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Scripture Reading: Phil. 4:4-7
Everyone likes to rejoice. No one likes to be sorrowful. For man to rejoice and not be sorrowful, he must not have any burden. Otherwise, he will not be able to rejoice. According to the Bible, there are two kinds of burdens: one is the burden of sin, and the other is the burden of anxiety. If the burden of sin is not resolved, there is no joy; if the burden of anxiety is not resolved, there is also no joy. If the burden of sin is resolved but the burden of anxiety is not, the joy is not complete. At the same time, if the burden of anxiety is resolved but the burden of sin is not, the joy cannot be complete either. The burdens of sin and anxiety must be resolved together in order for one to rejoice.
Today what we will speak is for Christians. We will consider how a Christian can have joy. Since all Christians are saved, the burden of sin has already been resolved! However, if their burden of anxiety is not resolved, they still cannot rejoice. If Christians are not joyful, they put the Lord and His name to shame. This means that they do not trust in Him and that they doubt Him. Christians know that their sins are forgiven and that they are saved; they know that they are children of God. But many Christians are not joyful. This lack of joy is surely not God's portion for Christians. The verses we will read show us how to have joy. When we are free from anxiety, we can rejoice.
But how many Christians can always rejoice? Christians today are putting the Lord's name to shame. The Lord's will is that we know our sins and come to Him for forgiveness so that we can have the authority to become children of God through the redemption of the Lord's blood. All these things are good, but He also wants us to always rejoice. If we do not have joy, we do not have the proper living and attitude of a Christian. Christians must always rejoice. If we read the Bible, we will find out that believers ought to live in joy and without anxiety. Let us now look into Philippians 4:4-7 phrase by phrase.
Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." The first thing we have to know is that rejoicing is a commandment of God. God never commands us to do what we cannot do. Every command of God to man can be done by man. The Bible commands us not to be happy, but to rejoice in the Lord. We should not only rejoice in the Lord, but rejoice in Him always. If a man worships idols, we know that this violates God's commandment. But we may not realize that if a Christian is not rejoicing, he is also breaking God's commandment. We may think that if we worship idols we are breaking the commandments but if we do not rejoice, we are not breaking the commandments. Actually, in both cases we are breaking His commandments. Since rejoicing is a command of God, we must practice accordingly; otherwise, we are breaking God's commandment. Perhaps you may think, "I have such and such a problem. How can I rejoice? I am a laborer and have to support a family. Even though I toil and sweat, I do not earn much in wages, and living expenses are so high. How can I rejoice?" As a result, you may become anxious. Perhaps you are a mother and a widow. You have many children and a meager income which does not adequately cover your expenses. Since you live from hand to mouth, you may think, "How can a person like me rejoice?" Perhaps you are a student, doctor, master, or servant, and you feel that it is difficult to deal with other people in the world. You cannot rejoice. Indeed, many things can make you unable to rejoice. But please note that the rejoicing in verse 4 is not to rejoice in yourself, but to "rejoice in the Lord always."
A widow who has just lost her husband, whose possessions are about to be pawned, and whose landlord is about to drive her out of the house is suffering greatly under these circumstances. Yet she can still play with her little baby. She cannot rejoice in the house, her deceased husband, or her surroundings. But she can rejoice. She can rejoice in her baby. In the same way, God has not asked us to rejoice in our environment, in things going our way, or in any kind of happiness. God tells us to "rejoice in the Lord." The world may oppose us, misunderstand us, reject us, and trap us, but no one can cover the heavens from us. The Lord never changes. The world could put Paul into prison and lock him up, but it could not keep the Lord within Paul away from him. Therefore, Paul and Silas were able to sing and praise God within the prison cell. We should be clear about one thing: do not rejoice in the environment; rather, rejoice in our Lord. When friends and relatives are away and the heart is aching and weeping, we can be comforted and rejoice if we look to the Lord who loves us and whom we love. He is enough to satisfy our heart. But Christians are very forgetful! We may hear about this today but forget about it tomorrow! This is why Paul followed by saying, "Again I will say, rejoice." God's intention is that we rejoice. Therefore, whatever happens, we must rejoice.
"Let your forbearance be known to all men." "Forbearance" in the original text has a meaning of moderation. It means to not incline to the left or the right, to not be too much or too little. If a Christian feels crushed under a great mountain as soon as he encounters some problems, he is not moderate. The world may press us, but the Lord gives us joy. This joy is great, and it enables us to pass our days joyfully in the midst of difficulties. This is the principle of moderation according to the Bible. It is not the moderation the world teaches.
Verse 5 says, "The Lord is near." Please consider this word. Some have said that this refers to the coming of the Lord. But this is not reliable for two reasons: (1) In the phrase "the Lord is near," the word "near" is not an adverb but an adjective; and (2) according to the original text, the word "near" occurs only four times in the New Testament. These include Romans 10:8, Ephesians 2:13 and 17, and Philippians 4:5. The meaning in the fourth instance should be the same as the first three instances. Whatever is referred to in the first three instances should be what is referred to in the fourth instance as well. In the first three instances, "near" refers to location. Therefore, in the fourth instance, it must also refer to location. Romans 10:8 says, "But what does it say? `The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart,' that is, the word of the faith which we proclaim." This refers to location. Ephesians 2:13 says, "But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have become near in the blood of Christ." This also refers to location. Ephesians 2:17 says, "And coming, He announced peace as the gospel to you who were far off, and peace to those who were near." This also refers to location. Therefore, "the Lord is near" in Philippians 4:5 must also refer to location. This means that the Lord is near to us; it does not mean that the Lord is coming soon. It is wonderful to know that the Lord is near us and can help us. We should rejoice always because He is beside us. We should rejoice because He has drawn near to us.
Verse 6 says, "In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." We must rejoice because the Lord is near; we must also not be anxious because He is near. The preceding verse says that we should rejoice, and this verse says that we should be anxious in nothing. Do we realize that other than sin, nothing harms man more than anxiety? Indeed, anxiety is a sin.
There are many excuses for us to be anxious. There are many good reasons in this world for us to be anxious every day. It is not difficult to find these reasons. We argue that it is unavoidable for us to be anxious when we are faced with these circumstances. But God considers that we have no excuse to be anxious. All the anxieties are without a reason. Therefore, God tells us, "In nothing be anxious." We think the problems of our living, family affairs, and personal difficulties are matters for us to be anxious about. But the Bible says, "In nothing be anxious." Not a single anxiety is legitimate, nor is it allowed by God. Every anxiety is forbidden by Him.
I read in a book that a pastor once told a woman to be anxious in nothing because it was a sin to be anxious. The woman said that the only thing she was anxious about was her nine sons. The pastor repeated that in nothing should she be anxious. The woman argued that God's word concerning being anxious in nothing did not include such an anxiety. The pastor answered that when God says to be anxious in nothing, He means to be anxious in nothing. The woman insisted that a mother ought to be anxious for her sons. She said, "My anxiety has followed four of my sons to heaven already. Now I still have to be anxious for the other five." Some people think that they should worry about this and about that, as if it is their duty to worry. Others ask, "Should not one be anxious about one or two things in a year?" No. Why? It is because "the Lord is near." Your anxiety indicates that you do not trust in His heart or in His promise. You are shaming the Lord. The Lord is near, but you are anxious; you doubt the power of His hand and the kindness of His heart. The reason you are anxious is because you do not know that the Lord is near.
Verse 6 continues, "But in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." How can you be without anxiety? "But"! As long as you follow this "but," everything will be fine. Whether you are sitting, lying down, or walking, you can make everything known to God in three ways: (1) by prayer — ordinary prayer, (2) by petition — definite and specific prayer (through prayer and petition you can tell God the requests in your heart), and (3) with thanksgiving — thanking God for everything. Through giving thanks, you also tell God your needs. You should make known everything to God by prayer, petition, and thanksgiving. But you do not; therefore, you are full of anxiety and short of joy. You have disobeyed God's commandment, and you cannot be free from anxiety.
It would be wonderful if we would commit the things we encounter into God's hand item by item. Otherwise, when the first thing comes up, we lay it upon ourselves. Then when the second and third things come up, we also lay them upon ourselves. In this way, we are pressed and lose our joy. Once I saw builders moving tiles to the roof of a house. Three men stood on a ladder, one at the top, the second in the middle, and the third at the bottom. The one at the bottom would hand the tiles over to the one in the middle. After the one in the middle received the tiles, he would hand them to the one at the top. They continued this way unceasingly. When I saw this I thought, "What if the man in the middle did not pass on the tiles he received, or what if the man on the top refused to take the tiles passed to him?" If that happened, the one in the middle would eventually be crushed to death by the tiles that were continuously coming to him. We deal with anxiety in this manner. If we do not send all the anxieties to God to let Him bear them, all the anxieties of this world will crush us to death. We must not allow the anxieties of the world to keep pressing upon us; we must place them on God's side. The moment we have anxiety, we must immediately entrust it to the Lord. We do not have to tolerantly accumulate anxieties upon ourselves item by item. There is a way out. The way is, "In everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." This is something that the world and sinners cannot do. Only Christians can do this because we have the Lord, and the Lord is near. Not only can we pray for great things, but for small things as well. We can pray for everything that we have a reason to be anxious about. Everything which affords an opportunity to worry about can be prayed for. The reason we can be anxious in nothing is not that we are naturally optimistic or that we try to be mindless in everything like foolish ones. Such conduct is indeed foolish. Rather, we can be anxious in nothing because we have One to talk to, One whom we can trust, and One who will be responsible. We can rejoice and be free from anxiety because we have God and because we can entrust all things to God through prayers. Prayer is our way out. God is our way out.
Is it enough to have prayer and petition alone? No. The Bible mentions not only prayer and petition but also thanksgiving. We must remember that everything that comes upon us has been placed in our hand by the nail-pierced hands; everything that comes upon us has been arranged by the Lord who died for us. Therefore, we can thank God ahead of time, saying, "God, You can never be wrong." There are many today who can preach and many today who can pray. But there are few who can give thanks. Preaching is giving something of God to man, while prayer is acquiring something from God. Thanksgiving is consecrating ourselves to God and offering our sacrifice of thanks. The Bible not only says that we should pray and petition; it also says that we should give thanks. In what things do we give thanks to God? We should not only give thanks to Him when we are happy; we should also give thanks when we are sorrowful. In everything we give thanks to God. We should thank God not only for the things that we consider as good, but also for the things that we consider to be bad.
There was a university professor in the western part of the United States who was always sad and liked to utter dejected words. This turned his colleagues away from him. One day the weather was very good, and a number of his younger colleagues said to him, "The sun is so bright today. The birds' chirping sounds are so sweet, and the grass looks so fresh. You ought to have no complaint about this scene." Looking around he was somewhat convinced that there was nothing to complain about. But did he stop his grievance? No. After a further glance he said, "This scene will not last." Oh, many Christians are like this man. They never have a heart of gratitude toward God. They only have sighings, murmurings, sorrows, and burdens; they never have a heart of gratitude.
There was a Christian who worked in a railroad station. He always gave thanks to God whether in sickness or in health and whether or not his circumstances were smooth. All of his co-workers said he was an optimist. One day while he was repairing the track of the railroad, a train ran over his leg and he fainted. After he regained consciousness, people heard him thanking God again! They were angry and wondered how he could still thank God when one of his legs was cut off. He said, "I thank God because I still have one good leg!" Brothers and sisters, you may be sick, but you are still alive. You may be poor, but you are not destitute. You may have coarse clothing, but you still have something to put on. Your house may be small, but you still have a place to lay your head. You should learn to seek for opportunities to thank God. If you do this, you may have reasons to be anxious, but you will not have opportunity to be anxious. Every time you give your anxiety and burden to God, you cannot help but rejoice. If you say that you have burdens and anxieties, you have to realize that the Lord has borne your sins on the cross. Will He not bear your sorrows, difficulties, and anxieties as well?
First Peter 5:7 says, "Casting all your anxiety on Him because it matters to Him concerning you." God wants us to cast all our anxiety on Him because it matters to Him concerning us. He wants to bear our burden. The word "matters" in the original language belongs to the same root as the word "anxiety" in the same verse; the two are different only in their grammatical forms. This means that God bears our anxieties; He takes up our anxiety for us. Therefore, we do not have to be anxious! Many people extend invitations to others with the purpose of receiving joy, gifts, friendship, and other things; they expect gain from others. But our God has not invited us to give Him joy, goodness, or friendship. He has invited us to come before Him and cast our anxieties on Him. God is a God who bears our anxiety. He beckons us to lay our anxiety on Him. To Him this is no hardship. Isaiah 53:4 said that the Lord Jesus has "borne our sicknesses and carried our sorrows."
If you worry about your immediate problems, the break up of your family, the moral degradation of your children and their waywardness from the Lord, the failure of your business, the frictions between in-laws, the salvation of others, or the backward and fallen spiritual condition of God's children, your should realize that God wants you to cast your anxiety on Him. In the midst of all these problems, God is asking you to come to Him. God is asking you to come not with your good things, but with your anxieties and worries. He will bear your anxieties. All of you who have a broken heart, a heavy heart, and a pained heart, come unto God! Today you need not be anxious anymore! This is the gospel.
What will be the result if we let our requests be made known to God in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving? There will be the best result. Philippians 4:7 says, "And the peace of God, which surpasses every man's understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus." The word "guard" in the original language is a special military term. We can translate it as "garrison" or "patrol." The same word is used in 2 Corinthians 11:32: "In Damascus, the governor under Aretas the king guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me." The governor of Damascus wanted to seize Paul, and he put garrisons of soldiers around the city. In the same way, God's peace is patrolling our heart like the soldiers garrisoning the city, and His peace is keeping our heart in peace. No anxiety can break through this line and come into our heart. God's peace is patrolling, garrisoning, and guarding our heart from the invasion of all anxieties. How amazing this is! What else could "the peace of God" possibly mean?
Originally, all of God's creation was wonderful and beautiful. But the archangel (who later became the devil) sinned, and one third of the angels followed him and also sinned. The earth became waste and void. Was God anxious about this? No. He finished His recovery work within six days and created a couple to live on the earth. Then they too committed sin. Was God anxious about this? No. Although the angels fell and man fell, God was not anxious. God sent forth the Savior to save men. According to our concept, as soon as man sinned, God should have sent forth the Savior. But God was not anxious. When the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman (Gal. 4:4). He waited several thousand years; He was not in a hurry. Even today, according to our concept, the best thing to do is to shuffle everybody into the church. But God is not in a hurry. This is the peace of God. Even if men attack Him, oppose Him, and deny Him, He does not send thunder and lightning to kill them. He is at peace. This is the peace of God. Although He encounters many adversities, He is still very much at peace. If we have such a peace of God to garrison our heart and mind, can anxiety invade us? Is there anything that can take away our peace?
God has commanded that we should let our requests be made known to Him in everything through prayer and petition with thanksgiving. He has promised that He will send us His own peace like soldiers guarding our hearts, keeping out all worries, sufferings, and discomforts. The peace of God indeed is the peace which passes all understanding; it is the peace which man cannot understand and cannot otherwise have. The phrase "surpasses every man's understanding" means beyond human expectation. If we commit everything to Him, we will have the peace which is beyond human understanding and which man cannot otherwise possess. This peace will guard our hearts and thoughts and enable us to safely pass through every storm in the worldly sea. Dear brothers, have you experienced the peace of God? Are you aware of the garrison of His peace? Do you know what it means for God's peace to guard your hearts and your thoughts? Thank God! Many times it seems that the pressure is too great and that there is no way of escape. It seems that anxiety and grief is your sole obligation. But when you tell God what you want, in prayer and petition, on the one hand, and with thanksgiving, on the other, you will feel as if you do not even know how to be anxious anymore. You will be surprised, and others will marvel at your peace. This is the peace which passes all understanding. This is the garrison of the peace of God.
Verse 7 also says, "Guard your hearts and your thoughts." This does not mean to guard your environment or keep your environment in peace. It means to keep your heart in peace. This sentence can also be translated as "making your hearts and thoughts belong to Jesus Christ." This means to turn your hearts and thoughts to the Lord. If you have any difficulty or pain which you cannot bear, you can say, "God, I commit this to Your hand." If you have obeyed His commandment, He will fulfill His promise.
Once, I encountered a difficulty which seemed to afford me no way out. At that time I remembered this verse, and I went to a deserted field to pray. I prayed more than ten times, but there was still no peace within. I thought, "Can it be that this verse is only good for others and cannot be put into practice by me?" At that point God told me, "I have said be anxious in nothing and you will have peace. But now you say that you have no peace!" I jumped up and said, "O God, You said that I have peace. I will surely have peace; I will not say anything anymore." When I believed God's words, I immediately had the peace. Therefore, brothers and sisters, if you do not believe God's Word, you will have no peace. Believe and you will have peace. If you want to wait for the peace before believing, you will never have it. If there is any difficulty or suffering beyond what you can bear, tell God, "O God, I commit them into Your hand." If you do this, you will have peace. "Rejoice in the Lord always" and "In nothing be anxious" are God's commandments. "And the peace of God, which surpasses every man's understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus" is His promise. If you obey His command, He will fulfill His promise.
