"The [Philippian] readers needed to understand the significance of Christ’s experience of suffering for their own experiences of persecution. Only then would they be able to experience the significance of Christ’s exaltation in their own eventual reward. The Philippians needed to understand that their blessed position before God did not make them immune to pain and suffering. To think that suffering was a sign of some defect with themselves or God would open them up to the very discouragement and bickering Paul was trying to get them to avoid. In that light, the Philippians needed to be reminded that the pleasure of knowing Christ was not diminished by circumstances—a difficult truth to accept during times of persecution. Paul showed the Philippians how to live in joy and in peace with each other no matter what the circumstances.
[Hughes, Robert B. ; Laney, J. Carl: Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Tyndale House Publishers, 2001 (The Tyndale Reference Library), S. 602]
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