“In Life or In Death” Philippians 1:21-26

TRANSCRIPT

Date: March 9, 2025 Author: Wayne J. Edwards

In Philippians 1:21, the Apostle Paul made a profound statement about life and death. He declared, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” This verse encapsulates Paul’s belief that when our life’s journey is with Christ, our death is just a transition to an even greater fellowship with Christ. Most of us have been raised in a society that cherishes life and dreads death. We strive to safeguard and prolong our lives, and to postpone or evade our date with death. Yet, the time will come for some of us when our lives are filled with such pain, sorrow, and suffering that death is seen as a release from the anguish and grief of this world. However, that is not what Paul means. Our common thought might be, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is to be free of our misery, to see the streets of gold, to see the mansion he has prepared for us, to see our loved ones who have gone before us, to see those sights of heaven that are too glorious for words.” Paul said, for him, having had Christ living in him for the past 30 years, his death would rob him of nothing, but rather it would allow him to live with Christ for eternity. The theme of our new sermon series from Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians is “The Epistle of Joy.” The title of this sermon is: “In Life or In Death.” Thank you for forwarding these sermon study guides to those you think might be interested. We are encouraged by the response we’ve received from viewers worldwide.

In Philippians 1:21, the Apostle Paul made a profound statement about life and death. He declared, “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” This verse encapsulates Paul’s belief that when our life’s journey is with Christ, our death is just a transition to an even greater fellowship with Christ.

Most of us have been raised in a society that cherishes life and dreads death. We strive to safeguard and prolong our lives, and to postpone or evade our date with death. Yet, the time will come for some of us when our lives are filled with such pain, sorrow, and suffering that death is seen as a release from the anguish and grief of this world.

However, that is not what Paul means.

Our common thought might be, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is to be free of our misery, to see the streets of gold, to see the mansion he has prepared for us, to see our loved ones who have gone before us, to see those sights of heaven that are too glorious for words.” Paul said, for him, having had Christ living in him for the past 30 years, his death would rob him of nothing, but rather it would allow him to live with Christ for eternity.

The theme of our new sermon series from Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians is “The Epistle of Joy.” The title of this sermon is: “In Life or In Death.”

Thank you for forwarding these sermon study guides to those you think might be interested. We are encouraged by the response we’ve received from viewers worldwide.

Download the following translated Sermon guides:

Old Testament Reading – Psalm 139:1-24 New Testament Reading – Ephesians 3:8-21

Just as the Apostle Paul’s dramatic conversion experience was the evidence of his salvation, and his three-year separation from society to be discipled by Jesus was the evidence of his sanctification, his humility in earning his acceptance with the other apostles was the evidence of his true dedication to Christ.

However, while he was under “house arrest” in Rome, in A.D. 60-62, that the Apostle Paul made this astounding statement: “For to me, to live in Christ, and to die is gain.”

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