The Lord Is At Hand

NOVEMBER 17, 2021 STUDY NOTES PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES INTRODUCTION Paul had just said that “the Lord is at hand,” Php 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. He could have been referring to the return of Jesus, which is an encouragement to us But in context it seems likely that Paul has in mind the immediate presence of God For Christians to follow and experience what Paul is going to tell us requires God’s presence We must have full confidence in the presence of the Lord to experience what Paul is telling us The Lord must be near to hear us and provide for us what Paul tells us the Lord will do What Paul is going to command us to do cannot be fulfilled apart from the Lord’s presence: Don’t worry about one thing Pray about everything Be thankful for anything Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. “Be careful” does not have the meaning of our English definition today First-of all it is a command, not an option, it must be put into practice, and it must be now It also is telling us to stop doing something, something that was already going on Something that is going full force in our society today, Paul says, “don’t worry” Paul says stop worrying now, stop being anxious about anything, quit being troubled in mind Worry is one of man’s worst enemies, worry is an anxious, troubled, uneasy state of mind The Greek word means, to divide, to cut into pieces, to be pulled in different directions In classical Greek the word described a person being raised up or suspended in air Worry describes a person who feels totally out of control because of things out of their control Most worry is about things that can’ be changed, such as the past, yesterday’s problems Or things of the present that can’t be controlled by us Or things in the future that might or might not happen, which is also out of our control Worry is fear, especially fear of the future, fear of what is going to happen Worry happens when you are so concerned about the things or events of life When you are so concerned about them that you can think of nothing else Which leads to a neglect of the “Lord’s Work,” the daily ministry of a Christian Consider some comments concerning worry: It is like a rocking chair, it will give you something to do, but it won” get you anywhere It is an indication that we think God cannot look after us or that He is not there for us It is putting question marks where God has put a period Compare it to greed, greed can never get enough, something that Christians should avoid Worry is the fear of not having enough, something that Christians should avoid Worry is when our hopes pull us in one direction and fear pulls us in the opposite direction So, we are pulled apart, worry will tear you apart mentally, physically, and spiritually It is when your mind is overcome, and you can’t eat right, sleep right, think right, or act right When your mind is thinking wrong, and your heart doesn’t feel right Worry will steal away your heart of joy and peace of mind Worry cannot change the past or control the future, but it will make you miserable today When you worry you don’t think right, you don’t feel right, and you don’t act right Page 1 of 5 If you are worried abut something you could do something about, do it and quit worrying If you are worried about something you can’t do anything about, worry will not work it out Worry will pull you in different directions, what we want will pull us in one direction What we don’t want will pull us in another direction, what we don’t know in another direction Worry is the failure to trust God, trusting God is the victory over worry You worry because you are not accepting the promises of God found in His Word “The Lord is at hand,” the Lord is my helper, Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Psa 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? In His sermon on the mount, Jesus taught us not to worry, Jesus used the same word Paul does Paul said, “be careful,” Jesus said, “take no thought,” Mat 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought (don’t worry) for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Mat 6:27 Which of you by taking thought (worrying) can add one cubit unto his stature? Mat 6:28 And why take ye thought (worry) for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: Mat 6:31 Therefore take no thought, (don’t worry) saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? Worry is useless when you worry you are not trusting God, He knows your needs, Mat 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Jesus tells us what to do instead of worrying, Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Trust Jesus day by day, day after day, Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. “Be careful for nothing,” don’t worry about one thing, “nothing” removes all worry from us Worry about “nothing,” pray about everything BUT IN EVERY THING BY PRAYER Paul gives us a prescription for worry, it will cure worry It probably is not what the doctor ordered, but it is what God commands us to do The emphasis is the priority of prayer, you can either pray or worry, it’s your choice Be sure you are praying, prayer cannot be a generic, it must be the original, the real NT praying When you pray know who you are, you are a child of God, Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: Remember that God loves you and desires the best for you Know who you are talking too, you are talking to your Father, Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. God is your Father, and He knows what is best for you Know where you are, you are in the throne room of God’s grace, Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Know that you are in the presence of God, you have approached the throne of glory You have entered-into a time of worship and devotion, come with reverence and adoration You are in the presence of the One who has the power to do anything for you That is why we are to pray about “everything,” that covers it all, nothing is left out Look at the comparison, don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything Don’t worry about your physical health, your financial wealth, your daily problems of life Pray about them, turn them over to the Lord, Psa 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Page 2 of 5 Peter tells why we must turn it all over to the Lord, 1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. “Casting” means to hand it all over to God, deposit it all with the Lord, put it all in His hands Then turn it loose, leave it in God’s Hand, the only way to be relieved of the pressure of worry The word “care” means, anxiety, worry, the things that are pulling you apart “All” of your anxieties, all that you are worried about, everything that you are concerned about Cast it all upon Jesus, give it all to Jesus and leave it there, why Jesus? Because He is the One who cares for you, Jesus is personally concerned about you That is why you can make known your personal request, which is “supplication” Peter uses the word translated “supplication” in, 1Pe 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: (supplication) but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. God is listening, God is paying attention, God always gives attention to our needs, Psa 34:17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. Come before God in a state of humility and freely make your request known with thanksgiving Don’t pray with a heart of greed, pray with a heart of gratitude, Col 4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; It is easy to say, “please God,” we must learn to say “thank you God” “Thanksgiving” is within the context of the Spirit-filled life, Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Thanksgiving is an expression of joy and gratitude, Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Look close “thanks always for all things,” one of the best examples you can find is Jonah Everyone knows the story of Jonah, but have you paid attention to Jonah’s prayer, Jon 2:1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, Your prayer closet can be anywhere you are, prayer will reach unto God from anywhere, Jon 2:7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. Even though Jonah had been swallowed by a fish, he prayed with “thanksgiving,” Jon 2:9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. Jonah never wavered in his confidence of God's ability to deliver, should He choose to do so Prayer and supplication begin with God’s will and must be according to God’s will, 1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. With a thankful spirit, “let your requests be made known unto God.” John uses the same word translated “requests” and helps us to understand the meaning, 1Jn 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. Here is another example of the importance of interpretation within context, 1Jn 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: Our asking must be according to the “Will of God,” scripture gives us other guidelines A life of obedience to God, 1Jn 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. We must “Abide in Christ,” Joh 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. We are to ask, “In faith,” Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. From a life of righteousness, Jas 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Page 3 of 5 With unselfish motives, Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. We are to ask in the name of Jesus, Joh 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. Asking in the “name” of Jesus represents complete trust in who He is and all that He will do A hindrance to prayer is a sinful heart, Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: Another hindrance to prayer is a wrong relationship with your mate, 1Pe 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. “Heirs together” speaks to husband and wife God hears our prayer when we pray according to His Will and according to His Word It is important that Christians pray and not worry, Luk 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; (Do not lose courage because of worry) Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. “And” connects the previous verse with the present verse There is a promise that goes with praying, the promise doesn’t come with worrying God’s “peace” will mend the brokenness that comes through worry “The peace of God” does not mean that there will be no more trials or troubles It is peace in the-midst of problems because of our peace with God, which is through Christ Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Unless you have experienced “Peace with God,” you will not experience the “Peace of God” The peace of God is to govern our heart, Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. The peace of God in your heart is a trouble-free heart, Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. We experience the peace of God when we put our trust in God, Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Those who are without Christ know nothing of the peace of God They only know something of a peace relationship when there is the absence of trouble Christians have a peace relationship with God even when there is trouble God’s peace is an untroubled spirit in the time of trouble It is an undisturbed spirit when daily life has been disturbed It is well-being when you are walking through things that are not so well No experience that we face in life can take away the peace of God from us, Joh 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. No wonder Paul says that the peace of God is peace which passeth all understanding, It is beyond the ability of man to understand it or explain it Why is that true? Because it is so far beyond what the world calls positive thinking It is supernatural peace experienced with the new life of salvation God’s peace cannot even be comprehended by the Christian who experiences it God’s peace surpasses “all understanding,” it cannot be explained, but it can be experienced When it is experienced others can see that it is taking place and are amazed by it Those who see it manifested in the lives of Christians cannot understand such peace A person whose cancer has been arrested may say, “praise God, I am so thankful” But the Christian who is daily in pain, dying with cancer, says, “praise God, God is good” They are experiencing “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” Page 4 of 5 God’s peace is related to God’s love, Eph 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; Eph 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, Eph 3:18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; Eph 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. When you are filled with God’s love and peace there is no room for worry God’s peace and love can be experienced, but cannot be explained in the words of man Paul explains the experience of God’s peace, it shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. “Shall keep” was a military word meaning to guard, protect, to provide security That which is protected by God’s peace is “Your hearts and minds” In the context of this passage there is no distinction implied between the heart and mind They both refer to your inner person, your thoughts, feelings, affections, and emotional state Pro 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: That which cannot be explained is the heart and mind of the one experiencing God’s peace The storms of live are raging, the problem has not gone away, but there is an inner calm The sickness, the incurable disease is still there, but there is a peace which cannot be explained Even though we cannot understand it, Paul tells us why it is possible, it is, THROUGH CHRIST JESUS Faith and trust in Jesus will not allow worry to enter the mind or heart Keep your mind centered upon Christ, keep your heart committed to Christ Don’t focus on the problem, focus on the One who can solve your problem Which is not just “mind over matter,” it is the “Spirit-filled” life in control of all things The circumstances of our life will change, but don’t change your mind about Christ Regardless of your circumstances of life, Christ can change them because He is unchanging, Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Faith in Jesus is as sound and secure as it has ever been and will always be “Yesterday” is a reference to the life of Jesus on the earth “Today” refers to His present intercessory work as our High Priest at God’s right hand “Forever” represents the eternal priesthood ministry of Christ Based upon what Paul has told us, he now tells us, Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Study that verse, and “think” upon it, it will be our next study in Philippians Page 5 of 5