The Peace of God
“4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness[a] be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
The Peace of God
(Phil. 4:4-7)
Intro:
A. They were surrounded. The army of the enemy had found them. Hope was lost. Warfare of that day was limited to hand to hand combat – so sieges were used to keep casualties at a minimum when the attacker had the advantage. All they needed was time.
B. So the Syrian army encircled the city of Dothan with war chariots and a great army. In that city was a prophet of God and his servant. Early in the morning, the servant went out and when he did he saw an army of horses and chariots. With great fear he went to the prophet and asked, “What shall we do?”
C. Fear…Stress…Uncertainty…all bring about something inside us that shanks us deeply. No one wants that feeling, yet probably most of us here have experienced it. Jesus said, “Do not be anxious about your life; what you will eat, what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.” (Matt. 6:25)
D. When an angel shows up and he often has say to righteous people, “Do not fear.” The truth is, being in the presence of something greater than ourselves often brings fear, stress or uncertainty.
E. Several people have expressed a thought to me this last week. It goes something like this, “I love the holidays, but I am glad they are over.” The reason the idea is expressed is that with that wonderful time of year from Thanksgiving through New Year there is stress. The stress that comes from decorating, cooking, hosting, spending money on presents, sleeping less, getting out of your routine, and a myriad of other things.
F. I give you all these examples because the emotions are real, but hear me out, so is the solution.
I. The Peace of God
A. Let’s start with the goal. Read Phil. 4:7. This is what we want. We want peace, but let me challenge you. What peace do you want? The truth I have to face is that sometimes the peace I want centers on me not facing trials, consequences to my actions, or believing that if I had more than I would be find happiness. That’s not the peace that is offered. That is a peace the world understands and seeks, but it is a very different peace than what Paul speaks of.
B. Paul talks about “the peace of God.” The fact is, God never has an anxiety problem. God doesn’t worry or become afraid. God is not uncertain. God is the one who turns chaos into peace. God is the one who has the power over the destiny of every individual and created being. If there is any peace I seek, any lasting joy that comes from peace, is having God’s power, the Peace of God, guarding my inner being – my heart and mind.
C. God’s got this – whatever the “this” is. Paul is in prison when he writes this letter the church in Philippi. In fact, he may well be in chains, guarded by soldiers, but Paul reframes his circumstances with a greater truth. God’s peace stands guard over his heart and mind. And that happens when we maintain our relationship with Jesus Christ.
D. It’s an interesting phrase that the peace of God stands guard over my desires and thoughts. I often think the worst will happen, and sometimes it does. But what is a greater truth is that the peace of God is greater than my understanding of the facts, it surpasses understanding.
E. If I desire to have the peace of God that comes through Christ Jesus, then I have to believe that God does a better job of leading my life than my own heart and mind does. Knowing God has my eternity secure allows me live this life with greater joy, deeper relationships, and a peace that walks me in every circumstance.
II. Take It To God
A. So where do I begin. What does Paul say is my part in experience such peace? READ Phil. 4:6.
B. Paul teaches me that I need to stop trying to be God and instead, take everything to God. Yes, I do what I am able to. God has gifted and enabled me to help me walk in His way. I can work for a living, I can surround myself with family and friends, I can experience the joy of church as we worship together. I can do all those things. But I need to start with God as my focus. In prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving, I can take all that my heart and mind have and give them over to God.
C. Do you know what that prophet of God said to his servant that morning in the city of Dothan where an army had surrounded them? He said, “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them?” (2 Kings 6:16) What Elisha knew and wanted his servant to see was the army of the LORD. In prayer, Elisha asked God to open the eyes of his servant. He did, and the servant saw that the mountains were full of horses and chariots of fire all around them.
D. When Jesus told us, “Do not be anxious” about life, he ended it by saying, “Your heavenly father knows you need all these things, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:32-33)
E. It’s about where you choose to put your faith. If you choose to put your faith in you, then understand peace is only able to come when you make it, but when you put your faith in God, seeking first his kingdom and righteousness, then peace is based upon His power not yours.
Conclusion:
A. I want to you see to passages (Phil. 4:7a, 9b). This type of peace asks of us to “inventory our mind.” Over the next few weeks I want us to take this idea of “think on these things” and challenge us to do just that.
B. I hope you will join me as we inventory our mind take hold of the peace that comes from God.
Because of Jesus,
Jeffrey Dillinger, minister