“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”
Philippians 4:7
Main Readings: Exodus 14, Philippians 2:25-30 & Philippians 4:4-9
Related Readings: Matthew 6:25-34
Imagine – someone loves me. And they gift me a sapling. A young tree in a pot that they know’ll be good. For me - in my garden. There’s a way that this gift would be beautiful and complete when they gave it. Already lovely! Already whole! A small tree. But a complete one. Roots? Check! A stem? Branches? Leaves? All check! It’s got the lot. But it would also have this - it would have potential. The potential to grow. Already complete – but able to get bigger. So much so, that - with careful cultivation - one day I’ll be able to stand underneath it. And find proper shelter.
That’s what we’ve got here in Philippians 4. This section (v.4-9) is about growing peace. Cos Christ – by his cross - has already given peace to his people. In John 14 27 – he told his followers, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.’ Christ has gifted us peace. And it’s a beautiful thing. And in every way complete. But we’re being shown how to grow and develop it. So, it can reach its full potential in the garden of our lives. So that - on those day’s when life rains on our parade - we’ll be under it. Less soaked and shivery. More sheltered and secure.
Cos life’s like that. Life’s like the British weather! Some days are ok. But others can be downright miserable. So why does Paul begin this section as he does?
Cos verse 4, he tells Christ’s people to ‘rejoice… always.’ That’s mad! How can I do that? Yes. I get that some days I can. But not always! And we might think, ‘It’s easy for him to say. Sat there writing fancy theory about the Christ-life. I’ve got to live it. And living life is harder than writing about it.’ But remember how Paul’s life was when he wrote this. He wasn’t on a sunbed in Majorca! He was a prisoner - chained to a Roman soldier 24/7. Awaiting trial before Caesar Nero. A man famous for madness. And Paul could be facing death. Any day now. His future was as uncertain as it could be. But he said ‘Rejoice.’ ‘Rejoice in the Lord!’ ‘Always!’
Cos in those uncertain times, he saw certainty. Yes, life has its ups and downs. Our situations change. But ‘the Lord.’ There’s no change there! Are you a believer in Christ Jesus? Are you, then, in the Lord? When? Always. The changing circumstances of today. The downright difficulty of today. How you feel today. Doesn’t change that. Your hold on him today may feel weak. But his hold on you is not. Rejoice in that!
It won’t be easy. Paul knows. He says, ‘I will say it again; rejoice!’ He repeats it. Cos we’ll need this repeating. Cos life? - sometimes it sucks. And sucks out joy. And we’re empty. But ‘in the Lord’ there’s reason. Emptiness here (heart)? There’s still fulness there (Lord). Ever so empty - but a promise of a refill. So, ‘I will say it again, rejoice’ in that! Cos that is where your peace can grow.
And then Paul gives a follow-on instruction in verse 5 – ‘Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.’ But the Christian life can seem like a battle. It is. The bible frames living for Christ in that way – it’s like a battle. So, this instruction – to wholesale gentleness - seems insane.
Imagine. There’s a real battle about to take place. Like with swords and stuff. And you’re a soldier. Across the valley you see the mass of well-equipped opponents. That you’re about to face. And your general calls you for a final briefing. And they point to those enemies coming against you and say, ‘You see them! Go easy on them! Be gentle!’ What would you think? I’d think, ‘No way!’
So, in life’s battles. It’s a dog-eat-dog world. And I don’t wanna get eaten. So – ‘gentle’? – that’s like mental! So why? Why? The Lord is near. Other Bible translations highlight one meaning. We have words like – ‘Remember, the Lord is coming soon.’ And ‘He could show up any minute.’ ‘The Lord is near!’ It’s the reality that Paul’s just been on about in this letter. Jesus will return. He is near. With everlasting peace for his people. Live like that return’s close. Because. When you’re ‘in the Lord.’ He is close. Not just in the sense of his final return. But in your today circumstances. You don’t have to fight every battle - as though you’re the only one in the fight. ‘The Lord is near.’ He’s with you now.
This is wonderfully pictured in Exodus 14. When God’s people – under that Old Covenant - escaped from Egypt. Then found themselves in a proppa hole. They were surrounded. No way of escape. What was their reaction to their – that day - circumstances. Much like me. ‘They were terrified…’ Facing a battle. With the opposite of peace in their hearts. But they did, what Paul’s about to tell us to do. ‘They were terrified and cried out to the Lord.’
And the Lord heard them - like he does! And their General – called Moses – gave them this instruction… ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today… The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’
A gentle stillness. Yet. A battle won. If that was true for those people under that Old Covenant. Then how much more so for those who are ‘in the Lord’ Jesus. And live under an agreement with God that is like shiny - brand new - ‘always’. And always ‘better’ (see Hebrews!).
Can we be more gentle in our lives? Who to? ‘Evident to all.’ Christians, you don’t have to fight every battle - ‘the Lord is near.’ That’s my problem. I think like I do - have to fight every battle. My mind is triggered by today’s fright. And that very human response happens. It’s either flight or fight.
Have you had that and then looked back? Been brought through difficulty? And then stand reviewing it on the other side? I have. Too many times, to mention. And then look back at my heart and mind and words and actions. And see my fighty-flighty behaviour. And all the nervous activity that belonged to me. Cos I’d forgotten - that I belong to him. And I hear him. Gently pointing out the reality. ‘I did fight for you. You could’ve been stiller. And known. And shown. More gentle. And seen my peace grow more.’
So, Paul’s gunna show us a better way going forward. Verse 6 says, ‘Do not be anxious about anything.’ For some of us – that’s enough to make us feel anxious! Howma gunna do that?! Stop anxiety?! You aren’t. That’s not where the emphasis is! We are broken people living in a broken world. For many of us anxiety is a given. For the apostle Paul it was a reality. Look at Philippians 2. When Paul’s friend Epaphroditus had sickness, Paul had anxiety. ‘But God had mercy’ (v.27). Once again, the Lord proved himself near to his servant’s situation. And Paul was able to rejoice again. And press on in a way that would benefit others and himself. And he says (v.28), ‘so that… you may be glad and I may have less anxiety.’
‘Less anxiety.’ Cos he had some. Paul isn’t about to tell us that anxiety can be ‘whoomph!’ - taken out of the Christian experience. He’s about to tell us where to take it. ‘The Lord is near.’ So, take it there. ‘By prayer.’
And the emphasis is awesome. It reminds us of just how much God has embraced our lives when we came to faith in Christ. He’s saved the whole of who we are. There’s nothing in our lives that does not concern him. ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation…’
Have you had this experience? - you tell someone something that’s troubling you. And they’re like, ‘Why’re you worried about that?’ And roll their eyes. Cos they’ve never been the whole of you. And never stood in your shoes. With what you are – and where you’re at. Be assured of this, believer. Whatever your ‘situation’. It can be ‘anything.’ Bring it to the Lord. He’ll not roll his eyes at you.
Hebrews 4 tells us something extraordinary about ‘Jesus the Son of God.’ And what ‘we have’when we are ‘in the Lord.’ ‘We have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are…’ When we approach God’s throne ‘by prayer’. To hand over the detail of our life’s trouble. Our prayers are handled by Christ - our great high priest. And he has stood where we’re stood. And he knows. And he cares. And that can help our peace grow.
So, ‘prayer and petition’. Are they the same thing? No. Petition is part of what makes up prayer. The word here translated petition has its root in the idea of lacking something. Petition here – it’s telling the Lord about our lack. Cos, you may not have what you need to hand. But he’s ‘aways’ got what you need in his.
Then it says, ‘with thanksgiving.’ So thanksgiving specific to our today’s situation. What we’re in. It’s a wonderful instruction. So, we come to God by prayer. Believing that this situation is the one. Our glass is not half empty. Or half full. It’s just full of trouble. And this time the glass is gunna shatter. And life’s gunna be in pieces too. And then we remember this instruction. What is it – in this situation – that I’ve got to be thankful for? What’s God already given that is good?
It's so good. Cos – if we do that – something’s already happened. We’ve just dropped good into our glass full of bad. Something of God’s good. And it won’t all fit. Some of our trouble has just spilled over and out. A bit of worry displaced by the wonder of God’s whole. We’ve just appreciated that his plans for good are already happ’nin! We’ve got something to give thanks for. Cos he’s already in this. And then we remember. Though our plans start. And often fizzle out fast. His get completed!
‘Present your requests to God.’ Don’t worry about your words. God’s not interested in flowery words. Or flannel. Just faith. Just ask him for what you need. What you really need. Those days when you can’t do it. Ask him - believing he can. And your peace will grow.
What is it we really need in our today situations? Mostly, it’s God’s peace. So often we’re inclined to ask for like, ‘I want this to be removed’ – or ‘that to be given’ – when what we really need is peace. A growing sense of peace. And that’s promised here. Verse 7 – ‘And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’
What a great thing. So, if we were in a situation where there’s a threat to life and limb. What’d we most need? A bodyguard. Because the threat is to our body. That’s what needs guarding. But anxiety. That’s different. Anxiety threatens the mind. And the heart. Not our outside. But what’s inside. What we need is a mind-guard. Or a heart-guard. Peace. ‘The peace of God… in Christ Jesus.’ That’s – all too often – what the Christian needs in life’s battles. And verse 7 shows the willingness of God to give. And the power that lies in prayer. ‘And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.’
Have you experienced this? Coming in this way to the God of grace – in Christ Jesus. By prayer. And finding your heart and mind a little bit more peaceful afterwards. Cos, it’s a little bit less aligned to what you want. And a little bit more aligned to his plan. And a little bit more conscious that yes – even in this (today) – the Lord is near. And you may say. Yes. I have. And I did know a little bit more peace. But it didn’t last for long!!! What should I do now? Like 1 Thessalonians (5 17) - ‘pray continually.’ Return to step one. Don’t give up on prayer!
Cos, sometimes – in my (today’s) Christian life – I behave as though prayer is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Christian – prayer is your lifetime of opportunity! To grow and develop peace. By growing your relationship with the God who loves. And the God who can. And the God who will - guard your hearts and minds in Christ.
And then ‘finally’. That’s the word Paul uses in verse 8. It’s his final thought on how we should think. And Paul gives his very best impression of a bored teenager! 6 times in a row, Paul says, ‘Whatever!’
But this isn’t about boredom. This is about interest. And focus. And thought. And what we need to ‘think about.’ When life’s dealing out the worst. Think about the best. Not justdwelling on the bad. But on what’s good. Pauls says, ‘Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy – think about such things.’ Cos it’s way too easy to do the opposite when life is hard.
I’m more likely to think about what there is to do – than about what is true. More likely to dwell on trouble - than what is noble. The wrong that’s giving me fright – than what is right. And – if I’m really honest – I’m more likely to think about what is manure – than what is pure.
What happens when I get this wrong? It’s like when I was a lad. I went to stay at my grandma’s. She had an open fire. It was fascinating. Especially the coal. I picked up a piece. It was so cool. It’s shape. And firmness. And coating of black dust. I turned it over. And thought about it for a while. Then I put it back. And got on with my life! Do you know what my grandma did? She put nearly everything she owned into her washing machine. Everything my coal-dust fingers had then touched!
And that’s what happens. When our minds just pick up and turn over all that’s dirty-bad in our lives, it can leave dirty finger-marks everywhere. In the bad situation you’re in – do you realise that cos you’re ‘in the Lord’ – he’s working for your good. Then dwell more on what’s good. And delight in him.
Life’s always been prone to taking a turn for the worst. From the first time it did. In the Garden of Eden. When the first humans, first got life wrong. So disastrously wrong – that their dirty finger-marks have touched all our lives. But what do we find at the end of that event, when God spoke into that situation. There was no panic. Just a plan.
A plan to send Jesus, the Son of God. Philippians has already told us - about ‘his death on a cross’. It’s told us that ‘he made himself nothing.’ Why? He made himself nothing. So that God could embrace the whole of you. Your life in his hands. Your life in his plans. Remember - when life delivers you panic. He’ll still deliver on his promises. He’ll carry out his plan. His good purpose can help your peace grow real good.
I’ve a rare skin condition. Parts of my body have an allergic reaction to water. I can itch real bad. To think about going in the sea makes me proppa anxious. But I cycle to work each day regardless. So how do I feel when the weather forecast is wet? Anxious? No. I should do. But I don’t. Cos I know. I’ll be wrapped up in waterproof clothing. And so I’ll be protected from the downpour.
That’s what these verses are reminding us of. In your life. When it doesn’t just rain. But it pours. Don’t worry. Cos you’re now clothed in the whole of what Christ’s cross has brought to your life – wrapped up in God’s own Gore-Tex. His plans for you are watertight!
Paul finishes this section, in verse 9, with a final call to endeavour – by God’s grace – to ‘put (this stuff) into practice.’ If my life’s anything to go by, this stuff is gunna take a lifetime of ‘practice’!
But the God of peace promises his presence – in my present. And yours, ‘brothers and sisters.’ I can’t do life on my own. Neither can you. But we’re ‘in the Lord’. No longer alone. And with reasons to rejoice.
Do not be anxious… the God of peace will be with you. To help you go on. And help you grow. May, ‘grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord’ (2 Peter 1 2).