Philippians 1:21
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Believer, Purpose: the great Christian believer has one great commitment in life and death—Jesus Christ. Paul declares two phenomenal statements:
1.  First, “To me to live is Christ.” What did he mean by this? He meant at least five things.
a.  He presented his body as a living sacrifice to Jesus Christ.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

b.  He struggled to yield the parts of his body—every member of his body—to Christ as a tool for righteousness.

“Neither yield ye your members [bodily parts] as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God” (Romans 6:13).

c.  He struggled to control his mind—to control every thought and to focus every thought upon Jesus Christ and the great virtues of life.

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Phil. 4:8).

d.  He committed himself to work for love and justice within all of society.

“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12).
“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39).

e.  He gave his life—every moment of it—to reach and minister to as many people as possible during his journey upon earth.

“Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21. Cp. Matthew 20:28 and Luke 19:10, the two verses below.)
“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Thought 1. What does life mean to you? Why are you living? What is your great purpose in life?
⇒  Are you living for money and possessions (clothes, houses, cars, property)? If so, what do you do in a few years when you die—if you escape accident or disease? What do you do if you lose it? When that day comes—and it is coming, there is nothing in heaven or earth that can stop it—if you have lived for money, what good will it do you?
⇒  Are you living for comfort (a good job, a nice place to live, plenty to eat, and enough money to do what you desire now and at retirement)? If so, what happens when disease or accident or tragedy strikes or old age comes? And one or the other is coming. It cannot be stopped. If you have lived for comfort, what good will it do you?
⇒  Are you living for a position? If so, what do you do when you are edged out, removed, demoted, transferred, by-passed, face disease or accident? What good will position do you?
⇒  Are you living for family? If so, what do you do when the family has transferred, moved away, or when the various family members die? And it happens to everyone of us. What good will family do you when you face Christ?
⇒  Are you living for recognition, honor, popularity, recreation, gratification, sensuality—whatever? What do you do when you face the crises of life and then in the end come face to face with death? At that moment if not before, what good will anything on this earth do you?

2.  This brings us to the second point of Paul. He declares that “to die is gain.” He knew better than to base his life upon these things. He knew that everything upon earth was aging and passing away including man himself. Therefore, Paul reached out for a Savior, a Person who could save him and give him an eternal world that would never age or pass away. This is the reason he grabbed hold of Christ. Jesus Christ is God’s only begotten Son whom God sent into the world to reveal the truth of another world to us, a world that is permanent and that has no corruption—no aging—no passing away in it. Therefore, Paul grabbed hold of Christ when he found out…
•  that Christ saved men from sin, death, and condemnation.
•  that Christ made it possible for men to live forever with God in a new heavens and earth.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).
“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8).
“For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh” (2 Cor. 4:11).
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13).
“Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (2 Peter 3:13-14).
“We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death” (1 John 3:14).
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away” (Rev. 21:1).