Content

Today, we finish up Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi.

Philippians 4

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice!

5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me - everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

10 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me.

11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.

12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Content. As I thought about this passage today, the one word that stuck out was “content”; and no, I don’t believe Paul was referring to a naive or insincere optimism. I think Paul was suggesting a deeper sense of peace and contentment that can survive any season of life. Remember, he was writing these words from prison awaiting trial for being a Jesus follower (also check out 2 Corinthians 11:24-27). In fact, Paul has been revealing key thoughts, throughout the letter, that will help you learn how to experience/express it. Here’s a challenge ... this weekend, reread the letter in one sitting and look for those thoughts.

I will be out of town tomorrow; but will be back on Monday.

Have a great weekend.

Advice

Every Wednesday, we review the previous weekend’s message. This past weekend, Jonathan talked about the story of Jethro. Take a minute to reread the passage Jonathan referenced ...

Exodus 18

13 The next day, Moses took his seat to hear the people’s disputes against each other. They waited before him from morning till evening.

14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?”

15 Moses replied, “Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God.

16 When a dispute arises, they come to me, and I am the one who settles the case between the quarreling parties. I inform the people of God’s decrees and give them his instructions.”

17 “This is not good!” Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed.

18 “You’re going to wear yourself out - and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.

19 Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you. You should continue to be the people’s representative before God, bringing their disputes to him.

20 Teach them God’s decrees, and give them his instructions. Show them how to conduct their lives.

21 But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten.

22 They should always be available to solve the people’s common disputes, but have them bring the major cases to you. Let the leaders decide the smaller matters themselves. They will help you carry the load, making the task easier for you.

23 If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will go home in peace.”

24 Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions.

25 He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten.

26 These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves.

Advice. Listening to advice requires patience ... following it requires humility; but a little patience and a little humility can lead to a lot of help. The next time someone offers you some free advice (instead of becoming defensive) pause, push aside your pride and consider the suggestion. It may help you ten, fifty, one hundred or even one thousand times more that you could have ever expected!

Enemies

Today, Paul offers an important warning.

Philippians 3

12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,

14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you.

16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.

17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.

18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.

19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.

20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

Enemies. Yesterday, Paul was talking about his desire to know Jesus (reread Philippians 3:10). Today, he continues that thought. He describes a passion (“press on”) for knowing Jesus so well that he is truly like Him (“perfection”) ... a passion that isn’t distracted by the guilt of his previous mistakes or the pride of his more recent accomplishments (“forgetting the past”). He also warns us about a second distraction ... “enemies of the cross of Christ”. I found Dr. Constable’s suggestion, regarding this verse, helpful ... “Perhaps he (Paul) described them as enemies of the cross because what they taught was contrary to the spirit of obedience to God that had led Jesus to the cross (cf. v. 10).” As Jesus followers, we ought to be passionate about honoring (obeying) Jesus and wary of people that make light of honoring Jesus.

Worthless

Today, Paul offers a valuable reminder about our relationship with God.

Philippians 3

1 Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.

2 Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved.

3 For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,

4 though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!

5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin - a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.

6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.

8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ

9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,

11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

Worthless. There is nothing you can do to make yourself right with God. I know you’ve probably heard that before; but you need to hear it again. Our attempts to earn God’s favor are worthless. You may tire of hearing it; but the truth is you need the constant reminders because this is one of the most common pitfalls you will face on your journey with God (before you encounter Jesus, when you accept Jesus and even after you have known Jesus for a long time). What’s the big deal right? We’re talking about doing good things here aren’t we? Who cares what the motivation is behind it? It may seem like a subtle (unimportant) difference; but in fact, it is a monumental difference. When we are trying to earn God’s forgiveness, our focus is really on us. More specifically, the focus is on how we are doing compared to everyone else. When we accept God’s forgiveness, our focus remains on Him. We are free to focus on knowing God and serving God ... out of gratitude instead of obligation. When was the last time finding out something was worthless was so valuable?