PHILIPPIANS CHAPTER 4
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Phi 4-1
(97k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >>
Standing firm together in the faith
(123i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love >>
Spiritual affection >> Being in love with the
body of Christ >> Emotional situations
(125d) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Joy >>
Joy is the result of investing in the kingdom >>
Investing in a life of service –
In this life we want other people to serve us, but in heaven everyone wants to
be a servant, and ironically the more we serve in this life, the more
opportunities we will be given to serve in the life to come, and the more
authority we will receive for doing His will. Consequently, our opportunities to
serve will be lessened in heaven by our lack of service in this life. That is,
we will
all receive our place in heaven that we requested in this life based on our
willingness to serve. If we determined that rewards were not important, then
we will receive a place in heaven and a body that reflects that choice,
compared to others who were faithful in doing the will of God. Most
people in the Church today have as their main goal to just barely squeeze into
heaven, but the Bible teaches that if we will serve Christ, we won’t have to
worry about our salvation; it is a given. Our mindset should be always
striving to do what we can and being a blessing to others and promote the Kingdom of God in this
world. See also: Rewards; 226b
(226b) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >>
God crowns us with glory for sharing our rewards >>
The reward of a crown –
Jesus
said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and
rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and
where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also” (Mat 6,19-21). Jesus encouraged His people to seek
heavenly rewards, yet almost no one does. Paul called the Philippians his
“joy and crown;” they were his joy on earth and his crown in heaven. Paul
was very concerned about heavenly rewards; he actually lived for them. He did
everything he could to help the churches grow for their sake and also for his
own sake. He had a personal investment in the churches; he did everything for the hope
of receiving a heavenly reward. Contrast that with what we hear in the Church
today; very few people are seeking the rewards of heaven, why? They are too
busy seeking the temporal rewards of this life! People
don’t pursue heavenly rewards because they don’t know how God intends to reward us.
Perhaps they visualize Him putting a big, heavy crown on our heads, and we saying
to ourselves, ‘I can do without it.’ The reward that we will receive in
heaven represents our offering of faithful service that we presented to Christ
at the believer's judgment, for who in his right mind would approach
a great King without an offering in his hand? Paul
said that the
Philippian church was his
crown, not just them but all the Churches that he personally helped
establish in the faith. The people themselves were his reward, who
will forever reign in heaven, partly to do with Paul’s ministry in their lives.
God will give him a literal crown for his head that represents these people
whom he led to the Lord and mentored to maturity. There is no one greater than
another in heaven,
unless we count the greatest servants. Jesus taught that our service is a measure of our greatness, and so the most
humble of all are the greatest in heaven. To wear a crown on our
head does not make us great in heaven; it only means we
were servants of Christ in this life, but the fact that these crowns are
eternal means that what we do in this life will have eternal ramifications in
heaven. Those with crowns will serve those without crowns, making the servants
great in heaven and those being served blessed,
thus establishing equality. See
also: Rewards; 125d
Phi 4-2
(158d) Works of the devil
>>
Essential characteristics >> Divide and conquer >>
Strife >> Disagreements –
Apparently these two were arguing; possibly they didn’t like each other, so
Paul urged them to live in harmony “in the Lord,” meaning ‘in the
faith.’ They were not allowed to express their feelings to each other or to
anyone else. Paul didn’t ask them to like each other, but to ignore their
negative feelings. We are taught this at the workplace to work in harmony with
our fellow employees even if we don’t like each other, and if we stir up
dissension and strife, we will be fired. Paul asked them to love each other in
the Lord and focus on the will of God.
Phi 4-2,3
(131l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Having soul ties -- These verses go with verse 22
Phi 4-3
(101k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Ambitious to promote the Kingdom of God >>
Building up the body of Christ –
Some say that Paul had a negative attitude about women, but we don’t see it
in this verse. Paul thought it was important to reward those who had helped
him in the cause of the gospel that they should benefit in this life from
their devotion and commitment to the saints. When the apostles returned from the field to be
refreshed, women always came to the rescue. They had the gifts and talents
needed to support the missionaries and those who risked their lives for the
cause of the gospel, who returned from dusty roads and from a world full of
animosity for Christians. The women fed them, clothed them and
showed them hospitality, and Paul wanted to return the blessing, and requested
that they be treated with every consideration.
(130h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Committed to caring for the needs of the body >>
Commitment stimulates intimate bonding -- This verse goes with verses
15-19
(165k) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Hardship >>
Struggles of this life
(219hh) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> The elect >>
God chooses us as we choose ourselves >> The Lamb's book of life –
Paul guaranteed their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life among those who worked with him side-by-side in the advancement of the
gospel. How many
people can we name of whom we have great confidence in their faith? Hopefully we can name a
few; Paul was able to name a few. Their salvation was sure, and the reason he
knew that was because of their sincerity and investment in service to the things of God. The oppression and suffering they endured
for the cause of Christ that knocked the faith from the wayward had come against
these too, but they stood fast in the faith without budging.
This is how we know and believe, and it is how we know others believe, by their
sincerity of heart that shines brighter in times of adversity.
(254d) Trinity
>>
Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >>
Jesus is the life of the Spirit >> We live
because He is life >> God gives life to our
faith in Jesus
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Phi 4,4-9
(81k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Pray without ceasing >> For the Church >>
Giving thanks
Phi 4-4,5
(125h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Joy >>
Joy is the result of obedience –
Rejoicing
over our salvation is the theme of Philippians. This is a popular little verse. It has become
lyrics to many songs; it is often quoted and is obviously a very joyful verse,
bringing a sense of hope. Paul is saying that regardless of our circumstances
we are to rejoice. When we get to heaven, our circumstances won’t
matter anymore, so rejoice that one day the heavy burdens will be taken off
our backs. They will fade like the lifting fog with the morning sun, so rejoice. All
our problems will disappear but we will remain children of God
forever in His kingdom, so rejoice. We have been appointed for eternal life;
God has called our name and we answered His call, and now we belong to Him, so rejoice.
No matter what happens to us; no matter how bad things get, rejoice in
the Lord, and again I say rejoice, for we
have eternal life dwelling in us. Our joy despises our circumstances, not allowing them to govern how we live
or walk, but to remain
the same person throughout our trials and temptations, so we come out the
other side unscathed with our faith intact, singing and making melody
in our hearts to the Lord. This is not an option; nor is it a commandment;
Paul is telling us to rejoice because this is what Christians do. If we live
this way, it proves we know God, for who else rejoices in difficulties
and hardships?
Phi 4-5
(89a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >>
Being sensible is always wise
(99k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Perseverance (Working to keep in motion) >>
Persevere in doing good
(108g) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Balance >> Do all things in moderation
(126k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Patience >>
Have patience for the return of Christ >> The physical return of Christ – If you want to broadcast something about
yourself, broadcast gentleness of spirit. When he says the Lord is near, he is
referring to the last days, so let patience be your message, as we draw closer to His appearing. If you
want to reflect the fact that you know God, they will see Him in you, not in some boisterous proclamation of the gospel or
in your vain sociability, but in your gentle
moderation before all men.
(128e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Gentleness >>
Be gentle in all your ways >> Put gentleness in
your character –
What did Jesus
say about gentleness in the Beatitudes? “Blessed are the gentle, for they
shall inherit the earth” (Mat 5-5). Many people don't believe this verse but
believe instead that apex predators take what they want from the weak and
helpless, but what they don’t know is that everything will be taken from them and given to
those who love and serve God with a gentle and contrite heart.
(142d) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >>
Having a good reputation >> A reputation of good
works
(237d) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom
>>
The rapture >> Receiving the kingdom in God’s
time –
We are always to rejoice and put our gentle spirit on display for all to see,
because the Lord is near; even in Paul’s time the Lord was near. It was not
a lie or a deception. The Lord is always near; He is always about to appear.
Of course we think in terms of time; we count the weeks, months and years, but
God lives in eternity and He has an eternal perspective. He understands a
sequence of events, disregarding time between each event. In God’s mind the Lord is near, but
to us it has been 2000 years and counting. We look at Paul writing this letter
and say he was
wrong; he expected the Lord to return in his lifetime and He didn’t come,
but this doesn't discount the fact that the Lord is near. Paul renewed his
mind each day; he thought like God, having forced his thinking into
conformity with the mind of Christ, so in Paul’s mind it didn’t matter if
the Lord came in his lifetime or not; the only thing that mattered was
doing the will of God with the time he was given.
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Phi 4,6-13
(8n)
Responsibility >> Prevent sin from coming
between you and God –
Here is the solution to preventing sin: live
in communion with God's word and with the Holy Spirit.
(117b) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
Rest in Jesus (Sabbath) >> Rest in His yoke through
obedience
Phi 4,6-9
(28k) Gift of God
>>
God is our advocate >> God protects us through
prayer
(30l) Gift of God
>>
God favors you through your prayers
(87f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Ministry to God through obedience >> The
obedience of prayer
(126b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Peace >>
God is at peace >> The Peace of God –
God is at peace with Himself. His peace is greater than any that man has ever
known in the flesh. Occasionally, when we find His presence, we discover Him in a way that defies
comprehension. This is what God’s peace can do for us: what we experience of
Him
we can use in other circumstances. We often don’t value God's peace as we should,
for a person who is in constant turmoil longs
for peace. The kind of peace that man understands is the opposite of war, but
when someone experiences God, they are at peace with Him and thus with
themselves. It is a spiritual state that is incomprehensible to the
natural mind. God has invited us to
fellowship with Him and become immersed in His peace and forget our fleshly existence
and our circumstances. This gives us hope to trust God to get us through our
circumstances and realize that heaven is worth any suffering we must endure,
for one day we will enter His peace and remain there forever. The irony is that Satan likes to use tribulation to pull us from God's
peace, yet tribulation is the very environment that God's peace is most
effective. His peace is not hinged
on our circumstances but is defined as one of the attributes of God, that is,
one of the fruits of the Spirit, promised to those who obey Him. Those who
know God's peace have also known difficulties in this life, for God uses these
moments as a way to boost His people to higher levels of peace to overcome their
circumstances.
Phi 4,6-8
(4k)
Responsibility >> The choices you
make >> Accountable for your thoughts
Phi 4-6,7
(24f) Sin
>>
Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Anxiety >>
Worrying about the things you need –
Anxiety is a knee-jerk reaction to our
circumstances, which looms beyond our control, opposing a logical solution. It is based on a sense of personal
accountability to our problems, though at a loss as how to solve them. God does not want us to let fear run our lives. The
book of Philippians is known for
these two verses. People emphasize them because there is so much anxiety in
the world, and this passage offers a solution. We are physically built for reacting to threatening circumstances,
but anxiety is more threatening than the problems that cause us to fear.
Anxiety often perceives trouble even when it doesn't exist, and for this reason it is good to logically itemize our
problems and categorize them as either threatening or
non-threatening. Although this
helps, it is not the solution that Paul is
presenting here, because what do we do with circumstances that are a
legitimate threat? This life is often scary, yet anxiety is never
legitimate, not under any circumstances. Anxiety is not a response to our
problems or even a conscious decision, but is one of many torturers of the mind. The fact that Jesus was never anxious
exposes anxiety as completely unfounded (Lk 8,22-25). Therefore,
it is safe to say that anxiety is a sin. It is debilitating, giving the sensation of being stuck in the mud while a monster is stalking us.
Our wheels are ferociously spinning, but we’re not going anywhere. Anxiety
is the feeling we get after we awaken from a nightmare, our panic dissipates
as consciousness fills our mental space, making us realize we are not in
trouble with our dream-state. Similarly, the day we pass from this life to the
next and enter heaven, all our anxieties will melt away. God's
answer is to wean us off accountability to our problems and onto
accountability to our relationship with Him.
(58h) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> More you pray the less anxious you
are -- These verses go with verses 11&12. What do we do to quell anxiety in
our lives? Paul
said, ‘Don’t be anxious but pray,’ and if we are extremely anxious, then
we are to pray exceedingly hard. We are to pray in proportion to our anxiety,
adding thankfulness. Don’t just talk to God about our problems, but
give them to Him, and give thanks that He cares about us and is willing to act on our behalf.
We are to pray forward our thanks to God, which is the very concept of faith.
We are to let peace replace our anxiety, knowing we put our problems in His hand. It doesn’t really work to give Him our anxiety before
we become troubled in heart, so mental anguish is part of this life, though
there is a remedy.
(79f) Thy kingdom come
>>
Renewing your mind through prayer – What about solving our problems that
is causing
our anxiety in the first place? It wasn’t even mentioned here. Anxiety is
the real problem, not our circumstances. If we can get our anxiety under
control, we will be able to solve our problems, but we cannot solve our
problems in a state of anxiety. A person who is anxious is frozen in fear. If
we have unsolvable problems, we need to take them to God, who alone can do the
impossible, only in His time, which itself has a way of changing our
circumstances. Think of a time in life when we were dealing with
enormous problems; where are they now? They found their way in our
rearview mirror, a mere speck that eventually disappeared. Anxiety can become
a way of life if we don’t learn to control it, so we remain anxious even
when there are no problems. Anxiety saps our energy, but God wants us to live
and walk in a state of peace. He wants to impart a supernatural peace into us,
one that transcends human comprehension. Paul is talking about
experiencing a peace that comes from heaven that is not contingent on our
circumstances.
(82a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Three elements of prayer >> Direction (Attitude) >> What to pray for
(103l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Purifying process >> Purified by circumstances >>
Purified Through hardship
(118l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Law of the spirit >> Spirit delivers you from
the desire to sin –
If the peace of God is beyond our comprehension, then this is the case with
all the fruits of the Spirit, and if they are beyond our comprehension, then
the Scriptures are commanding us to walk and live in this spiritual realm. If these things are incomprehensible, then what is our
role and involvement in them? We’re not involved, “we” meaning our flesh,
the natural mind. The fact of it being incomprehensible indicates that it is the work of God; He is the one
involved; He is working in us. We work with Him, but our role is like the gopher (go-for) who hands the
master plumber the next tool He needs to do the job and makes trips to the
truck to get the right fittings. We are the plumber’s helper; we do not
understand the technical end of the profession. Sometimes our faith in Jesus
leads us into some pretty raunchy places to do some dangerous jobs. Preaching
the gospel of the kingdom to a violent world that hates God can lead to
compromising situations regarding our health and well being. Hard as we think
we are working to sustain our faith and spread the knowledge of the kingdom,
God is working seven times harder and accomplishing a hundred times more.
(250e) Priorities
>>
God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >>
In all things ... >> Give thanks for all things
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Phi 4-7
(228h) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God
working in you >> God works in you to keep you
in His will –
Each of the passages regarding this topic: God working in you must be
compared to the key verse: Phi 1-6, “I am confident of this very
thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of
Christ Jesus.” It appears that our will has been removed from the equation
of God working in us, when in fact we know it hasn’t, but there is an aspect
of our salvation that God absolutely controls. This is more than a
perspective; it is a reality. Nevertheless, in Jd-21 he charges us to “keep yourselves in
the love of God.” Also, Jesus commanded us to abide in His love (Jn
15-9,10), which are examples of Scripture requiring us to remain in Him, yet we maintain that God is keeping us in His love. If it
weren’t for Him working in us, we could never get saved or stay saved or see
one day in heaven. We would go astray, every one of us, and we would never
return, because the world, the flesh and the devil together have an influence
on us that is insurmountable from a human standpoint. Nobody could walk in faith if it weren’t for
Christ working in us.
Phi 4-8,9
(69ba) Authority >> Discernment >> Discerning the knowledge
of God >> Discerning true motives –
In some ways it is not hard to be a Christian; everything is spelled out for
us, but in other ways it is very hard to be a Christian. We don’t have to
guess what is in a person’s heart; in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus simply
told us to be fruit inspectors, and He commanded us to produce the fruit of
the kingdom. Paul said that the Church could look to him to know how to live
as a Christian in the world. He had a lot of confidence in his walk with God,
and for this reason he used himself as a model of Christianity. What about us,
though; we wouldn’t dare name ourselves a model Christian for fear of
getting a lot of terse looks. We would call it brash; most of us are not
confident enough in our walk to make such a claim. We usually tell people to
follow Jesus; let Him be their standard. Nevertheless, we should pattern our
lives after Jesus and strive to be a model Christian for others. We could
probably tell a drug addict or a career criminal to follow us as we follow
Christ, who steals and mugs and robs, but could we say it to an upstanding
citizen? Paul suffered mental, emotional, spiritual and physical abuse at the
hands of the Jews and other people groups without besmirching the gospel.
(69f) Authority
>>
Righteous judgment >> Meditate on discernment >>
Judging what is true
(95i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Attitude >> Having an obedient attitude >>
Attitude of a servant
(103h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Purifying process >> Cleanse yourself
(155h) Witness
>>
Validity of the believer >> Witness of the
believer >> The Father bears witness of the
believer
Phi 4-8
(78j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Renewing your mind by the word of God >> Study
the Bible – Paul gives
a list of whatever's, telling us to dwell on them. He could just as well have
said, ‘Don’t watch TV,’ because whatever is broadcast often is opposite
this list. Jesus said to be careful what you listen to (Lk 8-18), and Psalm
101-3 says, “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes.” To stare at the
TV screen is to dwell on it; no doubt I am preaching to myself. I
am convinced that America would still be strong if an idiot box were not
placed in every house, designed to dumb
us down. Paul refers to renewing our mind in the word of God and prayer as he said in
Rom 12-1,2, calling us to immerse ourselves in the things of God.
He doesn’t want us influenced by things that are contrary to His
nature, for the more we pay attention to them the more they
influence us, making it harder to walk in Him. Things that are contrary tend to impede our walk, and Paul wants us free
of impediments. If we fill our mind with junk, it will make us wonder about our faith, but if we fill our
mind
with the word of God, we will see the world as God sees it.
Phi 4-9
(11j) Servant
>>
Paul is our example of how to walk with God – Paul says, ‘Use me as an example of how you
should live.’ How many of us can prescribe our own walk with the Lord as
an example for others? Paul often said this, because he
knew he was an excellent example of Christianity. To
read that Paul obeyed the Lord means we can too, suggesting that it is possible to put down
the flesh and pick up the things of
God. Paul’s message to the Church has always been
that not only is there an eternal reward waiting for us in heaven, there is
even a more immediate hope of serving the Lord in this life. We are
like pigeons more than we would like to admit; we need a fairly
immediate reward for our obedience. We can’t just sacrifice our lives in
hope of eternal life. There is reward in this
life for serving Christ, but that reward can only be realized through the
unity in the Church.
Consequently, a lack
of unity eliminates incentive to obey Christ.
(72l)
Authority >> Hierarchy of authority
>>
Authority makes you accountable >> Parents are responsible for their children
– Parents
are the standard of behavior for their children, as Paul was the standard of
behavior for the Church. He was confident about himself, knowing how he
walked with Christ. How many of us
are confident enough to endorse our behavior as the standard for the Church?
God has challenged all fathers to live flawlessly in front of their
children.
He requires all fathers to be an example with as much confidence as Paul,
for children emulate their fathers, who are the authority figure in the
home.
(78n) Thy kingdom come
>>
Putting your heart on display >> The result of
a renewed mind
(92c) Thy kingdom come
>>
The narrow way >> Trail of good works >>
Practice walking a straight line –
Paul had tremendous confidence in his walk with God; it would be nice to
have that level of confidence, but there is a price to pay for it; we must
walk blamelessly (Phi 1-10). Not sinless, that is unattainable; none of us are without sin. Jesus said we are to
be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (Mat 5-48). To be perfect means to be without contradiction, and
to be blameless means to be innocent in the sight of men, without hypocrisy. The difference between
committing sin and practicing sin is being in bondage to it. Paul said in
1Cor 6-10, “All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by
anything.” God does not want us in bondage to anything but to be
completely free, except as slaves of righteousness (Rom 6-18). If we are
under bondage to any kind of sin, we must seek to become free of it. We are
not to tolerate bondage of any kind, though we all commit sin. We are to be
perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. If
we overcome the various forms of bondage to sin that plague us, the God of
peace will be with us, but there is
no peace with the person who practices sin.
(93i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Following Jesus >> Through men >>
Follow the example of others –
Paul promised the Philippians that if they used his walk as a model for
their own walk, the God of peace would be with them. Are we confident enough to prescribe our
walk with Jesus to others? Paul was a man of
tremendous faith and sincerity of heart; every aspect of
his life was surrendered to the authority of Christ. That doesn’t
mean he never sinned; he was a sinner like the rest of us, but he was not in
bondage to anything. He taught that we are free, and that we should refuse
to be mastered by anything (1Cor 6-12). We are free/slaves at the same time. The Church
today likes the word freedom, but when we start talking about slaves
of righteousness, we get timid. However, the only way we can follow Christ
is to become slaves of righteousness. Our sinful flesh will not obey
Christ unless we force it. Righteousness does not come naturally to
us; rather, sin does, and to overcome the bondage of sin, we must
become slaves of righteousness.
(142e) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Having a good reputation >>
A reputation of being trustworthy
Phi 4-10
(72m)
Authority >> Hierarchy of authority
>>
Authority makes you accountable >> Children are
accountable to their parents –
Paul rejoiced in the Philippian Church that they revived their concern for
him, being indicative of spiritual maturity. They all knew he cared for them,
for he demonstrated that tirelessly, and now the Philippians were finally
reciprocating their concern for him and showing signs that they were maturing
in the Lord. They were responsible not only to let Paul care for them and for
God to care for them, but also to care for Paul and for the Lord’s concerns,
instead of caring only for themselves. This is what Paul said to the
Philippians in chapter two: “Do not merely look out for your own personal
interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phi 2-4), using the
Lord’s example. Being the Son of God Jesus humbled Himself and became a
servant, and Paul was telling the Philippians they should use Him as a model
and humble themselves as He did and serve one another. It says that the
Philippians were concerned about Paul, but they lacked opportunity to show
their concern, indicating that Paul had needs, and the Philippians wanted to
help meet those needs.
(125g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Joy >>
Joy is the result of unity
(247e) Priorities
>>
God’s priorities >> God’s interests >>
Concern >> Concerned about your well being
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Phi 4,11-13
(96h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Attitude >> Having an attitude of humility
(121a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Contentment >>
Content with your way of life >> Content in
any circumstance – Contentment ties in with anxiety, which Paul
addressed earlier in this chapter; we tend to be anxious about our needs.
Instead of being our provider of material things, God will often endow us with
something even more valuable than food or clothing or even a roof over our
heads, and that is contentment. To be content with macaroni and cheese or
with a smaller bed or a smaller house, instead of complaining about them, we say, ‘it is
sufficient for my needs, for my only real need is God.’ This is the language
of contentment: ‘Yes, I have needs, and most of them are spiritual.’
When we live in a state of contentment, we still have needs, but contentment realizes that all we really
need is God. Contentment is a way of prioritizing our lives; it
is a spiritual experience in itself, something we strive to
achieve, which results in a richer and fuller faith in God. Contentment is one of the most valuable gifts we
will ever receive,
especially when we lose the power to supply our own needs, for it replaces
our needs as key to survival during hard times. See also: Contentment; 231b
(137i) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >> Maturing in Jesus is hard work >> Maturity is a
training process
(206b) Salvation
>>
God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to
promises >> Conditions to living in the spirit >>
Conditions to participating in the spirit – God does not need to be powerful in our lives
when our vats are filled with all good things. When our materialistic needs
are met, we tend to forget God and simply enjoy the reward of serving Him. It’s easy to attribute our prosperity to God, but to whom do we
attribute poverty? We attribute that to Him too, and for that reason we say
that the condition of poverty is not evil or even negative, but is natural and normal
among men and beasts in this life. There are lots of people who are
materialistic and do not serve the Lord, so our things are by no means a
measure of faith, as some misguidedly purport. Spiritual
rewards are more significant than material ones, because we know they are from
God.
(231b) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery
of godliness >> Solving the mystery of godliness >> The mystery is solved in contentment
– Through the avenue of contentment God
strengthens us to do all things. We can almost say that without contentment
God cannot strengthen us. There is a level of suffering in the process of
accepting contentment, and this suffering ushers us into the presence of God, who strengthens so we can do all things, including the ability
to get along with less. America is steeped in materialism. Most people
cannot visualize being without their many things, but it is inevitable
that America will lose its grip on materialism, and we will become like all the
other nations that struggle to survive. The question is, are we ready
to embrace contentment? If we let God lead us, He will
replace our things with Himself, replacing our weakness with His
strength, so we won’t need all those things. See also: Contentment; Phi 4-11;
74e
(249h) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >>
True perception of wealth >> The infinite and
eternal wealth of God >> Being rich in Jesus -- These verses go with verse 19
Phi 4-11,12
(58h) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> More you pray the less anxious you
are -- These verses go with verses 6&7
(100i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Diligence >> Diligence in protecting your heart
from greed
(171l) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance of
circumstances
(189k)
Die to self (Process of substitution) >>
Separation from the old man >> Masochism
(Self-made martyr) >> Fasting >> Fasting is
a state of mourning – Paul
could be filled with the Spirit while he went hungry. In fact, we could say the two of them go
together, called
fasting. Fasting simulates hard times. God, for whatever reason, is a little
more accessible to us when we fast. Through fasting He is trying to show us not to be afraid of hard times.
We ask God through fasting to transform our lack of sustenance into His substance,
which He does by replacing our physical hunger with being filled with the
Spirit,
especially when we fast by compulsion, that is, when we have nothing to eat.
When our cupboards are bare, how much more willing are we to go to God and ask
Him for help, and how much more is God willing to help us? How much more are
our ears attentive to His voice?
Phi 4-11
(74e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Heart is man’s central value system >> Where man
interprets worth –
Contentment is perhaps the most vulgar word
in the English dictionary to those who love their material possessions, who
consider
the word almost blasphemous. For God to ask materialistic people to trade their things for
contentment is tantamount to believing God is evil; but those who
love the Lord with all their hearts, they are willing to give up their material things for the gift
of contentment, because they know whatever God asks of them will lead to deeper truth, wisdom and
understanding, expanding their relationship with Him, but those who are materialistic do not value these things.
See also: Contentment; 120i
(120i) Contentment
(Key
verse) –
Contentment is one of the greatest gifts anyone could ever receive from God. With contentment
we won't become
materialistic but have more time to spend on our faith. Contentment has eyes that see better than the lustful eyes of
materialism. Contentment knows the inner being is more important than the flesh
and its carnal interests; it knows that things can't make us happy, and that our exterior will
one day rot in the grave, leaving the inner person in need of God. Preparing for
eternal life with Christ is
what everyone should be doing, and contentment is just the way to do it. See also: Contentment; Phi 4-12;
54m
KJV
WEB
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Phi 4-12
(54m) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> As having nothing yet possessing
all things – Paul
said that he learned to be content in any circumstance. He knew how to get along with humble means and he knew how to live
in prosperity. He learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, having
abundance and suffering need. Paul just gave away the secret; he said there
exists a paradox in contentment, that we can live humbly and in
prosperity at the same time. We may not always have enough to eat; we
may not always be clothed properly; we may not always have a roof over our
head, but our spirit always prospers, perhaps even more during periods of dire
straights. Our lack drives us to God for help in supplying our needs, so He becomes even bigger in times
of deep poverty. The more we sink to the bottom of our resources the closer we
get to God, as though He were waiting for us at the bottom of the barrel. See also: Contentment; Phi 4,14-19;
30d
Phi 4-13
(9e)
Responsibility >> God strengthens us from our weaknesses – God
required great things from His apostles in the first century, yet none of them
considered His calling to be a barrier but a bridge to accomplishing His will.
The beauty of doing God’s will is we know from the beginning that we will
succeed, not in the things we choose to do for Him, but in the things He has
chosen for us. No matter how difficult, how complicated, how much time and effort is required, we know we can do all things
through Him who strengthens us. We will succeed, because He gives us
strength and determination to finish the course. Some of the greatest
accomplishments were performed through sheer determination, things that
required too much time, too much effort, too much sacrifice to be a reasonable
goal were accomplished to spite the limitations, and the payoff is tallied in heaven. All
these things we can do through Him who strengthens us if we are working
according to His will. We Christians don’t get to choose how we
live, for God has a purpose for each of us and we are obligated to press into it. If we say
that the will of God is not attractive, then pray until it does become attractive.
God’s calling is a perfect match with the natural and divine
gifts God has given us.
(70jb) Authority >>
Believer’s authority >> We have been given
authority over all creation >> We have authority over the elements
(93c) Thy kingdom come
>>
The narrow way >> You will find your ministry
along the narrow way
– Did Paul say
he could do anything he set his mind
to do, or did he say he could do all things that God set Paul’s mind to do?
We can do all things along the trail of good works that God has prepared for
us to do. As we walk on this designated trail, we find our
purpose and calling in life; these are the things that God has prepared for us,
and in so doing we become the person He had in mind. In other words,
those who don't know their calling also don't know who they are in Christ, for who we are and
what we do are inexorably linked. Many people spend their whole lives
searching for God’s will and never seem to find it. Every person has a different experience in
his
pursuit of God, who promises that if we seek Him with all our heart, we will
find Him. When we reflect on our search for God, we see a trail behind us that was
ordained by God, even if we felt lost along the way. When we get to heaven, God
will open our eyes to the many things we did that created a chain of events
that changed people’s lives and our own, because our works were seasoned as it were
with grace. Our lives can have a profound impact on others if we are seeking God with a whole
heart; that is key, but if we
are merely doing our own thing, our spiritual impact on others will be
negligible.
(113n) Thy kingdom come
>> Faith >>
The anointing >> Our weakness proves it is the
power of God
KJV
WEB
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Phi 4,14-19
(7c) Responsibility
>> Protecting the gospel >> Defending the word of God >> Protecting the men who carry the gospel
(30d) Gift of God
>>
Prepare to receive from God >> God supplies our
needs under certain conditions – Contentment works through a cycle of anxiety, prayer and giving,
that sets up the conditions for God's provision. The statement, "And my God shall supply
all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus,"
summarizes the entire forth chapter of Philippians. Not only does God reward
us in heaven, He also rewards us in this life by supplying all our
needs in a state of contentment. It doesn’t mean we can raise our
standard of living because God is our provider. On the contrary, through prayer regarding our anxiety about our lack, we
develop a certain level of contentment that lowers our standard of living, and
as we give to others in that state, God will give us
an eternal reward that we can begin to enjoy in this life as He supplies all
our needs according to His riches and glory. As we seek
freedom from the fear of poverty through the word of God and prayer, He will
give us the gift of contentment that will supply all our needs, and as we give
to His cause in the ministry, God will reward us as
our provider. See also: Contentment; Phi 4,11-13;
121a
(131g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Interdependence >> Serving one another
(192d) Die to self
>>
Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by
losing >> Receiving from God by substitution >>
Wheeling and dealing in God’s spiritual economy
(235b) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >>
Tithing >> Be faithful in your tithes >>
Tithing is a true sign of faithfulness –
Paul praised the Philippians for their maturity they
had achieved through giving. Money affects every aspect of our
lives, so when we give to a cause, we are giving with every aspect of our
lives. What people do with their money determines their value system. The
Philippians valued the Kingdom of God, and so they gave to Paul and to his
cause on the basis of promoting the gospel of Christ, leading them to become
mature Christians in all other areas of life. Influential charlatans
with a gift of gab have the power to talk money out of our pockets, but this
does not represent faithfulness to God; it only reflects our vulnerability to
this sort of people. When we give this way, it doesn’t prove we
love God or have prioritized His kingdom in our heart. We say that money has
value, so we don’t give money to anything except what we value. We buy
things we need that are valuable to us, and the Philippians needed God in
their lives, and they needed Paul as their leader. They valued his ministry
saving souls, making disciples and establishing churches; they valued the
Kingdom of God as a whole. They recognized their place in the world as
disciples of Jesus, and they wanted to give to that cause, so they took
their valuable money and gave it to Paul, because they wanted to see the
gospel advance into far reaches of the world.
Phi 4,14-16
(165l) Works of the devil
>>
Manifestations of the devil >> The hardship of
affliction
Phi 4-14
(136f) Temple
>>
Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of
Christ >> Jesus’ fleshly body >> Our flesh enters Jesus’ sacrifice
(188g) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Suffering >>
Enduring your circumstances
Phi 4,15-19
(130h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Committed to caring for the needs of the body >>
Commitment stimulates intimate bonding -- These verses go with verse
3
Phi 4,16-19
(57i) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> Less I have the more I receive / my
abundance is a Supply for their need
Phi 4-16,17
(96i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Attitude >> Positive attitude about giving –
Paul said, ‘he didn’t seek the gift itself, but the profit that increased
to their account.’ When he reached his bottom dollar, starving, poorly
clothed, exhausted, tortured on multiple fronts and without his daily
needs, then he sought their gift, but Paul said he
wasn’t personally seeking the gift but was happy for the Philippians that
they had a giving heart that would sustain them in any circumstance and bring
them joy and prosperity. They didn't revel in financial profit, since they
just gave away their money, but they profited in other ways, according to
their priorities that allowed them to give to Paul's need. They placed God’s interests above their own.
Anyone who does this is guaranteed prosperity. As stepping stones that lead from one level of maturity to another, we
grow in faith while time is subtracted from our life. Growing closer to eternity, we already
enjoy our eternal reward. God wants
to minimize the contrast between heaven and earth and diminish the difference
between our current life and our life in heaven (Mat 6-10). The
more we seek heavenly rewards, the more we enjoy them in this life. The more contrast is lessoned, the more heaven-like we
become, as we let our light shine for all to see, that we may glorify God and
encourage others to believe in Jesus.
(236d) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >>
All things are for your sake >> Our motive is
for your up-building
Phi 4,17-19
(226h) Kingdom of God
>>
Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of heaven >>
Levels of reward >> God rewards us to the degree
of our faithfulness – God
returns what we give to His cause of the gospel. He may not give us our money back, but He has plans
on rewarding us for our generosity. This subject of rewards is a
stickler to many. Some don’t understand why God would reward us.
Many think the only reward is eternal life, but there are other
rewards.
KJV
WEB
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Phi 4-18,19
(31d) Gift of God
>>
God is our Father >> His favor enriches your
life
(190a) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Masochism
(Self-made martyr) >> Laying your body on the altar
–
Does it feel like masochism when we give until it hurts? Paul called
the offering of the Philippian Church a fragrant aroma, in reference to old
covenant temple worship. The fragrant aroma is reminiscent of the Golden Altar
of Incense that was located in the Holy Place in front of the veil leading to the
Holy of Holies. Although it was physically located in the outer room, it was
technically an article of the inner room. The Most Holy Place was accessible
only one time a year, yet the Golden Altar of Incense needed to be perpetually maintained in the daily removing of ashes and
replenishing incense. The altar of
incense represented prayer; therefore, the Philippian’s gift to God, given
to Paul, was a transaction that occurred behind the veil in the Most Holy
Place as a result of prayer. When we give our prayers, tithes and offerings with a right spirit, God considers it a holy sacrifice. This is
how God views our obedience to the Holy Spirit. We have limited
resources, and so it takes faith to give. Our possessions are intended to meet
our own needs, but when we give to supply the need of others, we are acting
like God, who first gave to us. See also: Temple worship; Phi 4-18; 189a
/ Golden Altar of Incense represented
prayer;
Rev 5-8; 82k
(247i) Priorities
>>
God’s priorities >> God’s interests >>
Things that please God –
When Paul said that God would supply all our needs, he meant that universally. We are finite
creatures and have only a certain amount to
give. We might have a couple nickels to rub together, and if we give them to
the ministry, God will determine what we need and give that to us in return.
It is through God's calling that we give our time, money, strength or
knowledge to the ministry, and it is also God’s choice how He returns the
blessing. We are
not in control of any aspect of His Church, except the exercise of our will. God will bless us so
long as we are plugged into His purpose for our lives. This is how we
work with God how He wants His kingdom to grow in the grace and knowledge of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Phi 4-18
(189a) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Holy sacrifice >>
The smell of death
>> Priestly anointing perfume of sacrifice
– This comes from the old covenant, where the
fragrant aroma refers to the altar of perpetual incense that represented prayer. To Jesus it represented the sacrifice of His
own body, whereas to us it represents dying to self, as Paul said in Rom 12-1,
"I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your
bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
service of worship." Remember that the Golden Altar of Incense
represented prayer, so according to the pattern of old covenant worship all
our sacrifices should be bathed in prayer. Part of temple worship involved the gift of turtledoves;
that is, part of the service of death pertained to our giving until it hurt. It appears that our giving resembles old covenant temple services, but is really just the other
way around: God ordered old covenant temple services as a foreshadow
of a coming new covenant ministry. We don’t have to give turtledoves
anymore, for
our giving has become more practical.
Giving to the work of the ministry has a far more practical application to old
covenant temple worship, for none of their offerings ever blessed anyone but
God. See also: Temple worship; Phi 4-18,19; 190a
(252j) Trinity
>>
You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship
God >> Worship God by your lifestyle --
This verse goes with verse 20
Phi 4-19
(249h) Priorities
>>
God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >>
True perception of wealth >> The infinite and
eternal wealth of God >> Being rich in Jesus -- This verse goes with verses
11-13
Phi 4-20
(252j) Trinity
>>
You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship
God >> Worship God by your lifestyle --
This verse goes with verse 18
KJV
WEB
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Phi 4,21-23
(123g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love >>
Spiritual affection >> Ministry of the saints >>
Emotional benediction toward helpers –
Paul’s greeting meant a lot to him and to those of his helpers and to those
who received his greeting. The world doesn't love itself like the saints love each
other. The closest the world has to the love of God is love between immediate
family members, but even that has been falling to the wayside in these last
days. Then there is the love between friends, which is largely based on common
interests. The love of the brethren goes far
beyond these things, defined by Jesus in this way: “Greater love has no one
than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15-13). This is
the definition of Christian love. Back then many people had this kind of love.
They would prefer to sacrifice themselves than to see anything happen to their
Christian friends. That kind of love in the Church for the most part doesn’t
currently exist, but perhaps it will be restored in the last days before
Christ's return, when the saints will once again lay down their lives for the
brethren.
Phi 4-22
(131l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Having soul ties -- This verse goes with verses 2&3.
Greeting
the brethren was one of the great joys of Christianity, greeting those who
belong to the family of God who are of like faith. There is a big controversy
in the Church today regarding what the Bible means by the word “brother”.
Does it mean fellow believer or does it also include our unbelieving
neighbor? During Jesus’ ministry he went around the regions surrounding
Israel preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and he spoke to people as they
were his brothers. This is in reference to His fellow countrymen the Jews; He
did not consider the gentiles His brethren. Then after Pentecost, when the
apostles went about preaching the gospel of the kingdom, the Church at that
point understood the word “brother” to mean fellow believer, Jew or
gentile. However, when we include “the Good Samaritan” in this discussion,
who was considered a “neighbor” which has a less intimate connotation than
brother, it suggests that we lay down our lives for them too whenever needed. We are most committed to our immediate
family members, then to our brethren in the faith, and finally to our
neighbors in the world in that order. See also: Brother versus neighbor;
1The 4,3-8; 203g
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