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Quits Sabio
Elder at Sovereign Mercy Evangelical Church Inc. and President of Reformed Exegetes Society
User since 2013
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The first Christmas happened in order to establish God's kingdom through His Son Jesus Christ.
Haggai 2:20-23
When He who is clean, namely the Lord Jesus Christ, touched us, we are made clean
Haggai 2:10-19
For all of his bigness, our God has a remarkable love for the small. - Scott Hubbard
Haggai 2:1-9
We should align our priorities with God's priorities, because only when we do so we can be truly satisfied.
Haggai 1:1-15
Where there is hope, there is life (and faith and love) - J. Scott Duvall
Colossians 1:4-5
To walk worthy of our calling is not to call attention to our own worth but to show the worth of our calling
Ephesians 4:1-6
How does a soul magnify the Lord?
Luke 1:39-56
The Death that Delivers From Fear of Death
Hebrews 2:5-15
What is a fruitful life?
John 15:1-7
How can God make much of us and still be for Himself?
Ephesians 1:3-14
Elect Exiles According To The Foreknowledge Of The Father, In The Sanctification Of The Spirit, For Blood Bought Obedience To Jesus
1 Peter 1:1-2
Christian Hospitality Covers a Multitude  of Sin
1 Peter 4
No one can take away your joy from you - Jesus
John 16:16-22
True knowledge about God will result in true love for others.
1 Corinthians 8:1-3
In sin we were dead but in Chirst we were made alive.
Ephesians 2:1-10
To be under the Mosaic law again is not only childish, but also devilish and damning.
Galatians 4:8-11
Beware of working for God! Instead, gladly obey God as our Father and not as our taskmaster.
Galatians 4:1-7
The law serves the promise until the coming of the seed
Galatians 3:19-22
The Law cannot nullify the Promise
Galatians 3:15-18
Law demands a life of perfect obedience, but Faith demands a life of faith in Christ's act of redemption alone
Galatians 3:9-14
Faith is the spiritual DNA by which our familial relationship to Abraham can be proven.
Galatians 3:6-9
We can't start with the Spirit and then end with the flesh
Galatians 3:1-5
What is dying to the law and living to God?
Galatians 2:15-21
Lead others to the truth of the gospel not just with propositions but also with our actions.
Galatians 2:11-14
How important that there is only one gospel?
Galatians 2:1-10
What are you hoping for?
Psalm 42:11
No other gospel that brings glory to God than the gospel of grace that transforms its messenger
Galatians 1:18-24
If you want to please God, seek what pleases Him, namely the preaching of Christ
Galatians 1:11-17
Want some peace of mind? So Pray!
Philippians 4:6-7
What brings understanding, our thinking or God's granting?
2 Timothy 2:7
What it means to be a slave of Christ?
Galatians 1:10
To desert from the Gospel is to desert away from God
Galatians 1:6-9
Seek God's approval and not the approval of men
Galatians 1:1-5
God gets more glory when more people rely on Him for contentment in times of need.
Philippians 4:10-20
Resurrection is a means to lay hold of the prize who is Christ Jesus so strive to attain it since He already laid hold of you
Philippians 3:12-21
Jesus came into the world to exegete the Father
John 1:1-18
God is more glorified in us when we enjoy him than when we fear him
Luke 2:8-20
The supremacy of the worth of Christ outweighs all things, and that includes all human boastings!
Philippians 3:1-11
Risking for Jesus will yield greater returns
Philippians 2:25-30
Seeking the interest of Christ is seeking the interest of others above one's own
Philippians 2:19-24
What is the secret to a grumble free life and happy pastors?
Philippians 2:14-16
God is not wasting our suffering,  we shouldn't also
Philippians 1:12-18
How to work out your own Salvation?
Philippians 2:12-18
Motivations for Obedience
Philippians 2:12-13
Christ Emptied himself by Adding
Philippians 2:6-7
Christian unity delights itself in the interest of others
Philippians 2:1-5
To Know Christ is to have the will of the Father
John 7:17-18
Find your Joy in God in the joy of your leaders and the flock
Hebrews 13:17
The Church Abides to Chirst so should Wives to their Husbands. Christ never forsake His Church, so should Husbands to their Wives
Ephesians 5:22-33
Herald the word even if your life is at stake
2 Timothy 4:2
Any talk of gender roles and equality must be grounded on creation.
1 Corinthians 11:7-12
There is Joy in praying for the sanctification of our brethren!
Philippians 1:3-11
Since God is righteous, God must elect according to his own freedom
Romans 9:14-18
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Standing Firm
Philippians 4:1-9
Standing Firm in the Lord demonstrates itself in unity, peacekeeping, rejoicing in the Lord always and forbearance toward one another
#unity
#Perseverance
#joy
Published January 20th, 2019; Updated January 20th, 2019
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Main point summary
Discourse Analysis of 3:17-4:1
Discourse analysis of 4:1-9
Notes
Diagram of 4:1
notes
Main point summary
Brethren, be imitators of Paul just as others imitate him. [This is only right] because there are those who claim to be friends of the cross but in reality enemies [as shown by their earthly mindsets]. [Don't imitate them], for our citizenship is in heaven, [that is we must set our minds on heavenly things and we demonstrate this] as we await the Savior. Therefore my brothers, whom I loved and longed for, [my] joy and my crown, in this way, [namely by imitating Paul and others], stand firm in the Lord beloved.
Discourse Analysis of 3:17-4:1
NT
Philippians 3:17-4:1
esv
na28
nasb
net
Brothers, u join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk v according to the example you have in us.
Συμμιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, ἀδελφοί, καὶ σκοπεῖτε τοὺς οὕτως περιπατοῦντας καθὼς ἔχετε τύπον ἡμᾶς.
Brethren, a join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the b pattern you have in us.
Be imitators of me, 27 brothers and sisters, 28 and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example.
For w many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you x even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.
πολλοὶ γὰρ περιπατοῦσιν οὓς πολλάκις ἔλεγον ὑμῖν, νῦν δὲ καὶ κλαίων λέγω, τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τοῦ σταυροῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ,
For a many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even b weeping, that they are enemies of c the cross of Christ,
For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.
y Their end is destruction, z their god is their belly, and a they glory in their shame, with b minds set on earthly things.
ὧν τὸ τέλος ἀπώλεια, ὧν ὁ θεὸς ἡ κοιλία καὶ ἡ δόξα ἐν τῇ αἰσχύνῃ αὐτῶν, οἱ τὰ ἐπίγεια φρονοῦντες.
whose end is destruction, whose god is their 1 a appetite, and whose b glory is in their shame, who c set their minds on earthly things.
Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things. 29
ideaexplanation
But c our citizenship is in heaven, and d from it we e await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
ἡμῶν γὰρ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει, ἐξ οὗ καὶ σωτῆρα ἀπεκδεχόμεθα κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν,
For a our 1 citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly b wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
But our citizenship is in heaven - and we also await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will transform f our lowly body g to be like his glorious body, h by the power that enables him even i to subject all things to himself.
ὃς μετασχηματίσει τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ δύνασθαι αὐτὸν καὶ ὑποτάξαι αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα.
who will a transform 1 the body of our humble state into b conformity with 2 the c body of His glory, d by the exertion of the power that He has even to e subject all things to Himself.
who will transform these humble bodies of ours 30 into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.
alternative
Therefore, my brothers, 1 whom I love and j long for, k my joy and l crown, m stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
Ὥστε, ἀδελφοί μου ἀγαπητοὶ καὶ ἐπιπόθητοι, χαρὰ καὶ στέφανός μου, οὕτως στήκετε ἐν κυρίῳ, ἀγαπητοί.
Therefore, my beloved brethren 1 whom I a long to see, my joy and crown, in this way b stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
So then, my brothers and sisters, 1 dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!
bilateral
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discourse
Discourse analysis of 4:1-9
Philippians 4:1-9
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mine
Therefore, my brothers, 1 whom I love and j long for, k my joy and l crown, m stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
Ὥστε, ἀδελφοί μου ἀγαπητοὶ καὶ ἐπιπόθητοι, χαρὰ καὶ στέφανός μου, οὕτως στήκετε ἐν κυρίῳ, ἀγαπητοί.
Therefore, my beloved brethren 1 whom I a long to see, my joy and crown, in this way b stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
So then, my brothers and sisters, 1 dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!
Therefore my brethren, beloved, and longed for, [my] joy and my crown, stand firm in the Lord my beloved in this way:
I entreat Euodia
Εὐοδίαν παρακαλῶ
I urge Euodia
I appeal to Euodia and to Syntyche to agree in the Lord.
I urge Euodia
and I entreat Syntyche
καὶ Συντύχην παρακαλῶ
and I urge Syntyche
and I urge Synyche
series
to n agree in the Lord.
τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν ἐν κυρίῳ.
to 1 a live in harmony in the Lord.
that the same agree in the Lord
Yes, I ask you also, true companion, 1
ναὶ ἐρωτῶ καὶ σέ, γνήσιε σύζυγε,
Indeed, true companion, I ask you also
Yes, I say also to you, true companion, 2
Yes, true companion, I ask you also
help these women,
συλλαμβάνου αὐταῖς,
to help these women
help them.
to help these women
who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers,
αἵτινες ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ συνήθλησάν μοι μετὰ καὶ Κλήμεντος καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν συνεργῶν μου,
who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my a fellow workers,
They have struggled together in the gospel ministry 3 along with me and Clement and my other coworkers,
who struggled in the cause of the gospel with me and with Clement and the rest of the fellow-workers
o whose names are in the book of life.
ὧν τὰ ὀνόματα ἐν βίβλῳ ζωῆς.
whose b names are in the book of life.
whose names are in the book of life.
whose names are in the book of life.
p Rejoice in the Lord always;
Χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε•
a Rejoice in the Lord always;
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Rejoice in the Lord
again I will say, rejoice.
πάλιν ἐρῶ, χαίρετε.
again I will say, rejoice!
Again I say, rejoice!
again I will say, rejoice!
progression
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.
τὸ ἐπιεικὲς ὑμῶν γνωσθήτω πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις.
Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.
Let everyone see your gentleness. 4
Let your reasonableness or gentleness be known to everyone
q The Lord is at hand;
ὁ κύριος ἐγγύς.
a The Lord is 1 near.
The Lord is near!
For the Lord is near
ground
r do not be anxious about anything,
μηδὲν μεριμνᾶτε,
a Be anxious for nothing,
Do not be anxious about anything.
[We'll have reasonableness and gentleness of mind and spirit by] not being anxious
s but in everything by prayer and supplication t with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
ἀλλʼ ἐν παντὶ τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ τῇ δεήσει μετὰ εὐχαριστίας
but in everything by b prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.
but in everything, by means of prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
τὰ αἰτήματα ὑμῶν γνωριζέσθω πρὸς τὸν θεόν.
let your requests be made known to God.
let your request be made known to God
actionmanner
negativepositive
And u the peace of God, v which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
καὶ ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν φρουρήσει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.
And a the peace of God, which surpasses all 1 comprehension, will b guard your hearts and your c minds in d Christ Jesus.
And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds 5 in Christ Jesus.
And [as a result] the peace of God, which suppresses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
actionresult
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Τὸ λοιπόν, ἀδελφοί, ὅσα ἐστὶν ἀληθῆ, ὅσα σεμνά, ὅσα δίκαια, ὅσα ἁγνά, ὅσα προσφιλῆ, ὅσα εὔφημα,
Finally, brethren, a whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is 1 lovely, whatever is of good repute,
Finally, brothers and sisters, 6 whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.
lastly, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute
εἴ τις ἀρετὴ καὶ εἴ τις ἔπαινος,
if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,
if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,
ταῦτα λογίζεσθε•
2 dwell on these things.
[then] dwell on these things.
conditional
What you have learned and w received and heard and seen x in me—practice these things, and y the God of peace will be with you.
ἃ καὶ ἐμάθετε καὶ παρελάβετε καὶ ἠκούσατε καὶ εἴδετε ἐν ἐμοί,
The things you have learned and received and heard and seen a in me,
And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.
moreover, what you have learned, and received and heard and seen in me,
ταῦτα πράσσετε•
practice these things,
Practice these things,
καὶ ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης ἔσται μεθʼ ὑμῶν.
and b the God of peace will be with you.
And [when you dwell and do all of these] the God of peace will be with you.
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Notes
The first thing we must do as we deal with our passage in Philippians 4:1-9 is to ask the question what is being joined together by the conjunction “therefore” or “so then” in verse 1. Second, ask what is being referred to by the adverb “thus” or prepositional phrase(functioning adverbially), “in this way”. Let’s answer these questions one at a time. Therefore …stand firm in the Lord When we go back to Philippians 3:17-21 , you will notice that Paul gave the reason why it’s necessary for the Philippians to imitate him and others. It’s because there are those who claim to be Christians but in reality enemies of the cross but we are citizens of heaven waiting for Christ’s return. 3:18-21 supports both 3:17 and 4:1. Meaning, being aliens in this world, while waiting for the coming of the Savior, there will be oppositions, therefore imitate Paul(3:17) and stand firm(4:1). stand firm in this way Not only that verse 1 functions as an inference from the preceding verses it is also functioning as a transitional verse that looks forward to what follows. And the phrase “in this way” signals that for us. But we must asked; what is “in this way”? It may refer to 3:17. That is, stand firm by imitating Paul, or perhaps it may refer to verses 2-9 of chapter 4. According to Moises Silva, these options are not mutually exclusive, and I agree with him. It may mean both. Notice that verse 9 ends with the same command in 3:17 , imitate what you saw from Paul and others. So it’s not a stretch to think of it that way. my brethren, beloved and longed for, my joy and my crown. One last thing to take note of before we proceed to what we call hortatory section(strings of pleadings and commands) of the letter is Paul’s affection for the Philippians. Paul’s pleadings and urgings are seasoned with good words. He makes sure that in admonishing them with apostolic authority, he’s not lording it over them. He’s doing this out of love, and to hurt them would rob him of his joy and crown of boasting at the coming of Christ. All of us, most specifically those who lead must imitate Paul in this way. No matter how good our intentions might be, if not done with love, we’ll just hurt the body in the process. Standing Firm in the Lord Now that those are out of the way, we can ask now the pressing question; What does standing firm in the Lord really looks like? 1. There’s agreement or unanimity amongst each other in the Lord(verse 2) We saw from the previous chapters that Paul already hinted on the major issues at Philippi . It has to do with division and their grumbling against the leaders. Their unity was needed more than ever as they have real enemies to deal with(Philippians 3:18-19), instead of fighting each other. We’re not told about the nature and cause of the division and its extent. But we’re sure that the cause of division has nothing to do with something that would damn them. Standing firm in the Lord means being united inspite of our differences and the friction that it might cause. 2. We help those who disagree in the Lord to have unity(verse 3) Second, standing firm in the Lord is characterized by peacekeeping and mediation between those who disagree. That’s why in the first point I said “united inspite of differences”. Paul knew that it won’t be easy if the two women were tasked to resolve their issues by themselves. They need the help of a third party. The great thing about the identity of this true companion is that we don’t know who’s being referred to here. And I like it that way because that means any one can be this guy. But grammatically speaking, more likely this individual is a male person, because of the gender of the greek word for “companion”. Probably one of the elders in the salutation(1:1). His role was not to take sides but to help them live harmoniously in the Lord. That’s why he was reminded that 1) both these women have shared in Paul’s struggle in the gospel and 2) that they are true believers. Their names are in the book of life. In other words, as mediators we can’t take sides. Unity must be in Christ, and not in one side of the divide. We must look beyond their dispute and remember that they are Christians and not the enemies. 3. There is rejoicing in the Lord(verse 4) Thirdly, standing firm in the Lord is characterized by rejoicing in the Lord. We’re not called to endure tribulations and persecutions while despairing and being gloomy. No! We are called to rejoice in the Lord always. That’s the mantra echoed repeatedly in this epistle. In Philippians 1:4-6 Paul prays for them with joy because he knows that the One who began a good work in them will bring it to completion. Then in Philippians 1:18 he rejoiced in the fact that Christ was being proclaimed whether in pretense or in truth. Paul expressed in Philippians 1:25 his willingness to stay and live for their joy of faith. Then in Philippians 2:2 he told them to complete his joy by having one mind. Even though he’s about to die, Paul says in Philippians 2:17 that he’s glad and rejoicing with them and in Philippians 2:18 that they should rejoice with him. In Philippians 2:28-29 he expressed his concern for the mutual joy of the Philippians and Epaphroditus. Paul pointed out that repeated warnings are occasions to rejoice in Philippians 3:2. Then in Philippians 4:1, the Philippians are his joy, and in Philippians 4:10 he rejoiced in their support. So in all circumstances rejoice in the Lord. 4. There’s reasonableness and gentleness(verse 5) The word for gentleness or reasonableness used here in greek is the same word for forbearance “ἐπιεικὲς”. This calls attention to how unity will be dealt with and be seen by the watching world. Unity assumes that at times you will get hurt and Paul was pleading that we bear and forgive one another. And because of that, everyone will see that you are reasonable and gentle and does not resort to revenge and retaliation. So it is hard, it’s never easy that’s why we must stand firm. Take note of verse 5b, the reason we need this more than ever is that the Lord is at hand. As we see the day of the Lord drawing near, the love of many would grow cold and the remedy is to never neglect the corporate gathering(Hebrews 10:25). How can we stir or agitate one another to love(Hebrews 10:24) if we don’t know how to forbear, and be reasonable and gentle. How can we become reasonable, gentle or forbearing? By having the peace of God(verse 6-9). This peace is described as peace which surpasses all understanding. It is peace in circumstances where we usually think it’s impossible to have. This peace will not move you away from your present situation(perhaps irritating situations where our natural response is to explode), but it will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. What must we do then to achieve God’s peace? 1) Be Prayerful Being anxious about anything is a symptom of unreasonableness. What if he/she did it again, what if we can never be reconciled. In context, that’s probably the cause of their anxieties. Don’t be anxious, Paul said, instead in everything, yes in everything, from the least of your concerns to whatever that makes you tick, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. Then verse 7 gave us this promise that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds. Pray for those whom you have quarrels it. There’s no other way to change people but to rely on God to do his work. And most of the time we need more the changing than the other side. So pray to God that he will grant you a forbearing, not easily irritated, loving spirit. 2) Dwell on and imitate what is pleasing A sure way toward dispute and division is to count the wrongs of others. Stop tallying how many times a person wronged you, instead think of whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is excellence and anything praiseworthy, think of these things. Paul immediately applied this to himself in verse 9 because he knows that he’s not yet perfect and there are flaws in him, and inspite of that, we have learned and received and heard and seen in him that which is good. Practice them or imitate what is good in him. And when we do that, the God of peace himself will be with us. What a promise! One might argue that; "I can’t find anything good in them.” Well, the thing is if we will only look to ourselves, we really can’t find any good in us. That is if you don’t have Christ in you. Christ is the only good that the Father sees in us so that he can forgive us. So Christ is more than enough good in order for us to forgive and forbear and be reconciled with each other. This is how we stand firm in the Lord. It is always within the context of the fellowship of prayerful believers. We stand firm together even if it means that we have to treat others more significant than ourselves. Yes even those who caused us pain. Together we rejoice in the Lord in everything.
Diagram of 4:1
Philippians 4:1
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subjectverb
(X)
solid
drop
equal
revrocket
line
pred
στήκετε
prepphrase
pstack
cword
οὕτως
ἐν
directobject
κυρίῳ
rocketship
ἀδελφοί
μου
στέφανός
μου
χαρὰ
(μου)
vertical
ἀγαπητοὶ
καὶ
ἐπιπόθητοι
ἀγαπητοί
καὶ
smartline
dashed
free
line1
line2
table
Ὥστε
line1
line2
diagram
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