stand firm part 4 - anxiety vs prayer (phil 4:5b-7)

Philppians 4:5b-6

[stand firm thus in the Lord (v1b)]... 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

The person who s not standing firm in the Lord is anxious - everything depends on them, how can they make sure this turns out alright? I must control this, what about this thing that I can't control. The person standing firm in the Lord knows that God is at hand, he is near. the person standing firm in the Lord knows that we are not in control, but God is, and he can be trusted. The anxious person gets stressed when something goes wrong, running it over and over in their mind - praying to themselves, but still unable to do anything about it. The Christian reacts by praying to God, the person who can do something about it. The anxious person is assuming that they know best. The Christian knows that God actually does know best. The anxious person doesn't know if they can trust someone else to do what they're supposed to do. The Christian knows that God can be trusted. So, through prayer, God gives us peace. that peace surpasses understanding because the situation may not have change, the circumstances may be terrible, but the source of our peace is not crcumstances, it is tthe fact that God is near to us.

stand firm part 3 - be reasonable (phil4:5)

Philippians 4:5

[stand firm thus in the Lord (v1b)]...Let your reasonableness be known to everyone

Reasonableness here means "big heartedness", a forbearing spirit, contentment, reasonable with people, showing goodwill, being gracious. Are Christians known for this? Every relationshp and interaction we have with people should be marked by grace. That's not the same as being "nice" or being well-liked by everyone - Jesus was the most gracious person that ever walked the earth and he got killed! It does mean that we should be people who do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than ourselves, that we should look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of othesr (ch2v3-4)

stand firm part 2 - rejoice (phil 4:4)

Philippians 4:4

[stand firm thus in the Lord (v1b)]... Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice

Paul says twice that we are to rejoice "in the Lord". This is a recurring theme in this letter and the key is that the rejoicing is in the Lord. Our circumstances may or may not give us any cause for happiness but we can rejoice in the Lord because of the gospel. Looking back at the cross and looking forward to Christ's return is the only sure source of joy.

stand firm part 1 - work for unity (phil4:2-3)

Philippians 4:2-3

[stand firm thus in the Lord]... I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have laboured 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

Paul is going to address a number of things after the general command to "stand firm in the Lord". Firstly, to stand firm in the Lord is to work for unity. That is why Paul is urging the two women who are in dispute to agree in the Lord and the rest of the church (or an indivdual - "true companion") to help them. This is obviously not a matter of doctrine, otherwise Paul would have said which of these women were right. It is also clear that they are christians - they have laboured in the gospel alongside Paul and their names are in the book of life. This is not unity at all costs, Paul disagrees sharply with anyone who opposes or changes the gospel (he's called them dogs earlier in this letter!). But in secondary matters - styles, traditions, music, bible translations, favourite authors/preachers - we should work hard to agree "in the Lord" for the sake of the church. Working for unity in these sorts of disagreements cultivates humlity in ourselves and builds relationships that help us to stand firm in the Lord. Being divisive over these sorts of issues does not.

joy and crown (phil 4:1)

Philippians 4:1

Therefore my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, stand firm in the Lord, my beloved

Paul's affection for the Philippians has been clear throughout the letter. These are not impersonal service users as he fulfils his "job" of planting churches. He loves them. He describes them as his joy - his joy is not dependant on selfish criteria, but other people walking with God brings him joy. He describes them as his crown - his recognition is not financial achievement or political status, but that God has used him to build His church. He cares for them. They are important to Him. And now, as he starts to bring the letter to a close, he wants to encourage them to stand firm in the Lord, which he will give them some advice about in the following verses.

future motivated (phil 3:20-21)

Philippians 3:20-21

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to himself.

rather than having minds set on earthly things (v19) Paul encourages us to remember that we are citizens of heaven, and that future focus should affect the way we live in the present. Am I anticipating the day when Jesus returns and transforms me? Or am I too concerned with this life. Paul is looking forward to Jesus' return (see 3v11, 14 as well as this verse). that affects the decisions he makes today. Are my decisions motivated by my focus on today?

enemies of the cross (phil 3:18-19)

Philippians 3:18-19

For many, of whom I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

It seems like a terrifying thing to be described as an enemy of the cross of Christ. Their god is their belly and their minds are set on earthly things - satisfying their own desires for money, power, security or sex become the motivating factor in their lives. Success or failure, satisfaction and happiness are defined by these goals. They glory in their shame with a kind of perverse pride in disobeying God and their end is destruction - they are willfully cutting themselves off from God, the author of life.

This might be fairly easy to recognise outside the church, but applying these criteria to churchgoers can often reveal the same thing! We might be attending the church services, reading the bible and praying but we might still be motivated by earthly things - using God to try and satisfy the "god" our belly, wanting Him to meet my desire for a successful career, or a healthy life or a secure family life. Or we may be proud and self-righteousness, thinking that God is pleased with our moral efforts, when actually we are glorying in our shame

This is walking as an enemy of the cross of Christ. At the cross we can find life instead of destruction. At the cross we see that, while we were worshipping the god of our belly, the God of the universe loved us so much that he died in our place. At the cross we see the depths of our shame and the heights of His glory. When we look at the cross, we see something greater than those "earthly things" that occupied our minds.

imitation (phil 3:17)

Philippians 3:17

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example they have in us

Paul telling others to imitate him may seem like a bold claim, but it is not arrogance when what Paul is telling them to imitate is his total reliance on the gospel for his righteousness before God. He is asking us to join him in counting whatever "gain" we had as loss and rely on God's grace. We should be looking to follow the example of people who are doing this, not necessarily trying to imitate those who seem talented or skillful or together, but those who are humbly trusting in God and not themselves.

not moving (phil 3:16)

Philippians 3:16

Only let us hold true to what we have attained

We should never be moving on from the gospel. We don't move on from the righteousness that we "attained" through Jesus death on the cross. The way we have grown is by the Spirit, everything we have acheived is his work in us, and that is how we will continue to grow.

mature thinking (phil 3:15)

Philippians 3:15

Let those of you who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

We might judge Christian maturity in a variety of ways, but one of the ways that Paul evaluates it here is are they thinking in this way. What is THIS way? The ideas he has been covering in the previous verses: Considering everything as loss compared to Jesus, knowing that our righteousness comes through faith and not to law, pressing on towards Jesus. 

Paul also indicates that if immature believers are to mature in this way of thinking, it will be God who reveals it to them. We can't even take credit for mature thinking as a believer, it is only because God has revealed it to us!

humble pursuit (phil 3:12-14)

Philippians 3:12-14

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own becase Christ jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus.

Paul is humble in this passage (making it clear that he does not think he has already become holy etc) but also is totally commited to pursuing holiness. Usually for us, we are either humbly aware of our sin and not bothered to fight it, or we are wholeheartedly commited to the pursuit of holiness and self-righteous at the same time! As Christians we should have no reason for self righteousness as we are keenly aware of our own sin which made the cross necessary. But also we should be motivated to live holy lives by the love that compelled jesus to go to the cross. Paul is pressing on to make it his own because Jesus has made Paul His own. Our justification motivates our sanctification (which is still only possible by the Spirit!). This is grace-driven effort. 

"Paul answers by using the illustration of a runner. What must the runner do to succeed? He must not concern himself with some awkward mistake or misstep at the beginning of the race. He cannot run well if he is thinking about how poorly he broke from the blocks, or, on the other hand, how splendidly he covered the first few yards. He must be good at obliteration, wiping such thoughts from his mind. And he must focus his concentration completely on the goal line, driving towards it with everything his body has to offer and straining every muscle.
Here is a picture for every Christian to etch into his or her mind. We must approach the Christian life in the same manner. We must not look back to our failures or successes. We must keep ever in mind that our goal is to know Christ better, and we must daily put forth the effort to reach that goal.
We admire this kind of devotion in every area of life except the spiritual realm. When Olympic athletes begin to discipline their bodies and hone their skills, we heap praise upon them. When someone shows total dedication in the areas of medicine, science, music or drama, we approve and applaud. We applaud, for example, the violinist who explained her success in this way: ‘I deliberately planned to neglect everything else until my practice period was completed. That program of planned neglect accounts for my success.’
But when we hear of someone doing this in the area of Christian living, we are inclined to dismiss him as something of a fanatic, who, as someone has observed, will not change his mind and will not change the subject.
Why do those who are focused on knowing God bother us? Is it not because they remind us that our own priorities are not what they ought to be? Most people are living such cluttered, distracted and fragmented lives. Our lives are not integrated around a single, unifying purpose. We often embrace the ‘shotgun’ approach to life, trying to find happiness and satisfaction by scattering our time and energies over a wide range of interests and activities. We want to try a little bit of everything, and we do not want to miss out on anything.
Paul suggests we use the ‘rifle’ approach by finding the singular priority that makes life worth living, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, and give ourselves unreservedly to it."

Ellsworth, R. (2004). Opening up Philippians (66–67). Leominster: Day One Publications.

I want to... (phil3:10-11)

Philippians 3:10-11

that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Paul wants to:

• know Jesus - this is the ultimate goal, this is what makes all his religious credentials seem like rubbish.
• know the power of His resurrection - Jesus resurrection proves His power, and without that power we would be powerless to defeat sin, to become like him, to make disciples
• share his sufferings - Do I want to do this? When we see the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus, our attitude to suffering changes dramatically
• be resurrected like Jesus - returning to the whole idea of death being gain that he explored in chapter 1

Are these the things that I want to do? Are these the things that motivate me?

righteousness comes through faith in Jesus (phil 3:9)

Philippians 3:9

... not having a righteousness of my own that comes through the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness of God that depends on faith.

Paul has spent the last few verses describing how the "righteousness" that comes through the law is rubbish and the only gain, or profit, is the righteousness that, as he describes here, depends on faith in Jesus. If we are working away at a righteousness that is based on the law it either results in failure and feeling condemnation or, we think we have suceeded and we become self-righteouss.. which is actually failure. I need to be reminded every day to not look to my own righteousness but to the righteousness of God that depends on faith.

religion stinks (phil 3:8-9)

Philippians 3:8-9a

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.

Everything is loss compared to knowing Jesus. Everything that Paul thought was good (see previous section) he now realises is rubbish compared to Jesus. And those things weren't necessarily things that would be traditionally be thought of as sins. There's nothing wrong with circumcision, nationality, or trying to keep God's law. But if that's what we are relying on, then it isn't helping us get to God, it is hindering us. That is religion, not the gospel. Religion is rubbish, trash, dung, excrement! It's knowing Jesus that counts! That's why in Jesus' parable, the man sells EVERYTHING he has in order to buy the field with the treasure. Or sells EVERY pearl he has in order to get the best one. We come to Jesus with nothing in our hands. If we do come with some sense of our own acheivements... we are bringing him a pile of crap.

what I thought was gain... isn't (phil 3:5-7)

Philippians 3:5-7

circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, as to the law a Pharisee, as to zeal persecuting the church, as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Here Paul lists out his religious accomplishments, his reasons that he, above anyone, could have confidence in the flesh, confidence in himself:

• circumcised on the eighth day - born a Jew, not a convert
• of the people of Israel - God's chosen people
• of the tribe of Benjamin - a tribe from Rachel, the wife that was loved
• a Hebrew of Hebrews - both parents being Hebrews, a thoroughbred!
• as to the law a Pharisee  - the strictest law keepers
• as to zeal persecuting the church - so committed to God that he was actively persecuting the threat of this new sect
• as to righteousness under the law, blameless - following all the ceremonial laws, no one would be able to find fault with him

But, although he would have counted that all as great gain, he now counts it as loss! Why? For the sake of Christ. His nationality means nothing compared to Jesus. His upbringing and pedigree means nothing compared to Jesus. His efforts to make himself righteous mean nothing compared to Jesus. His (misguided) enthusiasm for God means nothing compared to Jesus. His good deeds (of which there will have done plenty) mean nothing compared to Jesus. It is not about Paul and his accomplishments or me and mine. It is about Jesus and what He has accomplished. All of that stuff which seems so important, was actually loss - it hinders us from coming to God. The only thing that can be classed as gain, the only thing that helps us come to God, is Jesus Christ.

I should be confident (Phil 3:4)

Philippians 3:4

[we ... place no confidence in the flesh] though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more...

Paul is not arguing from a position of "I haven't got this... but you don't need it anyway". The very things that Paul is telling the Philippians that they don't need are the very things he had! As he is about to explain in detail...