Philippians 4:4-9
Last week I talked about how we can easily get distracted by the problems of this world. We can get distracted by the news and about this issue and that issue, and argue over “my opinion is more Christian than yours,” or people who just want to argue for argument’s sake.
And I wanted to refocus on what’s most important, and that’s the cross. Today, I’d like to do something similar. If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to Philippians 4, and we’ll read verses 4-9. I’m kind of taking a risk doing this because these are really a set of verses that I could do a sermon series on. And I might someday. But for now, I think I’ll stick to doing just one sermon on this.
It’s a set of verses that I’m sure you’re familiar with. In fact, it’s really two sets of verses that are often used separately, but when I came across them, I realized, that Paul has a thought process here. What is that thought process?
And so we’re going to delve into that today.
But first, there’s a story of a man who had bought a new gadget-unassembled, of course–and after reading and rereading the instructions he couldn’t figure out how it went together. Finally, he sought the help of an old handyman who was working in the backyard. The old fellow picked up the pieces, studied them, then began assembling the gadget. In a short time, he had it put together. “That’s amazing,” said the man. “And you did it without even looking at the instructions!”
“Fact is,” said the old man, “I can’t read, and when a fellow can’t read, he’s got to think.”
This is exactly why it’s important to think about the right things.
A man by the name of Frank Outlaw said:
Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
And that’s what we’re going to talk about today. I swore I’d never preach a sermon on positive thinking, but you know what they say. Never say never.
Let’s take a look at our scripture, Philippians 4:4-9.
Scripture: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
So today, I would like to talk about getting our minds straight. I’ve talked about that before, out of Romans 12 where Paul talks about the renewing of our minds. I also talked a couple of months ago about our focus being on God and not the enemy or the “giants in the land.” The following week, I talked about having the right spiritual lenses so we can see through the lens of the Holy Spirit within us. Then, the week after that, I talked about having our hearts set on the things above. And today’s sermon ties in with those concepts.
It’s so hard to not dwell on the negative. Everywhere you go, people want to talk about the negative. People want to talk about what’s going on in the world and nothing good is going on to talk about. Life keeps getting harder. We keep getting nickel and dimed every time we turn around. The other day, I took my work vehicle to my local mom-and-pop shop to get an oil change and tire rotation. And the credit card that the company wants to use is different from my gas card, so I have to call in and they have to give them the card number over the phone and the shop has to punch it in. Well, the owner of the shop said that they get charged extra from the credit card company every time they make a manual entry in their credit card machine for some kind of manual processing fee. Can you believe it? The economy is going south. I don’t know how the local tourism is going this year, but people aren’t traveling as much. And there seems to be no hope in sight.
Does Paul want us to focus on the negative? No, he says to rejoice always, pray and––essentially speaking, think on the positive. And God’s peace will be with us.
Now, that’s a pretty simple and trite way of putting it, I know. Of course, there’s more to it, which will be the rest of this sermon. But that’s a way of putting these verses succinctly. Paul wants us to be positive people, not dwelling on or living in negativity. He doesn’t want us to be Eeyores. Can you imagine calling yourself a Christian but acting like Eeyore?
God wants us to exude this peace and gentleness that comes from Him, for our own sake and to show others the way as well.
You’ll notice the first word here is Rejoice! And it’s followed in my Bible with an exclamation point. How would Eeyore rejoice? He’d very sadly say, “Ho-hum. I’m troubled yet I rejoice.” And wave some homemade tattered flag.
But Paul wants us to emphatically rejoice. It’s hard to do when you don’t have anything to rejoice about. Or so it seems. There’s the old saying, there’s always something to be thankful for. And we often miss those things because they’re the obvious, everyday things that are right in front of us. It’s not the lake house with the sports car and the nice clothes. It’s really the most important things that we take for granted. So many times I say it, but the most important things are the easiest to ignore. We want so much more––we want the things that other people have that are out of reach, but to have the provisions that we have on a daily basis is a God-given gift. To have any joy or good thing is given by God.
James says that “every good and perfect gift comes from above.”
I was having a conversation with someone the other day about how people are so flippant about going to Hell. And it’s like, ‘you don’t understand. There is nothing good in Hell. Whether there is fire or brimstone or not. There is nothing good there. You spend all of eternity there without hope of it getting any better. You can’t be rescued. You’ve denied the power that could rescue you and now it’s too late.’
I came across a song on Youtube yesterday. And it was a romantic song about one day meeting each other in Hell and never being apart again. It doesn’t work like that.
Every good and perfect gift comes from God. When you are removed from God, you are removed from anything and everything good.
God is only good. He is the ultimate good. And he is the giver of all good things.
Jessica Udall on crosswalk.com said:
James is addressing the concern that some believers had while going through trials, wondering whether God was tempting them. By no means, says James. God is the absolutely holy Creator of all that is good, with no hint of darkness or fickleness. He will always be characterized by his goodness, both with regard to his character and with regard to his relentless desire to give good gifts to his children.
Jesus confirms this truth in Matthew 7 when he asks his listeners: “Which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11).
We have a lot to be thankful for. We have a lot to rejoice in. What do we have that we, right here in this church can rejoice in right now?
We might not have a lake house, but we still live in the Finger Lakes, probably the most beautiful region in New York State. We can rejoice in that. We live in safe neighborhoods––trust me, I’ve been to plenty of neighborhoods in Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse that really puts Watkins Glen in perspective. We have family and friends that love us. We have lots of good memories. We have the love of God and access to God’s Holy Spirit any time. Once we start thinking about the things we have to rejoice in, we can’t stop thinking about how the simple things are really great things.
So when Paul says rejoice here, he follows that up with, “The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything.”
So it all goes together in a thought. Rejoice. Why? Because there’s so much to rejoice about. But mostly because The Lord is near. And because the Lord is near, we do not need to be anxious about anything.
Asbury Bible Commentary says, “Here is an appeal for the optimism of faith since being in the Lord is assurance of victory.” Paul sandwiches the idea of rejoicing in verse 4 and not being anxious about anything in verse 6 with an odd, seemingly random remark in verse 5. He says, “Let your gentleness be evident to all.” Then he says, “The Lord is near.”
Why does he add that odd phrase in between there?
Because our gentleness or our good character; or satisfaction; our peace that passes understanding; whatever it might be, is a sign to others that our hope is in the Lord, who is near and with us. God is not far off or aloof.
I had a passenger this week, and she didn’t have to tell me she has anxiety issues. It was pretty evident. And she talked about how scared she is––still of COVID. Mind you, I thought we were pretty much over that fear as a society. But she’s still scared of it. The hospitals are starting to get more patients––she mentioned that several times quite emphatically and even had it confirmed by the doctor she said; the vaccine doesn’t work on the new variant, and she went on and on and she was working herself up, getting louder and louder and I was just as cool and unafraid as if COVID never happened.
Now, I couldn’t say anything to her. She was too worked up. It was best to just not say anything and let her go. In fact, she got a little upset when she said people she talks to aren’t afraid, but they should be. But I hope that my calmness and my inability to become worked up and afraid like she was said something. I hope it maybe calmed her a little. I don’t know. But I had a peace that passed understanding.
If COVID numbers are going up again, I’m not the least bit afraid. When COVID came through in 2020, I was cautious but not afraid. And when I got COVID––twice, I was like “oh great.”
I was annoyed, but not scared. Why? Because the Lord is near.
Paul goes on in verse 6. He begins by telling us what not to do––do not be anxious about anything––and then tells us what we should do instead.
“But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
After that, in the next sentence, Paul tells us what the result of trusting and presenting our requests to God is. He says in verse 7, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
So again, Paul is trying to refocus our minds from the things that cause anxiety to Christ who is our hope and peace. I was reminded that just before Jesus left, he said to his disciples that he will bring a comforter for them, meaning The Holy Spirit. We have The Holy Spirit, our comforter within us at all times.
I think I used this not too long ago. But Psalm 46:1 says, “God [or we could say, the Holy Spirit within us] is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
Isn’t it great that we serve a living God, and not just “follow the teachings of Christ” as some churches do?
Paul isn’t just talking about anxiety or the fear that something might happen––that’s the definition of anxiety––fearing what might happen. But God is our help in times of actual trouble. In times of actual fear. When fear is warranted.
There’s a famous saying, you may have heard of it, it’s from an unknown source. It says, “Sometimes the Lord calms the storm. Sometimes he lets the storm rage and calms his child.”
God doesn’t always take the problem away, for whatever reason, but he can calm us and give us peace in the storm. Maybe that’s the testimony he wants to give in our situation. I think some people might miss the point. God might not want to give us the testimony of healing or financial blessing or whatever it might be, but instead, he might want to give us the testimony of peace in the midst of the storm.
And as Paul mentions here, that peace transcends all understanding. It’s just as much a miracle, I believe, as the miracle of healing. It’s a conundrum to those who see our lives, and even to ourselves at times. We can only say that the source of our peace is God. And hopefully, that acts as a testimony and a witness to others who need that same peace in their lives. And experiencing that peace gives us something to rejoice––exclamation mark––about.
Then Paul instructs the Philippians to keep their minds on the right kinds of things. He doesn’t say to dwell on or participate in the gossip and negativity that surrounds them. He doesn’t say, complain with everyone else about your poverty or being under Roman occupation or being persecuted or being a minority as a Christian believer. He doesn’t say, “It’s not fair! The rich should pay more taxes and they should be redistributed. This should happen and that should happen–––grumble, grumble.” He doesn’t say to keep your mind on the sin of their culture that is so prevalent and tempting.
Instead, he tells them of a better way. He tells them to think more highly. This is an example of living to a higher standard. Your thoughts are to be higher than others. Your thoughts shouldn’t be dragged down by others but our thoughts should lift ourselves and others up. He tells them that inward thoughts have an outward impact. Our thoughts regulate how we live and therefore we get to shine the light and become an example of optimism and positivity and hope to others who are constantly gossiping and complaining about everything. He tells them that through our inward thought process, we can outwardly bring hope and emotional healing to people. And maybe it just might catch on.
He tells them to think on things that are, “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy.”
Have you ever met someone that puts you to shame because their thoughts are not negative? They’re just enjoying life. They’re in the moment. It’s like, wow, where did they come from? It’s so rare nowadays that it’s wonderfully refreshing when it happens. They are such a blessing that you remember this person years later, and you say, I wish I could be like them. Lord, make me more like that.
This circles back to what we began with. Rejoice. It’s hard to rejoice when we have a negative mindset. It’s hard to rejoice when our thoughts are full of our problems all the time. It’s hard to rejoice when we’re obsessed with what’s not right or noble. It’s hard to rejoice when we’re constantly reminded of those scoundrels in places of power, and we forget that the One who is all-powerful is all good and just.
It’s hard to rejoice when we’re thinking about things that are not pure or excellent or praiseworthy. We can get into negative thinking habits. And it’s not good for anyone. There’s another old saying, ‘misery loves company.’ It means that those who are miserable like to be around other miserable people so they can feel better complaining together. But what often happens is that miserable people just make unmiserable people miserable. It’s unfortunately a catchy habit. I think I talked about it in another sermon not too long ago. But being miserable and finding like-minded people to complain with doesn’t solve any problems and it just brings others down with you. Just ask Job.
There’s another unknown source who said, “Let the mind of the Master be the master of your mind.”
Paul instructs us to rejoice––exclamation point––why? Because the Lord is near. And because the Lord is near, we don’t have to be anxious about anything. We can think about good things. Knowing that the Lord is near cheers us up, brings us a new and peaceful perspective on life, and grants us the ability to better think on better things.
Here’s another quote from an unknown source. “One of life’s great mysteries is that whatever you constantly think about and move towards will, eventually, also move towards you.”
This next quote actually has someone to attribute it to. The artist and writer Florence Scovel Shinn said, “The game of life is the game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy.”
Just one more quote from an unknown source before we close.
Remember the acronym GIGO adapted from the computer programming industry. It stands for Garbage Input Garbage Output: meaning that you can only get out of a computer what has been programmed into it. The same principle applies to our minds. Garbage input, garbage output. Some people brush this aside saying to themselves ‘what I watch or who I associate with doesn’t affect me’ but think of it like this: Your mind is like a sponge. If you knocked over a glass of sour milk and you used a sponge to mop it up, what would happen if you squeezed the sponge? Would you get fresh milk or would you get sour milk?
How we think has so much to do with how we live. It has to do with our mental health. It has to do with how we interact with others. It has to do with our witness to the world. It has to do with our relationship with God. Are we constantly complaining or are we rejoicing? It’s okay to complain to God if we do it the right way. This passage says to take our requests before God. But in doing so, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,”
And what will happen?
“The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on First Baptist Church of Watkins Glen
Featured Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
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