JASON MARTIN
PHILIPPIANS / Philippians 4
This chapter has a few well-known and repeated verses. What we are going to guard against in this study is pulling those verses out of their context and misapplying those.
• Chapter 3 ended with Paul inviting believers to join him in running the race imitating Christ - for the prize of the upward call - setting our minds on heavenly desires rather than earthly desires - because our true citizenship is in Heaven.....
• Chapter 4 starts with Paul repeating a common phrase “stand firm” - followed by examples of what standing firm looks like..
• standing together in unity
• rejoicing always
• pray instead of worrying
• meditate on what is excellent
• be content in all circumstances
• give generously
• Whatever the disagreement was between these women - we aren’t told. What we can take from this situation is that;
• Mature Christians might still occasionally have conflicts with each other.
• Sometimes there needs to be a godly person to mediate between Christians for the sake of unity within the body. Unity is not optional. These women are not enemies, they are citizens of Heaven whose names are written in the Book of Life.
• Revelation 20:12 “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.”
• Revelation 21:27 “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
• Revelation 3:4–5 “Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”
• Luke 10:20 “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.””
• Psalm 69:28 “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.”
• Malachi 3:16–18 “Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.”
• Exodus 32:32–35 “But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.” Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.”
• Daniel 12:1–4 ““At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”” ))
• Rejoicing is not based on our circumstances
• The LORD is at hand...
• He is near His people....and His return is nearer everyday...
• Gentleness and confidence flow from that joy. If any vengeance or vindication is required, it is the LORD’s to carry out
• What do we naturally do when we feel anxiety?
• anxiety > prayer, supplication, thanksgiving > the peace of God guards our hearts and minds
• The promise is NOT that God will remove the circumstances causing anxiety
• The promise IS that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus
• What do we dwell on throughout the week?
• world news,
• politics,
• entertainment,
• complaints,
• circumstances......
• or.....whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise?
• Spiritual growth requires disciplined thinking / meditating
• The things we dwell on in our minds and hearts matter
• Right thinking supports right living - are our minds on earthly or heavenly things?
• How long did it take for Adam and Eve to become discontent in actual paradise in Genesis 3?
• Was King David content with his 7 wives when he saw Bathsheba?
• We might find ourselves always wanting more...
• James 4:1–3 “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”
• Not - I can do anything I want because I quoted a verse out of context.....
• This is NOT about;
• winning games
• getting promotions
• achieving our goals...
• This IS about remaining faithful and thankful whether we have plenty or nothing...
• We don’t become content when we get what we think we want. We will always want something else or something more.
• We become content when we learn to trust Christ and give thanks in our circumstances no matter what they are.
• We must be able to endure both abundance and need through Christ
• Endure abundance? When we have, we might think we no longer need....
• abundance creates it’s own problems;
• pride
• self-sufficiency
• forgetting dependance on God
• Contentment is learned......
• Paul thanks the Philippians for partnering with him
• their sacrificial giving to help Paul was pleasing to God. In return, God will supply every need of these people who supported the spreading of the Gospel.
• This is NOT giving to get. Instead, we get to give......
• This is God faithfully caring for those who faithfully participate in His work.
• The work they are all partnering in even reached the household of Caesar - to the point some of them have been converted and are called saints.
• Christ is building His Kingdom even when the circumstances suggest otherwise.....so stand firm...
Exported from Logos Bible Study, 9:39 AM June 26, 2026.