Philippians - Prayer & Peace

Last week we looked at the first few verses of chapter 4 and dealt with conflict. Today we are dealing with Prayer.

Let’s read together:

Philippians 4:4-7 (NLT2) 

4  Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5  Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6  Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 

First, understand from this passage that “Asking God for things” is His idea! And…

GOD INVITES YOU TO ASK ANYTHING

Philippians 4:6 (NLT2) 

6  Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

I grew up in a dysfunctional home. My dad was an alcoholic with a terrible temper. When I would ask him for something, I would usually get yelled at.

“You don’t take care of what you have now.”

“You freaking kids are driving me up a wall.”

When I asked for something, it always seemed to bother him. But you don’t bother God when you ask him for anything.  You do not burden God by asking him to meet the needs in your life. God thinks the world of you. He loves the sound of your voice. He loves it when you tell him what you need and when you thank Him for what he has already done. And, God does not want you to worry.

As he is chained up between two prison guards, under house arrest, Paul tells the Philippians believers not to worry about anything. If anybody had problems to worry about, it was Paul! He didn’t know how long he would be under house arrest. He couldn’t get outside the house to earn any money for his food or apartment. But Paul understood that God invited him to pray about everything rather than worry. 

Throughout the Bible, God tells us over and over again not to worry:

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT2) 

7  Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 

John 14:1 (NLT2) 

1  “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.

John 14:27 (NLT2) 

27  “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 

Over 365 times in the Bible God tells his people not to be afraid and not to worry.

Do you know why? Because we worry! I know there are so many things going on in your life for you to worry about.

Maybe you worry that you aren’t doing a good job parenting your kids.

Maybe you worry that the lab results from last week are going to indicate you have cancer.

Maybe you worry that your child is getting bullied at school…or bullying somebody.

Maybe you are worried your child is spending too much time on devices.

Maybe you are worried you didn’t start early enough to save for retirement.

Maybe you are worried about how you will make ends meet every month.

Maybe you are worried about finding a future husband or wife.

But God doesn’t want you to worry about one single thing.  Rather, he invites you to ask him for anything. You can write down the list of things you worry about in your life, then turn that into your prayer list and watch God begin to meet your needs and answer your prayers.  As he answers your prayers, thank Him for what he does in your life. And God makes a very special promise to us in Philippians 4:7.

Philippians 4:7 (NLT2) 

7  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 

This is one of the most amazing promises we have been given in scripture…As a Pastor, I can tell you PEACE is the number one thing people seek. 

PEACE is what people hunger and crave.

If you are single, you want PEACE.

If you are a parent, you want PEACE.

If you are overwhelmed, discouraged, or abandoned – you want PEACE.

And every one of us can leave today with PEACE that exceeds anything we understand.

Because…

WHEN WE ASK, WE EXPERIENCE PEACE

This is a PROMISE.  Remember, If you read and apply God’s Word He will change your life.  

God wants you to experience peace. When our children were younger and upset, crying, worried, or frightened, I was always amazed when they climbed into our laps and we held them, how much they calmed down. Our presence, our touch, brought them peace. God is your Heavenly Father who wants you to have peace when you are troubled. God knows the impact of sin in our lives.  He understands the pain that was brought into the world because of sin.  He knows we get troubled by disease, diagnosis, and death. He knows we worry about our future and the future of our children.

Because he is a GOOD parent, he wants to bless you with PEACE.

And, because he is a GOOD parent, that may be the reason why he hasn’t given you what you have asked for from Him. It’s not because he doesn’t love you that he hasn’t given you what you have asked; it is because he knows what will happen to you if he lets you win the Mega-Million Lottery.

And whether God provided it to you or not, He still gave you peace. And that peace He gave let you make it through the storm. That’s because God is a GOOD Dad and a GOOD GOD.

Listen to the words of Jesus from Matthew:

Matthew 7:9-11 (NLT2) 

9  “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10  Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

If your child was hungry and asked for something to eat, would you give him a rock?

If your child wanted a pet, would you give him a rattlesnake?

Only if we were bad parents.  

And, the things you ask for that you think are good for you may actually cause harm for you in the long run. God will only give what you ask for if it will be good for you.  He sees the big picture.  He saw you before you drew your first breath of air after you were born, and he knows when you will take your last breath. He sees your beginning and end, and he knows how to bless you in between.

 Psalm 139:16 (NLT2) 

16  You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 

God is not like a bad dad.  He wants to bless his children.  God is sinless – and even more than you or I could ever comprehend…

GOD KNOWS HOW TO BLESS BETTER THAN YOU!

We think we know what is best for us all the time.

I do.

I ask God for the things I think are best for me and for my family.

I ask God to heal my children of disease.  

He hasn’t yet.  

So.

I trust his character.  I trust that he knows how to bless better than me.  I trust that since God has seen their beginning and end, Type One Diabetes is part of his plan to BLESS them because He is not going to give anything that will harm them, including taking away this disease. But, I haven’t always understood why God says, “No.”

Kristy and I struggled for 6 years with infertility.  Then, when she finally became pregnant, our hearts erupted with joy.  Seriously, my chest swelled up with pride.  The happiness and excitement I felt could not be expressed. Then, ten weeks into her first trimester…the spotted bleeding began.

I began praying, “God, please. Let our baby live!”

But a few days later, we drove home from the hospital after our baby died. I sang and worshipped, but I was so hurt that God did not answer my prayer and give me what I wanted. 

Then, about a year later, Kristy became pregnant again, and I held my spiritual breath.  I couldn’t talk to God.  I was afraid to ask him to let this baby be born.  I didn’t want to experience the same joy and pride I felt with our first pregnancy.

And then, God blessed.

On November 5, 2007, God gave us the most beautiful baby I had ever seen up until that point in my life.  He blessed us with our firstborn daughter, Sofia Lynn. And then he blessed us with Naomi in 2009. And he blessed us with Violet in 2011. And he blessed us with Jessie in 2013.

And then, we bought a TV for the bedroom and stopped having children.

But sometimes, when God does not give us what we ask for, we are like children; we throw a temper tantrum and say, “Fine – I’m not talking to you.”  

We stop praying.  

We stop going to church. 

We hold our spiritual breath.

We shut ourselves off from him.  We say things like, “I tried that church thing…”

But maybe, just maybe, we didn’t try that friendship with Jesus. PRAYER is a relationship where the BATTLE FOR OUR FAITH is fought. Prayer will transform our lives because it keeps us in a relationship with Jesus. If we persist in our prayer lives – even when we do not get our way, God will BLESS us with PEACE that surpasses all understanding.  

As I close, here is what God’s BLESSING may look like from a child’s perspective. Imagine a kid who loves their tablet or gaming console. They're obsessed with the bright screen, the fun apps, the games. They think it’s the best thing ever, and all they talk about is playing on that device. 

One day, the parents say, “We’re going to take you on a special trip — to a national park with mountains, rivers, and endless space to explore.” But the child gets mad, throws a fit, and says, "I want to stay home and play on my tablet!"

The parents decide to take the kid to the national park anyway. As soon as they arrive, the kid’s attitude changes. They forget all about the tablet and are amazed by the beauty and adventure around them. You and I are like that kid sometimes. We think we know what’s best for us. We get comfortable with the small things we know. But God is trying to take us somewhere bigger and better, offering something greater than what we can see.

Are you trusting God to bless you with something better, or are you holding onto what feels comfortable and familiar, missing the adventure He has in store for you? Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done.”  It is time to allow God to change your desires.  

Today, will you ask for HIS blessings instead of yours?

Meeting Jesus - keep on asking

You know, I have been in ministry for just about 26 years, and regardless of whether I am in a room filled with men, women, children, pastors, deacons, parents, volunteers, or staff – everybody can be chatting, laughing, cutting up…but the moment the words are said, “who wants to open us up in prayer?” the room grows quiet.

People look down at the floor to avoid eye contact.

Some people have been followers of Jesus for a long time, yet they have never prayed in public.  If that sounds like you, its ok!  You don’t have to pray out loud in front of other people to experience a life-changing relationship with God.

According to research, the number one fear in America is “Speaking in Public.”

The second fear in America is death.

This means some people would rather die than speak in public!

Just a couple of months after I had surrendered to Jesus, in the fall of 1991, I was sitting in church on a Sunday night. I had been clowning around with one of my buddies during the message and closing, and when the Pastor had a “Sunday night routine” of asking somebody to pray.  That night, because I was not paying attention, I thought he said my name!  My heart raced.  My breathing went shallow.  Searching for the churchy words, I prayed out loud for the first time…but the Pastor did not call on me! He asked the person behind me! To make my prayer even more awkward, people came up to me afterward and congratulated me on such a wonderful prayer. That was weird.

In today’s passage, the disciples had recognized that Jesus had a different prayer life than anybody else they had come across.  Jesus was often going out to quiet places by himself to pray. Sometimes he took along his disciples, sometimes he went by himself.  On this occasion, after Jesus had been praying to God, the disciples turned to Jesus and said, “Lord teach us to pray.” Then – Jesus gave them what is known today as “The Lord’s Prayer”  - or if you are Catholic or former Catholic, you know it is as the bead that comes after the 10 Hail Mary’s on a Rosary bead.

Jesus did not just teach them how to model their prayer – but then he taught them some crucial principals about prayer that we all need to apply to our lives. If your prayer life has felt empty recently, my prayer is that today, the empty prayer life will change.

Luke 11:1-13

1  Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2  Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. 3  Give us each day the food we need, 4  and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.” 5  Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6  ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7  And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8  But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. 9  “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11  “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12  Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” 

It sounds to me like Jesus had been waiting for years for his disciples to ask Him to teach them to pray. He gave them powerful life changing advice. He didn’t tell them to “fold their hands, close their eyes, bow their heads…”  Every evening when we give God thanks for dinner, I wait for the girls to bow their heads, close their eyes, sit down at the table, and stop teasing each other…but Jesus did not focus on the external, Jesus addressed the inward attitude. He emphasized the heart, not the action. He emphasized the “experience of prayer” he was not focused on “kneeling down, lifting hands, closing eyes, or bowing heads.” He wasn’t focused on the loudness of prayer, he focused on the heart.

One of the ways he emphasizes the heart in this passage is that…

THE HEART OF PRAYER IS UNCOMFORTABLE GRACE 

Take a look again at verse 4.  

Luke 11:4

4  and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. 

Jesus taught that at the very core of our conversation with God – is an attitude that offers UNCOMFORTABLE GRACE to those around us. When we pray and ask God to forgive us of our sins, we must be willing to forgive those who have offended us. That means friends who betrayed us, wounded us, and hurt us deeply, are the first ones on our minds when we pray. Have you ever noticed it usually is not strangers that bother us, hurt us, or offend us when they sin against us? Strangers may sin against us, but they don’t hurt us like those that we trust. It is our friends, our family, and those we love who hurt us the deepest. It is not the people that cut us off in traffic or call us repeatedly on our cell phones that we can hold a grudge against.  

But the people we love, trust, admire, and hold in high regard – when they sin against us, they usually hurt and wound us deeply. When trust is broken, it can wound us for a long time if we let it. But here is the beautiful thing! It is only when we are wounded and broken that we get to join Jesus in demonstrating GRACE to those who don’t deserve it. It is only when we are hurt that we can radiate the beautiful, overwhelming kindness of God. So, when was the last time you demonstrated uncomfortable grace in your prayer life?  When was the last time, alone in the presence of God, you released your hurt, anger, and grudge against those who hurt you?  

Do they deserve to be forgiven?

No.

But neither do you.  

See, you and I – we cannot earn forgiveness from God, and we do not deserve his forgiveness for our rebellion.  Each of us in this room have thought evil thoughts, we have lied, we have cheated, we have lusted, we have lived in open rebellion against our Creator God and because of our rebellion, we deserve to be separated from God forever.  

1 Peter 3:18

18  Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

If you are a believer in Jesus and you have surrendered your life to Him, you have been brought safely home to God.  You are wrapped up in his presence in prayer…and bring that attitude of uncomfortable grace with you. As God wraps you up in his presence as you pray, make sure that you aren’t sticking your tongue out at somebody else that needs you to show them uncomfortable grace.

And, if you have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus, our prayer team will be at the front of the stage after the last worship song is sung.  They will be here to answer any questions you may have about how to surrender your life to Jesus and be forgiven for your sins.

A second thing we learn about prayer from this passage is that…

PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER DEMONSTRATES FAITH

Persistence in prayer demonstrates faith. Sometimes people say things like, “Well, I asked God to set me free from this addiction…” He never did, so he must not love me enough to answer my prayers or maybe, “I asked God to help me in my marriage, but He hasn’t.  He must not love me.” If you want to be rescued from addictions in your life, then you must be persistent in your ask. Be persistent in your request.  Is it really important to you? Do you really want to experience God’s power in your life? 

Look at the story Jesus told:  “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6  ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7  And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8  But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. 

One man did not want to get out of bed. The other man refused to go away. He was obnoxious. It was midnight. He kept knocking! Can you imagine a neighbor knocking on your door at midnight and refusing to go away? If that happened today, we would call the police.  Jesus is teaching us that it is okay to be obnoxious in prayer! Every day, I am reminded by persistence in prayer because my children refuse to take “no” for an answer.  “Dad, can I have this? Dad, can I please have this? Dad, please, oh please can I have that?”

If you understand what I’m talking about, say, “Help me, Jesus!” Persistence in prayer is a sign of faith and finally, we understand this third principle:

GOD IS GOOD AND WANTS TO BLESS YOU, SO ASK, SEEK, AND KNOCK!

Luke 11:13

13  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.

And God wants to bless you first by giving you His Holy Spirit.  When you surrender your life to Jesus and receive forgiveness for your sins, you are made NEW and you receive the Holy Spirit. So how will you demonstrate your faith? What is a need in your life that is screaming for you to ask and knock until God meets that need? Be obnoxious and keep asking God. Keep knocking on his door. Be persistent. Jesus said you have the freedom to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK at the house of God anytime!

Keep on asking God for healing in your marriage.

Keep on asking God to set you free from addiction.

Keep on asking God to heal relationships with your children.

Keep on asking God to set you free from insecurity.

Keep on asking God to set you free from doubt.

Keep on asking God to heal your cancer.

Keep on asking God for that job.

Keep on asking God to help you forgive.

Keep on asking God to set you free from a grudge.

Keep on asking, keep on knocking.

If it sounds obnoxious to you, then you are learning the principle Jesus wants us to practice.

Persistence in ASKING means we continue to TRUST that He is Good.  

A call to stand against opposition

A call to Action

A Call for Encouragement

A Call FOR BOLDNESS

A Call To Prayer

The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 1:1-2

They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
Nehemiah 1:3

When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
Nehemiah 1:4

      Prayer:
      /prer/
noun
      A solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship.

“God Never Allows Pain without a purpose”
~ Jerry Bridges ~

“Your Greatest Ministry will most likely come out of your greatest hurt.”
~ Rick Warren ~

When we are burdened, what should we do?

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
Psalm 55:22

Accept IT
Cast IT
Leave IT

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
Nehemiah 1:5-7

God initiates Prayer in Us

“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
Nehemiah 1:8-9

“They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
Nehemiah 1:10-11

When Is the last time you were so burdened that all you could do was pray?

When was the last time you were burdened for the church?
When was the last time you were burdened for your Neighbors?
When was the last time you were burdened for our nation?
When was the last time you were burdened for the lost?