Christ at the Centre: Living for the Sake of Others
For the Sake of Others | Philippians 1:12–26
Speaker: Martin O’Brien
As we continued our series ‘For the Sake of Others’, Martin O’Brien challenged us to consider an important question:
What motivates us to live for the sake of others?
What makes someone willing to give up their own comfort, put another person's needs before their own, or make sacrifices for the benefit of someone else?
The answer begins with Jesus.
When Christ becomes the centre of our lives, our priorities begin to change. We become less focused on ourselves and increasingly concerned about the people around us.
The more Jesus becomes the centre of our lives, the less we become the centre of our lives.
The Jesus We Represent
In Colossians 1:15–20, Paul gives us an extraordinary picture of who Jesus is.
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.” — Colossians 1:15
Jesus is not simply a great teacher or prophet. He is God revealed to us.
Paul goes on to explain that everything was created through Him and for Him, that He existed before anything else and that He holds all creation together.
This is the Jesus we follow.
This is the King we represent.
And this is the Christ we are ambassadors for.
Colossians 1:20 also reminds us that through Jesus, God has reconciled everything to Himself, making peace through Christ's death on the cross.
As followers of Jesus, we have been invited to participate in this mission of reconciliation.
We are called to represent Him, reflect His character and share His love with the world around us.
But to truly live as His ambassadors, Jesus must be at the centre of everything we do.
For Me, Living Means Living for Christ
In Philippians 1, Paul gives us a powerful example of what a Christ-centred life looks like.
Writing from prison, facing uncertainty and hardship, Paul makes an extraordinary declaration:
“For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.” — Philippians 1:21
For Paul, everything revolved around Jesus.
His decisions, relationships, opportunities, hardships, successes and failures were all viewed through his relationship with Christ.
Jesus wasn't simply part of Paul's life.
Jesus was the centre of his life.
What would it look like if we truly lived this way?
What if every decision we made, every relationship we invested in and every opportunity we encountered was shaped by our desire to live for Jesus?
The more captivated we become by Christ, the less consumed we become with ourselves.
The more our hearts are filled with Jesus, the more room there is for others.
Living for the Sake of Others
Paul continues in Philippians 1:24:
“But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.”
This is a remarkable statement.
Paul has just expressed his desire to be with Christ, yet he recognises that remaining alive means he can continue encouraging, strengthening and serving others.
He isn't simply asking what would be best for himself.
He is asking what would be best for others.
Paul's relationship with Jesus has transformed his priorities.
He wants to continue living because his life can be a blessing to other people.
This is what it means to live for the sake of others.
When Jesus becomes the centre of our lives, the needs of others become increasingly important to us.
We begin to see beyond our own comfort, convenience and circumstances.
We start asking how God might use our lives to encourage, support and bless those around us.
A Heart That Grows in Compassion
Earlier in his letter, Paul reveals just how deeply he cares for the believers in Philippi.
He writes:
“God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 1:8
Paul's relationship with Jesus hasn't made him less interested in people.
It has made him more compassionate, more loving and more concerned for their wellbeing.
The closer Paul grows to Jesus, the greater his love for others becomes.
And this should be true for us too.
Our relationship with Christ should increasingly shape the way we see and respond to people.
In verse 9, Paul prays:
“I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.”
Notice where Paul's attention is focused.
He is praying for others.
He is concerned about their spiritual growth, their understanding and their love.
His focus is outward rather than inward.
A Christ-centred life becomes an others-focused life.
When Hardship Becomes an Opportunity
Paul's circumstances were far from easy.
He was imprisoned because of his faith, yet rather than focusing entirely on his suffering, he recognised that God was working through his situation.
In Philippians 1:12, he writes:
“Everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.”
Paul saw his imprisonment as an opportunity for the gospel.
His chains had become a platform for mission.
Even in hardship, Paul was thinking about how God could use his circumstances for the benefit of others.
Rather than simply asking why these things were happening to him, he recognised how God could work through them.
This doesn't mean that suffering is easy or that difficulties are insignificant.
But it reminds us that God can work through even the most challenging circumstances.
Our struggles, experiences and difficult seasons can sometimes become opportunities to encourage, support and minister to others.
Paul was simply following the example of Jesus.
He was living for Christ and, because of that, living for the sake of others.
Who Benefits From Your Life?
As Martin brought the message towards its conclusion, he left us with three challenging questions:
Who is growing because you are in their life?
Are we helping others grow in faith, confidence, hope and understanding? Are we investing in people and encouraging them along their journey?
Who is in your prayers?
Are our prayers focused only on our own needs and circumstances, or are we regularly bringing others before God?
Who benefits from your life?
Who experiences the love, kindness, generosity and compassion of Jesus because of the way we live?
These questions invite us to reflect on whether our relationship with Christ is shaping the way we treat and care for others.
They challenge us to look beyond ourselves and consider how God wants to work through us.
Christ at the Centre of Everything
Two statements from Paul bring this message together:
“For to me, living means living for Christ.” — Philippians 1:21
“But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.” — Philippians 1:24
These two statements belong together.
Living for Christ and living for others cannot be separated, because the life of Christ always flows towards others.
When Jesus becomes the centre of our lives, our priorities change.
We become more compassionate.
More generous.
More willing to serve.
More interested in the wellbeing of others.
More attentive to the opportunities God places before us.
We begin to understand that our lives are not simply about what we want or what benefits us.
They are about Jesus and His purposes.
Living for Christ, For the Sake of Others
As we continue our journey through this series, the challenge is to consider what it truly means to place Jesus at the centre of our lives.
Not simply in what we believe or say, but in the everyday decisions we make and the way we relate to others.
What would change if Jesus was genuinely at the centre of everything?
How might our relationships look different?
How might we approach our work, our families and our communities?
How might we respond to those who are struggling or in need?
Perhaps the question we need to ask ourselves this week is not simply, “What do I want?”
But instead:
“What does God want, and who does God want to bless through me?”
That is what it means to live for the sake of others.
We are called to be people who live in His love and live it out.
People whose lives are centred on Jesus and whose love flows outward towards the people around them.
Because ultimately:
The more Jesus becomes the centre of our lives, the less we become the centre of our lives.
And when Christ is at the centre, there is always room for others.