Title: KEEPING THE PEACE

Focus: In our anxiety-filled world, God gives us his peace to keep our hearts and minds focused and anchored in the person and work of Christ.

Function: To hold before the people God’s peace in Christ Jesus, so that we may live healthy, balanced lives in a world plagued by fearful events and circumstances.

Text: Philippians 4:2-9 (vs.6)

Tom was dying. His cancer-ridden body looked more like a skeleton than the Tom I had known for a few years. Tom had already “outlived” the doctor’s prediction that Tom would die within a week. In fact, Tom refused to die. He was restless and anxiety was written on his face when I visited Tom that day.

We talked and listened to each other, and Tom told me the cause of his anxiety. Tom feared God’s judgment. When Tom confessed his sins, I shared with Tom the gospel of peace—the peace that Christ Jesus grants everyone who turns to him in faith. We prayed and wept together, thanking God for his peace. Then I left Tom. Two days later Tom died.

The nurses and Tom’s family commented on Tom’s calm or peacefulness these last few days in contrast to Tom’s restlessness the previous weeks. When I heard their testimony, I thanked God for his peace, which confirms the Scripture passage of today, where we read: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

The Apostle Paul wrote these inspired words while being under house arrest in Rome, waiting to be tried by the emperor of Rome for a crime he had not committed. If anyone had reasons to be anxious, it was Paul. We do well to listen to him and take to heart these words of holy Scripture.

Today I want to hold before you the peace of God found in Christ Jesus, so that you and I may live healthy, balanced lives in a world plagued by fearful events and circumstances. Here is the good news: in an anxiety-filled world, God gives us his peace to keep our hearts and minds focused and anchored in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

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I understand that you, GEMS, have worked with the text from Philippians 4 throughout the last 6 months. It’s a beautiful text, yet easily misunderstood. Therefore, we need to pay careful attention to the text and its context.

For example, the flow of the entire passage is simple. The spotlight of attention moves from a plea in vs. 2-3, to a cluster of exhortations in vs. 4-8, to a mind-set approach for daily Christian living.

The plea goes like this: “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.” We also note that Paul pleads with the leaders in the Church of Philippi to help these two women to come to agreement in their dispute. Paul wants these women to be “at peace,” so that the unity of the church will not be disturbed or broken.

Verses 4-8 appear to be a set of exhortations that are not necessarily closely connected with each other. Paul exhorts us to “rejoice,” to “exhibit and practice kindness,” and to manage our worries or fears through the practice of prayer, which leads to the peace of God settling our hearts and minds.

And the last few verses in this passage hold before us a pattern or mindset whereby we foster or nurture the peace of God through focusing upon whatever is “true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy.” For practicing such a mindset leads to experiencing the very presence of the God of peace. So try to capture the flow of the entire passage, and then focus upon the text in vs. 6.

As you do so, also take note of the action verbs. Paul is not sharing with us some good idea or theory; Paul is urging us to put into practice the peace of God. We are called to action. Note, for example, the action verbs in the text: “agree with each other,” “help these women,” “rejoice in the Lord,” “reveal your gentleness,” “present or make known your requests to God,” “think about these things,” and “put it into practice.” Clearly, these are all action verbs. So, don’t just sit and ponder, but also do what I call you to do, says Paul in the text.

By paying close attention to the entire passage, you begin to pick up the golden thread that keeps this passage together. It is the thread of peace--Peace among these two godly sisters who are quibbling and disturbing the peace in the church of Philippi. Peace maintained by the leaders in the church, and also peace experienced by all the Christians in Philippi (and here by us today).

That golden thread in the passage is clearly visible in vs. 7 and 9. In verse 7 Paul refers to the “peace of God…guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus;” and in verse 9 Paul concludes with the words: “And the God of peace will be with you.” The God of peace and God’s gift of peace are ours to practice and experience.

Now as we dig into the text of vs. 6-8, we must first come to grips with this reality: Human beings, including Christians, cannot escape the emotion of fear or worry. Nor must we think that the capacity to worry is an unspiritual, sinful thing. The truth is that worry is part of the human condition. In a sinful, fallen world, sinful, fallen human beings will have to deal with the emotions of anxiety or worry.

Some Christians want us to believe that all worry is wrong or sinful; that anxiety is a sign of sin; or that being treated for anxiety or panic attacks is somehow unspiritual. I don’t believe that for a minute. And I refuse to suggest to anyone of us to get rid of medical treatment for excessive anxiety or fearsome worry. Here’s why:

Anxiety is an emotion of fear or fretting that is found or nestled in our hearts. Our minds or ability to discern informs and, at times, fuels that emotion of anxiety or worry in our hearts. And thus we speak, in general, of rational and irrational fears.

The worry that is informed by our ability to think or discern is a healthy thing. Rational worry or fear, for example, heightens our senses. It prompts us to be pro-active. My worry of a campfire going out of control during a dry spell in the forest, may keep me from being careless or foolish in building a huge campfire.

Such rational worry is healthy. Rational fear also makes us aware of our limitations. Fearing a drought and a subsequent famine, for example, may drive us on our knees in prayer, asking God to intervene and bring relief. And again, a rational fear may keep us from making foolish decisions. My fear of height, for example, will keep me from climbing a steep, rocky cliff. So not all worries are bad.

In fact, worries informed by reason, may keep us from disaster and folly, and sometimes even lead to saving a person’s life. If I notice, for example, that my car’s brake paddle does not seem to work correctly all the time, my worry or fear may lead to going to my mechanic and fix the brakes, and thus I may even save lives in paying attention to my worries.

It’s irrational fear, however, that needs some special attention. For irrational fear tends to paralyze a person, raises our blood pressure, and works against living a balanced and healthy emotional life.

Such excessive fear or worry often have complicated physiological reasons, or trauma related circumstances, or psychological reasons. Thank God for medical treatments and therapies that help us live a fairly balanced and healthy life!

Sometimes there are also, as in the case with Tom, spiritual reasons for deep anxiety. In such a case, thank God for peace of God found in Christ Jesus! My point is simple: the capacity to fear and display worry or anxiety is a human emotion that the Scripture recognizes and that we should not deny.

The Scriptures, in fact, hold before us God’s peace in Christ Jesus, so that we may live healthy, balanced lives in a world plagued by fearful events and circumstances. God gives us his peace to keep our hearts and minds focused and anchored in the person and work of Jesus.

Let me give you a picture by which we may understand the text aright. Near Des Moines, Iowa, you’ll find Saylorville Lake. It’s a man-made lake to manage the waters of Iowa’s central rivers. Engineers built a huge dam to keep the waters confined. In rainy seasons, the water rises, the pressure builds, and flooding is about to happen. When the waters reach flood stage, however, the engineers open a floodgate: the water level goes down; the pressure relinquishes; and the danger of flooding disappears.

Prayer, offered with thanksgiving and petitions to God, is like that floodgate: prayer relieves our anxiety and worry and the peace of God enters and guards our hearts and minds.

God is eager to convey his peace and presence to us in the midst of fearful and frightening circumstances. How? Through prayer and through flooding our hearts and minds with the peace that Jesus Christ has worked for us. That’s why Paul says that the peace of God…will “guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” When our hearts are filled with fear and anxiety, we do well to pray—for then God opens his floodgate of peace and helps us face the circumstances in life.

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So, when I face circumstances that threaten my life, I pray that Jesus’ Lordship or sovereign power may keep me in perfect peace. For Jesus has conquered the powers of sin and death. And Jesus has overcome the grave. Even facing the gateway of death—unsettling though it is or can be—even death cannot keep me from God’s peace. For Jesus conquered death; and he has gone before us. In life and in death, we belong to him. He is Lord!

When my sin confronts me with my failure to obey and love the Lord our God, my heart becomes restless. It is the peace of Christ, however, that settles my heart, for Christ died for our sins, his blood covers our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. By turning to God through prayer, Christ applies his atoning work, his peace, to our restless hearts.

When I feel anxious and powerless in situations over which I have no control, I pray for God’s peace in Christ Jesus. I pray for the workings of the Holy Spirit to give me strength and calm and fortitude to do what is right and best. For Jesus has promised us his Holy Spirit to guide us and strengthen us each day.

I know that many here have experienced great moments of peace or calm in the midst of very sorrowful or painful, worrisome moments. In the midst of a sudden death or trauma, for example, you discovered a presence, a grace, a peace (you can’t explain it, but you know it is from God in Christ). That peace is ours in times of trouble and great need.

So then, open the floodgate of prayer and petitions, with thanksgiving, and discover that God is the keeper and giver of peace.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.