Philippians 4:6-7
Have you ever gone through some tough financial times? Ever had a deep concern about someone in your family? Have you ever thought your world was going to collapse beneath the weight of your problems? Sure you have. We all have. That's part of life in this world. Nobody escapes trouble. But there's a difference between how Christians and non-Christians deal with the trouble: Christ is in us!
Being a child of God is more than a name. It's an opportunity to share our lives with the God of Life, Jesus Christ. He's our Lord and Savior, He's our God, He's our Counselor, He's our closest Friend. Jesus understands the problems of this world thoroughly. He has walked in our shoes far more than a mile. He's been there ... done that. He knows what it's like to be human and deal with human problems. He's the perfect Man and never sinned, but he still faced our problems.
Christ's answer to our troubles is, "Do not be anxious about anything." Jesus knows how easy it is for the human heart and mind to worry. He knows how upset we can get. He knows how anxiety can destroy us over time. He knows how it clouds our thinking and feeling and causes us to lose focus about what's really important in life.
Jesus gives us four steps to deal with troubles that cause anxiety. This list starts with Philippians 4:4. That's the context for our study.
I want to spend a few moments with you about the last part of Step 4: "with thanksgiving." Why did God say that? Why do we need thanksgiving as part of our prayer requests?
Christians are people, just like everyone else. We are sinners saved by God's Grace. What makes us different from others in the world is our relationship to God. He is not our judge. He is our Loving, Heavenly Father. We are His children, members of the Body of His Son Jesus Christ. We are co-heirs with Christ. But, we are still human. We have lots of potential, but we still live in bodies of clay. We fight with thoughts of discouragement and anxiety. The Apostle Paul wrote about wanting to do one thing but doing the opposite. He wrote about dragging the old man around with him like it was a corpse. This is true. We are "between" mortality and immortality. We are "between" being sinners in this world and being "like" Christ in heaven. We are in a transition period. That's tough because nothing is quite like it ought to be. We are alive in Christ, but we aren't free of the physical death that surrounds us. We are aware of the spiritual light God has given us, but we still live in a world of spiritual darkness. We have every spiritual blessing, but we still struggle in this world.
God wants us to THINK differently. He knows our "thoughts" can do us in. We "think" the wrong things, "believe" the wrong things, "do" the wrong things. Being anxious is the wrong thing. It's evidence we're not "relying" on the Christ in us. What's God's advice for dealing with that? Pray! Okay, we pray but we still worry. Now what? Pray differently. Pray "with thanksgiving."
Worry and anxiety are negative ways of thinking. Giving thanks is a positive way of thinking. Being negative is one of the major things sin did to mankind. Being positive is what the Holy Spirit wants to do for us. Adults have spent decades thinking negatively. Changing our way of thinking won't happen over night. You'll have a little victory and then suffer a big defeat. You'll have another victory and another defeat. What should happen is that we trust the Christ Who lives in us.
One of the positive things giving thanks does for us is cause our minds to "rehearse" the good things Christ has done for us. The process of remembering the positives in our lives builds a reservoir of positive thoughts that can balance out the number of negative thoughts we have in a day. Think about that for a minute. You and I hear scores of negative things every day. We hear them at work, at school, at home, around the neighborhood. We think our own negative thoughts dozens of times a day. We have a huge storehouse of negativity built up in our minds. We have to do something to counter that. That's where praying with thanksgiving comes in. We have to have some balance. If we think about 200 negative things a day, for instance, we need scores of positive thoughts to counter that.
What happens when you thank God? You begin to feel better. You become calm. You become less anxious. You worry less. You place things in proper perspective. You realize you're pretty fortunate afterall. You see things are better than you thought. You start the process of rejoicing. It begins with being thankful.
God takes our thankfulness and positive thinking and uses it to build a wall of peace around our minds. The more we thank God, the higher and thicker that wall gets. We stop thanking God for awhile and let the negative thoughts of worry and anxiety into our minds again and the wall of peace gets pretty thin. We must remember that we are "in" Christ and He is "in" us.
Do whatever it takes. Spend whatever time you need to be thankful each day to offset the worry and anxiety that can overtake you. Some days are tougher than others. What's at stake here is your well-being and your enjoyment of Christ in you. God's willing and able to guard your mind. He wants to give you a peace that transcends all understanding. You part is to pray with thanksgiving.
You may want to begin by writing all of the things you are thankful for in life. The list should be long. Once you've written everything you can think of, think about it throughout your day. Get to the point that praying with thanksgiving becomes natural. Thanksgiving will be in the front of your mind and on the tip of your tongue at all times. It will make a difference in how you think and how you speak to others. People around you will notice what a positive, thankful, gentle, joyful person you are. They will see that you are "in" Christ and He is "in" you.
Romans 5:18
What an amazing statement! One act of righteousness on the part of Jesus Christ was enough to bring life for all men. What was this "righteousness" that brought about such outstanding results for the human race?
"Righteousness" is the Greek word dikaiomatos . It means "a righteous act or deed." The root word means "right, just." Jesus did the "right" thing and it brought life for all people.
Jesus always did the "right" thing during His life on earth. Every step He made, every word He spoke, every action He took was "the right thing." He told His disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17). Jesus came to earth to do everything "right." He followed the rules. He stayed focused on doing the "right" things. All of His "right" actions were leading to one act of righteousness that would spell "L-I-F-E" for all people. That moment was the Cross.
Jesus endured one of the most horrible deaths known to man: crucifixion. People beat Him, whipped Him, mocked Him, spit on Him, cursed Him, nailed Him to a cross, stabbed Him, cut Him and left Him to hang for hours in the hot sun. Jesus could have commanded an army of angels to free Him and destroy every enemy in Jerusalem, but He didn't. Jesus did the "right" thing.
At the end of His time on the cross, Jesus asked for something to quench His thirst, then said, "It is finished." What was finished? The task at hand. Jesus had finished what His Heavenly Father had sent Him to accomplish: to die for the sins of mankind. That was the one righteous act Paul wrote about many years later.
"Righteousness" is about doing right things. It's about finishing those right things. It's about obeying the one who sends you to finish those right things. Jesus is our GREAT EXAMPLE of doing what's right. What came from Christ's obedience? What came from His "one act of righteousness?" "Justification that brings life for all men."
The Greek word for "justification" is dikaiosin . Notice the similarities? The words for "righteous act" and "justification" come from the same root word: dikaio . "Justification" is the act of pronouncing someone righteous. It takes a righteous act on the part of a righteous person to pronounce someone else righteous. In the case of Christ, He was the righteous Person Who performed the righteous act of shedding His blood for us. In that righteous action, He provided a way for every human being to stand justified before God.
Jesus did the tough thing. He went the distance. He kept His eye on the goal before Him. He didn't stop when death stood before Him. His followers didn't want Him to go to the cross. Peter tried to stop Him, but Jesus did the right thing. He didn't waver. He remained steadfast to complete the work His Heavenly Father had given Him. You and I received the benefit of His righteous act. Christ's death paid the penalty for our sin. God's anger against us was cooled because Jesus did what was right. Paul wrote that we became "the righteousness of God" because of Christ's act.
2 Corinthians 5:21
What do we learn from this? Right actions lead to right results. One of my favorite sayings from Total Quality Management is: "Do right things right the first time." That's what Christ did. He did the right things. He did them right and did them right the first time.
Christ is our example. You and I are not in a position to die for the sins of anyone, but we can do "right things right" every day. Doing right things for others will have right results. Christ is "in" us doing the Will of His Father. God wants to bless the lives of others through us. That's what He did with Christ. He blessed the world through Jesus. He wants to bless the world now through Christ Who is in us. Millions of Christians live on this planet. If each one of us would obey Christ in us, we could commit millions of righteous acts every day. We would make a difference in the lives of millions of people every day. It may be saying a kind word to a friend. It may be sharing a word of encouragement with a neighbor. It may be spending some quality moments with our children. It may be listening to the pain of a fellow worker and sharing the insights of Christ. It may be praying for someone's loss. It may be speaking boldly in the community about doing the right thing. It may be telling someone about Christ's love for them and how He did the "right thing" for them when He died on the cross centuries ago.
We never know what "right thing" we do in a day is going to have a deep and lasting effect on the life of another person. But God does. Our responsibility is to do right things. Christ in us knows what those right things are. He will do right things through us because He is in us.
Right actions lead to right results. Listen to Christ in you and you will do the right thing.
Romans 15:5-6
Let's look at three words. They are "endurance," "encouragement," and "unity." I believe an understanding and application of these words will change our lives for the better.
First, look at what the end result of these words should be: "...so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." It would do every Christian good to understand this one thing: we exist to enjoy God and glorify His Name. That's a basic mission statement for Christians. If we woke up every morning with a desire to enjoy God and glorify His Name, we'd have a better start to the day. If we went through every hour of every day with a desire to enjoy God and glorify His Name, we'd have a better day. If we ended each day rejoicing about how much we enjoyed God and glorified His Name during the day, we'd have a better outlook for the future. Unfortunately, we allow too many other things to get in the way of that desire. We get caught up in the struggles, problems and disappointments of the day. We often wake up with little desire to face the world. We go through the day wishing it were over. We end the day wishing we had done a lot of things differently but not knowing how to do it any other way. Check out the desires of your heart. What's important to you? Is it enjoying God and glorifying His Name? Or something else?
That question is not meant to bring you guilt. The question gives each of us an opportunity to consider our lives and evaluate our behavior in the light of Christ in us. God's Grace doesn't heap guilt. It frees us from guilt so we can accomplish great things for Christ and others. That's a major difference between the Law and Grace. Remember: "...you are not under law, but under grace." Being under grace means we can ask ourselves tough questions, be honest with the answers and know God's okay with it. Hey, He's on our side! God wants us to be free. He wants us to succeed. He sent Jesus to die on the Cross so we can be free; not so we can feel guilty and fail. God wants us to succeed. To do that, God is honest with us and wants us to be honest with Him and with ourselves. He gives us the freedom to do that knowing failure doesn't doom us. It points us back to the One Who knows what works. God's Word is a guide to success. Failure reminds us we need to read the directions again and do it God's way. Being a "forgiven one" means we can try and fail, try and fail without fearing God's judgment. God judged us in Christ. God placed us "in" Christ. He looks at us now and sees "righteousness." We're free! Pretty cool, huh?
It will help us to look at the context of Romans 15:5 & 6. Paul wrote about working with brothers and sisters who were weaker in the faith (Romans 14). It led him to say this in chapter 15:1-4:
Paul wrote often about "endurance." He was an amazing example of endurance. However, it wasn't Paul's natural endurance that got him through the tough times of being the Apostle to the Gentiles. Nope. He wouldn't have made it if he was on his own. He would have faltered, stumbled, fell and failed if he was going on his own strength. Christ "in" Paul is what made the difference in Paul's life. Christ is why Paul succeeded and Paul knew it.
1 Timothy 1:12-16
2 Timothy 3:10-11
2 Timothy 4:16-18
2 Corinthians 6:4-10
Paul knew where to go to get strength for his daily work. He knew Who would give him endurance to face the tough fight of faith. He went to Christ "in" Him and to God's Word. Paul knew God would give him everything he needed to succeed.
The Greek word for "endurance" is hupomones . It is used 31 times in the New Testament. Translators use the following English words to explain its meaning:
The Greeks understood it to mean someone bearing up courageously under suffering. Some today might translate it as "hanging tough." The idea is of not giving up, not letting things defeat you, sticking with it until the job's done.
All of us need that, but where do we get it? "May the God who gives endurance..." We get it from God. He is the power behind every Christian who has ever endured the hardships of this life. God is the One Who gets the job done through His people. He made it happen for Paul. He will make it happen for you and me.
It's good to remember what Paul said at the very end of his life about enduring to the end.
2 Timothy 4:6-7
What struggles are you facing right now? What hardships? What battles? What "tough" things face you today? Tomorrow? How will you get through it? "May the God who gives endurance" give you the strength and hope to bear up courageously. "May the God who gives endurance" help you to do the right things and not give up. "May the God who gives endurance" help you face every test, every rough place in your day and come out a winner! Our prayers are with you.
Colossians 1:10-11
Romans 15:5-6
"Great job!" "You certainly work well with others." "That was a great way to handle that problem." "Great idea!" "Thanks for all you do for us." "Way to go!" "Keep up the good work."
Those are words of encouragement. If you're like most people, you don't hear them often. People rarely say things that encourage others. That's too bad since we need encouragement to give us strength for the demands of life.
God understands our needs. That's why He gives us encouragement through His Word.
Romans 15:4
God gives us eternal encouragement through His Grace.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
If we listen to God, we'll hear His constant encouragement. He's always saying nice things about us. He's always telling us how much He loves us. He's always reminding us of the great things He has in store for us. If we'll just listen to Him.
You and I need encouragement. So do others. It's what "charges us up" to keep going, to feel good about ourselves and others. Paul reminds us that "encouragement" is a main part of our ministry to others. It is a primary ministry of Pastors and Elders (2 Timothy 4:2; Titus 1:9, 2:6, 2:15). God has even given some Christians the "gift" of encouraging others (Romans 12:6-8). Whether you have that gift or not, it is the responsibility of all Christians to encourage one another. Here are a few examples.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
1 Thessalonians 5:14
Romans 1:11-12
Yes, we all need encouragement. Paul needed it. I need it. You need it. God gives us encouragement to make us strong. He wants us to share that encouragement with others to help make them strong. I'll close these thoughts with one of the clearest portions of God's Word about the relationship He wants us to have with others. It reminds us of what we have "in" Christ. May it encourage you today and all the days of your life.
Philippians 2:1-5
Romans 15:5-6
Unity is a primary theme of the Gospel of the Grace of God. The Greek words for "unity" are to auto phronein . It literally means "to mind the same thing." It means to have the same mindset, be of a similar opinion. It carries the idea of affecting the will, the affections, and the conscience.
Notice that Paul prays God will give them a "spirit" of unity. That's internal and spiritual. Unity among Christians has to start inside. It has to be something God does in us, for us, with us. It's something we have to believe is true; something we want because we believe it's right and best. The internal belief will lead us to external actions.
Paul prays that God will give us a spirit of unity "so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." That's the external action that flows naturally from an internal belief. If we truly believe in our hearts that we should have the same mindset with other believers, we will show that through our actions. Our actions and words will follow. A unified mind brings forth unified actions.
We have great reasons to be of the same mind with each other:
Ephesians 4:4-5
The same Christ Who is "in" us is "in" all Christians. We all have the same God and Father. He is over, through and in all. What a bond of unity!
Having the same mindset does not mean Christians won't disagree with each other. We are free in Christ to think for ourselves and come to different conclusions about some things. However, if we have a spirit of unity, we will strive to have the same mindset, to be of similar opinions with other believers. We will demonstrate our love for God through our love for fellow Christians. We will be able to put aside petty differences for the purpose of following Christ and having His mind.
I know this isn't easy, but the Christian life was never supposed to be easy. Jesus made that quite clear. So did Paul. They both demonstrated and taught that bringing a wide variety of minds and lives together into One Body was a challenge. That is one of the great beauties of Christianity.
Think about your relationship with other believers. Ask God to help you have a spirit of unity, to demonstrate that unity, for the sake of His Glory.
Ephesians 4:3
"Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © , 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers."
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Last Updated: 12/20/1999 "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 your minds in Christ Jesus."
"Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men."
"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
"We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: 'the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.' For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life."
"You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings--what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them."
"At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
"Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way; in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet, regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet possessing everything."
"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience..."
"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and stengthen you in every good deed and word."
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
"And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone."
"I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong--that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith."
"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."
"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
"There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called--one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."