Manuscript 1 Phil 4 4-9
PRESSING ON IN THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
Philippians 4:4-9
October 28, 2008
Nathan J. Pellegra
Biblical Preaching I
A. The Rapport for the time
As a young boy, I had a creative energy that burned all day and night long. I was a big fan or art and I would draw and create for hours on end. One of the stores I like to visit was Hobby Lobby which was an arts and crafts store. Sometimes I liked to buy colored t-shirts with nothing on them and some of those iron-on or press-on letters and go home and make t-shirts that said stuff like, “I‘m with stupid” or “I Fought the Lawn and the Lawn Won.” Some other humorous ones you could use to make your own t-shirts are:
Ø IRS – Be Audit You Can Be
Ø Gravity... It's Not Just a Good Idea. It's the Law,
Ø If You Want Breakfast in Bed, Sleep in the Kitchen,
Ø First National Bank of Dad; Sorry, Closed
Ø Love May Be Blind, but Marriage Is a Real Eye-Opener.
Ø If at First You Don't Succeed, Skydiving Isn't for You.
Ø The Trouble With the Gene Pool Is That There's No Lifeguard.
But the truth about those press-on letters is that they promised they were permanent but after a while the washing machine could get them to come off. So they were not as permanent as they said they would be. The idea I want to carry into the message today is permanency. As we read today in our text, Paul is challenging us today to press on in our faith. And what he is calling us to do is to remain, become permanent, or stand firm in our walk with Christ.
B. The Reading of the text
So I ask that you turn in your bibles to Philippians chapter 4, verses 4-9, that’s Philippians 4:4-9 and please stand in honor of the reading of the mighty word of God,
"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."
Let’s pray,
“Father, anoint our time together today as we seek out Godly truth and wisdom for our lives. We desire to hear from you as we focus on pressing on in our Christian lives. Teach us today with your Spirit, in Jesus name, Amen.”
C. The Relevance of the Text
The writer of Philippians, the apostle Paul, while imprisoned in Rome awaiting his sentence from the Emperor, is addressing some issues with the Philippians, his favorite congregation of all the church congregations in the Bible. Philippi was a giving church, a loving church and a supportive church and like many others during that time, they were trying to endure the entrance of false doctrine into their congregational teachings. Paul’s main theme of the letter is to rejoice and stand firm in the trials, like false teachings, that Christians will face. It is the latter part of that theme that we will focus on today; (KEY QUESTION) how do we press on in the Christian faith amongst trials and tribulations? Paul challenges this congregation to stand firm or press on in the context of the passages we are studying today when he says,
"Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved." (Philippians 4:1, NKJV)
The word for “stand fast” provides us imagery of a soldier who stands firm in his post even in the danger of the enemy or even death. Can we agree that the enemy, Satan, is prowling around like a “roaring lion” ready to devour the weak or injured Christian? But we must stand firm and “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
TS: Today, I want you to walk away with three important truths about pressing on in the Christian faith.
I. Our Gladness and Gentleness Toward Others Points to the Position of Our Person ( Philippians 3:20-4:1, 4:4-4:5)
"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved." (Philippians 3:20-4:1, NKJV)
"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand." (Philippians 4:4-5, NKJV)
If we go back a couple of verses into chapter 3 of Philippians, we see that Paul places special emphasis on the citizenship of heaven that Christians have and how those who are citizens of heaven will return there one day when Christ returns. Then in verse1 of chapter 4, Paul gives his theme of these verses, standing firm in the faith. With this overall theme, Paul addresses many issues with Christians standing firm in their faith. In verses 1-2, Paul exhorts Christians to unite and care for those believers who are disgruntled like Euodia and Syntyche. Then he addresses two important aspects that we will discuss further: joy and gentleness.
A. Our Joy in the Lord
Paul rejoices because of his position as a regenerated person and thus he knows that when Christ does return, that he will accompany Him to Heaven. He rejoices in this way in spite of the persecution that he faced and the imprisonment that was facing. Joy in the Christian faith is a major theme in the Pauline Epistles, where he uses the word “rejoice” over 40 times, 12 times alone in the book of Philippians. Think about the impact on the world that Christianity could have if we displayed a joyful attitude in all circumstances. People would think we were crazy and they would want to know what was wrong with us. Newspapers would write articles about those “loony Christians” because of the way we showed joy in even the most disturbing times. We would get the world’s attention and people would be led to salvation in Jesus Christ. As Christians, Paul is challenging us to be set apart from the world and display joy in times of trouble because of our heavenly position. We must derive that joy, not from fake emotions but in the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. Expressing joy in our daily walk is a sign that we are pressing on or standing firm in our faith.
TS: Not only joy, but gentleness is a sign we are pressing on in our faith.
B. Our Gentleness to Others
Paul also wants Christians to show gentleness toward others because of their Heavenly destination. The word gentleness in the NT Greek is a difficult word to translate and can best be explained by using the following example:
“There are two students. We correct their examination papers. We apply justice and find that one has eight per cent and the other fifty per cent. But we go a little further and find that the man who got eighty per cent has been able to do his work in ideal conditions with books, leisure and peace to study, while the man who got fifty per cent is from a poor home and has inadequate equipment, or has been ill, or has recently come through some time of sorrow or strain. In justice this man deserves fifty per cent and no more; but epieikeia(gentleness) will value his paper far higher than that.”[1]
The Greek word in question here is translated as gentleness but can be summarized as grace, an unmerited favor on someone. Imagine again for a moment in life, not only did Christians seem overly happy in tough times, but they also appeared to show supernatural amounts of graciousness to those around them, even to those who hurt them. Imagine what an impact that would have upon the world if we began to show that “gentleness” or “graciousness” to others.
This is the gentleness that Jesus showed the hemorrhaging woman, Zacchaeus, and many others during his time on earth. We should show this gentleness to all people today because Christ lives in our heart and he should be reflected to those around us as light shining in the darkness.
TS: To press on in the faith, not only must we show joy and gentleness to others but we must also avoid fleshly worry by praying to God.
II. Grateful Prayer Brings the Protection of Godly Peace( Philippians 4:6-7)
"Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7, NKJV)
A. The Prayer of Man
Paul makes a very important contrast in this set of verses. He knows, as we know today, that worry or anxiety is a huge illness that plagues the mind of our world. It is a way that Satan incapacitates us and keeps us in bondage to our fears of starvation, bankruptcy or emotional letdown. So it is very important, when Paul covers the issue of worry, that he tells us to worry “in nothing” or “not one thing.” Paul is not giving us a command to lessen our worry or even change the focus of our worry, and he is not even telling us to just eliminate our worry. He is telling Christians to substitute our worry with prayer.
He describes three elements of a believer’s prayer which are: general prayer to God (adoration), giving thanks to God (thanksgiving), and asking for needs to be met (supplication). If you throw in the element of confession, found in many verses like Psalms 32:5, Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:8-10, then you get the popular acronym for prayer that many people use as a model: A.C.T.S. which stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. I do not believe that Paul is telling us to pray this way but he is giving us a model that is useful in prayer.
Jesus gives us many examples of the importance of prayer in His life. We see Him isolate Himself privately to pray to the Father which is a model of what our dependence needs to be on our Father as well. A prayer that Jesus modeled for us is found in Matt. 6:9-13,
"In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:9-13, NKJV)
God wants to communicate to us through His written Word and like any relationship, communication is expected from us as well, which is prayer. I like to tell my students in my youth group, “You may not talk to your parents for a day or two, but your Heavenly Father desires communication from you daily.”
TS: We here that we must substitute prayer with our worry and when we do, we receive divine peace.
B. The Peace of God
As we pray to God, Paul shows us that we shall receive the peace of God and that peace is a puzzle and a protector. First, Paul says that the peace of God is superior to all human comprehension and understanding. The word for “understanding” could also be translated as the “the faculty of knowing, the seat of the understanding.”[2] As humans we cannot fully comprehend or try to explain what true Godly peace entails but when you actually experience peace from God, especially in troubled times, you will know that peace is upon you. We initially gain our peace with God, according to Romans 5:1, when the sinner has been “justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” So at salvation, humanity ceases the eternal separation from God and then begins to enjoy the inner peace that God grants in our minds as we know that we are granted eternal life in heaven and that God provides all our needs.
Secondly, Jesus is trying to teach the disciples that God will provide by supplying all we need and He illustrated this point in Luke 12:22-28,
" Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Luke 12:22-28, NKJV)
So as we look at the prayer of man and the peace of God, we see that Christians attain this peace when we get on our knees. We must not worry about how we are going to provide for ourselves but instead, we should trust in God to provide for us. I am reminded of an article that I read from www.communicationsdoctor.com that said that “85% of what we worry about never comes true,” and unfortunately, the good doctor’s prescriptions did not amount to more than systematically writing down and categorizing our worries. If that is all the medicine we have for worry, we are in deep trouble. The physical effects that worry has on the human body are stagnating. The same article states,
“Chemicals released during extended periods of worry wreck havoc on our physical being, with symptoms ranging from headaches to high blood pressure. Chronic worriers are prone to heart conditions and as a general rule are not too much fun to be around. Thus worriers often experience feelings of loneliness as isolation as individuals flee from their forecasts of doom and gloom.”
So as Christians, we must not become a slave to the worry of the world, but instead through fervent prayer, allow the peace of God to consume our minds and hearts, which eventually allows us to press on in the Christian faith.
TS: To press on in the Christian faith, we must express joy and gentleness, substitute worry for prayer, and lastly, meditate and apply the whole counsel of God’s Word.
III. Godly Pondering and Preparation Provides the Presence of the God of Peace.
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:8-9, NKJV)
There are two important aspects that we must glean from the text above: meditating on the Word of God and applying the Word of God. Both of these elements of the Christian life will assist us in the defensive posture we take as we stand firm against the attacks of Satan.
TS: First, we must evaluate or calculate the following virtues and use them in our lives.
A. Meditate on God’s Word
God wants us to follow after the truth of his nature and His Word. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life.” God’s Word is the absolute standard, or the truth that we must base our decisions on. God also wants us seek after things in life that are honoring to Him or reverent. God’s Word is honoring and reverent. This virtue is an example of seeking out a lifestyle of holiness. In line with holiness, is seeking those things that are righteous, things “that are consistent with the law of God.”[3] If God wants us to be reverent, and righteous according to His Word and standards, then we must exhibit the next virtue mentioned which is purity of mind, heart and soul. If we exhibit all these virtues, then our lives will be lovely before the sight of God. God desire for us is to live holy, blameless lives.
B. Apply God’s Word
If we focus our mind and thoughts on these virtues, then our next step is to apply the virtues to our everyday life. Paul says that the Philippians should take what they have learned, which is the same root word from which we get the word “disciple.” This tells us that the Philippians were to apply what they “learned” as they were taught as disciples by the apostle Paul while he was there in Philippi. He also exhorted them to apply what they “received” which could mean that they should accept that which they learned from the traditions of the elder Christians in Philippi. Paul tells Titus in chapter 2, verses 4-5 that older women in the church should "… admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed." Paul also encourages the Philippians to apply what they have heard in secondhand stories and personal experiences about Paul and how he has served and suffered for the Lord. Paul is an example to all of how we should live in the Word of God and to practice what we learn to our daily lives.
Many in the church today are “hearers of the Word” but fail to become “doers of the Word.” To quote the words of Bishop Andrewes:
“There are two kinds of doers: 1. ποιηταί, and 2. πρακτικοί, which the Latin likewise expresseth in 1. ‘agere, ’ and 2. ‘facere.’ ‘Agere,’ as in music, where, when we have done singing or playing, nothing remaineth: ‘facere,’ as in building, where, after we have done, there is a thing permanent.[4]”
If we strive in our Christian life to be doers of the Word, then when the storms of life rage against us, we will have strong foundations built upon God’s Word that will hold us up.
CONCLUSION
We may not experience the same trials and persecution that Paul experienced, but we are still fighting a battle with the forces of evil. As Christians, God is calling us to press on in our faith even though we are facing trials. We can press on in our faith by expressing joy and gentleness to others, by substituting worry for prayer and by meditating and applying the whole counsel of God’s Word to our lives. When we do these things, Paul tells us we will experience the Presence and Peace of God.
So let us begin today to be a church that shows joy in our salvation. Let us start today to show gentleness to our evil world. Let us become a congregation of prayer warriors instead of worry-warts. Let us live a life full of Godly virtue and applications in the Word of God.
Do you have a more active worry life or a more active prayer life? Maybe today you need to begin to let go of your worry and ask God for His peace to fill your mind. Maybe today you realize that you are not a student of the Word, make a commitment today to begin a time with God’s Word everyday. Maybe today, you realize you have no joy because you are not in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Let me tell you that Jesus died on the cross for you sins because he wants a relationship with you and he wants you to trust in Him for salvation. Will you do that today? Will you press on in your faith today? As we sing, if you need to commit your life to God, there are counselors up front that can help you do that. Just come forward and talk with them. Maybe you just need someone to pray with you; just come forward and kneel at the altar. If you want to be a part of this church body, come forward and we will gladly accept you into our fellowship. We are waiting as you respond to God today!
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[1]The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, ed. William Barclay, lecturer in the University of Glasgow, The Daily study Bible series, Rev. ed. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 2000, c1975), 75.
[2]W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger and William White, Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville: T. Nelson, 1996), 2:408.
[3]John MacArthur, Philippians (Chicago: Moody Press, 2001), 290.
[4]Richard Chenevix Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament., 9th ed., improved. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2003), 363.