Peter Misselbrook's Blog
Apr 23 2020 - Philippians 1:1-26 – For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain

Paul had been put in prison for preaching the good news about Jesus. He is shortly to face trial and does not know whether it will result in his release or his execution. And, strange as it may seem to us, neither does he know which outcome to prefer. For his own part he would be glad to die. He speaks of it being a release – a release from his labours and from all of the trials that have accompanied them (see the list in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29). But more than that, to die would be to be brought immediately into the presence of the Lord. There is nothing he longs for more; nothing could be better than that.

But, on the other hand, Paul knows that if he is spared and released, that would mean that he could continue to minister the gospel and bring blessing to many others – just as he is even now, while in prison, telling his captors about Christ. He longs also to be able to return to Philippi and to share fellowship once more with the Christians there; to bless them and to be blessed by them.

So Paul is in two minds and does not know whether to prefer life or death. But this he does know, "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). While he lives, he is determined to live for Christ, seeking that Christ will be exalted in him (1:20). His life is centred in Christ, and Christ lives in him. When he does come to die, that will not be the loss of his life but the gaining of life in all its fullness, for he will be with Christ.

In the meantime, his imprisonment gives him an ideal opportunity to devote himself to prayer for the Christians at Philippi. His prayer is not fuelled by worry but is filled with joy, for Paul knows that it is God who has begun a work in these folk and he will finish what he has started (1:3-6). So Paul prays that they may grow in knowledge and understanding, and that they might be “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God” (1:9-11).

In the goodness of God, we are not facing trial for our lives. Nevertheless, the spirit that dominated the apostle Paul, that shaped his life and gave him hope in the face of death, should dominate our lives also. We should be able to express this same determination and confidence, "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." We can have absolute confidence regarding the future and of our prospects in the face of death. We know that God does not abandon a work half done. We can "be confident of this, that he who began a good work in [us] will carry it on to completion in the day of Christ Jesus" (1:6). Having this assurance, we can live with confidence, devoting ourselves to the service of him who loved us and gave himself for us by giving ourselves to the service of others.

And when we can do little else, we can still pray: pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ that they may continue to grow strong in him; pray for those who do not yet know Christ that they be drawn to him; pray for those who are enemies of the gospel that, in God’s strange providence, they too might be used of God for the strengthening and propagation of his kingdom.

Father God, help us by your Spirit to live for Christ today even as we shall live with him for all eternity. As you have loved us, may our love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that we may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of your holy name.

6go6ckt5b8|00005AC6389D|Blog|Body|F3A730C6-8E7F-4DED-B2D5-4119CFD5F39E

Apr 23 2019 - 1 Samuel 8 – The people ask for a king

The family of Eli had been rejected because of the ungodly behaviour of Eli's sons; now Samuel's sons seem to be going the same way – "they turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice" (1 Samuel 8:9). They were not fit to succeed Samuel as judges in Israel. How can this cycle of corruption be brought to an end? The elders of Israel put their heads together and thought that they had a solution. They came to Samuel and asked for a king to be appointed to rule over them.

The response of both Samuel and of the Lord may, at first sight, seem puzzling. The Book of Judges had pointed forward to the necessity of a king to end Israel's anarchy and to bring peace and order. Why then should this request grieve Samuel and provoke the Lord to say that the people had rejected him, the Lord, as their king?

The answer to this lies in the nature of the people's request; they ask for a king to lead them just like the other nations have (8:5). Their model for leadership is taken from the nations around them. They want a military leader, one who will rule by his own might and power and who devote his efforts to maintaining that power. Samuel is told to warn the people of what such a leader will be like. He will raise an army from the best young men in Israel. It will become a military machine which will devour the resources of the land. He will prop up his own power through an elaborate hierarchical structure of officials. He will raise taxes to support this machine and maintain his own lifestyle. This is the model of kingship and of government in the nations round about. This is what the Israelites are asking for – they want to "be like all the other nations" (8:20). And if this is the character of their king, they will indeed be like all the other nations; they will lose their distinctiveness as the people of God – a people over whom the Lord is their king.

This is the model of government that prevails among the nations to this day (see Matthew 20:25) – even those nations which do not have a leader whom they call a "king".

But this is not the model of kingship which God had purposed for his people. He is their king, and any human king appointed to rule over them must reflect the character of God himself and mediate God's rule. This alternative model, very different from the kings of the nations, is glimpsed in an admittedly imperfect fashion in David, the shepherd king, a man after God's own heart. It appears in all its fullness and perfection only in the Lord Jesus Christ, the servant King.

What kind of model of leadership do we want in our churches? What kind of leadership do we want in our homes and in our workplaces? What kind of leadership do we look for in our nation? In times of crisis we often hear the call for strong leadership. But think for a moment of the strong leaders of history who have established empires in their own name and crushed all opposition. Is this really what the world needs more of?

Sovereign God, thank you for the Lord Jesus, the Servant King. Keep us from hankering after the patterns of power that predominate in this world. Help us rather to follow King Jesus in devoting ourselves to a life of grateful service whether in the church, in our society or in the world. Keep us from seeking glory and praise for ourselves, for the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.

6go6ckt5b8|00005AC6389D|Blog|Body|AB172623-54EF-427A-A0A0-543F92FEF31F

Peter Misselbrook