A number of years ago, there was a professor at Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia, while lecturing to his students, quoted Romans 8:28. In discussion, one of his students said, "But Professor, you don't believe that "all things work together for the good of them that love God, all the pain and suffering, and misery do you?" His reply was, "The things in themselves may not be good, but you can make them work together for good." Before that day's sun went down, his wife was killed in an automobile accident and he was injured in a way that left him a cripple. When the president of the Seminary called on him he said, "Tell my students that Romans 8:28 still holds!" Before a year passed the professor died and on his tomb was inscribed Romans 8:28.

I remind you that Romans 8:28 still holds.  It is a real truth and a relevant truth. Nowhere in all the New Testament is the truth of Romans 8:28 illustrated and exemplified any better than in our text and in the happenings of Paul's life. What a tremendous source of comfort it is to our hearts to know that there are no accidents, but only His appointments. What often appears to be a tragedy in reality leads to triumph. From Paul's experience we learn lessons that turn our tears into telescopes as we realize that our disappointments are often His appointments.

First, we see:

1. THE UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATIONS OF PAUL!

In verse 12 Paul speaks of "the things which happened unto me." The things that had happened to Paul were very trying and uncomfortable. Paul describes two particular things that had happened unto him.

First, there were:

A. The Bonds That Held Him.

In verse 13 Paul speaks of his "bonds in Christ."  He also refers to his bonds in verses 14 and16. At the time Paul wrote the book of Philippians, Paul was in prison. It is one of several books Paul wrote while a prisoner for Jesus Christ.

Serving God had not been an easy road for Paul. Paul described some of the hardships he had encountered serving Christ in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, "Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches."

Paul was not in prison for something he had done wrong. He was in prison for something he had done right! His hardships was not the chastening of a displeased God, but the contempt of a depraved world. Life has its prisons as well as it palaces. Life is not without its restrictions as well as it liberties and its setbacks as well as its onsets. Sometimes we find ourselves in "bonds" that are physical, material, marital, mental, emotional, and spiritual. 

Secondly, there were:

B. The Brethren That Hurt Him.

In verses 15-16, Paul describes how some of the brethren had taken advantage of his bonds and sought to add grief to what he was experiencing. Notice the words, "add affliction." The words bring up the image of the painful rubbing of iron chains on a prisoners wrists and legs. Phillips translates the words, "to make my chains even more galling than they otherwise are."

Talk about knocking a man when he is down, that is exactly what was going on. Paul describes how they added affliction to his bonds. In verse 15 he said that they were preaching Christ of "envy" and "strife." The word "envy" carries the ideal of jealously. The word "strife" means wrangling. It would seem there were those who were envious and jealous of Paul and this was resulting in contention and strife.

In verse 16 Paul puts his finger on the root cause of their problems with him. Paul said, "The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely..." The word "contention" was a political word. It was used to describe someone who was seeking office for himself. It came to mean canvassing for office, to get someone to support you. It spoke of self-seeking and selfish ambition.

In a nutshell, these brethren were trying to draw people to themselves, whereas Paul was trying to draw people to Christ. They were like religious politicians that were trying to get people on their side, in their corner, and following them. They were preaching Christ but with purely selfish motives.

Paul said they preached Christ, "not sincerely." The word "sincerely" describes, "pure and unmixed motives." Pure motives as seen in Paul is the exaltation of Christ. Impure motives as seen in these brethren is the enhancement of self. So out of jealously, there were those who were trying to hurt Paul. Instead of lifting him up in prayer, they were tearing him down in prison.

We have often heard the little saying: "Sticks and bones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." But, we all know that words can hurt and hurt very deeply. Nobody likes to be attacked by another. Nobody likes to be slandered and maligned by others.

Paul was no stranger to friends letting him down and tearing him down. In 2 Tim.4:16, Paul said, "At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me." When he needed the support of his friends they forsook him. When he needed affection he found affliction.

These were the things that had happened to Paul. There were the bonds that held him and the brethren that hurt him. In spite of all Paul experienced, we also see:

2. THE UNINTERRUPTED SERVICE OF PAUL!

It would appear that Paul's ministry had been interrupted. It seemed as if his voice had been silenced, his work had been stopped, his ministry had been stymied, and his service had been suspended. Yet, as we see in this text, his opposition was an opportunity. What appeared to be a retardation of his ministry was actually an acceleration of his ministry. The things that happened, instead of shutting the door, opened the door. His liabilities became assets, his frustrations brought fulfillment, his adversity an advantage, and his difficulties became doors. His thwarting turned into thoroughfares.

The same God that used Moses rod, Gideon's pitchers, David's sling, used Paul's chains. Notice how God used the negatives and made them positives. We read in verse 12, "But I would have you understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel." What seemed like a hindrance was a help.

The word "furtherance" was a word that described the progress of an army. It came from a verb which was used to speak of cutting away trees and undergrowth. The picture is of an army on the march, and a group going ahead cutting a path, clearing away all brush, trees, obstacles that would slow or hinder the march of the army.

Paul was saying "All these things have happened in my life, but I want you to know, that they have worked to promote the preaching of the gospel, not prevent the preaching of the gospel. Paul described how these things worked in his good. First, in all the things that happened:

A. God Did A Work Of Evangelism.

Notice verse 13, "So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places." Paul could not go to the churches and continue his missionary journeys, but his service was not suspended. What God did was give Paul an exciting and effective prison ministry

Notice the word "palace." The word refers to what was known as the Praetorian Guard. The Praetorian Guard were the elite of the Roman army. They were the Imperial Guard of Rome. It consisted of 10,000 hand-picked men of Italian birth. They served a term of 12-16 years, received double-pay and special privileges. They were somewhat like the Musketeers of Rome. They were the Emperor's personal army and bodyguards. You notice the word "bonds." The word used speaks of the shackle of a prisoner. It speaks of a short chain by which the wrist of a prisoner was bound to the wrist of a soldier, so that escape was impossible.

Notice Acts 28:30-31 "And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." The two year period described by these verses is the time Paul spent in bondage and imprisonment. During this imprisonment, he was not in some damp, dirty, dark, prison cell. We might say he was on "house arrest." That's what he meant when he said he spent two years in his own hired house.

During this "house arrest" soldiers of the Praetorian Guard were assigned to him 24 hours a day. The shift changed ever 6 hours, so each day there would be four different soldiers chained to Paul. You see, Paul could not get away from the soldier, but neither could the soldier get away from Paul.

T.W. Drury said, "The very chain which Roman discipline riveted on the prisoners arm secured to his side a hearer to whom Paul would tell the story." These soldiers thought they were guarding a prisoner of Rome, but soon found that they had inadvertently enrolled in a course of systematic theology.

Notice that Paul added in verse 13, "and in other places." In Philippians 4:22 Paul saluted those that were "of Caesar's household." Paul found that his bonds were opening the door to reach people that otherwise he would have never been able to reach. The very chains that deprived him of liberty gave him opportunity.

For 6 hours he would talk to a soldier about Christ. No doubt he won many of them to Christ. The soldier would leave and tell others, until it wasn't long that revival broke out in Caesar's own household. Caesar hated Paul and his message of Christ and wanted to silence him, but he didn't realize that one of the greatest works of personal evangelism was taking place under his very nose.

What we often thing is hurting us can be used of God to help us. I read about a woman in Mexico who could not read. She had been saved, loved the Lord and wanted to serve Him. Even though she couldn't read, she took her liability and turned it into an asset. She had someone mark the salvation passages of the Bible. She would go to the city parks and markets, walked up to someone and explain that she couldn't read. She would get them to read to her the marked passages in her Bible which explained the way of salvation.

Furthermore, Paul spoke of how through the things that happened to him:

B. God Did A Work Of Encouragement.

Notice verse 14,"And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear." In those day one didn't run around wearing "Jesus Is Lord" lapel pins. You didn't put bumper stickers on the back of your chariot that read, "Honk if you love Jesus." You didn't wear T-shirts with "God's Gym" on the front. The church in many cases was underground.

But God took what Paul was going through and took the Church that was underground above ground with their faith. Notice the word "speak." The word does not mean preaching. It refers to everyday language. They saw what Paul went through and it encouraged them to take a stand. They stepped out of the shadows and became "much more bold" to talk about the Lord and tell others about Christ.

Discouragement spreads, but so does encouragement. Often what we go through and how we go through it is an encouragement to others.

I think about the tragic death of the Jim Elliot and missionaries, January 8, 1956. As a result of their savage slayings, untold numbers gave their life to missions. Untold numbers gave their life to God to serve Him and do His will.

Thirdly, Paul speaks of how by the things he went through:

C. God Did A Work Of Edification.

Notice verse 19, "For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ." God not only used it for the salvation of sinners and the strengthening of saints, but God used all that had happened in his own heart as well. The word "salvation" as used here does not speak of getting saved. The word speaks of "health, well-being." Paul was saying that everything that happened had been healthy for his own heart and soul. It had worked for his well-being.

God had not changed the circumstances of Paul, but He had changed Paul in the circumstances. God had taken all that had happened and used it in Paul's own heart.

Robert Frost said: "But it was of the essence of the trial that you shouldn't understand it at the time. It had to seem unmeaning to have meaning." So many things happen in life that seem to have no meaning. Yet, what happens may have great meaning in God's eternal plan.

I think of what R.W. Dale, who pastored Carrs Lane in Birmingham, England, a church that one declared was the greatest church in the world. G. Campbell Morgan who had no formal training was considered by many to be the greatest Bible preacher that every lived. Dale said to Morgan, after he commented to Dale that he was an untrained man, "Don't say you are untrained. Always remember God has many ways of training men."

God has many ways he trains His children. Oftentimes the circumstances of life are His means of training us.

Thomas Edison's manufacturing facilities in West Orange, N.J., were heavily damaged by fire one night in December, 1914. Edison lost almost $1 million worth of equipment and the record of much of his work. The next morning, walking about the charred embers of his hopes and dreams, the 67 year old inventor said, "There's value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Now we can start anew." Trials have a purging effect in our life.

Someone has said, "The thickest cloud may bring the heaviest shower of blessing." In Paul's case and in our case, that is true.

Thirdly, we see:

3. THE UNDEFILED SPIRIT OF PAUL!

When things happen in our life we can act or react. We can receive them in a positive way or resist them in a negative way. We can allow them to foster bitterness or allow them to further blessedness. Notice Paul's reaction to all the things that had happened in his life: "What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice" (1:18).

In his response to all that happened, we see:

A. There Was An Absence Of Resentment.

Paul was neither bitter against God for being in prison nor bitter against the brethren for what they were doing and saying. Notice verses 15-18, "Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice."

Paul did not have a problem with their message. It was their motives that concerned him. They might have been attacking him, but so what, even though their motives were wrong, they were preaching Christ. There is no sign or even an hint that he was a bitter or resentful man. How unlike so many of us. When things happen, we so easily get bitter. Instead of getting bitter, we should get better.

Otto Von Bismarck, Chancellor of Germany during the first world war, toward the end of his life became mired down in the quicksand of bitterness. He carried his bitterness to his grave. One morning he got up and proudly announced to his household, "I've spent the whole night hating." The burden of bitterness eventually crushed his health. He had to grow a beard to hide the twitching muscles of his face. Jaundice, gastric ulcers, gallstones, and shingles racked his body. When he was offered a small fortune to publish his memoirs, he began to write with a reckless disregard for truth, using his pen to spill out the poisonous venom of hatred and bitterness on men and women who had long been dead. He died embittered, cynical, lonely, miserable, and self-consumed.

Years ago a brilliant doctor by the name of S.I. Mcmillian wrote a best seller entitled "None of These Diseases."  In that book Dr. McMillian points out how destructive emotions, such as bitterness, can destroy a person. He writes:

"The moment I start hating a man I become his slave. I can't enjoy my work anymore because he even controls my thoughts. My resentment produce too many stress hormones in my body and I become fatigued after only a few hours of work.. ..The man I hate hounds me wherever I go. I can't escape his tyrannical grasp on my mind. The man I hate may be many miles from my bedroom; but more cruel than any slave driver he whips my thoughts into such a frenzy that my innerspring mattress becomes a rack of torture. The lowliest of the serfs can sleep, but not I. I must really acknowledge the fact that I am a slave to every man on whom I pour the vials of my wrath."

Paul could have become a bitter man, but instead he became a better man. Furthermore, in his response we see:

B. There was The Presence Of Rejoicing.

Paul's heart was filled with joy. God had enlarged His ministry. God had encouraged his brethren. God had edified his own soul. His heart was full of praise. Paul didn't react negatively, he acted positively. How are you acting concerning the things which have happened to you?