April 26 2026

Sunday April 26

The Desire to Be With Christ

Philippians 1:22-26

Today we are looking at verse 23 of Philippians 1, where Paul writes, “For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.” Now remember, in verse 21 he said, “To die is gain.” He said in verse 22, that to live on in the flesh means fruit for his labor; yet what he shall choose he cannot tell. Now he shares something deeply personal—his desire: “I am hard-pressed between the two.” That means he is being pulled in two directions. On the one side, there is fruitful service here on earth, but on the other side, there is being with Christ in heaven.

Paul says very honestly, “having a desire to depart and to be with Christ.” Now the word “depart” here is a beautiful word. It is used of a ship being loosed from its mooring and going out to sea. It is used often in Scripture as a tent that is being taken down and leaving for another place. It is a soldier breaking camp in a war and going to a different battlefront. For the believer, death is not a defeat—it is a departure.

Paul is not afraid of death. He is not dreading it. In fact, he says he has a strong desire for it—not for death itself, but for what comes after: to be with Christ. That is the key. Remember, later Paul would write in 2 Timothy 4:6, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.” He would write that to Timothy just before he is executed by Nero. In 2 Peter 1:13–14, Peter also writes and says, “Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.”

These two men do not fear death. Putting off their tent and going on their departure only means they are going to be with Jesus Christ. Paul says, “which is far better.” In the original language, “it is far, far better”. Why? Because he had the confidence of 2 Corinthians 5:8: “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” Jesus, remember, told the thief on the cross in Luke 23:43, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” You see, the Scripture teaches that the moment a believer dies, he is immediately in the presence of Jesus Christ.

This passage reminds us there is no such thing as soul sleep. Paul expected to be consciously with Christ immediately. Think about it—no more sin, no more suffering, no more sorrow—fully in the presence of Christ.

Remember Revelation 21, where John later would write, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’ Now listen to this: ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There will be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ He goes on to say, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ Then He said to me, ‘Write, for these things are true and faithful.’”

My friend, we do not have to worry about going through the valley of the shadow of death. Why? Jesus is going to be with us (Psalms 23:4). Do you have that confidence today in your life—that heaven is your next destination, the place of your departure? Are you looking forward to being with Christ?

Because, when you really know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, heaven is not just a place—it is a person with whom we long to be.

God bless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

P.S. I am having difficulties with posting the monthly Bible reading calendars on my website. Please email me for the month of May's calendar and indicate which plan you need. My email is: pastormike@pmiministries.org