You may be seated. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Christ Jesus our
Lord. Amen. You know sometimes you receive a gift that even before you open it you're
not too excited about it. Just by the feel of the package you know that most
likely it's underwear not a Red Ryder BB gun. You just as soon set it aside. Paul in
his letter to the Philippians has some gifts for us today. But they come wrapped in commands
and it's tempting to set aside a gift wrapped in commands. But if we'll hang in there I
think we'll find it's a gift worth opening. Paul begins in chapter four with three quick
commands. The first being rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice. Now I'll be honest
normally people who are too peppy too optimistic too smiley too happy I'm suspicious of. They
tell me I need to be happy. I tend to write them off. I tend to think they must have an
easy life. But when Paul says rejoice always he he writes from prison. He's in chains.
Other preachers are taking advantage of a situation to make a name for themselves. He's
actually in very difficult circumstances. That gets my attention. Someone in a difficult
circumstance who's still rejoicing. His next command let your reasonableness be known
to everyone. A lot of translations translate that your gentleness or your gentle spirit.
I can only assume Paul's never driven on Highway 75. And then the third command paraphrase
do not be anxious about anything but pray about everything. This is the one we're probably
most familiar with because we know so well anxiety especially in the age that we live
in which those who measure such things that were one of the most anxious generations to
have ever lived. We feel that constant downward pressure of more. And Paul says use that as
a prompt to pray. Peter will say the same thing cast all your anxieties on the Lord
because he cares for you. And in the middle of these commands Paul ties it together with
a simple statement. He says the Lord is at hand. The Lord is at hand meaning he's near
in time. He is coming. He's coming soon. And he's near in place. He's with you. Right now
where you are. Even if that's in a prison cell. He's telling us the Lord is at hand
and those who are close to the Lord. Those who live near him. Will know this joy this
gentleness this peace. But there's a problem with commands. We don't always respond well
to commands do we. One way we tend to respond is don't tell me what to do. We all have that
three year old toddler living inside us. That when told what to do our natural inclination
is to say you're not the boss of me. To that three year old toddler commands feel like
burdens obligations duties. We might be coerced into doing them. But we won't enjoy it. Rejoice.
Don't tell me how to feel. If I want to be grumpy I'm going to be grumpy. There's a second
way we respond to commands. Oof. I failed. There's that part of us that hears the command
and we are pierced with the pain and recognition that the command says do this and we have
not done that. The command says don't do that. And that's exactly what we what we have done.
There's a third way that the believer can respond to a command. Though I don't find
this near so common. That's the one I want to talk about today. It's a way of receiving
the command as a gift. A gift to be unwrapped. It's by responding to the command saying yes
that's the life I want. Rejoice in the Lord always. Always. You mean there can be joy
in even my hardest circumstances. That would be great. I want that kind of life. I understand
why that response is not very common or very natural to us. We're far too experienced.
It seems far too distant near impossible that we would rejoice in our most difficult
situations. And yet that's what the command suggests. That this is a gift given that describes
to us the good life that we truly desire. You see commands tell us what God's will is.
God's will, Paul will later say, is a good and perfect will. God's commands are good
and they're good for us. God isn't like the mean boss who simply gives meaningless orders
out to prove he can order you around. God's commands are more like the parent who commands
their child that they can play in the grass in the front yard but they cannot play in
the street. It's not a command to reduce happiness, to constrain. It's a boundary that
gives the child great freedom to enjoy life without being hit by a car. Commands tell
us God's will and God's will is good. Commands also tell us what the Holy Spirit is up to.
In your baptism, your sins are forgiven, you're granted eternal life and God's very
spirit comes to reside within you. The commands tell us what that spirit is up to. That spirit
is up to making you the kind of person that would rejoice even in prison. That would be
gentle even on Highway 75. That would know peace in the face of great anxiety. And that
spirit as he works invites our participation with him. Whether we participate or not, the
spirit will continue to do his work but he does invite us to join him. It's like, imagine
a construction site with the spirit as the master craftsman. There's lots of commands.
Remember this. Hang that. Tear that out. Lay that down. Construct that. As the spirit
begins to build something new. And he invites us to join him as a worker. But again, commands
hide the gift. Sometimes we do leave those gifts unopened. Sometimes we tell ourselves
things like joy is for people with easier lives. The gift in the command looks like
the sweater your aunt knits for you every year that is never worn. You don't really
want it. We tell ourselves things like gentleness is weakness. That's no way to operate in this
world. We just assume set that aside. Sometimes these gifts just get lost in the clutter.
The clutter and busyness of our lives. And honestly, I think many of us just assume anxiety
is a part of life. I can't imagine living differently of experiencing peace in the midst
of anxiety. I think I just might not be the kind of person that God gives those gifts
to. But if commands all they did, well, all the commands do is to point to God's good
and perfect will, but the commands we know don't enable us to obey. They don't enable
us to experience that good and perfect will. It's some hope that the spirit is at work
within us building that will. But let's be honest, the spirit's work often is beyond
our awareness. We trust the spirits at work, but there are days that we don't often see
evidence of the spirit at work. But there's more to the gift than even that. The gift
you see is already actually been granted to you. You see, Jesus has already fulfilled
the command for you. The gift is truly yours. The spirit's work is not to build something,
but actually to help you unwrap what's already been granted. Here's how this works. Consider
Jesus on His way to the cross. He actually fulfilled all three of these commands. As
Jesus contemplates taking on the weight of the sin of the world that He knows will crush
Him, the author of Hebrews tells us that we are to look to Jesus who for the joy that
was set before Him endured the cross. For the joy that was set before Him endured the
cross. It wasn't that He looked at the cross and said, oh, what fun. But He could look
beyond the cross to see that what would be accomplished at the cross would be the salvation
for you and for me. And in the midst of horrible suffering, that brought Him joy. How do you
get to a place of joy knowing what suffering you will endure? For Jesus it was taking His
anxiety and casting it on His Father. In the Garden of Gethsemane, as He is overwhelmed
with anguish, sweating blood, He cries out to His Father. And in the course of the interaction
with the Father, the Father granted Him peace. As Jesus says, not my will, but yours be done.
Paul describes that peace as a surpassing our understanding, a fortress that will guard
our heart and our mind. Of course, how else could you explain the gentleness that Jesus
displayed to all on His way to the cross? It unnerved Pilate who believed he had the
power to free Jesus. But Jesus remained silent. From the very cross that Jesus is nailed,
expresses great gentleness towards His mother Mary, even in His suffering, is still looking
out for others and assigns John to care for her. From the cross, Jesus prays to His Father
that He would forgive those who have crucified Him. You see, in your baptism, you're united
to Jesus. And this means what Jesus has accomplished, it's been accomplished for you. You are credited
with this joy, this gentleness, this peace in the face of anxiety. There's a way to hear
these commands. If not, you're a failure who needs to try harder. You're the one for whom
Jesus has secured these gifts. The work is already done. Jesus has obeyed these commands
and fulfilled them for you. And now Jesus sends His Holy Spirit and invites you to join
Him in unwrapping these gifts that God has given. How are these gifts open? Generally
speaking through word and sacrament. By word and sacrament. These aren't something you
earn, it's not something you have to do, it's simply something you receive. It's a gift.
And Paul gives two specific examples of how this word can come to us. He lists a list
of admirable qualities, whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable.
If there's any excellence, anything worthy of praise, think about these things. All saying,
set your mind on these things. Other translations, dwell, let your mind dwell on that which is
true and excellent and praiseworthy. What might that look like? Well, scriptures tell
us God has spoken to us both through creation and through His word. It means when you go
to the Dallas Arboretum and you look around and you see this amazing array of variety
of flowers and colors and beauty, and you say, what kind of God would create such a
world full of such beauty? How great God must be. When you look out on that mountain range
and you go, wow, that is awesome. And yet, you dwell on that and you remember, the God
who created this is awesomer still. But of course, the primary way God has revealed Himself
is through His word. And the center of that word is Jesus and a cross. And Paul says,
think about this, dwell on these things. And as you do so, as you come and you hear
His word and dwell on His word and receive His gifts, the Spirit is at work, creating
joy and gentleness and peace. Of course, never perfect in this life. It will always be a
struggle in light of our sin nature, in light of the world that we live in. But God has
prepared a good life for you. A life to receive by faith. Paul says one more thing. In addition
to think about these things, he says practice. Practice these things. What you have learned
and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things. Paul offers himself as a living
example. Do you know there are still living examples today? Look around you and when you
find a person that seems to be full of joy, ask them. Ask them where that joy comes from.
The gentle in spirit, the peaceful in the face of anxiety, ask them, how do you live
this life? And what you will hear will be a variety of responses because God is so creative
and God is so generous. Let me give you just one example. I ask people, as they gather
here at church, what's most meaningful to you on a Sunday morning? And you know what
I hear? I rarely hear the sermon. It's very disappointing. I don't understand. But I hear,
Pastor, I love the music. I learn so much through our hymns and there's just something
about the church singing together that God meets me in that moment. But others will say,
well, it's the Lord's Supper. And probably the most common answer, the Lord's Supper
is, I just feel like, man, God is near. I am meeting with God. I'm hearing his word.
I had one gentleman tell me, it's the benediction. I thought, oh, poor guy, you've got to sit
through the whole service to get to your benediction. And others of you, I don't know
that you're as willing to tell me this part, but others of you, if you were honest, like
my wife, would say, honestly, it's the conversations in the lobby. I can't tell you how many times
my wife has said, I was there on time, but I was talking to someone. But for her, often
God's word comes through other people to her in those conversations. And I see them happening
across that lobby. The point being is God is so generous with his gifts that he delivers
this word to us in so many different ways. And the good news of these commands is that
they're not, they're not our ladder to heaven. They're not our obligation or duty. They're
gifts that point to God's good and perfect will and the good life he desires to give
us. And we simply come with empty hands. And we dwell on the goodness of God. And somehow,
some way, the Spirit does his work. And we're brought again. It's a gift. Which is why Paul
ends with a promise. The God of peace will be with you. Now, that's a good life. That's
a good life. The Lord is near. And his Spirit is working through that word to open these
gifts of joy and gentleness and peace for you. We pray.
Father, we're amazed that you are so generous with your gifts, as if the sending of your
son to die on a cross for us was not enough. But you also send, along with Jesus, the Holy
Spirit, that we might never be alone, but know that you are near us. You are present
with us. And you're doing a work that we could never do. You're making us the kind
of people that would know the good life you've desired for us all along. Father, make us
people of faith that receive your gifts with joy. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
I invite you to please rise.