Chapter four of Philippians is filed with encouraging passages, and this week’s passage is packed to the gills with wisdom and practical insights.

Take a look at it for yourself in Philippians 4:6-7:

This passage is a part of the section of Paul’s letter to Philippi that is probably the best known portion of the entire missive. Chapter four is filled with encouragement, and with practical instruction. We can glean a lot of incredible insights form this chapter, and these two verses are no exception.

What we can gain from these passages isn’t simple fluff and empty words, but neither is it deeply theological and hard to understand. Paul’s words here encourage us to turn to God and allow him to guide us as we strive to live for him.

Paul addresses three major concepts here that I can see: worry, prayer, and peace. Each of them is connected to the others, and there is even a progression of sorts to be seen, moving from one to another to the third.

As Paul exhorts the believers in Philippi, and specifically the two women named, to unity, he shares what is quite possibly the most recognized portion of this entire letter.

You can see this familiar passage in Philippians 4:4-5:

Paul returns to the theme of the entire letter here, and almost repeats his encouragement from 3:1: Rejoice!

This is no longer a specific entreaty to a couple of people, but a call to the entire church. And his command to rejoice is in the present tense; the church in Philippi is to be in a continual state of rejoicing.

This is not an empty phrase or a thoughtless comment on Paul’s part. In the world the Philippians lived in, sorrow and fear, especially for believers, was a constant threat. They lived in a very hostile world, as do believers today. The Philippian church is called to be in a state of joy, in spite of their circumstances.

And Paul has the authority to command such a thing. Remember where he was as he wrote these words. He was in a Roman prison, and had very little reason to be joyful himself. And yet he does.

For the first time, we get a glimpse of the individual people of the church in Philippi, and Paul mentions three of them by name.

You can read this week’s passage in Philippians 4:2-3:

Can you imagine the setting in Philippi? Paul’s letter has arrived. The church is gathered to hear it read aloud. And here, in the final portion of the letter, two women, presumably present, are called out by name!

This is the first time in this letter that Paul gets this personal, and does so in a manner that calls out these two women. Much can be gathered from these brief statements from Paul about them. We know that they were coworkers for the sake of the gospel, and apparently were a great help to Paul in his work.

Just who they were is a matter of conjecture, since we have little else to go on about these women. What we do know is that they were in disagreement about something. Just what that might have been is unknown. Paul calls them to a unity of mind, literally. His words to them instruct them to have the same mind, to be unified in their attitudes and work together. Paul expects them to set the good of the church above their own personal agendas and interests.

As Paul begins chapter four, he begins with a summary statement, giving some final exhortations to the instructions he has shared in the previous passages, before moving on to some final thoughts.

You can see this encouraging verse in Philippians 4:1:

All of the previous information, concerning those who live for Christ, as well as those who are enemies of the cross, serves to encourage the believers in Philippi to stand firm. In doing so, he uses several terms of endearment and displays just how much he loves the church and people in Philippi.

The main message of this verse is for the Philippians to stand firm. However, there is much more in this simple-seeming verse than first appears. Paul shares a lot of information in these few short words. As he gives this exhortation, he shows just how critical it is for believers to stand fast, and not be swept away by sin and worldly desires.

Some have tried to connect this passage to the content coming in chapter 4, and this is seen clearly in the re-translation found in the NIV2011. However, the context of the passage itself leads us to understand that this is more in reference to the preceding passages. This is seen most clearly by the use of the word “therefore,” giving us reasons to stand firm.

We stand firm because Christ is powerful (3:21). We stand firm because he will transform us into new creations when the dead are raised (3:21). And we stand firm because our citizenship is found in heaven (3:20).

Paul finalizes his thoughts in chapter three with a description of the person who has their focus set upon Christ.

Take a look for yourself in Philippians 3:20-21:

Paul gives a description of the one who is an enemy of the cross in the previous verses. In this passage, he gives a series of contrasting statements, showing how one who is heaven focused differs from such an enemy as he described.

This passage brings a lot of encouragement to the reader. Looking at the previous sections of this letter, one could easily get discouraged. Paul stated that everything he had achieved was rubbish, and so it is with our accomplishments. Paul described the enemy of the cross, and gave a pretty dismal picture. What hope is there for us? What can we look to?

Paul gives us that hope in these two verses. In spite of all that he has described that is negative, the final word on the matter is very positive. In giving us this hope, he shows in three distinct ways how the believer is different from the world.

First, the worldly person has their mind set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. We have a home above, but for a time, we are colonists here on earth. In the Roman Empire of Paul’s day, to be a Roman meant that you spread the culture of Rome everywhere you went, and the Philippian believers would have understood this well. That is exactly the purpose we have as believers. We are to spread the culture of heaven, spread the Good News, everywhere we go.

As Paul winds up the third chapter of Philippians, he finishes his description of those enemies of the cross of Christ, and a beautiful depiction of those who believe in him.

You can see this passage for yourself in Philippians 3:19:

Verse 19 is a very discouraging verse, and is negative in almost all respects. The final two verses of this chapter, which we will look at next week, are much more encouraging.

These very enemies of the cross probably thought that they were good people, educated and wise, perhaps even godly. This is a common occurrence. Those who oppose often do so not even knowing that they are in opposition. The wolves in sheep’s clothing often do not realize that they are wolves to begin with.

The old maxim still rings true: You can be sincere, and still be sincerely wrong.

Paul’s description of such people is disheartening and encouraging at the same time. Disheartening because many are lost in such a fashion and may not even know it. But it is encouraging in the fact that we have our work cut out for us, living the gospel in everyday life, and watching its power work in the lives of those around us. All hope is not lost for these people.

In light of that, Paul gives four descriptors of such a person. Let’s look at each in turn.

As Paul continues to encourage the Philippians, he gives a stark contrast between disciples and those who reject Christ.

You can see this week’s passage in Philippians 3:17-18:

First off, Paul encourages the Philippian believers to follow the example set for them by himself and his coworkers when they were in Philippi. Paul gave the believers there an example and a pattern. Both of these terms express the same idea. Paul lived what he taught, and he expected the churches he started to do the same. Take for example, his admonition to the Corinthians in chapter 11, where he states: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

For Paul, the ultimate example was that of Christ. And his urging to the Philippian believers was set to follow those who followed that perfect example. He is not setting himself as the final example. He has already deferred that authority, and shown himself to be worthless on his own. His ego is not emerging here, nor is his pride. He is merely setting an example to be followed, and encouraging the believers in Philippi to do so carefully.

In contrast, he shows those on the opposite side of this example. In the following verses, he gives a bleak description of those who oppose Christ, which will be looked at in more depth next week. Here however, here in verse 18, he shows just how heartbreaking it is to see some turn their backs on Jesus.