the peace of christ philippians 4:4-23 concluding message in our 7-part series on philippians...

The Peace of Christ

Philippians 4:4-23Concluding message in our 7-part series on Philippians

Sunday, May 6, 2012Speaker: Doug Virgint

The Peace of Christ1) Introduction

2) How to obtain real blessedness joy reigning within big-heartedness all around awareness of the Lord’s presence no worry - prayerful trusting in God proper thinking (meditation) serene contentment

3) The example

4) Conclusion

3) The example

4) Conclusion

1) IntroductionThe most beautiful word in any

language

« SHALOM »• health, peace, well-beinghealth, peace, well-being

• tranquility, prosperity, tranquility, prosperity, perfectionperfection

• rest, harmonyrest, harmony

• absence of agitation or discordabsence of agitation or discord

• In A.T., peace flows from the In A.T., peace flows from the kingking

1) Introduction• The Messiah is the Prince ofThe Messiah is the Prince of

« SHALOM »• When our Lord was born, the angels announced “Peace on earth

• The unfathomable peace of the God who controls the universe, and who

pursues a faultless purpose, is the peace that Paul commends to his Philippian friends.

1) IntroductionPaul exhorts the Philippian Christians

to rejoice despite circumstances

• They may have been threatened by They may have been threatened by their opponents their opponents (1: 28)(1: 28)

• Paul himself was experiencing this Paul himself was experiencing this same conflict same conflict (1. 30)(1. 30)

• Paul had been beaten and Paul had been beaten and imprisoned during his first visit imprisoned during his first visit (Acts 16. 19-24)(Acts 16. 19-24)

• Paul was in prison in Rome, facing Paul was in prison in Rome, facing death, when he wrote this letterdeath, when he wrote this letter

3) The example

4) Conclusion

2) Obtaining real blessedness

Joy reigning within

• Spiritual stability is directly related Spiritual stability is directly related to how a person thinks about Godto how a person thinks about God

• Knowledge of God is the key to Knowledge of God is the key to rejoicingrejoicing

• God’s goodness to us – God’s love God’s goodness to us – God’s love for usfor us

• God’s redemption God’s redemption – saving us– saving us

• God’s provision for us – meeting God’s provision for us – meeting our needsour needs

Joy reigning within

• We rejoice in the Lord because we We rejoice in the Lord because we are in Christ, whose fruit is joyare in Christ, whose fruit is joy

• The disposition of joy can be, and The disposition of joy can be, and should be , cultivatedshould be , cultivated

3) The example

4) Conclusion

Bigheartedness all around

• Reasonableness (gentleness, Reasonableness (gentleness, moderation)moderation)

• ““Epiekès”Epiekès” - sweet reasonableness, - sweet reasonableness, generosity, goodwill, friendliness, generosity, goodwill, friendliness, magnanimity, charity towards the magnanimity, charity towards the faults of others, mercy towards the faults of others, mercy towards the failures of others, leniency, failures of others, leniency, bigheartedness, moderation, bigheartedness, moderation, forbearance, gentlenessforbearance, gentleness

• graciousness graciousness

Bigheartedness all around• graciousnessgraciousness• patience to endure injusticepatience to endure injustice

• our culture emphasizes self-esteem, our culture emphasizes self-esteem, self fulfillmentself fulfillment

• those whose focus is not on those whose focus is not on themselves cannot be easily knocked themselves cannot be easily knocked off-balance.off-balance.

• spiritual stability belongs to the spiritual stability belongs to the graciously humblegraciously humble

3) The example

4) Conclusion

Awareness of the Lord’s presence

• ““Engus”Engus” – near in time or in space – near in time or in space

• Here it refers to a sense of the Here it refers to a sense of the Lord’s presenceLord’s presence

• The LORD who is near:The LORD who is near:

““Nothing is outside of His sovereign Nothing is outside of His sovereign control or too difficult for Him to control or too difficult for Him to handle. A low view of God leads to a handle. A low view of God leads to a myriad of problems in the church.”myriad of problems in the church.”

• ““The LORD who is near is the The LORD who is near is the almighty, true, and living God almighty, true, and living God revealed in the Scripture. Those who revealed in the Scripture. Those who delight themselves in His holy delight themselves in His holy power, love and wisdom and power, love and wisdom and cultivate a deep knowledge of him cultivate a deep knowledge of him by studying and meditating in His by studying and meditating in His word will live by the foundation of word will live by the foundation of that truth and be spiritually stable.”that truth and be spiritually stable.”

• Attacks on who God is …Attacks on who God is …

• Let’s read the extensive quote from Let’s read the extensive quote from A. W. Tozer inserted into our bulletinA. W. Tozer inserted into our bulletin

“What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.

“The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man's spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshipper entertains high or low thoughts of God.

“For this reason, the gravest question before the Church is always God himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his heart perceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move towards our mental image of God.

“This is true not only of the individual Christians, but of the company of Christians that compose the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God, just as her most significant message is what she says about him or leaves unsaid, for her silence is often more eloquent than her speech. She can never escape the self-disclosure of her witness concerning God.

“Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, "What comes to your mind when you think about God?" we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man.”

3) The example

4) Conclusion

No worry - prayerful trusting in God

• We react to problems with thankful We react to problems with thankful prayerprayer

• Being anxious betrays a lack of Being anxious betrays a lack of trust in God and is a species of in God and is a species of “unconscious blasphemy” against “unconscious blasphemy” against HimHim

(Oswald Chambers)(Oswald Chambers)

• prayer (proseuché)(proseuché) - prayer in general - prayer in general

• supplication (deésis)(deésis) – emphasis on – emphasis on our needsour needs

• requests (aitémata)(aitémata) - formulation of - formulation of definite and precise petitionsdefinite and precise petitions

• thanksgiving (eucharistia)(eucharistia) - recalling - recalling of God’s mercies and goodnessof God’s mercies and goodness

• the result - peace

• “surpasses all understanding” – uniqueness, excellence, beyond comprehension

• “guard” – military term – Philippi was a Roman garrison town – a soldier maintaining his watch

3) The example

4) Conclusion

Proper thinking (meditation)

• “finally” – we have come to the final and climatic point

• “think about these things” “dwell on these things”.

• “logizomai” – evaluate, consider, calculate

• a necessary, habitual Christian discipline

• this is so important for our day

• “how do I feel?”

• not “is it true?” but “does it work?”

• we have rejected the concept of absolute divine truth

“What scares me today is the anti-intellectual, anti-critical-thinking philosophy that has spilled over into the Church This philosophy tends to romanticize the faith, making the local church into an experience center … Their concept of “church” is that they are spiritual consumers and that the church’s job is there to meet their felt needs.” (Bill Hull)

• “true” – false thoughts crowd out true thoughts – God’s Word is the truth

• “honorable” – used to describe the dignified lifestyle required of deacons. Not crudeness, coarseness, but worthy of awe and reverence

• “just” – (righteous) (dikaios) – that which is in perfect harmony with God’s eternal standards and laws.

• “pure” (hagios) – holy, morally clean

• “lovely” – beautiful, pleasing, patient, generous

• “commendable” – (good repute) – that which is well thought of – lofty themes

• “worthy of praise” – the sum of all the other points

• The key to godly living is godly thinking

• GIGO

“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow

the springs of life”(Proverbs 4:23)

3) The example

4) Conclusion

Serene contentment

• Knowing how to want• “content” (vs 11) – self sufficient

– a country that meets its own needs – not dependent on imports

• The serenity of contentment

Serene contentment

Five principles of contentment

• confident in God’s providence (10)

• satisfied with little (11)

• independent from circumstances (12)

• strengthened by divine power (13)

• preoccupied with the well-being of others (14 - 19)

Serene contentment

Knowing how to wait

• we live in a society that demands instant gratification

• the publicity on TV - your deserve this

• the sexual revolution

• the debt crisis

• we have become slaves to our appetites

3) The example

4) Conclusion

3) The example

Paul’s example – and ours !

“What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things.”

3) The example

4) Conclusion

3) The example

Our example

What model are we providing to our children?

What are they learning about our God from our fretting and worrying ?

What are they learning about our God from our consumerism and “thing” driven lifestyle ?

4) Conclusion

Our example

What model are we providing to our neighbors and friends?

What are they learning about our God from our fretting and worrying ?

What are they learning about our God from our consumerism and “thing” driven lifestyle ?

As we approach the Lord’s table ...

We can only enjoy the peace of God when we are at peace

with God !

Christ made it possible for us to be at peace with God by his work on

the cross

We were enemies of God:

• because of our sin • because we did not honor him as

we should• because we did not love him as we

Christ bridged the gulf between us and God:

• He made it possible for us to be at peace with God

• He took on himself our sins and paid the penalty

• as a man he honored God as all men should have

• He offers the gift of His Holy Spirit to us to enable us to love God as we ought to

The Peace of Christ

Philippians 4: 4-23

the peace of christ philippians 4:4-23 concluding message in our 7-part series on philippians...

peace flows

peace of christ philippians

real blessedness joy

introduction paul

unfathomable peace

conclusion slide

god knowledge of god

needs slide

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