Confronting Our Concerns God’s Way

Transcript

GRM 1245
10/25/2020
Confronting Our Concerns God's Way
Philippians 4:1-9
Gil Rugh


We're going to look in the book of Philippians. I've been working on Psalms and that reminded me of Philippians. We're not going to study the book of Philippians, but we're going to look at a passage we've looked at a number of times because it provides a good framework and foundation for what we will be doing with some psalms. When you get to the book of Philippians, then I want you to back up and go to 2 Corinthians 11. The apostle Paul is writing the book of Philippians from prison, but in 2 Corinthians 11 he tells us something of his life experiences and I want to just remind you of those. All right, we are in 2 Corinthians 11 and Paul reflecting, and you see a balance Paul had to keep. The first part of this chapter he is warning about false teachers and the dangers that they pose to the church. We looked at this in connection with our study of Jude. And he doesn't want the believers in the church at Corinth to be led astray from faithfulness of devotion to Christ. And you know what happens is they are led away from faithfulness to Christ and the truth of God's word, they become more and more opposed to the apostle Paul because Paul was a minister of truth. So in 2 Corinthians 11 he rebukes them, verse 20, “You tolerated it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you, anyone exalts himself, anyone hits you in the face.” In other words when false teachers came that are really opposing what the Corinthians claim to believe, they are fine. They treat them… they think these are really good people.

Verse 21, “To my shame I must say that we have been weak by comparison.” Paul came in love and kindness and tried to bring them along as a loving parent but the false teachers turned it around to make Paul look weak. So that is what Paul is talking about, you compare us to the false teachers but it was arrogance, it was pride, that drove those false teachers. It was love that was motivating Paul, concern for their best. “But in whatever respect anyone else is bold -- I speak in foolishness -- I am just as bold myself.” Tells a little bit of his experience in life as a Hebrew, as an Israelite, as a descendant of Abraham. Then he says, “Are they servants of Christ?” So am I. “I speak as if insane.” This is crazy, I shouldn't have to be telling you what a great servant of Christ I am, but I'll tell you. And then he goes to really all the problems he faces and has faced in his life and ministry. “In far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews 39 lashes.” And just to pause, we run through this list. You have 39 lashes, that was not something to be taken lightly. You could give 40 lashes, the Jews always gave one less because if you miscounted and gave 41 you were accountable for that person's death so they would always allow a little room so there were no mistakes. Get 39 lashes, you could die from that. Paul had received that five times, you imagine what his back looked like. That's not the only beatings he got. Verse 25, “Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I have spent in the deep.” One of those shipwrecks, he was left for a whole night and day, floating around and holding onto the pieces of the ship until he could be rescued or arrive at land. “I've been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren. I've been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.” And those are just the external things because I have the daily pressure of concern for all the churches and the struggles they go through. They are all personal for me. He's concerned for their care, and yet that's what Paul marks out. Not the miracles that he might have done, not the numbers of people who have been saved, but the things that he has gone through that are trials, that were painful, that were difficult. Those marked him out as a faithful servant of God.

Come over to Philippians. You come to the letter to the Philippians, and stop at chapter 1, just to highlight a couple of things. Paul is in what we call his first Roman imprisonment. So here he has been… This is where you are when you leave the end of the book of Acts. He was arrested under false charges, has been transported to Rome, that included a shipwreck. It was a drawn out procedure to be taken to Rome, he'll spend a couple of years as in fact a prisoner of Rome. And it's not wasted time, he writes what are called the prison epistles, Philippians being one of them, during that time. The interesting thing is one of the key words in this letter to the Philippians is joy. An early series of sermons I did was put in a book form called Joy in Unity. That is about joy, he writes that. You think he would be talking about how difficult it has been, you see all the things lumped together in that passage in 2 Corinthians 11 and you realize this is Paul's life, it is just ongoing from one kind of problem to another in his life, until his final imprisonment recorded in 2 Timothy. And there he says I don't think there will be any escape from this one, no deliverance, I am going to be martyred here. But he's not down there either, he is confident.

So he writes to the Philippians at this time, and he talks about the joy, verse 4, “Always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all.” Just thinking about you and calling you to mind as I pray for you brings joy to my heart. It doesn't say it is hard to have any joy, it's hard to understand why I'm back here, I am now in prison, I don't have any freedom to preach. No, I just have joy in my heart as I am praying for you, and how we shared in the gospel from the very beginning. Remember Paul established the church at Philippi in Acts 16 and he went to prison there, jail, for preaching the gospel and he was beaten before he was put in prison, and then at night a miracle, the jail is opened. And remember the Philippian jailer, we're familiar with that story, taught it from young, and the Philippian jailer asked that famous question, what must I do to be saved? And Paul said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Through all that, through jailing, through beating, another opportunity to present the gospel. And that's what he says in Philippians 1:12, I tell you how difficult it has been, how much it has cost me, how my body is breaking down and wearing down. “I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel.” Sounds like Paul, doesn't have time to talk about his problems, so to speak, because let me tell you what the Lord is doing. I am in prison, but this has turned out to be a good thing because do you know what happens in prison? I get to talk to people I wouldn't normally get to talk to about the gospel. The Lord has just opened a great door here. He is not sitting in a puddle, poor me, maybe if I hadn't been so blunt, so brash. Maybe if I had done… maybe if this… If those Jews would just leave me alone the Romans would implement the law and treat me fairly as a Roman citizen. We could go on endlessly. What does he say? I just want you to know, great things are happening, “so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard.” Do you know what? Who is the prisoner here? The praetorian guard has to watch Paul so he has a captive audience. Is he lecturing them about the deteriorated political situation, and even a Roman citizen doesn't get treated as a Roman citizen should. Or the Jews are such an unjust people, they try to… I never… No, he's not talking about that. What do these praetorian guards need to hear? All my problems? They need to hear about the Savior that I represent, my life is all about.

So verse 14, “That most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more encouragement.” It has motivated fellow Christians. If Paul can be sharing the gospel in that context, we want to be sharing the gospel, too. So verse 18, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or truth, Christ is proclaimed.” You know, there are people that share the gospel and it is hard to even imagine but they did it because it just would make Paul's imprisonment seem more grievous. By the way, Paul, we're out here preaching the gospel, doing great things. What are you doing? Sitting in the cell with one or two people to talk to. We're out there talking to the multitudes. And verse 17 says they “proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.” They don't cause me distress because if they are preaching the gospel I am thrilled. Not only am I getting a unique opportunity in prison, but they have the opportunity out, fine, whatever their motive is, the gospel is being preached.

And he knows it may result in my death; when you are in this situation, things can turn. In his second imprisonment, it will be just as unjust but he won't be delivered. He thinks he will be here. Come to Philippians 2:12. You'll note he says to them, “So then, my beloved…” He's giving the example of Christ and Christ was the example of suffering, even to death. They need to be encouraged, they are going through trials. Back up to Philippians 1:29, “For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” These Philippians, they are not in an easy place. Paul says take it as a privilege to suffer for Christ. If you give your testimony for Christ and you are being persecuted for it, that's a badge of honor. So verse 12, after using the example of Christ in the first part of chapter 2, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not in my presence only, but also much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” be faithful.” We looked at “work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” we looked at that in connection with Jude, “keep yourselves in the love of God.” Your responsibility, be what you must be as a child of God, a slave of God. “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” You have been given the privilege of suffering for Christ, it is God working His good pleasure in you. We don't want to lose sight -- the circumstances press in, all the things going on and we get unsettled, we get uncertain, we get emotionally distressed, we get depressed, discouraged -- wait a minute, God is working. You might think Paul is depressed, my life, and here I end up in prison in Rome, a couple of guards to witness to and they don't treat me very well, I am discouraged. Then I get letters from my churches and there are people attacking me and undermining their confidence in me. And in his second imprisonment he'll have to say all those from Asia, they abandoned me. And Demas, he is one of my faithful co-workers, too, he deserted me, he left for Thessalonica. Paul's life, this is the pattern, no wonder people found it hard to travel with Paul, you want to be at a distance. But no, God is working, you be encouraged, you fear and tremble not because you are afraid of the enemy, but you don't want in any way to dishonor Him, be unfaithful. Note the next word, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” If it is God at work in me, if God is truly sovereign and I am His faithful slave, what am I grumbling and complaining about? Do you know what happened to me? No, the question is how are you responding in what happened to you? To what happened to you? We can get so taken up, Paul's focus isn't on all the injustices done by godless people that brought him to this place of being imprisoned in Rome, his concern is to be what God has appointed for me in this situation. We sang in the song, the God of angel armies is always by my side. But somehow then when things aren't going right we think, this is terrible, I don't know what I am going to do. Why did this happen? If they hadn't done that, if they hadn't said that, if they hadn't lied about me. Wait a minute, does God fail? Did they sneak by and get to me when God wasn't paying attention? I may say I don't know. Paul could tell the Philippians, “It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (So) do all things without grumbling or disputing” because they are going through trials. And it has been given to you to suffer for Christ. I thought God didn't want His people to suffer. Well, I'm writing to you so you know He does.

So this is the kind of context in Philippians as we come over to chapter 4. The end of chapter 3 he reminded them “our citizenship is in heaven,” Philippians 3:20-21. “from which also we are eagerly awaiting for a Savior… who is going to transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory,” and it will be “by the exertion of His power, who has authority to subject all things to Himself.” So I'm like walking through this world in a bubble, in the sense I am perfectly secure, knowing that I am where God has put me and the circumstances He has put me for His purposes for me. You say wait a minute, those people sinned when they did that to me, this wasn't right. Well, it wasn't right that Paul was in prison in Rome, either. The Jews lied. It wasn't right the Romans persecuted him as a Roman citizen, he had rights but they were running over them. It wasn't right that the ship went down, it wasn't right that… Wait a minute, that's what they are doing, what I am responsible for is what I am doing. Well, I'd be doing what I should be, I'd be out taking the gospel to different places if they hadn't put me in prison. Wait a minute, in other words God has failed here, He is no longer sovereign. If it weren't for what they did, you would be doing this. Or are we saying, if what God's will for me is this, I'm pretty unhappy. Maybe that's why he had to tell them, do all things without grumbling and murmuring. We think they caused this, they did, they will be accountable to God. Those who persecuted Paul will be accountable to God, but what is he accountable for? Complaining about them doing what they shouldn't have done? Then he is not doing what God would have him do.

All that to bring us to Philippians 4. We're just going to highlight some of other commands here that we have done on a number of other occasions. I get to preach my favorite passages and this is one of them because it is one I come to often to remind myself because we tend to forget. Under the pressure, under the environment, just bombarded with so many things to be worried about, to be concerned about, to be depressed about and pretty soon we have lost our way. So he starts out this chapter in verse 1, “Therefore my beloved brethren.” I'm just going to make note of the series of commands given. You may have them marked in your Bible from our previous studies, if not, pay attention and get them marked. “My beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way,” here's the command, “stand firm,” stand firm, first command. We're going to look at the commands down through the first nine verses. “Stand firm.” Where? “In the Lord.” Remember, “keep yourselves in the love of God,” we saw in Jude. “Stand firm in the Lord,” what they are doing doesn't affect me, I have to be and do what God would have me be and do. That doesn't change anything. Well, things can happen, Job lost all ten of his kids at one time, lost his health, his best friends ended up being a weakening influence. It's just going on. What does God say to Job? Track where you should be. What do you mean? If I could only talk to God and I'd call Him to account. What does Job say at the end? I didn't know what I was saying, forgive me. All he had to worry about is, and he did that pretty faithfully, shall we accept good things from God and not bad? In all these things Job didn't sin.

“Stand firm in the Lord.” If we get that, everything else is going to come together. I am planted here in my relationship with the Lord, nothing is going to move me from being and doing what He would have me be and do, and nobody can frustrate God's plan for me. They can put him in prison, sin by doing it, but it's exactly where God wants Paul at that time. Now there is a problem in the church at Philippi, two ladies are having a problem, Euodia and Syntyche. I want you to urge them to live in harmony. We are to get along in the body of Christ, and when two or more believers aren't (we looked at this also in our study of Jude and also back in Matthew 18) we are to work to help them get back on track, get back where they need to be because they've been good companions in ministry. But somehow they have gotten off track. Then the next command, and we're going to look through this series here. “Help,” is the command in verse 3, help is another command. The form of these are given, as you know, in Greek, have a certain form of the word that you can tell. It's what we call an imperative, it's given as a command, so the command here is to help these women.

Then in verse 4 we'll have a series of commands, what their personal responsibility is. Verse 4, the first one, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice!” Amazing, here is where he starts out, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Now we all agree as believers, we should rejoice in the Lord, but there are just times when it is not a good time to rejoice. But “always” sort of cleans out those corners we think are good hiding places. I have good reason not to be happy, as Jonah said. But he didn't have good reason not to be happy. “Rejoice in the Lord always,” and if you didn't get the point, “again I will say rejoice.” And that first statement there, the last one, we are commanded, rejoice, we must rejoice. That solves a lot of our problems, it's hard to be unhappy, discouraged, and depressed when you are rejoicing.

Come back to Proverbs 15, we'll look at verse 13, “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.” We're not to have broken spirits, sad hearts; today in our terminology we call it, I'm depressed, I'm unhappy, gloomy, discouraged. “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.” Come over to Proverbs 17:22, “A joyful heart is good medicine,” or as you have it in the margin of your Bible, “causes good healing,” “but a broken spirit dries up the bones,” it does something to you inside. Now the world's solution, you watch television, they have you feel gloomy, you just can't get involved in life, all the happiness is going on around you. We have the pill for you and then that person is out smiling, doing games with their kids, pills are your solution. That's the world's solution, but it's not a solution, it's a cover-up, it's a temporary adjustment. We want to be careful of what the world offers. You know, psychology is a study of the soul, it's two Greek words, a study and soul, the ‘psychekos,’ we've talked about this. We carry it over, the psyche, but in Greek that's a ‘u,’ we've carried it over in a ‘y’ but we've developed a pattern of pronouncing it as an ‘i.’ But psychology is a study of the soul. What is he talking about here? About what goes on within, “A joyful heart is good medicine, a broken spirit…” He's talking about what is on the inside of you -- your heart, your spirit, your soul. Do you need medicine for something? Have a joyful heart, be joyful on the inside. Well, I'm not happy, I'm gloomy, I don't feel like going to church today, and work is not going right, my family is not going right, I'm having health… I mean, if anybody has a right to be dried up on the inside, it's me. Well, then if you have that right, let me tell you about One who will heal you. We have to solve something here. Are we believers or are we unbelievers? I'm not saying everybody who gets into this is an unbeliever, that's why we have the letter to the Philippians, to encourage them. Believers shouldn't be fighting with one another but they are. But you just don't let it go on, you fix it.

Come back to Philippians, there are a number of other passages, like 1 Thessalonians 5:16, it says, “Rejoice always.” Another writing to the church at Thessalonica and they are having their own problems and he is going to conclude by saying rejoice always. That doesn't mean you are happy you’re suffering, but realizing I am where God put me and His grace will be sufficient for me can enable me to have joy even in my sorrow. It won't depress my spirit, dry up my bones; even though my eyes may be crying I can have joy in my heart. It seems contradictory.

Come back to Philippians 4, we'll walk through this. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice,” that's a foundational commandment. God doesn't command me to do as His child what He does not provide the enablement for me to do. But note, He gives it to me as a command, I am responsible to draw upon that enabling grace and to do it. Well, it's not just so easy. Do you know what I am going through? And you want to tell me to rejoice? Keep on crying but let me tell you how you can be rejoicing inside. What is the fruit of the Spirit? Love, peace, I skipped one -- joy. Do you know where joy comes from? Submitting to the Spirit. We have this sovereignty of God and responsibility of man joined together. He wants to put joy in my heart, but I don't want it right now. Sometimes I want to be miserable, I want to be unhappy, I have the right to be depressed. Look at what has happened to me, look at what's going on in my life. Wait a minute, whose life is this? “You are not your own, for you have been bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body,” (1 Corinthians 6:20). So what do I have to do? I have to back up and decide where I am. I am a child of God, that means He is sovereign over me, that means He is the Lord, and I am the slave, He is the master. Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46), Jesus asked. So He tells me to rejoice, that means He will give me the enablement He develops here.

Next statement, “Rejoice in the Lord always… let your gentle spirit be known.” Your gentle spirit, your forbearing spirit be known. So I am to have a gentle spirit, that gentle spirit is to be made known, that's a command. I wrote down a series of definitions on this word translated ‘gentle.’ It means forbearance, yieldedness, geniality, kindliness, gentleness, sweet reasonableness, considerateness, charitableness, mildness, generosity. To summarize, a willingness to yield your rights and show consideration for others. Christ had this, He was gentle and meek but He wasn't weak. Paul is not weak. Back in chapter 3 look at verse 2, “Beware of the dogs,” he's not talking about the street dogs, the little animal dogs, he is talking about people, “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers,” and he could speak. That doesn't mean you are just passive to everything, but in your dealings… false teachers, he had no time for, gruff Roman guards, he could show them consideration, they are doing their job. The Roman jailer, what must I do to be saved? Well, you could start out by treating me decently. No. You have to start by believing in the Lord Jesus. He had a balance, we think we will go from one to the other. We have no tolerance for the false teachers, we just did Jude, but we want to have a gentle, kind spirit in dealing with people.

We don't deal with every unbeliever that way. Jesus welcomed the prostitutes, the tax-gatherers, those kinds of people, but He called the religious leaders who were so dangerous open graves, full of dead men's bones. So we want to have the character of God, know when to be that abrupt and when to be… But your gentle spirit ought to be known to all men. That will take care of the conflict we have with one another, we are willing to yield to the other person. Where do our conflicts come? We can't resolve it, our solution today is run and find another church or do something like that. Well, wait a minute, we are supposed to work this out, be fine, we yield our rights, we won't yield on scripture. No, you will have to find another church because we're not going to change the truth that the Bible says. Most of it comes from personal things, work it out. He didn't tell Euodia and Syntyche, why don't you start another church in Philippi, we can have the church of Euodia and the church of Syntyche, that's fine. And you both use the apostle Paul's letter and talk how you love one another and how you get along with one another, and then everything will be good. Be gentle in your spirit.

“The Lord is near,” and we're not going to take the time to look at the passages that would remind us of that. James says the Lord is at the door, that's the way we live our lives. If Christ were coming at three o'clock this afternoon, how would we want to be treating one another? All the petty things that might distract us would be set aside.

Next command, and it seems in some ways they get a little more difficult, “be anxious for nothing.” We rejoice always and we're never anxious, never afraid, never fearful, “be anxious for nothing.” I love the all-encompassing way the Spirit of God addresses us, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Well, that helps me. That's why I say it's not complicated even though it's not easy. The instruction is clear, rejoice in the Lord 90% of the time. No, always. “Be anxious for nothing,” be anxious only on the most serious things, the most troubling. For nothing. This is the worrying anxiety. The same word could be used for a godly concern, in fact Paul used it in 2 Corinthians 11 when he had the concern for the churches. There is a godly concern. Again, we keep the perspective that God gives us. We don't say, well, then I'm just passive about it, I'm anxious for nothing because I don't care about anything, whatever happens, happens, que sera, sera, I'm rather indifferent. That's not the mark of a believer, we are passionate in our relationship with the Lord because He is a God of passions, we want to be against what He is against, and for what He is for. “Be anxious for nothing,” worry about nothing.

This is not new material, this is the Sermon on the Mount, come to Matthew 6, you are familiar with it. Jesus instructed His disciples. Look at the context, verse 24, “No one can serve two masters.” We ought to keep that in mind, even as believers. Remember we did Romans 6, Romans 6 reminded us remember you were the slave of sin, you became the slave of righteousness; you were the slave of the devil, you became the slave of God. We can as Christians get into confusion in our lives and make life a mess when we try to live in a middle ground. I'm not completely enslaved to Christ in righteousness, but I sure don't want to be a complete slave of devil in sin. We don't quite put it that way, but I haven't resolved, you know the song “I am Resolved to Follow Jesus,” we don't have that total resolution. I am resolved I will do and be what God tells me to do and be, period, that's foundational. No man can serve two masters. Why is it so simple? Do you know what it means when He is the master? He is the Lord. I know that. Well, you know what He expects, then – obedience -- and it is for our good.

So what's the next verse? Verse 25, “For this reason,” what He has just been talking about, “I say to you, do not be worried about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,” your clothes, your food. And He gives the examples of the birds and the flowers and so on. After that we've had the illustrations, verse 31, “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles…” Jesus' ministry remember through the gospels is limited to Jews so the Gentiles are those outside, they are not believers so you can use it here as a synonym for unbelievers. Jesus only came to the lost of the house of Israel. “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things,” the world is worried about everything. “Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things… Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Now tomorrow will take care of itself because your heavenly Father knows what you need, the end of verse 32, that sets my confidence in God, tomorrow is fine. The world is all upset and we have elections coming, this is the most important election in the history of our country. And if this election doesn't go this way… We have a virus and if this virus continues you may die. And there are so many things to worry about. That's why they have pills now, so people can get rich helping you not worry. I'm not against pills, I take some myself, not for depression. What does God tell me to do and not to do? Rejoice always, that's positive, don't worry about anything. Well, that's why I don't have much of a counseling program. It's simple. I'd have to charge $2,000 a minute to make enough. It's simple, it's simple for my life. That's why I come back to Philippians 4 so often, sometimes I have to clear my head. What has God told me to do? Rejoice always, don't worry about anything.

Come back to Philippians 4. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything…” Again, these are all-encompassing. Our life as believers gets messed up because we think the circumstances have changed, the situation has changed, the people have changed, whatever, so now… Now what? God is still sovereign, I am still His child, I am responsible to obey. Well, that was true yesterday, but things have changed. But God has not changed, I'm not changed, I am still His child. Now when I step out of that obedience, I'm putting out here, getting in trouble, getting off-track, and the more I wander out there, the more confused my life has been and become. So “be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving. Wait, this is tough, I don't know how it is going to turn out. I can thank God—Lord, you have put me here. Maybe what they have done has been terrible, it has been unfair. I have no control over that, You do. Job had no control over his children, all ten were going to die in the collapse of a building. He had no control over his loss of his health. It wasn't, well, if you had eaten differently Job, you probably wouldn't be sitting there scraping the boils. He had no control over that, God did and for God's purposes, He allowed that into Job's life. All Job had to do was accept that -- this is what God has ordained for me at this point. Do you think it is not painful to lose a child, lose all ten of your children at once? That's more than you can expect a person to bear. God doesn't bring anything into our life He does not give the grace to deal with as it should be dealt with as His child. So “be anxious for nothing.”

The next command, “Let your requests be made known to God.” Tell it to God, “prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.” Why? Thank you, Lord, for listening. He is my counselor but I come to His word to find out what He says. There are times when things seem overwhelming and you don't know what to do. At night you wake up and you have things on your mind. Do you know sometimes what I have to do? I just have to go up, go to a room, get out my Bible, open it up and say, Lord, I have to settle down, and right now I need to listen to You. And where do we often go? The Psalms, sometimes I go to Philippians 4, I read this and talk it over with the Lord, remind myself, Lord, what You said is true and I don't have to resolve all that because I can't. I couldn't prevent it and I can't control where it is going, I have to look to You for the next step. “Let your requests be made known to God.” Isn't it amazing? What an opportunity. Hebrews says we are to come with confidence to the throne of grace. It is a throne where we receive the grace that we need to get through the situation we are in. I think, grace to help in time of need, isn't it amazing?

We'll fuss, we'll fret, we'll worry, we'll find people to go to, we'll get into counseling. And seeking godly advice and counsel is fine. It all comes down to the same thing, are you going to do what God says or not? What do you expect me to do if you are not going to do what God tells you to do? Your life is a mess and it will get messier and you can't messy yourself out of mess. And we have to back up here. Are you God's child? When you've settled that… and if you're doubtful tell Him, God, I'm in such a mess I don't even know if I am saved anymore. Well, get it settled. So right now I want to draw a line, I'm going to write it down. I am a sinner, I'm placing my faith in Christ, I'm settling this for time and eternity, I'm trusting You and You alone, I'm submitting my life to You and Your salvation, now, God, that's done. Now Your Word says as Your child I must do this. I don't know if I am willing. Well, you know, we are going in a circle now. If I'm even going to be God's child and I'm unwilling to do what God tells me to do, I'm going to have a mess of my life, and then He'll bring discipline to get me back on track.

“Let your requests be made known to God,” that's the greatest privilege we can have as believers. ‘Take it to the Lord in prayer,’ you know the rest of the song, ‘and leave it there.’ What will happen? “And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension,” goes beyond what you could think, “will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This is all in Christ Jesus, this doesn't help anyone who is not a believer. Even the prayers of the unbeliever are offensive to God, the door is closed, His ears are closed. You offend Me. Why? Wouldn't you think God would want me to come and talk to Him? No. He says to come to Me you have to humble yourself, recognize you are a sinner. That's the hard part, I just want to tell God what I want. No, first of all I recognize I am undeserving, I am a sinner, I need to be cleansed from my sin so I'll be accepted in His presence, and He'll do that for me at no cost. Place your faith in Christ, He cleanses you. Now I come with confidence and boldness. And what will happen? Well, now as I submit to him… Lord, I don't see the way and I don't know how this is going to make a change but I trust you. I am going to rejoice and give You thanks for being the Lord of my life, of directing me. You have directed to bring me into this, these people thought they were doing it to me but they are not, You were working your perfect purpose for me. Lord, I want to learn from this, I want to grow, I want to honor You, I want to come through it stronger and more conformed to Christ.

If I make that kind of commitment my next step becomes easier, “and the peace of God will stand guard,” I love the way it is put, this peace which goes beyond human understanding. Of all the human beings can do that don't know the Lord is try to guess on things, and so we have the study of the soul, we're back to that, where they supposedly have studied your inner being. And who can search the heart but the Lord? I the Lord search the heart, I try the thinking processes, I know what is going on, that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. They don't know that. There are over 250 different approaches to psychology. Pay your money and take your pick, and keep paying because this will take a while. Sometimes I listen to these men being interviewed on a program. They'll get done and I say to Marilyn, he didn't say anything. And they'll say, thank you for coming and sharing your wisdom with us. It was wisdom of the world, and if they have rejected the word of God what kind of wisdom do they have, as the prophet Isaiah said. They don't. Do you want the peace of God to stand guard at your heart? Follow the instructions.

“Your hearts and your minds,” I take it that takes in our emotions and our thinking. People have the idea I can't control how I feel, that's a lie, I can by submitting myself to God. Now the unbeliever can't, he can't control his thinking, he can't control his emotions because he is under the control of sin and Satan. That's why we can't be going to the world to find solutions, this is the only solution. The world has rejected it. They become more open and the more unsettled their world is, the more rebellious they come against God because they think the problem is God is doing… this is the way… Look at our world, look at our country, getting better or worse? Here is the solution, the peace of God will stand guard in your heart. Is there anything, anyone, anything greater than God? That's why I can rejoice always, He is always protecting my heart. Sometimes I am crying, sometimes I am weeping, sometimes I am saddened but in it I know God, painful as this is, You love me, You said You loved me, You will never stop loving me. So You must have brought this into my life for my good, I rejoice in that even as I cry, that's how I read it.

“Finally, brethren,” now we have to do the next step, pick it up at the end of verse 8, “dwell on these things,” think on what you ought to think about, that's a command, “dwell on these things.” You get what you think about before he gives the command, “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,” set your mind, “on these things.” The problem is we pray about it and then we go down, still can't get it out of my mind. Get it out of your mind. That's why I say maybe you have to stop and read some scripture. Don't take things into your mind you shouldn't take in. Somebody wants to tell you something, measure it by this -- is it true, is it honorable, is it right, is it pure? You come back to this and say part of my problem… Sometimes it seems that things come in from all around and you just start thinking like you shouldn't think. And if I don't catch that, it's a deteriorating process. So that's why I have to come back and measure my thoughts. Am I thinking about what is really true, really honorable, really what is right, what is pure, what is lovely? Well, no. Then clean up my thoughts.

“The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me,” that's Paul, the scripture he has taught, the pattern of life as he has lived out the scripture, these things. We come to the Word to find out here is what God says, that's what I do. The next command, “practice these things.” I put them in three P's, we've studied it before -- pray, ponder and practice. Ponder, think about it, think what you should think. Practice it, put it into practice. You're not on the right track, change it; if you're not doing the right thing, start doing the right thing. Oh, I don't go to church every week because I've dropped out of Bible classes, I just don't feel like doing it. Well, who said you do it when you feel like it? This is what the world is about, my emotions up and down. They don't control me, my God is unchanging, I rejoice always. What about when I'm really depressed? Rejoice, get your mind off yourself. Your problems? Think about how great God is. What a wonder it is, He says come and tell me your problems and I will listen, I'll protect your heart and lead you to have peace. That's why Paul could be in prison, having been unjustly treated, abused, and say he has joy. You rejoice always, you have peace in this unsettled world, and it's going to get more unsettled. And we're moving toward the tribulation, I don't know how soon, how long, but we shouldn't be surprised the world is unraveling. Even people of the world get concerned. It's because, we have to get people who will promote more sex outside of marriage and all kinds of relationships. And people who oppose abortion, they are our problem. The world doesn't know and the world can't fix its own problems. They can't be fixed, it is unfixable. But when you come to know Christ, you are fixed and now you can live in a dark world as lights.

One more verse and we're done. Go back to Philippians 2:14-15, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing so that you will prove,” you're going to pass the test,” yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.” It's a world of darkness, it's a perverse world, it's a crooked world, but we appear as lights in the world. We are going to be holding fast the word of life, standing firm, keeping ourselves in the love of God, all the same thing, because we are looking for the day when Christ comes and then everything gets put right.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the riches of Your Word. We count it a joy, a privilege, a thrill to be reminded again and again and again You are the unchanging God. Tomorrow is secure for us, we are confident, we don't know what it will bring but we know You are sovereign over all. We belong to You, You protect us, You keep us, no one can frustrate, no one can destroy what You have purposed and planned for us. I pray you will encourage each heart here, each of us are in different places, different circumstances, different times in our lives, but Lord, we each serve You, the one true and living God. Take these truths and promises and apply them to our hearts and minds in our own situation so that You might be honored. We pray in Christ's name, amen.