Intro
In Philippians 4:1 we are given the directive to “stand fast in the Lord.” i That is followed by a series of exhortations that tell us how to do that.
The exhortation in verses 2-3 is about maintaining unity in the congregation. That is not always easy to do, is it? That’s why Ephesians 4 tells us to “endeavor” to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We have to work at it. We have to recognize the necessity of it, and as the NIV says, we are to “make every effort” to preserve that unity.
The problem we encounter is that we rub one another the wrong way at times. Someone says something that hurts our feelings. People take advantage of us. People may not appreciate the hard work we we do. Lots of things can happen that make us want to withdraw from community and try to serve the Lord without those relationships. When conflicts arise we may be tempted to try living out our faith apart from church people.
But that is a mistake. It will not work in the long run. Why? we are not designed to go it alone. God has designed interdependence in the Body of Christ. We are not only to walk with God, but we are to walk with one another in love as well.ii The lone ranger mentality is not biblical. God did not equip us to be lone rangers. We need one another by divine design.
Last week we illustrated that reality with the root system that sustains the giant Redwoods. The root of a Redwood tree only goes down ten or twelve feet. That could not support a 350 trunk. What supports the tree is its interconnection with the other Redwoods. Its roots extend laterally 60-80 feet connecting it with the other tress. That’s why the storms don’t blow them down.
In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul used the metaphor of the human body to teach this interdependence. The human body is designed with many members that are dependent on one another. “The eye cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’” I need you, and you need me. Our diversity is our strength when we stay in unity and serve one another. A hand cannot survive without the functions of the other parts of the body. That interdependence cannot be ignored.
Nature teaches us this principle of interdependence in the animal kingdom. The antelope or wildebeest that gets separated from the herd is the most vulnerable. Lions devour the one that gets separated from the safety of the herd. So, for our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of our fellow believers we must follow Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 4:2-3. We can only “stand fast in the Lord” as we support each other and work together.
In our text today we will consider two additional instructions for standing strong in the Lord. Philippians 4:4 tells us to maintain a joyful heart before the Lord. Verse 5 tells us to maintain gentleness in our relationships with others.iii These are imperatives, two commands that we are to live by. We can view them as duties. But it is better to see them as avenues for abundant living.
Our lives are enriched as we practice these disciplines. After instructing the disciples in John 13 Jesus said to them, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” The blessing is in the doing. We are blessed as we cultivate joy in our relationship with the Lord and gentleness in our relationships with others. Through these disciplines we will grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.iv We will be strengthened in our walk with God and our influence toward others.
I. First look with me at the directive in 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”
Joy is a consistent theme in this letter. In 1:4 Paul talks about the joy he experiences when he prays for and thinks about these converts in Philippi. In 1:18 he talks about rejoicing in the fact that the gospel is being preached, even when some of the preachers are doing it out of selfish motives. In 1:25 he expressed joy in the opportunity to continue ministering to the Christians at Philippi. In chapter 2 he addresses his joy in their unity (2:2) and their faithful witness at Philippi (2:16). The first thing he says in chapter 3 is to “Rejoice in the Lord.” Now in our text he says it again: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”
Why does he say it twice in our text? He does not want them to miss it. It is too important. The nurturing of joy and gladness in our hearts is essential to our spiritual health. In 2:14 he has written: “Do all things without complaining and disputing.” Disputing with one another will undermine our progress. We addressed that in our discussion of 4:2-3. So will complaining. So will ingratitude. Look what happened to the Children of Israel in the wilderness. Their murmuring and complaining brought all kinds of judgment on them.v That attitude of heart was a major factor in their failure to enter into the Promise Land. If we’re not rejoicing, we are likely to start complaining.
Notice that word “always” in our text. It’s one thing to rejoice occasionally when something happens that makes us happy. It is another matter to live in a perpetual state of joy. How is that possible?
It is only possible “in the Lord.” That phrase in our text is highly instructive. Carnal people rejoice in positive circumstances. They rejoice when they get their way. They rejoice when they get a new car or a better position at work. It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord for things like that.vi But that rejoicing comes and goes depending on external circumstances. The rejoicing Paul is talking about is much more consistent because it is based on something more stable and reliable.
To rejoice in the Lord means I am happy about God; I have found Him as the reason I rejoice. In Psalm 118 David rejoiced in the things God had done for him. But he summed it all up in the last two verses: “You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. 29 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” David’s primary cause for rejoicing was the goodness of God—His mercy and grace. That is something that never changes. We have ups and downs in our circumstances. But God Himself and His heart toward us is consistent. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). He loved you yesterday when you were feeling really spiritual and singing his praise to the top of your voice. He loved you the day before that when you lost your temper in traffic and said a couple of things you should not have said. In Him is “no variableness or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
If God were inconsistent, the word “always” in our text might not be possible. If your Heavenly Father loved you one day and hated you the next, then rejoicing “always” would not make sense. But since He loves us with an everlasting love, we can rejoice in Him every hour of every day.vii “For I am the LORD,” God said in Malachi 3:6, “I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed” (KJV). That’s a good reason to rejoice.
To rejoice in the Lord means we take joy in our relationship with Him. That’s what Jesus was talking about when he told his disciples, “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). God has made you His very own child. He has brought you into the household of faith.viii You could have never worked your way into that. It came as a gift of love from the Father through Jesus Christ. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!”ix
It is a good thing to count your blessings and praise God for each one.x That cultivates gratitude in the heart. But take it a step further and delight yourself “in the Lord”:xi delight yourself in who God is; celebrate the nature of God; rejoice in His love toward you.
Rejoicing in the Lord will fortify your soul. It will remind you of God’s faithfulness and reliability. It will refresh your confidence in His goodness. It will put life’s trials in proper perspective.
There is a discipline implied in this verse. David knew how to encourage himself in the Lord (1 Sam. 30:6). To be consist in our rejoicing, we must learn how to act on the principle, and not wait until we feel like it. Rejoicing in the Lord is a behavior. It can engage our emotions. But it does not begin with an emotion. If we will obey the command, our emotions will tend to follow.
Emotion is a product of thought. Rejoicing in the Lord begins in the thought life. If I will consider God’s goodness in my life; if I will meditate on what He has done for me and the promises He has given in His word, my emotions will take on a more positive tone. Watch how David does this in Psalm 103:1-5. He begins with a command to his own soul. Then he directs his thoughts toward God’s goodness in his life.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.”
Rejoicing “in the Lord” was in the historical DNA of this church. Do you remember how this church was founded in Acts 16? Paul & Silas severely beaten and thrown in prison. They did not complain about the harsh treatment. In Acts 16:25 we see them “praying and singing hymns to Lord.” In the context of those painful, stressful, unjust circumstances they were rejoicing in the Lord. That’s when God supernaturally intervened in their behalf. That’s when the foundations of the prison were shaken. That’s when the prison doors opened, and their chains fell off. As a result, the jailer was saved and the church was established. Awesome things can happen when God’s people find their joy in God and express it in praise. Paul’s exhortation in this text is not just theory; it is something he habitually lived by: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”
II. Let’s move on to the directive in Philippians 4:5: “Let your gentleness [KJV: moderation] be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.”
The word translated “gentleness” is difficult to translate into English. This Greek word, epieikes, indicates a quality that is gentle, equitable, fair, and mild.xii One lexicon associates it with being gracious and forbearing.xiii The New Living Translation says, “Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.” It “implies a certain self-control in the interest of working things out agreeably and acceptably with other people.”xiv Paul was pointing in this direction when he said in 2:3-4, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
Moses demonstrated this quality in his leadership of Israel except for the occasion when he struck the rock twice at Meribah (Num. 20:2-23). How did he become the meekest man alive at that time (Num. 12:3)? It happened during his 40-year Banishment in wilderness after he killed the Egyptian. There God crushed his prideful, self-confident, aggressive nature. There God taught him humility and dependence. Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit.xv The key to having this quality in our character is to yield to God’s dealings in our lives. “Humble yourself under mighty hand of God.” Instead of rebelling against His corrections, bow to His authority.xvi
This word is included in the criteria for selecting elders in 1 Timothy 3:3. Rather than being harsh and overbearing, leaders should be gentle, considerate, and open to reason. The word is also included in James’s description of wisdom from above in James 3:17.
This is a quality Rehoboam lacked. In 1 Kings 12 he was approached by Jeroboam and others asking him to ease up on the heavy taxation they had experienced under Rehoboam’s father, Solomon. The older counselors recommend that he hear and grant the request. That would have been his wisdom. Instead Rehoboam was not open to reason in the matter. He turned to the young men he had grown up with for counsel, and they told him what he wanted to hear. Instead of acting in gentleness and thoughtful consideration of his subjects, he arrogantly said he would increase taxes instead of reducing them. His response split the kingdom.
That’s why this quality is important to have, especially in our leaders. It’s never weakness to listen to reason. It’s never weakness to yield to a good idea. It’s always appropriate to be considerate of the other person’s perspective. That’s the kind of thinking Paul is calling for in Philippians 4:5.
In our text Paul says we are to let this quality in us “be known to all men.” The NIV says, “be evident to all.” It should be so prominent in our daily dealings with people that we are known as that kind of person.xvii It shouldn’t be an occasional behavior when we’re on our best behavior. It should characterize the way we interact with other people. Are you known as a considerate, reasonable, gentle person? Are you stubborn even when it would make more sense to cooperate? If we are considerate and open to reason, others will notice that. If we’re not, others will notice that as well.
This has implications for evangelism. While we should never compromise the fundamentals of the gospel, there is a way to communicate the message that is effective. And there is a way to communicate that is ineffective. It is ineffective to harshly attack people with the Bible or to pridefully present ourselves as superior. It is much more effective to communicate truth with sincere concern for their wellbeing, interest in their thoughts, openness to their questions. If we interact with gentleness and openness, we will have much more success. It’s not only other Christians that need to see this gentleness in us, the world also needs to see us operating that way.
Keep in mind, the Philippians were experiencing heavy persecution at the time Paul wrote this.xviii It’s one thing to be gentle toward people who are being gentle toward us. But can we maintain that calm, gentle demeanor when others are attacking us? Do we have the inner strength to continue doing the right thing when the other party is behaving badly? Can we turn the other check when the other party has slapped us? That’s when the real test comes.
Paul punctuates this directive with this reminder: “The Lord is at hand.” It is unclear whether Paul was referring to the present nearness of the Lord or to His coming. The Greek adverb eggus could mean either in this the context.xix Both concepts are true. Both provide incentive to treat others with gentleness and consideration. The Lord is always near to His people (Ps. 145:18). And the coming of the Lord draws near. Given the eschatological statements at the end of chapter 3, it is more likely Paul is referring to the Lord’s coming.xx
Paradoxically, standing firm in the Lord depends on our ability to maintain a considerate, gentle manner of interaction with other people. The world sees strength in aggressive, unyielding behavior. But real strength is found in humble dependence on the Lord. That invites God’s intervention. That’s when God demonstrates His strength like He did for Paul and Silas in Acts 16.
How do we cultivate this quality in our behavior? I mentioned the long-term work God did in Moses to work this in His character. And there is a life-long work of God to develop this in our character as well. But there is also a way of thinking that facilitates this behavior in our lives. We get some insight on this in Psalm 37:5-7: “Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. 7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way....”
Only when we commit our way to Lord’s keeping can we be meek and gentle in our dealings with others. Only when we are trusting Him to bring about the right outcome can we operate out of a confident, yet non-aggressive stance. Otherwise we are compelled to defend ourselves and try to control the outcome in our own strength.
The greater your faith in the sovereignty of God over your life, the easier it is to act gently toward others. Listen to David’s confidence in God’s sovereignty of his life. Psalm 23:1: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” God controls my destiny. My steps are ordered by Him. He determines the provision and direction of my life. Therefore, I don’t overreact when others threaten my wellbeing. This confidence in God’s oversight is evident throughout that psalm. The fear of man is neutralized by the confidence in God’s attentive care.
Jesus demonstrated that way of thinking during trial before Pilate. He has been beaten and ridiculed. The crown of thorns rests upon His head, and the blood flows down His brow. There He stands covered with blood and bearing the sting of the scourging He has received. Behold His regal demeanor even in that set of circumstances. Peter said, “when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Pet. 2:23). That is the foundation for the behavior Paul is calling for in our text. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent.
Pilate was looking for a reason to release Him. He didn’t want to jeopardize his own position of prominence and privilege to do it. But he was hoping Jesus would say something he could us to justify letting Him go. But Jesus did not defend himself. Scripture says Pilate marveled at that. He had never seen anything like. Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” Jesus’s Answer reveals the kind of thinking that supports gentle behavior. Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:10-11). He was saying: “Pilate, God’s in control, not you. I will trust Him with the outcome of this situation.” The “gentleness” that Paul is referring to in Philippians 4:5 flows out that way of thinking.
So, the question this leads to is this: Is that the way you think? Have you committed your way to the Lord? Are you trusting Him for the outcomes in your interaction with other people? Or is there an insecurity in you that needs to control the situation? Is there a fear of man that compels you to control the other person, as a protection of yourself?xxi When that is motivating us and we are trying to control others, we cannot act in gentleness. We will tend to push our own agenda. We will tend to intimidate or manipulate. And what reaction does that get from the other party? Nobody wants to be controlled. So the other person fights back. “Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.”
Ask the Lord to increase your revelation of His sovereignty over your life. Meditate on scriptures that assure you of His loving care and provision. Then commit your way to Him. Trust Him to bring His purposes to pass in your life. Then in your interaction with other people, don’t fight and scratch for the upper hand. Listen to their perspective. Seek their wellbeing as well as your own. Trust God to give an outcome that serves everyone’s best interest. Your life will be enriched.
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes, unless indicated otherwise, are from the New King James Version.
ii The two great commandments teach this (Matt. 22:36-40).
iii Next week we will consider the exhortation in 4:6-7 to take all our needs to the Lord in prayer. The result of that is a peace that passes all understanding. These three exhortations encourage the nurturing of joy, gentleness, and peace described fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.
iv Cf. 2 Peter 3:18.
v Cf. 1 Cor. 10:10-11; Num. 11:1; 14:2, 28-29; Ps. 106:25-26.
vi Cf. Ps. 68:19; 92:1; 103:2; 116:12-17; .Matt. 15:36; 1 Thess. 5:18
vii Cf. Jer. 31:3.
viii Cf. Rom. 8:16-17; Eph. 1:3-12; 2 Pet. 1:4.
ix 1 John 3:1. See Richard W. Tow, Authentic Christianity: Studies in 1 John (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2019) 146-152.
x Ps. 103:2; James 1:17.
xi Ps. 37:4.
xii Thayer.
xiii Louw-Nida.
xiv Manford George Gutzke, Plain Talk on Philippians (Grand Rapids: Lamplighter Books, 1973.) 225.
xv Gal. 5:23.
xvi Heb. 12:5-11; James 4:6-10.
xvii Paul is not suggesting we wear this on our sleeve the way the Pharisees presented themselves in Jesus’s day. They acted in certain ways “to be seen of men” (Matt. 6:5; 23:5). But we should behave this way out of a sincere heart and so consistently that we have the deserved reputation of being a considerate, gentle person.
xviii Cf. Phil. 1:28-30. “Because the Kurios is at hand, and the final doxa promised to Christians will soon be a manifest reality, they can epieikeis towards all men in spite of every persecution.” TDNT, vol. II, 590.
xix “The difficulty lies with the adverb eggus, which, as with the English ‘near,’ has either ‘spatial’ or ‘temporal’ connotations, depending on the context. On it sown in a sentence like this it is totally ambiguous; unfortunately, in context it can go either way as well.” Gordon Fee, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, N. B. Stonehouse, F. Bruce, G. Fee, and J. Green, eds. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995) 407.
xx Cf. B. B. Barton, M. Fackler, L. Taylor, and D. Veerman, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1995) 114; Rom. 13:12; James 5:8-9. Contra: F. B. Meyer, Devotional Commentary on Philippians (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1984) 208.
xxi Cf. Prov. 29:25. The cure for this insecurity is faith in God to lovingly and righteously control the outcome.
