“No Long Faces Allowed!”
Philippians 4:4-9
October 10, 1999
Introduction
Can you pick a Christian out of a crowd of people? Maybe not, unless the crowd in doing something clearly wicked and there is one person who is not participating, which might suggest that they are a Christian. But hopefully, if we get to know someone personally we should be able to tell.
Between college and seminary I worked for a pipe-fitting company that had contracts at Miles, now owned by Bayer, here in Elkhart. Most of the men that I worked with were the fairly stereotypical construction workers; gruff, foul-mouthed, etc. But the first day I met Alex on the job, I knew he was different. Without even talking to him alone, I could tell he was a Christian. I could tell because of the things he did or did not say around the lunch table. I could tell from the way he treated other people and was concerned for their welfare, and how his main goal in life was not to keep his pride intact. It was not just that his mom and dad had taught Alex to be a nice boy, but there was something spiritual about his behavior. I knew he was a Christian even before I asked him.
My point this morning is that the Christian life is supposed to have certain markers. I will share with you this morning three such markers from Philippians 4.
I. It is to be marked by an unshakable joy (vs. 4).
To begin with, the Christian life is supposed to be marked by an unshakable joy. I say “unshakable”, because the kind of joy that is offered to the Christian does not depend upon outward circumstances in life. The kind of joy that God offers us is something that the problems of life cannot take away. That is why it is an unshakable joy that is to mark the Christian life.
Most of us have known Christians that at one time or other in our lives that had a lot of joy! Those persons who, no matter what they went through in life, seemed to retain a healthy joy that was clearly spiritual in nature. I think of Ruth Hadden, a little old lady I knew in our home church. She was elderly - in her eighties, lived alone, a widow. Her family did not visit her as they should have. Her health was poor, her eyes nearly blind. Each time I talked with her, I was amazed at her outlook. She was full of joy. No matter how alone she was, no matter, how bad her health was, she still had joy.
Where does this come from? How do I get it, you might be asking! What is the source? The key is right here in verse 4: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” The key is rejoice in the Lord. The Philippians were living in a day when Christians were being persecuted severely. They had apparently faced various trials and tribulations. And since they were normal human beings like us, they suffered in life just as we often do. Yet the Apostle Paul tells them to rejoice! Not because their lives were always so wonderful, but because of their relationship with God. Rejoice “in the Lord” - that is, rejoice because of your relationship with God.
His point is that no matter what goes on this life, no matter how rough it gets, you can still rejoice in the Lord! For the Lord has saved you! He has transferred you from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light! He is enriching and blessing and guiding your life since you became a Christian! And not only that, but you have the promise of being with him for all eternity after this life is over! And the promise of a resurrection on the day Jesus returns. And he is also closer than your own breath whenever you have to face adversity.
This is more than reason enough to rejoice! Nothing can come between you and your relationship with the Lord! No matter what happens in this life, the blessings that come from knowing God now and from having the hope of heaven are yours. And THAT is plenty reason to rejoice.
But note one more thing here about this mark of joy, rejoicing. Note that rejoicing is commanded. The word here in verse 4, “rejoice” is an imperative - that is, it is a command. Paul is telling the Philippians to rejoice. He is commanding them to rejoice. He is not saying it is merely a good idea to rejoice, nor is saying that they should rejoice just when they feel like it.
No – he commands them to rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS.
You see, we have so much to rejoice for even when life is not going how we would like it to go. We always have the Lord. And if we have the Lord, if we have salvation, if we have the hope of heaven, we have it all. Rejoice in the Lord always. We are commanded to rejoice because of all the benefits that come from knowing God, and we are commanded to rejoice always.
Unshakable joy is one marker of the Christian life.
II. It is to be marked by a supernatural peace (vs. 7).
I pass on now to the second marker of the Christian life: it is to be marked by a supernatural peace. Not some ordinary bland peace, but a supernatural one.
Verse 6 starts with another command: do not be anxious about anything. Do not - don’t do it.
Anxiety is not a good trait for a Christian to have. A worry-wort is not an attractive evangelist. If we Christians are wracked with worry and anxiety, our faith is not going to be real attractive! If non-Christians cannot see in us a real difference because of God, why should they be intrigued about our faith? If being a Christian does not help one deal with problems effectively, what good is it, some will think.
But what is the solution to anxiety in the Christian life? How do we obey this command to not worry, to not have anxiety? After the command to not be anxious about anything (not just some things but anything), Paul writes, “but in everything by prayer ans supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
The command is not to worry, but instead, in contrast, hand over our problems, our struggles, our needs, our hopes, our dreams, our family, our job, etc. to God. Hand over these problems and things that stir anxiety within us - hand them over to God in prayer.
Certainly God already knows everything. It not as though when we pray that God says, “O - thank you for informing me that you had a need. I didn’t know. I’ll get right on it.” No, he already knows, but in mystery of how God works, it appears that sometimes he waits to act until we pray. James 4:2 reminds us, “you do not have because you do not ask.”
And so Paul writes, make these needs you have known to God through prayer. And then in response to this handing over there is a blessed promise, the second marker of the Christian life: God will give peace.
Hand these things over in prayer to the Lord, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” What an awesome promise! Peace!
Note two things about this peace. First it is not just a little, tweeny-weeny bit of peace that is promised. Rather, it is a peace that “surpasses all understanding.” It is supernatural - it goes beyond being able to articulate it to others. It is a supernatural peace that penetrates the whole person, freeing them from anxiety and enabling one to rest in God. But also note that is a guarding peace. This peace of God that is offered will “guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” The image conveyed here is that of a strong soldier keeping watch, not letting one anxious thought in.
An illustration will drive this point home. Some of you have inquired as to why I am so positive about this church. I really am positive! I believe that God is working NOW to renew this church and that we will become a strong, healthy church again. This has come about because, by God’s grace, I have handed over my anxiety and frustration about ministry here to God. I have made known my needs to him through prayer. And I am telling you, God has given me a peace about it. This is peace is so strong that even though we have recently lost a few families that I was close to, it has not been shaken. I have definitely been upset, but that deep peace continues to remain within. It is from God. It is like a rock inside that cannot be moved. And this peace guards my heart and mind as we face some tough times. It goes beyond my understanding as Paul says.
This peace is offered to each of us if we will but make our needs known to him, and trust him with them. The second mark of the Christian life is supernatural peace.
III. It is to be marked by a holy mind-set (vs. 8).
I pass on to the third marker of the Christian life: a holy mind-set. The Christian life is marked by unshakable joy and supernatural peace, but also by a holy mind-set.
In verse 8 Paul writes, “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Another command - think about these kinds of things, not others. Not a suggestion, but a command to focus the mind on things that are good, pure, pleasing to God instead of focusing on things that are not.
You see, a Christian’s mind is supposed to be focused on good stuff, the stuff that pleases God. Why is this so important? Why is this emphasized at length here? It is important because our thinking affects what we do, how we live.
After the recent killings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado and after the previous high school shootings at Paduka, KY, and other places, there was so much talk about why these kids did what they did. Why did they kill? Why did they cross the line? Over and over again, different people on TV news programs, magazines, newspapers, etc. considered that maybe the violence and raunchy stuff on TV and movies contributed to their actions. Maybe watching countless hours of meaningless violence somehow influenced their actions by wearing down their sense of right and wrong and promoting the idea that violence solves problems.
James Dobson has noted that there is a common thread in the past of many rapists and murderers. When Dobson talked with serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, Dahmer noted that as a boy he had gotten into pornography. With one dirty magazine, he entered into the world of pornography and it changed him. He began to see people, especially women, not as human beings, but as objects to be used and abused. This was one factor that shaped him into a serial killer.
My point is this: what we focus our minds on shapes us. Molds us. And when our minds are shaped and molded by what we meditate on, that begins to affect how we live, what we do. So the Apostle at length here hammers his point home: think about these things! Good things! Holy things! Anything that is right and true and pure - focus on these! Focus on the good stuff - so that you will be shaped into what God wants you to be.
We of course do this through the Word of God, giving regular, focused attention to the Bible, opening our minds to its truths, wanting God to mold our thinking by his Word. We do this through holy talk with our brothers and sisters in Christ, building each other up. And we also do it by deliberately avoiding the sick garbage that the media offers us daily.
Church, we are commanded to have pure thoughts, to have minds focused on what pleases God. The Christian life is to be marked by a holy mind-set.
Conclusion
Friends, I entitled this sermon, “No Long Faces Allowed!” Life is rough quite often, but as Christians we have access to spiritual resources the world does not have. We can have a unshakable joy and supernatural peace that the world knows nothing of. We can have a holy mind-set that is focused on the things of God.
But these markers of the Christian life are commanded in this passage. A command to rejoice, a command to not be anxious but to have peace, a command to think about holy things. So the question is laid in front of us - will be obey and be marked by these traits?
