Standing Fast in the Lord
Philippians 4:1-3

In the final chapter of the book of Philippians Paul talks about the means whereby we can have peace in the Body of Christ.  The word used for peace (elrēnē) means to bind together, to join and to weave together. It means that a person is bound, woven and joined together with himself and God and others. The Hebrew word is ‘shalom’.  It means freedom from trouble. It means to experience the highest good, enjoying the very best. It means prosperity in the widest sense. Sometimes little children complain about the discipline of their parents because they don’t understand that the rules of the house are for their highest good. There’s a curfew because they can’t stay out all night and expect to do well the next day in school. There is concern about the kind of parties they attend because every party is not for their good. The commands of God are for His children’s highest good! Paul closes his letter in chapter four by talking about the requirements for the peace of Christ. It the Will of God that His children experience the peace of God! 

(1) It is to be understood that the peace of Christ is a peace within. It is a tranquility of the mind, and calmness in the face of bad circumstances. This is what Jesus talked about in John 16:33 when He said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” In other words, what Christ is saying to the Believer, “I’ve instructed you in the things of God so that you might have peace. Now, in this world, you will have tribulation, but be encouraged because I have overcome. I’ve overcome the enemy, Satan, the cause of your tribulation! Be encouraged! Take heart!”

(2) To have the peace of Christ, we must realize the need to build a strong prayer life.
Prayer won’t always make your problem disappear. But it will sure help you make it through! Prayer is talking with the Lord. A lot of times unbeknown to us, while we are talking with Him and trying to figure it all out, Jesus has already worked it out!
        
(A) Building a strong prayer life enables us to stand fast in the Faith! If you are spending 5 minutes before the Lord in prayer and 5 hours before the TV destroying your mind, there will be an imbalance in your prayer life!
        
(B) Standing fast means we must take our eyes off men and not try to be like them. We are to focus on the Lord. This is why in 1 Corinthians 16:13 we are told, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” Quit being like weak men. Be strong!
        
(C) We must stand fast in the freedom (liberty) of Christ. Galatians 5:1 states, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
                  (a) When I fall into the temptation of backbiting, I’m placing myself in bondage.
                  (b) When I dig ditches for someone else, I’m placing myself in bondage.
                  (c) When there is bitterness between me and someone else, I’m placing myself in                   bondage.
Any time I put myself in a position where Satan can use me to his advantage, I’ve put myself in bondage. But the good news is Christ came to set us free. We are told in John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” This means I don’t have to be entangled and enslaved by sin anymore!

(D) To have the peace of Christ means that we must bridle our tongues. James said in James 1:26, “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.”
                  (a) The tongue can spread the spirit of disunity. We are to stand fast in one spirit striving together for the faith of the gospel. Therefore, Philippians 1:27 reminds us we are to “Only let [our] conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ.” Paul said, I’m telling you this because, whether I come and see you or not, you must stand fast in one Spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel.” This is the secret of our peace!

(E) We must stand fast and hold on to the teachings and doctrines that we have been taught. In 2 Thessalonians 2:15 the Thessalonians were reminded to “Stand fast and hold on to the traditions (doctrines, teachings) which they had been taught whether by word, or their epistle.”

(F) The step towards peace is agreement and unity, but there can be no peace if there is:
         ·      Arguing                     
         ·      Bickering
         ·      Backbiting
         ·      Dissension
         ·      Criticism
         ·      Grumbling
This is what was happening with two wonderful sisters in the Church, Euodias and Syntyche. The Bible doesn’t provide a lot of information about them. But here’s what we know:

         (1) They were both saved and loved the Lord
         (2) They had shared with Paul in the struggle for the cause of the Gospel.
         (3) They were probably deaconesses. But:
                  (a) There was a disagreement between the two of them
                  (b) It was affecting the Church.

How many of you know that saved people have disagreements? This is not of the Spirit of God. It is the Will of God that we love each other and be of one accord and one mind. Philippians 2:1-2 gives us the formula, “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” This means as stated in verses 3-5, Philippians 2:3-5, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” And if you have any doubt what all that means, Paul said in verse 5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”
 
When we have the mind of Christ, we are like the little old lady who was crippled by arthritis.

A friend visited this elderly woman. She could not help but notice her crippled, deformed body. She asked, “Do you suffer much?”

She responded, “Yes, but there is no nail here,” and she pointed to her hand. “Jesus had the nails; I have the peace.” She pointed to her head. “There are no thorns here. He had the thorns; I have the peace.” She touched her side. “There is no spear here. He had the spear; I have the peace.” That is what the atonement of Jesus Christ means for us—He gave of Himself so that we might have the peace. —Ralph Turnbull, If I Only Had One Sermon to Preach

Some of us are deformed by sin. Its hurts and pains have crippled us, but there are no nails in our sin-crippled hands because Jesus took the nails and we received the PEACE!

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