WEBVTT 00:00:00.720 --> 00:00:09.240 Philippians chapter 4, and we're going to read that short section from verse 4 to verse 7, 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:16.539 thinking together about Christian peace for anxious times. 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:22.199 Philippians chapter 4 and at verse 4. 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:25.480 Rejoice in the Lord always. 00:00:25.480 --> 00:00:28.359 I will say it again. Rejoice. 00:00:28.359 --> 00:00:31.939 Let your gentleness be evident to all. 00:00:32.560 --> 00:00:34.159 The Lord is near. 00:00:35.159 --> 00:00:41.679 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:46.659 with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 00:00:46.659 --> 00:00:52.239 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:58.500 will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 00:00:58.500 --> 00:01:09.500 Now, I came across a comment that stuck with me this week as I was thinking about this passage. 00:01:10.180 --> 00:01:14.359 It was a Bible scholar by the name of Gordon Fee, 00:01:14.359 --> 00:01:20.359 who was making the point or suggesting that we as the church, 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:24.219 as the people of God, will serve society well, 00:01:24.879 --> 00:01:29.000 and we will be most effective in our mission 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:36.620 when we live out this good news of true peace and wholeness 00:01:36.620 --> 00:01:40.920 and fullness of life that Paul is talking about here. 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:47.719 And as we point others to Jesus as the true source of that peace. 00:01:48.080 --> 00:01:51.359 Now, I don't know what you think about that suggestion, 00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:58.439 but I'm sure you recognize with me that peace is a quality that's in high demand. 00:01:58.439 --> 00:02:06.659 There are many people around us who have various troubles, concerns, anxieties, 00:02:06.980 --> 00:02:09.620 whether we're thinking about our own personal lives 00:02:09.620 --> 00:02:14.319 or whether we're thinking globally, we see the need for peace. 00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:21.139 But at the same time, it can seem for so many so hard to come by. 00:02:21.139 --> 00:02:32.099 And in that context, the Christian testimony to a life marked by a deep peace and a solid joy, 00:02:32.199 --> 00:02:38.739 indeed, a church's testimony to life and joy and peace found in Christ Jesus 00:02:38.739 --> 00:02:44.500 may well prove to be our most compelling argument to the world 00:02:44.500 --> 00:02:49.359 as to why they need to consider Jesus the Savior. 00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:55.440 As we listen to Paul this morning, Paul the preacher, 00:02:56.260 --> 00:02:59.060 who also at this point in his life is Paul the prisoner, 00:02:59.820 --> 00:03:04.180 what we're going to see in that short section towards the end of his letter 00:03:04.180 --> 00:03:11.120 is that there are two practices concerned with peace and anxiety that we are to cultivate 00:03:11.120 --> 00:03:16.100 and there are two promises to cling to. 00:03:16.099 --> 00:03:21.639 Now, as we gather together, I don't know everybody here, there's lots of visitors, obviously, 00:03:21.799 --> 00:03:29.819 but I know that many of us, we have anxieties and concerns for ourselves and for our families. 00:03:30.859 --> 00:03:36.359 There are lots of people who are moving on and people are not always sure what they're moving on to. 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:44.780 This word, I guess, is one that we all need to hear, one that we all need to hear regularly. 00:03:45.780 --> 00:03:50.360 And so my hope is that all of us, whoever we are, however we've come here, wherever we've come from, 00:03:51.020 --> 00:03:56.640 that we will feel compelled to trust in this same Jesus, 00:03:56.639 --> 00:04:05.679 to know peace in anxious times in the same way as Paul came to experience joy and peace 00:04:05.679 --> 00:04:09.679 through knowing Christ Jesus as Lord. 00:04:10.259 --> 00:04:14.759 So we're going to think, first of all, about these two practices that we are to cultivate, 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:17.699 the first of which we find in verse 4, 00:04:17.699 --> 00:04:27.939 Paul commands us to be joyful. 00:04:28.779 --> 00:04:31.620 And that's very striking, perhaps. 00:04:32.039 --> 00:04:34.360 It might be confusing to us, 00:04:35.099 --> 00:04:40.860 especially if we think of joy in connection with simply our emotions 00:04:40.860 --> 00:04:45.520 or joy as a response to the circumstances of our life, 00:04:46.199 --> 00:04:51.080 then it can seem almost far-fetched to be told to have joy always. 00:04:51.580 --> 00:04:54.080 If you have lost your job, 00:04:54.160 --> 00:04:56.660 or if you have family members who are ill, 00:04:56.720 --> 00:04:59.220 or you have anxieties of various kinds, 00:04:59.259 --> 00:05:02.460 it can be hard to imagine where joy might come from. 00:05:02.540 --> 00:05:04.460 But here's where the Bible helps us. 00:05:04.459 --> 00:05:12.279 Because the Bible is careful to connect our thoughts with our feelings. 00:05:13.639 --> 00:05:18.479 That right thinking leads to right feeling. 00:05:19.019 --> 00:05:22.819 That thinking the right thoughts about God and His Son, Jesus Christ, 00:05:22.939 --> 00:05:27.500 can produce and will produce joy in us. 00:05:27.899 --> 00:05:32.240 When our joy is rooted in knowing Jesus, 00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:39.740 when our joy is focused on that relationship that is available in Him, 00:05:40.759 --> 00:05:44.800 when it's rooted in facts about Him, 00:05:45.420 --> 00:05:47.560 then we can have solid joy, 00:05:48.259 --> 00:05:54.160 even if our circumstances are chaotic and all over the place. 00:05:55.220 --> 00:06:00.500 Paul is a great example of this in this particular letter. 00:06:00.500 --> 00:06:03.100 So we read Philippians chapter 1. 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:05.459 What do we learn about Paul in that chapter? 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:07.519 Verses 7, verse 13, 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:11.079 it's clear that he's a prisoner of the Romans. 00:06:12.180 --> 00:06:14.300 In verses 15 and 17, 00:06:14.579 --> 00:06:18.959 it's clear that there are some people who are in the church 00:06:18.959 --> 00:06:23.060 who are trying to make Paul's life more difficult for him in prison, 00:06:23.240 --> 00:06:25.199 even as they're preaching about Jesus. 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:28.319 And in verse 20, 00:06:28.539 --> 00:06:32.360 we see that he is facing the very real prospect of death. 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:39.980 So here surely is somebody who has just cause for a loss of joy. 00:06:40.920 --> 00:06:41.959 But what do we find? 00:06:43.319 --> 00:06:44.259 Chapter 1 again, 00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:48.879 we see him expressing joy for the partnership in the gospel 00:06:48.879 --> 00:06:50.659 that he has with this church in Philippi. 00:06:50.660 --> 00:06:52.800 Joy in God's saving work, 00:06:52.960 --> 00:06:55.080 that if he begins a good work, 00:06:55.220 --> 00:06:56.860 he will carry it on to completion. 00:06:56.980 --> 00:06:58.540 That gives Paul joy. 00:06:59.200 --> 00:07:01.260 He has joy in verse 18, 00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:03.460 in the fact that the gospel is spreading. 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:06.740 He doesn't care whether it's false motives or true. 00:07:06.860 --> 00:07:07.900 Jesus is being preached. 00:07:08.020 --> 00:07:08.900 People are being saved, 00:07:08.940 --> 00:07:10.020 and that gives him joy. 00:07:10.780 --> 00:07:11.980 In chapter 2, 00:07:12.020 --> 00:07:12.840 we didn't read this, 00:07:12.900 --> 00:07:16.320 but he has joy in the faithful witness of the Philippians 00:07:16.320 --> 00:07:17.860 as children of God, 00:07:17.860 --> 00:07:20.160 as they shine like stars in the darkness, 00:07:20.280 --> 00:07:22.939 as they hold out the word of life. 00:07:23.340 --> 00:07:25.680 He can face death with joy 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:29.060 because of the testimony that he sees 00:07:29.060 --> 00:07:32.259 to their transformed lives in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:07:32.660 --> 00:07:33.920 Chapter 3, verse 1, 00:07:33.960 --> 00:07:34.939 it's on our page 00:07:34.939 --> 00:07:36.400 as he turns to, 00:07:37.060 --> 00:07:37.480 finally, 00:07:38.100 --> 00:07:39.920 what's the note that he wants to strike? 00:07:40.080 --> 00:07:40.480 Finally, 00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:41.360 my brothers, 00:07:41.960 --> 00:07:44.220 rejoice in the Lord. 00:07:44.220 --> 00:07:50.320 This is a letter marked by Christian joy. 00:07:51.500 --> 00:07:53.480 Helpful definition from John Piper. 00:07:54.120 --> 00:07:57.300 Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul 00:07:57.300 --> 00:07:59.680 produced by the Holy Spirit 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:03.060 as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ 00:08:03.060 --> 00:08:07.360 in the words and in the world. 00:08:07.460 --> 00:08:09.700 So this Christian joy isn't superficial. 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:12.960 It's experienced in our core of who we are, 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:13.959 in our souls, 00:08:14.039 --> 00:08:16.759 and it's prompted by God's Spirit, 00:08:16.919 --> 00:08:18.339 not by circumstance. 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:21.959 And it's based on seeing the goodness 00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:24.899 and the beauty of Jesus. 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:26.379 Where? 00:08:27.159 --> 00:08:28.680 In the word of God, 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:30.519 in the word of the gospel, 00:08:30.659 --> 00:08:32.100 in the word of salvation. 00:08:33.100 --> 00:08:35.860 There is joy in that message, 00:08:35.860 --> 00:08:40.539 and there's also joy from Jesus in God's world, 00:08:40.539 --> 00:08:42.659 among God's people, 00:08:42.719 --> 00:08:44.139 the joy of fellowship, 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:47.179 the joy of enjoying all of his good gifts, 00:08:48.139 --> 00:08:49.179 the joy of a wedding, 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:51.319 like Roland and Evie's wedding yesterday, 00:08:51.579 --> 00:08:52.779 good gift from God 00:08:52.779 --> 00:08:56.179 and a source of Christian joy. 00:08:57.179 --> 00:08:59.699 And so we discover that the more that we see 00:08:59.699 --> 00:09:01.899 the beauty of Jesus as individuals 00:09:01.899 --> 00:09:03.539 and as a church, 00:09:03.539 --> 00:09:05.620 the more that we celebrate 00:09:05.620 --> 00:09:08.620 and cultivate a joy and thanksgiving, 00:09:08.740 --> 00:09:11.019 the more attractive our lives 00:09:11.019 --> 00:09:13.899 and our message will be. 00:09:14.279 --> 00:09:16.879 There will be a compelling force to them. 00:09:18.340 --> 00:09:21.259 We see clearly that Paul has come to understand 00:09:21.259 --> 00:09:25.460 that life in Christ Jesus is a life of joy. 00:09:26.259 --> 00:09:29.000 That for Paul, as a believer, 00:09:29.179 --> 00:09:31.039 Jesus is everything to him. 00:09:31.659 --> 00:09:33.440 Jesus is his Lord, 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:34.900 his creator, his sustainer. 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:38.760 Jesus is the one who has saved him at great cost, 00:09:38.880 --> 00:09:41.900 giving his own life to pay for sin, 00:09:42.020 --> 00:09:45.360 to redeem him and give him new life. 00:09:45.660 --> 00:09:47.960 Jesus is his way of life, 00:09:48.040 --> 00:09:50.640 the one who he seeks to follow and imitate. 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:53.040 Jesus isn't just his present, 00:09:53.660 --> 00:09:57.280 but also his hope for his future. 00:09:59.220 --> 00:10:01.700 So in the battle that goes on 00:10:01.700 --> 00:10:04.720 in our hearts and minds against anxiety, 00:10:05.800 --> 00:10:07.780 here is a practice to cultivate. 00:10:10.180 --> 00:10:13.259 The joy of knowing Jesus. 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:15.900 Now that's not to say 00:10:15.900 --> 00:10:18.720 that we should all wear plastic smiles 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:21.140 and pretend like life is going wonderfully 00:10:21.700 --> 00:10:23.560 when it's not. 00:10:24.220 --> 00:10:26.080 But it is saying to us 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:29.080 that there is something solid and substantial 00:10:29.080 --> 00:10:33.020 in knowing Jesus that can sustain us 00:10:33.020 --> 00:10:36.540 even when life goes bad. 00:10:39.040 --> 00:10:42.020 But we need to adopt this discipline 00:10:42.020 --> 00:10:44.900 of reminding ourselves of what we have in Jesus, 00:10:45.040 --> 00:10:49.820 of preaching the gospel to ourselves every day, 00:10:49.820 --> 00:10:54.860 to remind ourselves what Jesus has done for us 00:10:54.860 --> 00:10:59.640 and what Jesus continues to do for his own people. 00:10:59.700 --> 00:11:02.240 What's Jesus doing for us now in the glory of heaven? 00:11:02.640 --> 00:11:04.120 He is praying for us. 00:11:04.160 --> 00:11:05.140 He is keeping us. 00:11:05.220 --> 00:11:08.879 He's sending his spirit to be with us. 00:11:09.379 --> 00:11:11.780 That is cause for joy. 00:11:11.779 --> 00:11:15.839 And remember this is written to a church. 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:16.759 It's saying, 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:20.419 church, there should be this attitude of joy among us all. 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:22.740 So we need to encourage one another 00:11:22.740 --> 00:11:25.240 sometimes to fight for joy 00:11:25.240 --> 00:11:28.379 when our experience would say 00:11:28.379 --> 00:11:30.480 there is much cause for anxiety, 00:11:30.659 --> 00:11:31.939 to remind one another 00:11:31.939 --> 00:11:36.100 of the hope that we have in the Lord Jesus. 00:11:36.100 --> 00:11:39.740 I've been really struck recently 00:11:39.740 --> 00:11:43.720 reading a book by a man called J. Todd Billings. 00:11:43.820 --> 00:11:45.680 He's a theologian in the States, 00:11:46.300 --> 00:11:47.279 same age as me, 00:11:47.899 --> 00:11:49.420 father of two young children 00:11:49.420 --> 00:11:53.600 who was diagnosed with a terminal cancer. 00:11:54.440 --> 00:11:56.279 And he's written a book called 00:11:56.279 --> 00:11:59.440 Rejoicing with Lament, 00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:03.160 which is an incredibly helpful study 00:12:03.159 --> 00:12:07.039 on using the Psalms to process suffering 00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:08.620 and how we talk to God 00:12:08.620 --> 00:12:10.600 in suffering from that position of, 00:12:11.019 --> 00:12:13.259 I know that I'm in a covenant with God 00:12:13.259 --> 00:12:15.459 and he's made promises to me. 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:16.860 How do I deal with it 00:12:16.860 --> 00:12:20.899 when life seems to be opposite to my expectations? 00:12:21.639 --> 00:12:23.059 And here are some of his words, 00:12:23.139 --> 00:12:26.659 not written from the ivory tower of an academic, 00:12:26.659 --> 00:12:30.519 but written in a cancer ward. 00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:32.259 And he says, 00:12:32.259 --> 00:12:35.419 For true hope in the face of death, 00:12:35.639 --> 00:12:37.779 we have nowhere else to go 00:12:37.779 --> 00:12:39.620 besides the word of God, 00:12:40.299 --> 00:12:43.519 which finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, 00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:45.399 the Holy One of God. 00:12:46.039 --> 00:12:48.539 In praise and in lament, 00:12:49.340 --> 00:12:51.860 in life and in death, 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:55.580 we hope in this Holy One of God, 00:12:56.120 --> 00:13:00.559 because truly we have nowhere else to go. 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:02.479 What's he saying? 00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:03.439 What's Paul saying? 00:13:03.500 --> 00:13:04.299 What's the Bible saying? 00:13:04.359 --> 00:13:08.919 It's saying that to value Jesus Christ above all else, 00:13:09.599 --> 00:13:12.059 to long for nothing more than his smile 00:13:12.059 --> 00:13:14.179 and to be in his presence, 00:13:14.519 --> 00:13:19.639 is where we can find peace in anxious times. 00:13:20.019 --> 00:13:21.759 So that's the first practice 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:23.639 that Paul calls us to cultivate. 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:28.500 The second we find in verse six, 00:13:29.019 --> 00:13:32.500 and that's to pray with thanksgiving. 00:13:33.500 --> 00:13:36.799 Do not be anxious about anything, 00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:38.419 but in everything, 00:13:38.580 --> 00:13:39.919 by prayer and petition, 00:13:40.419 --> 00:13:41.559 with thanksgiving, 00:13:42.179 --> 00:13:45.019 present your requests to God. 00:13:45.159 --> 00:13:47.120 Pray and pray with thanksgiving. 00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:49.740 Why pray with thankfulness? 00:13:50.879 --> 00:13:52.519 Well, it gives us a right perspective. 00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:54.840 It gives us that right perspective 00:13:54.840 --> 00:13:58.060 that fundamentally God is good. 00:13:59.500 --> 00:14:01.279 And it's a sign of us being willing 00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:04.399 to submit to his good rule. 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:10.159 But why pray at all when we feel anxious? 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:12.799 The words of David Paulus 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:14.000 and a Christian counselor 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:16.299 are perhaps helpful for us. 00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:16.959 When he says, 00:14:17.439 --> 00:14:20.159 praying is worrying Godward 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:22.579 instead of letting worries 00:14:22.579 --> 00:14:26.240 stay in the pit of your consciousness. 00:14:27.559 --> 00:14:30.860 Those worries that can keep us awake at night, 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:34.879 those worries that cause that upset 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:38.159 in the pit of our stomachs, 00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:40.259 are worries that we can take 00:14:40.259 --> 00:14:42.500 to Almighty God, 00:14:42.579 --> 00:14:44.120 our Father in heaven. 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:49.539 So prayer is deliberately inviting God in. 00:14:51.019 --> 00:14:52.759 In all the details, 00:14:53.199 --> 00:14:54.939 in all the circumstances, 00:14:55.199 --> 00:14:56.439 choosing to pray 00:14:56.439 --> 00:15:00.959 instead of choosing to fret and worry 00:15:00.959 --> 00:15:02.100 and stress out 00:15:02.100 --> 00:15:03.600 and feel like we have nowhere else to go. 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:04.980 So we're trying to deal with it all 00:15:04.980 --> 00:15:06.639 by ourselves. 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:09.480 And we're trying to deal with it all 00:15:09.480 --> 00:15:10.159 Alec Mateer, 00:15:10.219 --> 00:15:11.500 another biblical scholar, 00:15:11.699 --> 00:15:13.740 points out that part of 00:15:13.740 --> 00:15:16.039 stilling our anxious hearts 00:15:16.039 --> 00:15:17.799 comes from remembering 00:15:17.799 --> 00:15:20.339 who we are praying to. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:23.399 We're in conversation, 00:15:23.559 --> 00:15:24.879 and we're not just in conversation 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:26.659 with any old person. 00:15:27.299 --> 00:15:28.759 It's not just somebody 00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:29.959 who might give us good advice. 00:15:30.039 --> 00:15:32.360 It's not even simply a counselor. 00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:35.300 We are placing our trust in 00:15:35.300 --> 00:15:37.200 the all-wise, 00:15:37.820 --> 00:15:39.159 all-powerful, 00:15:39.620 --> 00:15:41.860 all-loving God 00:15:41.860 --> 00:15:43.659 who has, the Bible says, 00:15:44.080 --> 00:15:46.620 appointed the circumstances 00:15:46.620 --> 00:15:47.560 in our lives. 00:15:47.940 --> 00:15:48.720 All of them. 00:15:49.560 --> 00:15:51.379 So we take those circumstances 00:15:51.379 --> 00:15:54.279 and we invite God in. 00:15:54.680 --> 00:15:56.940 We take those circumstances to Him 00:15:56.940 --> 00:15:58.900 and we pray over them 00:15:58.900 --> 00:16:02.180 remembering who He is. 00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:06.320 If you want an example of this 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:07.180 in the Bible, 00:16:08.360 --> 00:16:09.520 King Hezekiah, 00:16:10.180 --> 00:16:12.560 Isaiah chapters 36 and 37, 00:16:12.680 --> 00:16:14.160 is a great example 00:16:14.160 --> 00:16:15.400 of what we should do 00:16:15.400 --> 00:16:16.780 in terms of prayer 00:16:16.780 --> 00:16:18.740 when we're surrounded by trouble. 00:16:18.860 --> 00:16:21.000 So Hezekiah in Jerusalem 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:24.040 hears message of foreign attackers 00:16:24.039 --> 00:16:26.279 who are coming against Israel 00:16:26.279 --> 00:16:27.819 and coming against the city. 00:16:28.299 --> 00:16:31.039 And the enemy king's ambassadors, 00:16:31.259 --> 00:16:33.319 they come and they've got a message. 00:16:33.939 --> 00:16:35.860 They've got letters promising 00:16:35.860 --> 00:16:37.039 in such and such a time, 00:16:37.319 --> 00:16:38.079 we're going to come, 00:16:38.219 --> 00:16:39.219 your city's going to be 00:16:39.219 --> 00:16:40.339 absolutely destroyed. 00:16:40.620 --> 00:16:41.519 You've got no hope. 00:16:41.620 --> 00:16:42.139 We've done this 00:16:42.139 --> 00:16:43.219 to all the other nations. 00:16:43.480 --> 00:16:45.679 We will destroy you too. 00:16:45.959 --> 00:16:48.039 It's over, Hezekiah. 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:50.120 What does Hezekiah do 00:16:50.120 --> 00:16:51.980 when he gets those letters? 00:16:52.779 --> 00:16:53.939 Isaiah 37. 00:16:54.039 --> 00:16:56.679 He goes straight to the temple 00:16:56.679 --> 00:16:59.319 and he spreads the letters out 00:16:59.319 --> 00:17:00.139 before God, 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:02.959 asking God to intervene 00:17:02.959 --> 00:17:04.379 and reminding himself 00:17:04.379 --> 00:17:06.539 of who God is. 00:17:08.059 --> 00:17:09.259 His is the example 00:17:09.259 --> 00:17:10.420 that we are to follow. 00:17:11.299 --> 00:17:13.639 We are to spread our needs 00:17:13.639 --> 00:17:15.460 before God, 00:17:15.599 --> 00:17:17.159 spread our worries 00:17:17.159 --> 00:17:18.859 and troubles before Him 00:17:18.859 --> 00:17:20.700 and how we feel about them. 00:17:20.700 --> 00:17:24.100 We take our anxieties before God. 00:17:24.180 --> 00:17:25.440 We don't need to pretend. 00:17:25.620 --> 00:17:26.620 God knows our hearts. 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:27.559 He knows our thoughts. 00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:29.319 So we can be honest 00:17:29.319 --> 00:17:31.759 and we can invite Him in 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:34.140 and we should invite Him in, 00:17:34.220 --> 00:17:35.340 remembering that God 00:17:35.340 --> 00:17:40.900 is with and for His people always. 00:17:40.900 --> 00:17:47.340 Again, words from J. Todd Billings 00:17:47.340 --> 00:17:49.180 who came to value the language 00:17:49.180 --> 00:17:51.300 of the Psalms of lament 00:17:51.300 --> 00:17:54.680 for processing his new reality 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:56.880 facing terminal cancer. 00:17:56.880 --> 00:17:59.740 He understood that the psalmists live 00:17:59.740 --> 00:18:00.800 in the genuine, 00:18:01.560 --> 00:18:02.160 biblical, 00:18:02.860 --> 00:18:03.880 mysterious paradox 00:18:04.600 --> 00:18:07.300 of serving a good, 00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:09.000 almighty God 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:11.880 who holds the world in His hands 00:18:11.880 --> 00:18:13.700 even when the world 00:18:13.700 --> 00:18:15.200 seems to be spiraling 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:16.360 out of control. 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:19.140 What should we do 00:18:19.140 --> 00:18:20.900 when we find ourselves 00:18:20.900 --> 00:18:23.260 in those circumstances? 00:18:23.259 --> 00:18:26.220 We should pray 00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:28.640 to our almighty God 00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:31.099 who is our Father in heaven. 00:18:31.900 --> 00:18:34.440 We should cast our cares upon Him 00:18:34.440 --> 00:18:37.420 because He cares for us. 00:18:38.259 --> 00:18:39.619 Pray the Psalms. 00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:43.759 Remember who is for us. 00:18:44.900 --> 00:18:46.879 So those are the two practices 00:18:46.879 --> 00:18:49.680 that we are to cultivate 00:18:49.680 --> 00:18:52.559 to find peace in anxious times. 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:54.859 There are also two promises 00:18:54.859 --> 00:18:57.319 God's people are invited 00:18:57.319 --> 00:18:59.259 to cling to. 00:18:59.940 --> 00:19:02.720 The first is in verse 5 00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:04.159 where He says, 00:19:04.399 --> 00:19:05.559 Let your gentleness 00:19:05.559 --> 00:19:07.440 be evident to all. 00:19:08.139 --> 00:19:10.179 The Lord is near. 00:19:11.539 --> 00:19:12.259 He's saying to them, 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:13.839 I know you're facing opposition. 00:19:14.359 --> 00:19:15.960 Face opposition like Jesus. 00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:18.299 Treat your enemies with gentleness 00:19:18.299 --> 00:19:21.119 and remember the Lord is near. 00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:23.159 He's writing to assure the Philippians, 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:24.419 Your future is secure. 00:19:24.939 --> 00:19:26.500 Yes, you're facing opposition now 00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:27.159 but your hope, 00:19:27.479 --> 00:19:28.419 your future is secure 00:19:28.419 --> 00:19:29.359 because your faith 00:19:29.359 --> 00:19:31.319 is in Christ Jesus, 00:19:31.459 --> 00:19:33.879 the Lord who is near. 00:19:34.879 --> 00:19:35.879 The one who said 00:19:35.879 --> 00:19:37.739 to His followers, 00:19:38.259 --> 00:19:41.019 I am with you always 00:19:41.019 --> 00:19:43.419 to the end of the age. 00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:45.959 The one who says to His people, 00:19:45.960 --> 00:19:49.920 I will not leave you as orphans. 00:19:50.299 --> 00:19:52.400 I will come to you. 00:19:53.019 --> 00:19:54.799 The one who says, 00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:56.299 I will come back 00:19:56.299 --> 00:19:59.380 and take you to be with me. 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:00.059 The one who says, 00:20:00.340 --> 00:20:02.960 I am coming soon. 00:20:03.559 --> 00:20:06.380 The Lord is near. 00:20:07.220 --> 00:20:09.299 And because that is true, 00:20:09.640 --> 00:20:12.039 we can entrust our lives 00:20:12.039 --> 00:20:13.420 to His care. 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:15.659 He's not a distant stranger. 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:17.579 He is the friend 00:20:17.579 --> 00:20:18.779 that sticks closer 00:20:18.779 --> 00:20:20.319 than any brother. 00:20:21.059 --> 00:20:22.139 He is an invitation 00:20:22.139 --> 00:20:24.099 not to deal with our anxieties 00:20:24.099 --> 00:20:25.460 on our own. 00:20:26.500 --> 00:20:28.920 Here is cause for rejoicing 00:20:28.920 --> 00:20:29.359 with hope 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:30.940 because the Lord is near. 00:20:31.099 --> 00:20:33.000 For praying when we feel anxious 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:34.500 because we've not been abandoned, 00:20:34.639 --> 00:20:35.259 but rather, 00:20:35.700 --> 00:20:38.019 the Lord is near. 00:20:38.019 --> 00:20:40.700 that God in Jesus 00:20:40.700 --> 00:20:42.779 has drawn near to us. 00:20:42.839 --> 00:20:44.259 He's experienced life 00:20:44.259 --> 00:20:47.460 with all of its joys and sorrows. 00:20:47.639 --> 00:20:48.839 He's come near to us 00:20:48.839 --> 00:20:50.000 in our need. 00:20:50.119 --> 00:20:51.680 He's taken our sin 00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:53.099 on His shoulders. 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:54.680 He's suffered and died 00:20:54.680 --> 00:20:57.299 to end our separation. 00:20:57.819 --> 00:20:59.019 He comes near to us, 00:20:59.160 --> 00:21:01.400 living in us by His Spirit 00:21:01.400 --> 00:21:03.579 so we are never alone. 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:07.099 Rejoicing reminds us 00:21:07.099 --> 00:21:07.980 of this great promise. 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:09.059 The Lord is near. 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:11.339 Praying catches hold 00:21:11.339 --> 00:21:12.500 of this great promise. 00:21:12.919 --> 00:21:15.179 The Lord is near. 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:18.000 You and I, 00:21:18.059 --> 00:21:19.519 we will all find times 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:21.500 when the one thing we want 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:23.199 is to have somebody 00:21:23.199 --> 00:21:24.740 in our corner. 00:21:25.359 --> 00:21:26.319 Somebody who is there 00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:28.000 with us and for us, 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:28.980 holding our hand, 00:21:29.439 --> 00:21:30.839 walking with us. 00:21:30.899 --> 00:21:33.019 Here is this wonderful promise 00:21:33.019 --> 00:21:33.779 in the Bible 00:21:33.779 --> 00:21:36.559 that for those who have faith 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:37.700 in the Lord Jesus, 00:21:37.700 --> 00:21:41.059 we have Jesus with us 00:21:41.059 --> 00:21:42.460 in our corner, 00:21:42.980 --> 00:21:45.519 promising to be near. 00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:48.799 And there's another promise 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:49.879 in verse 7. 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:53.579 The peace of God, 00:21:54.039 --> 00:21:56.440 which transcends all understanding, 00:21:57.180 --> 00:21:58.759 will guard your hearts 00:21:58.759 --> 00:22:00.480 and your minds 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:02.379 in Christ Jesus. 00:22:02.500 --> 00:22:03.500 The peace of God 00:22:03.500 --> 00:22:05.039 to guard our hearts 00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:05.599 and our minds. 00:22:05.740 --> 00:22:07.440 Here is truly 00:22:07.440 --> 00:22:09.220 a priceless gift. 00:22:09.339 --> 00:22:10.240 Here is something 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:12.099 we all want. 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:13.039 Peace. 00:22:13.720 --> 00:22:15.059 True peace. 00:22:15.660 --> 00:22:17.119 Lasting peace. 00:22:18.160 --> 00:22:20.180 So to help the Philippians 00:22:20.180 --> 00:22:21.440 to understand 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:22.799 what they have in Jesus, 00:22:23.420 --> 00:22:24.660 Paul gives them 00:22:24.660 --> 00:22:25.480 a picture. 00:22:25.480 --> 00:22:28.759 Philippi was part 00:22:28.759 --> 00:22:30.819 of the Roman Empire. 00:22:31.720 --> 00:22:32.620 But it wasn't 00:22:32.620 --> 00:22:33.680 a typical city. 00:22:33.799 --> 00:22:35.440 It was an outpost city. 00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:37.680 So it was a part of Rome, 00:22:37.779 --> 00:22:38.599 but it was surrounded 00:22:38.599 --> 00:22:39.839 by enemies. 00:22:40.059 --> 00:22:41.440 And because of that, 00:22:41.860 --> 00:22:43.319 Rome needed to work hard 00:22:43.319 --> 00:22:45.220 to protect the citizens 00:22:45.220 --> 00:22:45.900 of Philippi. 00:22:46.380 --> 00:22:47.640 So you had a wall 00:22:47.640 --> 00:22:49.640 and you had soldiers 00:22:49.640 --> 00:22:50.539 that would guard 00:22:50.539 --> 00:22:51.460 the city walls 00:22:51.460 --> 00:22:52.759 and the city gates 00:22:52.759 --> 00:22:55.039 to protect the citizens. 00:22:55.480 --> 00:22:57.500 And Paul uses 00:22:57.500 --> 00:22:59.420 this picture. 00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:00.059 For us, 00:23:00.360 --> 00:23:01.120 we're very fortunate 00:23:01.120 --> 00:23:01.660 where we are. 00:23:01.740 --> 00:23:02.319 We're in Edinburgh. 00:23:02.900 --> 00:23:03.779 Some of you have maybe 00:23:03.779 --> 00:23:05.200 been to visit the castle 00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:07.039 or will visit later on. 00:23:08.039 --> 00:23:08.839 Let me invite you 00:23:08.839 --> 00:23:09.420 to think. 00:23:09.620 --> 00:23:10.400 Put yourselves 00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:11.920 in Edinburgh Castle 00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:12.860 for a moment 00:23:12.860 --> 00:23:14.460 during a siege. 00:23:14.740 --> 00:23:15.620 So imagine you're 00:23:15.620 --> 00:23:16.740 looking out over the wall 00:23:16.740 --> 00:23:18.000 and you can see enemies 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:19.900 coming on every site. 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:21.000 What do you have 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:22.220 when you're in 00:23:22.220 --> 00:23:23.339 Edinburgh Castle? 00:23:23.339 --> 00:23:25.160 You've got the solid rock, 00:23:25.160 --> 00:23:26.300 the castle rock, 00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:27.220 and you've got 00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:28.779 those heavy stone walls 00:23:28.779 --> 00:23:29.540 that you're behind. 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:30.779 You'll have those 00:23:30.779 --> 00:23:32.320 heavy iron gates 00:23:32.320 --> 00:23:33.360 that have been drawn up. 00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:34.820 You'll have all of those 00:23:34.820 --> 00:23:36.279 cannons primed 00:23:36.279 --> 00:23:37.740 and aiming down 00:23:37.740 --> 00:23:38.580 at the enemies 00:23:38.580 --> 00:23:39.340 at all points. 00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:40.720 You'll have the soldiers 00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:42.240 standing guard 00:23:42.240 --> 00:23:43.800 on the wall. 00:23:43.799 --> 00:23:46.519 And Paul is saying, 00:23:47.180 --> 00:23:49.220 this is what God does 00:23:49.220 --> 00:23:50.200 for his people. 00:23:51.079 --> 00:23:53.079 When anxious thoughts 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:54.859 come to lay siege 00:23:54.859 --> 00:23:55.639 on our hearts 00:23:55.639 --> 00:23:56.339 and our minds, 00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:58.359 the God of peace 00:23:58.359 --> 00:24:00.599 sends his peace 00:24:00.599 --> 00:24:03.460 to be our guard. 00:24:04.259 --> 00:24:05.619 God himself 00:24:05.619 --> 00:24:07.220 is present 00:24:07.220 --> 00:24:08.419 to help us, 00:24:08.579 --> 00:24:09.839 to guard us, 00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:11.240 to give peace 00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:12.019 to us 00:24:12.019 --> 00:24:13.459 in the battle 00:24:13.459 --> 00:24:14.859 for our heart 00:24:14.859 --> 00:24:17.619 and for our mind. 00:24:17.619 --> 00:24:18.939 And he brings 00:24:18.939 --> 00:24:19.740 a peace 00:24:19.740 --> 00:24:20.759 that we're told 00:24:20.759 --> 00:24:22.039 transcends 00:24:22.039 --> 00:24:23.579 all understanding. 00:24:23.740 --> 00:24:24.419 It goes beyond 00:24:24.419 --> 00:24:25.220 any peace 00:24:25.220 --> 00:24:26.099 we could ever 00:24:26.099 --> 00:24:27.679 produce for ourselves 00:24:27.679 --> 00:24:29.039 or imagine 00:24:29.039 --> 00:24:30.959 for ourselves. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:33.879 That it is possible 00:24:33.879 --> 00:24:35.359 facing opposition, 00:24:35.679 --> 00:24:36.959 facing death, 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:38.500 to have peace, 00:24:38.840 --> 00:24:39.400 Paul is saying, 00:24:39.480 --> 00:24:41.160 because of the Lord Jesus 00:24:41.160 --> 00:24:42.140 who is near 00:24:42.140 --> 00:24:43.779 and with us. 00:24:46.319 --> 00:24:47.640 So often, 00:24:48.059 --> 00:24:48.900 how Christians 00:24:48.900 --> 00:24:51.120 hope with suffering, 00:24:51.740 --> 00:24:52.319 how Christians 00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:53.539 cope with trouble 00:24:53.539 --> 00:24:54.680 and adversity 00:24:54.680 --> 00:24:56.620 makes a huge impression 00:24:56.620 --> 00:24:57.740 on friends 00:24:57.740 --> 00:24:58.420 and family 00:24:58.420 --> 00:24:59.220 and colleagues. 00:24:59.400 --> 00:25:00.880 This is a peace 00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:02.380 that transcends 00:25:02.380 --> 00:25:03.819 understanding. 00:25:03.819 --> 00:25:05.660 It's a precious gift 00:25:05.660 --> 00:25:06.720 from God 00:25:06.720 --> 00:25:08.299 and it can help us 00:25:08.299 --> 00:25:09.960 stand out 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:11.100 and stand up 00:25:11.100 --> 00:25:13.620 for the Lord Jesus. 00:25:14.940 --> 00:25:15.900 So, 00:25:16.259 --> 00:25:18.319 what is Christian hope 00:25:18.319 --> 00:25:19.640 for anxious 00:25:19.640 --> 00:25:22.039 and troubled people? 00:25:23.100 --> 00:25:24.380 It's that we have 00:25:24.380 --> 00:25:25.360 a loving 00:25:25.360 --> 00:25:27.299 and a powerful God 00:25:27.299 --> 00:25:28.460 who is present 00:25:28.460 --> 00:25:29.319 with us 00:25:29.319 --> 00:25:30.759 and for us 00:25:30.759 --> 00:25:32.100 always, 00:25:32.600 --> 00:25:33.420 no matter 00:25:33.420 --> 00:25:35.200 what our circumstances 00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:35.940 are. 00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:38.420 there is hope 00:25:38.420 --> 00:25:38.920 in that we are 00:25:38.920 --> 00:25:40.160 invited to bring 00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:41.360 our anxieties 00:25:41.360 --> 00:25:42.299 and cares 00:25:42.299 --> 00:25:43.660 to this God 00:25:43.660 --> 00:25:44.559 who cares, 00:25:44.880 --> 00:25:45.500 who hears 00:25:45.500 --> 00:25:47.980 and who is near. 00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:49.620 And we have 00:25:49.620 --> 00:25:50.680 cause for joy 00:25:50.680 --> 00:25:51.500 in the middle 00:25:51.500 --> 00:25:52.360 of anxiety 00:25:52.360 --> 00:25:53.980 because God 00:25:53.980 --> 00:25:54.880 loves us, 00:25:55.380 --> 00:25:56.400 because Jesus 00:25:56.400 --> 00:25:57.579 has died for us 00:25:57.579 --> 00:25:58.839 and is now 00:25:58.839 --> 00:25:59.819 raised to life 00:25:59.819 --> 00:26:00.700 for our present 00:26:00.700 --> 00:26:01.460 and future 00:26:01.460 --> 00:26:02.000 hope 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:03.380 and security. 00:26:03.380 --> 00:26:05.180 so God 00:26:05.180 --> 00:26:05.460 and thee 00:26:05.460 --> 00:26:06.280 might very well 00:26:06.280 --> 00:26:06.800 be right 00:26:06.800 --> 00:26:08.280 that true peace 00:26:08.280 --> 00:26:09.400 through knowing 00:26:09.400 --> 00:26:09.960 Jesus 00:26:09.960 --> 00:26:11.380 is one of the 00:26:11.380 --> 00:26:12.560 great gifts 00:26:12.560 --> 00:26:13.520 held out to us 00:26:13.520 --> 00:26:14.680 in the Bible 00:26:14.680 --> 00:26:15.260 and it's one of the 00:26:15.260 --> 00:26:16.060 great gifts 00:26:16.060 --> 00:26:17.520 that we hold out 00:26:17.520 --> 00:26:18.560 to a world 00:26:18.560 --> 00:26:20.060 that is seeking 00:26:20.060 --> 00:26:21.220 peace 00:26:21.220 --> 00:26:22.980 in anxious times. 00:26:23.540 --> 00:26:24.440 Do you know 00:26:24.440 --> 00:26:25.840 this peace? 00:26:26.580 --> 00:26:27.740 Then rejoice. 00:26:27.740 --> 00:26:29.599 And if you don't 00:26:29.599 --> 00:26:30.819 then let me 00:26:30.819 --> 00:26:31.380 invite you 00:26:31.380 --> 00:26:32.660 to come 00:26:32.660 --> 00:26:33.819 to Jesus 00:26:33.819 --> 00:26:35.720 to talk to him 00:26:35.720 --> 00:26:36.700 to pray to him 00:26:36.700 --> 00:26:37.819 to tell him 00:26:37.819 --> 00:26:38.640 about your needs 00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:39.460 and your worries 00:26:39.460 --> 00:26:40.400 because he already 00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:41.539 knows. 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:43.319 To confess your guilt 00:26:43.319 --> 00:26:44.599 to confess your rebellion 00:26:44.599 --> 00:26:45.859 to trust him 00:26:45.859 --> 00:26:46.359 as Lord 00:26:46.359 --> 00:26:47.099 and Savior 00:26:47.099 --> 00:26:48.500 to come to him 00:26:48.500 --> 00:26:49.220 that you too 00:26:49.220 --> 00:26:50.319 might know 00:26:50.319 --> 00:26:51.559 this peace 00:26:51.559 --> 00:26:53.519 that transcends 00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:55.039 all understanding. 00:26:55.619 --> 00:26:56.420 Let me pray. 00:26:56.420 --> 00:26:56.460 Let me pray.