Philippians 4:7-9
Exhortations (3) "Sweet Peace"
Phil 1 - Paul’s Heart
Phil 2 - The Mind of Christ
Phil 3:1-14 - Paul’s Quests
Phil 3:15-4:9 - Paul's Exhortations
We have been studying the exhortations of Paul in this small book for several
weeks.
1. They are short powerful instructions on how to live.
a. I believe Paul includes them in all of his writing.
b. The notion behind them is that once we know what we should know, we will
live as we ought to live.
2. These instructions do not have a lot of explanation, because it is not
needed. Frankly, what is needed is not our understanding. It is our
obedience.
By my count, we are looking at the ninth, tenth, and eleventh exhortations
tonight. All of them have been exhortations to something right.
I. \\#Phil 3:14-16\\ Go the right direction - onward and upward
II. \\#Phil 3:17-21\\ Follow the right leaders - those following Jesus
III. \\#Phil 4:1\\ Take the right stand - Stand fast
IV. \\#Phil 4:2-3\\ Work with the right spirit - unity.
V. \\#Phil 4:4\\ Keep the right attitude - rejoice.
VI. \\#Phil 4:5\\ Manifest the right temperament - moderation.
VII. \\#Phil 4:5\\ Look for the right event - the coming of Jesus.
VIII. \\#Phil 4:6\\ Invest in the right labor - prayer, supplication, and
thanksgiving.
IX. \\#Phil 4:7\\ Enjoy the right reward - peace.
A. Notice what is being offered in this verse.
1. It is the peace of God that passes all understanding.
2. We need to comprehend what that is.
a. This is the PEACE OF GOD.
(1) The word OF means BELONGS TO.
(2) Do you suppose God ever gets troubled? worried?
frustrated? depressed? bewildered?
(3) Of course, the answer to that is NO.
(4) God never experiences any of these because He is in
complete control.
(5) While you and I are a long way from being in complete
control, we can still have the peace that God has
because He is offering His peace to us.
b. This peace that belongs to God is described.
(1) It passes all understanding, that is, all human
understanding.
(2) In other words, this is something that you and I have
experienced and will never experience except we get it
from God.
(3) The sages of old have sought enlightenment.
(a) They seek inner peace and tranquility.
(b) They meditate.
(c) They discipline their minds and bodies.
(d) Yet, they can not attain to what they seek because
it is not in the human warehouse.
3. Even though no human being has or can get this peace apart from
God, this verse tells us that it does exists!
a. I am glad to know that it does.
b. To be honest, if it were not in the Bible, I am not certain I
would have believed it did!
4. Then this verse tells us it can be ours.
a. God’s incomprehensible peace will keep our hearts.
b. That means, whatever that happens, God’s peace can hold onto
you.
(1) Imagine your worst nightmare.
(2) It has been a week and a day since the Haiti earthquake.
(a) I do not mean to be flippant.
(b) To that end, I will not be graphic.
(c) I took some time to imagine some horrible scenarios
that I believe have occurred in the last week.
(d) It is possible for that to be you and for you to
have a great peace that would keep you.
B. Notice how you get what is being offered.
1. You see the word AND.
2. It is a connecting word.
3. It joins what Paul is saying with what he has said.
4. I believe it is connecting an effort to a response.
5. In other words, once you start doing the first things that Paul
has instructed in the previous verses, you can expect to
experience what Paul is saying in this verse.
6. I think the response is especially tied to the very last thing
that Paul instructed — INVEST IN THE RIGHT LABOR.
Phil 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7. As we quit spinning our wheels in worrying and start focusing
our labor on praying, offering supplications, and giving thanks,
we can expect to have the peace of God that passeth all
understanding.
8. Learning to pray in adversity instead of panicking is difficult
but it can be done. May I offer some suggestions?
1. Make certain you are right with God.
2. Discipline yourself with a daily Bible and prayer time.
3. Practice praying to God throughout the day.
4. Start trusting God today for the biggest needs you have.
Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
X. \\#Phil 4:8\\ Develop the right mind - a holy mind.
A. God’s people must have God’s mind.
1. That is what Paul has been teaching in this book. \\# Phil 2:5-8\\
2. That is what he told other churches and believers.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God.
Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye
henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Then he describes that vane mind before saying….
Ephesians 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
3. Now he is telling us how to transform our mind.
a. In a nutshell, Paul is saying to get your mind out of the
gutters and focus it on holy things!
b. It should not take a genius to figure out that we are what
we think.
(1) People have been saying that we are what we EAT.
(2) That is true. In time, we become what we eat.
(3) However, we are what we THINK immediately!
(a) Listening to perversion perverts us.
(b) Watching sleazy pictures makes us sleazy.
(c) Partnering with vulgar, crude, and profane people
makes us vulgar, crude, and profane.
(d) Exposing ourselves to idiocy stupefies us.
c. These things cause a "brain drain."
(1) Evolutionist believe that mankind is going from a state
of Neanderthal to Einstein.
(2) They have it backwards.
(3) According to the Bible, mankind is headed toward a
brain drain that is cosmic in magnitude.
(4) The over all process is described in several verses:
\\#2Tim 3:7\\ Paul says some are "ever learning but never able to come to the
truth
\\#Eph 4:18\\ Paul says others have had their "understanding darkened."
\\#Rom 1:28\\ And of some, Paul says that "God gave them over to a reprobate
mind."
4. So what kind of things should we focus our minds upon?
a. Things that are true. Believe it or not…
(1) You do not have to be exposed to error to know truth.
(2) You do not have to experience sin to know it bad.
(3) The best way to fight error is by being exposed to
truth.
b. Things that are honest.
(1) HONEST means revered or honorable.
(2) God directs us to expose ourselves to GOOD things.
(3) This would be something that is obviously good even to
a fallen human race.
(4) If man rejects something as being bad, it must really
be wicked.
c. Things that are just.
(1) A thing’s justice is determined by God.
(2) Man cannot define justice. He can only agree with God
about what is just.
(3) So a just thing is something that God declares good.
d. Things that are pure. - Things that decent, clean, above
reproach.
e. Things that are lovely.
(1) LOVELY means pleasing, acceptable. We might say
beautiful to behold.
(2) God is not against the things that man deems beauty.
(3) He is the Author and Creator of beauty.
(4) Wicked men sometimes want to justify pornography by
saying the human body is beautiful.
(5) The issue is not whether the human body is beautiful or
not.
(a) It is.
(b) The issue is whether it should be displayed in
public or not.
(c) And again, God says that it should not.
f. Things that are of good report.
(1) This would be a thing approved by good men.
(2) Here again, God allows that mankind can make some
correct judgment calls.
g. Things that have virtue.
(1) VIRTUE is moral goodness.
(2) Something that brings the best out of humanity, like
courage, loyalty, devotion.
(3) If a thing moves us in the right direction, whether it
is of the sacred or secular world, God says think
on it.
h. Things that bring praise God.
(1) If a thought makes us rejoice in God’s goodness, go with
it.
(2) It seems certain that if we were thinking as we should,
we’d be doing a lot more praising.
XI. \\#Phil 4:9\\ Do the right works - those things that you have been taught.
A. Here again, Paul holds himself up as the example and teacher.
1. That is all right.
2. He’s been tested and he is following Jesus.
3. If you have a teacher that has those two things in common, you
have a winner.
B. I heard two men preach yesterday that, between the two of them, they
have at least 96 years of preaching the gospel.
1. Clarence Sexton, pastor for 22 years of Temple Baptist Church
in Powell, TN.
2. Bobby Roberson, who has pastored the Gospel Light Baptist Church
of Walkertown, North Carolina, for 54 years.
3. Both of these men pastor large, growing, fundamental, soul-winning
churches.
4. You may apply this verse to me but I am thankful that I have others
that I can apply it to as well.
a. It is easier to follow a trail that has already been blazed,
isn’t it?
b. And it is even easier when you can look ahead and see someone
else who is ahead of you!
Notice how Paul finishes these exhortation. If you do these things, the God of
peace shall be with you. The result will be the sweet peace of God keeping you
in all of your situations. That sounds like a pretty good deal.
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