Well, we come back to Philippians,
and we're in chapter 4 now. And the text this week is verses
6 and 7. Be careful for nothing. But in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests
be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth
all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus. I've called it the keeping power
of the peace of God. We've been thinking that this
Christian life, from when you first know and believe the Lord
Jesus Christ, and you're born again of the Spirit of God, is
a journey. It's a journey through life to
the ultimate objective, which is the eternal city, the celestial
city. It's that journey, and we press
on as Philippians chapter 3 and verse 14, Paul says, I press
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus. That's where we're going, that's
as believers the objective, is that prize of the high calling
of God in Christ Jesus. Citizenship of His kingdom, of
His heaven. That eternal bliss of eternal,
uninterrupted, intimate communion between the people God has saved
and God himself, pressing towards God's triumphant kingdom, and
obsessed with that objective. I used to have a lot to do with
the Royal Navy. And they used to go away on long
voyages at sea. They'd go away for months on
end, some of them. And I always remember them talking
about when it's getting close to the time when they return
home to their wives and their families, their children. And
the incredible sense of anticipation and excitement that the journey's
coming to an end. Of course, many of them, no sooner
were they home, they were ready to go back to sea. But nevertheless,
this feeling of wanting to get home, well, that's what it's
like for the believer on the journey to the celestial city.
And so he continues in chapter 4, and he encourages in verse
1, the Philippians, and us today, to stand fast in the Lord, by
which he means don't let anything hinder your progress on that
road, on that narrow way that leads to life. So don't let,
for example, verse 2, don't let personal disagreements between
those whose names are in the book of life cause separation. I beseech you, Odius, and beseech
Syntyche, if that's the way you pronounce it, that they be of
the same mind in the Lord. And I entreat thee also, true
yoke fellow, I think he's talking to Epaphroditus, help those women
which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and
with my other fellow labellers, whose names are in the Book of
Life. When it comes to the end, that's
the only thing that matters, is your name to be found in the
Book of Life. If not, you will be judged according
to the other books that are opened, everything you've ever done,
contrary to the law of God, which is everything. If your name's
in the Book of Life, that's not you. So then he says in verse
4, Rejoice in the Lord always. He's already said that, hasn't
he? We looked at it in Philippians 3 verse 1. Rejoice in the Lord
always. And again I say, rejoice What
does he mean? He means, on your journey, as
you journey, keep looking to Christ, as Hebrews 12, verse
2 says. We run this race set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Everything
else, the things of this world, it all evaporates into insignificance
by comparison. It really does. The whole world,
in this country, half the population went mad yesterday evening watching
a football match. Yes, I know we get passionate
about sport, but you know, In the grand scheme of things, if
I can use those words, all such trivia as that evaporates into
insignificance by comparison to eternity. And where do you
stand in relation to eternity? Is that where you're going? To
God's heaven, are you a citizen of His kingdom? So he says, verse
5, If you are on that road, let your moderation be known unto
all men. The Lord is at hand. He's coming
again. Live moderately always, aware
of the fact that the Lord is returning. When is it going to
be? You know, it's reported that one Bible teacher asked his school
of budding pastors if they thought that Christ would return today.
And they all of them said, no, I don't think it will be today.
And no, no, I don't think it will be today. And he said, oh,
well, that's interesting. Because the Lord said, in an hour when
you think not is when the Lord will come again. So always live
thinking that it might be today. But we're going to focus today
on verses 6 and 7, as I said. Encouragements for life as a
believer anticipating the Lord's return and heaven. And he says
basically three points. Don't be anxious. Pray to the
only one who controls all things, and heed his promise and rejoice
in it. So firstly then, don't be anxious,
or be careful for nothing, as the King James Version puts it,
be careful, be full of care for nothing. You know, you say, oh
be careful, which is a good thing, which means to take care, to
not be foolish. But this doesn't mean that, it
means don't be full of care, don't be anxious, You see, it
can't mean don't behave responsibly. The precepts of the Christian
gospel never tell you to behave irresponsibly. There are some
extravagant, extreme people who claim to be Christians who think
that they can throw all caution to the wind and just live like
you know, people without any sense or any restraint at all. No, it doesn't mean don't behave
responsibly. It doesn't mean spend as you
feel like it on whatever comes along. It doesn't mean get into
debt. It doesn't mean don't plan for
your future needs. Why can I say that? It's because
gospel precepts tell me that. Romans 13 verse 8. This is a
gospel precept. Owe no man anything. As far as
possible, don't get into debt. Don't owe man anything. We ought
to, as 2 Corinthians 8 verse 21 says, provide for honest things. Not only in the sight of the
Lord, but also in the sight of men. You see, that is not saying
don't take care. When it says, be careful for
nothing, it can't mean that, because the gospel precept is,
provide for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord,
but also in the sight of men. Remember what Paul said to the
Thessalonians about the church being chargeable or financially
responsible for those who are poor in their community. And
that is right. We are responsible for those who are poor, through
no fault of their own, who cannot get the basics of life. This
is a Christian principle. But he says, we command you.
that if any would not work, any who are able-bodied and can work,
but they only don't because of excuses, or because of what we
might call fecklessness, then they should not eat. That's what
the Scripture says. They shouldn't eat. If they're
not prepared to work, neither should they eat. I remember one
church holiday years ago, and we all had to make our own packed
lunches when everybody went out for a walk, and there was one
particular young man who was extremely headstrong, And he
just was careful for nothing, so he didn't bother making any
sandwiches, because he knew that the soft-in-the-head people that
were on that walk would give their sandwiches to him. You
know, that is not the principle here. If any would not work,
he should not eat. It says in 1 Timothy 5, verse
8, If any believer provide not for his own, for his own family,
especially those of his own house, Listen what it says. He has denied
the faith. You know, there are those who
say, oh, we're not going out to work, we're living by faith,
expecting a loaf of bread to come through the letterbox. No,
that's not living by faith, that's living irresponsibly. You've
denied the faith. You're worse than an infidel,
is what the scripture says. No, This is not a charter for
sloth and irresponsibility. When Paul says, be careful for
nothing, he's not giving a charter for sloth and irresponsibility. Work, work, think on this, work
is a creation principle. God set Adam before the fall
in the Garden of Eden, it says in Genesis 2.15, to dress and
to keep it. Work is a creation principle. It's the purpose for getting
up out of bed in the morning, for using your intelligence,
you know, that creative intelligence that you have made in the image
of God, providing service to others. Contrary to what most
people in the world today want. Most people's desires are to
win the lottery and ruin themselves in extravagant idleness. And
how many have done that? No. The Gospel precept is what
it says in Ephesians 4 and verse 28. Let him that stole, steal
no more. You know, there were those who
were thieves, who were converted. And he says, if you were one
of those who was a thief, don't steal any more, completely contrary
to gospel principles. But rather, let him labor, let
him work, working with his hands the thing which is good, that
he may have to give to him that needeth. That's gospel principle.
That's the truth. So, rather, what does be careful
for nothing mean? It means don't be filled with
mind-distracting cares about anything on your road to the
celestial city. Don't let your mind be torn,
is what the word means, careful for nothing. Don't let your mind
be torn, divided asunder. Don't let the things of time
and sense, the things all around us, the tangible things that
we can feel and see all around us, don't let the things of time
and sense divert you from your heavenly objective. Don't let
earthly worry shut God out of your thoughts. Don't be like
Martha. There's a good lesson with Martha
in Luke chapter 10 and verse 38. If you want to turn there,
you can, but if not, you can just listen while I read it.
In Luke chapter 10 and verse 38, Now it came to pass, as they
went, Jesus and his disciples, that he entered into a certain
village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into
her house. And she had a sister called Mary,
which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha
was cumbered about much serving, and came to him and said, Lord,
dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?
Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said
unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful, you're filled with
care, your heart is torn and troubled about many things, but
one thing is needful. What was the one thing? Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from
the mouth of God. Martha has chosen, sorry, Mary
has chosen that good part, that word which proceeds from the
mouth of the Lord. And that will not be taken away
from her. If you've got any sense, Martha,
we'll deal with the serving later, when the time is right. But now,
come and sit and listen, and let your heart and your soul
be fed. like Israel in their wilderness
wanderings, they provoked God by their anxiety over temporal
things, didn't they? They'd no sooner left and they'd
seen the miracles of them coming out of that bondage of slavery
in Egypt, and in no time there were no cucumbers, and there
were none of the foods and the fruits of Egypt, of that fertile
Nile, delta and there was none of that for them and they complained
and they fell into unbelief and they'd seen how God had led them
across the Red Sea and defeated their enemies yet nevertheless
they complained in unbelief because you know unbelief is the root
of all sin and all opposition against God. It was dishonouring
to God who provides. We know that our God provides.
Look on verse 19 in chapter 4 of Philippians. But my God, says
Paul, he's thanking them for the fact that they've given a
gift of material means, money and other things to him for his
care and his keep. My God, he says, shall supply
all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. We have a gracious, bountiful
God who will provide all your need. He will provide every need. So what do we think? There's
all the talk about the current economic difficulty, the cost
of living crisis, the cost of fuel, rip-roaring inflation,
which we haven't seen like this for 40 years. Inflation, fuel
prices, especially in cold periods like this, costing a fortune
to heat your house compared with what it did one year ago. How
are we going to cope with this? Answer? What's the Christian
principle? What's the Gospel principle? Do the honest thing. Work. Be wise. Work as you're
able to work. Be wise. You know, some people
would say, I'm very cruel because I pass a beggar on the street.
We did pass one the other day on the street. And I'm like,
no, I'm sorry, I'm not giving him anything because there's loads
of work available for those that will get up. And he looked fit
and healthy, nothing wrong with him. He's just sat there because
he can't be bothered to do anything else. And so my feeling is that
I'm actually doing him a favor by not giving to him in that
situation. He needs to work. This is the
Christian gospel principle. And we need to be wise with what
God gives us, the providence He gives us. If we lack wisdom,
says James, ask God who gives liberally. Yes, we lack wisdom.
Ask God to give you wisdom. Don't indulge self when family
and others have needs. But don't be distracted from
the heavenly journey. Believe God, because The testimony
of Scripture is this, Psalm 37 verse 25, the Psalmist writes,
he's grown old, he's lived a long life, and he says, I have not
seen the righteous forsaken. The righteous are those who are
God's people, made righteous in Christ. I have not seen the
righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. So however hard
the times become, children of God, we can trust him. He will
take care of us, that's his promise to us. Live responsibly, as God
has created and decreed, but not carefully. Carefully in the
sense of filled with cares. Anxious. Not anxious. Resting
calm in the promised providence of God. For He has promised.
That doesn't mean that's not licensed to laziness. That's
resting calm in the promised providence of God. Be careful
for nothing. But in everything, by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known
unto God. Anxiety, carefulness, stems from
unbelief. And unbelief stifles prayer. Where there is no faith, there
is no prayer. What's the mark of somebody who's
come to faith, who's come to Christ in faith? What's the mark?
Ah, they said to Ananias, behold, he prayeth of the apostle Paul.
Behold, he's praying. He's a child of God. Do you know
what worry is? Anxiety, gnawing away at you. Worry is, in fact, praying to
yourself. What are you doing? You're turning
it over within yourself. You're making yourself anxious.
Worry is, in fact, praying to yourself. You're resting on the
arm of flesh, as Israel so often did in seeking alliances with
Assyria and with Egypt. Oh, you say, well, I've tried
prayer about this situation and it mostly leaves me where I am.
Have you ever said that? Have you ever thought that? I've
tried prayer and it doesn't work. It doesn't get me what I'm asking
for. Think about Pilgrim's Progress,
there's a part of it which depicts Christian and his companion hopeful,
they're locked in Doubting Castle. Doubting Castle, it's a metaphor
for that state of mind that sometimes we as believers come, where we're
doubting, where we don't feel the the tangible presence of
God in our lives. And they can get nowhere and
they cannot find the way out of Doubting Castle. Until one
of them, I think it was hopeful, remembered the key. There's a
key to getting out of Doubting Castle. Do you know what it was?
It was the promises of God. Praying in accordance with his
word. Praying in accordance with God's
promises. The key is the promises of God. We don't... We don't get what
we ask for in prayer, because as James says, we ask amiss.
How does prayer ward off anxiety and unbelief and the distractions
on the road to heaven? By bringing before God His promises. His promises to supply all your
need. to keep you and never let you
go, to bring you safe through tribulation, through troubles,
to eternal bliss, to hear your cries and petitions. This is
how he does it. What does he say? In everything,
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests
be made known unto God. It's an attitude of life, knowing
that we're in the hands of the living God, that His gaze is
upon us, that He sees everything that we think and everything
that we do, and constantly those prayers. It's not always in a
corner, bowed, it's going about your business, knowing that the
living God, who is upholding all things by the word of the
power of the Lord Jesus Christ, is there. As was Nehemiah, he
went into the presence. He was the cupbearer in the king's
palace in the kingdom of the Medes and Persians. And he was
in Shushan in the palace. And he was greatly concerned
about his homeland, Jerusalem, which he'd never seen. And he'd
heard news back that was very distressing. And it was a crime
punishable by death to be unhappy in the presence of the king.
And he went in and his countenance was down, his countenance was
sad. And the king asked him, what's wrong with you? And what
does it say? Nehemiah prayed. Instantly, there
and then, O Lord, give me the words to speak. Just that, just
that. He didn't get down on his knees,
just there as he was. O Lord, help me now. And God
was with him. He's promised good thoughts to
his people. The God who controls all things,
the God who is making the moon stay in its orbit around the
earth at this time, the earth around its orbit of the sun at
this time, all of the planets and the constellations and galaxies
in their places, This one who upholds all things by the word
of the power of the Lord Jesus Christ has promised good thoughts
to little puny worms like us. He says, I know I quote it so
often, but what a promise. Jeremiah 29 11, I know the thoughts
that I think of you. This is that God who speaks to
each one of his people. I know the thoughts that I think
to you, not of evil, to give you an expected end, to give
you a good end, to give you a heavenly end. Let your requests be made
known unto God. As you journey on this life,
from first believing through to when you're taken from it
or Christ comes again. On this journey, let your requests
be made known unto God. Concerning what? Concerning what? Everything. How? How? by prayer and supplication, it
says there, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your requests
be made known unto God, remembering that the key is the promises
of God, praying in accordance with the word of God. What does
he mean by prayer and supplication? Is it not the same thing? Well,
I think prayer is like the constant gentle stream of requests out
of the consciousness of being in God's presence and under His
gaze. Supplication is a more urgent
praying, as needs present themselves. You know, Jesus talked about
the importunity in prayer, urgency. That's supplication, I would
say. Ezekiel records this in chapter 36 and verse 37. God
talks about the good that he's going to do to his people in
bringing them back from their captivity. And he lists all sorts
of things he's going to do for them. And then in verse 37, having
finished listing the things he's going to do, he says, I will
yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it
for them. Oh, you might say, oh, God, who
is sovereign over everything, has said he's going to do all
of these things for the house of Israel, so nothing can stop
it, can it? So what can we do about it? So just let's sit back
and do nothing and wait for it to happen. No, God says, I will
yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it
for them. Do we see that? Does God put
it in our hearts to pray as He did for David? David said that
God put it in his heart to pray. Does He put it in our hearts
to pray for certain people, for certain things, for situations? And are we reminded by God's
Spirit of texts of Scripture to bring before Him as promises?
Jesus told the disciples in the Sermon on the Mount the importance
of prayer. Matthew 7 and verse 7. Ask, he said, and it shall be
given you. Seek and ye shall find. You want
to pray and you wonder what's the promises of God, ask and
it shall be given you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock,
and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh, receiveth. And he that seeketh, findeth.
And to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. What man is
there of you whom, if his son ask bread, for his nourishment,
will he give him a stone which won't nourish him? Or if he ask
a fish for food, will he give him a serpent that will poison
him? If you, being evil which you are as sinners, know how
to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall
your Father which is in heaven give good things to those that
ask him? And if you receive not, as I
said, search your heart motives for James chapter 4 and verse
3. Let's turn to that. Ye ask and
receive not, because ye ask amiss. You ask wrongly that you may
consume it upon your lusts. You ask wrongly that you might
consume it upon your lusts. You've got other motives. No.
Ask God in the right way, seeking wisdom, and ask with thanksgiving,
for God is a God of grace and providence to his people. He's
a God of goodness to mankind in general, though they don't
thank him for it. This was the indictment of God
against mankind in Romans chapter 1 and verse 21. One of the things
was, neither were they thankful. They were not thankful to God,
thankful for life that He's given us, thankful for grace and mercy. to deal with what we are as sinners,
thankful for accomplished salvation, not depending on what we are
or do, thankful for daily provision. Look at verse 11 of chapter 4.
Paul talks about, not that I speak in respect of want, for I have
learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content, to be
taught of God, to be content. So long as we have that which
is needful, always looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher
of our faith. This is how to keep on the straight
track to the celestial city. And then finally, verse 7, And
the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. The peace of God
comes from the God of peace, because he's called that again
and again in Scripture. The peace of God comes from the
God of peace. Who am I talking about? God who
is angry with the wicked every day. God into whose hands it
is a fearful thing to fall. And it's a fearful thing to fall
because this God is a consuming fire. But in Christ, for His
people, God has, as Colossians 1 verse 20, you only need to
turn over one page in your Bible, Colossians 1 verse 20, He has
made peace through the blood of His cross. He's made peace,
peace with sinners, through the blood of the cross of the Lord
Jesus Christ. For that blood has poured out
the life of the God-man, and that life of the God-man has
paid the demands of the justice of God, that the soul that sins,
it shall die. That's my sin, that's my soul,
because my soul is a sinful soul, but He has died in my place,
and He has made peace with me through the blood of His cross.
Can you say that? The demands of God's justice,
His divine justice, His holy character, they call for retribution
against sin. But for the multitude, that multitude
chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, whose names are,
verse 3, written in the Book of Life. Look at the end of verse
3 of Philippians, whose names are written in the Book of Life. How you can argue that the doctrine
of election is not as clear as daylight in the Scripture, I
do not know, when it's there in front of your nose, whose
names are in the Book of Life. And how did they get there? They
were written there before the beginning of time. They were
written there, in the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
No, all of that All of the justice of God is against those people,
but for those whose names are written in the book of life,
the Son of God bore the penalty and paid the debt. So that, as
Romans 8 verse 1 tells us, there is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus. There's therefore peace. If there's
no condemnation, there's peace. And that peace That felt peace. Do you feel the peace of God
in your heart, in your soul? Do you feel that when you die,
if you were to die today, if there was an accident, if you
were to be struck with something, if you were to contract a disease,
if you were to leave this life, whatever age you are, do you
have that peace of God in your heart and soul? Do you feel it?
That peace which comes from redemption accomplished by the Lord Jesus
Christ, that your sins that would separate you and send you to
hell for eternity, have been dealt with, they've been taken
away. Because the scripture says so, this blessed book tells us.
Jeremiah 50 verse 20, the sins of Judah and Israel, meaning
the people of God in all ages, The sins of the people of God
were looked for on that day of judgment, and they were not found.
Why? Because He has taken them away. He's nailed them to His
cross and dealt with them there. Nobody can charge any for whom
Christ died with sin on that judgment day. Nobody can. Nobody
can charge you with anything. Romans 8, verses 33 and 34. Who
shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Will the devil
do it? Will He, the accuser of the brethren, do it? Can He lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? No, it's God that's justified. Who's going to bring about a
condemnation? We've already read, no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus. Who is He that condemneth? Christ
has died. Yea, rather, He's risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. Is that not the cause of peace?
Can you understand it? No, of course not. I can't. It
passeth understanding. It's there in that verse 7. The
peace of God which passeth all understanding. You can't plumb
the depths of this. But you can believe it in the
heart by the gift of faith given by God Himself. It keeps the
hearts and minds. Look what it says. The peace
of God shall keep your hearts and minds, shall keep them stable,
shall keep them on a consistent path through Christ Jesus. It
keeps the hearts and minds of Christ's people on their journey
through this world of evil, and it's growing worse and worse
every day, isn't it? but it keeps the hearts and minds
of the people of God through this world of evil on the road
to eternal bliss. The more you meditate on this
revealed truth of God, the less the anxieties of the flesh and
the world disturb you. You know when he says, be careful
for nothing, the more you meditate on the things that God has done
and the peace that that brings to your heart, the less there
is of the worry and concern of which he spoke at the start of
verse 6. The more you bring every request
before God who hears prayer. That's another title God uses,
the God who hears prayer. The more you bring every request
before the God who hears prayer, the more certainty, the more
comfort, the more felt peace you have. Peace procured. Not peace which is just, lots
of people say, oh, I've got peace about it, and you think, you
shouldn't have, you know? You're about to fall on incredibly
hard times. Your medical outlook is absolutely
terrible. You've got no reason for your
peace. But this peace is based on solid reason. It's peace which
is procured by redemption. What's the guarantee of that
peace? It's the resurrection of Christ,
that he rose from the dead, that God came into this world, that
they make such a fuss of at this time of year in the world. God
came into this world, but they don't. It's just a big excuse
for a party. They don't celebrate the truth
of the One who came. But He redeemed us. He died,
but He rose again. And that's the guarantee of it. That's the comfort of it. And
that keeps you on track to heaven. What a glorious blessing. we
have in this peace of God. The Father, God the Father, is
the author of peace to His people whom He redeemed in His Son.
The Son of God procured that peace by His work, by His shed
blood, by bearing the sins of His people in His own body on
the tree. And the Holy Spirit, the blessed
Holy Spirit, Just quietly not speaking of himself, but always
speaking of Christ, He reveals it, that peace of God. The Spirit
reveals it to His people. Has He revealed it to you? Do
you know the peace of God, which passes understanding, which you
cannot plumb the depths of, but is such a comfort. We read of
the wrath and enmity of God towards sinful, unrepentant men and women. We read of it throughout Scripture.
And it is wrath that all of us would justly face, but for God. becoming man in the Lord Jesus
Christ, to consume that wrath, to pay its penalty in the place
of the sinners he loved before the beginning of time. He has
loved us with an everlasting love. And when he came, when
he came, When he came, the angels appeared to the shepherds in
the field. There were shepherds abiding
in the fields, watching over their flocks by night. And suddenly
the angel of the Lord came upon them, and then with the angel
was a multitude of the heavenly hosts, singing, glory to God
in the highest, and on earth Peace, peace, goodwill toward
men. Peace, the peace of God, which
passeth understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus. What a comfort. What do we have
to do in this evil world? Be anxious for it? Fight against
it? Be careful for nothing. Yes,
we point out error and lies when we see them, but don't be bothered.
Don't be disturbed. Don't be distressed. The answer
is not in politics. The answer is not in putting
the economy right. The answer will never be in this
world. The answer is in the peace of God, which passeth understanding. Do you believe him? Do you seek
him while he may be found? For now is the day of salvation. Amen.