Peace in Difficult Circumstances
Philippian series • Sermon • Submitted
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Conditions for A Peace that can not be Understood
Conditions for A Peace that can not be Understood
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The peace of God is a sense of holy repose and complacency which floods the soul of the believer when he is leaning hard upon God.
Paul closes this letter by giving the believers encouragement to have peace in difficult situations.
Paul closes this letter by giving the believers encouragement to have peace in difficult situations.
How in the the midst of it all can we have peace....
Yet the Bible says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, PEACE” ().
This kind of peace only comes as a fruit of the Spirit. It’s not the peace the world can give. It’s not dependent on circumstances.
They will face trials
To begin with, you cannot have true, lasting peace in your life until first you become a child of God—until you’re saved. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” ().
Then, once saved, you still face the battles and storms of life that come to all of us.
By the way, understand there are 2 kinds of storms in life:
Storms we ourselves cause, like Jonah who chose to get out of the will of God. That was a correcting storm.
Storms that come because we are in the will of God. That is a perfecting storm.
Whether it’s correcting or perfecting, remember: God is overall.
Yet God intends for His peace to be yours: “Let the peace of God rule in your heart."” . “And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” .They will face trials
They will be discouraged
I. Stand Fast
You realize you have peace with God but not have the peace of God.
Yet God intends for His peace to be yours: “Let the peace of God rule in your heart."” . “
And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” .
We will face trials
We will be discouraged
Peace in Difficult Circumstances means we
The one “whose mind is steadfast” and the one who “trusts”. Both these expressions denote faith but one is a head word and the other is a heart word.
I. Stand Fast
I. Stand Fast
1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. 2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.
The one “whose mind is steadfast” and the one who “trusts”. Both these expressions denote faith but one is a head word and the other is a heart word. What is the difference? With the head we believe that God is the author and giver of peace and that He is able and willing to give it; and with the heart we trust Him to do it, so receive it by faith.
What is the difference? With the head we believe that God is the author and giver of peace and that He is able and willing to give it; and with the heart we trust Him to do it, so receive it by faith.
3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee.
What is the difference? With the head we believe that God is the author and giver of peace and that He is able and willing to give it; and with the heart we trust Him to do it, so receive it by faith.
begins with God and ends with God; it begins with “you” and ends with “you”, and the trusting soul goes in between. Perfect peace is the Lord Himself within us - not an experience, a doctrine, an ’it’, a code of belief - but the Lord Himself!
vs 1 On the basis of the wonderful hope which the apostle had set before the minds of the believers in the previous verse, he now exhorts them to stand fast in the Lord. stand firm
stand firm
This verse is filled with endearing names for the believers. First of all, Paul calls them his brethren.
But not only his brethren—his beloved brethren. Then he adds the thought that he longs for them, that is, he longs to be with them again.
Further, he speaks of them as his joy and crown.
Enemies of steadfast - standing firm is division - lack of unity
4:2 Euodia and Syntyche were women in the church at Philippi who were having difficulty getting along together. We are not given details as to the cause of their disagreement (and perhaps it is just as well!).
Paul urges them to be of the same mind in the Lord. It is impossible for us to be united in all things in daily life, but, as far as the things of the Lord are concerned, it is possible for us to submerge our petty, personal differences in order that the Lord may be magnified and His work advanced.
4:3 There is considerable speculation as to the identity of the true companion (or yoke-fellow) whom Paul addresses in this verse.
He is exhorted to help these women who had labored with Paul in the gospel.
Care should be taken in interpreting the expression “[they] labored with me in the gospel.” By no stretch of the imagination can this be taken to mean that they preached the gospel with the Apostle Paul. There are many ways in which women can labor in the gospel—by hospitality to the servants of Christ, by home visitation, by teaching younger women and children—without assuming a ministry of public teaching or preaching.
Another co-laborer named Clement is mentioned. Nothing further is known of him with certainty. Then Paul mentions the rest of his fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. This is a lovely way of expressing the eternal and unspeakable blessedness that attaches to faith in Christ and service for Him.[1]
[1] MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (pp. 1977–1978). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
disunity can sometimes be caused by those that labored or worked with us side by side...
Petty things can prevent us from standing firm ...
GETTING SIDETRACKED WILL OFTEN CAUSE US TO LOOSE OUR DIRECTION.
Illustration - disunity will case us to spend so much time on drama and causes that we loose our spiritual mooring ...
Illustration - people that have disagreements that they loose all influence with others on the basic tenants of Christianity ...
They did not stand firm ...
No peace in disunity its all lost we must stand firm and be unity ....
Peace in Difficult Circumstances means we
II. Rejoice
II. Rejoice
II. Rejoice
II. Rejoice
4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
philippians 4.4
Sometimes the trials and pressures of life make it almost impossible to be happy. But Paul did not tell his readers to be happy.
He encouraged them to rejoice in the Lord. In fact, he said it twice in verse 4 (cf. 3:1; ).
1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
16 Rejoice evermore.
Christ is the One in whom the sphere of rejoicing was to take place. Surely there are many circumstances in which Christians cannot be happy.
But they can always rejoice in the Lord and delight in Him. Paul himself was an excellent example of one who had inner joy when external circumstances—such as persecution, imprisonment, the threat of death—were against him.
4:5. In addition to joy, believers are to have gentleness, which is to be evident to all. Epieikes (“gentleness”) suggests a forebearing, nonretaliatory spirit. Joy, an inner quality in relation to circumstances, may not always be seen; but the way one reacts to others—whether in gentleness or harshness—will be noticed. Why be gentle? Because the Lord is near. This probably refers to the Rapture, not to His presence with His own at all times[1]
Jowett shares his experience regarding Christian joy:
“Christian joy is a mood independent of our immediate circumstances. If it were dependent on our surroundings, then, indeed, it would be as uncertain as an unprotected candle burning on a gusty night. One moment the candle burns clear and steady, the next moment the blaze leaps to the very edge of the wick, and affords little or no light. But Christian joy has no relationship to the transient setting of the life, and therefore it is not the victim of the passing day. At one time my conditions arrange themselves like a sunny day in June; a little later they rearrange themselves like a gloomy day in November. One day I am at the wedding; the next day I stand by an open grave. One day, in my ministry, I win ten converts for the Lord; and then, for a long stretch of days, I never win one. Yes, the days are as changeable as the weather, and yet the Christian joy can be persistent. Where lies the secret of its glorious persistency?
Here is the secret. “Lo! I am with you all the days.” In all the changing days, “He changeth not, neither is weary.” He is no fairweather Companion, leaving me when the year grows dark and cold. He does not choose my days of prosperous festival, though not to be found in my days of impoverishment and defeat. He does not show Himself only when I wear a garland, and hide Himself when I wear a crown of thorns. He is with me “all the days”—the prosperous days and the days of adversity; days when the funeral bell is tolling, and days when the wedding bell is ringing. “All the days.” The day of life—the day of death—the day of judgment.”
You cant have peace in difficult circumstances if you are difficult to get along with ...
Key - 4:5 Now Paul urges them to let their gentleness be known to all men. This has also been translated yieldedness, sweet reasonableness, and willingness to give up one’s own way. T
The difficulty does not lie in understanding what is meant, but in obeying the precept “to all men.”
The Lord is at hand may mean that the Lord is now present, or that the Lord’s coming is near.
III. Pray
Peace in Difficult Circumstances means we
III. Pray with Thanksgiving
III. Pray with Thanksgiving
III. Pray
III. Pray
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Is it really possible for a Christian to be anxious for nothing?
It is possible as long as we have the resource of believing prayer.
The rest of the verse goes on to explain how our lives can be free from sinful fretting.
Everything should be taken to the Lord in prayer. Everything means everything. There is nothing too great or small for His loving care!
Prayer is both an act and an atmosphere. We come to the Lord at specific times and bring specific requests before Him. But it is also possible to live in an atmosphere of prayer. It is possible that the mood of our life should be a prayerful mood.
Perhaps the word prayer in this verse signifies the overall attitude of our life, whereas supplication signifies the specific requests which we bring to the Lord.
But then we should notice that our requests should be made known to God with thanksgiving. Someone has summarized the verse as saying that we should be “anxious in nothing, prayerful in everything, thankful for anything.”
4:7 If these attitudes characterize our lives, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. The peace of God is a sense of holy repose and complacency which floods the soul of the believer when he is leaning hard upon God.
Stayed upon Jehovah,
Hearts are fully blessed;
Finding, as He promised,
Perfect peace and rest.
—Frances Ridley Havergal
This peace surpasses all understanding. People of the world cannot understand it at all, and even Christians possessing it find a wonderful element of mystery about it. They are surprised at their own lack of anxiety in the face of tragedy or adverse circumstances.
This peace garrisons the heart and the thought life. What a needed tonic it is, then, in this day of neuroses, nervous breakdowns, tranquilizers, and mental distress.
Peace in Difficult Circumstances
Stand Firm
Rejoice
Pray
II. Rejoice
III. Pray