Perseverance of the Saints - Philippians 4:1-7 - He Gives Us What We Need To Run

Good morning, family.

Good morning, guys.

This is Cliff.

You're a tall man.

So it happens when you're short.

All right.

If you guys would please turn to Philippians chapter 4.

Philippians 4 · chapter mention

We start our journey at the end of this wonderful letter.

All right.

Let's pray.

Father, I want to thank you so much for your goodness and faithfulness.

Thank you that you are whole and that you are strong.

Thank you that you are holy and good.

Lord, that you guide us in truth, Holy Spirit.

That you are so faithful to feed your people our spiritual manna,

our spiritual food that will continue to nourish us.

Lord, I pray that we would partake at your table every day.

And most of all, that we will enjoy your presence.

Lord, we thank you and praise you that you abide in us and us in you.

And we in the Father.

And so, Lord, I just ask that your word would speak.

That you would guide us in the full counsel of your word.

And that, Lord, by your grace I would rightly handle it for your glory.

We praise you and thank you.

In Jesus' name, amen.

A really good understanding of this wonderful letter that God has called,

again, us to be good Bereans, study the word of God,

and to be good Philippians, live the word of God.

And you'll see this clearly in Paul's statement in chapter 4, verse 1.

So chapter 3, verse 17,

Brothers, join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk

according to the example you have in us.

For many of whom I often have told you and now tell you even with tears,

walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Their end is destruction, their God is their belly,

they glory in their shame with minds set on earthly things.

But our citizenship is in heaven,

and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body

by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,

stand firm thus in the Lord my beloved.

Now, that's really where the thought ends.

I'm a little confused why they would put chapter 4 there

and just not start chapter 4 at I entreat, but they don't.

That's okay, right?

But I want you to understand something.

He says therefore.

Therefore means all the things that we just got done talking about

that you're imitating him,

that you're also following the examples that were laid out for you,

that your citizenship is in heaven,

and that we await a Savior from there,

that your bodies will be transformed,

that you will have a glorious body like you do,

you will have a brand new, uncorruptible body,

and the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself,

the reality is that God is completely sovereign.

And if those things are true, therefore, stand firm in the Lord.

Principle number one, God entreats, he calls.

When God calls, he commands.

When God commands, you do.

That is your responsibility.

So when God entreats us, he calls us.

And when he calls us, he commands us.

When he commands, you are to obey.

Now, the word entreat means to earnestly beseech,

implore, beg, or petition.

That's according to dictionary.com and Webster's 1882.

It's a very good definition actually.

And why does he entreat?

Why does he implore us or beg us or petition us?

The first thing he entreats us to do is that we stand firm.

We stand firm in the Lord.

Don't be tossed to and fro.

Stand firm.

I want you to see Paul's heart for the Philippians.

I've told you that out of all the churches that Paul has established

and has preached and has taught,

the Philippian church is the church.

They are the main example.

Very important.

Now, he says that they are his joy and crown.

In other words, out of all the churches, you are the pinnacle.

Not perfect, not that they don't make mistakes,

but there's no open rebuke for their bad behavior.

They have committed to the ways of Christ.

They have committed their lives to the gospel of Christ.

They have committed their lives to the God of all creation,

Christ Jesus, the Father, the Holy Spirit.

They are fully committed.

And so he is the crown jewel, the Philippian church, the crown jewel.

He longs to see them.

He loves them deeply.

And they are an absolute joy to him.

A lot of times when I grew up as a kid, I always wondered why my mom,

I felt like my mom didn't give me all the attention that I wanted

because she was so busy giving my brother attention.

Well, I understand why.

I'm not the one who gave her all the hard time.

I was the crown jewel.

Not an issue of pride or being conceited.

The reality is that in my faithfulness to love my mom

as best as I could without Christ, she didn't have to worry about me.

And that's very similar to what Paul is saying here.

You're my joy. You're my crown jewel.

I don't have to worry about you.

So he entreats them.

First entreatment is to stand firm in the Lord.

Second, he goes on in verse 2 and says,

I entreat Euodia and I entreat Suntuke.

You're like, where did you get Suntuke from?

Well, that's her name.

Her name is Suntuke.

I'll explain it to you in a minute.

To agree in the Lord.

So he entreats both Euodia and Suntuke to agree in the Lord.

So anytime you see S-Y-N in Greek or the letter Y,

the letter Y is U.

Suntuke.

Don't ask me.

It's U and that's the way it is.

English language does all kinds of craziness.

We do all kinds of acrobatic verbiage and sounds.

So Suntuke, to agree in the Lord.

Very interesting.

This word agree means to be of the same mind or to be harmonious,

which really fits to what Paul says earlier in the letter.

That we should be of the same mind of that of Christ.

Chapter 2, verse 5.

Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus.

If we're going to have the same mind of Christ,

then we need to make sure that we maintain, keep, agree.

That we will be harmonious.

That's the point.

So he's telling Euodia and Suntuke, fix this.

This is not something that should be a problem.

There's a reason why he tells them this.

So that's entreatment number two.

First, stand firm.

Second, they need to agree in the Lord.

Third, yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women.

Treatment number three.

We, as God's church, are to help these women.

You're like, well, it says companion.

The word here really implies this idea of companions.

That if we are of one mind and we are the body of Christ,

then we are a true companion.

Interesting.

I ask you.

I entreat you.

I implore you.

I beseech you.

My true suzugos.

So this word suzugos means those united by bond of relationship,

labor, or of a yoke fellow, a consort, a comrade, a colleague,

or a partner.

So as God's family, as the body of Christ, we are laborers,

partners, comrades, colleagues in this too.

It's important as a church because when we see brothers and sisters

messing up, our responsibility as the body of Christ is to come

alongside.

That's difficult because not everybody wants you to come

alongside.

But your responsibility as a true companion is to help these women.

We do that quite often.

It's one of the reasons why we do church discipline and work with

people to reconcile relationships.

There is more at stake here than your opinion about things.

And this is what he says concerning Euodia and Suntuke.

He says, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together

with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers?

You have to maintain the unity of the faith.

Your testimony and the testimony of the church is at stake.

The work that has been accomplished for the gospel will be marred if

you do not continue to love one another.

They will know you're my disciples if you have love one for another.

If there is no love one for another, then there is a loss in that

relationship.

What a terrible testimony.

That's important reason number one.

Important reason number two, because your names are in the book of

life.

Not only should you help encourage, entreat reconciliation and healing,

but you should because your names are in the book.

You're part of the family.

It blows my mind when people have a very difficult time grasping these

truths.

They're more concerned about what they quote unquote believe instead

of really understanding and committing to the obedience of the word.

They have a very distorted and misunderstanding of what truth is.

They've determined for themselves what truth is.

And so they live lives that are contrary to the word.

Paul entreats them.

God entreats them.

Second principle.

To live in gentleness is to show you have the mind of Christ.

To live in gentleness is to show you have the mind of Christ.

In verse four and five a, he exhorts.

God exhorts.

Exhortation.

To address or communicate emphatically urging someone to do something.

The act or practice of exhorting.

The act of inciting a laudable deed.

Incitement to that which is good or commendable.

To give advice or counsel.

That's what exhortation means.

Listen to this.

Pretty amazing.

That was Webster's 1828.

Rejoice in the Lord.

It's not just about rejoicing.

It's about rejoicing because of your position with God.

You rejoice because your name is written in the Lamb's book of life.

Let's go back and read verse three.

Yes.

I ask you also true companion.

Help these women who labored side by side with me in the gospel together with

Clement and the rest of my fellow workers.

Whose names are written in the book of life.

Rejoice in the Lord always.

Again I say rejoice.

Your name is in the book.

Do you get the point why he says it now?

It's not just rejoice because you're going through hard times.

It's rejoicing because you're part of the family.

It's specific.

Then he says in this amazing two verses, let your reasonableness, your

gentleness, your gentle spirit be known to everyone.

If you know your name is in the Lamb's book of life, you are rejoicing

because you're part of the family, then be gentle.

Chapter two, verse six, who though he was in the form of God did not count

equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself by taking the form

of a servant, being born in the likeness of man, being found in human form,

became obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.

It's the gentleness of God.

It's the mindset that Christ has.

That's the point.

To live in gentleness is to show you have the mind of Christ.

What an amazing thought.

Do we really grasp that understanding here?

To let your gentleness be known to everyone.

The only way that man will know, that the world will know that we are his is

we are gentle with one another, that we are loving and understanding.

We don't got to agree on everything.

But the one thing we do have to do is love each other well.

I don't want you to agree with me on everything.

I want you to prove it.

Give me biblical proof as your pastor why you believe what you believe.

And if you can't, then we need to talk.

That's the point.

He says let your reasonableness, your gentleness, your gentle spirit be known

by how you love and reconcile and care and not put your own needs first.

Last principle.

To know he is near is to have full confidence he will keep his promises.

To know he is near is to have full confidence he will keep his promises.

I want you to get this.

This is important.

This is Philippians 4, 5B to 7.

Encouragement is the principle here, is the word that's used here.

Encouragement.

Encouragement is the action of giving someone support.

To build confidence or hope.

To the act of giving courage or competence of success.

To the excitement to action and to practice.

The incentive.

The idea here.

This is what he says.

The Lord is at hand.

Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication.

This is not the Lord is at hand because he is close to his return.

Not what this word means here.

Kind of not happy with this word at hand.

I wish it could have been translated a little bit better.

The Lord is near.

It's the word engus.

Engus means near or of a place and position.

The access to God.

That makes a lot more sense now.

Because many would say, see the Lord is near.

You got to be ready.

Not taking out of context.

The Lord is close.

The Lord is in a position near you.

The Lord is you have access to him.

And if you have access to him, don't be anxious.

Now think about that.

So when he says do not be anxious about anything, what he's saying is that God is in you.

God lives in you.

Christ is in you.

He cannot be any more near than abiding in the tent of your body.

The word, the idea here is that he is so close by.

You have instant access all the time.

So if that's true, he gives us an imperative.

You know what an imperative is?

A command.

Do not be anxious about anything.

Imperative.

But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.

Imperative.

Let your requests be known to God.

Imperative.

Imperative.

Imperative.

Three imperatives here.

Do, do, do.

Do not do this.

Do that.

Do this.

With this.

Do this.

How many times have we gone to God because we're anxious and go, man, I hope he hears

me.

That's not knowing that God is near.

That's thinking he's far away.

He is not far.

So now we understand clearly because the Lord is close near, because we have access to him

instantaneously all the time, he is with me.

He is in me.

I in him.

And we in the Father.

I can and don't have to.

I can go to him about anything.

I do not have to be anxious about anything.

Anxiety is not an option for the believer.

Let that stuff go.

Do not be anxious about anything.

But pray.

And bring supplication.

And be thankful for it.

Why?

Because you are in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Why?

Because I have access to God.

Why?

Because I'm a child of the living God.

Why?

Because I'm part of the family.

I can go.

And no, he will take away my anxiety.

And that's what he says here.

That if we do these things, if we don't be anxious, if we pray, if we bring supplication

and we're thankful, and we bring our requests to him, this is what he will do.

Not will he, will he maybe.

He absolutely will.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

You notice there's a major theme in many of the letters of the New Testament.

The mind.

The battle is in the mind.

You will give into sin and you will continue to lose and be defeated in your life because you have made up your mind to lose.

Because you have not understood God's will for your life.

Romans 12, 2.

Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so you can test and approve what God's will is, it's good, pleasing, and perfect will.

You can know his will.

Secondly, to clarify the reality of this, Jesus gives us this statement.

Matthew 11.

He says in verse 25 to 20, to 30.

Matthew 11, 25 to 30.

And I'll show you how this links contextually.

At that time Jesus declared, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise in understanding and revealed them to the little children.

To little children.

Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

All these, all things have been handed over to me by my Father.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father.

All things.

Not little bits.

All.

Now I want you to get that.

Satan does not have dominion.

The living God has dominion.

He is totally and completely sovereign in all things, and the Son of God has been given all things by the Father.

No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

And this is what he says.

Now I want you to get the same idea here.

This statement is the same idea that Paul's implying in Do Not Be Anxious About Anything.

Look what he says, come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Come to me with all your junk.

Do not be anxious about anything.

Come to me.

But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.

Come to me.

Let your requests be known to God.

Come to me.

Then look what he says.

Life is not burdenless.

God does not promise to take away burden from your life.

He promises to take away your unnecessary burdens.

Burdens that are too heavy for you to carry.

So if he takes your burdens, he doesn't leave you without something to carry.

Are you ready for this?

It's called, this is where you get peace.

All right, here we go.

Learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

What does he give us to carry?

His truth.

There's a responsibility.

His word.

The peace of God.

It's not heavy.

It's freeing.

It surpasses all understanding.

And God will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Why?

For his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

It's not too heavy.

We don't go through life not having responsibility.

We don't go through life not carrying something.

He carries all the heavy stuff.

And more.

And what does he give us?

Peace.

Joy.

Love.

Patience.

Kindness.

Goodness.

Gentleness.

Self control.

And we struggle with those things.

Do you not?

Do they feel like a burden?

To live a godly life, does it feel burdensome?

We make it burdensome.

Because we think, I can't do that.

With Christ, you can do that.

With Christ, the all things are possible or all his things are possible.

All his promises that are for you are possible.

They are yes.

All those are worth carrying in your life.

So I hope we kind of grasp Philippians 4, verse 1 through 7 now.

Philippians 4:1–7

God first and foremost entreats us, implores us to keep the faith, to stand firm in the Lord,

to encourage each other to reconcile and work and to live in harmony with one another.

He then exhorts us that we should rejoice in him.

Why?

Because we are part of the family of God.

Our names are in the book.

And that we should walk in gentleness so that everyone can see it.

And then he encourages us that we trust him because he is close and near.

And that all of the things that we have in our life, all of our anxieties, we can bring to him.

And that he commands us not to be anxious.

And we should pray and bring supplication and be thankful and let our requests be known to him.

He knows what you need before you ask.

The issue is, Lord, I need you.

Lord, I need you.

Oh, I need you.

And then the peace of God, which is what he gives us, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.

Father, I want to thank you so much for your goodness and faithfulness.

Lord, we give you praise.

Thank you that you have entreated us and begged us to trust in you.

You have begged us to keep the unity of the faith, to reconcile with each other.

You have exhorted us to rejoice in you and to be gentle so that all may see that we are your people.

You have encouraged us to trust you in every way, not to be anxious because you are near.

But in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make our requests known to you.

And as a result, Lord, you give us peace.

Lord, we praise you.

We thank you.

You are faithful, good, and true.

In Jesus' name, Amen.