Widows’ Banquet

Intro

Good evening everyone! What a great privilege and honor it is to be sharing this evening with you. Thank you so much to Tim Garnto for the invitation to come speak at this event. You know, this is one of the most important gatherings in our church body. The scriptures tell us repeatedly to care for the widow. So tonight, I hope that you have been made to feel cared for. That you have been made to feel honored. That you know your church family loves you. Your pastors love you, and your staff loves you, and your deacons love you.

Tonight, I want to read for us some scriptures from the words of Paul to the Philippians. I think this passage has a lot to say to anyone of any background, so long as they are bought by the precious blood of Christ our Lord.

Philippians 4:4–7 ESV

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to 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.

Let’s pray.

Pursue the Joy that Peace Brings

So from the top, what do we know about Paul? We know that he’s an apostle. We know he planted many churches. We know that he wrote to a lot of those churches he planted. But to this specific church, Paul wrote from prison. He was in a place which all of us could agree: Had to be a little depressing.

And it’s notable that it’s from prison Paul writes these words:

Philippians 4:4 (ESV)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

I think of what the Philippians must have looked like when they heard these words read aloud to them. Maybe some raised eyebrows. Perhaps some open jaws. Paul’s telling them to rejoice, as he’s sitting in prison. You know our flesh, it doesn’t want to bring anyone to joy when we’re doing poorly. The old saying goes, “misery loves company.”

There was something special about Paul.

Listen, in our world you will find many reasons to become cynical and skeptical. You will find no shortage of reasons to disbelieve people. You will find no shortage of places where your joy will be stolen from you.

Here’s one of those areas where if you’re not convinced of the truth of the Bible, you will fall to skepticism. These words will ring hollow when you need them the most.

I encourage you to not give in to the world’s constant pulls and tugs to drag you down into the depths of disbelief.

Remember. Paul is alone in prison. Unjustly. He is chained to an imperial guardsman, his life robbed of him. Do you think Paul struggled with the creeping doubts of disbelief? I sure do.

And THEN he says, “Rejoice in the Lord… ALWAYS.” And saying it once just isn’t enough… “Again I will say rejoice.” It’s amazing how, when you really begin to give credence to the fact that the Bible is living and active, it truly comes to life.

So what are we supposed to do? Because I don’t know about you, but I don’t always FEEL like rejoicing. I give the same advice here as I give about Bible-reading. Let the needs of your soul take point and your heart will catch up. Soon, you will learn to trust God with your emotions.

Rejoice in hearing God’s Word. Rejoice also how God designed you to rejoice. I knew an artist down in Louisiana. Staunchly biblical in her beliefs. She would rejoice in God through her painting. How could she include something in each of her paintings that points to the glory of God? Most of the time she painted things that reminded her of Christ, but even when she was doing something like a piece of furniture, she would rejoice in the Father!

Perhaps singing the praises of the Lord is something that brings you joy. So sing!

All of us have different ways we specifically like to rejoice in the Lord. That’s good. But there are also some non-negotiables. We must be fueled by the Word, encouraged by the saints, close to God in prayer.

What are your soul needs? Fill those and watch your emotions catch up.

And all these different forms of rejoicing have their end in God. When we rejoice in Him, we pursue Him. And that’s a good thing, because in the end, if you truly desire peace, He is the only One who can bring it. Going back to v.5

Pursue God - He Will Bring You Peace

Philippians 4:5b (ESV)

The Lord is at hand;

“The Lord is at hand…” He is nearby. Therefore…

Philippians 4:6 (ESV)

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Don’t be anxious about anything. That’s a tough pill to swallow. That’s hard. And yet the inerrant Word of God demands it of us. How do we follow? We go back to what we discussed a moment ago. We intentionally seek to rejoice in the One in whom there is neverending joy!

Approach Him in prayer. Let your requests be made known to Him, because He is listening! In other words, don’t sit on those things that are causing you grief. Don’t sit on your needs. Let them be made known to Him. This begs the question… Why?

Philippians 4:7 (ESV)

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

Because then, the peace of God, which goes beyond understanding, will guard your heart. Listen, the heart and mind are vulnerable things. They drive us to do what we do. When left alone, the heart cries out for safeguarding. The mind seeks understanding.

Jesus had something to say about this.

John 16:33 (ESV)

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Take heart. Jesus has overcome the world.

I’m reminded of the old song, what a friend we have in Jesus:

What a Friend we have in Jesus,   All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry   Everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit,   O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry   Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?   Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged,   Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful   Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness,   Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden,   Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge—   Take it to the Lord in prayer; Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?   Take it to the Lord in prayer; In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,   Thou wilt find a solace there.

God bless you folks, I hope you’ve been encouraged tonight. I hope you’ll rejoice in the Lord. I hope you’ll seek Him. And in Him, you will find all of the joy, peace, and promises you need to carry you through this world. On toward glory, the Day He returns. Stay faithful to Him. Persevere in the faith. And give Him glory every breath.

Thank you.