Fellowship Bible Church - Mullica, Hill N.J.

Do you have peace in your life? A freedom from nagging fears about the future, your direction, your plans, our country? Do you have a peace that is noticeable, where when co-workers or other students talk about the affairs of life with you, there’s something different – a peace that is beyond human understanding?

In this passage Paul twice mentions the possibility of peace:

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (4:7)

“…practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (4:9).

When Paul speaks of this peace that serves as a guard over our thoughts and feelings, he borrows a military term that spoke of soldiers on duty.

The Holy Spirit guarantees here that if you follow his directions, and you do exactly what he tells you to do, for the believer, it is impossible to not have peace.

Check out what Jesus said in John 16:33….

“In this world you will have trouble….
But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

One of the tragedies of the Christian life is what Dr. Henry Cloud calls “Incompatible Wishes”. We have incompatible wishes in many areas of our lives:

· I want to live in Fiji when I’m retired, but I’m not going to save for retirement.
That’s an incompatible wish.
· I want to run a marathon for the first time, but I’m not interested in training.
That’s an incompatible wish.
· I want to see an improvement in my relationship with my spouse, but I’m not willing to make any personal changes.
That’s an incompatible wish.

Or our topic at hand today….

· I want to experience supernatural peace from God, but I’m not willing to do what the Bible tells me to do.
That’s an incompatible wish.

God’s peace is possible, but you must choose joy (4:4-5).
God’s peace is possible, but you must have thankful prayer (4:6).
God’s peace is possible, but you must have disciplined thoughts (4:8).
God’s peace is possible, but you must pursue a godly example (4:9).

God’s peace is possible, but you must choose joy (4:4-5).

Paul saw life through the lens of Christ and thus he lived a thankful, joy-filled life:

· Paul thanked God for the Philippians every time he thoughts of them (1:3).
· He was thankful for their partnership in the gospel (1:5).
· He saw his difficult circumstances as a part of God’s sovereign plan (1:12).
· He recognized that his difficult circumstances encouraged Christians (1:14).
· He wasn’t concerned about competition in the proclamation of the gospel, only that Christ was proclaimed (1:18).
· He lived every day for the glory of Christ (1:21).
· He rejoiced in the commonality the Philippians had in Christ (2:2).
· He was interested in his mind becoming more like Christ’s mind (2:5).
· He lived his life to win the rewards Christ has stored up for him (2:16)
· He was thankful for the co-laborers God put around him (2:19-30).
· He had no self-gratification in the things he did before Christ (3:4).
· He wanted to know more of the power of Christ’s resurrection available to him (3:10).

All of this was happening while Paul was in a jail, awaiting news of his fate, which could have very well been execution. How?

Because Paul’s world-view was Christ-centric.

A Christ-centered life is radically different from a Christ-sprinkled life.

Are you primarily concerned with your comfort or the glory of Christ?

God’s peace is possible, but you must have thankful prayer (4:6).

The command of Scripture is clear here: we are to worry about nothing and pray about everything.

Let’s tackle the idea about worrying about nothing....

What are these verses telling us? If you’re a Christian, God is going to take care of you. And he is intimately caring about your needs.

Someone once asked “Should I take everything to God, even the Ummm…what exactly could you take to the Creator of the Universe that he would consider “big”? Everything to God is a little thing – it doesn’t matter if it’s your car wreck, a scary diagnosis or a hang-nail. He is asking you to take it to him.

Let’s talk about praying about everything....

We are to pray about everything, but there is a big qualifier on that prayer right here in the text…what does it say? “…prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING.”

It is very difficult, dare I see nearly impossible, to be worried and thankful at the same time.

It’s not about being thankful and hoping for difficult things to happen to you, it’s a @thankfulness in knowing God never wastes pain and that for the believer the fruit of that pain will be goodness. (Romans 8:28).

God’s peace is possible, but you must have disciplined thoughts (4:8).

The believer is to have thoughts that are like Jesus. Thoughts that are the product of being under the control of the Holy Spirit.

Many of us worry simply because our thought life is rampantly out of control.

· We dwell on lies relating to relationships.
· We dwell on lies relating to body image and self-image.
· We dwell on lies about what people think about us.
· We dwell on lies that we’ll never have victory over a particular sin.

We spend so much think formulating “what if” scenarios instead of dwelling on the facts of “what is”.

This week:

· Instead of complaining about my child, I’m going to repeatedly thank God for my child.
· Instead of wishing I had another spouse, I’m going praise God for my spouse.
· Instead of hoping school would end, I’m going to thank the Lord that I have a school to be in.
· Instead of growing bitter towards God because you don’t have a significant other, I’m going to thank the Lord for the relationships He’s given me.
· Instead of having disgruntled thoughts towards someone, I’m going to pray for them instead.
· Instead of choosing suspicion, I’m going to choose trust.
· Instead of having a lustful thought towards someone, I’m going to pray for them and their marriage instead.
· Instead of speculating what will happen when I have a difficult conversation, I’m going to focus on honoring God in this moment, right now.

God’s peace is possible, but you must pursue a godly example (4:9).

Paul tells the Philippians that the things they have learned and received and heard and seen in him.

Many people that struggle with worry live in total isolation. They go day in and out solo, too proud to admit they struggle. Too proud to be get help.

When I have struggled with worry in my life, you know one of the greatest source of blessing to me? Hearing truths from people that I respect. People that have walked these paths.

God’s peace is possible, but you must choose joy (4:4-5).
God’s peace is possible, but you must have thankful prayer (4:6).
God’s peace is possible, but you must have disciplined thoughts (4:8).
God’s peace is possible, but you must pursue a godly example (4:9).