Stand Fast In The Lord

Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast IN THE LORD, my dearly beloved.

As Adrian Rogers once said, tonight “We’re going to do a checkup from the neck up”. What is the focus of your minds? Where is your head at?

Opening: I grew up in an era when cigarette smoking was falsely sold as something that was good for you. The magazine ad for Camels cigarettes had a doctor holding a pack of Camels. He said “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarettes”. An ad for Lucky Strike cigarettes stated 20, 679 Physicians recommend our product. Why? Because “Toasting the tobacco removes dangerous irritants that cause throat irritation and coughing”. Or “Us Tareyton smokers would rather fight than switch”. They had the activated charcoal filter. And then there was the ad for Viceroys cigarettes, that had a man standing there saying “As your Dentist, I would recommend Viceroys”. All along the tobacco companies knew that the product they were selling was dangerous for the consumer. Yet their ads with the cowboy saying, “Come to where the flavor is. Come to Marlboro Country” took your mind off of the fact that the warning label on the package said:

“Cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health.”

The companies knew that to focus on the warning would not be good for the bottom line called profits. So they made it look good in the advertisements, knowing that their product was killing people. If you control the mind, you control the person.

Satan is a master at mind control.

As the Apostle Paul writes this letter we are studying, he is in prison. Not a prison like we think of today, but a miserable, rat infested, dark, with the smell of death in the air prison. Paul was imprisoned, and there wasn’t one single thing he could do to get out of that prison.

Christianity does not guarantee we will have sunny days every day, and steak dinners every night. In fact, Christians are more challenged than unbelievers in this fallen world. Satan our enemy will do two things over and over, because he has discovered these two things work. The Bible says that, number 1,

2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV) … the god of this world has BLINDED THE MINDS OF UNBELIEVERS, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

But if that doesn’t work, then Satan will try controlling the mind of the Church by controlling the individual Christians. Paul told us:

2 Corinthians 11:3 (KJV) … I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent BEGUILD Eve through his subtilty, so YOUR MINDS SHOULD BE CORRUPTED FROM THE SIMPLICITY THAT IS IN CHRIST.

Adrian Rogers said about our focal text:

“There are some right here tonight who are in a dungeon of despair. Others are surrounded by walls of resistance. And you’re trying to break out, but you’re not able to break out. There are others who are in chains of poor health. Others are behind iron bars of disappointment. Some are in the bondage of circumstance. And really, you can’t escape. There is no way out. Some have other things that restrain them, that bind them. Now, since Paul couldn’t get out, he decided to remodel the prison; he’d turn it into a palace.”

Paul Stood Fast In The Lord

Imprisoned, in misery, Paul remodeled his prison into a palace. He refused to let the dark place he was in drag him down. The devil loves to drag us down. Don’t let him. Stay “in the LORD”, not in yourself.

Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so STAND FAST IN THE LORD, my dearly beloved.

Word Study: The phrase “STAND FAST” is the Greek stēkō, which is means “to set your feet, to focus on so as to persevere”. The word is used in battle. In the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew text, a form of the word stēkō is found when Israel was stalled at the Red Sea. The people were frightened, for the Egyptian army was advancing, and they could not cross the sea. They cried out to Moses:

Exodus 14:11-12 (KJV) … Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

Moses told Israel:

Exodus 14:13-14 (KJV) … Fear ye not, STAND STILL {Imperative of στήκετε, root stēkō}, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Israel was focused on their entrapment, their circumstances, the impassable Red Sea and the great armies advancing toward them. Moses commanded that they get their minds IN THE LORD.

Look at our focal text again:

Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my brethren DEARLY BELOVED and LONGED FOR, my joy and crown, so STAND FAST IN THE LORD, my dearly beloved.

Word Study: Why should we STAND FAST when tried? Why shouldn’t we just collapse as the unbeliever will do? Because God loves us. If you are God’s child by faith in Christ, you are DEARLY BELOVED, the Greek agapētos. This word is significant because it is a word that the Father used for God the Son first at His baptism:

Matthew 3:17 (KJV) And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my BELOVED {agapētos} Son, in whom I am well pleased.

And then repeatedly throughout His earthly ministry (see Matthew 12:18; 17:5; Mark 12:6; Luke 3:22). Jesus is the dearly Beloved of the Father. We who belong to God by faith in the Beloved are, ourselves, dearly beloved (see Romans 1:7; 12:19; 1 Corinthians 10:14; 2 Corinthians 7:1). The Christian is loved of God with an infinite love. Jesus told us:

John 16:27 (NKJV) … for the Father Himself LOVES YOU, BECAUSE YOU HAVE LOVED ME, and have BELIEVED THAT I CAME FORTH FROM GOD.

When we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, believing Him to be the only Way unto the Father, the Father loves us. We share not only the righteousness of Christ, but the love of God is imputed to us by Grace. Even though Paul was in prison, he knew that he was still loved. The Scripture says:

Romans 8:37-39 (LSB) But in all these things we overwhelmingly CONQUER THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the LOVE OF GOD, WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.

Nothing separates us from the “LOVE OF GOD, WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD”. When tried, we are to “STAND FAST in the LORD”.

Stand Fast TOGETHER In The Lord

Philippians 4:2-3 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they BE OF THE SAME MIND IN THE LORD. 3 And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, HELP THOSE WOMEN which LABORED WITH ME IN THE GOSPEL, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are IN THE BOOK OF LIFE.

If the devil can’t get you focused on a dark valley, he will try and get you focused on the imperfection of another believer in the Church. You need to be focused IN THE LORD.

I have heard of a movement called Deconstruction, where people leave the Church and Christianity itself because of something another professing believer did or did not do. The devil loves to bring disharmony into the Church. But we need to realize three things, and keep this in the forefront of our minds:

1. We are all broken, imperfect, and subject to failure. If you don’t understand this, you are a Pharisee.

2. We are all saved by an unbroken, perfect, and flawless Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.

3. As His children we are to live our lives so as to please HIM. Disharmony displeases Him, unless the disharmony is doctrinally based.

These two women, Euodias and Syntyche, had worked with the Apostle Paul. He said that they “LABORED WITH ME IN THE GOSPEL”. They were workers for the glory of God’s Kingdom. Paul considered them to be key workers. He noted that their names were “IN THE BOOK OF LIFE”, that is, based on the fruit of their profession they appeared to be saved by Grace. Yet they had somehow gotten turned sideways toward one another. What caused this rift? Paul doesn’t tell us. But he does ask those who are “TRUE YOKEFELLOWS”, true believers, along with “CLEMENT” to help them resolve their conflict.

What causes conflicts in the Church? It comes when we make things about ourselves, and do not keep our minds IN THE LORD. The Apostle wrote the Church at Rome (which was also experiencing disharmony):

Romans 14:4 (LSB) Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for THE LORD IS ABLE TO MAKE HIM STAND.

Every Christian ultimately reports to Jesus. Paul went on to say:

Romans 14:7-10 (LSB) For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, WE LIVE FOR THE LORD, or if we die, WE DIE FOR THE LORD; therefore whether we live or die, WE ARE THE LORD’S. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you view your brother with contempt? For WE WILL ALL STAND BEFORE THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF GOD.

The Church at war is the Church stalled. Jesus prayed for His Church that it would be unified (John 17:20-23). The Apostle wrote, “make every effort to keep yourselves united IN THE SPIRIT, binding yourselves together with peace” (Ephesians 4:3). We will have disagreements at times, but we must always remember that we live IN THE LORD, seeking to please Him.

Rejoice IN THE LORD Always

Philippians 4:4-5 REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS: and again I say, REJOICE. 5 Let your MODERATION be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

Why could Paul rejoice though he was in a terrible prison? Why does he tell us to “REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS”. Because “The LORD is at hand”. God is with you no matter what you are going through. The Christian knows that …

The only HELL we will ever experience is on this earth!

Yes, we as believers have bad times. But we who are saved were purchased at a great price. The Bible says:

Romans 5:6-8 (HCSB) For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY. 7 For rarely will someone die for a just person — though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. 8 But God proves His own love for us in that WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US!

1 Peter 3:18 (HCSB) For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, THE RIGHTEOUS FOR THE UNRIGHTEOUS, THAT HE MIGHT BRING YOU TO GOD, after being put to death in the fleshly realm but made alive in the spiritual realm.

It is not my PLACE that gives me rejoicing, nor my POSSESSIONS, but it is WHO POSSESSES me.

Illustrate: Grandma taught her grandson how to play Monopoly. At first, Granny won every game. But the little boy vowed, “I’m going to get good at this game, and one day I’ll beat you, grandma!” Sure enough, the day came when the little boy beat his grandma. As he began to gloat and mock Grandma, she said “Honey, there’s one more thing I need to teach you about this game”. With that, she picked up all the hotels, all the property, all the money, and put it back in the box. She told her grandson, “Honey, no matter what you do or how well you play, sooner or later it all goes back in the box”.

You dare not rejoice IN YOUR PROPERTY or in your CURRENT POSITION. Life changes quickly. No matter how much stuff you have, one day it all goes back in the box. All the hard earned money you make goes back in the box, into a house, a car, or a bank. All the food you eat is eventually flushed into a box, and leftovers are placed in a box and hauled away. All your property will one day belong to another, and at the end of this life your very body will go into a box and be buried in the ground. What matters most to me – and should matter to you – is that Jesus Christ has promised me that my soul will not be tossed into the box of hell, but when I leave this place I will forever be with Him. The Lord is at hand.

What will you do if, like God did with the Prophet Job, all is taken away tomorrow? Will you despair? Will you deconstruct your faith? Or will you rejoice because the LORD is AT HAND?

Illustrate: Adrian Rogers defined the difference between JOY and HAPPINESS. He said, “Happiness and joy are two different things. Happiness depends upon what happens, and that’s why we call it happiness. If your hap is good, you’re happy. If your hap is bad, you’re unhappy. … joy is like a thermostat. Happiness is like a thermometer. Joy controls conditions. Happiness registers conditions. The thermometer of your happiness can go up or down by what happens, but you regulate your life with joy.”

Our focus is to be on the Lord.

Philippians 4:4-5 REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS: and again I say, REJOICE. 5 Let your MODERATION {epieikēs} be known unto all men. THE LORD IS AT HAND.

Word Study: The word rendered “MODERATION” is the Greek epieikēs, which means “patience”. If your faith is in you STUFF, and you lose all your STUFF, then you will not be patient, but outraged! But if your faith is in your SAVIOR, the fact that “THE LORD IS AT HAND”, then you will patiently endure. If you are going through it, God led you to it. The One Who led you TO it will lead you THROUGH it.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (KJV) Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither [shall] fruit [be] in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and [there shall be] no herd in the stalls: 18 Yet I WILL REJOICEin the LORD, I WILL JOY IN THE GOD OF MY SALVATION. 19 The LORD God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ [feet], and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.

His freedom taken from him, the Apostle wrote:

Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be CONTENT.

Word Study: The word rendered CONTENT is the Greek autarkēs, which means “to be complete in what I have, to be independent of external circumstances, needing no aid or support”. Paul was saying “I am satisfied where I am. Why? Because I am “IN THE LORD”. I thought as I looked at this text how important those words “IN THE LORD”are in the Bible. The phrase is found 111 times in the Scripture. The first time it’s used is with Abraham,

Genesis 15:6 … Abraham believed IN THE LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness

The beginning of salvation is to repent, and put all your trust and hope IN THE LORD. To believe that I am not able, but that God is. When you believe IN THE LORD, what you are saying is “Lord, I’m broken, but I know You’re not. I trust Your power. I trust Your knowledge. I trust Your plan for my life. I trust You, not me.”

How Do I Stay IN THE LORD? Focus On Him!

Philippians 4:6-7 Be CAREFUL {merimnao}for NOTHING; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN UNTO GOD. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Word Study: The phrase “Be CAREFUL for NOTHING”, literally means “do not WORRY or be ANXIOUS about ANYTHING”. When we begin to dwell on something that we cannot fix, something greater than us, then it takes us away from being “IN THE LORD”and focuses us on being “IN OURSELVES”. That’s exactly what the devil wants.

When our Lord Jesus was in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), having fasted 40 days and nights, He was very hungry. The devil came to Jesus and said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread”. How did Jesus respond? “IT IS WRITTEN, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God”. Each time Jesus was tempted, He replied “IT IS WRITTEN”. Jesus knew Who He was. He knew the Lord was at hand. He submitted to God.

Paul tells us that – instead of worrying – “LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN UNTO GOD”. How do we do this?

By PRAYER: We talk to our Heavenly Father. The LORD IS AT HAND.

By SUPPLICATION: We humble ourselves. Our prayers are requests, not demands. “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). We dare not demand anything from God. What He decides is always best.

With THANKSGIVING: Thank God for what you do have. If God tells you NO, then be satisfied that this NO came from His loving heart. The LORD IS AT HAND.

Do not deconstruct your faith – grow in it. Jesus tells us:

Matthew 6:25-34 Therefore I say unto you, {Do not worry} for your life,what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by {worrying} can add one cubit unto his stature?28 And why {do you worry about clothing}? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore {stop worrying}, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do {unbelievers} seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 {Do not worry} for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Let God have all of you!

Pastor Ralph Spaulding Cushman wrote this sweet poem:

I met God in the morning when the day was at its best.
And His presence came like sunrise, like a glory in my breast.
All day long His presence lingered
All day long He stayed with me,
And we sailed with perfect calmness o’er a very troubled sea.
Other ships were blown and battered.
Other ships were sore distressed,
But the winds that seemed to drive them
Brought to me a peace and rest.
Then I thought of other mornings,
With a keen remorse of mind
When I too had loosed the moorings
With the Presence left behind.
Now I think I know the secret, learned from many a troubled way.
You must meet Him in the morning
If you want Him through the day.

Don’t let the devil use you. Trust in the Lord! Stand fast in the Lord. Be of the same mind in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord. The Lord is at hand, dear Christian. Grow in Him.