This morning we return to Paul’s letter to the Philippian church… Paul now begins to offer his last few instructions for this beloved fellowship as he’s nearing the end of the letter…let’s dive into the text

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

As we reach this point in the text, Paul culminates the repeated theme of joy we’ve heard throughout the book with a direct and repeated command to rejoice in Christ

“Rejoice!”            (4.4)

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

The word in view here is Gr ‘chairo’ -- used 74 times in the NT -- about two-thirds of the time it’s translated “rejoice” -- other translations include “glad” and “greeting”-- this word, and a host of others, are all rooted in the base word ‘charis’ or “grace” 

Paul repeats himself from 3.1: Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. 

So what do we know about this encouraging command to “rejoice” -- to feel and express joy? 

Well, the word isn’t primarily a word of feeling or emotion, but there is an emotional element to it…you just have to reflect a moment on it to know how it feels to experience joy, to understand that…but at the same time, if it were purely emotional, it would be hard to command someone to experience it always, as Paul does…so let’s try to understand this a little better so we can take seriously this divine imperative to rejoice

The first thing to note is that joy -- defined as “gladness of heart” -- is a fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5.22-23    22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Joy is something the Holy Spirit builds into your character as He transforms you into the image of Christ…so it shouldn’t surprise us that we are commanded to rejoice -- to be joyous -- just as we are commanded to love, or be patient, or be kind, or faithful, or all the other fruits of the Spirit…in other words, we are to rejoice because to rejoice is to live out what the Spirit is doing in us, it is to display the very character of God to the world

When we rejoice, especially under conditions of adversity or pain, we shine forth the nature of Jesus…we see the truth in Matthew 5.11-12     

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

And in I Peter 4.12-13       

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 

Joy is to be our response when we suffer for and with Christ…so it should be the expectation of every genuine believer in the Lord that he or she will suffer persecution for the cause of Christ, and in that suffering, rejoice

But while we know that while there is an emotional element to joy, that’s not it’s primary nature…joy is more a choice we make than an emotion we feel…there is a permanence to it, a settled character about joy that not only doesn’t depend on circumstances, but in fact often flies in the face of those circumstances…to try to illustrate this firm nature of joy in our lives, consider this comparison:

Happiness could be compared to a rainstorm…great when it happens, but it all depends on the coming together of a variety of circumstances -- the right combination of winds, humidity, temperature, air pressure, even the right amount of dust in the air…if everything comes together in the right time and place, in the right way, we’re blessed with a rainstorm

Joy, however, is more like a river…the river is independent of a given set of circumstances in the changing atmosphere, that may or may not happen…instead, a river flows from a deeply hidden source, often unknown to the world, a spring of living water, flowing water, that isn’t dependent on anything other than the source…it has a permanence to it, a character to it that doesn’t come and go with the shifting winds…instead, joy remains constant, always present, every day…

That’s why the apostle can tell the Philippian believers, and us, to “rejoice always” -- because we can choose to rely on the settled nature of God’s character, the unchanging source of our joy, building joy into us as part of Who Jesus is

Joy is also a uniquely Christian response to suffering…the world simply doesn’t have the spiritual ability to respond to difficulty as Christ-followers do…but because we are indwelt by the Spirit of God, when hard times come upon believers, we respond with joy…why?

There are many reasons, but here’s one of the most significant: joy is the byproduct of faith and trust in our Savior God…we experience joy because we believe that our God is a sovereign God, that He is in control of our circumstances, that He will bring about our good and His glory through those circumstances, that He never wastes our pain, that in adversity we are drawn closer to Him and in fact know Him better…and in that we find joy

And as Peter says, the ultimate end is that we will also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 

So let’s review: we live in joy because the Spirit is building it into our characters in order to display the character of God; we rest in the permanent nature of joy instead of the fleeting experience of circumstantial happiness; and in one of the essential paradoxes of our faith, we experience joy even in the midst of suffering, knowing that we will ultimately also rejoice in the victory of our Lord…what a precious gift from our loving Father, that we can turn to Him regardless of the circumstances and find joy in Christ!

“Be reasonable…”          (4.5a)

5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. 

Kind of an interesting translation of the Gr ‘epieikes’ -- it’s used six times in the NT, and the other five times it’s translated “gentle” -- and that’s pretty much what it means: to be gentle, kind, and tolerant; often used of leaders and those in authority; the Geneva Bible says to have a “patient mind” -- JB Philips says “Have a reputation for gentleness” -- a good translation of the entire verse comes from the Complete Jewish Bible, which says this: “Let everyone see how reasonable and gentle you are.” 

But what does this characteristic look like in action? And what might it’s opposite look like -- unreasonable, harsh, mean-spirited? We have the perfect answer right from the words of Christ in the parable of the unforgiving servant -- listen to Matthew 18.21-35    

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” 

Just to put the monetary amounts in context: using the average wage of a day laborer as the standard, ten thousand talents = 200K years’ wages for a day laborer -- a hundred denarii = three months’ wages for a day laborer

What’s the lesson for us? Be like the king, not the harsh and brutal unforgiving servant…God has shown us incredible grace and gentleness, forgiving us when we could not measure up to His standard of holiness…so our response must be to show that grace and gentleness to all people, “from the heart” as the parable says; because we have been shown abundant grace and love, so we must show abundant grace and love to others…to return to Paul in this passage, we are to “let our reasonableness” -- our gentleness, our kindness, our forgiving spirit -- “be known to everyone”

Don’t worry…turn to God            (4.5b-6)

The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 

This has to be one of the most frequently memorized verses in the Bible…and rightly so, because it speaks to one of the most frequent human issues: anxiety

Paul starts the sentence with an interesting statement -- “The Lord is at hand” sometimes translated “The Lord is near”

This phrase means one of two things -- and both give us truth and goodness

One possibility is that Paul intends “The Lord is at hand” to tell us that he believes Jesus is returning soon -- that the Second Coming was near or at hand…other passages in Paul’s writings lean that same direction

The other possibility is that Paul is referring to the nearness or presence of the Lord as He dwells in us through the Person of the Holy Spirit; He is at hand, He is near

Both truths -- that the coming of Christ is near, which it is, though of course we don’t know the date -- or that He is present with us through His Spirit -- both set the stage wonderfully well for the truth to follow -- that we need not be anxious about anything

Again, without using the words, Paul calls us to a radical experience of faith and trust in Jesus -- to live in this world of uncertainty without worry or anxiety

Jesus speaks directly to this human tendency -- to worry or be anxious -- in the Sermon on the Mount…to those anxious about the need for food and drink in this life, He shows us the birds whom the Father feeds…to those anxious about clothing, He shows us the flowers of the field, which the Father clothes…He concludes with this statement  Matthew 6.31-34

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

There are good reasons why the Lord warns us about the sins of anxiety and worry…the effects of anxiety are troubling, both physically and spiritually…we know well that worry and anxiety in our minds, hearts, and spirits are connected with physical problems ranging from heart disease to cancer; chronic emotional stress and anxiety negatively impact our bodies, our emotional and mental well-being, and our relationships with others; none of these outcomes are surprising but are well known to anyone in the medical profession or anyone who personally struggles with a tendency toward worry and anxiety…and to make things worse, fear and anxiety can tend to isolate us from others, and even hinder us from serving the kingdom of God…we’ve certainly seen these effects across our community, our nation, and around the world in the last year, and while it’s hard to discern where legitimate concerns that should be met with prudence end, and anxious worry about imagined fears begin, we know the words from Jesus are clear to trust in the providence of the Father and not give in to debilitating worry and anxiety 

The Gr word is telling: ‘merimnao’ -- in verb form, to be anxious for something; worried; filled with care and concern…Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 6 is clear -- the more we worry about the needs of this life, we less we think about the kingdom of God…we understand we have to work in this life…Jesus was a carpenter, Paul was a tentmaker, for just two examples…but we cannot somehow secure this life by our own effort…our concern is to be the kingdom of God…to have eyes for eternity instead of for this world

One commentator said it this way:  To care for the world is to fall victim to it…our focus must remain on the “one thing” of which Paul spoke earlier…Jesus says the same thing to Martha in Luke 10.41-42

41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

“Worry is self-concern relative to the future…it is this that makes a proper concern foolish by fostering the illusion that concern for the means of life can grant security to life itself. The future is not in our hands. We cannot add one cubit (either length of days or stature) by worrying. The right course is to seek first the kingdom, and God will see to other things, not removing uncertainty, but taking the worry out of it. A bit of secular wisdom drives home the point in v. 34. It is ridiculous to add tomorrow’s worry to that of today.” (TDNT)

For most of us, that’s an easy trap to fall into…we know that we have responsibilities in this life, to work for our own support and the support of others, both family and to be able to support those whom we don’t know through giving…but we can’t let that concern turn into worry and anxiety about our future needs…prayer becomes the way that God changes our hearts more toward faith and trust in Him, especially as we combine that discipline of prayer with time fruitfully spent in Bible reading and study

What does Paul say is the antidote to the poison of anxiety? Prayer

in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

“In everything” -- every moment, every situation, every need -- pray

The words “prayer” and “supplication” are close to synonymous in this context, though prayer is a larger term and would include other types of prayer, such as confessional prayer, or thanksgiving, or praise, while supplication is specific to making requests…here it means just that, to make a request to a deity…it renders the Gr word ‘proseuche’ -- and these requests are to be offered with thanksgiving…for God’s goodness, His perfect gifts, His constant provision, His gracious protection, His patient mercy…

I Peter 5.6-7 is clear that we are to turn to God with our worries and cares   

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

So when we follow His direction and turn to God with our lives and needs, what happens?

Our priorities straighten out

We receive blessings from His hand, much as a parent blesses a child

We gain strength to withstand temptation

We find communion with God during quiet times and in quiet places

We receive wisdom from God

Laborers are called into God’s harvest of souls

We learn persistence and humility

We receive strength to serve God

We are brought into union with Christ

We receive boldness to witness

We learn more of Who God is as He reveals Himself

We receive instruction and guidance from the Lord

Believers are commissioned to serve as missionaries and ministers

The truth is this: as His people pray The Father hears and brings about His purposes and His will 

One note about prayer: we sometimes hear, “prayer changes things” -- and while in one sense that is certainly true, we should be careful to rightly understand the relationship between our prayer and God’s sovereignty

At times, it’s clear that God honors and accepts prayer…we see that in James 5.13-16

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

And this is just one example of divine injunctions to pray…there are many others as well; but I would just remind us that we pray to our sovereign God for that very reason, because He is sovereign…if He were not the sovereign authority over all things, if He were not able to order things according to His own purposes, what would be the point of prayer? And we pray not in some effort to change His mind, or bend Him to our will, but much more to understand His mind, and to align our desires to His…so while it’s true that as He sees fit, God honors and accepts our prayers, and can “change things” as we say it, it’s also true that the greater work of God is to change the human heart toward Himself, to work in us…in and through our minds, hearts, wills, and emotions, to conform us to the image of Christ…what a blessing that God invites His children to come to Him in prayer, for it is through prayer learn of His heart and we are shaped and changed to be more like Him

Peace         (4.7)

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Paul now turns to the closing of this short instruction about joy and worry and prayer, and finishes with an affirmation about peace

“Peace” in English renders the Gr ‘eirene’ -- a beautiful word that has a wide variety of meanings, both in classical non-Biblical Greek, the Septuagint, which is the translation of the Hebrew OT into Greek, and in NT Greek as well

It can designate a period or place of the absence of conflict, particularly in the near-constant cycle or war and strife; it can represent a thought for which we might use the term “well-being” with an emphasis on material prosperity; it can represent, as here in Philippians, a divine gift, right standing with God, almost synonymous with salvation; at times it seems to capture all of these meanings

And that’s Paul’s point here -- as we rejoice in our good and gracious Father, as we live gently and kindly in this world, as we reject anxiety and worry and instead place our trust and faith in our sovereign God, then we will experience ‘eirene’ -- peace, specifically God’s peace, divine peace

Like joy in verse 4, peace is also a fruit of the Spirit, number three in the list in Galatians 5, following right after love and joy…and like those two, peace is something He builds in us

And this peace “surpasses understanding” -- literally, “is beyond the mind or intellect” -- it’s more readily experienced that it is understood 

We often link it to a familiar verse in John 14 (verse 27)

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 

The world doesn’t have this kind of peace -- in fact, they have no peace at all…this peace only comes from Jesus…this is the sound of the Good Shepherd calming an anxious flock of sheep…you’ll recall the context of this verse is Jesus speaking with the apostles just hours before His betrayal, arrest, and trial leading up to the crucifixion…these same men to whom our Lord was speaking were about to undergo the greatest time of fear, chaos, and confusion they had ever known, culminating in the brutal murder of their leader and best friend, Jesus…if ever a group of people needed peace, this group needed it right now…and so as Jesus concludes this lengthy teaching passage -- chapters 14 through 16 -- He finishes with this statement in John 16.33

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus knows we need His peace, and He is determined to give it to us…both in salvation and in sanctification as we live each day confronted by an aggressively wicked world…but we can rest in the fact that the ultimate issue is resolved by grace through the faith that we receive as a gift from our Father, as Paul says in Romans 5.1

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We enjoy peace with God as we are reconciled to Him through the blood of Christ, then we enjoy peace as we walk with Him for a lifetime

And this God-given peace has a specific function in our lives, according to Paul: it will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

The Gr word is ‘phroureo’ -- it means both to guard and to be guarded over…in the context here, the sense is that we are protected, guarded by, the peace of God in both our hearts and our minds -- the seat of who we are as a person, our will and emotions, our minds and intellect

As we recall that Jesus is our Good Shepherd, you can picture His gift of peace for our hearts and minds as the sheep fold, the enclosure for the sheep, that which serves to protect and guard us, and keep us close to the Shepherd

One final picture of this blessing from God comes to us from Psalm 131 verse 2

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

   like a weaned child with its mother;

   like a weaned child is my soul within me.

The picture of a toddler, quiet and resting in her mother’s lap at the end of the day, is a sweet image that captures for us the entire truth in this passage: the settled joy, the gentleness, the absence of worry or anxiety, and the positive presence of perfect peace

So as we close this morning, let me encourage you to remember that picture and seek after that permanent joy, to live out gentleness and kindness, to reject the heavy chains of worry and anxiety, and instead to stay within the fold of God, right next to the Shepherd.