NO NEED TO WORRY -- PHIL. 4:1-9
I. Introduction
A. If anyone had an excuse for worrying it was Paul
1. He was in jail under the threat of death
2. His best Christian friends at Philippi were at odds with each other which could rupture the harmony of the church and make ineffective its usefulness
3. Paul had an excuse for worrying but did not allow himself to waste his energies
II The Principals Considered
A. At the spat of this dissection were women of distinction
1. These same women had helped Paul in the founding of this church
a. They who had helped were now
b. In this case their hindering could be greater than their helping
2. Dissection while a mark of carnal contention is not necessarily an evidence of Christianity's
failure.
a. It has been noted that Christianity must be of divine origin for it lives in spite of its adherents.
b. There is a resilience in the gospel that makes it outlive the defects of its proponents.
III. The Solution presented
A. Be of the Same Mind in the Lord
1. This does not mean thinking alike on every issue
a. It means that we relate back to the mind that actuated the activities of our Lord (Phil. 2:1-5)
b. Jesus had a submissive mind the willingness to surrender legitimate rights for the benefits of others
B. Rejoice in the Lord
1. I am sure that the entire church was disrupted by the disagreement among these two women
a. In all probability others in the church had taken sides because they felt one or the other was in right.
b. It would be difficult to rejoice when the church was in such a traumatic situation
c. However the command is plain - rejoice - rejoice
2. The possession of the Lord as an abiding presence overrules every other factor in life.
IV. The Corrective to Worry (5-7)
A. What is it to worry? What do we mean?
1. The word transacted anxious means - to be pulled apart in different directions
a. That is exactly what worry does to person - it literally tears us apart.
b. The Old English word for worry means "to strangle"
c. If you have ever worried you know that it does strangle you
d. In fact worry has definite physical consequence - headaches, ulcers, back pain, who knows what else.
2. If we are to conquer worry and experience the peace of God we must meet certain conditions
a. Conquering worry takes more than good intention more than the simple rebuke "quit worrying"
b. God gives us the infallible method by which it is done. It is done by experience grace.
B. Peace is Related to Human Relationships (4:5)
1. It is identified here as "moderation"
a. The word in the original has a number of related meaning; pliability, agreeableness, reasonableness
b. It is the attitude of life that is gracious even when injured. It does not desire revenge
c. This spirit is ready to forgive and posses a gentleness of temper. It is the willingness to yield certain positions without yielding convictions. We can yield certain points without yielding principles
d. Euodia and Syntche needed this spirit of yieldness
C. Peace is Related to Prayer (6)
1. The combined result of pliability and prayer is peace
2. What kind of Prayer produces peace?
a. The prayer that relates every issue and detail to God "In Everything by Prayer"
b. Prayer is one thing supplication is an intensified form of prayer. It is a petitioning of God with specific needs but is done in fervent manner
c. The prayer that brings peace is interwoven and concludes with thanksgiving
d. Thanksgiving is a form of praise that indicate the supplicants surrender to the will of God
e. It is the opposite of anxiety and worry
3. Remember faith does not flourish in an attitude of gloom and pessimism. Worry cannot thrive in an atmosphere of prayer and peace
D. Note the Result
I. An attitude of yielding and a life of prayer results in peace.
a. This peace is not the result of choice or chance
b. It is as definitely related to spiritual laws as the health of the body is related to physical laws.
E. Note the Characteristics of This Peace
1. It is the Peace of God
a. It does not spring from the mind. It does not come from events outside us.
b. Its source is God Himself.
c. The peace of God so tranquilizes the personality that it becomes stabilized in the posture of contentment
"The celebrated Austrian composer, Haydn was in company with other distinguished persons.
The conversation turned on the best means of restoring their mental energies, when exhausted with
long and difficult studies. One said he had recourse, in such a case, to a bottle of wine-another that
he went into company. Haydn, being asked what he would do, , said that he retired to his closet and engaged in prayer
that nothing exerted on his mind more happy and efficacious influence than prayer."
2. It is a Peace that Passeth understanding
a. It is so satisfying in its psychological effect that it exceeds the power of human thought to understand
b. One does not need to analyze peace in order to enjoy it
c. God's Peace may be beyond the reach of the human mind but it is within the reach of Christian experience
3. It is the Peace that Keeps
a. This peace of God will keep or guard your hear
b. Word keep means to mount guard or stand sentry
c. This peace patrols the gates of the mind and the outposts of the heart.
d. With this peace there is no need or room for worry.