Rejoice in the Lord (Php. 4:1-9)

Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

Paul has used the image of the runner pressing on – pursuing the goal – the prize – and now he uses the image of the crown – the victor's wreath.The crown is the public sign – the visible evidence – that Paul has not labored in vain (2:16).4:1 functions as something of a bookend with 1:27, where he had urged the Philippians to let their "manner of life be worthy of the gospel" so that he might hear that they were "standing firm in one spirit."Now he concludes with the same exhortation to stand firm at the end of his epistle.But he has some concluding exhortations to deal a problem in the Philippian church. And the problem is that the "mind of Christ" that he has been expounding is not evident in the church at Philippi...