Paul here tells the Philippians how to deal with anxiety over life’s situations and circumstances.

“Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV)

Heed these words of the Apostle Paul, and you will find peace and fulfillment in your Christian life, even in the midst of all the challenging circumstances of life. Paul goes onto instruct the Philippians to follow him as the “pattern” for all those who would follow.

“Howbeit for this cause I (Paul) obtained mercy, that in me first (Gk. protos, the prototype) Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. 1 Timothy” 1:16 (KJV)

Paul lays out himself as “the pattern” for successful Christians living in peace of heart.

“Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me (Paul), do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” (Philippians 4:9 (KJV)

LEARNED:

What things had these believers at Philippi learned from the apostle? They had “learned” the marvelous “revelation of the Mystery” from him and all that it entails. They understood they were members of “the Body of Christ.” Paul had communicated effectively to them how Christ is carrying out His heavenly ministry today, and that they were the recipients of a heavenly hope and calling. We must do the same!

RECEIVED:

They also “received” these teachings of the grace gospel as their own. They could defend Paul's gospel with the best of them. You see, it is one thing to know the message of grace; it is a completely different matter to accept it fully and stand for it without compromise. These saints were fully committed to Paul's apostleship and message, which God expects every believer to embrace in the age of Grace.

HEARD:

The Philippians had “heard” the “gospel of the grace of God” from Paul, not secondhand mind you, but directly from Paul himself when he visited Philippi. They had heard him proclaim the secret of the gospel regarding what God was doing in and by Christ at Calvary. Now they were sharing the good news that Christ “died for the sins of the world.”

Furthermore, they had heard Paul emphasize the importance of sharing (preaching) this message and the need to teach faithful men to serve, “who shall be able to teach others also” (II Tim. 2:2).

SEEN:

These saints had “seen” firsthand how Paul handled adversity. He didn't lash out in a tirade at his persecutors when he was beaten unmercifully before the very eyes of these saints. Nor did he curse the Philippian jailor when he threw Paul into the inner prison and put his feet in stocks. He rather prayed and sang songs of praise to God, which so moved the jailer that he trusted Christ immediately after the earthquake took place (Acts 16).

Paul had been a spiritual father to them. It is far more beneficial for a son to see his father living for the Lord, than to hand him a list of dos and don'ts.

DO:

You see, Paul not only taught these things, he lived them! With this in mind, the apostle challenges these brethren to “do” these things, in the sense of as a new way of living, to which he adds, “And the God of peace shall be with you.” It is not that His peace is not with us already as believers, for Christ as our peace is always ever-present within our spirit, but rather that His peace will be with our everyday experience of His saving and sanctifying resurection life.

This charge is as relevant today as it was when Paul first gave it--a solemn challenge.