Philippians
4 New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
Closing
appeal for steadfastness and unity
4
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and
crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
2
I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the
Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have
contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the
rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Final
exhortations
4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness
be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in
every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is
right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if
anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. 9 Whatever you
have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into
practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Thanks
for their gifts
10
I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me.
Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not
saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the
circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to
have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every
situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13
I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
14
Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians
know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out
from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and
receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me
aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I
desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full
payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have
received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an
acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs
according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
20
To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Final
greetings
21
Greet all God’s people in Christ Jesus. The brothers and sisters who are with
me send greetings. 22 All God’s people here send you greetings, especially
those who belong to Caesar’s household.
23
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.[a]
CHRIST can do
everything!
From Elim Missions
Philippians 4
Why focus on helplessness?
Why blame people?
Why stop searching for the answer?
Why stop working on it?
Why skirt round the issue and not go for the centre of the problem?
Why be initiated by the circumstance and not be the initiator of it?
Why complain?
Why make excuses?
Why slow down?
Why only go so far?
Why accept the acceptable and not pursue the wildest dream?
Why not finish the race instead of dropping out of it?
Why?
Because Christ can do everything and so can someone else, v13.
NIV
Application Commentary
Philippians
4:4-7
Verses
4–7 contain four admonitions (“rejoice,” “let your gentleness be evident,” “do
not be anxious,” and “present your requests to God”), which at first seem to
have little to do with one another. A closer look at the meaning of the terms
standing behind these admonitions, however, reveals a common background for
them all. The term “gentleness” (epieikes) was often used of an attitude of
kindness where the normal or expected response was retaliation. Thus in the
apocryphal book of Wisdom, a group of evil people who believe that life is
short and that nothing lies beyond the grave decide to “crown” themselves “with
rosebuds before they wither” and “everywhere … leave signs of enjoyment” (Wisd.
2:8–9, nrsv). But since the righteous man does not approve of their
irresponsible merriment, they decide to persecute him. “Let us test him with
insult and torture,” they say, “so that we may find out how gentle he is (ten
epieikeian autou), and make trial of his forbearance” (2:19, nrsv). This is
probably the connotation of the term in 2 Corinthians 10:1, where Paul appeals
to “the meekness and gentleness (epieikeias) of Christ” as the reason for his
own gentleness with the recalcitrant Corinthians. Paul, like Christ, refused to
answer his detractors in kind.
The
words “be anxious” (merimnao, 4:6) can refer to being unduly concerned about
anything, but it is often used in contexts where persecution is the issue. Thus
both Matthew and Luke use this word in their record of Jesus’ admonition to his
disciples not to be concerned about what they will say before the local
councils, governors, and kings who hunt them down because of their commitment
to the gospel (Matt. 10:19; Luke 12:11). The term “guard” (phroureo) likewise
is a figure drawn from the arena of conflict and is frequently used to refer to
the action of a military garrison stationed inside a city (Judith 3:6; cf. 2
Cor. 11:32).
All
of this points to the context of persecution as the background for Paul’s
admonitions. The Philippians were suffering under opposition from their pagan
neighbors, just as Paul and Silas had suffered when among them (Acts 16:19–24;
Phil. 1:28–30). Thus, just as Paul had started the admonitory section of the
letter with a command for the Philippians, despite their persecution, to
conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel (1:27–30), so he returns to
this theme at the end of the section, asking the Philippians to maintain an
attitude of joy “in the Lord” at all times (v. 4; cf. 3:1), urging them to
adopt toward their persecutors Christ’s approach of gentle nonretaliation (v.
5; cf. Rom. 12:17–21; 15:3; 1 Peter 2:23; 3:8–9; cf. Isa. 53:7–9), and
admonishing them not to be anxious about anything (v. 6; cf. 1 Peter 5:7).
Instead, they should remember that the Lord is near (v. 5; cf. 3:20–21) and
replace their anxiety with thankful prayer about their suffering (v. 6).
The
“and” at the beginning of verse 7 is more important than it looks. It does not
simply attach another statement to verses 4–6 but gives the result of the
thankful prayer that Paul has described in verse 6. If the Philippians follow
Paul’s advice, he says, then “the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding” will stand like a garrison over their hearts and minds. But what
is the “peace of God”? Is it an overwhelming sense of inner contentment? Is it
the serenity that characterizes God himself, who is never anxious? Is it the
peace (cf. Rom. 5:1) that results from God’s justifying work in Christ Jesus?
Since the peace mentioned here stands in contrast to the anxiety mentioned in
verse 6, it is probably an inner sense of contentment supplied by God. It
transcends all understanding because the anticipated response to the
persecution the Philippians are experiencing is anxiety, but just as throughout
this letter Paul expects Christian behavior to break the bonds of normal
behavior, so here God supplies an attitude in the face of adversity that does
not fit the normal categories (cf. 2 Cor. 1:3–11).
Paul’s
next paragraph begins with the same loose connective phrase he had used at 3:1.
The niv translates it “finally,” and indeed a close approximation of the phrase
appears near the end of 1 Thessalonians (4:1) and 2 Corinthians (13:11). But,
as in 3:1 (which is far from the letter’s conclusion), the phrase here probably
means something like “as far as the rest is concerned,” “beyond that,” or “in
addition.” It expresses no logical connection between verses 8–9 and verses
4–7, but simply shows that Paul is now moving to a different set of
admonitions. This new set of instructions is bound closely together by the
style in which he expresses them and by the balance of their content. In verse
8, Paul tells the Philippians how they should think and, as in verses 4–7,
leaves out connecting words for emphasis (“asyndeton”). In verse 9 Paul tells
the Philippians how to act and, using precisely the opposite stylistic device
(“polysyndeton”), repeats the connective word “or” (kai) over and over. The
effect, again, is emphasis.
The
list of virtues that Paul asks the Philippians to “think about” is not a
distinctively Christian list and could have been embraced by many
right-thinking people in ancient times. Paul seems to place special emphasis on
the breadth of these qualities by repeatedly using the indefinite adjective
“whatever” (hosa). He tells the Philippians to look for the true, noble, right,
pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy everywhere around them and
to ponder the things in which these qualities are exemplified. Perhaps Paul
knows that since the Philippians are being persecuted by the society around them,
they will be tempted to reject everything outside the church as indelibly
tainted with evil. If so, then this list, with its admonition to look for the
virtue (arete; niv “excellent”) in the wider world, reminds the Philippians
that, although society sometimes seems hostile and evil, it is still part of
God’s world and contains much good that the believer can affirm.
The
IVP New Testament Commentary Series
Rejoice,
Give Thanks and Pray (4:4-7)
As
elsewhere (2 Cor 13:11; 1 Thess 5:16), Paul begins with rejoice, here repeating
3:1 exactly, rejoice in the Lord—with the adverbial addition always (from 1 Thess
5:16). Thus it serves both to frame the preceding section on "their
affairs," giving a context for the warnings and appeals in that section,
and to introduce the final series of encouragements and exhortations. The two
adverbs always and again tell us much, especially that this is not just
"typical" and therefore to be passed over as a nice Christian
platitude, but crucial to the whole of this letter.
Joy,
unmitigated, untrammeled joy, is—or at least should be—the distinctive mark of
the believer in Christ Jesus. The wearing of black and the long face, which so
often came to typify some later expressions of Christian piety, are totally
foreign to Paul's version; Paul the theologian of grace is equally the
theologian of joy. Christian joy does not come and go with one's circumstances;
rather it is predicated altogether on one's relationship with the Lord and is
thus an abiding, deeply spiritual quality of life. It finds expression in
"rejoicing," which is an imperative, not an option. With its
concentration in the Lord, rejoicing is always to mark individual and corporate
life in Philippi. They who "serve by the Spirit of God" (3:3) do so
in part by rejoicing in the Lord, whatever else may be their lot. In this
letter "whatever else" includes opposition and suffering at the hands
of the local citizens of the Empire, where Caesar was honored as
"lord." In the face of such, the Philippians are to rejoice in the
Lord always." (See further comment on 1:18; 2:2, 17-18; 3:1.)
Asbury
Bible Commentary
Rejoice—Be Patient—Pray (4:4-7)
Once
again a keynote is sounded: Rejoice in the Lord! Here is an appeal for the
optimism of faith since being in the Lord is assurance of victory. Gentleness
(v. 5) means a gracious patience with a spirit of magnanimity. These virtues
can be practiced because the Lord is near; i.e., “the Lord who will come again
is presently very near in his Spirit” (Hawthorne, 192). There is no need to be
fretfully anxious about anything. Rather, thankful prayer and petition is the
antidote to anxiety and the way to the peace of God. The peace of God is the
sense of well-being that results from being in Christ. This peace, which
transcends all understanding, is the guardian of both heart and mind. The heart
is primary; it is the center of the deepest feelings and motivations.
The
Bible Panorama
Philippians
4
V 1: FIRMNESS In the light of
Christ’s second coming and the present personal knowledge of the risen Christ,
Christians are to stand fast in the Lord.
V 2–3: FELLOWSHIP This is expressed in
fellowship with each other, both in solving our differences and in working
together with others. The Philippian Christians are urged to do both of these
things in the aftermath of a dispute between two women in the church.
V 4:
FERVOUR Again, Paul urges the Christians to rejoice in the Lord always and
repeats this exhortation again immediately.
V 5: FUNDAMENTAL ‘The Lord is at hand’
is fundamental to this verse, this chapter, the whole of the book of
Philippians, and the whole of the Christian life. The knowledge of Christ’s
presence with us now, and the certainty of His glorious coming again soon,
should produce Christian gentleness and shape the Christian’s life in every
facet. This should be true individually, with other believers, and in the world
in which every Christian lives.
V 6–7: FAITH Prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving
are the expressions of faith to be made known to God in everything. Thus
anxiety is dealt with and is replaced with the surpassing peace of God through
Christ.
V 8–9: FINALLY Paul’s final
exhortation is to concentrate on things that are noble, just, lovely, of good
report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. Christians should concentrate and meditate
on these things, rather than on the things of the world. This is the example
Paul set at Philippi. In following it, the church knows the presence of the God
of peace with them.
V 10–13: FORTIFIED Paul rejoices in the
material support of Christians. Nevertheless, in all circumstances, adverse and
favourable, Paul finds that he ‘can do all things through Christ who strengthens
[him]’. This brings contentment to him even when he is in physical need.
V 14–16: FAITHFULNESS Notwithstanding this
confidence in God, the repeated and continual faithfulness of the church is
gratefully commended by him. They sent money to Paul when he was in distress
and continually when he was in Thessalonica,
V 17–20: FULNESS Paul is grateful that,
currently through their giving, God is fully supplying everything that he
needs. Selflessly, he is grateful for the fruit that will come to the giver,
knowing that God will also supply all their needs ‘according to His riches in
glory by Christ Jesus’. Their gift rises to God like a pleasing and
sweet-smelling sacrifice.
V 21–23: FRUIT The fruit of the gospel
is not only in Philippi, where people have trusted Christ, but also among his
captors in Rome. Some may have been Christians before Paul went there, but
doubtless some have been the fruit of his witness, even in chains. God’s grace,
which he wishes for them all, is certainly upon him.
Dictionary
of Bible Themes
8115
discipleship, nature of
The
state of following Jesus Christ, and serving and obeying him. The NT stresses
the privileges, joys and cost of this calling.
Discipleship
involves learning
Learning
from God Jn 6:45 See also Isa 54:13; Lev 11:44-45; Lev 19:2; Lev 20:7; Eph
5:1-2; 1Pe 1:15-16
Learning
from Jesus Christ Mt 11:29 See also Jn 13:15; Eph 4:20-21; Php 2:5; 1Pe 2:21;
1Jn 2:6
Learning
from the Holy Spirit Jn 14:26 See also Lk 12:12; Jn 16:13; 1Co 2:13; Eph 1:17;
Eph 3:16-19; 1Pe 1:12
Learning
from other people Php 4:9 See also Dt 4:10; Dt 5:1; Dt 31:12; 1Co 4:6,16; 1Co
11:1; Php 3:17; 2Th 3:7,9; 1Ti 2:11; 1Ti 5:4; 2Ti 3:14
Learning
to do what is good Tit 3:14 See also Ps 34:14; Ps 37:27; Isa 1:17; Isa 26:9;
3Jn 11
Jesus
Christ calls people to be his disciples
Mt
4:19 pp Mk 1:17 See also Mt 4:21 pp Mk 1:20 Jesus Christ calls James and John;
Mt 8:21-22 pp Lk 9:59-60; Mt 9:9 pp Mk 2:14 pp Lk 5:27 Jesus Christ calls
Matthew; Mt 19:21 pp Mk 10:21 pp Lk 18:22; Jn 1:43 Jesus Christ calls Philip;
Jn 21:19
The
consequences of discipleship
Following
Jesus Christ Mt 10:38 See also Mt 16:24 pp Mk 8:34 pp Lk 9:23; Lk 14:27; Jn
10:27; Jn 12:26; Rev 14:4
Serving
Jesus Christ Col 3:24 See also Mt 20:25-28 pp Mk 10:42-45; Ro 12:11; 1Th 1:9
Obeying
Jesus Christ Jn 8:31 See also Jn 14:21,23-24; Jn 15:10,14; 1Jn 2:3; 1Jn
3:22,24; 1Jn 5:3
Responding
immediately to Jesus Christ’s commands Mt 8:21-22 See also Mt 4:20 pp Mk 1:18;
Mt 4:22 pp Mk 1:20 pp Lk 5:11
Living
for Jesus Christ and not for oneself 2Co 5:15 See also Ro 14:7-8; 1Pe 4:2
Loving
others Jn 13:12-17 See also Jn 15:9-14; 1Jn 4:7-21
Total
commitment is required of Jesus Christ’s disciples
Mt
10:37-39 See also Mt 16:24-25 pp Mk 8:34-35 pp Lk 9:23-24; Mk 6:8; Lk 14:26-27;
Lk 17:33; Jn 12:25
The
purpose of discipleship is to become Christlike
Eph
4:22-24 See also Mt 5:48; Lk 6:40; Ro 8:29 God’s purpose in election; Ro
12:1-2; Ro 13:14; 2Co 3:18; 2Co 7:1; Eph 1:4; Col 1:28; Col 3:12; 2Ti 3:17 the
purpose of Scripture; 1Pe 1:14-15 a call to holiness; 2Pe 1:5-7; 1Jn 3:2-3
Examples
of secret discipleship
Jn
3:1-2 See also Jn 7:50; Jn 12:42; Jn 19:38-39
Some
Scriptures on Discipleship
1.
Learning from Jesus
Christ
Matthew
11:28-30New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
28
‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is
light.’
2.
Jesus Christ calls
people to be his disciples
Matthew
4:18-25New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
Jesus
calls his first disciples
18 As Jesus was walking
beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his
brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish
for people.’ 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there,
he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were
in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,
22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. 23 Jesus went
throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of
the kingdom, and healing every disease and illness among the people. 24 News
about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill
with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those
having seizures, and the paralysed; and he healed them. 25 Large crowds from Galilee,
the Decapolis,[a] Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed
him.
3.
Following Jesus Christ
Matthew
10:38New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
38
Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
4.
Serving Jesus Christ
Colossians
3:23-24New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not
for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from
the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
5.
Obeying Jesus Christ
John
14:15-27New International Version - UK (NIVUK)
Jesus
promises the Holy Spirit
15
‘If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will
give you another advocate to help you and be with you for ever – 17 the Spirit
of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows
him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will
not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will
not see me any more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
20 On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and
I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands
and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by
my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.’22 Then Judas (not
Judas Iscariot) said, ‘But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and
not to the world?’23 Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.
My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear
are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.25 ‘All this I have
spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of
everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and
do not be afraid.
