Philippians – MichaelDLawson.com

Journey Through Philippians: Chapter 4

4 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

“Therefore” – A word showing culmination and continuance from Paul’s discussion on the importance of knowing Christ.
”my brothers” – Paul addresses them as friends. This is an important reminder regarding reconciliation.
“Joy and crown” – Paul’s source of pride is not in his own accomplishments, but in what God is doing in and through the Philippians.
“Stand firm thus in the Lord” –
1. Gives a sense of belonging. (Our citizenship is in heaven)
2. Strengthens our alegience to our Savior. (We do not set our minds on earthly things)
3. Shows us that we do indeed have a Savior. In every sense of the word. He redeems us spiritually and will redeem us physically. (we await a Savior…who will transform…)

3 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

“Rejoice in the Lord” – Joy is a key theme throughout the letter. At no point should anything or any person bring me a greater joy than what I find in the Lord Jesus.
“To write the same things” – Spiritual reminders are beneficial in that they keep us from wandering from the truth of the gospel and tend to recenter our lives on what matters. ILL: When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper he said to “Do this in remembrance of me.”

¹So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,

Paul make a plea for Christian unity in the first 11 verses.
In verses 1-2, we see the basis for unity, followed by a brief summary of how to live in unity (v. 3-5), and concludes with an example of unity in v. 6-11.
“if” – although not repeated in the ESV translation the word is used 4 times in this verse, highlighting each phrase. The word would probably be best understood as the word “assuming” in our English minds.
Each phrase in this verse essentially highlights the blessings and benefits of Christian community. We should seek to foster these qualities within ourselves and guard and display them within the church. 1) encouragement, 2) comfort, 3) fellowship (working together), and 4) compassion and concern
Thus we should ask ourselves these questions as we “grade” our church membership…
1) Am I a cheerleader or Debbie Downer when it comes to my church and it’s kingdom ministries?
2) How am I displaying love to those in my church?
3) Am I a sitter or a server? How am I actively participating in my church’s ministries?
4) Do I show genuine compassion and concern for the needs of those in my church?

INTRO:

a diverse and wealthy city.
Opinions differ, but traditionally and most likely written during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment circaAD 60-62.
The church at Philippi was founded by the apostle Paul on his second missionary journey from Antioch, Syria. The precise time of Paul’s arrival is unknown, but most likely it was around a.d. 51. See Acts 16.