Simple Life 2

Do you feel the peace of God in your life? Can you have that peace at any time in this world?

Simple Life - The peace of God. Reality vs. life as the world sees it. Truth vs. evil.

Most of you know that the Barneses have been a bit busy lately marrying off people and prepping to have others married off. Well, when we were in Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago, after the wedding I think…we went to a Starbucks right there near Derrick and Hannah’s church family’s building. We were going to get a couple of coffees and teas…and I have no idea how to order at starbucks…i just don’t. I mean I have to do this back and forth…3 word repeatable phrases from my wife and daughter so I get the order right. You know you can’t just say large coffee. I think starbucks just went and created a whole new language to have fun with. Anyways, we’re there and usually i get a coffee/black. I thought for just fun i’d order one of the first things i saw on the menu screen.

It was some sort of 4 fruit green tea cold drink thing…and I said it word for word not really knowing what I was ordering. The very nice young lady from inside replied, “Yes sir, I’m so sorry but we’re out of that selection would you like something else.”

Ok that took all of my energy to try something new so I replied…into the drive thru microphone…Um…do you have something similar to what I just ordered? She said....Why yes we have a .....and she started naming about 4 fruits and some other words in between and then ended with green tea infused to something like that and it was iced…

It felt like a few minutes but I was just starring at the mic. I’m sure I looked like a goof on their monitor. In all reality I had no idea what she had said. I few minutes later I just said why didn’t she just say fruit punch and iced tea. That sounds fun. What I did say was, “um, no thanks....we’ll just get the first two orders I’m good.”

Pressure! 10 cars behind me…I can’t understand what she said…and it was just more peaceful to say…I’m good, no worries....and I was peaceful about it…no stress…in fact I just laughed at how funny it was and went on.

Simple....Simple Life. Can life become simpler for all of us? I’m not sure that life will get less complicated…but I think in our hearts and minds, it can become simpler. Without a doubt I believe that. It will take trusting God with your whole life.

We’re going to be looking at a passage today that speaks volumes for us and all of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the planet…in all sorts of situations.

This passage is from the book of Philippians…so if you’d like to look that up go ahead…we’re going to be in chapter 4.

Some background here…so you can hear the situation Paul is writing into. Paul is encouraging some readers who are beginning to feel persecution. Now we know what that word means…maybe this week more than we have in awhile. We’ll talk about this more in a few minutes. But the Philippian church is a church Paul started years earlier. Paul at this point is writing from prison. Many believe that he is writing from a Roman prison simply because of some references he makes in the book…one being that he’s helped some from Caesars household to believe in Jesus. That’s pretty significant.

So Paul is writing from prison…knowing that he very well may be killed for his faith. And he’s writing into a situation where persecution is beginning to rise up as well. Where both culture and politics are pressuring those who believe and follow Jesus. So you can maybe see that these people, reading this letter, might be under some stress.

So let’s take a step back from both our lives and from the lives of those in the Philippian church.

When I think of the phrase simple life…I think we all might have the same picture. A cabin near the woods…mountains in the background. A quiet flowing creek out the front door. A garden in the back. Birds singing all around. A dog on the porch. No allergies. No rushing all around as though you’re handcuffed to a clock. A tin roof…so you can hear the rain. Someplace where you can breath. Neighbors…nice neighbors....that are 1/2 mile down the road but are happy to share life. Simple....peaceful. I think when we think of simple life we also think of the word peace.

Now....oftentimes the reason we think about something like this is because we don’t have it in our real life…in what we call “reality.” In fact…we say stuff like that. We day dream about things like that. Or watch a show or a movie about that....Then what we call “Reality” hits us in the face. We’ll say....”Back to reality.” As though reality is bad.

Then we remember all the Bad news. The stuff we’re going through. The bad things around us.

The story is told of two men riding a tandem bicycle up a steep hill. After much effort, they  finally made it to the top of the hill. The front rider said, “That was a tough ride.” To which the second rider replied, “Sure was, and if I hadn’t kept the brake on we might have slipped backwards.”

Life is like that sometimes isn’t it. We try to get to that peaceful life through the work we do or the relationships we have or from the things we buy or the places we go…Sometimes we’ll even say…one step forward two steps back.

Paul, in Philippians, is encouraging the church to continue living like Jesus. Even in the face of evil and hard lives and persecution. He encouraging them to Live simply…with joy and peace. No matter what is going on around them.

Now, you’re asking, I’m sure…How in the world can you do that? Me too sometimes.

Well how in the world can that be done? Is that even possible?

Life. Simple Life.

The question is, and I think this is what we need to hold on to…what is reality?

The world has it’s reality…but from how I read scripture, it isn’t truthful. It seems like…over and over, God or Jesus or a person of God is saying or writing…you see this, but this is what is truthful.

Let’s take a peek at this passage....and we’re going to begin in verse 4. The previous verses, if you’re interested is about 2 ladies who are a part of the church family there in Philippi, but they are in a disagreement…and Paul encourages them, with the help of a 3rd party arbitration…to end their disagreement and to continue striving for deep faith…to continue contending for truth.

Verse 4 begins....oh....and this passage is packed with verses that you’ve probably seen pulled out of context and used for lots of different reasons…some maybe well…some maybe stretched a bit. But Paul writes a number of things…back to back to back to back…like simple proverbs for living…but bunched up all together. And he does this in two sections each with a strong ending....which speaks into our points for today which again, like last week, are super simple.

“Rejoice in the Lord always, I’ll say it again, rejoice.” Now remember, the situation…rejoice always…no matter what’s going on around you right now. Roman persecution - cultural persecution - religious persecution. Tough times, rough patches of life. Always rejoice.

Now…Paul is aware of something…and he just talked about this in chapter 3…but there is a reason to rejoice. This isn’t just random smiling for the sake of faking it. This is reality according to Paul and I tend to agree with Him. Rejoice in the Lord…in the God’s truth…in what is true…in what is true based on what Jesus said and did. Jesus died and beat death. Rejoice....you don’t have anything to fear anymore. In the Lord you now have life, even though your body might die. Rejoice!

Let your graciousness, kindness, gentleness, be known to all. There’s now no more reason to fret through life or allow anger or frustration to rule … live graciously. Paul then writes a quick reality check…”The Lord is near.”

Then he writes…”Don’t worry about anything, but by prayer and petition (asking), present your needs to God.”

And now point one - Do these things, live like this and....

“the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus.”

Peace of God. Which surpasses anything we can think of…everything that we think might bring us peace…this peace goes so far beyond that. This is a peace that we can have in the face of anything going on around us or happening to us.

And notice this…Paul states something here that this peace will do…it will guard your heart and mind. Meaning…there are things out there trying to influence you. There are thoughts and circumstances and ultimately the enemy…trying to take away your joy…or trying to get you to focus on something other than reality as the Creator defines it. This peace guards against lies. This peace helps you see the truth.

Point one…live so you can enjoy the peace of God.

Paul then continues…verse 8. Finally…meaning, “as far as the rest is concerned or in addition to or beyond that...

Paul’s going to do two things in this area. He’s going to say, “Think this way…act this way.” Thinking always precedes actions. Control thoughts and it’s much more likely that you’ll control your actions. So here’s what to think about... Truthful, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, moral excellence, praiseworthy, dwell on these things. If you look hard enough, can you find these things everywhere right? One commentator wrote this…and I think this makes perfect sense...”Perhaps Paul knows that since the Philippians are being persecuted by the society around them, they will be tempted to reject everything outside the church as indelibly tainted with evil. If so, then this list, with its admonition to look for the virtue (excellence) in the wider world, reminds the Philippians that , although society sometimes seems hostile and evil, it still is part of God’s world and contains much good that a believer can affirm.” Evil wants you to focus on evil. Fear and frustration and anxious thoughts are then likely to follow. Taking you away from the peace of God.

Paul then writes, “Do....Do....what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me…and Paul is a bit proud here…but not prideful. He’s just super confident of what he believes…He knows he has God’s peace - no doubt whatsoever. He knows truth…what is truthful. He has seen reality and he isn’t going back. So Paul writes, imitate me…and...

Point 2…Do these things and you will have the peace of God.

…and the peace of God will be with you.

Point 1 - Live in such a way that the peace of God guards your heart and mind.

Point 2 - Live in such a way that you can have, live inside, the peace of God.

I know…they’re roughly the same. I guess we could have some sub points right?

In his excellent book, The Magnificent Story, James Bryan Smith shares this short little anecdote from the world of bumper stickers. While funny, it also brings up some truth about perspective and how it affects us.

I once saw a bumper sticker that said, “Fishing is my life.” My first thought was, That guy can do better. But my second thought was, Sounds like idolatry. A better bumper sticker would read: “Fishing: Thanks, God.”

With the perspective that life, everything good in life, comes from God…we can have peace.

So here are the sub points.

Have joy in truth. Rejoice - in chapter 3 Paul writes that some people focus on earthly things to bring them peace…it won’t work. Our citizenship is in heaven…focus on heavenly things.

Be grateful for what God has given you. Know that He’ll supply everything you need…as a citizen of Heaven.

Think about goodness…act with goodness.

And through these things, you’ll experience the peace of God. Live so you can have the peace of God.

Now lets think. I recently read an article where a Christian, from Afghanistan, was explaining why he has peace right now, even though there is horrible things going on around him. He has peace because no one, not even the Taliban…no matter what they might do to him, can change what God has done and is doing in him and for him. Even death will not change his place in God’s plan.

Here’s how another commentator put it. Paul’s writing explains something simple about life…the ultimate truth about life.

“The Lord is near, God is sovereign and merciful, the world belongs to God” If those things are true...

Live in such a way that it is evident that you believe those things to be true. …and the peace of God will guard you....and the peace of God will be with you.

YouVersion, that’s the Bible app I have on my phone, the daily Bible verse was a quote from Jesus. John records this in his gospel, chapter 16 - And the context is Jesus is talking to the disciples about His impending death…and Resurrection. But then he says this, “I have told you these things so that in me…in me, you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous though. I have conquered the world.”

Simple life…the simple life is a life with the peace of God. No matter what circumstances you might be in. Jesus died, but he conquered death. He has done the same for us. No matter what might happen to us here…we can live with peace knowing that whatever happens to us or is happening around us, we can have God’s peace.

The simple life might be complicated and exhausting at times, but that doesn’t mean that it will lack peace. Through the truth about Jesus, we can have peace that we can’t even begin to understand. Amen?