When I was learning to preach, I heard someone quote an old preacher who said, “I take my text and divide my sermon into three parts. In the first part I tell ’em what I am going to tell ’em; in the second part—well, I tell ’em; in the third part I tell ’em what I’ve told ’em.”

And I’ve heard that over and over again.

And while that saying only goes back 100 years or so, it’s apparent that Paul was very familiar with that strategy.

This is week 8 of our series on Philippians, and throughout the book of Philippians, we see Paul tell his readers something, then he tells them again, and then finally, he finishes up by telling them what he told them.

In the first few verses of Philippians chapter 4, we see Paul reinforcing messages and themes that he’s already touched on earlier in the book.

And so, his readers are told about the joy that Paul personally experiences in Philippians 1:18 But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.

And then he tells them in Philippians 2:18 Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.

And finally, we read in Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.

The theme of unity comes up in Philippians 2:2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

And then he reinforces it with a personal message telling two of the church members to start getting along in Philippians 4:2 Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement.

Last week we spoke about rejoicing regardless of our circumstances, and that was based on Philippians 3:1 Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.

Earlier, Paul had told them Philippians 2:18 Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.

And now he reinforces this idea with Philippians 4:4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!

You get the picture; He tells em what he’s going to tell ’em; then he tells ’em; then finally he tells ’em what he told ’em.”

Very early in his letter, Paul tells his readers, Philippians 1:2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

And now he lands on this theme again in Philippians 4:6–7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And then finally, he tells them in Philippians 4:9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

We’ve mentioned in this series that Paul wrote this letter from Rome, where he was in prison, facing possible execution for preaching the gospel.

Fittingly it is one of four letters that are called “The Prison Epistles.” The other three are Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon.

And the church in Philippi was undergoing persecution both from the Roman civil authorities and from the Jewish religious leaders, and that doesn’t seem to be a real recipe for peace.

This peace that passes all understanding wasn’t an invention of Paul, it wasn’t just something he made up. It was a promise that he claimed.

In the gospel stories, snuggled in between the Last Supper and Jesus’ arrest in the garden we read this promise that Jesus made to his apostles.

John 14:27 Jesus said, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

Ooh, that was good. Let’s read it again, John 14:27 Jesus said, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

So, what is this peace that Jesus promised, and that Paul claimed for himself and for the early church?

It was John F. Kennedy who said, “Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.”

Before his conversion, we didn’t see Paul as a man of peace. He seemed driven and intense, but peaceful certainly wouldn’t be used to describe his character, especially as he declared war on the early church.

But after his conversion, we see a complete transformation where, without exception, the word peace is used in every letter that we have of Paul’s in the bible.

When Paul describes what our lives should look like when we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, he writes these words, Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

And we could personalize it by saying, Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produced this kind of fruit in Paul’s life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

So, when Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit, he became a very different Paul than he had been before. And one of those differences we see in his life was this peace that he had, peace of mind and heart—a peace which exceeded anything he could understand.

That was evidenced by the fact that he wasn’t troubled or afraid to face the morning, whatever the morning might bring.

So, what is this peace? Good question. Peace can be defined in several different ways. This was one of my favourite Herman Cartoons. “Small. . .round…green vegtables.

One wit defined it as “Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading.”

Or, as scientist and science fiction writer Jerry Pournelle, once wrote, “Peace is the ideal we deduce from the fact that there have been interludes between wars.”

But the New Testament concept of peace is not defined as the absence of war or even an absence of interpersonal conflict in our lives.

Peace in the New Testament is a tranquility of heart which derives from the all-pervading knowledge that we are in the hands of God.

Let’s go back to what Paul wrote to the Philippians in Philippians 4:7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

You might be more familiar with the NKJV, where it reads Philippians 4:7 ^NKJV and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

It was in response to this promise that Helen Keller said, “I do not want the peace which passes understanding, I want the understanding which brings peace.”

And it would appear that Paul had discovered an understanding which brought him peace.

So, =what was it that Paul understood that brought this peace? And how does that apply to you this morning?

Well, this peace came in part because Paul Understood That God was There.  

Have you seen the bumper sticker that says, No God, No Peace. Know God, Know Peace. It’s a reality that without an acknowledgement that there is a God, you will not have the peace that only God can give.

That’s why it’s called the peace of God or God’s peace in the Bible. If there were no other certainties in Paul’s Life, there was the certainty that God was real.

If we are to find peace in our lives, the first step is acknowledging that there is a God.

The Bible says in Psalm 14:1 Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.”

Abraham Lincoln echoed that when he said, “I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heaven and say there is no God.”

And so, Paul knew that there was a God. He knew that whatever happened tomorrow that a higher power was in control. Even if he was executed, he knew that was not the end. He would not share the epitaph of the atheist, which said, “Here lies the Atheist, all dressed up and no place to go.”

Not only did Paul know that God was there but Paul Understood That God Was Aware

We sometimes think that the opposite of an atheist is a Christian, but the opposite of an atheist, someone who doesn’t believe in God, is a theist, someone who does believe in God.

In the book of James, Jesus’ brother writes, James 2:19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.

Most of us know who Charles Darwin was, and probably most of us would think that through his teachings on evolution he must have been an atheist, but Darwin himself wrote, “It seems to me absurd to doubt that a man may be an ardent Theist and an evolutionist. … I have never been an atheist in the sense of denying the existence of a God.”

It was not enough that Paul knew that God existed, but Paul knew that God knew that Paul Existed.

Or as Paul reminded the early church in Galatians 4:9 So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you). . .

And so, we need to take our belief to the next level, not only believing in God but also believing that God knows what’s going on in our lives.

Jesus made an incredible statement concerning this remarkable attribute of God’s in

Matthew 10:29 What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.

God didn’t create this world and then turn his back on it. He is aware of what is going on. We aren’t alone.

God rejoices when he sees good and love and beauty. It breaks his heart when he sees war, hatred and what we’ve done to this world. And he knows you, and he knows everything about you.

It was that knowledge that caused David to write in Psalm 139:1 O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.

So, Paul knew that God existed, and Paul knew that God knew that Paul Existed, but more than that, Paul Understood That God Cares.

Of the three, this is probably the most important thing that Paul knew. It’s not enough that there is a God out there if he’s not aware of what’s going on in my life.

And it’s not enough that there’s a God out there who’s aware of what’s happening in my life if he doesn’t care about what is happening in my life.

Earlier, I read Matthew 10:29-31 What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.

But Jesus didn’t end there. He went on to say, And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.

Throughout Paul’s story, it didn’t matter if he was in prison or in storm at sea, if he had just been arrested or just been shipwrecked. Paul knew that if nobody else in the universe cared about what happened to Paul, that God cared about what happened to Paul.

Paul knew that ultimately, he mattered to God and that, ultimately, God was in control.

Maybe it was this experience that later caused Paul to write in Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Paul knew that there was absolutely nothing he could do to change his situation, nothing at all. So why worry about it?

Author Larry Eisenberg summed it up when he said, “For peace of mind, we need to resign as general manager of the universe.”

If we are going to have peace in our life, it will only be when we realize that God not only knows what’s best for us but that he wants what’s best for us.

And not only do we need to realize that, but we also need to believe it, and more than simply believing it, we need to act upon it.

How many of our troubles could we have avoided if we had believed that God had our best at heart all along?

Too often, we try to second-guess God. We decide that even though God is God, and even though he is the creator and ruler of the universe that he’s not nearly as smart as we are.

We decide that we know what is best for us, and if that doesn’t agree with what God says, then that’s because God doesn’t really want the best for us, and all he wants to do is to ruin our fun.

And so, we do the things we want to do, and then when it flies all to pieces and when we have to pay the fiddler, so to speak, we wonder what went wrong. And sometimes, in retrospect, we say, “Wow, if only I had done what God wanted me to do.”

It’s easy to believe that God will do what is good. It’s more difficult to believe that whatever God does is good.

I’ve told this story before, A lady whose son had leukemia was talking to another lady and the second woman said, “Maybe God will be good and heal your son.” To which the first lady responded, “God will be good whether he heals my son or not.”

Can we believe in the goodness of God even in the difficult times? Even at times when we know that’s not how we wanted things to go or things to end.

Paul shared the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their story is told in the book of Daniel, and how the king ordered them to bow down a worship a giant gold stature that he had erected of himself. And when they wouldn’t bow down, he threatened to throw them in a furnace if they didn’t obey. Does this sound familiar at all?

Their response to the king is given in Daniel 3:17–18 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Can we say that? Can we say, “I believe that God will, but even if he doesn’t . . .”?

God does care, and He sees a much bigger picture than we do. God cared enough about Paul that Paul escaped execution, but the next time Paul was arrested, it ended in his death.

Did that mean that God cared less about Paul as time went on? Does the fact that Paul’s life was spared even as other Christians were killed mean that God cared for Paul more than he cared for them?

No, I can’t explain it, and I don’t understand it, but even when we go through times of trouble and pain, God is still good.

And Paul understood that. That was why he wrote these words to the Christians in Rome, Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

By that way, that scripture is usually best not shared with people right when they are going through troubles. Not sure it would have been helpful if we had of put that on our sign out front last week.

Paul knew that he was in prison and couldn’t do anything about it, but he also knew that while he could do nothing, God could do everything, so why worry?

Paul gives us some advice in Philippians 4:6-7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

So, we have to trust that when Paul was in prison, that he prayed. That he told God what he needed and then thanked him for all he had done, and as a result, Paul was experiencing a peace that is more wonderful than the human mind can understand.

Or maybe Paul had discovered the truth of what Clive James would write 2000 years later “Stop worrying — nobody gets out of this world alive.”

A story is told by Bishop William Quayle. He Quayle was a bishop in the Methodist Episcopal church in the early 1900s, and he said that one night all the worries and concerns of his parish seemed to catch up with him, and as he paced back and forth that God spoke to him and said “Quayle, you go to bed; I’ll stay up the rest of the night.”

Well, two thousand years ago, it seemed that regardless of his circumstances, Paul, was willing to go to bed and let God stay up the rest of the night. And that is peace that he wrote to the Philippians about.

And today, God’s message to you is, “Go to Bed, I’ll stay up the rest of the night.”

Because listen again to God’s promise for you, today June 11, 2023, John 14:27 Jesus said “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.