Inner Peace and Joy

Inner Peace and Joy

Philippians 4:4-7

By Ryan Wasson

This morning we have the privilege to have Ryan Wasson here to preach to us. I don't know if I have to do a really long introduction because I think we all know him, but I'm thankful for Ryan's faithfulness. And sometimes as college students, it's easy to say, I got classes, I got homework, I got stuff, I can't do anything.

But he's here faithfully, serving, and we're looking forward to hearing you preach the Word this morning. Thank you, Sean. I appreciate it.

If you have your Bibles, turn to Philippians, chapter four, verses four through seven. Today we're going to be looking at what Paul has to say on what it means to have true inner peace and joy. And I hope I could be encouragement to you all this morning.

In Philippians, chapter four, verses four through seven. Oh, okay. Philippians, chapter four, verses four through seven says, rejoice in the Lord always.

And again I say rejoice. Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Let's go to the Lord in prayer and ask God to bless the message this morning. Dear Heavenly Father lord, thank you for this day.

You've given all us to be together, come before you and worship you and learn more about you. Lord, I pray that you would tune our hearts and minds in Your word. And I pray that I can be an encouragement to everyone.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will work in our hearts and minds. Lord, Father, we just want to pray for all those who couldn't make it today. Just pray and ask that you would be with them.

For those who are sick, please heal them. And Lord, anyone who is traveling, just pray that you keep them safe on the roads. We also want to pray for Israel, Lord.

They're under attack right now. Just pray and ask that you would be with the Israelites and Palestinians. And I pray that the gospel be shared through this crisis.

And Lord, I just pray that you would be in control of everything. In Jesus name, amen. So good morning.

So this morning I want to go over this text because I believe Paul is urging us all believers, to have the right perspective in our walk in Christ. Our walk in Christ is a pilgrimage. A pilgrimage where every believer is straining for one goal, and that is Christ.

In Philippians, chapter three, verses 13 and 14, Paul says, brother, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press on toward the mark for the prize and high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Our prize and call is Christ Jesus. In Romans 15, verse 13.

Verse 13 says, now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. And while I was reading Romans 15 and before I prepare for this message, I asked myself, how can a believer abound in hope if he or she does not have peace and joy in their life? Well, the text we are looking at this morning in Philippians four, verses four through seven will help us to answer that question. Paul is encouraging us that constant rejoicing and praying about everything is crucial for maintaining inner peace and joy in our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

While abounding hope, believers need to have this right perspective. While abounding hope. That is, a believer is consistently rejoicing and praying about everything to God to maintain inner peace and joy and heart and mind.

So you may say, well, can't I just produce my own inner peace and joy? Like I have inner peace and joy right now. I have a nice house, I have a nice car, a nice job, going to school, getting great grades, and I'm happily married, I have wonderful kids. Life is under control right now.

I have a good daily routine. But let me ask you something. What are you going to do when life throws a curve-ball at you? Things in life begin to get out of your control, where it causes you to worry and fret because you lose control of your current situation.

Whether it be big or small things in life, you could have curve-balls like, I'm late to work, I got to get to work. I got to drive super hard, and then there's a red light, and then you're waiting there, and it's making you mad. Or let's say your parents gave you something to eat for dinner and you don't like it, and you complain, I don't want to eat this, or you get a flat tire on the side of the road and it causes you to worry and all those things.

But thankfully, we have God's Word that gives us instructions on how the right perspective while going through life's waters. Let's dive into our text and see the three key things that Paul's encouraged us to do in order to maintain inner peace and joy in our lives. So verse four, it says, rejoice in the Lord always.

And again I say rejoice. So the first thing believers need to do is believers are to rejoice always. Right here in the text, we see that Paul is encouraging us to rejoice in the Lord always.

Then Paul repeats the command to rejoice because it's important, a commentary I borrowed by Robert G. Gromacki, a writing professor from Cedarville College, and says, and I quote, constant rejoice should be an integral part of a believer's inner response to life's pleasant and difficult situations and the definition of rejoice. I didn't really know what rejoice was defined as, but I had to look it up.

And a Bible dictionary I borrowed gives a definition to experience joy and gladness in the high degree, to be exhilarated with lively and pleasurable sensations, to exalt and rejoice. It could be singing praises to God like we were doing just this morning, or telling God the things you are thankful for. We are to rejoice in the Lord about everything, whether it be good things that happen to us or bad.

And believers are to rejoice always, even through the life's hardest trials, tribulations and seasons of suffering. And you may be sitting here this morning thinking to yourself, how can I rejoice in the Lord when life is hard? Right now I don't feel like rejoicing because life is hard and overwhelming. And what do I do to deserve this? You could ask yourself that question when life gets hard.

My brothers and sisters, remember happiness can occur when life is going well and circumstances seem plausible and your daily routine is going well. However, a Christian can have, don't miss this inner joy through all things in life when he or she learns to consistently rejoice in the Lord. So when I was a freshman in college at Faith, that was three years ago, I bought my second vehicle for $700 because I needed one.

I bought a 2004 automobile, and it was old and it was a beater car. But the cool thing about it, it had air conditioning, and it was a huge blessing. Yeah, I needed that air conditioning for the hot days of the summer here in Iowa.

And when it got really cold and freezing in the winter, I needed that know, it got me where I needed to go, and I was very thankful for it. As the school year went on, my routine was know, I drove to work, I drove to school, I drove to church, and I ran all around anchoring with my friends, having fun and to run errands. And then one day in January, it was a snowy day, I think we were having two or 3ft of snow that was forecasted that day.

And I was doing homework, I think it was on a weekend, on a Saturday, and I wanted to run to the store and get some muffins. That's it. I just want to get some muffins.

And while I was driving on my way to the store, I think it was to Fleet Farm, I was driving to Fleet Farm. I was driving the far left lane, and then a lady in a Chrysler 200 pulled out in front of me and crashed into my passenger side. I wish I had a picture to show you what the damage was done, but if you can imagine a big hole on your front bumper, that was the extent of the damage that was done to my vehicle.

And thankfully, no one got hurt. I was okay. She was okay.

And after the accident, I was worried because my car was wrecked, my car with air conditioning. And I was worried that the insurance was going to get a toll of my vehicle, which they did. And I couldn't drive my vehicle because the condition my vehicle was in was not legal to drive because of that big hole on the side of my car.

Like half of the bumper was hanging out. I lost a headlight. It wasn't legal to drive.

And I remember complaining about it at my job, to my friends, my family. And instead of griping complaining about it, I wish I should have rejoiced in the fact that no one got hurt and I was okay and I did repent. I did repent, and God forgave me, however, God had a plan, and he provided me a rental vehicle.

I think it was two weeks after the accident. God provided me a rental vehicle after the insurance company told him my vehicle. And I think I had that rental vehicle for about two weeks.

It was a 2020 Nissan Rogue. It had air conditioning, great air conditioning. It was new.

But however, I couldn't afford the rental vehicle. And the latest insurance gave me a check for my total vehicle that was three times more worth of my old than my old vehicle was. So remember the $700 I paid for my vehicle? Well, 700 times three.

You can do the math. That's how much I got for it. And that was a huge blessing.

And I used that money to buy my Ford Escape, which I don't currently drive right now because I already have another vehicle. But when God gave me that vehicle, he gave me that to provide. It was a huge blessing because it was an SUV.

I always want an SUV. And instead of complaining, instead, I rejoice in the fact that my vehicle I have currently is running. And it reminds me of myself that God takes care of his own, and therefore, it produced inner joy in my heart and mind because I trust in God.

So the moral lesson of my testimony in that scenario is that instead of complaining grappling about everything, we are to rejoice about everything. I know sometimes life gets hard and we don't want to rejoice, but again, when we rejoice in the Lord, it produces in our hearts and minds joy with the help of the Holy Spirit. So let's remember to rejoice in the Lord always and rejoice through all the good things that happen in your life, even the bad things.

Rejoice in the Lord. I'm not saying that you should be happy when someone passes away or you lose your job. I would not be happy about those things either.

But instead, when we learn to rejoice through those things, it could produce inner joy. And it's a healthy response for a Christian to rejoice in the Lord always, because it prevents bitterness, depression, and anxiety. And believers can rejoice in the Lord because they are saved by grace.

God cares, and God has a sovereign plan that is at work. Also remember that God has a unique plan for each one of our lives, specifically, and is good for God's own people. In Romans, chapter eight, verse 28 says, and I quote and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and to them who are called according to his purpose.

And Jeremiah, chapter 29, verse eleven, says I'll turn there real quick. Jeremiah chapter 29, verse eleven says, for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. So those are promises right there that God has a unique plan for each one of us, and it's unique.

And God will use you for his honor and glory. So let's look at verse five. Verse five says that let your moderation be known to all men.

The Lord is at hand. So the second thing believers are to do is believers are to be gentle. Here in the text, Paul encourages us to let our moderation be known to all men.

And this follows with the statement that the Lord is at hand. And what this means is that we are to show that we are moderate around people no matter what happens in our lives. Another word you can use for moderation is gentleness, reasonableness.

Either way, they have similar definitions. And I try to define the word moderation and that definition is calmness of mind, temperate, not extreme, violent or rigorous. And Paul is telling us to be moderate because the Lord is at hand.

And what this statement means is that God is at work. God is always at work in the past, present and future, whether you realize it or not. And please let's not forget that the Lord is always at work.

You may look at the end of this verse and think that God is not here and working. When life gets hard, hard circumstances arise and your life turns upside down, it can seem that God is distant. And we ask God, why are you allowing this to happen, my life? Well, my friends, three things I can assure you this morning is that number one, Christ is coming back.

James, chapter five, verses seven and eight be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husband men waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth and have long patience for it until he received the early and latter reign. And be ye also patient, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth near.

The second thing I want to assure you this morning is that God is always at work. In John, chapter five, verse 17, but Jesus answered them, my Father worketh. Heatherto and I work.

In Philippians, chapter two, verse 13, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure. The third thing I want to assure you this morning is that Christ is always with us. In Matthew chapter 28 verse 20 says teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

Amen. And so Christ is our ultimate example of what true moderation looks like. If you recall the story in Mark chapter Four where the disciples were on a fishing boat they were fishing and really bad storms came and they were in that storm and they were on the brink of sinking and the disciples as a result of them on the brink of sinking were very fearful and fretful and Christ was with them.

And when the disciples were looking for Christ, you know what Christ was doing in that storm while the ship was sinking? He was sleeping. Exactly. Yes, Sean.

He was sleeping. How can Christ sleep through a storm like that when are on the brink of sinking? Well, Christ was not fearful or fretful. We know that he's God, but he was also human and that's why he was sleeping peacefully on the boat was because he was not fearful or fretful.

And the disciples did wake him up and Christ rebuked the sea in the wind where it became calm. And if you read the end of Mark chapter four, verse 40, Christ answered his disciples why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith? So in the story Christ was moderate and was teaching his disciples to be moderate as well. If the disciples were moderate in that trial they were facing, they would not have been fearful.

And another example that Christ showed that he was moderate was in John chapter 18 when he was betrayed by Judas in the garden of Gethsemane. How would you feel if you were betrayed by one of your own, the very one you trusted? It was close to you. I'm sure you would not like that, would you? No.

Well I wouldn't either. And if you read the account how Jesus handled the situation, he handled it calmly because he knew that God was at hand and had a plan. And if you read towards the end of the passage, peter being the man who wants to go to extremes, he drew his own sword and cut off one of the high priest's servants ear.

And after this happened, Jesus told Peter that to put his sword away and Peter responded poorly by going to the extreme and he acted on his own will instead of trusting in God's will. So the moral lesson we need to understand is that we believers are to be moderate like Jesus was. We could follow his example because he sets the ultimate example.

So being moderate shows that we are trusting God and when we act on our own will, by going to extreme like Peter did, shows that we are not trusting God. So let's remember to be moderate when we are going through everyday life's trials. Also to trust God every day because he is always with us, he is always at work and we can look forward to the future that Christ is coming back.

People can see if you're being moderate or not. When someone sees that you are moderate and that someone sees that you're going through a hard time, they will begin to ask questions that what is the hope is inside of you, are you going to have a good answer? So I would challenge you know who you are in Christ if you accept Christ your Savior, because when you are moderate around others, it could lead to a gospel opportunity. Let's look at verse six.

Verse six says be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made unto God and the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. And the third thing that believers are to do is believers are to pray. So here in the text Paul tells us to be careful for nothing.

And another word for careful can be anxious or worry. And I'm using the King James version, some your translations maybe do not be anxious. And the idea here in the text is that Paul does not want us to dwell on our cares that we have.

There is nothing wrong with having cares or anxieties or being anxious. Anxiety, cares and worry are all feelings that we all can get and have. What can become wrong is when we dwell on them, we are all going to have some form of worry, anxiety and cares.

We have to deal with that's part of life. I'm sure a lot of you know that, but a lot of us young people need to hear that because we are going into life. However, Paul's not done here.

Later in the last part of verse six, Paul is commanding us to pray a request that we may have to God. And prayers and supplications do not mean the same thing. We know that prayer that is talking to God, supplication means to pray humbly and earnestly to God.

It means we are to pray with humble hearts and sincerely before him. Paul is encouraging us to be thankful, telling God what we are thankful for, that is. And a friend of mine encouraged me how I should pray to God because I was having trouble in my prayer life, because I was dealing with a lot of discouragement during my depression and he encouraged me to use the pray abbreviation, praise abbreviation.

It goes like this so P stands for praises. What are you thankful for? How can you give God praise for everything you're going through? What are you thankful for? What can you rejoice? In the second thing, R stands for repentance, repent of any sin. This is to make sure that to take care of any sins we have in our lives, we have not taken care of, and to live a repented life.

And the A stands for ask any request you have. Do you have any requests you have before God, you need to bring before Him what's on your mind. Tell God what you need, tell God what you're thinking about.

And the last thing why stands for yield. Remember who you are in Christ, and remember what Christ did for you. Sometimes we can forget who we are in Christ because we are not focused on Him.

But if you remember that Christ is Christ and he is God, you will not fall in temptation of forgetting who you are in Christ. And also please remember that prayer is not something that we have to do because it is a religion. Prayer is something we must do because God wants us to talk to Him.

It's part of having a relationship with God. He loves us and he cares for us. By praying, we are drawing closer to Him.

And then Paul concludes our passage in verse seven by explaining what happens when we pray to our Heavenly Father. And the end result is that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Isn't that amazing? Promise.

Can I get an amen? Amen. Yeah. And it could be hard to pray to God when we face hardships.

And sometimes we know that we are to pray even when we face hardships, but we just don't. Friends, when we pray to our Heavenly Father, we are directing our focus to Him and not our outward circumstances or inward circumstances. When we pray to God, our inner cares are replaced with inner peace in our hearts and minds.

The peace of God surpasses all understanding of the situation you're going through. And our hearts are at rest with God because we trust Him. So, my brothers and sisters, if you're facing a hardship today or you're going through a lot, or you're going through something, I want to encourage you that God cares and encourage you to bring it before our Heavenly Father and pray about it.

And by praying about it, your heart and mind will be at peace because you are trusting God and he will take care of you. He'll take care of whatever is on your mind and heart. True peace comes from God.

He's the only one who can give us true and real peace. So trust Him in my life. Verses Proverbs, chapter three, verses five and six, to remind me that I always have a reason to trust God.

And Proverbs three, verse five says, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean on thy own understanding in all thy ways. Acknowledge Him and he shall direct your path. I keep that in the back of my head to remind me that God is always leading me and I can always trust Him because he's the one that gives me peace and comfort to get through life.

So, my friends, let's remember to do these three things in order to keep the right perspective in our walk in Christ. The first thing we covered is that we are to consistently rejoice in our walk in Christ. And the second thing is, we are to be gentle in our walk in Christ, be moderate around others, and the third thing is we are to be praying always while on our walk in Christ.

And all three of these things are critical for every believer to master. And I know none of us are perfect and it's going to take time to grow in all three of these areas and to master. Even I am still growing.

Yeah, I may be a college student, but I don't got it all together. Sean doesn't have it all together. Lynn doesn't have it all together.

We all don't have it together, and that's okay. But at least we are abounding in hope in Christ Jesus with the right perspective. And I want to encourage you to have that right perspective and with the help of the Holy Spirit.

And I also want to appeal you all, if you have not trusted Christ, your personal Savior, and therefore you cannot experience the promise of true inner peace and joy and go to heaven for eternity. But if you would like to have a true relationship with Jesus Christ today and experience true peace and joy, then I would invite you to come to talk to me or any of us who have trusted Christ our Savior. Let's pray and close the word of prayer.

Dearly Father, lord, thank you for this day giving us be together, and thank you for you're, the one that gives true peace and joy. And Lord, I pray that every one of us would do these three things is one, to rejoice consistently in our walk, and two, to be moderate around others, and three, to pray always before you because, Lord, we trust you. And Lord, I pray that we would.

And Lord, I pray that you'll help us have a good rest of the week. Just pray that you'll help us to keep this in mind while abounding through life's waters. In Jesus name, amen.

Thank you, Ryan. Good encouragement for us to rejoice, to be filled with gentleness, with moderation, and to be praying and to be looking for God's joy and peace in our life.