Paul Reminds the Church @
Philippi to Rejoice in Christ, to be United to One Another and to be always in
Prayer
Philippians
4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your
moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for
nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. KJVPaul reminds these believers @ Philippi and we believers today to make a conscience effort to rejoice in Christ Jesus our Lord, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4) (KJV). The English word rejoice is translated by the Greek word chairo a primary verb meaning to be full of cheer, that is, calmly happy or well off. It is joy in Christ that makes us well off and at the same time gives us power for living to glorify Him as we sojourn in this life on earth as pilgrims since our conversion, away from our home in heaven. In the Old Testament, when Nehemiah led the people of Israel to finish rebuilding the broken down walls of Jerusalem, they found a copy of the Book of the Law of Moses that had not been destroyed in the assault on the city and read it before the entire people and this is what Nehemiah recorded, “So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep.’ For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’” (Nehemiah 8:8-10) (NKJV). Paul wanted their rejoicing or joy in Christ to be at all times, under any circumstances, and for their/our very spiritual benefit. There is in my opinion nothing that gives we believers more faith, hope, and love pouring from our redeemed souls than when we are full of the joy of the Lord.
Our Lord Jesus gave us the parameters for joy being full within us in John 15:1-11, for the meeting of these conditions only will flood us with His Joy. There is a song on one of my playlist by 10th Avenue North that has these words in the lyrics speaking of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Joy, “Your Joy is better than wine, it’s better than love, it’s better than life. Your Joy is where my heart sings, it’s where I belong, it’s where I believe.” Those of us who have basked or savored or relished Christ Joy deriving extreme pleasure and indescribable strength from said joy can say Amen to these song lyrics, knowing exactly where the author is coming from when writing such words. Note: “There is but one thing that quenches our ‘Joy in the Lord’ and that is our harboring unconfessed and un-repented of sin in our lives, as Matthew Henry says, ‘Joy in God is a duty of great consequence in the Christian life; and Christians need to be again and again called to it. If good men have not a continual feast, it is their own fault.’” Next Paul wants them/us to live peaceably with all men (even the two legged devils that are out to harm us) as he declares with these words, “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” (Philippians 4:5) (KJV). The English word moderation here is translated by the Greek word epieikes which means appropriate, that is, (by implication) mild: - gentle, moderation, patient. In other words, we cannot control what other men think of us or what they might do to us unjustly, but we can (by the Grace of God) control our response to their unjust actions to us, always understanding that the devil hates our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ, therefore, those men and women who belong to the devil will certainly hate us, that is, we followers of Christ.
Dr. Macknight defines this word moderation/epieikēs this way, “meekness under provocation, readiness to forgive injuries, equity in the management of business, candor in judging of the characters and actions of others, sweetness of disposition, and the entire government of the passions.” This is not always so easily accomplished by us, but it is our aim, what we aspire to, and what we will be held accountable for by our Lord Jesus Christ, thus, the response by Paul of the “Lord is at Hand”, meaning He is ever or always judging our actions, as well as our reactions to the bad/evil things that men do to us without cause, as Paul said to the Roman believers with these words, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:17-19) (NKJV). Likewise, we are not to be quarrelsome or argumentative with our brethren over matters that are non-essential to the truth of the Gospel as it must have been here with Euodia and Syntyche.
When we are overrun with anxiety or worry these things are not just bad, but they are sinful for us as believers in Christ, Paul says it to these Philippian believers with these words, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6) (KJV). The English phrase used here at the beginning of verse 6 “be careful” is translated by the Greek word merimnao meaning to be anxious about something or to take thought through the idea of distraction or having a feeling of excessive concern. In other words, Paul does not want this to be the disposition of these Philippian believers or we believers today seeing that we have Christ as our intercessor always and it was our Lord Jesus Christ Himself that said these words to the first disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:25-34) (NKJV).
We are to pray about all things even though God the Father (as our Lord Jesus said above) already knows what we need. In our prayers to our Heavenly Father, we are to always begin with thanksgiving first for our salvation and then for our continual care while we sojourn here on the earth. When this is our constant temperament, tendency, and tactic, then we will be comforted by the peace of God as Paul declares here, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) (KJV). This peace is heavenly and cannot be manufactured by man with any methods, measures, or material resources. God’s peace is superior or higher than anything man can offer such as spa getaways filled with numerous activities that can give only a temporal relaxation physically, but can do nothing for the inner man or inner woman. However, the peace of God Paul says, “shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” and the tiny phrase “shall keep” is translated by one Greek word phroureo meaning to be a watcher in advance, that is, to mount guard as a sentinel (post spies at gates); figuratively to hem in, protect: keep (with a garrison). In other words, God’s peace is like a mighty army protecting us on all sides as the Psalmist declares with these words, “The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.” (Psalms 29:11) (NKJV).
“It is the duty and interest of Christians to live without care. There is a care of diligence which is our duty, and consists in a wise forecast and due concern; but there is a care of diffidence and distrust which is our sin and folly, and which only perplexes and distracts the mind.” Matthew Henry
“This peace passeth all understanding; it is of a very different nature from all that can arise from human occurrences; it is a peace which Christ has purchased, and which God dispenses; it is felt by all the truly godly, but can be explained by none; it is communion with the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ, by the power and influence of the Holy Ghost.” Adam Clarke
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...
Sincerely in Christ,
Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…
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