Sometimes things are hard to understand.

Steve Brown:
Sometimes things are hard to understand. Let’s talk about it, on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
The deepest message of Jesus and the Bible is the radical grace of God to sinners and sufferers. That’s what Key Light is all about. So, if you’re hungry for the hopeful truth that God isn’t mad at you, keep listening. Steve Brown is a professor and our teacher on Key Life.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. If you’ve been listening over the last few days, we’ve been talking about arguments and divisions in the church and why they happen and what you can do to fix them. We’ve been looking at two ladies who fought and the only thing we know about them. And that means that billions of Christians over the ages have read these words about these two women fighting and that’s all we know about them. I’m afraid for a biography of me, because it’ll all be bad and I don’t want to be known for all of the bad stuff I’ve done. So, these ladies didn’t get a chance, but I’ll bet you they would avoided the argument if they had known they were going to be in Scripture, read by people thousands of years later. Don’t want that kind of rep. Alright, another text now, and we’re going to start on it. And it’s a great text. It’s one that people often memorize. It’s Philippians 4:4 through 7.

Rejoice in the Lord always: I will say it again, rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to everybody. The Lord is near; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Is that good or what? But don’t miss the final statement.

Which transcends all understanding.

Do you know something? Unbelievers have us figured, they really do. I mean, we need to do something that is beyond their understanding. Something that can only be explained in terms of the supernatural. Something that simply blows unbelievers away. But we don’t. I mean, we keep it simple. We smile in a certain way and talk in a certain way and read certain books and listen to certain music. And nobody is ever surprised. Listen, it’s better to offend people than it is to bore them. It is better to surprise them than to have them yawn. It is better to do stuff that is beyond understanding than it is to try and explain why it’s beyond their understanding. And that’s what Paul does in this text. It really is beyond understanding.

Rejoice in the Lord always.

Are you crazy? I’ve just been through a divorce. Have you seen our political divisions? Do you know about the wars that are, rejoice in the Lord always? And then Paul says, if you’re going to have this conversation, yeah, in fact.

I’ll say it again, rejoice, let your gentleness be evident to everybody. The Lord is near. Don’t be anxious.

That’s because you don’t know what I’m going through. Of course I’m anxious. I one time went to the hospital, and when I was a pastor, I’d often say, Are you afraid? And they would want to impress their pastor and say, Well, it’s, I’m a little bit anxious, but not much because Jesus is here with me and he gives me peace. I went to a hospital one time with a friend of mine. I said, are you afraid? Are you anxious? She looked at me and said, are you a fruitcake? This is a hospital. People die in a hospital. And I thought, Diogenes blew out his lamp and went home. It was so honest.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God.

And you can add, leave it there.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Now, that is beyond understanding and if you could see that happen and present that to the world they won’t get it. But they’ll want it. They won’t get it, but they’ll want it. I remember one time when I was in an automobile accident my wife was sitting next to me, Anna. And somebody, and it was their fault came out of nowhere really rammed into the side of the car and it was awful. And I was cussing and spitting, upset, opened my door. I was going to go out and tell this person what I thought. And I looked at my wife. And she had her head bowed, she was praying. And I said, what are you doing? She said, I’m praying. I said, what are you asking? She said, I’m thanking God for this because he’s got a purpose in it and he knows what he’s doing. Well, I was convicted, and by the time I got to the person who hit us, my gentleness was known to him. He could see something in me that he didn’t expect. Where did that come from? It comes from being a believer. And so, what we’re going to do today, and then over the next week or two is we’re going to look at some of this stuff that is beyond understanding. And I would have you note first that supernatural rejoicing is beyond understanding, Philippians 4:4. Rejoice in the Lord sometimes, doesn’t say that. Rejoice in the Lord when things are going your way, doesn’t say that. It says.

Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again, rejoice.

Now, the first thing you ought to note here is that there isn’t a whole lot to rejoice about, especially now in Paul’s life. He’s looking at horrible persecution. He’s going through a really difficult time. And one of the reasons he loves the people in Philippi is because, and we’ve seen this when we introduced this book, they stood with him in a very hard time. And yet, the theme, and you’ll find this word some 17 times in the Book of Philippians, rejoice or joy. So, you have a question, rejoice, you’ve got to be kidding. What is there to rejoice about it? And then Paul smiles and says.

I will say it again, rejoice.

What Paul is talking about here is the reality in which a Christian lives. The reality is the source of joy when we are reminded of that reality. Somebody was telling me the other day about the time Billy Graham and Ruth were in church and Mr. Graham, when the plate was passed, dropped a $20 bill in the offering plate. And then he reached to take it out and Mrs. Graham slapped his hand. And he whispered to her, he said, I thought it was a $10. And Mrs. Graham said to Mr. Graham, In God’s eyes, that’s exactly what it is. There is a reality that goes beyond the darkness that says you’re okay. God has this. There isn’t a single molecule that is out of place. God is sovereign, and he’s good, and no matter how bad it gets and how much it hurts. No matter, you’re His. And He loves you beyond anything that you can imagine. Now, that is the witness we give to the world. I don’t always, frankly. But that is, do you know, rejoicing equals laughter. And the way you can tell that Jesus is in the building isn’t by the somber faces, or the spirituality, or the seriousness of what’s going on in that building. You can always tell that Jesus is in the building by listening to the laughter of the redeemed. Listen, that’s what we’re supposed to do, you know. It’s hard sometimes, but I remember after the hurricane we went through, we’d lost everything. Anna and I, when they stole my car, got the giggles. And our neighbors were looking at us like we were crazy. And we were giggling because of God. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Thanks Steve. Well, that’ll do it for this week in our journey through Philippians. Be sure to join us tomorrow for Friday Q&A with Steve and our good friend Pete Alwinson. That’s when they’ll answer this intriguing question. Was Paul the replacement for Judas? Tune in for their answer. Stop, be quiet, and sit at Jesus feet. Easy to say, harder to do. You know the story about Mary and Martha, but what about your life? If that sounds familiar, I want to tell you about a message Steve gave called When the Noise is Too Loud. In it, he teaches on Mary and Martha, and even offers that part of when Jesus wishes would have told Mary to help her sister. Me too. I think this message will bless you, especially in the midst of this Lenten season. So please, let us send it to you on CD for free. Just call us right now at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] to ask for that CD. Or to mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses for the U.S. and Canada. Again, just ask for your free copy of the CD called When the Noise is Too Loud. And finally, if you’re blessed by Key Life, would you help share that blessing with others through your giving? Giving is easy. Just charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or you can now give safely and securely through text. Simply pick up your phone and text Key Life to 28950 and then follow the instructions. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And Key Life is a listener supported production of Key Life Network.