Philippians presents marvelous aspects of Christ for our experience and enjoyment. In chapter 1 Christ is the life for us to live, in chapter 2 Christ is the pattern for us to follow, and in chapter 3 Christ is the goal and the prize for us to pursue. In this message, we will cover chapter 4 where Christ is the secret and the power for us to enjoy.
Philippians 4:1-19 reveals Christ as the One who empowers us. This is a very precious aspect of Christ for our experience and enjoyment. The Greek word for empowers is a verb form of the noun dunamis, which means “motivating power, or strength.” This indicates that in Christ as the motivating strength that empowers us all the time, we can do all the things that pertain to our experience of Christ as revealed in Philippians 4, including standing firm in Christ, rejoicing in Him always, letting the peace of God guard our hearts and thoughts in Christ, being content through Him as the secret, and having God fill our every need in Christ.
In 4:1 Paul charges the believers: “In the same way stand firm in the Lord.” The expression in the same way stand means to stand in a particular way, in the way presented in the foregoing chapters. In this verse Paul was urging the believers in Philippi to stand in the way that he had shown them.
In chapter 3 Paul says that he aspires to be found in Christ. In 4:1 he tells us to stand firm in the Lord. Standing firm in the Lord is the key to letting our forbearance be known to all men (v. 5). If we do not stand firm in the Lord, there is no way to make our forbearance known. In order to do anything, we must have a proper standing. This is true of making known our forbearance. Therefore, in order to make our forbearance known, we must stand firm in the Lord; that is, we must remain in Him. Hence, Paul’s word about standing firm in the Lord is equal to the Lord’s word about abiding in Him (John 15:4).
In Philippians 4:2 Paul goes on to say, “I exhort Euodias, and I exhort Syntyche, to think the same thing in the Lord.” As those who stand firm in the Lord, we should also “think the same thing in the Lord.” Apart from the Lord, we cannot think the same thing. If we would think the same thing in the Lord, we must first stand firm in Him.
In verse 4 Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” All believers need to rejoice in the Lord. Those who do not rejoice are wrong, and those who do rejoice are right. According to Paul’s word here, we should rejoice in the Lord always. This rejoicing affords us the strength for the oneness spoken of in verses 2 and 3—thinking the same thing in the Lord and contending together in the gospel. If believers are to think the same thing, it is necessary for them to learn to rejoice. Rejoicing in the Lord is also the secret of having the excellent characteristics listed in verses 5 through 9, including forbearance and other praiseworthy virtues. If we would have the virtues found in these verses, we need to rejoice in the Lord. Therefore, rejoicing in the Lord is important.
Moreover, Paul emphasizes this point by opening verse 10 with the words, “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly.” Moreover, in 1:18 Paul, speaking of his affliction, says, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truthfulness, Christ is announced; and in this I rejoice; yes, and I will rejoice.” Paul’s word about rejoicing is especially significant when we consider his circumstances. He was a prisoner in Rome, and certain of his opposers were doing everything possible to damage his ministry. Nevertheless, Paul declares, “I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (v. 19). As we have pointed out previously, salvation here means to magnify Christ by living Him. Thus, Paul says, “According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I will be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death” (v. 20). Paul did not expect to be put to shame in anything. No matter how difficult his circumstances were, he did not have any anxiety. Because Paul was not anxious in anything, he was not put to shame in anything. Instead, Christ was magnified in him. Even during his imprisonment, Paul could magnify Christ because he had a great deal of forbearance.
Forbearance is related to rejoicing in the Lord. In 4:4 Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Immediately after this he says, “Let your forbearance be known to all men” (v. 5). If we do not rejoice in the Lord, we will not be able to forbear. If we would make known our forbearance, we need to be happy and joyful in the Lord. Those who are sad or sorrowful cannot have forbearance. Instead, they find it easy to be upset, to complain, or to lose their temper. The forbearance in verse 5 is the issue, the result, of the rejoicing in the Lord mentioned in verse 4. From experience we know that rejoicing and forbearing go together.
To rejoice in the Lord is to be one with Him. When we are one with the Lord, we are not anxious about anything, for we are not only under the Lord’s sovereign hand but also in the Lord Himself. If we live this kind of life, how could we be anxious? The more we practice being one with the Lord, the more we will realize that His destiny is our destiny. If He wants us to stay on earth for a longer period of time, He will keep us alive. But if it is His desire that we go to Him, He will take us to Himself. Since everything depends on His will and since we are one with Him in a practical way, there is no reason for us to be anxious.
When we are separated from the Lord, we are anxious about everything. Everything in human life gives rise to anxiety, but when we are one with the Lord, we are separated from the natural human life and its anxiety. If we would make our forbearance known to all men and not be anxious in anything, we need to practice being one with the Lord. This is the reason Paul charges us to rejoice in the Lord before he exhorts us to make known our forbearance.
Even though Paul was a prisoner in Rome, he was not anxious about anything, because he was one with the Lord actually, practically, and thoroughly. He could even say that to die was better than to live. Paul was so one with the Lord that he knew that the Lord was his destiny. Not only was Paul’s destiny in the hand of the Lord—his destiny was the Lord Himself. Because Paul was one with the Lord, he knew that Satan could not do anything to him, even though he might send a messenger, a thorn in the flesh, to buffet him (2 Cor. 12:7). Paul was not worried about what Satan might do, for the Lord was his destiny.
Paul had learned the secret of being able to do all things in the One who empowered him (Phil. 4:13). In verse 4 he exhorts us to rejoice in the Lord always. We may think that it is easy to rejoice in the Lord. Actually, rejoicing in Him requires the out-resurrection. In order to rejoice in the Lord, we need to be in Him as the One who empowers us.