Philippians Lesson 6

Philippians 3:17 - 4:3

Chapters 19, 20, and 21 in Motyer

Examples are useful things in all sorts of learning. General rules are good but it is nice to see a particular example and learn from it. Paul brings up the apostolic example in Philippians 3:17.

Philippians 3:17 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.

According to the command of Jesus we are not to judge others. How does that command and the popular cry of “Don’t you judge me!” fit with this text. Jesus context was the hyper-extended legalism of the Pharisees. I say hyper-extended because they loved adding to God’s command and then feeling superior about arranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. Jesus called them white washed coffins. They looked really good on the outside but on the inside were full of dead men’s bones. That sounds a little judgmental doesn’t it? The sad thing is that we tend to judge each other in pharisaical ways. We wipe and polish the coffin and avoid dealing with the serious problems inside. So Jesus says to stop judging each other and judge ourselves.

In the book of Romans Paul also focuses on the self righteousness resulting from this behavior as he established the universal sinfulness of mankind. Here Paul is saying to notice and be thankful for those around you who are seeking God as He sought God. In particular he calls on us to take note of the apostolic example and follow them. That is no trivial example.

Philippians 3:18-19 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

Jesus said we would have weeds and wheat growing together. Until the last day we’ll have folks in the Visible Church (everything in the field) who are not part of the Invisible Church (the wheat in the field). Just because you know you won’t eliminate all the weeds doesn’t mean you don’t remain watchful and at the harvest you deal with it. Wheat doesn’t handle foot traffic well, the grassy weeds can be hard to identify in the wheat, and the intertwined roots can damage the wheat if you try to pull out the weeds. Jesus told the parable of the weeds and said, “When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared” (Mt 13:26). This was said because it is so hard to tell some grassy weeds from wheat except by their seed heads or “fruit”.

Jesus taught that the owner of the field said, “Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn. (Mt 13:30)’ ” God will eventually put an end to all pretense but in the meantime … we speak the Gospel as purely and clearly as God’s Grace allows.

How do you identify an enemy of the Cross? Paul goes on to clarify that “their destiny is destruction” so we know that he is talking about tares and not wheat. These are not Christians. This is why I really don’t like the term “carnal Christian” because generally when scripture addresses the issue of folks who are in the fellowship of Christians and yet acting like they are unsaved … well it is because they are unsaved. Weeds are in the field but are not wheat. You wouldn’t call them carnal wheat. There is nothing that makes a weed in a wheat field wheat. A farmer would look at you like you were nuts if you started calling the weeds by the crop name just because you found them in the field.

Another characteristic of the enemies of the Cross is that their god is their own desires. Whatever they want trumps God’s commands and direction because He isn’t the Lord of their life. We need to be careful in our own lives not to let our desires sneak in with spiritual clothes on and direct us in error. If we are correctable, then God helps us daily with that problem. The enemies of the Cross do not have shame for making decisions that are based on their wants and not on God’s commands. They don’t place Spiritual things first but place earthly things first and glory in things that they should be ashamed of. We check the fruit to know the tree. Instead of calling people “carnal Christians” perhaps it would be better to just say the “lost in church”. It seems more like a disservice to both the Church and to the lost in church to use the term carnal Christian.

Philippians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

The distinction is the direction of our eyes. Where are you looking? We have a citizenship in heaven and not here on earth. The Apostles showed us how we were to live with our eyes on heaven. We are looking to Christ our savior and waiting for his transforming power to give us a resurrection power. Our heavenly body will be “like his glorious body” by His power that brings everything under His control. Jesus is Lord to the Glory of God the Father.

Remember that you will not be a disembodied spirit floating on a cloud. We will have bodies that are not limited like these bodies but remember that Jesus was touchable after his resurrection not a wisp and vapor. It is important to remember this teaching because the world, through the secular arts, tends to teach that we’ll be disembodied rather than embodied. Our bodies will be like His. I sort of hope that my resurrection body will have no scars. I’ve picked up a few more this year. The reason I have that hope is that Jesus has His scars and I’d be embarrassed to have any in His presence. Nothing I have been through in this world is worthy to be compared with him. The marks of my passage through this world should disappear before His marks. I hope that when all tears and mourning are passed away that my scars go with them.

We should live our lives in expectation of His return. That is a good thing to remember. I remember the book “88 Reasons Christ is Returning in 1988”. I didn’t think the author was right. I’d already seen too many mistakes in interpreting prophecy by then. But I remember setting in my office in mid-September of 1988 and telling God, well OK go for it if you are ready. I guess he wasn’t.

Philippians 4:1-3 Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

The “therefore” points back to citizenship in Heaven and focus on our returning Savior. We stand firm on our citizenship in Heaven and not of this earth. We stand firm waiting on our Savior. We meet Him in the air or we may meet Him there but we will meet Him.

I’ve observed that a fundamental source of differences within the Church is sometimes the point of view of those who have been saved forever (as a child) and those who have been saved late in life. It is often a fruitful difference of opinion and I think it is often constructive as Christ builds his Church.

Here Paul is pleading with two ladies to work together. However, this is pretty far out on a limb so if you want to ignore me on these points they certainly are not essential points. Scripture makes the same points elsewhere. The names have Greek meanings that make me laugh.

Euodia is “fragrant/fine journey” she has the smell of success. Maybe the name is as it is because of the role of spices and food in most successful journeys.

Syntyche means “with fate/accident” or sort of a to come suddenly or not when expected. It seems reasonable to think that she may have been named because of something sudden, unexpected, and providential about her birth.

I think that in the wisdom and providence of God that He is giving us a little additional instruction here. If you have had a life that is as fine a journey as a person is likely to have in this world, then you need to be alert and sensitive to those who are saved late in life as if by accident. And if you were saved late in life then you need to be alert and sensitive to those who have been saved for a long time. The interaction is intended by God to be a good one and beneficial for the church. The interaction fails to be constructive when we don’t submit to Scripture and in particular God’s command from this same book to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others (Php 2:3-4).” We have one more name who these ladies were told to work with. Clement is (by tradition) the same Clement who became the Bishop of Rome toward the end of the first century. His name means mild or merciful. As we live and work together we certainly need mercy and mildness toward each other as we resolve, and live with, differences.