Lasting Peace

Philippians 4:  7 “And pthe peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and qminds pthrough Christ Jesus.” [1]

I.   Peace

     A. External

     B. Eternal

II. Pass

     A. Before

     B. Beyond

III. Preserve

     A. Psychological

     B. Physiological

Introduction:  We will observe The Lord’s Supper after the invitation this morning.  This is another thing that can’t be done over the internet or on TV.  Some things require personal presence.  I thank God that He is omnipresent.  No matter what, God is always everywhere.

There are so many in the world today that are very restless.  So many are questioning what this virus even is.  So many questions but nobody is asking the Only One Who knows when we can see the end of all of this insanity.  Some people are very concerned and even Christians are looking away from Jesus’ words of comfort.  Jesus’ words from Luke 12:32 are especially significant today for our congregation, “32 nFear not, olittle flock; for pit is your Father’s good pleasure to give you qthe kingdom.”  [2]

When God sent His Only Begotten Son for and to us, it was because God wants to give us His kingdom; everything that He originally planned to give us!  Knowing that helps to not be so restless.  He promised us that rest that nobody else can understand without Him.

As we continue our journey through Philippi today we will consider how Paul finally understood what Jesus meant when he said the words we find in John 14: 27” zPeace I leave with you, amy peace I give unto you: not bas the world giveth, give I unto you. cLet not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” [3]

As we partake of the elements that represent His body and His blood today in communion with Jesus and with each other and with those who have gone before us, let us make real in our own lives that peace that only Jesus gives.  And let no person and no virus and nothing else take His peace from us.

Scripture:  Today’s scripture is Philippians 4:7.  When you have found it please rise to your feet for the reading of God’s written word.

Prayer: Please be seated

Message:  In this fourth chapter, Paul again explains His most treasured earthly accomplishment.  Dearly beloved and longed for; oh how Paul wanted to be there with them to be in their company just once more.  My joy and crown; my crowning joy; the top of the top of my earthly purpose!  What a beautiful epitaph for a preacher to those he served!

There were those things that Paul wanted to realize that he might not accomplish in his earthly lifetime.  After all it was a church that lived on the earth.  There were things that could be better.  There are always things that could be better if we would only let go and let God.  No matter what church you think of, things will never be perfect because we are imperfect people who make up the local churches.

Euodias and Syntyche could have a closer relationship.  Can we fill in the blank with names here at Merry Oaks Baptist?  Don’t get sidetracked with that just now, pray for that later when those names come into your mind. 

Paul felt deep concern about that because they were part of his ministry there alongside of Clement and the others.  They are saved, they are in the book of life, oh yeah, and one more thing; they are women!

So how did Paul say that relationships can be made closer?  Rejoice in the Lord.  Yes we heard it before even here in this letter but Paul says it again, Rejoice.  Do not go out on the deep end so that you drown in the depth of despair.  Let you moderation be known unto all men.  Why?  Because The Lord is at hand!  He is close.  When your health is OK and you are not worried about a virus or any such thing you might not think that your meeting with Jesus is nearby.  Paul was getting ready.  He was writing letters because Paul knew that his time was short.

Be careful for nothing seems to be in contrast with being in moderation.  But Paul was not saying a different thing within these two thoughts.  To be moderate means to be centered.  A good friend and confidant once told me about the liberal and conservative movements within denominations.  To be too far on the left side of the road means you might run into the ditch.  To be too far to the right side of the road means you might run into the ditch.  Stay centered on Jesus.  That is moderation.  Keep your eye on the thing that is central and don’t let the distractions on either side move you to a place of danger.

The Lord is at hand.  Keep yourself centered on Jesus and you will have no fear.  You will not need to be careful if you rely wholly on Jesus.  If you can wholly rely on Jesus then the words of Jesus in Matthew 6 and Luke 12 will become real.  Matthew 6: 33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; sand all these things shall be added unto you.” [4]  Luke 12: 31 “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.” [5]

Some things are worth telling twice!  In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving means that we are to take nothing for granted.  He gives to us because He loves us and we should tell Him that we appreciate Him instead of thinking that we deserve anything without speaking to Him.  When God supplies our needs we should give thanks.

Finally to our focal verse:  Peace!  Are we promised external peace?  NO!  Paul speaks here of the peace of God.  Who would you rather be at peace with, God or the world?  Notice that Paul never said we would have external peace with the world.  Jesus was not at peace even though He never caused anything that could be objected to in the world.  He loved the world and they knew Him not.  Why should we think any differently for us who are called by His name?

Do I wear a mask in public places like Walmart?  Yes!  We are to live peaceably in this world so that is the only reason that I wear one.  Do I believe that anything will prevent me from getting or giving the virus that’s on most people’s mind now unless God prevents it from happening?  I will say something very philosophical and pragmatic so pay close attention.  I don’t know what a mask does to stop this particular virus if anything.  I do wear one when it’s dry and dusty and the mower is slinging dust.  I should wear one when I am using a grinder.  They help to keep fairly large particles away from my lungs so that’s good.

I wear a mask in public now with this virus thing simply in an attempt to be pragmatic.  I trust God’s will that if He prevents me from getting the virus I won’t get it.  I trust God’s will that if He allows me to get it that He will give me what I need to protect others from catching the virus from me if that is His will.  I refuse to live in fear of something that He has not made clear to me.  Yes, I am making my moderation be made known to all men and women and I am in constant prayer that I will continue in His will.

The peace of God is not external.  God’s peace is an internal peace that is not visible but is absolutely evident in the Christian.  God’s peace is an eternal peace.  Once you receive Jesus His peace is a lasting peace that will never be taken away.

Which passeth all understanding:  We learn from our experiences or we repeat our mistakes.  That is the natural how of how we come to an understanding of things.  If a person learns that way then whatever happened before is not worthless.  But is that faith?

So here comes another flying thing.  Your old high school coach says he’s going to teach you how to fly an airplane.  By the way, he was also my driver’s education teacher.  He walked around and showed what to check and then said get in the left seat. So I got into the pilot seat and he sat in the co-pilot seat.  I had never been in small plane even as a passenger.  We taxied. Taxi; I thought that was a cab that you paid someone to take you when you didn’t want to drive yourself.  The next thing I knew, He had me push the throttle open and the thing jumped off the ground with me holding the controls.  I didn’t understand.  I didn’t learn from my mistakes because at that point, I hadn’t made any flying mistakes.  It passed my understanding and yet I was flying.  How did I do that?  I trusted Clyde because I knew Clyde trusted God.  I was at peace in the cockpit of that little plane because we both trusted God.

But it was way more than that, what was I going to do with this flying stuff?  Well that was beyond me at that point.  When we receive the peace that comes from God we can’t rely on the things that we experienced.  Those things that happened before we trusted are tiny in comparison to what God has to do through us once we give our lives to Him.

The hardest simply in your life until you trust is simply trusting God with your life.  What happened before will not help you to understand and what He will do with your life in the future will take you way beyond where you think you might go and yet you will have that eternal, internal peace that only comes from God.

Shall keep your hearts and minds!  What you allow God to have of you will be preserved through Jesus forever.  When you give your life to Christ you discard that which will decay.  No longer will you need to worry about what will happen to whatever is taking God’s place in your heart than God.  Your thoughts of “what if” will leave your mind as the center of that which drives you.  Now you are at peace with Him.  The world can have its way with whoever wants to believe that they can handle their lives better than the one who gave them life and find a counterfeit peace, but you Christian, you have God’s peace that cannot be explained.

Prayer:

Invitation:  We are about to observe what we call communion.  We will partake in a commemoration of the last supper that Jesus had with His disciples.  We are His disciples and these elements of communion are a representation of the blood and body of Jesus. 

I know that this world has much trouble that Satan is using however he can to distract.  I pray that today we put this away so that Jesus’ precious gift might be foremost in our hearts and minds as we remember that He gave Himself so that we might live.  Nothing and nobody can take that away that He so willingly died to give us.  Let us observe and partake in communion with Him and them and each other…

p Rom. 5:1. Col. 3:15. See John 14:27. So Rom. 1:7. & 14:17. Gal. 5:22.
q See 2 Cor. 2:11.
p Rom. 5:1. Col. 3:15. See John 14:27. So Rom. 1:7. & 14:17. Gal. 5:22.
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Php 4:7). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
n Isai. 41:10, 13, 14. & 43:5. & 42:2.
o Comp. Zech. 13:7. John 21:15–17. Acts 20:28. See Isai. 40:11.
p So Eph. 1:5, 9. Comp. Matt. 11:25, 26. ch. 10:21.
q See Matt. 25:34.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Lk 12:32). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
z Luke 24:36. ch. 20:19, 26.
a ch. 16:33. Phil. 4:7. So Col. 3:15.
b See 1 Sam. 1:17. Comp. Jer. 6:14.
c ver. 1.
[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Jn 14:27). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
s So 1 Kin. 3:11–14. Ps. 37:25. Mark 10:30. 1 Tim. 4:8.
[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Mt 6:33). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[5] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Lk 12:31). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.