Philippians

Phil 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. This is one of the most beautiful passages in the Brit Hadashah. Paul tells us what our minds should be focusing on. First of all, it is whatever is true. Truth - Psalm 119:143-144 Trouble and anguish have come upon me; Yet Thy commandments are my delight. 144Thy testimonies are righteous forever; Give me understanding that I may live. Psalm 119:160 The sum of Thy word is truth, And every one of Thy righteous ordinances is everlasting. Whatever is honorable. Isa 58:13-14 “If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure, And speaking your own word, 14Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Whatever is right. righteous - Psalm 119:142-144 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Thy law is truth. 143Trouble and anguish have come upon me; Yet Thy commandments are my delight. 144Thy testimonies are righteous forever; Give me understanding that I may live. Whatever is pure (clean). Whatever is lovely (pleasing to Elohim). Whatever is worthy of praise. Psalm 56:4 In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? Psalm 56:10 In God, whose word I praise, In the LORD, whose word I praise, Paul says these are the things our mind is to dwell on. This is commanded in Torah. Deut. 6:6-9 “And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; 7and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8“And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9“And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Josh 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

Phil 3:8-16 Phil 3:8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, Phil 3:9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, Paul says that all things are loss in view of the value of knowing Yeshua Messiah. Paul knew that Judaism boasted on its knowledge and wisdom and thought they had gain in those things. But they were fleshly gains without the Spirit of Elohim. Paul became a man who wanted righteousness through faithfulness in Yeshua Messiah. Paul knew that the only thing to boast of is of knowing Elohim and his grace, justice, and righteousness Jer 9:23-24). Phil 3:10 that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; Phil 3:11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Paul did not want righteousness through Judaism. He wants the righteousness of Yeshua Messiah in order to attain to the resurrection of the righteous John 5:21-29) Phil 3:12 Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Paul knew that he has not attained perfection. He realizes that the only righteousness we have is that righteousness that Elohim performs through us (Psalm 119:173-178, 138:8). Phil 3:13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, Phil 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Paul says he is going to forget his past in Judaism. He is pressing toward the call of Elohim in Messiah Yeshua (Psalm. Phil 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; Phil 3:16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. Every believer who is mature should have this same attitude. We should be desiring to attain the calling of Elohim and to keep living by that same standard we have attained by Torah.

Phil 2:1 If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, Phil 2:2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Paul tells the people in Phillipi that if they have any encouragement in Messiah and fellowship in the Spirit, that they would make his joy complete if they would regard each other as more important as himself. He does not want strife and argument among them. This is not a new concept. It is well founded in Torah and the Tanakh (Gen. 13:8, Psalm 122:6-9, Psalm 133). Phil 2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; Phil 2:4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Paul implores the Philippians not to do anything out of selfishness or conceit or smugness or arrogance. We are to put the interests of others above ourselves. Paul will not use Yeshua as our example in this area.

Phil 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Phil 1:22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. Phil 1:23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; Phil 1:24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Paul was not happy with his life. I am sure that his prison life contributed to his feelings at this time. He felt that he would be better off dead than alive just to escape sin within him. We tend to grasp onto our lives with everything in our being. But Paul hated sin in his life so much, he did not want to stay in his body. He would rather die and be with Messiah at the resurrection. Romans 7:21-24 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. 22For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?