Worthy Living for Jesus - Sermon for Pentecost 17A (Philippians 1:21-30)
Although Paul, along with his companion Timothy, wrote to the Philippian church from a jail cell somewhere in the Roman Empire, joy is the letter’s defining word. Paul opens with a greeting, in which he thanks God for the Philippian church, writing: “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy for all of you” (Phil 1:3-4). Later in this same chapter, Paul writes that he is grateful because he hopes to participate in their “progress and joy in the faith” (Phil. 1:25). Later on, Paul tells the Philippian believers, who appear to be experiencing some form of persecution, to “rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, Rejoice” (Phil. 4:4).
Paul tells the church to “rejoice in the Lord” even when things aren’t going well, which seems like a rather difficult task. While this is true, I sense that Paul is speaking as much to himself as he is to his readers. While his readers might be wondering where this joy that Paul is writing about is going to come, even as they suffer persecution, Paul, who is also suffering from persecution, does seem to know where this joy will come from. Paul tells the Philippians, and himself, that the source of their resilience in the midst of their suffering will be found in Jesus. Paul wants the Philippians to know that God is present with them even in their moments of suffering. So, even if God’s presence doesn’t alleviate our moments of suffering, we can find strength for the journey along with the joy Paul speaks of in that presence.
In some of his other letters, Paul describes the church as the body of Christ. If Paul has this definition in mind, then the joy Paul believes comes from God is mediated through the friendship and affection that Paul shares with the body of Christ gathered in Philippi. In other words, we discover God’s presence within the community of faith as we hold each other up in prayer. This is true even though Paul does find himself with a life-and-death dilemma.
When Paul writes “for to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21 KJV), he isn’t being flippant about the possibility of death. Sitting there in his jail cell he may have felt like death was a possibility, and he seems ready if that is what was in store for him. Now, if this is true, then this talk about finding joy in the Lord might be part of Paul’s effort to convince himself that he needs to push through this moment of suffering so he can continue the work God had called him to do. Although death might end his suffering and allow him to be with Christ, he also realized that he still had work to do on behalf of the Gospel. As he pondered these two possibilities, Paul seems to recognize that the joy of the Lord is not determined by our circumstances. Because he knew he still had work to do, he committed himself to that task, believing that his imprisonment was a temporary delay.
Once he committed himself to moving forward with his ministry, he began looking forward to when he could regain his freedom and visit his friends in Philippi. When he joined them after his liberation, he would “share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus.”
After he had affirmed the hope driving his sense of calling, he gave the folks in Philippi a word of instruction and encouragement that applies to us as well. In verse 27 of chapter 1, Paul writes: “live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Or, as the NIV puts it: “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Biblical scholar Ekaputra Tupamahu suggests that when Paul talks about conducting one’s life worthily, he is reminding the Philippians that “as followers of Christ, they have to be a citizen of Philippi worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Tupamahu points out that the word translated here as “conduct yourself” is a political term, which means that “Paul is telling them to get involved in politics” [Working Preacher]. Now, Paul doesn’t have our modern partisan politics in mind when he speaks of politics. Our modern form of politics didn’t exist in the first century, especially not in the Roman Empire.
While we know what modern politics looks like, especially right now as we try to navigate our current election cycle that features nonstop political ads that are designed as much to mislead as to inform us. But the good news is that in about six weeks we’ll get a short break from the ads. Getting back to Paul’s politics, what he has in mind is the way the Philippian believers carry themselves in public, especially when they faced opposition from their neighbors. In Paul’s view, no matter what is happening around us, as followers of Jesus, we should carry ourselves in such a way that the gospel of Jesus is honored. What Paul has in mind is similar to what Jeremiah shared with the Jewish exiles living in Babylon when he wrote: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jer. 29:7).
If we follow Jeremiah’s lead, when we seek the welfare of the city where we are living, as followers of Jesus who are bound together in a covenant relationship with God, we can offer the community a positive witness concerning the Gospel of Jesus. In Paul’s view, God has clear expectations of us when it comes to entering this covenant relationship. We sometimes forget that what we call the Ten Commandments served as the binding agent of the covenant God made with the people of Israel. While the commandments appear to be rules and regulations, in reality they served as an expression of the people’s covenant relationship with God. By living according to the commandments, they will live lives of integrity.
Living with integrity stands at the center of life with God. So, when God made a covenant of blessing with Abram and his descendants, God declared to Abram: “I am God Shadday. Live your life before me and be a person of integrity” (Gen. 17:1, The First Testament). I chose John Goldingay’s translation of Genesis 17 because he uses the word “integrity.” Although the NRSV uses the word “blameless” to describe the kind of person whom God makes a covenant with, I think the word “integrity” might be more fitting. The Oxford English Dictionary defines integrity as “The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.” I think that’s what Paul means by conducting our lives in a manner worthy of the Gospel. Living with integrity involves treating others with the same kind of grace and respect that we would want them to treat us with. In the Old Testament, we read instructions about how to treat the aliens living among the people of Israel. For example, in Leviticus 19, we read: “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” (Lev. 19:34). Living with integrity before God means loving our neighbors. With this in mind, Paul tells us that what we say and do should match what we say we believe.
This is a good word for the contemporary church because the eyes of the world are upon us as Christians. One of the biggest reasons given for the decline in church membership, according to all the polls, is that too many Christians don’t live lives of integrity. Our witness gets muted when Christians are known for words and actions filled with hate, exclusion, and violence. When this is true, then the Gospel is not honored. In the Galatian letter, Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit. When he speaks of the fruit of the Spirit, he is describing what it means to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel. As Paul wrote in the Galatian letter, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things” (Gal. 5:22-23). This should be our message as followers of Jesus, as expressed in word and deed. When this is true, then we will know the peace of God that “surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). As we experience this peace that brings joy to our lives, then standing firm in one spirit we can stand “side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel,” even if we experience suffering along the way.
As Paul reminds us, to live is Christ and to die is gain. When we stand firm with one another in Christ, conducting our lives in a manner worthy of the gospel, we can, as Jeremiah told the exiles in Babylon, find our welfare by pursuing the welfare of our communities, which too often are divided and stand in need of the ministry of those charged with being agents of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:20). This is where the community of faith comes in, since like Paul, we will find the joy of the Lord as we stand with one another, lifting up one another in prayer.
Preached by:
Dr. Robert D. Cornwall
Pulpit Supply
Tyrone Community Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)
Tyrone Township, MI
September 20, 2026
Pentecost 17A
Attribution: Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1606-1669. Paul in Prison, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt University Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://act.library.vanderbilt.edu/artworks/57228 [retrieved September 19, 2026]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paul_in_prison_by_Rembrandt.jpg
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