Praise the Lord Anyway!
Phil. 4:4-7
Little Johnny and Susan proudly walked into the house with a new house plant they had bought for their mother. “We even used our own money,” Johnny said. But then, Susan, with a sad face replied, “There was a bouquet that we wanted to give you that was real pretty, but it was too expensive. It had a ribbon on it that said, ‘Rest in Peace,’ and we thought it would be just perfect since you are always asking for a little peace so that you can rest.” (Source unknown)
(cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh) “My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I’ve finished 2 bags of chips and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.”
Please turn with me to Phil. 4:4-7. Last week, we looked at resolving conflict.
•Today, we’re going to discover how to have real, lasting peace today.
I know that sounds too good to be true, especially in this day and age, but this time, it is.
Prayer
As is common with most of Paul’s letters, he closes with a list of various commands.
•Kind of like leaving a list for the babysitter (medicine in fridge, bedtime at 8, night-light, etc.).
That having been said, there’s still a common theme throughout these instructions.
What strikes me about these commands is that they slap us in the face of reason.
•They go against everything our natural inclination/human nature tells us.
Let me explain as we look at each command individually.
(My apologies to Warren Wiersbe for borrowing his idea of the “Be” commands.)
I. BE JOYFUL!
4REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS (at all times, in all things).
•And just in case you missed it - I WILL SAY IT AGAIN: REJOICE! He actually says it 8x.
Phil. 3:1 FINALLY, MY BROTHERS, REJOICE IN THE LORD!
Now hold it a minute. How can we rejoice always? What about the stuff we have to face?
•How can I rejoice when I’m battling cancer or my marriage is failing or I’m overwhelmed by debt or I’m all alone?
How can we rejoice in the midst of suffering?
Don’t you hate it when people quote Rom. 8:28 to you?
AND WE KNOW THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD WORKS FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM...
Yeah, right! Easy for them to say.
But do you know why do we dislike that verse and have trouble with this one?
•Because our human nature says just the opposite.
•Our human nature says when we’re suffering/struggling, we have a right to complain.
•We deserve to feel miserable. We deserve the joy/pride of wallowing in self-pity.
•What do they know about suffering? They don’t know what I’m going through.
Let me ask you this. Did Paul know anything about suffering/trials?
•Next to Jesus, he suffered more than any other person in the NT!
•He’s writing this letter from a cold, dark prison cell!
•He, more than anyone, is qualified to speak to us about rejoicing in our suffering.
Phil. 2:17 BUT EVEN IF I AM BEING POURED OUT LIKE A DRINK OFFERING ON THE SACRIFICE AND SERVICE COMING FROM YOUR FAITH, I AM GLAD AND REJOICE WITH ALL OF YOU.
Rom. 5:3-4 WE ALSO REJOICE IN OUR SUFFERINGS, BECAUSE WE KNOW (from experience) THAT SUFFERING PRODUCES PERSEVERANCE; 4PERSEVERANCE, CHARACTER; AND CHARACTER, HOPE.
Mt. 5:12 (when you’re persecuted) REJOICE AND BE GLAD, BECAUSE GREAT IS YOUR REWARD IN HEAVEN, FOR IN THE SAME WAY THEY PERSECUTED THE PROPHETS WHO WERE BEFORE YOU.
No matter what you’re facing, be joyful. REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS (no exceptions).
That doesn’t mean walking around with a big smile saying, “Praise the Lord”.
•It means an attitude of gratitude, rejoicing in God’s goodness through it all.
II. BE GENTLE!
5LET YOUR GENTLENESS BE EVIDENT (known) TO ALL. This takes joy a step further.
(BKC) – “Joy, an inner quality in relation to circumstances, may not always be seen; but the way one reacts to others—whether in gentleness or harshness—will be noticed.”
Don’t return evil for evil. Take the high road.
Again, this slaps in the face of human nature.
•When someone cuts us off, we get angry. When someone cuts us down, we cut back.
•An eye for any eye. You mess with me, I’ll mess with you.
Not if you’re a believer. Not if you expect to discover God’s incomprehensible peace.
When nature/society tells you to retaliate, God says to be gentle/show kindness.
III. BE SECURE!
THE LORD IS NEAR. Scholars differ as to just what Paul meant.
•Some say this means His return is near. Others say He’s nearby, in our presence.
Either way, it doesn’t matter.
We are to be joyful and gentle and all these other commands because Jesus is here now and He’s coming soon to make everything right.
•That thought alone brings us great security.
Heb. 13:5-6 “NEVER WILL I LEAVE YOU; NEVER WILL I FORSAKE YOU.” 6SO WE SAY WITH CONFIDENCE,“THE LORD IS MY HELPER; I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT CAN MAN DO TO ME?”
Be secure, because the Lord is near. He’s not leaving you hanging out to dry.
IV. BE RELAXED!
As if the previous commands were tough to comprehend, this one’s even tougher.
6DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING… Lit. “Stop being anxious”.
Stop worrying, being concerned, troubled with care.
This doesn’t mean that we aren’t concerned or that we don’t care.
It means we don’t take that concern too far and let it fester into worry/anxiety.
Now how on earth can we stop being anxious with all the stuff that piles on us?
•The same way Paul did. By finding refuge/strength/grace in our Lord.
1 Pet. 5:7 CAST ALL YOUR ANXIETY ON HIM BECAUSE HE CARES FOR YOU.
This isn’t an automatic thing. It takes work. Lots of it.
•It takes overcoming our human nature that says just the opposite.
In all the stress/anxiety of life, be relaxed. Stop being anxious. How do we do that?
V. BE PRAYERFUL!
BUT IN EVERYTHING, BY PRAYER AND PETITION (supplication),
“Take it to the Lord in prayer.” Everything. All the hurt/pain/fear/loneliness/anxiety.
Why do people suffer?
I believe one key reason why God allows suffering is to draw us closer to Him.
There are people here who have personally experienced God’s amazing grace and comfort that other people have never known, all because of your suffering.
2 Cor. 12:8-9 THREE TIMES I PLEADED WITH THE LORD TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME. 9BUT HE SAID TO ME, “MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU, FOR MY POWER IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS.” THEREFORE I WILL BOAST ALL THE MORE GLADLY ABOUT MY WEAKNESSES, SO THAT CHRIST’S POWER MAY REST ON ME.
When you’re suffering, prayer may be the last thing on your mind.
•But if you’re going to find God’s peace thru the trial, it needs to be the first thing.
As if the previous commands weren’t irrational enough, Paul takes it a step further.
VI. BE THANKFUL!
WITH THANKSGIVING, PRESENT YOUR REQUESTS TO GOD. (let your requests be made known)
Now hold it. It’s bad enough to rejoice and be gentle when I’m suffering.
•It’s hard enough to be relaxed and not anxious when my mind tells me otherwise.
•Now you’re telling me to be thankful for my pain, my trials, my fears? Not exactly.
We don’t have to thank God for our trials, but we do need to thank Him thru our trials.
•We need to thank Him for being our Rock/Refuge, a very present Help in trouble.
•We need to thank Him for His promises, like Rom. 8:28.
•We need to thank Him for the privilege of suffering for Him, if that’s the case.
•We need to thank Him for allowing us to discover His love/mercy/comfort firsthand.
•We need to thank Him for answered prayer, even if He hasn’t answered yet.
Dan. 6:10 NOW WHEN DANIEL LEARNED THAT THE DECREE HAD BEEN PUBLISHED, HE WENT HOME TO HIS UPSTAIRS ROOM WHERE THE WINDOWS OPENED TOWARD JERUSALEM. THREE TIMES A DAY HE GOT DOWN ON HIS KNEES AND PRAYED, GIVING THANKS TO HIS GOD, JUST AS HE HAD DONE BEFORE.
6DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING, BY PRAYER AND PETITION, WITH THANKSGIVING, PRESENT YOUR REQUESTS TO GOD.
Be joyful, be gentle, be secure, be relaxed, be prayerful, be thankful, even and especially when it flies in the face of our human nature and what the world expects.
What’s the result of this irrational, other-worldly way of thinking?
VII. BE CONTENT!
7AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING (surpasses comprehension), WILL GUARD (garrison, protect) YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS.
This is the message of Philippians. It’s the message of the Gospel.
God’s perfect peace is the antidote to anxiety.
Eph. 2:14 FOR HE HIMSELF IS OUR PEACE, WHO HAS MADE THE TWO ONE AND HAS DESTROYED THE BARRIER, THE DIVIDING WALL OF HOSTILITY,
Rom. 5:1 THEREFORE, SINCE WE HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED THROUGH FAITH, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST,
And isn’t that really what we all want anyway? Peace in the midst of the storm.
How can we discover God’s perfect peace?
Ps. 5:11-12 BUT LET ALL WHO TAKE REFUGE IN YOU BE GLAD; LET THEM EVER SING FOR JOY. SPREAD YOUR PROTECTION OVER THEM, THAT THOSE WHO LOVE YOUR NAME MAY REJOICE IN YOU. 12FOR SURELY, O LORD, YOU BLESS THE RIGHTEOUS; YOU SURROUND THEM WITH YOUR FAVOR AS WITH A SHIELD.
Some of you have personally experienced God’s peace that passes understanding.
Illus. Violet waiting for Dick’s surgery:
•“Normally, I would be frantic and anxious and beside myself.”
•“But I know people are praying and I know God is here and I have peace.”
The expected response to persecution/trouble/pain is anxiety/stress/despair.
•Experiencing God’s perfect peace through the trial is beyond our comprehension.
•And it’s more than wonderful.
Paul isn’t just throwing us “pie in the sky” theology here.
•He’s not just saying, “Don’t worry, be happy”.
He knows exactly what suffering is all about and he knows exactly what God’s peace thru the suffering is all about.
Paul has discovered what every aching heart desperately longs for – real, lasting, perfect peace, the peace of God that passes understanding.
Some of you here may be thinking this is impossible.
•With what I’m facing, there’s no way that I can rejoice and be gentle/relaxed/thankful.
•There’s no way I can thank God or even pray to Him after what He’s dealt me.
•There’s no way I can give up my anxiety or anger or bitterness. The pain is too great.
Allow me to show you a different perspective.
Illus. Let’s say you were convicted of a serious crime and you were facing anywhere from 10 years to life. It was up to the judge to determine your punishment.
•If he handed down a 10 year sentence, would you be grateful? Would you “rejoice”?
How does what we get compare with what we deserve?
The truth is, we all deserve much worse than we get.
•We’re all fallen sinners who live in fallen, sinful world. We’ve all broken God’s laws.
•Suffering is a direct result of sin; maybe not directly our sin, but sin in the world.
We all deserve to get cancer, to suffer loss, to endure pain. We all deserve hell.
•But God in His grace chose to save us and spare us the total suffering we deserve.
Not only that, but because He loves us, He comes alongside us to carry us thru the pain.
We would never comprehend God’s grace/mercy/love/peace if we didn’t suffer.
That’s why Paul is able to say, “Rejoice in the Lord always”.
That’s why Job was able to say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
That’s why David was able to say, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
That’s why Jesus says in Jn. 14:27, PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU; MY PEACE I GIVE YOU. I DO NOT GIVE TO YOU AS THE WORLD GIVES. DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED AND DO NOT BE AFRAID.
It’s not easy, it’s not “natural” to rejoice/relax when the storms rage all around us.
•But as believers, we can find incredible, incomprehensible peace if we do just that.
4REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS. I WILL SAY IT AGAIN: REJOICE! 5LET YOUR GENTLENESS BE EVIDENT TO ALL. THE LORD IS NEAR. 6DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING, BY PRAYER AND PETITION, WITH THANKSGIVING, PRESENT YOUR REQUESTS TO GOD. 7AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS.
By the way, you can’t have the peace of God unless you know the God of peace.
Bumper Sticker: “No God. No peace. Know God. Know peace.”
The Bottom Line: Perfect peace is only possible when we pursue the Prince of Peace.
Maybe it’s time you gave your struggles to God.
Maybe it’s time you listened to His still small voice instead of your own raging voice.
Maybe it’s time you became joyful, gentle, secure, relaxed, prayerful, thankful, content.
Prayer/Invitation (call out to Him, cast your cares on Him)
Hymn 627 Cares Chorus
2 Thes. 3:16 NOW MAY THE LORD OF PEACE HIMSELF GIVE YOU PEACE AT ALL TIMES AND IN EVERY WAY. THE LORD BE WITH ALL OF YOU.
Power Point and Sermon Outline are available by emailing the author.
