-Paul has called them brothers four other times throughout this letter, and he has called them beloved one other time, but here in this one verse he calls them beloved twice. We know that God loves these Philippian believers deeply, but so does Paul. They are doubly loved. They are family. Not your average dysfunctional family that may or may not need each other. He really cares about them, about how they are doing. He repeats that he cannot wait to see them again. And he truly has great joy when they are closely following Jesus, when they are finding their greatest joy in Him.
-Paul calls them his joy AND crown. Obviously his relationship with these ones is currently a tremendous source of joy for Paul, but he apparently has ultimate motives. To the extent that their faith does not fizzle before the finish, these believers - and others (cf 1Thessalonians 2.19) - signify for Paul "well done." A life well-lived. a race well-run. They are his crown, his victor's wreath of laurels. Paul will have even greater cause for celebration and joy before the judgment seat of Christ, when the books are opened and the lives and thoughts and motives of men are revealed (1Corinthians 4.5), and the eternal impact which the Lord has worked thru Paul will be readily apparent. The countless multiplied lives he has discipled to Jesus will redound to the praise and glory of God forever and ever. And for Paul, his praise will come from the Lord Himself, Who will say, "well done."
-He gives them another imperative here - thus be standing firm. It is stéko, be constantly standing firm like a stake, and in a certain manner which he has just finished describing. He had previously been talking about pressing onward and upward. But he had also just exhorted them to not regress and to be following the example set by himself and others. So we are to be like a stake in the ground, steadfast, undeterred and undaunted in following Paul's example of pursuing knowing and being like Christ above and before all else. Stand firm and resolute in this, because the world and the devil and our flesh will tirelessly and relentlessly conspire to slow us down and get us off track, to distract us from our goal, from our destiny. To somehow get us to forget that Christ is better and that knowing Him and living to make Him famous is not only what we were designed (or re-designed) to do but that it is what we must do if we would find true joy and lasting satisfaction in this life.
-This standing firm is to take place 'in the Lord.' It is about HOW we are standing firm as well as where we are standing. There is nothing that we can do apart from Him in the first place (John 15.5). Our adequacy, our ability, the power to rise above our powerlessness, all comes from Jesus. So if we are to be standing firm unmoved yet moving forward we must abide in Christ, get out of the way and let Him do it (Galatians 2.20). This is the HOW. But this speaks as well to where we stand. Placing our faith in Jesus automatically means that we are placed INTO Christ. Everything about us, everything we do, everything we are, is in Him and takes place in Him. We are already standing in Him, in Who He is, in His grace and power and joy and passion and perseverance and long-suffering and love. Which means we not only have the chance to be holding on and fighting hard to know and pursue Jesus, but we can also relax and let go and rest in Him, knowing full well that we ARE in Christ, we are in God's hand and NOTHING can ever remove us (John 10.29).
-This imperative to be standing firm is also tied to a therefore. What is the therefore there for? Many are walking as enemies of the Cross of Christ, but the Cross for us is everything. It means forgiveness. Being right with God. Peace. Freedom. A fresh start and a new identity. It also means that we are now aliens. This world is no longer our home. We are citizens of heaven. That is where we belong, and that is where we are headed. We must be resolute, resolved to live out this identity without wavering or shrinking back. No matter the cost, we are obliged to pursue Jesus and make Him famous, to populate heaven with as many neighbors and nations as possible. But no sacrifice or drudgery or unpleasant task, this. We are destined for glory and are tasting semi-sweet morsels of it even now, even as we are eagerly waiting for the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Which suggests that He is coming back soon. So be standing firm in this pursuit, like Paul. Don't shrink back or get off track. Don't slack off or slow down. Run. Run the race. Run with the quickness. Run with endurance. Keep on running. Run to win. Run to Jesus.
And when you think about it, running well and standing firm happen better when you know you belong to a family that is also running right beside you, encouraging you and supporting you and spurring you on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10.24-25), cheering you on to the finish, towards Jesus.
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