Philippians 4:7; The Prince of Peace II

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Picking up where we left off last week; how does the peace of God guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus?  Let’s take a look.

When a challenging issue crops up, we have two choices: take it to God or don’t take it to God.  Let’s start with what happens when we deal with things apart from God.  You probably know this already, but when we face struggles, the enemy sees an opportunity to attack. It can go something like this:

“Wow, this area of your life is really tough, why not focus on other things for a while? School, friends, entertainment, anything will do.”  And you ignore the problem instead of dealing with it.

Then he says, “Hmmm…it isn’t getting better. Why isn’t anyone helping you?” You start to doubt your friends and family.  Anger walks in. 

And then he says, “No one is helping you because no one cares for you.”  Self-pity and fear creep in. 

And then he says, “It’s probably not going to get better and you know what?  Try this, it will actually make you feel better!”  And maybe you do – and maybe you do feel better for a short time, but the issue comes right back, worse than before.  Resignation enters and possibly addiction too. 

And then he says, “You are a mess!  No way God would ever love anyone like you.”  Despair sets in.  Your heart and mind have been compromised and peace is beyond comprehension.

Does that scenario sound familiar?  The enemy is more cunning than we can imagine and his goal is to DESTROY you!  He will not play fair or follow the rules.  That is why we so desperately need the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds.  What does that look like? 

How about this?  A challenge arises and you take it directly to God.  Whenever worry or anxiety or frustration comes in, you use it as a reminder to give that situation over to God.  And every time you do that, you thank God for His grace and faithfulness. You begin to realize that the more you focus on Jesus, the more at peace you feel. 

Your situation might not be any better, but YOU are better.  You have a sense that things are going to be okay, even if things are really tough.  And your heart and mind are protected because you are focused on Jesus which leaves no room for the enemy to attack.

Jesus says, “In this world you will have trouble.”  If trouble isn’t already here, it’s coming.  But He also says, “Take heart for I have overcome the world.”  Jesus doesn’t say that He will immediately fix all your troubles; it is often those very troubles that drive us to Him. 

And it is then that we learn how to live a faithful life in the midst of troubles which is where the peace that passes understanding resides.  And that is much more valuable than just having your troubles disappear.  Because like it or not, more troubles are coming – Jesus empowers us to overcome!

I won’t say that keeping your eyes on Jesus during a trial is easy, but it is the only way you will have peace consistently in your life.  And that is well worth the effort!

“God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.  There is no such thing.” – CS Lewis

Philippians 4:6; Anxiety

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” 

I realize I could say this about a lot of verses, but if we REALLY believed this truth AND lived our lives accordingly – the world would be a very different a place.  And if the world didn’t become a better place, at least we (as individuals and the church) would be much different and that would be miracle enough.  Let’s work from back to front with this verse. 

“…with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Because we can present our requests to God, we are thankful – or should be thankful.  Our prayers and requests are heard by an all-loving and all-powerful God who is heavily invested in each of us.  Not only does God hear us, but He is faithful to answer our prayers.  Not always the way we want Him to, but God always hears and He always answers our prayers.  And if He doesn’t answer the way you want Him to – it’s for your own good.  God knows best!

“…but in every situation, by prayer and petition…”

Not only can we pray to a loving God, but we can pray at any time in any situation. God doesn’t only listen to us when we are good and faithful.  He listens to us when we are angry, lost, and confused just as faithfully as when we are joyful, thankful and focused. “Every situation” also reminds us that nothing is too hard for God – whatever you are going through – He can handle it. (Note: unconfessed sin hinders prayers, as well as other sin issues, but that is a discussion for another day.)

“Do not be anxious about anything…”

We are thankful because our loving God hears our prayers and acts on our behalf in every situation.  What do we have to be anxious about?  Nothing!  Do not be anxious about anything.  That means ANY thing.  Worried about school?  Don’t be.  Anxious about terrorists?  God is in control.  Money troubles?  The cattle on a thousand hills are God’s and He loves to give good gifts!  Relationship concerns?  It’s okay – God is with you. 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” 

Are you worried and anxious?  Christ came to take that away.  As we begin the Advent Season, what better message?  Emmanuel, God with us.  Give Him your burdens and He will give you His peace.  Just like most things in life, Jesus is the answer to your anxiety! 

“If God cares for you, why need you care too?  Can you trust Him for your soul and not your body?  He has never refused to bear your burdens; He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul!  Have done with fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the hand of a gracious God.” – Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Philippians 4:5

“Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.”

One of my favorite things about the Kingdom of God is how wonderfully different it is than anything else.  If you want to save your life…lose it.  If you want to be great…be a servant.  Someone hates you…pray for them.  In the eyes of the world, the priorities of the Kingdom of God must look totally bonkers!

There is no chapter in the latest leadership book that highlights gentleness.  In the eyes of the world, gentleness begins and ends with our mother, toilet paper, and the bedside manner of our doctor – that’s it.  Anywhere else, gentleness is a sign of weakness – something to be eradicated, not applauded.

So let’s look at gentleness for a moment.  Gentleness can also be translated as “meekness”; which doesn’t sound much better. “Meek as a mouse” is a common phrase that comes to mind.  Scared, timid, hiding in the corner – that is often how we think about meekness.  But the definition of meekness is “Might restrained”.  That is a very different picture.

To keep with our mouse illustration: the true picture of meekness is not a mouse, but a lion choosing to act like a mouse.  The lion is big and powerful, but is choosing to restrain its might so that it can be gentle.  Or more visibly, I saw this picture yesterday:

 

And I don’t think the lion is just checking to see if the fawn needs more salt.  This male lion (not know for gentleness and compassion) is restraining his natural tendencies to care for this tiny, fragile creature.  That is meekness.  Meekness is not weakness; it is restrained power for the benefit of another.

I have read this passage dozens of times.  But today is the first time I really noticed the second sentence, “For the Lord is near.”  Why does the Lord being near encourage us to be gentle?  I think for a couple of reasons:

1. The Lord is near: He is gentle with us so we should be gentle with others.
2. The Lord is near: He sees all that we do, so we need to be about His business.
3. The Lord is near: He will empower us to be gentle with others.

I like number three the best.  We can be gentle and caring for others because God give us the strength to do so.  Be kind and thoughtful to all you meet.  Consider others more important than yourself.  Forgive readily and be at peace with everyone.  God is near to encourage and empower you to live like Jesus.  Let you gentleness be evident to everyone! 

“The greatness of a man’s power is the measure of his surrender.” – William Booth

Philippians 4:7; The Prince of Peace

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

When the angel appeared to the shepherds outside of Bethlehem, he began by saying, “Be not afraid.”  And when the choir arrived a few minutes later, they sang these words: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” 

Jesus’ birth announcement was “Courage and Peace!” Jesus came to earth to do lots of things – to obey His father, to be tempted as we are yet live a sinless life, to teach and demonstrate God’s love and justice, to show us God, to provide salvation, to conquer sin and death, to usher in the Holy Spirit, and many others – but His coming also brought peace.

And not just any old peace, but the “peace of God, which transcends all understanding.”  That is kind of a big deal.  Most would define peace as an absence of war or conflict.  But what happens when war or conflict arrives?  Peace flies out the window.  Not so with the peace of God. 

God’s peace not only remains in the face of conflict, but allows us to rise above or transcend the challenges around us. So we can be peaceful in the midst of war, sickness, death, or any circumstance.  Being peaceful in conflicted times doesn’t make sense; it transcends all understanding.  We can’t really explain it, but it’s true. 

Could there be a better a time for that message?  As our culture continues to marginalize Jesus and people move further away from the Gospel, fear has increased and peace has all but disappeared.  Which isn’t too surprising; when you deny the bringer of peace – peace is going to be a struggle.

The peace that you long for – that the world longs for – is found in only one place: in the redeeming work of Jesus. The more Jesus you have in your life, the more peace you will have in your life.  And the peace of God – knowing that He loves us and is in control – allows us to be not afraid.  Which makes us more peaceful…which gives us more courage…and on and on.

I have often overlooked the second half of this verse: “(the peace of God) will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.  Ponder that statement this week and we’ll discuss it next time…

“Peace is not the absence of affliction, but the presence of God.” – Unknown