Phil.
4:1-8: “Be Anxious For Nothing But In All Things Pray / Dwell Upon Worthy
Objects”
By
1.
In our last study,
we looked verses 10-21 of chapter 3.
1.1.
We discussed more
of what it means to truly know Christ, as Paul speaks of it.
1.2.
Paul told us that
he was forgetting what lies behind him and instead pressing on toward the
upward calling of God, and thus he was always moving forward and looking
towards the future.
1.3.
We looked at the
many things that hinder the Christian from pressing on to the future and
fulfilling God’s will in his/her life.
2.
In this study, we
are going to look at verses 1-9 of chapter 4.
2.1.
Paul will urge
two women in the church to get along, and enlist everyone’s help to make sure
these women somehow reconcile.
2.2.
Paul will command
us yet again to rejoice always.
2.3.
Paul will tell us
not to worry about anything, but instead take everything to prayer and thus we
will have the incredible peace of God in our life.
2.4.
Paul will tell us
to guard our minds concerning the things that we think about, giving us a list
of those things that are worthy of our attention.
3.
VS 4:1 - “1
Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.” – Paul calls the Philippians
his ‘beloved brethren’ and his ‘joy and crown’ and then he tells them to stand
firm in the Lord
3.1.
The Philippians
were ‘beloved’ by Paul (as he calls them twice in this very verse). Paul likewise tells them, ‘I long to see’
them.
3.2.
If we in the
church today had the same intense love and affection for each other that Paul
had for the churches, what a different environment churches would have for they
would learn to work out their difficulties and reconcile with each other, just
as Paul is getting ready to admonish a couple of women in the church to do.
3.3.
Paul refers to
the Philippian church has both his ‘joy and crown.’ It was a joy to see their faith and how God
had grown them spiritually in their faith.
And, as Paul thought about standing before the Lord on that future day
when believer’s receive rewards for their deeds done since coming to faith in
Christ, Paul also so the church as his reward, or ‘crown’.
3.4.
Before beginning
his admonitions to the Philippians, Paul tells them that it was in light of
what he had said to this point that they were to do these things, and thus he
begins this verse saying, ‘Therefore.’
When we consider what Paul has told them so far, we can understand his
use of this word, for instance:
3.4.1. Paul has exhorted the Philippians in chapters 1 and 2
to make his joy complete and be of the same mind, in unity.
3.4.2. Paul has exhorted the Philippians to humble
themselves, look out for the interests of others and not just their own, and
consider one another more important than themselves.
3.4.3. Paul has exhorted the Philippians to work out their
own salvation with fear and trembling.
3.4.4. Paul has exhorted the Philippians in chapter 3 to lay
aside the past and look forward to the upward calling of God for their lives.
3.5.
Because of what
Paul had written to the Philippians to this point, they need to ‘stand firm
in the Lord’ and not be moved from going in the directions they were going
in serving the Lord. Thus, Paul
admonishes them to do just that.
4.
VS 4:2-3 - “2
I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. 3 Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help
these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel,
together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are
in the book of life.”
– Paul urges two women to live in harmony in the Lord, then urges his ‘true
companion’, Clement, and the rest of Paul’s fellow works, to help these women
get along
4.1.
The names of ‘Euodia’
and ‘Syntyche’ are feminine indicating that they are two women within
the church. The church in
4.2.
It is significant
that Paul doesn’t rehash the grievances between these women, nor somehow try to
mediate in their dispute, he simply urges these women to find some sort of a
place where they can find some common ground so that they can get along in the
Lord.
4.3.
God has granted
great diversity amongst His people in the church regarding their spiritual
giftings. Because of this, people who
are serving the Lord can sometimes have completely different perspectives and
approaches to life and ministry, and also have very little real understanding
of those who look at things much different.
Part of maturing in Christ is learning to respect and understand those
in the church who are very different from ourselves.
4.4.
Paul requests
help from his ‘true companion’ here, but doesn’t mention the person’s
name. This would seem to imply that the
person was so well known that he didn’t have to mention his/her name. Here are some of the people whom
commentators have tried to identify as being that ‘true companion’:
4.4.1. Paul’s wife.
4.4.1.1.The problem with this view is that Paul tells the
Corinthians (1 Cor. 7:7) that he lives a celibate life, implying that he is not
married, and tells them that they would be wise to live their lives as he does.
4.4.2. Syntyche’s husband.
4.4.2.1.There is nothing to prove or indicate that Syntyche
was even married.
4.4.3. Clement.
4.4.3.1.Paul refers to him in the next clause. I will discuss who he may be later.
4.4.4. The pastor of the Philippian church.
4.4.4.1.It would be curious that Paul would refer to this man
here but not address him in the salutations of his letter.
4.4.5. Epaphroditus.
4.4.5.1.This is one to whom Paul most likely refers. Epaphroditus appears to have delivered this
letter, and he may even have been the pastor of the Philippian church as
well. Paul didn’t need to give a
salutation to the man who was delivering the letter.
4.4.6. The individuals within the Philippian church.
4.4.6.1.This is a creative interpretation. The idea here is that by leaving the name
anonymous that everyone in the church would feel the responsibility to see that
these two women got reconciled and got along.
4.5.
Paul indicates to
the church that both of these women who are not getting along have been
servants in the church and contributed to the sharing of the gospel when he
says, ‘help
these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel.’
4.6.
Paul refers here
to ‘Clement’ as being a man who had also shared as a laborer in the
preaching of the gospel with Paul.
“Clement--mild,
a Christian of Philippi, Paul’s “fellow-labourer,” whose name he mentions as
“in the book of life” (Phil. 4:3). It was an opinion of ancient writers that he
was the Clement of Rome whose name is well known in church history, and that he
was the author of an Epistle to the Corinthians, the only known manuscript of
which is appended to the Alexandrian Codex, now in the
4.7.
Paul refers to
the ‘rest of my fellow workers’ but there are too many names for him to
list individually, so he simply refers to the fact that their ‘names are in the book of
life.’ The ‘book of life’ contains the names
of all of those who are saved and going to heaven.
4.8.
Paul here is
appealing to everyone in the church in
5.
VS 4:5 - “4
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.
The Lord is near.”
– Paul again admonishes the Philippians to be joyful in the Lord, and he
enjoins them to also have a gentle spirit, one which would be obvious to all
men
5.1.
This past week I
saw a documentary on the country of
5.2.
I love that Paul
is constantly pointing the Philippians to ‘rejoice in the Lord’ as a
paramount responsibility and duty. Twice
in this verse he tells them to do this.
Rejoicing in the Lord is a primary duty for a Christian.
5.3.
It is important
for us as Christians to recognize that God wants us to be people who are ‘gentle’
in spirit.
5.4.
Some translations
translate ‘gentle spirit’ to be “moderation,” but it is probably
not the right context for this translation.
Here is Strong’s Dictionary definition for the word:
ἐπιεικής [epieikes /ep·ee·i·kace/] adj. From 1909 and 1503; TDNT 2:588; TDNTA 243; GK
2117; Five occurrences; AV translates as “gentle” three times, “patient” once,
and “moderation” once. 1 seemingly,
suitable. 2 equitable, fair, mild,
gentle.
5.5.
Paul says here
that they should be gentle in spirit because, ‘The Lord is near.’ The idea perhaps is that the Lord is going to
return soon, therefore it would be wise to be as Christ-like as possible in the
meantime.
6.
VS 4:6-7 - “6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all
comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Paul tells
the Philippians that they need to be careful to not be anxious or worry about
anything, but rather in everything that comes their way to go to prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving and pray about their concerns, and as they do
this they will have the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension
6.1.
Early on in our
study in Philippians it was stated that when we worry that this is an
indication that we are not walking in the joy of the Lord and rejoicing in Him.
6.2.
It is important
for us to realize that prayer and thanksgiving together are what bring to us ‘the
peace of God.’ We pray for our needs
and trust God to fulfill them as part of keeping of His many promises to
us. Then, we also are to always have a
thankful heart to the Lord for His faithfulness.
6.3.
The apostle Paul
is a perfect example of one who is always thankful to the Lord. Through all that he went through, Paul in his
letters indicates that he was always thankful to the Lord.
6.4.
The ‘peace of
God’ is in all of Paul’s salutations, and he writes even of “the God of
peace” in his epistles.
6.5.
This ‘peace’
of God that Paul refers to is not like the peace treaty with God through
Christ, which we know we have because of Calvary’s cross and our faith in
Christ, nor is it “peace on earth” (Jesus said, “Don’t think I came
to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”
Matt. 10:34.). Rather, the peace
mentioned here is “a sense of contentment and well being that is created by
the very presence of God dwelling in our hearts and our resting in Him.” God’s ‘peace’ in our hearts is perhaps
the greatest blessing in our lives as believers in Christ.
6.6.
The Lord promises
us His peace when we focus our minds upon Him in Isaiah 26:3: “3 Thou wilt keep him in
perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he
trusteth in thee.”
6.7.
Jesus promised
His disciples that He would give them His peace: John 14:27:
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I
give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” It is a peace He gives that is “not as the world gives.” Isaiah tells us that there is no peace for
the wicked: Isaiah 48:22: “There is no peace for
the wicked,” says the Lord.”
6.8.
Someone once said
regarding these verses that “we need to turn our cares into prayers.” Prayer about those things the difficult
things in our lives, the decisions we have to make, the needs and concerns of
others, etc., frees us from those things so that we can have the ‘peace of
God’ in our hearts. It is such a
great blessing to rest our burdens and concerns on the shoulders of the Lord
and not try to carry the load by ourselves. He can handle all of our problems and promises
to answer our prayers according to His will.
6.9.
It is such a good
thing to have the peace of God spoken of by Paul here being like “a warrior”
who will ‘guard’ our ‘hearts’ and ‘minds’ in Christ
Jesus.
6.10.
Strong’s Greek
Dictionary has the following entry for this word that is translated as ‘comprehension’
here:
νοῦς [nous /nooce/] n m. Probably from the base of 1097; TDNT 4:951;
TDNTA 636; GK 3808; 24 occurrences; AV translates as “mind” 21 times, and
“understanding” three times. 1 the mind, comprising alike the faculties of perceiving and
understanding and those of feeling, judging, determining. 1a the intellectual faculty, the understanding. 1b reason in the narrower sense, as the capacity for
spiritual truth, the higher powers of the soul, the faculty of perceiving
divine things, of recognising goodness and of hating evil. 1c the power of considering and judging soberly, calmly
and impartially. 2 a
particular mode of thinking and judging, i.e thoughts, feelings, purposes,
desires.
6.11.
The peace of God
can guard our hearts and minds at times when from the world’s perspective there
is no reason that we should be able to have peace, and thus it ‘surpasses
all comprehension.’ This peace in
our lives as believers defies human reason, and it is inexplicable apart from
the supernatural activity and presence of the Lord Himself. Christians can have peace in the midst of the
greatest chaos and turmoil, and this peace is evidence and testimony to the
Lord who lives in their heart and guards it.
7.
VS 4:8 - “8
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is
right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if
there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” – Paul exhorts
the Philippians about their minds and the things that they ought to think about
and dwell upon
7.1.
The things that
we Christians think about and dwell upon have a great impact on our spiritual
well being and usefulness to God.
Therefore, it is important that we guard our minds carefully. Many times we lose our peace of mind and
heart because we are dwelling upon all of the wrong things.
7.2.
Implied here in
Paul’s words is the fact that he sees that the believer in Christ does in fact
have control of the things that he thinks about, and that if he will exercise
that control carefully the result will be a mind that is filled with the peace
of God.
7.3.
Paul wrote that
we who are believers “have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16), and also
that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but rather one of power, love,
and a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7).
7.4.
Likewise, each of
us as Christians are “the
7.5.
The things that
Paul tells us that we should dwell upon are, whatever is:
7.5.1. ‘True’
7.5.1.1.Strong’s Greek Dictionary has this entry for the word
which is derived from the Greek word for “truth” (“alathia”):
ἀληθής [alethes /al·ay·thace/] adj. From 1 (as a negative particle) and 2990; TDNT
1:247; TDNTA 37; GK 239; 25 occurrences; AV translates as “true” 23 times,
“truly” once, and “truth” once. 1 true. 2 loving the
truth, speaking the truth, truthful.
7.5.1.2.This world is full of lies, and the world view that
people of this world have is not worth wasting our energies contemplating.
7.5.1.3.Jesus Christ said that He is “the truth.” We need to dwell upon the truth as God has revealed
it to us, and as we do we know that Jesus also told us that ‘the truth shall
set you free.’
7.5.1.4.The promises of God are true.
7.5.1.5.Satan on the other hand is a liar and the “father
of lies.”
7.5.2. ‘Honorable’.
7.5.2.1.Strong’s Greek Dictionary has this entry for the word:
σεμνός [semnos /sem·nos/] adj. From 4576; TDNT 7:191; TDNTA 1010; GK 4948;
Four occurrences; AV translates as “grave” three times, and “honest” once. 1 august, venerable, reverend. 2 to be venerated for character, honourable. 2a of persons. 2b of deeds.
7.5.2.2.There are many things that we could waste our energies
dwelling upon that are dishonorable.
This is one of the reasons that I never enjoyed or felt like it was
worth watching soap operas on television, as many people do. There is enough grief and mayhem in this
world already, so we don’t need to have any more of it.
7.5.2.3.We Christians ought to dwell upon ‘honorable’
causes and objects.
7.5.3. ‘Right’.
7.5.3.1.Strong’s Greek Dictionary has this entry for the word
which is typically translated as “righteous”:
δίκαιος [dikaios /dik·ah·yos/] adj. From 1349; TDNT 2:182; TDNTA 168; GK 1465; 81
occurrences; AV translates as “righteous” 41 times, “just” 33 times, “right”
five times, and “meet” twice. 1 righteous, observing divine laws. 1a in a wide
sense, upright, righteous, virtuous, keeping the commands of God. 1a1 of those who seem to themselves to be
righteous, who pride themselves to be righteous, who pride themselves in their
virtues, whether real or imagined. 1a2 innocent,
faultless, guiltless. 1a3 used of him
whose way of thinking, feeling, and acting is wholly conformed to the will of
God, and who therefore needs no rectification in the heart or life. 1a3a only Christ truly. 1a4 approved of or acceptable of God. 1b in a narrower sense, rendering to each his due
and that in a judicial sense, passing just judgment on others, whether
expressed in words or shown by the manner of dealing with them.
7.5.3.2.Why should we dwell upon things that are just wrong and
unrighteous. There are much worthy
objects we could dwell upon.
7.5.4. ‘Pure’.
7.5.4.1.Strong’s Greek Dictionary has this entry for the word:
ἁγνός [hagnos /hag·nos/] adj. From the same as 40; TDNT 1:122; TDNTA 19; GK
54; Eight occurrences; AV translates as “pure” four times, “chaste” three
times, and “clear” once. 1
exciting reverence, venerable, sacred. 2 pure. 2a pure from
carnality, chaste, modest. 2b pure
from every fault, immaculate. 2c clean.
7.5.4.2.In our world today, we have declined morally to the
point that there is really no appreciation for things that are ‘pure.’ But, if you are a Christian, you should
really dwell upon things that ‘pure’ rather than corrupt.
7.5.4.3.Jesus told His disciples that we are supposed to be as
pure or innocent as doves, and as shrewd as serpents: Matthew 10:16: “16 Behold, I send you out
as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”
7.5.5. ‘Lovely’.
7.5.5.1.Strong’s Greek Dictionary has this entry for the word:
προσφιλής [prosphiles /pros·fee·lace/] adj. From a presumed compound of 4314 and 5368; GK
4713; AV translates as “lovely” once. 1 acceptable, pleasing.
7.5.5.2.The idea conveyed here is not so much something that
is beautiful, but rather something that is loveable and pleasing, something
loveable to our souls.
7.5.5.3.So many of the movies, television programs, news
reports, etc. traffic upon people’s penchant for those things in life that are
grotesque and ugly in the sight of God.
The language in movies and shows reveals what I’m referring to. It is by and large just grotesque.
7.5.5.4.God wants us to dwell upon the things that are good
and holy.
7.5.6. ‘Of good repute’.
7.5.6.1.Strong’s Greek Dictionary has this entry for the word:
εὔφημος [euphemos /yoo·fay·mos/] adj. From 2095 and 5345; GK 2368; AV translates as
“of good report” once. 1
sounding well. 2 uttering
words of good omen, speaking auspiciously.
7.5.6.2.There are many unseemly stories that we read and hear
about often, the Tabloids are a perfect example of these sorts of things. They are filled with nothing but horrible
rumor and innuendo. Why should a
Christian really be so morbidly concerned about these kinds of rumors and
stories when they are so sordid and appeal to the baseness of our fallen
nature, not to the person that God is making us into, in the image of Christ?
7.5.6.3.At companies where we work, there is a lot of talk
around the water cooler that is nothing but gossipy innuendo and unsubstantiated
rumor and half truths that it is best just to avoid listening to. Listening to these kinds of stories can only
steal our joy and testimony for Christ.
7.5.7. ‘Any excellence’.
7.5.7.1.Strong’s Greek Dictionary has this entry for the word:
ἀρετή [arete /ar·et·ay/] n f. From the same as 730; TDNT 1:457; TDNTA 77; GK
746; Five occurrences; AV translates as “virtue” four times, and “ praise”
once. 1 a virtuous course of
thought, feeling and action. 1a virtue,
moral goodness. 2 any
particular moral excellence, as modesty, purity.
7.5.7.2.Paul tells us that our minds should dwell upon things
that are ‘excellent’ and “virtuous,” not those things that are
poorly constructed, conceived, and the creation of sub-par items.
7.5.8. ‘Worthy of praise’
7.5.8.1.Strong’s Greek Dictionary has this entry for the word:
ἔπαινος [epainos /ep·ahee·nos/] . From 1909 and the base of 134; TDNT 2:586; TDNTA
242; GK 2047; 11 occurrences; AV translates as “praise” 11 times. 1 approbation, commendation, praise.
7.5.8.2.This word is similar to the former. We are to let our minds dwell upon those
things in life that are praiseworthy because of their excellence, especially as
pertaining to spiritual things. This
refers in the chief sense to those things that bring praise to the Lord, those
things we need to dwell upon.
8.
What kinds of
things should we be thinking about really?
Jesus Christ, and the promises of the word of God. When we memorize God’s word, it works within
us and we ruminate on it and every word in the passages we have memorized. There was once a man who had come to Christ
who was a sailor on a submarine. He told
all of the men he worked with that he had accepted Christ and his life had
completely changed. However, there was
one problem, in his sleep at night he talked a lot and all night he swore like
a sailor, just as he had done before coming to Christ. Finally, one day a Navigator ministry guy
talked him into memorizing scripture, and guess what happened? Suddenly, all night long he began to quote
scripture when he slept. Now, the guys
on the submarine with him were convinced of the genuineness of his
salvation. It has been said that if you
drop a barrel into the ocean that it will go down and down, and eventually it
will be crushed by the pressure on the outside of it. However, if you drill just a tiny hole in
that barrel and drop it down into the ocean it will never be crushed. The reason is because the pressure on the
outside is equal to the pressure on the inside of it. The word of God equalizes the pressure of the
world and worldly thinking that is stored in our brains, and when we store God’s
word in our heart it begins to transform us and reverses the effect of the
world in our memories.
9.
CONCLUSIONS:
9.1.
Are you rejoicing
in the Lord?
9.2.
Are you carrying
your burdens or taking them to prayer and leaving them for God to carry?
9.3.
Are you guarding
your mind and the things that you think about every day?