Steps to Turning Joy to Peace

Paul encourages the Philippians to press towards the goal of the high calling of God. He acknowledges that life is not perfect, but emphasizes the importance of giving their best and pleasing God. Paul reminds them to focus on the return of Christ, who will transform their bodies and make them perfect. He then discusses the nine steps for turning joy into peace, emphasizing the importance of standing firm in the Lord and supporting one another. Paul concludes by assuring them that they can have peace in a troubled world by recognizing their source of strength in the Lord and relying on the support of fellow believers. And when Paul said in Philippians 3 and verse 14, he said, I pressed toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. And by no means was this week perfect. Not everything went off without a hitch. Not everything worked out just super and everything else. But I guarantee you, as I looked around at people serving and people working, everybody was pressing toward that prize. We were giving our best and working our best to be able to see that God was pleased. And that's why the focus that Paul mentioned last week, he says, we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not focusing on what we're going through or what's happening. We're reminded that Christ is coming back and that He is going to return. And when He returns, we finished last week and said that Christ is going to change this old vile body and He's going to make it fashion like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself. And so that's where we finished last week, is we're not perfect. None of us are perfect. None of us are without sin. But guess what? Christ is coming back and Christ is going to change us. Christ is going to make us perfect. He's going to make us like Him. And then today, we're going to kind of take care of verses 1 through 9 today. And really, I came up with nine steps for turning joy into peace. We spent all of Philippians talking about joy. And now, Paul begins to focus in on peace. And he gives us nine imperatives as we look at these different verses. Now, if you understand anything about English, an imperative is a command. These are not suggestions. Paul is saying that these are things that you and I, as Christians, need to do. Whether we are following an example or we are being an example, these things need to be happening in our life. And I want to jump down to verse 9 because this is the concluding statement of what he is talking about. He says, "...these things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in Me, do..." That's the imperative. "...do, and the God of peace shall be with you." And so he sums up this next section by telling us that, guess what? We can have peace. We live in a world that there is no peace. I woke up this morning and immediately the news popped up onto my phone. I get updates when major things happen or whatever from different news sources. And there was more bombings and more stuff going on in Israel and more people killed and stabbings that was taking place. We know things are happening here in our own world and the world is crying out for peace. The world is crying out for joy. But I want us to understand that peace and joy cannot come outside of Jesus Christ. And so when we look at this passage of Scripture, he tells us that problems in life is going to happen. Not everything is going to work out the way that we want it to work out. And one of three things is going to happen. Either you are going to break out over the problems and the things going on in this world. And what I mean by break out is maybe you get a rash. Maybe you have panic attacks. Maybe you even just get angry to where everything that is inside of you just boils out into this world. Or else the second thing that's going to happen, if you don't break out, you break down. And you withdraw into yourself and depression and anxiety begins to hit as you're looking at this world and you're looking at this society and as you silently withdraw, all of a sudden the stress and everything begins to eat you from the inside outward. So you're either going to break out, you're either going to break down, or else you're going to break through in victory. And that's what Paul wants us to remember. Paul is writing from prison. Paul is writing to a church that is scared. To a church that doesn't know what's going to happen to Paul. What's going to happen to them. What is this future of evangelism going to look like? What is the future of this church going to be like? And this church is worried that they're concerned. Paul has some worry and some concern. But Paul has already told us in chapter 1 that there are enemies of the cross of Jesus Christ. That we don't live in a perfect world. That there are actually enemies of the cross of Christ. But he tells us that our citizenship is in heaven. We look to Jesus Christ in chapter 2. He is the One that started our faith. He is the finisher of our faith. And he finishes chapter 3 by telling us that the Lord is coming back. And the Lord is going to take this old vile body and He's going to change it. He's going to transform our bodies. And so then, he comes to chapter 4 and verse 1. And he starts with, therefore. And if I've said it one time, I've said it a thousand times. When you see a therefore, you stop and see what it's there for. And so Paul has been encouraging them that no matter how bad the situation is, no matter how bad the circumstances, you can have joy. But not only can you have joy, but that joy can turn into peace. To peace. To know that even though everything is out of control, guess what? Everything is in control. God is in control. It may seem like this world is out of control, but guess what? God set things in motion. And God tells us that nothing happens in this world that He does not know about and that He does not allow. And so, man, we ought to be able to live in this world with peace. With peace. And so he gives us the very first imperative that he gives us is there in verse 1. And that is to stand fast. Stand fast. Look at what he tells us in verse 1. He says, "...therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved." If you want the God of peace to give you peace in the life, you have to do the things that Paul is teaching us. Remember that Paul said, follow me as an example. I'm not perfect. I'm not sinless. But guess what? I am pressing to that prize. Where is Paul at? Paul is in prison. Paul is facing, we know, the outcome of it is he's fixing to die. His life is fixing to be taken from him. He doesn't know at this particular time if he's going to be released or if he's going to die or what's going to happen, but notice what he is doing. He is encouraging this church to stand fast. Sometimes, folks, that's all we need to do is just stand fast. So many people today are running and so many people are going, and what he means by this is to stand firm, to persist, to persevere. In other words, when the world is attacking us, when things are not what they're supposed to be, don't flinch. Don't give in to the world. Don't show weakness. Don't get unstable where you might become defeated. If you remember when we studied the book of Ephesians, you remember what he said about to do before we put on the armor of God? We always talk about taking up the armor of God, but you know what was told us more in that passage of Scripture than the parts of the armor? Multiple times he said, stand fast. Stand fast. How do we stand fast? By putting on the whole armor of God. By getting in there, and that's what he's telling these members here at Philippi. And that's what he's telling you this morning. The Christian believer is to stand fast no matter how great the trial is before you. No matter how much pressure there is for the temptation that is before you. No matter the influence or the allurement that is made by others. We need to stand fast. Now how do we stand fast? How do we stand fast? Well, Paul gives us two things right here. Number one is we recognize the source of our strength. We recognize the source, and if you will look, after every one of these imperatives, it has in the Lord, through the Lord, or else because of the gospel. And so when we talk about these imperatives, we're not talking about fleshly and worldly things. We're recognizing that this can only be done through Jesus Christ. And so he says there in verse 1 of chapter 4, he says, Stand fast in the Lord. In the Lord. That is our source. That is our strength that we have from. If you remember the armor of God. Every bit of the armor of God, starting with the helmet of salvation, all the way down to the shoes that are fit for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Every bit of it is putting on Jesus Christ. And everything that He has done for us. When you get a believer that's walking in the Lord throughout the day, his mind and his thoughts are upon the Lord. Therefore, when temptations come, when trials come, he is conscious and aware of the Lord's presence and His strength. And so we need to recognize the source of our strength. I am incapable of standing fast. I want to do like Peter, right? I want to run. I want to flee. I want to deny Jesus Christ when things get hard. But Jesus looked at Peter and said, You can be strong, but it's not in you. It's in me. And when you are converted, feed my sheep. Feed my sheep. And so we see the source of strength. But not only that, but he says, Recognize the support of servants. And this is what we saw this week. And this is what we experienced this week. Is that it cannot be done by any one person. Folks, we're in this thing together. We're in this thing together. And we need the support of each other. And he's telling the Philippians, guess what? There's bad things that are happening. I'm in prison. There's bad things that are happening to you. You're losing jobs. You're losing different things in your life. But listen, focus on Jesus Christ and get in there and help each other. We're in this thing together. We're not on an island. We're not all by ourselves. And notice how he tells them this and shows the support. He refers to them there as dearly beloved and longed for. And then he says, My joy and crown. When was the last time you looked at the members of Kentucky Missionary Baptist Church as dearly beloved, as your joy and your crown? See, that's the way Paul saw the people at Philippians. Listen, we're not perfect. But guess what? We are working. We are going. And so he calls them dearly beloved. These were brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. And he's telling them that, man, I long to see you. I mean, it's a long time between Sundays and Wednesdays. It's a longer time between Sundays and next Sundays. Do we long to be together? Do we miss each other when we cannot assemble with each other? And so the first thing he says is stand fast. Stand fast. The second imperative he gives us in verse 2. Be agreeable. Be agreeable. But then notice, we don't agree on everything, right? He doesn't say be agreeable when it comes to politics. He doesn't say be agreeable when it comes to the finances and the economy. He doesn't say be agreeable when it comes to education. What does he say be agreeable about? The Lord. The Lord. Look at what he says there in verse 2. He says, I beseech you, Odius, and beseech Synthetic, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. In other words, we find two women that are obviously having some problems. Somehow we don't get a lot of details, but guess what? They are not on the same page. They are probably arguing. They are bickering with each other. You know, this has got to be done this way. This has to happen this way. They're grumbling. They're wrangling. They're disputing. And yet, all too often, what happens when individuals within the congregation begin to get this way? Most of the time we just ignore it, right? And it's going to get better. They're going to be able to work it out and everything is going to be good. Paul says, guess what? We don't have time to work it out. He tells them that y'all need to be of the same mind. If you go back to chapter 1, remember, he understood this problem that was going on in the church at Philippi because he's already told them in chapter 1 to stand fast in the Spirit, that there's some that are wanting to leave. There's some that are wanting to break out or break down rather than break through. And so as he does this, he says to stand in one spirit defending the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Stand with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel. To love each other. To be agreeable when it comes to Jesus Christ and the Gospel. He says in chapter 2, verse 1, if there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any vows of mercy fulfill you, my joy, that you be what? Like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. In other words, he says we need to be on the same page. We have different ideas on how it can be done, or how it may need to be done, but we need to be agreeable when it comes to Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Everybody that had a role this week wasn't looking at the role. They were looking at the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were looking at the end result. Whether it was driving a van to pick up kids that needed Jesus Christ. Whether it was making snacks, or whether it was cleaning up afterwards. Whatever it was, it was there for the purpose of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And he told them in verse 3 of chapter 2, let nothing be done through strife and vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. The plea is for all quarrelers, all fighting, all bickering, all disagreements to begin to come together in the Lord. We need to be agreeable in the Lord. We need to be agreeable that Jesus Christ came to save that which was lost. And so Paul is pleading with them. He's pleading with these two ladies. He says, please get together in your minds with the Lord. Quit focusing on the problem. Quit focusing on the difference. And realize the commonality that we have in Jesus Christ. And so then he goes to verse 3, and he's going to come back to these two women in verse 3, but he gives us another imperative, and he commands the fellow yoke person to help others in the Gospel. To help out. Look at what he says there in verse 3. He says, and I entreat thee also, true yoke fellow, help those women which labored with me in the Gospel with Clement also, and with other my fellow laborers whose names are written in the book of life. He says, I need you, this true yoke fellow, to step in and to help out this situation. These ladies are saved. Their names have been written in the book of the life. They have even labored with me for the Gospel, but something has happened that because of the pressure, because of the problems, whatever it is, they have lost their focus on Jesus and the Gospel. And they're arguing and they're fighting about it. And he says, this true yoke fellow, would you step in and help these get back to Jesus Christ and the Gospel. There's a lot of commentators, as I read that, that the Greek word for this is actually synzygos, and the way that it is, it could actually be the name of somebody. In other words, synzygos could be an individual. The Bible interpreted it and translated it as a true yoke fellow, because that's what it means. What is a yoke fellow? A yoke fellow is someone that is bound in the same yoke together. They would put two oxen, they would put two cows together in order to plow. Guess what? Both of them had to take on their part. Both of them had to take on the weight of the goal that was before them. And so, as we know that many biblical names end up having meanings and purpose in their lives, that he could be actually calling out someone in the church that is in the ministry that is focused on Jesus Christ, that is another example like Timothy and Epaphroditus, and he's saying, you go to these two women and make sure they get focused on Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, help others in the Gospel. Folks, we need men and women to step up and to help others get focused on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sometimes it's easy in this world to just lose our focus for a little bit and to get focused in on what's not happening right, what's not going right, and forget about what Jesus Christ wants to do through us. And so, man, sometimes we just need to help others in the Gospel. If we want to turn our joy into peace, Paul says, stand fast in the Lord, be agreeable in the Lord, help others when it comes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And then he gives a verse that we always memorize and we always quote. He says, rejoice in the Lord always, and again, I say rejoice. Rejoice always and repeatably. Remember, Paul is in prison. This church is having problems with false teaching. There are people that are enemies of the cross of Jesus Christ. There are people outside that is fighting against us. We don't need to be fighting amongst ourselves. Right? And so he says, rejoice. Rejoice repeatedly. Always rejoice. But what is our rejoicing? Our rejoicing is not in our attendance. It's not in our offerings. It's not in our ministries. We're rejoicing in the Lord, Jesus Christ. That's what he finished, chapter 3. Remember, Jesus Christ is coming again, and He is going to change this vile body into His image. That's the goal. That's the purpose of Christianity. And so what does he say? He's saying, rejoice in the Lord always. Even when you're locked up in prison. Even when things aren't going your way. Even when you have failed and slid into temptation and trials and tribulation. He says, rejoice in the Lord. And again, I say rejoice. But then notice the next thing. Be known. Be known is the imperative in this verse. Notice it says, let your moderation be known. That's the imperative there. Be known unto all men the Lord is at hand. Now this moderation is kind of a very difficult word to translate. And when we read it in the King James, moderation, I immediately think about it is not going wholeheartedly in, right? With moderation. In other words, we're not all out doing it. But this word, as I got to studying and got to looking at this word, it's translated all through the Bible, all different ways because it is so hard to translate and to put into words. It's translated as gentleness, forbearance, reasonableness, consideration, agreeableness, courtesy, patience, and softness. And there's a tendency in most commentators when they write and they talk about this word, they refer to it as gentleness. Let your gentleness be known unto all men the Lord is at hand. But gentleness still doesn't give us exactly what this word means, because in this word, it also has this tendency and this idea to go beyond just gentleness, and it has to do with gentleness when it comes to justice, which really kind of ought to speak to us today in our time. Because what is he saying? Let your moderation, let your gentleness be known unto all men the Lord is at hand. And what he's talking about is when it comes to judging. When it comes to judging, what is the goal and purpose of Jesus Christ? God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Ain't that what Jesus Christ... ain't that His goal? Ain't that His purpose? Right? Sometimes when it comes to sin and it comes to the world, guess what? Sinners are going to be sinful. The Bible says in Romans, when we take God out of the equation, our minds are naturally going to act like lost people. And our tendency is not going to get better, we're going to get worse. Go read Romans 1. And so what Paul is saying is when it comes to dealing with sinners, when it comes to dealing with the lost, be gentle when it comes to the justice because the Lord is at hand. See, the great Judge is coming. And what's He going to do? He's going to judge everyone. Right? He's going to judge them on whether or not they have accepted Him. He's going to judge the saved on what we have done for Him. And guess what? We are sinners saved by grace. And so what He's saying here is let your gentleness be known unto all men the Lord is at hand. We need to be gentle and forbearing when it comes to dealing with unbelievers. Our goal is not to condemn them to hell. Our goal is to preach the gospel so that they will be delivered from hell and be received in heaven. That's our goal and our purpose. But a lot of times, what do we do? We look at evil and we look at wickedness and it's easy to go ahead and condemn them, right? I mean, the Bible says all liars, all homosexuals, all adulterers will have their place where? In the lake of fire. And we can use Scripture to back it up. We can use Scripture to justify what we're saying. But are we going to win anybody to Jesus Christ by condemning them? Jesus Christ went to the cross of Calvary and did He condemn anyone? No, He said, I didn't come into this world to condemn this world. Did He? He said, I came to do what? Not to condemn, but to save. But to save. See, that's what Paul is saying. If you want your joy to turn to peace, then it's focused around Jesus Christ and the gospel. Christ is going to come. He's going to sort all this out. He's going to judge the wicked. We've been studying on Wednesday night, the end times from the earth's perspective and what God is going to do. And God is going to take care of it. Our job is to go into all the world and preach the gospel. That's our job. That's our purpose. To focus on that. And that's what Paul is telling us. And then he goes from being known unto all men, the next step is don't worry, but pray. Look at what he says. He says, be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And this is the charge. And this be careful literally means to be anxious about nothing. Folks, we as Christians, and we'll talk about it tonight. I encourage you tonight to come. And we're going to have services over in the fellowship hall tonight. But we're going to review the seven C's of history tonight. What the kids have been looking at in Bible school all week. And listen, if we are a Christian, if we are a child of God, this is not a recommendation. He says, be anxious for nothing. We are commanded not to worry. I already know what's going to happen with Israel. I ain't got to worry about what's fixing to happen to Israel. The Bible already tells me what's going to happen to Israel. They're going to be judged. They're going to be persecuted. They're going to be run out of town. Jerusalem's going to be destroyed. Jerusalem's going to be wiped out. But guess what? Christ is coming back. So I don't have to worry about all of that. Christ has got it under control. And He commands us not to be anxious for anything. And look at this church. If you go back to chapter 1, they were suffering severe persecution. It wasn't happening somewhere else. It was happening in their neighborhood. It was happening in their church. There were disturbances in their church. There was quarreling going on. There was disunity. There was carnal members that were not in fellowship. There were some members who were prideful in chapter 2 who were self-centered that He refers to as dogs, right? They were facing these false teachers. Some of these believers were having to struggle for the necessities of food, clothing, and shelter. There was a little else that could confront these dear believers. What do you do when you're suffering these problems? What do you do when you don't know where you're going to get your next meal? What do you do when you don't know if you're going to be able to have a house tomorrow or not? Paul says if you want to keep your joy and turn it to peace, you don't worry. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount what? He said the sparrows don't get up every morning waiting on where they're going to sleep or what they're going to eat. Or the flowers don't wake up in the morning wondering how they're going to be clothed. Who takes care of all of that? God. And He says the same way God takes care of that sparrow and that flower, guess what? He's going to take care of you. So don't be anxious for nothing. But what should we do? What should we do if I can't worry about it, then what do I do? He says make your requests known unto God. See, there is a difference between worry and anxiousness and concern. We can have concern. What am I going to do if I am concerned about something? If I am concerned because my wife has been keeping the house really cold this summer and I know that our electric bill is going to be really high next month, I don't worry about am I going to be able to pay for that. If I'm concerned, what am I doing? I'm not buying coffee and ice cream and other things. I'm putting back some money to make sure that I can pay the electric bill. See, there's a difference between concern and worry. Concern will make you do something about the problem. Worry makes you turn inside and you do away from it. And when you're worrying and anxious, all it does is destroy your body, your mentality and everything about it. And so He says be careful for nothing, but give it to God. We can be concerned, but give it to God. And He uses some words there that's amazing because He uses four different words for prayer there. He uses the word prayer, but in everything by prayer, prayer just simply refers to that special time, them assigned times that you pray. When you're going to come into your closet and you're going to enter before God, every one of us should have a prayer time, a time set aside that you meet God. He says let everything by prayer. You ought to have a time of prayer. And then He uses the word supplication. And it refers to prayers that focus on special needs. When you're meeting with God at your regular time, bring up what your needs are. Tell God what you have. Give us this day our daily bread, right? That's what He taught us in the model prayer. This is your supplication. But then He says do it with thanksgiving. In other words, we thank and praise God for all that He is and for all that He has already done for us in what He is going to do. See, God, I know You're almighty. I know You're powerful. And man, I am concerned about this situation in my life. I'm concerned about my health. I'm concerned about my finances. I'm concerned about this. I'm not worrying because I know You've got it taken care of. But Father, can You help me out on this? Just like our memory verse this morning that Lisa shared. Lord, I have faith, but help my faith. Help my unbelief, right? I believe, but help my unbelief. And so God, I'm turning this over to You. And I'm thanking You because I know that You're going to work in this. And then, look at what He says, let your requests... These are specific, definite requests. Name them by name what you need from God. And I promise you, when you do that, God's going to step in and specifically start answering your prayers. And guess what? You're going to be able to have peace. When the time hits and you want to worry, guess what? I'm just concerned, but I'm not that concerned because Jesus Christ is going to take care of it. He's already taken care of it. And so, don't worry, but pray. Be concerned. Don't worry, but be concerned. And then He mentions, keep your hearts. Look at verse 7. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep, that's an imperative, your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. That keep is a military word that means to guard and protect. When we take our concerns to God, then guess what? All of a sudden, the peace of God is going to overwhelm us. And when the peace of God overwhelms us, guess what? It's going to keep your heart and your mind. What is our heart and our mind? We've already talked about that earlier in our study of this. Remember, that's your emotions. They're who you are. Your heart is your soul. It's what makes you who you are. Your mind is what controls everything. And so, He says God's going to come in and He's going to calm your emotions. He's going to calm your mind with this peace. But where does this peace come from? Again, it's not peace because I've prayed and I've given it to you. The peace comes through Jesus Christ. See, Jesus Christ said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will always be with you. I have, if you are a child of God, Jesus Christ said, I have placed you into the hand of the Father and sealed you with the Holy Spirit. See, that's where peace comes from. It's through Jesus Christ. And so, number eight, think positively. Think positively. Notice what He says. Finally, brethren, it's getting to the end of this list. If you want to take your joy and turn it to your peace, finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, and here's the imperative, think. Think on these things. Do you know you control what goes in and out of your mind? You may not control what goes in your mind, but you can definitely control what stays in your mind. Right? And so Paul is telling us to think on these things. Think positively. That word think, it means to meditate, to reflect, to consider, to ponder. When was the last time you pondered on things that were true? When you get up and you see the news and everything is bad, we usually ponder on that all day through breakfast, right? We take it to work with us. We take it throughout our day. But when was the last time we pondered on what is true? That the Lord is at hand. And when He comes, He's going to change this vile body. Think on things that are true. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Ponder what's true. When was the last time you pondered what was honest? Honest. When was the last time you pondered on something that was just? Or pure? Or lovely? Or when was the last time you pondered on a good report? You know, after you hear about Bible school and everything that happened and stuff. I spent all day yesterday just pondering about Bible school. I met new kids. I met new adults. I saw people working. I saw people energetic. I saw people that went to work outside all day long in excessive heat and excessive exhaustion during the day and come out on night. And guess what? They were there to continue to work and continue to go until 9 or 9.30 at night. When was the last time you pondered on the good things that are happening? And so He says, think positively. And that brings us back to our last verse. The conclusion of it all. Those things. What are those things? Stand fast in the Lord. Be agreeable in the Lord. Be honest. Help others in the Gospel. Rejoice always and repeatedly. Be known in your heart. For your heart. Don't worry, but pray. Keep your hearts. Think positively. Those things. Those things. Which you have both learned. Where did we learn it from? Where do we learn to do these things in our life from the examples that God has put into our life? Right? Paul said, follow me as I follow Christ. See, we don't know a whole lot about exactly how Christ did everything. But we can see examples of people that are pressing toward the mark of the prize of the high calling. And so find you an example. That's how we learn by watching others. If you're not sure how you're supposed to serve in church, then come and sit there in Bible school and watch people. There's all kinds of ways to serve. There's all kinds of things. You don't have to be a teacher. You don't have to be the one that shares the Gospel every night. You don't have to be the decorator. We've got that. But guess what? There's something that all of you can do. Learn those things that you receive. When you see somebody doing something good, then say, hey, I can do that. Receive it. Receive it. Hey, I can do that. You know, that's why I kill people all the time when they come to me and complain. Honey, I've been teaching Sunday school for 20 years and man, I'm ready to find someone else. Well, get someone else to come into your classroom and show them how to teach and let them realize that they can do it also. Right? Be an example. Show people how easy it is. This week I watched Mindy and Jordan. I watched Brother Morris. I watched these teach in class. And guess what? I learned something from every single one of them. That hey, I can do that just a little bit different. Hey, that worked really good with them young ones. That worked out real good. See, be willing to learn, but then be willing to receive it. And then he said, and things that you've heard, and the things that you've seen, and then he gives us the imperative. Do. Do it. There's nothing worse than having a whole list of imperatives and you're not willing to do them. Right? I can give you this all day long. And I can tell you, go down to chapter 4, verses 1-9, and underline, as I've done in my Bible, I've underlined these verbs and these imperatives. And I go and I look at it and say, hey, am I doing this? Am I worrying today? Is my heart known for trusting Jesus Christ? Am I keeping my heart focused on Jesus Christ in the Gospel? I've got a list, but guess what? None of that matters if I'm not willing to do it. And so he says, those things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen, where? In me! In Timothy! In Epaphroditus! In Brother Morris! In Brother Eric! In Brother Phil! In these others! What you have seen, heard, received, and learned, do! And guess what? The God of peace shall be with you. You want to take your joy and turn it into peace? To be able to get as Paul was? And we're going to hit this, not next week or the next week, because I'm fixing to go on vacation and relax for a little bit, but I'll be back in two weeks and we're going to wrap up our Philippian study with a verse that has been misquoted, misused, and misrepresented more times than I would like to discuss. Because Paul is going to make the statement, I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me. And how many times have I heard that verse used, that you can do whatever you want to, right? I've even watched groups of people that have said, man, if you believe it, you can rip a phone book in half because God says you can do all things through Him because He gives you the strength and the power. You can break chains. You can do that. He's not talking about what you can do. Because the verse is right before that. He says, guess what? I'm in prison. Life's not turned out the way that I thought my Christian life was going to work out. But guess what? Even through the suffering, even though I have been abased, even though I have lost my family, even though I have lost my home, I've lost my job, I have lost my calling. God put me in the ministry. Even though all of these things have been taken away from me and I am now in prison, He says, guess what? I can do this. I can write a letter to the church at Philippi and I can encourage these guys. Hey, you can live through this. Yes, the world's bad. Yes, bad things are happening. But folks, it's not going to get any better if we don't start living for Jesus Christ. If we don't start being an example. It's not our time to throw up our hands and say, well, I'm just looking for Him to come back. And when He comes back, He's going to judge and take care of all of this. No, it's what Peter said. God is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Folks, we need to get more focused in on Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help each other and be known for Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we stand this morning, are you at peace? Are you at peace? You may not be at peace because you may not be doing. You may not be doing. And so today is an opportunity for you to ponder. Am I doing what I need to be doing? And if you're not, start doing. Pick one of them. I'm not telling you to do all nine of these things today. No, pick one of them. And start doing that. Find one person in the church that you say, man, that person is really good when it comes to not worrying, but have concern and turning it over to God. And look at them and talk to them and say, how do you do it? How do you do it? And start getting better at being concerned and not worried. Just start with one thing. Just start doing it. And you'll start adding and you'll start doing. And guess what? The peace of God will overcome you. And guess what? Then all of a sudden, the things of this world will grow strangely dim in light of Jesus Christ and His glory and His grace. That's where we want to be. Focused on Him as we sing what He has done.