The Spiritual Well-Being of the Believer

Transcript

GRM 1195
The Spiritual Well-Being of the Believer
09/16/2018
Philippians 4:1-9
Gil Rugh

I want to continue with some material other than what we’re studying in Revelation today. We will get back to the Book of Revelation. We stopped at the end of chapter 19, but I want to look with you into the Book of Philippians, together today, and what we’re going to be looking at will tie to some of the message in the songs that we just shared in. I want to talk about just the spiritual well-being of the believer, the world and I’ve talked on this on other occasions. I read a statistic this week as I was thinking through some of this material. There was a person, I don’t even remember what their position was, but they’re estimating that 60 percent of the college students suffered from depression. I’m surprised it’s so low, but some of these things dealing with mental matters continue to come to the fore in the news and the papers and they impact us as believers. The wonder is the beauty of the salvation that God provided for us in Christ, is sufficient and provided, you know, so that we might live lives of joy, happiness, peace and that are honoring to Him.

The Book of Philippians is a book I go to often in my own personal life and I’m going to focus on one particular portion of the book, but just to give you a perspective. We’ll start in chapter 1 and first remind you of Paul’s situation as he writes this letter to the Philippians. He is a prisoner in Rome. He’s writing to the church in Philippi, which is in the northern part of Greece, in Macedonia. Paul established the church there when God called him to cross over, into Europe and bring the gospel to that part of the world, so he’s writing to these that he has a special relationship to. He’s been involved in leading them to salvation in Christ and helping their growth, so he’s writing to the saints in Christ Jesus, and he includes the overseers and deacons, who are entrusted with leadership in the church.

He starts at verse 3, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering my prayer with joy in my every prayer for you.” And you get right off, Paul doesn’t start by talking about his problems. How difficult it is to have experienced this unjust arrest, and the time involved that ended up with him being transported to Rome, and confined there in house arrest, if you will, and the difficulties that that has put on him. He’s going to write out how thankful he is to God for them and that brings him joy when he prays for them. I offer prayer “with joy” in verse 4 because he focuses on what God has done, and He brought them into fellowship with him in the gospel of Jesus Christ, as they have come to know Him as their Savior, and he’s confident that they’ll continue to grow. Now, this is not a church that doesn’t have issues to deal with but he is sure of God’s work in their lives, and he talks about his imprisonment, and yet it’s not, I want to tell you how difficult things are for me. I want you to know how this suffering is draining me and…..no, I want you to know about what God has done. Verse 12, “I want you to know brethren that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel.”

Now, from his time of arrest to Rome, and that this is not a matter of days, week’s months, it turns into years. He’s got to get a trial and so on and there’s been many difficulties and shipwreck along the way. Now here he is confined, like I say, a house arrest kind of arrest with Roman soldiers there responsible to see that he does not disappear. “My circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel.” Why? I have opportunity to witness to my guards that I would have never had before. Well, that may be right, but you know when you were free you had a lot of opportunities to share the gospel with a lot of people. You carried the gospel to Greece, to these Philippians that you’re writing about, now the best you have is to the soldiers who have responsibility to guard you to keep you, to be sure you stay in the confined area. Boy, “in my imprisonment,” verse 13, “in the cause of Christ, it’s been spread,” the Apostle Paul who’s told others about are here and these guards are hearing the gospel, and other people have picked up on this gospel and sad to say some of them did it for the wrong motive. They wanted to show Paul the contrast evidently. They envy Paul, they envy his reputation, so they preach it with a desire to make his imprisonment more unpleasant for him, but Paul said, you know, verse 17 that the ones he’s talked about, “the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.” Remember what we talked about, remember what Paul says, I can’t do anything about that, I can’t do anything about what their motives are, but you know what? I thank God, I am glad the gospel’s being presented. If they think in presenting the gospel they’re making my imprisonment more unpleasant, I’m just thrilled the gospel’s being presented, whatever their motives are and he’s not sure.

He thinks that maybe God is going to provide deliverance from this imprisonment and that’s his hope. Paul’s a human being and he has plans for sharing the gospel and doing things, so he says that’s his earnest expectation and hope, but he doesn’t want to be put to shame. I am ready for whatever comes. “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” verse 21. If I live on, I’ll have more fruitful labor and if I die, I’ll go to be with Christ so either one, it’s not bad. Well wait a minute Paul, if you die you’ll die executed as a Roman criminal. That’s not going to be pleasant. Some of the events that lead up to your execution could make your further imprisonment get even more unpleasant. These things, Paul’s not dwelling on. What does it mean for me as a servant of Christ? His concern, verse 27, “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

This repeated emphasis by Paul indicates there were some difficulties in the church at Philippi, some lack of agreement. He’s going to pull them back to the agreement of the gospel. I’m concerned that when I get reports from Philippi, I want to know that you’re conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel, standing firm in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel and if that brings suffering that shouldn’t divide the body that should solidify it. Verse 29 “for to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake not only to believer in Him, but to suffer for His sake.” Well, when things go badly, Paul said just count it a privilege. If you’re suffering for Christ that’s not bad and he’s the example, so you see, the example he’s given of himself solidifies his exhortation. He’s living that out.

It’s not, well this is what I tell you to do but let me tell you, this is not easy being a prisoner and I really miss the freedom. I think back on those days when I was free. No, I look at the opportunity that God has given me where I am. This is something that I want to elaborate on in a future study. You know we as believers talk about God’s sovereignty but sometimes we let go of it. Paul saw his imprisonment in Rome as God’s plan for him. It doesn’t matter that it was brought about by sinful actions of sinful people, acting against God against Paul, and against the truth. What Paul focuses on is, God is sovereign in my life, whatever their intentions were, I am where God has appointed for me and that gives me confidence. And as I often share with you, someone else’s sin does not frustrate God’s plan for you and so Paul makes that clear here, so if you’re suffering for the gospel there, I’m suffering for it here, how blessed we are to have such a clear identification with Christ that we get persecuted for it.

Then he gives Christ as the example in chapter 2. He’s the One who what? “He emptied Himself took the form of a servant.” He sacrificed Himself to do for them what they could not do for themselves. This becomes a key example of love, of selflessness. Verse 3 of chapter 2 he says, “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves. Don’t look out for your own personal interest but for the interests of others. Have this attitude in you, which was in Christ Jesus” and this is where we’re going the passage we’ll focus on. What was Christ thinking? What am I getting out of this? I’m hanging on a cross dying for people who are abusing Me. They’ve plucked out My beard, they have mocked Me and now they’re making fun of Me as I hang here in pain and agony, but this is what I need to do so that they can be cleansed and forgiven, and have hope of an eternal glory so what would be the end? “God exalted Him;” verse 9 verse 10, “therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow,” and everyone is going to bow before Him.

Now we will share in that glory and blessing. Keep that point in mind. We are to “do all things,” verse 14 “without grumbling or disputing.” Did Christ hang on the cross saying this is not fair there’s no reason for you to treat me like this? You’re godless people, you’re in rebellion against God. He could have struck them all dead with a word. He could have come down. They mocked Him; You saved others You can’t save Yourself. You’re so great, come down from the cross. He could have done it He could have snapped His fingers and they would have been hanging on crosses. I mean what was He doing? He was doing what was best for them. Was He grumbling or complaining? No, so don’t you. You see this flows out of the example of Christ. This will be the proof that you’re blameless and innocent children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights.

The difficulties these Philippian believers are experiencing is pressure from outside and some difficulties within and, you know, where I need to back up and say, what must I be to be a faithful servant of the Savior who loved me and died for me? Verse 13, “it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure,” so evidence that in your life. You know what, verse 17 “even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith; I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, rejoice in the same way. Share your joy with me.” We have reason to rejoice and be joyful. Does that mean Paul is glad he’s suffering? No, he shared in chapter 1. It’s my earnest expectation and hope to be delivered, but if I’m not, it won’t shatter my joy. Right now I’m not gloomy, depressed and discouraged over my imprisonment but I’ll really be rejoicing when I get out. I’m rejoicing now. I’m sharing my joy with you, and I want to hear that you’re in joy rejoicing, serving the Lord and he’s going to send some of his fellow workers, so chapter 3 opens up, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again to you is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.”

You know some of you wonder why I repeat myself so often. I’m just imitating Paul. He’s telling them what he already told them and he says I don’t mind doing that so it’s no trouble for me. In other words, what I’ve been telling you, I know I told you these things before, but we need the reminders. It’s a safeguard and then he has to warn them about false teachers who would corrupt the truth and turn them away from faithfulness to Christ and he’s pretty blunt. He calls these false teachers dogs. Now the dogs as you’re aware of that day were more the scavenger dogs that you see in some of the cities in parts of the world. They’re not the household pets that you consider part of your family. He says beware of the dogs! He’s talking about these false teachers, the evil workers, the Jews that are corrupting the word of God and so on.

Then we have this great statement, verse 7, “Whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” I’ve suffered the loss of everything. I count it as rubbish, so I don’t carry on my ministry trying to measure, what will this cost. I’m all out because in Christ I have received everything. I am anticipating what He has promised me, verse 10 “That I may know Him the power of His resurrection the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death in order that I may attain to the resurrection of the dead.” I’m willing to suffer whatever because I am anticipating the coming resurrection and it’s not just for him. Down in verse 17 he says, “Brethren, join in following my example,” (and this is important) “because many walk,” verse 18, “as I often told you, even now weeping, they are enemies of the cross of Christ, their end is destruction.” They are selfishly focused but verse 20, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has to subject all things to Himself.” No matter how it comes out on this earth, here’s the final chapter, we’re looking for the Savior.

What happens to me here, life or death, all that matters is that I have been faithful in preparing for what He has promised to me in the glory of His presence. This is the hope the believer has that no one else has so we come to chapter 4 where I want to focus attention. “Therefore,” therefore, in light of what he just said about suffering about enduring and all of this, “Stand firm in the Lord.” Now you note he had that word joy. “I’m writing to you my well-loved brethren whom I long to see, my joy my crown.” His people weren’t a burden, an obstacle, problems, they’re my joy. His focus on the work of Christ, “Stand firm in the Lord my beloved. Urge Euodia and Syntche to live in harmony in the Lord,” evidentially causing some dissension in the church at Philippi. You know it was a little more difficult in those days. When you had conflict with a person or disagreement, you just couldn’t go to the church down the road. You could sit on the other side of the room in the church at Philippi so the pressure there to live in harmony. Like he said earlier, “be of one mind, focused in Christ.” In other words, the differences you have could be set aside. Not the doctrine, he’s talking about the dogs that would divide with false doctrine, but those things that are not. He said these have been companions in the gospel. They shouldn’t be fighting. They shouldn’t be disagreeing.

A series of commands here. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice.” You get the idea that as you move through Philippians Paul is concerned they may not be enjoying the unity that they should and as a result the joy that should be theirs,
is somewhat impacted. He keeps talking about the joy he has even in imprisonment, even in being misunderstood, misrepresented and mistreated. That’s fine, I have joy, I want you to have joy, so here he gives the command to rejoice, in the Lord. You know when I get my focus on someone else, my joy can be tempered, watered down, because I might have a problem with what you do or don’t do. We rejoice in the Lord. The focus is to be focused, look what the Lord has done for me. Paul is amazed that God would save him but it cost him everything on the human side. Things of human value, reputation, possessions, honor. Paul said in chapter 3 I just put it on the rubbish heap. Compared to what I’ve got in Christ it was nothing, so you didn’t get that sense of bitterness.

I’ve been mistreated. I don’t know how people could do that. It just shows…..no, what do I have in Christ. Rejoice in the Lord and some of your bibles may have a word after Lord, “always.” Probably all of your bibles have it. We sometimes drop it because we rejoice in the Lord but then we say this is really not a time of rejoicing. You know what I’m going through. You know what I’m having. Paul understands that. You know what he says, “Rejoice in the Lord always” and remember he mentioned at the beginning of chapter 3, I don’t mind having to repeat myself. I don’t consider it a bother to have to tell you what I already told you. He does that right here. “Rejoice in the Lord always” and gives it a command. You must “rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”

You get the point, the Spirit of God is driving home a point. It is required of God’s people that they function in a relationship together, enjoy, be rejoicing always. They’ll be good times, they’ll be bad times. He reminded them, if you suffer that’s a privilege given to you along with believing in Christ, so we read back in chapter 1, put things in perspective, rejoice. Is Paul glad he’s a prisoner? Is that what causes him—no, he rejoices because he is where God has put him, serving God where he is. Does he rejoice because people have told lies about him and slandered him, have by their lies succeeded in getting him arrested, enduring the trip to Rome, and all the time that has gone by and now he’s confined under guard. That makes me…..no, I rejoice in the Lord and what He is doing in my life. Their motive was bad but the Lord “causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him.”

I love the way Joseph put it when, you remember, his brothers sold him into slavery. Now what kind of brothers are that? You know we’re used to our kids fighting but you come home one day and say, where’s your brother? Oh, we sold him to some slave traders but that’s what they did to Joseph and then lied and told their father that a wild animal must have eaten Joseph. Too bad, bye bye. What did Joseph say when it all came to the end of it. “You meant it for evil God meant it for good.” That’s where Paul is, it doesn’t matter what these people meant. God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose. Whatever they meant by it, whatever their intention, how evil, how wicked, God meant it for good. When Christ hung on the cross, the Jews and the men who crucified Him, they meant it for evil. God meant it for good to provide a Savior, so that 2,000 years later hell deserving sinners like us could experience cleansing, forgiveness and the provision of God’s righteousness through faith in Him. God meant it for good.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.” Again, let your gentle spirit, your forgiving spirit, your yielding spirit. We have conflicts even among ourselves as believers. Why? Because we disagree about something. Well you know what happens; sometimes you have a disagreement with someone. They say, “oh, all right we can do it your way.” Suddenly the disagreement is gone. “Oh, well I didn’t mean you had to just do it my way.” See it usually helps dissipate things. This is what this is, “let your gentle spirit be known to all men” and a reminder “the Lord is near,” so how would you handle that if you knew the Lord was ready to step in right there? He’s told them at the end of chapter 3 verses 20 and 21, “our citizenship is in heaven and we are eagerly waiting for the Savior.”

What if He’s just about to come through that cloud, “let your gentle spirit,” the Lord declared Himself gentle in Spirit. He was yielding He was kind. In that sense not pressing His way. Doing what was good and needed by others. “Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near” and then the verse, “Be anxious for nothing.” That word anxious, worry, a passage we talk about or refer to often, anxiety, worry fear. Jesus used it in the Sermon on the Mount. Come back to Matthew 6, we’re not going to spend much time there but Matthew chapter 6 verse 25 and this is in the context of being careful about not being hypocrites and forgiving others, and not storing up treasure and all this. You come to verse 25. “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life.” That’s our word, anxious, do not be anxious about your life. The things characteristic of this life that we worry about, food money, housing clothing that’s what he says. Look at the birds of the air, they don’t do anything and God feeds them, and anxiety and worry can’t change anything. I mean just stop and think. Oh, boy, this is really serious, I’m going to sit down and worry about this for the next six hours and then what?

You can’t change anything in your life, you can’t extend your life by another day by worrying about it. You can’t change anything so worry is worthless. Verse 28 “Why are you worried about clothing? God clothed the lilies of the field with a splendor not even Solomon has.” Marilyn has gotten some flowers around. I enjoy them but we look at them and say look at the colors in this, look at the beauty of this. God just created that, it’ll come up, it’ll die, but look at it. The depth of color, the variety. Solomon with all the wealth and wisdom couldn’t clothe himself like that. If God clothed the grass of the field that’s going to die tomorrow, what could He do for you? Going to have a hard time giving you—don’t worry then. There’s our word again. It keeps coming up. Don’t be anxious about the things of this life. “Seek first His kingdom His righteousness, all these things will be added to you.” “So do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.” A play on the words there, each day has enough trouble of its own. That doesn’t mean we don’t plan for tomorrow but you know, when I’ve made the plans, I’ve done the best I could to prepare, tomorrow is in God’s hands.

You know what, you’re sitting here. If you have any worries or concerns, they’re about the future. You’re here, you’re sitting here, you’re breathing. You’re taking up a seat. You’re thinking maybe about lunch or maybe you’re worried about what’s coming. Maybe you’ve got a doctor’s appointment tomorrow and that’s hanging over, but you know, our tomorrows are the substance of our worries. We worry about tomorrow, I’m not worried about right now. I may be worried about my doctor’s appointment this week but if I don’t worry about tomorrow, what am I going to worry about? It’s too late to worry about yesterday, unless I worry about the consequences of yesterday for tomorrow but here I am. You’re sitting here. You all look descent, relatively speaking. Some of you are catching up on sleep. Whatever, we’re here, we’re doing fine. What do we worry about, you could be sitting here and your mind’s doing what? I wonder what the kids are going to do here, I wonder what’s going to happen in the future. Christ handled it. Don’t worry about tomorrow. He doesn’t say there won’t be any trouble tomorrow. He says deal with today. That doesn’t mean I can’t plan for tomorrow so come back to Philippians 4. This is not new material.

“Be anxious for nothing.” I don’t know what else to say. Sometimes I’ve been accused of being too black and white. Somebody wants to come and tell me and they sit down and say I am worried sick. What am I supposed to say? I say STOP IT! What do you mean stop it? I came for help. That’s my help. Stop it. Why? God says “be anxious for nothing” so you can’t bring something into my office to be anxious about and then both of us can have anxiety. We’ll be anxious together and that’s sometimes what we think. No, I’m not against empathizing with people and I understand somebody’s going through a surgery, there’s natural concerns but we don’t help them. You know my thought, why I’m not a good hospital visitor, oh my goodness; I’m glad that’s you. I wouldn’t want to face what you’re facing for anything. Let’s pray, Lord thank you that I’m not in that bed going to surgery. Obviously, there is empathy there’s understanding. We realize our frame is but dust but I don’t help anybody by just joining in their anxiety.

What do we bring to them? I don’t know how it will turn out. Sort of like Paul says, I don’t know how it’s going to turn out. You know like we say, I don’t know what the future holds. I know who holds the future and that’s what we have as God’s people. You know you’re sitting here fine, you know God has tomorrow under control for you as His child. He has it under control for me. You know Lord, I’m doing fine here but I’m going a hundred miles an hour on the inside, I…..be anxious for nothing. Well what do you do, but in everything, you note the contrast with the words here, nothing everything. They are all inclusive. He takes and sweeps up our exceptions. Nothing means nothing. Everything means everything so instead of being anxious “in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.” There’s a song that has the line, “Tell it to the Lord in prayer. Are you burdened with worries and cares; tell it to the Lord in prayer.” Well that’s a simplistic answer. I don’t think it’s simplistic.

The God who’s sovereign over all who controls everything, tells me, as Peter writes it, “casting all your care on Him” and there’s our word, “all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you.” A play on the word. My God, the God of Heaven, the Creator of all things, the sustainer, the controller, tells me to turn over my cares to Him and He’ll take care of it. Why should I worry? I mean when you stop and think, it makes no sense for a believer, right? Oh yeah, but I don’t know how this is going to turn out. I don’t know what’s going to happen here I, so you worry about it, you still don’t know, but I can turn it over to the One who does know, who controls.

He tells me in Hebrews to come before His throne, it’s a throne of grace and he’ll give me what I need. You know we take it to the Lord and leave it there, so here’s where we’re going. You be anxious for nothing but in everything you turn it over to the Lord in prayer and you note you do that with thanksgiving. Well I can’t be thankful yet because I don’t know whether He’s going to answer my prayer. He will answer. I come with thanksgiving, Lord thank you that by Your grace, I am Your child, through faith in Jesus Christ. I belong to You. Your Spirit dwells in me. I’m bringing You the burden of my heart, and I tell Him what I desire. If I want the salvation of a child, or grandchild or friend, I can bring that to Him. If I would like the doctors to have the wisdom to cure me from this illness, He has the power to do that but I don’t come and tell God what to do. I don’t come and tell Him you must cure me of this or my testimony for You won’t be valuable.

Lord, I bring this to You, I’m thankful that You hear me. I am thankful You promise you will do what is good for me and You know far beyond my finite mind what is good and best for me, and I call upon You to give me the grace to handle what You decide is best. That’s thanksgiving. How can I come and not be thankful? The richest person in the world says come and tell me how much you need. I can meet that need. I’m sure they could. It’s not as marvelous as God saying I’ll meet your needs is. They’re all met in Christ that’s what He says. “Be anxious for nothing. Let your request be made know to God,” everything, the little things the big things. The little things I think I’ll handle if I work this and think, and then they gnaw away at me and they grow into big—no, you know what the promise is when you do this. “The peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will stand guard at your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” That’s what He says that’ll be the result, it is God’s peace that will stand guard at your hearts, and minds.

Paul could write about guards standing there. He had guards there with him. Be sure, house arrest but it’s arrest. You’re not going anywhere, and we are here to assure that doesn’t happen because if you do disappear, we will give our life for you. We won’t do that. That guard is protecting my heart from the assaults of the world, the worries of life. The anxieties, He’ll stand guard at my heart and my mind, my inner being. My mind protected. You know, we as believers we get into trouble because we go so fast, the next thing we know, we’re in trouble and we’re confused. Romans 12 says “I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice,” and so on to God and what? We have the renewing of our mind. By the renewing of our mind, verse 2 goes on; we know the will of God. He brings peace within and you know when I have peace within, whatever is going on around me, I’m doing fine. I have peace. You know it’s like you look at a little baby there sleeping during this period of time. It doesn’t matter the confusion going around. You sometimes look and say, “look at that, oblivious to the world” and they are and that’s where we are. Why should the world shake me, cause me any anxiety, the God who is sovereign over this world, I’m His child. He gives me His peace within.

We’re not done there is another command. “Finally, brethren” verse 8, and then jump down to the end of verse 8 for the command. “Dwell on these things.” Think on these things. Fill you mind with these things. What things? “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence, anything worthy of praise, fix your mind on these things.” You know like the song, “if you’re burdened with worries and care, take it to the Lord and leave it there.” That doesn’t mean I may not make plans. You know I don’t call and cancel my doctor’s appointment tomorrow because I’m going to leave it in the hands of the Lord or like that. No, but the concern about the outcome, what’s to be done. I do what I believe the Lord would have me do, what is wise to do, but it is in the Lord’s hands.

Paul functions as he knew God wanted him to function. He ends up in a prison in Rome. If I can put it this way, that’s God’s problem. It’s not a problem but from the standpoint nothings gone wrong. Paul shipwrecked on his way to Rome. Nothings gone wrong, as far as God’s plan for Paul is concerned, so the sin of man and the sin of others. You know I can clear my life out, how they mistreated Paul. It doesn’t matter, what matters is how Paul responds and functions, right? So, you think properly, “whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good reputation and anything that is worthy of excellence and praise.” Put your mind on this, that’s get ahold of it. We sometimes say well I want to rejoice in the Lord and I’m trying not to be anxious and I’ve told God about it, but if we’ve only done half of what He said, we still end up in anxiety and fear. Now He tells me what I’m to think about, I want to be honest, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and I get things on my mind and I can’t get back to sleep. The more I think about them the more awake I am and sometimes the more concerned I become. Here’s when I get up and go out get out my bible. I’ve turned it over to the Lord, now maybe I need to let the Lord talk to me. You know let your words be few. I open up, read some of the Psalms, read some of Proverbs, the practical side.

I woke up the other night, went out to read about two, two-thirty and read the Book of Job. Put my problems in perspective and at the end of Job, God telling him, what was this frustration about; did you ever cause the sun to rise in the morning? No, well then, what’s this all about, so sometimes you know what do we do? I’ve got to rethink my mind and sometimes you know, what shall I d? It’s just there and I’m trying to think of other things. Well, sometimes just opening up the Word. Once I’ve turned it over to the Lord, you know, “Lord, I’ve turned it over to You, it’s there, but sometimes, you know, what do I have to do to clear my mind? Well one of the best things to do is to go and let God talk to me. Where does He talk to me? In His Word. I come to Philippians chapter 4 and I say Lord this is true. I need to be thinking about the things that are right and honorable and pure and lovely and of good repute and things of excellence and worthy of praise. Things that have meaning as this and that. No God, you are in charge. You are sovereign. You promised You were a trustworthy God. You never fail so dwell on these things and, not done, there’s one more command here to put this package together.

Verse 9 “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things;” do them. What? What Paul’s written here for our benefit under the direction of the Spirit. Put it into practice put the word into practice “and the God of peace will be with you.” You note how he wraps that up. He tells us that the God of peace, verse 7 will be with you when you do the commands, so we can experience God’s peace, then he reminds us at the end. “Then the God of peace,” the God who brings peace. Only God can bring peace to my heart to my mind, to the inner person and that’s where I’m disturbed. Why are people depressed? Their life’s in turmoil, they’re uncertain, they’re afraid they don’t know if – it’s overwhelming.

Let me be clear. The unbeliever has reason to be discouraged, depressed. He has a hopeless life. A life that has no purpose beyond the futility of the emptiness of this life. It’s a life of despair. The way they get around it is filling their life with things that’ll distract them, but the reality of it is they lead hopeless, meaningless lives. That’s why I want to start, a person comes in having a problem, I say well let’s start, tell me how you came to know Christ. Oh, I’ve known Him a long time, I’ve—well you know somethings wrong and the people think and I joke, I present it, maybe overly simplistic, but it is simple here. What does God say that is complicated in these verses, these commands? “Stand firm in the Lord.” So, I am first, I’m firmly planted as God’s child, His truth, His word, His Spirit to rule my life. I’m to “rejoice in the Lord always.” Well are you rejoicing in the Lord? Not rejoicing that your child has cancer or your best friend died, that’s not the cause of your joy, you’re rejoicing in the Lord. Lord, I may not understand it, but I do rejoice in knowing You are sovereign. Your purpose for me has not been frustrated. Paul could rejoice as a Roman prisoner. Why? Not because he’s glad to be a prisoner. He rejoiced in the Lord, in the fullness of his salvation for him and in the knowledge that it’s the Lord at work in His circumstances, so I can have that all the time.

Am I functioning as I should? “Let my gentle spirit be known to all.” You know there’s certain things you can’t give on. Certain things you should give on, they’re just not that important. The truth of God’s word as He preferred, Paul doesn’t hesitate to call false teachers dogs, but we oughtn’t to be tearing each other apart in the church over incidental things or personal opinions and we oughtn’t to have anxiety. I mean what am I anxious for? You know what it all comes down to? We’re afraid God will not do what we want Him to do, because if I ask anybody, do you believe God is sovereign to accomplish His purposes? Oh, yes, yes, yes! Then what are we worried about? I’m worried He won’t do what I want Him to do. That He’s not trustworthy. Am I trusting in Him or myself? Am I satisfied that He’s God, and I’m in His care or do I want to be in charge? Lord, you know this is not what I was looking for, not the outcome I hoped for, not what I would have desired but You know what is best here. I rejoice in that and I could have no greater confidence than that, and I could have no greater peace to know that God is in control. That He is working His purpose, but Lord that drunk driver that brought such catastrophe to our family, there’s no excuse for them to be drinking and driving and I can be frustrated on that forever and it’s true, there’s maybe consequences there but that can’t throw me into anxiety. Oh, what it would have been like if they had just turned left instead of right. If this had only—I have not concern over that, I have no concern over the smallest things because I can’t change them. Worries, that doesn’t take away planning. I just walk, whatever God wills will happen, and I just go through life in a fog. No, we’ve seen we have responsibility.

Dwell on these things, practice these things, not just know about them. Practice them, not just know about them, fill your mind with them. That’s my solution. The world has mental problems because the world has spiritual problems. The world is in rebellion against the sovereign God who is the Creator, who is the Ruler. “There is no peace, says my God, to the wicked.” No enduring settled peace of heart and mind for the wicked. They are in rebellion against God. It’s amazing they get by as well as they do, so that’s why I don’t try to bring comfort to the unbeliever. It doesn’t mean I wouldn’t help them, but I have to start with the foundational thing. Yeah, your misery is real. Your fears are real. Your depression and discouragement, you have every reason to be depressed. I think you’re on your way to an eternal hell. You are the enemy of the living God. There’s reason to be depressed, discouraged, afraid but let me tell you about a God who is so gracious that He’s made provision for you to become His child and He promises to take care of you. “God will take care of you,” we sing. That’s a comfort. That’s a joy. That’s our blessing, as God’s children.

Let’s pray together: Thank You Lord for the riches of our salvation and Lord we acknowledge, often we fail to enjoy the fullness of the blessings You’ve provided for us in Christ. We take upon ourselves fears and anxieties and worries and discouragement, depression, because we fail to believe You, to trust You, and simply to do what You say. You are a God who can be believed. You are a God to be trusted, a God who cannot lie. A God who wants to bring Your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, the beauty of Your character into our lives. Lord we are blessed to live every day knowing that you care for us. You watch over us and you cause all things to work together for good for us, because You’re preparing us for the ultimate joy of the glory of Your presence. May that be reflected in our minds and in our actions each day of the week, we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.