Comments on Philippians 4:1-7

  We’ll be picking up in Philippians chapter 4 this week so if you would turn with me and we’ll read the first seven verses: “Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. 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. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

    Again we have a “therefore” so we must ask “what is it there for?” In this last chapter of the epistle, I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that the first three chapters are what Paul is now concluding. Because of the joy that he had in the Philippian believers, the affection they had shown him in sending Epaphroditus. Because of the gospel being preached, and Paul’s certainty that the work before him was from the Lord. Because of the encouragement that could be found in Christ and the obedience to Christ that the believers in Philippi had shown. Because Timothy would go to them soon and Epaphroditus had gotten well enough to travel. Because of the gain that is found in Christ and the fact that our citizenship is in heaven. For all these reasons, Paul was encouraging the believers there to “stand firm in the Lord.”

    I also wanted to take a minute to again remind us that this was a personal letter from Paul to believers whom he cherished. He calls them here his, “joy and crown.” These brothers and sisters were precious to him. The Scriptures speak about crowns quite a few times. In 2 Timothy, we have the “crown of righteousness,” (4:8) that Paul knew he would receive for the work he had accomplished. James talks about the “crown of life,” (1:12) for those that have endured trials. 1 Peter mentions the “crown of glory,” (5:4) for those elders who have led well. Revelation mentions the “crown of life” for those faithful unto death. But only one other time is a group of people called a crown, and that is when Paul is writing to the Thessalonians where he calls them his “joy or crown of exultation.” (1 Thess. 2:19). Paul, as spiritual father to these believers, rejoiced to see them going on for the Lord.

    Next he calls out two sisters who apparently were not getting along. We don’t have much in the way of detail other than that Paul besought them to “live in harmony in the Lord.” That last phrase is the most important here. When believers differ, the only way for them to live in harmony is in seeking the mind of Christ. Too often dissension occurs in the body of Christ because we each must be right. I’m not saying we should not have convictions, nor that we shouldn’t try and teach one another but we need to be teachable ourselves as well. To quote Ironside, “Alas, that we so little realize this and are often so insistent on what seems to us exceedingly important truth, when nothing vital is at stake, while a brother or sister equally honest and earnest may fail to see things as we see them. At the judgment seat of Christ it may be manifested that, after all, they, and not we, were right or perhaps both were wrong.” Having a bit more grace with one another should always be encouraged. 

    This next instruction, we can guess, was told to Epaphroditus himself as he was writing the letter (at least all the commentaries I read assumed him to be the actual writer, with Paul dictating). Paul asks him to please help the two women just mentioned come to a peaceful resolution. He then mentions that these women were fellow laborers with him in the gospel work. This doesn’t mean they were preachers, however. To quote Ironside again: “But there were many ways in which devoted women could serve the Lord in the gospel. In fact, in oriental, as well as in occidental lands, work for women is of tremendous importance. There were many places where a man could not go, where godly women may have free access. And ‘laboring in the gospel’ implies a great deal more than simply speaking from a platform. In fact, it is a question if this latter be not, in many instances at least, the lesser thing, and the individual heart-to-heart work the greater.” Women are nowhere called in the Scriptures to be pastor-teachers, but there is so much that women can do that, as Ironside said, is of even greater importance than the man in the pulpit. 

    He mentions also that Clement was a fellow-worker in the gospel and then goes on to reference several others, that while we don’t know their names, those names are found in the Book of Life. Your name being in the Bible as an encouragement to future believers would be nice, but the more important Book to be listed in would be the Book of Life. Those are the records of the saved saints that will be in heaven with Christ for eternity. How blessed are those whose names are in the Book of Life.

    Next this word Χαίρετε (chairete) is in the imperative case which tells us that it is a command. Regardless of what circumstances are happening around us. No matter the situation we find ourselves in. We are commanded to rejoice. The world tries to replicate what the believer can have in Christ. There’s “happy hour,” that people aren’t usually any happier after. There are comedians and comic actors in movies that make millions of dollars because people are trying to find a way to laugh through the pain of this world. But they all fall short because true joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit. Christians ought to be characterized by joy. We have a hope within us because of the finished work of Christ on the cross and so nothing that the world can do can take our joy away.

    In the next verse Paul instructs the believers that their “gentle spirit” (NASB) or “moderation” (KJV) or “forbearance” (RSV) be known to all. ἐπιεικὲς (epieikes) was translated by an English critic by the name of Matthew Arnold as “sweet reasonableness.” In addition to the joy that we should have, and are commanded to show, our reasonableness should be evident to all as well. To quote Ironside again, “This does not mean one need be lacking in intensity of conviction or assurance as to the correctness of doctrines, principles, or practices which one believes he has learned from the Word of God. but it does imply a kindly consideration for the judgment of others, who may be equally sincere and equally devoted - and, possibly, even more enlightened. Nothing is ever lost by recognizing this and remembering that we all know in part.” In other words, it would be good if, as I stated before, we were known for our grace toward one another.

    The reason we are to show this grace is mentioned here by Paul as well. “The Lord is at hand.” Often in the workplace or in the home, good behavior is kept because the authority figure, either parent or boss, is nearby. If we were to remember that the Lord is truly “at hand,” all the time because He is omnipresent, that is He exists in every location, how much better would we behave. Now I’m not saying that we should only behave because He is near, just as I wouldn’t want my children to only behave if I was near. But because we love Him, as I hope my children love me, we behave in such a way that is pleasing to Him.

    Now we get to another command. “Be anxious for nothing!” Or, because Greek emphasizes words by putting them at the beginning of the sentence: “NOTHING! be anxious for,” which doesn’t fit in English, but I’m trying to make a point. We are commanded (imperative case again here) to not be anxious about anything. There is no more exclusive word in the English language. “Nothing” means that there is no thing that we should be anxious about. Not our families, not our finances, not our food and clothing. Nothing. This doesn’t mean that problems won’t exist, that troubles won’t arise, but that we are not to worry about them. Wiersbe pointed out that the Greek word here μεριμνᾶτε (merimnate) means to be pulled in two different directions, and that even our word “worry” comes from an Old English word meaning “to strangle.” I’m sure we’ve all known that feeling. And why do we not need to worry about anything? How can we follow this command to not be anxious? By prayer. 

In J. Vernon McGee’s commentary he shared an anecdote: “Some years ago, I am told, a dowager in Philadelphia came to Dr. G Campbell Morgan with this question, ‘Dr. Morgan, do you think we should pray about the little things in our lives?’ Dr. Morgan, in his characteristically British manner said, ‘Madam, can you mention anything in your life that is big to God?’” We’ve started studying Genesis in the Tuesday night Zoom study and were talking about the Creation. God made the entire universe and loves us personally. We have a compassionate Heavenly Father who knows what’s best for us. To quote McGee again, “If He says no, it is because that is the best answer you could have.”

Now this doesn’t mean that there won’t be problems. This doesn’t mean that we should ignore sin or trials or sickness, but rather that we should bring them to the Lord in prayer. Paul mentions three different words here and we might say three different modes of prayer. The first, simply “prayer,” holds the idea of adoration and worship in addition to asking for something. We ask because we know He has the power to answer. The second, “supplication,” has more of the idea of earnestly sharing needs and problems. Again there is nothing in our lives that would be “big” to God and so we can share all the little details with Him, holding nothing back. Not that we should fall into the “vain repetitions” that Jesus warned His disciples against in Matthew 6, but rather that God cares for all of the “little” things in our lives. Third we have the word “thanksgiving.” We need to remember in our prayers to thank God for all that He has done for us, all He will do for us, and for all the times He has said “no,” because that is what is best for us. To quote Wiersbe now, “We are eager to ask but slow to appreciate.” My brothers and sisters, we can come before the throne of Him who created everything and make our requests known to Him. Let us not take this privilege for granted.

    And what is the result of this prayer? What happens when we lay our fears, desires, hopes, and dreams before the throne? “The peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We can start with anxiety and worry, but if we pray we find peace. Prayer won’t necessarily change the circumstances, though it can. Prayer changes the heart of the believer so that, though the storm may continue to rage, we can have the peace of God. 

    So first I want to talk about this peace. It is the “peace of God,” that is, the peace that He has known from eternity past until now. Think of the magnitude of that peace. The settled nature of God, who cannot change. That peace can be ours through prayer. When we are saved we experience “peace with God” (Rom. 5:1), but the peace of God is an even deeper blessing from our Heavenly Father. Paul mentions that it passes comprehension or understanding. We cannot even begin to fathom peace on that scale, and yet Paul here tells us that it is attainable anyway. Second, I want to talk about the action this peace takes. It will “guard” (NASB) or “keep” (KJV) us. This word is φρουρήσει (phrouresei) is a military word and has the connotation of setting up a garrison of troops to protect something important, or to keep hostile invaders out. Third I wanted to talk about what is being guarded, our hearts and minds. In Greek thought, as in our modern day, the heart is the seat of our feelings and the mind is the seat of our intellect. The peace of God, which we cannot understand, will be garrisoned in our hearts to keep out wrong feelings and in our minds to keep out wrong thoughts. Lastly I wanted to mention the position that this peace is found “in Christ Jesus.” We have such a blessed position because, as believers, we are found in Christ, with all the blessings that come from being counted in Him. Our brother Dan has been bringing before us Ephesians and nine times in that first chapter “in Him” or “in Christ” is used to describe the believer’s position. So, to quote Wiersbe again, “This does not mean the absence of trials on the outside, but it does mean a quiet confidence within, regardless of circumstances, people, or things.” Our circumstances won’t necessarily change but our hearts and minds can know the peace of God if we but bring ourselves before His throne in prayer.

So, let me just encourage you with this: these verses aren’t just good advice, they’re a reminder of what it means to live as people who really believe the Lord is near. Whether you’re dealing with conflict, anxiety, or just the day-to-day grind, you don’t face any of it alone. God is with you. He hears your prayers. And His peace, the kind that doesn’t make sense by the world’s standards, is ready to guard your heart and mind.