Are You a Subject of the King?
When the pastors are away and they let me up here, I am going to try my best. Our passage runs from the end of Philippians 3 into chapter 4, and the picture Paul keeps using is kingdom language. That may sound foreign to us. In our world, we think of nations with defined borders and the individual, but in the ancient world, kings and emperors ruled. Paul wrote this letter from house arrest in Rome, 800 miles from the church he founded in Philippi, the first church in Europe, whose first convert was Lydia. He loved these people, his joy and crown, and he worried that someone would come in with destructive teaching and pull them away.
The Purpose of God’s Kingdom
In verse 20 Paul says “our citizenship is in heaven.” The Philippians were Roman citizens, and he tells them not to identify with Rome but with Christ’s kingdom. The key word is subjection. It “means to be under the authority and control of another.” In the ancient world the king protected his people from enemies outside and within, and the people submitted to him. We do not live that way. We are cynical about leaders and “we focus on our rights and not our honor.”
Paul is the first picture of subjection, because he gave up his rights as a Roman citizen for the rights of the kingdom. First Corinthians 15 says Christ must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet, and Colossians 1 says God reconciles all things to himself, making peace by the blood of the cross. Moses is the second picture. He considered the reproach of Christ greater than the treasures of Egypt. But when he saw the Hebrews abused, he killed an Egyptian, and he needed 40 years in Midian. We are not to make converts that way: “we’re not to make converts by bludgeoning them with the word of God.” Instead, “we’re to come like Lambs not like lions.”
Stand Firm
Chapter 4 begins with “stand firm in the Lord.” Standing firm “means to be unmovable unshakable don’t waver,” and the opposite is apostasy. A recent survey found that about 69 percent of Americans claim to be Christian, but when asked other questions, “only six% held to a Biblical worldview.” “That’s bleak that is Bleak.” My confidence is in God’s word. I have studied it for half my life, and it has never let me down. Jesus gave his apostles the authority to bind and loose, and they wrote the New Testament as eyewitnesses.
The Promise of God’s Peace
Paul pleads with two women, Euodia and Syntyche, to agree in the Lord, and he reminds them their names are in the Book of Life. In a church of 40 or 50 you cannot just go down the street to another church. So he says, let your gentleness be known to everyone. “Have a soft touch with people don’t be edgy.” Even when you rebuke, be gentle and watch yourself.
“You can’t fake Joy.” I have tried, on sales calls after bad news. “Joy is something that Wells up within you because God produced something in you.” And Paul says to bring your requests to God with thanksgiving. That word is eucharistia, the root of the word for communion, and it “is not cheap access to God.” He wants us to come and consider our hearts and ask what we are really worried about. The picture is Psalm 118: the sacrifice was bound with cords to the horns of the altar so it would not fall off. We make commitments, but we do not bind them, and sometimes I put the sacrifice on the altar and then kick it off. God wants us to “settle the matter be subjects of the king.”
The Practice of God’s Servant
In verses 8 and 9, whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, think on these things. “That’s like your Rudder that’s what’s steering your life.” A sinful thought is not the end of the world. It is an opportunity to go to God. Then practice what you learn, and the God of peace will be with you, a deeper, more sustained peace.
Philippians 4:13 is the most tattooed verse in the Bible, but “if it never meant it then it don’t mean it.” In context, Paul has learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger. The gospel says “I’m the loser I’m the wimp I’m the scaredy-cat.” It is not about accomplishing our dreams, but about how “we can accomplish our mission for God’s kingdom.” The Christian walk is tough. I told the church about a hike up a mountain seven years ago, carrying an eight pound dog for two and a half hours while we kept asking if we were almost there. It was worth it, but it was harder than I thought.
Discussion Questions
- We tend to focus on our rights and not our honor. Where do you struggle most to live as a subject of the King?
- I said joy cannot be faked and that it comes from God. Where are you putting on a smile instead of resting in his joy?
- The sacrifice has to be bound to the altar so it does not fall off. What commitment to God have you put on the altar but need to settle?
So ask yourself, “are you a subject to the king or are you just kind of like you know I like kind of being in the king’s court?” The first step is submitting yourself to his kingdom.
