Saddling Up Anyway

August 30, 2026 · Philippians

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Series · Philippians · Week 46 of 47

Scripture referenced 13 passages

The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.

Philippians 4:1 Paul's heart for the Philippians, calling them his joy and crown, urging them to stand firm in the Lord

1 Therefore, my brothers, beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

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Philippians 4:2

Paul urging Euodia and Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord

2 I exhort Euodia, and I exhort Syntyche, to think the same way in the Lord.

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Philippians 4:3

reference to true companion, Clement, fellow workers, and names in the book of life

3 Yes, I beg you also, true partner, help these women, for they labored with me in the Good News, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

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Philippians 4:4

rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice

4 Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, “Rejoice!”

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Philippians 4:5

let your gentle spirit be known to all people, the Lord is near

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

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Philippians 4:6

do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God

6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

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Philippians 4:7

the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

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Philippians 4:8

think on whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, praiseworthy

8 Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things.

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Philippians 4:9

practice the things learned and received and heard and seen in Paul, and the God of peace will be with you

9 The things which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me: do these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

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Romans 15

Paul's prayer wanting to make it to Rome, used to illustrate that God does not always answer prayer the way we expect

1 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

2 Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, to be building him up.

3 For even Christ didn’t please himself. But, as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that through perseverance and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

5 Now the God of perseverance and of encouragement grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus,

6 that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7 Therefore accept one another, even as Christ also accepted you, to the glory of God.

8 Now I say that Christ has been made a servant of the circumcision for the truth of God, that he might confirm the promises given to the fathers,

9 and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore will I give praise to you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”

10 Again he says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”

11 Again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Let all the peoples praise him.”

12 Again, Isaiah says, “There will be the root of Jesse, he who arises to rule over the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles will hope.”

13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

14 I myself am also persuaded about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish others.

15 But I write the more boldly to you in part, as reminding you, because of the grace that was given to me by God,

16 that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the Good News of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

17 I have therefore my boasting in Christ Jesus in things pertaining to God.

18 For I will not dare to speak of any things except those which Christ worked through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed,

19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of God’s Spirit; so that from Jerusalem, and around as far as to Illyricum, I have fully preached the Good News of Christ;

20 yes, making it my aim to preach the Good News, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build on another’s foundation.

21 But, as it is written, “They will see, to whom no news of him came. They who haven’t heard will understand.”

22 Therefore also I was hindered these many times from coming to you,

23 but now, no longer having any place in these regions, and having these many years a longing to come to you,

24 whenever I travel to Spain, I will come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while.

25 But now, I say, I am going to Jerusalem, serving the saints.

26 For it has been the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are at Jerusalem.

27 Yes, it has been their good pleasure, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, they owe it to them also to serve them in fleshly things.

28 When therefore I have accomplished this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will go on by way of you to Spain.

29 I know that, when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of the Good News of Christ.

30 Now I beg you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me,

31 that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints;

32 that I may come to you in joy through the will of God, and together with you, find rest.

33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

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John 17

Jesus praying in the garden, sanctify them by your truth, your word is truth

1 Jesus said these things, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you;

2 even as you gave him authority over all flesh, so he will give eternal life to all whom you have given him.

3 This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.

4 I glorified you on the earth. I have accomplished the work which you have given me to do.

5 Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed.

6 I revealed your name to the people whom you have given me out of the world. They were yours, and you have given them to me. They have kept your word.

7 Now they have known that all things whatever you have given me are from you,

8 for the words which you have given me I have given to them, and they received them, and knew for sure that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.

9 I pray for them. I don’t pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.

10 All things that are mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.

11 I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them through your name which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are.

12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. Those whom you have given me I have kept. None of them is lost, except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

13 But now I come to you, and I say these things in the world, that they may have my joy made full in themselves.

14 I have given them your word. The world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15 I pray not that you would take them from the world, but that you would keep them from the evil one.

16 They are not of the world even as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.

18 As you sent me into the world, even so I have sent them into the world.

19 For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

20 Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who will believe in me through their word,

21 that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me.

22 The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one;

23 I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me.

24 Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world.

25 Righteous Father, the world hasn’t known you, but I knew you; and these knew that you sent me.

26 I made known to them your name, and will make it known; that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

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1 Peter 5:7

cast all your cares on him, referenced as Peter saying cast your cares on him and don't reel them back in

7 casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.

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1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

used as the benediction, rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus

16 Rejoice always.

17 Pray without ceasing.

18 In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.

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Recap

The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.

Ray preached from Philippians 4:4-9, two paragraphs he said are worth memorizing because holding on to what they say will help when life hits hard. He traced Paul's movement from urging peace between two people in the church to a wider call about what we choose to dwell on and how we pray.

What was said

Ray opened by mentioning a mentor from a summer ministry in 1991, a man named Rick Tucker who wore one red shoe and one blue shoe as a statement that both sides need Jesus. Rick used to hold out a Bible and let people snatch it away to make the point that if you don't have a firm grip on it, it will be taken from you, and that life will hit you hard and you need to be holding on when it does. That framing set up the two paragraphs from Philippians that the whole sermon worked through.

Before verse 4, Ray went back one verse to verse 1 to let people hear Paul's tone. Paul calls the Philippians his joy and his crown, and that warmth carries forward into his urging of Euodia and Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Ray noted that harmony is not unison, it does not require identical notes, and that the real mechanism for getting along is not trying harder but being oriented toward the Lord together. He also pointed out that these two women had shared Paul's struggle in the cause of the gospel, and that dismissing someone as beyond the pale when you disagree with them means throwing away people whose names are in the book of life.

The first paragraph, verses 4 through 7, moves from rejoicing to gentleness to prayer to peace. Ray read "let your gentle spirit be known to all people" alongside the seal of Georgia and its word "moderation," saying the Lord being near ought to make us less inclined to lob grenades at each other. On anxiety, he quoted from memory something along the lines of: you can worry or you can pray, but don't do both. The prayer Paul describes includes pleading, thanksgiving, and remembering past deliverances, the way Israel was told to remember standing at the Red Sea. The paragraph does not end by promising God will do it the way you want it done. It ends with the peace of God, which surpasses comprehension, guarding hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

The second paragraph, verses 8 and 9, gives the list of things worth thinking on: whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, praiseworthy. Ray worked through definitions from the lexicon for each word, pausing longest on "pure," which he said is cognate with holy and means uncontaminated even at the center of one's being. He acknowledged that sounds impossible for sinful people, then said that at the cross sins are washed white and purity before God can actually be had in Christ, which makes it a genuinely beautiful thing to think on.

Ray then asked directly whether what we watch on television, or the curated highlight reels we scroll through, meets any of those criteria: true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, or praiseworthy. He said the comparison between someone else's best day and our ordinary morning makes us feel lesser in a way that simply is not true, and that the algorithm will feed us things we were not even looking for.

The sermon closed by connecting the two paragraphs. The first ends with the peace of God, the second ends with the God of peace, and Ray called that repetition with variation intentional. He asked the congregation to stand and read both paragraphs aloud together as a first pass at memorizing them, saying the reason to memorize them is not to earn a gold star but because holding on to them will help.

Touch points

Things you could actually do this week.

Memorize Philippians 4:6-7 this week, not for a gold star but because the speaker said it will actually help you.
When something keeps cycling through your mind and making you anxious, stop and pray about it instead of turning it over and over, then leave it with God rather than reeling it back in.
Run whatever you are watching or scrolling through against the list from Philippians 4:8, true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, praiseworthy, and make a decision based on what you find.
If you woke up thinking about somebody this week, pray for them right then rather than letting the moment pass.
Look for one thing someone around you does that is noble or lovely and let yourself sit with that thought rather than moving on to the next bad report.

Doing a Bible study?

Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.

Ray talked about Rick Tucker wearing one red shoe and one blue shoe as a sign that both sides need Jesus, and he connected that to Paul urging Euodia and Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Where do you find it hardest to maintain that kind of unity with other believers, and what does 'in the Lord' actually mean as the basis for it?
Rick Tucker used to say you can only love God to the measure that you know him. How has your own knowledge of God shaped the way you love him, and what has helped you grow in that knowledge?

and 3 more questions in the guide

Open the study guide

Resumen en español

El mensaje resumido, en español.

El predicador, Ray, comenzó compartiendo algo que alguien le dijo esa mañana: "Este es el año más difícil de mi vida, pero estoy bien." Esa frase le sirvió de hilo conductor para todo el mensaje. También recordó a un amigo de ministerio llamado Rick Tucker, quien le enseñó hace años que uno solo puede amar a Dios en la medida en que lo conoce, y que hay que aferrarse a la Palabra porque la vida te golpea fuerte y puede arrancártela de las manos.

El mensaje se centró en dos párrafos de Filipenses 4. El primero habla de regocijarse siempre en el Señor, de dejar que la mansedumbre sea conocida por todos, y de no angustiarse por nada sino llevarlo todo a Dios en oración y con acción de gracias. La promesa que sigue no es que Dios hará exactamente lo que uno pide, sino algo diferente: la paz de Dios, que va más allá de todo entendimiento, guardará el corazón y la mente. El segundo párrafo llama a pensar en todo lo que es verdadero, honesto, justo, puro, amable y de buen nombre, y a practicar esas cosas. Ray señaló que en una época donde la información falsa abunda, elegir enfocarse en lo que es verdadero y bueno no es ingenuidad sino una decisión consciente.

Al final, la congregación leyó los dos párrafos en voz alta juntos, como un primer paso hacia memorizarlos. Ray cerró diciendo que no se trata de ganar una estrella dorada por memorizar, sino de que esas palabras te ayudan cuando más las necesitas.

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Pasajes bíblicos usados:

Filipenses 4:1-9
Romanos 15 (mencionado de pasada, sin citar versículos específicos)
Juan 17 (la oración de Jesús en el jardín, parafraseada)
1 Pedro 5 (parafraseado: "echa tus cargas sobre él")
1 Tesalonicenses 5:16-18

Read the full transcript 6,466 words

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Speaker 1Good morning, everybody. How are y'all? It sounds like you're doing alright. I'm glad to be here, scared to death, saddling up anyway. We're having a ball.

So I told the band this morning, I said, in my office thinking through, how am I gonna do this? How are we gonna do this? And then getting up here, this is how we do this. And out there, y'all might be thinking exactly the same thing. How am gonna do this?

I had somebody just tell me, this is the hardest year of my life, but I'm okay. We're gonna do this together. So that's the way to do it. In Jesus name, together, Capo two. Thank you, band.

For looking out for me. So it doesn't get confusing. Let's turn back to the first song. Not like last week. Okay.

Here we go. Alright. Amen. Y'all have a seat. Van's coming up to tell

Speaker 2us the announcements. Good morning, everybody. Man, it's so good to be back. Was in Colorado last week visiting family, and I really missed everyone of you. If you've never been here before, welcome.

I know I've got some here. Welcome. So glad you're here this morning. What a, man, what a privilege it is to get to come here on a beautiful day and worship Jesus together, all together. From coming from all over different parts of the valley.

Isn't it just neat? Like, I was thinking about it this morning. It was so dark outside. Like, this is such a blessing for us to get to do this and thank you Ray for leading this morning. He's gonna be the all star today.

Leading worship and preaching. But alright. So announcements. We've got several. The biggest is we really need more volunteers for Sunday school teaching and Awana.

And that QR code or you can go to our website if you don't wanna get your phone out and scan it. But if you're looking for a way to serve, this is a great way to serve. Our kids will be adults one day. Right? And we have an opportunity to pour into them week after week and and show them the way of of who Jesus is.

Right? What a what a better way to serve than that. So, volunteers, come on. It it's getting started and it's two weeks or three weeks? The night, the thirteenth is two weeks.

Two weeks. Yeah. That's really soon. So, yeah. Alright.

Next, Josh, we've got Awana, which starts Monday. So if you want to be if you're if you want your kids to go to Awana, please register so they know who's coming. And then our women's Bible study at Gateway starts, oh, it's so hard to see. Wednesdays. When does it start?

September 9. September 9. Okay. There you go. And and yeah.

A Wednesday not this Wednesday, the next. And please register for that also. They wanna know numbers on that too. So and then I think that's it. Maybe?

No? Old bills, we still have some time to give. I know we've talked about this for weeks. If you've been putting it off, this the the window of giving is almost over. So if you don't know what that is, we have an awesome benevolence fund.

I know I'm seeing new faces, so I feel like I need to give a little more information. We have a benevolence fund. So all through the week, we staff are here, and people will walk in. And who knows where they came from, but there's usually a physical need that we can meet if there's, you know, they're not trying to just take advantage of the situation. But sometimes, those people that walk in for something like a gas card end up coming to church here and and end up becoming followers of Christ through the benevolence fund.

As the vehicle for them to get in the door and so that is a huge thing that our church does that that I have never been a part of a church that does it this great. So, old bills by partnering with old bills are giving is capitalized or multiplied or there's math that's involved to make it more than just $1 for $1. So and I'm good at math. I just don't know. I haven't studied it.

Okay? But anyway, so this is the opportunity to give for benevolence through Old Bills, and it's on our website. And there's more announcements that we're not doing but you should look at our website, sign up for weekly Emails, and that's how you can stay in the know. Alright, let's pray. Lord, thank you so much for this morning.

That rain that came through and now the sunshine is just amazing, amazing situation that we get to be in in your creation but lord, we just pray that you would calm our hearts and help us to put aside distraction and help us to focus as we continue to worship with our voices and instruments and and hear your word preached. I pray that you speak through Ray this morning and that you convict us and help shape us to be more like you lord. In Jesus name, amen.

Speaker 1Amen. If y'all would, stand with us and actually greet one another and we'll play through a chorus and we'll bring you back together with a song. Morning by morning great is your faithfulness at the cross, we're just, actually, we will sing this for the operatory. Is that fine? Alright.

We might go short today. Oh, that's a terrible thing to tell people. Terrible thing to tell people. Not really. At the cross, I'm going to ask the ushers to come forward.

Y'all can have a seat and let's pray over this. God almighty, everything that we do revolves around the the central point in history is the cross. It is the place where you demonstrated your love, lord. Though you were God, you didn't consider equality with God as something to be grasped. You came and you humbled yourself to obedience, even the obedience that led to the cross.

And so at the cross where love ran red, that's the place where the transaction was made. So, Lord God almighty, as we contemplate that during the song, we want to act like you. We want to be more like you. We want to do your will, lord, and your way. Would you show us what that is?

For this operatory, lord, we ask that you'd bless it, that you'd bless it to extend the gospel forward, that the good news of the gospel would go forward in every life in this room and that you'd use the resources that are placed in these plates, lord, that you would bless them, magnify them, and that you would send them to the very uttermost parts. In Jesus name, we ask your blessing on every soul and attendance, every family they represent, and would you use us, lord, to carry the message of the cross. Amen. This thing on? Hey.

Here it goes. Thank you. Thank you, Brett. I before I turn even the first slide on, I went a couple weeks ago, I think two or three weeks ago, I was driving back from Georgia on the way here. I tried to make it to a buddy a buddy's church.

He's a buddy of mine that I went and served with in 1991. Fun in the sun 1991. Been a long time. That is literally the only US stateside pastoral experience I had before I took this job. It was three months in the summer and Panama City Beach, Florida.

It's a tough gig. Somebody had to do it. So it's campground ministry. And when I got there, we're going around the circle. We did a normal job.

I've told you all this before, but not all of you. 08:30 to five, worked a normal job, came home and scarfed down some salmon croquettes or something real quick. And then at 05:30, we're headed to a campground, set up our little stage and did a little gospel presentation or whatever, and sang songs and juggled and all kinds of crazy stuff. And it was fun. And then we stayed till the last customer we served which was usually about 10:30 at night.

And so we go back to the thing. We had a team meeting at eleven. We stayed as long as that took for prayer and whatever else, and we got up and we did it all over again. So I got to know these people pretty well. One of the guys, we're going around the circle just introducing ourselves.

I I was not was, you know, three quarters of the way around and a guy about halfway around said, I'm Rick Tucker. I'm from Saint Louis, Missouri. He had on one red shoe and one blue shoe. Really easy to remember the guy, you know. And later on, I learned what it was about.

It wasn't republican democrat. In 1991, that was not what everybody thought. It was bloods and crypts. And the fighting is just as bad between the bloods and the crypts as it is the republicans and democrats. Okay.

Just as bad. But Rick wore that for unity. He was like, both of these sides need Jesus and I'm not denying one to go after the other. And I I found that pretty intriguing. Even the first day, I thought it was pretty interesting.

But Rick Tucker is the guy's name. On the way home from Georgia, he has a little church in a town, I forget the name of, off of I 70 back in the horse country somewhere, a little country church. He was from the he was from the city, like from Saint Louis, straight up, bloods and crypts really. And now he's out in the middle of nowhere, but he's preaching the gospel still. He's been doing it the whole time.

He went to Movap, Missouri Baptist College. And when I got to know him, it it was a real it was a real like leap forward in my faith. I just love the guy and I thought the world of him. And then I was already seeing things kind of the same way with the unity in the body. If you read scripture, it's really hard to deny that.

But honestly, if you hear a preacher preaching about unity, there's probably something going on the staff. You know what I mean? They just wanna bring it together. It's right before they start preaching. If you're not with us, you're against us, that sort of stuff.

And I don't I I'm really am interested in maintaining the bond of peace. And so he was too, and I I just loved him for it. He used to say, you can only love God to the measure that you know him. This is one of the things that stuck in my head. You can only love God to the measure that you know him, and he's given us this book, and this is how you get to know him.

And so he would hand me the book as a I was the biggest there were several of us that were pretty big guys, but I was the biggest guy there. So he used me as an example. Hold on to this, and then I'd be holding on to it unsuspecting and he'd say, you know, if you don't have a good grasp on it, it snatch it out of my hand. And he'd say, you gotta have a pretty good grasp on it or the devil will take it away from you. Hold on to it.

Hold fast to it. Stand firm in your faith. Hold on to it. So I braced myself, you know. And then he'd wander around for a little while preaching and teaching, and then he'd snatch it out of my hand again.

And he'd keep doing that. And it comes down towards the end of his message. And he was pretending to do this, but I've got it now. I'm holding on to it now. And he would stand next to me right here and he did it several times.

We've did this more than once, you know. But he would just haul off and pretend to knee me. And then he'd take it from me. Says, life is gonna hit you hard and you gotta have a good hold on this. So it's the hardest time of my life and I'm okay is a good thing.

You're holding on to what it says. If you hold on to these two paragraphs, it'll help. I promise it'll help. And it's just two paragraphs. Oh, sorry.

That was in there. That might come up again later. That's the seal the great state of Georgia. The seal of the great state of Georgia. Wisdom, justice, and moderation is the the the other three pillars.

And it was in 1799. This was a long time ago. But wisdom and justice and moderation was supposed to stand for Wisdom is legislative and then justice is the justice system, right, the judicial branch, and then moderation was the executive. And that might come up today. I don't know why it came up there.

But I love it. I've always had it in my head and the moderation point is you can be extreme in either direction, but it's probably not necessarily a good thing. Zeal for the Lord, Paul said last week, his zeal for the Lord was such that he persecuted the church. And I'd argue that there's still a lot of zeal for the Lord that's persecuting the unity of the body church of the Christ. So here we go.

Philippians four four through nine. It's two paragraphs. I'm gonna start with verse one from last week. Therefore, I want you to hear Paul's heart for the Philippians and here it is. Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, those who I long to see, I can't wait to see you again.

You're my joy. That's like the fourteenth time he's mentioned that in this book. Joy. Joy. Joy.

Joy. And my crown, stand firm in the Lord, and in the Lord comes up a lot. Stand firm, not just stand firm in your opinion because that's easy to do. Stand firm in the Lord. In this way, my beloved, and I urge Euodia and I urge Centichi to live in harmony in the Lord, and that's the way it happens.

That's the way it happens is you say, alright. I know I'm not exactly like Jesus, but I wanna be Jesus. Show me the way. I wanna love like you love and you do love everybody. You urge.

And Paul's urging them, be loving towards other in the Lord and there's place there. I urge Euodia and I urge Cintiqi to live in harmony in the Lord. We talked about that last week. In harmony, it's not unison. It's different.

It doesn't have to be exactly the same notes exactly the same time. There could be a little descant that adds to the flavor. That's good. I urge y'all to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true companion.

I didn't hit this one last week. True companion, I just said, who knows who that is? I tend to take it as any one of us could be Paul's true companion if we are truly in the Lord and looking for what the same thing that he's looking for, indeed true companion. The word there is would be the singular and that'd be the name and a lot of people think it's a name. I urge you Syzogus.

But what it means is, one who is yoked together with me, someone who is co yoked, a colleague of mine, someone who's concerned for the gospel just like I am, but it could be a proper name, Sisicus. Last week, heading down the ramp out here, I was talking to Rich Stig, who's a former pastor of this church. Love him dearly. Been nothing but an encouragement to me the whole time I've been here. Seventeen years he's been encouraging us.

And he said, see you next week, Sisycus. Dude, true companion. I also ask you, help these folks get along. Help them help them get along. They've shared shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel together with Clement as well as the rest of my fellow workers and their names are all in the book of life.

It's so hard to go to a place for so long and be a part of what's going on. And then when you have a disagreement, maybe a minor theological disagreement or a minor practical disagreement, some disputable or doubtful matter that's like not addressed exactly in scripture and you don't know exactly where to come down and people disagree on it because of the way that they're wired. And then one side goes, I don't even believe they're saved. What has light to do with darkness? They there's no way they're ever gonna understand this.

They're they're they're deluded. Don't throw them away, man. Please don't throw them away. And woman, excuse me. Here it goes.

Whose names are in the book of life. Wait. We're all pursuing Christ together, yoke fellows. Let's let's go for it. Now, these are two paragraphs that end peaceably.

And I like the I like the artistic stuff of repetition and variation and these have a bit of that going on. In the Lord, in the Lord has already been said twice just in the first couple of verses we've studied and then the force that comes up again, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. How many of you all know that song? Rejoice in let's let's sing it then.

Alright? Here we go. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. Rejoice.

Rejoice. And again I say rejoice. Rejoice. Rejoice. And again, I say rejoice.

Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. How many y'all wanted to sing the second round? You probably did and I heard some clapping down here. That addition type stuff is really really helpful.

That is singing in harmony, really is in the Lord. So rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I'll say it. Rejoice. So that's $15.16, I think if you're keeping count.

And then he says, let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. If Jesus were right beside you, would you be yelling or would you be gentle? I think it's a little bit of what would Jesus do in this statement right here and that's where the seal of Georgia came up as moderation. Don't be lobbing grenades at each other, please.

Let your gentle spirit be known to all. Moderation, the Lord is near. Don't be anxious about anything. Oh, that's easy to say, Paul. Don't be anxious about anything but in everything.

So if there's something that's coming to your mind, I quote $50.50 cent on this. If something's coming to your mind and it keeps coming to your mind over and over and over again and you're worried about it, you're anxious about it, you can worry or you can pray, but don't do both. Hand it over to God. As Peter says, cast all your cares on him and don't reel them back in. Okay.

Cast your cares on him. Says throw it out there and let him have it. Alright? Don't be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer, communication with God for the believer. Okay?

So there's a prayer that God is listening for. He's always by his Holy Spirit urging and calling people to himself And I think he's listening for that prayer of faith that says, don't know your God but I want to and he starts introducing himself. Right? He does it through his people. In a lot of ways, he does it through his people.

In everything by prayer, conscious contact with God and by pleading. God, take this off of me. Take this away from me. That's a that's a perfectly perfect prayer. I am feeling overwhelmed by this God.

I wake up and it's on me and I can't get rid of it. But you say in everything, you're listening, Lord. Cast all your cares on you because you care for us. God, take this burden off of me, please. By prayer and pleading And with thanksgiving, I'm so thankful, that you've carried me this far.

You've brought me far. You've protected me thus far. I remember when this happened. I remember when that happened. You remember how many times the children of Israel were to say, remember when we were standing at the Red Sea and we had an army at our back and we had an impassable sea in front of us and God.

With thanksgiving, thank you you got us out of that jam, lord. I'm trusting you with this one too. Amen. Whether it's health or whether it's finances or what whatever it is. Whatever it is that makes you anxious, God wants it.

He wants you to trust with it. So don't be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. He already knows him. Yeah. We covered that in the gospels.

Yes, he already knows him but he wants you. He wants you to mention it. And I will say this, he also wants you to mention it for somebody else. Intercessory prayer is not specifically named thing, but in everything, it's mentioned. Okay?

In everything is if you're worried about something for somebody else, lift that up before God too. How many of y'all have had stories of waking up in the middle of the night, you know, like, feel like I need to pray for so and so. And you do. And you don't see the people for five years and when you see them, you go, I had the most overwhelming urge. I woke up and prayed for you and then you tell them and they go, that's when this happened.

I've got Elizabeth Elliot's books are full of those kind of stories. Missionaries pass those kind of books around all time because a lot of times when you're pouring out all the time, you wanna know that it's going somewhere and it is. So this says in everything by prayer and pleading. That includes intercessory prayer, includes personal prayer. I have talked to several people who said it felt selfish to pray for myself.

So I I always pray for other people, but it just don't really I didn't wanna bother Jesus with that. He says, cast all your your cares in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving. He can he can take it. Now, is he gonna answer it? The peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus is the next line.

If I were just back to right there, let your request be made known to God and I said, now guess what it's going to say? And he'll give it to you. If you look at Paul's prayer in Romans 15, he wanted to make it to Rome. Do you think he wanted to make it to Rome the way he made it to Rome? No.

But he made it to Rome. And the gospel went forward and God knows what he's doing and we trust him. And then, so it doesn't say, let your request be made known to God and I'm gonna do it exactly like you want it done. It says, and the peace of God which surpasses all of your comprehension, that's what's gonna guard your hearts and your minds. I can't do anything about this is the first step in the 12, right?

But I know that there is a higher power who can restore me to sanity. The third part is saying, I'm gonna let him. I'm giving this to him. That fearless in search and moral inventory. I've come up with stuff.

God, some of this is my fault. I'm giving that to you too and I want you to take it away from me. I'm a walk forward day by day trying to do the best that I can. Prayer. I love step 11.

I mentioned it all the time. I've sought by prayer meditation to improve my conscious contact with God, asking only for his will for my life and the power to carry it out. Amen. The peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. That's paragraph one.

It ends with the peace of God guarding your heart and your mind. That's a good one to memorize. If you don't have this memorized, not because you get a gold star, because it's good for you. Memorize it. It will help.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I'll say rejoice. Let your gentle spirit be made known to all people. The Lord is near. Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanks giving, let your request be made known to God.

And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. So in the Lord, in the Lord, rejoice in the Lord, and then at the end of this, in Christ Jesus who is the Lord. Finally, that's almost like saying it might be a short sermon. Finally, no. Finally, this is one paragraph.

We're only going two verses right here. Finally, but he is starting to wrap up. He's got a little bit more, and then he's got personal greetings, but here we go. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true this is a new American standard version of the Bible. This is what I usually use.

Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, That if there is any excellence is like the earlier ifs where it sits there is excellence. And if anything's worthy of praise and there is some of that stuff, then think about these things. Does that sound a little bit Pollyanna to y'all? Where it's like, well, there's a lot of negative stuff in the world. Yeah.

We're taking in more negative stuff than anybody ever has on planet earth than our times. Right? But if there is anything that is true, honorable, whatever is right, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, praiseworthy, be thinking about these things. It's not doing this. It's choosing to do this.

Okay? It's it's it is more than it's you're saying, I realize that there is problem in the world, but I also know a God who will make everything right. And he knows better than I do. I can't concentrate on that stuff. I don't wanna be dragged down into it.

I am choosing to do this. True, honorable, right, pure, lovely, excellent, commendable, worthy of praise. Think about these things. I'm a switch translations for just a second to the New King James. This is how I have this one memorized.

So this is I love it. I like it because it puts things in its proper perspective. Okay. Things things things things things comes up a lot. Finally then, brethren, that includes brothers and sisters.

Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, if there is anything praiseworthy. Here we go. Whatever things are true. I'm just gonna read the kind of the definitions from the lexicon. Unconcealed, true, true, and fact worthy of credit, truthful, that which cannot be hidden.

It stresses the undeniable reality when something is fully tested, something is shown to be true. It will ultimately be shown to be fact and authentic. And Jesus, he's praying in the garden and he's praying for us and he's praying for unity specifically, he says, father God, sanctify them. All of these followers and everybody who will ever come to believe because of their testimony, sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth.

So we can start with that. Whatever is true, dwell on it. It's really good for us. Whatever is true, think on that. Whatever is noble, venerable, honorable, grave, serious, dignified, weighty, it's deeply respected because it's viewed as majestic.

It has gravity. Something that is noble. You see somebody do something that is completely selfless and you think, that is so noble. It's so good to just sneak in on that. Is Tanya here?

Good. Across the room in our photography class that we met in, I saw her kinda saddling up to somebody who who had had some physical ailment. I don't know what it was. He's in a wheelchair, but he also shook really bad. And we're mixing chemicals together.

And she want she said and she kinda battered her eyes and said, hey, would you mix my chemicals to me? And I said, sure. I'll be glad to do She actually had given me those same chemicals. She bought the last thing in the photo in the store, and I was in there at the same time. I was like, I don't have that.

She goes, you can just have half of mine. First day. First day of class. And while I was mixing her chemicals, noticed that she was mixing that cast chemicals. Dude, I love that woman.

Whatever is just I'm sorry. I'm gonna cry. Whatever is just, righteous, just, just especially just in the eyes of God, that which is actually righteous. It's not just being right. In an argument, we all wanna be right.

We all wanna win the argument, but no, it's righteous. Whatever is actually righteous and it really is defined by who God is, not by who we are. If we have any righteousness, it's just self righteousness and that is not righteousness. Just, especially just in the eyes of God, righteous, whatever is pure. I will say this though as I'm in the middle of this list and it says especially in God.

These all would be seen as respectable things among the Greeks too. That's lovely because he's sending this to the Philippian church. Most of them Gentile background people and still calling out and bringing in more outsiders and they're coming in, and they're saying, we don't have to change everything about what we believe. We see things that are true and noble and just. We see things that are pure and we can recognize too.

Here it is, pure. Hagna. It's a cognate with holy, properly, it is pure to the core, virginal chaste, unadulterated, pure inside and out, holy because it's uncontaminated and undefiled from sin. That is it is without spoilation even within. So even down to the center of one's being, it's not mixed with guilt or anything condemnable.

Now, you might look at that and think, that's not about people because we're all sinful. Yeah. But you know what? Love ran red. At the cross at the cross where where love ran red, our sins were washed white.

There is such a thing as having purity before God because he offers that, and it can be had in Christ. And so to dwell on that, to go, though my sins were many, they have been forgiven and I'm made pure. Oh, man. That's a beautiful thought to think on. It's really beautiful to think on.

Whatever is lovely, I hear Bill Withers in my head every time I say the word lovely. You say it 27 times in a lovely day, lovely day. Lovely. Prosphile, it is an adjective derived from extending towards and phileo, affectionate caring. Affectionate caring extending towards.

Do we want to be known that way? That we are compassionate people that are affectionate and caring and we're leaning towards. Yeah. That's exactly how I wanna be known. Properly, it's worthy of personal affection, hence, it's dearly prized, worth the effort to have and to embrace.

It's only used in the Bible Philippians four eight. Syzogus is only used in the Bible in that same place too that it was used. Whatever is of good report. Studies, I haven't read one in a long time, but when I was in seminary, I read a study that said bad news travels nine times as fast. I mean, are lots of little proverbs about this.

But people are nine times as likely to say something bad as something good. That's terrible of good report. If there's something of good report, well reported of, spoken of in a kindly spirit, laudable, reputable. And this week, I think most everybody would say, man, Dolly Parton died. Everybody's coming out of the woodwork.

Doesn't matter their background and they're saying, she's just a good person. You know, I think it's because of Jesus, but she's still just a good person. This list is not necessarily Christian, but you can recognize when somebody does things that are laudable and reputable and kind and good, well reported of, whatever is of good report. My mama, if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. Oh, keep your mouth shut and be thoughtful rather than open it and remove all doubt.

Virtuous. Arrite. Arate. If you've studied or if you're part of the classical tradition, classical school brings up arete a lot. It's a Greek idea of truth, goodness, and beauty.

The virtue or virtuousness is moral goodness, gracious action, virtue, uprightness. Is virtuous. And then praiseworthy, enthusiastic acknowledgement for what actually deserves praise and that's and those are the things that it says in New King James, it says meditate on these things. Think on these things is good, but I mean it does change it a little bit when we say meditate on it. So if you were to just take the list itself and go, okay, what can I think of that's true, that has stood the test of time?

And in our age, we've gone from the information age probably to the misinformation age now to the disinformation age. So finding out what is true is gonna be more and more and more difficult going forward, I think, for people. But there are things that you know to be true. Be thinking on those things. Meditating on those things.

Noble, I'm gonna go forward. Now, as I say this, what about this? That's an ancient TV. Or this. Or this.

Is what we watch on this true, noble, just, pure, lovely, a good report, virtuous, or praiseworthy? Probably not. How about these? The curated life of somebody that only is showing their good side on their good day and then our life where we're getting up and the pet has already messed up the floor again. Makes us feel like we are lesser and they are better and that's a terrible thing.

That's not true. That's not good. Not noble, just pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, or praiseworthy. Is it? Is that what we're looking for?

Even if you're looking for it, your algorithm is gonna feed you a few other things in there too. I've quit golf several times, and I've quit Instagram several times. And I think I can get back into it. I might go play golf tomorrow. No, probably not.

Paul, I think this is a parenthesis. I think he's saying, think on these things or meditate on these things. And he says, as for the things that you've learned and you've received and you've heard and you've seen in me. And I think that he is saying, I've done my best to be true noble good, all of those things in front of you. But I think it's a parenthesis because when he goes, practice these things, I think he really means things that are true and noble and good.

And he says, I'm trying to practice these things. Now, would you all be trying to practice these things and the God of peace will be with you? Oh, I love that. The peace of God ends that first paragraph and then the repetition but with some variation says, and the God of peace because that's what he is. He makes peace.

We tend to make war. Nietzsche, I don't quote him very often either, but he says in times of peace, war like man makes war upon himself and that's true. We can think on these things, and we can practice these things, and the God of peace will be with us. So may would you all stand with me? We're gonna read these two together.

I'm gonna slide over there. The band can come on back up. That'd be good. But may we read these next two slides together? It is simply what you've heard from the scripture today.

Consider the first pass through in your wrote memorization of two pass paragraphs of scripture. Okay? Would you read these two slides all of us together? Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice.

Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

As for the things you've learned and received and heard in me, and the God of peace will be with you. Lisa, would you start off? Broken Amen. In Jesus name, lord. We're thankful.

Amen. For a benediction today, it's going be the same thing but to a different set of folks, alright? 16, that's first Thessalonians five. Rejoice always and pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Amen.

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