Divine Culture.
- The field.—The loving heart.
- The seed.—Righteousness.
- The fruit.—Abundant.
- The Husbandman.—Jesus Christ.
- The end.—The glory and praise of God.—Ibid.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—Verses 12–18.
The Gospel Irrepressible—
I. Notwithstanding the circumscribed opportunities of its agents.—1. Their sufferings for the Gospel call attention to its claims. “The things which happened unto me have fallen out rather into the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places” (vers. 12, 13). It might seem to the Philippians that the imprisonment of Paul would be unfavourable to the Gospel and prevent its spread. He shows there was no ground for that fear; but that the Gospel was becoming known in quarters which, but for his imprisonment, it was not likely to gain access. The palace referred to was the prætorium, or barrack of the prætorian guards attached to the palace of Nero on the Palatine Hill in Rome. The regular changes of guards was constantly furnishing new auditors for the irrepressible preacher, and he did not fail to zealously improve his opportunities. Thus the Gospel, which the malice and bigotry of the Jews sought to suppress, found its way into Cæsar’s household, and ultimately captured the Roman empire for Christ. The persecutions of the Gospel have been the best helpers of its success.
2. Their sufferings for the Gospel stimulate the zeal of its propagators.—“Many of the brethren, . . . waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (ver. 14). The fortitude of the apostle in suffering, and his unwearied efforts to preach the Gospel, increased the courage of his fellow-helpers in the same good work. The sufferings of the Gospel pioneers contributed to the spread and triumph of the truth. The blood of Scotland’s proto-martyr, the noble Patrick Hamilton, and the memory of his dying prayer, “How long, O Lord, shall darkness cover this realm?” fomented the young Reformation life over a comparatively silent germinating period of more than twenty years. Knox, and with him Scotland, kindled at the pile of George Wishart. Andrew Melville caught the falling mantle of Knox. When Richard Cameron fell at Aird’s Moss—as if in answer to his own prayers as the action began, “Lord, spare the green and take the ripe!”—all the more strenuously strove Cargill, till he too, in the following year, sealed the truth with his blood. And more followed, and yet more, through that last and worst decade of the pitiless storm known as, by emphasis, the killing time. Through those terrible years Peden dragged out a living death, and as he thought of Cameron, now at rest, often exclaimed, “Oh to be with Ritchie!” Young Renwick too caught up the torn flag, nobly saying, “They are but standard-bearers who have fallen; the Master lives.” Thus one after another on blood-stained scaffold, or on blood-soaked field, fell the precious seed-grain, to rise in harvests manifold, till just at the darkest hour before the dawn of Renwick’s martyrdom closed the red roll in 1688—the year of the revolution—and the seed so long sown in tears was reaped in joy.
II. It is preached from a variety of motives.—1. Some preach the Gospel from the love of controversy. “Some indeed preach Christ of envy and strife . . . of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds” (vers. 15, 16). The Judaising teachers, taking advantage of the absence of the apostle, sought to propagate their erroneous theories of the Gospel, and to annoy the apostle by depreciating his authority and his preaching. They aimed not so much at winning souls for Christ, as at exalting themselves, and gaining credence to their corrupt opinions. They argued that Jesus of Nazareth was the King of Israel, hoping thereby to exasperate the Roman government against Paul, who preached the same truth, though in a different sense, and to cause increased pain to the apostle by insisting upon the obligation of obedience to the law in order to salvation. Yet in opposing the Gospel they stated some of its leading truths, if only to refute them. Controversy is often a waste of strength. They are small, insignificant beings who quarrel oftenest. There’s a magnificent breed of cattle in the Vale of Clwyd, the most beautiful vale in Wales. They have scarcely any horns but abundance of meat; yet if you ascend the hills on every side, there on the heights you find a breed which grows scarcely anything but horns, and from morning to night all you hear is the constant din of clashing weapons. So there are many Christians who live on the heights, the cold and barren heights of controversy. Everything they eat grows into horns, the strength of which they are constantly testing.
2. Some preach the Gospel from the highest regard for its lofty message.—“Some also of goodwill . . . of love, knowing that I am set [appointed of God] for the defence of the gospel” (vers. 15, 17). An intense love of the Gospel and of the Christ of the Gospel is the best preparation for preaching it. Preaching to be effectual must be various as nature. The sun warms at the same moment that it enlightens; and unless religious truth be addressed at once to the reason and to the affections, unless it kindles while it guides, it is a useless splendour, it leaves the heart barren, it produces no fruits of godliness. Preaching should help us to a higher life. A man once heard an affecting sermon, and while highly commending it was asked what he remembered of it. “Truly,” he replied, “I remember nothing at all; but it made me resolve to live better, and by God’s grace I will.”
III. The propagation of the Gospel by any means is matter of fervent joy.—“What then? notwithstanding, . . . Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice” (ver. 18). The false teachers gloated over Paul’s misfortune, and thought to trouble him by their way of presenting the Gospel. But the proclamation of Christ, however done, roused attention, and could not but be of service. The apostle rejoiced in the good result of their bad intentions. The success of the Gospel in any place and by any means, when that success is real, is always a cause of rejoicing to the good.
Lessons.—1. The Gospel has a message for all classes. 2. Its faithful proclamation involves difficulty and suffering. 3. Its interests are often promoted from mixed motives.