Verse-by-verse through Philippians (4:9, Part 2)

Last week we talked about how if we follow in the footsteps of those who walked in the footsteps of Christ, and if we do those things that Paul says we have learned and received and heard and saw in him—which were things he learned and received and heard in Christ—and if we are seeking that eternal life that comes from Christ, then the God of peace will be with us. But if we are trying to gain earthly rewards by lying and treachery, that same God will not be a “God of peace” to us. He may actually fight against us. Today we look at what Paul means when he refers to God as being the “God of Peace.”

Philippians 4:8-9—8 Finally, brethren, 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 and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these, and the God of peace will be with you.

I love how the Holy Spirit puts Scriptures together. Because back in Philippians 4:6-7—Let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God…will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Now he says, Philippians 4:9—Do these things, and the God of peace will be with you. What we have in these two verses is a plan of how to train our minds and our bodies so that we may live a life that pleases God. If we fill our minds with things that are pure and which lead us into brotherly love and which make good things known, is God pleased with that? And if the life of the apostle Paul is a pattern for our own lives, would God be pleased with that? And if our lives show a pattern of holiness, then when we witness to those who don’t know Christ, they will know what kind of person we are before we open our mouths. As seen in the following Scriptures:

1st Thessalonians 1:6-9—And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.
2nd Timothy 3:10-11—But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra.

BUT, is God pleased when we fill our eyes and ears with things that are profane? Is He pleased when we use our bodies in ways that are sinful? 2nd Timothy 3:13-14—But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of. We cannot have the peace of God unless we are at peace with God. Isaiah 57:20-21—The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. My God says, “There is no peace for the wicked.” But if the God of peace is with us, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Now, what does it mean that God is the God of peace? Well, if I had to explain this using 1 passage out of the 60,000 or so verses in all of Scripture, I would probably choose Romans 4:24-5:1—[Christ’s righteousness] shall be credited to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead…Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Man does not make peace with God—God makes peace with man. That principle is found all through the New Testament. (Colossians 1:19-21; Ephesians 2:12-17). All mankind deserved eternal Hell. Period, paragraph. But God—THE God—came and made peace with a bunch of people that couldn’t give enough, sacrifice enough, or do enough to have that very God show any mercy toward us and who, by all rights, should eternally be His enemy. And that principle goes against everything that was taught and believed by followers of the Roman pagan mythology that existed when Paul wrote this letter.

Because this Roman pagan mythology—and every other pagan mythology—had a bunch of different “gods” for just about anything you could think of. And in order for a “god” to be recognized as a “god” they had to go through the Roman senate for approval. There was a writer in the 2nd-3rd century AD named Tertullian. He was the son of a Roman government official. And he became one of the fiercest defenders of the Christian faith and he wrote volumes against the pagan worship which was sanctioned and mandated by the Roman government. And in his "Apology", which is by far his most famous writing, he said this about the practice of the Roman government thinking they had the power to elevate men to the status of a “god”:

“There was an old decree that no god should be [designated] by the emperor till first approved by the senate...among you divinity is [given] at the judgment of human beings. Unless gods give satisfaction to men, there will be no deification for them…Tiberius accordingly, in whose days the Christian name made its entry into the world, having himself received [news] from Palestine of events which had clearly shown the truth of Christ's divinity, brought the matter before the senate, with his own decision in favour of Christ. The senate, because it had not given the approval itself, rejected his proposal.”

Tiberius was, of course, the Roman emperor from the time the man Jesus Christ was about 9-10 years old until the time He was crucified. Pontius Pilate had sent word to Tiberius about this Jesus that Pilate could find no fault with, and who in fact had done many mighty deeds in the sight of the people. And no doubt when the soldiers who had been guarding the tomb came running to him and said, “Governor, you ain't gonna believe this” that he sent word to the emperor that this was more than a man, this is indeed a god. Tiberius agreed, took the matter before the senate, and the senate said, “Eh, not so much.”

And herein lies the difference between Christianity and Roman pagan mythology. In Roman pagan mythology, a potential “god” had to get the approval of men to be elevated to godhood. But the truth of the matter is this--Christ IS God. Why? Because He is. Period. And once a “god” was established, they expected to be worshipped. If you didn’t worship them, then you better be prepared for the consequences. In the Roman “Pantheon”—which was the term they used to refer to their collection of the many “gods”—they had different classes of “gods” and “goddesses.” And, time out—if you have a little girl, and she wants to call herself a “goddess” or wear a shirt that says "goddess"—don’t let her. That’s blasphemy. Pure and simple.

Anyway, there were at least 3 different classes of “gods.” There were “Major gods” which would be Jupiter (king of the gods) and Apollo and Ceres and Neptune and Mars and Diana. Then you had over 150 “Minor gods.” THEN you had over 30 “gods” that they adopted from other cultures that the Roman army had conquered. Then, on top of all that, the Caesar was expected to be worshipped as “god.” And the people that worshipped these “gods” didn’t know from one day to the next if these “gods” would have a hissy fit and throw a hailstorm their way because something happened on Mt. Olympus to ruin their day and they just had to take it out on someone.

They would burn sacrifices and cry out, “Oh, Apollo, make the sun to shine for us today!” You might as well talk to that wall. “Oh, Ceres, make our crops to grow!” “We’re sorry, that number is not in service!” These “gods” were nothing! They were powerless to do anything for one reason—they didn’t exist! You could burn all the sacrifices and incense you wanted. But who would you be talking to? NOBODY!! 1st Corinthians 8:4—We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. Tertullian went on to say this:

“You tell me that the Romans rule the world because of the gods, and we ‘endanger state security by our failure to worship them, risking their anger.’ Well, since you captured those gods from foreigners, whom they failed to defend, it doesn't seem as if their help is worth much! So our refusal to worship them doesn't hurt you. On the contrary, we ask the Creator to help the empire. A real God is rather more useful than a fake one.”

That’s why God is the God of peace, because He hears the prayers of those who belong to Him. 1st Peter 3:12 [NASB]—For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer. The Roman pagans had the “god of the sun,” and the “god of the moon,” and the “goddess of the hunt,” and the “god of this” and the “god of that”—they even had a “god” for each of the 4 winds! They had a “god” of the north wind, the south wind, the east wind, the west wind. And all they could do was hope that they were doing every little thing right in the temple to please these “gods” and “goddesses.” But we know the God of all creation. And all we have to do to know if we are pleasing Him is to read His word! And all we have to do to have His peace? A whole bunch of complicated rituals? No. Just take your needs to Him. Philippians 4:6-7—By prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God…will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Listen to some of the “gods” they worshipped:

• Devera—Goddess of brooms used for purification.
• Discordia— Goddess of discord and strife.
• Febris—Goddess who protected people against fevers.
• Fornax—Goddess of bread baking and ovens.
• Fulgora—Goddess of lightning.
• Furina—Goddess of thieves.
• Indivia—Goddess of jealousy.
• Mefitas—Goddess of poisonous vapors from the earth.
• Mellona—Goddess and protector of bees.
• Mena—Goddess of menstruation.
• Subrincinator—God of weeding.
• Summanus—God of night thunder.

But there is one “god” they didn’t have. They didn’t have a “god of peace.” We do. I was looking up the places where God is called the “God of” or the “Lord of” or the “Father of” something:

• 7 times He is called the “God of peace” (Romans 15:33, Romans 16:20; 1st Corinthians 14:33; 2nd Corinthians 13:11; 1st Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:20).
• Psalm 109:1—God of my praise
• Malachi 2:17—God of judgment.
• Acts 7:2—God of glory.
• Romans 15:5—God of patience and consolation.
• Romans 15:13—God of Hope.
• 1st Peter 5:10—The God of all grace.
• 2nd Corinthians 1:3—The Father of mercies and God of all comfort.
• Ephesians 1:17—Father of glory.
• Hebrews 12:9—The Father of spirits.
• James 1:17—the Father of lights.
• Ephesians 4:5—God and Father of all.
• Ezra 7:12; Revelation 11:13, 16:11—The God of Heaven.
• Revelation 11:4—the God of the earth.

Speaking of Christ:

• Isaiah 9:6--Prince of Peace.
• Matthew 12:8—Lord of the Sabbath.
• 1st Corinthians 2:8—Lord of glory.
• 2nd Thessalonians 3:16—Lord of Peace.

All that in ONE GOD!

So, what does it mean that God is the “God of peace?” It means this: if there is peace, it was God that made that peace. God is the source of all peace. How do men negotiate peace? “You give me something I want—I'll give you something you want.” In the Middle East, for example, if Israel gives the Palestinians the West Bank, then the Palestinians will promise to stop blowing up Jews. Problem is, the Palestinians don’t stop blowing up the Jews, and then they blame it on Israel. If the union goes on strike, how does it get settled? One side says, “Give us X and we’ll give you Y”; the other side says, “We’ll give you J if you give us L.”

But here’s the difference between man’s “peace” and God’s true peace. When God makes peace with a man, He takes from us something we didn’t know we needed to get rid of and gives us something we didn’t know we needed to have. He took something He didn’t want. He gave us something we didn’t want. Christ took the curse of the Law upon Himself, and gave us His righteousness. Galatians 3:13—Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us. 2nd Corinthians 5:19-21—God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself…He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Let’s make sure we have this straight: God sent His beloved Son, who took our sins from us as He hung on that cross and died, became a curse for us, so that those who believe then become the righteousness of that dear Son? In other words, for us who believe, Christ takes our sins, and we get His righteousness? Next time someone tells you that God isn't fair, point them to 2nd Corinthians 5:19-21 and tell them, “Yeah, you're right.”

We weren’t looking to make peace with God—we didn’t know we needed to. Or, perhaps, we didn’t think we needed to. We cannot have the peace of God unless we are at peace with God. And if we are at peace with God, He then becomes to us the God of peace, and we can then have the peace of God. And God offers us that peace that we don’t know we need, and He offers it when we don’t know we need it. Romans 5:8 [NASB]—But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Psalm 119:163 [NASB]—I hate and despise falsehood, but I love Your law. We human beings have a problem: we are born with a spirit that does not love the Law of God or any other kind of laws for that matter. In fact, we tend to develop our own laws, and live by them. We don’t think we need the law of God. We think we’re just fine the way we are. “Naw, I'm OK with God; He’s OK with me. I don’t do anything bad, I don’t hurt anybody. What’s that? Yeah, I sleep with my girlfriend and we like to get high on the weekends. But God understands me; He doesn’t care about all that.” Think again! We are born with a sense of right and wrong. Problem is that sense of right and wrong only extends to other people. We may have a vague sense of sin—but we really don’t think we need to do anything about it. Our own, natural, human, fleshly minds will not convict us of our sins. We don’t think we’re doing anything wrong. We can't know we’re doing anything wrong unless God shows us. The way God shows us is by the Holy Spirit. John 16:7-8, 13—“It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth.”

The reason we use so much Scripture in witnessing to people is because the Scriptures were spoken to the writers by the Holy Spirit (2nd Timothy 3:16; 2nd Peter 1:19-21). And when the Holy Spirit witnesses to us, and convicts us of our sinfulness, and shows us that no, we are not “OK with God” and that we are, in fact, at war with God, then that same Holy Spirit will cause us to love the Law of God. Psalm 119:165 [NASB]—Those who love Your law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble.

There is ONE God. One and only one. It ain't the god of the Mormons. It ain't the god of the Jehovah's Witnesses. It ain't Allah. It ain't Buddha. His name is YHVH. God. Almighty God. Ask yourself this question: Is He the God of Peace who is with you? Or is He your enemy? Do you love His Law? Or do you think “Eh, I'm OK.” If you walked out of your house right now, and out of nowhere, here comes a bullet “POW!” Would you stand before God as His friend? Or His enemy? That’s the question you need to answer.

Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.

Verse-by-verse through Philippians (4:9, Part 1)

We’ve seen these last few weeks the pattern that should guide us in choosing those things we use to fill our time. And today we’re going to look at a verse that shows us the result of following this template. When your kids ask you “Why do I have to eat my broccoli?” We don’t—or, shouldn’t say—“Because I said so!” Children need to know why you are making them eat something they don’t want to eat. And the same is true for new Christians. When we tell them “You should really listen to this fellow” or we warn them to avoid this other one over here, what question are they going to come back with? “Why?” What makes this fellow so good? “Well, because I said so” doesn’t really cut it. We should be able to tell them, “This gentleman preaches the truth, and we need to know the truth in order to glorify God.” And in fact, today we will see that Paul gives his own life as an example of what happens when you eat your spiritual broccoli, so to speak. So, we’re gonna read verses 8-9, but verse 9 will be our topic today.

Philippians 4:8-9—8 Finally, brethren, 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 and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

In these two verses, Paul is showing us what to do with our minds and our bodies. We should let our minds dwell on things that are true, honest, etc. Then we should be living out our lives the way that Paul did in his own life. Now, this does not mean that we are all going to die as a martyr. We’re not all going to go from one town to another, and being beaten and stoned for preaching the gospel. And when we find people whose lives show a pattern of following Christ, it doesn’t mean our life is going to be exactly the same as their life. I was listening to another message from Pastor Phil, how each of us is in what you may call and obstacle race. But my race isn't the same as Steven’s race or Nikki’s race or Tony’s race or anybody else’s race. Our race may not be exactly the same as someone else’s, but we may actually face some of the same obstacles—those obstacles may be a little higher or a little lower for some people. And when we do face those obstacles, it helps to talk to people who have faced them before us. What was the obstacle? How did they make it over that obstacle? And what do they look like now?

Verse 9. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me. First, let's break down The things which you learned and received and heard in me. He’s talking about the gospel that he brought to Philippi. If we remember nothing else, the one thing we should always remember is the gospel—that God sent His Son to die for our sins, that He rose again, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He is coming back one day, and all who confess that He is Lord will be resurrected as Jesus was. It doesn’t matter what you forget—you may even forget your own name. But we should never forget the gospel. If someone from the Men In Black walked up to you with their little neurolizer, and they could zap out any part of your memory, and you could choose whether to keep everything you know about how to do your job—or you could retain all you know about the gospel, which would you choose? He's telling us that should we forget anything else, we must always remember the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The things which you…saw in me. He told the church at Corinth 1st Corinthians 11:1—Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Suppose we asked 100 Christians this question: “Out of all the people mentioned in the Bible, which person’s life would you use as a model for your own?” How many of those people do you think would choose the life of the apostle Paul? Think about it: Not long after he met the risen Christ, he took Barnabas and went into the cities of Lystra and Derbe, Iconium. And when Paul and Silas preached the gospel at Philippi in Acts 16, they really didn’t seem to start out on the right foot, looking at it from a human perspective. They found Lydia and a few women by the river and led them to Christ. Then they had that little dust-up with the owners of a slave girl who brought their masters much profit by fortune-telling when he cast that evil spirit out of her. Acts 16:22-24—Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. Guess what? The jailer that received the charge and put them in the inner prison—he’s one of the people reading this letter. Do you think he saw Paul and Silas display a little bit of faith in God while they were shut up in that prison?

Now, we’re not all going to be thrown into the inner part of a Roman dungeon, sitting in mud and…um…you know. Paul is telling these Philippians—and perhaps this jailer in particular—to remember the things that Paul went through in Philippi and also in Lycaonia and Thessalonica. Because as we will see next week, these Philippian believers were probably going through some of the same persecutions Paul went through. In some other places, Paul spelled out all the things he put his body through to make the gospel known. 2nd Corinthians 4:8-12—We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. And what does he call all of those things he put his body through? 2nd Corinthians 4:17—For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

Let’s look at some of these things that Paul calls “light afflictions.” 2nd Corinthians 11:23-28—Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—and that wasn’t the worst of it—besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. You could beat that man’s body into the ground—but don’t you dare mess with the gospel, or the Church of our Lord Jesus. So he’s telling us to do the things that he has done, to have the same passion for the gospel—that it is more important than even our lives.

Timothy knew that. 2nd Timothy 3:10-11—But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra. Romans 8:18—For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Yeah, you may have been through the cocaine and the crack and the booze and the prostitution and whatever else. But if you are in Christ, how much of that does God remember? Big fat ZERO. The things you do in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, how much does He remember? EVERYTHING. Matthew 10:42—“And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.” Adam Clarke said of these words of Christ:

“It is the name of Jesus that sanctifies every thing, and renders services, in themselves comparatively contemptible, of high worth in the sight of God.”

So you gave someone a cold cup of water. Well, that cup of water may have kept them alive so they could hear the gospel. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me…

Then he gives us one simple command. What is that command? DO. That verb “do” is in the imperative mood. In Greek, that means it is a command. Other than the phrase “the God of peace,” this little word is probably the 2nd most important word in this whole verse. Why? Because if you DO these things, then what? The God of peace will be with you. If you DO these things—these things that God commands us to do—will He give us what we need to do it? There’s an old saying that “If God leads you to it…He’ll lead you through it.” Someone may ask, “Well, what does He want me to do?” I can't give that person a specific answer, except to say, “Whatever it is He’s calling you to do—DO.”

I got to thinking about this little word. So many times we focus on the big, theological words. Things like Justification and Sanctification and Regeneration and Imputation. But there are three words—three little verbs—that Jesus uses as commands for all of us. In one word, what is the first and greatest commandment? “Love.” What were Jesus’ last two commands He gave before He went to the Father? Matthew 28:19-20—“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” We can sum The Great Commission in two little words: “GO” and “DO.” Two of the three greatest commandments are little 2-letter words.

And here, Paul focuses on the “DO.” Do these things—what things? The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me—Do these things and the God of peace will be with you. Now, we’re gonna look at the phrase “God of peace” later. Like, seven days from now later. Sorry. What was the goal, the aim of Paul’s life? Philippians 1:20—Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. What kind of people should we Christians seek out as a pattern? Philippians 3:17—Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. If we follow in the footsteps of people who are walking the path that Jesus laid out for us, then we will be following in the footsteps of Christ. And if we are following in the footsteps of Christ, will we be doing those things that glorify God?

Many times the NT refers to our life in Christ as a walk. Never a sprint, never a leap—but a “walk.” One step at a time. Almost 50 times in the NT we are warned about how we should walk. John 8:12—Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 12:35-36—Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” Romans 6:4—Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 8:1—There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 1st John 1:7—But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

If we are walking according to His word and His command and His leading—if we do those things that are pleasing to God and that glorify Him, He will be with us in doing those things. Now, what’s the opposite of all that? Well, if we are doing things that are in clear violation of His Law, and if we are doing things that are sinful, and all of a sudden we find ourselves in a pickle because we have lied or stolen or done something similar—will the God of peace be with us? No. In fact, could it be possible that He may even strive against us? Galatians 6:7-8—Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. If we try to accomplish some task or gain some earthly reward by lying and cheating—there will be consequences. Can you think of a more helpless feeling than to know that you have done something that has the potential of causing great harm to us or to people we love, knowing that God may be sitting on His throne saying, “Nope. You got yourself into this mess because of your own sinfulness.”

Proverbs 21:16-18—A man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead. He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich. The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the unfaithful for the upright. Now, it may turn out that the only consequence is that you get that feeling of dread and hopelessness, and you realize just how badly you screwed up and you determine not to let it happen again. That’s why he says in Galatians 6:9—And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Now, as far as doing good—have you ever had a boss tell you to do something that you had never done before, just tell you, “Well, just do the best you can?” There you are, standing in front of this huge machine with knobs and buttons and dials, none of them are labeled, and you're standing there thinking, “uhhhhhh…OK.” God doesn’t do that. If God led you to do something you could not do without His help and His guidance and His strength—would that give you much peace? But what does Paul say here? Do these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 2nd Timothy 1:7—For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. There may be dangers involved. It may not be an easy task to perform. But, Proverbs 21:21-23—He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor. A wise man scales the city of the mighty, and brings down the trusted stronghold. Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles. 2nd Corinthians 10:3-5—For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

All these native tribes that use masks and dances and fire to scare away “evil spirits.” They don’t know what they're fighting. Those spirits—and they are spirits, Jesus called them “unclean spirits”—they're not scared by masks and strange dancing. What are those unclean spirits really scared of? The name of Jesus Christ! When a Christian stands on the word of God, and the certainty that what God has promised us He is faithful to deliver, and that whether by life or by death, Christ will be magnified in our body—that turns the plans of Satan upside down.

Pastor Phil read this in that same message I mentioned earlier. It’s from a letter from a missionary to New Guinea—

“You can always measure the weight of your blow by the one you get back. When you are on your back with fever and at your last ounce of strength, when some of your converts backslide, when you learn that your most promising inquirers are only fooling, when your mail gets held up, and some don’t bother to answer your letters, is that the time to put on mourning? No, sir. That’s the time to pull out the stops and shout Hallelujah! The old fellow is getting it in the neck and hitting back. Heaven is leaning over the battlements and watching. ‘Will he stick with it?’ And as they see who is with us, as they see the unlimited reserves, the boundless resources, as they see the impossibility of failure, how disgusted and sad they must be when we run away. Glory to God! We are not going to run away. We are going to stand!”

That is the encouragement the apostle Paul is giving us here—The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.