Philippians 4:1-9

Introduction

Observation Skills (Look for specifics)

Lists in the Epistles

Philippians 4:4–7 LSB

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your considerate spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Passage Structure

3 Commands

Rejoice (4:4)

Philippians 4:4 LSB

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

Repetition

Surely this command is grounded in the context of Paul’s imprisonment and the hardships of the Philippian church

Two Qualifiers

“In the Lord”

Joy is based on Truth

“Always”

Joy is commanded in all situations

Let your gentle Spirit be known (4:5)

Philippians 4:5 LSB

5 Let your considerate spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

Graciousness, willing to overlook the faults of others, not insisting on your own way

We see that you are to show this to the world

End Times Motivation

Prohibition from anxiousness, and command to thankful prayer (4:6)

Philippians 4:6 LSB

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Anxious

Used both positively and negatively in Paul’s writings

How would you explain negative vs. positive anxiety

Again, it is what is rooted in truth

There are times that it is healthy for you to be anxious, and there are times it is not. This verse is commanding you to not be sinfully anxious, but rather to seek the Lord in prayer

Prayer

There are three words used for prayer in this verse interchangeably

Qualifier: “in everything” “with thanksgiving”

Do you think that if you took your relationship with God seriously through prayer, things would look different?

A Promise

Promise of Peace (4:7)

Philippians Commentary

the emphasis here is inward peace of heart and mind, from which relational peace flows. As such, the emphasis here is on the inward peace of the soul God produces in believers that guards hearts and minds (Vincent, 135). It is ultimately derived from peace with God and produces unity.

A note of anxiety:

Today in modern culture it seems that anxiety is at an all time high according to statistics, especially for people your age.

In secular psychology, you might be told that if you have certain anxiety symptoms, you have something wrong with you. You have a disorder. And for ranging from 60-90$ per week on betterhelp you can potentially make progress. As much as I would like to make jokes about how much of a scam betterhelp is, I want to ask you a question about anxiety. Is it a disorder? Is something actually wrong with you?

I’d like to suggest that anxiety is maybe not something wrong with you, but often times it is something right with you. Have you ever watched the movie Free Solo. Its a documentary about a guy named Alex Honnold who climbs rocks without a rope, and he did one of the worlds most dangerous climbs this way from 3000 feet of extremely difficult climbing. Now when I watch this movie, it gives me a healthy anxiety because I would certainly die if I did this. Would it be a good idea for me to bury this anxiety?

My friends, for the unbeliever, there is nothing actually wrong with anxiety, but rather, it makes sense. Imagine not being forgiven for sin. Imagine being brutally mistreated by your family and not having God as your Father. Imagine hoping that when you die that nothing happens while knowing deep down that there is a God who will judge all people. If you are an unbeliever with anxiety here today, I hope that your anxiety leads you towards considering the eternal rather than just saying that there is something wrong with you.

But for the believer my friends, anxiety is wrong simply because it does not align with the truth and does not praise God. We do not simply suppress anxiety, rather we see the truth of the Word. We see in this passage in Philippians we rejoice “in the Lord” and we have access to Him in prayer. These are real realities. If you are a Christian, you are chosen, you are forgiven, you are adopted, you have a guarantee of eternal life. For me, if I am instantly struck dead it is actually a great situation for me. And every trial and every thing put in front of me is for good.

Today, I would ask you to consider the biblical pattern of change. The biblical call to rejoice in the Lord, be gentle, to not be anxious but seek the Lord in thankful prayer. Look to God as healer and protector in all areas of life. Let’s pray.