The subject of Philippians is the experience of Christ. Concerning the experience of Christ, each chapter of Philippians covers a major point. First, in chapter one, we have the magnification of Christ. No matter what the circumstances are in which we find ourselves, we need to express Christ in such a way that we magnify him. In chapter two, Paul presents Christ as our pattern.

In everything we do, we need a pattern, a model, an example. Even in the experience of Christ and the enjoyment of Christ, we need a pattern. This pattern is Christ Himself. Chapter three indicates that Christ should be our goal, our aim. We who love the Lord and seek him are not aimless. Our aim is Christ himself. He is the goal toward which we press. Finally, in chapter four, Christ is our strength.

In 4:13 Paul says, “I can do all things in Him who empowers me.” Christ is not only the pattern and the goal; he is also the strength, the power, the dynamo. As the dynamo within us, he empowers us to live him, to magnify him, and to press on toward him as the goal. In the four chapters of Philippians, we see Christ as the one lived out and magnified, Christ as the pattern, Christ as the goal, and Christ as our inward strength. This book on the experience of Christ covers four major points: the expression, the pattern, the goal, and the strength.