The Lord Is Near

The Lord Is Near Philippians 4:1-7 Cascades Fellowship May 28, 2000 We live in a day of pep talks and pep talkers. Motivational speakers come a dime a dozen. They come in all shapes and sizes, male and female, secular and religious. They tell us how to dress for success, how become a millionaire through real estate without any personal capital, how to improve our lives through the power of positive thinking, and the list goes on. In the church, we have icons in Christendom that criss-cross the world speaking to saints en masse, teaching and encouraging them on living the Godly life. They tell us how to love our spouses and families, how to reach our friends with the gospel, how to pray effectively, and again, the list goes on. As a society, we are constantly looking for the expert or prophet who appears to have the inside track on the specific knowledge or skill we lack but desire. Zig Ziegler has made millions telling us how to organize and motivating us to live according to the day-planner. Dr. James Dobson, founder and director of Focus on the Family, began his organization by doing motivational tours throughout the country on the condition of the modern family and traditional family values. We honor our motivators with success and great influence. Have you ever wondered why? John Calvin, I think, gives us great insight here.

Calvin says in his

Institutes on the Christian Religion that the chief manifestations of the sin nature are pride and sloth. We are too proud to recognize our deficiencies and too slothful or lazy to do something about them when we do see our shortcomings. So we turn to experts to tell us what is wrong and how to fix it. The Apostle Paul understood the value of a good motivator. In our text this morning, he reminds the Philippians about what should motivate them. His letter comes to the Philippians as they are undergoing some pretty stiff trials. On the

one hand, there were the Romans howling at the doors of the church for the Philippian Christians to participate in the emperor worship -- in obedience to the ordinance of the land to worship Caesar. On the other hand, two of the pillars of the church were embroiled in some debate over non-eternal matters, threatening to tear the fabric of the church in two. Then this beleaguered group finds that their church founder and leader was in prison -- his letter comes to them from his jail cell where he awaits trial for preaching the gospel.

Would you be discouraged

yet? Well, there's more. In chapter three of this epistle Paul tells them that the Judaizers are on their way to compel the Philippians to be circumcised and to live according to the laws of the Pharisees. And just to add insult to injury, the man sent to encourage Paul with a gift from the church makes it to Rome just in time to fall ill, and linger on the edge of death. Folks, this is a struggling church. What do you say to the Philippians? How do you motivate them? Do you teach them to sing Don't Worry, Be Happy? This morning we're going to look at how Paul told the Philippians to address their floundering faith. The first thing we want to do is get a picture of what Paul has said throughout this letter in order to encourage this struggling church. After we get an overview of what Paul writes in this epistle, we'll look at what he says should be the source of our motivation. Then we will look a little closer at the three commands that Paul gives in vv. 4-6 to the Philippian church in light of the source of motivation. Now, before we get to heavy into Paul's counsel for the Philippians, I want to get a bird-eye view of the Letter to the Philippians. In chapter 1, Paul greets the Philippians with a great deal of affection, but also some concern. Paul knows of the struggles going on in the church and so he prays that their love may abound and then encourages them with tales of how the gospel is advancing even through his imprisonment. In chapter 2, he calls them to be like-minded -- having the mind of Christ in themselves.

He recites the

beautiful "Christ Hymn", drawing a picture of what it means to follow after Christ

-- a life of self-sacrificing love. In chapter 3, he warns the Philippians about the approach of the Judaizers and urges them to continue running in the way he taught them. Stretch forward for the prize, he calls. For the upward calling of God. Anticipate our glorious future of resurrection life by living as citizens of the New Jerusalem now. Then, beginning in chapter 4, Paul gently rebukes those who threaten to split the church. In light of our heavenly citizenship, be of one mind! He says. Philippians is a letter full of the affectionate admonition of a parent for his children. Be like-minded! Stop seeking your own righteousness! Watch out for the dogs of legalism! Cease your struggle over things not eternal. And finally... Rejoice in the Lord always! And again I say rejoice! What a crazy thing to say to a church stumbling under the weight of persecution and straining against the tide of division. Stand firm in the Lord! he says up in 4 v.1. Be of one mind, in the Lord! he says in 4v. 2. And before that in chapter 3 -- Run the race, press on!

Forget what is behind!

All of these

imperatives -- these encouragements, these commands -- and finally he commands them "in the Lord" to "REJOICE!" What gives Paul the gumption to talk about pressing on despite the possibility that the faith of the Philippian church was to be sifted further by the coming of the Judaizers? And how can he ask them to remain standing firm in the face of persecution or to heal the wounds of division and then command them to rejoice? How does he justify rejoicing in all circumstances? Some believe Paul to be saying the foundation for rejoicing is the hope we have in Christ through the resurrection. Now, while I think this is certainly on track, I believe the apostle had a bit more in mind as the basis for rejoicing. While there is no doubt that understanding the command to rejoice is tied to our glorious future in Christ -- as the "therefore" in v.1 indicates -- I think the real motivation for rejoicing is found in the little indicative or statement of fact Paul slips in at the end of v.5. The Lord is near. Look at it. Study it. Burn it into your memory. If

you are going to pick a memory verse out of Philippians -- in this case a memory sentence or clause -- pick this one. This is the cause, the rationale, the source, the reason for rejoicing despite all the ills and woes we as Christians encounter. The Lord is near. Let's pause and consider this sentence small in stature but huge in content. There is some question about what Paul really means when he says The Lord is near. The King James Version says the Lord is at hand. Can you sense the tension there? Does Paul mean he is near spatially -- right here beside me? Beside you? Present now? Or does he mean that Christ's coming is near? Is Paul saying you better watch out; you better not cry; you better not shout; I'm telling you why -- Jesus is coming to town? Although, there is not a clear-cut answer, my own tendency is to hear Paul in a "both/and" tone. I think his statement is purposely vague so that we would think in terms of both the Lord's real presence and the Lord's imminent return. Look with me at the text. He says in v.4 -- Rejoice in the Lord, always! I will say it again. Rejoice! Why is Paul telling them to rejoice? Because the Lord is near. Christ's very presence is there in your midst, he says. Behind the words of Paul we hear like a descant -- Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am in their midst. Paul is reminding the Philippian Christians of who they are. "You're the Church!" he says, "The Body of Christ! The Lord is with you, here and now. You should be rejoicing in the presence of your King always." Brothers and sisters we can rejoice today not only because of the hope we have in the future, but also because of Christ's real presence. His nearness. He is here now, in our midst. Remember, He is Immanuel, God with us. Our God and King is alive and he dwells with us even to the end of the age. He said so. It is his promise to us. Isn't that a glorious truth? The Psalmist in Psalm 139 describes God as hemming him in before and behind, to the left and to the right. Should he fly to the edge of the morning or sink down into the netherworld, God's presence was there. So no matter where

you stand in your journey toward the New Jerusalem, the Lord is near. Are you on the pinnacle of spiritual high? The Lord is near to you. Are you in the shadow of a dark, and treacherous valley? Look up! Here he comes! The Lover of your soul is leaping across the mountains and bounding over the hills! He is with you in the valley of despair to comfort you and to enfold you in the safety of his embrace. Yes, he is near even there. Even here, now. But Paul also wants us to rejoice because we do have a hope. He also wants the Philippians and us to realize that the Lord's return and the redemption of our bodies -- the fullness of salvation -- is near at hand. Rejoice! Paul says, because now by faith you live in the presence of God, but the day is fast approaching when all faith will become seeing. Where once we knew in part, then we will know in full because we will see the Lord face to face! People of God that's our hope. Isn't it great? Like Job we can say, "I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my flesh has been destroyed, yet in my flesh, I will see God. I will see him with my own eyes -- I and not another." The Lord is near -- now and in our future. Understanding then, that Christ's real presence is with us and his return in glory is near, we can understand Paul's command to rejoice. Think about it. We know from the Scriptures that God has revealed himself to us in history. We also know God is with us in the present -- here and now. And we know God has secured our future already. We have a glorious hope. So when we are faced with a trial -- even though we can't see its end -- we know that God's hand has guided us to, is with us in, and knows the outcome of the circumstances we face. We know that our lives are enveloped in God's care.

Our recognition of his

sovereignty throughout all of our life should give us the comfort we need to be joyful concerning our redemption while still being honest about our brokenness. When my wife Rachel and I married we had a little bet going. We bet on which one of us would cry first at the wedding. The prize was a back rub. Guess who won? I did. You know why? Because of her nearness to me. You see, not

only was she near to me right then, but she was covenanting to be near to me for the rest of my life. Now, I realized there would be some rough moments -moments of heartache, but I also knew that in Rach God had given me faithfulness itself, so that even in dark times, I can rejoice in her being near to me. And as faithful as Rach is, she cannot compare to our Lord. If I rejoice in the knowledge that she will always be near, how much more confidence -- how much more joy should I have knowing that my God is always near? How much joy do you have in that knowledge? Now I want you to know that when Paul talks about rejoicing, he isn't saying to the Philippians "Let me tell you about a song I wrote, you may want learn it note for note -- Don't Worry Be Happy." He's not saying as Christians we have to walk around with smiles pasted on our faces -- that we cannot show sadness. No, what Paul has in mind is the life of gratitude which opens into our lives channels of grace. When we rejoice -- continue to praise and trust the Lord, content with what he has given us -- we can say with Job "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised." Joy means that we don't despair. Rejoicing is maintaining the hope -- the confidence -- we have in Christ and continuing to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all your mind and with all our strength regardless of what assails us because we know that the Lord is near. But knowing that the Lord is near has further implications. Along with rejoicing, Paul also calls on the Philippians to be gentle, forbearing with everyone. Look at the first part of v.5 "Let your gentleness be evident to all," he says Why? Because the Lord is near. What does Paul mean by "gentleness?" The word Paul used here is one that does not translate easily. To give you an idea of its force I want to talk about dyslexia for a moment.

Take a look at my hands and imagine for a moment that they are letters which represent the sentence "The Lord is near." Now pretend you're a student who will be tested on your ability to comprehend this sentence. The average student sees this (hold hands open). But if you suffered from dyslexia, it would look like this (move hands around). On the test, the average student gets 100, the dyslexic a 50 yet both students get and A. Is this fair? Is it just? Maybe not, but it is gentle. The teacher does not evaluate the dyslexic student according to a rigorous, objective grading scale. She recognizes he is trying but unable because of his disability. She sees that he is straining every cognitive muscle he has to steady the letters on the page and make sense out of them. She sees beyond correctness and makes allowances for his disability. She is gentle. You see, the gentleness Paul speaks of is the same kind of gentleness God has shown us in Christ.

"While we were yet sinners..."

When we were

righteously-challenged -- when we had a righteousness disability -- Christ went beyond justice to make an allowance for us -- he paid for that allowance with his own blood, so that we could stand before God. Jesus is gentle toward us. You see, as with joy, we must look to the nearness of the Lord for the source of our gentleness. The expectation, the nearness, of his return ought to compel us to gentleness -- to live out the gospel that others might see and believe. So, recalling the Lord's nearness both in spatially and his return in time should cause us to re-evaluate ourselves, our situation, and those around us. It is to our shame if we are anything but gentle knowing that the Lord is near to us always. It is to our horror if we are found to be anything but gentle when he returns. "So," says Paul, "recognizing that the Lord is near, be gentle toward everyone. Make allowances.

Remember the great kindness Christ has shown toward you in

salvation. Be an instrument of that gentleness." So we are to be joyful and gentle because the Lord is near. This is who we are. But Paul has one more command to add. One other thing he wants to motivate us to do because the Lord is near. Look at v.6.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. In "Do not be anxious for anything." Paul is all-inclusive. He does not leave the Philippians -- or us -- any room to maneuver. Are you being persecuted? Do not be anxious. Are you being rocked by division? Do not be anxious. Are you struggling with disease, imprisonment, death, loss? Do not be anxious. Are you lonely? Do not be anxious. No matter what you face, do not be anxious. Instead, Paul says, in everything make your requests known to God. Even if someone thought there was a loophole in "Do not be anxious for anything" Paul closes it with "...but in everything... present your requests to God. Once more there is an echo from the gospels that follows Paul's words -- Therefore do not worry about your life... do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Again we have to ask how can Paul say this. And again, looking back to v.5 -- The Lord is near-- Paul can say to the Philippians to quit worrying. To not let themselves be harassed by the trials they face. Since the Lord is near, there was no cause for anxiety. The word for anxious here is defined as "being pulled in different directions."

Paul is saying don't be scattered by the trials of life,

remember the Lord is near to you, he cares for you. Return to the Gospel as the central point of your life and cease worrying about every little thing. Instead, draw near to Christ, with thanksgiving, and make your requests known to him. You see, what Paul wants us to know is that we have the King's ear. He's standing nearby, all the power and the glory at the ready. So what should we do? But in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make our requests known to God. Since we have the King's ear, use it. What Paul is saying is "God is near! For pity's sake! Talk to him. Remember what he has already done for you. Remember who you are in Christ, who you were before, and who you will be on his return -- he is near. Demonstrate your confidence in him and how thankful you are by praying. Let him know you're grateful." After all, it is

God in Christ who has opened up the throne room for us to enter boldly. We should do so with much thanksgiving. When we do, his peace stands guard over our hearts -- our affections and emotions -- and our minds -- our intellect and will. Once the thing is prayed for, Paul says, it is in the Lord's hands and he is able to take care of it. We can then concentrate on being obedient to the gospel because we know that Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end -the perfect and final summation of all things. About seven years ago, a friend of mine was struck down by cancer. He and I both worked in youth ministry and had many contacts in common. Brent was athletic, bright, musical, charismatic, and driven. Everything you want in a youth leader. Then the cancer came. He beat it once. It looked as if he would go on to live a productive life in ministry. But the spore for the cancer wasn't with the tumor found in his head. It was in his back. So the tumor grew again. More aggressively. Brent and the doctors couldn't beat it a second time. It's pretty safe to say that you've never heard the story of Brent Kariker. But it's one you should hear, because the cancer is not the whole story. As the illness ate away Brent's earthly life, the inner-man grew exponentially.

He

realized that the chief purpose of man is to bring glory to God and so as the pain wracked his body, Brent faced it with a courage that shattered the hearts of those around him. He left behind a testimony that profoundly affected all who came in contact with him in his final weeks. You know what his secret was? That's right. Brent knew that the Lord was near. He knew that no matter how bad things got -no pain, no sickness, not even radiation therapy could drive the Lord away from Brent's side. He also knew that he had a hope -- the resurrection from the dead. So Brent rejoiced. He remained gentle. Can you imagine? No bitterness, just genuine thankfulness that God had redeemed him and was standing nearby to receive him into the next life. That's what the knowledge of the Lord's nearness can do. It can make the bleakest moment a cause for rejoicing. It can turn the

darkest forecast into a reason for hope -- the confidence that there is going to be a better day. Folks, we may ask at times how we can rejoice. Remember, the Lord is near. We wonder in today's world, when what happens outside the walls of this sanctuary is often described as harsh, even a jungle, how can we be gentle without being consumed. Remember, the Lord is near. We may question how we can keep the stresses of job, family, and church from pulling us apart. Remember the Lord is near. Not only in his presence, but also in his coming when he will set all things right. We can live a life of self-sacrificing love, because the Lord is near.