Philippians 4:4-9

Praise the lord. We are in Philippians chapter 4 this morning. This is our last message in our summer prayer series next week. We will begin a series through the book of Ephesians. So I'm excited about that. It's going to be very powerful. Very very Meaty book the book of Ephesians then after that Ephesians will end Lord willing if everything goes as planned the last week of October and so then starting November all the way till Christmas we're going to do a very cool Christmas series, but it's not it's not like the Christmas sermons you've ever heard before I guarantee that. So I'll look out for that. It's going I'm really excited to start working on that. It's cool that like cuz I've been listening to Christmas music not like Rudolph or anything but like the actual Christmas music lately just to get myself in that zone of the birth of Jesus and all that means so Shelly's been annoyed but whatever. The Philippians chapter 4 as I was writing this sermon I could really feel the spirit like you ever had that experience. I don't know if you've written sermons, but maybe you're reading the Bible or journaling and you just feel the spirit flowing through you and you're like, it's so fluid. It's so you don't have to do anything digging into his word discovering a new peace from God in the gospel of God through the Prince of Peace Jesus our lord and I'll what some of you might not know is that most of my sermon preparation happens at work. It's in the break room. I sit there on my lunch. All right, my sermons on my laptop. It's not the most quiet peaceful place to study the word but it gets the job done either. I'm in the off or either. I'm at work or I'm in my basement office and the babies are upstairs screaming and Waylon, and I have to just power through that. It's it's not the easiest thing to try to concentrate on. Preaching on peace when all you hear is baby's screaming.

So are those preparing this message at work? It was going awesome. I was alone in the breakroom until three of the loudest most obnoxious cashiers came into the break room and started talking when they weren't talking they were yelling. You know, those people that when they talk they yell that's just their voice. That's the volume of the Hyundai just yell, you know the type they don't talk to yell. It's like their voice boxes on Max all the time and you can't lower it. Hey, yea, yea your relatives. So these ladies come in and they are talking about the most ridiculous about your pie relaxed to meditate and write about the peace of God and how we should go to God In Prayer in the he gives you this peace that passes all understanding and I was failing while I'm writing the servant. Well, I'm writing a sermon about peace. I'm annoyed beyond belief. I'm not at peace at all. And I didn't even realize my own hypocrisy in the moment. I felt like saying hey, can you be quiet I'm writing about God's peace. What a hypocrite I am at times, but I'm sure we're all we're all like this to some extent real Hypocrites and we failed in certain ways, but for me as much as it's for you. and all of them really are so we all need this Prince of Peace Jesus. We all need the reminder. He's our peace in all circumstances. God gave us a real life illustration. God gave me rather real life illustration of my need for this piece while preparing the preacher about its to rejoice in Christ and pray. He will give you the peace either the easy way. If you go to him in prayer or my case the hard way you'll believe so Philippians chapter 4 starting in verse for it's a rather short verse. But it is powerful than the last rejoice in the lord always again. I will say rejoice now. I preached on this sort of same topic. I think a month ago in Colossians, I think so, this is a little bit of a reminder little bit of the same idea but in a different way, so people have made a lot of money putting this on cops or t-shirts or t-shirts banners posters. It's on everything and there's nothing wrong with that. But what does it mean? What does it mean to rejoice in the Lord? Let's break it down Rejoice. We all know the word rejoice and needs to be happy to be joyful to be jubilant, but I want to frame it in a different way. Let's talk about sports how many people like sports here? Half the audience up. I kind of know Mike router bit. Some of us are sports fans and we know what it is to rejoice and victory your team wins. Yes, you feel great. It's exhilarating to watch a closed hockey game back and forth action golden hits and saves in the rivalries. Overtime games. Are are are fine, but bad for my blood pressure and when your team scores that game winning goal.

Almost like you did it, but you didn't you were sitting on the couch eating chips. What city Crosby scored that Golden Goal in overtime for Canada in the Olympics? Remember that? I told my father-in-law I said during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics I said is what's going to happen to mark my words Canada versus USA men's hockey. Sidney Crosby in overtime is going to win it. You're crazy. You're crazy. So game goes over time, right? So watch Crosby's in the score Crosby. So what do I do? If I literally jump so high I'm not exaggerating. I nearly hit my head on the roof. I was like, yes, I told you he would do it and he did it. I was pumped up the Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord. I think about the victory we have in Jesus. Are we so shallow? Because well, maybe not we am I so shallow. That I rejoice in a piece of rubber going into a Nats. Are pigskin crossing a line? But not in the Lord with the same Zeal talk about hit my head on the ceiling here every Sunday. In in in excitement in Jubilation. I should Sports victories are fleeting. They come and go one day. You're excited next dated losing your like never watching this team again.

The Paul goes a step further. He says rejoice in the Lord again. I say rejoice. Rejoice always this means living a christ-centered life keeping the gospel of grace always before us and rejoicing in the lord always who won the victory for us an eternal Victory. He defeated sin. He defeated death. You want eternal life for us and our worst enemies in this life of sin and death are abolished forever. We will stand it all the energy leads to death and there's nothing we can do to stop it. We are hopeless but Jesus won the victory he won the victory. We can't just will ourselves to not be Sinners. I've tried it doesn't work. Any more than we can Will ourselves not to die. We need a savior who can defeat sin for us and death in the good news is we actually have one in his name is Jesus Christ and told to Rejoice always in him in his victory every day. We can wake up in in rejoicing that overtime goal. times infinity Rejoice always in him, of course. He has given us abundant reason to Rejoice always.

Well, how do we rejoice in the bad times? Not all rejoicing is jumping up and down and cheering and throwing confetti in the air remember rejoicing in the Lord through rejoicing in the Lord is a deep Inner Light.

John Piper said God is most glorified in US. When we are most satisfied in him.

God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. It's always look like jumping up and down. It could look like maybe you're going through a loss in your you're sad, right? You lost someone and you said you know what God is enough. Jesus is enough for me that's rejoicing in the Lord that is being satisfied in the Lord more than anything else.

It's not putting on a fake smile and single praise the Lord. Everything's great. Now you can you can grieve you can be sad you can be upset but it's saying God Is Enough. Jesus is enough. He won the Victory and I will cling to that because of what he did on the cross. I know his grace is sufficient for me. That is what it is to rejoice in the Lord. It's the rejoice in Christ and what he did trusting him in the good and in the bad because of what the gospel tells us because of what he did. I can Rejoice I can have hope in any circumstance because if the cross tells me anything it's that God can and does horrible situations to bring about beautiful Resurrection Life. Isn't that wonderful? So then Rejoice let this be the foundation of our rejoicing Christ the lord and everything. He's done for us and everything. He is to us. So Rejoice always again. I say rejoice there's no religion on the earth. No ideology or hope that offers would Jesus Christ offers.

This is the foundation we stand on. Rejoice in that have hope always has no longer Paul tells us to rejoice in him because in Christ, we have everything we need. So always have this good news before you this piece that this gospel the Bible calls him the Prince of Peace. It's not just a Christmas thing. We rejoice in him because in him we have actual cause for joy and rejoicing in all situations good or bad that the peace of God Is Ours in Christ self. I should say how has God chosen to deliver the speech to us. The Bible tells us God's peace comes to us from Jesus as a result of his death and Resurrection through the pipeline of prayer. Look what he says in verse 5 5 until 7 He says let your reasonableness be known that everyone the Lord is at hand do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. He says let your reasonableness be known to everyone or phrase mean I could look this up in the Greek to understand it what it means is merciful. gracious the sense of the word is actually actually leniency pause instructing us to be gentle and lenient with one another and if you have to summon up in the word is patience. Don't be quick to cast someone away. Give up on them because of trivial things like a disagreement be reasonable. You patients be lenient my goodness. How many Christians have I met that have an unreasonable? It's astounding You have a theological disagreement with a brother or sister, or why don't you just listen to that? You want to jump all over and you don't have to become a raging lion? Let them make a case for why they believe what they believe and be humble enough to even change your views if they're right. Let everyone know your reasonableness. Let's be known as a reasonable person. Don't be like a stone or rigid and inflexible. Why well because Jesus is coming. He says the Lord is at hand. And what the implication is? Of the Eminence of the Lord's return is this we should not be anxious about anything.

But this isn't what we see among Believers a lot of times is it so many of us are anxious about is coming. He's coming at yesterday. I said, you know Revelation says the spirit the holy spirit in the bride the church say come Lord Jesus. So if you're not saying come Lord, Jesus was that implied. Will you not part of the Bride are you that's what the bride is saying in agreement with the spirits? We want our children to come to Jesus and be saved and get married and have a family and visit the Bahamas. We want so much and I get it. That's not bad to watch your children be saved. That's good. But those are not good reasons to delay. The Lord's coming if he's going to come let him come immediately right now. Let him figure this thing out. Paul tells us that the coming of Jesus should have the opposite effect on us not anxiety, but peace. Peace. Some of you will know I have an ongoing battle with anxiety and sometimes it's worse other times. It's it's not and it can be crippling and I'm well acquainted with what it feels like I can remember many instances as a new believer. The absolutely terrified of Jesus is coming don't come yet. I got to get married first at least least for a couple weeks. Then you can come and all this and I didn't say that but that's why I thought And as we see the world becoming more and more dark and anxiety can easily creep over our spirits and begin the crippled us. I have anxiety for my children growing up in a wicked generation not write a quote on Facebook recently and I forgot who said it but it said what one generation tolerates the next will embrace.

But look at tolerating transgender movement children's generation will be the one unless the Lord that something about it. It's something you might think you only think it's bizarre cuz you don't understand it. No, it's bizarre because it's in opposition to God's order. That's why it's bizarre has nothing to do with understanding its boys are boys are boys girls are girls and my heart becomes anxious when I see the government flirting with this idea of taking people's kids away because they refused to comply with this bizarre. ideology if I Sunset Daddy, I think I'm a girl. I would never comply with that.

You understand what I'm saying?

And I already know they're people thinking well, that's intolerant. Well, yeah it is. I will not tolerate dangerous. What's the word? What's we're looking for here? dangerous

It's dangerous. I can't think of the word. It's a moral. It's it's not good for the children.

I won't tolerate it. So what do parents do? What are we doing? About it young people. What are you to do about it? Well, how can we use these anxieties over the wickedness in our own backyards? Paul tells us it's simple pray.

when I see grown adult approving of their little girls taking testosterone injections in the arm or where they put it but I can get angry or I can pray. Those are my options to get angry or prey.

And I've often failed and I got angry and not prayed and it's really done. Nothing for nobody. So we need to pray in everything by prayer and supplication. Let your requests be made known to God pray pray pray and everything. Whatever the situation is pray. Sometimes we suffer from anxiety and not even know why we're feeling anxious pray. Prayer is the pipeline of Peace. He promises Us in his word. Let the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard that's like military language guard your hearts and Minds in Christ. When you pray there's a supernatural guard you put on your mind on your heart. I think the mind is actually more than just up here, but you know what I'm saying?

In the peace that passes all understanding will be yours in Christ. This is not a piece that can be Quantified. You know what that means. You can't put a number on it. You can't say while this piece has like levels like 5 10 15, you know, I'm at 15 piece or at 20 you can't count. This thing can't be Quantified. This is not a piece that a counselor can give you this another piece of the pill can give you this is this is something that you can't even understand. He said that passes understanding. This is a piece of many ways. That doesn't make much sense. You shouldn't really have it but you do. It's kind of Supernatural is the piece we need in this wicked World a piece that is actually outside of us. It doesn't originate in here it originates from another source, and it comes to us through prayer. That's what it means yet, even though we know it is Christ who died. For our peace and rose from the dead is still something of a mystery something which is beyond our human understanding and it comes to us through prayer. I mean, wow. Wow, think about the scriptures hear the promises in the scriptures. We long for them. We want peace, right? We want that all night if I could just have peace but then the scriptures just tell us how to get it and we just don't give you that got me something else who would love to bask in the peace of God, which passeth understanding anybody. Anybody interested in that thing piece I do. But I'm a hypocrite because I don't pray as I ought to instead of praying. I tried to devise plans. Okay, so I'm feeling anxious about this or that how can I not feel that way? So maybe if I like Put some essential oils on or something. I'll feel better. That's nothing wrong with that. But pray. Why don't you just pray? Why don't I just pray to God are your children lost? Are you worried about that will pray and what are you anxious about? I don't know only, you know, pray pray you won't understand it. But then I've experienced this when you pray God will just give you like a piece like where that come from. And it'll get you through cuz his grace is sufficient. It's yours in Christ. He says this piece is yours. It belongs to you in Christ giving it to you. What a wonderful promise. So Rejoice always another reason to rejoice and pray because prayer is his chosen pipeline to deliver to you this peace which surpasses all understanding understanding so finally here first 829. He says finally Brothers whatever is true. Whatever is Honorable, whatever is just whatever is pure whatever is lovely whatever is commendable. If there's any Excellence, there's anything worthy of Praise think about these things what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice. These things in the God of Peace will be with you. So last but not least the Apostle Paul deliver some Holy Spirit practical advice for living in this PC says finally Finally, I'm here think on these things whatever is true and honorable and just and pure and lovely and commendable anything. That's excellent anything. That's worthy of Praise think on these things. Follow me here. I'm about to get all philosophical. Okay. Those things that the word of God tell us to think on. Justice and Purity and all these things they all priests opposed to standard right by which to judge. How do you know something's lovely how do you know if something is pure how do you know if something is excellent? It's got to be a standard the judge. There is a truth a truth. Not many troops want. There can only be one truth or else there is no truth just opinions. And it's just a pinion and nothing we can know for certain. So now think with me for a second, we do know things for certain, right? So therefore there is a binding true that does not change and we know this truth to be who Jesus Christ. A lot of times we read this passage. We imagine trees and animals and nature and beautiful creation of God and how it's lovely and yeah, I think on those things absolutely think on those things. We should think on those things. We should Ponder The Works of his hands. So the Bible tells us and we should do it often. However, I believe Paul is referring to something more. Let me ask you who is true. Who is Honorable who was just who is pure who is lovely who is commendable who is excellent and who is worthy of praise? It's Jesus. The Apostle is instructing us to think about Jesus.

And all that he is. Now I know the scripture says to think on these things. However, it's accurate to say all these things find their ultimate fullness in the person of Jesus Christ. All that is beautiful and good is either Jesus himself or a reflection of Jesus himself. Nothing that Paul is instructing us to think on is lacking in Jesus. It's full in him. So think on him and thinking on him is actually a form of prayer that we called meditation and meditation gets a bad rap and Christianity differ good reason. I suppose meditation from the West right, you know, like like Hindus in the old guy Buddhism and all that kind of stuff in it. We think about you wait stop. Let me hear the word meditation my first exposure the meditation with was when I was actually in the New Age movement and I was taught to sit in silence and think on the things I wanted in life right try to attract Law of Attraction type of stuff money house Rolls Royce Phantom. Everything Prosperity preachers have I want it? So I meditate on these things I think on these things and meditation is not wrong in itself, but we can meditate on the wrong thing. I'm saying here. The scripture tells us to meditate to think tomorrow over the things of God in Jesus our lord. Do we desire peace? How can we have peace if we meditate on Folly? It's not going to happen. You have to meditate on the things of God. On Christ The Prince of Peace and everything he is all day long meditate on him pick up on him when the things I like to do is before I go to bed. I just lay in my bed and I think about heaven. I tried to think about what it's going to be like what it's what's going to be there how it's going to look and like you be amazed where God brings your mind to like now forgive me cuz you're going to be like it's going to sound very new age you but like a higher plane, you know where it's like woah eternal life. Peace, you know Prosperity all these things that God promises Us in heaven. Think on those things think on what it's going to be like to see him. Finally face to face with the Lord. You'll go from very depressed very happy like that. If you think on these things and I'll give you such a hoe. You're such a whole meditate on him all day long all day long. It's beautiful. It's wonderful. The problem is. We have what my teachers in school used to call stinkin thinkin. We got stinking thinking they were heard that term before our thinking is stinking. We think on the stinking stuff. How can I think on Jesus? How can how can he control my thoughts? That's what we should be doing. Yes. It's true. Many times has come to my house. I get that like we don't want to think on negative things but it just happens but it's then you have to renew your mind just be transformed by the renewal of your mind. think on the Lord You Have To Be Active and redirecting our thoughts to Christ and storing up scriptures in our hearts that overflow in our minds the word of God in the beauty of Christ. So as I finish up here, let's recap prayer Pray always Rejoice always think I'm Christ always. This is how God will deliver his incomprehensible. Peace to your heart. Don't get it twisted. You don't earn God's Peace by your works. So how it works prayer is just that pipeline that delivers his peace to you. Could God cut off that pipeline shirt, you won't because he promises he won't If you believe in Jesus is peace is yours. He says this is yours in Christ. But you have not why because you ask not.

Jesus did everything for you. He died for your sins Heroes for your justification and he did this to reconcile you to call you a brother to call you a sister. Could you imagine that when you when you close your eyes? Can you open them and Jesus is there and he says welcome brother. Welcome sister what God just called me his brother. Wow. Wow, this is a true and living relationship with the Living God. So be glad and rejoice always what good news we have. What can use we have that the God of Peace is eager and willing to give you his peace at this piece will guard your heart and your mind in Jesus Christ has defeated the enemy. of your peace Harold Lynn cell you said this Satan is neither omnipotent nor free to do everything. He pleases Prince of the world. He may be but the Prince of Peace has come in Delton a deathblow. Think on these things pray always because Jesus is Alive and he is Victorious.

Father thank you so much for your word your promise to us. In your son Jesus Christ how he has come and he stood toe-to-toe with the prince of the world. the evil one that all serpents and he dealt him the final blow. And now you say Lord that soon the God of Peace will put Satan under your feet. We tread serpents in the name of Jesus because of what you've done. So let us be marked by peace. Let us be marked by peace that comes from you. May we be praying people people who go to you for all things. We thank you for your provision and how you never put us to shame when we were lied on you. We've never said I prayed to the Lord and he didn't come through for me how you've always always come through for us for the glory of your name. So we thank you and we trust you and we love you as we continue the fellowship of her you be with us in May the saver and fragrance of Christ be in this place in Jesus name. Amen. So we're going to have some communion now, so don't leave yet.

If I can have some lovely volunteers. pass out someone juice here

But let me just have one here.

So if you're a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I can courage you to celebrate with us tonight or this morning. as we