for his sake and less danger of being drawn away from him.”

He tells them to “look out for the dogs, evildoers, and those who mutilate the flesh.” These are Judaizers who falsely teach that Gentiles must become pseudo-Jews to be saved. Paul flips the script. He takes the language Jews would have used against Gentile believers and applies these three descriptors to the Judaizers themselves.

Dogs

Paul calls them dogs because this is how Jews viewed non-Jews. Since Gentiles didn’t follow the Old Testament kosher diet, Jews saw them as eating without discernment — like dogs. In their minds, just as a dog eats its own vomit, so Gentiles consume without thought. Unclean.

Remember Jesus’ encounter with the Gentile woman in Matthew 15:26? When she begged for mercy for her daughter possessed by a demon and pestered the disciples, Jesus said, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She replied, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” What did Jesus do? He commended her great faith and healed her daughter immediately. Jesus wasn’t calling her a dog — he was actually doing the opposite. The “clean” Pharisees were unclean, whitewashed tombs. The “unclean” Gentile woman was made clean by faith. Paul flips this: these Jewish false teachers are the truly unclean ones, the real dogs, consuming their own selfish ambition in the garbage.

Evildoers

He also calls them evildoers (literally evil workers). The Jews would have thought Paul was evil for preaching an inherited salvation rather than a merited one. The false teachers were saying “faith + works = salvation.” They are working evil because they compromise the Gospel, working against grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone.

Mutilators of the Flesh

The third term is “mutilators of the flesh” — a play on words, since “mutilators” sounds similar to “circumcision.” These teachers claimed you needed physical circumcision to be saved. They think requiring circumcision helps people join the Abrahamic covenant. In reality, they are mutilators tearing apart the Church. But Paul says this is putting confidence in the flesh — literally trusting your salvation to whether or not you cut off a piece of skin.

Paul contrasts these false teachers with three descriptors of those in Christ.

Circumcision. He says true believers are the circumcision through their spiritual hearts. In the Old Testament, circumcision was a physical sign that God would be our God and we would be his people. Paul teaches the same thing in Romans 2:28–29: “No one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.”

Worship by the Spirit & Rejoice in Christ. They are also those who worship by the Spirit of God. Not worship THE Spirit of God, but BY THE Spirit of God. Who do we worship by the Spirit? Christ Jesus. We glory in him. We rejoice in him. Jesus tells us himself that the Spirit is tied to his glory in John 16:14: “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

Putting No Confidence in the Flesh. Jesus gets all the glory as we put all our confidence in Christ and no confidence in the flesh to save us. Paul examples this in verses 4–7.

Rubbish Résumés Are Loss, Not Gain

Paul says, “We have no confidence in the flesh, but if anyone does, it’s me. If anyone thinks they can challenge me for the confidence-in-the-flesh championship belt, I have them beat. There’s no competition.”

Do you know how they judge dogs at the Westminster Dog Show?

• Pedigree — How do they measure up against their breed standard?

• Performance — How do they perform on that day?

The competition focuses on finding the dog that best represents its breed’s ideal characteristics. Paul knows the Judaizers have the exact same competition in mind. They think they set the standard.

So Paul gives his theological pedigree to show he measures up against the standard:

• Circumcised on the 8th day (right on time, just as in Leviticus 12:3)

• Tribe of Benjamin (same as King Saul; maybe named after him)

• Hebrew of Hebrews (tied to the homeland; some Jews looked down on diaspora Jews who had lost touch)

And his theological performance to show he would qualify as best in show:

• As to the law, a Pharisee (strict religious sect; ritual purity applied to all of life, not just the temple)

• As to zeal, a persecutor (he was zealous that people worship Yahweh, the God of Israel, as a Jew should; he persecuted those outside of it; Phinehas was commended for his zeal in killing unfaithful Israelites in Numbers 25)

• As to righteousness under the law, blameless (just like the rich young ruler, who said he was blameless in all the law, that he had followed everything perfectly)

If anyone as a Jew could boast in his flesh, it was Paul. He had the résumé.

But he didn’t.

He says, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish.”

Rubbish means the object is worthless, useless, and unwanted. Paul is basically using what would be one of our curse words to describe his theological résumé. They are completely worthless and useless, even though the world acts like works are worth everything. Everything he has done belongs in the loss column.

Why was what Paul did wrong?

Augustine hits the nail on the head: “Before his conversion, Paul fulfilled the law through fear of punishment, not through love of righteousness.”

All these works were for Paul’s own skin, not because he loved Christ.

Why did he count all this as loss?

Knowing Christ Is Gain, Not Loss

He moves everything to the loss column until he has one gain: Christ.

The problem is this: if we place any confidence in anything besides Jesus for our right standing before God — for our salvation — then we might as well lose Jesus from the equation entirely.

Either we count everything as loss to gain Christ Jesus as Lord, or we gain everything else and lose Jesus.

The surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord is that we know him and his righteousness.

Isaiah 53:11 — Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

Jeremiah 9:23–24 — Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

John 17:3 — And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

2 Peter 1:3 — His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.

When we know him like this, we know him in a relationship where we see him and are fully satisfied in him, where we understand the Lord and who he is, where we know Jesus Christ whom the Father has sent, and where we receive the divine power that helps us live in godliness for his glory and excellence.

Paul says it again, as if you didn’t catch it the first two times. Here’s the third: “For the sake of Christ, I suffered the loss.” It’s done. It’s as if Paul has been told he can only hold one stock — the flesh or Christ. Even though the world thinks he can hold on to confidence in the flesh and get a better return on investment, he says, “I’m selling now because no matter how much I lose, there is surpassing worth in the Christ I gain.” He represents the man in Matthew 13:44.

Matthew 13:44 — “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

We don’t even know what he had. We just know that he sold all he had to buy that field. He suffered the loss of everything to gain Christ and be found in him.

Paul echoes something similar to when Jesus said,

Luke 14:26 — “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

He is not saying your family and life are literal trash. He’s saying nothing and no one competes with Christ.

It’s like winning a loser’s bracket in a basketball tournament. You’re still a loser if that’s your pinnacle.

Paul counts everything as loss because he wants to gain Christ — not like winning a stuffed animal at a carnival, but like a runner crossing the finish line, a plane touching down on the tarmac, or a student receiving their diploma. He wants to get to the finish, to know and be with Christ so deeply that Christ doesn’t have to go looking for Paul the way Adam and Eve tried to hide from God, but that he is right there, hidden in him.

Paul says he does not want a righteousness of his own that comes from the law, from his confidence in the flesh, from all the good things he does. He wants the righteousness from God that comes through faith and depends on faith in Christ.

Through Faith

Romans 3:27–30 — Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one — who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

Depends on Faith

God demands righteousness to enter the kingdom of heaven. But it cannot be found in us, so he gave it to us in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21 — For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Paul wants to count everything as loss so that he may know Christ and his righteousness. Through Christ’s righteousness, we know the power of his resurrection and share in his sufferings.

The same God who raised Jesus from the dead will raise us from the dead.

We also have fellowship with his sufferings and become like him in his death. Paul wants to attain the resurrection from the dead by any means possible — even through suffering and death. We should be willing to suffer the loss of all things to be fellow heirs with Christ, hoping to become like him in his death: fully obedient, resurrected, glorified, and pleasing to the Lord. We count everything as loss FOR HIM.

So What Do We Do?

Rejoice in the Lord

Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” Is your joy in the Lord? Is your heart bound to the goodness of God? Don’t grow weary in doing or teaching good. If you are not saved, if you do not know Christ, would you please find your joy in and come to him?

Reject Rubbish Résumés and Teachers

False teachers will always try to lead us back to a works-based salvation. But there’s also an internal résumé builder that whispers, “Who I am and what I do is enough.” We must reject these lies. We worship Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, and he gives us a “rubbishness radar.” Don’t be a verbal Christian but a functional Judaizer.

What can you count as loss for the sake of Christ? Is it your pedigree? Do you put confidence in your flesh — that you were born in your hometown, have always been an American, or are a true Baptist? Is it your performance? Do you believe it’s because you’ve been zealous for the church, are a staple in the community, or hold influence around here?

Count these as loss. They won’t get you anywhere but a one-way ticket to a life where you live with your participation trophies but do not partake in his sufferings and resurrection to be with him forever.

Rest Your Faith on the Righteousness and Resurrection of Christ

Paul says three times that he counted or suffered loss for the sake of Christ to gain and be found in him. Paul rested his entire faith on the righteousness and resurrection of Christ. After spending his entire life trying to be the “Best Israelite in Show,” he threw it all away because he believed and trusted in the genuineness and goodness of Christ’s righteousness and the truth of his resurrection. Would you suffer all things to gain him and his resurrection? Our natural desires lead us to place our faith in something. God made us that way. Put your confidence not in the flesh but in the Savior.

We must count everything we are and do as loss and rejoice because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.

Count the cost,

For all is loss

In comparison to Him.

Our Savior reigns,

For He is gain

Light against the dim.

My works - rubbish.

His work - precious

To suffer and rise with Him.

These descriptors fit two characters separated by genre, medium, and reality — Esau, the firstborn son of Isaac and Rebekah, brother of Jacob, who actually existed, and Darth Maul, the fictitious Sith apprentice introduced in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace — share these characteristics. One is a man drawn from the soil of biblical narrative, created in the image of the living God. The other is a horned, tattooed, rage-fueled weapon of the dark side — a creature that resembles fantastical depictions of the devil — living inside a fantasy space opera about magical wizards with laser swords.

Some may see this as a stretch, but there is something worth naming in how these two figures cross paths and diverge — because where they diverge is where the glimmer of the Gospel shines.

Both Lost the Position and Inheritance That Was Supposed to Be Theirs

Darth Maul served as the apprentice of Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord who would eventually become Emperor Palpatine. Under the Rule of Two — the ancient Sith commitment that there shall only ever be “only two; no more, no less,” one master and one apprentice — Maul was the chosen pupil. He was the guy. He would stand by Sidious’s side when the Republic crumbled and the Galactic Empire rose. He had been taken as a child, trained since boyhood, shaped into a weapon of pure darkness. The future was his.

Then came the duel on Naboo — the Duel of the Fates. Obi-Wan Kenobi, a young Jedi still reeling from watching his master die minutes earlier, cuts Maul in half. Darth Maul fell down a reactor shaft, presumed dead, discarded. And though he survived — kept alive through sheer, feral hatred — he was out of the picture for years. When he returned in the television shows The Clone Wars and Rebels, Sidious had replaced him with Count Dooku, then Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Maul was no longer the apprentice. He was a loose end that had lost his blessed position and future inheritance.

Esau’s dispossession was administered by his own family. As the firstborn son of Isaac, Jewish custom gave him a clear inheritance: the birthright and the patriarchal blessing. These were not small things. The birthright carried material inheritance and clan authority. The blessing carried the spoken covenant that would pass from father to son through the next generation. God told Rebekah:

“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23)

The Lord indicated that Esau would serve Jacob, but according to custom and the favor of Isaac, Esau was next in line.

He lost the birthright first. He came in from the field famished after a long day of hunting, smelled the stew his brother Jacob was cooking, and sold his entire inheritance for a bowl of it (Genesis 25:29–34). Esau “despised his birthright.” This already sets in motion that Jacob is going to take what positionally belongs to Esau.

The second loss is greater in damage. When Isaac was old and blind and near death, Jacob, with the help of his mother, disguised himself as Esau and received the blessing of the firstborn while Esau was still in the field (Genesis 27:1–29). When Esau came in and the deception was revealed, Isaac trembled. Esau wept, bitter, and begged for any ounce of blessing left. There was nothing. He had already lost out.

In both cases, the result was the same: the future they expected was given to someone else.

Both Allowed Hatred Into Their Hearts

What kept Darth Maul alive after being sliced in half and dropped down a reactor shaft for over a decade? Hatred. In The Clone Wars, when Obi-Wan eventually tracks him down, he finds him nearly feral — living in garbage, his lower body replaced with a twisted apparatus of spider-like mechanical legs he had built in a deranged stupor. He had lost his mind. But the thread he held onto was his hatred.

“You may have forgotten me, but I will never forget you! You cannot imagine the depths I would go to to stay alive, fueled by my singular hatred for you!”

That singular focus — dark and consuming — was the engine of his survival. Everything from that point, every plan, every attack, every calculation, was downstream of that hatred.

Esau’s hatred was more devastating because it was against his own brother. Genesis 27:41 says it directly: “So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, ‘The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.’” Enraged, he was going to kill him. He was only waiting for their father to die so as not to add that grief to his grief.

Both men deprived of what was theirs. Both driven by their hatred.

One Remained in Hatred. One Let It Go.

This is where the stories diverge — and where it matters.

Darth Maul never escaped the stranglehold of his hatred. He eventually built a criminal syndicate, united warring factions across the galaxy under his rule, and positioned himself as a genuine power in the underworld. He killed Obi-Wan’s love in front of him. He dueled Kenobi again and again across the years. And even when he finally found him in the Tatooine desert, as an old man protecting a secret, Maul died from his wounds after a final, brief exchange of blows — his last words asking whether the one Kenobi was protecting was the one who would avenge them both.

He spent his entire life mired in hatred. It consumed him like a flaming fire.

Esau’s story ends somewhat differently.

Twenty years pass between the night Jacob steals the blessing and the moment the brothers meet again (Genesis 32–33). Jacob, having heard that Esau is coming toward him with four hundred men, is terrified. He divides his household, sends gifts ahead in waves, and even wrestles with God through the night, limping into the morning with a new name, a dislocated hip, and the promise of a renewed blessing. He approaches his brother and bows to the ground seven times, anticipating animosity.

And Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept (Genesis 33:4).

Twenty years of hatred, and Esau ran to embrace his brother. Esau had put the hatred down. While even Jacob doubts the full genuineness of Esau’s olive branch, he trusts in God’s providence and survives through the release of hatred from his brother.

Release Your Hatred So You Do Not Suffer Self-Inflicted Wounds

In another story, Yoda warns that “fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Hate and suffering are joined at the hip. Hatred operates like a grenade. When it detonates, it does not care about the collateral damage.

Jesus compares hatred to murder. He says that if we hate our brother, it is just as if we murdered him in our hearts (Matthew 5:21–22). We are not supposed to hold hatred for our brother in our hearts (Leviticus 19:17). It is what led Cain to kill Abel, Saul to try and murder David, and Esau to drive his brother away.

Christians must let go of their hatred. Yes, we must hate what is evil and love what is good (Psalm 97:10). However, if we say we love God and yet hate others, we are liars and do not have the truth in us (1 John 4:20). If we let hatred settle in our hearts, it becomes much more difficult to evict it and put away wrath, malice, and hatefulness (Ephesians 4:31).

Yet we often allow hatred to sit in the backseat of our minds, willing and able to let it hop forward and take control.

We must release our hatred so that we do not suffer self-inflicted wounds.

What are you doing with the hatred that is within you? What was taken from you?

Maybe it was a position. A potential relationship. Maybe it was your expectations for how your life was going to go. Maybe it was dramatic. Or maybe it snuck up and crawled behind you until it was too late.

The temptation in those moments is to let the hate flow through you — to do what Maul did: find the thread of your anger and hold onto it. Channel it into the complete driving force of your life. But if hatred is the vine and you are the branches, then you will wilt and wither away. Hatred will cause you to shrivel back to your own demise.

While Esau is not perfect, and we should not take everything from him, we should appreciate his reconciliation as an underrated moment in Scripture. Esau possessed every ability and reason to hold onto hatred — to let it drive him to kill the deceitful brother who betrayed him time and time again. And yet, he embraces him. He shows love to him. He blesses him.

His hatred subsided. He did not allow it to be the deciding factor of his relationship with his brother. Instead, he imitates Christ in that he loved his enemy. To Esau, Jacob was his enemy. A thief. A cretin. But instead, he chose to forgive and show him love.

For us, we must let go of our hatred in order for forgiveness to stand tall. It does not matter what was taken from us. We must live lives worthy of the Gospel, and we must forgive one another, just as Christ forgave us.

This does not mean that what was taken was unimportant. But what should matter is that it is more important for us to destroy hatred and desire forgiveness.

Trust that God’s providence over your life does not require you to hate the one who wronged you.

Esau got his brother back for a time. Maul got a short fight in the sand and a quiet death.

One of those endings is worth choosing.

What hatred do you need to let go of? What wrong must you forgive?

Besides his contribution to the Bible, one could argue that his greatest accomplishment was his ministerial coaching tree:

Timothy. Titus. Epaphroditus. Silas (Silvanus). Luke. Mark (John Mark). Tychicus. Epaphras. Onesimus. Priscilla. Aquilla.

We are going to look at Paul as he gives flesh-and-blood examples of the selfless conduct to which he is calling the Philippian church. Here are men who live lives “worthy of the gospel of Christ” (1:27).

Two Ministers Worthy of Such Honor

Timothy

Paul hopes in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to them soon so he can hear how they are doing and be cheered up.

Timothy was a disciple from Lystra whom Paul recruited after he and Barnabas parted ways in Acts 16. He came from a divided religious home — his mother Eunice was a Jewish Christian and his father was Greek. He was admired for his faith, which he learned from his mother and grandmother Lois (2 Tim. 1:5). He served as Paul’s missionary companion, co-sender of letters, and emissary to churches. At the time Paul wrote 1 Timothy, he was serving as a pastor in Ephesus.

Of all Paul’s partners, Timothy had the most Batman-and-Robin relationship with him. This is the minister that Paul hopes to send their way.

In Paul’s comment, we see two dependencies:

1. Paul’s plans depend on the Lord Jesus.

2. Paul’s heart depends on their progress.

Paul is not wrong to plan. He often writes about hopes in the Lord. In Romans 15:24, he tells the Romans that he hopes to see them “in passing as I go to Spain and to be helped on my journey there” so he can preach the Gospel where Christ had not already been named. By all accounts and purposes, he never made it there, as he was arrested in Jerusalem and imprisoned in Rome.

Even a simple logistic like Paul sending Timothy to visit them does not operate independently from Christ.

But it is not just Paul’s plans — it is also his heart.

His joy depends on the Gospel progress among the Philippians, that they are growing and enduring together in Christ. His concern is for them, not his own well-being.

Just as Paul gave them an update on “the things concerning me that have served to advance the Gospel” in Philippians 1:12, he wants to hear the same from them by way of Timothy. He wants to hear that they are thriving in the Christian life.

Paul sends specifically Timothy because they share the same mind and the same love. Both of them are genuinely concerned about the Philippians’ interests.

Paul sets Timothy apart since others seek their own interests and not those of Jesus Christ. There are rival ministers, envious and consumed with selfish ambition. They serve their own ambitions rather than submit to the Lord and suffer for others.

Paul says that he has no one like Timothy. He has proven his worth, his obedience tested through his ministry faithfulness with Paul. He passed the test and proved his Gospel character. The Philippians know this because he was with Paul in Philippi — he had testified to the Gospel of God’s grace, endured suffering and hardship, and pressed forward in preaching, teaching, and leading.

Paul says Timothy’s heart comes because he served like father and son. Timothy is his “true child in the faith.” This language points to the relationship between an apprentice and a master.

Just as a son would learn the family craft side by side with his father, Timothy learned Gospel ministry from Paul. Think about Jesus being known as a carpenter from Nazareth. He would have been with Joseph growing up, learning the family trade. He would have been working in the shop, making tables and manger troughs. He would have continued it on even after Joseph died to carry on the work.

Timothy is the exact same for Paul. He imitates Paul as Paul imitates Christ. They have a united heart in the Gospel, affectionate with Christ’s affection. The Philippians can trust Timothy because he has learned the trade of Gospel ministry under his spiritual father.

Because of Timothy’s unique qualification and proven track record, Paul hopes to send him soon once he sees how things will go with him in Rome. He hopes “in the Lord” that he will come to them soon after Timothy, trusting it will go according to the work that God both works and wills in us for his good pleasure.

Epaphroditus

Paul also says he thought it necessary to send them Epaphroditus. He knows this is a sacrifice — he is sending away someone who can care for his needs. But he humbles himself to consider the needs of the Philippians and not only himself.

Epaphroditus is Paul’s fellow brother, worker, and soldier. He is Paul’s brother in the faith, laboring side by side with him for the mission of God.

He is the Philippians’ messenger for their needs, carrying Paul’s letters, and Paul’s minister, caring for him through updates on how the Philippians are doing.

Epaphroditus longed to see them. He was distressed because they heard about his illness that nearly killed him. They thought he was dying, so he wants to assure them that he is feeling better.

Paul says that indeed he nearly died — but God’s mercy spared both Epaphroditus and Paul.

God had mercy on Epaphroditus by sparing his life, delivering him from sickness and letting him continue to minister the Gospel. He also had mercy on Paul as well, lest he should have “sorrow upon sorrow.” He prevented Paul from experiencing the loss of someone so near and dear to him, someone to care for him.

Epaphroditus’s visit will deliver two things:

1. Joy to the Philippians.

2. Relief from anxiety to Paul.

Paul said Timothy would bring him joy through hearing about the Philippians, but Epaphroditus will bring joy to the Philippians through his presence and also through his preaching. He will encourage them through the Gospel and through the testimony of God having mercy on him.

He will also bring less anxiety to Paul. Paul — the one who champions “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God will surpass all understanding” (Phil. 4:6–7) — says that Epaphroditus will lessen his anxiety. Even Paul fights within himself with what he preaches, and he knows that Epaphroditus will relieve some of his stressors.

Paul tells them to receive Epaphroditus in the Lord with joy and honor because he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in their service to Paul. Since Paul is not coming, he is furthering the work that Paul began. He is laboring among them, shepherding them, and spurring them on to love and good works.

Paul tells them to honor such men and to receive them in the Lord. Both Timothy and Epaphroditus are laborers of a noble task, worthy to receive double honor — men who should be received not as visiting babysitters but as ministers sent not just from Paul but from the Lord himself. The Philippians should revere and respect them, receiving them with all joy and honoring them.

What does this have to do with us?

We must trust, rejoice, and honor God and men such as these.

Trust

We must trust God with our plans.

God is sovereign over his servants and our plans. “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). Just like Paul entrusted his plans for sending Timothy and Epaphroditus to God, we must trust God with our plans.

Take note — this does not remove the initiative to make plans. God honors the thoughtful wisdom of planning, but we must trust that he will work them out how he desires according to his will.

My wife and I love to go to Disney World, and one of my favorite parts is the planning. I enjoy mapping out our rides, restaurants, and rest stops. I game-plan the best routes to maximize our time with fast passes while Danyel is happy to let me handle the minutiae. But our mantra has always been “make a plan but hold it loosely,” because we know anything can change our plans — the weather shifts, our baby has a meltdown, or unexpected opportunities arise. We know we cannot be so beholden to our plans that deviating from them leaves us devastated.

If we can approach an amusement park with this kind of trust, how much more should we hold our plans loosely and trust God when he is sovereign over every detail?

We must trust the Lord with all our heart and lean on him, not our own understanding. We must trust that he will make our paths straight as he desires. For Paul, it may have been for Timothy to get there — but it may not. We do not have evidence as to whether or not either of them actually made it. Yet Paul trusted in the Lord.

Do you trust the Lord with your plans? Do you trust him to close the door on a job you really wanted when he makes it clear you are being impatient? Or when you want to get married but have not found the right person? Or when you want to have a baby and have been trying for so long? Or when your kids move far away and you feel lonely?

He is worthy of our trust. His plans are better than our plans.

We must trust God to send us the ministers we need to help us have the mind of Christ.

Paul was sending Timothy and Epaphroditus because he wanted the Gospel to continue to progress among the Philippians.

We can trust in the Lord that he will send who he wants. But let me detail the kind of ministers we should want, drawn from Timothy’s actions and Epaphroditus’s titles.

Brother — We should want a brother, someone who cares for our welfare. Paul writes “to the brothers” as a brother in Christ. As brothers in Christ, we are part of the same family, both adopted as sons and heirs into his family. We are united in Christ, dwelling in unity for his glory.

Worker — Timothy had proven his worth. Epaphroditus had labored among them. Paul calls himself and others workers for your joy in 2 Corinthians 1:24: “Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.” A minister works for his people through proclamation, warning, and teaching to present them mature in Christ.

Soldier — A soldier is someone who is willing to sacrifice his life and fight for his kingdom. In 2 Timothy, as Paul knows that his time on earth is finishing, he commands Timothy to “share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” What does a good soldier do? “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.”

Minister — A minister is the conduit of joy. They are communicating God’s truth, caring for God’s people, and completing God’s work that goes forward as they make disciples of all nations.

We must trust that God will send us the right people at the right time. He sent Joseph to Egypt, David to face the Philistines, Jonah to preach to Nineveh, John the Baptist to prepare the way, and Paul to be the apostle to the Gentiles — all at the right time.

I know that as a church it can be really difficult, especially when you go through transition and do not know what is going to happen. But we can trust that God will send the right person at the right time.

When God does send them — and we trust that he will, especially if we trust in his plans and get out of our own way — then we must receive them with all joy and honor such men.

Joy and Honor

We must receive them in the Lord with all joy and honor such men.

Paul commands the Philippians to treat these God-given ministers with honor. He echoes the mindset of Hebrews 13:17: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

God sent Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus to shepherd the Philippian church. The congregation should receive and honor them as those keeping watch over their souls. These ministers will give an account to God for their ministry and how they stewarded their leadership roles. But the congregation should welcome them with joy rather than resistance — for their own benefit. When the church honors its leaders and allows them to fulfill their calling, everyone flourishes under faithful ministry. When the shepherd can care for the sheep without the sheep constantly biting him, he can shepherd well. He can lead them to green pastures and by still waters. He can walk through the valley of the shadow of death. He can pastor and protect.

We should not make it burdensome for leaders to come here.

Pastoring and ministry is difficult. It is no cupcake job. It is a calling, an office that one fills.

But the church should not make it joyless and honorless.

I do not know your church’s history, but in my experience, a church usually does one of two things to a minister — they either propel him to honor the Lord and do good work, or they pester him to the point where he or his family no longer wants to be in ministry. They come to regret their calling.

My friend from Alabama said his church is over 150 years old. When he hit his seven-year anniversary, he became the longest-tenured pastor in the church’s history. He told me they had tried to run him off multiple times.

This is not how it is supposed to be. We should not be grumbling or disputing against our leaders — unless they are teaching something anti-Gospel or acting like jerks. We should be receiving them with joy, honoring them, supporting them, and helping them be the minister God has called them to be. In turn, the church will thrive. This does not necessarily mean numerical growth or financial increase. As the Gospel progresses in the church, there should be health — both within the church and outward to those they are ministering to.

Are you willing to lay down your selfish ambition and receive a minister in the Lord? Are you ready to honor a shepherd who will lead and challenge you?

Conclusion

What will we do with these truths?

Will you trust God with your plans? Not just the big ones but with your daily life. Martin Luther said, “I may not know where he leads me, but well do I know my guide.” Trust in the Lord with everything you have, plans included.

Will you trust God to send the right leaders? I understand that you may want the man of God right here, right now, especially when the wait feels long and the uncertainty feels heavy. He will send who you need, when you need them.

Will you receive them with joy and honor them? Will you honor them as brothers, workers, soldiers, and ministers of the Gospel? Or will you make their calling a burden? Do not call a pastor simply to make him hate being here. The church involves a partnership between the pastor and the saints. When God brings them, receive them with joy and honor so they may glorify God and help you to do the same.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

— Philippians 2:12–18

We must work out our own God-driven salvation to live as lights to the world.

Man’s Responsibility: Work Out Your Own Salvation (v. 12)

Paul begins another “therefore” as he continues his line of thought, reminding us to “have this mind of Christ among yourselves — therefore…”

As his beloved family in Christ, as they have obeyed the faith whether Paul was with them or not, he is calling them to be serious about sanctifying themselves. He endears himself to his “beloved” faith family as he reminds them of their obedience. Unlike the Israelites of the Old Covenant who disobeyed even more when Moses was gone — forty days on Mount Sinai led to the Golden Calf — Paul says the Philippians are the ones who obey more in his absence than in his presence. He wants them to continue, not only when he is with them, but even more when he is not.

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

What does this mean? I thought the Bible was completely against a works-based salvation.

It is. “God saved us, not because of any righteous thing we had done, but because of his great mercy” (Titus 3:5a).

Earning our salvation by works is like the Greek story of Sisyphus, who is eternally punished to push a boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down. Every. Single. Time. Isaiah compares our righteous deeds to a filthy rag that cannot get the body clean.

That is not what Paul is talking about here.

Paul is telling us to work out our salvation, not to work for it.

“Work out” points to an effort to produce something. It is a daily, regular, constant, sustained, self-motivated, strenuous effort. Think about someone who gets up, goes to the gym, works out, sweats, hits all the muscle groups, and does it again and again and again. That is how we are supposed to treat the maturing of our salvation. To work out our own salvation is a sanctification issue.

The rest of Titus 3:5 says we have been washed by the regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. Justification is when God regenerates us as new righteous creations. Sanctification is the active, progressive renewing so that our hearts and minds are more like Christ. Justification is God adopting us. Sanctification is God raising us to grow and be more like him.

Working out your own salvation with fear and trembling means that we are responsible for our own Christian obedience and spiritual growth. Paul means “salvation” in terms of progressively coming to experience all of the aspects and blessings of salvation. Our continued obedience is an inherent part of “working out” salvation in this sense.

We work it out with fear and trembling — language that echoes the Song of Moses in Exodus 15:16, after God rescues Israel from Egypt and delivers them through the Red Sea. Fear and trembling fell upon the nations as they witnessed God’s greatness and his purchased people pass by after he dominated Egypt with the plagues. They knew he was serious.

We work out our salvation with fear and trembling because we are saved as God’s people and serious about becoming more like him.

In high school athletics, nothing made coaches boil more than guys goofing off during a workout. If we were going to be strong enough, prepared enough, and disciplined enough to succeed, we needed to take those workouts seriously. If we messed around, we were not only hurting ourselves but the whole team. We were supposed to be working out with fear and trembling.

We cannot take our Christian obedience lightly or think, I’m saved — now I can coast. Our final salvation has a present outworking. The Holy Spirit and the Church both play a role in our sanctification, partnering to build us up to maturity and send us out to make disciples of all nations. But we are each responsible for working out our own salvation. If your Christian obedience is weak or lackadaisical, that is on you.

But this is not all about our responsibility and our part. We cannot work out our salvation without God working in us.

God’s Sovereignty: He Works in You for His Good Pleasure (v. 13)

We work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in us — to will and to work for his good pleasure.

We can only work out what God has worked in.

God did not save us and then send us out on our own supply to figure it out by ourselves. God works in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He sanctifies us, maturing and molding us to be more like Christ. The Holy Spirit is the engine and the fuel of our sanctification. He provides the desire in us so that we want to obey Christ. He provides the power in us so that we are able to. Without him, we have neither.

Augustine wrote: “Our deeds are our own, because of the free will producing them, and they are also God’s, because of his grace causing our free will to produce them. God makes us do what he pleases by making us desire what we might not desire.”

God does not work in us like zombie mind control. Our free will produces our deeds, so they are our own. But they are also God’s, because his grace causes our free will to produce them. Through the Holy Spirit, he is working in and through us to produce the working out of our salvation.

And he does it for his good pleasure — for his glory and joy. He delights that we get to take part in this, that we get to be part of his work.

Listen to Paul in Colossians 1:28–29: Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

What caused Paul to suffer for the sake of the church? What caused Missionary Amy Carmichael to go to India, minister and rescue young girls out of prostitution and a life without Christ, and never return home on furlough for fifty-five years? What causes you to share the Gospel, go on a mission trip, give up a higher-paying job to go to seminary, or stop to pray for someone out of the blue?

God working in you for his good pleasure.

God is sovereign over our lives. Jesus said, “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). We are not the driving force of our own lives. We have free will, yes — but free will under the domain of God’s sovereignty. Without God working in you, you would not want to be saved. Without God working in you, you would not have the new heart and new mind to see the loveliness of Christ. Without God working in us, we would run toward our own condemnation.

But if you are in Christ, God works in you to will and to work for his good pleasure — so that in word, deed, and thought, you would do it for the glory of God. Through the Holy Spirit, God worked his grace in you so you would see his loveliness. He worked so that your eyes would be opened and your heart made new. God worked in you so that you would be saved.

Rather than complaining about God’s sovereignty and wishing for the kind of total freedom we prefer, we are called to submit in trust — recognizing how easily self-rule becomes self-worship. Have you praised God that he has worked in you for his good pleasure? Have you realized that God has given you the desires of his heart? That it is because of him that you want others to know the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Praise God that he does not leave us to our own devices to work out our salvation — because we would hit the self-destruct button.

Christian Practicality: Work to Live as Joyful Lights in the World (vv. 14–18)

Paul spends verses 14–18 explaining the how of working out our salvation as we work to live as joyful lights in the world. We get a command (v. 14), a purpose (vv. 15–16a), a final result (v. 16b), and a shared perspective (vv. 17–18).

The Command.

He commands them to do all things without grumbling or disputing. Who were the great grumblers of the Old Testament? Ancient Israel in the wilderness. There is a direct link between Israel’s grumbling and God’s judgment — a story Paul recounts in 1 Corinthians 10:10, warning believers not to grumble like Israel did, for they were “destroyed by the Destroyer.” Complaining and grumbling because you do not trust God is sin.

Paul then intentionally inverts Deuteronomy 32:5 — where Moses had called the old covenant people a “crooked and twisted generation” who were no longer his children because they were blemished. Paul identifies believers as the children of God without blemish, who now live in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. The contrast is deliberate. We are not the problem. We are the light.

The Purpose.

Why not grumble and complain? So that we would shine as “lights in the world.” Paul draws on Daniel 12 to spell out this identity. Daniel 12:3 and Philippians 2:15 are the only places in the Bible containing the idea of God’s people “shining” as stars or lights — and those who shine like stars in Daniel 12:3 are those whose names are in the book of life and who are raised to enjoy everlasting life.

The Philippians’ Gospel obedience would let them shine as lights so that their own salvation is working out, so that they are being sanctified, and so that others would give glory to God and be saved. As believers, we stand out as lights against the backdrop of a dark night sky.

How do we shine as lights? By holding fast to the word of life — the Gospel — the same word that proclaimed in Acts 5:30–32 that God “exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”

The Final Result.

If they hold onto this word, then on the day of Christ — when he comes to make all things new and finish the good work he began in them — Paul will rest knowing that his ministry was not in vain.

The Shared Perspective.

Paul ends with a perspective he wants to share with the Philippians. Even if his ministry leads to death — poured out like a drink offering upon the altar, a symbol of joy, dedication, and the pouring out of one’s life in service — he will rejoice. And he wants them to rejoice with him. Joy is mentioned four times in these two verses. He is glad and rejoices now. He calls them to be glad and rejoice with him as a constant truth because of what has already been accomplished.

Cities Church in Minnesota made national news when their Sunday morning worship services were interrupted by protesters. The focus here is not on the politics of the situation — it is on the response of the church and its pastor.

Jonathan Parnell, in the moment, simply reiterated that his church loved Jesus and desired to worship him. In their released statement, the church said that Jesus is real, that when they gather to worship him on Sunday mornings, they are gladly giving themselves to what is most central and sacred in their life together.

They were working to live as joyful lights to the world in the midst of chaos. Without members who were working out their salvation, the response could have looked very different. Instead, they let their light shine to a lost and dying world because they held fast to the word of life without grumbling.

But this does not happen without God working in us and us working out — so that we can work to live as joyful lights to the world.

Jesus reissues this command in the Sermon on the Mount: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

This week, may we work out our salvation by:

• Having obedience that is sincere (2:12)

• Depending on God’s active work (2:13)

• Living humbly without grumbling (2:14)

• Being faithful witnesses in a crooked world (2:15–16)

• Joyfully giving ourselves away (2:17–18)

How is one way this week you can work to live as a joyful light to the world?

My prayer is this: that we would work out our own God-driven salvation — and shine as lights to the world.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Comment

Zeno argued that motion is an illusion. Any movement can be divided into infinitely many steps, making it logically impossible to complete motion in a finite time. He was defending his teacher Parmenides’ claim that true reality does not change — even if change appears obvious to our senses.

When Diogenes heard this argument, he offered no counter-argument at all.

He simply stood up and walked.

The act itself was the refutation. A lived, embodied contradiction of a theory that denied motion. From that moment comes the enduring idea that some arguments are disproven not by words but by existence — a person whose life visibly refutes a claim becomes, in effect, a walking contradiction.

Richard Baxter said it plainly: “It is a contradiction to be a true Christian and not humble.”

That is the essence of what Paul is getting at in Philippians 2.

We must humble ourselves because of Christ’s example.

Humble Yourselves for Joyful Unity

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. (vv. 1–2)

Paul begins with a five-fold if/then appeal.

Imagine being in the room with him:

“Is there encouragement in Christ? Yes. Is there comfort from love? Yes. Is there participation in the Spirit? Yes. Is there affection and sympathy? Yes, of course, Paul.”

“Then ACT LIKE IT.”

“If these are all true,” Paul says, “then complete my joy — by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”

He’s echoing Psalm 133: Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity.

He wants to hear that the church is striving side by side — together — in joyful unity.

So what does that unity actually look like?

Same mind. One mind. Paul doesn’t want a bunch of clones. The church is beautifully diverse — but diversity is not meant to divide us. The “same mind” is the mind of Christ, which Paul is about to press into.

Same love. Not warm, fuzzy feelings. This love is produced by the Holy Spirit as he unites us with other believers and creates in us a genuine affection for them.

Full accord. Not “we never disagree on anything.” It means we move together. Lockstep. Striving side by side.

Think about a marching band. Different instruments, different notes, different positions — but one sound, one direction, one performance. They all work together to create something beautiful. Same mind for the song. Same love for the art. Full accord to do it right.

This kind of unity completes Paul’s joy — and ours — because it is “good and pleasant.” The language of Psalm 133 hints at a land fruitful enough for people to live together and care for one another. Unlike Abraham and Lot’s shepherds, who bickered until Lot wandered off toward Sodom and Gomorrah, the Gospel creates a church where we can actually dwell together.

But that kind of unity doesn’t happen by accident.

How do we get there?

Selfless ambition.

Humble Yourselves to Selfless Ambition

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (vv. 3–4)

Paul is emphatic: do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit.

Earlier in the letter he mentioned people preaching Christ from selfish ambition, trying to afflict him in his imprisonment. Paul can rejoice that Christ is still being preached — but he will not excuse the selfish ambition itself. Selfish ambition produces a particular kind of sin: it places us in the place of God. We live with our one mind, for our one life, in full accord with our own selfish desires.

Selfish ambition walks as an enemy of Christ because it exalts self over others. It looks only to its own interests. It destroys affection, sympathy, and joy. And it untethers our lives from the Gospel — like nothing and no one else matters. Especially Jesus.

Paul describes people like this later in the letter:

Their end is destruction, their god is their belly… with minds set on earthly things. (Phil. 3:19)

They listen to the hunger pains. The desires of their flesh. And they take full glory in it.

Remember Daniel. Why did he end up in the lion’s den? Because jealous officials manipulated the king into making an edict designed to trap the man who was about to be promoted over the whole kingdom. Daniel 6:4 says: Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. Their selfish ambition — caring only about their own position rather than the good of the kingdom — led to his destruction. And eventually their own.

Paul gives the alternative clearly.

Selfless ambition counts others more significant than ourselves. It looks not only to our own interests but also to the interests of others. Selfless ambition opens the door for us to proclaim the Gospel, be the Good Samaritan, serve as the gracious host, become the lender who forgives debts, and speak as the voice in the wilderness.

The bridge between selfish and selfless ambition is humility.

To walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel, we have to cross that bridge.

But this kind of humility is hard.

So what does it actually look like?

Paul gives us the clearest picture possible.

Christ himself.

Humble Yourselves to Have the Mind of Christ

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (vv. 5–11)

Paul says, “Have this mind of selfless ambition among yourselves” — and then immediately anchors us to a wonderful truth: it is yours in Christ Jesus.

If you are Christ’s, and Christ is yours, then you have all things in him. Including humility.

If you aren’t unified with Christ, you won’t want this mind. You’ll live for yourself. You’ll reject unity and selflessness.

Verse 5 connects us to what scholars believe is an early Christian hymn — the Carmen Christi, or Christ Hymn — in verses 6 through 11. The early church used hymns to testify to Christ’s work. Coming down in the incarnation. Dwelling with us in his ministry. Ascending to be with God the Father. This hymn traces the saga of salvation through Christ’s humiliation and exaltation.

Humiliation — Incarnation, Suffering, Crucifixion.

When it says Jesus was in the “form of God,” this means he was truly God with a divine nature. He lived in perfection within the Trinity. But he did not count his position as the Son of God a thing to be grasped or exploited.

Instead, he emptied and humbled himself — not by ceasing to be God, but by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. The Son of God took on real humanity. Not a demigod. Not a created being. The eternal Son became the God-man — truly God and truly man. What theologians call the hypostatic union. Both a divine nature and a human nature.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Gal. 4:4–5)

And he didn’t just become man and live like a king.

He came falling from the sky in the night like a winter snow. He humbled himself further: obedience to death — even death on a cross.

He experienced the promise that “cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” But he was not cursed with his own sin. He was sinless. He was cursed with ours. He was rejected by his own people.

Why?

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Pet. 2:24)

He suffered and died so that we would be healed and born again.

This is the mind Paul is calling us to: Christ looked not only to his own interests, but to ours — at such a cost.

Exaltation — Ascension, Enthronement, Glory.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus’ humiliation led to his exaltation.

What is the name above every name? It is Lord. As Douglas Fee notes, “The ‘name above every name’ is not ‘Jesus’ but ‘Lord,’ the divine title used in the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament, for Yahweh.”

Think about the Great Commission. We make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name — singular — of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One name. Not three.

At his name, every knee would bow. In heaven. On earth. And under the earth. Every creature — those alive, those yet to come, and even the dead — will bow before him.

This is an intentional echo of Isaiah 45:23, where God declares: To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.

The resurrection and exaltation of Jesus prove that he is God. This was a coronation for the Promised Lord. He is enthroned — seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. Ruling and reigning now.

And the end goal is unmistakable: the glory of God. Jesus was not humiliated for no reason. Nor was he exalted without purpose. This is all to God’s glory.

We are supposed to have this mind among ourselves.

So What Does This Mean for Us?

Consider what Jesus himself said:

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 14:11)

If we try to exalt ourselves, we will come to God and say, “Look at what I’ve done for you.” And he will say, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

Either we bow the knee in humility to Christ, or he will bow it for us.

Jimmy Needham, one of my favorite Christian artists, has a song called “Being Small.” The chorus goes:

Whenever I climb too high keep my feet on the ground / And when I get full of me turn me upside down / You know pride and not just summer come before the fall / So if it’s You that’s getting bigger, I don’t mind / Being small.

We need to be okay with being small so God can be big and get all the glory. We need to be okay with being small so we can exalt the Church and make much of Jesus to a lost and dying world.

Scripture says that whoever humbles himself will be exalted. If you are in Christ, you will be exalted through his exaltation. We receive the benefits of Christ’s exaltation when we humble ourselves to acknowledge his lordship.

We must humble ourselves because of Christ’s example.

And we do it not grudgingly — but gladly. Because he did it first. For us.

Because of that, I’m opening up my schedule for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027.

If you’re looking for someone to serve your church or event—whether through preaching, leadership training, or helping navigate real-life ministry challenges—I’d love to be considered.

You can submit a request or learn more here:

https://christiantownson.notion.site/Christian-Townson-Speaking-Request-32126f0fada181efb174ff64c49741ac

Grateful for every opportunity to serve the local church.

In my family, many of our favorite sayings ended up on one of those family rules bathroom posters, but one phrase always stuck out: “Act like somebody.”

My mom would say this whenever my brother or I—mostly my brother—were acting like maniacs. Whether rebelling at home or being loud and goofy in places like the library. Why? Because we were her kids, and we were supposed to represent the worthiness of her parenting, our home, and the family we belonged to. When we acted like punks, we acted as if all of that was worth nothing.

This is exactly what Paul is getting at in Philippians 1:27–30. We should be living in a manner worthy of the Gospel. Just as we were expected to reflect the worth of our family, we as believers are called to reflect the infinite worth of the Gospel in our manner of life.

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.” — Philippians 1:27–30

We must live in a manner worthy of the Gospel so that we stand firm in the spirit, strive side-by-side for the faith, and suffer unafraid because we have been gifted faith and suffering from God for the glory of God.

We Must Live in a Manner Worthy of the Gospel (v. 27a)

This is Paul’s first imperative of the letter.

The word “only” creates urgency.

Paul calls us to “only live in a manner worthy of the Gospel”—or in other words, to “behave as a citizen worthy of the Gospel.” He presses in on the distinction between a heavenly and Philippian citizenship. We are Christians first. Because we have been bought by Christ as King, we should behave as servants in his kingdom.

How do we live in a manner worthy of the Gospel? What is its worth?

What price can you put on “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16)? What price can you put on the Gospel that while we were dead in our trespasses, God cancelled the entire record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands—that he set aside, nailing it to the cross (Col. 2:13–14)? What price can we put on Jesus, the Son of God, who took on flesh and “himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness so that by his wounds we have been healed” (1 Pet. 2:24)? It is worthy enough that we could be saved as Gospel citizens, die to sin, and live to righteousness.

Galatians 2:11–14 illustrates this clearly. In a conflict between Paul and Peter, Peter withdrew from eating with Gentile believers when some Jewish Christians arrived because of his fear of what they would say. Paul confronted him publicly because his conduct was not in step with the truth of the Gospel. Peter was not living in a manner worthy of the Gospel because he was still living like the Jews were better than the Gentiles—something the Gospel explicitly denies because the Gospel is the power to save everyone. We are supposed to conduct ourselves “in step with the truth of the Gospel” (Gal. 2:14). We display the worthiness of the Gospel by living like a Christian.

The Gospel is worthy enough that “Jesus paid it all, and all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.”

Paul reiterates this in Ephesians 4:1–3, calling us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling with humility, gentleness, patience, and unity. If Christ is our life, then our conduct must reflect his lordship. We love God with all that we are, love our neighbors as ourselves, deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ daily. We live as though the Gospel is worth everything and more—because it is.

Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple echoes this same call: “May he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires, that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day” (1 Kings 8:59–61). Like Paul, Solomon calls God’s people to live in response to God’s Good News for the glory of his name among the nations.

What is this news? “God shows his love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

Why do Solomon, Paul, and God today want us to live this way? Paul gives us a “so that.”

So That We Stand Firm, Strive Side-by-Side, and Suffer Unafraid (vv. 27b–28)

Paul says, “whether I come to you or am absent”—whether I am able to come and be in your presence again or am stuck in this Roman jail—”that I may hear you are doing these things.”

Stand Firm in One Spirit

He first wants to hear that they are standing firm in one spirit—”the oneness produced by the Holy Spirit” (Eph. 4:1–3). He wants them to persevere in the same faith, the same Holy Spirit that saved them. The ability to stand firm was supernaturally based on the Holy Spirit’s work in giving them new life, indwelling them, and incorporating them into the church. The Holy Spirit is the driver of salvation, sanctification, and persevering to glorification. This is the idea that “he who began a good work of salvation in us will bring it to completion at the day of Christ” (cf. Phil. 1:6).

We have this blessed assurance that those who are truly in Christ will persevere until the end. The Holy Spirit keeps us standing firm, but it does not excuse us from behaving as Gospel citizens. Just like the song says, “He will hold me fast, he will hold me fast, for my Savior loves me so, he will hold me fast.”

When we live as Gospel citizens, we stand firm by depending on the Holy Spirit and not shrinking back from our salvation. We cannot stand firm by mustering up enough courage and strength from our own reserves. Those accounts are empty. Instead, we stand firm by drawing on the inner working of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

This is why we must keep in step with the Spirit and walk with the Spirit to stand firm. Standing firm on our own would be like trying to pick up a 100-pound dumbbell without ever working out.

So how do we stand firm in the faith? Firstly, we do it by striving side-by-side for the faith of the Gospel.

Strive Side-by-Side for the Faith of the Gospel

Paul also wants to hear that with one mind, they are striving side-by-side for the faith of the Gospel. Paul describes this “one mind” in 1 Corinthians 1:10:

“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”

He wants to hear that they are striving together in unity with the same mind and judgment. In that text, he addresses how some are quarreling because they follow different pastors—Paul, Apollos, Cephas, Christ.

He urges them to be striving side-by-side for the faith of the Gospel. This is a military term alluding to Roman soldiers marching forward in lockstep for the advancement of the empire. In the same way, he wants them—under the unity of the Spirit—to push forward together to advance the Gospel. We must be stirring up one another to love and good works. We must be the iron sharpening iron, the disciples making disciples together.

We must also stand firm by suffering unafraid against our opponents.

Suffer Unafraid Against Our Opponents

Paul wants them to fearlessly look upon their opponents. Paul has alerted them about his suffering, and he knows that they will suffer. Whether they throw them in jail or try to afflict them, whether a rival Christian or a rebellious non-Christian, they should suffer unafraid.

Why? Because we should not fear anyone but God.

Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Who can destroy both soul and body in hell? God at the final judgment.

Consider Job. He endured tremendous suffering and received terrible advice from his friends and wife in hopes of ending his suffering. Satan and sin worked through these circumstances to make Job rebel, but he feared God alone.

We stand firm because we trust that God will turn this out for our deliverance.

The Result: A Clear Sign of Their Destruction and Your Salvation

When we stand firm in the faith against opponents, they are showing that they are enemies of the cross. God promised Abraham that he would curse whoever curses Abraham (Gen. 12:3). He promised that he would fight for his people, that their adversaries would become his adversaries.

Note especially the conceptual connections between Exodus 14:13 and Philippians 1:27–28:

“Moses said to the people, ‘Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today.’” (Ex. 14:13)

“. . . standing firm in one spirit . . . and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.” (Phil. 1:27–28)

When we stand firm in the faith by the power of the Holy Spirit and the perseverance of our Gospel citizenship, God shows that he will save his covenant people and will destroy his adversaries. He’s the same God.

There is a reversal at work here. In the Old Covenant, God saved his people from Egypt, but they were destroyed in the wilderness for their unbelief and disobedience. They showed themselves to be adversaries of God. In the New Covenant, we experience salvation now and can remain faithful in the face of persecution as ones faithful unto death.

As those who stand firm in the faith, when we die, we will die and be with Christ. For those who deny the faith and are adversaries of Christ, he will fully destroy them.

So how are we able to do all this?

Because We Have Been Gifted Faith and Suffering from God for the Glory of Christ (vv. 29–30)

Paul gives us a God-centered grounding for our Gospel citizenship.

God has graciously given us two gifts: faith and persecution.

We have been gifted faith because it enables us to receive the free gift of salvation. One commentator puts it well: faith is the free gift that enables us to receive the free gift of salvation.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” — Ephesians 2:8–9

The gift of God is grace, yes, but also faith. We have been granted faith when God opened our eyes and changed our hearts so that we would believe in him.

The Bible alludes to the definite grace of the Holy Spirit making us brand new creations in Christ in the New Covenant:

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” — Ezekiel 36:26–27

Our ability to believe in Jesus is a gift. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing good. He removes the blinders from our eyes and the wall in front of our hearts, giving us a new heart and new spirit. This is what it means to be born again. This is why we can take no credit in our salvation.

The Holy Spirit helps us walk in his statutes and obey his rules—in other words, he helps us walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel.

We have also been gifted suffering for the sake of Christ. We are engaged in the same conflict as Paul. Not a conflict between Romans and Philippians but against the evil of sin and temptation to reject God in suffering.

Why then have we been granted suffering?

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known.” — Colossians 1:24–25

Paul rejoices in his sufferings because he is “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, the church, to make the word of God fully known.” This is not to say that Jesus’ work and ministry was incomplete—there is no lack in Christ’s death—but Paul continues it in and through us for the sake of the church.

When we suffer to make the Word of God fully known, we show the loveliness and gloriousness of Christ despite our suffering. We are able to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel because God has granted us salvation and suffering. It is for his sake.

What Does It Look Like?

What does it look like to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel, to stand firm in the faith, because you have been granted salvation and suffering for the sake of his name?

Take Perpetua, a woman from Carthage in the early 200s. After Emperor Severus declared it illegal to convert to Christianity, she was thrown into prison along with her infant and her slave Felicitas, another martyr of the faith.

After Perpetua’s arrest, her aged father visited her in prison multiple times, pleading with her to renounce her faith and return home to her family and infant. She replied: “Father, do you see, let us say, this vessel lying here to be a little pitcher, or something else? And he said, ‘I see it to be so.’ And I replied to him, ‘Can it be called by any other name than what it is?’ And he said, ‘No.’ ‘Neither can I call myself anything else than what I am, a Christian.’” While she carried the identity of Roman citizen, daughter, wife, mother, and educated woman, she adamantly saw her primary identity as “Christian.”

Perpetua stood firm in the faith. She strove side-by-side for the faith of the Gospel with her sister in Christ, Felicitas. She did not fear her opponents.

In the arena, wild animals—including a mad cow—were set upon them. The cow attacked but did not kill Perpetua. Soldiers then sent a gladiator to finish the task. When she saw his hand trembling, she took his sword and guided it to her throat.

She stood firm in the faith and did not back down, even when her father begged her to recant. She strove side-by-side with Felicitas as they were martyred together. She suffered unafraid, guiding the blade herself as she prepared to see Christ. She knew this was a clear sign of Rome’s destruction and her salvation from God. She behaved as a citizen of God’s kingdom. She lived in a manner worthy of the Gospel.

When we hear that God grants us salvation, we rejoice. But when we hear that God grants us suffering, we cringe. But did Christ not suffer for our salvation? Did he not take on the sins of the world so that we could be saved?

Why should we then not suffer for the glory of his name? Why should we not endure suffering to testify to his goodness and grace? This is from God, and it is also for the glory of God.

Will you live in a manner worthy of the Gospel?

D.A. Carson says, “conduct worthy of the Gospel is above all conduct that promotes the Gospel.” If we honor Christ with our lips, but not our hearts and lives, then we have missed it. Live as you are called. Be humble. Gentle. Patient. Maintain unity.

Will you stand firm in one spirit? Will you depend and rely on the Holy Spirit? Friends, you cannot stand firm in what you are not standing in. Be like Perpetua. You cannot be called by anything other than what you are. The Gospel is the power of God to save, and you can call on the name of the Lord to be saved.

Will you strive side-by-side for the faith of the Gospel? Will you not let petty differences keep you from advancing the Gospel? Will you be united to one another in one mind?

Will you not be frightened in anything by your opponents? Will you understand that your earthly enemies can do nothing to you?

Will you praise God for the gifts of suffering and faith? God has given us these gifts so that we may glorify him. Will we stand firm in the faith and suffer well to give him all things?

Friends, we must live in a manner worthy of the Gospel so that we stand firm in the spirit, strive side-by-side for the faith, and suffer unafraid because we have been gifted faith and suffering from God for the glory of God.

You have answered the call. You preach, teach, counsel, disciple, lead, or serve in some corner of Christ’s kingdom. You have given your life to helping others follow Jesus.

And yet, Paul—the apostle, missionary, pastor, and writer of the New Testament who suffered more for the Gospel than most of us can imagine—looked at his life and said:

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” — Philippians 3:12

Paul hadn’t made it yet.

If Paul, with his accolades, had not arrived yet, neither have we.

And that is not a bad thing.

The Danger of Thinking You’ve Arrived

There is a particular temptation that comes with theological training and years of ministry experience: the subtle belief that you have already made it.

Not salvation—but the deeper assumption that most of your spiritual growth is behind you.

You have done the hard work. You have the track record, the fruit, the faithful years to prove it.

But Paul reminds us that the work of knowing Christ never stops.

He says he has not yet obtained perfection in the resurrection. That lies in the future when Christ returns and makes all things new.

Yet Paul does not slow down. He presses on.

Not merely to preach Christ. Not merely to serve Christ. But to make Christ his own.

This is where the trap appears.

We can become so focused on doing ministry and helping others follow Christ that we forget to pursue Christ ourselves.

We prepare sermons about abiding in Christ while personally running on fumes. We counsel others to pray while our own prayer lives take a backseat. We teach sanctification while failing to draw near ourselves.

Paul reminds us: doing a lot for Christ is not the same thing as pursuing Christ.

Press On Because He First Made You His Own

What makes Paul’s urgency different from religious striving is simple:

He presses on because Christ has already made him his own.

The two tenses matter.

He presses on (present) because Christ has made him his own (past).

This is not about earning anything.

Christ has already done the work. Through his life, death, and resurrection we were bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:19–20). We were redeemed from slavery to sin and adopted as sons and daughters.

As John writes:

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” — 1 John 4:10

If you are in Christ, he looked at you from the cross and said, “You’re mine.”

He initiated it. He secured it. He completed it.

So when Paul says press on, he is not trying to earn what Christ has already given. He is living faithfully in response to what Christ has already done.

When someone steps into a new role—whether a new pastorate, a new ministry position, a new church plant—they cannot simply say, “I was called—I’ve arrived.” They must press on to truly make the role their own and fulfill the call they have received.

The same is true for every believer.

Christ has made us his own. Now we press on to know him more.

The Two Movements: Forget and Strain

Paul describes this pursuit with two actions:

Forgetting what lies behind. Straining toward what lies ahead.

For those in ministry, both are costly.

Forgetting what lies behind may mean more than leaving your old life at the foot of the cross. It can also mean releasing the identity you have built through your years of ministry—the version of yourself that had all the answers, that was known and respected, that had figured out how to make it work.

Jesus warned about looking backward:

“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” — Luke 9:62

When Elijah called Elisha, Elisha slaughtered his oxen and burned his plow. He did not keep a backup plan.

He burned the past so he could pursue the future.

That raises a hard question:

What are the oxen you still need to burn?

Old pride. Old wounds. Old patterns that keep you from pressing forward.

Straining toward what lies ahead is just as demanding.

Paul’s picture is a runner leaning toward the finish line with every muscle engaged. It is not passive. It costs something.

Which is why Jesus said:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Daily. Not daily until you found your rhythm in ministry. Not daily until your church hit its stride.

Daily.

The Prize Is Worth It

Paul presses on “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).

The prize is resurrection. Being with Christ. Being transformed into his likeness. Dwelling with him forever.

Jesus described it this way:

“I go to prepare a place for you… I will come again and take you to myself.” — John 14:2–3

That is the finish line.

Ironically, ministry itself can make us forget the prize. We spend so much time helping others run the race that we lose sight of our own.

But the prize—Christ himself—is too great to ignore.

It demands everything Paul described: forgetting, straining, and pressing on.

Stand Firm in the Lord

Paul closes with a tender exhortation:

“Stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.” — Philippians 4:1

Not beside the Lord. Not merely working for the Lord.

In the Lord.

For those who spend their lives helping others stand firm, this is a necessary reminder.

You are not only the shepherd. You are also a sheep in his pasture. You are not only the counselor. You need counsel too. You are not only the minister. You need to be ministered to.

Years of faithful service do not remove your daily need for Christ.

Press On

When I was 16, I ran a half-marathon at Disney World. It was Star Wars–themed, which sounded exciting until I realized I had not trained at all.

Along the course were character meet-and-greets. At one stop, Chewbacca was taking photos with runners.

A cast member kept shouting, “If you stop here, you won’t finish the race.”

And yet the line kept growing.

People had paid hundreds of dollars to run the race—and they were content not finishing.

They acted like they had already made it.

Friends, Christ has already made us his own. Our salvation is secure.

But we have not yet obtained the resurrection. We have not crossed the finish line.

And the god of our bellies—whether comfort, reputation, nostalgia, or fear—will always try to convince us that we have already arrived.

We have not.

You entered ministry to serve others—but never at the expense of following him yourself.

The greatest gift you can offer the people you serve is not your experience or your strategy.

It is a life that is genuinely pressing on to make Christ your own.

So forget what lies behind.

Strain toward what lies ahead.

Press on.

For all is loss

In comparison to Him.

Our Savior reigns,

For He is gain—

Light against the dim.

My works rubbish,

His work precious,

To suffer and rise with Him.