Introduction: Paul is closing out the book of Philippians. In five more verses he will be saying "finally" (for the second time). The book has been full of encouragement:
If there is a central theme to the book of Philippians it is this - The life God has called us to is greater than any difficulty. Troubles cannot kill it. Circumstances cannot deny it to us. Limitations cannot limit it. God has made us for a life that transcends earthly restrictions.
It is in beginning to close out this thought that Paul writes.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
I know that sounds mighty lofty, but we are talking about God here. And just listen to verse seven!
Here near the close of this small book Paul gives us the secret to living beyond our limitations, and experiencing a life that defies our comprehension. Paul tells us to.
Rejoice always - no matter what!
To rejoice is to express joy. In the Bible joy is not circumstantial. Throughout this letter we have heard of all kinds of difficulties.
• Paul wrote it from prison, and likely faced death soon.
• The church faced the threat of persecution as well.
• There were false teachers around - some teaching legalism and others teaching grace as a license to sin.
• Some within the church were fighting among themselves.
In the middle of these circumstances Paul writes, "Rejoice!" In fact, six times in this letter Paul either says that he rejoices or he tells his readers to rejoice, no matter what their circumstances.
Robert J. Morgan said, "Happiness is an emotion, and joy is an attitude. Emotions come and go, but attitudes come and grow."
When I was in seminary I wrote a paper on the famous missionary C.T. Studd. Studd was a wealthy man, and a very famous cricket player. But he left it all to serve God in China . Once while traveling to China on a ship he met the captain who was an opponent of Christianity. The captain studied the Bible for the sole reason of arguing with the missionaries who frequently sailed on his ship. When he learned that Studd was aboard his ship, the captain lit into him. But instead of arguing with him, Studd put his arm around the captain and said, "But my friend, I have a peace that passeth all understanding and joy that nothing can take away." The captain finally replied, "You're a lucky dog," and walked away. Before the end of the voyage, he became a rejoicing believer in Jesus Christ.
The source of joy is gratitude for how much God loves us. When we really get it, when we really understand the completeness of God's love, joy is the natural result.
Joy is found in intimacy with God. Knowing Him, worshipping Him, experiencing Him.on a regular basis, will fill you with joy, which gives you the ability to rise above any circumstances.
A story is told about a couple of men walking past the palace of a king who often traveled away from home. One man remarked to the other, "Well, it looks like the king is home tonight." "How do you know?" asked the other. The man pointed up toward the royal house. "Because when the king is home," he said, "the castle is all lit up."
When God is at home in our hearts we light up. We express joy.
The presence of God in our lives is the secret to joy in our hearts and on our face.
Take a minute right now and think of what you have to be thankful for. Think of your life before Jesus and think of your life now. Think of where you might be if you had never met Jesus. Think of where you might wind without Him! Now think of how much He loves you. Think of how He is going to prepare a place for you. Think of the hundreds of promises in the Bible that belong to you. Can you feel any joy rising up within you?
Be gentle with people, because Jesus is coming back soon.
I don't think we like that word too much. Gentle. It sounds kin of wimpy. It makes me think of what the governor of California calls "girly men". Seriously, in the day of Wild at Heart Christians, where does gentleness fit in?
The New Testament meaning of the word gentle is not weak or effeminate. It really means not having to have your way .
Remember in chapter two Paul wrote that we should have the attitude of Jesus, who though He was God, let go of some of his rights as deity for a while, in order to benefit others.
We live in a "me first" world. As Americans we didn't invent selfishness, but we have working for a couple of hundred years to try to perfect it.
Jerry Bridges, in The Practice of Godliness wrote these five strategies for learning to be gentle:
Notice that Paul attaches this command to be gentle to a reminder that Jesus is coming back soon. The idea is not, ".and if you are caught not being gentle Jesus is going to kick your butt!" The idea is that since Jesus is coming soon, and all that people stress out over is going to pass away anyway, lighten up.
You don't have to have your way. Relax and let others be blessed. Let the idiots have the road. Quit counting the items in the cart ahead of you in the express lane. Let go of the jealousy you feel when you see someone else prospering.
Finally.
Replace worry with prayer.
John Wesley said, "I would no more worry than I would curse or swear." Alfred E. Newman said, What? Me Worry?"
Seriously, whatever you think of cursing or swearing, or John Wesley or Alfred E. Newman for that matter, Wesley's point was that they are all in the same category. Worry is sin, because worry is at heart a lack of faith. John R. Rice said that "Worry is putting question marks where God has placed periods."
The Bible is filled with promises that God hears and answers our prayers. But there is not one verse that indicates that he responds to our worries. God wants us to talk to Him about the things that concern us.
Here in verse six Paul mentions three words regarding prayer as a remedy to worry.
• Prayer is more than an action, it is an attitude. Prayer is not something we do from time to time. It is an attitude we walk in. In another place Paul said to pray without ceasing. This doesn't mean quit your job and spend all of your time on your knees. It means that you should pray all the time, anytime, anywhere.
Some people think that God doesn't want to hear about our petty concerns. Nothing could be further from the truth. God wants to hear abut everything! The silly things we worry about.the things we think he is not paying attention to.He wants to hear all about it.
• Petition refers to our specific concerns. God wants us to turn our worries into prayers. Instead of spending time worrying about what may happen God wants you to tell Him what you want to happen.
John Maxwell says that that faith is creating mental images of what you want to happen. Worry is creating mental images of what you don't want to happen.
Prayer is talking to God about what you are afraid might happen, and telling Him what you would like to see happen. He cares for you. He might not always respond to your prayers in exactly the way you want Him to. But if you do pray He knows how to deal with your worry.
According to Bill Hybels there are four possible responses God may have to our prayers:
. If the request is wrong, God says: No
. If the timing is wrong, God says: Slow
. If you are wrong, God says: Grow
. But if the request is right, the timing is right, and you are right, God says: Go!
• Thanksgiving is a wonderful remedy for worry. It is hard to worry when you being thankful. In fact, I think it is darn near impossible.
Taking time in our prayers to recall what we have to be thankful for, and saying thanks to God, puts our worries in perspective. God's past actions remind us that He is in charge of the future too, and that He knows how to handle it.
Take time to be thankful. It will help chase your worries away.
God doesn't want us to worry. He cares about all of our concerns. He wants is to care enough about them to not just worry, but take time to pray.
Conclusion: If we follow Paul's advice by rejoicing, being gentle, and turning worries into prayers.God offers us one of the most amazing promises in the Bible. Let's read verse seven together.
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
God promises that if we will rejoice no matter what our circumstances.if we will not insist on always having our way.if we will pray when we feel like worrying. God will give us peace that far outstrips our troubles. God will give us a life not limited to our circumstances - life beyond limitations.
I often pray this prayer for people, "God please give them the peace that goes beyond their ability to comprehend it. Give them a peace that doesn't even make sense in light of their circumstances."
But the reality is that the key to living that kind of life is right here in Philippians 4:-7 - Rejoice no matter what, don't always have to have your way, let prayer replace your worries. That is the key to life without limits. |
