Advent - Week 1 (Philippians 4:1-9)
Philippians 4:1-9
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Peace From The King
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Philippians 4:1-9 〰️ Peace From The King 〰️
This week marks the first week of our Advent Series. We’ll be going through passages in various books of the Bible and finding Jesus within them, looking at the then-coming promise of the Messiah.
As we’re coming out of Thanksgiving and in the first week of Advent, I think it’s quite fitting that we land on this passage. This week, we read Philippians 4:1-9, where in verses 6 and 7, Paul writes, “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus [emphasis added].” To me, this sounds an awful lot like a transition between the seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas. As many of us gathered around our tables, we shared a meal with loved ones and prayed with gratitude in our hearts and likely with requests to bring to our Lord.
The Christmas season is in full swing, and here we can reference the “peace of God” in verse 7. So, as we set up the tree and observe the overly busy world around us in the buzz of the season, let’s sing songs like Silent Night with Philippians 4:7 in mind.
In the opening verses of chapter 4, Paul addresses the recipients of this letter as “dearly beloved,” “my joy and crown,” and “dear friends” (v1). In the following verse, Paul writes directly to two women, his friends, Euodia and Syntyche. From how he writes, the two seem to be the source of conflict and division in the church. Here, Paul urges them to agree and be gracious with one another. He encourages them to die to themselves, let the disagreement go (agree in the Lord), and have grace for one another. We gather from this passage that much of Paul’s talk surrounding unity in the Philippian church is founded on this conflict between members.
Paul speaks to this as well when addressing the church of Galatia. In chapter 5, he writes of the conflicting desires of the Spirit within us and the flesh that fights against it. Verses 24-26 read, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” In some of Paul’s writing, it can feel like he’s rehashing the same old concepts or principles. Still, these were letters to different congregations. On top of that, we don’t always listen to correction or instruction when it comes.
There is much we can learn from these passages. First is the directness in which he writes. Up to this point in the letter, Paul was being quite general, but now Paul is speaking to them directly. Why? Because he loves them as individuals, and he loves the church. He does not use this as an excuse to shame the two women, but rather lovingly, but directly, calls them out on their sin. We, as the Western Church, can grow in this area: confrontation. We’ll often sit in our frustration when someone wronged us and talk to everyone but that person! Confronting others is, by and large, a very uncomfortable thing to do, but out of love, we must! Paul demonstrates this by doing so positively, urging them to agree rather than publicly shaming them for what they’ve done. Paul simply says, “Agree in the Lord,” and then directs the church body and leadership to walk alongside them as they navigate conflict. As the church and as pockets of community, we need to be with one another through thick and thin and through grief, frustration, and heartache.
In the closing verses of this passage, Paul presses the Philippians (as well as Euodia and Syntyche) to dwell on good things. Verse 8 can often be quite confusing, as “whatever is true…honorable…just…pure…lovely…[and] commendable” seems pretty vague. So, let’s break these down so we know just what God’s Word tells us to dwell on and think about every day.
True: Every day and nearly every hour, the enemy tells us lies about ourselves, others, or God. Satan is a master of lies, and “there is no truth in him” (John 8:44), so why should we believe that which is not true?
Honorable and just: There are many sinful things that can plague our thoughts and invade our minds. This is where we’re to “take every thought captive to make it obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). This is not at all to say that we should bury our heads in the sand, but rather that we should be on alert as our thoughts can lead us toward sin.
Whatever is pure and lovely: This could mean keeping our thoughts on things that are morally good, and rejecting sinful thoughts such as lust or envy. Similar wording is found in Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia, where he writes, “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). Following Christ is the simultaneous act of obedience and rejecting disobedience.
Whatever is commendable: Here, it’s likely that Paul is referring to God’s Word and that spending time steeped in it. If we turn back to Psalm 19, we see almost a perfect description of “whatever is commendable.” Verses 7-9 read:
The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad; the command of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are reliable and altogether righteous.
That certainly sounds commendable to me.
Paul is prompting the Philippians (and us) to delight and find joy in the Word of God. More specifically, he tells us to dwell on these things” (v8). Lastly, Paul writes that we’re not only to learn these things but live them out, transformed by Christ. It is not enough to simply know what Jesus commands, and God desires for us; we must live in light of it. As we jump into discussion, we’ll go through some probing questions about what it actually means to obey the Lord and how that fuels our unity with one another. We would be foolish to think that Paul’s words in this passage are unrelated. They’re intrinsically connected because as we dwell in the presence of the Lord, we grow to look more like Him.
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from the passage?
What are some repeating words, phrases, or concepts in this passage?
Does anything in this passage remind you of another part of Scripture?
What does conflict do to a group of people? Now read verses 4 and 9. How does rejoicing God fuel unity?
What do you think Paul means when he says to dwell on admirable things?
How is verse 8 connected to Paul’s words about conflict in verses 2-3?
In verse 9, Paul prompts the Philippians, “do what you have learned.” What do you think he meant by that?
What are some ways you can walk in obedience and “dwell on these things” this week?