“REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAY.”
-PHILIPPIANS
4:1-13-JANUARY 11.-
THE EPISTLE to the
Philippians is one of the most loving of all the Church letters written by the
Apostle Paul. In our last lesson we considered the story of the founding of
that Church and the cost thereof to the faithful Apostle and his companion
Silas. The Epistle to the Philippians contains no reproofs, no chidings, such
as appear in others of the epistles, but rather it is full of approval,
commendation and special love. Apparently, too, this little company of the
Lord’s people loved the Apostle as fervently as he loved them. His afflictions
on their account bound their hearts to him in lasting gratitude. We find that
on at least four occasions they helped to sustain the Apostle; once while at
Corinth (2 Cor. 11:9), twice while at Thessalonica (Phil. 4:16), and once while
he was a prisoner at Rome. On this latter occasion they sent their gifts and
expressions of love by a special messenger, Epaphroditus who, arriving at Rome
in the malarial season, took dangerously ill-probably with what is termed the
Pontine, or Roman fever. It was on the occasion of the recovery of
Epaphroditus and his return to Philippi that the Apostle sent back with him
this epistle.
A contemporary writer, referring to the practical manifestation of love by
the Philippian brethren makes the following comment: “The people of Malta were
the only others recorded who expressed their love in this way to Paul. The
Ephesians wept over him, but there is nothing said of their expressing their
feelings by aiding him. Perhaps they did.” Evidently the Apostle needed some
such manifestation of affection and appreciation of his efforts on their
behalf, for his own encouragement. It must have been hard, indeed, for him to
love the Church at Corinth as he did-laying down his life on its behalf, as
well as on behalf of the other Churches-while realizing keenly, as his epistles
distinctly intimate, that he was but lightly esteemed in return.-1 Cor. 4:7-9;
2 Cor. 10:10.
In view of this close and dear relationship between the Apostle and the
Church at Philippi, as between an under shepherd, or pastor and the flock, how
full of meaning the first verse of our lesson! “My brethren, dearly beloved
and longed for, my joy and my crown, -so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly
beloved.” These words from the pen of a conscientious and sincere man, such as
the Apostle was, are fragrant with the very essence of Christian love and
fellowship. How much they must have been appreciated, and how much they must
have been deserved!
But if there was nothing in the condition of the Philippians to reprove,
they, nevertheless, needed the exhortation to stand fast. They had already, by
the Lord’s favor, reached a considerable attainment in the graces of the
spirit-they must needs be tested, however, to prove them, to try them; and for
this ordeal, which every individual, as well as every congregation of the
Lord’s people must expect, the Apostle wished to prepare them-to urge that they
do not retreat from the advanced steps of love and obedience already taken-that
they continue firm, not, however, trusting to their own strength, but, as he
expresses it, that they should “stand fast in the Lord,” trusting in his power,
in his grace, sufficient for every time of need.
Several of the sisters of this congregation appear to have been prominent
helpers in the work, not only when the Apostle was with them, but subsequently.
Two of these are mentioned by name (v. 2), and the exhortation that they be of
the same mind in the Lord implies that in some respects at least these two were
at variance. It is well that we note the Apostle’s language to them very carefully,
for there is wisdom in it. He does not exhort them to be of one mind in
everything; quite possibly realizing that because of very different
temperaments and dispositions, habits of life, etc., this might be impossible;
but he does urge them to be of the same mind in the Lord-to preserve a
unity of heart and head in all things relating to the Lord and his cause.
It will be of advantage to all of the Lord’s people to pursue in such
matters the course which the Apostle here advocates-not to attempt to “harmonize
all earthly things” under present conditions;-to be content that each should
have differences of opinion on various other subjects, and to insist only on
oneness, fellowship, union, harmony in the Lord, in the truth, in the spirit of
love, and toward all the members of the household of faith. Insistence on more
than this-endeavoring to bring all to one view on social, financial and other
questions-endeavoring to bring all to one view respecting dress and food, etc.,
has caused grievous strivings and estrangements between members of the
household of faith; and all such endeavors should be recognized as contrary to
the Lord’s instruction through the Apostle-contrary to the “spirit of a sound
mind”-contrary to the wisdom that cometh from above,-which entreats and exhorts
for unity only in the Lord and along the line of questions
positively settled by the Lord in the Scriptures-which generously leaves with
each full liberty to act and to judge on all questions not positively settled
by the Scriptures. We urge that all of the Lord’s dear flock copy the wisdom
of the Apostle in this matter, and heed his injunction, given to these two
sisters, to let nothing come between them in the Lord.
In the third verse of our lesson “Yokefellow” apparently should be written
with a capital, as the proper name of a brother in the Philippian Church-not
only a Yokefellow in name, but as here declared, “a true Yokefellow,”
and, as we might expect, therefore, one who would be ready to cooperate with
and to assist others. In the Apostle’s judgment, some others were burdened,
needing assistance. He specifies Clement and the two sisters already referred
to, whose differences were burdening them. That the differences had not yet
extended so as to injure them spiritually, the Apostle firmly believed, and
hence he declares that he still recognizes them as fellow-laborers, still
recognizes that their names are in the Book of Life. On this account they
should seek harmony in the Lord, and Brother Yokefellow should fulfil toward
them the true meaning of his name, by helping them over their difficulties;
helping them to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bonds of peace in the
Lord.
There is no room for any of us today to become apostles, for there were
only twelve of them, and never will there be more. (Rev. 21:14.) There may not
be opportunities for all of us to do great things in the Lord’s service in this
harvest time, either; but there are opportunities for every one of us to be
true yokefellows-to assist the dear brethren and sisters with their
burdens;-not merely financial burdens, or burdens of illness, but sometimes to
assist them over difficulties and burdens of the kind suggested in this
lesson-burdens of different temperaments and dispositions. Let us each and all
seek to be true yokefellows to the various members of the body of Christ. We
may be sure that the Lord will highly esteem such service, and that thus we
will be growing in that grace which he so highly commended when he said,
“Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.”
Laying down certain general principles for godly living, healthful for New
Creatures, the Apostle exhorts, -“Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say,
rejoice.” This, the Golden Text of the lesson, represents the very essence of
Christian living. Under present conditions it is not supposable that outward
circumstances will always be favorable to rejoicing, from the natural
standpoint. He, therefore, who would rejoice alway in the Lord must have faith
in the Lord,-trust, hope, love. Without these he could not so appropriate to
himself the gracious promises of the Word as to be able to rejoice in
tribulation and suffering and under trials and difficulties, and when falsely
accused and misrepresented, and when slandered and evilly entreated for the
truth’s sake. The only ones who can rejoice alway
are those who are living very near to the Lord, and who can feel always their
oneness with him, and that his protection and care are over them, and that his
promise is sure, that all things shall work together for their highest welfare,
as New Creatures.
Others may rejoice today and be cast down tomorrow; only the
faithful in Christ Jesus are privileged to rejoice alway. The thought of the
Lord’s favors, past, present and to come, makes all the trials and difficulties
of such to appear very light afflictions, as but for a moment, not worthy to be
compared with the glory, honor and immortality promised, and the blessed
privileges of divine service, both here and hereafter. The Apostle emphasizes
the matter by saying, “Again I say, Rejoice.” We
cannot have too many rejoicing Christians, nor can they rejoice too much, if
they rejoice in the Lord. This rejoicing is not necessarily
boisterous, nor of necessity the reverse. It implies serenity, happiness,
peace, pleasure of soul, however, and does not mean that noisy demonstration is
essential, as some seem mistakenly to think.
The Apostle further exhorts that the faithful let their moderation,
their forbearance, be manifested, not only toward the brethren, but toward all
with whom they have to do. The Greek word here
rendered “moderation” seems to carry with it the thought of reasonableness,
and of not exacting our rights too rigorously. Mercy and leniency are certainly
qualities required of all who would be members of the body of the Anointed.
Faithfulness in the performance, as far as possible, of all that justice would
require of us, and mercifulness in respect to all our requirements of justice from
others should be our rule: so shall we be the children of our Father which is
in heaven, for he is kind and merciful to the unthankful.
“The Lord is at hand!” The thought seems to be that we who are the
Lord’s are not living for the present time. We are expecting great changes to
be ushered in when our King shall take to himself his great power and begin his
reign. We are not to be struggling for the last inch or the last penny, nor
for the extreme of our own rights; but, rather, to be so full of rejoicing in
the good things coming, and already ours by faith, that it will make us
generous as respects the things of this present time in our dealings with the
brethren and with others. We are not expecting justice from the Lord, for
nothing that we have or done or could do would justly call for such
exceeding great and precious things as he has promised us. And as we are
expecting grace or bounty in so large measure we can well afford to be generous
and liberal in our sentiments toward others-especially toward the household of
faith, because they are our brethren and fellow-representatives of the Lord
himself, from whom our bounty is to come; and toward the world without, because
they have not the future prospects which we possess, and hence set their hearts
upon the things of this present time; and we can well afford to accord them
their full share of these or more, since we are so rich through our heavenly
Father and our heavenly Bridegroom.
That the Apostle did not mean to be understood that the Lord’s second
advent might be expected momentarily, nor before his death, is evident; for
elsewhere in his epistles he clearly sets forth his expectation to die, and to
wait for the reward, the crown of righteousness laid up for him; elsewhere also
he clearly intimates that the day of the Lord could not come until after the
great falling away mentioned in the prophecies, and the manifestation of the
Man of Sin, etc. (2 Tim. 3:7,8; 2 Thess. 2:2-10.) Evidently, therefore, his
only thought in this exhortation, “The Lord is at hand,” was, as already
suggested-that we are living in the close of the reign of evil, that the
dawning of the day of the Lord is not far distant, and that to the eye of faith
it is so near that its influence should affect even the smallest affairs of the
present life.
“Be careful for nothing” is the next exhortation; but since our English
word careful has lost its original meaning, there is danger of error
here. The word originally had the thought of being full of care-anxiety, trouble.
The Apostle’s words correspond exactly to our Lord’s injunction, “Take no
thought,” and signify, Be not anxious, burdened, full of care. It is proper
that the Lord’s people should be careful, in the meaning of the word careful as
used today. We should not be careless, indifferent, loose in our conduct or
words, but be circumspect.
Anxiety and burdens are unavoidable to those who are depending on
themselves, their own wisdom, their own strength, their own skill; but the
members of the body of Christ, accepted in the Beloved, adopted into the divine
family, sons of God, are assured over and over again in the Word that if they
abide faithful all things shall work together for their highest welfare. Why
should they be burdened? Why should they feel anxious? He who guards their
interests slumbers not. When Christians find themselves anxious, fearful,
burdened, the evidence is that they are lacking in faith, and the probability
is that they have either never grown to the point of having the proper faith in
the Lord, or that they have allowed “earth-born clouds” and cares of this life
to come between them and the Lord, so that they no longer have confidence that
they are abiding in his love and in his care. All in such condition should go
at once to the throne of heavenly grace, and to the divine promises, and
obtaining mercy at the former, and feeding upon the latter, they should grow
strong in the Lord and in confidence in him, and their corroding cares will
give place to faith, confidence, peace of heart, whatever the outward
conditions.
Such is the counsel of the Apostle-that instead of continuing in the
anxious condition, we should lay all of our affairs before the Lord,
supplicating his promised providential care, acknowledging our own lack of wisdom;-and
gladly accepting his wisdom and the provisions of his love, we should make
every request in a spirit of thanksgiving. This spirit of thanksgiving implies
a recognition that the circumstances and conditions in which we are,
have been supervised of the Lord, and that we are appreciative of his care and
trust it for the future. Thanksgiving for what we have, and a full
appreciation of the Lord’s leadings hitherto and now, will preclude any anxiety
for the future; for the thankful heart will conclude that he who favored us and
redeemed us while we were yet sinners will much more favor and do for us now
that we are his through the adoption that is in Christ Jesus.
The question may arise, Why will not God give us
the things which he sees us to need without our making petition to him and
claiming his promises? Undoubtedly because we need previously to come into the
proper attitude of heart to receive his favors and to be advantaged by them.
Even as it is, we may be sure that we do not sufficiently appreciate the divine
care bestowed upon us hitherto and now. Even in the attitude of prayer and
thanksgiving we probably do not discern one-half of our causes for gratitude,
as we shall see them by and by, when we shall know even as we are known. It
is the same with natural hunger. Unless we were so constituted that the
gnawings of hunger would show us our need of food we would probably appreciate
it less, even if we ate as much and with the same regularity.
If we have the foregoing described spirit of rejoicing and trust in the
Lord, and make all of our requests, so far as we are able to discern, in
harmony with his promise, and accept with gratitude and thanksgiving,
whatever his providence may send us, then the Apostle assures us,
“The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.” The thought here is distinct. It is not our own peace that is referred to. We may
by nature be more or less indisposed to peace, restless, dissatisfied, discontented,
fearful, foreboding or quarrelsome; but, following the course outlined above,
we learn to trust God in all of our affairs, and it is
the peace of God-the peace which comes to us from a realization of God’s power
and goodness and willingness to hold us by his right hand as his children-that
comes in, to keep us from worry, from anxiety, etc. The
thought is that this peace stands guard continually, as a sentinel, to
challenge every hostile or worrying thought or fear. It keeps the Christian’s
mind, so that he at heart has peace with the Lord, fellowship, communion;-and
it guards his mind also, his reasoning faculties, instructing him and assuring
him respecting the divine power and wisdom and love. But it does not
assure him of anything respecting his own perfection or worthiness of
acceptance before God. This proper peace merely assures us of our standing in
divine favor through Christ Jesus,-his worthiness, his sacrifice, his
aid.
Now we come to the Apostle’s grand summing up of the way in which the
Christian is to set his affections-fix them, fasten them, hold them upon
profitable things; that he may grow in grace as well as in knowledge and love
of God. The Apostle points out that the will having been consecrated to the
Lord, faith having been exercised in rejoicing and thanksgiving in all of the
Lord’s providences, the peace of trust having come in, the further steps in the
development of character will be through guarding our thoughts: and this
means also the guarding of our words and acts, because it is out of the
abundance of the heart that the mouth speaketh, and that the whole course of
life is directed. What, then, should be the trend of the Christian’s thoughts
after he has reached the grand development already outlined by the Apostle? It
should be toward things that are true, having no sympathy with anything that is
false or even exaggerated. Whoever sympathizes with
falsehood or exaggeration is more or less defiling himself. Whoever cleanses
his thoughts, and avoids exaggeration, etc., is in that degree purifying his
mind and his entire character, and coming the more into touch and sympathy with
the Lord himself, who is “the Truth.”
Nor is it sufficient that we are sure of the truth of matters. We are to
test them further, and discern to what extent they are honorable, noble; for
although the Lord has accepted us, ignoble and imperfect, and has covered the
ignoble features of our characters, and proposes to cover them to the end with
his own merit, nevertheless, we cannot be in sympathy with the ignoble features
of our fallen condition, but on the contrary must desire true nobility, and the
highest standards of honor in our hearts, in our thoughts, in all of our
dealings with our God and with our fellows. The test of honor is therefore
to be applied after the test of the truth. The thing might be true, but is it
honorable to think about it or tell about it? is another question.
Another test we are to apply is, Are the things just? We are not to allow our minds to run along lines that would
be unjust, and we are to learn to apply this test of justice to every thought
and word and act of ours, while learning at the same time to view the conduct
of others from a different standpoint;-so far as reason will permit, from the
standpoint of mercy, forbearance, pity, helpfulness. But we cannot be too
careful how we criticize every thought we entertain, every plan we mature, that
the lines of justice shall in no sense of the word be infringed by us with our
hearts’ approval.
Purity is another quality to be esteemed by us. We are to love and cultivate that which is pure to such an
extent that that which is impure will become painful to us, distressing, and we
will desire to drop it from memory, and this will only be accomplished by continually
thinking upon those things that are pure, and avoiding the giving of thought to
the things that are impure. We are to recognize true loveliness, and to esteem
it. From our standpoint the impure, the unjust, the untrue, the dishonorable
things, cannot appear lovely, desirable, worthy of emulation. When we would
think on the purest of things we must of necessity lift our mental vision to as
high a point as possible, and, as nearly as we may be able, discern the
loveliness of the perfect character of our God and of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and proportionately the loveliness manifested in one or another of the
followers of Jesus, who walk closely in his footsteps. The mind that
frequently calls up the lovely perfections of the Lord and the truth, and is
well filled by these, is guarded greatly against intrusions of unlovely and
unholy things, contrary to the spirit of the Lord. The Apostle concludes the
list, by referring to all things of good repute: things
of any virtue or value, things in any degree praiseworthy-the noble words or
noble deeds or noble sentiments of anybody, we may safely meditate upon, and as
a consequence find ourselves growing toward these ideals upon which our minds, our new natures, thus feed. We will become more
and more transformed by the renewing of our minds, and approach nearer and
nearer to the glorious likeness of our Lord and Master, being changed from
glory to glory, inch by inch, step by step, little by little, during the
present life; and our thoughts being in this attitude and our union with the
Lord maintained, we shall have part in the First Resurrection, which will
perfect us forever in the Lord’s image and likeness.
How many (how few!) can say what the Apostle says in vs. 9? “The
things which ye both learned and received and heard and saw in me, these things
do!” This should be the standard of every Christian, because they each and all
are representatives of the Lord, ambassadors for him; hence, so far as in them
lieth, their conduct and words should be such as would be living epistles, read
by the brethren and by the world to profit. No wonder the Apostle adds that,
doing thus, “the God of peace shall be with you.” So surely as he was with the
Apostle he will be with all others similarly walking in the footsteps of Jesus.
“I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length ye have revived
your thought for me.” These words seem to imply that their thoughtfulness for
the Apostle, and earnestness to improve opportunities to serve him, had to some
extent relaxed for a time and been revived. Then, as though fearful that his
words might be understood as a reproof, he adds, “Ye did indeed take thought,
but ye lacked opportunity.” How careful was this man of God not unnecessarily
to wound the feelings of the brethren, and how careful we all should likewise
be to let the love of God extend, not only to the degree of giving us liberal
sentiments toward the brethren, but also to the extent of influencing our
tongues and pens not to wound unnecessarily even the least of them. The Apostle
hastens to point out that he is not complaining of want. He had learned
to put into practice himself the lesson which he was just communicating to
them, regarding rejoicing in the Lord,-to cast aside anxious thought and to
approach the Lord in prayer and supplication in thanksgiving, and he possessed
the resultant peace. In this condition of heart, however many may have been
his necessities, he was not in want, for he was satisfied that
the Father would provide the things which he really needed-and more he did not want;
for, as he explains, he had learned the lesson, “In whatsoever state I am,
therewith to be content.” We are not to be contented after the manner of the
tramp or the indolent and shiftless, who would prefer to “live by faith,” at
the expense of others who “labor, working with their hands.” We are not to be
content to allow the opportunities and talents and privileges which the Lord
has given us to lie idly by, unused; but while using these talents and
opportunities to the very best of our ability and intelligence, and while
seeking in prayer and supplication, rejoicing and thanksgiving, to use them all
as would please the Lord, we should be content with the result of such
efforts.
We should conclude that our heavenly Father who feeds the sparrows and who
clothes the fields with verdure is quite able to supply our needs in the manner
and to the degree that would be for our highest welfare; and so, after having
done our part to the best of our ability, we are to be thoroughly contented
with the results-even if the results should be the barest necessities of life.
But we are not to be contented with the barest necessities unless these are the
best results obtainable from a reasonable and judicious use of opportunities
and talents which the Lord has given us, consistent with our consecration to
his service. “Be content with such things as ye have” does not ignore our
talents and opportunities, for these are part of the things which we have,-the
things which, as stewards, we are bound to use to the best of our judgments.
Surely the Lord was fitting the Apostle for a grand place in the heavenly
Kingdom, when he gave him such a variety of experiences as are detailed in the
12th verse. Surely, as the Lord was touched with the feeling of our
infirmities, that he might be a faithful High-Priest for the Millennial Kingdom
(as well as to us now), so the Apostle, by his experiences, evidently was being
fitted and prepared for a very honorable and prominent place in the Royal
Priesthood of the same Kingdom. And so with us: if we
find our experiences in life very checkered we may conclude that the Lord sees
that we need both the heights and depths of prosperity and adversity to
properly instruct us and qualify us for the position he designs for us in the
future. Let us, then, as the Apostle did, learn how to abound, not
allowing the abundance of earthly good things to swerve us from our
consecration vows; and learn also how to be in want (need) and yet not
to want anything beyond what the Lord’s wisdom and providence sees best
to give,-to be content.
The secret of the Apostle’s success is stated in the last verse of
the lesson. It was his close relationship to the Lord, his intimate union with
him, his reliance upon him: he was abiding as a branch in the Vine, and was
strengthened by the same spirit, and thus was enabled to do all these things
and to pass through all these experiences with gratitude, with thankfulness,
with rejoicing. Let us all thus learn to “Rejoice in the Lord alway.”