PHILIPPIANS | Christ-centered Prayer and Thanksgiving | Philippians 4:4-7 | Olinger, D. (Guest)

You. Our sermon text this morning is from the letter to the Philippians. Philippians chapter four, reading from verse four.

This is God's holy and inspired Word. Please give it your full attention.

Rejoice in the Lord. Always again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone the Lord is at hand.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds. In Christ, Jesus, may God bless the reading of His Word. You may be seated.

The verses that we have before us from Philippians four this morning are some of the most beloved verses in the New Testament, and that for good reason. In view, in verse four is our relationship with Jesus Christ. We're to rejoice in the Lord always.

And then we have, in verse five, our relationship, we could say, with others were to be reasonable or also it can be translated here, gentle or kind with others.

But this morning, I'd like for us to start with verse six, which we could say, brings into view our relationship with ourselves.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known to God.

Now here are two commands that are so clear, so straightforward, so essential to the Christian life, but oh how we struggle with both of them.

First. Do not be anxious about anything.

I think it's no secret.

We're an anxious people.

We worry about so much.

We worry about what we need to fix, we worry about what we might lose. We worry about what we don't have. You name it, we worry about it, the list is endless, and everyone worries about different things, but this is what we all share when we're filled with anxiety. This is what's universal.

It deprives us of peace.

It takes away our joy when we're filled with anxiety and stress, we're not at peace, and we're not filled with joy, but we also struggle, struggle with the second command in this passage, and that is praying with Thanksgiving. And here, a main problem is we simply don't pray as we should, and yet prayer is so vital to the Christian life.

We might be well intentioned.

We might say we're going to pray today, but what do we do when we have time, we often find ourselves looking at our screens and doing other things filled with activity, and before we know it, we've hit the pillow and we haven't prayed.

And yet prayer is so vital to the Christian life. Paul tells the Thessalonians Pray without ceasing. He tells the Colossians, Devote yourselves to prayer. He tells the Ephesians that he is praying for them all the time.

Now, Paul does this. He emphasizes prayer because he knows that brings glory to God, but he also knows that is a means of grace. It's a means by which our communion with the risen Christ is deepened. I'll just put it straight forward.

You cannot live the life of faith on your own apart from Jesus Christ, but when you don't pray, that's what you're saying.

When you don't pray, you're saying, Jesus, it's okay. I got this. I'm good on my own.

We don't have it. And as a matter of fact, that's exactly.

What started the Protestant Reformation?

That's what was going on with Martin Luther.

Martin Luther looked to himself, and just like the word of God we've just read from Psalm 14, he knew he was a sinner, and he knew that all that he did was displeasing to God, and that if he was going to be saved, it must be the work of God and the work of God alone. You see, Luther knew that when you look to yourself for your salvation, all it does is increases frustration and guilt.

You see, it's much like it's it's much like being filled with anxiety when you don't pray.

You're deprived of peace because you're always looking to yourself and when you don't pray, you're deprived of joy, because looking to yourself, you know how much you cannot do it.

You see when it comes to living the Christian life, we must look by faith to the one who has died, more than that, the one who has been raised, and we're told in Romans, eight ever lives above interceding for us, and a biblical way that we do this is by praying. So I struggle with this. I know we all struggle with this, but let's pray. Let's write ourselves little notes about praying. Use those screens. Put little reminders, little beeps at certain hours of the day that will remind you have I prayed.

Pray about praying more.

This is so much a part of the Christian life, coming to the Lord in prayer. But as first six tells us, it is prayer is by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving that our requests are being made known to God. And so you have to you see throughout, not only here, but throughout the New Testament that it is prayer with thanksgiving.

Ephesians, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. Colossians, 42 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. First Thessalonians, 517, pray without ceasing. We know those words. Do you know what follows? Giving thanks in all circumstances. Now, why is Paul connecting Thanksgiving in prayer? For one thing, he knows that when we're thankful, our prayers are not filled with complaint, and that's something we should take to note here in a letter to the to the Philippians, did you realize he's writing this letter in chains. He's imprisoned. He's been falsely accused. And yet, what is he telling the Philippians? He's telling them, tells them, in chapter two, do all things without murmuring and complaining, and this is here at the end of the letter, he's telling them to be thankful and to come to the Lord in prayer.

You see, when you know that you owe everything to the living God that brings joy and it should bring Thanksgiving, and it should be reflected in our prayers, we should pray daily to our God that He has saved us, and to be thankful for that and be filled with joy in that, knowing that to be the case, knowing that He has loved us when we were unlovely, knowing that he has saved us when we were those who hated him, we're to let that love and peace and gentleness and kindness be known to others. Verse five, then let your gentleness be known to all you. See, this is what the Lord has done for us. But according to Paul here in this text, we can be gentle with others because we also know that the Lord is at hand, that we can rejoice in our Lord, and we can be gentle with others because the Lord is at hand. Now in the Bible, whenever you.

See that the Lord is at hand.

It's very sobering. How can any creature stand in the presence of the living God? You might recall Isaiah, chapter six, holy. Holy. Holy. Is the Lord God Almighty. But here, the way Paul is using this expression, the Lord is at hand. It has to do with something new that has happened in the history of redemption. The equivalent language would be in Second Corinthians, 62 Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.

You see the apostle is declaring that something has happened with the coming of Jesus Christ, in which believers are no longer to fear, a new day has dawned with a death and resurrection of Christ, where believers actually can welcome the return of the Lord and live without anxiety.

It's a new day of confidence.

It's a new day of prayer, at least that's what the writer of the Hebrews states in chapter four.

Hebrews 40 tells us that we have a high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, a high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses, a high priest who is like us in every respect, tempted as we are yet without sin.

So what does he say? Let us, then with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and grace to help in time of need.

It's a new day of confidence.

It's a new day of prayer. Jesus says, Ask, it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock, it will be open to you.

It's a new day of confidence, a new day of prayer, because God the Father hears his son interceding for us. Have you ever thought about that God the Father hears his son interceding for us. John 11, Jesus says, Father, I thank you that you have heard me, and I know that you always hear me.

If I say this on account of the people standing around that they may believe that You sent Me.

You see this new day of confidence, this new day of prayer, this new day of Thanksgiving is because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the pouring out of His Spirit.

We are those who are so blessed, and we are those who only await the return of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, from the heavens, first, Thessalonians, 110 so as we are waiting for Jesus to return, we are to pray for His coming with Thanksgiving in Our hearts that He has delivered us from the wrath of come. So again, moving through our text, Paul then declares the Philippians that they are to rejoice in the Lord always, to let their gentleness be known to everyone. He then declares that the Lord is near, and that being the case, he commands them not to be anxious about anything, but by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to let their requests be made known to God.

And then he follows up in verse seven with the promise and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ, Jesus, now praying with Thanksgiving brings peace.

We are to pray with thanksgiving and it brings peace. But here's the things, friends, it doesn't create peace.

Okay?

Praying with Thanksgiving doesn't create peace.

It's rather, it's a matter of you using what you already have in Jesus Christ. It's essential that you pray with thanksgiving, but your prayer is made efficacious through Christ a new day that he brings for Jesus, Christ is the one who is entered in the heaven itself, where he appears now in the presence of God on our behalf. In other words, that's why we have peace with God.

Put it in first John two language, if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus, Christ, the righteous. You see, it's because Jesus died for our sins, and now risen intercedes for us in the presence of God that we have peace.

But that's what he's done. But what a gift it is. And when we pray, we enter into it, and then we're told that entering into it, that it will.

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

Jesus, that imagery is that of a garrison. It's of that which guards and the imagery here also is that it's a garrison of heaven.

Now why do I say that? It's because this peace surpasses all understanding.

It cannot be explained away by the wisdom of the world.

It's beyond human comprehension.

It's Supernatural. You friends as we who believe it's the peace of Heaven that stands guard around our hearts in the pilgrimage to this this life unto the end that we would dwell forever with God.

For heaven, friends first nine is where the God of peace dwells, and that's where this text has been going.

Have you ever thought about that heaven is a realm where everyone rejoices always because there is no sin and no death. Heaven is the realm where there is no anxiety, unlike now in the fallen world, heaven is the realm where there is perpetual Thanksgiving this and rejoicing in the Lord. Heaven is the realm of perfect peace in heaven. Is what you partake of. Now, in measure, you who belong to Jesus Christ, it is what is yours. You have a heavenly citizenship. Now, even as you wait for that heavenly citizenship in full, in one way, you show yourself to be that citizen of heaven is by praying with thanksgiving and not being filled with anxiety in loving your neighbor with Patience and gentleness and rejoicing in the Lord always you in chapter three ends with the Apostle Paul making this very appeal to the Philippians. He tells them, your citizenship is in heaven, and from it, you await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform your lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. You see, why should you rejoice in the Lord always? Why should you be gentle with others? Why should you be anxious about nothing? Why should you pray with thanksgiving? It's because the Lord is at hand. The day of salvation has arrived. Jesus Christ has died for your sins and been raised for your justification and ascended. He ever lives above praying for you through his work and through the gift of His Spirit, He has put a garrison of Heaven around your heart through the Word and Spirit as He brings you to Himself to be with him in all eternity, in heaven above that's the peace that you have now, and the peace that will be yours for all eternity, and no one can take that away from you.

And that's why, no matter what happens in this life? There will be pain, there will be suffering, there will be tribulation. But no one can ever rob you of the joy that is found in Jesus Christ, the peace that is found in Jesus Christ, the good news that is found in Jesus Christ.

Now, one last word here on this text, and perhaps I buried the lead.

Why is he saying this?

Why is he doing this?

Well, it's because two ladies are fighting so much in the congregation that he names them by name. Can you imagine how bad it is that he names them by name?

Verse two, and he urges them to get along in the lord What should these two ladies, what should they be doing?

What should we all be doing whenever we have conflict in the church? What should we all be doing when we have conflict with others?

We shouldn't be murmering and complaining.

We shouldn't be filled with anxiety and worry. We shouldn't be filled with anger.

We should pray. Pray for the other person, pray for the other person. Be patient with the other person. Nothing melts the heart like prayer. Do you know how hard it is to be angry with someone when they say to you, in all honesty and sincerity, I'm praying for you.

That's what we should do, and in doing that, we show forth that we are joined to Jesus, Christ, for who is the one who is praying for us this very second?

Jesus is, Jesus is the one who prays continually to the Father for us. He's the one who prays without ceasing. And here's the other thing that's so amazing, when he prays for us, He gives thanksgiving to the Lord God above that we are His.

Do you do realize that you, who believe you are the apple of Jesus. I He loved you so much that he laid down his life for you, and it doesn't his love for you doesn't stop there.

He continues by praying for you, and as he prays for you, He gives thanksgiving for you.

You want to live a transformed life.

Be a praying believer who has joy and thanksgiving in your heart always for what Jesus Christ has done you.

I'm here with you this morning because I was going to be in Gainesville to receive that call.

You know your heart breaks you Yes, but how we rejoice? Joel, Joel and Mary Ann are not undone because they know that Jesus Christ is risen, and they know the joy that's found in the Lord, and they're trusting in that joy, just as all the believers there in Gainesville are, we live in a fallen creation.

We live in a culture that has gone mad, but we're not to be undone.

We're to pray. We are to be joyful in the Lord. We're to give thanks. We're to be gentle with others. We are to know that the day of the Lord is at hand, and we are to be those who know that Jesus Christ is guarding our hearts and minds with a peace that is from above, amen.