A COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS  

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 Chapter Four

 

“Living like Christ”

 

In Philippians chapter four Paul continues to address the Christians at Philippi and how to live in a Christ-like manner.

 

“1 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. 2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. 3 Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.”

 

First in verse one he shares his desire to see his fellow Christians and calls them his joy and crown. He also urges them to stand firm in the Lord. Paul is demonstrating his affection for them but also his fatherly concern that they remain firm in their commitment to the Lord.

 

He also instructs the Disciples of Christ in Philippi to help those women who have shared in the struggles of Paul’s ministry and specifically mentions Clement, as well as all other unnamed fellow Christians whom he calls “my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.” What an honor to be called by the Apostle Paul a fellow worker; but even more descriptive is the specific description of them having their names written in the “book of life.” This is the book spoken of in Revelation which contains the names of all true Disciples of Christ and who will live through eternity with Christ. This book is opened at the Great White Throne judgment.

 

Revelation 20:12-15

“And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

 

In verse four we have the famous verse that states, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

 

“4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”   

 

Songs have been written with these words due to the fact that they reflect how the Lord Jesus is worthy of praise because of how He, as well as the Father and Holy Spirit are holy and pure, omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (present everywhere) and omnipotent (all powerful). Salvation is made possible by the Father to those who accept His only Son, Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Because of Jesus’ holy life and perfect sacrifice for sins the Father grants us eternal life in Heaven. The Holy Spirit is also given to us (He dwells within a Disciple of Christ0 when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord. The Holy Spirit is a seal which establishes the security of our salvation in Christ. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to glorify Christ in us through helping us understand scripture and empower us to live holy and pure as we express God’s love towards others. Because the Lord provides for us and works in our lives, we can rejoice always in the Lord.

 

These words in verse 4 are also convicting. We often hear this verse quoted to us when we are in the midst of a conflict or trial. We are depressed, worried, concerned, at wits end and this verse seems to be telling us to do something that is so “impossible” at the moment. In such difficult situation we ask ourselves or possibly even God Himself; “How can I rejoice in the Lord when my world is falling apart?” The verse is asking us, not to ignore the trial we are going through. It is asking us to turn our focus on the difficult situation or hardship or suffering and rejoice that God loves you, that the Holy Spirit will empower you to get through this, that Jesus Christ is praying for you right now because He knows you are struggling. God the Father, Son and Spirit always know how you are doing and are working in your life in ways you may not be aware of at the time. While we may have no way of knowing how to cope with our difficult situation; we can take comfort in the fact that God knows EXACTLY how we feel, or how confused we are in our mind or how hurt we are from some actions of another. Rejoicing in the Lord will shift your thoughts towards trust in God, towards worshipping Him in your situation and allow you to rest in the fact that God will help you through the situation.

 

The impact of these words are multiplied as well because Paul repeats his command. Anytime in scripture you have repetition of words or sentences this is an indication that there is a double emphasis of the importance of the idea, concept or command. It would be different if Paul said, “when possible rejoice” or “rejoice as much as you can.” But Paul is saying here “Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!” And then he says it once more for EMPHASIS.

 

I believe there are two major points he wants to stress here.

 

First, we are to rejoice, not necessarily FOR the difficult circumstance or hardship, but rejoice IN THE LORD and how HE is overseeing our situation. We really can rejoice in the Lord, because we know He allows all things, blessings and hardships, to take place for a reason. We rejoice in Him because He is our friend, Savior and Master. We rejoice in Him because we know He loves us more than anyone else and beyond what we can fully understand. He is not only our Lord, but also our Advocate and encourager. He strengthens us no matter what is happening and that is why we can rejoice in the Lord, because we know He cares deeply.

 

Secondly, Paul is commanding us in an encouraging way to rejoice “always” because no matter what is happening Christ is always by our side. If we are a Believer, He is always with us in all that we encounter. If we have a Heavenly mindset or perspective, we will discern that in the midst of horrible events, we can rejoice that God knows exactly what is happening and has the answers we need for coping and working through our situation. We can rejoice always because God’s peace, power and provision are always available, because He is always available.

 

A Third point could also be made in the fact that as Disciples of Christ we have the Holy Spirit within us who ministers to us in such difficult situations and if we submit to His influence He will enable us to “rejoice” even in horrible trials, temptations and struggles. He reminds us of who we are in Christ. He intercedes for us in trials and temptations. He encourages us as He brings scripture to our minds and helps us apply it to our emotions and thoughts. A verse in Romans discusses this.

 

Romans 8:26-27

“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

 

In verse five we have another challenging encouragement from Paul. He states, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”

 

“5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.”

 

First, Paul is assuming that we are gentle in our demeanor. He is implying that if we are close to the Lord in our relationship with Him then we will have the gentleness of Christ that will be demonstrated by how we treat others and react to situations. What happens if you read this verse as a Christian and you know that you aren’t really that “gentle?” It would very likely convict you that you need to work on this area of your life as well as your relationship with the Lord.

 

Secondly, Paul adds the short comment, “The Lord is near.” There is a massive amount of spiritual truth in these four words. While we might be gentle in our outward behavior, true gentleness comes from a Christ-like heart and this is generated from being filled with the Spirit as well as knowing that Jesus Christ is very near to us. Did you know that Christ is “NEAR” to you at all times? That means not just when you are gentle and loving. It also includes when you are rash, rude and inconsiderate. Reminding the Philippians and us today that “The Lord is near” causes us to remind ourselves that Christ is always aware of our thoughts and actions.

 

The phrase, “The Lord is near” also reminds the Philippians and us that the return of the Lord is near and with His return to Earth will come a judgment of everyone’s actions and behavior. These actions, behaviors and even our thought life are evidence of our commitment or lack of it to the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Next Paul writes two more precious verses that mean a lot to any of us who have ever felt anxious, fearful and threatened by events in our lives.

 

“6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

Here again is yet another strong encouragement. Paul says, “DO NOT be anxious about ANYTHING!” You might feel that’s easy for him to say. But in reality Paul knew exactly what it was like to be put in a situation that could make you feel anxious. He had been beaten numerous times, arrested and put in chains, locked in jail. He had been shipwrecked, abused both physically and verbally not to mention experiencing assorted other hardships and trials. He had learned that by praying to God and giving thanks to Him in all situations, a peace that defies explanation can be granted by the Lord. This gift of peace from God will descend upon us if we make our request known to God. The peace that God will grant us if we will release ourselves to His ministry will guard our hearts and minds from the caustic eroding effects of the stress and emotional trauma of difficult situations.

 

Paul next shares two more verses that are full of challenging encouragements. He is laying out guidelines for righteous living. These guidelines that God is communicating through Him are parameters for what we should allow our eyes to see, our ears to hear, our hands to do, places our feet to carry us to and our the thoughts that we tend to dwell on. He states,

 

“8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

 

Can you imagine the effect these two verses would have on Christ’s church if every Christian would just obey these short-encouraging commands? Would the church be unified? Yes. Would all Christians everywhere be godly examples of Jesus Christ? Yes. Would the maturity level in the lives of Christian rise dramatically? Yes. Would non-believers be so attracted to the gospel lived out in Christians that we would not have room for them in our Sunday services? Absolutely Yes! Paul is talking here about the basics of living as a Christian should. Living as a Christian, is living as Christ would.

 

Let’s look at each one of these encouragements of Paul. We are to DWELL on…

 

Whatever is TRUE! – NOT – Falsehood, gossip, lies, fleeting imaginations, unsubstantiated comments.

 

Whatever is HONORABLE! – NOT – Dishonorable criticisms, demeaning words about others, corrupt thoughts.

 

Whatever is RIGHT! – NOT – Wrong ideas, perverted worldly attitudes, disparaging comments, cruel words.

 

Whatever is PURE! – NOT – Impure thoughts, unholy imaginations, evil intentions, sinful temptations.

 

Whatever is LOVELY! – NOT – Ugly ideas, repugnant attitudes, satanic actions, worldly tendencies.

 

Whatever is of GOOD REPUTE! – NOT – Defamatory words, irreverent criticisms, inflammatory emotions.

 

Whatever is WORTHY OF PRAISE! Such as God’s purity and His love for us and His sacrifice for our lives.

 

Verses 10 through 11 Paul shares about how he is rejoicing that the Philippians have renewed their concerns for him and he knows that they have been unable to demonstrate their concern in ways they would like.

 

“10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”

 

He tells them that he is saying this not because he is in need, but because he has learned the secret of being able to put into practice everything he is encouraging them to do. He can rejoice always and demonstrates his Christ-like gentleness to those around him. He is not anxious about anything because he regularly prays to God. Because of this, his heart and mind are guarded and at peace. He focuses his thoughts on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. By living like Christ in this manner he has a peace that passes understanding. He is sharing that he seeks to be like Christ and as he does this he is a godly example for them to follow as their teacher and servant for he is a dedicated servant of Christ.

 

But there is another benefit he shares that is the result of this lifestyle based on Christ. He says in verse twelve.

 

“12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.”

 

This is the result him living his life like Christ. And how can he do all this? Listen to the next verse and you will have your answer.

 

“13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

 

This is not Paul boasting in his spiritual maturity. He is attempting to communicate through his example that they can live in the same way as he does. He desires them to live like Christ, by understanding that what he is teaching them in this letter is what he lives out himself.

 

Other scriptures parallel this truth, that living like Christ is a necessary part of being a Christian. We do this by having faith in Jesus and our Heavenly Father and that the Holy Spirit will empower us to have strength, determination and faith to accomplish it.

       

Galatians 2:20

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 

Colossians 2:6-7

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

 

Pastor Andy Cook has some wonderful words of wisdom about Philippians 4:12-13.

 

“Paul’s “secret of being content in every situation.” He had cultivated a life of Christ-following discipleship. If you pull this off, with intentional rejoicing, and intentional purity, and an intentional concentration on contentment, something wonderful will happen. God’s peace – which is like no other peace – will be yours. Remember, Jesus once said, “My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives” (John 14:27) It’s the same kind of peace Paul gives here in a great word of encouragement. It’s the peace that passes all understanding, taking away anxiety, guarding against impurity, and blessing us with contentment. When Paul talked about the peace of God, the kind of peace that was beyond human understanding, he capitalized on that imagery to communicate his message. “And the peace of God,” Paul wrote (4:7), “will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The peace of God will be like that sentry, marching around your life, watching for things that might battle your peace of mind. When you need the encouragement the most, God’s sentry-man of peace will be at its best.”

 

In verse fourteen of chapter four of Philippians Paul expresses his appreciation for the Philippian Christians standing in faith with him.

 

“14 Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.”

 

Part of Christian community is sharing in the afflictions of other Disciples of Christ. We do this as we empathize with them in their struggles. We pray for those going through trials and hardships. This is truly sharing in the afflictions of others. This is what Christ did while on the earth and this is what He does at the right hand of the Father. He intercedes for us on a moment by moment basis as if we were the only Christian in existence.

 

I’ve already shared Romans 8:26-27 with you concerning how the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and there is another scripture which shares how Christ also intercedes for us as well.

 

Romans 8:34-39

“Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

Paul continues on with his letter in verses fifteen and sixteen and commends the Philippian Christians for how they shared in his ministry very likely by praying for him, providing financial assistance as well as in many other ways and at numerous times.

 

“15 You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; 16 for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.”

 

In verse 17 Paul shares some thoughts that in ways might appear mysterious, but the explanation may be simpler than first perceived. He states;

 

“17 Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account.”

 

Paul shares that any gifts received by him were not on his part; gifts he was seeking, but actually he saw the gifts they provided adding to the account of blessings that they, the givers would receive into their accounts in Heaven and in the blessings they would receive by the act of giving.

 

The point he is making here is when any of us as Followers of Christ give of our time, talents or treasures to others; the benefits and blessings may appear to be received by those we give such things to, but actually they are added to our own lives. These blessings are the knowledge we are ministering as Christ would. We are loving as God would love. We are doing such acts of kindness and provision through the influence of the Holy Spirit within us. The blessings we receive are God’s appreciation for us giving to others, the honor we receive from Christ as He is blessed by us serving others like He would and the blessing we bestow upon the Holy Spirit who prompted us to give to others in the first place.

 

Paul continues with his explanation of how blessed he has been receiving support for his ministry. He describes it as a gift offering which has a glorious fragrant aroma because in God’s eyes it is an acceptable sacrifice, the act of giving to others, because all gifts given to others involves some degree of sacrifice on our part.

 

“18 But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.”

 

Now Paul ends his letter in verses 19 through 23 with a multifaceted blessing….

 

“19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

 

…then a benediction…

 

“21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you.

22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.”

 

…and finally with another blessing.

 

“23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Our call and responsibility is to live as Christ would live.”

 

The blessing of the letter of Philippians is a wonderful blessing and calls us to a high calling and responsibility to live according to the following thoughts and actions:

 

Rejoicing in the Lord.

 

Letting our gentleness be evident to others.

 

Praying to God rather than being anxious.

 

Dwelling on things that are truthful, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.

 

Being content in whatever circumstance we are in.

 

Knowing that beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can do all things with the strength God gives us.

 

 

“There are many who preach Christ, but not so many who live Christ. My great aim will be to live Christ.”

C. Chapman