Philippians 2:16 - "Holding Forth the Word of Life"

Welcometo Pastor's Chat. Today we are looking at verse 16 of Philippians 2, whichsays: "Holding fast the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day ofChrist, that I have not run in vain or labored in vain." The phrase"holding fast" can also mean "holding forth." It paints apicture of something being extended outward for others to see. What are weholding forth? We are holding forth the Word of Life. This refers to thegospel, the life-giving message of Jesus Christ. The world around us isspiritually dying, and it needs the lifeline of the gospel. Picturesomeone drowning. They are about to go under for the last time. You happen tohave the only lifeline on the whole ship. You are standing there with theability to hold it forth and throw it to the individual who is drowning,rescuing them from certain death. That is exactly what we are called to do. Weare in the rescue business, rescuing precious souls—souls for whom Jesus Christdied—from entering eternity without Him. Peopletoday are searching for meaning, peace, forgiveness, and hope. We possess theonly message of eternal life. Jesus said in John 6:63: "The words thatI speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." We are notcalled merely to believe the gospel privately. We are called to proclaim itboldly. Jesus said: "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you andordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruitshould remain." (John 15:16) Alighthouse does not hide its light. It shines outward to guide others safelyhome. Every believer is called to hold forth the Word of Life through bothspeech and conduct. Our message and our lifestyle need to match each other. Whenbelievers constantly complain, fight, or live inconsistently, the gospelmessage becomes clouded. But when our lives reflect Jesus Christ, the gospelbecomes visible through our very lives. ThenPaul says something very personal in this passage. He speaks about rejoicing: "ThatI may rejoice in the day of Christ." The Day of Christ refers to thetime when believers will stand before Christ for reward. It is also called “theJudgment Seat of Christ”, and is also referred to in the epistles as "theDay of Jesus Christ," or simply as "that Day". It refers to thetime when you and I will give an account of how we held forth the Word of Lifeand what we did to bring others to Jesus Christ. Paulreferred to this Day of Christ twice in Philippians 1. Philippians 1:6: "Beingconfident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you willperform it until the day of Jesus Christ." And then in Philippians1:10: "That you may approve the things that are excellent, that you maybe sincere and without offense till the day of Christ." In 1Corinthians 1:7–8, Paul wrote: "Waiting for the revelation of our LordJesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blamelessin the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." That Day refers to the time whenJesus Christ returns for His church, and believers stand before Him to berewarded. It is not a judgment for our sins. That was taken care of at thecross. Faithfulpastors do not simply want large crowds; they want transformed lives. Paulsaid: "…that I have not run in vain or labored in vain." Inother words, he desired that his life and ministry would not be empty orfruitless. There is no greater joy than hearing that those we have influencedare walking in the truth. 3 John 4 says: "I have no greater joy than tohear that my children walk in truth." Can you imagine the joy inheaven when we see those who were impacted by our witness? Everyconversation about Christ matters. Every gospel tract matters. Every prayermatters. Every act of kindness matters. We should never underestimate what Godcan do through simple faithfulness.