Seven Choices To a Fully Fueled Faith
Philippians 4:4-13
John Maxwell said, “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.”
As we have studied Philippians we have noted the choices that make us into disciples of Jesus.
To live in the shadow of His return.
To never let challenges keep us from following him.
To set our thinking to be like His and live for Jesus.
To be influential as we shine like stars in the universe.
To Press on toward the prize, standing firm in Christ.
Today we conclude our series by thinking about how the choices we make can give us a fully fueled faith.
There are seven choices in our text and I want us to think about how to make these choices to help us live a life of faith today.
1. Choose Joy
(4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! )
One dozen times in four chapters Paul writes of joy /rejoicing. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5. Joy is ours always because it is based on our relationship with God, not our outward circumstances.
Holladay: Philippians is called the letter of joy …But right alongside that joy we’ve also seen the imprisonment of Paul, the jealousy of the Christians, the threat of execution, a sickness almost to the point of death, deprivation, spiritual danger, betrayal, and failure. This is a reminder that joy is not having perfect circumstances. … Joy is applying God’s truth and power to our imperfect and sometimes terrible circumstances and realizing that God is right there in the midst of the storm.
What brings us joy if there is turmoil in our lives? What does Christ give us? Salvation, truth, fellowship, hope, he loves me!
We can Choose joy because of our relationship to Christ - beyond our outward circumstances.
2. Choose to be Gentle.
(4:5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. )
NLT: Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.
Gentleness is also a fruit of the spirit.
The character of gentleness is that other people can see it.
Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
1 Timothy 6:11 … pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
Swindoll: Let things go. Yield to others. Extend a hand of grace to brothers and sisters in Christ. Let insignificant things slide. Accept differences.
3. Choose to Pray.
(4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. )
Would you agree that worry steals your joy? … a study found that only 8 percent of what we worry about is of any legitimate concern. The other 92 percent is imagined, never happens, or is completely out of reach. (Holladay)
Worry can be difficult to overcome, but one way that Paul teaches us to do that is by prayer. Five times in Philippians he mentions Prayer/praying.
M. R. Vincent (Barclay): Peace is the fruit of believing prayer. Three teachings about prayer here:
-We can take everything to God in prayer.
-We can bring our requests for ourselves / others to God.
-Our prayers should be characterized by thanksgiving.
Peace comes when when we devote ourselves to prayer.
4. Choose Peace.
(4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.)
Three qualities of Gods’ Peace:
A peace that passes understanding. Barclay: …Man’s mind, with all its skill and all its knowledge and all its understanding, can never contrive it or find it or produce it. It is utterly and entirely beyond man’s ability to obtain by himself.
A peace that guards our hearts. The word that Paul uses … is the military word for standing on guard.
A peace that has it’s source in God. Peace can never be found in our own efforts, but is abundant when we find it in God.
Colossians 1:20 …making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace....
5. Choose to Think Right.
(4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. )
We have a choice as to where our mind lives. There are a lot of dark corners and disturbing places for our minds to dwell. They will steal our joy and peace - everything we want from the Lord.
Instead, we need to focus on the things of God. Ralph Walkdo Emerson said, “A man is what he thinks about all day long.”
Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) says “You will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.”
6. Choose Contentment.
(11-12 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. )
As Paul teaches here, contentment has nothing to do with accumulation of possessions or riches.
1 Timothy 6:6 …Godliness with contentment is great gain. … But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
7. Choose Jesus
(13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.)
Lockhart: Here are Paul’s most famous words - the best known verse in Philippians and the supreme and comprehensive message of the chapter.
The person who walks with Christ and lives in Christ can cope with anything.
Are you following after Christ in your life? Have you been baptized into Christ?
Conclusion
John Maxwell was right when he said, “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.”
Choose Joy, Gentleness, Prayer, Peace, Right Thinking, and Contentment.
Those choices spring from one choice: Choose Jesus.
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Video of this message can be viewed on our YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/ForsytheChurchofChrist
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Discussion Questions for Philippians 4:4-13
1. How could it be possible to rejoice always? What’s one thing you could do to get closer to that goal?
2. How can gentleness be made “evident to all” (vs 5)?
3. How have you seen prayer replace anxiety with a sense of God’s peace? Can you recall a specific time you
experienced this?
4. As you look at the eight qualities in verse 8, which work best to help you refocus your thoughts?
5. Verse 9 was not covered in the sermon. After reading verse 9, what do you think Paul is encouraging us to put into practice? How would you follow that instruction? What is the promised result?
6. What is Paul’s “secret of being content” (vs 12). How did he learn this secret? In what situations are you least likely to be content? How can Paul’s secret be applied to your situation? What would you say is necessary to being content?
7. What are some things the Philippians could have been worried / anxious about?
8. Was there anything else in this text you wanted to talk about today?
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Resources
Barclay, William. The Daily Bible Study Series: The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. Westminster Press, 1959.
Holladay, Tom. Philippians: The Eight Places Joy is Won or Lost. Pastors.com, 2015.
Lockhart, Jay and David L. Roper. Truth for Today Commentary: Ephesians and Philippians. Resource Publications, 2009.
Merida, Tony and Francis Chan. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary: Exalting Jesus in Philippians. B&H, 2016.
Swindoll, Charles R. Swindoll’s Living Insights: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Tyndale, 2017.
