Worship X Day 9 Faithful Redeemer: Digging Deeper

Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
The Questions
Philippians 4:6-8
6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable–if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy–dwell on these things.
Original Intent
1) “Be anxious for nothing”? Really? (verse 6)
These sound like words from someone who has never faced a problem in their life. It makes you want to ask, “What gives you the right to tell me, “Be anxious for nothing“? Until we see the writer is none other than the Apostle Paul, who suffered significantly for preaching Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:23-30) He had many things he could worry about. As a matter of fact, even as he wrote to the Christians in Philippi, he was on house arrest at Rome waiting for a decision on his execution. Paul had plenty for which to be anxious, but he confidently held fast to what he had come to whole-heartedly believe, “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) Tensions and hardships spoken of within his letter may reflect social tensions and economic difficulties within the larger community of Philippi or even in the broader church. These issues could have been a source of anxiety for the Philippian believers along with many other potential worries. Since this instruction comes at the close of his letter perhaps it was an encouragement to not be worried about him. Throughout his letter, Paul reiterates that “joy is an essential outgrowth of union with Christ in the gospel.” Paul stresses the idea of joy or rejoicing in a number of ways throughout the letter: (Philippians 1:18;2:28-29;3:1, and 4:4 to name only a few) (Jason C, Meyer, The Lexham Bible Dictionary, Logos)
2) What is true peace? How does it guard our hearts? (verse 7)
In a previous Digging Deeper Study, we studied how peace is one of the many gifts the Holy Spirit cultivates in the heart of a believer! This peace of God surpasses all understanding. (Philippians 4:7-9) God’s peace remains, EVEN when the world storms around us. The Bible is filled with God-followers who found peace in relationship with Him despite their circumstances. Daniel’s daily relationship with God provided him peace and increased his faith that God would protect him from being consumed by lions. (Daniel 6) Peter walked out on stormy waters at Jesus’ invitation based on what he knew to be true of Jesus. (Matthew 14:22-33) As long as he remained focused on Jesus, Peter walked peacefully amidst a literal storm. We can find this same supernatural peace by continually turning our minds and hearts to Jesus in prayer, worship, and reading His Word. (Isaiah 26:3) Jesus told the disciples (and us) that in this world we would have suffering, but He came to give us peace. (John 16:33) We have this peace because Jesus has already conquered the world, so why worry? We, with Him, have conquered this world and all its troubles!
3) Why meditate on “these things”? (verse 8)
True… honorable… just… pure… lovely… commendable… excellence… praiseworthy. These, Paul would say, are the fruit and the food of the mind that is guarded by the peace of God. When we put these good things into our mind, they stay in our mind and then come forth from us. (Enduring Word Bible Commentary) Have you heard the children’s sermon where the pastor puts water into a glass and then has a child shake his arm? Of course, the water spills out. Then he asks the children “why did water spill out of the glass?” They respond, “Because we shook your arm”, but he replies, “No, because water was in the glass”. What is in your heart comes out when the world shakes you. Paul tells us through his letters that what we put in our minds makes all the difference. Romans 12:2 talks of transforming our minds and 2 Corinthians 10:4-7 speaks of “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself.” Meditating on “good things” that reflect God and His character is key. It’s a practical way to bring every thought into captivity under Christ’s rule in us. (2 Corinthians 10:5) Negative thoughts come, but we don’t need to allow them to stay or mull them over in our minds. Just “cast them down“, and ask the Lord to renew our minds in Him!
Everyday Application
1) “Be anxious for nothing”? Really? (verse 6)
Yesterday, Christine encouraged us that “There is always hope when God is in our story.” David exhibited this kind of confident hope in Psalm 71:5, “For you are my hope, Lord God, my confidence from my youth.” David often began his psalms with worries, but he always gave them to God; Paul instructs us to do the same. Paul doesn’t leave us with a blank statement “not to worry”, but tags on “how to do that” by prescribing praise, “but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) If we remember what God has done in the past it gives us hope for the future. We can confidently know that God will come through with whatever is best for us. (Romans 8:28) He absolutely will work it out. In Psalm 71:14-19, David wrote about the faithfulness of God. Christine challenged us to look at our own journals. Do we ever praise him for what He has done or is it all about our worries and concerns? I am impressed that it is not only once in the Psalms that the works of God are listed but over and over again. Don’t ever stop praising Him! Yes, make your requests to Him. But then, praise Him for what He WILL do, then wait in faith and watch what happens! The faithful God gives us His gift of peace when we choose praise over fear. “Peace. Wonderful Peace flowing down from the Father above.” (Wonderful Peace by Warren D. Cornell)
2) What is true peace? How does it guard our hearts? (verse 7)
We tend to believe that peace comes in the absence of storms and trials. When blessings are flowing, then I can have peace. Consider with me, how would we define blessings? Family? Financial gain? Health? If so, then, what hope is there for the one with no husband, no children, no money, or bad health? I always felt at peace with life. My husband and I had our ups and downs, but we were “at peace” serving God. But then, I lost my health. After which, my husband lost his job and subsequently our home. Just before the job loss, our son introduced me to Laura Story and her song, Blessings. She proposes through song that blessings aren’t tangible things but divine things. Through our difficult trials, my husband and I truly found Christ’s “peace that passes all understanding“. His providence for every need, and His grace to walk through the valley of the shadow of death were constant. This peace was discovered through a much deeper relationship with the God of the ages. Now, God was truly “guarding our hearts” for all the ‘stuff’ had been stripped away and we could really be at peace with Him. Everything else was just icing on the cake.
3) Why meditate on “these things”? (verse 8)
Not long after my illness began, my sister sent me a “joy box” inspired by the writings of Ann Voskamp. This got me started in reading her book, One Thousand Gifts. Ann tells her story of a life of depression until a friend challenged her to start a gratitude journal. The goal was to list one thousand things for which she was thankful. By writing down three things every day, she had one thousand gifts within a year! In the process, she discovered joy! Thinking on the good things instead of the negative made all the difference. While I haven’t suffered depression over my health, making a gratitude journal keeps everything on a high note. I even went to the next level and brought my whole church into the practice. Every Sunday, I placed an assignment in the bulletin for each person or family to create their own lists. It became “a fragrant offering, and acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.” (Philippians 4:18) Meditating on the good things brings us right back to the whole theme of Philippians – JOY! I pray you will begin to “think on these things” in life and in this act of worship, increase your joy!
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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