For our sermon text this morning, I invite you to turn to Philippians chapter 4. We'll read verses 2 through 9, but our focus will ultimately be on verses 5 through 7. I would hope it could include verse 8 and 9, but I do want to be realistic here. So with that, let's listen to God's word. It's found on page 1,351, 1,351 of the Bibles provided there in your rows. Listen now to God's holy word. The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, writes, I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 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. Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men, the Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known to God, and the God of peace, or the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 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's any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. As far the reading of God's holy word, remember the grass withers and the flower falls, but God's word abides forever. Amen. How many of you are familiar with a man by the name of Polycarp? And when you hear the name Polycarp, it actually means mini fish. And yet this man stands out well beyond his name. Polycarp was an early Christian. He lived in the first century or so. He was only a second, third generation removed from the apostles. And in terms of this man, he identified himself as a Christian. And what we know of Polycarp is that when he was 86 years old, he was martyred for his faith. 86. I don't think anyone in this room is older than that. I may be wrong. But yet this individual ultimately then was confronted by the rulers of the day, An army was gathered in order to come and apprehend him. And as they came to the room of his house, where he could have easily escaped, he instead said, God's will be done. And when they heard that, or when Polycarp heard that these individuals had come in order to take him in for being a Christian, he asked if before he went he could have time for prayer. They agreed and as he stood and prayed, he didn't take one hour, he took two. And those who were coming to arrest him were so moved and so confronted by the testimony of this man, they began to regret their action, but nonetheless, it didn't stop them. They followed through. And so Polycarp was then taken. And the testimony is, is that as he was being carried in, he heard a voice from heaven that said, be strong, Polycarp, and play the man. And yet no one could see anyone who spoke this to him. The crowd heard that this individual had been gathered. They wanted to respect him for his age. After all, he's 86 years old. And so they said, hey, if you would just recant your faith, repent of what you believe, pledge your allegiance to Caesar, you can be free and consequently we'll release you. In other words, reproach Christ and I'll set you free. Polycarp said this, 80 and six years have I served him, that being Christ, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme now my king and savior? So they threatened him with animals and yet, Polycarp said, it's unthinkable for me to repent from what is good to turn to what is evil. I will be glad though to be charged or changed from evil to righteousness. And so they said, well, if the animals don't scare you, how about fire? Our friend Polycarp responds, you threaten me with fire which burns for an hour and then is extinguished, but you know nothing of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment reserved for the ungodly. Why are you waiting? Bring on whatever you want. The guy is 86 and he says, let's go. So they prepare the fire and they believe that they need to take steps in order to ensure that he would remain in the fire. And so they would want to then tie ropes around him and nail his hands to the post so that he would stay there. And he says, leave me as I am for he that gives me strength to endure the fire will enable me not to struggle without the help of your nails. So they simply bound him with his hands behind him like a distinguished ram chosen from a great flock for sacrifice. And he then began to pray. And as he concluded with prayer, the fires were lit. And the amazing thing that was witnessed regarding his death is that the fire shaped itself into the form of an arch like the sail of a ship when it's filled with the wind and formed a circle all around the body of the martyr. And inside it, he did not look like flesh that was burnt, but like bread that is baked, or gold and silver glowing in a furnace. And as he then proceeded to his death, the scent that came, was not disgusting, but rather like frankincense or some such precious spice. How could a man, 86 years old, be willing to take a stance like that, embrace his death, approach it, not with anxiety or with worry or somehow figuring out how in the world do I rid myself of these who are coming to arrest me or somehow be willing to say, you know what, I'll let go of the things that I believe because it just ain't worth it for right now and God will somehow forgive me. How is it that he's able to do that? Because he ultimately could testify to the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, that keeps his heart and mind on Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul in our text this morning is continuing to reiterate to us that idea of peace. We began looking at this passage last week, noting the joy of the peace of God, and we saw how this peace is reflected in harmony in our relationships with one another. And it also then is reflected in the ability to have a sense of poise or assurance of his presence, causing us then to take joy in the Lord always and to do so once again. We saw last week how Paul really directs our attention to note that although there can be conflicts present within the church, that these can sometimes be serious and other times be insignificant, yet there must be the steps of reconciliation taken by individuals within the church, whether those individuals are at the heart of the matter or they are just simply those who observe the things that are happening. We must be involved and pursue harmony because if the God of peace is at work in our lives, it will be evident in our lives because the peace of God governs relationships. And so it consequently then calms agitation, subdues passions, and so preserves the mind. But we also then saw how it does bring about poise. That God's peace so orients the Christians so that they recognize that underneath it all, they are sustained by the everlasting arms of God, that He is at work by His sovereign will in all circumstances, and therefore, contentment and peace can be present no matter the circumstance, and the consequence can then be reflected in the presence and assurance of joy. But Paul goes on to note that there must then also be further evidences, or we also see how God's peace is truly on display in our lives. And as it is displayed, it is proved, but it goes on then to protect us. And it truly is present. You know, it's important for us to hear this in God's providence. We are in a circumstance in our lives right now where we see that the things that we thought were being settled are starting to flare up again. We see it as it relates to our immediate world regarding our health. and how there are questions and there's a sense of doubt or discouragement because you hear the numbers and we know that there are not just simply friends of friends, but there are own friends and even our own family members that are now dealing with coronavirus. We look at our government and we see how where there was relative peace, air quotes, Now that seems to be undone with the passing of a justice. We see continued upheaval in society by means of riots. We see things happening all over the world and we're just simply sitting here and going, how in the world can there be peace in my life when all of these other things are happening? Paul says there is peace. And it is even that which can be seen in you. And Paul also assures us that this peace will provide us with the protection that we need. So even as you walk into this room and even as you sit down here this morning and even as your mind goes to everything that's happening around you and even as you feel that there are things that are crazy and chaotic and out of control, God through his word this morning and through this message today is causing you to come front and center with the fact that it doesn't have to be that way in relation to your life. Much in the same way that in Polycarp's life, crazy, it changed, it all turned upside down, and yet he embraced every moment with peace. God's peace will be evident in the lives of his children. Notice what he says in verse five. Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. What's Paul ultimately telling us here? It's this. God ultimately shows that he's at work in your life. Someone who would say, God's at work in my life, but can't show any evidence or sign of his being at work in his life, then has to ask the question, is he really at work in my life? And one of the ways in which that's evidenced is by the means or by the presence of peace. Not peace in terms of circumstances. Not peace in terms of your life is going to be full of ease. Not peace in the sense that you'll have no hardships and that you'll have no difficulties and everything will just go your way. But it'll be this. the presence of the display of His fruit in your life. It's noted in this word gentleness. What does that mean? Some synonyms would be the idea of forbearance, kindness, yielding. Scripture elsewhere describes this as being one who is not contentious. It contrasts this in the book of Ephesians and Colossians and in 1 Peter with the idea of harshness. And Paul here is ultimately noting that the display of the peace of God in the life of the believer is seen in the fact that that individual is not defensive but is willing instead to yield their wants, their comforts, even their own desires for the benefit and good of another. In other words, they're not quick to demand their own way, or they're not quick to assert their rights, or they're not even one who you would interact with and say, boy, they are prickly. They're instead one who shows. That as God is one who manifests peace, as God is one who has shown through Jesus Christ that one's personal rights can be let go of for the good and benefit of another, the believer also is able to manifest this in their daily interactions. You see, the peace of God has something that is tangible as it is reflected in the lives of His people. on a regular day in and day out basis. It's not something that is just pie in the sky. It's not something that is just ethereal. It's not something that just seems like it's, well, it's a wonderful concept, and people who live in ivory towers and who have lofty thoughts, well, they're the ones who can talk about peace of God, but it doesn't just seem very real, it's not tangible, and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of evidence to it. Paul says, no. The peace of God is there. It's real. It's seen in how it seeks to be harmonious with his people. It displays such an assurance that it's able to embrace all circumstances with joy. But it's also then proven Can you speak to the peace of God present in your life? Some of you may really have doubts or questions about that. What does Jesus note? That as He works in you by His Spirit, one of the things that will be evident is gentleness. The peace of God speaks of his peace that has been unfolded in your life through Christ as you can speak of seeing it present, as you can speak of being one who is a recipient of that gentleness of God through Jesus Christ. As you look to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and see his way and his path and the display of his love. You then testify of that way that you follow. As you note the work of the Spirit affecting the way in which you think, in which you speak, and even what you desire, you speak to the display of the peace of God at work in your life. But even as you hear this, this may be revolutionary to you. This may be something that is foreign to you. It may be something that you would say, how in the world can I embrace that? After all, if I put my guard down or if I'm willing to be gentle with others or not assert my rights or my desires, I'm gonna be run over. I'm going to be hurt. Where's my sense of protection? Notice what Paul says. The Lord is at hand. This really speaks to the protection of God's peace. How so? In two ways. Firstly, it speaks to His protection as Christ is present in your life by His Spirit. He's there. He's real. He is what? An ever-present help in time of need. He also is one who assures you that He doesn't forget you or doesn't neglect you. He's always working His will in your life. And therefore, you're assured of this protection. But this protection is also manifest a second way. Christ is at hand in the fact that he tells us that as we are living in the last days, there's any point in time which the Lord may return. We're always called to be ready for we know not when the day or the hour will be, that Jesus will come back, that he will gather us to himself and then he will right all wrongs by standing as judge over the nations, that he will interact with every single person who's ever lived in this world, and as a true judge, as a holy judge, and as a perfect judge, he will make all things right. So even if you have to give a little, even if you have to let go of certain things that are your rights and are proper expectations, Jesus says, allow his peace to be at work in you, and he'll take care of it in his time. This helps us then to see that we do not need to assert our wants or our rights, but can be assured that Christ has us and that he'll take care of us. Paul also notes a third protection, and it's found in our verses here in verse six and seven. It's this protection of peace which passes all understanding that will guard our hearts and our minds through Christ Jesus. Paul ultimately notes to us the thing that goes against our peace is mentioned at the outset. Anxiety. We all know what that is, don't we? Worry. Parents, you worry as it pertains to your kids, their health, their well-being, their safety, the decisions that they're making, who they're spending time with. Adults, you struggle with the worries of money. Do you have enough to pay the bills? Did you save enough or invest enough so that as you live on your retirement, it will be there for you? As you work in your job, will you be able to make it to payday? Youth, you struggle and are concerned with the issues of self-image and whether or not you'll fit in and how do you deal with peer pressure and how do I deal with the relationship right now with my parents? Worry is a real thing. It's so real that Jesus actually spent time in the Sermon on the Mount to address it. In fact, it was the subject that he spent the most amount of time on in the Sermon on the Mount with the exception of one thing, prayer. Isn't it fascinating that as Jesus addresses us in Matthew 5 through 7, he does mention murder and divorce and reconciliation and love and giving and the sin of adultery and the issue of money, but the two things he mentions the most are worry and prayer. Why? Because worry and prayer contradict each other. How so? Worry is ultimately unbelief. Prayer is the ultimate expression of thanksgiving and trust in God. Worry is ultimately the expression of our control, of the exercise of our wants and our desires. Prayer is ultimately the letting go of those very things and giving it to God himself. Worry embraces all sorts of things as it pertains to discouragement and depression. It causes us to be distracted and to simply waste energy. Prayer leads us to just the opposite, to be encouraged, to be in strengthened, to not despair or to give up, but instead to be renewed and invigorated by taking everything to God in prayer. Worry causes us to be focused on ourselves in the here and now and causes us to lose sight of God's promises and God's care and God's love for us. Prayer causes us to take attention away from ourselves and put it Godward to realize His kingdom come, His will be done, to be reassured that He loves us more than anything in this world, that He cares for us and that He will fulfill His promises for us. Worry tells us, has God really said that He's got you? Worry tells us, has God really spoken or is God really true? Prayer notes, there's no doubt or lacking of the wisdom of God or the love of God or the power of God. For His care is sufficient. His power is great. His plan is in accordance. with his wisdom. Prayer overcomes worry by causing us to know that God truly does know what's happening in our lives and that we are valuable to him and that he's willing to provide all that we need. And so what is Peter, or what does Paul then tell us to do? Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your request be made known to God. A few things to note. First, this is written in such a way that it tells us stop being anxious, which means we're already doing it. Number two, it also tells us that in terms of this concept of worry, it ought to be present in no thing. There is nothing that we should worry about. In fact, it's fascinating as it pertains to worry. There was a study that was done by some medical doctor, and he ultimately said that 92% of the things that we worry about aren't even really relevant. 92%. 40% of the things that we worry about never happen. Will that guy call you? Never happens. 30% are about concerns from the past. Oh, this happened 20 years ago on this particular day at this particular time, and it's affected me for the rest of my life. 12% are needless worries about health. And 10% are just simply worries over silly things. Think about that for a moment. There's no point in worry because it is useless. But notice what Paul says, in everything, everything means everything. There isn't anything that everything doesn't cover. Are you hearing that? Everything from the smallest to the greatest, from the insignificant to the greatest significance. And everything in between. Notice what Jesus says in Matthew chapter six. He says you don't need to take thought of what you will eat or what you will drink or what you will wear. You don't need to be concerned about things that will erode away and fade away and have no significance. Why? Because your heavenly father knows that you need of these things. And so what do the scriptures tell us? The psalmist tells us, cast your burden on the Lord. Take those things that trouble you. Bring those things that weigh down on your soul before Him. And you know what? He'll sustain you through it. He will be an ever-present help in time of need. He will hear and answer in accordance with His will. Peter says, put all your cares before Him. Why? Because He cares. for you. You might think to yourself, really about everything? Yeah, Paul answers that too when he further says, prayer, supplication, thanksgiving, requests. That covers it all. Prayer is just simply the idea of communicating with God. So he says, as you communicate with God, prayer, you do so as it pertains to personal needs and personal problems. You do so in relation to how God has worked in the past and you express then your gratitude or thankfulness to him for all those actions. And then furthermore, your request, your particular petitions. Not some vague or general thing, you know, general statement, God bless us all, or God bless everyone, but what's happening in Jim's life, in John's life, and in Mary's life, and in Sarah's life, and what's happening in all the people that we know. This covers everything. Why do we need to pray about everything? Who are you? Well, as it pertains to just who we are, we're weak. There's all sorts of things that happen in life and happen in this world that we can't do anything about. And if someone asked us to do something about it, we would go, I can't, we're weak. Not because that's wrong, it's just simply who we are. We're finite, we're limited as it pertains to our abilities, our thinking, our understanding, our opportunity. But who's God? God's infinite. God's able. God's strong. Who else would you go to? We struggle to pray. Prayer is one of those things that if you would ask any believer, what do you find your weakest thing to be in your Christian walk or Christian life, prayer would be probably at the top. It's a struggle that many of us, in fact all of us, have. But if you wouldn't address God in terms of what He can do, who would you go to? Your girlfriend? Your best bud? Your mom? Your dad? Your boss? The President of the United States? Some other world power or leader? even if you began to unfold the various things that were before you, and that individual was able to say, done. You have this financial need, sure, I'll take care of it. You have this problem with your neighbor, I'll go beat him up and it'll be done. You have these concerns in relation to your house, sure, I'll take care of all those things. We'll fix the roof, we'll fix the walls, we'll take care of everything that's there. You're dealing with issues in terms of your kid, I'll straighten them out, we'll bring in Dr. Phil, we'll bring in these other individuals and we'll write it within enough time. But what? Why is that individual acting for you? Why are they working on your behalf? Are they doing so because they truly love you? And furthermore, are they acting in such a way in order to answer and resolve all those things so that it would be for, for your best interest? So that it would ultimately be for the glory of God's name and at the outworking at the end of your life. And in fact, at the end of history, all would be able to look back and go, it is amazing that God works in this manner in your life through these particular hardships. They can't do that. And you can't either. By worrying, all you're involved and engaged with is mental and emotional energy that doesn't do anything. Worry is like a rocking chair. You're moving, but you ain't going anywhere. When you worry, you're moving. You're panicked, you're fretting, you're stirring things up, you're concerned, you're crying out. But is anything happening? No. But what does the scripture tell us? Make this known to God and God's peace will protect you. This protection amazing. It's not the protection of someone who is able to do just a little more than you. It's not the protection that can do something most of the time, but every once in a while there's some weakness or there's some susceptibility that is present and as a result it breaks in. It watches over us. It surrounds us. It is so strong and so capable that there is no weapon that's formed against us that will prosper. It's such that even the strongest army in the world cannot penetrate. It's a protection that even if you took all the nuclear weapons in the world at this point and fired it all at once, it would not be able to overcome the power of God that protects you through His peace. And it's a protection that exactly fitted to you. Your protection is not the same as my protection. But it's the same God who protects all. Your weakness isn't the same as mine. Your strength isn't the same as mine. But our God is the same. And this is for the entirety of your being. All in relation to you, God will do this. And as He does so, you can't explain it. No one can look at it and say, I've got it, Eureka! No one can look at it and go, it's time to write a book. We can make sure that everyone understands this, we can market this, and we can sell this, and consequently, people just take these easy steps as they make these easy payments, and consequently, they receive the peace of God. We can't necessarily discuss or express how is it that the peace of God comes upon us when things are crazy and when things are in turmoil and when things are all 20-20. But nonetheless, it's there. Remember polycarp. threatened, accosted, and what does he say? Can I have some time to pray? Yes. Stands before an entire crowd of people calling upon him to say, just recant, just let go, just deny God, and consequently, we'll let you go, and you can have a few more years of your life. And in that minute, he had strength, but he also had peace to say no. Can anyone explain that? No, but God assures us that it's there. Peace to the point that as they then threatened him with animals, he said, take your best shot. As they then said, we'll put you in the fire, he said, you don't need to secure me, I'm right here. And God expressed that peace in his life so that even in the midst of his death, he showed kindness in the preservation of his body. God assures you of that peace as well. How so? Because you've been a recipient of his peace through Jesus Christ. You've had the peace with God that states all is well with him. That notes that the issue of sin and the discord that separated you from that holy God has been overcome. And now in turn, you can be the recipient of the presence, strength, favor, love, assurance, peace of God. Did not your Savior even reflect this in his own life? As he had the angry mob that showed up in Gethsemane, he asked, who is it that you want? They call on his name, he says, I am he. As they mocked Him, as they spit on Him, as they tortured Him, as they led Him to a cross, even as a lamb before its shearer was dumb, so He opened not His mouth. Why? Because the peace of God sustained Him to embrace the greatest task that was ever set before any single person in this world. The satisfaction of the justice of God, so that peace could be had for all who trust in Him. Because the greatest worry that ever exists, which is the worry of our standing before God, has been overcome in Christ, then all other worries which do not compare are overcome by the peace of God. And yet if you do not know of that greatest worry being resolved, you being right with God, you can't have this freedom of peace in the day to day. Jesus assures us that his father is in control, that he provides all things necessary for this life and the next, and that he is faithful to do so. And because of that faithfulness, we are protected, we are strengthened, we may go forth with great assurance and great power. May God help us to do so as the recipients of his peace, embraced by his love, so that we may be assured and strengthened. of the steps that we may take from the day to day, knowing that as we cast our cares before him, he hears, he answers, he responds in love, and he guards us through Christ our Lord. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, strengthen us with the joy that we have through Christ. And in this joy, may we be able to testify of your peace. Being at peace with you, we're at peace with one another. Being at peace with you, we're at peace with our circumstances. Being at peace with you, we're protected from all doubts, all discouragements, and all fears. Witness this sweet promise to us. Testify of this glorious promise to us. Strengthen us in this great promise. and cause us to walk in faithfulness before you, resting in you, strengthening our faith even as we pray, saying, our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive our debtors. and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.