Philippians, Chapter 4

Philippians 4

1 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.

• "You are my joy and the crown I receive" - Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame (Hebrews 12:2)."

2 Now I appeal to Euodia (yoo-OH-di-uh) and Syntyche (SIN-tih-kee). Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.

• Conflict is inevitable.  It is how we handle it that determines the outcome.  These two women had been co-laborers with Paul in preaching the Gospel, yet somehow they had become divided.  Although the issue is not mentioned, and isn't important in the scheme of things, the falling out of these two Christian women was.

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

• A recurring theme throughout this letter, the believer is exhorted to rejoice.  It is important to remember, however, that the usage of the words "rejoice" and "joy" in the book of Philippians far transcends our limited understanding of the concepts.  At the outset of our study of Philippians, we established the meaning behind the usage here.
• From Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems from the Greek":  The Greek word for 'joy' is chara, derived from the word charis, which is the Greek word for 'grace.' This is important to note, for it tells us categorically that chara is produced by charis of God. This means 'joy' is not a human-based happiness that comes and goes...Rather, true 'joy' is divine in origin...it is a Spirit-given expression that flourishes best in hard times. For example, in 1 Thessalonians 1:6, the Thessalonians were under great stress due to persecution; yet in the midst of it all, they continued to experience great joy. In fact, the Greek strongly implies that their supernatural joy was due to the Holy Spirit working in them. Paul even called it the "joy of the Holy Ghost".  This type of joy, the joy of the Lord, is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
• 5 - We should find encouragement in knowing the Lord is coming soon, whether we will be caught up with Him the clouds, or united with Him in death.  The Lord is always near, never leaving us nor forsaking us (Hebrews 13:5).

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

• In Matthew 6, Jesus taught us, "25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?  28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?  31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.  34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today."
• What is prayer but ongoing intimate communication with the Lord?  At heart, it is an act concerning the present and future (the fulfillment of our needs), and the past (thanksgiving for all He has done).  Giving thanks serves a dual purpose of honoring God and of reminding ourselves of just how He has worked in our lives to date.  Such conscious recollection serves to strengthen and build our faith, and is a significant component of our congregational worship.
• Peace (i-ray'-nay) - "of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is" (biblestudytools.com)
• In describing "guarding," readers of Paul's words would have fully understood the word picture of a garrison ("A military post, especially one that is permanently established.")  It speaks of a deep, abiding peace that will sustain us through challenging times, protecting us from worry and doubt as we grow in our trust in the Lord.
• It is incumbent upon us, though, to endeavor not to worry, but to pray about everything and to maintain an attitude of thankfulness.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

• This is a beautiful picture of what the Christian's thought life should entail.  When determining what we should watch, what we should listen to, what thoughts we allow to take root in our minds, we should always line such things up against the Word; if it's not explicitly spoken of in Scripture, then we can apply this general guideline, and trust that the Holy Spirit will quicken us with conviction regarding these things (John 16:8).
• Romans 14:22-23 "You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. 23 But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning."
• Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11 (NIV), "1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."
• Taking charge of our thought lives is an ongoing process.  "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)."

10 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. 14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.

• The Stoic philosophers of Paul's day held the idea of contentment as a top virtue, a characteristic of the completely independent man.  Paul's words here, on the surface, paralleled contemporary thinking of the day, but where others esteemed independence of others, Paul instead indentified his complete and utter dependence upon Christ as the source of his contentment.
• Over the millennia, humankind has been fascinated with the idea of "secret" knowledge.  Paul, chained and imprisoned, bragged about his knowledge of "The Secret of Living in Every Situation."

15 As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this.16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. 17 I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.

18 At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

20 Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen.

• Paul saw the love, compassion, and generosity of the Philippians as part of God's care of him.  Part of adopting this mindset entails seeing all good and perfect things in our lives as having come down to us from God our Father(James 1:17). In sharing each other's burdens, we fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).

21 Give my greetings to each of God’s holy people—all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. 22 And all the rest of God’s people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesar’s household.

23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Conclusion

Remember: This letter was written to the church Paul had established ten years earlier, where he and Silas had been miraculously delivered from prison during their praise and prayer.  Nero's violent and bloody persecution of Christians would begin not long after this letter had been received, so his words would have had very timely meaning and application.  Our present time, although much more 'civilized', is no less fraught with discouragement and anxiety than any other time in history.  With the advent of the Internet, we now can watch wars, famine, disasters, and disease in real time, no matter where they occur.

It is just as important as ever to maintain an attitude of joy and peace in the Lord, no matter what our circumstances.

What does rejoicing in the Lord mean to you?