Philippians 4:4-6

Philippians 4:4-6 v. 4. A. Paul had already commanded saints to rejoice in the Lord. c/w PHIL 3:1. B. This reminder comes on the heels of mentioning those gospel labourers whose names are in the book of life. c/w LUK 10:20. C. Here Paul adds “alway.” c/w 1TH 5:16. 1. alway: All along, all the time, perpetually, throughout all time. 2. evermore: For all future time. 3. Rejoicing in the Lord will never become outdated. REV 19:7. D. Mark the seasons of the saint's rejoicing in the Lord: 1. Conversion. ACT 2:41; 8:39. 2. Discovery in the Scriptures. PSA 119:162; JER 15:16. 3. Increase of faith. ROM 15:13; 1JO 1:4. 4. Persecution and trials. LUK 6:22-23; ACT 5:41; 1PE 4:12-13. 5. Shortcomings. 2SAM 23:5. 6. Loss. JOB 1:21; HAB 3:17-18. E. Through Christ there is always cause for rejoicing. ROM 5:11. F. It is a joy born of faith that is unspeakable and full of glory. 1PE 1:8. G. No man takes this joy from us (JOH 16:22). Thus, we cannot blame someone else if we have no joy! H. Remember that this joy is your strength. NEH 8:10. v. 5. A. Saints are commanded to let their moderation be known to all men. 1. moderation: 1. The action or an act of moderating (abating the excessiveness of). 2. The quality of being moderate, in various senses; now only with reference to conduct, opinions, demands, desires, or their indulgence; avoidance of extremes; self-control, temperance. 2. temperance: The practice or habit of restraining oneself in provocation, passion, desire, etc.; rational self-restraint. Moderation in action of any kind. B. The command to moderation is an indictment of excesses and extremes in life. Some obvious examples of excesses are: 1. overeating. DEU 21:20; LUK 21:34. a. glutton: One who eats to excess, or takes pleasure in immoderate eating; a gormandizer. b. surfeit: To feed to excess or satiety; to sicken or disorder by overfeeding (or as an unwholesome food). c. It has been sagely noted that we should eat to live, not live to eat. d. This hieroglyphic was found in an Egyptian tomb: “1/4 of what you eat keeps you alive; 3/4 of what you eat keeps your doctor alive.” e. Mark that it is not the food that defiles one (MAR 7:15, 18-19 ct/w 1TI 4:3), but the improper use of it. 2. drunkenness. EPH 5:18; 1PE 4:3. a. Jesus drank fermented wine, or LUK 7:31-34 is senseless. b. Moderate consumption of alcoholic beverage is permitted, but with frank consideration of alcohol's deceptive power. PRO 20:1. 3. oversleeping. PRO 20:13. C. Some other examples where one could be extreme are working, reading, socializing, Philippians 4:4-6 7-3-11 Page 1 of 4 entertainment, religious activities, exercise, avoiding exercise, family life, education, talking, etc. D. Mind, “Let your moderation be known unto all men...” All men should be able to recognize that we are moderate. E. Paul adds here an incentive to let our moderation be known to all men: “The Lord is at hand.” 1. at hand: Within easy reach; near, close by (Sometimes preceded by 'close, hard, near, nigh, ready'). 2. God is omnipresent. He is ever at hand. JER 23:23-24. 3. We will never hide our excesses from God. vs. 6-7. A. Paul gives here a formula for peace. 1. This is a peace that affects the heart and mind. 2. peace: Freedom from mental or spiritual disturbance or conflict arising from passion, sense of guilt, etc.; calmness. B. Believers are here commanded, “Be careful for nothing...” 1. careful: Full of care, trouble, anxiety or concern; anxious, troubled, solicitous, concerned. a. anxious: Troubled or uneasy in mind about some uncertain event; being in painful or disturbing suspense; concerned, solicitous. b. disturb: To agitate mentally; discompose the peace of mind or calmness of (any one); to trouble, perplex. c. solicitous: Full of care or concern; anxious, apprehensive, disquiet. 2. Obviously, a state of peace is one of being careful for nothing. 3. This is not to say that saints should not be careful in the sense of giving proper attention to needful things. PHIL 4:10; TIT 3:8. 4. It is a proscription against anxiety over things that God has promised to control. 5. This is the same as Jesus Christ taught in MAT 6:25-34. a. We are to take no thought about the bodily needs of the future. b. to take thought: To trouble oneself, grieve, be anxious or distressed. c. Those who unduly trouble themselves about the future lack faith. d. Those whose trust is in God don't “lose it” when circumstances are unfavorable or uncertain. JER 17:7-8. (1) Per JER 17:8, those who trust in God yield fruit. (2) Per LUK 8:14, those who are choked with cares yield no fruit. e. This is a simple faith issue: do you believe God's word where it declares His love for you, care for you, His willingness and ability to supply your every need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, per PHIL 4:19? (1) A word of advice: measure your every need against your every desire. (2) We oft desire what we don't really need, then charge God with breech of promise when our desire is withheld. PRO 19:3. C. Mark the character of this peace. 1. It is of God, not of the world. JOH 14:27. 2. It passes all understanding. It is a perfect peace. ISA 26:3. a. We don't have to understand everything to have this peace. b. It is sufficient to know that God understands everything and has our best interest at heart. 3. It keeps the heart and mind. a. keep: To guard, defend, protect, preserve, save. b. Without this peace, the heart and mind are exposed to danger and seizure by the Philippians 4:4-6 7-3-11 Page 2 of 4 enemy. 2TH 2:2-3. c. The kept heart and mind stands in contrast to “I'm losing it.” d. This is another example of temporal salvation. 4. It keeps the heart and mind through Christ Jesus. a. Jesus Christ is the One Who mediates this peace between God and the believer. 1TI 2:5; JOH 14:1. b. He is the reservoir of all spiritual blessings with which God blesses us. EPH 1:3. c. Apart from His justifying grace, we are wicked and there is no peace to the wicked. ISA 57:20-21. d. Peace is the grant of His government. ISA 9:6-7. e. Therefore, Jesus calls it “my peace” (JOH 14:27). f. “Know Christ, know peace. No Christ, no peace.” D. This peace should rule in our hearts. COL 3:15. 1. It should be the governing principle of our walk. 2. As it rules in our hearts, we will not be prone to turmoil or conflict. 3. Those not at peace within themselves will not be at peace with others. a. Remember King Saul and the excesses to which his inner turmoil drove him. b. “This peace will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, it will keep us from sinning under our troubles, and from sinking under them; keep us calm and sedate, without discomposure of passion, and with inward satisfaction.” (Mr. William Harris, Matthew Henry's Commentary) E. Note the means to this peace: instead of being full of cares, be full of prayers. 1. “...in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” 2. This is to be done in everything. a. Prayer and supplication is useful for whatever in life is causing your anxiety. b. There is no care too big nor too small for God to relieve. 3. Supplication is a form of prayer. a. supplication: The action, or an act of supplicating; humble or earnest petition or entreaty. b. Mark the significance of humility in supplication. c. We are to go “...boldly unto the throne of grace...” (HEB 4:16), not arrogantly, demandingly, presumptuously or defiantly. d. If we would entrust our cares to God, we would do so from a humble spirit. 1PE 5:5-7. (1) They are “requests,” not demands, orders or threats. (2) This is contrary to the spirit of the current fad of “name it and claim it.” e. “...with thanksgiving...” c/w 1TH 5:17-18. (1) In asking for more, do not forget to be thankful for what you have already received. PSA 103:1-2. (2) In asking for more, do not forget to be thankful for what you have not received. EZR 9:13; PSA 103:10. f. “...let your requests be made known...” (1) It is not that God doesn't know what concerns you. (2) It is that He wants to hear from your lips how much you need Him. (3) JAM 4:2 says “...ye have not, because ye ask not.” ct/w MAT 7:7. g. By petitioning God humbly for the cares of life with thanksgiving, we approach Him as the Scripture instructs us. Philippians 4:4-6 7-3-11 Page 3 of 4 (1) In so doing we have the assurance that springs from obedience. 1JO 3:22. (2) This is our boldness in going to Him for grace in time of need. HEB 4:16. 4. NOTE! Committing the matter to God is not trying to manipulate God to do your will. a. This kind of prayer will get you nothing (good). JAM 4:3. b. Humble supplication involves submitting to His will. JAM 4:6-7. c. Right prayer is as Jesus taught---desiring the will of God to be done. MAT 6:9-13. d. Committing a matter to God is giving it to Him to handle however and whenever He pleases. e. If you don't receive what you want, God will give you grace to deal with it and also this peace that passes understanding. 2CO 12:7-9; PSA 29:11. 5. By committing the matter to God through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, we are transferring it from ourselves to Him. PSA 55:22. a. God sustains us when we do this. b. sustain: To support the efforts, conduct, or cause of; to keep (a person, the mind, etc.) from failing or giving away. c. To be sustained is to have our hearts and minds kept. d. We do this based upon the assurance that God cares for us. 1PE 5:7; ROM 8:32.