"Garrisoned by Peace: The Christian's Inner Life, Part One"
Philippians 4:1-7
April 22, 2007
by C.W. Powell
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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.
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.
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. (Php 4:1-7 AV)
- The word keep there in Proverbs means to guard, or to preserve. To set a watch, to look all around, to be circumspect. Do not take it for granted.
- This guard is to be done with diligence; this is the most important work of the life, for success or failure in the kingdom of God depends upon keeping the heart. Your success in human relationship; in your life's work; your success or failure in the work of Christ is going to be determined by the way your keep your heart.
- The issues of life: or what comes out of life, is determined by what comes out of the heart. That is why the keeping of the heart is so important.
- Why? Because man is a spiritual being. He is not defined by what he eats or drinks; by the physical things around him--what he owns or what he does not own. He is defined by what comes forth from the heart. "A good man, out of the good treasure....."
Theme of Philippians: Let this mind be in you. There is a power working in you. This power is the Holy Spirit, by which you are united to Christ and are counted a child of God by faith in Christ. You are freed (justified) from the law of sin and death; so you have been married to Jesus Christ. He is your life and your salvation. He is to dwell in your hearts by faith; his image is to be formed in you, for that is God's eternal purpose for you: that you be conformed to the image of His Son.
So we now come to Chapter Four. First, Preliminary Matters:
Euodius and Syntyche are to be at peace. How contrary it is to the spirit of Christ for Christians to be at odds with each other: to not be speaking to each other. To snub one another. To spread slander and evil speakings.
- If we are to have the mind of Christ, then Euodius and Syntyche are to be of one mind, and quit their fussing.
- Joy and Crown: Christ being formed in them, was the reason for Paul's call to the ministry. Ministers should keep this in mind. Stand fast in the Lord: not just stand fast; but stand fast in the Lord. The members of the church are your joy and crown when they are conformed to Christ: this is the reason that true ministers are absolutely dependent upon the power of the Holy Spirit. The power must work in the people of god.
- I beseech: it must come from within. It must come through the operations of the Spirit of God. Paul would not command, as though he would be content with outward obedience and the motions of virtue. No, he beseeches because he wants them to obey from the heart.
- I intreat you, True Yokefellow--whether this is the name of an unknown Christian, or a play on words, asking a person to live up to his name. Certainly does not mean that Paul’s wife was living in Philippi, for he didn’t have a wife during these years, although he might have had a wife when he was much younger, before he was a Christian.
- Women who labored with me: Do not despise the faithful labors of good women.
I. The beginning of Eternal Joy. Rejoice in the Lord. When we learn to rejoice in the Lord, then we will be of one mind. It is our counterfeit rejoicings that cause division and strife and splintering of the church. Is there joy in your life? Have you allowed the cynicism and sourness of the modern age to rob you of the joy of the child of God?
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A. Maybe you consider it a weakness to be joyful: that somehow people who are happy and joyful, don't really know what is going on in the world, and are living in a dream world. That is very much the cynical attitude of the modern world.
B. The joy of the Lord is our strength, Nehemiah tells us.
C. If you are living without joy, there needs to be a value adjustment. You may be looking for your joy in the wrong places and in the wrong things. The joy of the Christian is in Jesus Christ, for if we do not seek our joy in Christ, our default setting is idolatry.
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A. Moderation: "graciousness" "fairmindedness, the attitude of a man who is charitable towards men's faults and merciful in his judgment of their failings because he takes their whole situation into his reckoning.
1. The spirit of willingness to yield under attack which will show itself in a refusal to retaliate when attacked.: It is the "outshining of the joy of the Lord."
2. If we can rejoice in the Lord, then we can let our moderation be known to all men. If we joy and rejoice in the right things, then we can treat men in a proper and loving way.
B. May the Lord come. If our rejoicing is in the Lord, and our conversation is in heaven, and if this world is not our home, then we can show our patience and moderation to all men. If you expect to get your reward in this world, then you are going to be very impatient and irritated with other people, because they will always be getting in your way and being a hindrance to the things you want to accomplish in order to receive what you want. No one can get in the way of your heavenly inheritance; someone will always be in the way of your earthly lusts and desires.
1. This is the reason that James says that contentions and strivings arise because of the lusts that war our members.
2. We either seek these desires without prayer, and we have not; or we pray for them, and do not receive because we would have God serve our desires and are double minded, with one eye on the world and another eye toward God.
3. Either way, we are not satisfied and enter into contentions with one another and do not seek the glory of God.
C. The spirit of retaliation, of getting even, of self-affirmation is the spirit of the world, and the spirit of those who have no heavenly reward, but strive for an earthly inheritance. The children of God do not need to do any of those things.
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A. Be careful or full of care for nothing. Do not worry; do not fret; do not be filled with care.
B. Pray about everything. Anxiety and prayer are contrary to each other, and cancel each other out. One important aspect of prayer is the rolling off of care onto the Lord.
C. Supplication: sense of need; not cold and dry. The heart cries out of need. True prayer arises from the heart that has a sense of need; that is poor in spirit, that hungers and thirsts after righteousness.
D. Requests: the formulating of precise and definite petitions; not just whimpering before the Lord. Sometimes we do cry out as babies; but it is also important to grow up and form definite prayers.
E. Thanksgiving: Eucharist. Remembrance of God's goodness and mercy. This cures us from being over concerning with our immediate problems, forgetful of God's past care for us, and His concern and care for others. Self-centeredness.
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A. There are Two aspects of this peace:
1. Objective: We are justified from the law, so that the peace officers of God are no longer chasing us. We are on the right side of the law. Now no man is on the right side of the law in his own right, but we are on the right side because we are united to Christ. His righteousness is our own. We are not counted as lawbreakers, because Christ died for us, and we are in him. The wicked flee when no man pursues.
2. Subjective: the consciousness of rest and trust. Rest in the Lord, wait patiently for him.
B. Passes understanding:
1. It does not arise from this world: It is the peace of God. This is the reason that Paul and Silas could sing in the prison at Philippi.
2. This peace “passes” all understanding: absolutely unique. It is one of those excellent things that we are to approve: (Phil. 1:10).-
a. In weakness, we are made strong
b. In sorrow, we can learn to rejoice
c. In poverty, we can rejoice in those things that are far greater than silver, gold, precious stones.
d. In sickness, we do not despair or give way.
e. In temptations and failures, we hope in the Lord and take heart in His grace and mercy.
f. In persecution and tribulation, the forgiveness and love for our enemies and for those who mistreat us arise from this peace and from nowhere else.
3. The world does not understand and cannot understand. They will think you are mad; only Christians will understand that you are not insane, but are living in the peace of God.-
a. In weakness, we are made strong
1. This is an advance over Solomon: Proverbs says “Keep your heart with all diligence”; Paul says that “peace through Jesus Christ” will keep your heart. You do not keep your hearts by main strength and fortitude, but by surrendering them up to Jesus Christ. Solomon pointed us in the right direction in Proverbs “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.” (Pr 23:26 AV)
2. Through Jesus Christ; or in Jesus Christ. It is in him that we have peace. It is Jesus Christ who keeps our hearts and minds.
3. The Lord Jesus keeps our hearts and minds though the peace of God.
D. The issues of life proceed from the heart; this is the major reason we must give them to Jesus Christ; it is in Christ that we find the peace that will keep our hearts. Paul said the same thing in Colossians 3:
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
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. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Col 3:8-15 AV)
Amen and Amen