Philippians 4:1
~14 min read
TRANSCRIPT
Once again, I greet you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Our text for this morning's message is taken from Philippians 4:1. Allow me to read it for you: “Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.”
Notice that the Apostle Paul called the brethren in the Philippian church "my dearly beloved." This is the strongest expression of love in the Greek language, derived from the word ‘Agape.’ It speaks of his deep love for the Philippians, and because of his deep love for them, he longed to see them. They were his joy and crown.
Most certainly, Paul's joy did not come from physical circumstances, for at this present moment, he was imprisoned. His joy came from the people he loved, the Philippians. Paul was the one who brought the gospel to the Philippians, and he taught them the word of God. When he received news of their spiritual growth, he knew that all his efforts were not in vain. His heart was filled with great joy.
In most sports events, participants who have run well are honoured with a crown, which today we might call a trophy. In other words, the Philippians were Paul's trophies because they were the evidence of his effective ministry and service in the Philippian church. God used the Philippians to show Paul that his work was not in vain.
Dear friend, let us pause for a moment and consider this. Throughout our lifetime, our Christian lives, from the point of our conversion to this very moment, there would be many people instrumental in our Christian growth. There would be some people who shared the gospel with us in the beginning, and others who taught us the word of God in Sunday School, youth ministry, Bible study classes, or from the pulpit. If we have grown spiritually and are now worshiping and serving the Lord zealously and passionately, then we would be the joy and crown of those people who helped us. If we, in turn, have helped someone else in their spiritual growth, and they have grown spiritually, they would be our joy and crown. The question we need to ask ourselves is, whose joy and crown are we? And who is our joy and crown? If not, something is wrong. We ought either to be someone's joy and crown, and someone else also ought to be our joy and crown.
The Philippians were Paul's joy and crown, but he did not want them to stop growing. He wanted them to continue to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. To continue to pursue spiritual perfection, and be more and more like Christ. Therefore he urged them, “so fast in the Lord.” How do we stand fast? What does it mean to stand fast? This is what we want to learn from this one verse, for today’s message.
To stand fast means to stand firm, to persevere, to be spiritually strong. It has a military implication, like soldiers standing on the front lines, the believer is commanded to hold his spiritual position while under attack. So the picture you have is, you see these soldiers standing side-by-side, with their shield in front of them, and then the enemies would be in front, as they would be steadfast, they would be firm, they would persevere and they would not be moved.
In our responsive reading from Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul spoke about the life of the Christian as if in a warfare. He said this, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil… that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and [after] having done all, … stand.” You see the repeated usage of the word, “stand… withstand… stand”. Whenever we think of warfare, oftentimes we would think of invasion, conquest or marching into the enemy’s territories. But in reality, Paul did not mean that. Instead, he spoke about standing. He said to the Ephesians, “after you have put on the whole rumour of God, after you have done everything, you stand.” Fundamentally, the believer will face three sources of attacks - you and I will face attacks from these three sources: from (1) the world, which will constantly try to entice us to give in to all its worldly systems and evil ideas, philosophies. From the (2) flesh, our mortal body, which is subjected to all kinds of temptations. That is why Jesus said to the disciples, “Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation. The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. And finally, (3) from the Devil, our adversary, as a roaring lion, he walketh about seeking whom he may devour.
God does not tell us to march into the world or to conquer the devil, in spite of the great hymn we used to we may sing ‘Onward Christian Soldiers.’ Instead, God tells us, “stand fast”, and we are to stand fast on something, not on nothing. Notice the phrase “in the Lord,” which means we are to stand fast on what Jesus Christ has already accomplished and is doing the conquering. So what you and I must do is to hold the ground He conquers. There's a difference between marching and standing - we all know that - and when you translate that to the spiritual realm, there's this obvious difference between defensive and offensive warfare.
Watchman Nee, the Chinese evangelist, he wrote a very good explanation on this Christian warfare. Allow me to quote him, this is what he said:
"The difference between defensive and offensive warfare is this: that in defensive warfare, I have got the ground and only seek to keep it, whereas in offensive warfare, I have not got the ground and I am fighting in order to get it. And that is precisely the difference between the warfare waged by the Lord Jesus Christ and the warfare waged by us. His was offensive; ours, in essence, is defensive. Christ battled against Satan in order to gain the victory. Through the Cross He carried that warfare to the very threshold of Hell itself, and He was victorious. Today, we war against Satan only to maintain and consolidate the victory that He had already gained. By the Resurrection God proclaimed Christ His Son victor over the whole realm of darkness, and the ground Christ triumphed, He has given to us. We do not need to fight to obtain it; we only need to hold it against all challenges."
I think this is an excellent explanation of the Christian warfare. What it means to stand fast in the Lord. In other words, on the basis of the victory we have in Christ, we are to stand fast. Let us consider what Christ has done for us, what He has achieved for us.
I. Christ’s Death
Let us look at verse one again: "Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for.” Whenever we see the word "Therefore," we know that it connects this verse with the preceding verses or chapters. So in order to understand how we ought to stand fast in the Lord and what Christ has done for us, we need to consider the preceding verses.
When we say Christ is victorious, what are the conquests that He has made for those who trust Him? What victories do we have? The first thing is certainly referred to in Philippians 3:9. Where the Bible tells us that Christ died to bring us salvation. Let me read for you: "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” You see, according to the New Testament, Christ's death on the cross accomplished two things. Firstly, it was the means by which our sins were removed and punished. Christ bore our punishment, and because with God, there is no such thing as punishing the same crime twice. So as a result, you and I no longer need to fear eternal punishment. The Bible says that Christ has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12). God will remember our sins no more. Isaiah 43:25 says, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”
Dear friend, the devil wants us to doubt whether our sins have truly been forgiven. He wants us to live in the guilt of our sins, to live in fear and doubt our salvation, and then be ineffective. So much so that the Lord will not be able to use us because we are always in guilt, in fear, in doubt, in confusion. That is what the devil wants us to be. But we do not need to succumb to death. Why? Because the Bible tells us that Christ's death and the shedding of His precious blood have secured the forgiveness of our sins.
Have you ever wondered, I know God has forgiven my sins in the past, but after my conversion, sometimes in my weaknesses, I still succumb to temptations and fall into sins. Will God still continue to forgive my sins? What about my future sins? The book of Hebrews, chapter 10, tells us that in those days, the priests would offer sacrifices for the sins of the people, and they had to do that on a daily basis, which means today's sacrifice is for today's sins, tomorrow's sacrifice is in anticipation for tomorrow's sin. And then the author of Hebrews went on to say, “But this man” - referring to Jesus - “after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever” - past, present and future, He - “sat down on the right hand of God… For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:12-14). So you do not need to be afraid. All you need to do is to stand fast in the Lord in what Jesus Christ has done for you for the forgiveness of your sins.
Secondly, the cross is the means by which God offers us Christ's righteousness in place of our own inadequate righteousness. Allow me to give you an illustration. Let's say you were a contractor, and you were asked to build a large office building upon the place where a building was standing. You would have two ways of going about completing the project. You could build over the old building, building on top of it, or you could tear the old building down and start anew. However, if the foundations of the old building were too weak to hold the weight of the new building, then you would have no choice. You would have no alternatives. You would simply have to tear down the old structure to make room for the new one. Likewise, it is with God and His righteousness. The righteousness that God requires of you and me is a perfect righteousness. And the righteousness that we think we are creating for ourselves are but filthy rags - all our righteousness are but filthy rags.
Some years ago, a man was offended when I quoted this verse, ‘All our righteousness are but filthy rags.’ And he said to me, ‘How can all my righteousness be filthy rags? I have given so much money to charity. I've helped so many people. I have been so kind and generous. How can all these works be filthy rags?’ You see, in the eyes of the world, indeed, those are acts of righteousness, but that is in accordance to the world's standards, not in accordance to God's standard, which is perfect. The world cannot see the heart; only God alone can see the heart. When God looks into the heart and sees the motivations, the intentions, the hidden agendas behind the works, He said ‘they are but filthy rags’. So, if we try to build our own righteousness, be it good works, or our charitable givings, or our humanistic efforts, or even our services to God, we are building on something that cannot bear the weight. Therefore, we must clear all our attempts to please God with our own righteousness and solely rely on the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
That is why Philippians 3:9 says, "Not having mine own righteousness," because it is a righteousness that we cannot stand on. It cannot bear the weight; it cannot stand against God's perfect righteousness. But the righteousness which is of God by faith, it is the only righteousness that we can stand on. So, when we stand fast in the Lord, we are standing on the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a very important truth we must always remember.
II. Christ’s Resurrection
The second thing Christ had achieved for us was the fact that He was resurrected from the dead. Christ conquered death, and He lives. The Saviour you and I believe in is a risen Saviour. He is living today, and He lives to be known by the believers, that they may know Him and the power of His resurrection. Paul speaks of this experiential experience in Philippians 3:10-11, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” The literal meaning of the word “resurrection” is to stand up, is to be upright.
Remember, Paul was in prison as he wrote this letter to the Philippians, surrounded by unbelieving soldiers and prisoners as well. And he was experiencing sufferings, but he was also experiencing something else. In the midst of his sufferings, he experienced the power of Christ's resurrection. So even though he was suffering, he was able to live in the power of His resurrection. So much so that he was able to give to all those spiritually dead unbelievers - whether it be the Roman soldiers, or the unbelieving prisoners - he was able to give them a preview of eternal life in action as he was standing. As a resurrected man, so to speak, standing outstandingly amongst those who were spiritually lying on their backs, spiritually dead, he stood like a resurrected person. That is what it means when Paul says, "If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." To stand fast in the Lord is to live in the power of His resurrection.
Dear friends, as you live your Christian lives, when you work with your colleagues, when you interact with your schoolmates, when you mingle with your unbelieving loved ones and friends, you want to live in such a way that the people can see that you are different - in the things you say, the decisions you make, in the way you respond to the situations of life, in your refusal to engage in unwholesome conversations and ungodly activities. But how can you do that? Yes you can, you live by standing fast in the Lord. You live in the power of His resurrection, and you will be like a resurrected person. You will be someone who is spiritually alive amongst all those who are spiritually dead. And then, through your testimony, you can point people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Just like some people who you may know in your workplace, or in your school, who is like a light shining outstandingly in the midst of all the unbelievers. And the picture you have is like a resurrected person amongst all those who were spiritually dead. And we pray that we will all stand fast in the Lord, we will all live like resurrected persons, spiritually alive, although we are mingling in our workplaces, in our schools, in society, with those who are spiritually dead. That is to stand fast in the Lord.
III. Christ’s Coming
The third thing we are to stand fast in the Lord is in His promise that He will come soon. Once again, remember the word "therefore" connects verse one to the preceding verses. So, look at the preceding two verses, Philippians 3:20-21. If you have your Bibles, turn to the two preceding verses. "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
As believers, one day we will either be raptured to meet our Lord in the clouds, and then in the twinkling of an eye, we will be transformed into a glorified body. Or we will die and be buried; our souls will go to be with the Lord if we are believers. But when Jesus comes in the clouds, our bodies will be risen from the dead to be united with our souls in a glorified body. In other words, we have to live our lives in view of our glorification. We have to live our lives with this heavenly perspective that one day this vile body, this weak physical body that is subjected to all kinds of afflictions, and pains, and sickness, will be changed into a glorified body that is perfect.
Are you ever discouraged because you have been diagnosed with a devastating illness? Or when you see yourself getting weaker and weaker as the days go by? Or there are things that you want to do; you want to be actively serving the Lord, but your physical body just would not allow you to do so. Well, you do not need to be discouraged. You stand firm, stand fast in the Lord, in the Lord's promise that He will come. When He comes in the clouds, then your vile weak physical body will be changed into a glorified body.
But it does not mean we just sit and do nothing, just wait for that day to come. Because remember Paul says, "For our conversation is in heaven." The word "conversation" means citizenship. In other words, our citizenship is in heaven. As citizens of heaven, we belong to Christ's kingdom, which is not of this Earth; it is in heaven. Our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life in heaven. Our fellow believers who have gone before us, our grandparents, our parents, and even our children, they are in heaven waiting for us. Our inheritance is in heaven, our rewards, our treasures are in heaven. Even though we are still living in this world, our true citizenship is in heaven. This is something that we must never forget.
When you are a citizen of a particular country, you are identified with that country. You pledge your allegiance to that country, right? And then you set your affections, priorities, desires, and investments in that country, not any other countries - that particular country. That is why we will not be preoccupied with the things of this world. We are not concerned about worldly issues. We will not adopt worldly attitudes. We will not set worldly goals. We will not invest our time, efforts, and money in the temporal things of this world. Why? Because we are just pilgrims on this Earth. This world is not our home, we are just a passing through.
Do you really believe that this world is not your home, and your real true citizenship is in heaven? If you believe that, if heaven is our home, then our values will shift to spiritual things, to our spiritual growth, to the advancement of the Gospel, to the saving of souls, to the success of the church, how the church can glorify God, and also to the encouragement and edification of the saints. If heaven is our home, then we ought to be heavenly-minded, not earthly-minded because we have a different home.
We are citizens of heaven. We have a different hope. The people in this world may look to the next holiday, to the next adventurous thing that they will engage in. We look forward to the blessed hope of Christ coming. Jesus will come in the clouds, and we will either be raptured or be resurrected. And then we will have a different body, it will be a glorified body. This weak vile physical body will be transformed into a perfect glorified body. This is what we have to stand fast on. We stand fast in the Lord because He promises He will come, and when He comes, you and I will be transformed.
Dear friends, to stand fast in the Lord is to stand firm in what Jesus Christ has done for us and what He promised to do for us - through His death, through His resurrection, and through His promise. If I may close with these three very important doctrines, and that is the doctrines of justification, sanctification, and glorification. God saves us, He continues to save us, and He will save us ultimately, that we will have this perfect glorified body. And this is what you and I must stand firm on. Not on what we have done but on what our Lord Jesus has done and promised to do for us when He comes. Do you believe Him? If you believe Him, then stand fast in the Lord.
Let us pray. Father in heaven, we thank Thee for this opportunity for us to consider this one verse in Philippians 4. Indeed, Thou has commanded us as believers we ought to stand firmly in the Lord, in what our Lord Jesus has done for us and what He promised to do for us. We have learned that through His death, we receive the forgiveness of our sins, and we are clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Through His resurrection, He lives, and He is known by all of us believers, that we know Him and the power of His resurrection. That we are able to live as a resurrected person, so to speak, to be spiritually alive even amongst those who are spiritually dead. And that we stand firm in what our Lord Jesus has promised us - He will come soon. When He comes in the clouds, we will be caught up to meet Him in the air, and we will be transformed into a glorified body - it is either by rapture or by resurrection. We will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye to a perfect glorified body. Oh Lord, help us to be mindful. This is what it means to stand fast in the Lord, in our Lord Jesus' work of saving us, continually saving us, and He will save us ultimately in our glorification. We stand fast in these three great doctrines: our justification, sanctification, and glorification. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANSThe Church at PhilippiThe Church at PhilippiPhilippians 1:1-2
The Joy of A Spirit-Filled Life (Part 1)The Joy of A Spirit-Filled Life (Part 1)Philippians 1:3-5
Elements of True JoyElements of True JoyPhilippians 1:3-6
The Joy of a Spirit-filled Life (Part 2)The Joy of a Spirit-filled Life (Part 2)Philippians 1:6
What are the Things Most Important to Us?What are the Things Most Important to Us?Philippians 1:7-8
Growing in GodlinessGrowing in GodlinessPhilippians 1:9-11
Message 5: Praying for the ChurchMessage 5: Praying for the ChurchPhilippians 1:9-11
Growing in GodlinessGrowing in GodlinessPhilippians 1:9-11
Are All Things Really Working For Good?Are All Things Really Working For Good?Philippians 1:12-14
In Times of AdversityIn Times of AdversityPhilippians 1:12-18
Trouble in the ChurchTrouble in the ChurchPhilippians 1:15-18
For to Me to Live is Christ, to Die is GainFor to Me to Live is Christ, to Die is GainPhilippians 1:19-26
To Live is ChristTo Live is ChristPhilippians 1:19-26
Living Worthy of the GospelLiving Worthy of the GospelPhilippians 1:27-30
Live your life worthy of the GospelLive your life worthy of the GospelPhilippians 1:27-30
The Motivation for Spiritual Unity (Part 1)The Motivation for Spiritual Unity (Part 1)Philippians 2:1-2
Let's Have FellowshipLet's Have FellowshipPhilippians 2:1-4
Essential Principles of Spiritual Unity (Part 2)Essential Principles of Spiritual Unity (Part 2)Philippians 2:3-4
The Ultimate ExampleThe Ultimate ExamplePhilippians 2:5-8
The Ultimate ExampleThe Ultimate ExamplePhilippians 2:5-11
What Is Christmas?What Is Christmas?Philippians 2:6-11
The Greatest NameThe Greatest NamePhilippians 2:9-11
Living a Sanctified LifeLiving a Sanctified LifePhilippians 2:12-13
Work Out Your Own SalvationWork Out Your Own SalvationPhilippians 2:12-18
Moving Forward Not BackwardMoving Forward Not BackwardPhilippians 2:13-14
Stop Murmuring and ComplainingStop Murmuring and ComplainingPhilippians 2:14-16
The Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: PaulThe Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: PaulPhilippians 2:17-18
The Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: TimothyThe Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: TimothyPhilippians 2:19-24
The Importance of Spiritual DiscernmentThe Importance of Spiritual DiscernmentPhilippians 3:1-2
True Believers Worship God in Spirit and in TruthTrue Believers Worship God in Spirit and in TruthPhilippians 3:3, John 4:4-30
Nothing to Boast OfNothing to Boast OfPhilippians 3:3-6
What Is Gain To Me Is LossWhat Is Gain To Me Is LossPhilippians 3:7-9
The Power of Christ's ResurrectionThe Power of Christ's ResurrectionPhilippians 3:10-11
What are Your Spiritual Goals?What are Your Spiritual Goals?Philippians 3:10-11
Pressing Toward The MarkPressing Toward The MarkPhilippians 3:12-14
Pressing Toward the MarkPressing Toward the MarkPhilippians 3:13-14
Morning Devotion 2: God’s High Calling for YouMorning Devotion 2: God’s High Calling for YouPhilippians 3:13-14
How to Know the Will of GodHow to Know the Will of GodPhilippians 3:15
Who Are You Following?Who Are You Following?Philippians 3:16-19
Heavenly Or Earthly MindedHeavenly Or Earthly MindedPhilippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57
How Do You Stand Fast?How Do You Stand Fast?Philippians 4:1
How to Maintain Christian UnityHow to Maintain Christian UnityPhilippians 4:2-3
Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 1]Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 1]Philippians 4:4-7
The Cure for AnxietyThe Cure for AnxietyPhilippians 4:6-7
Message 6: Praying for the TroubledMessage 6: Praying for the TroubledPhilippians 4:6-7
Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 2]Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 2]Philippians 4:8-9
Learning To Be Content [Part 1]Learning To Be Content [Part 1]Philippians 4:10-12
How To Be An Overcoming ChristianHow To Be An Overcoming ChristianPhilippians 4:13
Learning To Be Content [Part 2]Learning To Be Content [Part 2]Philippians 4:13-19
My God Shall Supply All Your NeedsMy God Shall Supply All Your NeedsPhilippians 4:19
Living By Grace and For God's GloryLiving By Grace and For God's GloryPhilippians 4:20-23
