“Stand firm in the Lord”
[Philippians 4:1-5]
Do you stand firm in your faith? The Bible Isaiah 7:9 says, “… If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” We must firmly believe in Jesus. Therefore, we must stand firm in our faith (1 Cor. 16:13). To do so, we must stand firm in the word of the Lord. May the Lord make our steps firm in His Word (Ps. 119:133). The Bible says James 5:8 says, “You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.”
In Philippians 4:1, this is what Apostle Paul said to the Philippian church saints: “Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!” d
Here Paul continued to write letters to the Philippian church saints and said to them, “my brothers , you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown.” What does this mean? A similar word is also found in 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20: “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.” For Paul, both the Philippian church saints and the Thessalonica church saints were his joy and glory when the Lord Jesus comes back to this world. What was Paul's joy? Paul's joy was to preach Christ (Phil. 1:18). Also, his joy was to see the Philippian church saints’ progress and joy in the faith (v. 25). Paul’s joy was to hear them encouraging one another from being united with Christ, comforting one another from His love, having fellowship with the Spirit and being tender and compassion toward one another (2:1). It was Paul’s joy to hear that they were like-minded, had the same love and were one in spirit and purpose (v. 2). Moreover, Paul rejoiced with the Philippian church saints even if he was being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from their faith (v. 17). In other words, Paul’s joy was his spiritual children of the Philippians, to whom he preached and the Lord saved (4:1). They were his crown (v. 1). What does it mean? The "crown" was, at the time of Apostle Paul, only the runner who made to the goal line first in race won it as the prize. Look at 1 Corinthians 9:24-25: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” Also, according to Pastor John MacArthur, the “crown” referred to a person who received glory from his fellows as the symbolic sense of his success or fruitful life during the banquet (MacArthur). Since the Philippian church saints were Paul’s spiritual fruits of his efforts, they were his crown (Phil. 4:1). Then, who is our crown? Aren’t our brothers and sisters in Christ whom we proclaim the gospel and nurture them as we have been obeying the Lord’s command of seeking His kingdom and His righteousness first the crown of our lives? When the Lord comes back, our crown in the presence of the Lord, are our brothers and sisters in Christ, our spiritual children who are saved.
Paul strongly urged the Philippian church saints, whom he loved and longed for, to stand firm in the Lord (v. 1). Why did he urge them to do so? I think there were two reasons. The first reason was the internal reason for the church in Philippi, and the second reason seems to be the external reason. The external reason that the Philippian church saints didn’t stand firm in the Lord was because of “those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh” (3:2) and those who put confidence in the flesh (v.3). They were the Judaizers. Also, those enemies of the cross of Christ who thought about only the earthly things, whose god was their physical sinful desires and whose glory was in their shame (vv. 18-19) were the external reason why the Philippian church saints didn’t stand firm in the Lord. Then what was the internal reason that they didn’t stand firm in the Lord? The internal reason was that within the Philippian church saints, there were some who preach the gospel out of the “envy and rivalry” (1:15), “out of selfish ambition, not sincerely” (v. 17) and did things out of “vain conceit” (2:3). In particular, when we see Paul mentioning the name of two women, Euodia and Syntyche, and telling them “to agree with each other in the Lord” (4:2), I think they didn’t stand firm in the Lord. I think that was why Paul urged the Philippian church saints to “stand firm in the Lord” (v. 1). Because he loved them and longed for them with Christ’s affection and they were his joy and crown, Paul urged them to stand firm in the Lord.
I would like to think about how we can stand firm in the Lord as I meditate on four things based on Philippian 4:1-5 under the title “Stand firm in the Lord”.
First, we must live in harmony in the Lord in order to stand firm in the Lord.
Look at Philippians 4:2 – “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.” What should the church do to stand firm in the Lord? Like a tree which rooted deep under the ground in order to stand firm, the church must rooted on the rock Jesus Christ in order to stand firm. Look at Colossians 2:6-7: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” In order for our church to stand firm in the Lord, we must root deeply in Him and build our life on His foundation. And we must stand firm in our faith and live a life full of thanksgiving, as we receive His teachings. When we look at Matthew 7:24 we see “a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Because it had its foundation on the rock, even when the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house, it didn’t fall (v. 25). How can we build our house on the rock like this wise man? It is possible by hearing the words of the Lord and put them into practice (v. 24). If we hear His words and don’t put them into practice, then we are like “a foolish man who built his house on sand” (v. 26). If we don’t practice what we have heard, the Word of God, we are foolish people who are building our church on the sand. As a result, when the rain comes down, the stream rises, and the winds blow and beat against the house, then the house will fall with a great crash (v. 27). Therefore, in order for the church to stand firm in the Lord, we must stand in the Lord, who is in the rock, and hear the word of the Lord and act in faith.
Also, in order for the church to stand firm in the Lord, we must live in harmony in the Lord. Look at Philippians 4:2 – “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.” When we look at this verse, we can see that in the Philippian church two women Euodia and Systyche didn’t live in harmony in the Lord. And they didn’t live in harmony in the Lord because they didn’t agree with each other (v.2). So Apostle Paul urged them to live in harmony in the Lord. Can you imagine two women who serve hard in the church don’t get along, don’t agree with each other and don’t live in harmony in the Lord? If we apply this to the family, what if the two daughters in the house don’t live in harmony and keep on disagreeing? I remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:26 – “If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?” Mark 3:25 also says: “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” The church is same. If the brothers and sisters in the church don’t live in harmony in the Lord but keep on disputing, then the church cannot stand firm. Pastor John MacArthur said: “Spiritual stability depends on the mutual love, harmony, and peace between believers” (MacArthur).
Then the question we can ask is, what kind of heart did Euodia and Syntyche have in the Philippian church so that Paul specially mentioned their names and urged them to live in harmony with each other in the Lord? I think the answer is shown in Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” In light of these verses, I think that the reason why Euodia and Syntyche didn’t live in harmony in the Lord was because they didn’t have "humble heart" but rather they had “vain conceit”. I think they considered themselves better than each other and others and didn’t look to the interests of others out of selfish ambition and vain conceit. In other words, each of them thought only of their own interests. I think that was why they didn’t agree with each other in the Lord. And the disagreement between the two women seemed to make Apostle Paul to mentioned their names and urged them to live in harmony in the Lord.
We must have the same mind and same love in the Lord. Apostle Paul already said in Philippians 2:2 – “make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” What is the same mind that Paul is saying here? Look at Philippians 2:5 – “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.” The same mind and the same attitude that all our church members should have is the mind and the attitude of Christ Jesus. What is the mind or attitude of Christ Jesus that Paul was talking about? What is the mind or attitude of Jesus Christ that we should have? Philippians 2:6-8 teaches us three ways: (1) First, the mind or attitude of Christ Jesus that we should have is not regarding equality with others (v. 6). (2) Second, the mind of attitude of Christ Jesus, which we all should have, is to empty ourselves and to serve others as servants (v. 7). (3) Third, the mind or attitude of Christ Jesus, which we all should have, is becoming obedient to the point of death (v. 8). We should not be proud. The desire to be exalted by a proud person can never be satisfied. The vanity of getting glory from people can never be satisfied. We shall never seek our own vain glory. Rather, we must seek God’s glory. We must be humble. We must keep on humbling ourselves. To do so, we must have the humble heart of Christ Jesus. Jesus didn’t consider equality with God but made Himself nothing, “taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (v. 7). “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!” (v. 8) Then God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name (v. 9). Let’s keep in mind that it is much better for us to be exalted by God rather than people. In order to be exalted by God, we must humble ourselves before God and people. When we humble ourselves before God and people, God will exalt us in His time.
Second, we must help each other in order to stand firm in the Lord.
One day, one of our church English Ministry brothers in Christ prepared some papers and led the Friday night bible study group to find out what their own spiritual gifts were. I heard this from my two daughters who were in that bible study. So I ask them what their spiritual gifts were. Only my first daughter replied and she said her gifts were three. How about you? What do you think your gifts are? The Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus gave all the believers a gift. And the Bible says that there are various gifts in the church (1 Cor. 12:4). The Bible also says that there are different kinds of ministries (v. 5) and different kinds of working (v. 6). Therefore, I think that it is good and appropriate for each individual to serve the body of the Lord according to the gifts which they have received from the Lord. I also think that we must maximize our gifts for the Lord and His church. I got this idea from working out at a gym. I realized that I was satisfied with how much weight I had to do the weight lifting exercise. So I tried to get a heavier weight even though it was little bit hard for me. So I thought I should maximize the weight. In this way, I was challenged to maximize the gift that the Lord gave to me and my talents to the fullest. But the problem is that conflicts can arise in the church because of the gifts that each of us has received. The conflicts can arise in the church due to those who don’t recognize the diversity of the gifts given to each one of us. It seems the Roman church was like that. Look at Romans 12:6, 16: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. … Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” There are four reasons why there can be disputes in the church because of the gifts: (1) First, when we forget that the gift we receive is given to us "by grace." (2) Second, when we don’t recognize the different gifts we received. (3) Third, when we don’t use our gifts in fitting way. (4) Fourth, when we use our gifts of grace with proud heart and boast ourselves.
But do you know that among the gifts in the Bible there is also gift of heling others? Look at 1 Corinthians 12:28 – “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.” I think it is very beneficial to the church when there are people with gift of helping others who help other church members faithfully and humbly for His church. A good example is a woman named Phoebe in Romans 16: 2. Apostle Paul introduced her to the Roman church saints as “a helper of many, and of myself as well” (v. 2). Here the word “a helper” describes a woman helper who devoted herself to help Paul and others with her resources (Friberg). According to Pastor John MacArthur, the women workers at the time of the Early Church had worked to care for sick believers, poor people, strangers, and prisoners (MacArthur). The greater the number of people who have gift of helping others in the church, the more they will help other people like Phoebe, and the church as a community of love will be able to shine the light of love and of unity in this dark world. When I think about Phoebe whom Paul commended to the Roman church saints, Matthew 5:16 came into my mind: “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” This verse came into my mind because the meaning of the name "Phoebe" is "bright and radiant". Indeed, we are like Phoebe, God’s children of light, who must shine the light of Jesus Christ in this dark world. Therefore, we are to be like Phoebe, serving the body of the Lord by helping each other with the love of Christ.
Look at Philippians 4:3 – “Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.” As Paul continued to write to the Philippian church saints, he told his loyal yokefellow to help “these women”. Here, we don’t know sure who were the Paul’s “loyal yokefellow.” According to one commentary, Paul’s loyal yokefellow might be Timothy or Silas (Acts 15:40, 16:19) or the chief bishop of Philippi. Or another commentator said that the Greek word for “yoke” is "synygus" and the name of the loyal yokefellow might be “Synzygus" (Jamieson). But this is not clear. We don’t know who Paul was referring to when he said “yokefellow” in Philippians 4:3. But the important thing is that Paul didn’t exhort the whole saints of the Philippian church, but one of them to "help these women". Who were "these women" whom Paul mentioned to the Philippian church saints? They were Euodia and Syntyche (v. 2). As Paul said that Euodia and Syntyche had contended at his side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of his fellow workers, he aksed his “loyal yokefellow” to help these two women (v. 3). In other words, Paul told his unknown loyal yokefellow to help Euodia and Syntyche to agree with each other and live in harmony in the Lord. What is interesting is that the Greek word for “loyal yokefellow” is a compound word “synzygus”. This word is composed of ‘together’ and ‘working’ and it means “fellow laborer or worker” or “helper” (Zodihiates). The word "helper" was already used in Philippians 2:25 when Paul spoke of Epaphroditus to the Philippian church saints. Maybe that was why Paul wanted to send Epaphroditus more eagerly to the Philippian church (v. 28) so that Epaphroditus could help Euodia and Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord (4:2-3). This is just my personal thought.
Now the question we can throw here is how the “loyal yokefellow” should help the two women Euodia and Syntyche to live in harmony. One clear fact is that the Bible says that two women, Euodia and Syntyche, didn’t live in harmony in the Lord. Let’s say there are two women in our church who are serving hard in the church and who labor in the work of preaching the gospel but they don’t live in harmony in the Lord. Then how should we help them? I think we should we should help those two women to reconcile each other and be in peace together. In order to do so, we must first pray for them. And we must become peacemakers. And we must preach the gospel of Jesus Christ who can reconcile them and be peace with each other. By doing so, we must break down the wall in their minds toward each other. Look at Ephesians 2:14-17: “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.” Moreover, we must remind those two women that their names are already written in the book of life (Phil. 4:3). We who have eternal life and are citizens of heaven shouldn’t have the different minds in the Lord. We should remind those two women of this fact and encourage them to reconcile each other and to live in harmony in the Lord. Then the Holy Spirit will work in their hearts to repent and forsake all of their sins such as vain conceit and selfish ambition and forsake them which make them not to live in harmony in the Lord and will fill their hearts with the fruit of the Holy Spirit and will humble them so that they may reconcile with each other and live in harmony in the Lord. And when those two women live in harmony in the Lord, it will not only be beneficial to other Christians in the church but will also be beneficial in reaching out to its community because the church will be praised by the people in the community. What Paul’s loyal yokefellow could do to help Euodia and Syntyche to live in harmony was to work together in the ministry of the gospel. Look at Philippians 4:3 again: “Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.” I think Paul knew that when Euodia and Syntyche, who had contended at his side in the cause of the gospel, didn’t live in harmony in the Lord, it didn’t help in the ministry of the gospel. That was why Paul urged them to live in harmony in the Lord in verse 3 and then in verse 3 he asked “loyal yokefellow” to help those two women. The lesson we can learn from this is that when we work together in the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ, what is so important is that we must all have one mind and harmony in the Lord. But if we disagree with each other and don’t live in harmony in the Lord, then it will be a stumbling block in the ministry of the gospel.
We must help each other in order to stand firm in the Lord. And when we help each other, we must have same mind. If we don’t have the same mind in the Lord, then we cannot be virtuous in the church, nor will it help the local evangelization. This is not glorifying God. Rather, we are committing sin that covers God's glory. We must reconcile each other. We must have the same mind in the Lord and serve the Lord’s church. In particular, we must help those who work in the ministry of the gospel with the heart of Jesus Christ. In doing so, our church can stand firm in the Lord.
Third, we must rejoice always in the Lord in order to stand firm in the Lord.
Are you rejoicing always? The Bible 1 Thessalonians 5:16 says “Rejoice always”. How can we rejoice always? Of course, this is impossible with our own strength. But this is possible with the power of God. As we believing that fact, we must first ask God for one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, that is “joy” (Gal. 5:22). And we must imitate Jesus. Look at John 8:29 – “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” Like Jesus, we must do the things that are pleasing to God. When we do that, we can rejoice always.
I personally have a biblical passage to think about when I hear the word "rejoice" in the Bible. That verse is Nehemiah 8:10 – “Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Although I personally like this Bible verse when I think about joy, but in reality I am not familiar with this verse in my life. I am still learning this word. When I consider this word, I ask myself whether I am living a life of joy because of the Lord. I also ask myself whether the joy of the Lord is my strength or not. How then can we rejoice in Him? Based on the context of Nehemiah 8:10, I meditated on three things:
(1) We must not mourn or weep in order to rejoice in the Lord.
Look at Nehemiah 8:9 – “Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, "This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep." For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.” When the Israelites heard the Moses’ Law through Ezra and understood the Law through the Levites, they could not help but shed tears of repentance because their sins were exposed. In other words, they wept because there was conviction of sins through the Law. Ezra also recorded these tears in Ezra 10:1 – “While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites--men, women and children--gathered around him. They too wept bitterly.” When the Israelites were weeping because of their sins, Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites who taught the people, encouraged the Israelites not to mourn or weep because it was the day holy to the Lord. In the modern word, when the saints heard the word of God through the pastor and taught by their Bible study teachers, the saints realized their sins and shed tears of repentance. So the pastor, the elder, and the teachers encouraged them not to mourn or weep because today is the Lord’s Day.
(2) We must not be grieved in order to rejoice in the Lord.
Look at Nehemiah 8:10-11: “Then he said to them, "Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved’.” Why did the Israelites who were gathered in front of the Water Gate grieve? It was because they didn’t serve the Lord for a long time without knowing what pleased the Lord or what displeased Him (Packer). There is a man named Jo Manjae who wrote about the wisdom to overcome sorrow. This is what he said, ‘Shakespeare insisted that sorrow is the enemy of life. As long as sorrow persists, people cannot be happy and have joy. Sorrow hinders health and shortens life, making people unable to concentrate on new creative work. ... Also, widely known Aesop said, ‘A piece of bread that is eaten with relief is better than eating at a feast with sorrow’ (Internet). Sorrow makes us more vulnerable than strength. So Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites who taught the Israelites said to the weeping Israelites not to weep twice (vv. 9, 10). This reminds me the gospel song “This Is the Day”: “This is the day, this is the day That the Lord has made, that the Lord has made. We will rejoice, we will rejoice, and be glad in it, And be glad in it.” When we worship God, we can weep because God exposes our sins. But this weeping of repentance can be our strength. As we rely on the precious blood of Jesus on the cross, we must repent our sins and be forgiven. In doing so, we will be able to rejoice because we are forgiven and enjoy our freedom from our sins.
(3) We must understand the Word of God in order to rejoice in the Lord
Look at Nehemiah 8:12 – “All the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been made known to them.” When the Israelites heard the words from Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites, they stopped weeping and rejoiced greatly. The reason was because they understood the words which had been made known to them (v. 12). In order words, because the words had been made known to the Israelites, their grief, tears and sorrow went away. Although the Moses’ Law makes us aware of our sins, it cannot save us. But the Law leads us to Christ (Gal. 3:24). In other words, the Law makes us realize our sins but by faith in Jesus Christ, whom the Law leads, we are justified. When the Israelites understood the words which had been made known to them, they stopped grief, tears, and anxiety and greatly rejoiced. The reality of many Christians seems to be that there aren’t many of us who are weeping and shedding the tears of repentance because the God’s Word has pierced our hearts. We need to go one step further from this stage. The stage of repenting our sins after listening to His Word isn’t the beginning stage and not the final stage. The final stage that the Word of God points to is Jesus Christ that is forgiveness and salvation in Jesus Christ. Those saints who understand the Word of God that had been made known to them faithfully look to Jesus Christ whom the Law leads us to. By doing so, they enjoy the blessing of peace because the Lord takes away all their sadness and anxiety because they shed their tears of repentance as they relied on the power of the blood of Jesus on the cross.
Look at Philippians 4:4 – “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Apostle Paul exhorted the Philippian church saints to rejoice in the Lord always. He already said “I am glad and rejoice with all of you” in 2:17 and “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord!” in 3:1. But now in 4:4, he said again to them to rejoice in the Lord always. When Paul exhorted them to do so, he meant to rejoice in the Lord even when the Philippian church saints were going through the same struggle they saw Paul had (1:30) because of their partnership in the gospel (v. 5) and because of those who opposed them (v. 28). How is this possible? I believe that the answer is in Philippians 1:29 – “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.” In other words, the reason why we can rejoice in the Lord even when we are suffering because of the enemies who oppose us is because we believe that the suffering for the gospel of Jesus Christ is the grace of God. Actually, Acts 5:41 tells us that the apostles rejoiced that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus.
I would like to receive some lessons in meditating on what Paul’s joy was. I hope and pray that Paul's joy will be our joy.
(1) Paul's joy was that the Philippian church saints’ partnership in the Paul's evangelistic ministry.
Although Paul himself was suffering the imprisonment of jail because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he always prayed with joy of the Philippian church saints (v. 4). What was the reason? It was because of the Philippian church saints’ “partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (v. 5) with Paul, “defending and confirming the gospel” (v. 7). It was because they considered their struggle and suffering because of those who opposed them as God’s grace (vv. 28-30).
(2) Paul's joy was that Christ was preached.
When Paul learns that Christ is being preached, even though he is suffering the imprisonment of being imprisoned, he said "... I will continue to rejoice" (v. 18). He rejoiced that “most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly” because of his chains (v. 14). He rejoiced because they preached Christ out of goodwill (v. 15) and in love, knowing that Paul was put in prison for the defense of the gospel (v. 16). Although he knew that some preached Christ out of envy and rivalry (v. 15) and out of selfish ambition, supposing that they could stir up trouble for Paul while he was in chains (v. 17), he still rejoiced in the Lord because Christ was preached (v. 18). Paul rejoiced because it was Christ who was preached anyway, either in the wrong motive or in the true motive. He rejoiced because of Christ and because Christ was preached.
(3) Paul's joy was the Philippian church saints’ progress and joy in the faith.
Although Paul desired to depart and be with Christ, which was better by far (v. 23), he knew that it was more necessary for him that he remained in the body (v. 24) because of the Philippian church saints’ progress and joy in the faith (v. 25). So he said in Philippians 2:17-18: “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.”
(4) Paul's joy was that the Philippian church was being built as a community of love.
Paul rejoiced when the Philippian church saints encouraged one another from being united with Christ, comforted one another with His love, had fellowship with the Spirit and had tenderness and compassion toward each other (2:1). He also rejoiced when they were like-minded, had the same love and were in one in spirit and purpose (v. 2). Look at Philippians 2:1-2: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” Isn’t this our joy? When we apply this to the home, how happy are our parents when their children are like-minded, have the same love and being one in spirit and purpose. When we apply this to the church, how happy is our Lord when the members of the body of Christ are like-minded, have the same love and being one in spirit and purpose. Will not all of us stand firm in the Lord when we have this joy?
(5) Paul's joy was sacrificing for the saints of the Philippian church.
Paul rejoiced that he was “being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service” for the Philippian church saints (2:17). This should be our joy. We should rejoice that we sacrifice ourselves (2:17) for the progress and joy of the faith of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ (v. 25) whom we love with the affection of Jesus Christ (1: 8).
We must always rejoice in the Lord in order to stand firm in Him. And in order to rejoice always in our Lord, the Lord’s joy must be our joy. The Lord's joy is that all members of His church are preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord's joy is for all of us to participate in the ministry of the gospel. In order to do that, our faith must grow. There should be progress of our faith. The Lord is pleased when our faith grows. Such joy of the Lord must be our joy. Also, the Lord is pleased when all the family members of the church love one another in the Lord, humble themselves, and reconcile in Him. I hope and pray that this joy will be with us.
Fourth and last, in order to stand firm in the Lord our forbearance should be evident to all.
Look at Philippians 4:5 – “Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand” (ASV). What do you think "forbearance" means? According to the internet dictionary, one of its synonyms is “tolerance” (Internet). Then what is “tolerance”? It means “the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with” (Internet). I think there are at least two dangerous tolerances when I think of the word "tolerance":
(1) The first dangerous tolerance is 'sexual tolerance'.
And the sexual tolerance that I am thinking is the tolerance for homosexuality. At least the first generation Korean adults know that homosexuality is a sin and they say homosexuality is a sin. But it seems that the second generation Korean-American young people say homosexuals should be respectful and tolerant because they are their own lifestyle. What do you think? Those who don’t recognize homosexuality as a form of complete living in this world are treated as a person who is petty and crafty with full of prejudice or "Homophobia". Also, if someone claims that marriage between men and women is normal and lawful, they are attacked fiercely as people who are out of date and out of modern culture and oppressive (Internet). Not long ago, a famous Filipino boxer made a statement about homosexuality and was criticized by many people. After he took down his posted apology from social media, he posted biblical passages that supported his statement about homosexuality. As a result, he got a lot more criticism and hit hard from the press (Internet).
(2) The second dangerous tolerance is 'religious tolerance'.
One says, ‘The great danger and crisis of Christianity in this age is, above all, religious tolerance" (Internet). I think this religious tolerance is very dangerous when Christian leaders under the name of reconciliation, unity, peace, sharing, etc., meet with other religious leaders and do the unity movements. How can Christianity and other religions be united if the Bible teaches that we are saved only by faith in Jesus Christ, and other religions teach that we can be saved by human endeavors.
When I think about these two dangerous tolerances, I think tolerance should be done in the truth. Tolerance must be done within the boundary of the truth.
When we look at Philippians 4:5, Apostle Paul said to the Philippian church saints “Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand” (ASV). Here the word “forbearance” in Greek means ‘not claiming all rights of law or custom’ (BDAG) or “gentle, considerate” (Swanson). This word appears also in other passages in the New Testament besides Philippians 4:5. For example, in 1Timothy 3:3, Paul spoke of the qualifications of a bishop, and said, “not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.” When I think about this verse, I think the church leader who is gentle doesn’t quarrel. In other words, I think there is connection between gentleness (forbearance or tolerance) and “not quarrelsome” (peaceable). A similar word is found in Titus 3:2 – “to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.” In this verse, Paul also said “to be peaceable” (not quarrelsome) and “considerate” (gentleness) together. Furthermore, Paul said “to show true humility toward all men.” That is to say, those who are considerate (gentle) not only do not quarrel, but also show true humility toward everybody. Apostle Peter also used the word "considerate" (gentleness, forbearance) in 1 Peter 2:18 – “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.” If we apply this verse to the modern world, an employee should not only submit to a good and considerate employer but also to those who are harsh. Here, we see Peter is making contrast between “good and considerate” employer and “harsh” employer. What this teaches us is that a considerate or forbearing person is not harsh. I think that’s why ASV translated Philippians 4:5 as “Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.”
In order for us to stand firm in the Lord, we must be gentle and considerate to each other. In order words, we must treat each other generously. In particular, as the Paul said in 1 Timothy 3:3 and Titus 3:2, the church leaders should not be quarrelsome but should be peaceable, tolerant and treat each other gently in humility. But I think in the church of Philippi, two women, Euodia and syntyche didn’t do that (Phil. 4:2). So Paul wrote the letter to the Philippian church saints, especially referring to the two women Euodia and Syntyche and strongly urged them to live in harmony in the Lord (v. 2). What is needed is "the meekness and gentleness of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:1). And this gentleness of Christ is only wisdom from above. Look at James 3:17 – “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” In Philippians 4:5, Paul said to the Philippian church saints, “Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.” Why? This is because the day of the Lord is near (v. 5). We must let our forbearance to be evident to all in order to stand firm in the Lord. We must be considerate and gentle to each other. We should treat each other generously. As we expect that the day of the Lord is near, we must be gentle and considerate to each other and others as well.
Let us all stand firm in the Lord. This is the time when the Lord will come soon, so we must stand firm in the Lord. All members of our church must stand firmly on the Rock Jesus Christ and His Word. And we must have the same mind and attitude in the Lord. We should help each other. We should always rejoice in the Lord. Let us be gentle and considerate to all people for the day of the Lord is near.