Good morning again.
Oh, that was weak.
It is sweet when we have a snowy day and there's still folks here, so thank you for being here.
My name is Matthew Capone and I'm the assistant pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church.
And it's my joy, as always, to bring God's word to you.
A special welcome if you are new or visiting with us.
We're glad you're here.
And we're glad you're here, not because you are filling a seat on a snowy day,
but because we are following Jesus together as one community.
And we're convinced that there is no one so good that they don't need God's grace.
And no one so bad that they can't have it.
And so we're glad that you're here because we believe that God has something to say to everyone.
And so everyone needs to hear what God has to say in his word.
If you have been with us, you know that we're in the book of Philippians.
Philippians is a letter, as I've said before.
It's a letter that's written to a church in the first century that was in a city called Philippi,
which is in modern-day Macedonia.
And this letter was written to a church that was very much like our church.
And this church was in a city that was very much like our city.
And so just as Paul had many things to say to the church in Philippi,
so this letter still has many things to say to us, as we've seen.
And I've talked a lot about the fact that this letter emphasizes our partnership in the gospel together.
But Philippians is more commonly known not as the book of partnership in the gospel,
but people actually talk about it as the book of joy.
Now, I'm convinced that it is primarily about partnership in the gospel,
but the word joy appears more times in this book than it does in any other book in the New Testament.
Joy and then the verb to rejoice.
And it seems to be an emphasis in Paul's thought.
And so as we get to the end of the book of Philippians,
it's hard to believe we're actually in chapter 4.
I snuck in one verse from chapter 4 last week,
and then we're starting full on in chapter 4 this week.
We're finally going to look a little bit at Paul and what he believes about joy,
what he tells this church about joy.
Now, one of my personal quirks, you might call it,
is that I have a little bit of a fascination with survivalists.
Now, don't get worried.
I'm not preparing for the end of the world in a physical sense.
I'm not preparing for the collapse of society.
I just personally find it very interesting.
And survivalists, as you may know, are people who are preparing for this.
They're preparing for society to break down unexpectedly.
And so they want to be ready at any moment.
They want to make sure wherever they're at,
whether they're at their grocery store,
whether they're at their house, they're prepared.
They don't have to go out and get anything.
They have everything they need around them.
So I find this fascinating and all the things that they do to prepare.
One of the things that's most important if you're a survivalist
is you have to make sure that you have a source of fire.
And this is more complicated than it sounds
because fire is really tied to the circumstance.
You have certain types of burners that might work outside,
but they're only going to work when there's low wind.
You might have other types of fire that are going to work
unless there's moisture in the air,
so they're not going to work in the snow.
And so one of the great tasks of a survivalist
is to find a source of fire that will work anywhere.
And there's all kinds of ways you can do this.
We might think that a strike anywhere match would work,
but that just means that the match would start.
It doesn't mean it's going to stay lit if there's a lot of wind.
And so there's all kinds of products that you can find
that will help you start a fire no matter where you are.
Some of them are these little pieces of cloth
that are soaked in gasoline,
so even when they get wet, they'll light up for you,
and you can have your flint and tinder there,
and you can start a fire wherever you're at.
But the goal is that no matter where you are,
no matter the circumstances,
if you're a survivalist,
you want to make sure you are able to have fire
because that's going to be one of the most important things
for your survival.
And so what we're going to see here in chapter 4
is that for Paul, joy is a type of fire
that can be lit anywhere.
That joy, as opposed to happiness,
is something that is not bound by the circumstance.
It's something that the Christian can have
no matter where they are.
No matter what's going on in their own personal lives,
no matter what's going on in the world around them,
Paul wants this church in Philippi
to have joy.
We've seen before plenty of reasons
they would not have joy.
They have people who are teaching things
that are wrong about the gospel.
They're having divisions within their own church.
We found it in chapter 1.
There are people who are opposing them.
There's opposition,
folks who are making it hard for them
to live life as Christians in the Roman Empire.
And yet Paul is going to tell us
in verse 4 here of chapter 4,
rejoice in the Lord always.
Again, I will say rejoice.
And it's that word always
that lets us know for Paul,
joy is the strike-anywhere match of the Christian.
It's the thing that the Christian
should be able to access
at any point in their lives,
no matter what's going on around them.
And so our big question today is this,
how do we find joy as a Christian?
It was challenging for the Philippians
in their circumstances,
challenging for us as well.
We face things that are similar.
We also find difficulties in relationships,
just like the Philippians did.
We find it at times hard
to be Christians in this world.
And we also just face
the everyday challenges of life,
fear about what might happen in the future,
the loss of things that are valuable to us,
things that are easy to take away our happiness
but should not take away our joy.
And so how do we find joy
as a Christian in this life?
We're in Philippians chapter four.
We're starting in verse one.
And remember that this is God's word
and God tells us that his word
is more precious than gold,
even the finest gold,
and that it is sweeter than honey,
even honey that comes straight
from the honeycomb.
And so we're gonna read now,
starting with verse one in chapter four.
Please read with me.
Therefore, my brothers,
whom I love and long for,
my joy and crown,
stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
I entreat Aeodia and I entreat Syntyche
to agree in the Lord.
Yes, I ask you also, true companion,
help these women
who have labored side by side with me
in the gospel,
together with Clement
and the rest of my fellow workers,
whose names are in the book of life.
Verse four.
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Again, I will say, rejoice.
Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.
The Lord is at hand.
Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving.
Let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus.
Verse eight.
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.
Please pray with me
as we come to this portion of God's word.
Dear Father in heaven,
we thank you that your word
is like a fire on a cold day.
It warms us.
It sustains us.
It keeps us alive.
We ask that you would do that now,
that you would send your word
to do what you did
at the beginning of creation,
that you would send it
to bring things that are not alive,
alive.
That you'd take what's dead
and you'd raise it up again.
We ask that for ourselves,
that you would come
and you would change us.
We ask that you do it by your word.
And so we ask all these things
in the name of your son.
Amen.
So how do we find joy
in any circumstance?
Paul tells us immediately,
he cuts to the point here
in verse one.
Therefore my brothers,
whom I love and long for,
my joy and crown,
stand firm thus in the Lord,
my beloved.
And so we're going to hear something
that we've heard
all throughout the book of Philippians.
Paul, first and foremost,
here finds joy
in the people who are around him.
He finds joy
in his fellow believers.
He finds joy
in these people he's labored with
side by side
for the sake of the gospel.
This is everything we've seen
in chapters one and two especially.
And some in chapter three as well.
Paul's joy,
his ability
to have joy,
even when,
remember,
Paul is writing this letter
from house arrest in Rome.
He's facing the possibility
of a death sentence.
And so he is not someone
who is looking from the sidelines,
telling other people
to have joy,
but Paul has real skin
in the game here.
And as he faces
uncertain circumstances,
even about his own life,
he looks to these people
in Philippi
who have labored
side by side with him
as people who bring him joy.
That no matter
what is happening
in his life,
he knows that he has
these other Christians
with him
who are striving
and seeking
for the same goal
that we talked about
in chapter three.
For the same treasure
of what we talked about
in chapter one.
And so that no matter
what is happening,
he has them with him
to remind him,
to bring him joy.
But if this sounds
a little pie in the sky,
if it sounds too repetitious
for what we said before,
Paul is not unaware
of the difficulties of this.
He knows that we find
joy in relationships,
and yet it's in the very
next verse
that he talks about
the difficulty
of relationships.
It turns out
that there are
two people
in the congregation
at Philippi
who are not getting along,
and they're not getting along
to such an extent
that the whole congregation
knows about it.
Paul does not have
any trouble naming them
in this letter,
and so our guess is that
the congregation
is not unaware of this.
Paul's not going to take
something that's private
and make it public,
and so this congregation,
these people who are
meant to find joy
from each other,
have gotten to a point
in conflict where everyone
knows about this disagreement.
And so we see here
in verse 2,
I entreat Aodia
and I entreat Syntyche
to agree in the Lord.
Yes, I ask you also,
true companion,
help these women
who have labored
side by side
with me in the gospel,
together with Clement
and the rest of my fellow workers
whose names
are in the book of life.
In other words,
we have had partnership together.
This reference to the book of life
is something that people
in the Jewish time
would use to refer to someone
who had proven their worth
by standing in times
of persecution.
In other words,
you have experienced
the joy that I have now
with you,
you've experienced
the partnership,
and so do everything
that I've told you
in chapter 2 and chapter 1.
Especially in chapter 2,
this agree in the Lord
is the exact same language
we saw at the beginning
of chapter 2
when Paul told them
to think the same thing.
And it's the similar language
that was used
to describe Timothy.
Timothy was someone
who thought the same way
that Paul did.
And so this thinking
the same way,
this agreeing in the Lord
is everything
that we've talked about before.
That Aodia and Syntyche
need to agree
that what matters
more than anything else
is the gospel.
That they need to agree
that other people's needs
are more important
than their own
so that they can set aside
what's driving them apart.
By the way,
Paul is very realistic
about conflict in the church.
He understands
the need for a mediator here.
He doesn't take sides.
He doesn't believe
there's a right answer.
He just tells them
they need to figure it out.
So the kind of conflict
here that's going on
is not about
something that Paul
believes there's
a correct conclusion to,
except the conclusion
of them agreeing
with each other,
them realizing
what's important
and what's not important.
And so Paul's not
unaware of
the struggle
of relationship,
but he also sees it
as a source of joy
and this is where
the secret comes in.
Remember in verse 4
he says rejoice.
This is not just
generic rejoicing,
but rejoice
specifically in the Lord.
And that's the same thing
he tells these women
to do,
to agree in the Lord.
In other words,
this joy is not
simply something
that comes from
relationships in general,
but it comes from
relationships that are
headed in the same direction.
It comes from
relationships that are
headed towards the gospel
and it's actually
going in that same direction
that allows these women
to agree.
It's this common
partnership,
this common mission
that's going to allow
them to do what they
would otherwise
be unable to do.
There was a singer
and songwriter
named Clarence Carter
who made music
during the time
of Jim Crow
and he experienced
all the horrors
of racism
during that time.
He was African American
as he was interacting
with people
who were white.
He had to do
certain things
and bear with
certain things.
And yet he said this
as a musician.
There was one place
where he experienced
things that were different.
He said,
when I was a boy,
if I met a white boy,
I had to say,
this is Mr. Robert
or Mr. Jimmy.
But in the studio,
we got away from all that.
It was Jimmy.
It was Robert.
You just worked together.
You never thought
about who was white
and who was black.
You thought about
the common thing
and it was the music.
In other words,
everything outside
of the music studio
was filled with
conflict for him.
But there was one place
where he was able
to overcome that
and it was the place
where there was a focus
that everyone was driven to
that was more important
than the things
that were going outside.
And so what Paul
is telling us
is that we can find
joy in relationships.
Not in a pie-in-the-sky way.
Not in a Hallmark movie way.
But we can find joy
in relationships
because the church
should be the one place
where people can come
and overcome
the conflicts they have
outside of the church.
That this should be the place
where people can see
that there's one thing
that matters
and it's being in the Lord.
And so all the things
that they have to fight around,
the things that don't matter,
they can let go of
in the church.
They can let go
of differences
in personality
and upbringing
and preferences
because they're strung together,
bound together
in the Lord.
And so that's why
Paul can tell us
in verse 4,
rejoice in the Lord.
Because this joy,
first of all,
is in our relationships
with each other
as and only as
we're pursuing
the gospel together.
And so again,
we see the themes
we've seen over and over
that this joy
is not disconnected
from our partnership
in the gospel
and that our partnership
cannot be
outside of the gospel.
You thought about
the common thing
and it was the music.
And so for the Christian
in the church,
as we're finding joy,
as we have this fire source,
this strike anywhere match,
we think about
the common thing,
which is the gospel.
And so that's how
we find joy
in our relationships
with one another.
But it's not just
the partnership.
Within we see,
we finally come to verse 4,
rejoice in the Lord always.
Again, I will say rejoice.
Let your reasonableness
be known to everyone.
The Lord is at hand.
Now when Paul says
reasonableness here,
it could be better translated as
patience or forbearance.
Let your ability
to know what matters
and what doesn't matter
be known to everyone.
And how are you going to do it?
Well, the Lord is at hand.
And this means two things.
One, that God's presence
is with us.
And two,
that his second coming
is near.
And the focus here
in Philippians
is definitely
on God's presence,
but the primary focus
is on God's second coming,
on Jesus' return to the earth.
Remember,
we've talked before
in chapter 3,
verses 20 and 21,
we saw that Jesus
is coming back
and he's bringing
a heavenly citizenship.
And so how we agree
in the Lord first
is by letting our patience
be known to everyone,
our forbearance,
our reasonableness.
But second,
knowing that Jesus
is returning soon.
And so that helps us
prioritize what matters
and what doesn't matter.
I had a member
of my family
who at one point,
he was diagnosed
and believed
that he was heading
down the road of cancer.
He was convinced
that his end
was very near.
That it was at hand.
And so the first thing
he did was begin
to figure out
what mattered
and what didn't.
Suddenly it became
very clear
which relationships
were priorities
and which ones were not.
It became clear
which possessions
were priorities
and which were not.
He began clearing through
things that he owned
because he didn't want
other people after him
to have to do that for him.
Now in this particular situation
that did not happen.
This diagnosis
turned out not to be true.
That individual
is still alive
living a full life.
But the reality,
the realization
that the end
might be near
forced priorities
to become clear.
And so Paul is saying
look,
Jesus is coming back soon.
And so let that be
the measure stick
by which you figure out
your priorities.
Let that be
how you figure out
what is worth fighting about
and what is not.
Let that be
your attitude
towards the people
around you.
That is how you find
joy in relationships.
You agree in the Lord
as you realize
that he is at hand.
He's coming back.
And so that helps you know
what matters
and what doesn't.
And so it's not just
our relationships
with others
that bring us joy.
It's also our relationship
with God.
We see that in verses
six and seven.
Do not be anxious
about anything
but in everything
by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving
let your requests
be made known to God.
And the peace of God
which surpasses
all understanding
will guard your hearts
and your minds
in Christ Jesus.
And so Paul says here
the opposite of anxiety
is prayer.
Now it's important
to know what Paul means
when he talks about anxiety.
There are all different
types of anxiety.
Paul actually says
in other letters
that he is anxious
about people.
And so it seems
that Paul has a category
for types of anxiety
that are okay
and types of anxiety
that are not.
When Paul says
that he's anxious
about someone
what he really means
is I'm concerned for them.
I care for them.
I want the best for them.
And so he talks
at various points
about his anxiety
for the various churches
that he has helped
and that he pastors.
But here when Paul
says anxiety
what he's talking about
is the fear
that comes
when we refuse
to trust other people
and when we refuse
to trust God.
The anxiety
that Paul is talking
about here
is the fear
that comes from
refusing to trust
other people
and refusing
to trust God.
The fear
that pushes us
to try to manage
the things around us
that causes our lives
to shrink
because we choose
rather than living
our lives
we want to control
that we want to make sure
there's nothing unexpected
that could ever happen.
We think about
everything bad
that might happen
in the future
and then adjust
our lives
in light of that
not in light
of the fact
that the Lord
is at hand.
And so Paul's told us
that we find our joy
in relationships
with others
but we also find
our joy
in our relationship
with God
because God
is the one
that we can bring
our concerns to
in prayer.
We can tell him
about the things
that we're anxious about.
We can take the things
that we're anxious about
and recognize
that our control
is limited.
We are actually
powerless
in many situations
and so trying
and working hard
to control things
that we cannot control
is not just a mistake
it's actually
a form of evil.
It's a form
of denying God
of believing
that he's not
who he says he is.
And so there's
no special explanation
here.
there's times
when I have to dare
to be boring
and dare to be simple
as one of my professors
loved to say.
And so this is
very simple.
Paul is saying
if you're anxious
pray about the things
you're anxious about.
But don't just do that.
Do it with thanksgiving.
Because Paul knows
something that
physiologists now
also understand
which is that
the part of our brain
that carries anxiety
is the same part
that carries joy.
And so it's actually
impossible
for your brain
to be experiencing
anxiety and joy
at the same time.
And so Paul's secret here
for experiencing joy
in any circumstance
is twofold.
One,
write down the things
you're anxious about
and pray about them.
And two,
write down the things
you're grateful for
and pray about them.
And this is not
just some
modern advice
about having
a gratitude journal.
This is actually
what God's people
have done
throughout all time.
It's what we see
in the Psalms
over and over again.
The psalmist
when he's crying out to God
when he's experiencing
something that causes
him anxiety
when he feels threatened
by forces outside
of his control.
Often what he'll do
in the middle of the psalm
is list all the ways
that God has taken care
of him in the past.
And so part of
the Christian life
is keeping a list
of the things
that God has done
to guide us
and protect us
and provide for us
in the past.
I know some families
who will,
when something happens
that's worthy
of thanksgiving,
they'll write it down
on a card
and then they'll put it
in a jar or a bucket.
And so when they're
facing anxiety,
when they're facing
uncertainty about the future,
they'll take them out
and they'll remember
all the things
they'd forgotten
in the past,
places where they saw
God's hand clearly
in their lives
intervening and working.
And that reminds them
of what anxiety
wants them to forget,
reminds them that God
has not forgotten them,
that God is still
in control,
and that while it seems
like things around them
have changed,
God has not.
And so that's the peace
that Paul talks about
in verse 7,
the peace which surpasses
all understanding
that will guard your hearts
and your minds
in Christ Jesus.
Now it's not a coincidence
that Paul uses
the word guard.
Paul, if you're familiar
with his life,
was very familiar
with what it was like
to be in prison.
Now in this situation,
he's probably under
house arrest,
so his experience
with guards
is a little bit less,
but Paul knows
that a guard's job
is to keep anything
from getting to the prisoner.
And so Paul is telling us
that the secret to joy
is to let
our remembering
of God's provision
for us
in the past
be the guard
of our minds
as we're tempted
to shrink
the world around us
so that we can control it,
as we're tempted
to believe
the lies of anxiety
about worst case scenarios
that could potentially
happen sometime
in the future,
instead we're called
to remember
what God has done
in the past.
And that will serve
as a guard
over our minds.
It will keep us
from believing
the lies of anxiety,
believing the lie
that we cannot trust God,
first of all.
We cannot trust
his people,
second of all.
there's a truth
that a man once spoke
that big things
make
push out small things.
And that's what
Paul is telling us here.
He's going to tell us again
in this final section.
Big things push out
small things.
The big reality
of our relationships
with other people
push out
the fears
and anxieties
that press in on us.
the big reality
of God's providence
and sovereignty
pushes out
the small realities
that steal our joy.
And so that's what
Paul is going to end with
here
in verses 8 and 9.
We've seen first
that we find our joy
in our relationships
with others
and not just our relationships
in general
but specifically
in the Lord.
Secondly,
we find our joy
in prayer.
This is not just
some mindfulness practice
but it's our joy
that we find
in the Lord
because we know
that he hears
and he listens to us.
And then we're going to see
that we find our joy
in all
of the things
that are in this world
that God has given us
that reflect his glory
and his beauty.
And so we see in verse 8,
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.
Now Paul is not giving us
discrete categories here.
There are not things
that are on the one hand
true but not honorable
or pure but not lovely.
We're not meant to
take these
and subtract them,
make them into separate lists.
Paul gives us
this crescendo
of adjectives
because he wants
to tell us,
look,
anything
that reflects God
and his goodness
and his justice
and his beauty.
Set your mind on that.
When you're tempted
to be filled
with fear and anxiety,
when you're tempted
to lose your joy,
set your minds
not on things
that are destructive
but set your mind
on the things
that God has made
and do it
wherever you find it.
He says,
whatever is just,
whatever is pure.
In other words,
as you look around
the world,
you will see things
that reflect God
and his goodness
and you'll see it
in the church.
You'll also see it
outside the church
because everyone,
even if they've rebelled
against God,
is still made
in his image.
They can't escape
the fact that God
created them.
And so we'll see
both people
who are Christians
and non-Christians
doing things
that reflect
God's goodness.
It might not be
in a specific way,
it might not be
in a way
that's meant
or intended
to bring glory
to God.
But think about it
this way.
If you have
a child,
they're going
to look like you
in some way
whether they want
to or not.
And so there's
beauty all around
the world
and that is part
of the great
big thing
that will push
out the small things.
And so when we're
tempted to be afraid
and we're tempted
to give up on joy,
it is right,
it is good and right
for us to drive
west along
South Academy
and see the mountains
and be overcome
by their beauty
because that's one
of the ways
that God reminds us
of his goodness
in the midst
of this world.
It is right
as we're discouraged
about the things
that are going on
in our own family
to look at the marriages
that God has given us
in our church
that are healthy
and have hope.
It is good and right
as we feel
the darkness
of this world
pressing in on us
to read a story
that reminds us
that there's a narrative
to this life
that God's in control
and that he has not
given us up.
And so we have
great big things
that push out
little small things.
Finally, Paul reminds us
that it's not just
an action of remembering
and thinking
but it's an act
of doing.
And so he ends
with 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.
And so we see
at the end of verse 8
think about these things
and the middle of verse 9
practice these things.
That those two
are two sides
of the same coin.
That as we think
more and more
about what is good
and true
and lovely
we can practice
more and more.
And as we practice
more and more
we be able to think
more and more.
Paul again
is also emphasizing
what we've talked about
over and over.
He presents himself
as a model here
just as he did
in chapter 3
explicitly
in verse 17
just as he did
in chapter 2
implicitly
with Timothy
and Epaphroditus.
He's tying back
to what we saw
at the beginning
of this chapter
in the first few verses.
In the end
you've been given
the people around you
to walk with you.
And so how do we find
joy
in any circumstance?
How do we find joy
in the midst of our lives
even when it seems
like darkness
and evil
is pressing in on us?
First we find it
in the people around us
and not just in them
generically
but specifically
as we are
in the Lord with them
as we pursue
the same treasure together.
So we find it
in our relationship
with others.
We find it
in our relationship
with God
as we take the things
that cause us to fear
and we give them to him.
We find it
as we take the things
that he's done for us
and we remind ourselves
of them.
And finally
we find joy
as we look around
the world around us
even as we look out
on a snowy day
on the mountains
at least as you all
look out on the mountains
on a snowy day.
Oh, sorry.
As I look out on you
on a snowy day.
Those are the big things
the great things
that God uses
to push out
the small things.
that when we see
how great
and glorious
those things are
we will realize
how small
everything else is
by comparison.
And so that's what
we're about to sing now
in our closing hymn.
It starts out this way.
Jesus,
I am resting,
resting
in the joy
of what thou art.
Thy beauty
fills my soul.
that God's given us
the beautiful things
in this world
to remind us
of his goodness.
That his goodness
is greater
than the darkness.
And then we see
in the chorus
why we bring things
to him in prayer
because we find out
the greatness
of his loving heart.
And so we can pray
to him asking
that he would
fill us around
with blessings
because thine
is love indeed.
So please pray with me.
Dear Father in heaven,
we thank you
that you have given us
big, great things
to push out
little and small things.
We ask that you
remind us of it.
You put it into our hearts
more and more
as you make us
look more and more
like Jesus.
We ask all these things
in the name of your son.
Amen.