We have completed a detailed study of Philippians. The epistle is full of counsel for the way Christians should think about life and all its components. What should be our mindset about Christ, about the will of God, about life and death, about the challenges we face in life, and a variety of other issues. That theme is clearly stated in 2:5: “Let this mind [mindset, attitude, way of thinking] be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
To demonstrate how pervasive this theme is, at the end of this message, I have provided a quick survey identifying how every verse communicates something about the way we should think. For example, in 1:6 Paul talks about his mindset concerning God’s work of sanctification in believers’ lives. Then in verse 7 he says, “Just as it is right for me to think this of you all.” It would take too much time to walk through this survey today. But in your personal studies I encourage you to review it. It will help you see the theme as it runs through this letter like a silver thread.
Today we conclude this series by reviewing 12 gems we have discovered during this study. Just as a miner digs deep to find wealth, we have dug into this book and found some precious jewels. These are memorable quotes that will guide your thinking as you walk through your Christian journey. You may have already committed some of them to memory. As you wield the sword of the Spirit you will find these quotes very effective against your adversary the devil.i We will only have time to briefly touch on each one. But for each of these we will point out the mindset being suggested either by example or by command. I am quoting all of these from the New King James Version.ii
1. Phil. 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Paul spoke this in the context of facing Roman execution. In his thinking, physical death is a promotion into glory where his communion with Christ will be even more intimate. Instead of dreading the day of his death, he looks forward to being ushered into the presence of the Lord. On the day his spirit leaves his body, he will be immediately with the Lord. He states that understanding in 2 Corinthians 5:8: “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
But in the meantime, while in this mortal body, life is about Christ! It is about pursuing our relationship with Him. It is about doing His will. It is about advancing the gospel of Christ and honoring Him in every way possible. Life is not about living out my own agenda. Life is not about seeking comfort or seeking pleasure. Life is about the glory of God in Christ Jesus. So that is Paul’s mindset about life and death. Phil. 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
2. Phil. 2:4: “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” This is a key to human relationships. It flows out of the second great commandment to love one’s neighbor as ourselves. It is common for people’s goals to clash. This usually results in conflict at some level. When that happens, the first order of business is for each person to deal with his selfishness. Am I sincerely pursuing the wellbeing of the other person with the same passion that I have for my own self-interest? If people can get the mindset commanded in this verse, they are in a good position for resolving their differences.
Neither Jesus nor Paul could get everyone to be at peace with them. But they were able to keep their hearts right toward those who opposed them. On the cross Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). Even while they were murdering Him, He still had their best interest in mind. So that should be our mindset toward the interests of others. Phil. 2:4: “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
3. Phil. 2:5: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” This is the central, defining statement in the epistle. Paul follows up with a description of Jesus’s way of thinking—His absence of self-promotion (laying aside the privileges of deity to purchase our salvation); His humble submission to the Father’s will; His obedience even unto the death of the cross. It is a lesson on trustful obedience.
This whole letter revolves around the idea that we would have the same attitude of heart that Jesus demonstrated during his life on earth—that we would embrace His way of thinking. Facing His most challenging ordeal, Jesus prayed in the garden, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39). Likewise, we are to pray on a daily basis, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). That is to be our mindset toward the will of God. Phil. 2:5: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
4. Phil 2:12-13: “. . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” This brief passage gives profonde insight on how our sanctification works. First there could be no salvation if God did not initiate it in our lives. We understand that our justification is by grace and grace alone. There is nothing we can add to it. Our only part is to receive the free gift of eternal life. Once we receive the new nature, God calls us to cooperate with the furtherance of our salvation in the process theologians call sanctification.
Sanctification involves transformation that comes through changes in the way we think. In Romans 12:2 we are instructed as believers to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind.” As we open our minds and hearts to the influence of the word of God, we start thinking like God thinks.iii We progressively embrace the “mind or mindset of Christ.” That results in changed behavior, and over time our character is transformed. We “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord” (2 Pet. 3:18). We become less self-centered, and more other-centered. These changes can only occur because God is working in our hearts. He is convicting us of attitudes and behaviors that need to change. He is influencing our will to line up with His will. He is empowering us to do what we cannot do in our own strength. We would make no progress without the ongoing influence of the Holy Spirit applying God’s grace to our lives. It’s not just that God empowers us to do what we choose to do. It goes deeper than that. Even the choices are inspired by the influence of the Holy Spirit. So, if we go in the right direction it is only because God worked in us “both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
That’s why we cannot take credit for the changes. It all depends on God graciously working. Without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). That’s why in the end we will cast every crown at His feet (Rev. 4:10-11). All the glory belongs to Him. “I am what I am” only by the grace of God. It is His grace (His divine influence in us) that inclines us to serve Him and enables us to serve Him. When we examine the God-side of sanctification we know that salvation is of the Lord from beginning to end (John 2:9. “Where is boasting then?” Paul asks in Romans 3:27. He answers, “It is excluded.” Without grace working toward our justification and our sanctification we would only be fit for hell. So, this revelation in Philippians 2:13 of God’s work of grace even in our sanctification excludes all self-exaltation, self-righteousness, and spiritual pride.
But Philippians 2:12 forbids our passivity in the matter. We are responsible to actively cooperation with the sanctification God is prompting in our hearts.iv After his acknowledgement in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “by the grace of God I am what I am,” Paul goes on to say, “and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, , , ,” That indicates the possibility that God’s grace could be extended toward a person, and it not yield the desired result because of the choices made by that individual.
The will of God is fulfilled through the freewill choices of people. God does not operate in fate. He operates in grace that calls people to Him but leaves the person free to make personal choices. If the will of God were fulfilled by mere fate, then Peter’s statement would be non-sensical. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). If God’s will were implemented without regard to personal choices, then everyone would be saved. Preaching would be meaningless. But the Bible clearly teaches that only those who respond in faith will be saved.v Yes, God has to give us faith to make that response, but that happens in the context of personal choice.
Therefore, your progress in sanctification is first a function of the Holy Spirit’s work in the heart, but it is also a function of your response to God’s dealings. Therefore, Paul exhorts the Christians at Philippi, ““. . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” Don’t be presumptuous about it. Working it out with godly “fear and trembling,” Don’t neglect the means of grace. Gather regularly with God’s people, hear the word of the Lord, “work out” in your behavior what God has worked in your heart by His Spirit. So, this is to be our mindset toward sanctification. Philippians 2:12-13: “. . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
5. Phil 3:13-14: “. . . forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” This is a powerful statement about Paul’s purpose and philosophy toward life. First, in regard to the past, “I put it behind me. I don’t let it dominate my thinking. I forget it in the sense that I don’t dwell on it.” In the context Paul is addressing past accomplishment and successes. In the context he is referring to his attainments in the righteousness of the law as a Pharisee. But the principle applies to all our past. We can and should learn from past experience. But we don’t live there. We put our focus on the present and the future prize that lays before us.
Paul’s focus in life is “the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” In the verses just prior to this he has explained his goal as a pursuit in knowing Christ “and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” Being conformed to His death is about dying to self and living fully for God. In your life and mine, God is working toward the supreme goal recorded in Romans 8:29: “to be conformed to the image of His Son.” God wants to make you like Jesus. Nothing could be better. The goal culminates at the resurrection of the just when our salvation is completed, and we know Christ without the restrictions of mortality.
The Apostle John talked about that “upward call” in these terms. 1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”vi Paul lives for the day when that happens. His eye is ever toward that eschatological event. So, here is Paul’s mindset toward the past and the prize before him. Philippians 3:13-14: “. . . forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
6. Phil. 3:20: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Citizenship is a matter of relationship, responsibility, and privilege. As a citizen of the United States I have the right to vote, the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, etc. I am responsible to abide by the laws of the land, to pay my taxes, and respect the rights of others. I have loyalty to America that is not there toward China or even an ally like Britain. As children of God we are citizens of heaven and conduct ourselves accordingly. Rather than loving the world and the things in the world, we set our minds on things above.vii
Paul punctuates this attitude by expressing his passion toward the coming of the Lord. He longed for that day. He says we “eagerly wait” for His coming. Many Christians don’t “eagerly wait” for His coming. They are preoccupied with the things of this world. They give little thought to the return of Christ. Their waiting is markedly passive rather than eager. So here is Paul’s mindset about our citizenship in this life and our attitude toward the coming of the Lord. Phil. 3:20: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
7. Phil. 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Of course, this reflects our attitude toward the goodness of God in our lives. We don’t take it for granted. We practice thanksgiving and praise. We count our blessings (Ps. 103), and we worship God from the heart (John 4:24). Israel in the wilderness had a bad habit of murmuring and complaining about life. It cost them the promise land. Instead we cultivate a grateful heart, and we take joy in God’s spiritual and material provision. But most of all we rejoice in our relationship with Him—we rejoice “in the Lord.”viii We rejoice when circumstances are going our way, and we rejoice when our faith is being tried.ix We rejoice “always.” It is the consistent habit of our lives. So here we have a mindset toward the goodness of God. Phil. 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”
8. Phil. 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Here we see prayer as the cure for worry. Rather than being preoccupied with the cares and anxieties of life, we take those concerns to God and leave matters in His capable hands.x
Jesus taught this lesson on trust in the Sermon on the Mount. “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? 26 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? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 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? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matt. 6:25-34). How many Christians live in a needless state of anxiety because they do not heed those words?
Anytime your spirit is in a troubled, anxious state, it is time to pray! It is time to turn those anxieties over to the Lord. So in Philippians 4:6 we are not only told the mindset we should have about the cares of life: “Be anxious for nothing.” But we are also told how to maintain that mindset: “but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
9. Phil. 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.” This verse provides guidance as to the kind of things we let our minds dwell on. Instead of thinking about negative, base things, we set our minds on noble thoughts, “whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report.” Thoughts drive emotion and behavior. Therefore, our choices in the thought life can have profound implications for what we do and who we become. This brief poem says it well:
“Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.”xi
The things we choose to set our minds on determines whether we walk in the flesh or in the Spirit. Romans 8:5-6 says, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” If we can win the battle in our thought life, the rest will be easy.
So, here in Philippians 4:8 we have instruction on our mindset or attitude toward the ideas and thoughts that we encounter. Some are to be rejected as defiling and unwholesome; others are to be embraced and dwelt on.
We discipline our thought life according to this standard: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.”
10. Phil. 4:11: “. . . I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” We learn to be satisfied, to be at rest within, no matter what our outward circumstances are. Paul followed up that statement by saying, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” Paul trusted God’s guidance and wisdom no matter what was happening in his life. If he was abounding, he did not become arrogant and self-sufficient. If he was in need, he did not complain or become depressed. He knew God would either supply the need or give him grace to do without it.
In 1 Timothy 6 Paul warned about the dangers of covetousness. He identified the love of money as “the root of all kinds of evil” that caused people to stray from the faith. He contrasted the value of contentment with the sorrows people bring upon themselves through greed. “Now,” said Paul, “godliness with contentment is great gain.” It is something to be cultivated. It is something to be highly prized. So, in Philippians 4:11 Paul gives his mindset about external circumstances especially in regard to personal comfort and resources. “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.”
11. Phil. 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The context in which Paul said this was in regard to navigating times of abundance and times of scarcity. But the principle applies to any situation God leads you into. When David faced Goliath, God supplied the strength needed for victory. When Daniel faced the lions, God’s strength was there to shut the mouths of those ferocious beasts. When Stephen faced the Sanhedrin, God supplied the strength needed for that occasion. When Paul was stoned, God gave him strength to get up, go to the next city, and continue preaching (Acts 14:19-21). The confidence here is in “Christ who strengthens me.” This is not self-confidence; this is reliance on God’s all-sufficiency.
God will purposely lead you into situations that are beyond your own abilities. That’s when He shows Himself strong in your behalf. That’s when we discover His faithfulness. So, in this text we are taught the right mindset toward the challenges of life. You can deal with anything that comes your way because the Lord is with you. When you’re facing a difficulty or obstacle, remember Phil. 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
12. Phil. 4:19: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” The context of this promise was in response to the Philippian’s gift to Paul. It was a lavish gift that fully met Paul’s need. We cannot live selfish lives and clam this promise. But when we give generously to others, God promises to take care of us. Jesus spoke this truth in Luke 6:38: “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” God will supply “according to His riches in glory.” It will be more than enough. Your cup won’t just be full, but it will be running over.
So, we have in Phil. 4:19 our mindset toward personal needs. “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” There are other passages in this beautiful letter that we could consider. But these are particularly helpful truths for our daily lives. Living in these truths will bring peace and joy in our lives. And God wants everyone of us to enjoy that!
ENDNOTES:
i Cf. Eph. 6:17; Luke 4:4, 8, 12.
ii All Scripture quotes, unless indicated otherwise, are from the New King James Version.
iii Cf. John 17:17; Eph. 5:26; Col. 3:16; 1 Thess. 2:13; James 1:21; 1 Pet. 2:2. 1 Cor. 2:16: “But we have the mind of Christ.”
iv It is essential that Christians understand that an active exercise of faith (James 2:18) is necessary for the process of sanctification. That’s why the writer of Hebrews warned believers, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” (Heb. 2:3). At least some of those Christians had not progressed as they should have. Thus, we have the rebuke in Heb. 5:12: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.” If sanctification required no response of faith by the believer, then the multiple exhortations toward obedience in the New Testament would be meaningless. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). We should live in the light of that reality.
v Cf. Heb. 4:2; 11:6.
vi See Richard W. Tow, Authentic Christianity: Studies in 1 John (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2019) 156-169.
vii Col. 3:1-2; 1 John 2:15-17. See Richard W. Tow, Authentic Christianity, 95-110.
viii Cf. Luke 10:20
ix Cf. Hab. 3:18; Matt. 5:10-12; Acts 16:25; 1 Pet. 4:13.
x In the Parable of the Sower the seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear the word of God, but the cares of life choke out that person’s fruitfulness. Jesus said that in Matthew 13:22, “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” Christians must be careful to keep God first in their lives (Matt. 6:33) and avoid a preoccupation with the cares and concerns of this life. The prayerful response instructed in Philippians 4:6 is a key strategy for doing that.
xi Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Joyful (Wheaton IL: Victor Books, 1986) 129. Cf. Proverbs 23:7.
SURVEYING THE THEME OF RIGHT THINKING
Thinking Right about Life Philippians 1-4 (NKJV)
1. Thinking right about our relationship with Christ (1:1)
2. Thinking right about those we serve (1:2-5)
3. Thinking right about God’s work in the lives of others (1:6-11)
4. Thinking right about adversity (1:12-14)
5. Thinking right about other preachers (1:15-18)
6. Thinking right about death (1:19-26)
7. Thinking right about persecution (1:27-30)
8. Thinking right about personal ambition (2:1-3)
9. Thinking right about the interests of others (2:4)
10. Thinking right about the will of God (2:5-11)
11. Thinking right about your sanctification (2:12-13)
12. Thinking right about disappointment (2:14-16)
13. Thinking right about personal sacrifice (2:17-18)
14. Thinking right about the needs (wellbeing) of others (2:19-24)
15. Thinking right about our assigned ministry (2:25-30)
16. Thinking right about our own righteousness/attainments (3:1-7)
17. Thinking right about our pursuit of Christ (3:8)
18. Thinking right about our source of righteousness (3:9)
19. Thinking right about the purpose of life events (3:10-11)
20. Thinking right about God’s plan for my life (3:12)
21. Thinking right about the past (our progress in sanctification) (3:13-14)
22. Thinking right about applying revelation to our daily lives (3:15-16)
23. Thinking right about godly examples (3:17)
24. Thinking right about false teachers (3:18-19)
25. Thinking right about our citizenship (3:20a)
26. Thinking right about the coming of the Lord (3:20b-21)
27. Thinking right about our disagreements (4:1-3)
28. Thinking right about the goodness of God (4:4)
29. Thinking right about our interaction with others (4:5)
30. Thinking right about our anxieties (4:6-7)
31. Thinking right about our thought life (4:8)
32. Thinking right about the godly teaching we have received (4:9)
33. Thinking right about our financial status (4:10-12)
34. Thinking right about the challenges we face (4:13)
35. Thinking right about the gifts we receive from others (4:14-18)
36. Thinking right about the needs we may have in the future (4:19)
37. Thinking right about the glory of God (4:20)
38. Thinking right about greeting others (4:21-22)
39. Thinking right about extending grace to others (4:23)
