Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter
4. I got up this morning and had this passage of Scripture.
on my mind and turn to it. And I'd like to just preach for
just a little while. I want to look at verses 1 to
7, but it's verse 7 that I had on my mind this morning. And
the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Let's pray together. Our Father, this evening we ask,
Lord, would you bless the word to our hearts. Lord, would you
honor yourself in giving us understanding. Help us, we pray. We pray for
these that have been mentioned. Lord, have mercy. You're able. Lord, if You will, You can make
us clean. Help us, we pray, for Christ's
sake. Amen. The Apostle Paul had just reminded
in the last verse of the third chapter, had reminded the church
at Philippi of what was going to happen at the second coming
of Christ. This is what he said in verse
21. He said, Who shall change our vile body that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working
whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." When
the Lord Jesus Christ comes back, Whether it's those that have
died in faith and are raised from the dead, or whether it's
those that are still alive at this time on the earth, all are
going to be changed. They're going to be fashioned
and they're going to be adjusted. What do you mean? To make and adjust. This body, this body, right now,
this body, because of sin, is dying. It's decaying. It's weakened. It's frail. But when He comes back, who shall
change our vile body? that it may be fashioned like
unto His glorious body." How is He going to do that? According
to the working whereby He's able. All power is given unto Him. What's it going to be like? Like
His. That's all I know. Like unto
His glorious body. This earth is not our home. And
we're often reminded of that. And soon he's going to complete
the work that he started. And he's going to finish it at
his second coming. Until then, we die in the faith. We sleep in the Lord. Our soul
goes to be with the Lord. To be absent from the body is
to be present with the Lord. But at His second coming, this
body is going to be changed. It's going to be likened to His. And then he says in verse 1 of
chapter 4, Therefore, therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved,
and longed for. My joy and crown so stand fast
in the Lord, my dearly beloved, my brethren." He said, therefore,
because the Lord is soon returning. Today is a thousand years, a
thousand years of the day of the Lord in no time. It's going to be
over. Brethren, we who have the same
Father, we are of the same household of faith, born of the same Spirit,
dearly beloved and longed for. Paul loved these people, longed
to be with them. But oh, think of the love that
the Lord has for them. I try to think on that sometimes. I'm lost. These things are too
high for me." He told them, he said, you're my joy and my crown. They'd been taught the gospel
under Paul's preaching, under the ministry of Paul. They were God's seal to the Apostle
and to others that the blessing of the Lord was upon the Apostle
Paul. And those like him, men called
of God, they were the fruit. That's what he's talking about
when he said, my joy and my crown. They were God's people, God's
converts. But the Lord had blessed in the
calling out of those converts through Paul. Paul rejoiced. Rejoiced in the Lord for them. Hold your place. Turn to Matthew
7. I'll read you something. I was reading a comment that
Brother Henry Mahan made on this particular passage of Scripture,
and I thought that was a blessing to me. I know this message goes out
over the internet and others, but I'm telling you, I'm talking
to this church tonight. But the comments that Brother
Mahan made concerning this passage out of Matthew 7, verses 15 to
20, it was a real blessing to me in light of the blessing of
our Lord who has been pleased to call out recently some out
of darkness here. But let me just read this to
you. Matthew 7, verse 20. Beware of false prophets which
come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves. You shall know them by their
fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth
forth good fruit. But a corrupt tree bringeth forth
evil fruit." A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit. Neither
can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth
not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire,
wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. the word fruit. I know that it's not something
that the good tree produced or any other man produced. I know
that. It's the fruit of God's Spirit.
I know that. It's God working in you to will
and to do of His good pleasure. But this was the comment that
Brother Henry made after I looked up that word fruit. It means
you'll know them by that which is seized or taken or plucked
away. That's what the word fruit means.
Seized, taken, or plucked away. And this was his comment. He said the seal of God's blessing
It is the calling out of sinners out of darkness. The fruit that
God produces through the preaching of the gospel, the calling out,
the teaching, the sustaining, the settling, the comforting,
He said there's life there. You see life. You see God moving. He said that's the seal. He said
that's what Paul was talking about back in Philippians. He said it's that work of grace. He said, you are my joy and my
crown. Paul had nothing to glory in
save the grace of God. But thankful that the Lord had
blessed in the calling out of His sheep. So, back in Philippians
4 verse 1, last part, so, stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. Stand fast in His power. The power of God that keeps you
from falling. Stand fast. Stand stationary. Stand Persevering. Stand fast. Hold your ground
by the grace of God. Stand fast in His gospel, the
power of God and salvation. Stand fast in the liberty wherewith
Christ has made us free from the bondage of the law. Stand
fast in Him. And the apostle, I believe, speaking
as he's writing to this church at Philippi, and I think he makes
a comment to the pastor at that church at Philippi, Paproditus. And he says in verses 2 and 3,
he said, Now I beseech you, Odius, and beseech Syntyche, that they
be of the same mind in the Lord. And I entreat thee also, true
yoke fellow, Help those women which labored with me in the
gospel, with Clement also, and with other of my fellow laborers
whose names are in the book of life." Now, obviously what had
happened, there was two ladies that was there that it seemed
like they were at odds. And Paul had written Epaphroditus,
and what he wanted them to do is to, he said, encourage these
ladies. Help them. There's a problem
that has come up between these two women. There's a conflict. And what he wanted to do is to
help them to settle their differences. He wanted them to give him some
wise counsel. And he wanted to do it for the
glory of God, which was far more important than their differences.
And for the peace and the fellowship of the assembly. And we'd always
do well, when we read something like that, do well. Seek to persevere. Seek to preserve. Seek to keep
the unity. of the church and the bond of
peace. You're right there at Colossians. Look at Colossians
3, 12-15. Colossians 3, 12-15. Paul says,
writing to the church at Colossae, put on therefore as the elect
of God, holy and beloved, vows of mercies, kindness, the humbleness
of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another and forgiving
one another. If any man have a quarrel against
any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all
these things, put on charity, put on love. which is the bond
of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule
in your hearts, to the which also you're called in one body. And be thankful. Settle these
things. That's what Paul told Epaphroditus. He said, these ladies, they labored
with me in the gospel. These ladies were fellow workers. And he says their names are written
in the book of life. Loved and beloved of Almighty
God. Help them. Encourage them. We're
all weak. I tell you what, any time you've
got a difference or something like that, for the sake of the
gospel, for the sake of the unity of the body, don't let it be. for the glory of Almighty God
and the good and comfort of His people. Then in verse 4, Paul
says, Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say, Rejoice. But for the grace of God, you
can't do that. You just cannot drum that up. There's the command. Be filled
with cheer. Be happy in Him, knowing that
all is well. But that is a grace that you
just don't have the power to produce. Now, I'll tell you this. We can be downtrodden. I mean,
that comes naturally. We can be hurt. We can be in
the dumps. But to rejoice in the Lord? Lord, help me. Help right here.
Lord, may this blessed grace be experienced in my soul. I know this in my head. I can
read that. Gary, I can read that. I can
read that. Rejoice in the Lord. Always. Always. You mean when times are tough
and you have to face a day and you think, hmm. Rejoice in the Lord always. Oh, may the Spirit of God grant
me to know this in my soul. And know it not in word only,
not in doctrine only. I know it in doctrine. I know
it in my head. That oh, that I might rejoice
and be filled with joys. Lord, whatever. Caused me to rest. Caused me,
Lord, to be filled with cheer in You. Lord, caused me to rejoice
in that I know Him. That I have been found in Him. Written in the book of life that
my name is there. I read that. I think about that
book of life. That there's a book of life. So I'm going to say, well, it's
not actually a book. Well, okay. But I tell you what I think about
often when I read that. Rejoice, the Lord said that your
names are written in the book of life. I think, here's a book. Here's a book of life. Here's
a book. And by the grace of God, if I
can find my name written here, when He says, My sheep, Mitch,
I think about me. If I could find, if I could see,
if I could look upon that book of life, you know where I'd look first?
I'd go to the S's. I'm going to go to the S-T's
real fast. Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known
unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Let your humility, your moderation,
your forgiving spirit, that's what it means, be known unto
all men. Don't deal with others according
to the severity and strictness of justice, But with mildness,
kindness, don't insist upon always demanding the full extent. Let
your moderation. I think about Abraham telling
Lot, he said, we're brethren. We're brethren. Bear with others
patiently. And always interpret a situation
in the best and kindest way. Maurice Montgomery told me that
one time. He said, Marvin, you can always
be gracious. I said, yeah, I know. I know
that in my head. I pray I know that in my heart.
You can always be gracious. Put the best construction on
the words that others say. And be respectful. Let your moderation
be known. Why? The Lord is at hand. The Lord's at hand. It may be
because He takes me out of this world. The Lord's at hand. It
may be that He's coming back soon. The Lord's at hand. It may mean that He's right here,
Mitch. He's just right here. Let your moderation be known.
The Lord is here. The Lord is listening. The Lord
is watching. David said in Psalm 133, Behold,
how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity. Verse 6, Be careful for nothing,
but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. Let your request be made known
unto God. Be careful for nothing. Be anxious for nothing. Don't fret. Don't fret. Boy, I think, what a tall order. Turn with me to Psalm 37. Psalm
37, 1-8. Psalm 37, verse 1-8. I needed
this desperately today. I needed this message. I pray you do too. Psalm 37,
1. Threaten not thyself because
of evildoers. Neither be thou envious against
the workers of iniquity. Listen, we all have folks that
we know. I don't know whether they're
in our families, whether they're friends, whether they're neighbors,
whatever the situation. You may not even know who they
are. Threat not thyself because of evildoers. Neither be thou
envious against the workers of iniquity, for they shall soon
be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb." I've said this before, Brother
Henry said one time, he said, Try to be as kind as you can
to an unbeliever. This is the best they're going
to have. Trust in the Lord and do good. So shall thou dwell in the land,
and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord,
and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way
unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to
pass. He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and
thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently
for Him. Threaten not thyself because
of Him who prospereth in His way, because of the man who bringeth
wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger. Forsake wrath. Threaten not thyself in any wise
to do evil." Or be careful for nothing? Or
what are we directed to do? Well, in everything, the apostle
says, in everything, everything, everything, there
is nothing that is too trivial to talk to the Lord about. You that have grandchildren.
I'll try to get it as wide as I can here. If you take one of
your little grandchildren and they want to come, and they're
serious. They've just got a problem. They just want to talk to you. Are you going to just turn them
away and just, you know, time for you? Man, I'm telling you,
if one of my grandkids comes to me and says, Papa, can I talk
to you? I say, baby, I've got all the
time in the world. What do you want? Be careful
for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, by
petition and need, with thanksgiving. Oh, we're encouraged never to
approach the Lord without acknowledgment of gratitude. Thankful. Lord, I thank You. I thank You
that I can call. I thank You that You hear. And
I thank You that You care. Thank You. In everything, give
thanks. Whatever the condition, whatever
I request. Lord, bring this back to my memory.
It caused me to remember, to be thankful, that I need to be
more grateful than anything else. Whatever my state, whatever my
affliction, whatever my need, why? Why? Well, He's commanded it, but
this verse was a blessing to me, Psalm 103.10. because He
has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according
to our iniquities. Lord, thank You. Thank You when
I am reminded again how frivolous I am, how frail I am, how flighty
I am in my thoughts. Thank You that You don't deal
with me after my sin, nor reward me of give me what I truly in
myself deserve with thanksgiving, that your requests be made known
unto God. And here's our promise from our
Lord in closing, and the peace of God, the quietness, the rest of God,
Here's where I was reminded again. I just can't drum it up. I just can't drum it up. But
oh, in those times, and I'll tell you this, it's times that
I truly feel when I'm aware of it. There's so many times that
I find myself in such anxiety And I don't want to feel like
that. I don't want to. And I asked, Lord, help me. Lord,
I'm so weak. I'm so frail. I feel so in the
dump. And I don't have any reason to. And I know I don't. But Lord,
I'm hurting. I'm struggling. And I'm hurting. Lord, I need You. I need You. His frail soul. But the times that He allows
me truly to rejoice and to rest, and that I'm actually aware of
peace, and I'm at peace. I'm at peace. And I'll ask Him, Please don't
take this away. Please, don't move this. Lord, would you keep this right
here? Lord, it can be gone in a heartbeat if you don't keep
me. Somebody says, well, I just think
you're just dealing with emotions. Well, okay. That's fine. But I'll tell you what, you that
know what I'm talking about, know exactly what I'm talking
about. There's times that you just feel as though that the
Lord has just opened the portals of heaven, and you're so thankful. You thank and you say as David,
Lord, take not thy spirit from me. Not that he would take the
spirit away prominently. David didn't ask that. Take not
the awareness of it away. The peace of God which passeth
all understanding. That quietness that passeth. Passeth. That word means is better. It's superior. The peace of God
which is superior to all intellect that I have. That passive, all
understanding that I can come up with, that peace that Almighty
God settles His people with and teaches them and blesses them
and comforts them. There are times that He does
remove the awareness of His presence. And you know what you do? You
that know Him, let me tell you what you do. You do as the church
did in Song of Solomon. Lying on my bed, I sought Him
whom my soul loveth. And I found Him not. And I went
into the streets, and I asked, have you seen Him that I love?
That's what you do. And He knows how to draw His
people to Himself. Just withdraw His hand of the
awareness of His presence, and this is what you want right here.
Lord, comfort me. Settle me. The peace of God which
passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. Left to myself, I don't have any peace. Left to myself, I'm not kept.
I'd lose sight of everything, all but by His power and grace
and mercy. Lord, teach me something of this.
Lord, teach me to be appreciative. Teach me to be thankful. Help
me. Help me settle my heart. Lord,
cause me to be able to close my eyes, to truly say, Lord,
if I never awake this side of glory, Lord, settle my soul right
now for Christ's sake.