Title: Worry Not but Trust in God!
Sermon Text : Philippians 4:6-8
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.
Introduction:
A. We are living in a time that many refer to as an “Age of Anxiety”
1. It seems that worry is the watchword of our world today
a. No job … we worry
b. Job … we worry
c. No money … we worry
d. Money … we worry
e. Sick … we worry
f. Not sick … we worry
2. One worrier said to another, “I have so many troubles that if anything happened to me today it would take me two weeks before I could get around to worrying about it.”
B. Now, we know that life cannot be lived free from all sense of anxiety and concern
1. For example, being concerned about having an automobile wreck will cause us to practice rules of safety.
2. Concern over becoming ill will cause us to practice rules of good health
C. However, the problem is this: “It is easy to let our CONCERNS becomes our CARES, and our FORETHOUGHTS to become our FEAR-THOUGHTS.”
Historical Background:
The Phillipians book was written by the Apostle Paul in approximately AD 58-59. The theme of this book was in regard to the sufferings that Paul endured from torture to imprisonment. During the trials, Paul had learned to be content in every circumstance that he was confronted with, which was an ability that he encouraged the Philippians to develop. In fact, his letter to the Philippians was a testimony to this attitude of thanksgiving.
Church tradition generally agrees with the statement in Philippians that Paul wrote this letter. The events depicted in this letter correspond to the life of Paul. To determine when Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians entails identifying the location from which he wrote. Paul says Philippians 1:13 that he was in prison. However, the part readers might be examining is to which imprisonment was the author implying to. The answer must be directed by three factors: evidence of Paul’s imprisonment in a certain city, whether the Praetorian Guard was in that city, and the distance from that city to Philippi, which has permitted various excursions between the two cities.
Some have speculated that Paul was writing his letter from Corinth, and therefore, the date of the letter was determined around AD 50. Supporters of this view typically refer to Acts 18:10, a passage in which the Lord indicates to Paul that he would protect him from danger in Corinth. However, that passage does not overtly speak about imprisonment. Yet, others support Caesarea as the location from which Paul wrote the letter in AD 58-59. The Praetorian Guard may have been garrisoned Caesarea, and the guard was, on occasion, considered to be part of Caesar’s household. However, Paul’s expectation that he would soon be set free does not fit the circumstances of this imprisonment. In Cesearea, liberation from prison was only a slight possibility. In fact, Paul had to request to Caesar in order to evade Jewish authority over the Judicial process. Furthermore, Caesarea was a far distance from Philippi. It is an improbable orgin for Paul’s short letter to the Philippians.
The majority of students have favored Rome (about AD 60-62) as a city from which Paul wrote this epistle. Although there was a far distance between the two cities, Paul was in Rome long enough for the letters to mutually travel from the city. Another important point is that Paul’s imprisonment in Rome is well established in scripture of Acts 28:16-31. Because of his situation permitted him freedom to preach the Good News, he undeniably felt the assurance that his release from prison was pending.
While on his second missionary voyage, and in reaction to a vison from God, Paul left Troas in the province of Asia which is now part of Turkey, and traveled to Macedonia ( in present-day Greece) to form the first church in Europe, the church in the city of Philippi (Acts 16:6-12).
The city of Philippi was originally named after Phillip II of Macedon, Alexander the Great’s father. The city of Philippi was strategically located on a major road called the Egnatian Way, that attached to the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire to Rome. Thus, Philippi became the leading city of Macedonia. In 42 B.C, the Romans conferred Philippi the highest rank possible for a provincial city. This meant that the civilians of Philippi could pay for, own, or transfer property in that city. In addition, they had the access to filing civil lawsuits in Roman courts and were exempted from paying the poll and land taxes. Because of their high status and wealth, many of the citizens became not only prideful but arrogant.
The church that Paul established in Philippi had a diversity between races, cultures, and social statuses from its commencement. The first converts were an elite woman by the name of Lydia who was mentioned in Acts 16:14, 15, described as a seller of royal dyes, a middle-class Roman jailer, and perhaps a impoverished young girl who was previously demon-possessed. As the church grew, it maintained largely a Gentile group yet the less densely inhabited group of Jewish-Christian utilized much control over the church.
Philippians closely analyzed the normal form of Paul’s letters: an identification of author and readers, proclamation of God’s grace and peace, gratitude shown to God for the readers, the content of the letter, a personal ambition to capture readers’ attention or to send someone to them, salutations to the readers from those with Paul, and a declaration of blessings to the readers at the conclusion of the letter. The only distinction from this basic pattern is that Paul asserts the desire to send section in the body of his letter. Paul’s intention to do this is to demonstrate his point regarding the humble service with the lives of Timothy and Epaphroditus.
While the letter proceeds Paul’s normal outline, some have proposed that the letter is essentially three letters merged into one. They do so on the basis of Paul’s usage of the Greek language for finally in 3:1 and 4:8. They contend that those words indicate definite conclusions at those two points, therefore implying that Philippians is actually three letters. Yet the Greek words for finally which is used in Paul’s letters can potentially operate as a provisional phrase, in essence meaning “besides” or “furthermore.” The greatest piece of evidence for the accord of the Philippiams is a Greek manuscript which was determined to be dated from approximately A.D. 200 and that contains all three sections of the letter. But whether Philippians is a unity or a collection of various letter, it contains endless truths from the author.
The most prominent theme of the Epistle to the Philippians is joy, particularly the joy of Jesus. The overall tone of the Paul’s letter reflects gratitude towards the Philippians and his joy in serving God. This may seem unusual to the readers who are reviewing Paul’s letters, mainly because he wrote it while being in prison. However, Paul had the capability to identify opportunities for sharing the gospel even in apparent setbacks. This was the source of Paul’s joy: he saw God working through every difficult situation that he endured in his life.
Another theme of Paul’s letter is “partnership in the gospel.” Paul applies the Greek word Koinonia in this letter in various ways: “fellowship” ( 1:5; 2:1;3:10), “partakers” (1:7), and “shared” (4:15). All these passages emphasize the Philippians’ dynamic contribution in Paul’s own ministry. By supporting Paul, the Philippians had become collaborators with him to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. Paul illustrates this idea of “partnering” or “fellowship” with the lives of Jesus Christ (2:5-11), Timothy (2:19-23), Epaphroditus (2:25-30), and Euodia and Syntyche (4:2,3).
Since the Philippian Christians already possessed great joy and had established their partnership in sharing the gospel, Paul took the opportunity to recognize a few weak areas to be improved. For instance, fellowship had two elements: love and discernment. The Philippians had conveyed the former but were deficient in the latter. Thus Paul encouraged the Philippians
Key Theological Themes
Do not be anxious about anything (v.6).
• This passage clearly says do not be anxious about anything. Taking all of our worries to God through our time of prayer and having the full faith in leaving our worries in the hand of God, allowing him to take care of our problems
But in every situation (v. 6).
• In every situation we are in, we pray to God who has control of all things and the wisdom to help us
By Prayer, and Petition, with Thanksgivings, (v.6).
• Whenever we open prayer, offer God the gratitude that he deserves for his grace and mercy along with our concerns. Prayer should not just be asking God for the things we need but giving him thanks. It helps to shift our focus from our problems to the solutions.
Present your requests to God (v. 6).
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding (v. 7).
Will guard your hearts and minds (v. 7).
In Christ Jesus (v.2)
Exegetical Outline:
I. Be anxious for nothing but every situation (v. 6).
a. By Prayer, (v.6).
b. and Petition (v. 6)
c. with Thanksgivings.
II. Present your requests to God (v. 6).
III. And the peace of God (v. 7).
a. which transcends all understanding (v. 7).
b. will guard your hearts and your minds (v.7).
c. in Christ Jesus. (v.7)
Sermon Notes
Assurance that the Lord is near also encourages Christians to stop being anxious. The present tense prohibition, Do not be anxious, indicates that the readers must stop what they are habitually doing. The same verb is used with a positive connotation in Paul’s prediction that Timothy will show genuine concern for the welfare of the church in Philippi (2:20). But evidently the Philippians had crossed the line from having genuine concern to being overly concerned and distressed by their concerns. From the contents of the letter, we learn that concerns for the welfare of Paul and Epaphroditus (1:12; 2:26) and threats of persecution for faith in Christ (1:29–30) caused the believers in Philippi to be anxious. Paul understands that anxious thoughts naturally multiply in times of trouble. But he calls for his friends to make a concerted effort to stop their obsession with worrying. His comprehensive prohibition allows them no exception: nothing, absolutely nothing, is a proper object of the continuous stress of worry.
A comprehensive positive—but in everything—establishes a total contrast with the comprehensive negative—nothing. Only by praying with thanksgiving in every situation is it possible to stop being anxious about anything. The continuous positive focus of praying with thanksgiving to God in everything breaks and replaces the habit of worry. “To begin by praising God for the fact that in this situation, as it is, he is so mightily God—such a beginning is the end of anxiety.” The string of three synonyms for prayer—prayer, petition, requests—with the additional emphasis on thanksgiving encourages all types of prayer. The first term, prayer, often signifies intercessory prayer for others. True intercessory prayer for others overcomes anxious thoughts about them. The second term, petition, denotes “an urgent request to meet a need, exclusively addressed to God.” In this letter Paul uses this term when he refers to his prayers for the Philippians (1:4) and their prayers for him (1:19). Since he and the Philippians were going through the same struggle (1:30), their prayers for each other included urgent requests for God to meet the needs caused by suffering for faith in Christ. Paul knew that the petitions of his friends in Philippi for him and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ would bring about his deliverance (1:19). His experience of the effectiveness of petitions to God gave him confidence that God would meet all the needs of the Philippians (4:19). Based upon this confidence in the effectiveness of petitions, Paul encourages the Philippians to turn their worries into petitions to God. The third term for prayer, requests, refers to naming specific items. This term occurs in only two other places in the NT. Pilate granted the request that Jesus be crucified (Luke 23:24). The readers of 1 John are encouraged to pray because God hears whatever we ask according to his will. “And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have the requests we asked of him” (1 John 5:15). Both of these uses of the term request indicate specific items that are requested. By his use of this term, Paul encourages being specific in prayer to God—not mouthing vague generalities and amorphous meditation, but giving voice to the specific desires of our hearts.
Literally, Paul says, “let your requests be made known to God.” By telling us to let our requests be made known to God, Paul is not presupposing that God does not know our needs before we give voice to them. He is calling for full self-disclosure in God’s presence. By expressing our specific requests to God, we “acknowledge our total dependence upon God.” The preposition to in the phrase to God pictures this kind of prayer as a “movement or orientation toward” God. Prayer orients our lives toward God; we grow in an open relationship with God by presenting our specific needs and desires to him.
With thanksgiving gives the right attitude and perspective in prayer. Paul’s own prayers exemplify the practice of praying with thanksgiving: I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now (1:3–5). Though Paul had good reasons to be anxious for the welfare of the Philippians given their experience of suffering and their lack of unity, his prayers for them exude an attitude of joyful gratitude to God for them. His confident petitions for God’s future blessings rest on his grateful remembrance of God’s faithfulness: being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (1:6). “Thanksgiving means giving God the glory in everything, making room for him, casting our care on him, letting it be his care.” Conversely, a lack of thanksgiving to God leads to idolatry: exchanging the glory of God for images of created things. As a result, thinking and praying become futile (Rom 1:21–25). Absence of thanksgiving to God in prayer turns off the power in prayer. Without thanksgiving, prayer becomes merely a way of complaining to God about all the bad things that are or might be happening. The only way to fulfill Paul’s challenge to do everything without grumbling or arguing (2:14) is to pray in every situation, with thanksgiving (4:6).
7 After his instructions on prayer, Paul makes a promise that those who pray in this way will experience the peace of God. The conjunction and is used in this context “to introduce a result that comes from what precedes.” The transcendent experience of God’s peace is the assured result of praying as verse 6 describes prayer. The condition for experiencing God’s peace is not that God grants all of our requests but that we have made known all our requests to God with thanksgiving. God’s peace is not the result of the power of our prayers or the effectiveness of our prayers. Prayer is not auto-suggestion, a form of self-hypnosis that produces God’s peace. Prayer is our openness about our needs before God, our emptiness in his presence, our absolute dependence upon him with an attitude of constant thanksgiving and complete trust. When we pray with that attitude, the focus is not at all upon what we are doing or will do, but on what God will do. God will do something supernatural beyond our best abilities and thoughts: the peace of God will guard us. “Peace is always the gift of God rather than humanly devised or achieved.”
The peace of God denotes “the peace that God himself has.” In this sense, the peace of God refers to “the calm serenity that characterizes God’s very nature and that grateful, trusting Christians are welcome to share.” “Peace then is God’s very character; verse 9 refers appropriately to the God of peace.” Although the peace of God refers primarily to the peace God has and is in himself, the peace of God also refers to the peace that God gives: “the inward peace of the soul which comes from God, and is grounded in God’s presence and promise.”
The peace of God is the opposite of anxiety. “God himself is not beset with anxieties, for he knows the end from the beginning and directs all things in accordance with his will.” When we trust God in prayer, God gives to us his peace to guard our hearts and minds against anxious thoughts. But the peace of God in a larger and deeper sense is more than the absence of anxiety. Peace in the Hebraic sense of shalom means “well-being,” especially well-being in terms of health and harmony in personal relationships. Shalom seldom if ever denotes the spiritual attitude of inward peace. It is “not something concealed and inward; it manifests itself in the form of external well-being.” Shalom “is an emphatically social concept.” In Paul’s letters, it refers to the relationship of peace with God (Rom 5:1) and the relationship of peace with one another (Rom 14:17; 1 Cor 7:15; Eph 4:3; 2 Tim 2:22). In the context of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, his promise of the peace of God continues the theme of being like-minded, have the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind (2:2; 4:2). By means of corporate prayer with thanksgiving (4:6), God will give peace in the troubled relationships (4:7). Ultimately, the command to be of the same mind will be fulfilled by the gift of God’s peace when the church turns to God in prayer.
The peace of God transcends all understanding. This description of God’s peace is defined in two ways. First, to transcend all understanding is taken by some to mean that human reasoning cannot comprehend God’s peace. Calvin advocates this meaning on the grounds that “nothing is more foreign to the human mind, than to hope in the depth of despair, in the depth of poverty to see riches, and in the depth of weakness not to give way.” Similarly Silva comments, “God’s peace transcends our intellectual powers precisely because believers experience it when it is unexpected, in circumstances that appear to make it impossible: Paul suffering in prison, the Philippians threatened by quarrels within and enemies without.” To be anxious because of suffering and quarrels is reasonable; to have the peace of God in the face of opposition transcends human reason.
Second, the phrase transcends all understanding is taken by others to mean that the peace of God is far superior to human reason. All the exceptional human abilities of perceptive insights and reflective intelligence cannot resolve conflicts and reduce anxiety as effectively as God’s peace does. The healing power of God’s peace far surpasses the powers of the human mind. “The peace of God surpasses every human thought or device as a means of insuring tranquility of heart.” “God’s peace is able to produce exceedingly better results than human planning.” By the use of their human understanding the Philippians were exacerbating their divisions and intensifying their anxiety. Now Paul calls them to pray together with thanksgiving and to subject their minds to the gift of God’s peace.
Although both interpretations can be supported from the Greek words and the context, the interpretation that points to the superiority of God’s peace over human planning and ingenuity seems to fit best with the promise that God’s peace will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Paul’s image of guarding comes from the presence of the Roman garrison housed in Philippi to keep the peace of Rome, the pax Romana, for the benefit of the Roman Empire. The verb guard conveys the general meaning of “to provide security, guard, protect, and keep.” This verb is used by Paul with a specific reference to the military function of guarding the city gates of Damascus (2 Cor 11:32) and probably has the same military overtones in Philippians 4:7, “in order to ring bells with his readership at Philippi where a military garrison was stationed to guard the pax Romana.” Although the peace imposed on the city of Philippi expressed the superior intelligence and planning of the Roman Empire, the effectiveness of God’s peace-keeping force far surpassed even the best military minds of the Roman army. The garrison guarding the Roman peace could only exert external pressure, but God’s peace guards the interior lives, the hearts and minds, of believers in Christ.
The heart is “the center and source of the whole inner life, with its thinking, feeling and volition.” The mind (or, a better translation, thought) is “that which one has in mind as a product of intellectual processes.” Paul uses the term thoughts five times in 2 Corinthians with a negative sense as a reference to corrupt thoughts opposed to Christ and Christian knowledge (2:11; 3:14; 4:4; 10:5; 11:3). In Philippians 4:7, however, the term appears to have a neutral sense of thoughts that proceed from the hearts of Christians. In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul recognizes the sad fact that the hearts and the thoughts even of Christians are susceptible to envy, rivalry, selfish ambition, vain conceit, and selfish interests (1:15; 2:3–4). But he assures the church that through prayer, God will keep the peace in the community by guarding the innermost “emotions, affections, thoughts, and moral choices” of the members of the community. By referring to the hearts and minds of believers, Paul is giving a holistic summary of the interior life of the church and all its members. A narrowly personal reduction of the reference to hearts and minds to an individualistic sense—peace in my own heart and mind—misses the need for relational peace addressed throughout the letter, especially in 2:1–4 and 4:2–3. God gives peace and keeps peace in the community in Christ Jesus. This community of believers residing in Philippi lives in Christ Jesus. This significant phrase, in Christ Jesus, appears eight times in this letter (1:1, 26; 2:5; 3:3, 14; 4:7, 19, 21) as the unifying thread of the entire discourse.
Application:
HOW TO OVERCOME WORRY
1. Make up your mind that you are going to conquer it by prayer.
2. Form the right relationship with God.
3. Develop the right attitude of mind
4. Do what you can and turn the rest over to God
5. Live one day at a time because yesterday is buried and tomorrow unborn.
Bibliography
Hansen, G. Walter. The Letter to the Philippians. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009.
Martin, Ralph P. Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary. England, UK: Inter-Varsity Press, 2008.
Runge, Steven E. Philippians: A Visual and Textual Guide. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014.