To Live Is Christ

Worship with you this morning.

It was uh it was wonderful to do a new song and get a little bit of the context on it.

I appreciate uh Andra doing that for us.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm loving this weather.

I'm uh I'm uh you know, I just I just love the rain.

Uh maybe I'm weird, but I love cloudy days like this.

I think maybe I would have thrived in the Pacific Northwest.

I was telling Michael that earlier today.

The crisp autumn air in the morning uh uh sure beats the suffocating heat of the summer.

And and I'm ready for some sweater, sweater weather.

I don't want to say sweater weather, sweater weather, and some hot chocolate.

Maybe we can uh we can have some hot chocolate for the kids in the bag now that it's getting a little cooler.

I don't know if that's a good or a bad idea.

But yeah, me too, honey.

So uh I hope you all had a great week and are ready to continue our series on Philippians that we've titled To Live Is Christ.

And our text this morning is going to be Philippians chapter four, verses one through nine.

Now, last week we moved, we worked our way through the end of chapter three, where we saw Paul's desire to know Christ more and his call for us to press on towards Christian growth and maturity.

And we talked about what Christian growth and maturity looks like.

And Paul told us that he had not yet arrived.

That was kind of the main thing that he said at the beginning.

It was like, you know, I have not yet arrived, I have not figured this out, my job's not done, the work's not done, he had not reached perfection, but he continued pressing forward because Christ had made him his own.

Christ had made him his own.

There was there was this relation to what Paul said his intentions were and what his motivation was.

And and and then the propelling, the fuel that moving forward was that Christ had made him his own.

And then at the end of chapter three, Paul reminded us of something incredibly important.

He said, But our citizenship is in heaven.

Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul reminds us where we belong, who our King is, where where all this is going.

Our citizenship is in heaven.

Our savior is Jesus Christ, and one day Christ will return and transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body.

And that is the hope that we have.

And then chapter four begins with a very important word.

If you read it at the beginning, it says, Therefore, therefore, because of everything that Paul had just said, because of you know where you belong, because you know who your savior is, because you know who you know Christ is coming again, and because you know that he has the power to subject all things to himself.

These are all the things that he just went over in chapter three.

He says, therefore, because of this, stand firm.

Stand firm.

In other words, church, what we're about to receive is biblical application.

Biblical application.

Sometimes when you're reading the text, when you're reading scripture, you glean what the author is trying to communicate to the audience of that that the author is intending to.

In this case, it's Philippians.

And then sometimes you get moments like this in scripture where you read therefore and you can prepare your heart to receive application.

Right?

He's given direct advice in response to what we've just read.

So now he's going to show us how we live.

It is true that we have to remember this, that what we believe is true.

But before we go into the text, let's go to the Lord in prayer this morning.

Father God, you are good and holy, holy, holy.

You are perfectly set apart.

You've sent your son to save us, to redeem us, even while we were wretched sinners.

You cared for us.

Lord, through your spirit, you've made us alive.

You've given us the gift of believing in your Son.

Lord, you are so good to us.

We thank you for your word, the opportunity to gather together as a church, to grow together as a church and as your people.

Lord, I pray that what we learn today, this application that we're about to receive, that we can just write it into our hearts and apply it to our lives, and that we can live every day of our lives in light of this.

Lord, you are our rock and our redeemer.

May all our days bring glory to your name forever and ever, Lord.

We pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus.

Amen.

All right, let's open our Bibles to the book of Philippians, chapter 4.

Philippians 4 · chapter mention

We're gonna start reading in verse 1 and go through verse 9.

Starting at verse 1.

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

I entreat Yoria and I entreat Syntichi to agree in the Lord.

Yet I ask you also, true companions, 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 reasonable and reasonableness be known to everyone.

The Lord is at hand.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, give thanks and thank 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.

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.

Now, if I were to go, if I were going to uh if I were to give this particular sermon a title, it would be just two words.

Stand firm.

I would call it that because I believe that is the main command hanging over everything that we just read.

At first glance, verses two through nine can almost feel like a collection of different instructions.

Get along with one another, rejoice, don't be anxious, pray, think about good things, practice what you've learned.

But these things aren't random thoughts that Paul just threw together at the end of the letter.

They belong together.

Think about a great piece of music for a moment.

You might hear the guitar, you might hear the piano, you might hear the bass, the bass, the bass, you might hear the bass, you might hear the drums, the voices.

Each one is doing something different.

But together, they are playing the same song.

That is what Paul is doing here.

There are different parts, but they are all playing the same song, and that song is saying, stand firm in the Lord.

And I think we can we can hear four distinct parts of this song.

Part number one, stand firm together.

Stand firm together.

Part number two, stand firm in the storm.

Part number three, stand firm in what fills your mind.

Part number four, stand firm by practicing what you know.

So one, stand firm together.

Number two, stand firm in the storm.

Number three, stand firm in what fills your mind.

Number four, stand firm by practicing what you know.

But before we get into those four things, we need to understand the command that holds them all together.

If we go back to verse one, we read, Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and I long for, my joy and crown, be and stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

Church Paul isn't telling disbelievers to stand firm because life is easy.

It isn't.

We all know that.

He's writing this letter from prison, right?

He's already talked about suffering, he talked about opposition, he talked about people who oppose the gospel.

Paul knows exactly how difficult it is to remain faithful to Christ.

We know that.

But Paul knows something else.

He knows how the story ends.

He has a hope for the future.

Christ wins.

Christ is coming.

Christ will make all things right.

So Paul says, stand firm, but don't miss the most important part of the command.

He doesn't just say stand firm.

He says, stand firm in the Lord.

Stand firm in the Lord.

And those three added words change the gravity of what he's saying.

Those three words change everything because he doesn't just say stand firm by yourself.

He doesn't say dig deep and find the strength inside of you because you can.

He doesn't say you're strong enough, you're good enough.

Just believe in yourself.

No.

He says stand firm in the Lord.

I think one of the most dangerous things out in social media and in the world right now, it's this notion that you you got this.

You are enough.

You're enough.

Friends, I'm here to tell you you're not you're not enough.

You're not enough, and that's okay.

That's okay.

You need God.

We all need God.

If we were enough, we wouldn't need a savior, a redeemer who's strong and kind.

Stand firm in the Lord.

Christian steadfastness is not reliance, it's Christ dependence.

We stand firm because we depend in Christ.

And really, church, that has that hasn't been Paul's message.

Hasn't that been uh Paul's message through this whole letter?

To live is Christ.

That's why we title the sermon series, that to live is Christ.

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling because it is God who works in you.

I press on, Paul said, because Christ has made me his own.

And now he says, stand firm in the Lord.

Your ability to stand ultimately is rooted in the strength, it's not rooted in the strength of your grip on Christ, it's rooted in the strength of Christ, on the Christ that you're holding on to.

And I think that's important for us to establish before we go any further, because otherwise, everything we we're about to read becomes another list of things you need to try harder at.

Try harder to get along, try harder to be joyful, try harder not to worry, try harder to think better, better thoughts, try harder to live better.

That's not Paul's message.

Don't leave here this morning thinking that that is what Paul is saying.

Paul is showing us what a life anchored in Christ begins to look like.

So the command that hangs over everything we're about to read says, stand firm in the Lord.

And then Paul begins showing us what that actually looks like, which brings us to point number two, or I'm sorry, to point number one, to the first portion of this song, right?

It says, Stand firm together.

Stand firm together.

Look at verse number two with me.

He says, I entreat Eodiah and I entreat Sentichi to agree in the Lord.

Paul's.

Now, before we get into the disagreement, whether I pronounce these names correctly or not, I don't want us to miss the affection which Paul has approached this church with.

Again, in verse 1, he says, My brothers whom I love and I long for my joy and crown, my beloved.

We know that this is Paul's clearly Paul's favorite church.

He loves them.

And if you and if you remember what I told you at the beginning of this series, Paul's affection of the church in Philippi, you can hear the same affection here.

And back in chapter 1, verse 8, Paul says, For God is my witness, I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And now, near the end of the letter, you can still hear the same affection.

He says, I love you, I long for you.

You are my joy, you're my crown, my beloved.

Paul genuinely loves these people.

And I don't think these are empty words because Paul throws that that Paul throws around before he gets to the hard stuff.

It's not a compliment sandwich.

His correction flows out of his love for them.

His correction flows out of his love for them.

And church, there is something here for us because biblical faithfulness never gives us permission to abandon Christian affection.

Biblical faithfulness never gives us permission to abandon Christian affection.

Sometimes we convince ourselves that because what we're saying is true, it doesn't matter how we say it.

This is it, it's true, it doesn't matter how I say it, so I'm just gonna say it.

Well, I'm telling the truth, okay, that's great.

It's great that you're telling the truth.

But are you telling the truth like someone who loves the person you're speaking to?

Are you telling the truth like someone who loves the person you're speaking to?

Paul does.

He loves these people, he longs for them.

They are his joy and his crown, and because he loves them, he's willing to tell them what they need to hear.

And that's an area where I know I need to grow myself.

Maybe maybe you do too.

When we're correcting our spouse or our children or another believer or someone we disagree with, what is happening in our hearts?

Are we trying to win an argument for the argument for winning's sake?

Are we trying to prove that we're right?

Are we trying, are we waiting for an opportunity to put someone in their place?

Or does our correction actually flow from a genuine affection for the person standing in front of you?

Are you just correcting somebody for the sake of feeling yourself puffed with proud with pride and then just correcting someone and being right?

Or do you have affection in your heart and saying, like, I need to tell you this because I care for you, and I can see how this over time can be negative in your spiritual life and your personal life, and how this can affect everything else.

Perhaps the most one of the most Christ-like things we can do is not simply saying, No, we're not doing that, but rather saying, you know, I hear you, but have you consider X, Y, or Z?

Persuasion is an art.

Persuasion is an art.

Right?

You can approach any conversation, especially Christian conversations, with the intent of correcting somebody with the heart and affection of Christ.

Truth and love are not enemies.

We don't have to choose between biblical faithfulness and Christian affections.

They both coexist.

Paul demonstrates both, and that becomes especially important because of what he is about to do.

Paul is about to address a real conflict between two real people in this church.

Again, looking at verse 2, he says, I entreat Yodia and I entreat Syntheci to agree in the Lord.

We don't know exactly what happened between these two women.

Paul doesn't tell us.

And I actually think there's something helpful about that because apparently the details of the disagreement aren't the most important thing.

What matters most is that these two sisters in Christ have been divided.

And these aren't just two random troublemakers who showed up at church and started causing problems.

Paul, look at what Paul says about them in verse 3.

He says they are they are women who labored side by side with me in the gospel.

These are faithful women.

These are women who have served alongside Paul for the advancements of the gospel.

They labor with him, they've been in the trenches with him.

And yet, somewhere along the way, they got sideways with one another.

Church, I think I think we need to see that because mature Christians can disagree.

I disagree with Michael all the time.

And I always tell him the same thing.

I would agree with him, but then we'd both be wrong, and that'd be bad.

Look, people who genuinely love Jesus can hurt one another.

That does happen.

People who have served shoulder to shoulder for the sake of the gospel can find themselves standing on opposite sides of a disagreement.

The question isn't whether or not conflict will ever enter the church, it will.

There it is again, in the Lord.

Paul doesn't tell us uh Yodia is right, he doesn't tell us that Synthy was right, he doesn't tell us what they were fighting about.

Instead, he points both of them back to the one thing that is greater than whatever is dividing them.

He says, Hey, just look at Jesus.

And we've heard this before in Philippians, back in chapter two, Paul said, Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

And then just a few verses later, he says, Have this mind among yourself, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

In other words, Christian's unity is not built on all of us having the same personality, the same preference, the same opinion, or agree about every little thing.

Christian unity is built upon something infinitely stronger than that.

We belong to Christ.

The gospel has made us a family.

And because Christ has reconciled us to himself, we must put pus we must be people who pursue reconciliation with one another.

So that the first way Paul tells this church to stand firm is not individually.

He says, stand firm together.

Together.

I mentioned this before.

We're uh all different people from different backgrounds, and outside of the one thing that unite us, some of us may never even talk to each other.

But God has brought us all together as a church, so let's stand firm together.

Let's stand firm together.

And now we move to the next part of this beautiful melody.

Part two, stand firm in the storm.

Stand firm in the storm.

Verse 4 says, Rejoice in the Lord always.

Again, I will say, rejoice.

Again, notice the controlling phrase, in the Lord.

In the Lord.

Paul isn't commanding perpetual happiness.

That's not what he's saying.

He's not telling Christians that we're supposed to walk around pretending everything is okay when everything is not okay.

There are things in this life that should make us grief.

There are things that should break our hearts.

Christian joy is not pretending that everything is okay.

That's not what Christian joy is.

Christian joy is confidence that Christ is still enough when everything else is not okay.

It's confidence in knowing, you know what?

I'm not enough, but you know who's enough?

Jesus is.

Again, I will say, rejoice.

Why say it again?

Paul already said it.

We heard him the first time.

I think Paul repeats it because he wants us to know that he means what he just said.

He doesn't say, rejoice when life is good.

He doesn't say rejoice when the kids are healthy.

And the bills are paid and the marriage is strong and everything is going according to the plan.

That's not what he's saying.

He says, always.

And almost as if somebody might respond saying, Paul, but surely you don't mean always.

That's good that's quite a lot.

Paul says, again, I will say, rejoice.

And remember who is writing this.

I feel like I kept saying that week after week, right?

Remember who's writing this.

This isn't advice coming from a man whose circumstances are perfect.

Paul knows suffering, he knows opposition, he knows loss, and still he says, rejoice.

Rejoice.

How?

Because the command is not rejoice always.

It's rejoice in the Lord always.

Rejoice in the Lord always.

Church, if our joy is ultimately rooted in our circumstances, then our joy will rise and fall with our circumstances.

And life is full of ups and downs.

We cannot live like that.

We must have a baseline, and that baseline is Christ.

And we should not deviate from it.

If my joy is rooted in my health, what happens when my health fails?

If my joy is rooted in my money, what happens when the money disappears?

If my joy is rooted in my family, what happens when tragedy comes?

If my joy is rooted in comfort, what happens when life becomes uncomfortable?

Everything in this world that we are tempted to build our joy upon can change at any moment.

But Christ never changes.

Let me tell you a story.

In 1873, Horatius Pafford's wife and his four daughters were traveling across the Atlantic when their ship collided with another vessel and sank.

His wife survived.

His four daughters did not.

Four children gone.

I can't begin to imagine that grief.

As I was writing this and researching this, I started to think of my own children.

I couldn't even believe.

I couldn't even fathom the grief and the pain that that would cause.

And yet, out of that season of tremendous sorrow came the words, Christians have sung for generations.

When sorrows like sea billows roll, it is well with my soul.

Now, understand what Spafford is wasn't saying.

Now, understand what Spafford wasn't saying.

He wasn't saying it doesn't hurt.

He's not saying it doesn't hurt.

He wasn't saying, I'm happy my daughters are gone, actually.

He wasn't pretending the tragedy was somehow not tragic.

His sorrow was real.

But his sorrow was not the only thing that was real.

Christ was still real.

The gospel was still true.

His Savior had still regarded his helpless estate and shed his own blood for his soul.

And that is Christian joy.

Christian joy can exist alongside tears.

Christian joy can exist alongside grief.

Christian joy can exist in a hospital room.

I experienced that firsthand.

I walked into a hospital room with where a Christian man only having hours to live was surrounded by friends and family filled with tremendous grief.

And yet they rejoiced, because this man had finished well and was about to enter into the joy of the Lord.

Because Christian joy does not say, my circumstances are good.

Christian joy says, My Savior is good, and he is enough.

So when Paul says, Rejoice in the Lord, always, again, I will say rejoice, he's not denying emotions, he's encouraging us to locate the anchor that must hold them.

Your emotions are fine.

Emotions are okay.

God gave us emotions.

He's pointing towards the anchor of those emotions.

Never forget where the source of joy is found.

Not in empty promises, not in superficial optimism, not in circumstances that can change tomorrow.

Says, rejoice in the Lord.

The Lord will never change.

Everything else will eventually fade, but the Lord, the Lord is eternal.

He is the eternal fountain of joy.

Now let's take a look at verse 5.

It says, Let your reasonableness be known to everyone, the Lord is at hand.

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone, the Lord is at hand.

And I think it's easy for us to read that and walk away simply saying, you know what, we just need to be reasonable.

When Paul says reasonableness, he isn't saying, make sure everybody knows you're a reasonable and logical person.

That word actually carries the idea of gentleness, graciousness, and forbearance.

It's the kind of person who doesn't always have to demand his own way or insist upon every right he has.

That word carries the idea of gentleness, graciousness, and forbearance.

Let me repeat that.

It is the kind of person who doesn't always have to demand his own way or insist upon every right he or she may have.

And remember where we've just come from.

Paul has just addressed conflict in the church.

Two women are at odds with each other.

And only a couple verses later, Paul says essentially, let your graciousness and your gentleness, your willingness to not insist upon your own way be evident to every to anyone, to everyone.

Church, do you know how many conflicts would be would die much quicker if Christians didn't always feel the need to win?

Do you know how many conflicts would die so quick if we didn't feel the need to win an argument?

I wonder sometimes if we would describe ourselves differently than the people around us would describe us.

We might say, I think I'm a gracious person.

I mean, I'm a nice guy, I'm patient, I'm gentle.

Okay, but would your spouse say that?

Would your children say that?

Would your coworkers say that?

Would the people who disagree with you say that?

Paul says, let it be known.

In other words, this quality ought to be visible in the way of a Christian life.

This quality needs to be visible in the way of a Christian life.

And notice that he doesn't say, let your gentleness be known to the people who are gentle with you.

No, he says, to everyone, let your gentleness be known to everyone.

And that's harder.

That's a lot harder.

It's easy to be gracious towards people who are gracious to us.

It's easy to be patient with people who are patient with us.

It's easy to be gentle when everybody's treating you exactly the way you want to be treated.

But what happens when they aren't?

What happens when somebody misunderstands you?

What happens when somebody speaks harshly to you?

What happens when somebody disagrees with you?

Paul says, Let your gentleness be known.

And then he gives us the reason.

He says, the Lord is at hand.

Don't rush past that.

The Lord is at hand.

Paul had just told us at the end of chapter three that our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we wait our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Jesus is coming.

History is moving towards him.

History is moving towards him.

We will have, he will have the final word, and that means I don't have to.

He will have the final word, and that means I don't have to.

I don't have to have the final word because Jesus will.

I can be gracious, I can be gentle, I can be patient because the Lord is at hand.

We have a perfect example of this in our culture right now.

The news cycle is consumed with evil things happening everywhere.

A trial of a woman who killed their three beautiful babies.

You can see things like that and be angry, and you should.

While at the same time knowing who has the final word.

That little sentence doesn't just look backwards toward how we treat one another or how we handle the world or the circumstances of the world.

It prepares us for what Paul is about to say next.

Because if the Lord is near, if he is sovereign, if he's coming back, if he's not abandoned his people, then what do we have to be consumed with worry about?

If we know all those things, why do we have to be consumed with worry?

And that brings us to verse number six.

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

Now, church, he doesn't tell us what not to do, he tells us what to do instead.

Notice the contrast.

Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, nothing is to be consumed by anxiety.

Everything is to be brought before God.

And church, anxiety is the human condition.

We all have it.

We just handle it differently.

Everyone is equipped to different differently to handle anxieties.

But something will happen in your life that will trigger it.

Paul doesn't say the things you're worried about don't matter.

He doesn't pretend the circumstances, circumstances are difficult.

He says, take them to the Lord.

Take them to the Lord.

Some of us are carrying things right now that we were never meant to carry alone.

We worry about our children, our health, our finances, our marriage.

We replay conversations in our heads and how things should have gone or could have gone or could have gone.

We imagine what might happen tomorrow.

Sometimes we're carrying tomorrow's troubles with today's strength.

We're adding more to our plates than we should.

Paul says, bring it to God.

And notice how.

He says, how?

With Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving reminds me that I'm not approaching God.

I'm not approaching a God who has never been faithful to me before.

I can look back and remember his provision, his promises, his faithfulness, and ultimately the gospel.

Whatever happens tomorrow, I already know what God has done for me in Christ.

So bring my so I bring my request to him with thanksgiving.

And then comes an incredible promise in verse 7.

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

Notice what Paul doesn't promise.

He doesn't say God will immediately remove whatever it is that is causing your anxiety.

He doesn't promise that the circumstances will change.

Sometimes we pray, God, please change this.

And sometimes he does.

And that's great.

But sometimes the storm continues.

And that's where I am reminded of Jesus' words in Matthew 7.

Jesus describes the wise man who built his house upon the rock.

He says, the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on the house.

The house was built on the rock.

The house that was built on the rock was still experienced in the storm.

The storm wasn't, it just didn't dissipate.

It wasn't there.

It's not like it wasn't there.

The rain still fell, the flood still came, the wind still blew.

The difference wasn't the storm, the difference was the foundation.

Jesus said says, I did not fall.

It did not fall.

Church standing firm in Christ doesn't mean storms won't come.

It means that when they do, and they will, we have a foundation underneath us that the storm cannot take away.

And over time, you will even start loving the storms.

Why?

I think Spurgeon said it best.

He says, I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me against the rock of ages.

I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me against the rock of ages.

It reminds us of our reliance upon God.

And Paul says that as we bring everything before God, his peace will guard our hearts and our minds.

He may not immediately change what is happening around you, but he promised that a peace that guards what is happening inside of you will be there.

And once again, notice where Paul ends.

He says, In Christ Jesus.

In Christ Jesus.

Here's the foundation.

In the Lord.

Rejoice in the Lord.

The Lord is at hand, and now our hearts and minds are guarded in Christ Jesus.

That is how we stand firm in the storm.

But Paul has just mentioned another variable, the mind.

And that leads us directly to verse eight.

Because Paul has told us what to do when anxiety begins to fill our minds, bring it to God.

Now he's going to tell us what we should fill our minds with instead.

Which brings us to part number three of this beautiful musical piece.

Verse number eight finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there's any excellence, if there's anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Think about these things.

Church, what fills our mind matters.

Paul has just told us that what to do whenever we have anxiety, what to do when anxiety begins to consume our thoughts.

He says, bring them to God.

Bring it to God.

Now he tells us what our minds ought to dwell upon instead.

Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable.

Think about these things.

And that word think is more than just allowing a thought to pass through your mind.

It carries the idea of considering something, dwelling upon it, pondering and giving careful attention to it.

In other words, Paul is telling us be intentional about what occupies your mind.

Be intentional about what occupies occupies your mind.

And this isn't the only place scripture speaks this way.

Romans 12, 2 says, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

I love that.

There's a connection that shapes the mind and what shapes the life.

In church, we live in a world that desperately wants our attention.

Desperately wants our attention.

I heard a saying recently, I've actually never heard it before, and I'm probably going to butcher it, but you might have heard it.

It was, you know, that Satan accomplished more, accomplishes more with an idle mind than with busy hands.

And I was like, oh, interesting.

There is a connection between what shapes the mind and what shapes the life.

In church, we live in a world that desperately wants our attention.

Our phones want our attention, social media wants our attention, the news wants our attention, entertainment wants our attention, fear, comparison, anger, outrage all compete for space in our minds.

And if we aren't intentional about what fills our mind, the world will gladly fill it for us.

The world will gladly fill it for us.

And he's not and he's not telling you to start doing some positive thinking.

Paul isn't telling you to ignore everything difficult and just start thinking happy thoughts.

He's calling us to discipline our mind around what is true and good before God.

So maybe the question for us is not just what has been discipling your mind.

Everyone is getting discipled by something.

Everyone is getting discipled by something.

What are you getting discipled by?

What is filling your mind?

What are you continually putting in front of your eyes?

Because often what we call entertainment, God calls sin.

What are you listening to?

Who are you listening to?

What are you dwelling upon when nobody else is around?

Because what fills your mind matters.

The truth that fills our minds must eventually shape the way that we live.

Look at verse nine.

And that brings us to our final stanza here.

Stand firm by practicing what you know.

Practicing what you know.

Verse 9.

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

I love the progression that Paul gives us here.

Now we have the full picture.

We have the full song.

What you have learned, what you have received, what you have heard, what you have seen.

Now practice these things.

The Christian life is not just about knowing the right things.

We absolutely need to know sound doctrine.

Sound doctrine is important.

We need to know the word of God.

We need to grow in our understanding of who God is and what he has done.

And we must desire God.

We must desire to know him.

Like he said in the previous chapter, to know God, to know Christ and the power of his resurrection.

But biblical truth was never intended to stop in our heads.

What we know must shape how we live.

Paul doesn't only say, do what I taught you.

He says, in essence, you've heard me teach it and you watch me live it.

Now you practice it.

And before he says, Hey, follow me as I follow Christ, be imitators of me as I imitate Christ.

That is discipleship.

That is truth that is taught.

That's truth that is model, and it's truth that is practiced.

And then Paul gives us this beautiful promise.

He says, And the God of peace will be with you.

Back in verse 7, Paul promises the peace of God.

Now in verse 9, he points us to the God of peace.

Verse 7, the peace of God will be with you.

Verse 9, he points us to the God of peace.

Ultimately, our hope isn't just what God will give us.

It's not that God will just give us peaceful circumstances.

Our hope is that God Himself is with us.

We get the gift and we get the giver.

And that brings this entire passage together.

At the beginning, I compare this text to the P to a piece of music.

There are different instruments, different sounds, different parts, but when you hear them all together, you realize that they're playing the same song.

And that is exactly what Paul is telling us.

Stand firm.

Stand firm.

When conflict comes, remember that our unity in Christ is greater than the disagreements.

Stand firm in the storm.

When circumstances shake us and anxiety begins to rise, bring everything before God and trust the foundation underneath you.

Trust the foundation underneath you.

Stand firm in what fills your mind.

Set your mind on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise.

Think of those things often.

Set your mind on those things.

Don't be entertained by sin.

Fill your mind with what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise.

And finally, stand firm by practicing what you know.

Don't merely hear the truth, live it.

You know all these things.

You hear them every Sunday.

You know them from childhood, some of you guys.

Live it out.

Different parts, different notes, but they're all playing the same song.

Stand firm in the Lord.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, you are good and gracious.

You are the God of peace.

Lord, we pray that your word would dwell in us.

That would be made alive in us.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, Lord, enable us to live a life that is worthy of the gospel.

That we may follow your example, that we may set our mind on things above.

That we would give you praise.

That we would approach your throne with thanksgiving.

Where we can cast all of our anxieties onto you, for you care for us.

Lord, we praise you for your word.

We praise you for your time.

We praise you for this church.

Lord, help us grow into people who are known for their reasonableness.

Love one another.

Help us temper our speech and think before we speak.

Lord, we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus.

Amen.