How many of you enjoy riding roller coasters? Now let me ask a related question—how many of you are invested in the stock market? Emotionally, that can feel like the same thing, right? We watch our investments go up and down and sideways, and then every so often one of them goes upside down! The stock market is well-described by the old children’s rhyme: “Round and round it goes; where it stops, nobody knows!”
My wife told me the other day about a story her grandfather likes to tell about a time where he had the opportunity to invest in one of two fried chicken restaurants. He chose to invest in the one that was sure to take off—Daniel Boone Chicken. After all, it was named after a national hero; how it could fail to do well? And who would choose to eat at the other place, anyway, with a boring name like Kentucky Fried Chicken? Well, you probably know how that investment turned out!
He’s able to laugh about that story today, but there are few things in life that can wipe a smile off our face the way that our finances can. Who doesn’t cringe when you hear the words, “payment due?” I don’t care how much money you have—there’s always reason to worry about it, isn’t there? If you don’t have much, it’s easy to worry about how you’ll pay the bills. If you have a lot, it’s easy to worry about losing it, or about who might be trying to take it from you.
Many years ago the Beatles sang that “money can’t buy me love.” Well, it turns out that it can’t buy contentment either. We can wind up facing anxiety in any financial situation that we might endure. So is there any hope of finding contentment with respect to our cash? Can we find a contentment that will last through all of the financial ups and downs of life? And how about when we see others hit with financial hardship—how should we respond? In our study of Philippians today, we’re going to learn that…
We should be content through Christ in our own financial circumstances and concerned for others who are facing financial hardships.
Why don’t you turn with me to Philippians 4:10–14? You may remember that this letter to the Philippians was intended to serve as a thank you note from Paul for the financial gift that the church in Philippi had sent to him. At the time that Paul wrote this letter, he was in prison in Rome awaiting trial on some trumped up charges that the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem had brought against him. Now the Roman government didn’t feel that it was their responsibility to take care of their prisoners; in fact, they didn’t even provide food for them, so if a prisoner was going to survive he had to rely on friends and family to bring him meals. Well, the Philippians couldn’t be there to bring him food themselves, but their gift of money would allow Paul to make some arrangements to receive food, so it was a very helpful and thoughtful gesture on the part of the Philippians. So Paul wanted to thank them for their gift, and as he does so he lets them in on a little secret that he had learned about contentment. Let’s read these verses [READ 4:10–14].
Let’s look first of all at what we can learn about being content.
I. Be content through Christ in your own financial circumstances
Some people have seriously misread what Paul was saying in these verses. They’ve thought he was basically saying, “Well, I’m glad you all finally got around to sending me some money. Not that I really needed it anyway because I was content. So, thanks for thinking of me, I guess.”
That’s really not what Paul was trying to say at all! We can see how thankful he was from v. 10 [READ v. 10]. Paul knew that they hadn’t sent him a gift because they simply hadn’t had the opportunity. As we’ll see when we get to vv. 15–16, the Philippians had sent financial gifts to Paul on a regular basis before, but for awhile now they hadn’t had the opportunity—which would seem to mean that they either didn’t have the money, or they had no way of sending it to him.
But now the Philippians had once again sent a gift to him, and Paul wanted them to know how thankful he was to receive it even though he had not given in to despair about his financial situation. In fact, it was quite the opposite—he was actually content, and he describes this in the next few verses [READ vv. 11–12].
Now notice that Paul says he had to learn how to be content BOTH in poverty AND in prosperity. We might think that its easier to be content in a state of prosperity, but in reality both conditions provide their own challenges to our contentment. If we’re in poverty, it may be difficult to be content because we may always be tempted to want more. Jealousy may also tempt us when we see other people who have more than we do. Or, we may not be content because we may desire the peace of mind that seems to come when we have some extra cash in the bank.
But prosperity doesn’t automatically usher in contentment, either. A very wealthy man was once asked, “How much money is enough money?” His answer was very telling—he said, “A little bit more.” Isn’t that so true? No matter how much we have, its easy to think, “You know, if I just had a little bit more, then I would be content.”
If we’re in a state of prosperity, greed may kick in and compel us to want still more and more. Or, we may start to look to our money for a feeling of security in life, and when that happens, we will never have enough money to feel content! We will always be worried about that one bad day on the stock market that could wipe us out, or that one failed bank or failed business. Money almost always goes easier than it comes, so if we base our sense of security upon it, contentment will be impossible to find.
So what is the secret to contentment that Paul refers to in v.12? It is his famous statement in v. 13—“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Now I fear that I’m about to step on some toes here, but please hear me out for a moment. Perhaps more than any other verse in the Bible, we use and quote this verse with complete disregard for the context in which it was written. And so we see athletes writing this verse reference on their shoes, or on the eye black underneath their eyes, as if to say, “I can win this game through Him who strengthens me.” Now I appreciate their desire to publicly display their faith in Christ, but that’s not what this verse is talking about. Nor should I use this verse and say, “I can dunk a basketball through Him who strengthens me.” That would truly be a miracle if I dunked a basketball!
So what is this verse talking about? What does Paul mean when he says, “I can do all things?” I think we understand that he’s not talking about leaping over tall buildings in a single bound, but what is he saying? Remember that Paul is sharing this thought as the secret of remaining content in whatever circumstance he’s in, particularly in whatever financial circumstance he’s in. So a basic paraphrase of Paul’s point would be this—“I can overcome any obstacle to contentment through Him who strengthens me.” So if his situation tempts him to be jealous or greedy, he can overcome that through Christ. Or if his situation tempts him to be fearful and anxious, he can overcome that. He had learned to step off of the spiritual roller coaster that circumstances could put him on by drawing close to Jesus for strength.
As we saw a few weeks ago when we looked at vv. 6–7, our hearts and minds can be guarded by the peace of God in everything when we communicate with God in prayer with an attitude of thanksgiving. We really find the same idea here—we can overcome whatever temptation our circumstances might throw at us by drawing strength from Christ—whether its changing financial circumstances or anything else. Christ will give us the strength to handle our circumstances in a way that honors Him.
So in any circumstance—and in these verses in particular, in any financial circumstance—we can be content by drawing strength from Jesus. But Paul also communicates an important lesson here about helping others when they’re in tough financial circumstances.
II. Be concerned for others who are facing financial hardships
Now Paul didn’t want the Philippians to get the wrong idea here. He has just said that he has learned to be content in any circumstance, so presumably he also meant that he would have been content whether he had received their gift or not. But he wants to make sure that they know they’ve done a good thing, so he says in v. 14 [READ v. 14]. So even though on Paul’s part, he was content with or without their gift, they had done well by giving it to him.
His statement here reminds us of a very simple but important lesson—it is a good thing to give financial assistance to those who have had financial hardship thrust upon them. When we see a Christian brother or sister in need, that is not the time for us to say, “Wow! What a great chance for you to learn to trust in God! Oh, what an opportunity for you to learn how to be content! God is going to teach you some great spiritual lessons through this.”
Well, whatever God may want them to learn, that’s between them and God. On our part, we are supposed to take the good step of offering whatever assistance we can. 1 John 3:17–18 says, “Whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”
So we are to give what we can, and notice how Paul describes it here—he describes it as sharing in another person’s affliction. This comes through very clearly in the NIV translation, which says, “Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.” Let’s think through this idea, because its very different than just giving someone a handout. Think about this, by way of analogy. Imagine that you came upon someone who was trying to lift something that was too heavy for them, so you said, “Here, I’ll give you a hand.” Now what happens is that you take on part of the weight, and they take on part of the weight, and the two of you lift it together.
Now think about that same idea in terms of helping someone who’s facing a financial hardship. When you help that person, its like saying, “Here, I’ll take on some financial hardship, too, and we can overcome this together,” because when you give them some of your financial resources, you’re making a sacrifice in order to help them. You’re introducing some financial hardship into your life in order to absorb some of the hardship that they are facing.
I think this picture helps us keep a healthy mindset about giving and receiving help from others, because this picture makes us partners rather than a donor and a recipient. It maintains the dignity of the person who is receiving help, because it can feel like a very humiliating thing to receive help from others. A great novelist once wrote, “It’s horribly painful for a man down on his luck when every person he meets looks at him as if he were his benefactor.”* As that quote suggests, it can also be very tempting for the person who is offering help to become proud and think himself as better than the person whom he is helping.
But the biblical picture keeps things in the proper perspective. If you help someone out financially, its just like you’re helping them pick up something that’s too heavy for them. You’re just joining in the struggle with them to help them overcome it. And if you receive financial help from someone, it’s the same thing. If someone helps you lift something, there’s nothing to be ashamed about—you’re just two people working together to accomplish something.
So I guess we can sum up what we’ve learned today like this—we should be content in our own financial circumstances, and discontent over the financial hardships of others, and that discontent should lead us to share that hardship with them. Money doesn’t have to master our lives. We don’t have to worry about it when we have very little, or obsess over it when we have a lot. We can get off the money merry-go-round that leaves us dizzy and unstable. Instead we can find strength in Jesus to overcome the temptations that threaten our contentment, and once again we can know that peace from God which surpasses all comprehension as it guards our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.
* Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, (New York: Random House, 2003) p. 286.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
"Philippians in a Nutshell"--Philippians 4:8-9
Labor Day weekend has long represented two things in our country—the end of summer and the beginning of the school year. Many schools get started a week or two before Labor Day, but many colleges in particular don’t really get going until after the holiday. So right now, college students all over the country are heading off to school, and some of them are stepping onto a college campus for the first time—which means that they are quickly becoming familiar with the three C’s of college: credit cards, coffee, and CliffsNotes.
If you’re not familiar with CliffsNotes, they’re booklets that summarize that contents, characters, and themes of major literary works like “Romeo and Juliet” or “War and Peace.” Many students turn to CliffsNotes rather than the actual books in order to survive freshman English. That way, they don’t have to read the whole book in order to get an idea of what it says—they can just read these summaries and have all the information they need to write their papers.
In our study of Philippians today, I believe we’re going to encounter the CliffsNotes version of the book. Now, like all of those English teachers out there who despise CliffsNotes, I obviously think that we should study the entire book of Philippians. But in 4:8–9, I believe we find the book of Philippians in a nutshell—a summary of the basic ideas that Paul has been trying to communicate in this letter. What is that summary? I believe its essence is this:
The keys to living in peace are having the right mindset and following the right example.
Turn with me to Philippians 4:8–9. In these two verses, Paul makes a final statement about two of his major themes and how they relate to his overall theme of living in unity under the God of peace. Let’s read these verses [READ Phil. 4:8–9].
Let’s look at Paul’s final statement on these two themes…
I. Have the right mindset (v. 8)
It may have escaped your notice as we’ve gone through this book, but one of Paul’s points of emphasis has been having the right mindset—about ourselves, about others, and about our relationship with Christ. This theme started all the way back in 1:9–10 when Paul prayed for the Philippians to have a love that would “abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent.” And what does Paul tell us to dwell on in 4:8? Anything of excellence.
Then in chapter 2, Paul asks the Philippians to be of the same mind (v. 2), to have humility of mind (v. 3), and to let the mind or the attitude of Christ dwell in them (v. 5). Then in chapter 3, he spent several verses talking about the surpassing value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord (vv. 7–11).
So now as Paul writes, “Finally, brethren,” and brings the main teaching portion of his letter to an end, he wants to emphasize the proper mindset one final time. He lists a series of characteristics here to help us discern what kind of things to focus our minds on—let’s take a look at them. First, he says “whatever is true.” We know what this idea means—it refers to those things which are accurate, those claims or thoughts that line up with the way things really are.
Second, he says “whatever is honorable.” In our country, we refer to judges as “The Honorable Judge So-and-So,” and the idea is that a judge is dignified and worthy of respect. That’s the idea here in this statement as well.
Third, Paul writes, “whatever is right.” This refers to things which meet the standard of what is acceptable according to the proper standard of right and wrong. Fourth, he writes, “whatever is pure.” This idea refers to things that are not tainted by contaminants. They are clean, and without blemish.
Fifth, Paul says, “whatever is lovely.” We know what we mean when we call a woman lovely—we mean that her appearance is pleasant to look at and attractive. That’s what Paul is talking about here—those things which have a moral beauty about them which make them pleasant and enjoyable to think about.
Sixth, Paul writes, “whatever is of good repute” or good reputation. People with a good reputation are spoken well of by others, and that’s Paul’s thought. He’s referring to things that deserve to be praised. Finally, Paul summarizes these traits by saying “if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
Now this verse is often discussed as a helpful guideline for making good entertainment choices. It is described as a filter to help us make wise decisions regarding TV shows, movies, and music choices. I do think that is a good application of this verse; if we would keep these standards in mind when we make choices about entertainment, we would do well. But we must realize that this was not Paul’s primary point. He wasn’t teaching the Philippians how to make good TV choices because they didn’t have TV!
In fact, Paul really hasn’t been talking about how to interact with the culture in this letter. What he has been talking about is the kind of mindset that makes for peace within the body of Christ, so I think he is once again focusing on that idea. If we as individuals would follow this standard, particularly in the way that we think about each other, can you imagine the way that our relationships with each other would be enhanced? What if we chose to focus on what we know to be true about other people? What if we chose not to simply believe everything we hear through gossip, or if we chose not to exaggerate someone’s faults in our minds? How about if we chose to think about the things in other people that are honorable and praiseworthy? We might find some admirable things, even in people that we disagree with. What if we chose to focus on the areas of their life that are right and pure, those areas where we can see that they’re living according to God’s standards? How about if we looked for what is lovely and attractive in other people? At the very least we can see the image of God in others, because all people are made in His image.
What a difference it would make in our outlook if we chose to use those guidelines to think about others rather than camp out on their faults! This is the attitude of Jesus, who chose to take on the form of a servant and regard others as more important than Himself. This is the way for us to think about each other if we want to remain a strong, united congregation. When we choose to think according to a different standard, we will sow the seeds of division in our church. But this mindset will hold us together through thick and thin.
So to live in peace we must first have the right mindset, and second we must…
II. Follow the right example (v. 9)
Throughout this letter Paul has been holding different people up as models or examples of the lessons that he was trying to teach. In chapter two, he holds up Jesus as the prime example of what it looks like to humbly put the interests of other people ahead of your own. Through His willingness to take on a human nature and come into this world as a servant and ultimately to die on the cross for our sins, Jesus demonstrates the kind of willingness that we should have to give ourselves for others.
Then, in the last part of chapter two, Paul held up Timothy and Epaphroditus as examples of men who were also more concerned about others than themselves. Timothy was a trustworthy partner for Paul because of his genuine concern for others, and Epaphroditus risked his life to see that the needs of others were met.
Then in chapter three, Paul called the Philippians to imitate his example of considering everything to be of no value when compared to the all-surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ. Paul described his continual and ongoing pursuit of a more intimate knowledge of Christ, and he asked the Philippians to adopt the same pursuit.
And now, once again, Paul calls the Philippians to follow his example. Perhaps that sounds a little arrogant to you, that Paul would again say, “follow me,” but keep a couple of things in mind here. First, imitating someone else’s example is almost always the easiest way to learn how to do something. If you like to try do-it-yourself repairs around your house, you know what I mean. It’s not often easy to read about how to do something and then do it; it’s almost always easier if you have someone who can say, “Here—let me show you how it’s done.” So Paul wasn’t being arrogant, he was simply tapping into this reality of learning.
Second, remember that literacy back then was not what it is today. Not everyone learned how to read, and even for those who did, there weren’t personal copies of the Bible available for them to take home and study. So people had to rely on another way of learning the Scriptures and of learning how to live as a Christian, and as I just said, imitating someone else’s example is a powerful way to learn.
Now Paul specifically told the Philippians to take the things they had learned and received and heard and seen in him and to put them into practice. This is the perfect follow-up to what he just said in v. 8, because it does us no good to have the right mindset if we don’t live out that mindset with the right actions.
In James 1:21–25, James calls us to be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. We delude ourselves by thinking that we will be blessed by God for simply hearing the Word, but James says that those who hear it and live it out are the ones who will be blessed. I believe that one of the greatest dangers facing conservative churches today is that we would find ourselves simply being hearers of the Word, and not doers of the Word. We love to hear the Word, don’t we? We could probably fill up every night of the week with Bible studies because we love to learn God’s Word. But if we only learn the Word and we don’t take the next step to live out the Word, we are deceiving ourselves if we think that God is pleased with that. In 1 Corinthians 8:1, Paul writes that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. In others words, knowledge builds up my ego, but love builds up other people.
Do you know who the serious Bible students were in Jesus’ time? The Pharisees, and they were a wonderful bunch of people, right? Always so kind and compassionate toward other people, and humble too! No, what did Jesus say about them? These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me (Matt. 15:8). They looked so godly on the outside—they went to church every Sunday, they wore Christian t-shirts, they had fish symbols on their cars. Wait, that’s us, isn’t it? But what good does that fish symbol do if I fight with my wife while I drive that car? What good does that Christian t-shirt do if I’m not kind toward others while I’m wearing it?
God does not want mere formality from us. He doesn’t want us to simply have all the right knowledge—He wants us to live it out! We have to have the right mindset AND follow the right example by being doers of the Word and not hearers only. The Philippians had heard—Paul himself had taught them—and now he called them to put the things they had learned into practice. And Paul told them that if they would do this, the God of peace would be with them. Paul referred to God as the God of peace when we wrote to several congregations who had some internal strife among them. To the Romans, the Corinthians, and here to the Philippians, Paul reminds them that God is not a God of strife and conflict but of peace, and they could know His peace in their midst if they would do the things he had told them.
And the same is true for us. I feel that we have a spirit of peace in our church, and for that I’m very thankful. But we could lose that peace if we don’t have the right mindset and if we don’t follow the right example. If we choose to think about each other in negative, critical, or unloving ways, all it would take would be one spark to set off a wildfire of anger in our church. Our if we follow the example of those who view church as a place to be served rather than serve others, we would find the weeds of disunity springing up very quickly. But living together in God’s peace is possible, so let’s pursue it and maintain it by having the right mindset and following the right example.
If you’re not familiar with CliffsNotes, they’re booklets that summarize that contents, characters, and themes of major literary works like “Romeo and Juliet” or “War and Peace.” Many students turn to CliffsNotes rather than the actual books in order to survive freshman English. That way, they don’t have to read the whole book in order to get an idea of what it says—they can just read these summaries and have all the information they need to write their papers.
In our study of Philippians today, I believe we’re going to encounter the CliffsNotes version of the book. Now, like all of those English teachers out there who despise CliffsNotes, I obviously think that we should study the entire book of Philippians. But in 4:8–9, I believe we find the book of Philippians in a nutshell—a summary of the basic ideas that Paul has been trying to communicate in this letter. What is that summary? I believe its essence is this:
The keys to living in peace are having the right mindset and following the right example.
Turn with me to Philippians 4:8–9. In these two verses, Paul makes a final statement about two of his major themes and how they relate to his overall theme of living in unity under the God of peace. Let’s read these verses [READ Phil. 4:8–9].
Let’s look at Paul’s final statement on these two themes…
I. Have the right mindset (v. 8)
It may have escaped your notice as we’ve gone through this book, but one of Paul’s points of emphasis has been having the right mindset—about ourselves, about others, and about our relationship with Christ. This theme started all the way back in 1:9–10 when Paul prayed for the Philippians to have a love that would “abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent.” And what does Paul tell us to dwell on in 4:8? Anything of excellence.
Then in chapter 2, Paul asks the Philippians to be of the same mind (v. 2), to have humility of mind (v. 3), and to let the mind or the attitude of Christ dwell in them (v. 5). Then in chapter 3, he spent several verses talking about the surpassing value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord (vv. 7–11).
So now as Paul writes, “Finally, brethren,” and brings the main teaching portion of his letter to an end, he wants to emphasize the proper mindset one final time. He lists a series of characteristics here to help us discern what kind of things to focus our minds on—let’s take a look at them. First, he says “whatever is true.” We know what this idea means—it refers to those things which are accurate, those claims or thoughts that line up with the way things really are.
Second, he says “whatever is honorable.” In our country, we refer to judges as “The Honorable Judge So-and-So,” and the idea is that a judge is dignified and worthy of respect. That’s the idea here in this statement as well.
Third, Paul writes, “whatever is right.” This refers to things which meet the standard of what is acceptable according to the proper standard of right and wrong. Fourth, he writes, “whatever is pure.” This idea refers to things that are not tainted by contaminants. They are clean, and without blemish.
Fifth, Paul says, “whatever is lovely.” We know what we mean when we call a woman lovely—we mean that her appearance is pleasant to look at and attractive. That’s what Paul is talking about here—those things which have a moral beauty about them which make them pleasant and enjoyable to think about.
Sixth, Paul writes, “whatever is of good repute” or good reputation. People with a good reputation are spoken well of by others, and that’s Paul’s thought. He’s referring to things that deserve to be praised. Finally, Paul summarizes these traits by saying “if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
Now this verse is often discussed as a helpful guideline for making good entertainment choices. It is described as a filter to help us make wise decisions regarding TV shows, movies, and music choices. I do think that is a good application of this verse; if we would keep these standards in mind when we make choices about entertainment, we would do well. But we must realize that this was not Paul’s primary point. He wasn’t teaching the Philippians how to make good TV choices because they didn’t have TV!
In fact, Paul really hasn’t been talking about how to interact with the culture in this letter. What he has been talking about is the kind of mindset that makes for peace within the body of Christ, so I think he is once again focusing on that idea. If we as individuals would follow this standard, particularly in the way that we think about each other, can you imagine the way that our relationships with each other would be enhanced? What if we chose to focus on what we know to be true about other people? What if we chose not to simply believe everything we hear through gossip, or if we chose not to exaggerate someone’s faults in our minds? How about if we chose to think about the things in other people that are honorable and praiseworthy? We might find some admirable things, even in people that we disagree with. What if we chose to focus on the areas of their life that are right and pure, those areas where we can see that they’re living according to God’s standards? How about if we looked for what is lovely and attractive in other people? At the very least we can see the image of God in others, because all people are made in His image.
What a difference it would make in our outlook if we chose to use those guidelines to think about others rather than camp out on their faults! This is the attitude of Jesus, who chose to take on the form of a servant and regard others as more important than Himself. This is the way for us to think about each other if we want to remain a strong, united congregation. When we choose to think according to a different standard, we will sow the seeds of division in our church. But this mindset will hold us together through thick and thin.
So to live in peace we must first have the right mindset, and second we must…
II. Follow the right example (v. 9)
Throughout this letter Paul has been holding different people up as models or examples of the lessons that he was trying to teach. In chapter two, he holds up Jesus as the prime example of what it looks like to humbly put the interests of other people ahead of your own. Through His willingness to take on a human nature and come into this world as a servant and ultimately to die on the cross for our sins, Jesus demonstrates the kind of willingness that we should have to give ourselves for others.
Then, in the last part of chapter two, Paul held up Timothy and Epaphroditus as examples of men who were also more concerned about others than themselves. Timothy was a trustworthy partner for Paul because of his genuine concern for others, and Epaphroditus risked his life to see that the needs of others were met.
Then in chapter three, Paul called the Philippians to imitate his example of considering everything to be of no value when compared to the all-surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ. Paul described his continual and ongoing pursuit of a more intimate knowledge of Christ, and he asked the Philippians to adopt the same pursuit.
And now, once again, Paul calls the Philippians to follow his example. Perhaps that sounds a little arrogant to you, that Paul would again say, “follow me,” but keep a couple of things in mind here. First, imitating someone else’s example is almost always the easiest way to learn how to do something. If you like to try do-it-yourself repairs around your house, you know what I mean. It’s not often easy to read about how to do something and then do it; it’s almost always easier if you have someone who can say, “Here—let me show you how it’s done.” So Paul wasn’t being arrogant, he was simply tapping into this reality of learning.
Second, remember that literacy back then was not what it is today. Not everyone learned how to read, and even for those who did, there weren’t personal copies of the Bible available for them to take home and study. So people had to rely on another way of learning the Scriptures and of learning how to live as a Christian, and as I just said, imitating someone else’s example is a powerful way to learn.
Now Paul specifically told the Philippians to take the things they had learned and received and heard and seen in him and to put them into practice. This is the perfect follow-up to what he just said in v. 8, because it does us no good to have the right mindset if we don’t live out that mindset with the right actions.
In James 1:21–25, James calls us to be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. We delude ourselves by thinking that we will be blessed by God for simply hearing the Word, but James says that those who hear it and live it out are the ones who will be blessed. I believe that one of the greatest dangers facing conservative churches today is that we would find ourselves simply being hearers of the Word, and not doers of the Word. We love to hear the Word, don’t we? We could probably fill up every night of the week with Bible studies because we love to learn God’s Word. But if we only learn the Word and we don’t take the next step to live out the Word, we are deceiving ourselves if we think that God is pleased with that. In 1 Corinthians 8:1, Paul writes that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. In others words, knowledge builds up my ego, but love builds up other people.
Do you know who the serious Bible students were in Jesus’ time? The Pharisees, and they were a wonderful bunch of people, right? Always so kind and compassionate toward other people, and humble too! No, what did Jesus say about them? These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me (Matt. 15:8). They looked so godly on the outside—they went to church every Sunday, they wore Christian t-shirts, they had fish symbols on their cars. Wait, that’s us, isn’t it? But what good does that fish symbol do if I fight with my wife while I drive that car? What good does that Christian t-shirt do if I’m not kind toward others while I’m wearing it?
God does not want mere formality from us. He doesn’t want us to simply have all the right knowledge—He wants us to live it out! We have to have the right mindset AND follow the right example by being doers of the Word and not hearers only. The Philippians had heard—Paul himself had taught them—and now he called them to put the things they had learned into practice. And Paul told them that if they would do this, the God of peace would be with them. Paul referred to God as the God of peace when we wrote to several congregations who had some internal strife among them. To the Romans, the Corinthians, and here to the Philippians, Paul reminds them that God is not a God of strife and conflict but of peace, and they could know His peace in their midst if they would do the things he had told them.
And the same is true for us. I feel that we have a spirit of peace in our church, and for that I’m very thankful. But we could lose that peace if we don’t have the right mindset and if we don’t follow the right example. If we choose to think about each other in negative, critical, or unloving ways, all it would take would be one spark to set off a wildfire of anger in our church. Our if we follow the example of those who view church as a place to be served rather than serve others, we would find the weeds of disunity springing up very quickly. But living together in God’s peace is possible, so let’s pursue it and maintain it by having the right mindset and following the right example.
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