Unity and Joy in the Gospel

Welcome to our worship service this evening.

For those of you who are new, my name is Sean.

I'm one of the pastors of Trinity Cambridge Church,

and it's my joy and privilege to preach God's word to you this evening.

We've been in the series in the Book of Philippians,

and we're in the last chapter now, the first nine verses.

I usually have a wireless mic,

but the mic was not where it was supposed to be this evening,

so I'll be using the handheld mic.

Let me pray and seek God's help.

Heavenly Father,

we live in a world where people are desperately longing for your peace.

Grant us, Lord,

to be peace proclaimers,

peacemakers.

Those who invite others to the peace that we have with you and with one another.

And give us an ever greater measure

of that peace

in Jesus Christ, we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Philippians 4, verses 1 to 9.

Philippians 4:1–9

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for,

my joy and crown,

stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

I entreat Iodia,

and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord.

Yes,

I ask you also, true companion,

help these women

who have labored side by side with me in the gospel,

together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers,

whose names are in the book of life.

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 mind in Christ Jesus.

Finally,

brothers,

whatever is true,

whatever is honorable,

whatever is just,

whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely,

whatever is commendable,

if there is any excellence,

if there is anything worthy of praise,

think about these things.

But you have learned and received

and heard and seen in me.

Practice these things,

and the God of peace will be with you.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

In its analysis of the things that people searched for

on its search engine in the year 2020,

Google noted that a search for peaceful or relaxing music,

relaxation,

meditation,

breathing exercises,

how to calm down,

and inner peace

were trending at all time high levels.

Due to the pandemic,

as well as the societal turmoil

and political divisiveness,

people were facing high stress and anxiety

and seeking respite from them.

And in our passage today,

Paul assures us that we can find

relational peace,

verses 1 to 5,

inner peace,

verses 6 to 7,

and the God of peace,

ultimately,

in verses 8 to 9.

But in order to do so,

we must rejoice in Christ.

And because only those who rejoice in Christ

will know God's peace.

That's the main point of this passage.

So let's look at verses 1 to 5 first,

relational peace.

In verses 1 to 3,

Paul addresses the need for peace and unity within the church.

Because as Jesus said in Matthew 12, 25,

every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste,

and no city or house divided against itself will stand.

If the church of God is to stand,

it must not be divided against itself.

As we've seen throughout our series

in the letter to the Philippians,

this was one of the main concerns

driving Paul to write this letter.

The Philippian believers were facing

external pressures and persecutions,

as well as internal divisions,

probably in part prompted by these external pressures.

And they were characterized,

it says in chapter 2, verse 3,

by selfish ambition and conceit.

They were characterized by grumbling

and disputing, chapter 2, verse 14.

And because of this,

Paul said earlier in chapter 1, verse 27,

Stand firm.

He returns to those exact exhortations

here in chapter 4, verses 1 to 3.

He tells them to stand firm,

and he tells them to labor side by side in the gospel.

Paul also tells Iodia and Syntyche in particular

to agree in the Lord,

which is literally have the same mind in the Lord,

which was the command he gave in chapter 2, verse 2,

complete my joy by being of the same mind.

And Paul says this because he knew

that the Philippian church could not stand firm in the Lord

without having the same mind in the Lord.

He singles out two women in particular,

Syntyche and Iodia,

as objects of this entreaty.

And it's remarkable that Paul names them here.

This is not in order to shame them.

When condemning his opponents,

the enemies of the cross,

Paul leaves them unnamed.

That was a common feature of polemical writing

in the ancient world,

where by refusing to dignify your opponent

by naming them,

you are actually marginalizing their point of view.

So by naming them here,

he's not trying to shame them,

but rather he's naming them

because they are his friends.

Iodia and Syntyche.

And he says of them in verse 3,

these women have labored side by side

with him in the gospel,

together with Clement

and the rest of my fellow workers,

whose names are in the book of life,

Paul says.

So then these women are cherished co-laborers

who share a deep history with Paul.

And because they are his friends

and sisters in Christ,

and likely because their conflict

was already known among the Philippian church,

Paul dignifies Iodia and Syntyche

by entreating them personally by name.

The names don't tell us much

except that their names mean roughly success

or good fortune,

so it tells us what their presumably pagan parents

wanted for their daughters.

But a better fortune

than they could have imagined

had come to them

in that Iodia and Syntyche

had become Christians,

and their names were now written

in the book of life,

the book that records the names

of those who will have eternal life with God.

In spite of this, however,

the two women had fallen

into a contentious disagreement

that required a mediator,

a third party.

So Paul says in verse 3,

Yes, I ask you also,

true companion,

help these women.

We can't verify with certainty

the identity of this true companion,

but since he is a recipient of the letter,

it's probably not Timothy or Epaphroditus

who are with Paul at the time of the writing.

But one leading candidate that emerges

after ruling out some of the obvious ones

is Luke,

the author of the Gospel of Luke

and the book of Acts.

We know that Luke

was a trusted companion of Paul

from the book of Acts.

There are sections in the book of Acts,

which is written by Luke,

where Luke uses the first person

plural pronoun,

we,

indicating that he was present

with Paul

in some of his missionary journeys.

And there's a wee passage

in Acts 16,

11 to 18,

when Paul's in Philippi.

And that brings Luke to Philippi.

But then the wee passages leave off

and then it doesn't come back

until six years later

in Acts 20,

Acts 20:1–16

verses 1 to 16,

when Paul returns to Philippi,

which suggests that Luke

was left in Philippi

to provide some oversight

and leadership

for the church there.

And if this reconstruction is correct,

Paul's asking Luke,

as his trusted companion,

true companion,

to intervene

and help Iodia and Syntyche

to agree in the Lord.

And since they're told

to agree in the Lord,

it doesn't seem like

their disagreement

was of a personal nature,

but something that pertained

to standing firm in the Lord

and laboring side by side

in the Gospel together.

Sometimes,

differences in theology

or in philosophy of ministry

can divide genuine,

faithful Christians.

But we should seek unity in the faith,

as Paul enjoins

Syntyche and Iodia to do here.

Theologian D.A. Carson

was once part

of the World Evangelical Fellowship,

which brought theologians together

from various denominations

in different parts of the world

in order to hash over

various points of disagreement.

And recalling that time,

D.A. Carson says

that he was always

pleasantly surprised

by just how much agreement

they could reach

when Christians

who are submitted

to the authority

of God's Word

and are trained

in sound interpretive principles

humbly listen to

and talk to one another

in pursuit of truth.

Especially when the disagreement

pertains to gospel priorities,

as it appears to do here,

we should strive

to have the same mind

with each other,

the same orientation,

the same priorities.

Because if we don't share

these things,

the disagreement impedes

the progress of the gospel.

In the sport of rowing,

the boat does not make

much forward progress

if the rowers are all rowing

at their own pace and rhythm.

Only when all the rowers

are in sync

and they are catching

and pulling

at the same time

and in the same cadence

is the boat

powerfully propelled forward.

And a crew is able

to attain that kind of unity

only by following

the stroke

the rower seated

closest to the stern

of the boat.

Every rower behind him

looks to him

and his pace.

Likewise,

every Christian

is to look to Christ,

our head.

Sync ourselves

with his priorities,

his purposes.

Every Christian

is to strive

to have Christ's mindset,

doing nothing

from selfish ambition

or conceit,

but in humility

counting others

more significant

than yourselves.

That's what Paul

is entreating

Eodia and Syntyche

to do.

And he appeals

to the deep

mutual affection

he shared

with the Philippian church

in order to get them

to comply.

He says to them

in verse 1,

My brothers,

whom I love

and long for,

my joy and crown,

stand firm thus

in the Lord,

my beloved.

Paul's being quite

effusive here.

He's been saying

all along

that he rejoices

in Christ

and in the progress

of his gospel.

And he said

in chapter 3,

verse 14,

that he's pressing

on toward the goal

for the prize

of the upward call

of God

in Christ Jesus.

He's striving

for Christ

who is his prize.

The perfect knowledge

of and union

with Christ.

That's what Paul

is striving for.

And here,

he tells us again

that the Philippians

spiritual well-being,

their perseverance

in the faith

is intimately tied

to his goal,

his welfare.

He says that

the Philippian church

is his joy

and crown.

In all his striving

for the prize,

he says,

if you do not

persevere

in faith,

Paul says,

then my labor

would have been

in vain.

So stand firm

in the Lord,

my beloved.

And he reminds them

that Iodia and Syntyche

are women

who have labored

side by side

with me

in the gospel together,

Paul says.

And if they have labored

side by side

with me,

then they can labor

side by side

with each other.

In the same way,

you faithfully

served alongside me,

serve alongside

each other.

We are on the same team.

We are people

whose names

are in the book

of life.

So I plead with you,

he's saying,

complete my joy

by being

of the same mind.

Continuing in verses

four to five,

Paul tells us

more specifically

how we are to

attain such unity.

He says,

rejoice in the Lord

always.

Again,

I will say,

rejoice.

Let your reasonableness

be known to everyone.

The Lord is at hand.

The key to unity

in the church

is joy in Christ.

Paul is repeating

what he commanded

earlier in chapter three,

verse one.

Rejoice in the Lord.

Paul speaks frequently

of rejoicing

in the book of Philippians

and nearly all

of those instances

refer to rejoicing

in Christ

or in his gospel.

And so that means

Christian joy

is located in Christ,

his person

and his work.

Paul unpacked this

in chapter three

and told us

that rejoicing

in Christ entails

putting no confidence

in the flesh,

in our own righteousness,

but instead boasting in

and trusting in Christ alone.

It's when we are rejoicing

in Christ,

when we are glorying

in Christ

and not in ourselves,

that we can humble ourselves

before others

and pursue unity.

And Paul says

that we should rejoice

in the Lord always.

This is what George Mueller

describes in his autobiography

this way.

quote,

I saw more clearly

than ever

that the first great

and primary business

to which I ought to attend

every day

is to have my soul

happy in the Lord.

This is the Christian's business

each and every day.

We are commanded

to rejoice in the Lord,

not sometimes,

but always.

Unless we miss

the importance

of this command,

Paul says it again.

Again,

I will say,

rejoice.

It's easy to rejoice

when we're getting

straight A's in school,

when we have a vibrant

social life,

when we're healthy,

when our spouses

are patient

and supported,

when our children

are behaving,

when we're getting

promotions at work.

But what about

when we're failing classes

and being ostracized

by our peers?

What about when we're sick,

when marriage is rocky

and children

are rebellious,

when we're unemployed

and seemingly unable

to get a job,

when we lose

our loved ones

to an untimely death?

Can we rejoice?

The answer is yes.

Why?

Because the joy

that Paul's talking about

is not located

in these circumstances,

but in Christ

who is unchanging.

This doesn't mean

that we become immune

to setbacks

or disappointments

and tragedies,

nor does it mean

that we become callous

to feeling.

Our circumstances

can certainly

make our lives

much,

much harder.

But even when

a pandemic

rests,

our social life,

our health,

our loved ones,

our hobbies,

our routines,

and even our very lives

from us,

it cannot

take Christ

from us.

And in this

we can rejoice.

In one of his books,

John Flavel,

the 17th century

English pastor,

writes about

a Christian convert

who renounced

his nobility

and wealth

to give himself

wholly to Christ.

He says this,

I have read

that when

the Duke

of Condie

had entered

voluntarily

into the

incomities

of a religious

poverty,

he was one day

espied and pitied

by a lord of Italy

who out of tenderness

wished him to be

more careful

and nutritive

of his person.

The good Duke

answered,

Sir,

be not troubled

and think not

that I am ill

provided

of inconveniences,

for I send

in a harbinger

before me

who makes

ready my lodgings

and takes care

that I be

royally entertained.

The Lord

asked him

who was his

harbinger.

He answered,

The knowledge

of myself

and the

consideration

of what I deserve

for my sins,

which is eternal

torments.

And when with

this knowledge

I arrive

at my lodging,

how unprovided

soever I find it,

methinks

it is ever

better than I deserve.

Despite the loss

of the conveniences

and luxuries

of his former life,

when the Duke

of Condie

kept his knowledge

of his former life

as an unregenerate

sinner

and object

of God's wrath

who is destined

to be punished

in eternal hellfire,

when he realized

that that's who

he formerly was

but that's what

he was rescued from,

he could not help

but conclude

that his conditions

were better

than what he deserved.

And so instead

of being filled

with self-pity

and complaints,

he was filled

with gratitude.

In other words,

this man was rejoicing

in Christ,

in the saving work

of Jesus Christ

and this put everything

else in his life

in proper perspective.

It's easy to feel

that our difficult

circumstances

are the most

pressing things

in our own lives.

But suffering

does not have

the power

to separate us

from God.

In fact,

if we let it,

suffering can drive us

closer to God.

But sin,

our pride

and unbelief

can separate us

from God forever.

And that is always

the most pressing issue

in everyone's life.

God's life.

And Christ

has dealt

with our sins

to the sins

of those

who trust in him

once and for all

on the cross.

By paying the penalty

for our sins

in our place,

by dying on the cross,

by being raised

from the dead

on the third day,

Jesus took selfish,

undeserving,

insubordinate sinners

and reconciled them

to God the Father.

And if you are placing

all your faith

in Jesus Christ

and not in your own

righteousness

for salvation,

then you can be assured

of this great salvation.

And you can rejoice

in Christ.

We might object

at this point,

well, it's easy

to talk about

rejoicing in Christ.

But Paul,

do you know

how hard my life is?

But Paul didn't

merely talk about this.

He exemplified it

in his life.

During his missionary

journey in Philippi

in Acts 16,

Paul was attacked

by a mob,

stripped naked

and beaten with rods

and then he was jailed

in the inner prison

with his feet shackled.

But there,

in that prison,

without a shred

of self-pity,

it says Paul and Silas

were praying

and singing hymns to God

while the other prisoners

were listening to them.

Remember also

that Paul

wasn't vacationing

in Rome

sipping fine wine

when he wrote

this letter.

He wrote it

while he was

under house arrest

awaiting his sentence

which very well

could have been

a death sentence.

Imagine for a moment

what your state of mind

would be

in that place.

And yet,

Paul rejoiced

in Christ

always.

the apostle to the Gentile

was also the apostle

of joy.

Brothers and sisters,

this joy

is a distinctive mark

of followers of Christ.

When unbelievers

think of Christians,

the faces that come to mind

should not be

long,

somber,

angry faces

but faces

that manifest

joy in Christ.

And this rejoicing

in the Lord

makes us

eminently

reasonable.

Verse 5 says,

Let your reasonableness

be known to everyone.

The Lord is at hand.

The NIV,

the New International Version

translates the word

reasonableness

as gentleness.

Others translate it

as graciousness

or forbearance.

This word appears

in conjunction

with other words

like peaceable

in 1 Timothy 3.3

and alongside

words like

pure,

peace-loving,

open to reason,

and rich in mercy

in James 3.17.

It's a word

that's often used

to describe

the kindness,

the mercy,

and the magnanimity

of a ruler.

And Paul uses

that word

in 2 Corinthians 10.1

to describe

the meekness

and gentleness

of Christ himself.

The opposite

of this reasonableness

would be pettiness,

contentiousness,

or small-mindedness.

In short,

this is what

Ioria and Syntyche

needed,

reasonableness.

And Christians

should be known

for this

to everyone,

not just to our friends,

but also to our enemies.

Not only toward those

who are reasonable

and agreeable to us,

but also toward those

who are unreasonable

and quarrelsome.

To everyone.

We live in an increasingly

polarized culture,

and there's a cacophony

of noise.

There's a lot of

pointing of fingers.

But even in this climate,

Christians should not

be known

for being strident

or contentious,

but for being reasonable.

I've been convicted by this

this week,

brothers and sisters.

If you notice

that you have been

petty,

defensive,

ungracious,

unforgiving,

or harsh

in your home

or on your social media account

or whatever context

you might be in,

examine your heart

and ask yourself

if you have been

rejoicing in the Lord.

There are quarrels

in our world

because our passions

are at war within us,

as James 4 says.

Because there are

unmet desires

and these desires

become demands

and these demands

get deified

as idols

of our hearts

in whose service

we live.

But this should not

be for the Christian.

Our deepest desire

is fulfilled

in Jesus Christ.

we already belong

to Christ

and soon

we will be

fully united

with Him

because Christ

is our great prize

and reward

and this Christ

will return

soon.

That's why

we rejoice

in the Lord.

And those who rejoice

in the Lord

are characterized

by reasonableness.

And this is why

Paul concludes

this thought

with the statement,

the Lord is at hand.

This is the grounds

for our reasonableness

and rejoicing.

Why we are reasonable.

Why we rejoice?

Because the Lord

is at hand.

This statement

is a bit ambiguous.

It could mean

that the Lord

is nearby

in a spatial sense.

But it could also mean

that the Lord

is near

or almost here

in a temporal sense.

And that His return

is imminent.

Both of these statements

are true.

He's near in both

of those senses.

Later in verse 9,

Paul says,

the God of peace

will be with you.

So God is definitely

at hand

in the sense

of being near us

spatially.

When you feel ashamed

and guilty,

when you feel

alone and abandoned,

when you feel

persecuted

and threatened,

when you are afraid,

when you are sad,

God's not observing

detachedly

from a safe distance.

No, He's with you.

He is at hand.

During the pandemic,

what would normally

be considered

socially unacceptable

behavior

or rude

has become

the norm

and commonplace.

Imagine this happening

in normal times.

I mean,

it's humorous

to think about.

Someone taking a step back

every time you take

a step forward

closer

to keep you

at a distance,

keeping a mask on

the whole time

as they talk to you.

Or,

when you need

to hand something

to them,

methodically

taking out

their latex gloves,

putting it on,

taking it from you,

and then promptly

after putting it down,

clinically removing

the latex gloves

and then washing

their hands.

sometimes

Christians think

that that's the way

God deals with us.

But that's not

the way God

deals with us.

He had every reason.

He has every reason

to treat us that way.

He is holy.

We are sinful.

He is righteous

and just.

We are not.

He is faithful

and we are faithless.

And yet,

God so loved us,

He sent His Son,

Jesus Christ,

to live among us.

He became a man

and dwelled among us.

He experienced

our squalor.

He lived among

filthy sinners.

He embraced

and healed lepers.

And He touched

the untouchables

with chronic

bleeding problems.

God with us.

This is why

Jesus is called

Emmanuel,

God with us.

He is at hand

in your life.

He is with you

in your life.

In Daniel chapter 3,

Daniel 3 · chapter mention

King Nebuchadnezzar

throws Shadrach,

Meshach,

and Abednego

into the burning,

fiery furnace

for refusing to bow

down to a gold

statue of Himself.

But then He is astonished

and He rises up

in haste

and asks His advisors,

Did we not cast

three men

into the fire?

But I see

four men

unbound

walking in the midst

of the fire

and they are not hurt

and the appearance

of the fourth

is like a son

of the gods.

The Lord God

Himself

was in that furnace

through His angelic

representative.

Whatever your furnace

might be in life,

sickness,

depression,

loneliness,

rejection,

poverty,

grief,

pain,

in your feeling

of powerlessness

and helplessness,

remember,

the Lord is at hand.

He is with you.

But that's not all.

Given the

eschatological orientation,

the end time orientation

of the letter

to the Philippians,

perhaps what Paul

has in mind

even more immediately

is the Lord's

imminent return.

He's coming back.

In chapter 2,

verse 16,

he urged the Philippians

to hold fast,

to hold on

to the word of life

until the day of Christ.

You don't have to

hold on for long.

Just hold on.

He is coming back.

In chapter 3,

verse 8 to 11,

he spoke of suffering

the loss of all things

in order that by any means

possible,

he may attain

the resurrection

from the dead.

In chapter 3,

12 to 21,

he spoke of pressing on

toward the goal

of the prize

of the upward call

of God in Christ Jesus.

And he said

that he was awaiting

from heaven

a Savior,

the Lord Jesus Christ,

who will transform

our lowly body

to be like

his glorious body.

Yes,

we have lowly bodies now.

Yes,

we have suffering now.

We have persecution now.

We fight against

the world,

the flesh,

and the devil

every day now.

But hold fast

because your Lord

is coming.

He will redeem you.

He will make

all things right.

He will grant you

victory.

He will vindicate you.

And if we keep

that end in view,

we can rejoice.

We can be reasonable.

That's the key

to relational peace.

That's the key

to peace and unity

in the church.

Amen.

But God also

promises us

inner peace.

Peace within

our hearts and minds

in verses 6 to 7.

Paul says in verse 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 command

is categorical.

It admits

no exceptions.

It doesn't say

do not be anxious

about some things.

It's about anything.

And that word

anything

is contrasted

with the word

everything.

So then the way

to be anxious

for nothing

is to be prayerful

in everything.

Some of us

are so busy

and busy-hearted

that we don't even know

what we're anxious about.

We don't even know

what's stressing us out,

what worries us.

So oddly enough,

some of us

need to slow down

long enough

to come to grips

with our anxieties,

our worries,

and then

bring them to God

in prayer.

prayer.

And we need to ensure

that our prayers

are not an expression

of our anxiety

and a means

of controlling

our circumstances,

but that rather

our prayer

is an expression

of faith

and a relinquishing

of control

over our circumstances.

If we use prayer

as a way

to rehearse our worries,

then we'll just be

more worrisome

afterward,

and we're just

talking to ourselves

and not to God.

If we're honest

with ourselves,

in our broken

and sinful world,

we do not have

a shortage

of things

to worry about.

All you need

to do

is turn on the TV,

read a page

of the newspaper,

and then we

are warned

about global hunger,

endangered species,

melting ice caps,

COVID-19,

cultural decline

of the West,

the ascent

of communism

and authoritarianism

overseas,

digital hacking

and identity theft,

political upheaval,

economic recession,

and societal

moral decay.

And that's not

even getting

to the more

personal issues,

how you'll have

to pay

for your broken car,

what you will do

when your husband

is deployed overseas,

whether you'll get

a job or not,

whether you'll get

a visa or not,

your declining health,

turbulent marriage,

your children's

salvation,

their future,

their education,

rock you in relationships

with in-laws.

I can go on and on.

These are all

legitimate worries.

We worry because

we might lose

what we value.

And that threat

is very real.

It's not imagined.

But nevertheless,

as children of God,

we need not worry.

Because Jesus

assures us

in Matthew 6

that our Father,

our Heavenly Father

cares for us

and provides

for us.

And because,

as this passage says,

we can bring

all our petitions

to God

who hears us.

we need not worry

because we trust

that God

is in control

when humanity

clearly has

no control

over either

their environment

or themselves.

Do you,

brothers and sisters,

let your requests

be made known

to God

in everything

by prayer

and supplication?

Do you take

stock of what

you're worried about

and then explicitly,

not in some

vague generalities,

but specifically,

do you bring

those things to God?

Do you earnestly,

not haphazardly,

in a few hurried minutes,

but at length,

do you talk to God

about your fears

and anxieties?

When we talk

about our troubles

with our best friends

or with our counselors,

we spill our guts

in front of them.

But do you do that

with God?

And if not,

why not?

He wants to hear.

He wants to listen.

He wants to help.

He wants to care for you

and provide for you.

And our prayer

should be accompanied

by thanksgiving.

This is not

thanksgiving

in anticipation

of what God's

going to do

in response

to our prayers,

but the basic

posture of thanksgiving

that we should have

every single time

we pray.

Thanksgiving

is an acknowledgement

of our creatureliness

before God.

It's an acknowledgement

that we receive

from Him,

that all that we have,

we receive from Him,

not as an entitlement

or a wage

we have earned,

but as a gift

from the generous Father.

That's why

thanksgiving suits us

as His creatures.

Romans 1,

21,

22

describe the refusal

to give thanks

to God

as the first step

toward idolatry.

This is true

because those

who refuse

to acknowledge

their creatureliness

before God

and worship

the Creator

have nothing left

but to turn

to the worship

of creatures.

these three commands,

rejoice,

pray,

and give thanks,

occur again and again

throughout the Psalms

and often occur together.

Psalm 95,

Psalms 95:2

verse 2,

let us come into His presence

with thanksgiving.

Let us make a joyful noise

to Him

with songs of praise.

Psalm 97,

12,

rejoice in the Lord,

O you righteous,

and give thanks

to His holy name.

We find this triad

in the New Testament also.

Romans 12,

12 says,

rejoice in hope,

be patient in tribulation,

be constant in prayer.

And perhaps

the best known example

of them all,

1 Thessalonians 5,

16 to 18,

rejoice always,

pray without ceasing,

give thanks

in all circumstances

for this is the will

of God

in Christ Jesus

for you.

This is the posture

that we should seek

to have before God

each day.

This is actually

a great accountability

question we could ask

one another.

Instead of just asking,

hey, how are you?

That's a good question too

if we're willing

to answer it honestly.

But we could also

ask one another,

how have you been rejoicing

in Christ lately?

How grateful

have you been lately?

How's your prayer life?

And if we humble ourselves

before God

and do these three things,

verse 7,

promise us,

and the peace of God

which surpasses

all understanding

will guard your hearts

and your minds

in Christ Jesus.

there are situations

where our anxiety

is primarily caused

by something

that is disordered

in our bodies,

whether it's a hormonal

imbalance

after giving birth

or something else.

But usually,

anxiety is primarily

caused by a disordered heart

and a disordered mind.

but as we rejoice

in the Lord

and as we pray

to God

with thanksgiving,

our minds and hearts

get reordered

and we're filled

with the peace of God

which surpasses

understanding.

This is a wonderful assurance.

There are situations

in life

where we can't

possibly imagine

having peace.

but that's okay

because the peace

that God promises us here

is one that surpasses

our understanding.

It goes beyond

our imagination.

Inner peace

is possible

even under

the most turbulent

circumstances.

And the kind of peace

that is in due here

is attained

not by some

psychological technique

or mental jiu-jitsu

but it is given

by God.

And it says

this peace

will guard our hearts

and our minds

in Christ Jesus.

It's a wonderful image.

The word guard

is a military term

used to refer

to a garrison

that stands guard

at the city

to protect it

from enemies.

This would have been

a particularly vivid metaphor

because Paul

is under house arrest.

He literally has guards

that are keeping

a watch on him

and making sure

that he can't go

and come

as he pleases.

That's what

the peace of God

does

at our hearts

in our minds

to keep

what goes in

and what comes out.

He keeps us.

He protects us.

Proverbs 4.23

says

Keep your heart

with all vigilance

for from it

flow the springs

of life.

Our actions in life

flow from our heart.

And if our heart

is besieged

by anxiety

our lives

will be busy

frantic

and joyless.

But if we rejoice

in Christ

and prayerfully

entrust ourselves

to him

his peace

will guard

our hearts

and minds

in Christ Jesus.

But peace

is not something

external to God

that he gives

to us.

Rather

we experience

this peace

as we walk

in relationship

with the God

of peace.

That's what

verses 8 to 9

is about.

Finally

brothers

whatever is

true

whatever is

honorable

whatever is

just

whatever is

pure

whatever is

lovely

whatever is

commendable

if there is

any excellence

if there is

anything worthy

of praise

think about

these things

what you have

learned and

received and

heard and

seen in me

practice these

things

and the God

of peace

will be with

you.

There are two

main admonitions

here.

Verse 8

says think

about these

things

and verse 9

says practice

these things.

Paul is getting

extremely practical

here.

Only those

who rejoice in

Christ will

know God's

peace and in

order to rejoice

in Christ

we're going to

have to think

about and

practice the

right things.

In Matthew 5

Jesus makes

the connection

that being

hatefully angry

with someone

is tantamount

to murder

and that

lusting after

someone is

tantamount to

committing adultery

with him or her

in his heart.

Jesus makes

those connections

because hate

filled anger

is the seed

in the mind

from which

murder grows

because lust

is the seed

in the mind

from which

adultery

grows.

This is why

it is imperative

that we take

every thought

captive

to obey

Christ.

What you

fill your

mind with

is incredibly

important.

What kind

of TV shows

or movies

are you

watching?

What kind

of books

are you

reading?

What kind

of examples

are you

following?

What does

your mind

wander to?

What is

the content

of your

daydreams?

What are

you thinking

about?

As a

Canadian

American

motivational

speaker

puts it

humorously,

you are

not what

you think.

You are

not what

you think

you are,

but you

think,

but what

you think

you are.

in the

context of

Proverbs

Proverbs 4:23

chapter 4

verse 23,

which I

quoted

earlier,

keep your

heart with

all vigilance,

there is a

connection to

verse 21,

which is keep

my words

within your

heart.

The implication

is that the

way we keep

our hearts

is to keep

God's word

in our

hearts.

Psalm 119

Psalms 119:11

verse 11

makes that

explicit.

I have stored

up your

word in my

heart that I

might not

sin against

you.

So then

one of the

ways that

we are

called to

rejoice in

Christ,

the incarnate

word of

God,

is to

think about

and fill

our minds

with the

inscripturated

word,

the written

word of

God.

Turn it

over and

over and

over again

in our

minds.

Remind

ourselves of

it.

Think about

it.

Read it.

Memorize

it.

Meditate

on it.

Talk to

others about

it.

Christian

meditation in

this way

differs

significantly

from popular

meditative

methods

nowadays.

Hindu

meditation

focuses on

a repeated

sound or

a part of

the body.

Buddhist

meditation

tries to

banish all

thoughts from

one's mind.

All these

eastern religions

which are

becoming

increasingly

popular here

in the

west seek

to empty

one's mind.

But

Christian

meditation

is about

filling your

mind.

It reminds

me of

the

home

science

experiment

that I

did with

one of

my

daughters.

When you

take an

empty bottle

of water

and submerge

it straight

down into

a tub full

of water,

because the

bottle is

full of

air,

the water

actually

doesn't

get inside.

water

is

only when

you

tilt

the

bottle

slightly

so that

there's

an

opening

through

which

air

can

leave

the

bottle

that

water

displaces

the air.

It

fills

the

bottle.

The

only way

to

empty

the

bottle

of

air

is

to

displace

it

with

something

else.

You

can't

simply

empty

it

without

filling

it

with

something

else.

Our

minds

are

the

same.

the

only

way

to

empty

our