1. Albrecht…Sexagesima…Feb. 8^th, ‘26…Philippians 1:12-21…O For a Faith that Can’t Be Hind.

¹² I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, ¹³ so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. ¹⁴ And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. ¹⁵ Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. ¹⁶ The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷ The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. ¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, ²⁰ as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Grace to You and Peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

INJ who has bound Satan by His death and resurrection so that His Gospel cannot be hindered, DFR:

The poet Robert Frost once said, “The best way out is always through.” He was talking about persistence. History has taught us that some of the greatest works, most influential people, and necessary inventions came from those who persisted through failure after failure.

Abraham Lincoln is one of those examples. He faced many uphill battles and many failures before he became the man we know today. Lincoln was born into extreme poverty, and eventually was a grade school dropout. Despite this, he taught himself – from the very beginning of his education, even into becoming a lawyer in 1839. In 1832, Lincoln opened his own general store, which failed miserably and took years to pay off his debts, His first love, Ann Rutledge died of typhoid fever. This caused Lincoln to suffer from nervous breakdowns, and depressive episodes would follow him the rest of his life.

Lincoln ran for the U.S. Senate twice and lost. He ran for the House of Representatives twice and lost, before being finally elected in 1846. When Lincoln married Mary Todd, they had four sons, Robert, Willie, Edward, and Tad. But life was not kind to children in those days. Edward died when he was 3, Willie died at age 11, and Tad died at age 18 just 6 years after his father’s death.

When Lincoln ran for president, he won with only 40% of the popular vote. He faced scrutiny from his opponents and members of his own party. He gave his inaugural address having sharpshooters protect him from Confederate sympathizers. It was during his presidency that tensions heightened with the southern states regarding slavery and states’ rights, leading many to secede from the union, beginning the bloodiest war in American History. Despite all this, Lincoln worked tirelessly to pass the 13^th amendment, formally outlawing slavery in the United States. And even when the Union was brought back together, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.

Yet despite all of Lincoln’s shortcomings and all of his failures, so many people have been inspired by him. To this day, Lincoln is considered by scholars, historians, and the general public to be one of the greatest presidents in American history. With the exception of Jesus Christ, no historical figure has been written about as much as Lincoln. He is the subject of more than 18,000 books and counting. The Lincoln Memorial and Mount Rushmore pay tribute to him.

Lincoln is just one of many examples that show how persistence can pay off. However, history has many other examples how, even when persistent, failure can still come – leading many to give up. It is the nature of the world we live in – nothing is a guarantee. That is, except of the Christian. Yes, you. Without a doubt, the perseverance of a Christian will always pay off. Persistence in what? Your faith.

Our theme for this morning is more like a prayer in which we are pleading to God for a faith that cannot be hindered. In turn, the Lord gives us the life of the Apostle Paul, who through every sort of obstacle and persecution continued to persevere. He did so for one reason only: He knew his faith could not and would not fail because that faith rested upon the power of God for salvation – the Gospel. The good news that Jesus Christ had died on the cross to pay for his sin and rose again to win eternal life.

And this is the faith that God has given, and will continue to grow in you throughout your life. A faith that cannot be hindered because it is built on the Gospel which cannot be defeated. Let us ask the Holy Spirit for His guidance and His blessing upon our study of His Word this morning:

May the words of our mouths and the meditation of our minds, be acceptable in Your Sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer, Amen.

By the time Paul writes the letter to the church at Philippi, he is imprisoned at Rome and facing a near certain death sentence. Suffering and persecution had become commonplace in Paul’s life at this point. He had been shipwrecked 3 times, beaten with rods at Philippi, stoned and left for dead at Lystra, imprisoned for preaching the Gospel 3 separate times, exposed to the elements, experienced desperation for food and water, and five times receiving forty lashes less 1.

To the naked eye, Paul’s life had been met with one setback after another. Yet, it is clear to see what these “setbacks” were. Along with each imprisonment, beating, shipwreck, etc. came the Tempter urging him to give up. Satan enticing Paul with the idea that it can’t be worth it. The people to whom he brings the Gospel don’t want to hear it and he should just turn away for good. Why suffer all this?

What did Paul do? He persisted in the faith and in the calling in which the Lord had called him. He said to the Philippians, ¹² I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel; and also, Yes, and I will rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,

Paul knew one thing: preaching Christ Crucifed was never a vain task. Though he might face hindrance after hindrance, the Word of God will always prevail. Paul’s confession would prevail against all, even the gates of hell, for it was his Savior, in whom he confesses, that has rent asunder its power.

It’s incredible when you step back and look at what Satan tries to do, but what ends up happening. He puts Paul, arguably the greatest evangelist into prison, and the good news of Jesus death and resurrection reaches the hearts of his guards, their families, and even Caesar’s household. So instead, Satan tempts those who preach Christ to proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. And yet, Paul rejoices because the Gospel is being proclaimed! At every turn, the Gospel prevails. It cannot be stopped.

And that is why Paul can boldly claim: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If the Lord grants him his life, he will continue to spread the Gospel across the world. If the Lord brings him home to heaven, he was won the race set before him, received the crown of glory, and the Gospel continues to spread across the world. Why not persist when he knows the outcome is already successful?

Is that your faith? Do you have a faith that cannot be hindered? Believe it or not, Satan comes at you just as aggressively as he did with Paul. However, you do not suffer the physical hinderances of Paul, being imprisonment, shipwreck, or beatings for the sake of the Gospel. Your hinderances are in here, the heart. It is the voice that says, “I can’t share the Gospel with someone because I’m afraid of what they are going to say.” “I can’t share the Gospel with someone because I don’t know the words to say.” “I can’t share the Gospel with someone because they don’t want to hear it anyway.” “I don’t want to share the Gospel with someone because I don’t want to make things awkward.”

Do any of those hit home? I’m sure you could think of more than have been a hindrance to the calling to which the Lord has called you. In that way too, we are not much different from Paul. You are called to make disciples of all the nations just as much as I am. You are called to endure suffering for the sake of Jesus’ name just like Paul was. Just because we live in the modern age, in a country that allows for freedom of religion, that doesn’t mean we can sit comfortably and be like the star basketball player who decides when he wants to try and when he wants to take it easy.

This is no mere game. It is souls who will spend eternity with God, or apart from Him. And He has given you the keys to the kingdom of heaven – to share the Gospel of Jesus’ death on the cross at Calvary for the sins of the whole world; to share the Gospel of Jesus triumph over death by His resurrection and that by faith in His name, those gates to heaven are wide open.

Overwhelming, isn’t it? Too much pressure? Remember, dear Christian, your faith is one that cannot be hindered because it is built on the foundation of the Gospel that cannot be defeated. The God who is merciful and gracious, abounding in steadfast love knows the frailty of our hearts. He knows this task tis too much for us to handle on our own.

Like Paul, God has given you the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit has opened up the pages of Scripture to your understanding. For whatever fear settles in your heart, the Holy Spirit offers you encouragement in His Word. He leads you to God’s unconditional love to strengthen you and uphold you with His powerful right hand. He reminds you that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures that make you wise for salvation – the simple words to know and share. But most importantly, daily and richly the Holy Spirit points you to the cross of your Savior. Upon the cross Jesus did the hard part. He made salvation possible. He made sure the victory over the Devil, the world, and our sinful flesh is a guarantee.

This life is a long, arduous journey. It is not for the faint of heart, nor the weak. But God the Father is just that – Your heavenly Father who watches over you and defends you. God the Son is your rock and salvation – the firm foundation upon which your faith is built. God the Holy Spirit plants this faith in your heart, feeds it with the Gospel in Word and Sacrament, and keeps you in the one true faith. On top of all that, God has give you and me countless faithful servants of the Lord who have endured great trials and suffered for their faith so that we might become confident in the Lord by their example, and be much more bold to speak the word without fear.

The faith of the Christian cannot be hindered because it is built on the Gospel that cannot be stopped. Let this be the fortifying truth that allows you to glorify the Lord your God in your body, whether in life or in death and thus you may say with Paul, For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Amen.