Knowing God's Peace - Craig Winnington

• 22/02/2018
• SLC Stuart Price

 

Download Message(2017/_God's_Peace_mp3)

Knowing God's Peace - Craig Winnington

The theme verse for our church in 2018 is Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Often in our Christian life, we fail to do the doing, because we haven’t understood the being. Philippians 4:13 is the conclusion that Paul came to because of the preceding verse, that led him to this declaration.

In v6 Paul makes quite a statement - ‘Be anxious for nothing’ yeah! Right! Come on Paul, be reasonable! Anxiety, stress and worry is what life throws at us. Paul immediately qualifies this statement by saying ‘But in everything by prayer and supplication (specific prayer) with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God’ Paul shifts his focus from the problem to the provider.

The results in v7 and the God of Peace will guard your hearts and minds. Focused prayer is the key to overcoming anxiety. In 1 Peter 5:7 it says to cast all our care upon Him for He careth for you. The bible also states to ‘Pray without ceasing’ i.e. have an attitude of prayer continually in our lives.

 

Smith Wigglesworth (1859 - 1947) the Great Healing Evangelist stated regarding prayer “I don’t often spend more than half an hour in prayer at one time, but I never go more than half an hour without praying”. His life was a life of prayer, resulting in amazing miracles of Healing and Deliverance. Prayer will ‘yoke’ us to the God of miracles, and see Him do the same for us. It has been said ‘if you don’t feel close to God - guess who moved?’ Learn to develop a life of prayer not just a prayer life!

 

In v8 Paul says to meditate on these things - what things? Things that are true, honest, just, pure...etc. Fix your focus on the things of a positive nature, based on the Promises of God.

Read this passage of scripture daily - meditate on it until it becomes a part of your life.

 

Prayer will change your focus - meditation will change your footsteps i.e. (direction of purpose).

We can sometimes speak before we think and become ‘snared by the words of our mouth’.

 

 

T - Is it True? H - Is it Helpful? I  - Is it Inspiring? N - Is it Necessary? K - Is it Kind?

 

 

                                                                           Our Thinking will determine how we speak.

                                                                           Our Speaking will determine how we live!

 

 

V9 ‘The things we have learned - received - heard - saw in me - do’. And the God of Peace - will be with you!

The learning is in the doing. Lets comparer v7 & v9

V7  Peace with God - Guards­  ‘our hearts and minds’ - Being

V9 God of Peace  Guides - ‘will be with you’ - Doing

We first need to know Peace with God, before we can know Him as the God of Peace.

 

In V10-12 Paul states that whatever his situation was in life's journey, he learned ‘how to be content’.

 

In Matthew 11:29-30 Jesus said ‘Take My yoke and learn of Me for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.’ - Example when a young ox that had never been yoked before, was yoked to a stronger experienced ox, that had learned how to be yoked - the young ox would pull away and try and free himself from the yoke i.e. he resisted change. Eventually the young ox would learn that being yoked was easy when he yielded to the experienced ox. Whatever we are yoked to will govern our lives.

 

Gal 5:1 when we yield to the yoke of Christ - we will have Peace with God and now the God of Peace can govern our lives.

 

We can now declare with Paul:-

‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’

Paul concludes the book of Philippians by stating in V19

‘and My God shall supply All you needs according to his riches in glory’ and in V20 ‘Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever.’

Not just MY GOD but OUR GOD will do for us - exceedingly, abundantly above ALL that we ASK  or THINK.

 

Written by Craig Winnington

 

Have an awesome week

Pastor Stuart & Colleen