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PHILIPPIANS CHAPTER 4 KJV WEB See previous page 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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 understanding, then this is the case with all the fruits of the Spirit; and if they are beyond our understanding, then the Scriptures are commanding us to walk in a realm that is incomprehensible. If these things are incomprehensible, then what is our involvement? "We", meaning our natural mind, are uninvolved. 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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 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 / Navigation Bar 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 / Navigation Bar 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 / Navigation Bar 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 / Navigation Bar 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