Please turn with me to Philippians 4, Philippians chapter 4, I'd like to actually back up and begin reading at verse 12 of chapter 3 for those of you who are visiting with us today and you see the outline on the back of the order of worship, you see that this is really part 3. Paul has been talking to the Philippian believers, preaching to them about the blessing that that believers have of being heavenly citizens, not those who are enemies of the cross of Christ as so many are, but those who are victors to the cross of Christ, those whose citizenship is in heaven, those whose confidence is that Jesus Christ will return and raise us up again and make our bodies like unto His glorified body. In connection with that, then, He gives the command to stand firm in the Lord. And we have already considered as a congregation in two previous sermons, the first and the second point. And this morning we want to consider the points 3 and 4 from verses 1 through 9. And therefore in a particular way, verses 6 through 9 for these two points. But again, backing up to verse 12 of chapter 3, we'll begin our reading there. Before we do so, let's bow together, asking God's blessing upon our reading of His Word this morning. Let's pray. Once again, O Lord, as we come before You, we do so with a spirit of dependence upon Your Holy Spirit, asking for Your blessing upon the ministry of Your most holy Word, indeed in all places, But here in this place, especially in this morning hour, we thank You for Your Word and pray for Your blessing upon it and upon our hearts and lives as we read it and upon Your Word as it is then preached. Bless him who preaches, Father. Give him the strength and wisdom that only You can give. Bless we who hear that indeed You would open our hearts and illumine us by Your Holy Spirit that we might see wonderful truths that You have stored for us in Your Word. That indeed we might indeed hear through Your servant the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ and Your call to live as heavenly citizens on this earth with the confidence that You are the one who indeed empowers us for that very thing. Father, hear our prayer not again because we deserve it, But only for Jesus' sake, in His name we pray. Amen. Beginning in verse 12, the Apostle Paul says, The Word of God says, Not that I have already obtained all this or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it, but one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For as I have often told you before and now say again, Even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction. Their God is their stomach. And their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends. I plead with you, Odia, and I plead with Syntica to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yoke fellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put it into practice, and the God of peace will be with you. beloved in the lord jesus christ how do you look at life how do you consider this life you see we are constantly being bombarded with all kinds of ideas all kinds of situations whether it's on billboards or on tv commercials or in the newspaper and programming and simply looking around at life on the street so many different situations and circumstances are thrust at us so how do you look at this life what what is it that gets your care and your attention and your concern as you consider the situations and the circumstances all around us in this world or as you as you contemplate the future are you one that would be described as being an optimist or a pessimist are you one who is positive or negative it. See, the truth is, if we take this life, if we take the world all around us at face value according to the things that we are able to see, all it can do is cause much frustration and worry. It offers so little hope, only skepticism and doubt, which of course describes many in the world today whose hearts and minds lack true peace, but not so the believer. Not so the heavenly citizen who no longer lives in and unto himself, but Christ lives in him and he lives by faith in the Son of God who gave himself for the believer. Because by the power of the Holy Spirit who began that good work in your heart and mine, the heavenly citizen is then found standing firm in the Lord. Again, standing firm in the Lord, not as an enemy of the cross, but as a victor through the cross of Jesus Christ. One with a confidence that, as we said before, Jesus Christ is coming again. And when He does, we all, if we are not alive when He comes, our bodies will be raised and made like unto His glorified body. And therefore, in light of all that, Paul says we are to be standing firm in the Lord. standing firm in that confidence, standing firm as heavenly citizens, acting as heavenly citizens, like heavenly citizens on this earth. And again, as we have considered before, Paul has considered standing firm in the Lord alongside fellow believers. He has called us to take a look at ourselves in relationship to fellow believers around us through Euodia and Syntyche. Putting aside petty differences. Not holding grudges among one another. Instead, treating each other with a spirit of charity. But He has also caused us to take a look at our relationship with the Lord and with the world around us. We are to stand firm in the Lord with a transformed heart, rejoicing in the Lord, in who He is and what He has done, and what that means for us. And as well with a transformed heart that exercises gentleness towards others, Those who would seek to wrong us. Those who would like to hurt us. Not returning evil for evil. But in a spirit of gentleness, returning good for evil. But there are still two more details here that Paul would have us consider with regard to standing firm in the Lord. And with these two details now, it's as if he would cause us to examine ourselves. We are called as heavenly citizens to stand firm in the Lord in confident trust. and also demonstrating godly virtues. First of all this morning, to stand firm in confident trust. And that trust, beloved, is to be in none other than the Lord Himself. Paul says in verse 6, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. See, Paul would have us consider this confident trust, first of all, in a negative way. It includes no anxiety. No worry. Do not be anxious about anything. And notice he's not just saying, don't worry about the little details of life. Those will all be worked out. But it's okay to worry about the big things in life that we all encounter at times. No, that's not what Paul says. Do not be anxious about anything. Now again, we look around at the situation in life around us and then we hear the news and we hear the political candidates right now in a certain way. And then we hear these words of Paul and we must think to some extent, well, this is an impossible command. How can we not be anxious? How can we not worry? I mean, consider the influence of society on us. It's the society that influence calls for worry, doesn't it? We are constantly being bombarded with things that cause us to worry. Global warming. Everything today causes cancer. That's not to say that we're not to be careful. Or inequity in the world. Or economics. Home sales are down. Consumer spending is down. Consumer confidence is down. We need to be worried about that. Or our retirement. For those who are younger, are you adequately preparing now for your retirement one day? You better be anxious about that. You better worry about that. You see, that's the influence of society and so many other things. Society today plays on our fears. The media plays on our fears. There's often so much more bad news that we see on the news report than there is good news. They want to keep that shock factor before us. Politicians would have us think that everything is terrible right now, that we might somehow gain some confidence in their abilities to bring our nation out of it. And we must confess, too, that we do worry. We are anxious about daily things. We tend to dwell on the daily troubles of life, like car troubles or conflicts that we might be experiencing at work or competition among our children and their friends or trouble in our families, Financial insecurity? What about sickness and death? Certainly we have a right to worry about those things, don't we? We look again at everything around us and we hear these words and we want to say to Paul, but you don't understand my life, Paul. You have no clue what I'm dealing with, what I'm going through. But we tend to forget Paul himself. If anyone, beloved, had a reason, we might say, for anxiety or worry, certainly it was Paul. He was in prison at this very moment, and we know that he suffered all kinds of abuses and physical torture for the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If anybody had a reason for anxiety, certainly it was him. But even now, as he's in prison, he writes with full confidence, do not be anxious about anything. What is he talking about? What is the true meaning of anxiety? You see, this passage here does not deny the existence of anxiety or situations that cause anxiety, but this passage here tells us what to do with it. It tells us where to find strength to help in our time of need. Paul is not talking here about what we might call legitimate Christian care and concern, which we are to have, for example, for the needy or for our children as we raise them. There's a certain amount of legitimate Christian care and concern or for those who are being persecuted or for the spread of the Gospel or for a number of things. We are to have a legitimate Christian care and concern which causes us to act. But he is talking about being unreasonably concerned about something, being so tied up in knots about something that you do not know which way to turn. and because of it, you are not able to function, and it negatively impacts, affects everything else in your life. He's talking about being concerned about something, the outcome over which you or I have no control. We cannot change. The idea here is that of an ongoing worry about something, you simply can't let it go, you dwell on it, It paralyzes you. He says, stop it. Stop it. With this anxiety, he points to the habitual attitude of the unsaved heart towards problems and difficulties of this life that results in a sense of despair and a feeling of hopelessness. So you simply can't see a way out at all. You see, this kind of anxiety, beloved, is sin because, as John Calvin says, it is contrary to the providence of God. It is the sin of idolatry, believe it or not. Because worry is selfishness to take your trust away from God and to put it in yourself. And if that's the case, you and I have every reason to worry. But instead, he says, do not be anxious about anything. But as Peter says, Give your anxieties to God. As Peter says in 1 Peter 5, verse 7, cast all your anxiety on Him. Why? Because He cares for you. Let God assume the responsibility for your welfare because it is already His concern. He made it His concern. He took on that responsibility the moment He adopted you and I in Christ Jesus. And He has promised, beloved, that all things will work together for the good of His people. How, then, do we give our anxiety to God? Very simply, Paul says, instead, pray. But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. You see, the antidote for worry is not to run to the local bookstore and pick up your copy of the manual of how to stop worrying in six easy steps. The antidote is to pray. Pray about everything. Again, not just the big things, not just the important things, the things that you think that God might be interested in or have time for. Boys and girls, our God is a God of detail. And he is interested in every second and every detail of the lives of his children. How do we know? The cross of Jesus proves that. For he died to save us from all, every last one of our sins. As the song says, beloved, take it to the Lord in prayer. Take it to the only one who is able to do something about it. Take it to Him with confidence that He will do what is best for you and me. Take it to Him with confidence that He will answer us according to our need. And implied then in this command to pray about everything, to take everything to the Lord in prayer, implied in that is that it takes time, it takes effort. Our prayer life is to be a conscious activity, not just one or two minutes a day that we might be able to squeeze in if we have time. But because we are to take everything to God in prayer. Our work, our home, our family, our friends, everything. That takes time, doesn't it? And therefore Paul is saying in essence that our relationship with the Lord is to be of number one importance. Making the time. Setting aside a schedule with our God each and every day to meditate upon His word. And to take our lives to Him in prayer. And to do so with the attitude of thanksgiving. Now that's interesting here. Do not be anxious about anything, but instead pray with thanksgiving. It's easy to pray with thanksgiving when everything is going well, right? It's easy to be thankful when everything is going our way. But Paul says very simply, we must also offer thankful prayer in times of difficulty or distress, when the tears are flowing, when we are in the depths of despair. Offer thankful prayer for past favors and present blessings with firmly grounded assurance for the future. Because, beloved, how can we ask for more without thanks for what God has already done? You see, thankful prayer is an acknowledgement of our creatureliness and our dependence upon Him. At the very same time, it's an acknowledgement that He is the Creator, that He is the provider of all things, that all things come from His hand as a gift to you and me. You see, beloved, we have every reason. We have been given every single reason to offer a thankful prayer to our God even in times of sorrow and anxiety. And that's because of reconciliation. Because we have been reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ our Lord. He says, come to me. Our Lord Jesus Christ has opened the door wide open for His people and our Father has promised to hear us for Jesus' sake. We don't have to fear that He won't hear. He says, come to Me. We have every reason to offer thankful prayer because the difficulties and the troubles and the sufferings of this life that we might be called upon to endure for the believer do not point to the torment of hell to come like they do for the unbeliever. but instead these things are temporary. What a reason to give thanks. The sufferings of this life are temporary, restricted for you and me to this life because they have been overcome by the victory of Jesus Christ. Stop worrying. Start praying. And of course, cold does not mean that we are to bury our heads in the sand like an ostrich to close our eyes because if you close your eyes, Maybe the difficulty is not there. No, that's not what Paul is saying. But instead, face them with courage. Because the joy of the Lord is the believer's strength. And Paul is not saying that this means that life, our life, will become free of troubles and difficulties. But he does mean that in the midst of troubles and difficulties, our soul will find rest in God alone, as the psalmist says in Psalm 62. Because our confident trust, beloved, the believer's confident trust expressed through fleeing anxiety and through engaging in prayer is also blessed with peace. Verse 7, And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. The peace of God is powerful protection. Again, it doesn't mean that we will enjoy a peaceful life necessarily here on this earth, that God will take us out of the problems and out of the anxious situations of this life. But the peace of God guards His people. The idea being like soldiers that guard the city gate. They guard that city with regard to what comes in, what goes out. They keep the city safe from danger. God's peace keeps His people safe from danger. John Calvin says the peace of God will guard you so as to prevent you from turning back from God in wicked thoughts and desires. God's peace offers powerful protection as it prevents. It prevents unwanted cares and anxieties from corroding our heart. It prevents unworthy reasonings from entering our thoughts so that we would doubt God and question His love and presence. It protects our minds from the very thoughts that lead to that fear and that anxiety that would keep one from offering trusting prayer to God. That doesn't mean that we never fall into anxiety or worry or fear, but the peace of God guards us so that we don't stay there. We don't dwell there. It does not everlastingly draw us away from God's powerful hand. Instead, His peace guards us. The peace of God powerfully provides confirmation to your heart and mind that He is in control of all things. It powerfully provides confidence that He does know and that He does provide what's best for you and me. It powerfully provides help for us to deal with the worries of life that we might face. It powerfully provides comfort of His strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. And that peace of God, beloved Paul says, is beyond comprehension. It transcends all understanding. It crosses the boundaries of what our finite minds can understand. The unbeliever simply cannot understand it, and modern-day therapists are baffled by it. You can only truly understand it, beloved, if you have experienced it for yourself. You see, beloved, what the sinful nature can understand is no hope in times of despair. No wealth in times of poverty and giving in in times of weakness. That's what the sinful mind can understand. But this peace of God gives the believer hope in the midst of despair. And wealth, spiritual wealth, in times of poverty keeps us from giving in when we are weak. And that peace of God that passes understanding, make no mistake about it, is also seen by the world as the world cannot fathom the believer's hope in the midst of a deadly disease. Maybe you've experienced that. Your co-workers, the mailman, your neighbors can't understand how you can smile in the midst of adversity. Have comfort in the midst of death. Be filled with inner joy as you suffer. And have confidence when everything seems to be going against you. The peace of God that transcends all understanding is God's blessing upon His people. because we are given the confidence and assurance, beloved, that we do not need to have it all figured out. We don't have to have this life and every detail of this life all figured out in order to trust Him, but by the grace of God, we trust Him because He has proven already what's best for us through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, who is Himself the security for this peace. Paul says that this peace will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus for those who are in Christ Jesus. Our minds are filled with the knowledge of who He is and what He has done. And our hearts are filled with the assurance that He has done it for me too. You see, beloved, it all depends on the Gospel. This confident trust in the Lord, standing firm in the Lord, all depends on the Gospel. It all depends on the finished work of Jesus Christ who guarantees that nothing shall be able to separate us from His love because greater is He that is in us. than he that is in the world. People of God, He has given us, our Lord Jesus Christ has given us every single reason to have confident trust in the Lord. That confident trust that enables the believer then to stand firm in the Lord in the last place, demonstrating godly virtues. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from Me or seen in Me, put it into practice and the God of peace will be with you. Now that's quite a list. That's quite a mouthful. But that's what Paul says we are to be occupied with. And in a sense, those things describe how we are to look at life and how we are to look at the things that God has given to us on this side of glory. And that, beloved, is the pleasure, it is the desire of those who are new creatures in Christ Jesus. The unbeliever doesn't care about these things. But those who enjoy God, the Holy Spirit's transforming power, delight and desire to think on these things. To demonstrate these godly virtues, as Paul says, in thought and also in action, first in thought. Now we know that the world around us seeks to find freedom. from anxiety and worry by trying to escape it, by trying to empty their minds through Eastern philosophies, through transcendental meditation, those kinds of things. Just put it out of your mind. Just listen to the wind. Enjoy the sound of the waves. And clear your mind of everything. But that's not the Christian way. Paul says the very opposite. He teaches to fill our minds, to stock our minds full with godly virtues. Our focus, beloved, is to be a sanctified focus. As we said in the beginning, our eyes and our hearts and our minds are constantly being bombarded and attacked by less than desirable, by sin-stained pictures and ideas. It's all around us. But we are to see this world and the things of this world through the lenses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To see God as the owner of all things and that all things that He has given to us are to be used for good and noble and godly purposes that are pleasing to Him and that promote the welfare of others. See, Paul is not saying, oh, just think happy thoughts like Peter Pan and everything is going to be alright. Just think happy thoughts. You'll float. You'll fly. That's not at all what he is saying. but because we have been made all right in God's sight through Jesus Christ. We are blessed to be able to see this world in a much different way. You see, beloved, we enjoy many of the same things unbelievers enjoy. Yet we view them so differently. The child of God desires and seeks the things that reflect the glory and the beauty and the loveliness of God and the goodness with which God made all things. One contemporary commentator says it this way, Paul puts things in the most concrete way. Think about true things, Paul insists, not false. Think about noble things, not the base. That means boys and girls low or dirty or wretched. Think about whatever is right. Do not dwell on the wrong. And then in parentheses, he says, what does this say about the programs you watch on TV? And we might add, what does it say about the music that you listen to or the magazines and the books that you read or the movies you see or the clothing you wear? He goes on, think about whatever is pure, not sleazy. Think about the lovely, not the disgusting. Think about the admirable, not the despicable. Whatever is excellent. Think about it. Excellent in the sight of God. And that means, beloved, that there is certain music and art and employment and literature and activities that we share in common with unbelievers. Yet again, we see it entirely differently. We see it through the lenses of the gospel, through the goodness of God. But that also means that there is certain music and art and employment and literature and activities that believers ought to have nothing to do with because society, because of the influence of sin, has distorted these things. They are not lovely. They are not pure. They are not noble. They are not according to the truth. And we are called to have discerning minds filled with wisdom. Our minds and our hearts are to be occupied with that which builds up and encourages and is seen as a blessing, a gift from God, that which is compatible with Him, that which is consistent with our profession of faith in Him. And then Paul calls us to demonstrate these godly virtues in action. Following Paul's example, whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put it into practice and the God of peace will be with you. Put it into practice, whatever is lovely, pure, noble, all these things, put it into practice. Following Paul's example, which he was not ashamed to say, is the example of Christ. In another place, he says that he imitates Christ. He teaches according to Christ. He lives according to Christ. And those godly virtues which are to fill our minds and hearts are to be lived and pursued in our daily lives. So that the believer's conduct, beloved, is to be in keeping with God's own righteousness governed by a mind that is transformed and renewed by the Word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit, as Paul says in Romans 12. And I believe Paul says it a little bit differently in another place, in 2 Corinthians 10, 5, where he says, taking every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. Taking every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. Only when we are unable to do that by the power of the Holy Spirit Only then can we practice whatever is true and noble and right and pure and lovely and admirable and praiseworthy and excellent. And that, beloved, is the natural response to God's transforming grace in Christ Jesus. Paul commands these things for believers, but he also knows that is what the new life in Christ is all about. That is what God enables us to do. Well, not perfectly. But he says in Titus chapter 2, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, it teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age while we wait for the blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own eager to do what is good. That is the conduct of heavenly citizens on this earth with the promise of God's presence. And the God of peace will be with you. Notice Paul doesn't now just say the peace of God. He says the God of peace. God himself in whom we have peace through Jesus Christ promises to dwell with his people through the Holy Spirit. He promises to never leave us or forsake us. Those whom he has called to be his own and brought to be his own through Jesus Christ. Beloved, in Christ Jesus, it is not life as usual as the world would have it to be. For you and me, it's not life as usual as the society in which we live. The Holy Spirit's powerful work as He nourishes that gift of faith completely transforms our lives lived here on this earth. Transforms them alongside fellow believers. Transforms them in our attitudes toward God and men. Transforms them into trusting in God alone, not being distracted, and in living in a way that is pleasing to Him. You see, that life in Christ Jesus is indeed so great, and it transforms this life, that this life too, no matter what the world and society would have us to believe, this life too in Christ Jesus is so wonderful. Sometimes it's so hard to believe that not all would want this life in Christ Jesus. But the truth is not all understand it. Not all understand the greatness of God's saving love in Jesus Christ. This transformed life, this heavenly citizenship, is only for those who, because they have been given new birth in Christ Jesus, who look away from themselves and forsake themselves and trust in Him alone. For them alone, the Holy Spirit transforms this life into a life of joy in the Lord. Oh, we must confess, though it's not perfect, is it for us? We still struggle. At times we take our eyes off of Jesus Christ. At times we take our eyes off of His glory and off of that which is ours in Him. And when we do, we do fall into despair and worry and fear. We do complain. But they praise God in His mercy. He draws us back and by the power of His Spirit, He reminds us of our hope that it's only in Jesus Christ. And He brings us to praise Him for restoring us daily to Himself and to praise Him for His grace that covers all of our sins. Beloved, as heavenly citizens, our God through His Spirit empowers us to stand firm in Him. to stand firm in the One who stood firm for us, conquering Satan, sin, and death, that we might be able to confidently confess in doubt and temptation, I rest, Lord, in Thee. My hand is in Thy hand. Thou carest for me. My God, I will extol Thee and ever bless Thy name. Each day will I give thanks to Thee. and all Thy praise proclaim. Amen. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we consider these things from Your Word. The beauty of salvation through Jesus Christ. What we have in Him. and how You call us to live in this world to represent You, Your goodness, Your loveliness, Your truth. And we confess too, Father, that so often we find it so hard, so very difficult. But we rest assured, O Lord, that our salvation is complete. It is sure in Christ Jesus. And You will be faithful to complete that work which You have begun, to bring us to that full perfection in the beauty of Your kingdom, Your glory of heaven one day, when indeed we shall be made perfectly righteous even as You see us today in Christ Jesus. And until that day, Father, give us courage in times of fear and doubt and despair and give us strength because of the knowledge and assurance You give to us of the blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus that we might stand firm for you and live for you in a way that is pleasing to you. All because you have brought us to be your children in Christ Jesus. We praise your name for such a great salvation, such a marvelous and awesome Savior. We humbly thank you for these things, O Lord, in Jesus' name alone. Amen.