Augustine’s teachings were part of what God used over 1,000 years later to provide foundation to the Protestant Reformation.

Christian History magazine said of Augustine, “After Jesus and Paul, Augustine of Hippo is the most influential figure in the history of Christianity.”

Augustine’s best-known books are his “Confessions” and “City of God.”

His book “Confessions” is well worth reading. It is very unique in that it is his autobiography, but it is totally written as a prayer to God. The whole book is him thanking, praising, worshipping, and praying to God.

The most amazing thing to me about Augustine’s life is his radical conversion. God saved Augustine and Augustine never got over his joy and delight in God’s power to save him.

You see, Augustine was full of lust. Starting as a teenager, he was very promiscuous and eventually took a concubine (a live-in mistress) with whom he had a son. And he would also have other mistresses and lived for years just seeking maximal pleasure anywhere he could find it.

But Augustine had a godly mother. Her name was Monica and her son’s rampant wickedness caused her much grief. Monica is one of the most precious women in the history of the church. And she reminds us that simple faithfulness and persistence in prayer is seen and blessed by God. Moms, never stop pleading with God for your children.

Augustine would later write of his mom: “She shed more tears over my spiritual death, than other mothers shed for the bodily death of a son.”

Augustine had a praying mother, but he was also being pursued by a kind Savior.

Augustine was saved by God’s grace at 32 years old. And how God did it is amazing.

Augustine felt shacked by his lust. He did not want to let it go. But he knew he needed to.

And Augustine found himself in a small garden at the house of one of his friends. And here is how he describes what happened.

“I flung myself down beneath a fig tree and gave way to the tears which now streamed from my eyes. In my misery, I kept crying, “How long will I go on saying, ‘Tomorrow, tomorrow?’” Why not now? Why not make an end to my ugly sins at this moment?’ All at once I heard the singsong voice of a child in a nearby house. Whether it was the voice of a boy or a girl I cannot say, but again and again it repeated the refrain, “Take it and read. Take it and read.”
At this I looked up, thinking hard whether there was any kind of game in which the children used to chant words like these, but I could not remember ever hearing them before. I stemmed my flood of tears and stood up, telling myself that this could only be a divine command to open my book of Scripture and read the first passage on which my eyes should fall.
So I hurried back to the place where my friend was sitting, seized the book of Paul’s epistles and opened it. In silence, I read the first passage on which my eyes fell:
”Not in reveling in drunkenness, not in lust and wantonness, not in quarrels and rivalries. Rather, arm yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ; spend no more thought on nature and nature’s appetites” (Romans 13:13–14).
I had no wish to read more, nor need to do so. For, in an instant, as I came to the end of this sentence, it was as though the light of confidence flooded into my heart, and all the darkness of doubt was dispelled.”

Augustine was baptized the next Easter Sunday morning in 387 AD. Later that year, Monica died a very happy woman because the son of her tears was safe in Christ.

Augustine would never be the same. He committed himself to celibacy and poverty and to preaching the gospel and defending the truth against error….primarily against Pelagianism.

And it would be a great question to ask Augustine how he delt with and viewed his lust and the battle for purity the rest of his life. He speaks extensively on this.

And my favorite quote from him is so helpful to all of us who struggle with sins that we seem to be forever shackled to.

“How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys, which I had once feared to lose. You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy.
You drove them from me and took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasure, though not to flesh and blood, you who outshine all light, yet are hidden deeper than any secret in our hearts, you who surpass all honor, though not to the eyes of men who see all honor in themselves. O Lord my God, my light, my wealth, and my salvation.”

3 phrases in that quote that I want to highlight:
1. Fruitless joys
2. You drove them from me (2x)
3. You took their place

2 more shorter quotes from Augustine:
“You made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they rest in you.”
“He loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake.”

Augustine preached and wrote and traveled and served the church for over 35 years and died in 430 AD. He was 75 years old and died of a high fever.

According to one biographer, Augustine spent his final days in repentance and prayer, having requested that Psalms of repentance be hung on the walls around his bed.

I pray you are standing on particular and specific promises of God today. God has given us His precious and very great promises for us to feed our souls on. We will be famished if we don’t know His promises.

By preaching on God’s promises this summer, our hope was to help you learn and meditate on some specific promises. I hope your “promise antennas” have been raised and you start seeing God’s promises all over the place as you read the Bible.

As a conclusion, let me remind you of some of the specific promises we saw this summer:

John 6:37 – Jesus promises that those who come to Him will never ever be cast out. He will keep us to the end.

Revelation 21:1-4 – God promises that He will make all things new and give us the new heavens and the new earth.

Matthew 16:18 – Jesus promises that He will build His church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.

Isaiah 41:10 – God promises to strengthen, help, and uphold us.

Romans 8:28 – God promises to work all things together for our good if we love Him and are called according to His purposes. He will waste no hurt or pain.

Romans 8:32 – God promises to freely give us all things we need to trust Him. The proof of this promise is in the fact that He gave up His Son to death.

Psalm 23:6 – God promises to pursue us with His mercy all the days of our lives.

John 14:2-3 – Jesus promised to prepare a place for us and come back for us to take us to Himself.

All these promises are Yes and Amen in Jesus. And to confirm His promises, God has sworn by Himself and it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:13-20).

May these promises and hundreds of others give us endurance and perseverance.

God is faithful to His promises!

Pastor Justin

We should take these “one another” commands seriously and pray that God would help us obey them.

1. Love one another (John 13:34; John 13:35; John 15:12; John 15:17; Romans 12:10; Romans 13:8; 1 Thes. 3:12; 1 Thes. 4:9; 1 Thes. 1:3; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 3:11; 1 John 3:23; 1 John 4:7; 1 John 4:11; 1 John 4:12; 2 John 1:5).
2. Pray for one another (James 5:16).
3. Be at peace with one another (Mark 9:50).
4. Encourage one another and build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 10:25).
5. Welcome (Accept) one another (Romans 15:7).
6. Don’t bite, devour, and consume one another (Galatians 5:15).
7. Don’t provoke or envy one another (Galatians 5:26).
8. Live in harmony (be of the same mind) with one another (Romans 12:16, 15:5).
9. Bear with (tolerate) one another in love (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13).
10. Be kind and forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13).
11. Don’t lie to one another (Colossians 3:9).
12. Seek good for one another (1 Thessalonians 5:15).
13. Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).
14. Don’t speak evil against one another (James 4:11).
15. Don’t grumble against one another (James 5:9).
16. Serve one another (Galatians 5:13).
17. Instruct one another (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16).
18. Outdo one another in showing honor (Romans 12:10).
19. Greet one another (with a kiss of love) (1 Peter 5:14; Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12).
20. Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16).
21. Count others more significant than yourself (Philippians 2:3).
22. Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21).
23. Clothe yourself with humility toward one another (1 Peter 5:5).
24. Don’t judge one another (Romans 14:13).
25. Speak truth to one another (Ephesians 4:25).
26. Encourage one another concerning the Resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
27. Exhort one another daily (Hebrews 3:13).
28. Stir up (Stimulate) one another (Hebrews 10:24).
29. Be hospitable to one another (1 Peter 4:9).
30. Rejoice and Weep with one another (Romans 12:15)
31. Agree with one another (1 Cor. 1:10)

This has been a crazy year…and that is a massive understatement. But it has also been a sweet year of seeing God at work in our church. Here are 20 things I’m thankful for in 2020 (in no particular order):

1. I’m thankful that our Sunday morning worship gatherings continue. When something is taken away for a time, you realize how valuable it is. Spending a few weeks without gathering felt like the end of the world. I’m thankful we are able to gather for worship safely.

2. I’m thankful for our livestream. If you would have told me at the beginning of 2020 that we would have a good number of people watching our services on livestream, I would have laughed at you. But here we are.

3. I’m thankful for our elders. Your elders love you.

4. I’m thankful for the way I’ve seen our church reach out and connect with one another even when we couldn’t physically be together. It has been a breath of fresh air.

5. I’m thankful for the MHBC staff. The staff was pushed and pulled in so many different directions this year. They have been creative and faithful through it all.

6. I’m thankful for your generous giving. A pandemic is a good chance to identify our idols. It is tempting to hoard and be stingy when resources are threatened. And yet, the generous givers of this church have continued to give throughout this year.

7. I’m thankful for God’s wisdom. Even before the pandemic hit, I was meditating on James 1:5 as a theme verse for this year. Little did I know how much I’d cry out to God for wisdom this year. And I think God gave it…I know He did because He promised He would.

8. I’m thankful that this church has continued to support our missionaries and mission organizations. Only time will tell how the work of global missions has been affected by this pandemic. I’m thankful we were able to faithfully give.

9. I’m thankful for our Thanksfeast this year. It was different but I trust God used it and will continue to use it. A lot of people went above and beyond to make that happen.

10. I’m thankful for the grace and patience and understanding so many of you have shown in this year of uncertainty.

11. I’m thankful for music and singing. A lot of churches stopped singing this year. I’m glad we continued.

12. I’m thankful for our Community Groups and the care for each other that is happening. We have some fantastic Community Group leaders.

13. I’m thankful for all those who have reached out to our shut-ins and homebound members. We are saddened by their isolation and pray we can see them more very soon.

14. I’m so thankful for the book of Ephesians. Wow. That little book is packed with the glorious plan of God to center all things on Jesus.

15. I’m thankful for the book of Jonah and the relentless pursuit of God’s mercy.

16. I’m thankful for our deacons and they way they bear burdens and love others.

17. I’m thankful for all the people who have volunteered to help with the audio and video this year. We have all had to learn and be stretched this year.

18. I’m thankful for our Wednesday night studies and our Sunday School classes and all the teachers and leaders that make it happen.

19. I’m thankful for the Bible. God’s Word is true and trustworthy. It is sufficient.

20. I’m thankful for you.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
-Abide With Me, hymn – Henry Lyte

In the second part of this series we learned about a profound promise, namely that Jesus Himself, by way of the Holy Spirit, is actually present with us. This conviction can ground our prayers and confidence in God’s promises in a deep, personal, and life-altering way. In this third and final installment on Philippians 4:4-9, we will look at how God intends for our emotions to be rooted in our convictions regarding godly truths. In other words, “right thinking gives rise to right affections”. As we sum up all that we have learned so far, we will see how all of these commands and promises are designed to give God the glory, for this is the ultimate aim of all God’s children.

Right (Spiritual) Thinking Engenders Right (Spiritual) Affections

God is the source of this supernatural peace because He is already with you in the person of the Holy Spirit. Spirit-filled joy is possible because He fills our thinking and experience. Consider the following, found a few verses later in chapter 4, that command us what we ought to be thinking about:

⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

There are many things that could embody one or a couple of these qualities to some degree or another, but I believe Paul intends for us to have a “holistic” understanding of these verses. What could possibly represent these characteristics in their fullness? Of course, it is God Himself! He is the culmination of all of these holy qualities. Many created things and persons can be representative of this list although to a far lesser degree. Paul is essentially asking us to set our minds on “things above” (Colossians 3:2) – onto the God who is “at hand”. I also believe this is what rests at the bottom of Paul’s spiritual success that he later mentions in chapter 4; he has learned a secret to thriving (verse 12). He can thrive in any and all circumstances (4:12) because God is his “rock”--nothing derails him because God is the source of his joy. The secret that Paul is referring to is the confidence and conviction that God is at hand, that He is sovereign, and that He is always good and loving towards His adopted children, even when circumstances may tend to lead to anxiety-ridden thoughts and fears. Confidence in this truth provides the anchor that buoys prayers of thank-filled supplications on the turbulent seas of life--both in the best of times and the worst. Remember that the best of times (“plenty”, “abundance”) can be just as derailing, if not more so. When things are going along swimmingly we tend to forget God and become deceived by the façade of “stuff” and its claim to comfort and stability. The world becomes enticing and destabilizes our faith. Even in those “abundant” moments we need the steady reminder that what the Lord has “at His right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). This strengthens us so that we may resist the world’s best and most tantalizing temptations and lures.

God’s Glory and Spiritual Resilience

But what is the ultimate point of all this? Just to make us more mentally tough? To make us peaceful for the sake of peace or our own selfish tranquility? Verse 5 gives the clue. It says, “let your reasonableness be known to everyone”. But what does that mean? Reasonableness? Unfortunately, this word, depending on the translation, has been rendered in a variety of ways with seemingly different meanings that don’t align very neatly[1]. In other passages that use this word, it tends to be translated as “gentle” but usually synonymous with ‘not being quarrelsome’. However, in spite of all of this confusion there does seem to be a common theme in which the word conveys the idea of not being easily or quickly agitated[2].

A modern day equivalent of the word “reasonableness” might be “resilience” or “grit”. We could think of this word as “spiritual resilience”--a spiritual stability regardless of the circumstances--not unlike the wise man that built his house upon the rock (Matthew 7:24-27). Someone with “equanimity” is spiritually resilient and remains stable and steadfast (Philippians 1:23). They are not easily moved or derailed in their affections, mindset, and convictions, no matter how hard (or easy!) things may get. They do not quickly depart from relying on God as their highest joy, pursuit, and confidence. When we actually do this, we show the world (“everyone”) that God is our highest joy. We don’t bank on or become unhinged by our circumstances. Our circumstances are not the highest arbiter for our feelings, thinking, and actions. This is totally unlike today’s modern world, where almost anything and everything disturbs our peace. In contrast, as Christians, we should aim to become spiritually resilient by remembering and believing in God’s ever-abiding presence and good intentions towards us. This is similar to the description of love that Paul gives us in 1 Corinthians 13:5: “…love is not irritable…love bears all things.” As we seek to love others for the sake of God’s glory, the Spirit empowers us to remain spiritually resilient as a witness to the power, strength, and superiority of God. This enables us to offer up thanks-filled prayers for help so that we can show the world that Jesus is far better than the circumstances around us--whether riches or impoverishment, Roman jail cell or 5-star resort.

Conclusion and Applications

It is here where the explicit connection between what he says in verses 10 to 13 and the command to rejoice in the Lord is made. He informs and encourages the saints in Philippi, and likewise for us, that he has learned in every type of situation (both abounding in material comforts and safety, as well as being brought low into deep hunger pangs and sufferings of every kind; see 2 Corinthians 11:24-31) how to be content. In other words he has developed a spiritual resilience, rooted in God’s strength (verse 13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me”). God’s presence and power is the source of Paul’s strength. Remember what Nehemiah said? – “The joy of the Lord is my strength” (8:1). Paul wants us to see and experience the same thing. No doubt, we experience afflictions, perplexity, persecution, being struck down, but ultimately we don’t have to remain spiritually, mentally, or emotionally devastated. We, by the power of the Spirit, do not remain in despair, crushed, feeling forsaken, and are not ultimately destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). We find our joy in God and His personal presence, so that we can be content in all situations, for the sake of displaying a supernatural resilience that tells the world that God is better than the best the world has to offer, and more stable and resilient than the worst the world can throw at us. All of this is certainly desirable, but what practical steps can we take to move in this direction? Consider the following:

1. Pray and ask God to give you a deep conviction that He is “at hand”, that He is in control, and that He is always good towards you--never ceasing to transform you into Christlikeness.
2. Cultivate a “with-God” type mentality by praying before ever activity. Reminding yourself that God is near is easier when you seek the Lord in every endeavor--large and small. (“Walk by the Spirit”, Galatians 5:16)
3. Meditate on Bible passages that underscore God’s nearness (ex. Psalm 16:8-9: “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heard is glad and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also will dwell secure.”)
4. Seek to undercut every experience of anxiety and fear and take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) by praying “in the moment” with thanksgiving, and in faith, for the “God of peace to be with you”.
5. Aim to glorify God in all of your responses (Romans 14:18). Desire peace and joy not for your material comfort and happiness, but that God would be shown to be better than any created thing. Pray and ask Him to make this a reality in your life and not just a mental affirmation.

[1] For instance, the NASB translates it as “gentle spirit”, NIV and NKJV as “gentleness”, NLT as “considerate to all”, and Young’s Literal Translation as “forbearance”. But reasonableness, gentleness, and forbearance all sound very different. One could be reasonable (wise and prudent) but not very gentle, and likewise one could forbear in their responses to others sin and failings but not be very reasonable or wise. The original language (Greek: ἐπιεικὲς., pronounced as “ep-ee-i-kace”) also gets translated as “gentle”, “reasonable, “forbearing”, but that still isn’t very helpful.

[2] One of the most helpful commentators on this verse and word is John Calvin. He translated the Greek word with a rather antiquated word (so unfortunate!) “equanimity”. It is defined as mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
-hymn, Thomas Chisholm

In part 1 of this series we were challenged with the idea of “rejoicing, always” and the means by which God intends for us to lay hold of this joy – that is, faith-filled prayer, in Paul’s well-known passage, Philippians 4:4-7. We are specifically looking at the claim that verse 5 provides an absolutely essential (although often overlooked) truth that anchors these commands and promises in the very nearness of Jesus Himself, living by the Holy Spirit in every believer. We will jump around a bit but hopefully it will help, by the end to clarify your thinking and the claim that verse 5 stands as the bedrock of these other truths.

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. ⁵ Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (ESV)

The Profound Promise

Before we look at verse 5 however, I want to look at the profound promise we are given in verse 7.The promise is that God’s peace will actually guard our hearts and minds from fears and anxieties. Here, we discover a possible state of our hearts and minds that is supernaturally derived. The promise is that through the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), we may obtain peace (the opposite of anxiety!), and that peace is not something our reason or mental processes could ever drum up on their own. This is no ordinary “peaceful feeling”, and no amount of mental gymnastics and “positive thinking” could ever bring about this type of peace. We are utterly dependent on God to make this a reality. I believe we need to feel the weight of this as we meditate on this passage. God has ordained that the means of supernatural peace and joy is prayer. However, as we have seen, that prayer must be fueled by joy and thankfulness in the Trinity. But the question remains – what exactly are we to be thankful for and what are we to rejoice over? Next we turn to verse 6 to fully unveil the motivations for our prayer and the hope of verse 7’s promise.

Verse 6 provides the primary motivation for why God cares about our anxiety and why He wants us to rejoice. The short answer is that it glorifies God. We will come back to the long answer at our conclusion. For now, I want to focus on the phrase “The Lord is at hand” in verse 5. I believe very strongly that the truth of this phrase provides the fundamental basis on which the rest of these verses rest. This is the only “indicative” (or truth claim for which we are to believe). The remaining verses in the immediate context are either promises or commands. So what does this little phrase mean?

Many have taken this verse to have an eschatological meaning –in other words, that “Jesus is coming back again”. Certainly this is true and a doctrine that is universally agreed-upon amongst Christian denominations. The bulk of eschatological proof-texts provide this as the central and most lucid truth regarding the future of the universe and humankind. Back in chapter 1 (verse 10), Paul prays that the Philippians would be “pure and blameless for the day of Christ”, here referring to the second and expected coming of Jesus Christ. However, given the immediate context of chapter four I do not believe the phrase “the Lord is at hand” refers to Christ’s second coming. There is only one other place in the New Testament that uses similar terminology as Philippians 4:5, and is found in James chapter 5 verse 8. It says, “…establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” In this case, based on the immediate context and words, it is clear that James is talking about the second coming of Christ and linking the need to be patient with the fact that Christ’s second coming is “at hand” – or looming large onto the horizon of history. So, yes, this term “the Lord is at hand” can refer to the second coming, however as James makes clear - it depends on the context. In James it refers to the second coming, while in Philippians chapter four Paul is apparently using it to refer to the immediate presence, comfort, and security of Jesus Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer.

Given the comment Paul makes only a few verses later – namely, “The God of peace will be with you”, I take this verse to mean that God Himself – namely Jesus Christ, specifically through the person of the Holy Spirit, is actually present with the born-again Christian. Secondly, the grammatical structure is straightforward. If transliterated, it would say quite simply, “the Lord is near”. If this is the case, then the term “at hand” is literally true – The Lord Jesus Christ is so close that if you could, you could “reach out and touch Him”.

Note also the title Paul uses – Lord. This is to emphasize the sovereign nature of God’s presence. God is not only literally with you – close enough to touch (“at hand”), but He is Lord – He is ruler of heaven and earth– He is sovereign and in control of the circumstances you are currently in, which you are tempted to be anxious about. Nothing is out of His purveyance and ability to change, most of all your heart and mind. This is intended to provide us with confidence no matter what the circumstances – good or bad. Knowing that God is there with you, close enough to “touch”, is completely in control, and that all of His intentions are always and only good and loving towards you (Romans 8:28, 35-39), should allay and subside anxieties and motivate the believer to pray in confidence. Elsewhere in Scripture, God’s presence (for the believer) is associated with supernatural and unparalleled joy and bliss (see the entirety of Psalm 16). As a result, the possibility of rejoicing is fundamentally a rejoicing in God Himself and a deep-seated, heart-felt conviction (and even at times we may perceive) that God is at hand. There is a direct spiritual experience of God Himself (although limited by remaining in-dwelling sin, worldly imperfections, and the attacks of Satan) and therefore a supernaturally, and Holy Spirit invoked joy that ensues. That joy crowds out the looming anxieties as the believer remembers God’s nearness, supplicates with thanksgiving (about His nearness and sovereignty and good intentions) with the expectation of a God-dispensed supernatural peace. This is why later, Paul may rightly say that the “God of peace will be with you” (v. 9).

In the third and final installment of this three-part article, we will look at how God has ordained that the focus of our attention determines our affections and intends for our minds to be “set on things above” (Colossians 3:2), and that the ultimate purpose of overcoming anxiety is for the sake of God’s glory. For now, remember Jesus’s words in John 14:27 – “My peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid”, and thank Him that these words are true, even in your most distressing moments, and receive these promises as a gift of His type of peace.

The book of the Revelation is a strange and confusing book. It combines completely unnatural images: an ox with six wings and full of eyes (4:7), strange comparisons (how can a rainbow be like an emerald?), mysterious objects (censers, bowls, stars), and terrible figures (beasts, horsemen, and horned creatures). While the exact meaning of many parts of the Revelation are not known, there is one thing that is known and certain: Jesus has conquered sin and, as his people, we are invited to share in his victory and receive the gift of eternal life.

When John is taken in the spirit to the throne in heaven, he notices there is a scroll which is sealed. We are not told what it contains. First, someone must open it. But who? Who is worthy of opening a scroll held by the king in his right hand and sealed with 7 seals?

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. (Revelation 5:5–6, ESV)

One approaches the throne who is described as both Lion and Lamb. The Lion of the tribe of Judah, and a Lamb, standing, as though it had been slain. How can this one be both Lion and Lamb? How does this make him worthy?

Lions were, and continue to be, fearsome creatures. They represent power and destruction from which none can save (Hosea 5:14). They are powerful, mighty creatures often used as symbols of a king’s power (1 Kings 10) and of raw strength and cunning. Nations used as instruments of God’s judgement are described as devouring lions. A group of hungry lions was a sure sign of your death. In other words, if you want a conqueror, a lion is what you want.

Lambs, by contrast, are not powerful. They are lowly creatures. They are gullible and weak. They were easily bested by any animal who wanted to eat them. They follow where they are led, even if they are being led to the slaughterhouse. They were traded for food and often used as payment. Their blood was used during Passover as a payment of the sins of the household. Those who tended sheep were not highly favored. 

Lions and lambs are quintessential opposites. The lion is the king, sitting at the top of the food chain. The lamb is the least and resides at the bottom.

But here, in front of the throne of heaven, stands one who is both Lion and Lamb. And not just any lamb, but the slain Lamb. One who had been mauled by a foe. This stinks in our noses—we want to affirm what seems most respectable: the Conquering One, is He not a Lion? He is, but yet, the mighty, most fearsome creature on the earth, is also the lowliest, weakest.

Brothers and sisters, we must affirm what Scripture teaches us. It teaches us that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both mighty, roaring Lion, and slain Lamb of God. He cannot be one without being the other. In dying for our sins, he swallowed up death forever (Isaiah 25:8). He conquered death through his weakness. This was the plan and it unfolded exactly as the Father intended.

So let us rest in this: Jesus’ power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9). And one day we will see his power, perfected, and enjoy it forever.

The paradox of evil and good: one action with two intentions can be found in Genesis 50:19-20. The background to this verse is that the patriarch of the family, Jacob, had recently died and Joseph’s brothers worried that Joseph, now in his mid-50's, would finally retaliate for the actions of his brothers many years ago. About 40 years past, Joseph’s ten older brothers really wanted to kill him. Instead they stripped Joseph of his fancy overseer’s coat, took him and threw him in a dry well (Gen 37:23-24). The brothers listened to Joseph’s cries and pleas for freedom while they ate their meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites headed towards Egypt. In their jealousy, they sold their little brother as a slave (Gen 37:25-28). Joseph was only seventeen. Psalm 105:18 says Joseph’s feet were hurt by shackles, and his neck was put in an iron collar. Joseph was a slave for 13 years. He served first as a house slave and then as a slave in prison. How could Joseph forgive his brothers and say, "What you meant for evil, God used for good?" This is a paradox, evil intentions used for good. Only our Sovereign Father can do this!

After 13 years as a slave, God changed Joseph’s situation. One day Joseph interpreted the Pharaoh’s troubling dreams. A time of plenty was coming and, after that, a widespread famine. Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of gathering the grain in the time of plenty to feed the world in the time of famine. In the course of time, hungry people from all over the world came to buy grain to feed their families. Joseph’s brothers came to buy grain but they didn't recognize him for he looked and talked like an Egyptian. However, Joseph recognized them. Joseph eventually revealed his identity to his brothers after putting them through a series of imprisonments and tests to see if they had changed, and his brothers had. In Genesis 45:4-8, Joseph reveals his true identity and tells the brothers, “God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.” Joseph didn't blame his brothers, he trusted God. Joseph said, “God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance” (Gen 45:7).

No matter Joseph’s situation, the Lord was with Joseph to use Joseph’s life for His purposes. So it is with us in these uncertain days. We must repent of known sin in our lives and give ourselves to Christ in any circumstance we find ourselves in, asking Him to use us to further His kingdom. We learn in Ephesians 1 and 2 that we are so loved and so chosen that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we would walk in them. Christian, God prepared good works for you to walk in before the foundation of the world! In Romans 8:28, Paul tells us that we know all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. No matter our situation or circumstance, there is life in Christ! Look to the Son!

Joseph was obedient to the will of God and God used his life to physically save the lives of many people. The Lord blessed Joseph’s obedience in many ways. Joseph got to see his father again, he was reconciled to his brothers, God gave him a wife and sons, and he got a double portion of his father’s inheritance. Not all lives have such happy endings. We must trust the sovereign hand of our Father, that he knows best when our lives are good or when we feel like suffering and evil are winning. If we are trusting in Christ’s substitutionary death and resurrection, then this life is not all there is. Eternity is better! Heaven awaits us! “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom 8:18).

What then shall we to say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died-more than that, who was raised-who is at the right hand of God, who is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Romans 8:31-35, 37

“Perfect Wisdom, Perfect Power
Perfect Goodness, Perfect Love
Father, Savior, Friend, and Healer
O so near and all above
You are joy each moment new!
Here I rest content in You.”
-hymn, “Content in You” – Ken Bible 2014  

Introduction
The book of Philippians was written by the apostle Paul while in an ancient Roman prison. Not that today’s modern prisons are enviable in terms of their creaturely comforts, but comparatively Roman prisons (the likes of which Paul was in) make today’s U.S. prisons look quite tame. They are hardly a place you would expect someone to experience joy and peace. Yet, the letter to the Philippians is full of emotional words. The word “joy” and “rejoice” are used 16 times, while other words spanning the continuum of affections are used a whopping 49 times! Even a quick reading of the epistle makes it clear that God not only cares a great deal about our emotions, but more specifically, He cares that we embody the right emotions at the right times related to the appropriate godly thoughts (Phil. 4:8). If you have been a Christian any length of time, one of the most frequently quoted passages that captures this vision is from chapter 4 of the same book:

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. ⁵ Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (ESV)

We can easily relate to this passage because the experience of anxiety and fear is a daily occurrence. Anxiousness is very real and we all try and find ways to subdue those overwhelming feelings with things such as food, sleep, destructive behaviors, and unholy mental strategies. In spite of our familiarity with this passage, I believe that we tend to view this passage merely as a prescription to subdue our anxious feelings and the paralyzing fear difficult circumstances can bring about. Of course, in a sense this is true but there is so much more to this passage that we tend to overlook when we only look at one or two verses at a time. I believe that this section in chapter 4 is far more than an instructional list, or a spiritual “how-to” used in order to learn how to control our emotional ups and downs.  Instead, this passage represents more of a reality check regarding the kind of God we serve and the profound implications those truths should have for our lives. My main goal, by the power of the Spirit and the grace of God, is to help you see that verse 5b (“The Lord is at hand...”) is the foundation that supports the commands and promises of this entire passage. Unfortunately, this verse is often overlooked with an emphasis on the “prescription” (v. 6 – “…prayer and supplication”). Let’s look verse-by-verse to see why verse 5b is so critical to a proper understanding and application of ideal Christian living as embodied by Paul himself, and perfectly lived out by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Rejoice, always?   
Prior to chapter 4, Paul had already commanded[1] the Philippians to rejoice (1:18, 2:17-18, 2:28) in terms of certain activities and events (ex. that their “concern was revived” for Paul). But, uniquely in chapter 3, Paul encourages the Philippians to rejoice in God (verse 1), as we similarly find in verse 4 of chapter 4. Paul gives a command to rejoice and to embody the Spirit-filled emotion of joy (Galatians 5:22). However, note what the cause of the rejoicing is – it is not in a certain set of circumstances or events, or in a desired external outcome (remember Paul is in prison!). The cause of the rejoicing is God Himself. Ultimately, our rejoicing should be about God and His Person no matter what the circumstances – good or bad. James talks about “counting it all joy when we encounter various trials” (1:2), but Paul does not ask us to enjoy or seek pain, for pain’s sake – he wants us to dig deeper – not only in our worst experiences, but even in our best! He wants us to find our highest joy and gladness in God Himself, namely in the person of the Lord Jesus.  Psalm 16 says that in God’s presence there is fullness of joy, and Jesus promises that for faithful servants of God, they will be allowed “to enter into the joy of their Master” (Matthew 25:23). Consequently, Paul’s command to rejoice is intended to evoke a joyful response in relation to God Himself. In other words, for the Spirit-filled Christian, God Himself and right thoughts about Him should cause joy and gladness. Before we look at verse 5, I want to examine the surrounding verses to better understand how they support our main point.

The Means: Thankful Prayer
Verse 6 offers the “prescribed” command by which we may turn from anxiety and fear towards that Spirit-enabled joy that we are asked to embody. Most will be familiar with this verse. The command can be paraphrased as such: In faith, pray. Pray, and in doing so you may move from anxiety to peace and joy. Ask God with an attitude of thanksgiving in any and all circumstances for help, and His sustaining joy and peace will come. Notice the similarities to verse 4 – “pray in all circumstances” and (v. 6): “rejoice always”, (v.4): “Do not be anxious” and (v. 6) – instead be joyful (v. 4). Through thankful asking, we have been given the means by which we can gain access to Spirit-empowered joy. Again, notice that the emphasis is less on asking God to change our circumstances (although certainly this is not prohibited!) and more on changing our heart and attitudes (anxiety moved to joy) in the midst of (even difficult and painful) “various trials”.

The second thing to see is the attitude with which we are told to pray. We are told to make an affection-altering request “with thanksgiving”. We are not to grumble our way into prayer, but rather to enter into prayer with an attitude of thanksgiving. But what must we be thankful for? Surely in a set of circumstances whereby everything appears to be going wrong God would not expect us to be thankful, right? The question is: what is the reason for our thankfulness? Regarding what, exactly, are we to be thankful for? A content-less, pie-in-sky, ambiguous, feel-good thankfulness is not biblical (and actually different from how we normally experience thankfulness). We don’t muster up thankfulness in spite of reality, but precisely because of it! So, what then are we to be thankful for and what are we to rejoice over? Remember, from a biblical perspective thankfulness assumes a giver and a receiver. By default, God as Creator and myself as the creature, all good things come from God and therefore we are indebted to Him for all things (Romans 11:36). I believe verse 5 holds the key to answering these questions; and I believe it matters because the truth of verse 5 can and will sustain prayers and supplications that allow us to flee feelings of anxiety, to make our “reasonableness” be made known to all, and consequently for God to be glorified. In the second part of this series we will discover a God-given and “profound promise” and how biblically-guided “right thinking” enables us to pray the way that Paul intends us to. Without believing this promise and thinking godly thoughts, we will never realize the God-glorifying and joyful potential intended for us. The third part of this series will bring into focus the main point of this scriptural passage and of this article – that “…the nearness of God is my good…” (Psalm 73:28).

[1] . It is important to understand that Paul can command us to embody an emotion because the Spirit elsewhere has promised to fulfill that command. For instance, see Galatians 5:22-25.

The Gospel Defined

Probably the clearest definition of the Gospel in the New Testament is found in verses 3-4 of this chapter.  “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”  Paul shares with us that this message was of “first importance”.

The Importance of Christ’s Resurrection

For sake of brevity, I would ask you to read verses 12-19 where Paul has painted a rather bleak picture of a Christian’s predicament if “there is no resurrection from the dead”.  Since Christ has been raised then the opposite of these verses must then be what Paul desires to call our attention to and I would submit to you the following implications. 

Because there is a resurrection

• Christ has been raised!
• Our preaching has a purpose!
• Our faith is valuable!
• We are representing God accurately in proclaiming Christ raised from the dead!
• We are saved from our sins!
• We of all people should be envied for the treasure we have in Christ!

As Paul states in verse 57, “…thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Best Way to Live if there is No Resurrection

I recall participating in a Bible study during my teenage years and one of my fellow teens asked the youth leader who was hosting our study something to the effect of, “What if this isn’t true?  And you have devoted your life to a lie?”  The youth leader answered the student’s question by saying, “It’s still a good life.”  It seemed a reasonable answer to me at the time but I either hadn’t read 1 Corinthians 15 at that point in time or didn’t really grasp the message of it.  Paul makes clear that if we are deluded in our understanding then we should be “most pitied” and concludes in verse 32, “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’.”  What does that mean?  We would do better to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of this world or to put it another way, “Let’s eat our cake and have our ice cream too!”  Simply put, if we don’t have Christ, we have nothing of lasting value.

Hope for Today

You may be wondering how this applies to you right now my brother or sister in Christ?  Unfortunately, we live in an age of uncertainty and even more so at the present hour with the coronavirus effectively putting a stop to much of our daily lives.  But whatever may come our way in this life, the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, illness, or any other manner of difficulty “nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love”.  If we have Christ, we have everything we need and more than we could have possibly hoped for.  You may be wondering how it is possible for God to work out the present circumstances for his glory and our good (Romans 8:28)?  The Gospel gives us hope because though the death of our Lord and Savior was the worst thing to ever happen, it was also the best thing to ever happen for by his death our debt has been paid.  Let us rest that if God will likewise be with us amid this epidemic.