Tuesday, August 25 –
It’s Tuesday, and we continue our
reading thru the New Testament and finish the letter of Paul to the
Philippians. Please read Philippians 4:1
– 23, and when you complete your reading, please come back, and we’ll walk thru
this together.
The theme of this letter has been
Joy, and it is how Paul ends this short letter to the Philippian church – “ Therefore,
my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the
Lord, my beloved...Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice” (4:1,4).
He had just told them that both he and they had their citizenship in Heaven and
that they were awaiting Jesus’ coming. It’s
pretty clear why Paul could say to them, “rejoice.” He reminds them to stand firm for the faith
of the Gospel. There are a lot of
enemies of the cross of Christ (3:18).
The appeal to stand firm is made to them as individuals but as a collective
fellowship. Therefore, even a hint of division is not acceptable –
“I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I
ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side
with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers,
whose names are in the book of life” (4:2-3).
What was the problem between these two women, both of whom Paul respected? We do not know. They are only mentioned in the New Testament
in this verse, and Paul does not share the issue that has them divided. He simply appeals to them and to the person he
calls “true companion” to help them settle their differences. When Paul says, “agree in the Lord,” he is
not telling them to drop their disagreement, but to recognize that they both
are servants of Christ Jesus, and they must answer to Him. To Paul, the Philippians were his “beloved”
friends (4:1), and like division in a family, he wanted them to stand firm in their
relationships.
Standing firm in Christ is the basis
for real Joy, and also for Peace that is free of anxiety and worry – “Rejoice
in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness
be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (4:4-7).
I think most of us understand how anxiety-prone our culture, society has become. We fear things daily, and some of them – aka,
this Virus – can go on for months. Someone once told me, “worry is assuming responsibility
God never gave you”! We sometimes worry
about things to the point of obsessive fear.
The life of “what-ifs” is not a good place to live in. Did you realize that the words that Jesus
most often repeated was “Fear not”?
Paul had reminded them that their citizenship
is in heaven and, therefore, God is able to meet all of their needs. Again, as he had told the two women to “agree
in the Lord,” he tells the church that they should “rejoice in the Lord.” The “how” and “why” are in the details that
follow.
First, “Let your reasonableness be shown”, by which he means do not get
obsessed but be gentle in spirit, i.e., learn to let it go! I had to learn a long time ago that I am not
able to answer every biblical and theological question, nor solve everyone’s
problems. Often the best answer to
alleviate worry is “I don’t know, but God does.”
Second, worry and anxiety are a product of what we focus on most of the
time. Paul reminds them, “the Lord is at
hand, or near.” It might be he is thinking
of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers, and it might
also be that he is anticipating his home-going to the Lord. He had said previously; he didn’t know which
was better – to stay with them or to leave and go home to Christ (1:22-23). The gentle spirit of this kind of person is
because they can look beyond the immediate to see the ultimate as reality.
Third, Christ is near in our prayers. Many
things come at us every day, and, at times, we live with a lot of stress. What do we bring to prayer? “Everything” – “…in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God” (4:6). The cure
for anxiety is in wrestling them to the ground through prayer.
God is near, and we can rest – “And
the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus” (4:7). While it is a lovely verse to memorize,
it is also an important one. It is our “heart
and mind” that needs protection. What
happens when we turn our worries into prayer?
A peace that is supernatural – surpassing all understanding – is able
to stand guard over our hearts and minds.
The Lord can put a wall up against future worry, and we can say, “I
remember distinctly giving that issue to the Lord,” whenever it comes back
again. God’s Peace is a reward for
turning things over to the Lord and leaving them with Him. God’s peace is His Shalom, and it’s not
just the absence of conflict, but it’s the ability to rest in the battle. Shalom means God is near, and so are our
problems, but God is still nearer. Shalom
is like a steady falling rain on dry, thirsty ground.
It all settles back into our
thoughts…what we do with what we think…what we allow in, and what we say “no,
you can’t come in.”
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is
just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there
is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these
things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in
me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (4:8-9).
This is not “the power of positive thinking” because not all thinking can
be positive! Yet it is a reminder that we let things into our minds that are
not always good for us to dwell on.
Attitudes, motives, desires, and thoughts all go together. When we are focusing on the good of things,
even negative thoughts can have virtue.
Finally, Paul ends this short
letter with a thank you to the Church for their ongoing support. They have been supporting him for many years,
and it made Paul aware of how much they loved him and how much he loved them
(4:10). Still, their encouragement and
support is not a matter of Paul’s necessary survival, as it is their commitment
to his purposes. As for Paul, his life
is given over to serving God, and he has discovered that God always came through
–
“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever
situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know
how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of
facing plenty and hunger, abundance, and need. I can do all things
through him who strengthens me” (4:11-13).
The Greek word for “content” means that he simplified his life and lived from
what he had in all situations. Later
Paul would write this as advice to his young Pastor apprentice, Timothy – “But
godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the
world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food
and clothing, with these we will be content” (6:6-8). In our highly materialistic world, contentment
is a great challenge.
Paul thanks them for their
continuing support (4:14-16). To Paul,
their support was a “fruit that increases to your credit” (4:17), which
means he wants them to experience the blessings from God for their
generosity. Generosity is a good word,
and God is both generous in his gifts to us, but also loves to see generosity
in us – “I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having
received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice
acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of
yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and
Father be glory forever and ever. Amen” (4:18-20).
Paul began this letter with a
prayer, and he ends it with a blessing – “Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.
The brothers who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you,
especially those of Caesar’s household. The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ be with your spirit” (4:21-23). This
little phrase, “brothers who are with me, saints, those of Caesar’s
household…” ought to remind us, Paul is not in Prison, he is in Rome, and God
put him there! Why? Because Paul is reaching the world with the Gospel,
and Caesar is paying for it. His life is a testimony of what the Reformers
(Luther, Calvin, others) saw was the church’s Gospel message. Salvation is possible
for all who believe in Jesus Christ: by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, in
Christ Alone, for the Glory of God alone, the message cannot be stopped.
Peace
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