Philippians 4
13 Outlines
Philippians 3:20, 4:1-3
GOOD CITIZENSHIP
Philippians 3:20 -
For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for
the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Because we are citizens of Heaven we should:
STAND FAST - Philippians 4:1 - Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and
longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.
SHARE UNITY - Philippians 4:2 - I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche,
that they be of the same mind in the Lord.
SUPPORT OTHERS - Philippians 4:3 - And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow,
help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and
with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.
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Philippians 4:1 etc.
STAND FAST!
"Therefore, my
brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the
Lord, my dearly beloved."
When we stand fast in
the Lord we will have,
CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD -
Proverbs 3:5-6
COMMITMENT TO THE LORD -
Romans 12:1
CONDUCT THROUGH THE LORD
- Galatians 2:20, Philippians 4:13
CONVERSATION FOR THE
LORD - Psalm 107:2, 1 Peter 3:15, Ephesians 4:29
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Philippians 4:1-5
A HAPPY CHURCH
The church at
UNWAVERING STAND - Vs. 1
First, each church
member must be strong in the Lord's power and might.
UNIFIED FAMILY - Vss.
2-3
Those who didn't get
along were to receive help getting along.
UNENDING REJOICING - Vs.
4
We are to constantly have
an attitude of joy in the Lord.
UNIQUE CONTROL - Vs. 5
Our moderation or
"sweet reasonableness" is to be known to all. After all, "the
Lord is at hand", and we want to be pleasing Him when He arrives.
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Philippians 4:1-7
ANTIDOTE FOR WORRY
The biggest problem I have faced in my dealing with
Christians has been unforgiveness. The second biggest problem has been that of
worry.
We worry about what people think.
We worry about what has happened.
We worry about will happen.
We worry about what could happen.
We worry about our children.
We worry about our parents.
We worry about our jobs.
We worry about health.
We worry about retirement.
We worry about money.
Some worry about dying.
My wife, Dottie, once pointed something out to me.
What we are really worried about is ourselves! We are the center of attention
when we worry!
As someone has said, "99% of what we worry about
never happens."
So what is the cure, the antidote for worry. It is found here in Philippians 4:1-7
STAND FAST! - Vs. 1
God's great power is inside of us (Ephesians
MAKE PEACE - Vs. 2
If there's going to be a disagreement between you and
a fellow Christian, make sure that it's not your fault! Do everything you can
Biblically to make peace (Matthew 5:23-24, Romans 12:17-21)
HELP OTHERS! Vs. 3
Sometimes those disagreeing need a third party to step
in, and help resolve the conflict. (Matthew 5:9)
REJOICE! - Vs. 4
BE REASONABLE! Vs. 5
The word "moderation" has been translated as
"sweet reasonableness."
Christians need to be gentle, kind, reasonable in their dealings with
Christians and those who are not Christians.
PRAY! Vss. 6-7
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Philippians 4:6-7
ANXIETY RELIEF
A COMMAND TO OBEY - "Be careful (anxious) for
nothing..."
A COURSE TO FOLLOW - "...but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be known unto God.
A CONTENTMENT TO EXPERIENCE - "And the peace of
God that passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus."
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Philippians 4:6-7
WHAT PRAYER DOES
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And
the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.
PRAYER REPLACES
WORRY
Instead of being careful
and anxious, we are to pray continually.
PRAYER REVIEWS GOD'S
GOODNESS
The word
"prayer" is a general word that would include worship. As we worship and pray with thanksgiving, we
will review just how good God has been to us.
PRAYER REQUESTS HELP
Supplication and making
requests means that we are asking God for help.
PRAYER RESTS IN PEACE
The peace of God that
passes all understanding will reign in our lives.
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Philippians 4:6-9
HELP LINES
You might be familiar with help lines or help desks
where you can call for assistance.
Philippians 4:6-9 are lines written in the Bible that
help us. Therefore, they are “help
lines”.
HELP FOR THE HEART – Vss. 6-7 – PRAY!
Be careful
for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known unto God. [7] And the peace of God, which passeth
all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
HELP FOR THE MIND – Vs. 8 – THINK!
Finally,
brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be
any praise, think on these things.
HELP FOR THE LIFE – Vs. 9 – IMITATE!
Those
things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me,
do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
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Philippians 4:8
YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK!
Introduction - Proverbs
23:7, Luke 6:45. Our words and actions are a result of our thoughts. Philippians 4:8 shows us the right kind of
thoughts
that produce the right
kind of words and actions.
PROFOUND THOUGHTS -
true, honest, just
PRECIOUS THOUGHTS -
pure, lovely
POSITIVE THOUGHTS - good
report, virtue, praise
For the Christian to
develop the right thought life, he must meditate on Scripture (Joshua 1:8,
Psalm 1:1-3) and meditate on the Lord Jesus, who is true, honest, just, etc.
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Philippians 4:8
YOU ARE WHAT YOU
THINK
The Bible clearly
tells us that we are what we think!
Eventually our words and our behavior will reflect what we are thinking
on the inside.
Proverbs 23:7 - "For as he thinketh in his
heart, so [is] he:..."
Matthew
15:18-19 - But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the
heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure
of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil
treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance
of the heart his mouth speaketh.
If we are going to
think the way God wants us to think, and as a result act the way God wants to
act, we are going to have to learn how to think properly, because "You are
what you think."
Changing your
thinking begins with salvation. If you
have truly recognized yourself to be a sinner, and have truly turned to Jesus
Christ, as the One who died for you, and have trusted Him for forgiveness of
sin and eternal life, there will be a change in your life! 2 Corinthians 5:7
As a result of the
new life in Christ, we are told to make some changes. One change is who our
boss will be in life. Another change is how we think through life's situations.
Romans 12:1-2
If our mind is
renewed, it means that our thinking will be different than the way it was
before we knew Christ as Savior. It means that we must learn how to think
differently. This all brings us to our text, Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things
[are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good
report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these
things.
This verse gives
us a pattern for our thinking.
We'll talk about
how to implement that pattern at the end of the message. But first, let's look at the types of things
about which we should be thinking. We
can break down the types of things to think about into three categories.
PROFOUND
THOUGHTS
I call these
thoughts profound because they are certainly of the highest and deepest
quality. They include the things that are true, honest, and just.
·
THE TRUE
The things which
we think about should be true.
They should be
valid thoughts.
They should be
responsible thoughts.
They should be
honest thoughts.
Have you ever stopped
to realize how much we think about is just not true?
We worry about
what this one is thinking.
We worry that this
has happened or that has happened.
We worry about
what will happen.
We assume people
are saying and doing things that they are not saying and doing.
Why is this? Ever since the Garden of Eden, Satan has been
getting man to believe lies which he tells.
If he gets you to believe what isn't true, he can paralyze your
testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ. John 8:44
Thinking about
lies will upset you, make you worry, make you angry, make you ineffective for
the Lord Jesus Christ.
PROFOUND THOUGHTS
WHAT WE THINK
ABOUT IS TO BE TRUE
·
WHAT WE THINK ABOUT IS TO BE
HONORABLE.
That's what the
word "honest" means here.
What we think
about is not to be simplistic.
What we think
about is not be trash.
What we think
about is not to be sheer imagination.
So much of what we
think about is useless!
Thinking on the
honorable takes us to a higher plane.
What we think about
as Christians is to be better than what our unsaved friends are thinking about.
Our thinking is to
be honorable, or reputable, or noble.
PROFOUND THOUGHTS
·
WHAT WE THINK ABOUT IS TO BE
RIGHT
The word just
would mean right.
Back in the Old
Testament days of the Judges it is said that every man did that which was right
in his own eyes. It's not hard for me to
view my own thoughts as right according to my standards. I can easily justify the way I think.
But to have my
thoughts conformable to God's standards is something else.
Micah 6:8 - He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good;
and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with thy God?
To do justly, I
must think justly.
To love mercy, I
must think mercifully.
To walk humbly
with my God I must think about Him enough to meditate in His Word and talk to
Him.
PRECIOUS
THOUGHTS
We get the
mistaken idea that when we think the way God wants us to think, that things
will be dull.
I think quite the
opposite is true.
The next two types
of thoughts are precious to God and precious to others, because of the way we
will treat them when our thoughts are precious.
And these thoughts
will be precious to ourselves, because we will be so much happier when we think
this way.
PRECIOUS THOUGHTS
- There are two types here.
·
WHAT I THINK ABOUT IS TO BE
PURE.
First and foremost
my thoughts must be morally pure before God.
I am not to be
dwelling on that which displeases God!
I am not to be
dwelling on the filth of this world.
I am not to be
dwelling on that which would make me blush if others knew what I was thinking.
Psalm 101:3
PRECIOUS THOUGHTS
·
WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE LOVELY
When we think
about lovely things they are pleasing.
When we think about
lovely things they are agreeable.
When we think
about lovely things they are amiable.
Lovely thoughts
are beneficial towards God.
Lovely thoughts
are beneficial towards others.
Lovely thoughts
are those which would put God and others first.
Lovely thoughts
are probably the thoughts that motivate us towards service for God and kind
deeds towards man.
When you've done
something nice, it is because it began with a lovely thought.
POSITIVE
THOUGHTS
Do you know why we
are often critical?
Do you know why we
are often unkind?
Do you know why we
are often guilty of slander, and a judgmental attitude?
It is because we
do not think positive thoughts.
·
WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE OF GOOD
REPORT
Instead of
dwelling on bad news dwell on good news.
Instead of trying to
make yourself look good, try to make God and others look good.
This occurs when
we think about the good we find in others instead of the bad we find in others.
There are some
verses that Paul shared with the Philippians that should be our attitude towards
other believers. Philippians 1:3-6
The words
"good report" mean worth talking about.
If it's worth
talking about something, it's worth thinking about.
If it's not worth
talking about, then it's not worth thinking about either.
POSITIVE THOUGHTS:
·
IF THERE BE ANY VIRTUE
The word virtue
means "excellence".
We are to be so
choosy about what we think that thinking just good thoughts isn’t enough. We
must strive to think excellent thoughts.
We want to think
about that which is excellent in God's eyes.
When we praise we
should think on the excellent.
When we pray we
should think about the excellent.
When we consider
God's will, we should think about doing what is excellent.
Part of Paul's
prayer for the Philippians in chapter 1 of that book is that they would
"approve things that are excellent".
May we strive to
do the same.
POSITIVE THOUGHTS:
·
IF THERE BE ANY PRAISE
We should think on
things worthy of our praise.
We should think on
things worthy of God's praise.
We are to think thoughts
worth sharing to others, that they would think them too.
We have quite a
list here:
PROFOUND THOUGHTS
THAT ARE TRUE, HONORABLE AND RIGHT
PRECIOUS THOUGHTS
WHICH ARE PURE AND LOVELY
POSITIVE THOUGHTS
WHICH ARE OF GOOD REPORT, EXCELLENT, AND WORTHY OF PRAISE.
The question now
is, how do we go about thinking such thoughts?
Let me give you
three suggestions, remembering that you can't think thoughts pleasing to God,
until you are a child of God.
1. Ask Christ to
control your thought life, using Romans 6:13 as a model.
Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are
alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto
God.
Yield yourself to
God as one who is alive from the dead in Christ.
Yield your
thoughts to God as instruments of righteousness unto God.
2. Think of the
ways the Lord Jesus fulfills all of these qualities found in Philippians 4:8.
(Review)
For instance, think of all the ways Jesus
Christ is true, honorable, etc.
3. Memorize and
Meditate on the Scriptures.
Joshua 1:8 - This book of the law shall not depart out of
thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt
make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
3X5 cards
repetition
reflection
God's word is
true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, virtue, worthy of praise, thinking
on it and the Lord Jesus are the best ways to revolutionize your thought life.
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Philippians 4:10-19
PERSONAL TESTIMONY
The Philippians were
very involved in supporting Paul in his missionary endeavors. Here is Paul's
personal testimony concerning the gifts which the Philippians had sent.
SCHOOL OF FAITH Vss.
10-12
Paul had learned both
how to abound and to suffer need.
He learned to trust God
in the good times and the bad times.
STRENGTH FROM CHRIST Vs.
13
Whatever God wants us to
face, we have the strength we need in Christ. Ephesians 3:16, Colossians 1:11
SACRIFICE TO GOD Vss.
14-18
Notice that gifts which
the Philippians sent were "...a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to
God."
SUPPLY FOR NEEDS Vs. 19
Don't take this verse
out of context!
The Philippians' gift to
the Lord's work was sacrificial, and God met their needs. Giving should be done in the right way and
with the right attitude in order to expect God's blessing. 2 Corinthians 9:6-11
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Philippians 4:19 etc.
ABUNDANT SUPPLY
Philippians
ABUNDANT GRACE
Romans
ABUNDANT PARDON
Isaiah 55:7 - "Let
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him
return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he
will abundantly pardon."
ABUNDANT SATISFACTION
Psalm 36:8 - "They shall be abundantly satisfied
with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of
thy pleasures."
ABUNDANT PEACE
Philippians 4:6-7 -
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of
God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus."
ABUNDANT LIFE
John
ABUNDANT JOY
Philippians
ABUNDANT POWER
Col. 1:11 -
"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all
patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;"
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Philippians 4:14-19
HEAVENLY BANKING
Philippians 4:19 - But my God shall supply all your need
according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19 is
all too often taken out of context, without Christians considering any
conditions that God might place on the fulfilling of this promise.
Let's consider this verse in light of verses 14-19. I think of this particular passage as a
picture of Heavenly Banking. I see the
Christian doing what he should do, and our Heavenly Father responding. Please note that Heavenly Banking:
HEAVENLY BANKING REQUIRES INVESTMENTS - Vss. 14-16, 18
In verses 10-13, Paul was thanking the believers at
Paul did not want the Philippians to think that he didn't need appreciate
or their support.
Vs. 14 -
Paul says here, "You've done well", or, "You've done a beautiful
thing!” They had "communicated" or had fellowship with Paul. They
were partners with Paul in his ministry. Their gift made them part of his team.
Vss. 15-16 -
When Paul left the Philippians, they supported him financially so he could
continue his missionary work. You would
think that churches would stand in line to support someone as great as the
Apostle Paul, but the only supporting church Paul had was the Philippians.
According to Verse 15, the Philippians communicated with Paul concerning
giving and receiving. These two words
were banking terms. Today we would use
the terms debits and credits. This
reminds me that giving is a business transaction. Giving is an investment in God's business!
Vs. 18 -
Paul had received a generous gift from the Philippians.
Notice how pleased God is when we invest in his work.
Paul calls it "an odor of a sweet smell".
Investments in God's Kingdom made with the right attitude smell good to
God!
Investments in God's Kingdom are sacrifices given to God.
Giving to the church and to missions is actually an act of worship!
God is well pleased with the right kind of giving!
God is well pleased with sacrificial giving. Luke 21:1-4
What are God's principles for giving?
In the Old Testament the tithe is mentioned. That's 10 percent. I believe
that for us as Christians, the tithe is the logical place to start. Why should we give anything less, having
received the wonderful gift of salvation?
And I believe that the tithe should go to the local church.
But above the tithe, the investment in the local church, there is the
investment we can make in missions around the world. And there are some New Testament principles
that help us decide what we should be doing. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
HEAVENLY BANKING YIELDS INTEREST - Vs. 17
Paul is saying here, "I am more interested in your reward than
receiving a gift."
When we give with the right attitude and with the right proportion God
will allow you to bear fruit both in this life and in the next. God pays interest on your investments for
Him.
Paul knew that God rewards those who invest in God's Kingdom.
And there are many Scriptures that prove this. Proverbs 11:25, 19:17,
22:9, 2 Corinthians 9:8
God promises sufficiency so we can abound to every good work.
God multiplies our investments. They gain interest.
Imagine what God can do with your investments, if you make them willingly
and cheerfully!
Matthew 6:19-21 - Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon
earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and
steal: [20] But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Money invested in earthly endeavors disappears.
Money invested in the Lord's work reaps eternal rewards.
Giving money does not gain you entrance into Heaven.
Only being born-again by faith can do that.
But giving money to the Lord's work means that God can reward the
Christian in Heaven for the investment made on earth.
HEAVENLY BANKING IS FULLY INSURED - Vs. 19
Now hear me! We should never give to get!
Giving so we can receive is not pleasing to God.
But, when we give sacrificially
When we give cheerfully
When we give out of love first for God, and then for the individual then
God promises that our giving is fully insured!
God promises that our needs will be met.
Notice it says "needs" and not "greeds".
God won't provide for our selfishness.
Notice how God will provide for us.
He will take care of ALL our needs and will do it according to His riches
in glory.
If you ask a rich man for a donation to your favorite charity and he
gives you $10, he has given to you out of his riches. But that's a donation you
and I could also give out of our riches.
If you ask a rich man for a donation to your favorite charity and he
gives you $50,000, he has given according to his riches. He has given as only a rich man can give.
Get the point? God gives according to His riches. That means that God will give to us
generously in order to meet our needs.
Perhaps our thoughts can be summed up with Matthew 6:33,
But seek ye first the
It seems to me that God is saying, "You take care of my business,
and I'll take care of yours."
So now we know the principles of Heavenly Banking.
Heavenly Banking:
REQUIRES INVESTMENTS
YIELDS INTEREST
IS FULLY INSURED
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Philippians 4:23 etc.
BEST WISHES
Most of the epistles end with a benediction of some sort.
I see these benedictions as sending someone best wishes.
In Paul’s epistles I discovered that Paul gives for basic wishes
in his benedictions.
Paul wishes us the blessings of:
GRACE – Philippians 4:23, Romans 16:3, Colossians 4:18 etc.
PEACE – 2 Thessalonians 3:16
LOVE – Of God: 2 Corinthians 13:14, Of Paul, 1 Corinthians 16:24
COMMUNION (FELLOWSHIP) – 2 Corinthians
RETURN TO EPHESIANS – PHILEMON INDEX