The thought of the Lord’s return, and its glorious results seems to have filled the apostle’s heart with fresh affection for his dear children in the faith. He calls them his dearly beloved, and longed for, his joy and his crown, and exhorts them to stand fast in the Lord {Phil. 4}. Further down he would have them rejoice in the Lord. And, dear reader, it is no small matter for saints to stand fast in the Lord, in the full sense of what true Christianity is. For Christianity is not the systematic order of things we see around us. There is what is true in it, but mixed up with much that is false. What the faithful have got to do is to stand separate from all evil, and to be witnesses only to what is good and true, and that is Christ. But to witness for Christ only as Saviour, that is not the whole of Christianity. There are many individual witnesses to this in Christendom, which was the grand truth revived at the Reformation. The grand truth of justification by faith without works was then restored. But is this all the truth of Christianity? Did Christ merely come down here that sinners might be justified and go to heaven instead of to hell? Was that all the thought of God in regard to His Christ? Surely not, and so He has exalted the Man who has done this blessed work with the purpose of making Him the center of all His purposes of glory.
Yes, Christ Himself and His glory, is the thought and purpose of God. To have a heavenly family for Himself is another thought of our Father, and this heavenly family He is now calling out. To call out a Bride for His Son is another of His chief thoughts, then to clear these heavens and earth of sin, and hand them over to the dominion of Christ, is all in the thought and purpose of God. All these things are in the mind of God, and He wants a witness to these things in this world. The church was to have been that witness, but alas, Christ’s glory has been well nigh forgotten. His present position at the right hand of God, as head of His body, the church, has well nigh been lost. His lordship claims have been quietly laid aside, and a new order, system and rule, reigns in the professing bride of Christ on earth, who ought to be entirely separate from the world, and awaiting the Lord from heaven. Where do we see on earth a corporate body, acting together as if testifying that its only living link of union with Christ in heaven is by the Holy Ghost? Where is the witness that for the church the only bond of union between its members and the Head in heaven is the Holy Ghost? Where is the waiting together in the expectation of the return of the Bridegroom from heaven, as a living reality? These were the grand truths witnessed to by the church when first set up on earth. It was a witness to Christ being its head, the Holy Ghost in the assembly witnessed to His lordship, and ruled in the house of God; and all the saints were looking forward with longing expectation for the return of the Bridegroom, knowing that their hopes were linked with that return, and that then God’s glory would be fully manifested, in Christ having His heavenly Bride with Him, and in Christ taking the kingdom over Israel and the nations in this world, after first clearing it by judgment on the wicked.
It was in view of such truths that the saints at Philippi were to stand fast. They were to stand fast, not only as justified ones, but as those that had a position in connection with the Lord in glory, who was head of His body, the assembly. They were in the Lord, the Holy Ghost gave them that place, constituted them heavenly men, as the apostle said, whose citizenship is in heaven. They were to stand fast as rejected by this world, and in the heavenly Man, who was the last Adam, the Quickening Spirit. This means that I am to hold fast my union with Christ. I am to stand fast realizing continually my position in the Lord, as no longer in the flesh. This is of all importance for the saints. And I cannot rejoice in the Lord continually unless first I stand fast in the Lord. If two saints, for instance that have been quarrelling like Euodias and Syntyche, give up their position at the Lord’s table, where the saints manifest that they are members together of the one body of Christ, these are not standing fast in the Lord; at least certainly not before the saints. They give up the place where the manifestation of their full standing in grace is manifested; for the sake of a quarrel. The result is worse departure. But the apostle would have these saints be of the same mind in the Lord, and submit themselves to the rule of the Holy Ghost to bring them to the same mind. He intreated also, a true yoke-fellow to help certain women who laboured with the apostle in the gospel, with Clement also, and other of Paul’s fellow labourers, whose names were in the book of life.
Finally he would have the saints rejoice in the Lord always. This is more than the boasting in Christ Jesus of ch. 3:3. The latter was one of the essential marks of true Christianity. But this is the result of walking with the Lord, and communion with the Father; only that here the Lord is the object. It is the privilege of obedient Christians to rejoice in the Lord always; to rejoice in what He is for us, and in union with ourselves, to rejoice in His Person in all that the Father finds to delight in Him. In this chapter it includes His all sufficiency for all the circumstances through which we are passing as Christians, giving us power to rise superior to all. Compare 1 John 1:3; John 15:2, as to joy being the result of fellowship and obedience. Boasting in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:3) is the portion and mark of every true Christian.
The apostle would have the saints’ gentleness known unto all men. The Lord was at hand, about to descend into the air, as He had alluded to in Phil. 3:20, 21. In view of that day, he would have the saints careful for nothing. Not to let opposing circumstances and trials through which they were passing trouble them, but on the contrary, making them all an occasion of putting all these troubles in the hand of God, in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, to make their requests known to God, and then the peace of God would keep their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Blessed result of casting our cares on God, of putting everything that troubles us into His hands, and then even though He should not deliver us from the trouble, yet having left the trouble with Him, His peace takes possession of, garrisons our hearts. For, indeed, God is not troubled by every little thing as we are. He sees the end from the beginning, is perfect love and overrules everything for His glory and the good of His own dear children. The reader must not confound this peace here with Rom. 5:1. There it is a certain unalterable state we are introduced into toward God, as the result of being justified by faith, But here it is God’s peace taking possession of our hearts as the result of our casting our cares upon Him. All saints have peace with God, but all saints do not have God’s peace garrisoning their hearts, unless they fulfill the conditions of Phil. 4:6, 7.
But the saints were not only to put their trouble and cares, the result of passing through a world of evil, into God’s hands, the apostle would have them occupied with what was good.
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 (Phil. 4:8).
It is not well for us to be occupied with evil ever; we have to be, if it is there, in order to judge it and keep separate from it, but to be occupied with good and that is Christ. There is nothing good out[side] of Him, and everything true, honest, pure, just, lovely, and of good report, was of Him. Those things also which the saints had learnt and received and seen in Paul, he would have them do, and then the God of peace would be with them, for He was the source of all the truth, which had been communicated to them through the apostle, a special line of truth as has been remarked before, so that Paul could even set himself before the saints, an example to be followed. The God of peace was the source of the good, the new creation; to be occupied with the things that related to the Lord Jesus Himself, and the truths specially connected with the ministry of the apostle Paul, in regard to the new creation and the church, and the consequent practice resulting from it, would have as its result that they would have the God of peace as their companion. He would be with them.
And now beloved reader, let me ask you, do you habitually take every care to God, putting it into his hands, and leaving it there, so that His peace keeps your heart? and do you seek to be occupied with what is good around you, to follow out Paul’s doctrine and practice, so as to have consciously the God of peace as your companion. What a wondrous result of walking with God! God’s peace keeping the heart, the God of peace our companion. O! for more reality! What can more glorify God than for a saint walking through a scene of trouble, ruin and death, yet walking superior to it, and occupied with good, occupied with Christ. Reader, remember the little words: lst. Stand fast in the Lord. 2d. Rejoice in the Lord. 3d. Be careful for nothing, &c. 4th. Whatsoever things are true, &c., think on these things. Then you will be a man above circumstances like the apostle.
He takes occasion to bring this out in the following verses in reference to the care the Philippians had been showing him, in reference to sending him money to supply his need. He rejoiced greatly in the Lord that their care for him had flourished again, wherein also they had been careful, but they had lacked opportunity to send the help. But he did not speak in respect to want, for he had learnt, in whatever state he was in to be therewith content. He knew how to be abased, and how to abound; everywhere and in all things he was instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. He could do all things through Christ that strengthened him. He could rejoice in the Lord even in a prison. With death staring him in the face, Christ was his joy, Christ was his strength. The Lord had passed through all the circumstances he had been passing through, and had triumphed over them all, finding in them all the joy of His Father as His strength, so it was with the apostle. Christ was his life, and Christ lived in Him, the power and strength that had gained the victory and proved itself superior to all adverse circumstances was his, and thus the apostle practically triumphed as he realized it. Blessed, indeed, if any of us realize it just a little. Perhaps we would not quote the passage so often as applied to our little victories over circumstances, if we realized the great victories the apostle had gained, and was gaining.
He then reminds his dear Philippians of their care of him from the beginning; when he departed from Macedonia no assembly had helped him but them; even when he was in Thessalonica they had sent once and again to his necessity. He said these things not because he desired a gift, but he desired that fruit might abound to their account. Blessed unselfishness to be manifested among the saints of God! The apostle for himself had all and abounded; he was full, having received of Epaphroditus the things the Philippians had sent, which were an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice well pleasing to the Lord.
But Paul’s God would supply all their need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, to Him, the Father, be glory forever. Amen. Precious comfort for the saints of God! To all appearance often unable to make ends meet, perhaps without a crust of bread in their houses, but the God of Paul who had helped him, supplied all his need, would supply their need, not according to it, but according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. He sends his greetings to every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who were with Paul saluted them, as well as all the saints in Rome, some even of Cæsar’s household, such was the manifest progress of the gospel. He ends up by writing that the grace of the Lord Jesus might be with them.