Christ-Centered Life Sermon I: Replacing Anguish With Joy And Peace Series

CHRIST AT THE CENTER OF OUR LIVES OVERCOMES ANGUISH WITH JOY AND PEACE

Thank the Lord for good and gracious folks whose paths have crossed yours and mine – in my case, during sixty-five years of ministry and marriage!

For you, as it was for me and mine, there must have been that one place dear to your hearts --- a special place that meant more to you than words can tell.

That place for my family was the little town of Vinton in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where, into the lives of a young couple just getting started in ministry, marriage and parenting, there came wonderful new friends who soon became our new family!

Joy and peace were experienced there as we ministered to saints and sinners alike in that pleasant community - just a short drive to one of the most serene places on earth – the Peaks of Otter – high up on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Through the years, after being called to serve in places elsewhere, we kept in touch . . . were included in special events and family celebrations . . . shared joys and sorrows.

As we all reflect on close ties we’ve experienced in life, we can better understand, and relate to, that unique bond between the Apostle Paul and the fellowship of believers at Philippi! Philippians 1:3-11 . . .

No wonder Paul once referred to those folks as “my joy and my crown”!

Toward the end of his letter to the Church at Philippi, Paul volunteered words of wise counsel to two of his former partners in ministry there; apparently he felt the need to lecture them about getting their act together. All we know about the two women he mentioned (4:2-3) is their names – Euodia and Syntyche. The summary of their life’s story was: they quarreled . . . Suppose all that was ever said about your life was that you and a sister (brother) in Christ quarreled?

Obviously, Paul felt “put out” with these two Christians because of their unwillingness to resolve differences amicably, but he decided to “brush aside” their quarreling and focus instead on the positive aspect of how Christians ought to live: in joy – a frame of mind and state of being which would preclude wasting time on quarreling.

“So, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, considering all that God has done, is doing, and will do (your past, present, and future of living in joy), here’s what I say to you: Rejoice in the Lord at all times. Let me say it again:

Rejoice! Let your moderation (gentleness) be known to everyone. After all, the Lord is near”: Philippians 4:4-5 . . .

Folks, how near to you is the Lord? Isn’t He as near to you spiritually as is your physical heart that beats within you?

Think about it: You have “the joy” - the love of Jesus, the peace that surpasses understanding at the very core of your spiritual being. His Presence is promised to all who invite Christ into their hearts, and let Him be in control . . . influences us . . . encourages us . . . motivates us to be gentle in spirit in interactions with everyone.

Christian joy is independent of all material and temporal things in your life because real joy has its source in the constant Presence of Christ . . . “There is never a day so dreary, there is never a night so long, but the soul that is trusting Jesus will somewhere find a song. Wonderful, wonderful Jesus, in the heart He implants a song: a song of deliverance, of courage, of strength, in the heart He implants a song.”

A born-again Christian (Christian in nature, not in name only) never loses real joy because such a Christian never loses sight of Christ as author and finisher of our faith. One’s focus may get a little blurry every now and then due to distractions that cloud thinking, but the constant Presence of Christ is always there to prompt us to regain our focus.

Even though sitting in prison, distracted by all the negatives swirling about him, constantly chained to a Roman guard, the joy never left Paul because of the constant presence of Christ. He focused on Jesus despite his difficulties!

In good times and bad, the nearness of the Lord, plus a close relationship to Him, brightens the path and lightens the load. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me.”

It’s those darn “shadows” that cause folks to worry a lot. Much of what we worry about never materializes the way we “knew” it would. Mark Twain again: “I’m an old man, and I have known many problems in my life, most of which never happened