Philippians 4:8-9

Good morning, this is truth in love time has slipped up on me this morning and I wanted to prepare just a little bit longer, but I ran out of time

I wanted to get started at 7 30 and my clock says 7 32, so I'm just a little bit behind But I think it's okay we we rely and trust on God and We will just rely and trust on him and We we want

God to We want him to be glorified.

We want God to To show that it is him working through us and not we ourselves and so With that being said good morning to you.

Thank you for watching. Thank you for joining me. I hope you are having a good morning so far

This is truth in love and we get truth in love from Ephesians chapter 4 verse 15 and that verse says

But speaking the truth in love we are to grow up in all aspects into him. Who is the head even

Christ? That's our goal. That's our aim to to not fall into either ditch, but to speak truth and to speak it in love

You can't have one without the other or you will you will fall You will fall on your face you'll be in one ditch or the other and It's just not what we're looking for not what the

Lord would have us to do So if I can pray for you We're gonna pray at the end and I'd love to be able to pray for you

All you have to do is tighten me if you have any questions. You want to talk about anything this morning? Let me know

Ask the question chat with me. Say hello. Let me know that you're watching I just enjoy spending time with you as we talk about God's Word.

So With that being said we're gonna look at we're getting close to the end of Philippians We're just gonna look at two verses this morning.

And as we creep creep on closer to the end I was thinking about As I was making my coffee this morning,

I was thinking about those times and maybe you've experienced these times I hope you have

I hope you've had these moments When I was making my coffee this morning it's so quiet in the house and I look out the window and It seems so still and so peaceful outside it was one it's one of those mornings where you want to take your cup of coffee and Sit on the front porch and it kind of it takes you it takes you to the mountains if you've ever been to the mountains and you've ever sat outside on a rocking chair, or you've looked across the the landscape and the hills and and early in the morning, it's just very very peaceful and I know um,

I Know deer hunters get us get a sense of this when they are When they they get up before dark they get in the stand before dark and you have to sit really still you have to be really quiet And of course you want to hide your scent from the deer

But you but you have to be quiet. You have to be still and and in that stillness As you're looking over you you begin to hear as as the light begins to To manifest itself in the woods

Just just slowly you begin to hear the the woods come alive you hear

Normally, you'll hear the the squirrels Rustling around and in the leaves and still just a little rustle of leaves from the squirrels and Listening for that deer maybe to walk in and be crunching the leaves, but but sitting in that deer stand

Really really still and Noticing the the peace and the stillness of the woods or sitting on your front porch with your coffee looking over the landscape and and just noticing the the peacefulness of the moment and that that's

That's what I felt this morning as I was making my coffee and everything was quiet and everything was still and I looked outside and Everything seemed to be so still and peaceful.

Really. I really enjoy those moments And I know not everyone is enjoying those type of moments this morning

But I'm thankful for those moments of peace and I'm sure you are too.

And so the question I want to ask you to get started this morning is That description it kind of defines

Our Expectations of peace. So what would be the opposite of peace? What do you think the opposite?

What would you say the opposite of peace was if peace is? There's there's still moments where where it's quiet and The the trees are still the the the house is quiet You have your your warm your hot cup of coffee with you.

If that's our sense of a peace That's our moment of peace that we're so grateful for.

What's the opposite of that? And I'm sure we've all experienced those moments to some different degrees than others

But what's the opposite of that that peaceful moment? What do you think? I Wish this

I wish the interaction of the video was Immediate real real time so that Like face -to -face where you could give me your comment as soon as I ask the question

So I didn't have to wait for it. But what do you think? What how do you feel? Or what do you think that that the difference is with the opposite of that that peace?

I'll go ahead and give you what I think in my mind. The the opposite of peace is of course

The the opposite of peace I think would be chaos Where you've got?

And there in my opinion, there's good chaos and bad chaos, you know a good chaos is you know, you've got a house full of family and and children running around and So many so many people bustling around doing different things and it's crowded and it just seems like there's chaos everybody's doing their own thing and but you have the you have family there you have

Children's laughter you have playing or sometimes you have children fussing sometimes you have adults fussing and so you have chaos or or the chaos of A morning you wake up You know, this is this is difficult, but I Think of the morning that I heard my grandmother can

I Passed away, you know, that would that would not be a morning a

Peace to wake up to and you know going over to her house and and how sad my grandfather was and how sad we all were

That my grandmother passed away, you know, that's that would not be a peaceful morning Philippians 4 in context is so powerful.

Thank you, Steve Absolutely We are we have looked at Philippians 1 4 1 through 7 this morning.

We're gonna look at Philippians 4 8 through 9 But I'm just talking about peace this morning and The opposite of peace now

Is the those mornings where something? Unexpected or bad is happening or a storm outside.

Of course is the opposite of enjoying that that peaceful stillness So I'm thankful for those moments for those cup cups of coffee when everything is still and everything is is

Where you can just it's not chaotic and and everything doesn't feel like it is it's coming upon you and You're being attacked from all sides or You're facing

Difficulties and and your your mind is just flooded with so many So many thoughts so many decisions

That's that's not a peaceful morning. You're you're just being attacked from all sides

So we're thankful and I'm thankful for those Peaceful moments and the reason I'm talking about peace so much this morning is because that's where Philippians chapter 4

Paul Addresses that he addresses peace and where peace comes from and I think what

Paul would have us to know is that we can we can have That spiritual peace.

Hey Roger. Good morning. Morning to you, brother God God would have us to know Paul would have us know that we can have that that peace at all times

You know where scripture teaches that if we're here He is he's not going to lose although the

Jesus is all that the Father gives me I will lose none so we can have that security of being in him forever

Jesus says in John also that if you believe in me, you will have Everlasting life you will you will live forever.

So we can we can be sure that that will never end and I think Paul and Steve says

Psalm 46 verse 10. Absolutely I Paul Paul would also have us to know that this peace

Where it comes from and that we can experience it It's one of those things that are of God and it never ends and it reminded me

Before we get to Philippians chapter 4 and and speak on those things This subject reminded me of a

Christmas verse that we use and that we quote Often this time of year in size a chapter 9 verses 6 and 7

I'm just going to read it for us It says for a child was born to us and this is a prophecy of course of the

Messiah to come Peace the past is all understanding. Absolutely For for a child will be born to us a son will be given to us and the government will rest on his shoulders

And his name will be called wonderful Counselor mighty

God eternal father prince of peace There will be no end to the increase of his government or what you remember the second part of this verse there will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace

Wow on the throne of David and Over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forever more

The zeal the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. He will accomplish this.

We don't have to rely on our own strength What's up, Jacob? How you doing? The hope everybody's doing well at your house, brother

The Lord is going to accomplish this We don't have to rely on our own strength and what is he going to accomplish well the government's gonna rest on his shoulders and His government will the increase of it will

Will never end there will be no end to the increase of his government and there will be no end to the increase of his peace

And that's kind of been our thing this morning. There will be no end to the increase of his peace You can think of kingdoms you can think of nations and governments where There there are times of peace but then

There's times of friction There there are there have been

Kings that have Defended the kingdom or or conquered other kingdoms and they bring about times of peace

And we use that we use that phrase times of peace But Scripture tells us

Isaiah 9 says that his government his kingdom the the increase of his peace that well, there will be no end so It is going to keep going and it is going to continue to increase so we can we can trust in this prophecy

We can rely on this prophecy that is going to Increase and it's never going to stop so we don't have to we don't have to be concerned that the

The economy or the the the scale of God's kingdom is going to be like a rollercoaster

It's going to be like It's going to continually grow and increase and The aspect the the adjective that he used of the aspect of this kingdom is that of peace

And so we can we can trust in that we can rely on that And then that is a wonderful thing for us to to meditate on Because we enjoy it.

We don't enjoy the chaos so much. So with that being said that little introduction being said

Let's jump right into Philippians and these Going to these last two these two verses that we're gonna look at this morning.

I apologize. It's early and And So we we looked at chapter 4 verses 1 through 7 last week and and Paul tells us in the in first Verse 1 he tells us to stand firm in the

Lord Of course, he's speaking to his beloved brethren Those who he loved his joy in his crown the the folks at the

Saints at the Philippian Church of course, that's who this is originally addressed to but of course this is this has principles and Instruction for all of us and he's speaking to them

He's speaking to us and he says to to stand firm in the Lord My beloved and then he in these next verses following we talk about how this is how he would have them just to stand

Firm in the Lord and that's I want us to remember that this action

He wants us to stand firm because he's he's going to give us A Another piece of direction in verses 8 and 9 here in these first verses of chapter 4

He's telling us to stand firm and then he tells us how he wants us to do that or how we should do that Of course, he gives us the example.

He's being very very personal with the church. He's talking about these these two women and He's wanting there to be reconciliation he's wanting there to be peace with the relationship between these two women and he's wanting the the

Folks there to intervene to be part of not be standoffish

But he wants us to be a part of each other's life when it comes to reconciliation when it comes to peace and unity in the spirit and so he

Speaks to these two women and he speaks to these men like Clement Who are to be a part of this

Reuniting this reconciliation and and whenever whenever else it happens in the church

They are to Be working towards reconciliation with each other and not we aren't to be standoffish

We are we are to be a part of each other's life And that's how that's the first way that in which we stand firm in the

Lord We're not standing firm in the Lord if we you know We greet each other at church and we we don't have anything else to do with it with each other the rest of the week

We don't get involved in each other's lives And that is so it seems to be so foreign to us that we would that God would have us to be involved in each other's life, especially a conflict especially conflict where You know that this is my own business, you know,

I'm not getting along with it with such -and -such person So mind your own business

God would God has a way for us to handle these situations but he does want us to be a part of each other's life because he's he is

He's desiring peace in us And that increase of his peace will have no end

So that's the that's the first way the the people and the church are to just to stand firm

And then the second was to rejoice again. I say rejoice The the third was having a forbearing spirit

So that all men can can see it and he says the Lord is near.

I think that's important He adds that that short little comment in there

He says let your forbearing spirit be known to all men for the

Lord is near I Thought about how I wanted to comment on that again

To me This this speaks of Jesus Coming and The the last video if you've had a chance to watch the last video

I tried to explain a little bit of what I believe about Eschatology about in times and what

Jesus meant what the New Testament means About in times

When things took place and here Paul tells the people that the the

Lord is near And and of course we could spiritualize that you know, the the

Lord is near to us And he promises that he will never leave us nor forsake us and that's absolutely true

But but so often Paul speaks of the the Lord coming or the Lord coming soon

The Lord is near the Lord coming soon. If you have a chance look up those words near and soon and See how often the the authors of the

New Testament talk about near and soon Those who have a different in times view than me

Would agree That the authors of the New Testament, this is this is the word that they use

It's a big word, but this is the word that they use but the authors believed in the imminent return of Christ and of course

Those that hold a different view than I do also believe in in the imminent

Return of Christ so they are they are looking for it. It is coming soon

It's it could happen any moment. It's near that's kind of what it means and so they would they believe that the authors of the

New Testament believe in an imminent return of Christ and This is an example of such a verse the

Lord is near the Lord and You know, obviously it could be could mean, you know in a spiritual sense here

But so often he speaks of the Lord coming. The Lord is near the Lord's coming soon that we can

We can possibly apply that here I could be wrong and you know If there's any Greek scholars any any pastors out there that would like to correct me.

I'm open to correction You know, I think it could has the potential to mean both

I could be wrong it could just mean one and somebody is Anybody is welcome to to let me know what you think

You know, but I'm I'll go ahead and say it

Those that those that believe differently about in times than I do

Have a tendency to do it in a mocking type way They will speak of my view and say that We believe that we are in the millennium right now which we do and So that they mockingly say well

We've already been through one millennium and now we're in the second millennium What does that mean?

So they say that kind of mockingly and I Don't want to be guilty of being mocking.

I just I want to be guilty of sharing facts from Scripture so with that being said here you

I Think they say in such a way that for us to think about it, you know

Do you have an answer for that? You know if we were if we're in the millennium, you know

There's we're already in a second millennium. So how do you answer that question? So here's a question In return

It's an agreement that there's an agreement that the authors of the

New Testament believed in the imminent return of Christ and Imminence imminence means it's soon.

It's going to happen that they were looking for Christ to return and yet it's been 2 ,000 years and people still believe in the

Imminent return of Christ that he's coming soon. So Soon and and near are words that have meanings, right?

So It if they believe that he was coming soon that he was near and Yet he didn't and we're 2 ,000 years out

You know those words really don't have Meaning anymore, so that's just some thoughts something to think about as I was

Working through this in my mind and and of course, this is a

This is just a conversation that I'm having with you guys and I appreciate all the comments so far and the participation

But it's just something to think about as we have this conversation iron sharpening iron But he was

Getting back on topic. Paul was speaking to this church the Saints. They're saying the the

Lord is near And with the Lord being near He can say that, you know in a spiritual sense to comfort them and we can we can use it in that way because They they were being attacked, you know, if you look

If you look in chapter 3 you had you had the Judaizers that would

That were coming after them that were that were mutilating the gospel that wanted them to to add

Keeping the law to the gospel So they wanted to tear down Paul's teaching the teaching, you know of grace alone through faith alone and then you had the

Herodians who were trying to Get their hands in the pot that Paul was warning them of and You had

Paul in jail and you had You had other persecutions going on at the time.

So life was was not peaceful in in our sense of the word

It was not still It was not Sipping your coffee on the front porch

Kind of a morning for these folks. They had a lot of going on. They had a lot of chaos going on So this this spiritual idea of comfort where Paul would say the

Lord is near, you know, that's that is very accurate And very true and it's a it's a wonderful pastoral thing

To say that amidst the chaos the Lord is near But then you also have the other aspect of it

The very next verse He speaks of them being anxious for nothing so that this was according to the original language, this was a this was something that Paul had

Saw evidence of that they were continually being anxious and He and the part of the teaching was that you know, the

Lord is coming near Jesus Jesus tells them to Flee Jerusalem when you when you see

Jerusalem being surrounded to flee Jerusalem and and head to the mountains. So it's going to be

Hope that you're not pregnant on that day because it's going to be hard for you So you have this this time of persecution coming this time of destruction coming where?

Jerusalem is going to be destroyed and the temple is going to be destroyed and The Paul is saying the you know, the

Lord is near that that judgment is coming So you have that on top of all the other distresses that they were dealing with and Yet Paul tells them to be anxious for nothing and and that is the another pillar of Standing firm in the

Lord and I apologize for going back over verses 1 through 7. I meant to just do a recap

But verses 2 through 6 Is what is Paul's formula for them to stand firm in the

Lord? And then he says and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, which is the verse that Steve quoted a few moments ago the peace that passes all understanding or the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension

I'm reading from the New American Standard shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ So he so Paul is speaking of this peace in the midst of their chaos

Peace that passes all understanding a peace which God is bringing to the earth that will have no end

That's the peace that that comes from Christ and it will guard your hearts and your minds He says and so that that's the first action this verses 1 through 7 stand firm in the

Lord And here's how you do that. That's standing firm. That's the first action verses 8 and 9

Paul is going to speak of two more actions That what he would have the church be doing and he would have us as the church today to be doing as well

In line with first standing firm So let's read verses 8 and 9 And I will try to quickly go over them and look at those two other things that we are to be doing as Christians as We also stand firm verse 8 finally brethren.

Whatever is true. Whatever is honorable. Whatever is right Whatever is pure. Whatever is lovely.

Whatever is of good repute if there is anything excellent if there's If there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise let your mind dwell on these things

The things you have learned and received and heard and seen me Practice these things and the

God of peace shall be with you and there There's that recap again of his theme his goal for these

Saints Is that peace? He brings back that peace that he is he is longing for them to have

So what's that was the second thing thing? The first thing is standing firm. The second thing is He wants them to exercise their mind to meditate to dwell to think on Certain things and what are these things?

What are these things that he wants them to be meditating and dwelling on? Should we be meditating and thinking on the the chaos that's around us should they be

Um They already had the formula for anxiety down pat

They were focused on what was what's happening to them? What's what's attacking them?

What's coming after them? they were focused on the chaos and How it was how it was bad for them because Paul saw this anxiety in them and it was it was a practice for them

That they were anxious all the time and here's the formula to to get out of that anxiety to to the the formula for peace as Opposed to the formula for anxiety.

Did y 'all see that? The formula for anxiety is to focus on the chaos and how it's affecting us here's the formula for for peace and It starts here in our mind

Says finally brethren. Whatever is is true and the and the word true there.

It does not Simply mean something that is truthful dwell dwell on what is truthful

What it means there is we use the term? When we speak of something that it that is that is true or that is

Solid or pointed in the right direction it is in a true state and so that's

That's what we want to focus on that which is true That is that's steady and pointed in the right direction.

It holds true that's the kind of truth that he's he's being here when he uses this word and that's what we want to to Dwell and meditate on it's those things that are that are true that are unwavering and are pointed in the right direction

It says whatever whatever is honorable those things that that Demand I don't want to use the word demand those things that You can't help but give respect to The those things that that deserve honor

And of course we're speaking of the Christian life here

Those things in the in the Christian life that that are Deserving of respect and and reverence and honor those things are the things that we should dwell on Whatever is right

Of course that's pretty simple But it but it's hard to do sometimes we should focus on those things that are that are our right thing to do

What is an example? How how is that hard sometimes? Well, all you have to do is

Look up a few verses back to where we were in in verse 2 and verse 3

Paul wanted them to do what was right by Being involved in each other's life

Despite how hard it is the wrong thing to do would lead will be to leave them in disunity to leave them in In a broken relationship, but the right thing to do would be to Work towards unity to come alongside them to bear one another's burdens.

So whatever is right No matter how hard it is Those are the things that we should

Meditate and dwell on whatever is pure Whatever is is lovely those things that that Bring up affection and and love within us

Of course for God and for one another Whatever is of good repute or good report those things we should dwell on if there is any excellence and If anything worthy of praise, of course, these are these are spiritual things, of course that That point us to God, right?

That that's the direction that that our minds should be focused on We we are doing we are trying to give

How should I say it? Our goal is excellence When it comes to doing things for God, our goal is excellence because we reflect him

In who we are and what we do. So we want to We want to reflect excellence

We want to reflect God the best way that we can so our goal and our aim and our meditation is on Those things that are excellent and and how we can do things in excellence and anything worthy of praise and of course, that's

That's the things of God. Our pastor just did a wonderful sermon on On How our first inclination is to do things to brag on ourselves

But in reality the Holy Spirit begins to work in us when we receive him a transformation of that attitude for no longer wanting to brag on ourselves and to build ourselves up but to boast in the

Lord and We hear that biblical language to boast in the Lord to brag on him and that's the those are the things that are worthy of praise those things that Brag on the

Lord those things that build him up and make him look good And so he says let your mind dwell.

This is where your mind should live on all these things This is the formula For this piece the formula for anxiety is to dwell on the chaos and then verse 9 the things you have learned and received so Knowledge teaching is not bad.

Some people want to you know Kind of shove the idea that that we need knowledge that we need head knowledge

They would kind of want to push it to the side everything needs to be emotional We get our emotions and we get our correct emotions from what we learn from Scripture So so learning comes first and our learning and then influences our emotions

And so we must learn things and Paul was teaching them things And just as he did with all the other churches

But they they learned things they were taught things and they learned them and then they they received them they took them in so those things that they learned and Those things that they learned when they received them.

They took them in they they made them their own and Then those things that they heard and seen in me

So they watched Paul and they listened to him as an example those things that they heard and saw from him as an example he says

Practice these things So what was the first thing that we're to do stand firm and then this is how we do it.

He says Dwell on meditate on these things and this is the things that you should meditate and dwell on This is where your thinking should be and then he says

I Want you to practice I? Want you to live it out?

Remember he says in Philippians also work out your own salvation. Let the salvation that's happened to you on the inside Let it manifest itself.

Let it come out in In your everyday life. And so he says practice these things those things that you have learned that you have received

That you have heard and seen in me. He says practice these things and The God of peace

So he brings up peace again. The God of peace shall be with you

So the Lord the Lord is near you the God of peace will be with you and It's we can be comforted in that But he's not going to We're not going to feel that we're not going to know that if we're not

Working towards that unity We're not we're not standing firm in the Lord and we're not working on that unity.

We're not rejoicing. We're not Letting our forbearing spirit be known to all men

Our mind if our mind is not dwelling on those things that are honorable true and right and and pure and lovely if that's not where our mind is if our mind is on the chaos and If we're not practicing these things that we've been taught and seen and heard in in Paul and Paul remember

Paul says to Listen to verse 17 and 18 brethren join in following my example

So we're to look and listen that Paul and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us

So he says observe those other mature believers as well and He says something similar when he's speaking in chapter 4 verses 2 and 3 when he's speaking to these two ladies

He's speaking to the person he's addressing an indeed true comrade, which is probably in a

Name of someone I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life

So there's these folks within the church that are mature that they're to look to as an example and we have that God gives that to us as well in our church today that we're to Look to them as example as they were to look to Paul as an example and to the other mature believers in the church

So stand firm Meditate and dwell on these things and practice these things and pulses despite the chaos

Despite Everything coming at us and going on no matter what we wake up to the next morning

If this is where? We we anchor our lives We stand firm

We dwell and meditate on these things and we practice these things if that's where we're living

Passes that peace of God the God of peace and the peace of God Will be near to us it will be with us and it will increase in us as It will forever be increasing in the world.

I Hope that was an encouragement to you I hope that was helpful if it was if you want to join me in in reaching our community

Would you like the the video and share the video That's the only reason that I would ask you to do that is just so we can share

Jesus Christ and we can share his word with our community If I can pray for you guys

But all you have to do is let me know type me and I'll see it and I'll pray for you whenever I see that You type me if you ever have any questions or comments, just shoot me a line and I'll see how

I can I'll see if I can answer those questions and address those comments But um,

I do hope this was encouraging to you and helpful to you If you do not know Christ as your your Lord and Savior come to him today.

We're all sinners We've all fallen short of the mark The scripture tells us that we must repent of our sins and we must put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ We've got to turn from the chaos from from our sin

And you know, this is this is a picture of the gospel Turn from meditating on the chaos and turn toward meditating on these things and That's that's how the gospel works turn from your sin turn from trusting in yourself

Apologize for that and then turn and rest in Christ submit to Christ and what he did for us

To save us from the wrath of God Believe in him and trust in him and he will save you

If you have if you need any further conversation about salvation in Christ I would be glad to talk to you about with that about that as well

So let's let's wrap things up and let's pray together father. We thank you so much for Allowing us to spend time together

Thank you for Speaking to us through your word and father, would you help in us and work in us?

this This lesson that you've taught us of standing firm

Meditating on on such things and and practicing these these things that we've learned and received and not to be those that focus on the chaos

But Dwell and focus on you and brag on you and and build you up As we try to be an example to the world well, we pray for those who are battling sickness and and kovat and those who did wake up to a

Circumstance that wasn't peaceful this morning We we pray for those and we pray for all those in our community who are

Serving who are police or fire EMTs Those who are in the medical field father.

We thank you for their courage We thank you for their service and we ask that you would watch over them and protect them today

And we father we just praise you and we worship you and we thank you in Jesus name.

We pray. Amen All right. I hope you guys have a good day remember that Jesus is

King go live in that victory and Let's continue to get out there and proclaim the gospel.