Last year, during the riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, CNN made a ridiculous assessment of the situation. In a screenshot that has now become the subject of thousands of memes, reporter Omar Jimenez, is front and center. He had goggles on his forehead and a gas mask hanging around his neck. Behind him were several hollowed out vehicles and structures still engulfed in flames and smoke. The caption beneath the scene said: “FIERY BUT MOSTLY PEACEFUL PROTESTS AFTER POLICE SHOOTING.”
Matt Whitlock, senior adviser for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, commented, "'Fiery but mostly peaceful protest' is so absurd that if it were satire you’d think it was lazy and unimaginative." It was an absurd statement that deserved the relentless mockery that followed. It is difficult to understand how any of that was pulled off with a straight face.
It is like the Wizard of Oz being exposed as phony, but carrying on in the desperate hope that he could still convince them he was real. “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.” When the circumstances are so clearly out of alignment with the message, it is right for us to be skeptical.
We know Paul’s circumstances. He wrote this letter after what appears to be several years of enduring strict house arrest. Yet, readers might be excused if they assumed he was writing from a comfortable location enjoying the ongoing fruit of his thriving apostolic ministry. Paul has not focused on his hardship at all.
But his primary occasion for writing the letter was to thank the Philippians for their generous gift. He begins to transition to that purpose in this section.
On the one hand, Paul wants to express his appreciation for the Philippians and their concern for his wellbeing. But, on the other hand, he wants them to know that Christ has supplied all that he needs to be content in all of the challenges he has faced.
He knows that his own expression of joy will alleviate their concerns, but he also wants them to be prepared to face the trials that are sure to come their way in the future. He is continuing to model for them, through his own life, how to grow in godliness.
Although the content of the letter doesn’t seem to fit with the circumstances in which Paul finds himself, there is a very honest reason behind it. Paul is not playing fast and loose with his words, but he has learned the secret of contentment.
Read https://ref.ly/logosref/Bible.Php4.10-13 (Philippians 4:10-13).
We have a tendency to allow our circumstances to determine the level of our satisfaction. But Paul wants us to realize that Christ supplies all we need to be content in every circumstance.
I. Learn to Be Concerned (10)Why has Paul written with such joy? Their concern for him revived. They have shown a renewed interest in his ministry. Paul understood their concern for him never went away, but now that they had an opportunity to show their concern, they did so through action.
The “concern” that has been revived is most likely a reference to their financial support that Epaphroditus brought to Paul (https://ref.ly/logosref/Bible.Php4.18 (Phil 4:18)). The generosity of the Philippians is what caused such joy. We cannot be certain as to why their “concern” had waned. Maybe they did not have someone available to deliver their gift. Or maybe their “affliction” and “extreme poverty” forced their support to be intermittent.
2 Corinthians 8:1–2 ESV
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
Regardless of the reason, Paul assures them—through his joy—that he is grateful for their support.
Although our circumstances should not determine our satisfaction, they will at times require different reactions. The night prior to Jesus’...
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