Philippians Chapter 4:14-23

In one paragraph

This message wrapped up the series on Philippians and opened the next one on Colossians. Pastor Van walked through the closing verses of Philippians 4 and then read the opening of Colossians 1, letting the two letters speak alongside each other. The thread holding it all together was this: wherever Paul writes and whoever he is writing to, the center is Jesus and the tone is grace and peace. Paul...

Read together

1. Philippians 4:10-14 read aloud as the closing passage of Philippians, covering Paul's contentment and ability to do all things through Christ
2. Philippians 4:15-16 Paul noting that the Philippians alone shared with him in giving and receiving when he departed from Macedonia, including aid sent while he was in Thessalonica
3. Philippians 4:17 Paul clarifying he seeks not the gift but the fruit that abounds to their account
4. Philippians 4:18 Paul describing the gift brought by Epaphroditus as a sweet smelling aroma, acceptable and well pleasing to God
5. Philippians 1:6 cited to show Paul's confidence that God who began a good work in them will complete it
6. Philippians 4:19 my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus
7. Philippians 4:20 doxology: to our God and Father be glory forever and ever, amen
8. Philippians 4:21-23 closing greetings to every saint, from the brothers with Paul, from all the saints, and especially those of Caesar's household, closing with grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
9. Philippians 4:7-9 referenced in passing as the peace of God and the God of peace passages from the two weeks prior
10. Colossians 1:1-2 read as the opening of Colossians, introducing Paul, Timothy, and greeting the saints and faithful brothers at Colossi with grace and peace
11. Colossians 1:3-4 Paul giving thanks and praying always for the Colossians because of their faith in Christ Jesus and love for all the saints
12. Colossians 1:5-6 the hope reserved in heaven, the gospel bearing fruit and increasing in all the world as it had among the Colossians since the day they heard it
13. Colossians 1:7-8 the Colossians learned the gospel from Epaphras, beloved fellow bond servant, who also informed Paul of their love in the Spirit
14. Colossians 1:9-11 Paul praying without ceasing that they be filled with knowledge of His will, walk worthy of the Lord, bear fruit, and be strengthened with all power for perseverance and patience joyously
15. Colossians 1:12 giving thanks to the Father who qualified all believers to share in the inheritance of the saints in light
16. Ephesians 4:1-3 referenced as the source of the call to walk worthy and maintain unity in the bond of the Spirit, covered in a recent sermon series
17. Philippians 3:12-14 referenced as Paul saying he has not been perfected but is pressing on, forgetting what is behind and moving toward the future

What was said

• Greet someone at church this week that you usually overlook or have a hard time getting along with, because Paul's instruction was to greet every saint, not just the ones you agree with.
• Pray this week for a missionary or ministry somewhere in the world that you know is doing gospel work, even if you have never met the people there.
• When you are tempted to see yourself mainly as a sinner who keeps failing, remind yourself that in Christ you are called a saint, and let that shape how you act today.
• If you are feeling like everything depends on your own effort to help someone spiritually, write down Philippians 4:19 and trust God to supply what that person needs through means beyond you.
• Before the week is out, tell someone plainly that you are praying for them, the way Paul told people he had never met that he had not stopped praying since he heard about them.

Talk about it

1. The pastor talked about the feeling of continually pouring into people who then move on, and how that can be discouraging for ministers, teachers, and others. Have you experienced something similar in your own life, and how did you handle it?
2. The couple whose wedding was performed the day before this sermon asked for one thing: Christ centered. What does it look like in practice to keep Jesus at the center of a relationship, a friendship, or a community like this one?
3. Paul writes 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' in the context of learning contentment in both abundance and need. Where in your own life do you find it hardest to be content, and how does that verse speak to that specific struggle?
4. Paul greets 'every saint in Christ Jesus,' not just the ones who agree with him, and he prays for the Colossians even though he has never met them. What would it look like for us as a church to extend that same kind of prayer and welcome to people outside our immediate circle?
5. The pastor pointed out that Paul, stuck in prison, is encouraged that the gospel is bearing fruit and growing in all the world, and he credits Jesus rather than himself. When you see God working somewhere, what keeps you from taking too much credit, or from feeling like it all depends on you?