Bob Josey- Commitment Yes, Anxiety No - Phil 4: 1-7 - Jul 30, 2023

20230730_Bob_Josey-Commitment Yes - Anxiety No.mp3

Commitment Yes, Anxiety No

Philippians 4:1-7

Introduction

Look over this list of men’s names. What do they have in common?

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‌These 56 men were the signers of the Declaration of Independence. They were committed to the principles in the document they signed. Their conviction resulted in untold blessings for people in America for approximately 250 years. However, there were untold sufferings for these men and for their families. Of the 56 men, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army. Another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships of the war.

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The men who fought on both sides in the American Civil War were committed to their cause. The men and women involved in the American Civil Rights Movement were committed to their cause. There have been many causes, right or wrong, and commitments to those causes since God created mankind. The cause we will discuss today relates to Jesus Christ and the commitment to His’ biblical standards or principles. Today we are going to begin our lesson by discussing our commitment as believers in Jesus to the biblical principles found in the Bible.

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Webster’s Online Dictionary defines Commitment as:

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a: an agreement or pledge to do something in the future - a commitment to improve conditions at the prison, especially an engagement to assume a financial obligation at a future date

b: something pledged - the commitment of troops to the war

c: the state or an instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled -

‌a commitment to a cause

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A. Believers are encouraged to demonstrate unwavering dedication to biblical principles through the empowerment of the Lord. (4:1)

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4:1 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

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Archbishop Stephen Langton in the early part of the 13 century is responsible for the modern chapter and verse divisions of the Bible. Thank you, Archbishop Stephen Langton for your great contribution. Since chapter and verse divisions are not part of the inerrant Scriptures and are manmade, there are times, because of context, some chapter and verse divisions should be rearranged. Philippians 4:1is one of them.

Philippians 4:1 actually should be the last verse in chapter 3 where Paul concludes his thoughts on Biblical standards. We see this by his using the word therefore in verse 1. Paul said something like, "Therefore, because of what I just said about biblical principles, you as believers should be committed to keeping them.”

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In verse one Paul really demonstrates how much he really cared for these believers in Philippi. He showed his deep love for the believers by calling them beloved brethren. The word beloved is in the same family with agape, which means commitment. The word has the nuances of one who is dearly loved, prized and valued. Note that he used that word again in verse 1. He called them brethren because they were his spiritual brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. He also showed his affection toward them by writing that he longed and yearned to see them and to have fellowship with him. He continued to show his love for them by saying they were his joy and crown. Of course, the word crown literally means a mark of accomplishment but here he uses it in the figurative sense to mean they were his pride and joy.

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One of the greatest sayings in military history came from British Admiral Horatio Nelson, “England expects every man to do his duty.” Thus, in the midst of one battle he cried, “Westminster Abbey or victory!” In other words, “Death with honor—victory!” If nations expect that kind of commitment from its citizens, should we give any less to God?

To complete his thoughts on standards, Paul exhorts them to be firmly committed to them. Of course, being firmly committed to them results in obedience and obedience can only be accomplished in the strength of the Lord. I don’t think anyone here today needs any further explanation of what it means to be committed to keeping Christian standards, but two thoughts did come to mind relating to it. One is part of one of the stanzas we sang this week and last week written by Fanny Cosby.

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Perfect submission, perfect delight.

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In the early part of the 20th century, Pastor John H. Sammis wrote the lyrics to Trust and Obey.

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We will sit at his feet, or we'll walk by his side in the way; what he says we will do, where he sends we will go; never fear, only trust and obey.

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SELAH!

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The next section of chapter 4 Paul deals with having peace with other people, with oneself, and with circumstances.

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B. Believers are urged to Live in peace. (4:2-19)

‌1. Peace With others (4:2-5a)

a. By Helping other believers in time of need (4:2-3)

‌2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. 3 Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

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Paul continues to stress the importance of living in harmony in the body of Christ and helping other brothers and sisters in need. There were two women in the Philippian congregation, Euodia and Syntyche, who were in the middle of some spat. We don't know anything about them beyond their names and that they were in the middle of some kind of disagreement. This is the only time in Scripture that their names are mentioned. Paul does not even mention what their problem was but whatever it was, their spat was causing dissension in the church at Philippi. Their causing dissension with the body of Christ at Philippi is probably one of the reasons Paul called for unity at the beginning of Chapter 2.

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Paul first appealed to the two women to deal with the issue or problem. He wanted them to have peace among themselves. The word urge means to urge strongly. The best thing that could be done is if they dealt the problem themselves without getting anyone else involved. Work it out! Then he asked his true companion help these women deal with their problem. The term companion literally means yoke-fellow. Paul considered him a loyal comrade. Some think that the Greek word translated true companion, Suzugus, is actually a proper noun and the name his loyal comrade. Proper name or not, Paul called on his loyal comrade to come to their aid to help them resolve the problem that was causing dissension in the church at Philippi. Paul did not demand Suzugus’ help in solving this problem, but called on him to help.

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Paul did add that these women struggled with him in spreading the gospel. He did not elaborate how they struggled with him to do this, but the problem now was contentiousness instead of harmony among them. Next he mentions Clement and other fellow workers who struggled with him to spread the gospel.

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The icing on the cake was the fact that their names were written in the book of life. Moses called it God’s book that He had written. John called it the Lamb’s Book of Life in Revelation 21:27. These men and women to include Euodia and Syntyche are now in heaven because they had trusted in Christ and Christ as their Savior.

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It not at all unusual for believers in a church, a Bible study, or on the mission field to have disagreements. Many times a disagreement will occur because one of the parties is thinking of himself or herself and not thinking about the feelings of the other person they cannot work it out between them, other believers with wisdom should get involved.

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b. By maintaining a constant state of joy (4:4)

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4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

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To have joy or to rejoice is one of the key themes in Philippians. Paul not only used these words to describe his own attitude but in verse 4 Paul urges the believers in Philippi to maintain a constant state of joy. Human joy and spiritual joy are different. Human joy is defined by Dictionary.com as the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. On the other hand, biblical joy is not as much an emotion as it is a state of being. It is the second fruit of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5. In James 1, the Lord’s half-brother exhorted all believers to have joy even in the midst of a trail.

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Men have pursued joy in every avenue imaginable. Some have successfully found it while others have not. Perhaps it would be easier to describe where joy cannot be found:

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• Not in Unbelief — Voltaire was an infidel of the most pronounced type. He wrote: “I wish I had never been born.”

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• Not in Pleasure — Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure if anyone did. He wrote: “The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone.”

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• Not in Money — Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying, he said: “I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth.”

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• Not in Position and Fame — Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both. He wrote: “Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.”

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• Not in Military Glory — Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having done so, he wept in his tent, before he said, “There are no more worlds to conquer.”

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• Where then is real joy found? — the answer is simple, in Christ alone.

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The Bible Friend, Turning Point, May, 1993

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Paul wrote that joy is found in the Lord. If you are finding yourself having less joy as the difficult circumstances of life increase, try Jesus next time.

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c. By exhibiting patience and kindness towards others (4:5a)

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5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.

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Another way to find peace for oneself is by being gentle to Christians and non-Christians alike as the verse suggests - all men. The word gentle can reflect the ideas of a believer in Jesus being kind, tolerant, yielding, patience, and courteous toward others. Jesus said to treat others as you want to be treated. Paul adds that believers should not seek revenge, but let the Lord take care of it and as far as it depends on each believer, live at peace with everyone.

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A story about goldfish helps to demonstrate the importance of having a gentle spirit. This story is told by a parent.

“At their school carnival, our kids won four free goldfish (lucky us!), so out I went Saturday morning to find an aquarium. The first few I priced ranged from $40 to $70. Then I spotted it—right in the aisle: a discarded 10-gallon display tank, complete with gravel and filter—for a mere five bucks. Sold! Of course, it was nasty dirty, but the savings made the two hours of clean-up a breeze. Those four new fish looked great in their new home, at least for the first day. But by Sunday one had died. Too bad, but three remained. Monday morning revealed a second casualty, and by Monday night a third goldfish had gone belly up. We called in an expert, a member of our church who has a 30-gallon tank. It didn’t take him long to discover the problem: I had washed the tank with soap, an absolute no-no. My uninformed efforts had destroyed the very lives I was trying to protect.”

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Sometimes in our zeal to clean up our own lives or the lives of others, we unfortunately use “killer soaps”—condemnation, criticism, nagging, fits of temper, and/or a self-righteous and demanding attitude. Instead of the above actions, we should be kind, tolerant, yielding, patience, and courteous toward others. We think we’re doing right, but a harsh, self-righteous attitude will not bring peace with others.

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2. Peace With oneself (4:5b-9)

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a. By seeking the Lord’s help during challenging circumstances instead of being anxious (4:5b-7)

‌Is there anyone here who has not experienced anxiety in their life? It’s like unforgiveness. Both anxiety and unforgiveness are very common among people all over the world, even Christians.

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Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure, nausea, restlessness, sleeplessness, sweating, weakness, lack of concentration, etc. There is a cure for anxiety. This cure is found in verses 5b-7.

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4:5b-7 The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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Note that I have included the last part of verse 5 with verse 6. It appears to fit the context better. The Lord being near is something that should give us confidence in dealing with difficult circumstances as we see in Old Testament in Psalm 145:18.

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The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.

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While Israel was in the desert for forty years, the Lord dwelt in the middle of the camp. Today, through the Holy Spirit, the Lord dwells, or better, indwell us. The Lord is always near us or with us to hear our prayers of need. Paul placed the phrase the Lord is near to emphasize that there is no need for a believer to be anxious about anything including health, children, grandchildren, finances, etc.

Being anxious just demonstrates a lack of faith in Him to take care of us. He is right there with us. He told Israel and us indirectly. If God cares for the birds by feeding them and clothing the flower with splendor that was more beautiful than Solomon’s clothes, He will take care of the believer. He also said in Matthew 6:27, “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? Someone has said, “In our day, anxiety is prevalent even among Christians since biblical living is so scarce among them.”

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The cure for anxiety is prayer and supplication. Prayer is a general term for all different kinds of communicating with God. The term supplication means an urgent request to meet a need, exclusively addressed to God. To accompany prayer and supplication must be an attitude of gratitude. Asking with an ungrateful attitude will probably result in a no to your requests. Also, remember that James tells us that asking without believing God in His promise that He can answer prayer in the affirmative will absolutely result in a “no“ to one’s requests. Faith is the key to opening the door with God.

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An average person's anxiety is focused on:

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40% -- things that will never happen /30% -- things about the past that can't be changed /12% -- things about criticism by others, mostly untrue /10% -- about health, which gets worse with stress /8% -- about real problems that will be faced

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Sermons.com July 25, 2023

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The result of any request is peace instead of anxiety. It’s a peace that defies all understanding or comprehension. This peace is not in the human realm of psychology but peace from God. This peace not only beyond human comprehension, but this peace will guard heart, the center of your emotions, and your mind. It’s like the Roman soldieries who guarded Paul in the prison in Rome. Because of the Roman guards, Paul was not going anywhere. Because we are in Christ, the peace He gives us will not be going anywhere either.

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So, the next time you are experiencing a difficult situation, you have a choice. You can think of it this way. “Why pray when you can worry.” or” Why worry when you can pray.”

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SELAH!

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