How to Overcome? Philippians 4 (30 min)

Independence is celebrated today as a strength. The concept of total self-reliance is opposite to Biblical teaching (John 15:4-5). The Word of God clearly and repeatedly states that the source of the Christian’s strength is Christ Himself through the power available in the Holy Spirit. Secondly, fellowship with believers is indeed God’s desire for His children (1 John 1:7) . Can believers persist in determining their own rules regardless of Christ’s teachings or be separated from His Church? Can believers continue to harbour a spirit of disunity or hostility to another believer?

Friends, people will disagree; Christians will experience conflict with each other simply because none of us are “perfected” yet! Also, there is the friction of demonstrating love to unbelievers while standing firm in God’s Word.

How we deal with the circumstances God permits is central to becoming an overcomer in Christ now (in preparation for eternity). To prevail, we must stand firm in our belief and practice of the Word of God (regardless of our feelings). We can not accomplish this autonomously; the victory over the battle for the mind is won through the Spirit of Christ. Christ enables our resolve.   Let’s talk about it. 

This is the final blog within this series. It comes from a recent presentation I gave to a local Church from the letter of Philippians. The emphasis of the keynote address was on apprehending that humility and thankfulness are Christ-like choices enabled by God’s grace that result in great joy and unity in all who are redeemed. These blogs provide more detail while encouraging individual study; no person can accomplish what the Holy Spirit does within the heart!

The big idea for Philippians 4 (stated in the most direct and least complex way) is:

• Christ is the power required to overcome all circumstances.

The discipline to apply is:

• Choose the Joy of the Lord as the source of sufficiency and strength.

We learn this through experience. Growing Christians increasingly depend on God (as Paul did – Philippians 4:11-12).

No matter what happens in this life, the Lord will complete His will in (and through) a child of God. Your attitude will determine your experience as you trod this earthly adventure. Philippians 2:13

Chapter 4 Study Notes Outline

Please prayerfully read Philippians 4 and then consider the following segmentation (my outline):

• Instructions to Specific Believers in a Conflict – Stand Firm in Christ (verses 1-3)

• Instruction to all Philippians – Rejoice, Exercise Self Control, Pray with Thanksgiving (verses 4-7)
• Focus on 8 Things to Remain Joyfully Strong (verses 8-9)
• Paul’s Secret & Real Proven Knowledge is the Joy of Christ (verses 10-14)
• Encouragement – God Will Provide (verses 15-23)

As you read the observation highlights below, ask the Holy Spirit (your Teacher) to minister to your heart through His inspired Word. Please do not accept what I have typed without searching it out for yourself prayerfully!

Instructions to Specific Believers in a Conflict – Stand Firm in Christ (verses 1-3)

If you have been following this blog or have studied Philippians independently, you would notice that Paul mentioned joy or rejoicing 16 times throughout the letter (depending on your translation). Paul also emphasized the thought-life at least 35 times.

Did you also notice that Paul pointed to the gospel as the shared purpose between his readers and him? Refer to the nine instances in these eight verses: Philippians 1:5, 7, 12, 17, 27; 2:22; 4:3, 15.

Believers are encouraged to develop authentic, meaningful relationships with other believers. Doing so limits how many individuals one can deeply know and interact with based on time and location intrinsically.

Although there are individuals we are more drawn to, the Lord may direct you to certain people for His reasons.   

Christian unity is more than the product of (1) having an understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ and (2) having placed one’s faith in Him. The purpose of Christian unity is also to share the gospel as Christ appointed us to do.

Jesus prayed for Christian unity before His all-sufficient atonement for sin on the cross saying:

• “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17:21-23)

So then, what happens when you strongly disagree with another Christian’s doctrinal positions or their application of the Word (whether freedoms or behaviour restrictions)? What then? Hmmm. Let’s think this through in the context of Philippians.

Having encouraged the Philippians to continue to press toward the upward call of God in Christ Jesus as citizens of heaven, Paul approached the end of his letter with practical instruction to at least two believers who were at odds with each other.

Consider what Paul wrote concerning an issue between believers in the Philippian Church.

You might say, at the conceptual level, you agree with the Biblical text. If you are a believer, you absolutely agree with what the Word of God says concerning retaining Christ’s love and purpose.

But how on earth does one live this out in practical terms?

• First, we must be led by the Holy Spirit and in His power to accomplish this Godly unity. But also important is our responsibility to yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit (to do what He has said in His Word and by the impressions He gives you).  The Holy Spirit is in unity with the Father and Son, and the impressions He gives always align with Scripture since He inspired it.
• Then, we must agree on the core essentials of the Christian faith and have grace for differing secondary doctrines.

• Finally, we must ensure we are not worshipping a false Christ. God has given us the Word of God so that we KNOW who Christ is. Avoid any doctrine that preaches a different gospel. It is so important to know what the Bible says and to check every teaching against it!

When Paul wrote the Galatian Church he said:

• “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-8)

Unity on Core Essentials of Christian Faith	Grace for Secondary Doctrines
(1) The deity of Christ (John 1:1–14) (2) The resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3–8) (3) Salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9) (4) The authority of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16)	(1) Spiritual Gifts (cessation or continuation) (2) Timing of end-time events (pre-millennial, a-millennial, post-millennial) (3) Church government (elder-led vs. congregational, etc.) (4) Styles of worship (hymns vs. contemporary music)
Interesting Article https://www.gotquestions.org/Christianity-beliefs.html	Interesting Articles (non-biased) Note: In all things, (1) pray, (2) agree with Scripture, and (3) be willing for God to grow your understanding. Only our Lord has it all right! Agree to love Christ preeminently, and your Christian sibling who disagrees with you. https://www.logos.com/grow/hall-cessationist-or-continuationist/ https://www.logos.com/grow/what-is-eschatology/

---

Instruction to all Philippians – Rejoice, Exercise Self Control, Pray with Thanksgiving (verses 4-7)

In this segment, Paul moved from asking the rest of the Church to help Eudoia and Synthyche to provide practical application for living the Christian life victoriously for God’s glory.

Please read Philippians 4:4-6. (I encourage you to read through the passage every time a new segment is introduced. Allow the Lord to minister to you directly through His Word).

What does a victorious or joyful life look like? It certainly does not mean a life without challenges (Paul and the Philippians were experiencing persecution). A victorious life rejoices in Christ and exercises the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus taught that people should keep an eternal perspective concerning troubles.

• “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12).

If we truly understand that everything the Lord permits in our life is to perfect us and bring God glory, we can rejoice in hope. While rejoicing during difficult times may seem nonsensical, joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit. The Lord who is near (His Spirit indwelling the believer) will give us His overcoming ability to see things from God’s perspective (which causes joy). As it is written:

• “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”(Romans 5:1-5)
• “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
• “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

Individuals who rely on the Godhead, do not need to fret or fear over anything because they understand who God is and trust His nature. Worry is the result of either choosing to doubt God’s care for your situation – or – a lack of humility in submitting to His will about it. (1 Peter 5:5-7)

• This does not mean we enjoy or like negative situations.

• It means that if we have taken our requests to the Lord, we can rest knowing He hears us and only does what is best for all concerned according to His purposes.

When worried, our attitudes and behaviours lack rest and self-control. Anxiety can often cause irritability, antagonism toward others concerning an issue, and fear-based reactions. This emotion or reaction can cause us to withdraw when we should move forward; or press ahead when we should wait.

Christians have concerns and the responsibility to do the right thing. As such, we should:

1. prayerfully submit all of life’s concerns to the Sovereign Lord (who is always near and has a plan for the believer – Jeremiah 29:11-13, Isaiah 55:11-12, Lamentations 3:26);
2. petition the Father with pure motives through Christ Jesus in faith (John 15:7-16, Ephesians 3:20, James 4:2-3, 1 John 3:22, 1 John 5:14-15);
3. resist the human urge to complain about circumstances (1 Corinthians 10:9-13, Philippians 2:14-15, Jude 1:15-16),
4. thank God knowing He has promised to make everything work together for the believer’s good and His glory (Romans 8:26-28).

Jesus said,

• “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:7-11)

We can rejoice knowing that God will answer any prayer that is good for us. He will also deny any prayer that will harm us or others and defame Him. He will give us only what is best!

Paul also explained that rejoicing in the Lord with prayerful worship, and requests made with thanksgiving will bring about the peace of God that will be a protective guard around the seat of our affections and thinking.

• “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Jesus said:

• “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ” (John 14:27)
• “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

How the believer deals with conflict, pressure, and persecution is a choice. If the believer follows the teaching prescribed by the Holy Spirit through Paul, then the outcome will result in the peace of God that overcomes all trouble, regardless of whether the issue remains. Remember, Jesus could sleep through a storm because He was at peace with total confidence in the plan of God. He can speak peace into your situation (Mark 4:36-41).

---

Focus on 8 Things to Remain Joyfully Strong (verses 8-9)

Remaining joyful during difficulties is a choice (as clearly stated in Philippians 4:8-9); therefore, the responsibility to follow God’s Word rests on the believer. The question is, what are you feeding your mind? What are you promoting through your thought life? You might not stop a thought from originating, but you have total control over what you choose to meditate on.

• “though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

Our thoughts can be based on reactions to situations, problem-solving, dreams and aspirations, and other spiritual forces. God desires all believers to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, the Son of Man. He is our example (Philippians 2:5, Romans 8:29, 1 John 2:6) We are to put on the mind of Christ by humbling ourselves to the full obedience to the Father. He has given us everything needed for life and Godliness despite the battle for our minds. As it is written:

• “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:2-11)

While we grow in sanctification, our minds, other humans, and even evil forces will test our thinking. Even though we might face situations that stir up the fleshly nature (i.e. bad feelings, contentions, jealousies, selfish ambitions, dissensions and other fallen attitudes), our responsibility is to:

1. focus on Christ:
2. hear His voice through the Spirit,
3. realize that the human being provoking these thoughts (you or others) is not the enemy.

We do have an enemy that the Lord has empowered us to overcome. The Word of God says:

• “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:11-18).

You see, the battle is the Lord’s! Our job is to:

1. remain in faith knowing our position in Christ and the Word of God;
2. continue to boldly and lovingly (without bitter fighting) share the gospel of Jesus Christ while keeping your peace in Him;
3. pray diligently about everything; and
4. stand your ground or do not give up any territory to the enemy of our souls.

For example:

• You hear a bad report on the news and it is troubling.
  • If the report is true but causes the old nature to arise, look for what the Word of God says concerning the situation. When you realize that God is ultimately in charge, has a plan, can be trusted and will rectify all that wrong, then you can turn the bad news into a moment to pray, worship, trust, and obey any direction the Holy Spirit provides.
  • If the report is false, disregard the report and pray for God’s truth to prevail.
• You have bad thoughts about someone or something.
  • Recognize God has you in His hands. Ask yourself what God’s Word says about the thought. Align yourself with God’s Word. Is the thought a lie? Tell yourself that is a lie based on God’s Word. Do you feel anger toward someone? Tell yourself that Jesus forgave and requires you to forgive others (even as you work through a situation). Are you faced with doing something you despise? Turn your thoughts to Christ’s perseverance and praise Him knowing that you will not be tried above what you can bear but that God is allowing a situation to help you build spiritual muscle.

All of this sounds good in theory, doesn’t it? The truth is, you must practice the steps and grow in your ability to control your mind with the power of the Holy Spirit. You will be faced with adversity all the days of your life in one capacity or another. Do you choose to overcome the bad thoughts? You may periodically fail at it. For sure!

• “For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.” (Proverbs 24:16)

The Word of God says the “God of peace will be with you” when you practice His way of thinking (Philippians 4:9). Paul also said that you could also use him as a model since he practiced this method of managing his thought life. I say that he would not have been able to do so unless he saw Christ as his goal. He said:

• “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

Christian, if your goal is not Christ and if your secondary goals do not align with His (and are merely focused on the things of this temporal world), managing your thought life will be difficult; and, potentially only “human positive thinking” devoid of God’s supernatural empowerment.

---

Paul’s Secret & Real Proven Knowledge is the Joy of Christ (verses 10-14)

After Paul’s exhortation and encouragement in the preceding sentences, Paul thanked the Philippians for the continued financial support delivered to him by Epaphroditus (their messenger). In this passage, Paul explained that during times of lack, he learned the secret of being content. When you consider that Paul had been evangelizing for at least 25 years by the time he wrote the letter (in approximately 62 A.D.), there would have been a significant expense for travel, food and clothing. Paul earned a living as a tent maker at times (Acts 18:1-5); however, Paul’s trips and arrests likely did not afford him sufficient opportunity to earn enough for his nutrition. Refer to Philippians 4:12 where it states that he had been hungry. Paul said:

• “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

Before Paul wrote this letter, he had endured much for the gospel of Christ. The trials and suffering had caused Paul to depend fully on Jesus to fulfill the purpose He had given Paul.

Christ was a very present help in the time of Paul’s need so he had learned how to be content in the knowledge of Christ. 2 Timothy 4:17, Acts 18:9-10, Acts 23:11, Acts 27:23-24, 2 Corinthians 12:9

The Lord is always near! When I do not sense His presence, I wonder if my attitude, complaints and lack of Godly perspective veil the strength He offers. Jesus told Peter that He had prayed for him knowing Peter would deny Him. I am certain that Jesus prays for us during our times of weakness. May we learn to change our perspectives, cast down thoughts of self and worry, and keep our focus on Christ. May we worship and fellowship with Him more in times of difficulty like Paul.

• “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

When you KNOW who Christ is, when you KNOW He is standing with you, when you KNOW that nothing can happen to you without the permission of the Lord, when you KNOW that you will fulfill what God has planned for your good and His glory, then you can be content in everything. May we all grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.

---

Encouragement – God Will Provide (verses 15-23)

The Philippians had faithfully given to Paul when no other Church had provided. Refer to Acts 16:40 – 17:5 for the account of Paul’s journey from Macedonia to Thessalonica. In verses 15 – 23, Paul recalled various instances when the Philippians provided for him although they were physically far removed from where he was ministering. Paul was appreciative of their gift and even more thankful that the Lord is a faithful God who remembers every good deed. Paul knew that the sincere love and giving of the Philippians would result in the accumulating increase of heavenly rewards for them.

Paul called the Philippians’ financial giving a “sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God”. I can imagine the joy that must have filled their hearts when reading this letter. Their spiritual father (who co-laboured with their Heavenly Father to minister the gospel of Jesus Christ which brought salvation) acknowledged their works as delightful to God! This was very affirming and encouraging because it provided:

1. reassurance of the joy in serving the Lord through suffering (chapter 1);
2. explanation of what a Christ-like mindset is (chapter 2);
3. clarity surrounding the goal of pressing forward in Christ (chapter 3);
4. correction for those who were serving the Lord yet needed an attitude change for unity (chapter 4); and
5. acknowledgement of the good that they had done (chapter 4).

Knowing that such a spiritual leader was confident that God was well pleased should be encouraging. Today, many have difficulty giving towards evangelism because of misuse of finances, the prosperity of some preachers, or the embellishment of Churches. If a spiritual leader encourages giving, it can be viewed cynically.

I do not doubt that there is some merit to being cautious about where you donate time and money, especially since we are called to be good stewards of whatever God has given us.

That said, if we can keep in mind that the motive of our sacrifices is to co-labour with God in saving lost souls and to be loving samaritans as Jesus taught, then we can guard our mouths against disparaging others who are doing some good (even if we suspect they could do better). Rather than being mean-spirited to those who profess Christ (perhaps questionably), we could pray that God would use whatever they do to further His purposes. Earlier in this letter, Paul said:

• “Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” (Philippians 1:15-18)

We truly need to watch our perspectives and guard our minds. Here is a pictorial representation of how I apply the teachings from the letter to the Philippians to my life by the grace of God.

Paul ended this letter with the encouragement that the work of the Lord was producing much fruit; even the fruit of souls within Caesar’s household! Our God is the most strategic and wise! He can send prisoners into an earthly ruler’s house to win souls who would not otherwise hear of God’s grace. God’s grace arranges for (1) the moment of conversion, (2) appoints the person to share the truth of God’s redemption and reconciliation, and (3) convicts the heart of the need of the Saviour.

• “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)

So rejoice! God will provide everything needed to bring about His purposes for our good and more significantly for His glory! The more the glory and goodness of God spread throughout the earth, the better it is for humanity!

• “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Philippians 4:19-20)
• “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25)

---

If you have not placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Redeemer and you sense a tugging at your heart, it’s probably the Holy Spirit beckoning you to meet Him, to see Christ for who He is (Saviour, Redeemer, Lord of all creation, eternal God, Son of God and the God-Man). You can use your own words to tell the LORD you believe and ask Him to fill your heart with the knowledge of Him and the power to choose freedom over sin.

All Scripture in this blog is from the New King James Version unless otherwise specified.