I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.But I am hard pressed between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ; for it is very far better:
6 sermons cite this verse
… But instead, in that dark, dank prison, Paul wrote the most positive book in the Bible, Philippians. Now, in Philippians chapter one, verses 12 to 30, Paul, who is writing from prison, models four principles for being happy no matter what happens in your life. This is a very practical message. I hope you'll take notes on this. I want you to see the four choices that Paul made so you can make these same choices too. Again, you're as happy as you choose to be. All right. So here are the four principles, the four choices. First, I can be happy no matter what happens in my life if I choose to, write this down, remember God can bring good out of anything. That's the first choice. I choose to remember that God can bring good out of anything. Now, Romans 8, 28, that famous verse of scripture in the Bible says this, we know, not we guess, we know that in all that happens, all that happens, that's the good, the bad, and the ugly, we know that in all that happens, God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. …
… and he later wrote to the church of Philippi, I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. But the Lord's called me to stay here with all y'all and I have a ministry to fulfill. So Paul's not afraid of death. Paul's not afraid of suffering. Oh, am I gonna die? Okay, whatever. My life is in God's hands. And so he's trusting the Lord. How do you stop a man like that? Answer, you don't. And we need more men and women like this that understand that their life is in God's hands. So Paul ignored the warning of the prophet Agabus. And sure enough, when he lands in Jerusalem, he is arrested and he's put in prison. And here's what happened. Here's what the Lord did to encourage his servant. Acts 23, starting in verse nine. There arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees' party arose and protested, saying, We find no evil against this man, but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God. …
… The Bible says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Paul said, I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Well, wait, what about the bodily resurrection? That happens later. That happens at the rapture. Your body, if you died, is in the grave. Your spirit, your soul goes into God's presence. Well, do we have another body up there? The Bible doesn't tell us, so we don't know. But we're in heaven. and then when Christ comes for his church, the dead in Christ rise, there's a bodily resurrection, and that's when we get our new bodies, okay? But when you die, when a Christian dies, they go straight to heaven, do not pass go, do not collect $200. You know what that's a reference to? Monopoly. Okay. So this man hears these beautiful words. Man, talk about being at the right place at the right time. what a wonderful day that was for him. Now, I'm gonna come back to Simon for a moment. …
As Paul said, I have a desire to stay here with you, but I have a desire to depart and be with Christ which is far better. Oh yeah, far better. Paul also said to live is Christ and to die is gain. So when that day comes, that day comes. And we as Christians go into the presence of God. But there's someone listening to me right now that is really frightened by this topic. You think about it all the time. You think about your mortality. You worry about it. Listen, let's get it resolved right now. I am telling you on the authority of Scripture, if you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you can have peace in the midst of the most difficult circumstances like Peter had when he was in prison. If you put your faith in Jesus Christ you no longer have to fear death because Jesus said I hold the keys of death. I'm glad he holds them because if I had them they would have been lost by now. …
… This is one of the reasons Paul told the Philippians in Philippians 1 verse 23 that he had a desire to depart and go be with Christ for that, he said, is very much better. So if you're taking notes, number one, heaven is a glorious holy city. Number two, heaven's architect and builder is God. Number three, heaven is described as paradise. Heaven is described as paradise. When Jesus was dying on the cross for our sins, he told that repentant thief on the cross next to him, truly I say to you today, you shall be with me in paradise. So the very day that man died, he would be with Jesus in paradise. The word paradise comes from a Persian word that means garden. It's used in the Bible and other ancient Jewish writings for the Garden of Eden. After the fall in the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve were barred from eating from the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. Well, because of Jesus's death on the cross, we have had access restored to paradise and the tree of life. …
Right now, it's time for the Word of God. Let's go. The book of Philippians chapter 1, verse 20 through 26. No, no, no. Let's go all the way back to verse 18. I was going to speed it up for time, but I want to read from verse 18, so I'm going to read from verse 18. Then the Lord gave me this scripture, and then he gave me a picture, and I want to give both of you today. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this, I rejoice. Yeah, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, What has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. Verse 20 says, I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now, as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I don't know. I'm torn between the two. I'm trying to make a decision. I don't know which to choose. I'm torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far, but it's more necessary for you that I remain in …