Opening illustration: Two men were marooned on an Island. One man paced back and forth worried and scared while the other man sat back and was sunning himself. The first man said to the second man, "aren’t you afraid we are about to die." "No," said the second man, "I make $100,000 a week and tithe faithfully to my church every week. My Pastor will find me."
This morning we will not be looking to man or things for peace during worrying times in our lives for they are temporary and short-lasting. Let us turn to Philippians 4 in our Bibles and gather as how we can have peace during worrying times of our lives.
Introduction: Anxious also means being distracted, worried or concerned about …
The ‘PEACE’ expressed by the false prophets was absence of war or calamity (even going on today), a concept far removed from the OT SHALOM, which emphasizes wholeness or soundness. True peace involves complete fellowship with God and right relations with others. It has more to do with character and attitude than outward circumstances.
As a remedy against perplexing care, constant prayer is recommended. Not only stated times for prayer, but in everything by prayer. We must join thanksgivings with prayers and supplications; not only seek supplies of good, but own the mercies we have received. God needs not to be told our wants or desires; he knows them better than we do; but he will have us show that we value the mercy, and feel our dependence on him. The peace of God, the comfortable sense of being reconciled to God, and having a part in his favor, and the hope of the heavenly blessedness, are a greater good than can be fully expressed. This peace will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus; it will keep us from sinning under troubles, and from sinking under them; keep us calm and with inward satisfaction. Believers are to get and to keep a good name; a name for good things with God and good men. We should walk in all the ways of virtue, and abide therein; then, whether our praise is of men or not, it will be of God. The apostle is for an example. His doctrine and life agreed together. The way to have the God of peace with us, is to keep close to our duty. All our privileges and salvation arise in the free mercy of God; yet the enjoyment of them depends on our sincere and holy conduct. These are works of God, pertaining to God, and to him only are they to be ascribed, and to no other, neither men, words, nor deeds.
How to deal with worry in a stressful situation?
1. Prayer & Supplication (petition) (vs. 6) ~ By prayer - solemn application to God from a sense of want; Supplication - continuance in earnest prayer.
(a) Careful for nothing (withdrawing from anxiety) ~ The word used here – (merimnate) - does not mean that we are to exercise no care about worldly matters - no care to preserve our property, or to provide for our families; but that there is to be such confidence in God as to free the mind from anxiety, and such a sense of dependence on him as to keep it calm. Worry is sin. It means we are not trusting in God and His wisdom. Does He know better or do we?
(b) Thanksgiving ~ Thanksgiving connected with prayer. With thanksgiving, for innumerable favors already received; and for dangers, evils, and deaths turned aside. Thankfulness is offered as a spiritual sacrifice. It is given in combination with other spiritual sacrifices. As a spiritual sacrifice, thanksgiving can be offered in the form of a prayer and praise, which are almost inseparable and often offered together. Thankfulness is a peace offering (Leviticus 7:11-13). It produces peace (I Timothy 2:1-2).
(c) Requests ~ And let your souls be found in this exercise, or in the disposition in which this exercise can be performed, at all times, on all occasions, and in all places. This is not a grocery list but coming to God by praying vocally or mentally with groans and sighs just like Hannah was praying in the temple. Just like Samuels mom prayed in the temple when asking for a kid.
Results (vs. 7)
(a) Presence of exceeding Peace ~ better than, opposite of disorder,
That is, which surpasses all that people had conceived or imagined. The expression is one that denotes that the peace imparted is of the highest possible kind. The language here is that which one would use who designed to speak of that which was of the highest order. The Christian, committing his way to God, and feeling that he will order all things aright, has a peace which is nowhere else known. No confidence that a man can have in his own powers; no reliance which he can repose on his own plans or on the promises or fidelity of his fellow-men.
(b) Peace guards (protect) your heart ~ The word used here (shall guard) is a military term, and means that the mind would be guarded as a camp or castle is as a garrison does a city. It would be preserved from the intrusion of anxious fears and alarms. Your hearts - Your affections. This shall keep them from anxiety and agitation.
© Peace guards (protect) your mind ~ Protecting your understandings, and all the various workings of them; through the Spirit and power of Christ Jesus, in the knowledge and love of God. Without a guard set on these likewise, the purity and vigor of our affections cannot long be preserved. The idea is, that by thus making our requests known to God, and going to him in view of all our trials and wants, the mind would be preserved from distressing anxiety. The way to find peace, and to have the heart kept from trouble, is thus to go and spread out all before the Lord.
Illustration: I heard a story about a train traveling through the night in a very violent rainstorm. The lightning flashes were almost blinding, the rain hitting the windows was deafening and the strong gust winds rocked the train from side to side. When the lightning flashed and lighted up the darkness, the passengers could see the rising water along the tracks. This created terror in the minds of the passengers. Several passengers noted that through all the noise, lightening and wind, one of the passengers, a little girl, seemed to be at perfect peace. The adult passengers couldn’t figure out why the little girl was so calm during all this excitement. Finally, one passenger asked her, “How is that you can be so calm when all the rest of us are so worried about what might or could happen?” The little passenger smiled and said, “My father is the engineer.”
2. Meditate on (vs. 8) ~ [Prioritizing things to meditate upon in the order given here]
(a) True (genuine) things ~ Truth in word, in action, and in thought, must be cherished. Christ is THE TRUTH. Being true to everything, everybody, every relationship etc. True intentions …
(b) Noble (honorable) things ~ Whatever is worthy of reverence.
© Just (righteous) things ~ Godly character, an upright life, all that we owe to God, to our neighbors, and to ourselves. Honest dealings.
(d) Pure (holy) things ~ Whatsoever is chaste. In reference to the state of the mind, and to the acts of the body.
(e) Lovely things ~ Such deeds as spring from love and inspire love in others. A Christian must avoid being sour, crabby, or irritable in his / her temper.
(f) Good report ~ Whatsoever things the public agree to acknowledge as useful and profitable to men; such as charitable institutions of every kind, in which genuine Christians should ever take the lead. A life of which no evil thing can be truthfully said.
(g) Virtuous (moral excellence) things ~ Paul did not suppose that he had given a full catalogue of the virtues which he would have cultivated. He, therefore, adds that if there was anything else that had the nature of true virtue in it, they should be careful to cultivate that also. The Christian should be a pattern and an example of every virtue ~ opposite to vices.
(h) Praiseworthy things ~ anything worthy of praise or that ought to be praised. Not that Christians should make men’s praise their aim, but they should live so as to deserve men’s praise.
3. Observing Godly examples (vs. 9a)
(a) Study ~ by experiencing, learned from Paul’s preaching and writings.
(b) Accept ~ by receiving by faith, as a revelation from God.
© Witness ~ to notice and recognize, from my preaching, and that of those who labored with me; and heard from me, in my private communications with you; and heard of me from other Churches.
Result (vs. 9b):
(i) Presence of the God of Peace upon your life ~ Paul here is pursuing the course of life which he had led, and which he here counsels them to follow, had found that it had been attended with the blessing of the God of peace, and he felt the fullest assurance that the same blessing would rest on them if they imitated his example. To give that peace which is beyond the conception of a natural man, and the expression of a spiritual one, and is the great preservative through Christ; and to enable to do and to continue to do the above things, and to keep them from all harm, and every enemy of their souls; to favor them with his gracious presence here, and with endless peace hereafter.
Illustration: On December 7, 1941, a Japanese war plane piloted by Mitsuo Fuchida took off from the aircraft carrier Akagi. Fuchida led the surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Through the war years to follow, Fuchida continued to fly—often narrowly escaping death. At war’s end, he was disillusioned and bitter.
A few years later, he heard a story that piqued his spiritual curiosity: A Christian young woman whose parents had been killed by the Japanese during the war decided to minister to Japanese prisoners. Impressed, Fuchida began reading the Bible.
As he read Jesus’ words from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34), he understood how that woman could show kindness to her enemies. That day Fuchida gave his heart to Christ. Becoming a lay preacher and evangelist to his fellow citizens, this former warrior demonstrated “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7)—a peace enjoyed by those who have trusted Christ and who “let [their] requests be made known to God” (v.6).
Have you found this peace? No matter what you have gone through, God makes it available to you.
Application: Not simply peace... but the God of peace will be with you. Ultimately this is about God dwelling with you. He wants you to be holy, pure, right. Will you trust Him and not worry? Will you pray about everything in your life? Will you meditate on the Word of God? And finally, will you practice, will you do, what God calls you to do?
True peace is not the absence of war; it is the presence of God.
