PHILIPPIANS 4:2-92006 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Philippians 4:2-9

As we look at our portion this morning in Philippians chapter 4, we're coming to the end of the book.

Paul is really preparing now to close the letter. And as he often did when he was finishing a letter, he shares various commands, not really building up arguments around them or sharing a lot about them, but just quick commands for us to take heed to and pay attention to, encouragement and admonishments for us to understand. And so he does that here as we look at this portion of Scripture, some various things that he talks about this morning.

He doesn't build them up or give examples like we've seen in the previous chapters. He just quickly addresses each topic and then moves to the next. And so as we look at verses 2 through 9 this morning, we'll be looking at six commands that Paul calls us to obey. Six things that were to apply to our lives and to live out. Now these six commands are keys for us as Christians in order to live life the way that God has called us to.

Every one of us needs to be obedient to these commands. And if we do, we will be living the life that God has called us to live and has laid before us. And so these six commands will be very important. And so I hope you take notes, encourage you to meditate on these things. Verse two of Philippians chapter four, Paul says, I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.

And so the first command that we see here for us in the scriptures is to be united. Paul calls us to be united, something he's been talking about throughout this book, the importance of unity. He comes back to this subject now at the end with just a brief command to these two ladies. Now,

We did talk about unity a lot back in the end of chapter 1 as well as chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2 verse 2, Paul said, It's been something he's been stressing throughout the book. And he says,

And so Paul calls us and addresses this issue again. A few verses earlier, before Philippians 2.2, Paul says,

Paul told us that in order to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel, we have to be united. Philippians chapter 1 verse 27, Paul says, "...only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel."

Paul is saying and telling us that unity is to be one of the chief characteristics of you and I as Christians and of us collectively as the church. When we studied that portion of scripture, just as a refresher, we looked at three steps to unity personally in our own lives and how we're able to achieve unity together. Step number one was death to selfish ambition.

And we need to put to death our selfish ambitions. And Paul went into great detail about that. We won't this morning. Step number two was death to self-amplification.

Where we are consumed with ourselves and all about ourselves and we're full of ourselves. We're to be dead to those things. And then step number three was death to selfish attention. The focus and the attention always being upon us. So death to selfish ambition, death to self amplification and death to selfish attention.

After dealing with those steps and how to be united, Paul then emphasizes the point by giving us examples. He gives us four examples specifically. First, he gives us the example of Jesus. If you remember in chapter 2, verses 5 through 8, Paul deals with the example that Jesus gave to us of emptying himself and coming here and dying for us, becoming obedient to the point of death and how he,

portrayed for us, or we have before us in Jesus, the picture of what it means to be humble, that's a self, in order to be united together.

He went on to give us himself as an example, and then Timothy and Epaphroditus. And so after building this case in chapter two, a whole chapter dedicated to this subject, he now comes as he's closing out the book and he brings up, he really calls out these two women by name and calls them to be united together, to be of the same mind, to come back together in fellowship.

Now, here at Living Water, we always do our best to apply the scripture to ourselves and follow the examples that are given. So I'm going to do just like Paul. I have a list here and I'm going to start calling out names of people who need to be united together. I'm just kidding. I'm not really going to do that. But some things I want to note about this. First of all, look at the way that Paul addresses them and treats them. He uses the word implore. He says, I implore you.

Euodia and Synthike, I implore you, which is not a stern command. It's not a command of disgust or disfavor, but it's an earnest plea that's from love. The word carries with it the idea of compassion, comfort, and encouragement. Paul says, with compassion and with comfort, I encourage you.

To be of the same mind. To come together. To be united once more like you were at one point. He doesn't come rebuking them harshly. This command is a gentle and loving command. Even perhaps saying, I know what it's like and I know what you mean, but you need to come together and be of the same mind in the Lord. There shouldn't be things that come between you.

Now, to be of the same mind in the Lord, I think the phrase in the Lord is the most important part here. Because as Christians, you and I, we can disagree about all kinds of things. But in the Lord...

We should be united and of the same mind when it comes to the things of the Lord and fellowship together. There should not be anything that would hinder our fellowship that would keep us from being able to fellowship together, to spend time together, to break bread together and to minister to one another. Paul is asking them not to keep their minds on their differences, but

And why they dislike each other so much, but instead to put their mind on their similarities in the Lord and the things that God has done in them in the Lord and the place that the Lord has in their lives and the way that the Lord uses each other and so on and so forth. All the things about God within each other and through each other's lives are the things that they're to be focused on and not all the things that keep them separated.

And so the first command we see here is to be united. It's a command that applies to each and every one of us. We need to lay aside our differences and be of the same mind in the Lord. As God has brought us together here as a body, we need to be of the same mind, to be drawn closer to one another and not allow division among us, even if it's just among two people together.

It's not to be allowed. We need to be united together. It's our responsibility, every one of us. In Matthew chapter 5, verses 23 and 24, Jesus stressed this as well. He says, when you come to the altar to bring a gift to the Lord, and there you remember that your brother has something against you.

Now, I think that's significant. He doesn't say you remember that you have something against someone else, but you remember that someone else has something against you, be it just or unjust or right or wrong. That doesn't matter. He doesn't bring that up. He just says, if you remember that someone has something against you.

In verse 24 of Matthew 5, he says, leave your gifts there before the altar and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift. Jesus stressed the importance of, hey, if someone has something against you, before you come to worship and try to serve the Lord, make sure that you're right with your relationships here in this earth. Make sure that you're right with the Lord and right with those around you. Now, if there is something

Some type of division or some type of cause for you to not fellowship with a fellow Christian. Think about this. You may be right. You may have the right and you may be right in your arguments, in your case, whatever it is that's got you up in arms against each other. You might be right.

But, you know, being right is not a reason to break fellowship. Having the right to be upset and to walk away and to never talk to that person again does not give you the right to break fellowship. You might be right. You might have the right in physical terms and in most people's perspectives. But in the spiritual kingdom, things are a lot different. What do you think is going to happen? Do you think that one day you'll stand before the Lord?

And God's going to make them come and apologize to you? That's not going to happen. The Lord, you're going to apologize to Him for being disobedient and not forgiving that brother or sister. Unity is important for every one of us. And yes, things happen. We're people. We make messes. We stumble. We treat people badly. We rip them off. Sometimes we do it by accident. Sometimes we do it on purpose. But...

We're to forgive, even as God has forgiven us. To forgive and to not break fellowship, even if they have treated us wrongly. It's a command. God has told us we must do it. In Romans chapter 12, verse 18, Paul says, If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

And so the first command to us this morning is to be united between individuals, between people within this body. Be united together. Remove whatever differences. Forgive whatever they may have done to you. If you remember that they have something against you, go and get it right. Make it right to the best of your ability. As much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all those that God has brought here. Verse 3.

And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel with clement also and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life. Now, here in verse three, we find it's not a different command, but it's the continuation of the first command.

The first command was to be united. And Paul says, and I urge you also, true companion, help these women. It's the continuation of the unity that needs to be there and the division that needs to be taken away.

He references here, he directs it to the true companion. Now, there's all kinds of speculation about the specific person that this might be in Philippi at the time that Paul is writing this. But, you know, I believe that Paul left it this way on purpose. He left it vague without a name on purpose. He left it general so that we could understand that unity is,

is everyone's responsibility. God has brought us together as a body. And it's our responsibility to keep the unity here, to keep us in the same mind, with the same heart, in one accord, in the same spirit, with the bond of love, which is the bond of perfection. And so Paul references this true companion, this word companion, it means yoke fellow.

It's just someone who's yoked together. And you know, as a body here, and I'm speaking specifically a lot to those who fellowship here in this church, I know. But God has yoked us together. Here in this body, He's brought us together. We're a family. We're part of a body together. And Paul is talking to us. If you're a true companion, if you're a part of this body, if you're a part of the living water family, if you're a part of the family of God,

Paul says, help each other. Help those. Help the rest of the family and the rest of the body who are struggling with unity. Help them get over those areas. If you're a part of the body of Christ here and you know of a situation where people are upset, they're not talking to each other, they won't spend time in the same room together, whatever the case may be, you're a part of the body. And so it's your responsibility to help them.

It's all of our responsibilities to help those situations. Unity is not just between those two people and it's just their responsibility, but God has yoked us together as a body, as a family. And so we need to come and support our brothers and sisters who are at odds with one another, who have differences and things between them, and we need to help them overcome those things through the love of Christ, through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Unity is everyone's responsibility. Now, I would encourage you, as you approach a situation to bring unity, follow Paul's example. He implored them. He says, I implore you. Remember, speaking of compassion, comfort, and encouragement. In dealing with someone who is in a situation where there is not unity, we need to approach it with these same attitudes. With comfort. With encouragement. With compassion. With compassion.

Understanding, yes, you might be right and yes, they hurt you or yes, it was wrong, whatever. But also the encouragement to overcome and to forgive in obedience to Jesus Christ. We need to come together as a body and implore one another to be united. Something else to consider in approaching these situations is

Remember that we're on the same team. Paul says here in verse 3, he says, So these women, they helped me. They were with Clement also, who was a leader of the church at that time. And the rest of the fellow workers, they're part of the body. They're on the same team, Paul is saying.

Remember, as you approach situations, as we talk about unity, as there's need to overcome this unity within our body, remember that we're on the same team, that we're laboring together for the faith of the gospel, for what happened yesterday, for people coming to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, for people's lives being changed, for the blood of Christ reaching out to every part of Corona. Remember, we're on the same team. Remember, we're working together for the same goal.

That people would grow and be built in the knowledge of God. And thirdly, number one, follow Paul's example. Number two, we're on the same team. Number three, remember that we're going to spend eternity with each other. He ends by saying, whose names are in the book of life. Not only are we on the same team, but we're going to be on the same team forever in Jesus Christ.

Their names are written. Our names are written in the book of life, which reminds us that God loves them. He died for them. They are saved and we're going to spend eternity together. Think about this for those situations where there is not unity in your life and those that you know of. If it will not matter to you in heaven, then you should not let it matter to you now.

If it will not matter to you in heaven, you should not allow it to matter to you right now. Keep the eternal perspective. Our names are written in the book of life. We're going to spend eternity together. There's nothing that should keep us from fellowshipping together. Be it the worst sin, the worst offense, be it a personal attack. It's wrong for us to be divided for anything that will not matter when we get to heaven.

We need to be united together. Unity is everyone's responsibility and we must take it seriously. It's to be a chief characteristic of the body of Christ. A portion of scripture, Paul in Colossians 3, verses 12-14 says this, Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering,

bearing with one another and forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. These verses we need to apply. Putting on kindness and humility, bearing with one another,

and their shortcomings and their sins, forgiving them. If you have a complaint against someone, even as Christ forgave you, Paul says, forgive them. You must do that. Putting on love, which is the bond of perfection. It's love that will keep us united. It's love that will overcome those things and those situations.

We must be united together. So the first command that Paul gives to us, very important. He dealt with it very much in chapter two, but he makes it personal here in chapter four and says, be united. The second command we find in verse four, Paul says, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice.

Now, this has been something we've talked about a lot in the book of Philippians as well. To rejoice and the importance of joy in the life of a Christian. Here in verse 4, once again, Paul commands us to rejoice. Joy is a major theme that we see over and over and over again. Do you remember how to have joy in your life? You follow the word, the way it's spelled. The J stands for? The O stands for?

And the Y stands for you put Jesus first, others second, and yourself last. And you will have joy. You will be able to rejoice. But notice again, Paul says here in verse 4, Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I will say rejoice. Again, we see the phrase, we saw it in verse 2 as well, in the Lord always.

It's important for unity, but it's also important for rejoicing. Because even in the most difficult circumstances, we can rejoice in the Lord. We can rejoice in what he has done for us. We can rejoice in what he will do for us for the rest of eternity. We can rejoice in who he is.

There was a situation with Jesus when he sent out his disciples and he sent them out. He gave them power to cast out demons, to heal and to spread the gospel. And they came back and they were so excited. They said, hey, Lord, you won't believe it. You know, demons, they were subject to your name, just like you said. And we were able to cast them out and people were healed. And it was great.

And in Luke chapter 10, verse 20, Jesus says, nevertheless, do not rejoice in this. That's great. That's all in good. And that's wonderful. But don't rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. We have so much to rejoice about in the Lord. Yeah, in this world, there's problems, there's situation, there's loss and there's hurt.

But in the Lord, we have great things to look forward to. We have great things in store. We have a great God who's done wonderful things for us. Joy is the natural result of a right relationship with God. You can't have right relationship with God without joy. And you can't have joy without right relationship with God. It's the result of putting Jesus first in your life. And so the second command this morning is to be joyful today.

And if you're not able to be joyful this morning, if you cannot rejoice in the Lord, then you need to get right with the Lord and take out, get rid of whatever it is that's keeping you from him, that you can have right relationship, that you can rejoice in the Lord always. Not just sometimes, not just on Sunday mornings, but always. And again, I say rejoice. Verse five, let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Let your gentleness be known to all men. The third command we find this morning is to be gentle. We need to be gentle. Paul says, let your gentleness be known to all men. It's something to be evident to everyone. The word gentlet means mild or docile, soft, moderate. Some guys are thinking, that sounds wimpy. I don't know if I want to be gentle. That's for girls. It's not for girls. It's for Christians.

We're called to be gentle. When I think of gentle, I'm trying to get a good visual in my mind. I think of Jesus. You know how the children were comfortable and excited to be around him? The way that he dealt with those who were hurting and those who were in sin. Remember the adulterous woman? I think it's John chapter 8. And there she is, bruised and battered, kind of thrown at Jesus' feet. And how gentle he is in dealing with that tender situation.

He's gentle, careful. We need to relate to people in the spirit of gentleness. That is, taking care to, taking care not to unnecessarily hurt or offend them. We need to be gentle and careful with people's feelings and concerns and hurts. The way that we talk, we need to be careful and gentle. Loving people with our words, having them be seasoned with salt,

full of grace, Paul said in the book of Colossians. Just giving people wonderful things that they do not deserve. Loving them and caring for them in the way that we talk. Being gentle with our words, not to upset or hurt unnecessarily. Sometimes there's things that we have to say that will hurt and that will offend. God calls us to do that occasionally. But the truth in love is gentleness. Sharing it gently that it will help and not hurt.

Or even though it hurts. We need to be gentle in the way that we share the gospel. You know, there's many times and many ways that we can share the gospel in a very ungentle and unloving way. It's the love of God. It's the kindness of God that brings us to repentance, the scripture says. So we need to be gentle. Let your gentleness be known to all men. The way that you talk with them, the way that you share with them, the jokes that you tell, you need to be gentle.

The way that you drive, you need to be gentle. The way that you stand in line at the grocery store, you need to be gentle. The way that you stand in line at the DMV, you still need to be gentle. Someone said I went too far. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry. I'm trying to be gentle. Now, Paul gives us a helpful hint on being gentle. He says, let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. The Lord is at hand.

Now, this could be referring to the fact that Jesus Christ is coming back soon. But in the context, I don't believe that that's what Paul is referring to. He's talking about just the closeness and proximity of the Lord. Have you ever noticed how a particular person's presence can change how we act? You know that in your life, there's a certain people that when they come in the room or when you come around them, it really makes a difference in the way that you, well, just behave and do the things that you do.

When looking at certain bad habits, oftentimes we say that we cannot help it. But we demonstrate that we can. We prove it to ourselves when we do not do those things in certain situations, when specific people are present at certain times. You know, sometimes it's bad temper.

At home, it could manifest itself in throwing things and yelling and screaming and just being out of control. But at work, you know, it's not the same way. It's different. It's because you do have control. It's just you don't apply it. You don't use it whenever you're at home. Let your gentleness be known to all. Always be gentle.

Because the Lord is there. And that's what we need to realize. The Lord is there wherever we're at. And so whatever it is that we're dealing with, whatever habits or situations we're talking about where gentleness is needed, we need to understand and come to grips with the fact that the Lord is there. He really is here with us now, but he's not just in this building. As a Christian, you have invited God into your life.

He's with you wherever you go. If you're not a Christian, if you haven't accepted the Lord, He's still with you wherever you go. Understand He's always with you. I think the disciples had a good feeling of that because Jesus just kept appearing after He was resurrected. He just kept showing up wherever they were that He would show up there. They would know, okay, He's always with us. He might just appear anytime. It's been a while, so we don't have that same anticipation. But

But we need to get the sense and come to grips with the fact that God is with us. And so whether it's a bad temper that we're talking about or the way that we talk and the swearing that we use, maybe around friends, you're telling dirty jokes, you're cussing, you're rowdy, but you're not that way. Other times when your wife is around, apply that same control. Be gentle all the time.

Because the Lord is there. Whether or not your spouse is there, or whether or not Pastor Sisko is there, or whether or not whoever is there, the Lord is there. And that's what matters and that's what counts. And so be gentle. Paul reminds us, the Lord is at hand. He is near. He promised to always be near and to never leave us or forsake us. So let that be real to you and let it change the way that you live.

Number one this morning, the commands that Paul has been giving to us. Number one is be united. Number two, be joyful. Number three, be gentle. And number four, we find in verses six and seven, Paul says this, be anxious for nothing.

But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Number four, we're commanded to be praying. Be praying. As a Christian, as a church, let's be praying.

He starts out by saying, be anxious for nothing. This word anxious, it means worry. It's translated worry most of the time throughout the New Testament. It means to worry or to be troubled with cares. I found this Swedish proverb that I really liked. I thought it was pretty sweet. Swedish proverb is pretty sweet. I embarrass myself. I'm just going to read the Swedish proverb now.

Worry gives a small thing a big shadow. Worry gives a small thing a big shadow. That's what worry does. That's what it does to be anxious and to worry. I'm sure you've heard the statistics on worry. Let me read some off to you. 40% of the things you worry about will never happen, they say.

40% of the things, almost half of the things that we worry about will never happen. 30% concern old decisions which cannot be changed. So it's things we've already done, there's no changing it now, but we still worry about it 30% of the time. 12% of our worries center in criticism, which is mostly untrue. So we're worrying about what everybody else thinks of us 12% of the time.

Even though most of it is probably untrue. 10% is related to our health. We worry about our health, which incidentally gets worse as you worry. And they come to the conclusion that 8% are legitimate worries. So of all the worrying that we do in this study, 8% of the worries are legitimate. Because there are problems in life, there are situations, there are things that we do need to be concerned about.

And so they come to the conclusion 8% are legitimate. But you know what the Bible says? The Bible says that there are no legitimate worries. I know it sounds a little foreign or crazy or ridiculous, but that's because we're stuck in this world and that's the way we think. But Paul says, be anxious for nothing. That's not just an exaggeration or just trying to make a point, kind of overstating it. You can worry about some things, but just be anxious for nothing. No, be anxious for nothing.

Paul says, do not be worried or troubled about anything. No matter what the situation is, don't be worried and anxious and troubled about it. Jesus said the same thing. If you don't believe me, read Matthew chapter 6 verses 25 through 34.

Matthew 6, 25 through 34. I'll read to you verses 31 and 32 from Matthew 6. He says, Therefore, do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Don't worry about it. Don't spend time. Don't be anxious about it. Don't follow the 8% is legitimate.

Follow that the Bible says there's no legitimate worries. We're in the hands of God. He's the one taking care of us. He knows we need those things and he promised that he will provide them. So we're not to worry. But it's one thing to say we're not to worry. How do we do that?

How is it that we can stop ourselves from worrying? Have you ever tried to stop from worrying? It's very difficult, you know. You're up late at night and there's a situation going on. You're worried, worried. How do I stop? It's very difficult. But Paul gives us the answer here. Here's how you stop worrying. He goes on in verse... I don't know where we're at. Verse 6. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Here's how you stop worrying. Here's how to fight worry in...

And anxiousness in your life. Be anxious for nothing. But in everything. With prayer. Supplication. And thanksgiving. Prayer. This word is speaking about general prayer. Just prayer. Nothing specific but just prayer. Just talking to God. Spending time with him. Looking to him. And sharing our hearts with him. Supplication is part of prayer. But it's specific requests to God.

Paul says in everything, be praying. Just be praying always, everything. General prayers, talking to God, sharing your heart with Him, looking to Him. But also in everything, be making specific requests to God. Make supplications. Ask God for specific needs. Your life is full of specific needs. You have needs that need to be met. You have situations that need to be taken care of. You have people that you want to be saved.

That you want God to touch and heal and change. You have things in you that you want God to help you with in your own heart. Specific things, specific needs, specific people. Pray specifically. That's supplication. Things that you would normally worry about, Paul says, pray about. If you're going to worry about something specific, then stop worrying and just pray about that specific thing.

It doesn't mean just kind of pray in general, but pray. Speak to God specifically about what's on your heart and what's happening in your life. Make specific requests to God. Don't worry about how you're going to pay the rent. Ask God about paying the rent and trust in him to provide. Don't worry about your job. Ask God about your job and let him worry about it. You just trust him. He'll take care of you. Don't worry about your family.

Ask God specifically about your family, your concerns in your heart and trust him and look to him and watch him work in everything with prayer and everything with supplication and in everything with thanksgiving, which simply means a giving of thanks. Now, thanksgiving is vital in helping us not to worry. Thinking God is not something we do just because it's polite.

You know, your mom taught you when you're growing up, when someone gives you something or does something for you, you say thank you. And that's the polite thing to do. It's the right thing to do. And so that's why we're thanking God. No, not at all. We should do it because God deserves it. But you know, giving of thanks is really good for us. It's important for us more than it is for God. When I give thanks to the Lord, I am reminded of what he has done.

Of the things he's already taken care of. And so it helps me now to trust him with my current situation. When I give thanks to God, I remember the miracles that he's provided in the past because I'm thanking him for what he has done. And it helps me to walk with him in faith, to not worry, but to trust in him. So Paul says, don't be anxious for anything and pray about everything specifically, generally with thanksgiving.

And he says, let your requests be made known to God. Let your requests be made known to God. Now, this brings up a question. It's a very common question. Why should I pray for the things that God already knows I'm going to pray? Right. We just read that in Matthew 6. God already knows I'm going to need him. So why should I pray about them? He says, let your requests be made known to God.

Does that mean God doesn't know them? Of course not. We know that he does. So why pray about them? And here's something you always need to remember. God's commands are for your benefit, not his. All of his commands that he's given to us are for your benefit, not his. They're for your good. They're what's best for you. Not because he needs to accomplish something or he wants something fulfilled in himself.

He gives us commands because he loves us and he wants what's best for us. And it's what's good for us. We don't pray to inform God. He knows. He knows all things. Yet we're called to make our requests known to God. Why? Because it's good for us. We need to give God our requests and our prayers. We need to make prayers to him.

We need to give him thanksgiving, not because he needs it, but because it's good for us. You see, prayer is an act of faith. It takes faith to believe that when I pray, that there is a God who hears the prayers, whether they be out loud or in my head. It takes faith for me to believe that when I pray, there is a God who hears those prayers, that cares for me, that wants me,

to bless me and help me that's looking for ways to pour out blessings and grace and mercy in my life. It takes faith to pray. It's an act of faith to pray. Hebrews chapter 11, verse 6. The author of Hebrews says, But without faith it is impossible to please him. Talking about God. For he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Prayer is an act of faith.

Where we come to God, first of all, believing that he is and also believing that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. It's a step of faith to pray and to make my request known before God. By doing so, by praying, we are exercising our faith, saying, I believe that there is a God. I believe that he hears my prayer. I believe that he cares for me. I believe that he rewards those who diligently seek him.

We make our requests known to God, not because he does not know them, but because we need to exercise faith and tell him. Because without faith, it's impossible to please God. Prayer helps us grow in faith and trust in the Lord. And so ask, pray, make requests of God. You know, in James chapter 4, verses 2 and 3 says,

James says, you lust and do not have, you murder and covet and cannot obtain, you fight in war, yet you do not have because you do not ask. In verse 3, he goes on to say, you ask and do not receive because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasures. We do need to have the right heart. But notice that he says, you ask and you do not have because, I'm sorry, you do not have because you do not ask. You have not because you ask not.

You need to talk to God. You need to share your heart with Him. You need to make requests known to Him. Not because He needs to know, because you need to tell Him. Because it's faith. It's believing in Him. It's looking to Him. Oh, God loves for us to look to Him and trust in Him and rely upon Him. We need to do that. So make your requests known to God. Tell Him what's on your heart. Instead of worrying about it, pray about it. The result...

Verse seven of chapter four, if you will do that, if you will not worry, but instead pray, he says, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. If you trust God and pray instead of worry, God will give you peace, even when it doesn't make sense for you to have peace. Even when everybody around you is saying you shouldn't be so calm, you need to be stressed out, you need to be worried.

Even if it's peace that passes understanding, God gives it to you as you stop worrying and start praying, trusting in him, believing that he is and that he's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. He says that the peace of God will guard your hearts, your emotions, your feelings, all the internal workings within and how dangerous worry is to our hearts.

It will guard your hearts, but also, he says, it will guard your minds, your thoughts, your thinking, the way that you're looking at the situation, your perspective. The peace of God is going to guard you and keep you from the destructive patterns of worrying, anxiety, stress. Stop worrying. Trust in God. Be praying, Paul tells us. So, be united. Be joyful.

Be gentle. Be praying. Verse 8, we find the fifth command. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. The fifth command, be meditating.

Be meditating. Now, in commanding us to meditate, he's not telling us to put our hands like this. It's not Eastern meditation or anything like that. Meditation simply means to set your mind on something over and over again. To keep setting your mind on it. To keep setting your mind on it. To keep setting your mind on it. A good illustration that's been used throughout the years is a cow. The way that it chews and eats its food.

It chews it for a while, swallows, then it brings it back up, chews the cud. Chews it for a while again, and swallows it. Brings it back up, chews it for a while, brings it back. Kind of like the fish tacos, right? No, I'm just kidding. Just kidding. In the same way, Paul tells us to meditate. Set your mind on these things, and by general course of nature, your mind will meditate.

Begin to wander and begin to go on other things. And then come back and set your mind on those things again. And then come back and set your mind on those things again. And come back and set your mind on those things again. Meditate on these things. Keep your mind set on these things. Chew on them. Think about them over and over and over again. What things? Well, Paul says whatever things.

He's not saying only think about this structure and you can only have this mindset. No, whatever you want to think about, you can think about meeting this criteria. Whatever things are true, which is the truth. The things that are the truth. Don't worry about the conspiracies or the false things or anything you might have heard. Only be concerned with, only think about the truth. The things that are noble. This is a good word, noble.

This means to think about the things that lead you into worship. Think about the things that lead you to a time of adoration of God. The things that are just. These are the things that are right or acceptable to God. The things that are pure. The things that are undefiled or unpolluted. The things that are lovely, which are pleasing or acceptable. The things that are of good report, which are well spoken of. The things that are of virtue. The things that are of good report.

which is excellence in pleasing to God and the things that are praiseworthy. These are the things that we're to think about. The things that meet these criteria, the things that go through this filter, we're to set our minds on. Paul says, use this. Whenever you begin to think about something, run down this list. Is it true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good report, virtue and praiseworthy?

Then I can think about it. Then I can set my mind on it. But if not, I need to discard it and set my mind and meditate on the things that are true, that are noble and just and pure and lovely, that are of good report, that are virtue and praiseworthy. If it meets this criteria, I'll set my mind on it. Now, if you need some help finding things that meet this criteria, you won't find much of it.

The things of the world and this life and Oprah Winfrey and all the TV shows and talk shows and things that we consume our lives with, much of that, most of that will not meet this criteria. So if you need some help, try this. Think about Jesus. Think about God. Think about the Holy Spirit. Think about the Word of God. Think about the things that are beneficial to you that really matter for eternity. One way to meditate, to help meditate on a verse is

which someone encouraged me. I don't remember who it was, but if you want to meditate on a verse, I challenge you to do this. Take a scripture. John 3, 16 is a good example and repeat it to yourself over and over again. And for a while, just emphasize a particular word. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. For God so loved the world

And repeat that to yourself. And think about the fact that it's God who so loved the world. That it wasn't someone else, but it was God who so loved the world. That is His characteristic. That's His nature. It was His idea. He so loved the world. And then after a while, emphasize a different word. For God so loved the world. Love is the chief characteristic. It's His love that motivated Him. It's His love, and you get the point,

Meditate on these things. Spend time in the word of God. Spend time thinking about God. Set your mind on God over and over again. And as it wanders throughout the day, go back and set your mind on God and bring up those scriptures and emphasize those words and find out and explore how wonderful God is. We've looked at five commands so far this morning. There's one yet to come.

Number one, be united. Number two, be joyful. Number three, be gentle. Number four, be praying. Number five, be meditating. And number six, we find in our last verse, verse nine, Paul says, these things which he learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do and the God of peace will be with you. The last command that Paul gives us, number six this morning, be doing, be doing, be

Being a Christian is not just about rejoicing. It's not just about praying, not just about thinking, but it is also about doing, living it out, putting it into practice in our lives. Jesus stressed that to his followers. We see that throughout the Bible. We must live out our faith in Jesus Christ. It cannot be in our mind or heart only, but it must be in the way that we live.

So he says, be doing. What is it that we're to be doing? What are we to do? He gives us four things. Number one, be doing the things that you learned. What are the things that you learned? It speaks of growth in knowledge by personal experience. The things that you've discovered about God and about the Christian walk, the knowledge that you have gained in the areas that you have grown. Paul says, be doing what you have learned.

Put it into practice. You've learned those things. You've experienced those things. So live it out. Put it into practice. Sometimes we learn those things by mistake, right? We learn by process of elimination. Well, that's not the right way. Well, that's not the right way. That's for sure not the right way. And you've learned by experience the things, what Christianity, what relationship with God is all about. Paul says be doing those things. Don't be wandering off from the path, but keep doing the things that you've learned.

The second area, he says, the things that you received, you're to be doing. What are the things received? These are the things that have been transmitted to you. Perhaps that God has spoken to your heart. The things that he has taught you through his word, through someone teaching or sharing with you. It's the things that you have accepted and believed when they were presented to you, whether it be God or someone else. But you received them.

You heard it. You believed it. You received it. You accepted it. Paul says, be doing those things. Don't just accept it here, but live it out. Let it change your life. Let it impact you, whatever it may be. Number three, he says, be doing the things you heard. Be doing the things you heard. Now, these are the things that you've been taught. You haven't necessarily found it out for yourself yet.

It's not knowledge by personal experience. You haven't understood this or figured this out on your own. You haven't experienced this for yourself. And maybe you haven't even accepted or believed it yet. But you've heard it. Paul taught it. The Bible has spoken it. So do it. You don't have to understand to obey. You don't even have to believe or receive to obey. But if you've heard it, do it.

As God's word is being shared, apply it. Whether you like it or not, believe it or not, receive it or not, accept it or not, do it. Paul says, the things that you've heard, the things that I shared with you, you need to put them into practice. You need to live them out. And fourthly, be doing the things that you saw in me. Paul always used himself as an example for us as believers. He lived what he taught so he could encourage the people to follow his example.

The same way God has given you the Apostle Paul. He's given you the men of the Bible that we see. He's given you people in your life. Godly examples that he's set before you so that you can model after them and learn to live like them, following their godly example. Be doing what you have seen in the godly examples that he has given to us. Live it out. Practice it. Walk in it. The things you've learned, the things you've received, the things you've heard,

The things that you've seen. These six commands. Be united. Be joyful. Be gentle. Be praying. Be meditating. Be doing. We've heard from Paul. We've seen what the scripture says. Now we need to do it. We need to put it in practice. We need to live it out. We cannot do it on our own strength, however. It's interesting that many of these relate to the fruit of the Spirit.

Mentioned in Galatians chapter 5 verses 22 and 23. And so if there's one of these areas, maybe a few of these areas that we need to work on in our lives, we need to look not to our own strength or our own determination, but we need to ask God for his spirit to enable us to live the life that he's called us to live. Let's take these things to heart. Let's live them out. Six commands that will help us walk with God and be the people he's called us to be.

The worship team is going to come up now and close us in a song. Let's encourage you to spend time with the Lord. Let Him speak to your heart. After the song, there'll be people up here who would love to pray with you and encourage you. Maybe if there's an area in one of these things that God has been speaking to you and you need prayer. Maybe if it's a different area, an area of healing. Maybe this morning you need to begin a relationship with God. Maybe you need to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and receive forgiveness for your sins.

God is calling you this morning. He's inviting you to be right with God, to find the abundant joy, forgiveness that he offers. And so I want to encourage you. Let's worship the Lord together. Let's get prayer if we need it. And let's leave this place walking in obedience to what Paul has shared with our hearts this morning. Let's worship him.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.