Philippians chapter 4 beginning at verse 8, Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace will be with you. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatsoever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and in every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. And you may be seated. As I mentioned a moment ago, verse 10 marks the beginning of Paul's epilogue, his concluding remarks to this beloved congregation. And I began reading in verse 8 so that we could hear the transition from Paul's admonitions to his closing thoughts. And as we have seen throughout this epistle, the apostle writes with a warmth and intimacy matched only by his letters that were penned for individuals. There is a deeply personal nature to this correspondence. This particular assembly has a special place in Paul's affections. As he says in chapter one, he holds this congregation in his heart. Now, of course, the apostle makes similar declarations of affection to other congregations. I mean, all of God's people are dear to him, but there is something unique about his relationship with these saints. He had spent considerable time with his congregation, getting to know them quite well. And these saints had been a source of much joy for the apostle. They had been loyal and dutiful children of their father in the faith. And they had not only loved him dearly, they respected him and his apostolic authority. As he says in chapter two, verse 12, they had always been a compliant and obedient congregation while he was with them. So he was confident that they would see the importance of continuing to be obedient, especially in his absence. They also shared his passion for the gospel. From the very beginning, they had been faithful partners with him in gospel ministry. And even though they were a poor congregation, made poor by their confession of faith in Christ, many of them lost their livelihoods because they had turned from the gods of Rome. and worship the only true and living God. But even though they were a poor congregation, there were times that they were the only church contributing financially to Paul's missionary endeavors. Now, I don't want you to misunderstand what I'm saying. It's not as if Paul loved them more than the other congregations under his care. I mean, after all, he uses similar language, as I said, to express his affection for other churches, even for the church at Corinth. And as he says in 2 Corinthians 7, 3, he would die for them, stinkers that they were, right? But the fact that he loved all of the churches didn't change the fact that the Corinthian church was particularly difficult to deal with. They were a chaotic bunch of people. Their worship services were disorderly. They were filled with jealousy and petty competition. They were proud and obstinate and immature. You know, it seems that they were in need of constant correction. If you read through the books to the Corinthians, you'll find correction on every page. And to make matters worse, these saints in Corinth had their heads turned by so-called super apostles, flashy and arrogant peddlers of a false gospel. And so while Paul says, I hold you in my heart, he says this to the Corinthians, he also says, it seems they have no room in their hearts for the apostle. You know, this is like the dynamic between parents and children. A good parent loves all of his children, right? But there are different relational dynamics from one child to another. It's a fact, isn't it? You have to deal with a problem child differently than you do with a child who's beautiful and obedient, right? Now again, you don't love one more than the other. You'd lay down your life for either of them, wouldn't you? But there's a natural closeness fostered by a child who obeys his parents, while a rebellious child erects barriers in the relationship. It's just the way it is. Now, both will need correction. Both will need instruction. Some, of course, more than others. And as a good parent, we should never neglect that duty. A good parent will discipline both, just not in the same way. We can see this, and this is my point, we can see this in the different approach Paul takes when he corrects the Corinthians when compared to the way he instructs the Philippians. His corrections of the Corinthians are more direct, a bit harsher, if you will, but his admonitions with the Philippians are more affirming and somewhat gentler. The Philippians had always been a congregation that was eager to obey, but the Corinthians, on the other hand, had been stubborn, often requiring Paul to pick up the rod. You know, like a parent often tells a child, this hurts me more than it does you, the child doesn't believe it until they become a parent of their own, right? But the apostle Paul tells us in these letters to the Corinthians that he grieved over some of the steps that he felt necessary to take. But the point remains, whether we're talking about the Philippians or whether we're talking about the Corinthians, we are all fallen and corrupted by sin. It's true that we stand justified before God, but that's only because we're in Christ. At present, our minds are being renewed on the Word of God. At present, we're growing in the grace and in the knowledge of our Savior. At present, we're learning what it means to put off the old man and put on the new. But this is important. We are not accepted before God according to how much progress we make in sanctification. We are accepted in God's sight only because we are covered by Christ's righteousness, even as we are presently being conformed to his righteous image. As Hebrews 10, 4 says, I love that passage, the way the author frames this. He says, by Christ's single sacrifice, he has perfected forever those who are now being sanctified. So we stand perfect in the eyes of the Father because of Christ. But in our daily walk, we are far from there. Yet God is at work in us, isn't he? Both to will and to do of his good pleasure. But the point is, whether you're a Philippian or you're a Corinthian, there's plenty of work to be done in each and every one of us, right? And so the Philippians were no different in that respect than the Corinthians. The difference was in their humility and in their respect for the authority that the Lord had placed over them. Now, Paul's authority, of course, was not absolute. Paul himself says, follow me as I follow Christ. Now, he frames this very same thought a little differently in Galatians. He says, if we or an angel from heaven began to preach a false gospel, turn away. Let that preacher, whoever he may be, be eternally condemned." Of course, Paul was a faithful preacher of the gospel, wasn't he? But his authority was only binding to the degree that he was faithful to God's revelation and that he knew. and that he proclaimed. Well, as Paul says in verse nine, he had not only taught these saints well at Philippi, they had witnessed his faithful way of life. They had received godly instruction, not only through his faithful preaching, they had seen it lived out before them in the life of the apostle Paul. His everyday conversation, his actions, his way of relating to other people, it was all consistent with the doctrine he preached. And so he urges them to emulate his example, the example he has set before them. And that's going to be important for us understanding Paul's concluding remarks. Now, as I said a moment ago, the Philippian church was strong and mature as a congregation. They were firmly rooted in the gospel. But as Paul makes clear, dissension had recently arisen among them. There were those in the congregation that had fallen prey to selfish ambition and to empty conceit, and they had become intoxicated with their own self-importance, if you will. They were thinking of themselves far too much, thinking of others far too little, but that's of course because they were thinking far too little of Christ. So Paul's urging them to be of one mind, to think the same way, to come to agreement in the Lord. But this is important. The only way that we will ever be of one mind, the only way we'll ever come to agreement is in the Lord. We will never be of one mind if I insist that you think like me or you demand that I think like you. No, to be truly of one mind, we must all begin to think like Christ. And this is what, of course, Paul tells us in chapter 2, why he gives us the song of Christ, the hymn. Though the Son existed as God, He humbled Himself. He left the glories of heaven. He took on human flesh as a lowly servant. And in absolute obedience to the Father, He sacrificed Himself for our salvation. And that's how we're to think. That's the attitude we're to adopt, to look at the interests of others, not just our own, to think of them more highly than ourselves. Listen, there is no place for self-pity in the body of Christ. There is no place for harboring unforgiveness in the body of Christ. There is no place for nursing our wounds in the body of Christ. And you know, half the time or more, those wounds are imaginary. We have made far more out of the problem than actually exists. And so we need a moment of reality. We need to come to our senses on these things. We are called to be a patient and forbearing people. We are called to consider others as more important than ourselves. We are commanded to look to their interests as well as our own. And this is a struggle that all of us face. Every single human being faces this problem because it's common to all of sinful humanity. Even the disciples themselves, if you remember, they argued amongst themselves as to who was the greatest in the kingdom, right? And what did this prompt Jesus to do? He took up the basin and the towel, and he assumed the most menial role of the lowest servant, and he washed their feet. He's showing them what it means to truly love one another, what it takes to live as the unified people of God. It requires each and every one of us becoming the servant of all. Now, I've been contrasting the Corinthians with the Philippians for a reason. Because while the saints at Philippi were more mature, both congregations were guilty of the same sin. It's the same sin, the sin of Adam and Eve in the garden, the sin of self-exalting pride. However, Paul's approach to reproving these congregations differs according to their level of maturity as well as their submissiveness to authority. And this is a lesson for us. Do you want to learn easily or do you want to learn the hard way? Be stubborn and you will learn the hard way. And so indeed, this is what we can glean from what Paul is telling us here by the way he approaches these churches. Paul bluntly calls out the Corinthians for their partisanship. Do you remember that? Right at the very beginning of his first letter, he accuses them rightly of of comprising, of competing cliques. They were gathering together in factions against one another. And they were claiming, I follow Paul. Another, I follow Apollos. Another said, I'm of the Petrine school. In other words, I follow Peter, right? And what does Paul do? He chides them as if they were little children because that's exactly how they were behaving. He says, is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? Now, he wants them to see how ridiculously they were behaving. And then later in the book, he counters their extreme pride by saying, what do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, which you know you did, why do you boast as though you didn't? You know, he later on then shames them for taking one another to court. I've got to have my way. I've got to make my say. I've got to take my stand. Everyone has to see that I'm right. That was the attitude they had. Paul rebuked them. Why not suffer yourself, he says, to be defrauded for the sake of the kingdom of heaven? And then he warned them about flaunting their liberty. You think you're mature because you know that you have liberty to do this or to do that. If you cause your brother to stumble, shame on you. Why would you hurt, harm someone for whom Christ died, you selfish person? Right? That's what he says. And then he went into great detail about how the body is supposed to function. The body parts are not self-aggrandizing. They don't praise themselves. Each member of the body exists to serve the others. And therefore, Paul says, we should have the same care one for another. Now, can you see how selfish ambition and empty conceit had wreaked havoc within the church at Corinth? Look at all of these sins that were like dominoes tumbling because it began with selfish ambition and empty pride. Pride was running amok in this congregation. And so the situation in Corinth required bluntness, not only because of their immaturity, but also because of their arrogance toward Paul. And so he says in 1 Corinthians 3, verse 1, I'm not able to address you as spiritual. I have to address you as carnal. I have to address you as fleshly, as infants in Christ, because that's the way you're behaving, like spoiled babies. Well, Paul's relationship with the church at Corinth was about as dysfunctional as it gets, right? Now, while the Philippians struggled with the same sin of divisive pride, Paul's approach to them is quite different. And if you've been with us through this study, you know this. They are a mature people with reverence for God and respect for the authority that God has placed over them. And so the sin of selfish ambition and empty conceit had somewhat been muted by their solid grounding in God's word. In other words, the whole thing hadn't come off the rails. The congregation was still intact, but there was danger ahead, and Paul is warning them of that danger. And so Paul offers gentle, yet profound reminders of who they are and what they share as those who are one in Christ. That's how he corrects them. He appeals to them by reminding them of their commitment to the gospel that has united them. He reminds them of how Christ lived and how Christ sacrificed himself for them. He reminds them that they should be working out their own salvation with fear and trembling because God is the one who's actually at work in them, giving them the will and the ability to do so. He reminds them that they're called to shine as lights in a crooked and a perverse world. How can you do this whenever you are divided? He reminds them that They have every reason to rejoice, come what may. He reminds them that there is no reason to be overwhelmed by anxiety whenever you commit everything to God and thankful and humble prayer. He reminds them of the peace of God that guards our hearts and minds for all who are trusting in Christ. And then he reminds them to fill their minds with things that are godly, to fill their minds by meditating on Christ and the gospel and the word of God. And then when Paul does get specific, and he does, he doesn't feel the need to chide them. I don't know if you remember that, but this is a congregation that readily receives instruction, so whenever he does call out these two particular ladies, it is done with the utmost gentleness. So he urges the body of Christ to band together, to close their ranks. And as he assures them of his love and affection, he urges them to stand fast and firm for the Lord. And he addresses these ladies who have caused the division by pleading with them to think the same way, to come to agreement in the Lord. And then he calls upon the rest of the body to help in the reconciliation, to show mutual care one for another. Well, as we come to Paul's closing words, he draws many of the themes of his letter that are relating to his relationship with this congregation. So Paul, as he talks about his relationship with the Philippian saints, he is going to draw into this, these closing remarks, many of the themes he's been establishing. Now, the thing that I want you to notice as we get to this portion, we'll only get to verse 10, Lord willing, we'll get to the others in future time. But these saints are very concerned about Paul's well-being. They've been faithful supporters. They're concerned about him and his effectiveness in the ministry. And while there is no need for them to be anxious about the situation, I mean, after all, Paul's not, right? He does rejoice over their concern. That's what I want you to see. You know, if you don't understand the context, if you weren't here when we talked about this, they have sent him a care package. That's why he's writing this letter. The care package was more than likely a sum of money, some food, and some supplies that he might need. You know, Roman prisoners in that day had to provide for themselves. If they didn't have resources, they could starve in prison while awaiting trial. In any case, Paul is writing this letter then in response to a gift the Philippians had sent by way of Epaphroditus, who was a fellow member of their congregation. Paul is acknowledging their concern for him. Given their own financial hardships, this was a sacrifice. It wasn't as if they had discretionary funds just sitting around. They had to scrimp and save and bring all of this together. The church banded together and everyone gave all that they could to send this care package to the Apostle Paul. You know, a little later on, the Apostle Paul will make it clear to them that he's grateful for this gift. But my point this morning is that's not why he rejoices. That's not the point. of this passage that's right before us. He doesn't rejoice because of the gift. Listen, mutual care, one for another in the body of Christ, has been a focus throughout the letter. And it's clear that what Paul wants is for them to feel the same way about one another as they feel about him. While the Corinthians were fussing like children and also rebelling against their parents, the Philippians were like children who were disgruntled with one another, but still respecting and loving their parents. And so Paul uses this. You love me. You obey me. And so I'm going to tell you where you're failing, and I expect you to obey in my absence, just as if I were there. That's in some what he says in this book. And so Paul uses their concern for him as an admonition. Remember he had just got through saying in verse nine that to emulate him. And so now he's going to show them what's important about his relationship with them and emulate me in your relationship with one another. And so the apostle Paul actually uses their affection for him as if a parent would say, You love me, if you love me, love your siblings, right? The same idea. Well, the Apostle Paul clearly is not afraid to call upon their affection for obedience. Do you remember what he said in chapter two? He says, if you have any care for me, he says, fulfill my joy. How? By being like-minded, by showing the same love for one another, by being unified in spirit and in purpose. He didn't say, show your love for me by sending me as large a gift as you can. No. Show your love for me by showing it to one another. That will make me happier than any material gift ever could. So with this in mind, I want us to look at how Paul begins his closing remarks. He says, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. So he begins his closing remarks by striking a note that is a major theme throughout the letter. He says, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly. That's the first thing I want you to realize. This isn't mild joy. This is great joy. This is immense joy. This is profound joy. And it's rooted in Christ. It's joy in the Lord. You know, Paul has told them as a congregation to rejoice in the Lord always. Well, this is just another one of those always situations. Paul practices what he preaches. He has already rejoiced about so many things throughout this letter. In the very beginning, he rejoices in prayer. Then he rejoices in their partnership with him in the gospel. And even though he's in prison and there are some who were preaching in a way intentionally so that makes it harder on him, he rejoices nonetheless that the gospel is being preached. He rejoices looking forward to his deliverance, whether it's a release from his chains or whether it's execution. It doesn't matter. I rejoice that I'm going to be delivered. If he's martyred, he rejoices over the privilege of being a sacrifice for bringing the gospel to these saints. And now he rejoices greatly over what Epaphroditus has brought to him. But as we'll see more clearly in due course, again, it's not about the gift that was received. It's about something far more important, the heart of concern that they had for him. In any case, Paul rejoices in the Lord because he realizes that there is a reason for their love. And the reason for their love, their affection, their concern for him is all because they are one in Christ. So being in Christ, that's what unites them. That's what unites us. That's the common ground. That's the tie that binds. So Paul is acknowledging their concern for him, which arises from the love of God that has been shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. And what Paul says next is a little bit difficult to put into English. And the problem is finding the right way to capture the nuances of the original language because in some cases there really isn't an adequate equivalent and we face that here. At first glance, it sounds as if Paul is a bit perturbed with the Philippians. Listen again, I rejoice greatly in the Lord that now at length you have revived your concern for me. Paul isn't saying, well, I rejoice that once again you're concerned for me, but boy, it sure took you a long time. No, that's not it at all. A part of the problem is the word translated revived. It's actually a botanical term. It means to flourish, to bloom. And another problem is that phrase now at length. It really in the Greek is simply a way of marking an end to an indefinite period of time. And so in looking this over, I found a translation by Moises Silva that I think strikes the right chord here. So listen to his paraphrase. Have I asked you to rejoice in the Lord? You should know that I myself rejoice greatly in the Lord because at last you have been able to make your concern for me flourish again. Do you see? Paul is saying that after an extended period of time, you've once again been able to show your concern for me. And I greatly rejoice that your concern for me is blossoming anew. Remember, they had always been faithful supporters, partners in the gospel with Paul from the very beginning. They had given sacrificially on multiple occasions. But as he goes on to say, and this is important, you were always, I recognize, you were always concerned for me, but you lacked opportunity. So was there an extended period of time where they were economically unable to help him financially? I don't think that's very likely because, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians, whenever the Philippians gave, they gave to him out of their extreme poverty. So how would this be any different? Now I think it's more likely that Paul's circumstances over the past four years contributed to their lack of opportunity. You'll remember this whole episode began, he was taken into custody in Jerusalem and then he was transferred to Caesarea before making that harrowing journey to Rome where he was shipwrecked along the way. And so it had been difficult for the last four years to make connection with Paul. But at long last, he was finally in a place where he could send and receive correspondence. He was there in prison in Rome awaiting trial. That was the end of his long journey. And so as soon as news reached these saints, they seized upon the opportunity, gathered themselves up a gift, and sent support. And they used that opportunity to the fullest. And I want you to notice how Paul words this. As I said earlier, he doesn't rejoice over the gift. You see nothing of that in the text. You know, we often say, it's not the gift, but it's the thought that counts, right? And of course, it really is sad whenever the gift shows how little thought there was. But that's not the case here. That's not the case here. But it wasn't the size of the gift that mattered to Paul, not at all. He wasn't rejoicing over material blessings. He was rejoicing over their concern for him. Yes, he's grateful for the provision, but the real joy is knowing that these saints care for him. They are still with him. They are still partnering with him in the gospel. You know, parents know what this is like. We're not as concerned with how well our children do what they do. We're far more concerned with the heart with which they do it, aren't we? You know, it's like children making breakfast in bed for their mother on Mother's Day, right? You know, the eggs may be undercooked, the bacon may be cold, the OJ may be filled with seeds. Oh, but she enjoys every minute of it, right? Because the blessing isn't in the breakfast. The blessing is in the care that their children have taken to show for her, right? Well, Paul rejoices because he sees the heart of Christ is still within this congregation. He doesn't have to say to them, like he says to the Corinthians, examine yourself to see if you're still in the faith. Now he knows, he recognizes this, the scripture says, The love we show to one another is a reflection of our love and devotion for the Lord. After all, it's Christ who commands us to love one another as he has loved us. And so Paul has told them to emulate him. And what he wants them to see by this emulation is, I want you to treasure caring for one another. When they care for you, it's not what they do for you, but the fact that they are concerned and caring for you, that they show love to you. That's what's important, and you the same for them. There should be mutual care among the body of Christ. And so here again, the Apostle Paul models for them the right heart and attitude. He rejoices over mutual care that he has for them and that they have for him. And nothing, he says, again, will bring more joy than if they show this mutual care one to another. That's what he wants the most. You've sent me this gift, but I've heard about the division in your ranks, and that disturbs me far more than whether or not I have enough to eat tomorrow. You see what Paul is saying? It's very important because as Jesus said, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you have love one for another. And so indeed, this is Paul's heart cry to the Philippians. He had to take the rod to the Corinthians to make this point. But for the Philippians, Oh, how gently and how kindly He urges them to remember who they are, what God has done for them, and the wonder and blessing of what it means to be a part of the body of Christ, one family in Him. And so indeed, this is our prayer for us, or it should be, that we would learn to show the same care one for another just as Christ has cared for us, just as he has shown us love beyond measure. Again, it's not about someone else in the body of Christ doing for you what you want them to do for you, but just the very fact that they are concerned enough. And this is something I can tell each and every one of you, that you can participate in a important and significant degree in the body of Christ. And that is to look at those who are around you and pray for them. Show your concern in your prayer closet. That's where it begins. And when you begin to pray for them, you'll be surprised that from time to time it will occur to you ways in which you can show concern for them in other ways. This is what we need to hear from Paul as he speaks to the Philippian church. We are one in Christ. We are to bear one another's burdens. That's how we fulfill the law. That's what scripture says. We need to be concerned for one another. So may God grant to us that mutual care, one for another, all for the purpose that we might bring glory to the God who has loved us. By his redeeming grace, he has made us new in Christ. We are all brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. We are all in the family of God, and we are all citizens of heaven. And may God give us the grace to live like it. That's the message he's giving to the Philippians. That's the message that should speak to us in this day. And may God receive all glory forever and ever. Amen.