Mid-week Message from John

Prayer
God, our judge and saviour, teach us to be open to your truth and to trust in your love, that we may live each day with confidence in the salvation which is given through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Introduction
Imagine a life of continual joy, and freedom from any worry.
Is anyone’s life like that? Is your life like that? (I think I know the answer!)
A worry-free life, full of unbroken joy, sounds like a fantasy, the stuff of fairy-tales. Not reality.

But wait. Let’s read or listen to the word of God.

Reading: Philippians 4:4-7

“Smile”, says the photographer: and we can do that.
But what if we are told “Be happy”? Can we do that to order? Happiness is a feeling, and feelings cannot be controlled by other people’s commands: they are a by -product of our circumstances, our genes, our bowels! So how can Paul write

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (v4)
He is writing to a church which is struggling in a hostile world (1:28-30). It is suffering, with doubts and fears. It is not in a comfortable situation.
And Paul himself is not in a comfortable place. He is “in chains”, probably in Ephesus or Rome.
To say “Rejoice” sounds like an impractical, even impossible command. But the words “in the Lord” make all the difference. That phrase occurs 8 times in this chapter, and at least 20 times in the whole letter. Jesus’ mother Mary said “My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:47).
“In the Lord” is a shorthand way of saying “In view of all that God is and has shown himself to be, and has done and will do in and through Jesus Christ and by his Holy Spirit”.
The Psalmist urges us “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). What is your greatest delight? Some people might say “My garden”, or “My home” or “My family”.  To rejoice in the Lord is to find our deepest delight in him.

Joy in the Lord is actually not a matter of feelings. It is a matter of faith. It is shown by the priorities in our life. J – O – Y stands for Jesus first, Others next, Yourself last.
So “Rejoice in the Lord” is not just an encouragement. It is an appeal to faith. It is to throw us back in dependence on our Lord and Saviour, whatever situation we face.

So a joy-filled life is a wonderful possibility and gift in Christ.

But what about a worry-free life? Surely that is totally unrealistic? So how can Paul write

Do not be anxious about anything (v6a)
Paul is echoing the words of Jesus himself “Do not worry about your life….Do not worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:25, 34). The Christians at Philippi had plenty of opposition and problems to worry about. Just to tell them “Don’t worry” would be unkind and insensitive. But Paul continues

But in everything by prayer & petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God” (v6b)
THIS is what makes “Do not be anxious” a real possibility.
“In everything…let your requests be made known to God.” Little things, big things, ordinary needs, extraordinary needs…: just spread them out before him.

Prayer is a mystery: Jesus said that our Father knows our needs before we ask him, but he wants us to ask! (Matthew 6:8,9) Think of the relationship of a loving parent with a young child.
Paul uses several different words in v6: prayer, petition, requests. They all imply asking, with an attitude of humble dependence on God. Charles Spurgeon said “Whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the Kingdom.”
But this is not just a “shopping-list”: a vital part of prayer is “with thanksgiving”. Genuine deep thankfulness is a mark of right relationship with our gracious Father God. 
And what is the result of this sort of praying?

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (v7)
The peace of God comes from peace with God, through the Prince of Peace who died to reconcile us to God. “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

“In everything by prayer… with thanksgiving… and the peace of God…” Two weeks ago Sue and I and Sue’s sister experienced the truth of this promise. We had planned to go to London by train, for our son’s ordination service (5.30pm) – a very special occasion. We got to Christchurch station for the 1.30pm train. Train cancelled… no official information… We prayed “Lord, what should we do?” Decided to drive to Basingstoke & try to get a train from there. On the A31, traffic tail-back… crawled along for 45 minutes…we prayed “Lord, if you want us to get to the service, that’s lovely. If not, your will be done.” Basingstoke station car park very full…so we missed a London train. Caught the next train… All through this saga, we experienced peace as we trusted the Lord. We got to the church as the service was starting! “Thank you, dear Lord.”

Some church noticeboards refer to worry. Outside a church in Adelaide was this: “Why pray when you can worry and take tranquillisers?” But how about this notice outside a Leeds church: “Don’t let worry kill you. The church can help”!!

We can choose anxiety or prayer. We cannot have both.

Conclusion
Our passage in Philippians begins “Rejoice in the Lord…”, and ends with “…guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Continual joy and freedom from worry: just a fairy-tale? No – this is God’s purpose for us, and is wonderfully made possible for us – in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer
God of peace, cause us to rejoice in you always.
Keep us from being anxious about anything.
Help us to ask you for what we and others need, with thanksgiving;
and let your peace guard our hearts and our minds
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Category: Sermons , The Bridge , Thought for the week