The Grove 10 Years – Week 10

Good morning. Welcome to The Grove. We're so glad that you joined us in worship today. What a great time of worship we had together. Amen? Awesome. And just could feel there was a different weight this morning to the words that we sang. So, so glad you're here with us today. My name is Robert Pierre, I'm one of the pastors here at The Grove Bible Chapel. As the kids are making their way out of the room, if you are in need of a Bible, we would love you to have a physical copy of God's Word in your hands this morning.

And so what we're going to do is we have ushers who have the Word of God, and they're going to be making their way down the aisle. So if you need a Bible today, just raise your hand, and one of our ushers coming down the aisle will give one of them to you. And if that's something that you don't own a Bible, this is your first time here, or whatever the circumstance may be, I want to give that Bible as a gift to you from our church. So you can go ahead and make that your own personal copy, and get after it on your own.

For those of you who haven't met me, my name is Robert Pierre. I'm one of the pastors here at the church. I get to oversee our men's ministry and lead worship and a part of the teaching team. And as we're getting into God's Word today, I wanted to say, I'm not overly a huge fan of what I like to call the Suffering Olympics. People love to do that. Well, who's suffering more, right? Well, I know what you're walking through is pretty bad, but what I had to go through is even worse.

Look how awesome I am. I'm not a fan of the Suffering Olympics, okay? And there's going to be things we talk about even this morning, different things that I've been walking through, and that's not necessarily to share or to make you feel that my problems or my issues or my adversities are any greater or lesser than anyone else in the room. I don't think that's the right biblical heart for us to have as we are walking alongside one another, walking through difficult days.

Now, that said, it's been a week. Like fam, it's been a week, all right? And there's a lot of stuff that's been going on, a lot of things going on, a lot of struggles, aggravations, frustrations, challenges, and difficult aspects of this past week. Heavy, burdensome, discouraging, chaotic. It's been a week for me. How about you? Anyone? Can anyone relate? It's been a week for anyone? It's okay to say yes. Yes. All right. It's been one for me. And when adversity comes, what are we supposed to do?

All right. Well, let me just close this off. But you guys know what you're doing, right? You just walk out here. What are we supposed to do? How are we to handle everything? What are we supposed to do in the midst of chaos? Go open up your Bibles to Philippians 4. Philippians 4. I need peace. That's all I wanted. Just can I just have some peace this week? How about you? Anyone in need of some peace today? Just need some peace. And boy, it seems each day there's an increasing lack of peace in our world.

That's why it's very important to vote Aaron Huntley. We didn't say that exactly, but at the point that Aaron was a staff member at our church, I think I feel pretty confident to say we're just promoting our own, all right? But there's an ever-increasing need for peace each and every day. Man, I feel it. Wars, sicknesses, inflation, elections, corruptions, coercion, lies, struggles, letdowns. We live in a fallen world. We do. And sadly, many pursue peace in all the wrong things.

They turn to acceptance, and they want recognition, or they turn to abusing substances, drugs, alcohol. They turn to sex and pornography because we're going to seek peace in those things. They want control. Because if I have control over my circumstances, then I'll have peace. They want likes and followers and platforms and money and hoping that all these things will numb the pain of life's disappointments, of dealing with the chaos surrounding them.

But those things will never satisfy. One cannot obtain a peace with those things. They will only lead to an unsatisfied need for more and to greater consequences. And so where can we find peace is the question. And so our big idea this morning is this. Prayer is the anchor that keeps us at peace. If you're taking notes, jot that down. Prayer is the anchor that keeps us at peace. Truthfully, peace can only be found in Jesus Christ. That's it. It is our hope in Christ that gets us through every day, Philippians 4.

So perhaps you ask, like how do we walk through hard times? How do we deal with impossible situations? How do we cope with unexpected change in realities? How do we survive hopeless outcomes? We need the peace that only prayer brings. And it is prayer that anchors us to peace in the midst of the greatest storms. Do you want this peace? Turn to your neighbor and say, "Do you want this peace?" Not do you want a piece of this? Do you want this peace?

All right. I want this peace. Now what now? So let's look at the text. Look at Philippians 4. If you're there, say, "I'm there." Look at this with me, starting in verse four. Let's read this together. It says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice! Let your considerate spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition 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, whatever is true, whatever is dignified, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, consider these things, the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."

So how do we get this peace? Rejoice. Rejoice? Yeah, rejoice. That's right. Look what it says in verse four. It says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!" How can we be at peace? So if we want peace, three points this morning. The first one is this. Change your attitude. If you want peace, change your attitude. In a pursuit of peace, we need to change our attitudes. And to do so, we need to rejoice. To rejoice is to have joy.

The Greek word literally means to be glad. But maybe life's not really happy right now. How can I have joy and gladness in my life when I'm not happy with how things are going? I'm not getting what I want. I'm not getting what I expected or what I feel I deserve. Things aren't going my way. How can I have joy and rejoice when I'm not happy? Well, if that's you this morning, you're asking the right questions. Instantly, someone might say, well, joy is just kind of another way of saying happiness, isn't it?

And that's not a far-fetched connection to make. Happiness and joy, though they may feel the same, they come from very different origins. Okay? So one is founded on the feelings over my present circumstances, whereas the other is founded on the truth of the gospel. One is in the pursuit of a selfish heart, selfish endeavors. The other is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Happiness is not joy. Christ is joy. Why? Because happiness is tied to circumstance.

Our happiness is tied to the circumstances that we walk through. Happiness can only lead to momentary happiness. That's all it kind of goes to. Which what? It creates, in turn, a desire to achieve more and more and more and more happiness, and it's not guaranteed. Happiness is not guaranteed. Whereas joy, true joy, is only found in Christ. It's not bound by circumstance, and therefore never changes. Circumstances change. Christ never changes. Therefore, joy is constant.

Many assume that joy is an emotion or a feeling, but to be honest, joy is a choice. Joy is a choice. No matter what circumstance you find your life in, remember, we're not in the Suffering Olympics. Whatever circumstance you find your life in, you have joy because you are in Christ. And therefore, we can rejoice in the Lord always, no matter what. In fact, it's beyond we can rejoice, or we should rejoice, but it's that we must rejoice in the Lord.

Do you see that there? Look back at the text, look at verse four. Here, Paul uses a present imperative. Rejoice. It's a command as if he's saying, "Do it!" Right? You remember that video? Please don't. I'm sorry. Let's move on. He's saying, "Do it, do it. Rejoice. You. Yes, you, where you are. Rejoice in the Lord." And if I didn't make myself clear the first time, again, I will say rejoice. Do you see that there in verse four? Why does Paul do that?

Rejoice in the Lord always. That would be nice. Hold on. Just in case I wasn't clear, again, I will say rejoice. It's beyond obtaining a contented feeling amid our present circumstances. It is a command we are to obey. We are called to rejoice. We are called to have joy. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. Perhaps today, you need to change your attitude. Your attitude is a choice. And maybe some of you told your children that in the car coming over to church this morning.

Your attitude is your choice. And perhaps today, you need to set aside an attitude that is disgruntled or bitter or unrepentant or complaining, and you need to put on an attitude of joy. Speaking of attitudes, look on to verse five. He says, "Let your considerate spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near." Now, the word translated considerate spirit comes from the Greek word epieikes, which means to be gentle, kind, courteous, gracious. Those are attitudes that we should all be known by.

Are they not? And we are to be known by them by who's it say in the text? To all men, to everyone. Not just to my family? No. Not just to my good friends or my small group? No, to everyone. Yeah. Now, not at the expense of truth, nor in compromise, but gracious and considerate as we stand firm in the truth of God's word. Do you have an epieikes attitude towards others? When you interact with others, is the joy of the Lord evident in you? Are you gentle and kind and courteous and gracious to those whom you come into contact with?

Our considerate spirit, our attitude is to be known and observed by all men. This week, I had to own my lack of a considerate spirit in conversations I'd had. That's not fun. The problem I find with myself is that when my attitude is not epieikes, gentle, kind, courteous, gracious, the truth of my message is lost. I once heard a pastor say it this way: "If you're wrong in the way that you're right, you're wrong even though you're right." And that's frustrating.

Robert, it's not what you said, it's how you said it. Sometimes you feel like the Hulk trying to type on a computer. But if you're wrong in the way that you are right, you're wrong even though you're right. So we need to let our considerate spirit be known by all men. Where else do we get that? Well, 1 Peter tells us that. In 1 Peter 3, talking about having a considerate spirit in the truth that we know as we give defense for the hope that we have in Christ.

Look what it says. "But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their fear, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts." Here it is. "Always being ready to make a defense," being ready to stand firm in truth, being ready to have a message, "to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and fear," having a good conscience so that the thing in which you are slandered, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.

"For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing good rather than for doing wrong." If you're wrong in the way that you're right, you're wrong even though you're right. We need to give a defense for the hope that we have in Christ with gentleness and fear. The New American Standard Bible translates that as respect. ESV says-- I'm sorry. ESV is respect. NASB is reverence. So how is your attitude? How is your attitude? How are you doing at communicating with others?

How does your attitude communicate with others? What does your attitude communicate to God? God has done so much for us. Who am I that you keep me on your mind? God, I'm just grateful for you. How does that attitude that you have as you deal with life, what does that communicate to the Lord who's given the cross for you? How does your attitude affect peace in your life? If we want peace, we must first change our attitude, and we must rejoice always, and we must learn to have a considerate spirit to all men.

How are we doing in that? How are you doing in that? Second point this morning is change your dependence. If you want peace-- Do you want peace? Then we need to change your dependence. Look at verse six. He says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Paul writes, "Be anxious for nothing." So what does it mean to be anxious? Because society would define that word in many different ways.

Biblically, the word anxious comes from the Greek word merimnao, which is used 19 times in the New Testament. But most often, 11 of the 19 times, it is translated worry. To worry. It's the word specifically that Jesus uses in Matthew 6. Right? Where he's talking about why are you worried about your life. And he says in Matthew 6:34, "So do not worry, do not merimnao about tomorrow, for tomorrow will merimnao about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

That Greek word that's translated anxious literally means to worry, to be anxious, to be concerned over, to care for. Biblically, anxiety is a choice. God's not going to ask you not to do something you have no control over. God is a perfect God of order, and he's not a cruel God of chaos. He's not going to tell you don't do something that you have no control over. Anxiety is a choice. Therefore, anxiousness is a choice we make to combat the unexpected.

Now, I once taught this, and I had a gentleman come to me after and confront me on the fact that there are medical conditions or neurological disorders that can bring on what's called anxiety, which do not necessarily result from any spiritual conflict. And I say this because I have to be honest He was the perfect example of let your considerate spirit be known to all men. He did such with gentleness and reverence, and it was impactful. But at the end, after some discussion, we agreed that while there are some neurological issues that can induce what the medical world has labeled anxiety, the majority of cases labeled anxiety in our world today don't fit that.

They're not medical, they're spiritual. Even those who have prescriptions for it. So therefore, one, we wish that they wouldn't use that term. It's hard for us to look at scripture that says be anxious for nothing, and have people say, "Well, I can't help it. It's my condition." It's like, well, it's not really your condition. You're just using pills to numb the pain. There are some people, two, we agreed, too, that the medical label does apply to some people, but that's not the majority, it's the few.

Okay? And I don't want to lessen their medical condition by just throwing anxiety on top of it with everything else that people get that anxious way because truly they have a spiritual condition that they're not dealing with. That medical condition does describe the few, it does not describe the many. And three, it's upsetting that we live in a generation that doesn't recognize the difference. And so if anybody comes in and they're feeling anxious, here, insurance will cover it.

But biblically, anxiety means to worry. Biblically, anxiety is a choice. Biblically, when we are anxious, we doubt God. When we choose to be anxious, we tell God we do not believe he is able. When we choose to be anxious, we tell God that we do not trust him in his sovereign plan. When we choose to be anxious, we doubt his goodness, his will, his control, and we neglect the fact, Church, when we choose to be anxious, we neglect the fact that the Lord is near.

Do not read verse six without looking at the end of verse five. Look at your Bibles. Look what it says. It says, "The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing." The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing. He's with you. He's near to you. Rarely have I seen this verse used in conjunction with the end of verse five. Any other mug leaves verse five off. But remember, when Paul wrote this letter, he wasn't writing in verses. Verse one. Paul didn't make that change.

We're sort of at the mercy of our translators. And I'm going to say that in this case, they didn't do a great job because we're told not to be anxious after we're given the hope of the fact that the creator of the cosmos is near to our hearts. No matter what we are walking through, be anxious for nothing. Why? Because the Lord is near. Praise the Lord. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing. What a profound truth. Perhaps each morning you want to wake up and recite that scripture.

How would that change your day? How would that change your week? How would that change your month? If every morning you woke up and you said, "The Lord is near, be anxious for nothing." I'm going to pose it to you as a challenge. The Lord is near, be anxious for nothing. So why then do I become anxious? If the Lord is near, why then do I become anxious? Just think about it. Why do we become anxious? And it seems that in order to answer that question, one would want to blame their unwanted situations or circumstances, right?

Why do we become anxious? Well, because of the unexpected. We've just received some unexpected bills or unexpected news, and something just didn't turn out the way we planned, what we hoped for. Or people want to blame bad news, maybe it's in regards to health. I've just been diagnosed with something serious, and I no longer have really a handle on my future, and I'm trying to figure out what my next steps are. Or my loved one is sick and treatments aren't working.

Or my spouse is dying, and the terminal diagnosis has no cure. Or maybe I'm not dying or they're not dying, but now we have all these side effects and these conditions that we're having to deal with and maintain and-- Well, that's why I'm anxious. Or people want to blame the economy, right? Inflation is affecting my family, and prices are going up. And when will this war end? And when can we get back to normal and things-- Prices are higher than they've ever been, and now my company's downsizing, and I might lose my job and-- We're so quick when we say why are we anxious to present all these real concerns.

These are real circumstances and real concerns. But they are not the answer to why we become anxious. Loved one, we become anxious when our dependence rests in something other than Jesus Christ. We become anxious when our dependence rests in something or someone other than Jesus Christ. And sadly, so many seek peace through numbness. People seek peace through numbness. They try to manufacture peace, not by dealing with the problem, not by digging up in their heart and finding out what it is that they're worried about, but they try to manufacture peace by just numbing the reality of the situation they find themselves in.

And so they turn to alcohol to get drunk, to forget. They turn to drugs for momentary relief. They turn to sex and pornography. They do. We have these cases. Every month. Things were tough, and I turned to porn. That's just two of the most terrible things you could ever do. Self-mutilation is on the rise. People abusing themselves to numb the pain or to distract them from the real problem that they don't want to deal with. People turning to addictions and all sorts of different vices to embrace or cope with a lack of peace.

All because their dependence is rooted in themselves and not in the Lord. If you have a dependence that's rooted on yourself, it will crush you. Look what it says in Proverbs 3. It's, "Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." Other translations say, "Do not lean on your own strength." "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes." I'm guilty of that.

"Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear Yahweh and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones." Do you trust in the Lord? Or are you trying to trust in yourself? What you can handle and what you can take, what you can do, what you can uplift. Do you have confidence in the nearness of his presence? Are you willing to submit to his control for your life? An anxious life is a struggling life because it wants to be in control of its own life.

Let me say that again. An anxious life is a struggling life because it wants to be in control of its own life. There is freedom when you make yourself a prisoner of truth. There is freedom when you release control and you follow Jesus. Are you willing to surrender your anxiety to God's control? Because listen, numbing the pain will never bring peace to the problem. Bringing our problems to God brings about the peace we so desperately seek. We have to change our dependence.

So do you want peace? Change your dependence. Stop relying on yourself and get your dependence on God. Look what it says in verse six, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition, 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." Prayer is the remedy for anxiety. Prayer is the remedy for anxiety. Why? Because our big idea says that prayer is the anchor that keeps us at peace.

Prayer takes our issues off of our own dependence, and it yields and submits them to God, and that brings about peace. Look at the text again. It says, "Be anxious for nothing," even in the big things. Even in the things that I don't even know what's going on. I have no solutions. I have no results. I have no answers. But I'm in a problem, even in the big things. Things so dauntingly out of our control. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything," it says.

"But in everything," underline that, circle that, highlight it, draw a box around it, "In everything." Hey, loved one, what is too great that the Lord can't handle it? Or what is too small that the Lord wouldn't care about it? Or what is too imminent that the Lord couldn't intervene? Or what is too far away that the Lord wouldn't hear your concern over it? In everything, by prayer and petition, let your request be made known to God. It's why we're preaching this passage today because we're sitting here talking about that third pillar of our church and our church's DNA, the persistent prayer pillar, because prayer is the anchor that keeps us at peace.

Prayer is the remedy for anxiety. You say, "Okay, well, what is prayer?" What is it? I see that we do it, and I kind of understand it. Well, prayer is dependent conversation with the Lord, aware of who he is and aware of who we are. All right? He is powerful, present, providing. He is sovereign. He is in control. And we, what are we? We are finite. We are wandering. We are desperate. We are needy. We're sinful. Yet in everything by prayer and in petitioning, we need to submit our requests to God and seek his will for our needs, our concerns, and our plans.

Prayer is the anchor that keeps us at peace. How often do you present your desires to the Lord? How often do you actually say, "What it is that's burdening my heart or burdening my mind," how often do you bring that to the Lord? How often do you bring your request to him? How often do you seek God's will over your plans? Not seek God's will as in seek his permission, okay? But rather, seek his will as in his desire for you. I think many of us, when we pray, and we think that seeking God's will is sort of like getting God's rubber stamp to do what we want to do.

"Hey, God, I really want to do this. Is that okay?" "Yes." "Great." But when we submit ourselves to God, we're not saying, "God, would you let me do this?" We're saying, "God, what is it that you want me to do? This is burdening my life. What is it that you want me to do? I need a solution. Where is it that you want me to go?" How do I submit myself to the Lord through prayer? We have to come to him with humility, surrendering to his will, praying that he would accomplish his will in and through us.

And also, we come to the Lord in thanksgiving. Even in the greatest problems, right? Be anxious for nothing, but in prayer and petition with thanksgiving. God, I'm so thankful that you listen, and that you hear, and that you're near. Thank you that you care about me. How often do you do that? Or is he sort of that genie in a bottle? I need this, God. Do that now. Rejoicing in his goodness, his kindness, his grace, his mercy, his sovereignty over every aspect of life.

Because when we pray, God is faithful to answer our prayers. And he answers our prayers with yes, no, and wait. Yet, even though we submit our requests to God, right, like scripture's telling us to do, God's yes, no, or wait answer may not align with our desires. But they will always correspond with his perfect will. And that may be a hard pill to swallow at times because you may be praying for healing, praying for change, praying that the Lord would spare a life, and he chooses not to.

You may be praying and praying and praying that God would intervene in your life and in your circumstance in a way that is a good desire and that he would give a good thing, and God, in his perfectness, may say no. How often do you think Joseph prayed, sitting in the bottom of a pit? How often do you think Joseph prayed as he rotted away in jail because he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife? Yet he had no idea what the will of the Lord would be for his life.

He did a little bit. He had a dream. It's kind of important. God doesn't promise that our prayers will produce our results in life or the results that we desire for our life. God promises that our prayers will bring about an incomprehensible peace in and through every circumstance we find ourselves in. His promise isn't for results. His promise is for our peace. Because prayer is the anchor that keeps us at peace. Look at verse seven, "And the peace of God."

When we are anxious for nothing and we bring our request to the Lord, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Truthfully, that peace is incomprehensible. There have been seasons in my life where I have walked through trials, and I have put my dependence on Christ and brought my request to God, and he in turn has given me a peace that seemed to make no sense. And many of you have stood out there in this lobby, and we've had conversations where people have been walking through difficult times, and the Lord has given a peace because he is faithful to his word, and he is faithful when we put our dependence on him.

And to my shame, there have been times in life when I have not put my dependence in the Lord, and I have been a wreck. But God's word gives us the prescription. When my dependence has been so rooted in myself and not the Lord, I'm ashamed to admit that I was a wreck over circumstances when I should've been trusting in the Lord. Because when we do trust in the Lord, and we do submit our request to him, he gives us a peace beyond comprehension. No matter who you are and no matter what you may walk through, when we as believers submit our circumstances to God, no matter how terrible they may be, he bestows on us a peace which surpasses all comprehension.

He's faithful to his word because prayer is the anchor that keeps us at peace. And you know what? It's a testimony. It's a testimony to others. Think about that, too. Maybe you're in the middle of just a terrible crisis. Maybe you need to view the peace that the Lord gives in your life as a testimony for the sake of the gospel. And the trial that you're walking through can be used for good When the world looks upon us and sees our peaceful spirit in the midst of chaos, it is a powerful testimony of Jesus Christ.

And when fellow believers look upon us and see a peaceful spirit in the midst of chaos, it is a powerful testimony of God's goodness and his faithfulness to his word. And may it always be a testimony that God is sovereign and we trust him. You know what it also says? It says that God's peace guards us. Do you notice that? It's not just that we get peace, but what does it say? That it guards us. What does it guard? It guards your heart and it guards your mind.

What do they need protection from? From me, from my flesh, from temptation, from lies of the enemy, from doubt and anxiety, worry, fear. Have you submitted your cares, your concerns, your requests, your self, your anxieties, your worries, your circumstances to God? Have you? Have you brought them to the Lord? What is a present situation in your life that needs to be surrendered to God? Perhaps that's your homework for this week. But you're going to go home, you're going to get on your knees, you say, "God, you know the cares of my heart.

You know what makes me anxious. And God, may I not fall prey to choosing anxiety, but would you intercede in X or Y or Z? I submit myself and my circumstances to you, God. Lead me where you want me to go and in what you want me to do and in who you want me to be." And we're going to give an opportunity to do that this morning. Submission is a choice and it takes discipline. Submission is a discipline and it takes practice. Look at verse eight. He says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is dignified, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, consider these things, the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me.

Practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Do you want peace? Then you need to change your habits. Do you want peace? Third point, you need to change your habits. Change your habits. There's no question that anxiety is a form of doubt. And I believe that anxiety is on the rise in our culture because of what we so choose to habitually put into our minds. Look no further than social media as a cesspool of ideologies that provoke anxiety.

Where we have allowed insane people a platform to speak. We have. People that would never have made the news in the '80s and '90s, now your children watch every day. We give an audience and a following to people who are insane. Moms and dads, consider for a moment the access and the influence that you willfully give insane people to have over your children. Oh, but how are they going to know that Betsy had a party? Who cares? Sorry. Who cares? I am sure there's a very small amount of news on social media that's actually relevant to you.

And I'm confident that that small amount of news you could find in other sources. But what we choose to intake will have an effect on our heart and our mind, and our peace. How many hours do we let our mind scroll through social media? And what effect does that have on us? I don't have time for reading God's word at all. Yeah, but your phone says you looked at Instagram for five hours today. What effect does it have on you? You've heard me share this before, but I'll say it again.

And it's why we're talking about these things that we need to change to have peace. Because you do what you do and you feel how you feel because you think what you think. You do, you act, and you feel, you emote by what you think, what you dwell on, what you consider. What you intake has an effect on who you are. Okay? I'm so glad there's not an E-pass scanner at the Twisty Treat. Okay? Because what I intake would be evidenced by more than just what I am.

You do what you do, and you feel how you feel because you think what you think. So what is it that you're thinking about? What is it that you're setting your mind on? Oh, it has no effect over me. Okay. Scripture gives us an answer. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is dignified, whatever is right, whatever is pure," whatever is pure, "whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, consider these things."

The things you give your mind to. How well do they align with this biblical criteria? Do you feel any conviction reading through this verse? We are to dwell on and consider these things. That which is true and dignified and right and pure and lovely. This is the filter. And commendable and excellent. Worthy of praise. How are you doing on that? If I were to check the search history on your browser, would it meet that criteria? If I were to browse your recently watched list on the streaming platforms that you subscribe to, would it fit that criteria?

If I were to read through the stories you've reposted or the likes or the comments you've written or read or scrolled through, and look at everything that goes on on your phone, would it fit Philippians 4:8 criteria? You do what you do and you feel how you feel because you think what you think. Your mind is the most powerful thing the Lord has given you, and it can change outcomes in your life in ways you could never imagine. What are you feeding it?

We have to get into good habits. We have to protect what our minds dwell on. Look at verse nine. Paul says, "The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Paul tells the Philippians to put into practice his example. That which you've witnessed in me, hey, that which you've seen in me, do that. What you've seen and heard, do those things. It's the same concept he told the Corinthians when he told them to be imitators of me as he is of Christ.

And what I love is that Paul touches on all the major senses of the human body. He says to put into practice these things, what? What does it say? What you've learned from me. Okay? The thoughts, the mind. He's engaging the mind. Put your mind into practice. What you've received from me, that which I've given you, you've held and felt in your hands. What you've heard from me, you've listened. What you've seen in me. Church, we are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and all your strength, with everything you have.

What you think, what you touch, what you hear, what you see, put into practice, Paul says, what you've seen in me. My example. And when they do the-- What's it say? When they practice those things, what does it say in verse nine? "And the God of peace will be with you." Parents, how are we doing at imitating Paul? Are we being a Paul-like example to our kids? Do we have a personal relationship with Christ that you would desire your kids to emulate?

Do you have the confidence like Paul did to say, "Hey, be imitators of me as I am of Christ. Hey, what you've seen in me, little one, do that also." Or how many times do we as parents go, "I really wish my kids don't do the things that I did." Let's right that ship today. What you see in me, I'm going to strive to be a godly example, and what you see in me, emulate that. Practice those things. The way we can follow Paul's example is by changing our habits and putting into practice God's word, to put into practice what we've learned from God's word, what we've received from God's word, what we've heard from God's word, what we've seen in God's word.

So church, are you willing to put that into practice? Perhaps this morning you are desperately seeking peace. It's been a week, it's been a month, it's been a year, it's been a season, I don't know. And it's chaotic in life. Nothing you do seems to work, nothing you pursue seems to last, and you are left craving something that seems so unattainable. Listen, peace can only come in Christ, and prayer is the anchor that keeps us at peace. Now, look, this is not a promise that adversity will cease or that it won't come in your life, but rather it is a prescription that in Christ, we can have peace in adversity.

In Christ, we have peace in everything we may face because in Christ, there's peace no matter what. And so the question is, is Christ Jesus your Lord? Is he your Lord and Savior? Have you confessed him as Lord? Have you repented of your sin? Have you turned to him, submitted and yielded yourself over to him, given yourself to him? And today, if you feel that conviction, if today you feel a call from the Lord, do not harden your heart against it. Today, maybe you may be hearing a call to come to salvation for the very first time, and we don't want you to walk out that door without responding to that call that you feel welling up inside of your heart right now.

Today, if that describes you, I would invite you to repent. To make 180-degree turn in your life, to repent of your sinfulness, and to confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and surrender your life to be his follower because it is only in Christ where peace can be found. Listen to me, if you are not a follower of Christ, you will not experience peace. You may experience momentary pause, but peace is only in Christ Jesus. And if you're not in Jesus, let today be the last day that can be said of you, and come and know true peace.

Scripture says he is the Prince of peace. Come and know true peace today. In a moment, I'm going to invite you to respond to that call by coming down to the front and to praying, and to repenting, and to choosing to confess and pursue Jesus Christ as Lord of your life. Today, I want to invite all of us to put this message into practice. Prayer is the anchor that keeps us at peace. And I'm aware that there are many needs here this morning. There are many people who are hurting here this morning.

There are. We keep talking about it as a staff every single time we talk about— But what we're preaching on, it seems like someone says, "Oh, man, there's just a lot going on." There's a lot going on. And I want to invite us to respond to God's word right now. And so if you're in need of peace, I'm going to ask you to take a step of faith. I'm going to ask you to be bold, not for the sake of attention. No one here is doing that. And if anybody's judging, shame on you, but nobody's doing that.

If you're in need of peace, a peace that surpasses all comprehension, I want to invite you to come down to the front of the stage for prayer. And our worship team's going to play. And members of our prayer team are coming forward right now to pray with you, if you so choose, and if not, to allow you to pray. But we want to respond to God's Word as we see it here in the text. And there's a lot going on, and I don't want to downplay anything that you're going through, and I don't want to necessarily upgrade anything that you're going through.

What we're going through is heavy, and we've got space down front right now. And if you need to come before the Lord, if you want that peace that surpasses comprehension, come right now, even as I'm talking. Let's give it to the Lord. The lights are going to come down so that we can focus on him. This time is for you. James tells us that when we draw near to God, he will draw near to us. And so I'm going to invite you. I don't know where you are.

I don't know what you're walking through. I don't know the burden that's in your life. I don't know the struggles or the fears or the worries, but I'm going to invite you right now, if you feel like the Lord is sort of working in your heart right now. If you've been dealing with something that you're waiting for answers on. If you've been trying to carry this and keep things to yourself because you just don't want people to know, I'm going to ask you to come to the Lord and to fall at his feet, and let's pray together.

And let me pray for us as we do so. Heavenly Father, we ask that you would just have your way in this time. You are the Prince of peace, the King over all. And Father, I pray that you would intercede and move and act in accordance to your will, God, as we seek to just put into practice your word. Your perfect word is our hope and our strength. We love you. Use this time for your glory, we pray, as we respond faithfully to your word as we've read it this morning.

In Jesus' name. Amen.