Philippians 4:10-23

Rachel Workman: 10 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ,[d] who gives me strength. 14 Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. I love how he states I've learned to be content with what I have. With Christmas time in full swing and me feeling the crunch of having spent too much money I really do need to learn to be more content with what I have. I also love how he says I can do all things with Christ BUT you did well to share in my suffering with me. In other words he was encouraged by Christ but also by his fellow man. I love that.

15 As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. 17 I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.

18 At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

20 Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen.

21 Give my greetings to each of God’s holy people—all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. 22 And all the rest of God’s people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesar’s household.

23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.[e]

____________________________________________________________________________________

John Burnett:  ¹⁰ But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. ¹¹ Not that I speak ^[a]from want, for I have learned to be ^[b]content in whatever circumstances I am. ¹² I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. ¹³ I can do all things ^[c]through Him who strengthens me.  One of the most quoted verses in the Bible.  One of the other most quoted is “All things are possible” but the “to those who love God,” part is left off many times.  We have to belong to him to receive the strengthening that comes during the process of sanctification.  Many think the “strengthens me” part is for physical strength but Paul is really talking about spiritual strength to make it through the spiritual battle we will all face. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.

¹⁵ You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the ^[d]first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; ¹⁶ for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. ¹⁷ Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the ^[e]profit which increases to your account.  There are false teachers out there that seek the gift, rather than the reward the gift could produce.  G5 Lear Jets are purchased instead of Bibles to be distributed or missionaries being supported.  God doesn’t need our gift, he wants to see our attitude in giving. ¹⁸ But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am ^[f]amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus ^[g]what you have sent, ^[h]a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And my God will supply ^[i]all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  God always provides exactly what we need.  No one knows us better than Him and he provides for the birds, how much more will he provide to those who He paid for with the blood of His one and only begotten Son.  ²⁰ Now to our God and Father be the glory ^[j]forever and ever. Amen.

²¹ Greet every ^[k]saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. ²² All the ^[l]saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.

²³ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

The celebration of Christ coming to earth as a man, dying on the cross, and being resurrected as a once and for all payment for sins is what this season is all about.  He came once and He promises that He is coming again.  We should be looking with the same anticipation for His second coming as a child waits to open their gifts on Christmas morning.  Merry Christmas.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Allen Michaels:  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. Paul knew how to be content whether he had plenty or whether he was in need. The secret was drawing on Christ’s power for strength. It’s not always about what we want. Learn to rely on God’s promises and Christ’s power to help you be content. If you always want more, ask God to remove that desire and teach you contentment in every circumstance. He will supply all your needs but in a way that he knows is best for you.

Paul was content because he could see life from God’s point of view. He focused on what he was supposed to do, not what he felt he should have. Paul had his priorities straight, and he was grateful for everything God had given him. Paul had detached himself from the nonessentials so that he could concentrate on the eternal.

Can we really do everything as Paul states in verse 13? The power we receive in union with Christ is sufficient to do his will and to face the challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it. He does not grant us superhuman ability to accomplish anything we can imagine without regard to his interests. As we contend for the faith we will face troubles, pressures, and trials. As they come, ask Christ to strengthen you.

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. When we give to those in need, there is not only benefit to the receiver, but we are benefited as well. 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. We can trust that God will always meet our needs. Whatever we need on earth he will always supply, even if it is the courage to face death as Paul did. Whatever we need in heaven he will supply. We must remember, however, the difference between our wants and our needs. By trusting in Christ, our attitudes and appetites can change from wanting everything to accepting his provision and power to live for him.

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. Though a prisoner in Rome, Paul had learned the true secret of joy and peace, and that was imitating Christ and serving others. By focusing our minds on Christ we will learn unity, humility, joy, and peace. We will also be motivated to live for him. We can live confidently for him because we have “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” with us.

Philippians 4:1-9

Rachel Workman: 4 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters,[a] stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work. Our works are not required but our works do have rewards.

2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life. I love the reference to women here doing God's work. This just reinstates to me that these books were written in truth. Most men in those times would have like to have left woman out. Women were not well thought of.

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. I love this. Pray, and I will experience God's peace but more importantly his peace will guard my heart and mind. Wow, I'll take it.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you

____________________________________________________________________________________

John Burnett:  4 Therefore, my beloved brethren ^[a]whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

² I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to ^[b]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.

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is ^[c]near. 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 ^[d]comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Return quickly Lord Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is ^[e]lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, ^[f]dwell on these things. ⁹ The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.  Really the only words we need to live by other than the gospel which meets all of these criteria of things we should dwell on.  I need the gospel so much because I don’t dwell on these things often enough.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Allen Michaels:  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! The way to stand firm is to keep our eyes on Christ, to remember that this world is not our home, and to focus on the fact that Christ will bring everything under his control.

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. These two women had been workers for Christ in the church. Their broken relationship was no small matter, because many had become believers through their efforts. Sadly, it is possible to believe in Christ, work hard for his kingdom and yet have broken relationships with others who are committed to the same cause. But there is no excuse for remaining unreconciled. Do we need to be reconciled to someone today?

Final Exhortations

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Even in prison Paul’s attitude teaches us an important lesson; our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. Paul was full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, Jesus the Christ was with him. It’s easy to get discouraged about unpleasant circumstances or to take unimportant events to seriously. If you have been crabby lately, you may not be looking at life from the right prospective. ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Ultimate joy comes from Christ dwelling within us. Christ is near, and at his second coming we will fully realize this ultimate joy. He who lives within us will fulfill his final purposes for us. 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. Paul’s advice is to turn our worries into prayers. If we want to worry less, then we need to pray more. Whenever you start to worry, stop and pray. True peace is not found in positive thinking, in absence of conflict, or in good feelings. It comes from knowing that God is in control. Our citizenship in Christ’s kingdom is sure, our destiny is set, and we can have victory over sin. Let God’s peace guard your heart against anxiety.

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. What we put into our minds determines what comes out in our words and actions. Paul tells us to program our minds with thoughts that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Replace harmful input with wholesome material. Above all, read God’s Word and pray. Ask God to help you focus your mind on what is good and pure. It takes practice and patience, but it can be done. 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. It’s not enough to hear or read the Word of God, or even to know it well. We must also put it into practice. How easy it is to listen to a sermon and forget what the preacher said. How easy it is to read the Bible and not think about how to live differently. How easy it is to debate what a passage means and not live out that meaning. Exposure to God’s Word is not enough. It must lead to obedience

Philippians 3:12-21

Rachel Workman: 12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[d] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. This is great advice, forget the past and look forward to what lies ahead. I need to remember this.

____________________________________________________________________________________

John Burnett:  ¹² Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on ^[a]so that I may lay hold of that ^[b]for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. ¹³ Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,  What lies ahead is beyond our imaginations but we should always be reaching for it ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Let us therefore, as many as are ^[c]perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; ¹⁶ however, let us keep ^[d]living by that same standard to which we have attained.

¹⁷ Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. ¹⁸ For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, Sad that there are many people who once followed the pattern of Christ but now are enemies of the cross.  Most of them are on Daystar TV or TBN ¹⁹ whose end is destruction, whose god is their ^[e]appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. ²⁰ For our ^[f]citizenship is in heaven,  This is very important to remember for those of us in Christ,  this is not our home and why would anyone want it to be,  Heaven is where we belong because of the price he paid, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; ²¹ who will transform ^[g]the body of our humble state into conformity with ^[h]the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Allen Michaels:  ¹² I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. ¹³ No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Paul says that his goal is to know Christ, to be like Christ, and to be all Christ has in mind for him. We should not let anything take our eyes off our goal – knowing Christ. We must lay aside everything harmful and forsake anything that may distract us from being effective Christians. What’s holding you back?

Paul had reason to forget what was behind – he had held the coats of those who stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Verses 12-14 really spoke to me. We have all done things for which we were ashamed, and we live in the tension of what we have been and who we want to be. I wage this battle every single day between who I am and who I want to be. Because our hope is in Christ, however, we can let go of the past guilt and look forward to what God will help us become. Don’t dwell on your past. Instead, grow in the knowledge of God by concentrating on your relationship with him now. Realize that you are forgiven, and then move on to a life of faith and obedience. Look forward to a fuller and more meaningful life because of your hope in Christ.

¹⁵ Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. ¹⁶ But we must hold on to the progress we have already made. Sometimes trying to live a perfect Christian life can be so difficult that it leaves us drained and discouraged. We may feel so far torn from perfect that we can never please God. FYI, Paul used perfection in verse 12 to mean mature or complete, NOT flawless in every detail. He knows that we are not perfect Christians and that we never will be. If it were possible to be perfect then Christ would have died in vain. Those who are mature should press on in the Holy Spirit’s power, knowing that Christ will reveal and fill in any discrepancy between what we are and what we should be. Christ’s provision, however, is no excuse for lagging devotion, but it provides relief and assurance for those who feel driven. We can always make excuses that we still have so much to learn. The instruction for us is simple; live up to what we already know and live out what we have already learned. We do not have to be sidetracked by an unending search for the truth.

¹⁷ Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. Paul urged them to imitate him and not try to copy him. That Paul could tell people to follow his example is a testimony to his character. Can any of us do the same? What kind of follower would a new Christian become if he or she imitated us?¹⁸ For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹ They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. ²⁰ But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. As Christians we will one day experience all the special privileges of our heavenly citizenship, because we belong to Christ. Let us not be so tied to this life that we would be sorry to see Christ return. ²¹ He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. The bodies we will receive when we are raised from the dead will be glorious, like Christ’s resurrected body. Those who struggle with pain, physical limitations, or disabilities can have wonderful hope in the resurrection. No more suffering, no more pain. I’m hoping I can receive a flat stomach and full head of hair as well. However, if I’m in the presence of The Almighty, I doubt if I’ll worry about that.