The monks at a remote monastery deep in the woods followed a rigid vow of silence. Their vow could only be broken once a year – on Christmas – by one monk. That monk could speak only one sentence. One Christmas, Brother Thomas had his turn to speak and said, “I love the delightful mashed potatoes we have every year with the Christmas roast!” Then he sat down. Silence ensued for 365 days.
The next Christmas, Brother Michael got his turn and said, “I think the mashed potatoes are lumpy, and I truly despise them!” Once again, silence ensued for 365 days.
The following Christmas, Brother Paul rose and said, “I am fed up with this constant bickering!” (Strive to Humor daily e-mail list, 12-19-01; www.PreachingToday.com)
Peace is hard to come by even in a monastery deep in the woods. So how can we hope to find any real peace in the real world, which is so full of trouble and turmoil? How can we hope to find that stillness of heart, that tranquility of soul, which leads to harmony in our relationships? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Philippians 4, Philippians 4, where the Bible tells us how to find real peace in the midst of trouble.
Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. (ESV)
In the context, don’t stand firm on your past achievements; don’t focus on your own accomplishments. Instead, focus on the Lord and so stand firm in Him.
You see, when we stand on our past achievements, it creates a lot of pressure to keep up the momentum to outdo yourself each time and to outdo others, as well. However, when you stand on the Lord, it frees you up to be who God made you to be and to pursue His unique high calling for you, no matter what anybody else says or does. So, if you want to find real peace, first of all, you have to…
STAND RIGHT.
You have to stand firm on Christ. You have to remain grounded in Him.
On May 7, 1915, the R.M.S Lusitania, a British ocean liner, was struck by a torpedo from a German submarine. The ship sank in a matter of minutes, killing 1198 of the 1959 passengers aboard. In her book, Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy, Diana Preston recorded the observations of one of the passengers, a bookseller, named Charles Lauriat:
As the ship was sinking and as Lauriat looked around to see who needed life jackets, he noticed that among the crowds now pouring on deck nearly everyone who passed by him that was wearing a life jacket had it on incorrectly. In his panic, one man had thrust one arm through an armhole and his head through the other. Others rushed past wearing them upside down. No one had read the “neat little signs” around the ship telling people how to put them on. Lauriat tried to help, but some thought he was trying to take their life jackets from them and fled in terror.
Preston continues: “Dead and drowning people were ‘dotting the sea like seagulls.’ Many bodies were floating upside down because people had put their life jackets on the wrong way up… so that their heads were pushed under the water.” (Diana Preston, Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy, Berkley Trade, 2002, pp. 206, 246; www.PreachingToday.com)
That describes some people I know. Instead of letting the Lord help them in their trouble, they flee from Him in terror, trying to save themselves; and then they wonder why they’re drowning.
No! Real peace comes when you depend on the Lord, when you stand firm in Him, not yourself. First, you have to stand right. Then 2nd, you have to…
BE RIGHT.
That is, you have to be right with each other. You have to live in harmony with your brothers and sisters in Christ. You have to agree with each other if you want to find peace.
Philippians 4:2-3 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. (ESV)
Euodia and Syntyche (sometimes called “Odious” and “Too-soon-touchy”) were two sisters in the church who couldn’t get along. And Paul urges them to “agree in the Lord”, literally, to think the same, to be of one mind, to focus on the same goal.
You see, their disagreements were creating turmoil in the church and hindering the forward progress of the Gospel. They were not focused on Christ. They were focused on their own preferences, and peace flew out the window!
It reminds me of the story about a young rabbi, who had a serious problem in his new congregation. During the Friday service, half the congregation stood for the prayers and half remained seated, and each side shouted at the other, insisting that theirs was the true tradition. Nothing the rabbi said or did helped solve the impasse. Finally, in desperation, the young rabbi sought out the synagogue's 99-year-old founder.
He met the old rabbi in the nursing home and poured out his troubles. “So tell me,” he pleaded, “was it the tradition for the congregation to stand during the prayers?”
“No,” answered the old rabbi.
“Ah,” responded the younger man, “then it was the tradition to sit during the prayers.”
“No,” answered the old rabbi.
“Well,” the young rabbi responded, “what we have is complete chaos! Half the people stand and shout and the other half sit and scream.”
“Ah,” said the old rabbi, “that was the tradition.” (P. J. Alindogan, The Potter's Jar blog, “Communicate and Relate”, 9-4-11; www.PreachingToday.com)
Sad to say, that’s the tradition in some churches. People are focused more on form than function. They’re focused more on procedures than the purpose. They’re focused more on themselves than on Christ. As a result, all they can do is shout and scream at one another.
No! if we want real peace, we have to “agree IN THE LORD!” His honor and His glory must be the focus of our attention, not our own preferences.
Now, in order for that to happen, we have to help each other. We have to pull together to get the task accomplished.
In verse 3, Paul urges the church to “help these women.” The word “help” literally means to receive together, to take hold of something together. The same word is used in Luke 5:7 where Jesus performs a miracle and Peter has more fish in his net than he knows what to do with. He calls for his partners in another boat to come and help. Literally, he wants them to come and take hold of the fishing nets together with him so they don’t lose the fish.
Jesus has called us to “be fishers of men.” We don’t need to be arguing over the color of the boat. We don’t need to be critical of the way somebody dresses or sings or parts their hair. NO! We must take hold of that task together – that task of bringing in the net as we fish for men and women, that task of equipping people to follow Jesus.
If we’re going to be right with each other, We must live in harmony with each other. We must help each other, and we must be humble. We must stop demanding our own way and yield to one another.
Philippians 4:4-5 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand… (ESV)
Joy comes when we are “reasonable”. Now, that word “reasonable” literally means “yielding.” In other words, if we want to find true peace and joy, we must be willing to yield to one another; we must be willing to let others have their way instead of demanding our own way.
I think about what Tony Dungy, the soft-spoken football coach, said about his dad. He said:
“My dad was usually a quiet, thoughtful man. A scientist at heart and by training, Wilbur Dungy loved to be outside, enjoying the scenery. Fishing allowed him time to contemplate, to listen, and to marvel at God's creation. My dad used fishing to teach his children to appreciate the everyday wonders of the world God created – the sandy shoreline, the dark, pine forests, the shimmering water, and the abundant wildlife. The lessons were always memorable, whether we caught a lot of fish or not.”
Dungy says, “Although we fished countless times together throughout our lives, one particular day stands out in my mind. It was a summer day in 1965. Summers in Michigan are beautiful, with comfortable temperatures and clear, blue skies. I was nine years old, and my brother was five. My dad had taken us fishing at one of the many small lakes around Jackson. On that day, my dad was teaching my brother and me how to cast. We were both working on it, mostly in silence, until my dad's voice finally broke a period of stillness.
“‘Hey, Linden, don't move for a minute, please.’ Tony looked back and watched his dad move his hand toward his face. Calm and deliberate, he continued to speak.
“‘Now, Linden, always make sure that you know not only where your pole is when you're starting to cast’ – at this point, Tony realized his dad was working his brother's hook out of his own ear – ‘but also make certain that you know where everyone else is around you.’
Tony Dungy says, “I learned something about proper casting that day, but I also learned something about patience. Years later, when I got hooked myself, in my hand, I realized how much it hurts. Remembering my dad's patience that day when Linden's hook was caught in his ear, I finally understood the importance of staying calm and communicating clearly.” (Wess Stafford, Just a Minute, Moody, 2012, pp. 73-74; www.PreachingToday.com)
Even when you’re hurt, you don’t have to get all worked up and demanding. Instead, “let your reasonableness be known to everyone.”
If you want to find real peace in the midst of trouble, 1st, stand right on Christ; 2nd, be right with each other; and 3rd…
PRAY RIGHT.
Come to the throne of grace with the right attitude, the right spirit.
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus. (ESV)
Do you want the peace of God in your heart? Then stop worrying. Stop being distracted by what others think. Stop being distracted by what may or may not happen if you do what you know to be right.
The word, anxious, “literally means to be drawn in different directions, to distract. Thus to be anxious means to have distracting thoughts or concerns, thoughts and concerns about possible dangers or misfortunes that keep you from the task at hand.
In the early part of the 20th Century, one of the great YMCA directors, Dr. George McCauslin, was director of the YMCA near Pittsburgh. It was a time when that YMCA was losing membership. They were having financial difficulties and terrible staff problems, so George McCauslin found himself working 85 hours a week. He got very little sleep at night. He took hardly any time off. And when he was off, he was worrying and fretting about the problems of his YMCA.
He went to a counselor who told him he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He had to learn somehow to let go and let God into his problems. He had to slow down, but he didn’t know how to do that.
So George McCauslin took an afternoon off, took a pad and paper, and took a walk in the western Pennsylvania woods. As he walked through the cool woods, he could feel his tight body and his tight neck starting to relax. He sat down under a tree and sighed, and for the first time in months he truly relaxed.
Then he got out his pad and paper and decided that he would let the burdens of his life go. He wrote God a letter, in which he said, “Dear God, today I hereby resign as general manager of the universe. Love, George.”
Then with a twinkle in his eye that was so characteristic of George McCauslin, he said, “And wonder of wonders. God accepted my resignation.” (Thomas Tewell, “The Weight of the World [1995],” Preaching Today, Tape No. 147)
Do you know, that’s what you and I must do. Resign as general manager of the universe. In other words, give up your right to control things. Give up your right to run the show. Just do what’s right and leave the results up to God. Don’t be distracted by what may or may not be. Don’t be distracted by potential failure. Don’t be distracted by what others think.
In other words, stop worrying, and start praying. Commit the results to God. Let your requests be made known to God.
There’s an old saying, which says, “Why pray when you can worry?” I love the humor of it, because it reminds me that I have a choice. I can either take the burdens of the world upon myself, or I can cast my burdens upon the Lord. I can either worry, or I can pray. So stop worrying and start praying.
Only when you pray, be grateful. Pray with thanksgiving in your heart.
Pastor H.B. Charles tells the story about a woman he knew who showed up at church and prayed the same simple prayer week after week: “O Lord, thank you Jesus". The kids at church would start laughing every time she opened her mouth because they knew it would be the same prayer – “O Lord, thank you Jesus.”
Finally, somebody asked her, “Why do you pray the same little prayer?”
She said, “Well, I'm just combining the two prayers that I know. We live in a bad neighborhood and some nights there are bullets flying and I have to grab my daughter and hide on the floor, and in that desperate state all I know how to cry out is, ‘O Lord.’ But when I wake up in the morning and see that we're okay I say, ‘Thank you Jesus.’ When I take my baby to the bus stop and she gets on that bus and I don't know what's going to happen to her while she's away, I cry, ‘O Lord.’ And then when 3:00 P.M. comes and that bus arrives and my baby is safe, I say, ‘Thank you Jesus.’”
She said, “Those are the only two prayers I know and when I get to church God has been so good I just put my two prayers together, ‘O Lord, thank you Jesus.’” (H.B. Charles, A Psalm for Giving Thanks, www.PreacingToday.com)
Do you know, that’s not a bad way to pray in times of trouble: “O Lord, thank you Jesus!” For when you combine prayer with thanksgiving, God’s peace guards your heart and mind (verse 7 says). That is to say, God’s peace becomes a battalion of soldiers around your head, protecting you from making stupid decisions and doing stupid stuff, which creates even more turmoil.
“O Lord, thank you Jesus!”
If you want to find real peace in the midst of trouble, 1st, stand right; 2nd, be right; 3rd, pray right; and 4th…
THINK RIGHT.
Dwell on the positives and not the negatives.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (ESV)
Dwell on the positives, not the negatives.
Ron Blue, in his book Faith-based Family Finances, tells the story about a father of a wealthy family, who took his son on a trip to the country to show his son how poor people can be. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from the trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”
“It was great, Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked.
“Oh yeah,” said the son.
“So what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.
The son answered: “I saw that we have one dog, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden, and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden, and they have stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard, and they have the whole horizon.
“We have a small piece of land to live on, and they have fields that go beyond sight. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, but they have their friends to protect them.”
With this, the boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, “Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are.” (Ron Blue, Faith-based Family Finances, Tyndale, 2008, pp. 29-30; www.PreachingToday.com)
I don’t think that was the lesson that wealthy father wanted his son to learn, but it does raise an important point: perspective is everything! When you focus on the negatives, even those with great wealth can feel poor. However, when you focus on the positives, those who are very poor can discover that they’re very rich!
Do you want to find real peace in the midst of your trouble, then 1st, stand right; 2nd, be right; 3rd, pray right; 4th, think right; and 5th…
DO RIGHT.
Follow the example of people who depend on Christ, and live as they live. In verse 9, Paul says…
Philippians 4:9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (ESV)
Paul lived His life in dependence upon Christ, not Himself, and that’s how we are to live. As a result, we not only get the peace of God when we pray (vs.7); we get the God of peace. In other words, we get more than just His peace; we get Him!
On October 14, 2012, the Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner broke two world records that had stood for over fifty years. He smashed the previous world record for the fastest dive, breaking the sound barrier and reaching a velocity of nearly 834 miles per hour. He also broke the world record for the highest freefall, jumping out of a balloon 128,000 feet (or 24 miles) above New Mexico.
But the 43-year-old Baumgartner gladly admits that he couldn't have done it without the help of his mentor – the previous world record holder for both records, 84-year-old Joe Kittinger. Kittinger, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, has been an integral part of Baumgartner's team. Months prior to Baumgartner's record-breaking dive, Kittinger provided him with advice and encouragement whenever the younger man doubted his ability.
Right before the actual jump, Kittinger told Baumgartner, “All right, step up to the exterior step. Start the cameras. And our guardian angel will take care of you now.”
During the fall, Kittinger's reassuring voice from mission control guided Baumgartner throughout the dive, especially during one particularly tense moment. Early in the dive, Baumgartner started spinning out of control – the same problem that had nearly killed Kittinger during his dive. Baumgartner kept talking to Kittinger, whose deep voice offered reassurance. In fact, Baumgartner didn't allow any other voice than Kittinger's in his helmet.
When the dive was finished, Kittinger had only praise for Baumgartner's new world records. Kittinger said, “Felix did a great job, and it was a great honor to work with this brave guy.”
An article in National Geographic highlighted the special bond between the two men. Prior to the jump, Kittinger said, “I'll be the only one who knows how Felix feels at that moment when he jumps from that step, 'cause I've done it.”
Baumgartner agreed: “[Joe] knows how lonely you are at that altitude.” Then he added, “It feels like, if Joe's there, nothing can go wrong.” (John Tierney, "24 Miles, 4 Minutes and 834 M.P.H., All in One Jump," The New York Times, 10-14-12; Nicholas Mott, “Supersonic Skydive's 5 Biggest Risks,” National Geographic News, 10-5-12; www.PreachingToday.com)
When your life is spinning out of control, it’s nice to know that Jesus is there! He knows how you feel, because He’s been where you are. The Bible says, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
Jesus, our High Priest knows what it’s like to suffer as you and I do. He knows what it’s like to be tempted as we are and yet not fall. So His presence brings reassurance like nothing else can. All we have to do is listen to His voice and follow His direction.
It’s the only way to real and lasting peace. It all starts and ends with Christ: Stand right on Christ, and be right with each other; then pray right, think right, and do right as you depend on Him.
