For To Me To Live Is Christ

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray picked back up in Philippians after two weeks away, centering the message on one verse: "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." He worked through what Paul actually meant by that and pressed the congregation to answer the same question honestly for themselves, especially as they came to communion. Paul wrote Philippians from a Roman prison, and the passage leading into verse...

Read together

1. Philippians 1:12 Paul saying what happened to him turned out for the furtherance of the gospel
2. Philippians 1:13 it became evident to the whole palace guard that his chains were in Christ
3. Philippians 1:14 brethren became confident by his chains and spoke the word more boldly
4. Philippians 1:15-17 some preach Christ from envy and strife, others from goodwill and love
5. Philippians 1:18 whether in pretense or truth Christ is preached, and in this Paul rejoices
6. Philippians 1:19 it will turn out for his deliverance through their prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ
7. Philippians 1:20 with all boldness Christ will be magnified in his body whether by life or by death
8. Philippians 1:21 for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain
9. Philippians 1:22 if he lives on in the flesh this will mean fruit from his labor
10. Philippians 1:23 hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ which is far better
11. Philippians 1:24-26 to remain in the flesh is more needful for them, for their progress and joy of faith
12. Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me
13. 1 John 1:9 when we confess our sin God is faithful and just to forgive us of all unrighteousness
14. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 the words of institution over the bread and cup on the night Jesus was betrayed

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray described Paul being able to let go of the fact that some people were preaching Christ for the wrong reasons, saying 'Christ is preached, and in this I rejoice.' Is there a situation in your own life where you are holding on to how something is being done rather than whether Christ is being honored through it?
2. Pastor Ray pointed out that Paul's statement 'to live is Christ, to die is gain' was the governing principle that shaped everything Paul did. What principle or belief actually governs the daily decisions you make, and how do you know?
3. The sermon asked everyone to honestly fill in the blanks: 'For to me, to live is blank, and to die is blank.' What did you find yourself writing in those blanks, and what does that tell you about where you are right now?
4. Pastor Ray said that Paul, though personally hard-pressed between departing to be with Christ and staying, chose to remain because it was more needful for the Philippians. Can you think of a time when you stayed in a difficult situation for the sake of someone else's progress and joy in faith? What did that cost you?
5. At the communion table, Pastor Ray said that taking the bread and cup is really answering the question of whether to live is Christ and to die is gain, and that trusting in your own goodness or your own being right misses what is happening there. How does that frame the way you personally approach communion?