Phil.

1: 23-26 READY FOR HEAVEN, BUT NEEDED ON EARTH

Intro: (Share experience about the enrollment)

Becoming a Christian is about the easiest thing a person can do. After all, all the work has already been done! Jesus died
on the cross to pay for sin. He rose from the dead to give life. He ascended back to Heaven to make intercession for us
before the Father. The Father accepted the sacrifice of Jesus at the cross. He sent the Holy Spirit to draw sinners to
Himself and when sinners do come, He gladly receives them and saves them by His grace. All the sinner has to do is
believe - Acts 16:31; John 6:40.

(Ang pag ingon nga ikaw kristohanon na, ug nabag-o kay hesus ug naluwas na ..dali ra kaayo sultihon apan human ikaw
giluwas, nabutismohan, dinhaa ang magsugod ang tinuod nga storya kung ikaw tinuod ba gyud nga kristuhanon tungod
kay dinhaa na magsugod nga sulayon ka niining kalibutana.)

However, after we are saved, then is when the struggles begin!

Before I was saved, I never understood the struggles and confusion that Christians are forced to deal with on a daily basis.
I mean, here we are, saved, ready to go to Heaven and be with Jesus, yet we are expected to live in a sinful world. Here we
are surrounded by temptations and trials all around and at the same time, God expects us to be busy working for His glory.

That is the problem Paul faced. He has reached a point in his life when he just wants to go be with Jesus. I suppose he was
tired of the trials and longed for that happy city of rest where he could be with the Lord he loved so dearly. After all, he is
in prison when this letter is being written. I think Paul suffered from the same mixed emotions that many Christians feel in
our day and time. That is what I would like to address this morning. "Ready For Heaven, But Needed On Earth."

I. V. 23 PAUL'S DILEMMA

A. According to Paul's own testimony, he is in a "Strait". (Napiit sa duruha)This word is used to describe some pretty
colorful situations.

1. Used of a besieged city. (Ill. The idea is of a city surrounded with no aid in site. The people with are trapped and
desperate for aid. They long to be liberated.)

2. Used of a strait between two points that forces a ship into a narrow channel. (Ill. Here, the current moves faster and
the waves are far more violent in their attack on the ship. It is a dangerous place for ships to be. There is always a danger
of being thrown onto one shore or the other.)

3. Used of a cattle squeeze, that pushes in on each side, forces the animal to be stationary while the farmer applies
medication. (This carries the image of having to endure trying times and go through things that are truly painful, but of not
being able to escape them.)

4. Used of a prisoner, who is unable to go as he pleases, but is confined within the walls of his cell. (Ill. Here is a man who
is locked up. He still has the desire to go and be free, but he is hemmed in by the walls of his prison.)
B. When Paul uses this word, he is telling us that he feels like a prisoner in this world. In other words, his body is here, but
his heart is elsewhere. He feels the pressure of this life and longs for the freedom of Heaven.
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C. How many of us, if we were honest, would have to admit this morning that we long to be in Heaven? How many would
have to say, "Preacher, I feel like I am trapped by circumstances and situations beyond my control and I just want to be
free."? I know that there are times when I experience that same sort of feeling. I just want to go to Heaven, but I know I
am stuck here for as long as the Lord desires.

II. V. 23 PAUL'S DESIRE

(Ill. Paul's longing is twofold.)

A. Paul Longs For Liberty - Paul has a desire to be free from the bondage of the prisons he is in. There is the Roman prison
and there is the prison of his flesh. Both hinder his liberty and hold him back. His desire is to break free of them both.

(Ill. I feel the same way! I have never been in prison, but I do feel trapped in this body at times and long to break free of its
confines. This was Paul's heart as well.)

Kinsa ba gud ang dili ganahan ug kagawasan? Kita man guro tanan, nga wala nay hunahunaon nga problema. Pero kay as
long as naa ta aning kalibutana , anaa gyud ang pagsulay.
(Paul Expresses his desire by using the word "Depart." Isn't it interesting that death held no fear for Paul? We often face
the hour of death with fear and dread, yet when Paul considered his leaving this world, he simply said that he had a
"desire to depart." Allow me to spend just a few minutes on this word and the wonderful truths it expresses. This word
was used in that society in four primary ways. They are as follows:

1. It Was A Military Term - It was used of soldiers taking down their tents. This is a glorious picture of Christian death.
When we leave this world, all we really do is fold up this tent of flesh and go to be with Christ, 2 Cor. 5:1-8.

2. It Was A Sailor's Term - It meant to loosen a ship and set sail. That is what happens when a Christians comes to the end
of the way. We just loosen from the moorings of this old world and sail off the glory to meet Jesus.

3. It Was A Farmer's Term - It was used to refer to taking the yoke off of oxen at the end of the work day. What a picture
for the child of God! One day our work will be finished and the yoke of service will be removed from our necks and we will
enter His rest.

4. It Was Traveler's Term - It was used by travelers to speak of putting the horses into the barn at the end of a long
journey. Again, this speaks volumes about us as Christians. We travel through this world in all kinds of situations and
circumstances. One day, however, the journey will end and we will be at home with the Lord.

B. Paul Longs For The Lord - Paul sums up his desire to depart by saying that he longs to be "with Christ." I believe this is
the heart's cry of every believer! Ever since the day God saved my soul, there has been a desire to see Jesus and one day, I
will see Him.
I look forward to all the sights of Heaven and I look forward to seeing long gone loved ones and the saints of old, but my
heart longs to see the One who climbed Calvary and took my sins upon Him. I want to see Jesus! Jesus Christ will be the
single greatest sight in glory.

After all those long journey in life nga atuang nalampasan uban sa tabang niya, it will be such great reward to be with him
in eternal life.

(Ill. Paul says that this is "far better." What he means is this: When you get Jesus, you also get Heaven! Think about it, we
will get to see the Lord who died for our sins and we will spend eternity enjoying His presence - 1 Thes. 4:16-17. Just think
for a minute about Heaven.
Thank God, over there, there will be none of the problems and pains of this life. It will be a different type of existence over
there.
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Notice Rev. 21:4, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow,
nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." None of those things that hems
us in down here will exist over there.

No wonder Paul said what he did in 1 Cor. 2:9, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." Sounds just like the place I want to
spend eternity.)

(Ill. Do you ever get homesick? One day, the wait will be over and we will be home. I long for that day!)
III. V. 24-26 PAUL'S DEBT

A. Here is the flip side to Paul's coin. Though he was tired from his labors and longed to be free from his prison and go to
be with Jesus, Paul realized that he had a debt of service to perform form the Lord. Paul wanted to go to Heaven, but he
knew he was needed right here.
--Here’s the other side o the coin. Because we all wanted to go to heaven, ug gusto ta nga mubalik na si Hesus.
KINAHANGLAN TA SA BUHAT.

C. Paul knows that he the conduit through which God is channeling His message to the church. Paul knows that he is being
used of the Lord to do great things. There is no pride in his statement, just fact. He is grateful for all that the Lord has done
in his life and he wants to do his part for God while he has life in his body.

D. There is a valuable lesson here for every child of God. While our hearts are being tugged homeward, surely there is the
realization that there is a great work to do here on the earth. Obviously, God isn't going to use any of use to write books
for His Bible, but the work we can do for Him is just a important and just as necessary.

Hundred years ago, Jesus pointed out to His Disciples the need for workers in the harvest, John 4:35. If the need was great
then, how much greater is it today?

1. God Saved Us To Work - Eph. 2:10; James 2:17-18.

2. Every Saint Of God Has A Job - 1 Cor. 12:7; 11.

3. Every Saint Of God Has A Debt - 2 Cor. 5:14; 1 John 4:19.

4. Every Saint Of God Will Be Rewarded In Proportion To His Labors - 2 Cor. 5:10.

5. We Live In A World That Is Hell Bound - Psa. 9:17.

(Ill. You and I have been given the greatest message and mission that the world has ever known. It is our duty to take it to
a world that is wallowing and perishing in sin. We have a duty to serve the Lord with all our hearts while there is breath in
these bodies. We owe it to Jesus, we owe it to the lost, and we owe it to the church. Our highest duty is to do our duty
before the Lord.)

(Ill. Paul felt the weight of this debt. He knew that he had a service to perform for the glory of God and was willing to forgo
his home going to get the job done for Jesus. I challenge all of us today to look into our hearts and see whose agenda is
top priority in our lives. Let it be Jesus and His will above all other desires and dreams.)
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Conc: Paul was willing to say these things because he possessed the right kind of outlook on life. He sums his philosophy of
living up in verse 21, where he says, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Paul could honestly say that his life was
a true reflection of Christ on earth. He knew that while he lived, others could see Jesus living in and through him.
However, he knew that if he were to die, then he would be the better for it. To Paul, he was a winner either way.

We must bring ourselves into line with God's perfect will for our lives. We must realize that while we are ready to go to
Heaven, we are still needed here on the earth.