The Lord Is At Hand
Our Bible passage, introduction to Sunday 20th September service and hymns are below.
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Our principal verses are:
Php 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Php 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The Lord Is At Hand
Joy and rejoicing have been frequent themes of Paul’s message in this short epistle. Chapter three began with the imperative, ‘Rejoice in the Lord’. Here, this time with added emphasis, the Apostle restates his instruction. He insists that the Lord’s people engage with the privileges and promises of God’s grace, and rejoice always. All whose names are written in the Book of Life are children of God, ‘And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ’ (Romans 8:17). As God’s chosen and called people we have every reason always to be rejoicing in this world.
A failure of faith
That we do not ‘rejoice alway’ is a failure of our faith, a fault and symptom of unbelief. There is always good reason to rejoice in our Lord Jesus Christ, even in times of hardship and sadness. Our Saviour does not change. He is forever the same; constant and true. His mercy endures for ever. His grace is sufficient for all our needs. We lose our joy when we forget the blessings of His blood, His forgiveness of our sins, His great salvation and His constant presence with us.
Proper balance in our dealings
Paul speaks of moderation. No doubt he still has in mind the disagreement between Euodias and Syntyche. Joy is a good remedy for hurt endured; moderation a fine corrective to high-mindedness. Those who rejoice together in God’s blessings of salvation ought to be prepared to compromise and co-operate one with another with tolerance and gentleness. A moderate approach does not insist upon strict interpretation of what is legally right, due or owed. Moderation accommodates, negotiates and bears offence with patience.
Zeal where appropriate
He advises that our moderation as believers be made known, ‘unto all men’. Demonstrating moderation is not restricted to fellow-believers but also to those who are outside of the church. Believers are not extremists or fanatics. We are not rigorous legalists or zealots. We have no need to be. We are certainly people of conviction and principle, we are dedicated to our Lord and committed to His cause. Yet in our dealings with one another, and in our interactions with those outside of the church, we ought to be moderate; living lives characterised by patience and adorned with compassion. This is honourable to God.
The Lord is near
In support of this instruction, Paul tells us, ‘The Lord is at hand’. His argument seems to be that the Lord, being close at hand to His people, knows the circumstances of our life, the motives of our heart and sympathises with our condition. He will Himself succour His own children, defend our just cause and in due course justify us publicly, all without us personally insisting upon it by right. A believer’s moderation should be patterned after the Lord’s own example, ‘Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously (1 Peter 2:23).
Care as appropriate
The Apostle’s next statement ought to be interpreted ‘with moderation’. There are many things a believer must be careful for in both our personal and civic lives. We do not wish to bring the Lord’s name into disrepute or bring shame upon the gospel or the church. Exercising due diligence in private matters in our families and fulfilling our public duty to authority is necessary and God-honouring. Paul means we should not be full of care or over-anxious about the affairs of this life or those circumstances of God’s providence that disappoint or distress us. This is consistent with trusting the Lord and rejoicing in the Lord always.
‘Be anxious for nothing’
Our anxieties in life are to be dealt with by taking our concerns to the Lord in prayer, not by fretting and worrying about them. In doing so we acknowledge our Father’s omnipotence, wisdom and authority. Supplication is asking for help for present need, joined with thanksgiving for past benefits. Prayer is offered in faith for future help. We remember as we approach God’s throne of grace and mercy that He knows our need before we ask. He promises us good and will never leave us comfortless.
Enduring peace
The Apostle’s arguments are compelling. The best recipe for peace and contentment in this world of sin is knowing our names are written in the Book of Life. Thereafter we exercise the privileges and promises of God’s abundant grace in our daily lives notwithstanding the trials we face. This is the peace of God to our souls. It gives comfort in this present time and hope for eternity. It is peace that passes ‘all understanding’ because it is spiritual confidence borne of trust in our faithful, loving, covenant God. In this ‘covenant of peace’ God keeps our hearts fixed on Him and our minds comforted with the knowledge of truth ‘through Christ Jesus’, our Lord.
Amen
Hymn 127
The Kingdom of Christ. John 1. 49; Phil. 4. 4
C. Wesley 148th
1
Rejoice, the Lord is King;
Your God and King adore;
Mortals, give thanks and sing,
And triumph ever more.
Lift up the heart, lift up the voice;
Rejoice aloud, ye saints, rejoice.
2
Rejoice, the Saviour reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When he had purged our stains,
He took his seat above;
Lift up the heart, lift up the voice;
Rejoice aloud, ye saints, rejoice.
3
His kingdom cannot fail;
He rules o’er earth and heaven;
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus given;
Lift up the heart, lift up the voice;
Rejoice aloud, ye saints, rejoice.
4
He all his foes shall quell;
Shall all our sins destroy;
And every bosom swell
With pure seraphic joy;
Lift up the heart, lift up the voice;
Rejoice aloud, ye saints, rejoice.
5
Rejoice in glorious hope,
Jesus, the Judge, shall come,
And take his servants up
To their eternal home;
We soon shall hear the Archangel’s voice;
The trump of God shall sound, Rejoice!
Hymn 1002
Prayer. Dan. 9. 3; Acts. 6. 4; Phil. 4. 6
J. Montgomery C.M.
1
Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed;
The motion of a hidden fire,
That trembles in the breast.
2
Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear;
The upward glancing of an eye,
When none but God is near.
3
Prayer is the contrite sinner’s voice,
Returning from his ways;
While angels in their songs rejoice,
And cry, “Behold, he prays!”
4
The saints in prayer appear as one,
In word, and deed, and mind;
While with the Father and the Son,
Sweet fellowship they find.
5
Nor prayer is made on earth alone;
The Holy Spirit pleads;
And Jesus, on the eternal throne,
For sinners intercedes.
6
O thou by whom we come to God,
The Life, the Truth, the Way!
The path of prayer thyself hast trod;
Lord, teach us how to pray.
Paul teaches the church at Philippi that Christian joy, contentment and peace is to be obtained when a believer understands the close care and constant presence of the Lord Jesus. True peace is found in trusting in the Lord Jesus and committing our need into His care.