EPISODE 185 PHILIPPIANS CHAPTER 4 "Parting words"

Welcome, friends, to Share the Word. Whether you're just beginning to explore the Bible or have been a Christian for years, we believe that you'll get some great insight from our podcast as our teachers unpack the big ideas of the New Testament in a down-to-earth language. Thanks for being a listener. Now let's get right into today's lesson. Philippians chapter 4: Parting Words. One of many people's biggest regrets in life is not saying things they feel they should have said while they had the chance.

I heard someone ask a question that really made me think recently. It was, If you were to die today, unexpectedly, so with no chance to say anything more to anyone than what you've already said, would you have any regrets for leaving important things left unspoken? That's a good question because none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. I've mentioned before that we lost someone in our family unexpectedly last year. I've heard my other grown children since then express how they wish they had at least one more chance to talk to their sister just one more time, what they would have liked to have said given that opportunity. And that can be a regret that's hard to get past.

When the apostle Paul wrote this letter we call Philippians to some early Christians, most of whom were his personal children in the faith, people he'd led to Christ, felt strongly about, had a close relationship with, he was in custody and awaiting a hearing before the emperor Nero on serious charges. It's clear from things he wrote in this epistle, as well as other prison epistles, that he was not at all sure how his situation was going to turn out. Was a guilty verdict and an execution in his near future? Or would he be found innocent and be released and have more time to spend traveling, strengthening the churches he'd already planted, like this one in Macedonia? He didn't know.

That's why he wrote in chapter one while explaining his present circumstances, For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ as I have been in the past, and I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ whether I live or whether I die. And then he goes on candidly to say, Dying would be better for me as I would go home to be with the Lord, but living would be better for your sakes, so I'm torn. Because he was very uncertain of the future, chapter four, the final chapter in this epistle, is filled with things Paul realizes may be his final message to these folks. He didn't know if he would see them again in this life anyway. As such, this chapter is full of important instructions and words of encouragement, in case the next thing they got news about from Paul is that he was no more.

I'm reading the first nine verses now of chapter four from the New International Version. Listen for his many instructions and encouragements. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord. I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, 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. Rejoice in the Lord always.

I'll say it again: rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to everyone. The Lord is near. Don't be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 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 on these things.

And whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put them into practice, and the God of peace will be with you. What did you hear? What is Paul saying? I heard a number of encouraging words and a number of final instructions. For example, encouragement number one, he calls the Philippian believers my brothers and sisters whom I love and long for. That had to make these people feel pretty special to hear the great apostle Paul refer to them that way, to say that he loved them like his own family and wished badly that he could be with them again.

Paul's not shy about expressing his love and his inner emotions. Often I've heard people say, especially after a loved one passes, I wish I had expressed my love and appreciation for them more often or more clearly. For many of us, those kinds of words get stuck in our throats, but they shouldn't. There's a second encouragement there that follows on by saying, You Christians, you Philippians, are my joy and crown. One thing that could have made his heart warm or brought a smile to his face while he was confined in Rome for a couple years was this generous group in Macedonia, and often he thought of them. They had been and continued to be very supportive of him and of his ministry, and he had a lot of confidence in their faith.

The word Paul used translated crown is a term that has to do with a victor's wreath that was placed on a winning athlete's head at the games. The Greeks pretty much invented what we think of today as professional sports. Today, at the Olympics or similar events, they give out medals, but at the time this was written, laurel wreaths were placed on the head of winners. Like a decorated athlete that has their medals and trophies displayed in their man cave, Paul, who often compared his life to a race, is saying, You Philippians, you are my crowns. You are the proof that my life has been well spent. Then comes the first of his final instructions: Stand firm in the Lord, like a soldier at his post or one set for battle.

He challenged them to be armored up and prayed up and ready for what the enemy will bring at them. This is the exact same instruction we spent an entire episode on from Ephesians chapter 6: Put on the whole armor of God, and after you have done everything, stand firm. The apostles, as we've repeatedly seen, were deeply concerned with what would happen to the Christian movement after they passed from the scene. They already could see the various ways the enemy was trying to subvert the gospel and undermine these early churches, and so over and over we see some form of this instruction to stay spiritually alert and stand strong in the faith. Then comes instruction number two. I'll bet Paul considered how specific he should be about this, but ultimately he decided that yes, he would call out a couple of women in the Philippian church based on things he has told.

How would you like to have your name in the Bible for all time for something like this? I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 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. It sounds like Paul was instructing the principal leader of this church to get involved in resolving some personal problem between two named women here. We've discussed this before. If Christians in a church cannot resolve their differences, church leaders must.

The word translated true companion in the NIV here was also a proper name at the time, so perhaps the church leader Paul is asking to get involved was named Susigos, which means true companion. Essentially, Paul is instructing Susigos, my good friend, fellow minister, and Clement and others to help these ladies resolve their differences. You know, at heaven someday, because we'll have plenty of time then, I'm going to remember to track down Euodia and Syntyche and needle them a little bit for having to get called out this way. But why is such a personal detail like this even recorded in a New Testament letter? I'm sure it's to underscore again how essential unity is in the local church. We don't know what the problem was over, but someone owed someone an apology likely.

And before an interpersonal problem became a serious church problem with people taking sides, Paul wanted it resolved, and he instructed these church leaders to see that that happened. Encouragement number three is something pretty special. Besides the two women named who were at odds with each other, and Susiegos and Clement, likely key spiritual leaders in that church, Paul also mentions the rest of my co-workers whose names are in the book of life. Paul and Silas and other team members like Timothy and Luke had come to Philippi at the Holy Spirit's direction about ten years earlier. They first met some women there. Do you remember this?

Acts chapter 16, worshiping God near the river. Lydia was the chief among them, and they were invited to stay at Lydia's home while they were in Philippi. I wonder if Euodia and Syntyche were also among those women they met at the river. They also shortly met the city jailer, unfortunately, and later his family. But that ended up leading to him and his household all becoming Christians. Makes me wonder if any of the people in that family are some of those referred to here.

We don't know how many Christians by now, a decade later, are meeting as a church in Philippi. But Paul calls them his co-laborers and says their names are written in the book of life. This is the only mention of the book of life outside of Revelation, where it's mentioned seven times. But there is apparently an actual record book, a book kept in heaven that contains the names of all true believers, those in Christ who already are seated with Him in heaven in God's mind. Talk about a word of encouragement. Wouldn't you like to hear from an authoritative source like the Apostle Paul that your name is written down in that book?

A third instruction is given at verse 4, twice in fact, which is, Rejoice in the Lord. This is a major theme of Philippians. That church came about because Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown in prison in that city. Now here he is writing to them a decade later from prison again about rejoicing. As I think Margie explained from chapter one, this is not a pep talk to keep their chin up, like, Don't worry, be happy. It's a reminder that believers can and should, in any circumstances, be able to rejoice because we are in the Lord.

We are in Christ. We may not be happy about the circumstances or what's going on around us, but those things cannot touch our eternal connection with Christ and the certainty of the future we have because of God's promises. It was the certainty that their circumstances were not outside God's permission and control that allowed Paul and Silas to be singing praises to God at midnight, shackled in that Philippian jail a decade earlier. As unpleasant and painful as that experience was, look what it all led to in these people's lives now. If you want to understand this kind of joy better, take a listen to episode 61 from that chapter in Acts. Joy in the Lord is a state of mind and heart that's not dictated by circumstances.

In conjunction with that is a fourth instruction to let your gentleness be evident to everyone. We just discussed two lessons ago this word translated gentleness is the gracious, humble spirit that Jesus typically displayed. Having his mindset that we too are servants of God and of one another helps maintain good relationships, in particular here, unity in the Philippian church. And it also is a magnetic draw to the Christian faith for people in that society where humility was not valued at all, where most people were treated harshly and without any respect. Be known for your kindness, Paul says, your graciousness toward everyone. Inner joy may not always be evident, but how we treat people is.

The next word of encouragement comes on the heels of these instructions about rejoicing in all circumstances and treating people with gentleness, and it's the important reminder that the Lord is near. Paul could be reminding them that the Lord is always with us in the sense of the Holy Spirit's presence in and around our lives, and that He's always with us when we gather together with our fellow believers. The Lord is always with us. Or he could have been making a reverence to the return of Christ when he wrote, The Lord is near, reminding them the rapture of believers could happen at any time, as we learned in Thessalonians. He probably meant all of these things. Believers can always be living in the confidence that the Lord is near us.

We are never forgotten or abandoned. Jesus promises, I will never leave you or forsake you. I will be with you till the end of this age. A fifth instruction is, Don't be anxious about anything, but pray about everything. He's not suggesting that problems aren't real or that we should have a flippant attitude about the issues we face. Paul himself prayed for himself and others all the time.

He was very aware of what he and others he cared about were going through. What he's suggesting is that anxiety and worry never solved anything. They can burn up a lot of energy and make our state of mind worse, but they don't solve anything. Worry is a natural response to fear, and as you probably know, fear not is the most frequent command in the Bible. We often worry when we face things we cannot control. But as Jesus taught on this same subject, can any of you by worrying add even a single hour to his life?

I don't think anyone gets past worry overnight or just by flipping a switch when they become a Christian. It's something we can learn, though, as we learn to trust God more, His power, His wisdom, His love. Paul is instructing that when worry seems like the natural response, deliberately spend some time in prayer. Prayer reminds us of God's power, wisdom, and love. And in the act of praying, hand over the problems you're worried about and try leaving them in the hands of the one who can actually do something about them. As we learn to do that, that is develop the habit of responding to worry with prayer, we will frequently learn by experience that our worst fears are rarely going to happen because nothing can get to us without God's permission.

The more we experience that reality, the more peaceful our minds become. That's the fifth word of encouragement here. The peace of God that transcends understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Peace is the absence of fear, and it comes as we learn to trust God more and more. It's really the byproduct of learning to trust God more. I mean, how many times did the disciples have to see Jesus still a storm before they quit being anxious and afraid?

Even with Jesus in their boat, they still let fear grip their hearts and panic. That Christ cared about them and had the power to do something about the circumstances, the storms in that case, was something they learned over time through repeated experiences with Him. And we can learn it too. Maybe not overnight, but trust God during these difficult times. Pray when you feel anxious. Every time that worried, sick, panic feeling starts to come over you, stop and pray something like, God, I know you're right here with me.

I'm giving this situation to you again. It's beyond my control, but I'm trusting in your power, love, and wisdom, Father. I'm leaving it in your hands. It's a battle in our minds, really, and that's what Paul gets into further in this chapter. The fruits of the Spirit, like joy and peace and faith, will grow in us as we return to God's love and power and wisdom over and over, because we are in Christ. There are a couple more final instructions from Paul and also a couple more personal words of encouragement for the Philippians in this chapter, but I don't have time to discuss them all.

What I want to suggest, though, is a specific application that came to my mind from this chapter. Remember at the outset I asked, if you were to die today unexpectedly, so with no chance to say anything more to anyone than you've already said, would you have any regrets for leaving important things left unspoken? This is what I see Paul in his prison epistles making sure didn't happen. He doesn't know what's ahead for him, so he's reiterating these key instructions for his friends' future, some genuine words of encouragement to these people who are dear to him. Thinking about those you have influence with, people who are dear to you, are there things you need to say to some of them that you haven't? Have you expressed your deep feelings for them?

Have you told them the things you really hope and pray for them? Have you sought forgiveness if you needed from them? If not, I'd urge you to make a plan to do that. You can do so as Paul did by letter, or if you're able and courageous enough, you can do so in person. But say the things that are most important to say while you still have the time to say them. When I lost my oldest daughter last year and went through that whole process, it made me realize how important this is.

And I've been trying to be more intentional about it since then. With another grown daughter of mine, and this one I'm not sure is a believer, I've been expressing to her more often and more clearly how important she is to me, how much I love her, how much she is on my mind, how proud I am of her accomplishments, and so on. And I also send her things from time to time that I hope will make her think about her relationship with the Lord. I know she lost her older sister, and when that happened, that shook her up. It caused her to think more seriously about life and death than she'd ever thought before. She lives overseas, so we mostly communicate online through messaging.

I sent her a video clip I came across the other day in which a very knowledgeable pastor I respect was discussing current events in the Middle East and how they fit into biblical prophecies. He was making the point that things that are happening now are things the Bible says will happen in the generation that will see the return of Christ. I asked her to take the time to watch it. I think she did because she wrote back later, Dad, why are you so obsessed with the apocalypse? I messaged her back, I hope I'm not obsessed with it, but what I do think a lot about and care very much about is that when Christ returns or when I pass from this life, whichever comes first. All the people I love most will be with me in heaven one day.

I want to be sure you are with me forever. That was pretty straightforward, but it's the kind of genuine expression of love and concern I want her to hear from me. It's the kind of thing I don't want to miss communicating clearly while I have the opportunity. I don't ever want to regret not expressing my genuine feelings and concerns to someone so dear to me. So perhaps for you too, Paul's example here of being sure he made his wishes and feelings very clear to those he loved in Philippi while he still had the opportunity, maybe that's an example meant to motivate you to do the same. If so, act on what the Holy Spirit impresses on you, because remember, none of us is guaranteed tomorrow.

This is Paul for Share the Word. If you're enjoying these commentaries, please help us share the Word by passing along the podcast to your friends and family. There's no better way to learn the content of the New Testament than chapter by chapter. For more information, visit us at sharetheword.org. From all of us at Share the Word, our blessings and prayers go out to all of you.